#not even necessarily for genshin just in general

[amicus-siderum]

I think it'd be nice if in Genshin they added the main characters into the playable world- eg. seeing Amber at the Good Hunter, or finding Zhongli at the storyteller's place and being able to interact with them. Kinda hangout style except it's not a quest or anything major. Just a fun little interaction!

I think this would make for a more interactive and realistic experience. As you know, the players love their favourite character's greatly, and often complain about not having enough interactions with them, so I believe that making them occasionally appear outside of quests would be a great solution to that.

Here are some examples I've come up with:

- Diluc can be found on Mondstadt's city wall at night, and when you try to interact with him, he is very awkwardly trying to hide his Darknight Hero identity

- Lisa can be found in the KoF library sometimes, sipping tea and reading a romance novel, and when you interact with her, she invites you to read together

- Noelle can be found around the Favonius Headquarters performing her maidly duties, and when interacted with, she says she's quite busy but will try her best to aid you in any way she can

- Jean can be found in her office late at night, and when interacted with, you can try to coerce her into resting by doing some of her work for her

- Kaeya can be found walking around the streets of Mond at any time of the day, and when interacted with, he invites you for a walk together while gaining intel from the other residents

- Beidou can be found on the Alcor, and when interacted with, she sings sea shanties or offers to tell you of her adventures out at sea

- Ningguang can be found in the Jade Chamber in the early mornings, and when interacted with, she entertains you with a philosophical discussion and is amused by your responses

- Childe can be found around and about Liyue Harbor, and when interacted with, he ends up giving you mora to "buy yourself something nice"

- Thoma can be found at Komore Teahouse in the afternoons, and when interacted with, you receive consumable food thanks to his caring nature

- Sayu can sometimes be spotted in her barrel camouflage, and when you try to interact with her, she says bad inconspicuous things such as "I am just a normal barrel, no need to concern yourself with me"

- Yoimiya can be encountered when interacting with her father at Naganohara Fireworks, and when interacted with, she gives you fireworks and you set

[otaku553]

Can we ask why you’ve distanced from Genshin? I’m thinking about it bc of the representation issues but was wondering abt ur thoughts

It’s a bit difficult to put this succinctly!

I have a lot of thoughts on this, so I’ll sum up a few on the topic of character design.

I think when most people talk about representation in Genshin, the first thing they talk about is skin tone, which is fair and definitely valid. I think, as someone who has grown up with a lot of East Asian beauty standards around me, what Genshin does is cowardly but understandable from a viewpoint of marketability. I’m sure that they know their lack of representation is controversial overseas, but either this controversy is just giving them more attention and free promotion, or they’ve calculated that the controversy generated won’t actually deal any damage to their profits. That’s mostly why I’m not vocal about it: at best, they scroll past an extra opinion that they’ll probably ignore, and at worst, they’re getting free unintentional advertising out of me.

I will say, though I think plenty of people have made great posts about the representation issues, I think Genshin’s problems with character design and representation go much deeper than just skin color, and have been a growing issue even since Liyue; it’s just gotten exponentially worse with the introduction of Natlan.

I feel like Genshin is actively making regions more modern just to avoid historically accurate cultural representation, and nowhere is this clearer than in Natlan. To begin with, Genshin introduced itself as a historical fantasy, and that is, I think, why it worked so well compared to, say, Honkai— you can tell characters come from the same game due to unified elements such as the Knights of Favonius’s crest as a motif, and the central idea of history. Though the idea of “historical fantasy” is kind of nebulous, since they don’t actually claim to be trying to replicate any real world locations or cultures, you can infer some things about the time period and general location based on the existing technology and architecture and stuff.

But it feels like the moment you get to somewhere not European or East Asian, Genshin starts making designs from a far more modern approach. Some of the Natlan and Sumeru characters, I don’t think I’d be able to place as Genshin characters if I hadn’t played the game. I actually thought that one of the teased Genshin characters for Natlan that I’d seen around online, Citlali, was a Honkai Star Rail character, and was super surprised when I saw her in the Genshin 5.1 trailer. When you can’t even tell that a character belongs to the game you’re designing for, then what are you doing as a character designer?

This is more speculation than anything, but it’s almost as if they’re avoiding proper representation of cultural clothing by making things look modern, and it’s clashing terribly with what they established the game as from the beginning. For fuck’s sake, Mavuika, who’s the archon, meant to represent her nation, is wearing a leather biking suit. She looks so incredibly out of place in the fourth anniversary art of all the 5 archons together. They seem to be losing sight of what made them successful with character designs in the first place just out of a fear to do proper research or make something less than “conventionally aesthetic/attractive.” That’s my main issue, to be honest— not necessarily the skin colors, but the clear lack of thoughtfulness in character design, not only for representation but also for what suits their setting and premise best.

I have a lot more thoughts on Genshin Impact so feel free to send another ask if you’re curious!

[kazumist]

MERRY CHRISTMAS, FROM ME TO YOU (GENSHIN VER.) .ᐟ

✩ — childe, diluc, kaeya, xiao x gn!reader. hsr version. hq version. fluff. no cws. cw: 255. reblogs are highly appreciated !!

childe, your number one partner in playing with the snow. as he grows up in snezhnaya, the snowy environment isn't new to him. but he's certainly loving it that he gets to enjoy such an environment with you by his side. to making snowmen, having petty snowball fights, and even making random snow angels, it feels serene to be like this with childe.

diluc, who doesn't hesitate on taking you out on walks around mondstadt so you two could admire the christmas decorations around. but if the snowy weather gets too cold for you, diluc wouldn't hesitate to hold your hand with your fingers intertwined inside his coat pocket, so you would feel better.

kaeya, the one who would always carry a silly mistletoe around just so he could put it above your heads and use it as an excuse to kiss you. “darling, look. there's a mistletoe; you know the rules, right?” he says, pointing above. however, you were only greeted by his hand holding the said mistletoe as he stole a kiss from you before leaving, making himself busy with guests.

xiao, one who isn't really a huge fan of gatherings in general but wouldn't mind the idea of attending one if it meant he got to be with you throughout the whole thing. though that doesn't necessarily mean that you two would spend christmas with others. matching pajamas with santa hats, snowmen, candy canes designed all over them, a cup of hot chocolate, and some cuddles is everything xiao could ask for.

[the-travelling-witch]

𝐀𝐂𝐐𝐔𝐀𝐈𝐍𝐓 𝐅𝐀𝐓𝐄

summary: when the mysterious guy coming into the coffee shop asks you to join him for a concert, you hardly believe your eyes when you meet him there

pairing: idol! childe x student! barista! gn! reader

warnings: suggestive at the end, otherwise fluffy

modern au series || genshin impact masterlist

Working part-time in a coffee shop wasn’t half bad. Sure, as with every job in the service sector, some people just didn’t know how to behave themselves but there were also just as sweet interactions. Your co-worker also made stressful situations a whole lot more bearable, always ready to help you out if needed and handling even the grumpiest customers with ease. Besides all of that, as a college student basically running on caffeine, getting some insight into the business was an added plus as well.

As you got ready for your morning shift on a Wednesday like every other, you greeted your colleague and surveyed the almost empty shop. A few people were typing away at their laptops, others were reading and a steady amount of customers with to-go orders came in. Nothing out of the ordinary, really.

About half an hour in, you were asked to take care of the register while your co-worker went to restock some stuff and things were going well, no fumbling with cash or mistyping any orders. The only note-worthy event of the shift was when a guy dressed in baggy clothes, a bucket hat, a mask and sunglasses came in. If you had to guess he was about your age but it was hard to say with his entire face obscured. Not thinking too much about it, you concluded you had seen weirder characters before.

Until you met him again on your Friday night shift right before closing time. This time again in an all black outfit, shaded glasses on even at that time of the day. Same thing on Wednesday as well. But when you asked if that guy was a regular you had never met before, you learnt that he’d only started showing up recently and that nobody knew much about him except for that he talked the bare minimum while being polite and leaving a generous tip from time to time. He also never showed up during rush hours, only when the shop was relatively empty.

Friday, like clock-work, he was back and when he ordered you couldn’t suppress the cheeky “One iced Americano for the mystery man” that slipped past your lips a little too quickly. The first few heartbeats after, you were terrified you had offended him, that he’d ask to talk to your manager and you’d get in big trouble for being out of line.

But then he started chuckling and pulled his mask down as he leant forward onto the counter. Hooking his pointer finger around one temple of his sunglasses, he slipped them partially down his nose and your first thought was what a shame it was to hide a face like that. Eyes as blue as the ocean and teeth as white as pearls, he looked like someone straight out of a novel, who should not exist in real life. And without his mask muffling it, his voice was smooth and melodic and it made you want to hear more of it.

“The mystery man thanks his cute barista,” he mused, lips curled into a playful grin. And then, this guy had the audacity to wink at you before sliding his accessories back into place, taking his coffee and sauntering out the door as if nothing happened. Meanwhile you were still blinking at the glass he just disappeared through. 

It was just one sentence yet it was enough to pull your thoughts back to the beautiful stranger. Sure, he might not have meant anything serious by it but he called you cute for crying out loud! On more than one occasion, it had you burying your face in your hands at the memory.

So, much to your delight, the next times he stopped by, when he came up to the counter to see you working there, he always pulled his sunglasses down and generally talked more, not necessarily about himself though. It was your co-worker that informed you the guy only did that when you were working the counter, never with anyone else, and that statement had no right to give you as many butterflies as it did.

“So,” blue eyes sparkled down on you as you handed him his change, “I’ve been thinking. And I realised I hardly know anything about the pretty face behind the counter. Quite the shame, don’t you think?”

“Well, uh…” you awkwardly laughed. Pointing to your name tag, you said, “I guess you know my name already… I really don’t know what else to share.”

“Aw c’mon, don’t sell yourself short,” he smiled. “I’m sure there’s plenty of interesting things about you. Okay, let me help you out… Do you like idols by chance?”

“Uhm, I do I guess,” you tried stringing together an answer. Not really the question you expected to be honest. “There were a few groups I followed more closely but lately I’ve not been keeping up much. I’m pretty interested in music in general though.”

“I see, I see.” Leaning forward again and lowering his voice, prompting you to do the same, he continued as if he was sharing a secret. “The thing is, I have concert tickets for an idol group next weekend and I don’t feel like going alone. Care to join me?”

“Did you really spark this whole round-about conversation just to ask that?”

The guy laughed. “Maybe~ So, what do you say?”

“I-” Were you really about to take him up on the offer? No… Were you really about to reject a date with this guy? If you planned to meet at the concert hall, there’d also be a crowd around.  “Sure, I’d love to go.”

“Great,” he beamed, shooting back up with energy to rival a golden retriever. “You’ll be here on Wednesday, right? I’ll give you the ticket then!”

“I can hardly wait,” you laughed, his enthusiasm contagious. “How much do I owe you?”

“Owe me? Oh please, it’s free of charge.” Before you could protest, he already held up his hand to shush you. “I have the ticket already anyway and you’re doing me the honour of your company. Really, don’t worry about it.”

That was how you found yourself trading a coffee for a ticket the following week, a sticky note with a phone number attached, the name Ajax scribbled underneath. Luckily, it was close to the end of your shift because you felt like you could explode from excitement. Walking out of the coffee shop, reality started to sink in; you were going to a concert, with a cute guy, that same weekend… You pulled out your phone and quickly scrolled through your recent calls and barely waited for the other person to greet you.

“Kaveh, I need your help with an outfit.”

Three days and a very stressful outfit and make-up session later, your entire closet had been uprooted and strewn across your room and you still had no idea who “Vizion”, the group you were going to see, was. You really wanted to check them out before the concert but, as it tended to do, life got in the way and the only info you had was that the four members were a fairly new rookie group with some sought-after trainees and a lot of potential, signed under the reputable Lapis Dei Entertainment. But that was about it.

