#i would simply die if i had to do mondstadts as much as i do sumeru’s

[electric-plants]

every single time i see a character i love using that randomly has stupid low talent levels i get SO confused until i realize - every SINGLE time - that they’re a mondstadt character and i’d rather eat a rock than do that domain

[genshin-impact-unofficial]

Danced With You Once Upon A Dream 🌠

Headcannons of Genshin boys seeing you in a ball gown and asking you to dance.

Ft: Diluc, Kaeya, Zhongli, Childe, Thoma, Ayato, and Alhaitham

Tags: Fem!Reader, crushes everywhere, jealousy, fluff, PG, GOOD VIBES ONLY, i chose a lot of smug men please spare me, no beta we die like men Notes: I JUST REALLY WANTED TO MATCH PRETTY BOYS TO PRETTY DRESSES! SUE ME! (Another repost!)

Diluc

Diluc is a known hermit. After his father's death, it was a rare sight to see him at any large social event. He preferred to keep it that way, but tonight's banquet is an exception. The masked vigilante accepted the invitation for an opportunity to eavesdrop on a fatui officer in attendance. Unfortunately, his person of interest appeared to be a complete no-show. The whole night was already a total bust.

Perhaps if he left right then, he could still do a patrol around Mondstadt before dawn. It was the enjoyable option compared to being approached again by another person seeking his attention. Idle chit-chat was never something he enjoyed much anyway and he was in no mood to talk business. �� 

Diluc contemplated his exit strategy that would avoid being stopped by anyone. An eruption of chatter drew everyone's attention to the main doors. There was a late arrival being announced. It was nice timing, he would just need to slip out during the commotion. How odd for one guest to kick up this much of a fuss... Diluc's curious gaze followed up to the large entry doors and inevitably fixated onto the beautiful figure, onto you. 

His plans to leave vanished with each step you descended down the grand staircase. Your flowing dress moved in such an entrancing way that he could swear you plucked it straight out of fairy tale. Diluc has been so busy with the winery and his investigations... he couldn’t remember the last time he had talked to you. Perhaps he should stay a little longer, if only just to catch up at least.

The red haired man was utterly enchanted by your movements. It explained why he was drawn in like a magnet, moving as if under your spell. He strode smoothly through the crowd to meet you at the foot of the stairs. His hand extended to guide you down the last couple steps, down to earth, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. When you finally glance up from your hands to meet Diluc's gaze, adoration is already clear across his features.

"Y/N" He greeted you, bowing to place a small peck on the back of your hand. "Its lovely to see you tonight." Diluc spoke slow and earnestly, as if channeling every ounce of his princely charm into that sentiment. You felt like butter melting into his warmth, becoming pliant in his hands. “May I?” Diluc gestured forward, asking if he could accompany you in. 

The presence of the elusive owner of Dawn Winery did little to quell the whispers and eyes on you. Now awoken from your dreamy haze, you became aware of just how much attention you've managed to garner. You looked yourself over. Had there been a stain that you missed? Were you not on theme? How embarrassing... Your panic was interrupted by Diluc's fond chuckle. It almost annoyed you how amused he seemed by your antics.

“There’s no need to worry. They’re staring because they can't bare to look away. You are simply captivating.” Diluc stated as if it were an obvious fact. “If you are still feeling nervous, how about a dance to get your mind off it?” 

Kaeya

Kaeya spent most of the ball like a fly on the wall, listening in on conversations here and there. To his dismay, there was nothing interesting happening tonight. The juciest thing he managed so far were the two Fatui delegates discussing their distaste of the liquor served. “Honestly! Can’t they provide anything stronger? It’s practically disrespect to serve-” A pause. “Hmm... well at least there’s plenty of eye candy to eat up.” The man changed topics in favor of discussing the newest arrival to his comrade.

From his vantage point, Kaeya discreetly surveyed the crowd. His sweep abruptly stopped when he spotted you in such an elegant gown. “My, my don’t you clean up well.” The captain chuckled quietly to himself. He smirked slyly down at you and thought of a couple ways to make you be the one to approach him.

His plans changed rapidly when he noticed how swarmed you were. You hadn’t even taken five steps before multiple men stopped you, a half circle was already beginning to form. Confusion and an awkward politeness were loud and clear on your features yet no one took the hint. 

The look of the situation bubbled up something in the pit of Kaeya's stomach. He would sooner cut off his silver tongue before ever calling it jealousy. It was accompanied by a feeling of annoyance. Do those men not have eyes? Couldn’t they see they were making you uncomfortable? They don’t even have the decency to let you greet your friends first before bombarding you.

He simply could not let this stand. As a knight, he is upheld to a code of chivalry after all. It was easy to weave his way through the other guests to get to you. “My dear Y/N, you made it!” Kaeya addressed you, loud enough to make a couple of the men turn to look. Without hesitation, he took the opening to wedge himself between the half turned bodies.

He made the maneuver look easy, like he had done this exact thing a million times over. The Calvary Caption smoothly took your hand in his and gazed into your eyes like there wasn’t a dozen people staring. He flash of a small smirk, with a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it glint in his eye before, he continuing his theatrics.

“You look simply heavenly.” Kaeya said in a sickeningly sweet tone, playing it up slightly for listening ears. “Now that you’ve arrived, you can do me the honors of bestowing me your first dance of the night. You did promise it to me after all.” 

You caught on quickly, nodding in agreement. That's all it took for Kaeya to lead you out of the corner you were trapped in and into the rest of the festivities. Once you both were out of earshot, you quietly thanked him. 

“There’s no need, Y/N. Those men were being simply unmannerly.” He laughed, a smug look creeping back onto his face. “Although, it would also be quite rude to make a liar out of me. So how about that dance?”  

Zhongli

Zhongli was familiar to with the formal banquets held on the Pearl Gallery. He did not always attend, but when he felt the desire to people watch the consultant accepted the invitation. The harbor is a beautiful heart of Liyue and the its people are the blood that pumps through her veins. To the being who laid its foundation, Rex Lapis viewed it like art to see the continued flow of life unfold before him.

He participated as the role an average guest. Someone may strike up a conversation now and again, in response he would chat idly about nothing at all. The visitor would then move on to their next conversation and Zhongli was perfectly content sipping his drink and taking in the evolving atmosphere.

The next shift in energy accompanied your arrival and his ember eyes watched the scene change before him once again. The former archon was fascinated by the buzz that rippled outward from where you stood. When you approached, people excitedly began chatting, smiling, and laughing. Knowing you well, he could tell you were radiating delight effortlessly, even while just greeting other guests. He no longer observed the gathering as a whole, his gaze instead followed the intricate detailing leading up your bodice. It was entrancing to watch each graceful step while you made your way around the ship’s deck.

Zhongli contemplated the notion of approaching you. Doing so would actively shift the trajectory of the evening. Taking your time for himself disrupts the organic flow of art he admired just moments prior. Would that be fair to you? You, who was someone he respected and admired. You, who looked so divine that it demanded all of his attention in that very moment. You, who Morax would willingly give all of it to.

The answer to his dilemma came simply while watching your eyes meet. Zhongli no longer felt content with his self assigned role of bystander. He had a deep desire to partake. Thus, the stubborn rock uprooted himself. 

“Hello again Y/N, you look blindingly radiant tonight.” Zhongli approached you with a graceful bow The lightest kiss is placed upon the back of your hand like a whisper. Your glowing smile and warm greeting prompts yet another decision. “It would be heavenly if you allowed me your company tonight. Would you care for a dance?”

The old archon had already inserted himself into this occasion's flow, it would be foolish not enjoy it in full. 

Childe

Jealousy. Jealousy. Jealousy. You were his guest after all. 

Tartaglia invited you, along with a few others, to a ball thrown by the Snezhnayan embassy. You weren't EXACTLY asked to be his date. Heck, the redhead even emphasized that you were invited as a good friend. But nonetheless, an honored guest of a Fatui Harbinger should be assumed off-limits. It shouldn't matter how stunning you look. Those men lingering around you will just need to be reminded. Politely of course.... 

Childe insisted on your attendance, even going as far as offering to buy you any dress you wanted for the occasion. You were still unsure, since you were aware of how bad the Fatui's reputation had tanked in Liyue recently. During back and forth with him, you jokingly pointed at an outrageously expensive dress in a shop display. There is no way, even someone with money, would drop that much on such a frivolous dress. It was double your rent for archon’s sake. 

Inevitably, when the dress was delivered on your step, you had to sit down to keep from falling over. You begged him to return it. There’s no way you could accept such an outragous gift. HE WAS BEING UNREASONABLE PLEASE! Like always, Tartaglia only laughed at you and teased how great you'll look in it.

The redhead didn’t expect just how great that was.

Some last minute Fatui conflicts allowed you to arrive before him. The party was in full swing and lively as ever. Guests were having enthusiastic discussions sometimes in a tongue you didn’t quite understand. It wasn’t long before you were pulled into a conversation, and then another. 

You already had five drinks lined up waiting for you by the time Childe arrived to the event. The fiery exchanges died down and a few peeled off rub elbows with the harbinger. Unfortunately, you were not able to go greet your friend. Three men blocked your path, insisting you finish your drink so you could dance with them. Any declination was laughed at and brushed over.

“Ah, you must be hard of hearing. My lovely guest here doesn’t wish to dance with you.” The polite words held a chilling edge to them. The men turned to face the instigator with puffed chests and annoyed glares. The Eleventh Fatui Harbringer stood behind them, a malicious smile staring directly back at them. Blood drained from the frozen men's faces and one by one they excused themselves with their tails tucked between their legs. 

“Now this isn’t fair.” Tartaglia sighed, his features relaxing now that is attention was on you. “You weren’t supposed to look this amazing in that dress Y/N.” He teased while also taking your hand and guiding you into a spin. “I may have to buy you a few more, so that I can see you like this more often.” You relaxed when you heard his playful tone return. You tell him to quit it while lightly slapping his shoulder. “Hm? I’ll stop if you agree to dance with me. How about it beautiful?”

Thoma

Thoma knew his way around a party. With so many connections to maintain, he fluttered from guest to guest like the social butterfly he was. When the Kamisatos throw a banquet, he’s usually busy with everything that goes on behind of the scenes. As a show of appreciation, Thoma was told to simply enjoy himself tonight. He was sure to take advantage of such an opportunity. The blond even invited you. Since he had no obligations, he could be the one showing you a good time for once. 

It was comical how obvious his double-take was when you arrive. The boy's green eyes sparkled and his mouth hung slightly ajar in awe. He catches himself, remembering his manners. Surely, it couldn't be proper to gawk at your friend so openly. 

Some habits die hard. The Kamisato Clan’s resident housekeeper is the first to greet you and guide you in. “Y/N you look....! Hah, I don't even know how to describe how beautiful you look. I'm utterly speechless." Thoma's charming smile was blinding when he looked at you. For someone rendered speechless, he didn't stop there. "That dress is perfect on you and the color just make your eyes... wow.”

You are showered in compliments. How he is doing it with a straight face? Thoma tone was so earnest and genuinely delighted to behold you, but each word made your face burn in embarrassment. You had to insist that he to stop to prevent your incoming heart attack.

“Ah, sorry Y/N. I must have gotten carried away.” He chuckled, only then finally showing an inkling of bashfulness. “Here, allow me to show you around, I have some people I’d love you to meet.” 

Thoma offered his arm and guided you around the festivities, while also subtly showing you off to everyone and anyone. Like two peas in a pod, you laughed and talked while you mingled around. Anyone who didn’t know better would think you were a fresh couple struck with puppy love. But in Thoma's oblivious mind, he saw himself as only your attendant for the evening. He was simply there to ensure you’re a great time. He was happy with this.

The blond noticed your eyes drift over to the dance floor. It's then that he toed a line of where a servant should stay. It would be selfish for him to take you from the party and be the one to dance the night away with you. Sure, he wanted to..... he really wanted to. Would that be ok? Well... what was life without risks? If this was not proper, he'd happily accept whatever consequences.

