#i have a feeling we are not seeing Childe in natlan like in sumeru so i gotta prepare myself for the content drought

[suguru-getos]

Genshin Impact Men on New Years:

Characters Included: Kinich, Ororon, Capitano <3

-> oh whooo is she? 👀 yes yes it’s me. I just wanna write on the new genshin babies and i’m so looking forward to it after finishing the Natlan archon quest. Genre: Fluff

-> Kinich:

Normally, the saurian hunter wasn’t someone you’d ever see as your boyfriend. But surprisingly so, Kinish rose up the ranks in your heart. Even Ajaw is… less mean to you. You know that because whenever you visit the Scions of the canopy, you’re greeted fairly by Ajaw & it shocks the others. It’s been a few months since you & Kinich have been together. Today, on the New years eve, he doesn’t want to miss the golden chance of spending more time with you.

Be prepared with a table full of delicious feast, prepared by him & his friends. He takes you out in a special spot where the stars are a little more visible & where you can hear how his heart soars when he sees you. “I wanted to tell you something.” He hums, watching your face glisten under the moonlight sun. “Kinich, it’s almost New Years, you sure we should’ve left everyone else and come here?” You chuckle, eyes beaming in joy. He loves you so much. He is always the sensible one, why then, when its you, that his heart loses. Unfair.

“I wanted to share our New Years kiss in peace.” He hums, pulling you close by the waist, wrapping his hands around your body & brushing his lips with yours. The feeling sends jolts and tingles down your spine. The sound of his heart racing quickly masked with the cheers of people in a distance. “Oh— would you look at that. I kissed you for an entire year.” He winked. Dork. :3 you love him so bad <3

-> Ororon:

Honestly, you never knew that someone as emo-looking as Ororon would ever become your boyfriend. You were new in Natlan & Citlali was one of the few people you were friendly to, Ororon calling her, Grand ma was hilarious. Until you knew why. Eventually, you noticed he brings his fresh produce for everyone who he’s fond of. Until, one of these days it was you. A stock of cabbages, freshly grown by Ororon, a beaming grin on his face as he hums, “Y/N, I have brought something for you.” He smiles. You often wonder why you’re so drawn to his child-like, almost innocent smile & the way he just wants to please you all the time. “You know that’s way too many cabbages for a single person, right?” You chuckle, snorting as he pouts cutely. “Well, yeah, but I just wanted to dedicate this produce to my crush & eventually, hopefully, er- my future girlfriend.”

Oh smooth. He did make you feel a tingle in your heart & he did make you feel like you were seen and heard after a long while. After Natlan was saved by the Archon, you & Ororon decided to take a trip to your homeland, to Sumeru. You settled in Puspa cafe with him, countdowning for the New Years together. “I am glad you decided to come to Sumeru with me.” You purred as he kisses your forehead. “I am glad that you brought me with you.” You chuckled, holding his hand and count downing together.

“Three, two…” and when the clock changed, you kissed Ororon, and he smiled. He has been wanting to say this to you but waited for this exact same moment. “I love you, Y/N.” He hums, catching you by surprise. “What?” Before you could smile and reply, he leaned in and kissed your neck briefly. “I really love you.” He smiled, kissing your forehead. You chuckled, how cute- “I love you too, Ororon.”

-> Capitano:

The embrace of Capitano, big & warm despite the pain & grief he continuously carried. “I missed you, my love.” He brushes against your hair, kissing below your neck. He loved cuddles with you, loved the way your body nudged against him. His body, being the perfect big plushie for you to hug. “I missed you too.” You purred, when you first saw this man, he was the Fatui Harbinger that made Everyone cower. He was famous for being as strong as Archons themselves. For a man of that stature to bring you a bouquet of roses everyday after work as long as you’re in Snezhnaya? Unreal.

“I have formulated some new years plans, my love.” He suggests, taking you by a pleasant surprise. “Hmm, what? You are always couped up by work, and I am often not in Snezhnaya; when else would we spend time?” He croons, the big, dangerous & sexy man famous in all of the Nations in Tevyat is planning a date. Hehe, how adorable, you think.

“What is the date plan?” You turn to straddle his lap instead, nuzzling against his chest. He smells different, smells like rugged leather & rum. You can’t quite put a finger on it, but you love it.

And he does make extravagant date plans, but your New Year’s Eve together is a little different. Capitano decided to cook for you. He made all the Snezhnayan dishes, some very own of his, belonging to Khan’ria. You were delighted that he can be so domesticated and so kind. Enjoying a fulfilling dinner on his lap, hearing stories that you’re sure makes his heart bloom… it’s enchantingly relaxing.

And when the clock strucks into the next year, you can’t help but be happily indulged in the process of falling in love with him, all over again. Dancing with him & kissing him lovingly. Tenderly.

[bloodglucose]

i havent tried imaginarium theater at all and finding out you don’t even see childe in the lobby if you completed the AQ makes me wanna try it even less

[electrosair]

Husband & dad headcanons anemo + cryo ver.

english isn’t my first language, sorry for mistakes

characters: heizou + kazuha + scaramouche + venti + xiao + kaeya

say ty to my best friend because if it wasn't for her this wouldn't be finished in 3 years.

word count: 1.8k

Heizou

how does he propose to you?

He will leave little clues around your house, he is such a good detective that it will get complicated and in the end he will have to tell you in a 'subtle' way. "I think someone is definitely trying to propose to you. And I happen to have a ring in my pocket."

where is the wedding taking place?

The beaches of Inazuma, at sunset. No more questions, right? They are too beautiful not to celebrate your wedding there.

where are you going on your honeymoon?

My best friend came up with this idea and it couldn't be missed. Heizou would be obsessed with solving something in his style to whatever destination you end up at, so why not go to Liyue and find out all about the ancient mountains and legends of the adeptus?

children before or after marriage?

Although it may not seem like it I feel that he is quite hooked on his work in some strange way. His top priority would not be to have children soon.

how many children does he want?

As I said before, I doubt with his job he has much time to offer to a large family, so between 1-2 kids, maybe a third one when he doesn't work so much anymore, but I doubt it.

how is he during your pregnancy?

He would worry about you, but he would hide it most of the time because he is a detective for a reason. He would always have an eye on you in case anything happens to you, and the moment he notices a first kick, his face lights up with a smile.

any memorable moment with his child?

Take the baby to work day, cause an impressive stir in his office and somehow or other end up solving a case thanks to your little kid. How? He doesn't even know.

Kazuha

how does he propose to you?

After one of the tournaments that Beidou organizes, he would use this stop of the ship to take you to the most beautiful place nearby that he could find. Facing the sea and with the wind blowing in the face of both of you.

where is the wedding taking place?

The Crux, please and thank you. All decorated with the wedding theme and the crew and wedding guests gathered on deck watching your union. We will skip the part where several guests got seasick.

where are you going on your honeymoon?

A place he hasn't been to yet, which leaves us with Sumeru, Fontaine, Natlan or Snezhnaya. I assume you would go to Sumeru because 1. it has port 2. it is more accessible 3. there are so many things to see and explore that Kazuha would take you around as excited as a toddler.

children before or after marriage?

Later, but just for the simple fact that you wouldn't be too sure you'd have the best life to take care of babies right now. I mean, if it's already hard as normal, I don't want to imagine it going from place to place on a boat, so you would wait a little bit.

how many children does he want?

He would be fine with whatever you wanted, but I can see him having more or less around 3 or 4 children once you are already settled in a house or at least for the first few years of the children's lives.

how is he during your pregnancy?

He would take you to different places for walks, with short breaks in between so you don't overexert yourself too much. "Breathe, we're almost there. The top is beautiful, I promise, besides, this is good for when it's time to see our baby."

any memorable moment with his child?

He would probably sing lullabies for your baby to fall asleep, when he grows up they will become little stories and I assure you that no matter how hard you try now he will always want Kazuha to put him to bed.

Scaramouche

how does he propose to you?

If he can fly he's going to use it to surprise you, seeing your amazed face when you landed gave him the strength he needed, so he would simply pick you up off the ground and carry you to the prettiest flower meadow he could find.

where is the wedding taking place?

Sumeru is a good place, nice landscapes, good places to eat and a port so that when you finish the wedding he can continue wandering around the other nations with you as a travel companion.

where are you going on your honeymoon?

Is it okay if I discard Inazuma and Snezhnaya? I'll take that as a yes and say Fontaine seems like a good place to go, especially if it's summer and you can enjoy dips in the water, I bet he'd try ducking you but he'd feel too bad since you're just married.

children before or after marriage?

I feel like he's the type of person who tries to delay having kids as long as possible, so you would definitely end up having them after you get married.

how many children does he want?

I would say between 1-3, 3 being the maximum because he might not be able to stand that much. You would start by having only 1, but after seeing that it is not as bad as it seems you would convince him, he would convince himself, to have another one. "You know what I told you about one being enough for me? Well, I've been thinking about it, and I think you're right…. No, it's not at all because I think they're too cute."

how is he during your pregnancy?

He'd tease you about little pregnancy cravings and such, but at the end of the day he'd try to give you everything he could get. And add to that the bonus of giving you little massages just to get you to 'stop complaining'.

any memorable moment with his child?

He would plan little pranks with the child behind your back and if you caught them he wouldn't hesitate for five seconds and say that the idea was your kid's idea. Only to then make the child forget all about it and make an even better plan.