Taking a deep breath, you checked once again if you had the ticket when the concert hall came into view. The venue wasn’t all that big, understandably so for a group still trying to grow their fanbase, and you had relatively little trouble finding the meeting place you and Ajax had agreed upon. As you waited for him to show, more and more people started filling the open space and their excited chatter and laughter was contagious, helping you calm down a little. Just when you went to check the time again, a message came in.

Ajax: I’m so sorry, I’m running late!

Ajax: Please go in without me, I’ll catch up with you later!

Ajax: Again, so so sorry!!

Okay, no need to panic. You could navigate this venue on your own and totally weren’t banking on Ajax’s expertise; this was a walk in the park, right? Yeah, except for the fact you were already struggling to make out where you had to go after passing the general entrance. Apparently a group of fans saw you staring down on your ticket in confusion and decided to take pity on you.

“Heya there!” A guy with two braids framing his face greeted you. “No offence but you’re looking a little lost. First time at a concert?”

“Uh, yeah actually,” you sheepishly replied. “To be honest, I have to idea how to get to my spot.”

“Let me take a look at your ticket,” he beamed and as you handed it to him, a blond and an auburn haired guy peeked over his shoulder as well, while their white-haired friend stood to the side giving you a friendly smile. “Oh hey, what a coincidence! We’re headed to the same area! If you want you can tag along!”

“Thanks, that’d be a great help.”

“You must have really looked forward to seeing Vizion if you’re willing to go to your first concert on your own,” the blond smiled. “That takes some courage.”

“Oh, I was actually meeting with a friend,” you said as the group started moving. “He said he’s running late though. It was his idea to come here, so I don’t actually know too much about the group performing tonight. Are you guys fans of them?”

“I guess you could say that,” Heizou, as he had introduced himself, hummed. “Actually, we know some of the members from before they debuted, so we’re here to show our support or something like that.”

“Wow, that’s so nice of you,” you smiled. “They must be happy to have their friends here.”

“Well, we’ve not been in very close contact for a while,” Kazuha corrected. “Plus, they don’t quite know we’re attending. Thoma would probably freak if he did.”

Sooner than you expected, you found yourself surrounded by other people, some of whom carried signs or wore shirts with names printed on them. You recognised the name of the friend Venti and his group had been talking about; for the others you drew a blank. To your surprise, you ended up a lot closer to the stage than expected; hopefully Ajax would find you here. After all, you mainly came out to spend time with him, not to see Vizion; although going to a concert was a nice bonus.

Passing time by chatting with your new acquaintances, you found out they ran a piercing and tattoo studio not far from the coffee shop together with two more guys. Now that they mentioned it, you did seem to recall your favourite co-worker mentioning something along those lines.

Before you knew it, the lights on stage shifted and the crowd went wild, making you jump out of your skin with surprise. Then, your attention was drawn by the four figures appearing on stage. As a man with blond hair and chartreuse green eyes stepped forward, the men next to you started hollering and cheering like crazy, giving you a hunch as to who he was. Due to the rather small venue for an idol group, he could probably hear them too, making it a point to interact with the other side of the audience while his fellow members covered this one.

And then, fluffy ginger hair and azure eyes captured your attention.

There was no mistaking him. It was the mysterious guy from the coffee shop, who you’d gotten to know as Ajax, making fans scream as he winked in your general direction, a cocky grin decorating his handsome face.Waving into the crowd some more and playing along with the people gathered in the arena, it was clear he was a natural at working the crowd and capitalising on their excitement. Gathering at the centre of the stage, they formed a line.

“Look ahead! Hello, we are,” Thoma started before the rest chimed in, “Vizion! Thank you to all our Fates who are here tonight!”

The crowd broke into wild applause and shouts as they bowed, one or the other shriek of a name piercing through the noise. One by one, the members were introduced; starting by Thoma, the leader of the group, to Chongyun, the icy-haired dance prodigy and Yanqing, the long-haired wonderchild, the youngest of the group. When Thoma lifted his mic, there was only one person left to be introduced and it would be a lie if you said you weren’t brimming with curiosity. 

“Last but not least, please let me introduce our ace, Childe,” the blond announced, waiting for the ruckus to die down before continuing. “Whether it’s rap, vocals or dancing, our oldest will be sure to pull you in with his siren-like voice and visuals.”

“Not to mention that he’s as loud and obnoxious as a siren too,” the guy next to Thoma quipped into his own mic, earning him a few chuckles.

Although you thought at first Thoma was exaggerating when it came to Ajax’s -or rather Childe’s- abilities, you were very quickly proven wrong. Whether it was the fast-paced lines of a verse or the moving high notes of a ballad, you were hanging onto his every word, emotions stirring in your chest and the music flowing through you. Suddenly you understood why sailors jumped overboard after hearing a siren’s song; no wonder you couldn’t get enough of his magnetic voice the first time you heard it.

Time flew without you noticing it. What felt like minutes ended up being hours of you giving a certain someone on stage your undivided attention as you couldn’t physically tear your eyes away from his smooth and fluid movements. Despite not knowing the songs, the energy surrounding you had you jumping with everyone else and picking up on the fan chant as well. 

Maybe it was your imagination, but you could’ve sworn Childe was coming over to your side of the venue more often than elsewhere, winking and blowing kisses to fans around you who melted at the attention. There was a spark in his eyes as he stood on stage, as if performing had him coming truly alive and, perhaps for just a second, you envied his passion. But most of all, you were happy for him.

The absolute kicker of the show, in your opinion anyway, was when Childe disappeared backstage just to come back holding an electric guitar. Playing a few chords to tease the beginning of a song, he soaked up the crowd’s reaction before getting serious. And stars above, he was better than good. Moving across the stage past Chongyun on the drums, leaning in to share a mic with Thoma, his fingers dancing skillfully over the strings as sweat rolled down his temple, toned arms on full display, the image ingrained itself into your brain. You genuinely wondered if there was something he couldn’t do.

Sadly, every good thing had to come to an end, so eventually the artists said their final goodbyes, thanking everybody for coming out to support them, and disappeared under the stage while being showered in thunderous applause. Even as you drifted outside in the sea of people exiting the venue, your heartbeat still wouldn’t slow down as you finally had time to sort out your thoughts. The guy you planned to meet was an idol! That realisation hit you like a ton of bricks and your brain flashed you a slideshow of every possible embarrassing moment in his presence. Very helpful, much appreciated.

“Too bad your friend never showed, huh,” Venti threw out as you finally were under open skies again. “He did miss out on not only spending time with you but also on a good show.”

“Oh he’s here actually.” Not technically a lie, you guessed. Holding up your phone you added, “He just never made it to where we were but I’m hoping I can find him somewhere now.”

“You sure?” Kazuha asked, head tilted to the side. “Should we wait with you? Do you have a way to get home?”

“Oh, I’m fine really. I appreciate the concern though,” you smiled. “Thanks for everything tonight. I really would’ve been lost without you guys.” 

“No problem! As long as you had fun,” Aether chimed before waving as they took their leave. “It was nice meeting you!”

“Yeah and if you ever think about getting a tattoo or a piercing, think of us!” That was definitely Heizou shouting. What a bunch of dorks.

Waiting a few more minutes so you could be sure you wouldn’t run into them again and would have to explain yourself, you got ready to leave. Despite what you said, you were well aware there was absolutely no way you could meet Ajax right now. The way home was uneventful, yet it did nothing to quell the adrenaline still coursing through your veins. Everytime you closed your eyes you saw an ocean blue gaze and a pearly smile. Damn it, were you really crushing on an idol? Well, technically you had been before you knew he was an idol… Shaking your head, you hoped to derail that train of thought before it could even leave the station.

Plopping down on your bed, you stared at your phone trying to figure out what to do now. What did you say in a situation like this? Where would you go from here? With a groan, you discarded your phone somewhere on your mattress and let your back hit your bed before whirling around at the sound of your ringtone. Glaring at you in the dimly lit room was the caller info of the one person your thoughts were racing around. 

“Hi there~” An amused voice greeted you right as you swiped the green icon to the right. “I hope you had fun today.”

“Bold move for someone who never showed up,” you tried to tease, hoping to downplay the nerves thumping up your throat. “You’re putting in quite the effort just to get people to attend your concerts, you know. I don’t think it’s an effective marketing tactic, Childe.”

On the other end of the line you could hear chuckling. “Listen, I really am sorry for pulling that stunt on you, but I didn’t want to ruin the element of surprise of it all. I’ll think of a way to make it up to you; can you find it in your heart to forgive me?”

“Hmm,” you pretended to think. “Maybe… But in all seriousness, I did have fun tonight and you did a great job. I think I’m gonna be hoarse from all the screaming tomorrow.”

The second the words left your mouth, you wanted to pull them back in. But hearing Ajax’ s smug voice confirmed it was too late as you could basically see his shit-eating grin through the phone.

“Oh really?~” Ajax drawled. “I’ll have to hear you do that again for me, perhaps with less people around.”

“You are the absolute worst.”

© the-travelling-witch 2023 - do not repost, translate, copy or edit

if you like my content, reblogs, comments and asks are always much appreciated ♡

[thisisnottheblogyourelookingfor]

My Little Sun

Rating: NSFW

Relationship: Pierro x Fem!Reader / Pierro x You

Fandom: Genshin Impact

Tags: smut without plot (maybe a little), reader is Pierro’s fiancée (arranged marriage), softdom!Pierro, mutual respect, mutual pining (alexa play ‘I won’t say I’m in love’), making love for the first time, LAP RIDING!, mentions of Il Dottore and the Tsaritsa, inexperienced reader when it comes to intimacy or relationships in general, big dick Pierro (both in energy and physically), blink and you’d miss edging, kinda rough sex, overstimulation, russian terms of endearment

Summary: Takes place in Pierro's office. Takes place on a chair iykwim.

A/N: I’ve never played the game before so please ignore if I got the details wrong. Keeping this as a one-shot at least for now. Hope you enjoy this little fic! Did not intend for it to be this long. Shoutout to @jinseinomerry-go-round spending the time explaining so much about the game and encouraging me to write this (my inner whore thank thee)!! <3

Sorry if the terms are used wrongly and is cringe.

Word Count: 2209

[AO3 Link]

Minor backstory (feel free to ignore this and imagine reader however you like): Reader has the skillset of a rogue/spy but it was out of the need to survive their harsh homeland rather than using them as a profession. Still, it doesn’t stop the other harbingers and the Tsaritsa from keeping them under constant surveillance and they can never leave the harbinger’s headquarters. They are currently engaged to Pierro for political alliance reasons and is always either in his company or nearby his office, which he spends most his time in. Reader could try and figure a way to escape the place but it doesn’t help when you’re the fiancée of the First Lord Harbinger who happens to have a variety of skills right at his fingertips. No…you’d have to approach things differently.

Terms used:

Милая (Milaya) – dear/darling

Лапочка (Lapochka) – sweetheart

моё маленькое солнышко/солнышко (Moye malen'koye solnyshko/Solnyshko) – my little sun/little sun

Жизнь моя (Zhizn’ moya) – my life

It was just like any other night at the harbinger’s headquarters. Pierro busy at his desk, sorting through paperwork, dishing out the last few remaining tasks of the day, and already planning ahead for tomorrow's briefing. You were in the office mindlessly browsing through the bookshelves. At some point you wondered if you've already passed that row of books and does he notice? Does he think you're acting strange? you shake away those thoughts and picked a random book, making your way to sit on the chair across his desk, trying your best to not do anything that may disrupt his focus. Then again, he never seems to be distracted by you. You're pretty sure that you're just as much of a presence as the wind when the doors to his office opens and closes. It doesn't bother you… right? Still, you insist on staying up with him for as long as you can. It wasn't always like this. Initially, you were always in the same room as him as a show of respect that even though you may not have necessarily agreed to be his intended, you would respect the alliance. But now? Now you find yourself willingly spending more time just being there, with him. There may not be much of a conversation going on but it felt strangely comforting to be in the same room together and you weren’t alone in thinking that. Of course, the two of you would never admit it out loud.