“Y/N, would you like to dance with me? It would hands down make me the luckiest guy here.”

Ayato

Ayato was bored of the banquet too soon after it begun. As Yashiro Commissioner, he hardly had a moment of peace. There was a multitude of important people in attendance and out of courtesy he exchanged pleasantries and discussed light politics. His lines were well rehearsed, polite and non-confrontational on any one matter. 

 He didn’t know you were on the guest list until your arrival. It didn't go unnoticed how you dress style and color pallet correlated perfectly with the Kamisato Clan's traditional attire. He deduced that Ayaka must of had a hand in both of those happenstances.

As if confirming Ayato's suspicions, Ayaka was the first to greet you. He watched the two of you excitedly talk amongst yourselves. She gestured toward your dress with a not-so-subtle two thumbs up from her. There was a growing chatter amongst the the guests. In less than five minutes you managed to become the center of talk. Not just anyone was warranted to wear Kamisato colors to their events, and so extravagantly at that too. Even with Ayaka’s clear public approval, people will imagine drama where there is none. 

Ayato had to admit, he couldn't tare his eyes from you. The clan head he was speaking to, continued going on and on about business dealings. Meanwhile in the commissioner's head, he began to map out how to speed run through the rest of the interactions he was obligated to have tonight. If he played his cards just right, he may have a moment to chat with you. If time allowed, he may even be able to squeeze in a single dance.

 Ayaka inevitably was pulled away to attend to her other duties, but she encouraged you to feel free to mingle and have fun. Once she left, the eyes on you and the quiet murmurs became much more apparent. 

Ayato noticed your previous excitement shift into anxiety. Left like this, you would be eaten alive by these ruthless socialites. You might even leave before he had a chance to make his way to you. This definitely won’t do. Ayato politely excused himself from the mind numbing pleasantries and briskly made his way across the banquet hall. Others who approached him received a similar kind but firm dismissal.

“These kinds of people always find something to gossip about, trust me.” You jumped, not expecting the sudden company. Least of all, you weren't expecting the head of the Kamisatio Clan to be the one to approach you. You look around at all the prying eyes and quickly compose yourself. You deeply bow to the man in front of you and state your name and status as a formal greeting. It felt strange since you were both so well acquainted as good friends. It was better to be safe than sorry in your opinion. You waited to be greeted back in a similar manner so that you could be released from your bow.... but there was only silence.

“Hah! There’s no need for that Y/N. You shouldn't feel the need to speak so formally to me for their sake.” Ayato's hand was slightly covering his mouth to stifle a few stray chuckles. You stood up properly and frowned at your friend in more embarrassment. Ayato sighed, amused, and leaned down to meet your eye level. “Really, there's no need for that. Besides, with how exquisite you look tonight, I should be the one honored.” The commissioner took a knee and placed a princely kiss upon your knuckles. Voices began to erupt around you two.

“Hm... Since everyone is going to be gossiping anyway, how about we give them something to talk about?” Ayato asked smoothly, his hand already leading you toward dance floor by the small of your back. 

Alhaitham

Alhaitham was only there because he was FORMALLY WARNED that he would be reprimanded if he missed another mandatory Akademiya event. 

The scribe was the definition of a party pooper. He sat in the corner with the best lighting and cracked open the book he had brought along. (This is the equivalent to being forced to go to an office Christmas party for this guy.) Any attempts to talk to him were either ignored or efficiently rudely turned away. 

The book became front once he finished it twice over. Alhaitham knew he should have brought a spare. To pass the time, he turned off his noise cancelling headphones and waited. People tended to say more when they thought you weren't listening. To his dismay... some conversations were just not worth listening to. The scribe became so bored he actually began his third re-read at some point. 

“Is it even allowed to wear something so....... adverse to an Akedemiya function? That has to be some sort of dress code violation.” Two scholars whispered to one another just within earshot. Ah, finally something interesting. 

Alhaitham spared a discreet glance from behind his book to the controversy of the hour. It was you... how unexpected. And how you were dressed, also unexpected. A quick glace had become more akin to appreciation. You stood defiantly confident in your body conforming emerald gown, meanwhile scholars were bending over backwards to avoid getting close at all costs. As if being associated with you would also get them a violation too.

The scribe shut his book since he had become interested enough in the situation to give his full attention. He had an idea what this was all about but this was definitely not the outcome he would have bet on. 

You had mentioned your annoyance with the Akedemiya’s dress code to him. You even submitted a few applications for an appeal. A couple even got approved through him before ultimately being rejected by the grand sage. It made no sense! Why were you being dress code on the exact shade of green you wore? Or that your attire had to be floor length? For archon’s sake you were even told your comfortable shoes were too dirty to be acceptable. And you definitely showed them. Alhaitham didn't bother hiding the way he eyed you over. And recalling the rules and regulation.... there’s technically nothing wrong with your outfit. Although, you were guaranteed to get an earful tomorrow by the sages. He decided with that alone that congratulations were in order.

“I must say, this a wonderfully scandalous way to prove your point.” Alhaitham mused while approaching you. You rolled your eyes at his comment and both relief and stress washed over your person. While thankful for some sort of company tonight, your antisocial colleague was the last person you expected to run into here. You greeted him stiffly while preparing yourself for the endless teasing sure to follow. Alhaitham had just enough respect for your efforts to hold his tongue for now. He instead held out his hand in an invitation, the hint of a smirk emerging across his features.

“You know, dancing is technically only 'frowned upon' at these kind of events. Care to piss off a few more old men?”

You guys were about to be in so much trouble...

<A/N: Another repost from my old blog!!! I love this one! The only things I changes were made for the better I think. I really gotta stop writing these at like 3Am and calling it a day. SOME OF THESE WERE SO CONFUSING BEFORE EDITING IT. Anyway thanks for the follows and likes I'mma keep on trucking these out. This was was particularly long so the rest should be faster. "should">

[ananiel]

Thank You for The request @kanroji-san , hope You like this

Witch! Lisa! Reader from genshin impact x yandere mtp

(if anyone has any more request, feel Free to send them)

TW : yandere themes, death, manipulation, fake situation, electricity usage as a weapon (Reader’s vision)

—-------------———---------———-----------—

It was common knowledge that, across the seas, there's a group of people living in a world named Teyvat. Many people tried to get there, and those that did wrote books about the magical place that was filled with different creatures, technology and most importantly, vision holders.

This Discovery of a new, much better in the eyes of some, world became to spread as wildfire, so much so that the people of many countries such as England decided that the best way to secure an alliance with this people would be to gathered some people to go to their region, and also have some come to theirs.

Reader, a very important librarian from Mondstadt, was one of them. Oh, and what a sight was she to be hold, with her soft eyes and pretty smirk, how can he not fall for someone like her?

How can he not want to own her? To have her as his, to keep her away from the danger of the world.

-—-----———------———-----——--—---—----

Mycroft Holmes

Very skeptical at first, not only of you, but of the whole situation in general. I mean, he's the governement, he needs to be on guard, always neat and at best version of himself.

But damn don't You hold him on his toes. You were hired as a secretary for him, to "help" with his workload, as You showed that You were in fact, very smart, but only think could equal your smartness, and that is lazyness.

He was getting frustrated with You, he could tell You were smart, he could tell that You knew what he meant when he asked You to do a certain thing, but You were lazy, and acted on it. He saw You napping on the desk, flutering the pages of that floating book of yours and what annoyed him the most : your flirting.

"can you-" "no dearie, i simply can not" he groaned, and You playfully zaped him with a little electicity

You. Drove. Him. Nuts.

IT was so annoying and so... And so... Why are You calling some lowly workers "dearie"? He thought he was Your dearie, no one else, him, You can't just replace him!

But it's okay, he can play the waiting game, he can, spread false rumours, watch them grow, isolate You from others.

But that cursed iteligence of yours, You caught up, too bad that before You could run back to Teyvat, he had already set up a trap

You were smart, he couldn't deny it, maybe as smart as him, but he had the whole country, You had nothing on your name side from what was given to You by him.

That secured his place as dearie, yours and yours alone, just like you were now his

Albert james moriarty

A new addition to the M16, You were clearly something else, and Albert saw that very quick. You were smart, You were difrent, You were a breath of fresh air... But You were lazy, and so flirty.

You reminded him of Moran so much...

He loved being called "cutie" it made him feel... Warm. And what i think is that you could see through his polițe smile that hides malice of the society pretty well, and You weren't trying to hide that fact, quite the contrar actually

You teased him, You teased his patience by being so careless, he was scared to leave You go one mission alone, afraid You would die and he would have your blood on his hands... Not that it was his deepest concern if You were hurt, but You were important to the country, your death could atract undesired attention to him and his brothers. He couldn't risk it.

So he stayed close, thinking that as a lady, you'd easily fall for his charm, and he could move You to the side, to make sure nothing wrong happens.

How wrong he was.

The more time he spent with You, the more did he start liking those nicknames, those stolem glances and the way You would lazily let the book float around You, that was his adiction. You

You were the air he needed, sweeter than any wine, difrent than any women he had seen faun over him.

Speaking about wine... He's so so glad You accepted his invitation for a drink... After all, a drug taken in wine is much harder to notice, even with your inteligence

Sherlock Holmes

It was not often that he visited mycroft's place, but when he did, he certainly wasn't expecting You, lazily looking at him as You leaned on the railway of the stairs.

You were so breath taking, John noted, but sherlock didn't really pay to mind, he was more preocupied with the shiny purple thing that You had, the vision, as You said, when You followed his gaze.

At some Point, You weren't even sure if he was staring at the vision, or your chest.

You did... Help him in some way, well, You told him where that thing that he wanted was, but other than that, You simply watched.

He's a Detective, it's normal for him to be courious, he tells himself as he walks up to mycroft's house again, having "forggoten" a piece of paper there, and seeing You again

He is a Detective, is normal to start questioning things about You, and try deducting some.

Soon, he knew more about You than he knew about himself, and he still felt like it wasn't enough, he felt that... He felt like... He felt like those monsters from Mondstadt don't deserve You.

AND neither does his brother! Have You seen how much he insults You?! Everytime he does it, sherlock wants to slap him.

He's a Detective, he feels that You, his darling, as he is yours, are so so precious, when You see him bloody, bloody with Milvertron's blood, and his corpse at your feet.

Why are You acting like that darling? He was protecting You! That man was spreading false rumours about You! He HAD to do something!

William james moriarty

Oh, oh, look at you, his sweet, sweet salvation, making him forget about being the lord of crime!

He met You at Durham university, You were the New librarian after the first one retired.

He heard rumours going on around about You

"the New librarian is so beautifull!"

"She calls me her cutie! Oh, i wish father would accept me marrying a vision user!"

That was all he heard his students talking about, and as they say, curiosity killed the cat.

He told himself that he needed some books too, and that would be the best way he would meet you.

With You lazily snoring on the librarian table, he couldn't help but stare at You, taking in each and everyone of your features.

(He couldn't blame his students for talking so much about You, he would be joining them, if it weren't for them talking about his colague)

His hand moves a stray hair away from your face, and that's when You woke up, You chated, if the maybe 4 lines could be considered a chat, and that's when You dropped that sweet nickname "dear one"

He told himself that what made him seem You out so much was that You were from a whole difrent world, that he could learn some things, Yes, Yes, that's why he was following you, why he spent all of his breaks at the library, and why, when he heard that Milvertron was trying to take You out of the country... He couldn't ignore it, You were nice, You were sweet, You didn't deserve that.

You were so sweet, so cute, backing away from him when You witnessed him murdering the man, when You threathened to use the your electro vision on him, but no amunt of thunder would make him let go of your hand, as he pulled You softly, closely to him and kissing your forehead.

Why are You so scared? It's your dear one!

Louis james moriarty

Hm, this one shall happen in the three years where Louis is alone, i mean, without his brothers.

