#osial is a good child

[0v3rcast]

Gnaw (6)

The bottom of the ocean is a cold, dark place. There is no light here, other than the faint glow of many bioluminescent markings on Osial's body. The sun's heat has never reached this deep, and the cold is so intense that you've shivered yourself to death repeatedly.

But with each death, you adapted. The icy temperature of these depths no longer mattered.

The crushing pressure of the deep ocean that once threatened to splinter your bones and crush you into a meatball now had no effect.

Gills just below your ribs filter oxygen into your body now that your lungs are useless.

"Great Storm, what are you thinking on so intensely?" Osial asks. "You have been silent and still for nearly three days."

You tell your newfound friend that you might have an idea of how to leave, but it will require his help.

"Of course. How may I serve my Creator?"

You ask for a bit of his flesh and explain that you gain energy from eating or from exposure to the elements.

You've already spent three days impaled through with stone spears at the bottom of the sea - you've probably absorbed plenty of energy and just need a catalyst.

His heads argue over who will be donating the required offering, but eventually settle on letting the central head bite off the very tip of its tongue.

A bit of glowing blue tongue drifts lazily on the currents and towards you. It's a chunk of flesh the size of a glass bottle, oozing a dark blue fluid.

You reach out with your unpinned arm and grip it, briefly cringing when it squirms in your grasp.

Once it's close to your mouth, you open up and bite into it quickly. This also means that you get some seawater into your mouth along with the bit of meat.

Gross.

The god-flesh isn't particularly appetizing, either. As you do your best to chew it, it writhes and twitches in your mouth. The taste is ponderously bland, though faintly fishy, and you're more than a little unsatisfied.

It takes you more time than you'd like to consume it, but once the last of it goes down, a feeling begins to flow through you.

A new sensation. Like there's a part of you that's just lost the pins-and-needles from being slept on and is back to normal.

Not just that, either. You feel revitalized, like the pains of your body are far away. You plant your palms against the seafloor, dig your fingers into the sands, and begin to rise. Osial looks delighted.

The spears of stone dig into your flesh, but you will not give up now. How can you? You feel unstoppable.

Electro energy arcs across your body and up the monstrous pillars, scorching them with such heat that they briefly glow.

You may be buried beneath the weight of a mountain... but faith can move mountains.

Through labored breathing, you ask what Osial desires most in the world.

"To sink Liyue to the bottom of the ocean, and see Morax take my place in the darkness below the waves eternally."

More personal than that.

"To hold Beisht, my beloved, in my embrace again."

...more achievable from his current position?

"Oh. Freedom, of course. To not bear these ridiculous spears in my back any longer."

And then, that new part of yourself flares to life. You smile through the pain of saltwater against open wounds and tell him you can manage that.

(Anemo smiles, eye glowing in the heart of the storm. A new bearer already? You're so kind.)

Mondstadt's suffering comes to an end, the haze of nightmarish heat finally lifting... but the winds are not the same.

The scent of sickness and rot no longer carries on the breeze because the breezes are so much milder.

Anemo visions dim, and then flare much brighter.

Less than an eighth of Mondstadt's population had succumbed to the heat, but many had become sick from an outbreak of food poisoning and the rapid onset of heat exhaustion. Others had become ill in the process of burying loved ones.

Their cries for aid went unanswered, and Venti's faith had been deeply shaken.

If their prayers were not reaching you... then who had they been worshipping all this time?

(He receives no answer, only the sounds of mourning on the wind as Mondstadt begins to burn the diseased dead.)

You stand at the bottom of the sea, hand against a stone spear weighing down Osial.

The electro in your body was refined and stretched into an axe, which you now used to hack away at the first pillar.

Every minute or so, you have him move slightly to see if the weight is becoming more manageable.

After four hours, each of them has been weakened enough for him to push off if he wasn't exhausted. Which he is.

You reach for your new power and then to Osial. Across the world, Anemo visions glow faintly. In Zapolyarny Palace, the Gnosis of the Anemo Archon unwinds into a soft breeze and vanishes.

Words come to your lips unbidden, a recital from a time you've forgotten.

"Noble beast. I, your maker, wish to form a pact with you."

Osial looks at you curiously, and then again in surprise when the Anemo Gnosis appears in your hand.

"You have shown me kindness in this dark place and given me the power to unbind us both.

You have been imprisoned beneath the waves for centuries by the one you hate the most, away from your lover, your goals just within reach but lost to you.

I have been hunted across the land I have traveled by traitorous mongrels and then abandoned here to rot alongside you.

With one look, you knew it was me. With but a single glance, you understood who now was at your side.

Your fealty to me is so very valuable, especially now."

You hold out the Anemo Gnosis in his direction.