In the midst of your thoughts, he suddenly spoke to you.

"I-I'm sorry my lord, I'm afraid I hadn't catch what you've said" he was reading something, not even bothered by your response before simply repeating himself, "you've spent time in Liyue, I asked if you could take a look at this and tell me what you see".

"Yes, I'd be happy too, my lo-" "Pierro." "I'm sorry?" "Please, call me Pierro. It would hardly seem fitting that a lady in your position should address her soon-to-be husband in such an unfamiliar manner, especially behind closed doors." "....of course....Pierro. I would be happy to take a look at that report for you."

You got up and stood next to him, slightly bending down to read the report. You held onto the paper with one hand while he held the other side. A soft smile started to form on your face, "hmm....glaze lilies...pop's teas...this is Qingce Village! Oh it's such a beautiful place in the Bishui Plains. Did. You. Know. They've got terraced fields of flowers? AND! They were believed to be the scales of a mighty dragon!" You excitedly continued talking about the things you’ve seen and places you’ve been during your time in Liyue.

You hadn't noticed but with how close you were standing next to him, Pierro couldn’t help but look at you, studying your features quietly, eyes wandering to how a smile slowly formed on your face. Eventually, the silence and lack of response from him has you looking at him and… there. Both of you locked eyes and it's almost as if time stopped for a moment. Breaths hitched; hearts skipped a beat. It's not as if you both hadn't made eye contact before so why does this time feel...different?

It felt like forever and suddenly, Pierro reached a hand out to caress your cheek and slowly bringing you into a gentle kiss. It surprised you and you start to lose your footing falling forward, hands hitting his chest. He caught you, lips never leaving yours, he sat you on his lap and deepened the kiss. As soon as the kiss ended, two of you were now breathing heavily and looking at each other, unsure what just happened.

"Apologies. That was..." "No... it's.... it's alright. Really, Pierro. It's...." you didn't even finish your sentence and you just went in to kiss him again. You're not sure why you did that but it felt nice, it felt right.

You shifted your leg to sit more comfortably on his lap not breaking the kiss and accidentally bit his lower lip. Immediately pulling back you started apologising profusely, "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!" "It's alright, my dear" "I shouldn't have gone in like that, I didn't think it would-" "I'm fine, milaya. Hey..." he cups your face and continues, "you have done nothing wrong. You have nothing to apologise for." "I'm sorry... it's just... I've never..." 

"We don't have to do this, milaya." "No, it's not that... it's.... I don't know how."

His smile softens at that, "if you'll have me, I can help you. If it gets too much, you only have to say the word and we'll stop. But whatever it is, we do it together. So....tell me. What do you want, milaya?"

"I.....I want....you. I want you, Pierro. I....I want us to be more than the small conversations, the courteous gestures we perform in front of the others to show that we're merely an alliance. I want more than the silence we're constantly dancing around with, more than the passing glances we give each other when we walk the halls, more than the promise that comes with these....rings. More than just you or me. I just.... I want us."

You were both quiet now as your words ring throughout the room, reverberating off the walls as if a spell has just been casted and the effects made stronger with each echo.

His gaze darkened just then and with a low voice, "take off your clothes" "w-what?" "Do you trust me?" You hesitated if only for a moment before nodding softly. "Then take off your clothes." You stood up and slowly removed your blouse and trousers, leaving only your undergarments. The cold air hitting you now and making you slightly shiver. He then pointed at your undergarments "those too" "but Pier-" he merely looks up at you and it sent a chill colder than the air through your spine. So, you removed them and this time, you were really shivering. See, you're not used to the weather here in Snezhnaya, you'd much prefer the warm sun and the light breeze. How anyone survives the harsh cold here is beyond you. You’ve even heard that some people die if they weren't constantly moving outdoors to keep their body temperatures up. Now here you were completely naked standing in front of Pierro, hugging yourself and trying to brush off the cold to no avail.

"Come here," he pats his lap. No hesitations there, you were freezing. Any excuse to snuggle close to that lush fur coat of his is nothing short of appealing right now. You quickly shuffled forward and sat on his lap facing him, legs unintentionally straddling his thighs as you try to quickly curl up against him. While it doesn't help much, it does feel better being closer to a warm body. Pierro notices your slight relief and couldn't help but to lightly smirk at your reaction. Using his thighs, he pushed your legs apart to allow him space to unbuckle his trousers. The sudden spread of your legs left you slightly jolted as a cold wind hits your folds. Seeing his length free now, hard, you forgot about the cold for a second and just stared. Oh. Well, this would be a challenge. "Touch yourself" huh? Oh. It didn’t quite register in your mind if he just said what you think he said and you were about to say something but the way he said it gave you the sense that maybe… don’t test his patience. Reaching down, you slowly but skilfully circled your clit. As cold as it is, somehow this whole situation has managed to arouse you and you were wet.

Pierro watches you with lust-filled gaze and starts pumping his cock. Never once breaking eye contact as he watches the way you try to hide your moans and whimpers. By the gods is this truly happening before his very eyes? He's not felt such an intense emotion since the fall of his homeland and certainly not for a person, besides the Tsaritsa but that's different. Yet here you are now making an absolute mess of yourself and dripping on his lap. This has got to be some sort of trick. Did he accidentally fall asleep and is now living some kind of illusory experiment conjured up by Dottore? Perhaps this is just a dream. Whatever it is, he doesn't want to wake up from it. Not when you're giving yourself to him so willingly, following his every command. And certainly not when he can clearly see you coming undone, your breath getting heavier and more ragged, indicating you're close.

He stills your wrist just as you were about to cum and stops his own motion. You whined ever so sweetly, music to his ears. "Shh, lapochka." He places both your hands around his neck and lifts you up a little closer to his cock. You were still sensitive from that interrupted high and the months of longing hadn't exactly made you any less sexually frustrated at the lack of touch. You'd never tell him but Pierro has always been easy on the eyes. You do find him handsome and it helps that he's got the physique of someone who can either take you in a fight or take you in well... this. So, it didn't take much to set your nerves on fire and Pierro knows this. Oh yes. He's seen the ways you'd pretend not to walk past a little slower when he changes into his armour, he's noticed the blush on your cheeks when he greets you in the morning with a peck on your hands, or the way you lingered in his office to stay up late with him until you eventually pass out on the seat across his desk with the book still in your hands. What was the book you were reading earlier? Ah yes, ‘Shipping Manifest: Logbook #3’ an interesting read. Seeing you slowly unravelling and for him nonetheless, makes him so proud and very excited. Oh the things he wants to do to you.

He teases your entrance with the tip of his cock. You gasped a little. Sensing your nervousness, he asks softly "do you want to stop, lapochka?" You let out a quiet no and with that he lifts you up gently, lining you to the tip before slowly guiding you down on his length. Inch by inch, giving you time to adjust to his girth. The last thing he wants is to hurt you.

You held onto him tighter, arms still around his neck as you steady yourself down. He's big and it is your first time. The moment you were almost halfway through, you realise you've been holding your breath. You let it out shakily and closed your eyes. Pierro began rubbing the nub of your clit to ease away the discomfort. It was starting to sting and your eyes were watering now but the way he was playing with your clit kind of offset the pain. It was overwhelming. It was pain. It was pleasure. It's too much and it's not enough. You let out a cry as Pierro suddenly shifted his hips and thrusted into you hard while slamming you down to the base. Your vision turned white and you swear you could see stars swirling about. The shock cutting off your yelp and your mouth was just left open, no words or sound coming out. The impact pushed you so close to the edge that when you finally came to, the air left your lungs in a loud and uncontrollable moan. He made shallow thrusts until you cum for the first time that night. But he did not stop there. He continued riding you through the high and this time with deep long thrusts. Holding your waist up and letting gravity slam you back down. The sensations were making you hazy. You buried your face in the crook of his neck as he continued to thrust harder and faster into you. Before you know it, you were calling out his name and cumming all over his cock again.

Your whole body slumped against his chest, exhausted. He's going slower now, giving you time to catch your breath. Then, he slowly picks up the pace, and you can't help but to moan into his neck, the sound vibrating against his skin. Your eyes were still closed and sleepiness were weighing on your eyelids. He coaxes you to open your eyes and directed your sight towards him going in and out of you. Something about it makes you feel warm. The sounds of the sloppy wetness like a symphony. With his free hand, he gently turns your face to look at him "Moye malen'koye solnyshko... My little sun...zhizn' moya…do you see it? How we fit together? How we are made for each other?" He brings his forehead against yours while softly rubbing his thumb against your flushed cheeks as you start to feel your climax building again and as you go over the edge, breath hot and heavy against his skin, he runs his hand behind your back soothing you. Softly whispering in your ear "shh... I've got you solnyshko... I've got you."

[kaeyaswifefromsnezhnaya]

People like to say that Lumine is serious and Aether is a silly omegaboy compared to her, and that can be taken as headcanon, but they also bring up sprites and art of them as evidence, which I don't think proves anything at all.

Those first sprites of theirs are often used to prove that Aether is a silly soft femboy, well, but if you just compare him to Lumine here, lol. He has his eyebrows tilted, his lips pursed, and he looks generally focused, whereas Lumine has a rather relaxed face, her eyebrows are raised and her mouth is slightly open. She's the one who's more carefree here, not more serious.

And so it is on other art with them.

Here they smile the same, but Aether's eyebrows are tilted again, while Lumine's are raised, a slight touch of their character separation, or at least Mihoyo's attempts at it. Aether turns out like this >:) while Lumine is like this (⁠ ⁠◜⁠‿⁠◝⁠ ⁠)

Here is a clear difference in vibes: who has it there carefree and cheerful, while other one is cunning and proud?

Aether is often represented as (ᓀ-ᓂ) face. This can be seen in many of the birthday art where he is drawn as a chibi. Lumine is more emotional at the same time. Just for clarity, if you change their facial expressions here, you get the fanon silly Aether and the cold girlboss Lumine

Although Aether is the calmer one, people themselves like to point out that he defends himself in battle when Lumine attacks. But he is not calm in a naive gentle way, it is rather a sly mischievous expression. He has more charisma than his omega image. Lumine is not a block of ice, she expresses quite a lot of emotions, and even if people agree with this, not wanting to see her as just a cold queen, they still underestimate the expressiveness that she has. She is the one who sticks out her tongue in thought and always raises her eyebrows, as if making "whoopsey~" emotion. This doesn't make her an omega in reverse, it doesn't transfer her to this "vulnerable twin" status, but it humanizes her much more.

In conclusion, I want to say that the goal is not to prove which twin is cooler or that there is no point in creating headcanons, because they are still implied to be both main characters, although Mihoyo does it in their own way, but that's not the point. I'm just really tired of Aether being represented as a sweet fragile boy, because recognizing some of his strengths is somehow equivalent to supporting the image of Aether from Aether's harem from memes. But it's not equivalent, one does not lead to the other, Aether can still have charisma (he does) and not be a threat. Lately, the fandom has been very fond of giving characters who interfere with the roles of safe children or helpless individuals so that they don't "interfere", but this is fundamentally wrong, lol. Often, this is the reason for such a representation of Aether, and not because people just like this type of character. It's just noticeable, you know, when people just like femboys without any hidden agenda and when they deliberately call Aether a pathetic weakling. Lumine can be as cool and wonderful as she wants, but not necessarily at the expense of Aether's safely softening. Because if you play by these rules and use official art as an example, then it will not be exactly like this. In fact, all headcanons for the main character of Genshin are valid, but those that the majority supports are still more valid. But this is headcanon, not canon, no matter how hard they try to convince everyone of it.