I mean, he saw You around before that, he even has a nickname "sweetie pie", but he couldn't aford getting to close to You, he would lose his focus and make faults, after all, his brother needed him and he couldn't aford to let him down

Yes... He won't lie and say that he didn't, push his knife one-two many times in the stomach of the man that had tried to hurt you, but that was nothing, that was nothing, he was still loyal to William

After William is gone tho... He knows that he needs someone smart to help him with strategies, sure, You were lazy, but You were smart, and he needed You.

Needed You for mission, certainly not for his own sick pleasure, certainly not to watch You sleep, and if You wake up to him he would brush it of as saying "i need help with the plan, now if possible"

He quickly grew protective of the fact that You were difrent, difrent was bad in those times, You could get hurt, burned to the stake, Louis couldn't have that.

Also... Acidents happend with your... Slightly revealing clothes, a thief strangly only stole yours, Louis Accidently spilled something that might not come off... Yeah, accidents, but oh don't worry... He can lend You those beautifull clothes... What? What do You mean they have some traits on them that make people think You are his wife?

Very weird, indeed.

Oh no, he came bloody from a mission, Yes, a mission. If he heard of the death of the one that wanted to go on a date with You? Oh no, no he didn't.

He smiles, petting your back as he walks back to the basement, the man sitting tied up on the floor, a bag full of weapons close to him, but before he could grab any-

"Sweetie pie, Louis! The door is locked and i can't find the key!"

He Will returned to the man, but right now, his darling needs him

[dragon-queen21]

Regressor Aether headcanons

+ a bunch of different caregivers

These also might be an excuse for me to share some of the ideas for fic's I have planned in my head.