Venti

how does he propose to you?

After a long time without setting foot in the ruins of the northern part of the nation, he decided to take you there himself. He would guide you to the top of the central tower and propose to you in front of the beautiful view.

where is the wedding taking place?

The Mondstadt church, I mean, what is it for? Other than to praise the anemo archon, who happens to be the same as your future husband. What a coincidence that he was the one who chose the site.

where are you going on your honeymoon?

Let's be honest, he likes any place where he can be served a good wine, and if he is accompanied by you while he drinks it, it's even better. So that's his only requirement, you choose the rest.

children before or after marriage?

Venti doesn't really care, what he likes most is freedom. So I doubt very much that he should be carried away by what people say about having children sooner or later. He lets it flow.

how many children does he want?

Neither too many nor too few, maybe 2 or 3, although the maximum would be 4. He would already be burdened with all the responsibilities that only having one entails.

how is he during your pregnancy?

He doesn't have much else to do during the day apart from playing and being with friends, we can say that he has plenty of time to spend with you. He would also do little things like sing to you during the last few months, when he is sure that the baby listens to him too, and he would even try to drink less. "I'm fine like this, I won't order wine today. A tea like the one you ordered would do me good."

any memorable moment with his child?

A chuckle escaped him as you looked in surprise at your baby floating instead of taking the first steps and turned to see Venti frowning. He wouldn't be able to give a vision to a child barely 1 year old, would he?

Xiao

how does he propose to you?

At first you were worried to see Xiao so nervous, he was usually quite calm and even if he was overwhelmed he wouldn't let you see him like that. You thought it might be because of some of his duties as adeptus, but when he took you to a isolated spot on the mountain and knelt down it all came together.

where is the wedding taking place?

It is obvious to say Liyue, but exactly where, I have doubts. I would discard places like The Chasm and the city, but regarding the rest, I don't think he'd care much about where you're going to celebrate it, he wouldn't even care if it was so inaccessible that almost nobody could go.

where are you going on your honeymoon?

Mondstadt seems like a good place, it's close and he could go relatively quickly to Liyue if he really needs it (a lot). Because it doesn't look like you're going to let him go that easily.

children before or after marriage?

Afterwards, but not for the fact that you are getting married, I feel that he wants to be absolutely sure that you and your children are as safe as possible with him.

how many children does he want?

2, a reasonable number. I don't see him as a father of a very large family, maybe even 1 but he would end up wanting more even if he denied it.

how is he during your pregnancy?

Just attending to your needs whenever he can and watching you 24/7, he used to do that before too but now he has an excuse to do it so you don't say anything to him about it.

any memorable moment with his child?

We all know that Xiao ate snow, not at all would he mention it casually in front of your son and his best idea was to try it and follow his father's steps. He got sick. "I promise I won't say those things in front of him again, even though I don't understand wh- Sorry, sorry."

Kaeya

how does he propose to you?

The bar where you were spending the evening was about to close and Kaeya saw his chance coming. He led you to a slightly more private place and kissed your hand as he knelt down in front of you, pulling out of his pants pocket a small object that glowed in the moonlight.

where is the wedding taking place?

Perhaps on the Mondstadt square, a place where you can have a big celebration to which you can both invite all your friends.

where are you going on your honeymoon?

Maybe Inazuma or Fontaine? Even Snezhnaya. I don't see him as the type to withstand very hot climates very well so Sumeru and Natlan would be out of the question. So a good refreshing trip in which you enjoy the new cities and bars.

children before or after marriage?

He's not the type who cares about the whole problem of having children, as long as he can have them with you he's fine with it any time. So let's say both before and after.

how many children does he want?

Large family for Kaeya. I'm sorry that being an only child and that after everything that happened with Diluc and his father they are now like this…. I mean, he definitely wants siblings for your first child. So around 4.

how is he during your pregnancy?

He would spoil you and ask for days off just for you, but let's not fool ourselves, when he sees your belly grow the slightest bit he would hug you and put his head close to it to try to hear something. He talks more to the baby than to you and it's not even born yet.

any memorable moment with his child?

I can just imagine him telling them stories about how his family are all pirates and that's why they never see them and he wears an eye patch. Just like he did to you when you first met. "Your grandfather gave me this treasure map for when you grow up, that's why you have to eat everything to grow up so you can get the buried mora and jewels."

[fuwahua]

Worm my way into your heart

Happy belated birthday to genshin's worst ginger!!!!

WC: 2.8k

tags: zhongli / childe , established relationship , fluff!!!

“Would you still love me if I was a worm?”

“Excuse me?”

Zhongli blinks incredulously at Ajax’s furrowed brows and pout, falsifying hurt as he repeats himself. “I said, would you still love me if I was a worm?”

“I… apologize. I believe I misunderstood.” May still be misunderstanding. The puzzlement on his face must be readily apparent since Ajax’s facade cracks into an amused smile, patting his shoulder patiently. “May I inquire about the source of your curiosity?”

“Well, Wanderer—”

Ah.

Ajax’s description of yet another debacle between the Traveler and their partner from Sumeru is no surprise, though the contents of said debacle are… interesting, put mildly. Lumine, for all her graciousness when speaking to him, seems to prefer the saying “might is right” when it comes to her new Anemo companion. He had never seen her so triumphant and boiling over with irritation as when returning from her weekly spats with the other; not, of course, that Wanderer was innocent by any means. One might suspect he enjoyed riling her up just to see the consequences she’d unleash upon him.

In that aspect, he and Ajax were remarkably similar.

“Then he called her a worm, like usual.” Of course, the usual. Zhongli nods as Ajax outlines the encounter, hands moving in the air to give a better approximation of the two combatants until they meet at the center. “And she was pissed, but instead of caving his face in like I would, she just said aww, would you still love me if I was a worm then? You should’ve seen it xiansheng, his face was hilarious.”

Wanderer’s bared teeth flash in his mind. “I imagine he was fuming.”

“Yep.” The word comes out popped, buoyant, and perhaps Zhongli should not feel so enamored by his lover’s amusement at another’s misery. Alas, it is a dilemma for another day.

“So? You getting it on with worm me or not?”

Befriending animal companions is a rather mundane pastime for a god who could carve stone into life. He humors Ajax with a hum. “The optics of this scenario are rather unclear: would you retain your same spirit, just encased in a different body? Is it temporary or permanent? Would I be able to communicate with you in human speech to confirm your consent to continue courting you? I would hate to offend you and any new instincts your worm form may give you, but in the case that we could no longer verbally communicate we should set up a system now: at the very least, yes, no, food, water, sleep, should be set in various signals. As worms have no hands, we could communicate with the number of times you wriggle your new body, but that comes with its own complications if you grow too tired of movement to—”

“Xiansheng! It’s not that serious!”

“I am merely concerned for your wellbeing,” Zhongli replies. He smiles as Ajax sputters, rolling his eyes in fond exasperation. “Regardless, I suppose that answers your question quite clearly. In the highly improbable scenario that you are cursed to become a worm, I would still love you.”

“Thanks. Really feeling the love here.”

He chuckles, indulgent, and Ajax beams at the noise. He is beautiful in every sense of the word, but especially so when he gives to others, when his smile melts and gentleness smooths the vanguard’s harsh reputation. Zhongli reaches out his hand and Ajax takes it, filling an ache he never notices is there until it’s already soothed.

“And I?”

“Hm?”

“What about you?” Zhongli asks. “Would you love me if I were a worm?”

Ajax laughs, leaning into a kiss. “I mean, yeah? Rex Lapis already kind of looks like a furry worm, and I love you, so…”

“I–excuse me?”

“What?” Ajax bumps his hip, teasing. “I said I love you, worm and all.”

“You did. You also said that I already look like a furry worm?”

“Well, yeah. I mean, Natlan dragons are, uh, bulkier? They’ve got stronger arms and legs to traverse with but Rex Lapis, well—” Ajax huffs, amused. “When you fly, don’t you wriggle around like a worm?”

Zhongli gapes at him.

A worm. Six thousand years of history embedded in that body, carved into caverns long before they inherited the name of Liyue, worshiped across illuminated beasts and mortals alike. Even now, after his public death, the name and shape of Liyue’s deity remains holy to many.

Yet Ajax, his lover, called him a furry worm. 

“Hello? Earth to Wormli?”

Zhongli’s neck might’ve snapped if he were a mortal at the speed with which he turns to Ajax, affronted, displeasure and sheer bewilderment draining his face of color. Wormli? Worm-Zhongli? The strangeness of the combination aside, it was mind-boggling that Ajax would decide to call him such a thing. What had he possible done to incur such a horrendous word—

Ajax’s grin meets his gaze. Oh.

“You are deliberately trying to get a rise out of me. Not unlike Wanderer.”

“Don’t compare me to that shortie.” That grin grows pinched, Ajax’s brow twitching. He’d almost pin the look as guilty if not for the determined mischief that crosses Ajax’s face, intent on pushing until he wins his prize. Were it anyone else, it would irk Zhongli to have his buttons pushed so brazenly, not an ounce of respect for his person; but it is Ajax and for him, Zhongli is more than willing to let his buttons be pressed.

It helps that he knows Ajax enjoys his buttons being pressed much more.

“And yet you are deliberately acting like him.”