[razorblade180-heated]

Probably has been asked before, but who's the easiest and hardest to write for? Whether it be one character specifically or a ship, and from any fandom.

Hands down the easiest ship for me is Nora’s Arc. I could probably toss out ten short prompts back to back. When I write smut, I try to stay true to the characters as much as I can, and Nora by far is the most bold and empathetic character in any social setting. Jaune is a person who can get swept up in the moment, also feels a lot of emotions, and tries his best.

The idea of both of them having casual sex in a relationship alongside flirtatious moments or deeply intimate is so easy thanks to Nora’s personality. Not to say the others are incredibly difficult, but depending on how far into a relationship you write them or when it happens, they would second guessing themselves. At best, they have to hype themselves up which is cute in its own way but sometimes I don’t feel like building that foundation. Nora would booty call Jaune if she wanted to and it would be fun moment.

Genshin Ships are harder to write and it’s not necessarily a dynamic issue. It’s more of fandom problem with a mix of vagueness. For starters, there’s just people who automatically get pissed the moment Aether is involved in anything. That’s one headache and it gets pretty annoying. I’m not trying to win those people over but having them in my threads angry because someone else decided to make him generic hentai MC number 500 isn’t my problem, nor how I write him.

Second, people don’t read simple character lore or struggle to fathom someone has a different headcanon. Perfect example of this is someone wrote a very passionate response to my Chongyun x Xinyan post before because they were under the impression that they were both like 15. Xinyan owns her own house and the Liyue crew in game has discussed drinking multiple times.

When it comes to writing a genshin smut for a wide range of ships, I feel as if I can’t just write a smut. To avoid any grave misunderstandings I have to add so much more set up and little details so readers and others get an understanding of where the headspace is at. That Venbara smut I did wasn’t difficult to write the dynamic and nuance; the hard part was to not attract annoying people who think they know me.

There is a certain ship under very specific circumstances that I think is pretty beautiful and sweet. I don’t write it. Each time I bring it up I literally attach a hot link to the headcanon because that’s something I personally feel obligated to do so there’s no miscommunication. Even after that, in the little I did write of them, the story spends a lot of time reexplaining how we got here. It’s exhausting, so I don’t write it.

You can apply most of what I said towards KH ships as well but to a lesser extent. Still, I’ve gotten my fair share of threats over there too. I try not to let it get to me and I don’t write anything to actively upset people or kick the nest. I’m thankful my regular followers have gotten to know my work well enough that if a rando jumps into a comment threat angry that you guys tell them to chill politely. Can’t please everyone and I’m not trying to, but I’m also not trying to do something that could make someone potentially have a damming perception of me.

[mayullla]

Sorry it looks like I misunderstood the usage of original character, but may i have Yan!Gorou with fem!reader then?🦋🌺

Title: It Can't Be Helped

Character(s): Gorou (Genshin Impact) Summary: Gorou was always flustered when he visited your shop. A stuttering mess sometimes when you tease him so much. Yet he can't help himself but go back to the shop every time to look for you. Warnings/tags: A very very flustered Gorou (and also lil gross), teasing clothes designer! reader, fem!reader, yandere themes, stealing

[ - A little present~! Event - Closed - ]

It was a short of affectionate bullying.

Really sometimes you blame Yae Miko for how you have become to adore Gorou so much. A flustered little puppy as you dressed him in clothes and outfits that you have designed and created.

You were a designer in Inazuma when the head shrine maiden Guuji Yae showed up at your small shop. Yae Miko told you your skills were just what she was looking for when she first handed Gorou to you asking you to make him "pretty" as possible for a signing event that she had planned in the future.

She wanted to know if it was even possible to have it happen in the first place as Gorou had to act like Mrs. Hina for an extended period of time and what helps more to really get into character than to dress up as said character! Though you suspect that she just wanted to tease the general, you couldn't help but find the situation amusing as you looked at the bashful general.

But given that this was a commission, you did your best, you didn't expect yourself to enjoy teasing the general as much. The general was clearly flustered as he was forced to follow the kitsune's whims. And while you did try your best to make it as comfortable as possible there was only so much you could do. How his face was red, or how his tale would startle at the slightest movements or touch from you, or how his ears would flop down pitifully when he was told you were not finished yet with dressing him up.

'Cute.' You thought to yourself back then as you tease him. You could definitely understand why Yae Miko loves to tease him so much.

Forcing him to sit down you started adding his wig, making sure that everything was perfect but at the same time, careful so you were not pulling his hair or ears.

You were focused and didn't tease the general as much, glad that the general even with his flustered state stayed still and quiet letting you finish putting in his wig. Later was the face too, as you complimented his skin on how it was so smooth. The general's face turned a bright red again you could feel how hot they were when you touched his cheek inwardly holding back a laugh. Putting on creams on his face, and cleaning out his brows you noticed that he continued to stare at you the whole time.

While it was normal for someone to do such a thing sometimes needed. You can't necessarily do much when you need your face to stay still. But most try to avoid eye contact most of the time when they could. Gorou even when you told him to look down for a moment to apply a little eyeshadow to his lids keep on trying to stare at you at any chance he could get.

"You have been staring so intensely. Is there something on my face?" you asked looking at him finally making eye contact rather than his skin. His face grew red in shame, caught so quickly.

"N-no no! It is nothing like that... I-I didn't mean to stare. S-sorry..." Gorou stuttered, his ears down as he looked anywhere but at you. You smiled at the general telling that it was fine.

Whether things that Yae Miko had in plan for Gorou that day you weren't able to see as you were busy with other clients to care for. But Miko did tell you that she would visit often. But rather than Yae Miko it was Gorou who tried to come often as he could. You saw how hesitant the boy would look from the outside of the window of the shop, walking back and forth on whether or not he should enter.

You invited him into the shop taking out tea and cookies for the general to enjoy, as he tensely sat on the chair. The light yet long conversation was nice to pass some time. You found out how much he loved sweets as he stared at the cookies you brought with much enthusiasm. How shy if not bashful he gets again when he realizes how much he spoke in so much excitement, like his respect for Sangonomiya Kokomi, or how he cried that one time cause of onions.

You had a few more chats like these even after the first one. You started to look at him fondly almost as if he was your little brother. You have teased him so many times, as you dressed him up with outfits that you have made, telling him that they were for clients and you needed a model to make a few more changes on them, most of them extravagant that made him shy and flustered, whining that you should stop teasing him this much.

But you just can't help yourself much.

You sometimes wonder tho, when you notice some of your things were gone. Not necessarily the shops but ones that actually belong to you and your personal routine. Like maybe a clip for your hair, when you were so focused on sewing you didn't want your hair getting in the way, or maybe a pin cushion for your needles, or that measuring tape that you keep on you sometimes in a pocket or maybe around your neck, napkin, or maybe a lipstick of your favorite color (or chapstick.) There was also that one time also when you could not figure out for the life of you where that one teaspoon go.

It was odd, strange as you looked everywhere for most of your items, were you really that clumsy to have misplaced them you thought to yourself. It happens sometimes, even if you were not the type to do so. You were just glad that you didn't lose anything of far more importance.

Maybe you should have been more cautious of the general whom you looked to as a little brother. Maybe you shouldn't have promised him to exchange letters every so often when he finally heads back to Watatsumi Island. You shouldn't have realized the guilt in his eyes when he looked at you, that inside his bag it had your belongings.

He was desperate, he wanted something from you. Something like the cookies that you got for him sent him over the moon but he wanted more. The cookies didn't have your scent, it would disappear in a day or two by the time he would reach Watatsumi Island. Gorou wanted something else and after so much anxious back and forth in his mind, by the time he left your shop, stepping out, he had already stolen something.

Hidden in his pocket was something that belonged to you but was not important enough to make you really worried (at least he hoped), as he waved goodbye to you that day.

The smell on your measuring tape reminded him so much of you, as he went to his dreamland continuing to sniff it. The clip he snatched was continually reminded of your face, fully exposed and not hidden by hair strands or bangs. The lipstick or chapstick that you used for your lips, he fantasized about when he could touch your lips, the smell of the formula on his own lips from yours. The teaspoon he took after he continued to stare at you as you ate the cake that he brought you. He wondered if this was an indirect kiss if he were to kiss it... if it means something.

He hoped that it did.

Gorou wanted you so much, the more time he spent with you. He didn't know what to do, the feelings so strong he couldn't even think straight. He could not help but stare the first time the two of you meet but the more and more time that was spent with you, he could not help himself.

He was in love, he was in love with you.

So deep in love, that he wanted to cling to you more and more. He sends you letters often, all of them so heartfelt and adorable, yet if you choose to be more critical of them maybe you would have noticed how creepy some of them were.

This obsession made him so crazy and he just can't help it.

[andscen3]

Haii!! I'm gonna introduce myself cuz I wanna meet more people on here ☺️

I'm Ezra (prefer Ez. Ezzy only if we're close); not new to Tumblr but a semi new account and my first time introducing myself on this side of Tumblr so idk if I'm doing this right :p

I'm 20, turning 21 this year !! (mdni!!! ageless blogs🔞)

more below the cut ꒰⁠⑅⁠ᵕ⁠༚⁠ᵕ⁠꒱⁠˖⁠♡

I'm mixed and live in Costa Rica so:

I speak English & Spanish (fluently but my English is fs better ;-;), Korean & French (semi-fluently), concepts of Mandarin & Japanese + a few more but these r the main ones ig

✿Queer/Femme(??) Lesbian (not big on labels for myself tho I'm a very fluid person but also men DNI... unless ur my friends lol)

single, looking for community/friends but I'm open to getting to know people~

☆I don't rlly mind any pronouns but ig she/her is like the default 4 me :p

☆5'1 (155cm)

☆capricorn

☆glasses wearer

✷I'm neurodivergent (all over many spectrums 😬)

currently studying psychology

◍im a huge nerd. mostly reblog fanfic (sfw+nsft)/fanart (sfw+nsft)/lesbian yearning text posts (sfw+nsft)/art/aesthetics/just anything I like or find cute+pretty

🫐Interests:

I LOVE ARCANE (specifically Vi obsessed), Ellie Williams 😩🤞, Cowgirls/cowboys/country, Genshin, video games in general, Jurassic Park + World, movies (mostly horror and animation but am open to anything; I just love cinema!!), I love music too (literally everything!! (and yeah u can test me on that 🙄) but mostly kpop and nu metal recently), I love cooking and experimenting in the kitchen (I went to culinary school), Love to travel and explore new things, I adoreeee all animals (I LOVEEE my dog and I also went to vet school + I do horse back riding/horse therapy). I like collecting things (blind boxes mostly), getting my nails done!! I 💘 having long nails.