tw: vent regression, meltdowns, general angst

~~~

~Wins the hearts of everyone and ends up with a bunch of caregivers and playmates across the land of teyvat. And how could he not? Sweetest little baby.

~90% of his regression is simply involuntarily, which is part of the reason why a lot of the people around him find out about it in the first place

~Vent regresses quite a bit, due to burnout, loneliness, pain, etc.

~Only a few very close people have dealt with him vent regressing. (mostly Mondstadt citizens tbh, Diluc, Kaeya, Lisa, though Xiao and Zhongli might have as well... Paimon is of course the exception) It comes as quite a shock to people when Aether breaks down sobbing over something minor when he usually is such an angel both normally and regressed.

~Beidou who would be the closest to find Aether vent regressed without meaning too. Noticing upon returning from his trip to Inazuma and coming back through the storms how much Aether is shaking and how young he's regressed compared to the times she's had the privilege of being the little's playmate.

~He doesn't want to play, doesn't talk, mostly hides and lets Paimon comfort him. And Beidou is very confused but never gets the chance to ask about, too worried about getting her ship through the storm, and by the time they make land Aether is gone

~Diluc and Kaeya look after him the most. They probably bicker a lot when he’s around though they try not to.

~But Kaeya pushes every one of Diluc's buttons. Carrying Aether around 90% of the time and being so smug about being the little one’s 'favorite'.

~Aether’s meanwhile in babyspace, sitting on Kaeya’s lap, playing with the floof of his caregiver’s cape because he likes the feeling of it and just oblivious to Diluc’s misery.

~Dainslief would 100% have taken care of Lumine regressed before in their travels together. He takes one look at Aether, who's regressed involuntary after the fleeting feeling of his sister being nearby, the rush of hope and then loss of it again, and instantly puts the pieces together that both twins must regress.

~I wouldn't say he tries to take care of Aether or anything, despite the way it's obvious that Aether isn't doing the best and could really use someone looking after him. He doesn't know Aether all that well and tells himself that it seems like Paimon's got it taken care of either way.

~But he's definitely more aware of the other, a bit protective and a bit softer with his words. Calling Aether a nickname, one he always used to call Lumine when she was small, by accident, (thinking like star shine or something else sweet) because old habits die hard and he nearly forgets that, 'no that's not Lumine, not his traveling partner, not his little, not his place.'

~Being told not to stim in public, or getting called out asking what he was doing. It wasn't a mean comment necessarily but it hurt. Not sure who would say it, maybe like Razor who genuinely is asking a question that's then taken the wrong way. Kind of like "Well don't do that. Draws attention." because he's anxious about being in public to begin with. Hmm not sure...

~It's something he masks a lot normally, but when he's small it's often times forgotten. He will be small and super happy, start stimming by shaking his hands, or tapping his palms together and have to force himself to stop because- that's weird, no one does that, quit it, you're just faking... which has gained him a couple of concerned looks from those around him who know him well enough

~Seeing as Paimon can't carry him, Aether takes to carrying her around like a stuffie instead as his own form of comfort. Also he’s just touch starved and likes having someone close.

~Paimon will complain about this, but decides inevitably that it's better than being seen as emergency food

~Speaking of emergency food, baby brain finds it hilarious to try and chew on her hair or her cape. One second she’s holding his hand the next she’s being bit.

~Venti upon finding out the Traveler regresses is like, 'Yeah I'm a great caregiver. ✨I've got this✨'

~He does not

~He ends up regressed alongside Aether and the two together unsupervised just spells trouble.

~Paimon has to go running to Diluc to come and get the two and stop them from causing a hurricane or something because they think it would be fun to play around with their powers. (Could also imagine Kaeya and Rosaria getting involved depending if they made their way over to the cathedral or not)

~Who needs storybooks when you have a dragon dad who's the equivalent of a living one?

~And yes Aether has gone all the way to Liyue from Mond in the span of one night because he couldn't fall asleep and wanted Zhongli to tell him a bedtime story. (It was that or going to Venti, but Venti's stories are usually a lot more lively and not the best to fall asleep to)

~Childe who wants so much to be Aether's big brother while he's small. Buys him a bunch of little gear, stuffed animals, toys, custom pacifiers, really anything he thinks of to try and win the little one's favor. He's is so sure that he's going to be Aether's favorite that he makes a bet with Zhongli over it. (If Diluc knew about this he would have a fit...)

~And Aether just- won't have anything to do with him small. He will either cry, or keep pushing Childe away and whining. He had a full meltdown once where he got overwhelmed enough to call Xiao. Easy to say that ended up in a fight and Zhongli having to step in to calm everybody down.

~His fits are mostly out of fear and distrust. Baby brain sees everything black and white and Childe confuses him more than anything because Childe should be the bad guy here.

~But on one hand he's always nice and he likes the idea of being doted on with little presents and being carried around, and Childe seems like the best big brother that Aether never had.

~But on the other hand their fights have scarred him mentally, and the fatui in general frightens him and he's scared that it's all an act that's going to crumble the moment he gets too attached.

~It takes awhile but he slowly opens up to the other, though only when someone else is around to ‘protect’ him. Probably Xiao. The adeptus wouldn’t trust Aether alone with Childe for a moment

~Xiao has been called multiple times on accident while Aether was small. He comes expecting a fight only to find a small and weepy baby who wants to be held.

~It's gotten to be a problem because the Traveler will refuse to call him when it really matters, like him being in danger, but baby brain will call out for him over something like a nightmare or feeling lonely and small, Xiao is terrible when it comes to anything dealing with delicate emotions.

[ixiot-ghostrebel]

𝐀𝐧 𝐔𝐧𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐓𝐫𝐢𝐩 𝐭𝐨 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐚𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞.

Alright, here's the oneshot I promised! Sorry if it isn't up to your standards- my motivation was running low on this series. This might be the "Grand finale" to end it all- I don't think I'll be able to provide another part after this. I'm sorry, everyone.

Key Information: This will be in Reader's POV. The Reader has made it to the Abyss, and found out more information about themselves. They almost know who they are, but something is missing. Something big, something major.

Before they could discover what it was, though, they were captured by the Imposter's puppets after they had left the abyss, with no chance of escaping. They are being escorted to the Palace under the (literal) watch of the Imposter themself, through the character's eyes.

And the Reader sees just how much of a tyrant and evil doer this imposter of theirs truly is. And what seems to be the aftermath of Nahida and Venti's punishment.

Click Me For Part 1!

Click Me For Part 2!

Warnings: Bad Grammar, Spelling Mistakes, Not Beta Read, OOC Characters, Violence, Rushed Plot & Mind Control/Mind Manipulation.

Read if you are okay with these terms. Please also let me know if I missed a warning!

I was so close. So close, yet so far.

I remember so much, yet it seems it meant nothing. It probably would mean nothing now, now that I'm caught and everything.

Just great. I'm probably going to be tortured and killed painfully. My mind is probably going to break under that imposter's will or something.

Now that I think about it, is Nahida and Venti alright? They were the two that helped me not get caught during the earlier days. I hope they're alright—but judging how this imposter is, I doubt they are.

Even more "great," I suppose. I am not ready to see how they are.

That son of a...nevermind, actually. I need to think of a plan to escape. I have all of the elements of Teyvat: Abyss, Anemo, Geo, Dendro, Hydro, Cryo, Pyro, and Electro. Mostly undetected.

Yes, surprisingly, I had managed to enter into Inazuma even though it's probably in some sort of lock down with me running loose around Teyvat. But I still got to the statue and that's all I care about.

I nearly jump when I hear the sounds of gates opening. Crap. We were here. I am literally here...at the Imposter's Palace.

Holy crap, doomsday has suddenly started to feel more deadly with each passing breath I took. It felt suffocating with each step that it took to be brought near that Palace's front doors.

Holy crap, I really might just get die today. Holy crap...

I could barely focus on anything else going outside of my moveable prison, as I try to put together my scattered thoughts to form some sort of escape plan.

Perhaps I could create an illusion of myself and quickly leave? Or maybe I can manipulate time and find a way to break through this ridiculously elemental-proof cage. Maybe I can create some form of structure to get myself out of the situation. Or maybe I can use my hydro and pyro abilities together to make a clone of myself and trick them!

I couldn't think of anything more, because, before I knew it, I was pulled out of my thoughts. I was dumped out onto the grime floor of the place I dreaded to be for all my time here in Teyvat. I catch myself, my hands stabilizing my fall under me as my knees bang on the floor.

Gosh...I'm really here. In the most ugliest palace I've ever seen, even with the colors going well with each other.

Because of that one person sitting on that damn throne as I look up. My Imposter. The one that caused everything from the beginning.

"My, my, what do we have here..." They chuckle, their eyes gleaming with malicious intent as their sinister smirk turns into a monstrous grin. "My Imposter, finally caught before me, after a good 8 months of searching. Well done, People of Mondstadt and Sumeru. You certainly don't disappoint." The Imposter's voice was off, but it was clear that they were just simply talking through the other people's voices, their voice being the more dominant one.

And besides, I doubt the People of Mondstadt and Sumeru would've been praised like that if Venti and Nahida hadn't been punished. Whatever the Imposter did to them, it must've also affected their nations as well. And they were going to pay for that.

This world didn't see any blessings, it only gained more curses. Not even the world they stood upon knew that. Not the people, not the world...nobody knew they were in a endless scam.

Not wasting any time, I direct my glare at the Imposter. I don't care if they're going to be all mock-y about it—this is the least they deserved.

If only I could remember...that last missing piece of myself...

"Getting upset already?" The Imposter chuckles. "Such a shame. We haven't even begun your punishment. Not even a second in, and you already think you're better than me, huh?" Their grin widens.

"Such a shame. I guess I'll put use to the Anemo and Dendro Archon to punish you...as a 'Round One,' of course." My eyes widen in shock. Their eyes gleam with amusement.

The audacity of this....this below-grime idiot!

I didn't even get a word in as I see two familiar figures walk my way. I don't need the Imposter to talk to know that they were under the control of the Imposter themselves. It was all too obvious by the way they walk.

It was all too obvious by that grin that doesn't suit them a single bit.

But what shocked me the most was how many bleeding scars they have. Like Xiao in the Perilous Archon Quest, Venti and Nahida bled in the colors of their elements they were dominant in. And it seems like these scars were never meant to heal—the blood was seeping onto the clothes they wore, which were slightly tattered.

It looked like they were victims that had just came out of a war zone. Holy cow.

"What the hell..." I mutter under my breath. I glare back up to the Imposter. "What the hell did you do?!"

"Hm? Oh, you're wondering about their scars?" Their smirk turns more dangerous, more forced. "I made certain...adjustments to their behaviors. After all...to help you certainly meant I had to step in."

"They're traitors!" someone said, and I feel my blood boil. "They should be blessed that the All-Seeing Creator has given them mercy—to be forever blessed under the Creator's presence and guidance!"

"No!" I exclaim. I can't help it—I couldn't take it anymore. "This—this isn't a blessing!" I gesture towards the controlled archons, who were still slowly approaching. "This is the opposite of benevolent! This is the work of a tyrant!"

"You no nothing about the Creator!" someone else exclaims in the throne room. "You dare to spread lies with your face, flinging dirt on their ever graceful image—and now you dare to question their judgement? The audacity!"

The Imposter chuckles. "See? Your efforts are futile." They smile down at me, as if they won. As if they had everything they could ever have, once I'm dead. "Now get them!" They point a finger at me, and that was all the warning I get before Venti shot an arrow towards me.

I use my anemo abilities to fling it elsewhere just in time, but Nahida was already sending dendro towards me without warning. They push me back, as I try my best to use geo to form some sort of shield.

Well crap. I guess I have no choice but to hurt them. With a heavy heart, I summoned the all the power of Anemo, stopping time so that I could knock them out.

When I let time continue, the crowd that was in the Throne Room gasped. The Imposter glared down at me with suspicion...and a hint of jealousy. Hah, loser.

"Hm. Pathetic," they mutter under their breath. "I suppose I'll just finish you myself...with a special little weapon of mine." They summon a black gadget in their hands. Turning it one with a button on the side, it glows. The Imposter smirks as they look down at my shocked expression.

No. Absolute freaking. Way.

How the HELL did they get my freaking phone?!

"How did you—" I interrupt myself, fuming. "You took my phone!" The Imposter laughs.

"Really?" They said, amused. Their eyebrows were quirked up, mockingly. "More like you were the one who doesn't know how to keep their hands to themselves. You stole what was rightfully mine, and I just got it back."

"And I'm going to make sure you regret ever trying to tarnish my reputation—my work."

— — —

The battle was longer than anyone had anticipated, but alas. The "Creator" won, standing over a beaten "imposter." Everyone was cheering. Cheering for a fricking tyrant.

Cheering for the fact that I was about to be killed. Tch, fine then. If I die, I hope they all suffer for their audacity. If I die, I hope this "Creator" dies of a panic attack trying to fix their world. If I die, I hope they realize how big of a mistake they made, taking the position that which doesn't—never—belonged to them.

If I die, I hope this world burns in hell.

"Creator..." Hm? Who said that? Probably someone from the crowd—who else would it be? My imagination? How cliché, even for this manipulated world—

"Creator...get up..." The same voice speaks, and this time, I can hear it better. It's echo-y. It's calm, yet angry. It's blank, but filled with emotion. I look up, and I see a spirit made of light.

But the most fascinating part? The spirit looked like me. The Spirit looks like it came out of my phone.

It smiles down at me. "You see me," it muses. "Good. Come on, get back up."

"I...I can't." My meek voice comes out. It gets covered by all the cheering and all the praises for the Imposter, who stands atop of me, smugly.

"Yes, you can."

"I can't."

"This world needs you."

"This world already betrayed me."

"And are you willing to give up so easily? Knowing that you'd let your..." The spirit looks at the Imposter, who was blissfully unaware of its presence, with distaste. "...your false image of you ruin your creation?"

"I don't even know who I am," I insisted, making sure my voice was but a mere whisper. I don't want the Imposter to notice me. "How can I fight for a world I barely know?"