Ajax heaves a dramatic sigh before him and flops across his lap, arms raised in a manner that has the hemline of his shirt rising. His stomach winks as red fabric pulls taut, and Ajax flashes a crooked smile at Zhongli when he realizes he’d been caught staring. ‘What a terrible thing to accuse me of! Maybe I like the fluffiness of Rex Lapis, huh?”

“Is that so?”

His hands move slowly, hovering, and Ajax’s eyes dart between him and his face with growing trepidation. He hums, patient where Ajax is not, and his lover chuckles. “You’ve got a dangerous look on your face, xiansheng.”

“I’m pondering,” Zhongli says, “how best to respond to your taunts.” His hands touch the surface of that belly at last, skimming the skin with the back of his knuckles. It tightens, instinctual, but the grin on Ajax’s face doesn’t face and Zhongli indulges in his own smile as he tweaks the open side to Ajax’s flinch. “Would you prefer my traditional form? To be held down; to have fur caress the skin you enjoy flaunting, just like this?” His hands turn, nails pinching the thin layer of fat covering Ajax’s abs, and his love shivers. “Or perhaps you’d prefer my claws appreciating every centimeter of you, the pieces you hide from other gazes but eager to expose under mine?”

“That’s… a difficult decision to make.”

“I’m sure it isn’t so hard, considering your attempts to goad me.” Zhongli leans downward, arms holding Ajax steady as he kisses him. The warmth of it lingers and he hums. “If you’d like some attention, you could simply ask.”

“Yeah,” Ajax says. His grin is dopey, keyed up with his prize in his, well, Zhongli’s lap, and his arms loop around Zhongli’s neck. It leaves him defenseless, shirt spilling further open and skin eager for Zhongli’s touch. “But where’s the fun in that?”

And Ajax wonders how exactly he resembles Wanderer. But whereas Lumine has grown fond of might, Zhongli has come to appreciate other forms of discipline—if it could be called that, when Ajax craves it so. Who is Zhongli to deny his wishes?

His hands trail the window of exposed skin, gentle, kneading at the places he knows Ajax likes best. He likes a slower, deeper touch on the hips, light presses on the shallow curve of his stomach when sucking in; the shape of his abdominal muscles, stark against his skin when tense, are eager to be traced over with blunt nails. His hands press against the sides of Ajax’s waist, thumbing the backside that is often forgotten, and Ajax’s legs kick out at the sensation. There’s a chortling noise that escapes from his mouth, strained, and his brows knit together.

“C-cohohome on,” Ajax grits out, teeth clicking as he cranes his neck to Zhongli. “Is thahat all you nn got?”

“To properly map out its route, a worm must carefully explore its surroundings. It would be no good for it to rush through.” Zhongli says, drumming his hands on the twitching stomach in his lap.

“You’re nnnohat aha worm though!”

“Aren’t I?” His eyes twinkle in amusement, pinching the sensitive skin of Ajax’s underbelly and earning a bark of startled laughter. “That’s not what you said earlier.”

“T-thahahaha—!”

What snippy reply Ajax has is lost to a high-pitched wheeze as Zhongli’s hands move upwards, digits hidden beneath crimson red as his nails scratch in the divots of Ajax’s ribs. His lover gasps, head bobbing left and right before giggles break through his clenched jaw, hands tangling in Zhongli’s hair as they scrabble against his shoulders for a semblance of control; the warmth of those hands against his back is gentle, careful to not pull at his loose hair, and Zhongli finds himself distracted by how easily Ajax gives his care and joy away, a present in his lap.

It's with that thought that he leans over, kissing Ajax’s reddened cheeks, chuckling as they seem to flush deeper. “Have you thought about your answer?”

“Whahahat ahansweheher?”

“You seemed rather taken with the idea of my former body, so I asked you simply: do you prefer it for the fur or the claws?” He clicks his tongue, scrunching up the shirt as he thumbs the divots under Ajax’s outstretched arms. Ajax’s back arches, gasping, and his feet slap against the floor as he squirms in laughter. “I could give you both, if you wanted.”

“WaHAHAIt—nAHAHA!” A flash of panic crosses Ajax’s face before his head tips back, hands clenching and unclenching against his back as Zhongli presses against the curve of his uppermost rib and the bottom of his armpit, an area Ajax protests being teased at because he doesn’t know if the hands will rise or descent. He bounces in Zhongli’s lap as they linger, shaking.

Zhongli drinks him in, the sight of his open mouth, eyes scrunched in delight. It’s dangerous, what the idea of bringing more of that giddy, unrestrained laughter does to him; power thrums in his arms, prickling, and Ajax reacts to it with a shriek as he drums his way back down to his sides.

“You wouldn’t even have to wait. I could give either to you now,” Zhongli croons, and he nuzzles Ajax’s neck to a choked-out protest. His illuminated form, his old Archon robes, the body he’d built that had carried the traits of both… There was never a reason in modern day Liyue to shift back to those bodies and yet there has never been any temptation stronger than the sound of Ajax’s laughter, the sight of his smile, the touch of his hands warm against his back.

Ajax trashes in his lap, hips bouncing away from wandering fingers but never far enough to avoid them entirely. “PleaHAHAHSE!”

“It would be easiest if you preferred my claws. Hands are finicky to create, human ones especially, but manipulating the shape of the nailbed is a far easier transformation. Would you like that? Longer nails pressing against you like this,” he presses Ajax flat against his lap with the palms of his hands, nails skittering the jut of his hips and carving out a space that earns him desperate, shaky giggles. “It’d be easy for me to love your favorite spots, wouldn’t it? Like here,” they skim the taut skin of his stomach and Ajax trembles when they scratch against his navel to wild cackles. “Would you like that?”

“I CAHAHAN’T! AHAHARCHONS NNAHAHAHA DON’T!”

“No? You’d prefer fur?”

“ZHOHONGLIII!”

Ajax’s head shakes, hair matted to his forehead and cheeks with sweat, and Zhongli sees unshed tears beading at his eyes as he begs; his arms remain up and willing, but Zhongli has always appreciated Ajax’s limits more than he has. His hands slow, moving to dig into Ajax’s sides and earning deep belly laughs.

“I’ve had forms with my tail in the past; I didn’t need one as Zhongli, ordinary mortal, but I suppose there’s an appeal. I had a plume, you see, at the end of my tail. If you wanted,” he caresses bare skin as breathless whines punctuate Ajax’s tired giggles. “It could adore you as much as I do. Would you like that? For it to love you like I do?”

The garbled noise that escapes Ajax could easily be mistaken for a please. A plea for what—more or less, remains unclear, but Zhongli takes the opportunity to move his hands up to cup Ajax’s face instead, pulling him upwards for a kiss. Ajax is flushed red, ear to collarbone, and adoration bubbles in him as he presses another kiss against hot skin.

A hand presses against his lips when he goes in for a third and Zhongli blinks upwards to Ajax’s amused grin, arms dropping to his side. Lingering giggles leave him as his shoulders slump. “Hehehey there.”

“Hello,” Zhongli replies. He nuzzles against Ajax’s hand and presses a kiss to that open-faced palm. “Did I go too far? Are you feeling alright?”

Ajax scoffs. “I didn’t say stop, you know.”

“That wasn’t my question.”

“Peachy,” Ajax says, snorting as Zhongli picks up his other hand to deliver a matching kiss. “I’m fine, seriously. I could have kept going.”

“You push your limits too much.”

“Do you dislike it?”

The sound of Ajax’s laughter rings in his head, bright and free, skin warm as it twisted and bent beneath his hands. He thinks of that willing body darting away but never too far, laid bait to an ex-archon. Ajax bats his eyes at him, conniving, and Zhongli relents.

“No,” he says, “I don’t think I ever could.”

Ajax flashes teeth, pleased, before his eyes slant, familiar mischief already rearing its head. He pulls on Zhongli’s hands to kiss them in blatant mimicry. “Were you saying that stuff about transforming just to mess with me or were you serious?”

“A bit of both,” Zhongli admits. He chuckles when Ajax nips at his palms in reply. “It has been many years since I took on a form between this mortal one and the illuminated Rex Lapis; it’s wholly possible and I’ve done so many times before, but it would be a bit unfamiliar to do so without prior preparation.”

“Really? How much notice do you need?”

“Perhaps a few days at first though it should be an easy shift afterwards. Think of it as using old muscles—they are still fit to be used but require some stretching before they can be utilized effectively.”

The words leave him before he recognizes the grin already pulling at Ajax’s face though it is already too late. “So, if you start preparing now, I can see it in a week?”

“Ajax.”

“I’m just curious,” Ajax purrs. Zhongli’s eyes narrow, warning, though it has the opposite effect of stretching Ajax’s grin wider. “What was that you said about a tail? That I’d like it to love me like you do?”

“That wasn’t my intent.” Warmth flushes his cheeks. He would never be ashamed of his affection for his lover, but the heated replication of his words, teasing as they were meant to be in the moment, is embarrassing in how it affects him. Worse so the knowledge that his tail, if he were to have it out, would most certainly make its pleasure known by wrapping around Ajax’s waist and pulling him closer.

“It’s my intent,” Ajax replies. He pinches Zhongli’s cheek. “So, in one week’s time, I’ll get to see wormli?”