.⁠｡⁠*⁠♡

I sing (post covers on yt), write (might start posting fics here), read, draw, paint (usually digitally designing tattoos or water colour painting) just anything creative I love, and I go to the gym almost everyday. I'm a stoner🍃(so if that bothers u dni ig - positive vibes only here), down for almost anything basically I have too many interests to list them all 😭

some recents of me °~° my style is also all over the place cuz I love fashion and all kinds of styles/aesthetics(⁠◕⁠ᴗ⁠◕⁠✿⁠)

my IG: @ ezrveev

anywayzzz feel free to send asks/dms (19+) I'm pretty much down to talk abt anything (even deep stuff, spiritual stuff, and nsft if I get to know you)

(just don't be creepy or weird ig? use ur best judgement me thinks)

what I'm into/likes/ok w receiving in asks (not everything is necessarily included here):

-praise, possessive (I am but I also like when others r of me - but nothing crazy toxic and only if I fw u), I 🫶 butches/mascs (I love all lesbians but they have a special place in my heart), I'm a switch but currently more of a bottom, I'm a hugeeee sapiosexual (I love smart ppl 😩), pet play, I love pretty hands + biceps, tattoos r so hot, being manhandled, pet names (princess, sweetheart, doll, pretty, bunny, good girl, love, baby, pet), feminine compliments, cute things/fluff, poems.

my posts + reblogs pretty much sum up what I like (⁠ ⁠ꈍ⁠ᴗ⁠ꈍ⁠)

~theres probably more I can't think of rn~

do not like/dni/do not send:

-again MEN DNI!!, transphobia, terfs, homophobia, racism, trump supporters, n@zis, any kind of body shaming, ableism, hate, v0mit stuff, shit stuff, butt stuff, n0ncon, inc3st, ageplay, sending pics in DMS/ asking for pics, ignorance/intolerance.

JUST DONT BE WEIRD!!! OR UR GETTING BLOCKED IMMEDIATELY.

[crowfeatherd]

CROWFEATHERD | Moze affiliated with Gnostic Hymns | PINNED

[ Basics ] [ Mun ] [ Headcanons ]

Notes:

Penned by Ree. They/them, 25+ years. I really only join the GH server during events so the best way to contact me is through Tumblr IMs, replies, or Discord DMs. I'm caught up with Genshin Impact and Honkai Star Rail, but what I know about Honkai Impact 3rd has been absorbed through osmosis. I currently also write Wriothesley and Gallagher.

ABOUT MOZE: Moze is General Feixiao's shadow guard. This means that he's usually tasked with jobs that the general cannot do herself, like assassination, reconnaissance, interrogation, and infiltration. He is not her bodyguard, even though surveillance does fall within his responsibilities, and he does regularly try to kill her as part of a contract he established with her when he was young: As long as she's alive, he must do everything she says, but should he succeed in this assassination, he will be granted freedom. Nevertheless, he views both Feixiao and Jiaoqiu as family, but is not necessarily connected to them by the hip. Personality-wise, Moze is blunt, simple, and occasionally cocky, but he doesn't like to speak or be seen.

DUB: I base my characterization and dialogue on Sakata Shogo's performance.

CONTENT WARNINGS: Moze's past involves themes of brainwashing, child abuse, torture, and unethical human experimentation. While Moze will likely not talk about his past, he does still carry the trauma with him and will react negatively to things that call on these memories, such as being given medicine. I will tag upon request and will always talk to my partners about their limits.

TRIGGERS: I have none but will respect by partner's boundaries.

NSFW: Sexual NSFW is a no, however, gore and medical abominations may be present in threads or Moze's memories. I will always check on my partner's boundaries ahead of time and in general will avoid writing too graphically.

POST FORMATTING: I use small text but nothing else. I don't care how my partner formats their posts as long as it's legible. I'm here to RP so readability > aesthetic.

INBOX & PLOTTING: Always open for new things, so hit me up if you have an idea or just want to drop by Moze's inbox to say hello.

SHIPPING: Naturally, I lean more toward shipping with muns I know well OOC. Communication is absolutely important for things like this and I prefer to have rapport built both OOC and IC before committing to anything. I like writing slow burns that take months, if not years, and usually this goes hand in hand with getting to know my partner OOC too. Currently, I don't foresee Moze pursuing any romantic relationship, but this could change given development. At the moment, it's not something he thinks about or wants. Currently: not in a relationship and not looking for one

[bunnyluvx]

genshin as teachers! ♡

featuring: albedo, yanfei, yun jin & zhongli!

summary: what would the genshin characters be like as teachers?

warnings: a little bit of angst on zhongli's part. nothing else!

tags: modern fantasy au | albedo and zhongli are still old men bc i said so | queer and autistic albedo | slice of life | fluff? fluff. | a whole bunch of cuties tbh

a/n: hi everyone!! happy halloween and happy samhain to anyone who is celebrating!! if not then i hope you have a wonderful day! have some headcanons <3

date started: 4:58PM, october 27th, 2024. date finished: 3:50PM, october 31st, 2024.

divider credit: @thecutestgrotto | wc: 2.2k | ao3

albedo ♡

you'd think that because albedo is an alchemist in the game, that i would put him down as a science teacher. not this time around he's not! i see albedo as an art teacher! even though it is only a hobby for him, i really like the image of him passing his admiration for art onto the kids he teaches. i think that his love for the subject would really show in his teaching and captivate his students. he would inspire them to be better artists and when they come to visit him years later, many would tell him that he was the reason why they wanted to be better at art. it always warms his heart to hear that he has influenced the next generation, and it makes him even happier seeing how much they have progressed throughout the years. he definitely keeps up with as many of his older students as he can, follows them on social media and scrolls through their work with pride.

i think that he would teach high school kids, specifically ages 14-16. when he was first getting started with teaching, he did grow a soft spot for grade school children, but with high schoolers, he's able to have conversations with people who have a more in-depth understanding of the world. when they all aren't busy, he likes to talk to them about things that are personal to everyone to understand their thoughts, opinions, feelings and ideas. this is one of many things that he loves about his job, learning more about his students. every individual that he teaches are so fascinating in their own way, and having the opportunity to get to know them all is something that he feels grateful for everyday.

i don't really see him having a special nickname for his students, probably just "students", "class", "kids", etc.

albedo isn't too strict of a teacher, he does have his rules and enforces them accordingly but he isn't uptight necessarily. he allows phones, food, drinks, earbuds/headphones etc in his class as long as they do not become a distraction, but if he notices that anyone isn't paying attention to the lesson because of these things, then he will ask for them to be put away.

a big pet peeve of albedo's is when students don't clean up after themselves. there is no reason for them not to, and he does not have the time to tidy their messes. it typically isn't much of an issue, as many of his kids are respectful of the space they take up and the time they have, but when it does happen, he cannot help but be annoyed.

albedo is very beloved by his pupils. he accommodates all of his students as best as he can, and he does his best to ensure that he is a safe space for his kiddos to come to him whenever they need anything. he is particularly adored by his fellow queer and neurodivergent folk, for they can relate to him at that level. he is happy that his efforts of creating a safe place for the young people that he teaches have paid off, especially for those who are like him. many have called him their favorite teacher because of his detailed teaching style and open-mindedness, and he humbly accepts the honor.

albedo never had an interest in social media until his students started to beg him to download some. he agreed begrudgingly and downloaded a few, and was very rarely active on them until those kids graduated. it was only not long after that he started to become more active. he never really posts, but he does interact with their content and keeps up with them to soak in the pride of their development.

yanfei ♡

yanfei being a government teacher makes the most sense to me. she is very passionate about law, so i feel like being able to pass on that knowledge as to how it all works is something that she would find really fulfilling and exciting.

once again, i see yanfei teaching high school kids, ages 14-16. maybe a little younger, but it's a strong maybe. i feel like she would get along really well with the kids and it would be really fun for her.

i can see yanfei calling her students "lovelies" or "lovely people". i think she really adores her students and wants to make them feel special, so that's how she refers to them outside of all of the basic stuff.

yanfei isn't much of a strict teacher either, she does allow phones, headphones/earbuds, snacks, drinks etc in her classroom as long as it is in moderation. she is a bit stricter than albedo, though, because when the students are working, they are working. no dilly-dallying or distractions, if she catches someone that is getting distracted or straight-up not doing their work, she will remind them to stay on task or to get on task if they aren't. she never sounds mean or anything, she just wants everyone to stay focused.

something that really grinds yanfei's gears is deliberate disobedience. when she asks a student to put something away, and they refuse or even start to speak to her disrespectfully, she will start to lose it. she's pretty good at keeping a level head, she won't yell or rarely fights with her students, but it really tips her over the edge when she asks one of her kiddos to do something kindly and they respond rudely. she didn't do anything to deserve that treatment, so why she receives it sometimes is something that she will never understand. it's something that she's learned to deal with as she has progressed in her career, and it doesn't happen too often, but when it does, it puts her very on-edge.

yanfei is very straightforward in her teaching style. once a lesson has started, it has started and it is uncommon for her to get distracted while she is teaching. a lot of her students like this because it means that they can get their work done swiftly and without any disturbances, and it fills her with pride to know that they are so dedicated to their studies.

just because yanfei likes for her and her kiddos to remain focused during their learning time doesn't mean that she is always so serious. she will converse with the students and laugh with them, and tries to surprise them with fun lessons so that they can stay engaged in what she's teaching them. she'll take selfies with them and follows them on social media, even make tiktoks with them when they are done with their work! while she does take her time on the clock seriously, that doesn't mean that she won't have any fun or bond with her students in the process.

yun jin ♡

music teacher yun jin. need i say more?

i feel like yun jin would teach grade school children. the thought of her singing with the kids and passing her love for music onto them just makes my heart feel all warm and happy eyfbuw.

yun jin calls her students "little ones", "lovelies", maybe other endearing terms. she uses "little ones" the most and it's adorable. her eyes show how much she loves and cares for her students whenever she looks at them.

yun jin is not a very strict teacher, some say that she spoils her students a little bit too much. she brings in snacks, candies, stickers, and makes her lessons as fun for the children as she can!!!! she believes that they deserve all of the rewards in the world for their accomplishments, and maybe she does overdo it sometimes, but that does not mean that she is a pushover. while she does find it difficult to tell her kids no, she knows that it is essential to the classroom environment, so she will be firm with her boundaries, much to the kids' dismay.

as much as she loves to let the kids have fun with all of the different instruments and wants them to be creative, she is still teaching grade school children who aren't always aware of their volume. they get excited, therefore they get loud, and while she is pretty used to it, sometimes all of the instruments being played at the same time with high-pitched screeching small people scratches the chalkboard of her brain. especially if she has asked them to quiet down multiple times, and they don't listen/get louder. her students respect her, so they do try to mind their volume when she asks, but there are days where they aren't as mindful of the noise they're making. there have been times where she has had to leave the room for a few minutes because of how overstimulating it could be, or told the kids to put the instruments away since they weren't adhering to her instruction.

yun jin is the type of teacher who is almost always smiling. she is cheerful around everyone in the workplace, especially around the little ones. doing what she does everyday makes her so happy that she cannot help herself! she adores the children that she teaches with everything that she is. they are all so unique, smart and kind, and she feels so lucky that she gets to help them expand their knowledge about something that is so important in the world.

sometimes, when she is alone in her classroom, she likes to blast rock and roll music. some of the staff have caught her jamming out to it, and to say that they were surprised is an understatement. yun jin is so well-known for enjoying opera that no one would expect her to enjoy rock and roll. i think it would be funnier if the students found out because they would be asking her all sorts of questions and she would just have to laugh it off.

zhongli ♡

this man is a history teacher. he has been alive for many years, therefore he is able to give an accurate, detailed description of history that he will be passing forward, and he can connect with younger generations to understand the modern world.

i don't have any specific ideas for what age group zhongli would teach, because honestly, i feel as though he would be happy teaching any age group. he is so interested to learn more about the world that has come to be that i feel as though it wouldn't matter much to him. no age group in particular really sticks out to me either.

zhongli wouldn't have any special nicknames for his students. just the normal stuff.

zhongli is similar to yanfei, but i imagine that he is a bit more strict than her. not to say that he's extremely hung-up on his rules, but he is very firm about them. he is never disrespectful when he is enforcing the boundaries within his classroom, but he does make it clear that he will not be so easily swayed. i imagine that he may be a bit more loose if he was teaching younger children, but he wouldn't tolerate any misbehavior.

this is a little sad and i don't know how much of a "pet peeve" it can be considered but i think that one of zhongli's pet peeves is when his class isn't listening to him. he knows that he has a tendency to go on long rambles that not everybody understands, but when he feels like his students are straight-up ignoring him, it makes him a little sad. he wants to be able to share his thoughts and stories with the younger people, but when he gets cast to the side like that, he can't help but feel a little down. he corrects himself and gets back to subject if he or any of the students can even remember what he was talking about to begin with, and he does apologize for it, but it still disheartens him.

zhongli is a very fun teacher, i think. he has been doing this for so long that he knows exactly how to keep the students engaged in what he teaches them, and he has also mentally noted every trick in the book that any student has ever used on him, so that if there is a repeat of an event, he knows what's going on and how to respond. he is always willing to try new things on behalf of his kiddos, and he is very open-minded. it's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be able to listen to zhongli's stories, so many of his students tune in whenever he starts talking, for they are very interested in hearing about one of plenty tales that he has to tell. he is someone that everybody could learn from, if only to give him the chance.

if zhongli was teaching older children, they would be begging him to get a phone. he never had one before his students began to beg him, plus he figured that he would end up needing one anyways. he didn't use it much at first, but that changed with time. he soon got to using social media, and now does all sorts of fun things on there with his students. he finds it a bit difficult to keep up with the newer trends, but he does his best and his students love him for it.