"You do know it," the spirit muses. "Just from a different perspective. You know it because you became a 'player' of this world. You see it with fresh eyes, but with a body so ancient it knows everything like the back of your hand."

"Why...why do you mention all of this?" I question. "How will this be relevant to the fact that I can't even protect a world I came to cherish—to love with 'new eyes'?" The spirit smiles.

"You want to know where your last piece is," it says. "Yet, you have been staring at it for the past moment." It reaches its hand out towards me. "Tell me, what do you see in me, that makes me special—makes me divine?"

"You aura..." I mutter, too in trance to realize I spoke louder than I intended. The Imposter looks down at me, evil triumph heavy in their eyes.

"Finally tasting my power, huh?" They say, smirking, but I could care less. My eyes were still staring at the spirit. It's still staring at me, smiling at me with a brightness so radiant it could rival the gentle days that were peppered by the sun's golden rays. It sounded so poetic, but I could care less.

"Metaphorically, I am but a mere illusion of the sun—the moon," it says. "But only until the sun has found themself, can the world recognize their true star." They give me their hand.

"If you wish to continue to fight, let us be one, and let the world sing you songs for all civilizations to recognize." I stare at the spirit, awe-struck.

There was no way that my power—the final piece, was being handed over to me on a silver platter. There's no way.

Yet, the very existence of this spirit was proof enough. It was...almost too cliché for me to believe, but it was the truth. Holy cow, I really am the Main Character.

With a quick motion, I place my hand on top of theirs. "I will let the world hear me, once and for all," I say, my voice firm and loud. The Imposter sneers down at me, distaste evident in their features.

"What are you on about this time, you slimy little—" They never got to finish their sentence, for I felt the spirit finally intertwine with me.

All the memories I've collected in this long, hard journey come flashing through my mind, as the power that felt oh-so familiar runs through my veins yet again.

"Happy Birthday, Mx. Y/N!" I hear the voice of a young child.

"Thank you, for lending us the knowledge to repel those awful demons, All-Seer," the voice of an elder Priest spoke.

"Please, Mx.! You mustn't overexert yourself for this!" a proud, yet nervous soldier, warning me as I stood firm against the dangers of the time the world first fell into disaster. "Please—let me take you to safety!"

I owe all those people I knew back then their mercy. Mercy for their descendants. And once I'm done with this stupid Imposter, I'll rebuild this world from dust and up if I have to.

The last thing anyone saw, was my form turning into a supernova. I hear the world singing, recognizing me. I hear it hum as it starts to tear and crumble the palace of the Imposter.

With a quick wave of my hand, I let the light of the supernova fade, but trapped the Imposter in a cage. I let all control they had over everyone disappear.

My intense, sharp gaze is what everyone sees, as my form is now cleaner, more graceful. The Imposter cowards, paling as they realize how much of the real deal I am. Haha, the sweet taste of revenge. Of Karma. This is what I longed for, and it's finally at my grasp.

"Since you love playing the 'Creator,'" I mock, sneering down at the Imposter's petite figure. "Why don't we place your little skills to the test, hm?"

𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑬𝒏𝒅.

Ghost Rebel Side Notes: FINALLY, PART 3 IS OUT! I AM SO SORRY FOR TAKING 30 YEARS ON THIS OMG—Y'ALL PROBABLY FORGOT THIS EXISTED DIDN'T YOU 💀💀💀 MY BAD I AM SO SORRY.

Also! It is entirely up to you of what punishment the Imposter gets! Tell me what you think best suits them :) Perhaps I might write a sequel? 👀 No promises on that, but something I can promise on is that Venti and Nahida are now forever being pampered with affection and gifts! <3

✦ Check out The Ghost Rebel’s Blog Description & Info Page to See if Their Mailbox is Open! ✦

[alchemania]

Snow White Dove, Blood Stained Wings.

(Or, the Traveler has a harrowing encounter which leaves her reeling.)

There is a shivering blob of white amongst the snow of Dragonspine, and as Lumine draws closer, jet black hair accented by hot pink stands out in sharp contrast.

Oh. That's a body.

“Hello?” the blonde called, kneeling down and ignoring how the cold bit into her legs. “Can you hear me?” No answer, so she shook the smaller person a little roughly, causing a pair of snow white wings to pop up and flitter rapidly as they jolted awake. Lumine screamed and leaned back, trying to avoid getting walloped in the face, and watched as the other person hissed and grabbed their right wing- now that the Traveler looked closer, it was moving oddly …was it broken? “Here, let me help you up. There's a church down in the city,” and strong hands lift the other person out of the snow - now that she can see the face, it seems to be another young lady, and her cheeks and nose are rosy from the chill.

“..thank you,” the girl manages, leaning all her weight on the Traveler. “You are too kind..”

It doesn't take too long to get to the church, taking the teleporters. The petite young lady is tucked into a bed and told to rest, and after ensuring she'll be alright, Lumine makes way to go.

“..it seems the rumors were true, you really will help just about anyone.. I wonder if one day, that will be your downfall..”

Lumine stopped in her tracks, looking to the inhabitant in the bed in her peripheral vision. She looked so small, the blankets covering her up about to her chin, but the room suddenly felt very, veryyyyy cold.

“..what do you mean by that,” she hears herself say, by some miracle.

“Oh…don't pay me any attention,” the raven haired girl placated, waving a hand weakly. “Simply thinking aloud..”.

“..who are you,” Lumine demanded, turning fully around to face the bed as her expression hardened.

“Does that matter..? Would you have left me alone on that mountain to die if you didn't like the answer?”

Silence.

“.. I don't mean you any harm, Traveler, or the people of Mondstadt, if that's what you're worried about," was the quiet reply after a long moment. "I swear it. But I'm aware you do not like the people I work with very much, and so I deemed it best to keep my mouth shut until you offered me assistance.”

“The folks you work with,” Lumine repeated almost dumbly, looking more and more rattled by the moment.

“You got one of my coworkers killed back in Inazuma. Does that ring any bells???”

Lumine can't breathe.

“You're a Harbinger?”

Rapidly, she goes down the list in her mind. Signora was dead, and she'd already met Arlecchino, so this had to be either Sandrone or Columbina.

“Which one?” she barely manages.

“The Damsel,” the girl replies easily, eyes finally opening - they're a beautiful magenta, almost mesmerizing. “Nice to meet you, Traveler. You don't have to be afraid. Like I said, I have no desire to harm you, or anyone here. It's a little disheartening to think you may have simply abandoned me if you knew who I was beforehand….. but at least that's not what happened, no? I don't know why you're so flustered, Master Childe speaks so highly of you -”

“He's NOT my friend!”

There go the wings again, slightly.

“.. we're not all horrible people, you know. Not all of us had a choice in this.”

Lumine thinks of the twins, and Freminet.

Columbina looks sad now, genuinely so.

“...Why can't you understand that?”

“Well, sorry for being a little on edge, considering some of your coworkers have tried to KILL me -”

“But I'm not them. I already said I have no interest in harming you. Do you think that I'm lying?”

Silence, painful.

“Perhaps if you stopped looking at us through your black and white lens, you'll see that we, and you, are much closer to grey than you'd like to admit -”

The door slams, the sound resounding. Lumine is gone.

Columbina closes her eyes, sighing.

“...well. You can't fault a girl for trying.”

She steeples her hands over her chest then, expression thoughtful. “The heart that forever bleeds will one day cease to beat. . I wonder if she will realize that before it's too late. I surely hope so.”

And the Harbinger slept.

[nelle-y]

Glory to Godwin

Synopsis: the final days of their relationship should not mean their final days alive

Content: Glory x Godwin, angst

Warnings: major character death, massacre, descriptions of gore

Note: Inspired by A Huguenot, on St. Bartholomew’s Day

—

In the midst of a massacre, hidden behind an unkept alley, was a mound of desperation and helplessness. Patches of dirt stood underneath Glory’s feet, tinting green grass and leaves as it crept up the wall. The sky was grey and the sounds of death nearly called her own name. She and Godwin hid behind the thick vines atop the wall, fearing for their lives. It was only a matter of time until the Fatui agents find them.

“Please, Godwin,” she cried, her blindfold hung above her eyes. “I beg of you. If not for my sake, then for your own life.” She buries her tear-stained face into Godwin’s chest. “Heed your own life, please!”

Her sobs broke the man’s heart. He has never seen Glory cry like this. However, he must keep his faith. No matter what the cost. It was his duty as a knight of Favonius to remain true to his word.

Glory had no such duty—she has the chance to flee and that was the choice Godwin wanted her to take. “Please, Godwin, please,” Glory pleaded him like a beggar for a meal.

All he could do was run a hand through her hair and smile, “My darling Glory, an apology is not enough to rid you of this pain.” A gun shot echoes in the distance—another life taken. Godwin holds her tight when he hears this, a hand on her head and an arm around her back. He kisses Glory’s forehead. “However, I can’t simply throw away my faith. You wouldn’t do it either, if you were in my place.”

Glory couldn’t help but feel the ache of grief slowly rise. Her head bowed to the ground, rejecting to hear the voice which will soon be lost forever. “There’s no convincing you, is there?” She breathes, defeated.

Her hands claw at Godwin’s clothes, tears threatening to burn her cheeks once more. He lifts her chin ever so lovingly, making the best of what time they have left.

Glory felt a breath from him. “Don’t,” she hushes him. “Don’t say it.” She knew all too well how much this man could hurt her, especially if he says those three words at a time like this.

Godwin returns to his soft smile, radiating a calm space for her to relive. “There!” A fatui skirmisher yells for his members. Right then and there, Glory felt her intestines drop to the floor, anxiety filling her stomach. “Go get them!”

“No!” Her desperate screams pierced their ears as agents and maidens separated the two. She itched her way out, “Let me go! Godwin!” Her hands drew for the knight only to be pulled back by an agent.

“Let her go! She’s of Snezhnayan blood,” Godwin lied in hopes that they would spare her, restrained with the hands of fatui scum. “Don’t hurt her!”

“Oh, really?” The skirmisher’s voice was rough, as if he had smoked a thousand cigarettes in his life. He walked to Godwin, gaze looking down on him. “Then I guess we’ll have to kill her last.”

Just as he was about to protest, a foot had landed on Godwin’s jaw, slight dislocation piercing the front of his ears. Glory could hear the impact of their hits on her beloved. Her bawls of agony rang through the walls of Mondstadt as she stood there, helpless. “Godwin! No, please don’t do this!”

Godwin could only watch her skew in turmoil, bound by the hands of their foe. He felt pathetic and unworthy of her undying love.

But one thing made him feel content—that he would die a hero in her heart.

To hopefully ease Glory’s suffering, he tried his best to keep quiet. Yet the pressures of the opposing groups managed to urge grunts and groans out of him. Glory kept calling Godwin’s name, hoping she could get a response, hoping he would be okay.

But instead of her name, two cracks split in the air, numbing her ears of anything pleasant.

She felt liquid drop on her feet. “Godwin!” The woman was sent into panic, chanting prayers and Barbatos’ name. Slashes of gooey somethings itched into Glory’s ears before she was thrown on something limp, wet, pulsating.

“Where’s your god now,” mocked the skirmisher.

Desperate for any contact, the blind woman kept calling his name. She took her blindfold and grazed her hands on his chest, looking for any source of blood. She could describe it as a cushion, ready for her head to lay on.

The open wound she felt reached the end of his stomach, giving way for his insides to spew out and blood stain their dirtied clothes. Godwin’s flesh smelled like iron, muscles trembling from the force of the blade.

“No. No, no, no, no,” she repeated, trying to keep her lover intact with her singular cloth and a beacon of hope. “Godwin, stay with me!” She felt his pulse, beating perfectly before fading into nothing.

Then the world fell silent and still.

No words could describe the emotion and desperation Glory had in her voice as she wailed her lover’s name one last time. Gunshots and screams in the distance, Glory could no longer hear them. It was as if her heart stopped beating the moment Godwin took his last breath.

Because amidst all the pain grief had brought, she failed to hear the footsteps that crept behind her.

“This is what you get for betraying her majesty.”

Bang.

—the end.—

[glitterguts13]

hiiii! I know ur requests might be backed up and I don’t mind if you get to this one or not. But can you do headcanons about the Genshin boys and how they’d react if Y/N decided to leave them even though they’re bearing their child/children?

Angst angst angst! TW: Y/N is kind of a bitch here

Mondstadt

Albedo The cracks had been forming for a while now. There was no major blow-up, nothing that was truly the final blow. Simply two people who were once in love, and had grown apart. Albedo informed them as soon as he learned, and the look of regret on Y/N's face would haunt him forever.

"I'm sorry...But it's best for both of us if we walk away while things are...civil."

Bennett It would be his luck, wouldn't it? All the little things had started piling up, the small mistunes that led to bigger problems. Maybe they just couldn't stand seeing Benny coming home injured any longer, or maybe they were tired of his bad luck affecting them as well. The news finally broke down the last barrier standing between them.

"I'm sorry...I love you...but this isn't healthy for either of us."

Diluc Too many secrets, too many sharp words and too many expectations. It was too good for too long, and Diluc knows he should have ended it far before it reached this point at all. Clinging to the false hope things would be alright only brought this mistake about.

"Please take care of yourself...I...I just can't do this, I'm sorry."

Kaeya The earth-shattering reality of what was happening hits him harder than a solid block of ice. The test was positive, and Y/N was already walking out the door before he could offer solutions.

"Kaeya...I'm not leaving because of the baby, but we both know we'd be terrible parents...it's over, it's been over for a long time. You know that."

Mika Didn't even want to tell them. Facing the truth was just too hard, and his hand clung to their sleeve as Y/N tried to walk away. "Mika, you have to let me go. We aren't right for each other...you'll find someone else, I'm certain...but it isn't me."

Razor It wasn't fair. Y/N was his mate, his lover, his purpose. Razor loved hard and true, and watching them walk out of his life with no consideration for their pup broke his heart in two.

"This isn't what I want...not with you."

Venti Laughs. Light and breezy, as if it's just another terrible pun being hurled around the bar. Of course. He understands. It wasn't the first time, and it wouldn't be the last.

"Goodbye, Venti...don't....drink too much."

Liyue

Baizhu Death was always one step behind him, and for the first time in his life, Baizhu thought, maybe, he was ready to stop running from it.

"I don't want to watch you die...and I'm too young to care for you and a baby. This isn't good for you...or me." Childe: Really, he should have known. With the life he lead, and the battles and danger he was constantly throwing himself into, it was only a matter of time before they turned their back.

Chongyun Doesn't expect it, the goodbye comes out of the blue, and the news of his pregnancy falls like bitter herbs on his tongue. Y/N looks surprised, sorry for him even, but doesn't stop.