"Become my Anemo Archon. The true God of Storms, and the symbol of destruction for all those who would rise against me."

He laughs with all five heads.

"I accept, my maker. The skies will be mine, and all who breathe beneath them will know you with reverence or know nothing ever again."

"This pact is sealed."

The sea burns bright with teal and blue light and then erupts into a monstrous storm, a hurricane screaming to life as a massive beam of energy pierces the heavens and vaporizes Guyun Stone Forest.

A new lord of the skies erupts from the sea with a joyous scream, stone pillars falling from his back, feathers and scales colored brilliantly.

"MORAX! I will have your head as a trophy for the All-Maker and your flesh as my meal! Face me and die, or watch me tear this miserable collection of insects apart like the coward you are!"

On his back is you, and in your eyes is a hunger for vengeance.

Your power fills the hurricane. Vast blades of lightning ready to fall at your command. Screaming winds coalesce around Osial. Arcs of plasma line his new fangs.

Liyue will pay for its actions, and the two of you will be collecting with interest.

((Taglist:

@the-dumber-scaramouche @thatdeadaquarius @ssak-i @imyme20 @fried-lotud @acacla @itz-luna @iruiji @crierofirony @itsredactedlove @sweetsthetik @leafanonsforest @oxyotl @kkazuyass @featuredtofu @resident-cryptid @d4y-dr3am3r @crimson-ashes @red1sg0n3 @the-real-fandom-person @code-roevember @yourlocalsourwolf @rhoswen-drake @minimari415 @reversearrowhead @call-me-shroom @evqnescents @valeriele3 @mochicurls21 @sinnful-darling @fleshdotmp4

[narwhalandchill]

i cant believe it took me this long to register how childes backup plan in liyue involving osial honestly got like 3 times more iconic post-fontaine like

all this time he KNEW he woke up the narwhal at 14 from what skirk told him so bro really was looking at his prospects for awakening this local sealed sea monster god like (shrug) "i mean it wouldnt be my first time" 💀💀

[mtchee]

Bubbles Along the Surface - [Zhongli] GN

blurb:

A minor god awakened years after the Archon War, and with your brother, Osial, pinned to the depths below, you've made your own way in the world. In the most recent year, sailing with a merchant crew, you've forever decided to conceal your identity as a god, keeping to the life of a mortal with an intense fascination with the land of Geo. In all your years, its only now you have the chance to finally step foot in Liyue, meeting a tall and handsome man who eventually comes to be your beloved--but not without a few misunderstandings.

cw: not edited, fluff, minor angst, second-person-pov, spoilers for liyue playthrough but nothing major, osial is [name]'s older brother, archon siblings fr, zhongli loving on you, a reassuring zhongli, feat. childe but really he only gets like four lines

| masterlist | genshin impact collection |

[8.2k]

Eons ago, after the Archon war, arose a young archon hidden in a dreamless sleep beneath oceanic depths, protecting them from the catastrophe above. Awoken by the change in currents, they rose to the water's surface whilst their elder brother was pinned to the crust below—for they was the beloved sibling of the God of Vortex, Osial.

Their own title, God of Bubbles, and it was they whom were responsible for the health of marine life and the ocean oxidation.

While their followers had either converted or were wiped out in the war, they retreated from their title as an Archon, knowing it would only get them into trouble with the rising seven who battled for their rightful seats in ruling Teyvat.

Though their stories never died.

Sheltered due to the war and then lost without their big brother, they began a new life as a merchant, sailing the high seas and traversing from nation to nation. Although the world had changed from what they had originally thought, they were open minded and of a bright spirit—and couldn't wait to explore.

"To Liyue we sail!" The captain called, a rugged but sweet man who practically adopted you, "they've new silks due for Inazuma on the second moon, if we get there early enough we can rest on some solid ground for a while. Lets give ourselves a holiday, ay?"

The rest of the crew cheered back ecstatically, having been docked in Schneznaya for more than long enough. They could use a change of scenery; most weren't built for this kind of cold.

You laughed at their eagerness, quickly aiding your mates in loading on the last few crates of supplies before the ship was to set off once more.

You made sure your route was clear of storm—well, as much as you could. Your power's influence was better equipped for the water's depths, not its surface.

But you made do.

"Excited, love?" Darla, a Fontaine merchant about ten years your senior (physically at least) approached, a wide and knowing grin on her face, "you've always wanted to go to Liyue, haven't you?"

You grin back, eyes closed as you giggle sheepishly, "You've heard all my rambles, haven't you? Of course I am! And we get to stay there for... how long? Oh! Almost two moons! Two moons! Darla, that's two months of exploring! I've always wanted to visit the adepti shrines..."