This, again? Zhongli sighs, pressing one hand over his eyes. He loves Ajax, he does, but it’s times like this that he sometimes wishes he could throttle the other. “I do recall saying that if you’d like attention, you could simply ask me.”

“I could,” Ajax says, “but what fun would that be?”

If nothing else, he supposes it’s a charming quality of how quickly Ajax can recover from his antics. Zhongli’s eyes narrow, considering, before Ajax yelps when he’s pushed downwards before bursting into giggles as hands grapple at his waist. He may not be able to throttle Ajax in good conscious, but there is plenty else he can do to entertain in the meanwhile.

(Ajax ends up very fond of the tail)

[marvel-starwarsfangirl]

Fontaine and Natlan Archon Quest Thoughts

I haven't played Genshin in over a year and I just got back into it. So, I had to speed run all the archon quests in order to feel like I can manage the insane amount of quests I have to do. Let me tell you, the Fontaine Archon quest line might just be my favorite in the entire game (my prev fave was Sumeru). But wow, Fontaine really stepped it up from the scale of the story to the characters.

The first part of the archon quest involves an incident at magician Lyney's show, leading to his trial for the disappearance of a woman. This later connected to another case in which women were disappearing from all over. I really loved how the story neatly transitioned from the small scale of Lyney's trial to the overarching case. It was honestly very intriguing and I really enjoyed the game mechanic of playing lawyer. Furthermore, the quests did a great job involving the various characters. Although Navia initially starts off as someone helping us defend Lyney, she becomes an integral part of finding out who kidnapped all those women. Her story about her father also was very heartfelt and Navia is easily one of my new favorite characters. Plus, Silver and Melus are awesome. The eventual reveal about Marcel and what he did was genuinely chilling.

Once we wrapped up the missing women case, Neuvillette has the player investigate something for him. This leads us to the Fortress of Meropide which is honestly such a cool location. The music and sound design really has stuck with me (and it finally got me off the ear worm that was Sumeru's music bc I think I spent too much time in that place; thanks Kaveh). Anyways, although we were stuck there for a while, it never felt boring. Wriothesely and the people that lived there set up a very interesting community. This is eventually culminated in the primordial sea breaking through its containment.

The third part of the archon quest involves Furina's trial as being a false archon and the fated prophecy of Fontaine. I think this archon quest excels so much is because you have that underlying prophecy connecting everything. Lyney's trial involved a women who went missing. The eventual reveal showed us that she was dissolved per the prophecy's words. In the Fortress of Meropide, the primordial sea almost kills everyone. We also learn that smaller amounts of the water can be made into a drug. Even Childe got some more lore reveal in connection to the sea. When it all comes together for Furina's trial, it hits so hard. This girl has spent hundreds of years acting as the archon and trying to protect her people, using a facade to create a sense of security. But in reality, she's not ok, the prophecy is still fated to take place, and Furina is very lost. It's heartbreaking.

In truth, Furina is the human side to Focalors. Focalors herself put her consciousness in the Oratrice. She tells Neuvillette the truth about the previous Hyrdo Archon, the revelation about the Fontainian people, and what she did in order to try and stop the prophecy. Furthermore, we learn a lot about Neuvillette and who he truly is. (Btw, this beautifully connects to his story and journey about belonging). Everything, in my opinion, is so well written and you really begin to feel for these characters. Both Neuvillette and Furina have such compelling and tragic stories which the archon quest beautifully highlights. Overall, just phenomenal.

And that's not even going into everything with Arlecchino. I wound up really, really loving her involvement in the story, the lore behind the House of the Hearth, and her boss fight in her story quest. She's a fascinating character and I look forward to seeing her again in future content. It also adds depth of Lyney, Lynette, and Freminet. They're fatui via due to the House of the Hearth, but they're not malicious like other Fatui characters the Traveler has encountered. I love all three of them very much and their sibling bond is very heartfelt.

That's not to mention all the other amazing characters like Clorinde, Sigewinne, the other Melusines, and Charlotte.

I loved this quest, can't you tell?

Natlan time. Spoilers because it's still quite recent.

We're still early in the Natlan archon quests but it didn't grab me as much as Fontaine's did. Overall, it was good and there's still more to come. I think the strengths for me came from the characters. Kachina is a very endearing kid and you genuinely want to help her out and do the Pilgrimage (at least I wanted to). Mualani is very kind and positive. I loved her right away and pulled for her even though I just got back into the game. She's awesome. Kinich is cool. I need to go back and watch his cutscenes at some point. I don't like Ajaw though. I wanna yeet that thing.

The Pilgrimage itself was pretty fun and I loved the teamwork with Kachina and Mualani. I enjoyed going around Natlan as well and seeing Mualani's home. After the Pilgrimage, Kachina is unable to be resurrected and we have to go into the Night Kingdom in order to save her. The design of the place was really cool and I like the distinction between the Night Kingdom monsters and regular ones. The souls who wander were also really spooky when they came at you. Overall, I liked the aesthetic of Natlan and its characters.

Where it kinda fell flat for me was with Mavuika and Capitano. I like her as a character and how Natlan chooses a different Pyro Archon ever couple hundred years or so. However, it feels like Capitano kinda shows up out of nowhere. I was really excited for the fight scene between them and it looked really cool. But it happens so fast that I wish we got a little more build up to it. The Abyss is the prime antagonist of Natlan and Capitano kinda just manifests. I really thought we were going to get a scene were Mavuika meets the Traveler and then Capitano arrives. Like, we barely know Mavuika because she's just sitting there for the first archon quest. I really didn't feel much when she and Capitano fought. She looked really cool, but I think we needed a bit more. Anyone else feel slightly underwhelmed?

There was so much hype in the trailer and it then it comes and goes by so quick. At least Capitano is sticking around for now. Perhaps this will all hit different once we get the rest of the Archon Quests in the Natlan storyline. I also wonder what the power levels are since Capitano, Dottore, and Columbina are supposed to have power that of a god. Mavuika I think has the same thing since she's a human who was granted divinity.

That's just me though.

I am very much looking forward to what's coming next and how Natlan will stave off the Abyss before it's entirely consumed by it. (I just realized this is very similar to Fontaine and Sumeru. All three nations are plagued by some sort of supernatural event that will destroy them, whether it's the withering, the primordial sea, or the Abyss. Hopefully, Snezhnaya will be different.

Anyways, those are my thoughts on the everything right now. I love the characters and Fontaine Archon quest went so hard.

[ouchieouchfuckers]

So I played through 5.0 and I have a bunch of basics theories (?) so far. (I might fix some things later)

Time block theory confirmed as Mavuika herself thinks past present and future all exists at the same time. For furter proof we had Ei storyline and Scaramouche with is irminsol fuckery (also the whole irminsul/leylines fuckery as they are basically the tracks for the preset future), also Enkanomia and tsurumi. Ancient names seems to work in this way, either way names in teyvat are extremely important.

Small note I also think that the illusions Venti can create are actually images taken from a different time/space given his connection to istarot.

Time and wind, music, dreams, names and constellation are the main themes here presents in every nation and in every main quest. (FUCKIN BARBATOS TELL ME YOUR SECRETS)

The lume of fate is basically a way to create a different future. (Confirmed?)

The archons take power (stolen from the dragons sovereigns) from the heavenly thrones and everyone with a vision or with an elemental affinity can become one. (Confirmed?) So the archons never needed the gnosis (Venti u fucker), they basically aways consisted as an aid for humanity (like training wheels on a bicicle) but the question is was it the archons choice or did celestia choose them because they were the best options for humans? In all of our travels we see the concept of good and evil constantly more blurred and that's probably the point of our journey so.

Where exactly is Chasca from? Because she as the same ears as Klee (and probably Alice). I'd say dragon descendants (as honkai star rail is in the same universe and have many key elements in common), or outlander like the traveler (the concept of outlander often seems to me intended as people born in teyvat but not under the gaze of celestia and not only outside of that world). Also is mentioned like she's that tipe of person who enjoy fighting (Childe abissal vibes here), Klee's definitely not calm.

I was also thinking about seelies because they are an important piece of information we don't know enough about (even after sumeru I just have more questions) and the olny seelie we saw in natlan was in the night kingdom.

So wishful thinking il Capitano could be an ancient name bearer maybe even an original one.i mean it's not like we haven't already seen the fatui cooperating even if he's would probably be a forceful one. (It's probably not happening but I really want it to)

And for last Mavuika is Kaveh's ancestor, honestly we all memed about it but she actually said that her sister became an architect and an artist, in her vision she said she wanted to find a way to find her again, she could has well have left a progeny but they don't know because people who leave natlan have memory issues. (Far fetched theory but worth for the meme)

Where's my mondstat expansion? There's no coincidence in the fact that the closest people to khaenri'ah are basically all there (we found paimon there). And what about sumeru? We still have all this lore about king deshret but I feel like something is still unexplored. Zhongli I lost all my 50/50 to get you but when I do I'll burn your non disclosure agreement.

Dainslef I love u plz come back if you tell me your secrets I'll never have a tragic breakup with you like my sibling did.