"Maybe we'll meet again one day...but it's for the best if we don't."

Gaming They were the one, he was so certain of it. Gaming had told his whole family, and celebrated the news of his unborn child with them while waiting for Y/N to return from their trip. Except, they don't come back. Not a day later, not a week later, only sending a letter two months after leaving. "I couldn't say it to your face, but I'm not ready for a family. This is too much too fast."

Xiao Isn't shocked, but still, he hurts. For once, just once, Xiao allowed himself to think perhaps, things could be different. He could be happy, Y/N would stay and all the darkness around them could be kept at bay.

"Xiao...it was never going to work. We're just too different..."

Xingqiu Bitter, the sight of their face makes his blood boil as they brush past each other in the street. Their child growing steadily inside his belly, while Y/N carries on with life as if he'd never happened.

Zhongli Accepts it, hides the pain with a gentle smile, but crumbles behind closed doors. "Tell our child I'm sorry...but I can't raise...whatever it is they'll be."

Inazuma Arataki Itto The hurt is clear on his face, eyes wide in shock. Not Y/N, not his best friend, his confidant, his ride of die. How could they do this? Now of all times? Weren't they supposed to be together, forever? "Itto...I never wanted a child...especially not the child of an Oni."

Ayato The pressure was simply too much. Every move they made, action they took, word they spoke, was under the gaze of haughty officials with more money and sense. Ayato doesn't blame them for running, the responsibility would have crushed anyone, but not him. Tears would be shed in private, but in public, his smile would never drop.

Gorou Maybe, he thinks, if he'd been human it would have been different. If it was just the responsibility of one child on their shoulders and not the life of three.

Kazuha Allows them to walk away with questions. A part of him knew it was coming, understood that what they'd shared had been on the rocks for months. Asking them to stay and raise a child would only lead to bitter resentment, and he couldn't let that happen.

Heizou Shuts himself away and throws himself into his work. He can't face this right now, he simply can't.

Thoma For the first time in all his years working under the Kamisato household, Thoma requests a break. Two weeks, he flees to the country and washes away the memories with sleep. Y/N's last words still ringing in his ears when he returns.

"I never meant for it to go this far...I'm sorry Thoma, you were just meant to be....something fun." Sumeru

AlHaitham Shuts down. Calls in sick, locks the door to his house and doesn't come out for nearly a month. It's too much, he doesn't know what to do, for once in his adult life, he feels utterly and truly lost.

Cyno Thinks it must be some sort of joke. Y/N can't be serious. They had talked about this, made plans, and yet...they want to walk away? Pretend nothing had happened between them and leave their child without a parent? "I thought this is what I wanted, I really did but...the more I think about it, the more...I realize I don't want it...with you."

Kaveh Begs, on his knees, tears in his eyes, begs with every ounce of willpower in his body. Don't leave him don't leave their child don't walk out that door and pretend he didn't matter, it mattered, didn't it? What they had was something, he was something, right?

Sethos It should have been a happy time, they should have been rejoicing, celebrating their growing family. Instead, he's left alone, staring into the fire and questioning if Y/N had ever loved him at all.

Tighnari Had half a mind to run off into the forest and never come back. He feels stupid, used. How could he have fallen for this? How did he miss the signs? The happiness of a child had been ripped out from his fingers before the day was up, and now he was left alone, to pick up the pieces.

Wanderer Angry, burning to his core. The one time he opens himself up, let himself feel something, he's crushed to pieces and left with a reminder growing inside of his womb.

Fontain

Freminet Doesn't cry. There's no emotion on his face at all, only the slight trembling on his hands to alert to his feelings. "I love you but I'm not in love with you..."

Lyney Shattered. This was supposed to be his second chance, a family to love and protect. They were going to be together, forever, he had it planned out, for the first time in his life Lyney was certain he was safe and stable..and now it's been pulled out from under him.

Neuvillette Gutted. The streets are flooded for weeks as he grapples with the reality of whats going on. He feels foolish for not seeing the issues building, and when Y/N walks away, he feels he's the cause of all their issues.

Wrio Expects it. He knows they were just a fling, even if deep down, he wanted so much more. They would be leaving the prison in less than a month, and, well, he would never be. It wasn't fair to ask them to leave their life in Fontain behind to raise a child in the prison with him.

[kyogre-blue]

Hi. Sorry for the following rant, but you're the only person I know who seems to be having a hate-love relationship with genshin. Please feel free to ignore this though if you want.

So I was doing Zhongli's first story quest, about Havria, and it's revealed that when she died there was backlash due to her godly powers. Now I don't remember for certain if this is canon or fanon, but I also thought that the reason Osial was imprisoned and not killed was due to the backlash. So how did Zhongli's "death" not get questioned then? Like Rex Lapis' death should have leveled at least half of Teyvat. And maybe sure, common citizens wouldn't have this information, but at least the Adepti should have known. Was it explained somewhere and I just missed it?

Like Liyue arc was so full of plot holes it's not even funny anymore. (And this is coming from someone who is willing to overlook a few plot holes). Is it so hard for Mihoyo to hire some competent writers, or at least keep track of all that's being said. Like I get that writing is hard, but if you strip it to the bare bones genshin is a simple story, and I think if they had kept that in mind they could have done so much better.

Again sorry for the long rant. i guess I just needed to vent a little bit.

Ah, you poor soul....

You made the classic mistake. When reading Genshin, you felt the hollowness of the storyline and the lack of any logic or explanation behind its events, so you instinctively tried to connect what was happening to other parts of the story. Your self-made explanation made sense, it felt good, so you assumed it was actually canon. But it's not.

There is no reason ever given for why Morax sealed his enemies instead of killing them. This is simply never discussed or mentioned. Same way there is no explanation for why the Traveler wants to see Morax's corpse so bad, or why we think a Guizhong Ballista will help us look for the cocogoat. We just do it because the plot needs us to do it.

In regard to gods exploding when they die, it seems to be something they can choose to control. The energy Andrius unleashed when he died (because, yeah, he's a ghost in present day) was actually beneficial to Mondstadt, since it change the previously frozen climate to something warmer. There's also no mention of Deshret or Rukkhadevata causing any big explosions with their deaths.

Take your personal pick of whether Havria was just taken too much by surprise to control it, was too weak and pathetic to control it, or if she decided to fuck up those bitches who shanked her on purpose.

In regard to why the adepti never question the whole "Rex Lapis was MURDERED" thing, it's because his supposed murder is just a plot device to have a cool sequence of events where the Traveler is a fugitive for some reason. After the end of Act 1, the entire concept of his death being caused by someone intentionally is largely dropped. EDIT: On replay, there's some mention from Keqing that the Qixing would nominally be the best suspects (though no explanation how they could have possibly achieved it), but that the adepti simply do not believe humans could have done it. On the other hand, they also never mention the adepti looking for any non-human culprit, so... do they think he just dropped dead from old age? This is never explained. At the end, the Qixing just tell the human populace that Morax failed a heavenly trialed and uh ascended or something.

At the most generous, you can say that "murder" was just Ningguang's kneejerk reaction and she sweeps it under the rug as quickly as possible once she realizes how stupid it is, and the adepti never took it that seriously. They're just mad in a generic way that Rex Lapis is dead, whatever the cause might be.

Honestly, Genshin's plot being stupid is like... it's bad. But it's made infinitely worse for me by that fact that the characters are worse. The characterization and (lack of) character arcs are just... I can't do this. Why does this """story""" even exist? It's so pointless.

....I mean, I know why it exists. GOTTA SELL THOSE ANIME WAIFUS

[trashideas]

Diluc/Childe

TW: Blood and gore, limbs get a little broken, suicidal idealisation because “uh oh, I'm a zombie and I don't want to kill my loved ones”

Zombie apocalypse AU where Childe gets bit and he immediately hides from everyone.

He figures that he is going to die. One horrible thing about zombies is that they retain their combat abilities from their life. So Childe knew. He just knew that his zombie self would cause chaos. He doesn't want that. He doesn't have time to leave a note. They were in the middle of an open battlefield and Childe didn't know how long he had before he would fully turn.

He could already feel an itchiness in his mind. Something that could not be scratched.

He ran as far as he could as fast as he could. Zombies didn't stop to go after him. So he did what any sane person would do and slaughtered them as he went by. Even while killing his own kind, they didn't go after him. Childe essentially had invincibility. He would use it wisely before time was up.

He figured that once the insanity turned onto other things, he would cut off his legs and break his arms. At least then he would not be able to hurt anybody.

That time did not come.

Zombies we're creatures that didn't sleep. But they didn't have an infinite amount of energy. Zombies rose with the sun and fell by the moon. The reason was because the moon didn't provide enough energy like the sun did. Humans give no nutritional value. However, other animals do. And with the power of eating things that wasn't his own species, Childe was free to kill as many undead as he could.

Hordes of zombies were slaughtered within days.

The resistance was terrified. They had lost one of their best fighters... But the hordes of zombies were draining faster than they could gather intel. They found battlefields filled with hundreds of zombie corpses but never any non-turned.

Many people of the resistance have some sort of animal companion that can either carry a person or a letter to other branches of the resistance. To many, it's a horse or dog, in some rare cases- a bird. Childe’s familiar was a fox. These animals aren't spiritually connected to a human in any way; they are just simply animals who favor the help of humans. Childe’s fox liked only a few people. With the disappearance of Childe, came the disappearance of his fox as well.

Until one day it came back to the resistance with a note tied around it's neck.

“A few weeks ago I was bitten by a zombie during the battle to retake Liyue Harbor. I fled in hopes that I would not be able to harm any of our own. On my way out, I found that the zombies will not attack me.

Before my death, I want to help create a world where we can one day be safe. I feel the effects on my mind. I will not be returning. However, I will do my best to assist you on the battle front.

Please send with Shore the locations of the hordes that need dispensing with at once. I do not know how much longer I will last.

I will send updates every other day via Diluc’s falcons. Allow one to follow Shore.

Do not send people.

Please.”

The resistance compiles a list of places where there are many zombies. One of these places being the city of Mondstadt.

Childe sends a letter detailing that he will be heading to Mondstadt and to recall anyone in that area back to base. They comply... to an extent. Diluc doesn't listen to commands and heads to watch his overrun city. He watches Childe approach. Diluc watches as Childe dispatches of all zombies. Childe hunts them down with a mechanical efficiency and speed. A city that would've taken nearly the entire resistance to reclaim... is reclaimed by a single man. To Diluc, it looks as though Childe still has full control over himself.

Diluc has greatly missed the other and goes to confront him while he leaves the gates of the city. Once Childe spots him, he summons his water blades, but he doesn't turn them against Diluc. Instead, Childe quickly breaks the shin of one of his legs. Before Childe can break the other, Diluc is on him, fighting away his weapon.

Childe is crying.

“Why? Why didn't you just-”

Diluc is also crying.

“You're such an idiot!”

Diluc refuses to kill Childe. He refuses to mutilate him further too.

Diluc has to restrain Childe by binding his legs and arms so that he doesn't further injure himself. To both of their surprise, Childe’s symptoms of turning are not progressing. In fact, Childe should've fully turned many days ago.

....

“Just promise me one thing.”

“What is it?”

“If I show any signs of turning. Cut off my legs and arms and kill me.”

Diluc grimaced.

“Promise me. Or I'll bite my tongue off here and now and you'll deal with the consequences of whatever demon I’ll be.”

“You wouldn't do that.”

“Do you know that? I'm not who I was. I'm a monster.”

....

Childe’s condition does change. His bloodlust grows rapidly. Tartaglia’s name on the battlefield was already well known for his lust for battle. But this... This wasn't just lust. This was a hunger for a bloody fight and Ajax was a starving man.

During the night, Childe escapes his bindings. Diluc is sleeping at the time and Childe is so quiet with his escape that he didn't wake up.

[snow-albedo]

I was wondering if you could tell us more about your Genshin Epic AU. Like...I like the idea of Albedo as Penelope, especially in the siren scene, and Diluc as Odysseus just makes sense. Do you have other characters you've already cast? Like, who's Athena? Who's Polites? Telemachus?

I'm glad you like it!

For Athena, it makes more sense for Mavuika to portray her, rather than the Raiden Shogun. She's the canon god of war and, with both her and Diluc being pyro users, it makes their bond a little more believable.

Polites is Bennett. Sorry, but kindest but still worst luck guy gets portrayed by his peer, though early on I thought of making Polites Aether. I just couldn't believe that Aether would die at any point though, so I've recast him as Apollo.

I was unsure of who Telemachus would be and then Little Wolf came out and all I could think of was Razor. It was too perfect of a match.

Ares is Capitano and Aphrodite is Signora. Read into that what you will, it just made sense for me.

For Calypso, I thought it made WAYYY more sense to cast Raiden/Ei. She's stuck in a place no one can come into or leave? Sounds eerily similar to the Plane of Euthymia to me. Besides, there's a joke in there about being a powerless puppet to the gods, I'm sure.

Hermes is Lyney. I needed someone mischievous enough, but still believable.

Poseidon is Neuvillette. No notes.

Eurylochus is Kaeya. He and Diluc are "fates to be doomed together", after all.

Circe is Yae Miko.

Hephaestus is Wagner (the Mondstadt blacksmith lmaoo)

I've toyed with the idea of Zeus being Dottore, simply because I hate him and he is also INCREDIBLY powerful. Before he deleted his duplicates, he had eyes EVERYWHERE, which gave him the feel of an omniscient god, which fits with Zeus very well. I'm still somewhat undecided on that though.

Hera....? I have no idea. I kinda thought Arlecchino for half a second, but I love her too much to have her be married to Dottore. Maybe Focalors? And not Furina

I did, however, decide that Arlecchino would be a WICKED Scylla.

All in all, there's still a lot of work to be done for this AU, but I really like this being a project I work on for a while. It's really got my attention and I get to listen to some amazing music while I draw.

[dotomuses]

sagau p2: barbatos' baffled babbling he/they for reader, but no anatomy or dni. tw: slight mention of, like, murder, alchohol drinking, venti is somewhat scared of reader and reader knows. kinda toxic then? i don't know.