@BUNNYLUVX ,, all rights reserved. do not copy/plagiarize any of my works or submit it into ai. any and all support is appreciated! <3

[yandere-romanticaa]

I was taking about a freind about natlan and we both said that natlan feels almost like it was rushed or thought too poorly even if the company had years to run the plot and years to make the nation it felt so thrown put together with no thought.

We also mention now a lot of natlan as a whole kinda…is a bit of well it’s very stereotypes is the gentler way of putting it. A lot of the inspo for each characfers either miss-match certain inspo or yk the skin…as a whole was an issue

I also personally feel like I started to play three and four soon- second hsr the third came is Withernf waves and an upcoming call Nikki infinity I believe in Dec- I might be stretching myself more but I feel the reason I play either wuwa is combat but also lowkey rewards are much mroe generous. I’m honestly playing hsr jusy for Sunday and nikki bc fashion gatcha is so cute

I’m not sure if anyone feels this way but natlan and it’s characfer feel like their kinda like if you want better exploration for natlan you kinda have to pull for these characters to make it easier and and force to pull for that just feels too forceful?

I never really cared nor had enough interest in the characfers ngl but I think it for me personally it always was because how I felt when natlan first launch and it kinda just went on as the patches kept getting release- my issue with the characfer skin, inspo, deisng etc I think seeps into more and I’m more so hoping that the patches over

Hope this makes sense!

A massive issue I have with Natlan is that I feel as though a lot of the characters true potential is locked behind constellations.

I pulled for Chasca recently because I'm honestly in love with her and I'll gladly claim her as my wife. I use her frequently but.

But.

I feel as though the game is forcing me to get her to at least c2 and that's just straight up unfair. It's common knowledge that Genshin is Hoyo's cash cow meanwhile HSR is the passion project, but it's still somehow so slimey to me. I get it, gacha games are here to make money and at the end of the day they are a business, it's literally their job to do so. But Genshin has been really pushing as of late I feel like.

Also, I've looked at the leaked gameplay for Mauvika and Citlali and I have to say, Mauvika, to me personally, looks less like a Genshin Impact character and more like a Zenless Zone Zero character. This isn't necessarily a complaint as I've seen some ZZZ gameplay and I have some friends who love that game, but due to the previous world building that Genshin has established I just do not think that it fits all that well in Teyvat. I could be wrong for the ZZZ comment though because I have never played the game nor do I really wish to, so feel free to correct me on that.

I also feel as though there's a certain air of grandiose suspense just missing. I was at the edge of my seat for the whole Fontaine Archon quest and while I liked the Natlan one too, it just pales in comparison to Fontaine.

[razorblade180]

Sorry to ask but what’s the dating per nationa arrangement

Oh no worries. It’s been a minute since I’ve actually discussed this again so might as well explain the lore that too many genshin fans know me for lol.

Basically, I’m a multishipper but I also like consistency and have never enjoyed harem dynamics cause they generally feel one note and shallow; so a made headcanon around a polyamorous relationship. Naturally, polycules have foundations and rules, and I had way too much time on my hands one day as well as a hyper-fixation on the idea.

To make the beginning brief, Aether and Amber date and in. The beginning, Aether had concerns about how things would turn out considering he’s constantly on a journey and would feel guilty not spending enough time with Amber. That’s when she tells him open relationships are fairly common in Teyvat; especially in Mondstadt. Thus began a long discussion between the two of them on how it should be set up.

Two people per nation. That’s how many partners he can pursue. Doesn’t matter if they’re a boy or girl. Two hands for two people

Full Transparency. If he does happen to get close with someone, he has to let them know about the dynamic. Aether also keeps everyone up to date but that’s just him having good manners more than anything else.

If Aether does decide to date two people, the first person he dates in that nation has to be okay with the second person before he tries making things official. For example, he is involved with Kokomi and Ayaka. Kokomi had to be okay him trying to date Ayaka.

Partners are fully allowed to have their own relationships separate from the polycule with whoever they want. No need to ask him about it.

Common decency and respect. This is primarily saying if Aether is on a date with someone, then nobody should do something like show up intentionally or try to purposely plan time together with the intent of monopolizing his time

It’s perfectly fine for the partner to discuss any issues they might have in the future or even decide to leave if they want to pursue other things. No hard feelings.

Those are like the major pillars of the open relationship with other rules being important but not immediately brought up

Aether’s Room is off limits. That’s his space to decompress, collect his thoughts, and sleep. Literally all his friends have residency in the Teapot. It’s not difficult to stay out of one room.

Not a rule but it’s unlikely people from different nations plan an outing together, mainly because that person might have their own significant other and they want to respect their boundaries as well.

If a partner wants to spend time with their significant other and Aether at the same time, they can. That’s an internal dynamic between the three of them that they have to sort out. For example, If Mona wants to go to dinner with Scaramouche and Aether, nothing is stopping her except maybe Scaramouche.

This one isn’t necessarily a rule but Aether tries not to discuss much about one relationship with another. He’s also prone to greeting everyone generally if more than two are in the same room, then goes on about his business cause he’s a little awkward. This trait is not shared with the others lol. They have no problem gossiping about him lightheartedly and asking questions.

That’s more or less The Agreement. Luckily for Aether, he met Yanfei and she has it writing somewhere. If any unexpected events happen in the future, they can all revisit it and adjust accordingly. This post is already getting a little long but maybe I’ll do a follow up naming who is with who.

[narwhalandchill]

also finished the 4.7 AQ and like . well firstly rip to all the sinner theories where it was like could it be nibelung or someone else and all like that was a bit tragic but thats the nature of theories i suppose. i do think it makes sense that the bigger players arent just all going to be figures we Already know of but yea.

overall i think it was like. quite good but also kinda suffers from the way these quests just Have to be an annual thing especially with how short it was? i saw a comment being like this feels like it shouldve been the epilogue to caribert and i kinda agree . also as much as it is appreciated that we Do get some direct answers to big lore questions in the quest was kind of a exposition dump in that sense . fade to black w the abyss sib and dain duel was certainly a Choice 💀

caribert truly is a sweetheart man i didnt expect him to pop up but i feel so bad for him now. except for the loomzoning atossa thing i get that he had no choice on the matter but that was rough for ur girl 😭😭

iiiiiii dunno how to feel about the whole we forget all about the reunion anyway when traveler Remembering as a descender has been established as such a core thing like it kinda feels like a copout im ngl . guess we are just now . aware of information as players that the traveler is not privy to . considering im already more than a little wary towards the general concept of like. memory erasure slash irminsul stuff when it comes to genshins writing im definitely feeling conflicted w this . also applies to the loom of fate editing reality thing . like okay on some level yes it is cool to include such prevalent elements of like. uncertainty and unreliable narration but in worst case those concepts are also v easy for a careless writing team to just. run off w and end up w a convoluted mess so i rly rly hope that wont end up the case

anyway. so the sinners are the big deal this time around i suppose and like. not that i wasnt necessarily expecting surtalogi to indeed be khaenriahn but the confirmation is certainly here now. no particular feelings on this from me im afraid bc like. Highly unpopular lore thing from me but both khaenriah n hexenzirkel (the latter more so than former) are kinda these. big lore topics and entities that i logically Do know and acknowledge as the massive deals they are to the story. but they just arent sth i have so far gotten that invested in altho khaenriah i have somewhat warmed up to . hexenzirkel still feels too much like an unnecessary presence to me lmao i might be missing out on stuff but if the abyss order arguably has a lack of story presence issue then the witches have it like 5 times worse 💀 But point being surtalogi being part of this whole crew of transcendent beings from khaenriah that became sinners is like . okay then isiskskskdk its not that big a deal for me

i think the most meaningful implications from that (in terms of My personal lore fixations at least *cough*) just have to do w like . sth id already been thinking about even before we got the confirmation of the visionary as the sinner that clothar found (which was a big theory anyway that i did personally find very compelling and well its canon now). and that is just the way that like . when skirk compared surtalogi as one in pursuit of "perfection" and brought up the visionary and rhinedottir as two ppl akin to him. that and the narzissenkreuz note about primordial human essentially being the synonym for descenders . & how rhines magnum opus was the primordial human PROJECT aka in light of this note. Very likely to be an attempt at Creating a descender . and how the sinners and abyss orders loom of fate is obviously just another pathway into accessing some sorta will or way to rival the world and defy the heavenly principles . became this thing where i was like 90% convinced and now 100% convinced that if the "perfection" both gold and the visionary pursue is indeed a descenders will in one form or another . then surtalogis aims Must involve the same fucking thing

which naturally gets us back to the insane ajax theory territory bc . if what connects those 3 (and post 4.7 more like. All the transcendent sinners from khaenriah) is getting to that world rivaling will. Then it sure fucking makes Everything surtalogi is doing and planning w both the narwhal and ajax Very Interesting . like it sure is curious that These would be the things surtalogi is occupying himself with if its indeed a descender he seeks . so like . Yeah we dont need to get into 3rd descender stuff but one thing i sure do think is becoming less and less like crackpot speculation and more and more and explicitly foreshadowed future direction for childes arc is that. one way or another. he is going to be involved with the subject of becoming a descender . bc like. if gold tried creating one w alchemy. and if the visionary is Literally creating a loom of fate to serve as the machine capable of weaving a worlds worth of leylines and destiny aka just a descender equivalent machine . then it sure wouldnt make sense for surtalogi to be putting all this heavy effort and resources (as skirk commented on) towards acquiring and possibly subduing an interstellar voyager like the narwhal and getting his student to look for and train the weird kid with a possibly innate connection w it. Without that serving a role in His brand of descender equivalency that hes seeking as a sinner. So yeah childe long term relevance stocks are definitely up w this one guys Trust

but yea thats on surtalogi for me . Point being its not rly a New suspicion for me (like ever since primordial human project started sounding like DIY descender lab project i was thinking this) but i think its been absolutely further affirmed by directly linking surtalogi to the sinners of khaenriah that more likely than not seem like theyre All going to be ppl who used the abyss to seek the power of a descender in a variety of ways???? so thats very neat . wonder who the other 2 will turn out to be then .

another thing to do w the sinners is also like. the way that if we do count dainsleif among them just as one that Didnt jusr abandon the ppl during the cataclysm . there is obviously that doomed number of Six there . so like pygmy theories have been going wild already in the few days it took me to catch up w the AQ but im just kinda . i Still think pale princess is most likely to be about an irminsuled event and be about sth far further back into the timeline than khaenriah and the cataclysm . theres things like rhe night mother specifically talking abt Thousands of years passing before the new hero (= 4th descender aka us most likely) appears to challenge her and also just the general way i still think pale princess aligns too much w the story of the seelie ancestor and her lover Not to be a story about that time period . so as much as the 5+1 sinners of khaenriah being the pygmies is like. Yes the numbers would finally add up clearly with no mental backflips needed unlike w the archons . but like all things considered im still a bit unconvinced. we shall see . that book is a menace anyway so its always gonna be a hot topic lmao like what is Up with it 💀

[hisui555]

Genshin musings : Visions and personality traits (will contain spoilers)

Just my own toss at "what's the common points between the Vision users and their attributed elements".