[menstits]

leo help i got majorly back into genshin for like 3 months and i’ve been having a great time i speedrun both sumeru and fontaine but the natlan story quest is so goddamn boring i want to drop it again 💀 but i would miss kaeya and yanfei !! crossing my fingers so tight for the sabzeruz festival because oh my god it’s so dire rn. why are they doing this to me

Hi!! No literally sorry... Like it's extremely dire for real, I'm pushing through it exclusively because Natlan so far is very Abyss related and my interest in genshin is extremely Kaeya-centric so anything Abyss related might come up again later with Khaenri'ah and such but so far it's like... Everyone in the main cast so far is ugly and whitewashed and the lore is confusing and the saurians also piss me off. Like. I was talking about this to my boyfriend too the other day but i feel like by keeping everything about Natlan under wraps for 4 whole years and then delivering something like extremely sub par and disappointing they did like the opposite of building hype for it like... for every other region we had little details sprinkled in since very early on and npc dialogue to go off of so we knew just enough about them to form a mild interest in the region before it came out but everything about Natlan feels very out of nowhere... I honestly just hope they let me see Kaeya and his ugly brother again soon or Childe because truly all i care about at this point are the same 3 characters i've been obsessed with since day 1. The only thing i'm interested in for now other than the Abyss stuff is Capitano because . He's been on my mind since the harbinger reveal teaser video dropped but i'm worried they're gonna fumble it with him too. In any case unless they improve the skin tone situation i won't be pulling on any banner for the foreseeable future even if i am and have been f2p since day 1 cause i hope their banners flop.

[notthemonthbutmarch]

I’m thinking about Natlan and I just need one thing off my chest

If the theories are right and the Pyro Archon is currently dead and will be resurrection like the title of the chapter suggests, I want her to be a strong and respected woman.

Like, I know we’re already getting Murata and she’s gonna be a Murata Himeko expy (which I kinda don’t like but sure whatever Hoyo) from Honkai Impact 3rd, but idk I just feel like we need a single female archon that doesn’t have a bad relationship with her people AND is powerful.

Right now I think it’s safe to say that the power scaling of the archons is Zhongli, Ei, Venti, Nahida, and then Furina (I know she’s not an archon anymore I’m just including her bc I like her and I’m bias). Also, as an aside, this got to long so I’m putting it down here. I ranked Venti over Nahida not because her powers are weaker than Venti’s but because Venti has more experience. He can fight and knows the full extent of her powers and survived the Archon War; while Nahida would outsmart him no problem, Venti would overpower her physically I just wanted to clarify

Zhongli and Venti are from the OG Seven and have positive relationships with their respective countries. They’re both powerful and well respected.

Ei is hella powerful, but she did steal everyone’s visions so I don’t think she’s respected exactly. She’s more feared in my eyes. Like, absolutely, they respect her because she’s their archon and is powerful and is trying to change, but the people of Inazuma are very aware that Ei is capable of hurting her people if it means achieving her goal. OBVIOUSLY Ei herself doesn’t want to hurt her people and that was the puppet being tricked by the Fatui that did all that, but the people themselves don’t necessarily know that, so they just think Ei had a change of heart.

Nahida’s whole storyline in the Sumeru Archon Quests was reinstating her as the highest and most respected authority. Everyone loves her and for good reason! She’s great, and she’s doing her job as an archon really well. However, she is possibly one of the weakest archons due to age and experience. I can see her being a MIGHTY archon when she’s older, but how long is that gonna take? We’ll probably never see Nahida at her peak.

Then there’s Furina. Her storyline was AMAZING, I think we can all agree the Fontaine Archon Quests were great. However, Furina was seen as a joke or mascot by her people rather than an actual mighty archon. They just followed her because her voice was loud and she played the role well. Furina was never strong or respected, not until AFTER she lost her divinity for good.

Ei is strong but not respected, Nahida is respected but not strong, and Furina is not strong nor respected.

And this isn’t me trying to say Zhongli and Venti are bad or anything. There’s absolutely a discussion for misogyny in Genshin, but I’m not really opening that can of worms right now.

I’m just looking at the dynamics we have for the Archons and am hoping that we get a strong and respected female archon at some point.

It could be the Tsaritsa for all we know! The Tsaritsa is incredibly badass and there’s some indications that the intentions behind the Fatui aren’t that bad but their actions are, so it could be that the Tsaritsa is our strong AND respected Archon.

Yet, Childe’s line about her makes me think that people have their doubts, so is she really that respected as we think?

That just leaves Murata, and I am hoping that if the resurrection thing is about her, then I hope Murata is very strong and highly respected.

But if the resurrection is about someone else, say,the Pyro Sovereign, then I am BEGGING Hoyo to make the Pyro Sovereign a woman. We lost a female archon to a male sovereign I don’t want it to happen again.

[kopivie]

an uninformed genshin lore rant from me, cinna, the lore enthusiast who speculates on their own time and has very little energy to spend on true deep dives:

i personally think that that music video that hyv released with the traveler fighting something in the darkness and being relieved by the fire that appeared at the end is foreshadowing about the final fight in the night kingdom with mavuika. if you ask me, the ancient name is the final obstacle for the traveler, and once it's all done, they'll finally have the element of pyro.

that said, aren't we in the endgame now?

we got visual confirmation of the false sky with mavuika literally shattering the heavens, the abyss moving with far more ferocity than previously seen before, and six out of seven of the nations have been shown. all that's left is snezhnaya and khaenri'ah and two (three??) elements for the traveler to obtain.

i say three in parentheses because the traveler did lose some ability prior to the start of the game, and given the nature of their purifying abilities (and the sword that they held both in the beginning of the game + the sword that the abyss sibling holds in "we will be reunited"), it's likely just a heavenly light of some sort. (via the "the twins are falling stars summoned by khaenri'ahns" theory.)

but like i said, we're super close to the end, no? i mean.. game development takes time, obviously, but haven't we reached a point where we should start getting more answers? and i don't mean answers to the stuff that has less relevance to the plot, like alice and the hexenzirkel or things like that. i mean REAL answers regarding things like the false sky and what it means for teyvat as a whole.

(slight shift in gears here, but bear with me.)

the false sky was hinted at several times and outright proven in 5.0, and given the nature of natlan's problems, i feel like we deserve to see the abyss twin more since the fatui are allies here instead of threats. like as far as identifying antagonists goes, the scales have tipped more towards the abyss than the fatui in recent updates.

also, as far as major plot points go, sumeru and natlan are the closest to khaenri'ah lore-wise (and also geographically since the literal gate to khaenri'ah is located beneath sumeru). which means that most of the world's foundational lore would stem from those two nations. the second main plot point surrounds the tsaritsa and the harbingers who she tasked with retrieving the gnoses.

although technically, i feel like you could argue that that was the MAIN plot point since the first gnosis to be taken was venti's, which predated the "we will be reunited" quest. but if that's true, why have we received little to no information on the motive behind it? the fate of that plot was sealed when zhongli, the OLDEST ARCHON, OPENLY admitted to having signed a contract that forbade him from discussing the terms. but just because HE can't talk about it doesn't mean that no one else can.

in addition to that, there's no urgency from the harbingers to collect the gnoses; almost every harbinger after... idk, scaramouche and/or dottore? has mentioned that they are permitted to prioritize their own goals over the retreival of the gnosis. so if it's not as important as signora and childe made it out to be, then what's the end goal? why has no one mentioned it yet?

you'd think that a harbinger who doesn't care much for the gnosis – or, in capitano's case, wants to use the gnosis for his OWN plans – would be like, "oh yeah, the tsaritsa wants it for [insert reason], but i'll give it to her after i do MY thing."

like?? we encounter the fatui and the harbingers in every nation and we suspect them right away because we know what their mission is, but if we end up helping them with their personal goals (which effectively puts the gnosis in their hands one way or another except for focalors), why have they not said anything.

man, fuck that; WHY HAVEN'T WE ASKED?? did we just give up after zhongli said he couldn't talk about it? why aren't we more curious about this??

anyway...

i personally believe genshin has two main issues: visual inconsistency with character design (xilonen, for example), and locking major plot points/worldbuilding elements behind walls of text or shrouding them in mystery and cryptic wording.

the character design thing is kinda nitpicky and is a problem with character design in virtually every game that's styled like genshin, but... no one has any visual connection to the cultures that their nations take inspiration from except for (unsurprisingly) characters from inazuma or liyue. and even then, the npcs reflect the culture more than the playable characters do. which is... disappointing to say the least.

because on a surface level, the occupations of characters isn't even remotely reflected in their designs. like... lisa doesn't even remotely look like a librarian, xilonen is a blacksmith/forger of names and yet her entire motif is rollerskating and being a dj... the list goes on. the xilonen thing is really out of line because not even her character (as shown in her actions during the archon quests) is connected to her overall design and function. so... what's that all about.

as for the mystery thing: you can only foreshadow for so long, dude. it's been four years – give us something on the tsaritsa. genshin is so densely packed with content that it's easy to overlook in favor of scouring the map for little clues and sifting through the in-game texts for further clarification, but when do we get direct answers? why has nobody answered questions except, oh i don't know, the literal god of wisdom? and the most fucked up part about nahida is that she was INTENTIONALLY NERFED so she couldn't give us answers.

by "nerfed," i mean rukkhadevata literally erased her entire existence from the universe, leaving nahida with less of a burden, yes, but also, far more questions than answers. and while i think they did that to fix the whole forbidden knowledge disease thing, i also think it was because rukkhadevata would've spilled the beans. she knew a lot – maybe too much. whether or not the devs were ready to use her as a knowledge conduit is up for debate.