kind of ooc since i'm not very familiar with venti's character.. advice appreciated! i feel like i use to many commas lol part one linked here

" a ghost god, a man of the spirits, cannot die. exile is slumber, and death a mere dream... the day will arise, sooner than soon, when the moonlit sisters are only one, and the dragons rest under unimportance, when his slumber is broken, and he satiates his rage with vengeance. "

venti scoffed, shaking his head, sending his braids flying. "what rubbish, i thought you'd know better than to spew such nonsense boreas." he scolded, dainty eyebrows furrowed in displeasure.

boreas rubbed his paw against the stone ground of his arena-like abode, his voice a grumbling draught. "i do not lie, barbatos. such were the words spoken by his creatures, when i entered my temporary madness." "and madness it is!" the man of the two exclaimed, "i asked for tales, boreas, not songs! traveler's questions of that fraud have stirred worry within me, i expected you to comfort me with truth!" he guffawed, dramatizing his words, a true performer.

"songs?" the great wolf growled, "i speak the truth of their words, fiction or not. it was his children's' steady belief that he will return, and i answer your questions so." venti rested a palm on his hand, expression neutral, and feelings unreadable, "it is not my duty to please a fool of a god," boreas continued, "or... mortal, such as you, with any lies. i shall not taint my consciousness for your peace of mind."

venti sighed, loudly, as if to shoo away boreas' words with heavy exhales. "nonetheless, i believe my voice and my mentality may be still affected by just the mention of him," venti mused, "you owe me apples, a whole cart load of them, as apology for such disheartening, terrible, astounding news-" "enough." boreas interrupted, his voice a tremorous rumble, but calm as he could be, "you have paid the price of your curiosity with your... grievance, leave my abode at once!"

venti's performances were always met with applause and joyous whoops, from all within angel's share, with the exception of master diluc. the control over something as simple as the air in your lungs did not take an archon's strength, simply dedication. thus, barbatos, rather venti's, melodic voice was never broken or tattered, regardless of his mood.

yet, a deep unrest sat within his bones, settled nicely over his chest and abdomen, twisting and coiling like a trapped snake. despite his banter, and casual attitude to boreas' words, he couldn't help but feel uneasy. the false god's creatures, were much alike their lord, speaking nothing but harsh and unsoftened truths. if their mewls of his return was really spoken, could venti really find peace?

his frustration only grew, the false god had affected his nation as much as they had every other. decabrian fell to the same troubles, but they did nothing but stir his already storming attitude.

"after the moonlit sisters were one"... tevyat's three moons reduced to the lonely fallen goddess in her sky. "the dragons resting under unimportance"... the transfer of power from the primordial dragons to the archons... such tales were dated back to before any ballad venti had sung of, dated back to the age of lady egeria and greater lord rukkhadevata, this first age of archons.

even as decabrian fell and barbatos' reign began, the littered groups of the charlatan deity's mortal worshippers bugged mondstadt with frightening and worrying tales of celestia. tales of celestia's falsehood, celestia's lies, celestia's torments, it all called for utter annihilation and barbatos believed the very worst would come to his people.

barbatos feared the false god. his trickery was no simple game, no harmless joke. it was a dark cancer, which spread through the nations like an airborne disease, threatening every other creature on teyvat. whether it was the archons which would fall for their incompetence, or the people who would fall for their rebellion, celestia lingered closer than ever, breathing down the throats of every worshipper and every god who did nothing.

after the deceiver was exiled, cast away during the cataclysm, all the way to the abyss, venti breathed freely once more. his people loved him, his promises of safety kept their little hearts loyal and happy, but many valued truth more, and the anti-archon's fibs were so well handled that not even the beasts of yore, wise ancient beings, could distinguish between which were false and which were not.

venti shook his head, clasping his fingers tightly on the wood of his lyre, reassuring himself. it has been years since the "signs" of the other's return took place, there would be no reason for them to return now.

being a godling at the time of the liar's peak of influence, he had learnt to scorn the other, casting a weary glance around angel's share. as though to ward himself from his danger, finding comfort in the cackling faces of drunkards and the scowling ones of gamblers.

yet... the traveler's sudden question about the god had left venti stumbling, and no matter how hard he tried to forget, the familiar fear from all those aeons ago held him in a tight embrace. he couldn't help but feel that the traveler's journey on tevyat had not only solved many troubles and saved many nations, but had also seemed to kickstart the problems themselves.

somehow, the twin-braided bard found himself roaming into the thought of how every visit to a nation from the traveler had begun a nationwide crisis, that was later solved by her too. as if... the traveler's presence kickstarted the world into creating events. would traveler's sudden query lead to the return of... no. how ridiculous, venti shook his head. he mustn't ponder such troubling things, and kick around his seriously sober heart, worrying it with bruises.

yes, a sober heart was a weak one. a drink, many drinks would do good to his soul. peace would find him again, and the next morning, everything... everything would be alright again.

even with his wobbly knees and weak mind, the words that he'd unintentionally heard (brought by completely innocent stray breezes) sent a sharp chill down him.

"the truth, the very truth your... your archons do so much to conceal, it- it's true! it's very and true! and- and i'll have you know-" rumbled a man, dazed and reeking of alcohol. venti swore someone just shoved a glass of some odd bitter concoction down his throat, and his worry flared.

perhaps, perhaps he was too hungover the idea, too obsessed with it. perhaps he was hallucinating, yes, that must be it. or maybe it was just another man of the mob, the mob that refused to trust the archons yes, no- nothing about the charlatan. nothing at all. nothing. no need to fear. not one bit.

venti's heart didn't beat out of his chest, it instead slowed down, and sank down all the way to his knees. he ought to get home, rest his head, calm down. he took a few deep breaths, straightening the folds on his ruffled sleeves. peace, he was at peace, he found peace, mondstadt was at peace, everything was going to be okay.

he wobbled out of angel's share, raising a hand in salute to the bartender and the other bards inside, a cheery laugh bubbling up his throat and the sight of everyone happy. containing the little bubble of warmth in him all the way outside, handing it like a trembling squirrel.

"mister venti?"

he stilled, head going blank, light, as though someone let his brain lose to float away. "huh?" he replied, woozy, enough to come off as someone stupidly drunk, while also being hyperaware of everything around him, freakishly hyperaware. almost as though someone had washed the booze and the fatigue from his bones completely, every inch of him buzzing urgently.

he turned his head slightly, to see a figure, taller than him, blurry from the shadows off the inns and cottages and venti's own bleary eyesight. "um, what's up?" he asked, resting a hand on his hip, trying to come off as casual, as though to convince himself everything was okay, everything was casual.

the other cleared his throat, stepping into the light, "i was wondering if we could have a word?" the man asked, voice controlled, no hostility in it at all. venti let out a small strangled gasp at the man's face, his eyes, so elegantly tranquil, as though every lash was a meticulously crafted carving, every speck of colour in them deliberately painted.

venti choked, he wouldn't have, yet being already so dazed... "yeah, yeah sure we can, mister..." "please, call me (name)."

venti smiled, knocking his head to the side, feeling a warm blanket of blissful unawareness take over him, strangely pleased. "i see, go on then! we have-" he cleared his throat, "all the time in the world."

(name)'s smile lingered, but it dropped from his eyes, right to the ground, where he crushed it with his foot, when taking a step closer to venti, looming over him.

"i'll make this quick, barbatos," he spoke, voice doused in uncanny calmness. whatever warm blanket enveloped venti before was ripped straight off, sending him into reeling anxiety at the name. "i want nothing to do with your lousy self. but your... people," (name) continued, taking one of his braids into a gloved hand, peering at venti, "your people are causing quite a bother for my creatures."

venti felt ill, weak-kneed and nauseous. when he spoke, hoping to find his divine strength, he was met with the small voice of a newborn god, fearful of the stronger deities. "what?" venti's voice came out in a squeak, fitted forcefully through a crack in a wall, "my people?"

(name) smile darkened, frustration seeping off of him. he would've found the once-archon's fear amusing, if it didn't irritate him so. "your knights, your pathetic-" he inhaled softly, as though to calm himself, "devotees. all your dimwitted fools," venti felt a small spurn of anger, at his beloved somewhat-subjects being called fools, which was quickly dampened by the other's raging glare, "they slaughter my folk, cut them to the bone. ruining their already weak selves, drag your people off their bodies."

"i do not wish to kill any man..." he trailed off, losing the barely concealed loathing in his voice for a second, his fingers loosening the bard's hair from it's tie, before it flared up again immediately, "no matter how, lamentable and disgusting they are."

venti swallowed, backing himself languidly up to a lamp-post, as though using it for support. "your, people?" he wheezed, attempting to carefully cover up his terror with thin, brittle layers of nonchalance. (name) clenched his fist, nails making sharp indents into the cushion of his palm, "i do not take the god of thieves to be a fool, barbatos, so use that little, weak brain of yours to figure out who i speak of."

the abyssal creatures, venti thought, the man's companions for the past five hundred years. he didn't want to confirm, but the coiled snake in his stomach busted forth in a wave of hysteria, sinking its claws into his throat and then ripping out of his body.

"...(last name)?" he shivered.

(name)'s smile warmed again, as though nothing was wrong. as though everything was okay. as everything was and would be at peace, he turned away to leave, leaving venti to cough and splutter.

"goodbye, barbatos."

the false god returned, as venti had fretted, after traveler's innocent questions. strange, for his half-hearted theory to take immediate affect... almost as though they were... no. that was ridiculous. a sober heart was a weak heart, a good drink ought to help him.

[meatbunattack]

Art is the Tree of Life. Science is the Tree of Death.

I’m back from a Christmas break! I needed to just disappear for a little while. I’m going to update my story tomorrow, so here’s a little sneak peak of chapter 10 before then.

So if you want to read the full story, read it here on AO3!

Summary:  

“To die will be an awfully big adventure” – J.M. Barrie

He knew he wasn't supposed to be here. He remembered what he did, his work, but anything else was a blur. As he laid eyes upon the snowy expanse in front of him, one that was surrounded by luscious green plains, he was confused why it felt familiar. He looked down at his coat, pristine and white with a unique belt that crossed his chest. It felt familiar. He remembered a red glow, pain and darkness. He remembered watching and interacting with a world where a person wore this coat. He had become someone else...?

-------------

Or, someone wakes up as the Chief Alchemist of Mondstadt with a foggy memory of who they once were. With no identity to call their own, they decide to be Albedo. With faint memories and recollections about the world of Teyvat, he is determined to make the world better than what he's seen.

The sneak peak is under the line. It would be hard to understand it without reading the chapters before it, so I recommend doing that if this seems interesting to you.

Atom didn’t know when, or why, but someone lightly poked his cheek while something else pressed against his lips. Atom was in the middle of sketching out the Golden house in the distance when he felt this and he almost flinched in surprise. The sweet aroma of sweets was right underneath his nose. And so, he willingly took a bite of whatever was pressed against his mouth. 

It was squishy and sweet. Something he had bought previously but had forgotten about. He continued to work as he chewed and when the food had disappeared down his throat, food was once again pressed against his lips. He was soon done with the sketching. Couldn’t they wait?? But he took another bite anyway since it was already there.

At the fourth bite of offered food, Atom pulled away from the canvas to look over his work. Every detail of Liyue harbor was now sketched out in soft charcoal, both fine and rough lines so he wouldn’t need to go into too much detail once he added colour to it. Now when he was done, he focused on the person next to him who had been giving him food these past four bites. Aethers grin lit up his whole expression and he held a small, round ball in his hand, a half empty box in the other.

“Welcome back, Atom. I was a little worried when you hadn’t eaten, but I didn’t want to disturb you.”

Atom let out a soft hum and nodded, a smile of his own grew on his face. But his smile could never rival the enthusiasm of Aether’s.

“Thank you. I appreciate the sentiment. I tend to get too wrapped up in my work sometimes.”

“Yeah, no kidding! You were like possessed the moment you saw Liyue Harbor from up here!”

Atom turned to see Paimon floating close behind him, her arms crossed and her cheeks puffed up. Atom’s hand twitched when he saw Zhongli close to Paimon, the former archon was looking at his canvas with his eyes slightly narrowed.

Atom focused on Paimon. “I was simply inspired. Inspiration is an important element when it comes to painting. If inspiration strikes, it is difficult for me to resist the urge. I’m sure you feel the same whenever you see a delicious looking plate of food in front of you that you know you can eat.”

Paimon’s cheek flushed a light red as she looked away from Atom. Aether let out a soft chuckle beside him. “W-Well, if that’s the case then Paimon can understand why you’d be so eager… But at least give Paimon a warning! You ran up a mountainside!”

“Ah, yes. Yes I did.”

“How did you even do that!?”

Atom shrugged when Paimon hovered closer to stare at him. “By using anemo. It’s simple, really.”

“There’s nothing simple about it! You almost made Paimon get blasted away!”

Atom paused and thought about the amount of wind speed and density that was needed to support his weight while he ran. And considering Paimon was always flying rather than walking on solid ground. He gave Paimon a nod.

“I did not realize, I apologize, Paimon. I used this method of climbing in Dragonspine so I did not think that the density and speed of the wind could affect your flight.”

“Hmpf! As long as you understand now.”

[vr2]

a warm take but game diluc is the hotter diluc by virtue that all canon dilucs we are offered are mediocre. the reason ingame diluc looks bad is because hes just ugly and the models honestly lack variation and are reductive with how much they limit the actual character design. i stick to the fact that physically imposing beefy diluc with his cold face, soft hair and fucking terrifying blood-red eyes is hot because the gap moe of a huge sadistic murder knight who runs around frothing at the mouth during the night but is actually a sweet big brother type who wants to look out for everyone in his entire town is peak moe. my brain is huge and i make all the rules. making him a skinny twink is not bad but its like ... this is like venti without the melancholy or his little hat, whats da point? no flavour at all, i diagnose you with termimally bland. cooki cutter.