Like, there's a pattern to each, but it can be difficult to grasp - or might not be the obvious thing everyone would usually associate with the element in question. Going with the characters we have, in order of game travelling :

1 - ANEMO - WIND - Barbatos/Venti, in Mondstadt : Freedom So Anemo as wind is generally associated with free-spirited, easy-going, some might even say light personalities, with a general theme that the Vision bearer has lost someone or something in their lives : it's the first element you receive, and you "just" lost your sibling. Venti himself mourns his bard friend, Kazuha has lost his own friend, Xiao has lost the Yaksha, Faruzan lost all her old acquaintances and old life due to living way past their time, Heizou's story has also a lost friend due to injustice, Chasca already has a Vision but we see her lose her sister Chuychu, Jean's master Varka isn't dead but has disappeared from her life, and so on for Sucrose and Lynette at least, the latter being an orphan like her twin brother. Xianyun has lost Adepti friends to wars and strife, and boy, do we need to talk about the Wanderer ? Sayu and Lan Yan are kind of the outliers here, though, but they do deal with lost or rare arts - rottin figurines and ninjahood. Everyone seems to deal with missing something, from a person to a time to a concept.

However, there's something that kind of brings all Anemo wielders together, in that they're all very observant, in an unassuming sort of way. Like if Columbo had a Vision, it'll be Anemo for sure. They're also great at the field they occupy, again, in a totally unassuming way : most of the time, they don't act the part - Venti is notorious for hiding his Barbatos identity, Kazuha is the best samurai by a mile, Sayu is very competent in her field when she bothers, Faruzan and Xianyun are mechanisms experts, Chasca is one of the best hunters, Jean as an Acting Grandmaster is examplary, Xiao has survived countless battles and isn't named "Conqueror of Demons" for nothing, Lan Yan a reknown rottin worker and so on. This doesn't mean they never make mistakes, but they seem to be quick-thinkers with a side of instinctive understanding of things, and very tuned-in with their environment. Anemo wielders generally seem to seek something for their goal, be it the meaning of their lives (Wanderer, Xiao, Chasca), growing up (Sayu), the beauty of nature (Kazuha), justice (Heizou), and general answers to pragmatic or metaphorical problems they encounter.

So, not necessarily happy go-luckies quirky hippies, but seekers of personal answers to deal with a form of loss, they're often the ones asking the right questions and tackling problems in unorthodox ways - wandering but without being truly lost, trusting their gut-feeling and inventivity.

2 - GEO - STONE/EARTH - Morax/Zhongli, in Liyue : Contracts Everyone generally thinking of earth and stone would see something stubborn, brutish, immovable, inflexible but also extremely dependable and tough. And while to Zhongli himself, contracts and principles are set in stone, Geo often regroups people who actually do have strong principles that they will never cross, loyalty, being unabashedly themselves and always getting back up no matter how many times they fell : Noëlle's dream is to be a Knight and she will never give up on her goal. Itto outright refuses to be anybody but himself, and that's without taking in the whole Crimson Oni rules business. Zhongli will also never back out of his word (even if it tears him apart inside), Kachina and Navia are determination incarnate no matter how many times they fail. Yun Jin also prefers her non-stage personality and isn't unafraid to share her likes and dislikes with people she bonds with, Xilonen is very committed to her Name Engraver job and the whole Nepecha/Nechca business shows her strong morals. Same for Gorou, Chiori and Ningguang who no matter what will always stick to their guns to the end, refusing to falsify themselves for people.

Geo doesn't mean physically strong all the time, but it does have a certain degree of mental fortitude, and also very few of them deal with self-deprecation (Kachina being a bit of an outlier), generally liking who they are and being unapologetic about it : Kachina's story shows her coming to terms with that part of her, taking confidence in herself, and Yun Jin's problems are external given that she's asked to be more regal and haughty than she really is. They also tend to have a rather realistic grasp of what is possible and not, about themselves and others (Itto being the outlier, except even he stops fooling around when the chips are down and is actually quite capable - reflected in his gameplay when unleashing his burst, and his stories), and they tend to be a rather strong pillar in the community they're in, if not the ones doing the physical or metaphorical heavy-lifting (gang leader, Archon, Spina di Rosula leader, opera troupe star, Name Engraver, second-in-command in a platoon, Jade Chamber head, etc. Kachina even becomes a warrior in the Night Wars, and starts the Ode of Resurrection in 5.4).

So Geo isn't about brutish strength and bullheaded stubborness, but rather people knowing what they're about and sincere, determined and loyal to themselves and their loved ones. They like what they like and express very strong positive moral values that won't be deviated by anything - they are people of their word. They are people who inspire confidence, and bring things together, staying true to themselves no matter what.

3 - ELECTRO - LIGHTNING - Beelzebul/Ei, in Inazuma : Eternity Thunder and lightning are powerful, quick-flashing bursts of both light and sound, and naturally associated with speed, and either a manic temper or a rather unfriendly one. Ei is indeed very powerful, and that's without her Gnosis to begin with, but on the whole Electro users tend to be the oddball, quirky ones, a bit socially off and in their own little world, with a wild side to them that covers a more vicious streak, generally a bit of outcasts with a theme of social or physical isolation : Razor has been raised literally in the wilds and thinks of himself as a wolf, Cyno doesn't take clues that his jokes are terrible and it's worse when he explains them - and as the lead of the Sumeru police system, isn't making friends easily. Sethos, while talkative and sociable, is associated with the desert and keeps secrets to his chest, Dori is in her world of mora and not well-liked due to her stingy attitude, Ororon - outside of the whole ex-human sacrifice thing - is absolutely off-key and so is Ei when she has to learn to socialize again after centuries in her own plane, to say nothing of Fischl. Lisa would rather be in her library and like Yae Miko, both have quite the violent side when it comes out coupled with tons of vicious teasing, Kujou Sara is a literal Yokai at the margin of human society struggling to fit in, Shinobu prefers to be left alone and will get violent on those who deserve it, and the outliers might be Clorinde, Beidou and Keqing who don't seem that off, but Beidou is a pirate and while well-connected still prefers to stick to the sea and her crew, Keqing is a workaholic and Clorinde seems distant and cold until you get to know her and her circle has few friends, all three also being vicious fighters.

Generally Electro wielders are also all taken as more intimidating as their true personality is (Sethos being a bit of an outlier but still having a hidden side to himself, and Yae Miko and Lisa playing up the approachability, looping back into the "dark" side too) that shows around their trusted ones, once you get to know them - they often prove loyal friends and goofballs with their own quirks, but that wild side is never too far away and will strike fast if push comes to shove, as Electro wielders are not to be trifled with : even Ororon is willing to pull a wild move like associating with the Fatui if it means keeping his Granny and people safe. This doesn't mean they can't have friends, or aren't friendly at all, but they tend to trust a few and chose their relationships more or less wisely. They also have very enduring and unshakable loyalty, kinda like Geo, but this applies more to people of their chosing rather than to concepts or their own selves and principles - though Ei can be very stubborn in that regard.

In short, Electro wielders tend to often be solo players or one-person armies with a rather self-centered mindset, not out of egoism, but out of being able to quickly determine their path and stick to it. They tend to let more loose and willing to be more vicious if needed, but this doesn't mean they're unable to feel empathy : they just react more extremely to threats and be less fettered. They are also very efficient at what they're doing, to the point of being prodigies for some : Ei literally had a whole martial art derivating from her fighting skills, Razor is the local reference for life in the wilds and Sethos one for the desert, Ororon has extraordinary affinity for souls, Beidou is consulted by the Jade Chamber for her expertise as a navigator, Clorinde and Keqing are often decried at being the best at their work, Cyno is the top head General Mahabharata, Fischl is an unsung explorer. This just tends to hide behind their quirks.

4 - DENDRO - WOOD/PLANT - Buer/Nahida, Sumeru : Wisdom Wines, leaves, greenery, life, growth, cultivation and healing but also poison is what we generally associate with plant powers, and on that one, Dendro isn't that far off, but Nahida of course demonstrates spiritual cultivation and knowledge, plus powers over dreams. The Dendro roster as such tends to depict scholars and researchers in very specific fields (Tighnari for botany, faun and flora, Kaveh for architecture, Alhaitham in languages and as the Akademiya Scribe, Baizhu for medicine and Emilie for perfume), people with an eagerness to learn (Collei, Yaoyao, Kirara, Nahida herself) and great abilities to plan ahead (Alhaitham and Nahida again, Kinich). Sumeru's story arc also shows both the enlightening and poisonous sides of wisdom, with both general capacity to grow and learn and the Forbidden Knowledge making it all wither, making it a theme of "how far is too far" when it comes down to wisdom : should we know everything ? Will we be able to withstand it or be driven to madness ? Illness is also a recurring theme though the Eleazar (physical illness) and the madness (mental illness) said Forbidden knowledge causes, as well as the obvious "healing and poison" opposites.

Which makes Dendro wielders have a common point : an extraordinary sense of curiosity, and a will to surpass the limits. From the Archon to Kinich, the last-to-date Dendro character out, they are all motivated by a desire for discovery, and pushing themselves through hardship and limits to see what's beyond the horizon, in short, transcendance. Collei was sick with Eleazar and her tragic backstory left her uneducated, in the end managing to overcome her difficulties and illness (Tighnari is even proud at how fast and eager she's learning). Alhaitham and Kaveh both try to go beyond their (very opposite) points of view on the world to broaden their horizons, hence why they never really get rid of each other - and Kaveh had his fair share of hardships to pull through to make his masterpieces. Kirara has boundless curiosity for the human world, Yaoyao is constantly seeking improvement, Nahida never stops looking for answers and has a devouring wish to discover new things, constantly. Kinich himself is always interested in what's going on even if from the shadows, the more information the better, and he literally transcended death once. Baizhu himself wants immortality, so again pushing back the limits of death, and Tighnari is said to have made breakthroughs and also often tests poisons on himself.

Dendro characters are driven by a will to learn and question the world around them, pondering and thinking about its meanings, all while transcending whatever limits they find in their way : they aren't afraid of the unknown.

5 - HYDRO - WATER - Foçalors/Furina, Fontaine : Justice Water generally reminds of healing, gentleness and storm both, a quiet but powerful force, going with the flow and shapeless, endless change. On that last one, Hydro wielders tend to be particularly quick-on-their-feet thinkers that often can change plans smoothly and on a whim, with strategical thinking, flexibility and adaptability : Sigewinne literally changed form to be able to heal someone, Yelan passes herself to the situation as an information gatherer and fighter in the shadows with the teahouse as her cover, Childe is the first character to switch stances and weapons as part of his gameplay, picking up the bow to train with and have another weapon in his arsenal - also a Fatui Harbinger, Xinqiu as both a poet and martial artist has also shown to rarely be unable to not turn a situation to his advantage, same for chessmaster Ayato or the strategist Kokomi, Mona is used to changing meanings within fate and the stars and the fickleness of astrology, Neuvillette changed over the centuries while interacting with humans and is a literal dragon having changed forms, also tailoring the trial sentences to what he deems just, Mualani goes along with everyone or almost, same with Nilou and Candace as they all can adapt very quickly, and then there's Furina, an actress who can disappear into any role, even one for 500 years, and Foçalors, who managed to even twist a prophecy to her advantage with no one catching up.