but i just.. i guess i'm a little annoyed with the delivery of the story. don't get me wrong – the story is phenomenal. i fucking love genshin. and i'm not some master storyteller or anything, but... as an experienced fantasy writer and lover of fantasy stories in general, you can't just hide the major answers 3/4 of the way through the entire story and make giant reveals so close to the end. it takes skill to hide the truth for so long, yes, but it's also simply just... a poor decision to make.

the reason why this irks so bad is the fact that natlan is the perfect opportunity to get more answers. (i mean, sumeru was an even better place for that, but i digress.)

we can get answers out of capitano and mavuika since they were both present 500 years ago; capitano could tell us more about khaenri'ah (and possibly give us more insight on the alberichs if he had any connection to them), and mavuika could talk the abyss and this new development about archons and their relationships with humans. (focalors destroying the hydro archon's seat of divinity and restoring power to the hydro sovereign, natlan CHOOSING their archons based on strength instead of the enigmatic decision making of archons of the past, etc.)

hell, we could even double back on the false sky thing. scaramouche would be helpful since he was the first character to acknowledge that the sky was false in the first place – maybe he knows a little more about it? plus, while the harbingers don't remember him, he remembers his time there, so why don't we prod him for some more information about the tsaritsa's plans? arlecchino, capitano, and childe are... amiable to some extent, so why don't we demand answers from them? they respect us and we've helped them achieve something, no? so tell us what the tsaritsa wants! give us more insight!

and another thing! why doesn't the traveler just... reminisce a little more? we got so much content of them being relaxed with friends, but i'd personally like if they had more moments reflecting on their time with their sibling or contemplating their newfound strength and how it compares to their original abilities. why has paimon never really asked about it? why have they never truly tested it outside of the abyss cleansing thing?

there are SO MANY THINGS that we could spend more time exploring, yet nobody, neither the characters nor the devs, wants to give us proper answers.

and look, i know i must sound insane. deep diving into genshin's lore has never been my strong suit bc i'm a very speculative individual; i like to draw my own conclusions and make my own inferences based the things that i have the time and energy to witness. so maybe there are more answers that i've overlooked.

the point that i'm trying to make is that the main plot points of the story should really be discussed more now that the traveler is on the brink of wielding nearly all elements. so the things that i want to see explored/the questions i have before the (possible inevitable) lore dump in snezhnaya are as follows:

the heavenly principles and the false sky.

why are they silent? what do they want? who separated the twins at the beginning of the game? (and on whose order?) are they truly dormant, or are do they no longer exist?

because restoring a dragon sovereign's power after celestia ensured the removal of said power should be enough to awaken them, right? so why didn't they? and the abyss flooding into natlan is crazy – that's what celestial nails are for, no? why didn't they hurl one down during the war?

is the darkness behind the false sky the remnants of the heavenly principles? are they dead or smth, and that's why nothing is working? are the abyss twin's ventures all for nothing?

the abyss, the abyss twin, etc.

what is the abyss twin trying to achieve? if they're aware that the heavenly principles are dormant and that their attempts to awaken them aren't working, then what else are they trying to do? are they in control/aware of the abyssal invasions?

what even is the abyss, really? (this is just a joke question, mostly; i'm a firm believer of the idea that some things in fantasy don't need to be explained – the existence of the abyss is one of those things.)

the traveler's character.

unlike the trailblazer from star rail, who is far more of a mirror of the player's choices and actions, the traveler has been making their true self known over time. but this far into the game, i genuinely feel like it's not enough. if they are their own character, then they deserve to be treated with the same reverence that literally every other character gets.

within reason, of course. the whole point is to have this air of mystery, but... when does it end? why are there so many mysteries but no attempts to make sense of it all?

why don't they reminisce on their past more often? seeing the carnage in natlan, did their perspective on their own twin change at all? have they tried to understand why some of their previous powers exist? what else can they do that they just haven't revisited? why haven't they revisited it? do they even remember life before teyvat at this point? their voice lines indicate that they do, but why is that information confined to the voice lines?

and the sword: with this much power, can they try and recreate their personal sword using the energy from teyvat? why haven't they tried? why hasn't paimon asked more about the traveler's past? sure, they can never go back, but don't you want to know more about their origins? (or at least, what they can remember about their origins? the truth can be withheld until the final meeting with their sibling..)

[oficeandwind]

CHONGYUN'S CONNECTION TO OTHER NATIONS ( both canon lore and blog canon. )

MONDSTADT

Chongyun's parents were/are patrons of the Dawn Winery. They love the wines the can sample and purchase there, and often they tend to send Chongyun over to Mondstadt so he can either purchase directly from the winery itself or head into Mondstadt to buy other drinks from the Angel's Share Tavern. Because of this loose connection to Diluc, Chongyun is also blog canonically brothers with Kaeya, though he also sees Diluc as family. Chongyun likes to go to Mondstadt often enough to play TCG or just hang out with his bros.

INAZUMA

It is canon that Chongyun prefers the cuisine from Inazuma. The food from their is tame and not as spicy as food from Liyue might be. Therefore, I reason that Chongyun sometimes travels to Inazuma, not just for food or to check out the other goods they import, but to visit with the people there and to learn from them. From there, Chongyun has loose connections and people they seek out first, such as Thoma, Heizou, Kazuha (though it's more common to see Kazuha over in Liyue), Ayaka, etc. Chongyun feels at ease in Inazuma, though they have beef with Yae Miko, and wouldn't mind dueling her to see what exactly she's capable of.

SUMERU

Chongyun's fame as an exorcist extends well beyond the borders of Liyue, and reaches into the scholarly circle of Sumeru. Chongyun doesn't really know Sumeru as well, though Chongyun's heard countless stories. They travel there on occasion, mostly sticking close to Gandharva Ville and Sumuru City, or at least the area surrounding it. Chongyun is well acquainted with Cyno, Wanderer, Tighnari and Collei as a result, though they wouldn't mind getting to know the other residents of the nation, and learn more about Sumeru's history. Chongyun has a love-hate relationship with the nation overall, on account of how warm it is. That isn't going to stop them from trying to get into the desert to explore all the temples and ruins that lay out there. After all, what if there are spirits to finally see?

FONTAINE

Fontaine is an interesting one. While Chongyun wouldn't mind visiting the nation itself, even for the food, it's the waters that would capture Chongyun's attention most. He's been only a couple of times, but never stuck around for long. There are spirits abound, and the nation as a whole seems rather mysterious. Chongyun would be more interested in the ruins that lay below the sea depths, and his time would be spent mostly under water. There's no touching the island of Petrichor though. He's steering very clear of that place. Thanks, Childe.

NATLAN

Chongyun has dreams about the creatures in Natlan. Chongyun has never actually been before, but there's no time like now to start, is there? Chongyun would be very interested in the culture, and even more interested in the abyssal energy that seems to plague the nation. While Chongyun probably wouldn't be able to hold the abyss at bay with their yang energy alone, it'd still be a fun battle to fight regardless, and a reason to test their strength against a fresh enemy. With permission, of course.

SNEZHNAYA

We don't know much about this nation yet. Though my portrayal of Chongyun doesn't automatically see the Fatui as an enemy regardless, he's aware there are both good and bad people that hail from there. Chongyun is on friendly terms with Childe, and holds some respect for the Tsaritsa, even though she didn't personally hand out the cryo visions. Plus, it's spectulated that Snezhnaya is very cold, and cold make Chongyun happy, so that'd be one of his favorite nations to visit.

[gachastranjr]

SPOILERS Genshin 4.0 Fontaine and Archon Quest

Warning: Spoilers, just in case you didn't see the first word. Also, bad bad words. Long loong rant

First of all, pretty region. Like really beautiful. Visually pleasing and a good time out from the desert which is not yet complete at all. Blue looks good with traveler ngl. I like it a lot. Although the aquabus is really slow, it's nice to be able to sightsee the area without monsters wanting a fight. Its a good way to introduce the region ngl.

Lyney and Lynette are lovely characters. Their designs have definitely upgraded from the first peek at them and I would be attempting to pull for Lyney. Also Freminet would be nice to have too. And same goes for the rest of other characters I don't have yet. I love the backstory. Dark and good set up ngl. Also I kinda want to see subtle parallels between the traveler twins and the Fontaine twins. Like talking about a "what if my twin sister got taken from me" moment on the aquabus. I see you.

Mr. Childe Ed Sheeran Tartaglia. Is it just me or is he talking just a bit faster? It's been a while since I last encountered this man so I don't even remember lol. This guy tho. Trouble. Thats all. Also yay, character lore but in dialogue. I lowkey missed him.

As someone who can't with awkward scenes despite being sort of awkward irl, that entire scene with meeting Neuvillette killed me. I thought the silence was just it but the following scenes is staight up stabbing me more than is necessary. Wth was that Paimon lol. Not Traveler asking Paimon to chat for him. Also I feel like Traveler's journey is mainly him becoming more expressive with his face. Forget abt the overarching story and the new things, I check out updates to see what new emotion Traveler has now.

I love Navia! She caught my eye the first time with her design and her personality+story is everything to me. I can't see me using her much gameplay wise. I'm not that fond playing with geo characters and I've already got a good enough Itto but I would still love to have her.