genshin itself fails to communicate any charm or depth of his actual character design esp in the manga where they blatantly bastardize him into being even more generic which is a crying shame because kaeya and amber’s specific designs really shine in the manga. i think its a symptom imo of wanting gacha characters to appeal to everyone all the time rather than be niche or polarising bc that way you maximise profitability. idk why but it really feels like of all the gacha games ive played genshin chars have this certain like ... squeaky clean quality that feels like theyve been designed by a committee of like 30 people to minmax consumer receptiveness rather than have any texture to them, all the edges rounded off til they just sort of slip through your fingers but the bsns execs do not understand that the grit is where all the fun parts grip their little teeth into your flesh! i am out here valiantly doing damage to every generic anime boy twinks physical and mental integrity to try and fix this problem.

i can understand people going insane over every new character in genshin when yea they all look like pop candy anime design its very fun! but theyre disappointingly lacking in anything truly exciting and i think they always will do because its both the limitations of the models, strict adherence to certain design tropes and marketability. i think the closest they came to making a truly fucking cool character design was with kaeya and xq even then i think both require a bit of legwork to really reach the turning point of fucking cool. with everyone else, after the music video, intro, leaks w/e, as soon as you break through the surface appeal they kind of feel toothless. i feel like as cool as they can make characters look i really doubt they have it in them to make a characters that doesnt rely heavily on tropes to look good. most of the charm of these characters is well and truly just like a mass hallucination and sheer fucking will, am all for it but i wish billion dollar game company could step up and make something exciting with all the talent at their disposal but it feels like the more money you give them the more theyll just continue to pump out next hot new cool shiny anime character who was always totally meant to exist and isnt just retroactively added to the story then immediatelt forgotten about two minutes after release. not to mention as we’re a bit further in, visually, it’s beginning to feel a bit stale already. everything is different from the last but never truly breaking out of convention, one after another ... 

tldr you gotta stop taking the e-numbers out of my dluc m*hoyo, he needs the flavour

[definitelynotafurinasimp]

“I used to hate you, you know?”

Rivals to Lovers

Characters: Mona x gn!reader

Warnings: fluff, I think

a/n: This was supposed to be just my usual content. Yet here I am, writing much more for Mona than planned and scratching the other characters for time’s sake.

Anyway, hope you enjoy!

Mona

Just as it was necessary for an Astrologer to never be satisfied with their knowledge, they had to uphold a certain amount of respect or risk being perceived as nothing more than entertainer for people don’t knowing what to do with their free time, more akin to a clown than their actual profession. So when Mona noticed another Astrologer pop up in Mondstadt and decided to pay them a visit, hoping to find someone at least somewhere equal in knowledge who she could share her studies with, only to instead end up in front of a person soothsaying to children and all kinds of other people while leaving out any and all negative things that were about to happen to them, she couldn’t help but feel repulsed, seeing you as nothing but a scam trying to get a quick buck out of astrology.

So, what changed? The Mona from a few months ago would have never even considered spending an hour or so lying on the side of a hill with you, doing nothing but looking at the stars and talk about whatever you felt like. Yet here you were. When did the Mona from a few months ago turn into the Mona Megistus from now? Was it when she found you rotting away in the library of the knights of Favonius, reading any astrology related books you could snatch up? Or when you were willing to pay whole meals for her only to get the chance to learn from her? Or was it when she first had to begrudgingly admit to herself that seeing you smile made her do the same?

At the end of the day, it didn’t matter what made her change her mind, be it fate or just a few unlikely decisions, the matter of fact was that here she was, actually finding herself enjoying your company.

“I never actually accepted money from any of them”, you begun speaking out of nowhere, both somewhat ruining the moment of both of you silently staring at the sky, and immediately catching her attention, causing her to blink a few times in confusion before sitting back up and turning in your direction.

“Where’s that coming from?”, she asked perplexed, only for you to explain further once both of you made eye contact.

“You always used to berate me for wanting to make a quick buck by telling the people what they wanted to hear and refusing to warn them of any misfortunes”, you continued before letting out a short chuckle, finding those memories amusing, even if you didn’t feel the same back then.

“Then why do it in the first place?”, Mona couldn’t help but probe further. Why do what you did if you weren’t out for money? Books about Astrology were a pricey thing after all, so while she wouldn’t exactly sympathise with you if you did it to afford them, she could at least understand.

“I don’t know… they seemed like they needed it”, you responded, only to continue before Mona had enough time to question what you had just said. “One bad news after another came trickling in and suddenly it seemed like the whole world was going to end, so I told them about good things that were going to happen to them in the future, hoping that it would make them feel better.”

“But why leave out the bad things? We are Astrologers, telling people the good and the bad is our profession”, she asked in turn, causing you to get silent all of a sudden. “Wouldn’t you want to know if something bad was going to happen to you? You’d be able to aptly prepare for it.”

“I don’t know. If it were me, I would want to be the last person knowing of my imminent doom. As long as it’s quick and surprising I don’t have anything to complain about”, you were quick to respond, letting out a small chuckle, whether you found it actually funny or simply to make the conversation seem less serious.

“Is that how you’d choose to die? Quick and out of nowhere?”, Mona questioned you further, crossing her arms in the process, finding the thought of an astrologer choosing to be blind to the future somewhat insulting.

“No, if I got to choose, I’d want to die of old age with you by my side. But in case I didn’t get to choose that other option doesn’t seem too bad.”, you countered with a smile on your face, your words seemingly coming out of nowhere, leaving Mona with a small blush on her face, only for her to sigh and let herself fall back onto the grass, letting the absurdity of the current moment sink in.

“I used to hate you, you know?”, she changed the subject, immediately being met with a chuckle from you.

“It would have been difficult not to.”

[nyxyxx]

Despair - Liyue

Pt. 1

I've been dead for so long but I also have had major writers block so there's that. Also I'm going to include Beidou in the next part since this one was getting a little long.

Warnings!: Angst, Quite a lot of violence, meanies from Liyue, Reader being slightly suicidal, and having no self worth. Please proceed with caution!

Eventually, all good moments come to an end. This was inevitable, and you couldn't really stop it if you had tried. Either way, you set off on your gruesome journey, hoping that maybe, there was a chance that the people in Liyue wouldn't be as horrible as those Mondstadters. You bid farewell to your hilichurl friends and finally decided to leave.

You had no money and you knew this would be a problem, especially in Liyue, so you were gathering a bunch of herbs and plants that you could try to sell and get a few mora at least. As well as that, you also tried to learn how to tend to your wounds, the hilichurls did their best, but they weren't exactly experts.

Upon arriving to Liyue however, it only took a few moments before you realized your mistake. If anything, people in Liyue were significantly more religious than most in Mondstadt. You remembered this after a few steps into the city and people were already disgracing you. All because of some God that everyone worshipped - yet who you knew nothing of - that you looked like.

You thought you would just take a peek, and leave if things got too bad, but soon you were trapped. You couldn't leave, because they weren't going to let you. They claimed that they must punish you properly for your sins. Those familiar faces, the ones you had so much fun building and playing as, once again were torturing you, making you as miserable as possible.

Hell, even Ningguang herself personally came to you to insult you, her death glare shattering your courage as she publicly harassed you, all while crowds of people endlessly cheered on. You smiled, even though you were in pain, at least she didn't hurt you as much, as much as the others did. She simply backhanded you and insulted you with words so horrible no one would even dare to repeat, but she let the others take care of the rest.

Eventually when you found the strength to run, you had no clue of where you should even go. All that you thought was simply a matter of run, run, run.

Run or else they'll catch you.

Run or else they'll hurt you.

Run or else they'll give you those looks that make you want to die.

Unfortunately for you, Liyue harbor was indeed much bigger than Mondstadt, plus with the constant ups and downs of the ground, you ran out of energy much quicker. You no longer knew who was chasing you, you recognized a few, but they were mostly people that you had really only seen while doing quests.

You ended up near the docks which you mentally cursed yourself for. Seriously you played the game so much and knew the map so well and yet you basically led yourself into a dead end? You thought fast and hid behind a bunch of boxes, letting the crowd search elsewhere for you.

Your wounds ached, the ones from Mondstadt were also reopened. They were brutal, and endlessly mocking. You recalled how Yanfei kept trying to accuse you of crimes and that had eventually caused you to actually be accused, and with everyone as witnesses, how could you possibly hope to defend yourself?

As you rested, you had a sick thought. If...if you had just died right now, would they eventually realize their mistake? Would they even care to give you a proper funeral? Or would they toss your body into the sea, forever adrift until you have completely withered away? You tried to bring yourself out from the darkness of your thoughts, tried to focus on just surviving.

Yes that's all you had to hope for. As pathetic as it sounds, all you could wish for was your own survival. Basic needs only seemed like a faraway dream at this point. Although, maybe you should have been paying more attention to around you.

"I found the imposter!" Someone shouted, you recognized their voice. You knew who they were, and what exactly they'd do to you. It hurt just as much when they stood in front of you. Zhongli, the geo archon himself, standing right in front of you, looking at you with such hateful eyes.

He grabbed at your neck, wrapping his hands tightly around your neck. You tried to protest, to say anything to make him stop, attempting to pry off his fingers with your own, but he was too strong. The same three words circled around your mind, repeating over and over again: weak, pathetic, useless. He dragged you from your hiding spot, as you tried kicking and still hadn't given up fighting. He threw you onto the ground, finally giving your throat room to breathe. You inhaled deeply before you mentally prepared yourself for what came next.

The crowd had returned, and Zhongli pulled out his polearm, and then what came after, you turned off your mind, you let yourself be tortured, let the pain come through unfiltered. I mean, if they find enjoyment in hurting you, then who are you to tell them not to? What right do you have to deny them satisfaction?

You couldn't run. You simply couldn't. They stopped their attacks for a moment, stepping back as you writhed in pain. It was almost worse, simply having to deal with them watching rather than hurting you even more.

Whether it was intentional or not, you didn't know, but you managed to whisper your final words, even though your throat was unbearably dry from all of the screaming, and you weren't even sure if anyone heard you. "Kill me."

Though it seemed like a few of them did, as some others started laughing more than they already were. You saw shoes approach your head, pressing harshly on the ground. Your face being crushed between their foot and the wooden dock.

"You don't even deserve to die." Xiao spat, holding his own polearm above your body. Then, he brought it down. Right in your abdomen, which you knew that he intentionally missed your chest. They had every intention of letting you bleed out, not having a chance for a peaceful death.

You blacked out. You couldn't hold back the fatigue anymore, and you only could hope that you wouldn't wake back up again.

You heard movement, followed by a soothing sensation. You ached, you were in pain, but it wasn't as bad as it was. As you slowly became more aware, you began to wake up.

You were laying on a bed, an actual bed! You almost didn't want to ever get up, but you wanted to know how this was even possible. You looked over your wounds, only to find that almost everything had been bandaged up, only furthering leaving you confused.

That's when you saw the other person in the room. A small child, one that wasn't actually as young as she looked. You were scared no doubt, but then there was the fact that she was probably the one to take care of you. She was currently fiddling with a bunch of herbs in the back, probably preparing some kind of ointment to put on your scrapes.

Eventually, she noticed you were awake, and immediately rushed to your side. "Are you...okay?" She asked in her usual monotone voice, which regardless of the fact that it held little emotion, it still felt more compassionate than anything anyone else had said so far to you.

"Not really." You answered, lowering your head to stare at your lap. Your voice was awfully hoarse, as you desired water, but you didn't even need to ask before she held up a cup for you.

"Oh...I'm sorry..." You took a sip of the water, the cooling refreshment instantly soothing your aching throat. You gulped down the rest quickly, almost forgetting about her.

"Why did you help me?" You asked. You weren't suspicious of her - at least not very much so - but so far everyone you've met hates your guts so it was surprising that she was even talking to you without venom, much less treating your wounds.

She responded slowly, carefully trying to remember her words. You didn't blame her for her slow speech, afterall, you thought it was slightly endearing. "Qiqi...is not dumb. Qiqi remembers." She spoke in third-person as she often did, which you knew was so that she didn't forget her own name. However, what exactly did she mean by she remembers? She remembers what? So the others don't remember something?

Before you could ask her to explain more, she spoke again. "You can't stay here...it's not safe..." She gave you a few more items to treat your wounds with when you were gone, as well as give you a bag to put your things in. You thanked her, with tears running down your face. You hugged her, as the only person so far who had shown you kindness.

It almost instantly restored your hope. Inazuma, maybe there were people there as well that would be kind to you. Maybe you wouldn't have to be so utterly alone anymore? Maybe Teyvat wasn't all bad.

The true problem was how exactly you were going to get there. Even just being caught walking around in Liyue was basically a crime, and you had to somehow get on a boat without being caught? Although, there was a small piece of information you had that might be helpful, but could also very easily go horribly too.

You hadn't seen Beidou once. When you were being tortured, she wasn't there. As you were running through Liyue, you hadn't seen her at all, maybe, just maybe you should pay your lovely Captain Beidou a visit?