But there's another common point Hydro wielders all have : secrecy, and the power of information - what's shown and what still waits in the abyss. They all keep the truth close to their chest, the hidden part of the iceberg, the unsuspected depths. Furina and Foçalors' secret is massive. Yelan, Ayato, Kokomi, Xinqiu and Childe are, in their respective positions, all entrusted with capital and privy information (Xinqiu as the son of the Feiyn Merchant Guild head). Neuvillette as the Iudex would naturally know a lot about the affairs of Fontaine and keep it under wraps, same for Sigewinne in the Fortress of Meropide. Mona reads destiny in the stars, Candace is not just a good friend and warrior, she can also drop the nice side like a hammer and torture people if needed with a good pummeling, seen in the Sumeru arc. Mualani is a Night Ward veteran under that optimistic personality, and won't hold back even calling an Archon out. Nilou might be the outlier, but she was part of the plan in Sumeru to help Nahida and isn't unwilling to deceive if it helps things go forward - and as a dancer, she obviously knows how to adapt to the flow.

Hydro wielders tend to generally have hidden depths, are rather strategical, and while showing great flexibility and adaptation, aren't above manipulating people, whether for bad or for the greater good, with an unsuspected difference between their spotlight personality and their background cunning.

6 - PYRO - FIRE - Haborym/Mavuika (presently), Natlan : War Of course, fire is associated with powerful, outgoing and temperamental behavior, destruction and unbridled energy, passion and all-consuming drive. Mavuika turns it a bit on its head by being way more calm than expected, and so is Diluc, who rarely shows strong emotion - same for Arlecchino. The rest tends to get classically fired up about things (Dehya, Bennett, Xiangling, Xinyan, Gaming, Amber, Yoimiya, Klee, Thoma), or generally passionate about what they do (Hu Tao, Yanfei, Lyney, Chevreuse, all of the above again), because the common trait is that they all seem to have a sort of thing, a hobby leading to or part of a goal, that they almost single-mindedly pursue : law, cooking, rock music, exploring, adventuring, dance, mortuary services, magic shows, patrolling, fireworks, bomb-making, wine, mercenary work, war... in a way that is intrisinc to their lives and that they're devoted to. Even Diluc takes "retribution" to the next level, Arlecchino is entirely devoted to the House of Hearth and searing the next generation, Thoma is the Fixer per excellence and a key ally to the Kamisato Clan.

And if not "energic" in the classic sense of an outgoing, hyper personality, the outliers (Arlecchino, Diluc, Mavuika at times) tend to have energy in the sense of being monstrously powerful, and Pyro wielders tend to have a general appetite for life and its finer points - or what are the best points for them (seen with Mavuika and Xbalanque especially). They tend to pick things up and throw themselves into it, as it defines a big part of who they are and why they are this way - with their interests matching their personalities : Diluc seeks justice and thus will defend Mondstadt from the shadows, Arlecchino will avenge any mistreated "child" - funnily enough they are quite taken by their form of fairness and justice; Hu Tao deems that even quirky funerals are fair to the deceased's will, Mavuika refuses to sacrifice anyone outside of her own self, Dehya can't stand injustice and will solve it herself, to Yanfei and Chevreuse law is supreme yet can be followed in spirit if not letter, and the rest won't tolerate unfairness of any kind even if it means breaking the rules. They also tend to be quite helpful if needed.

Pyro wielders aren't raging, destructive wildfires out of control, but instead focused and passionate people seeking what they find just.

7 - CRYO - ICE - ?/The Tsaritsa (?), Snezhnaya : ? Ice, as the saying goes, is cold, and generally associated with death, indifference, loneliness, slowing down, unfeeling, piercing and numbing at the same time, silence, closed and distant yet ethereal beauty and at times downright bad. The Tsaritsa (unknown at the time of writing) is the major antagonist out to defy the Heavenly Principles while making things harder for everyone since the start of the game - pretty logic, right ? Well, that's where things get interesting : while not much is known about neither her nation or herself, there's a recurring pattern of actual loneliness and metaphorical isolation or outright ostratization with Cryo wielders, and self-depreciation. In one way or another, they are cursed, alone and/or lonely, and dislike a part of themselves for various reasons, whether they're aware of this or not. Unlike Electro wielders who are off-key within their entourage, Cryo wielders tend to resent their position in life and blame themselves for things gone wrong, or doing things detrimental to themselves.

Diona was unwittingly blessed by a pond fairy yet laments the fact that she can't find a way to make purposedly bad cocktails to fight against alcoholism no matter what she tries. Chongyun has his Yang condition, Shenhe the red threads and homicidal tendencies, Kaeya has the Kaenri'ah pupils and blames himself for the tragedy of his family with Diluc, Eula is an aristocrat hating aristocrats and her own family. Ganyu is outright a child of two worlds and afraid she'll fit in neither. Citlali resents her apparent agelessness immortality, preferring to stay alone to spare herself the pain. Layla has developped a split-personality to help her at work under the sheer stress she gets. Freminet is shy and introverted, retreating in his literal shell, due to his traumatic past, blaming himself for it. Qiqi is an outright zombie, Rosaria a mercenary that also doesn't feel belonging with the normal people, yet taking no pleasure in her night work either. Ayaka wishes she could be a normal girl and not the heir of the Kamisato clan due to all what's asked of her. The most well-adjusted are Charlotte, Mika (who often relies on others and stays aside when too shy) and Wriothesley (who's an ex-criminal having killed his foster parents and not all that proud of the fact) - in fact, Charlotte is be the outlier, though ironically she does complain about her Vision (favoring an Anemo one) in-passing. Joining the "important characters even if unplayable" list is Capitano, cursed with immortality by Ronova.

A lot of them are actually rather warm and nice people once befriended, but they also tend to be seen as distant - whether they put the distance up themselves (Eula in particular, Citlali, Rosaria, Mika, Freminet, Diona), only playing friendly at first (Kaeya, Wriothesley) or due to how busy or out-of-touch they are or composed they have to be (Charlotte who runs everywhere, Ayaka, Ganyu, Shenhe, Chongyun, Qiqi, Layla) - fitting the cold side. The very common point is that they're both self-sacrificing (more often than not in silent or unassuming ways), and misunderstood by people seeing them from afar until they get to genuinely become close-bonded. But indifferent and evil they're most certainly not.

Maybe this will apply to the Tsaritsa ? Who knows.

[stardust-falling]

In equivalent exchange, do a dragon's horns grow back? I've been thinking plenty about dragons in genshin and zhongli, and even though we don't know what he is in relation to all the ancient dragons, they're still such a huge part of him... It affected him so much.

So this is something I do actually want to go into more detail in the longer version of EqEx when I get around to writing it. Keep in mind: this is all PURELY headcanon, and should not be taken as meta analysis!

The short answer: Yes…… though it isn’t easy.

The long answer:

In my HC for Zhongli’s origins he is not actually a dragon, but he is somewhat related. If anyone’s interested in more details about these headcanons of mine please ask and I’ll make a whole post because I’ve had a lot of fun coming up with something that probably won’t end up being remotely near canon lmao. Either way, it’s not especially relevant to this right now so I won’t go on the tangent yet.

When it comes to Zhongli's draconic features manifesting in EqEx, consider it a little bit like Dan Heng’s Imbibitor Lunae transformation in HSR— while he can change forms voluntarily, if he is in a significant amount of pain, distress, or danger, some of the features of his “true form” i.e. his elemental form will manifest, regardless of which form he currently wears— horns, tail, claws, sharpened teeth, etc. In EqEx, the shift was caused by the unique feeling of total helplessness, which was brand new for him if not necessarily something that would truly kill him. It has only happened a few other times in my headcanon— one being during the fight with Azhdaha. Otherwise, he’s basically invincible, and rarely gets to that point.

Anyway— the transformation, severing, and re-growth process has a lot to do with my general Adepti physiology headcanons which are part theory, part xianxia-based, part just me having fun and at this point I’m not 100% sure which is which part all the time. Basically, Adepti have an “original form” and a “true form” which are different things— the original form being the animal or elemental being they started out as (think Changsheng/Guoba) and the true form being the enhanced/cultivated version of that form (think the Jueyun Karst trio). These are not separate forms, but rather the true form is a combination of the original form and the cultivated adeptal power within them.

Adepti can also create other forms for themselves, but can’t freely shapeshift— each alternate form must be specifically cultivated. These alternate forms (such as their human forms) can be inhabited directly, or even manifested physically while the Adeptus’ real body and consciousness are elsewhere operating it. If these forms are destroyed or killed, it will not actually kill the Adeptus, but only cause them to lose some of their power (whatever amount it took to maintain the destroyed form). Compared to the amount of power they truly possess, this is a tiny fraction— and as such, the death or destruction of these external bodies will not create a significant backlash or damage their surroundings— this was the case with Morax’s exuvia during the AQ, one such “shell” that Zhongli created and discarded. (I also personally hc that his true form is similar to the exuvia but larger— this is a smaller version he uses to interact with his people during the Rite of Descension).

That’s a bit of a tangent, though. The important part is that when an Adeptus’ alternate form is destroyed or killed, they lose whatever power was contained within it.

The true form of an Adeptus and its features, like these additional forms, are also manifestations of adeptal power— hence why these features will appear in moments of distress, when an Adeptus involuntarily uses their cultivated power as a safeguard. Zhongli in EqEx has his adeptal power sealed, of course, but as we know he is incredibly powerful— a small amount of his power was able to surpass the restrictions in order to protect him, causing the transformation.

Now, what happens when the “true form” is injured? Typically, it would simply heal very quickly, but in EqEx, that isn’t exactly possible. After his horns were cut off, that portion of adeptal power used to manifest them was severed entirely. Of course, even after divesting his gnosis and shedding one of his forms, Zhongli still has an immense amount of cultivated adeptal power. Because his draconic features were manifestations of this innate power, under ordinary circumstances he would be able to restore them without much difficulty. After all, he is quite familiar with dispersing small portions of his power— the sigils of permission are one example, let alone the fact that every single mora in Teyvat is also a tiny, tiny part of Morax himself. However, in the case of his injuries in EqEx, they aren’t only physical wounds, but also spiritual wounds.

Much of an Adeptus’ power and the manifestation thereof is tied to their state of consciousness. This is why all Adepti, though they share some skills and practices in common, have differing specialties and abilities. Mental stability and clarity is absolutely necessary to utilize the full extent of their abilities— and a mental injury can be just as damaging as physical energy. Because of the traumatic circumstances of Zhongli’s injury, he sustained spiritual wounds which will turn into spiritual scars— aka, trauma. Until that trauma is resolved, he will be unable to manifest these features— or if he does, they will manifest in their wounded and damaged state. He will also suffer from phantom pains, even in his usual form, and have some difficulty changing forms overall.

Zhongli is incredibly resilient, though. Once he gets over the initial shock of the events, he’ll slowly start to heal. While a part of him will be changed forever, eventually the spiritual scars will fade enough that he can manifest his adeptal features again should he wish to or need to.

For EqEx's eventual continuation/sequel, this recovery process will be a substantial theme, especially regarding his relationship with Xiao— who has gone through something similar in the past.