The archon is killing me like I'm not gonna lie she gets in my nerves although she is entertaining. She's funny and I like that she actually appears to her citizens and have a sort of connection with them unlike the other archons so far lol. Like fr, hiding from citizens for the first two, Ei was a tyrant at one point and Nahida was kept away because of her own ppl.

Furina I feel is like acting like a teen in highschool sort of which kind of matches if I'm correct that she is second youngest among the Archons. Like Nahida is curious like the youngest, Zhongli giving old man vibes fr, Venti is the always drunk adult, and Ei being like almost middle child energy or the one that enjoys holing up in their room. Well that is with what we have among the archons. Dont know much with Tsaritsa tbh and I don't even remember Natlan's yet.

I kind of enjoy how Neuvillette gets to call the shots and is sort of babysitting the archon then again Diluc has to deal with Venti and we have Yae pushing Ei to socialize. Nahida is fine, in fact, she's the one babysitting Wanderer. Anyway, Neuvillette, he is great. He reels in his archon instead of blindly following and actually is sane. Like I like him a lot.

I love Fontaine so far. I can switch between that and Sumeru desert. They're opposites and I can deal with desert much better like this lol.

[gachagen]

With fontaine coming to an end soon, I have to say that out of all of the regions it's not the weakest in terms of lore...but there's definitely a lot that's been left unsaid unlike in the other nations. There's an obvious class divide happening in Fontaine that the writers have kind of just put on the back burner, and all of our playable Fontaine characters aside from Wriostheley and Lynette are patently deciding to ignore for some reason.

When you go into the city you'll find that there are people living in the sewer system and that's never addressed or seen as a "bad thing" just a quirky aspect of the city as a whole. There's an immense level of entitlement and pride in Fontaine that's seen in a lot of the NPCs but that's never really called out as an issue. Even when we get to Neuvillete's story quest, not once is there any acknowledgement about how the people of Fontaine seem to be a lot more prideful and full of themselves than the average person. (There's even an NPC near the port that connects to sumeru who quite literally says he'll never really leave fontaine because no other place in Teyvat could compare to him)

And the Fortress of Meropide is treated like another country almost, a place that Neuvillette nor Furina have any real jurisdiction over. The Fortress of Meropide has a lot of criminals who have been imprisoned for god knows how many years, and it's own culture which is eerily similar to the way actual US prisons function.

The child trafficking storyline that appears in a lot of characters backstories, but which is never explicitly talked about by anyone is also something I noticed. I assumed at some point we'd get to see that, or maybe when Wriostheley released and got a story quest that we'd finally get to the bottom of that, but it's never really mentioned or brought up again.

And Navia's whole...occupation being so vague, the way she's coded to be very italian and it's clear that they took a lot of inspiration from movies like the Godfather when making her. But they never go into detail about what The Spina does, how it operates, what they do to "help" other people, how they have the funds to even "help" people, if that help extends into violence etc. It's obvious they were gonna just straight up make her a Mafioso type which would've been interesting, but then they just...didn't.

So much of the city lore for Fontaine is deliberately left vague on purpose or it's been intentionally scrubbed clean of anything dark. This makes me scared for Natlan because I would love for Genshin to just go really dark with the plotlines for the nations, they normally do when it comes to world quests, but Archon Quests or lore for the characters has this samey sanitized feel to it.

[deathbxnny]

BXNNY! I FINALLY GOT FURINA!!!!

After sooo long and doing everything i could to get primogems and such, I GOT THE LOVELY FURINA AND I LOVE HER SO MUCH!!!! But then the 4.8 trailer came out and Navia is literally next on the wish banner. So while i did get my Furina, i might have to skip Navia.. I mean i’ll still keep trying but it’s very unlikely i would get her due to being guranteed for Furina earlier. Regardless if i do get her or not, im still gonna farm for Navia’s materials.

Btw any thoughts on the recent Natlan teaser? I really love the new Natlan characters and im for sure saving for the Dendro boy one but.. is it bad that i felt a bit peeved that their skins are not darker? Like Natlan is based of countries that are part of the Ring of Fire and people there mostly have darker skins. I mean the three characters we saw do still have dark skin i guess? but i dont know how to explain it. It feels like the Sumeru thing all over again but im not sure tbh. I mean i havent seen anyone talking about it but then again, i dont have twitter due to how toxic the enviroment is.

Also i hope you dont mind me adding more to my analysis on Wriothesley (on the dead child thing) but the more i reread that post, the more i feel like Wriothesley sees the reader’s existence as a mockery made by the universe to him. The first time he had a family, it turns out to be fake, the second time he had a family in his kid, it was taken away from him way too soon, and then years later, the reader appears as a mocking reminder of the what he could have right now if it werent for his child’s untimely death. Like the part where you explain his confused temper, it feels like he’s in a mix of denial, bargaining, and anger from seeing the reader. He’s obviously grieving but he’s just stuck on those three parts. My guess on how his grief in stages are like would be first Depression, then it quickly turn into Denial, then after a few years and seeing the reader, it went to a mix of a small part of denial and a huge amount of anger and bargaining. And he might be stuck in that mix possibly forever. Like i said in my analysis post, to not think about his child means that he’ll be stuck grieving for a long time unless he finally decides to move on and process it all in a healthly way.. which is kinda unlikely. (Also also im glad you like my in depth analysis ^_^)

So yeah that’s all.. hope you a great day/night and get some rest if you need it.

- Flower Anon 🌸

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Woooo! Congrats on getting Furina, Flower Anon!!<33

I really hope you get Navia as well, because she's extremely strong. I'm always in awe when mine casually hits over 100k with her E skill lol.

Regarding my thoughts on Natlan... ah tbh, I honestly have non to share. I have yet to really connect to it, and from what I've seen, time will tell if I'll be impressed. The skin color part is another whole thing on its own, and I won't get into it too much, as I feel like Twitter hell is doing that enough for me lmao. But I agree that it's quite odd and may be the reason as to why I don't like the character designs that much either. I also don't like how... bright, everything seems either, but that's just personal preference, lol.

Your analysis is really spot on, btw, Flower Anon!! Wriothesleys' part is extra tragic because different than the others, he has no way of getting help or coping in a healthy manner due to being in prison. So yeah, his fate is far more depressing, as he will never even be able to escape the place his child died in to begin with.

With that said, however, thank you for your ask and I hope you have a great day/night yourself!!<33

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[azaenya]

My hopes for Fontaine

As Sumeru's main story is over and we start looking forward to Fontaine, I wanted to share my hopes for it because I have Genshin brainrot and nowhere to put it.

Up to this point, there has been a notable villain progression, first starting with Signora in Mondstadt as our introduction to the Fatui, Childe in Liyue as our first Fatui boss fight, also notable that he's the lowest Harbringer. Then in Inazuma, we jump to 8th with Signora, while also introducing Scaramouche, and finally he's the Sumeru's boss at No. 6.

This introduces a unique problem, because as of now, our progression has always been going up the ranks, but now the ones who are left above 6 are Pierro, Dottore, Columbina, Capitano, and Pulcinella, with the only real possibilities being between Dottore and Columbina.

While Dottore was introduced in the previous chapter, I have a feeling Columbina will be featured in Fontaine, to honestly mix things up a little. And my hope is that we do fight against her, but we are horribly outmatched. This would allow us to dip that curve of progression and we can come back around for Capitano in Natlan (because I feel like he's no. 4). But I am not saying that Columbina will be the main antagonist of the arc, she would mostly serve as a taste of how powerful the top 3 are.

The real main antagonist of Fontaine I believe will be Sandrone.

Sandrone:

With the other Harbingers, they have been kinda dark mirrors of the associated regions (except Childe).

Mondstadt's Signora, Inazuma's Scaramouche, and Sumeru's Dottore, and with how Steampunk-inspired Fontaine seems to be, I believe Sandrone will be associated with Fontaine. This is probably not a new breakthrough.

But a key hope I have isn't her being a physically powerful enemy, but being an intellectual one. Because her, Pantalone, Pulcinella, and Arlecchino's strengths aren't likely in raw power, but tactics, so I would like an antagonist that is able to challenge the Traveler on a mental and philosophical level (and also us being able to follow along). She also serves as the Fatui's spymaster through being the head of the Adventurer's Guild, so she could have some knowledge that she could hold over us. She could also just threaten to remove our status as an Adventurer, so no more daily commissions, which would definitely spur the players into playing along. All these reasons why is why I don't think we can just "duke it out" with her.

Another hope I have for Sandrone is that, in some way, she has a point. That Fontaine isn't operating in a good way, and things aren't as black and white as they seem. Like, there are lots of threads to play with, the idea of Justice, the Oceanid's exile, possible smoke or light pollution because one Fontaine character said they could see the stars back home, so the effects of industrialization. We'll have to see.

Other things:

On the Traveler's side of the story of finding their sibling, I just want better, clearer writing because I went through the Chasm story, not really engaged, and I feel like the Abyss plot lacks the personalities of the Fatui, so people like the Harbingers better. I've consumed interesting theories of what's going on, and I just wish that was more pronounced, which would also give the Traveler more character.

If nothing else, give Sandrone a BITCHIN airship. That would be great.

[aprivateplace7]

Natlan Interlude quest let's go!

Iansan... interesting, i still don't know much of anything about her.

A sports coach... i remember that. Lol, guess she's also just short...? Doesn't seem like she's a child, but its still so weird. She looks the same age as Kachina...

"Mentally ill person" 💀

Aw, this is both sad & sweet...

The chief looks kinda cool... Cowboy coded.

That's completely fucked... but i guess it makes sense. The Abyss is more than just mindless monsters...

Lol, Traveler is just too awesome... We basically become a legend wherever we go x3

Its hard to believe we're 6/7 nations in... it feels like our "final goal", aka our sibling & The Abyss Order is still so far away... i mean, i know we're still gonna get Khaenri'ah, so Sneznihya (sorry spelling) won't be the *last* region, but still... i'm worried about it ofc, but i feel like the "point" of Genshin is a big journey. Like Mualani said in her quest, its not about the destination.

Iansan is actually saying some good stuff... i struggle w/ changing things too. Like i've fallen off brushing my teeth at night, or going to bed at a regular time, & its rly hard to get back into a healthy routine... also sometimes w/ things, like playing games, i just... over think it. I think i need to look up a bunch of guides & prep so i do everything perfectly, but i just need to cut that out & start doing it :v

I've been thinking lately... i'm more of a perfectionist than i thought. If i'm not confidant in smt, its hard to even start. I'd almost rather just not try at all... i hate doing things half-assed. It feels like if i can't give it my all, i might as well not even bother. I used to think that i wasn't 1 bc i'm fine w/ not getting all As or winning, but idk... this last trimester at school was rly hard 4 me...

Oh, hi Capitano O.o

Lol, he has a whole dramatic ost change...

Idk... i said last time that i still didn't like Capitano, & i still think his solution was short-sighted & stupid, but... well, maybe its just a Xiao situation :v he wants to help, he's just... kinda, not good socially ^^"

Yeah right... Capitano isn't exactly our "friend" :/ i understand that the Fatui isn't just the "big evil organization", but i still gen don't rly like them... i don't trust them, what tf is the Tsarisa trying to do...?

Oh wow, not gonna show us his face huh... i can guess :/ prob looks like a rotting corpse...

Oh right, i think i remember from the trailer, our ancient name... I haven't done that many quests, i wonder if that'll actually affect anything? :/

Yeah... i just looked & i only have 4 of the spots filled...

XD Kinich just yeeting Ajaw into the void will never not be funny.

...Kinich rly is pretty x3 i just have to look & smile whenever i see him, haha...

Ok no, it doesn't actually matter. I thought so...

This is kinda cool, like the Traveler is just uber awesome, they get a lot of titles & basically do everything, but i still think the ancient names stuff is just awesome. I wonder what ours will be...

Ah, i wanna know what everyone is saying too... that's cute tho. I think Paimon is kinda annoying, but like in a little sibling kinda way. I'm glad that she's with us.

Oh ok, so we don't get it yet...

Oh wow, alredy done? I've only been playing like an hr & 1/2... i guess it is an Interlude :v

...

Ok so... that was pretty peaceful, but idk i liked it... it was nice after Act 4. I still feel like Act 3 was pretty boring... idk why, i don't have anything in particular to complain about. It rly endeared me to Citlali, & Ororon was pretty cute/amusing but still... to me, it was just the worst act in Natlan. What's w/ the Act 3 curse? I didn't mind it so much, but i know ppl rly didn't like Fontaine Act 3 either... i don't remember Sumeru, but Inazuma Act 3 was the worst 1 too... but in that case it was bc that was b4 Hoyo allowed more acts to fully flesh out a story.

Anyway, ofc i'm def excited to see where this goes! Kinda disappointed that it was brought up, but we didn't actually get our Ancient Name yet...

[flightnight]

I didn't care about Fontaine a bit after seeing the new region trailer before 4.0, but the actual story changed my opinion completely. I didn't care about Natlan either, but now I care even less.

So here is a list of my problems with Natlan in no particular order:

Story.

It's a boring, simplistic story of defeating some generic evil by fighting it, made to seem more complicated by introducing countless meaningless magical mcguffins and vaguely defined magical powers the characters suddenly have now because the story demands it. It's still possible that the writers have a twist prepared that'll make the story good. But I think they already revealed all their twists (Mavuika being from the past and Capitano being good)

As far as I understand, one of the main conflicts in the story so far has been whether to save the nation's memories recorded in a supernatural way but risk the people or to sacrifice these records to save the people. Why is the former option presented as the correct one??? If you as a nation have a problem remembering your past yourselves without any supernatural means, then maybe write things down??? Or make a movie! Why is your nation's treasured history stored in some mumbo-jumbo? Aren't your people strong enough to keep their history themselves? Aren't people's lives more important? Especially when half of the previous nation's main stories were about moving on and doing things the new, better way.

Natlan also features the most useless and uninformative cutscene ever (Mavuika fighting Capitano). What did it tell us? That the Archon of War is strong and doesn't shy away from a fight? Duh. That Capitano is aggressive and unreasonable? It turned out to be a lie. I mean, it looks cool, but you can have a cutscene that looks cool but also tells us something new about the characters. 

What else? An Archon willing to die for their people? Fontaine already did it. A Fatui harbinger actually trying to help the country? Fontaine already did it. The rank-and-file Fatui members helping locals and asking us not to tell anybody? Fontaine already did it.

If you thought what is happening to children in Foutaine is bad (well, it's still bad and needs addressing), how about Natlan with its death cult where children are expected to fight and die? (Kachina mentioned that she participated in that competition many times already. She looks like she's 6 max. Did she start when she was a toddler? And then she, a child, just died. Probably a bloody, painful, violent death. But never mind; she was brought back to life, so it's fine! No help needed)

And if you thought attacking people of Sumeru, who just peacefully play cards and dance, felt bad, how about attacking Natlanians by possessing their pets? Imagine your beloved family labrador suddenly goes crazy and starts mauling the family members. And the only way to stop it is to kill them.

Characters.

The skin color controversy aside, Natlan features the worst female character designs - Chasca and Mavuika.

How is it possible to make a slim, well-endowed anime lady's skin-tight latex costume look so boring and unattractive? What have they done to her silhouette? Silhouette is one of the most important things in character design. It's the first thing we subconsciously perceive. And, considering that the backgrounds are mostly light in this game, only the dark parts of her costume read as a silhouette:

That's what I see first every time I see her. And the round spiky pattern on her butt only distorts her silhouette more.

And what's the deal with the zipper that goes all the way from her chest to her back? I don't want to think about how her lady parts feel, considering that she seemingly doesn't wear any underwear.

But also, A BIKE??? They cared so little about the cultures they supposedly based Natlan on that they decided to use our generic modern human things as the main visual theme.

And the bell sleeves just look out of place in this biker-inspired outfit.

And the worst male character design, Ororon. I mean, how many clashing things can you stuff into one character design? Let's see, there is a bat, a peacock, and a wolf ear. Let's also put some lightning bolts, or nobody'll realize that he's an electro character. Let's add some eyes here and there. We also want him to have a cool hood, but only half a hood because we want at least one wolf ear to be visible. Different color eyes. Multicolored hair. Tattoo on his face. A different style and color tattoos on his arms. He'll also have a built-in glider. Considering that he's a quiet and introspective farmer in a fantasy game, let's base him on Batman, a biker, and a moody emo/goth teen from the early 00s. Oh, and since he's named after an African deity, let's make him as white as possible.

If you had asked a 9-year-old me to create an OC, even I would have created something more reasonable.

Character's personalities.

Everybody (with 3 exceptions) has the same personality. A generically good person who's prepared to die for Natlan. I mean, nearly all of them have either died already at least once or declared their willingness to die. There is nothing wrong with being a good person; most characters in this game are, but all other characters are "a good person, but also…" with some unique trait following that makes them uniquely interesting.

(Zhongli is a good person, but he's also old and tired and has trust in his people. Ninnguang is a good person, but she also loves wealth and power. Altaitham is a good person, but he also just wants to be left alone. And so on).

Mavuika, in particular, feels like just a boring version of Ceasar from zzz (she's a strong, beloved, and respected leader; her people adore her and worry about her; she's willing to die for her people; she drives a bike. Literally Ceasar. But boring)

The 3 exceptions are Ororon, who has a "but also…", Capitano who hasn't yet expressed his willingness to die for Natlan, and Citlali, who's a piece of shit for how she treats Ororon. Their whole relationship is her nagging (often while drunk) him for everything he does and him apologizing. Is it supposed to be a running joke? Her whole personality has been this cruel joke so far. Annd he obviously knows that if he tries to explain himself or talk back (the way she deserves), It'll only get worse. So the only thing he's left to do is to endlessly apologize.

I don't understand, is he supposed to be a teen? Then cut him some slack! Is he supposed to be an adult? Then treat him like an adult.

And the worst thing is that she knows what she's doing. During the last event, when she realizes that we can hear her berating him, she panics. Not because she realizes that she's wrong, but because she thinks that it'll make her look bad. Yes, hide your abuse from others. Gaslighting 101.

By the way, my favorite character is currently Kachina's chieftain, who saw two suspicious strangers (us) with a child and immediately came to help.

But on the bright side, Natlan features the best line in the game so far. The award goes to Mavuika for "Why don't I recognize you? Ah, it must be the mask." Genius! Well done, Mavuika! Yes, masks tend to do this!