"Of course you have," The older woman rolls her eyes playfully, gently bumping into your hip, "calm yourself, dear. We don't want you to combust."

You laugh at her in good nature.

"How come we're staying so long anyway? Not that I'm complaining."

"Why do you think?" Darla gives you an incredulous look, "because you're the captain's pearl, that's why. He's always had a soft spot for you," she nods her head towards the old man by the wheel, "not that the rest of us mind. Gives us a break too."

They watch as while the evening prevails, the ship's leader bounds below deck despite his age and practically hauls up a barrel of drinks for the mates to share, letting out a bellowing laugh all the whilst.

You snort, "Mm, I see what you mean."

After a week or so of smooth sailing, you finally port in Liyue Harbour and settle yourselves at the available inns, unloading any personal cargo and clearing the ship for its future stocks.

The Portside is bustling with life, fishermen promoting their fresh produce and other sailors maintaining their boats. Your eyes are wide in awe at the architecture and vivacity, excitement only continuing to build within you.

"Oh, pa!" You eagerly turn to your father figure with pleading eyes, "the city's just past the docks, may I please—?"

"Just be back before dark, alright?" The captain huffs out with feigned exasperation, "some of the crew and I will be hangin' around the plaza for a bit. Some place called Third around Knockout? I dunno..."

He scratches the back of his head before letting out a puff of air as you launch yourself at him, arms latched tightly around his torso in a hug.

His once narrowed eyes widen while the colour pink tints his sun kissed cheeks, "O-Oi!"

"Thank you, pa!" You pull back with a gleeful smile, "I'll be back soon, I promise!"

You lean up and places a chaste kiss on his frizzy cheek before rushing off past the docks.

The male stammers as some of the crew snicker at him from behind, teasing him for putting up his so called 'cold exterior'.

"Yeah yeah... uh, b-be safe!" He calls out at last. He quickly whips around to those laughing, "who're you chucklin' at, huh? hUh?!"

Eager to explore, you find yourself in the middle of the plaza ahead of your crew and are immediately overwhelmed by the smell of food and a rush of people.

You can't help but grin at the sight.

You wander past the open shops and stalls, simply admiring the sights and everything the locals of Liyue had to offer. You feel your heart swell at the kindness of a sweet granny who ran a toy stall, the elder woman giving you a colourful paper windmill with the only explanation being that you had a beautiful smile.

You express your gratitude and wish for her good health before continuing onwards with more of a skip in her step, gift clutched to you closely.

In the midst of your exploration, you bump into a tall man, profusely apologising as you stumble for your balance, toy falling to the floor.

"Ah, no sweat!" The male replies, and you look up to meet deep blue orbs and a boyish grin. The ginger haired stranger leans down to pick up your fallen gift, handing it back to you whilst introducing himself as Childe.

"[name]," You reply politely, shaking his hand with a bright smile, "it's a pleasure! Uh, a-apologies for the collision..."

At your sheepish expression, the male only chuckles and waves it off, a certain glint appearing in his eyes at the mention of your name.

"You're not from around here, are you?" He tilts his head curiously.

"Oh, no, heh, I'm a—" You stop yourself momentarily, clearing your throat, "I'm a foreigner. I work as a merchant across the waters."

"I see, I see," His gaze grows half lidded, flickering to the glowless hydro vision by your waist, "you like the ocean?" His curiosity peaks as he notices you perk up immediately.

"Yes! Indeed, aha, it's practically my life."

He gives you a nod of understanding, and you indulge yourself in idle chatter before parting ways, the male heading towards the crimson stairs leading to the balconies above. It's then that you realise where you are.

Not in the plaza, that's for sure.

Finding yourself lost, you take note of the increasingly darkening sky, "Oh dear..." your stomach drops.

Your eyes dart around hurriedly in hopes of landing on something familiar, spinning around in a circle and only managing to loose hope.

Your chest tightens as the sun finally dips past the horizon, and you cuss quietly under your breath. Your knuckles grip the stem of the paper windmill closely, the toy being your only sense of comfort.

"Excuse me," A deep voice adresses you from behind and you jump.

You whirl around, wide eyes meeting the chest of the individual talking to you.

Wary gaze trailing upwards, you come into contact with almost luminescent amber isises, and a concerned frown.

"Are you alright? You seem rather... distressed."

You take in a sharp breath, eyes flickering—the man is breathtaking.

He is tall and of a strong physique, with wide shoulders and a toned, but slimmed waist. His clothes are dark, although intricate and rich with black and brown to gold features.

His hair is long at the back, tied neatly in a low tail whilst the front frames his eyes in curt strands.

You blink, "Oh, yes. I—uh, ahem. I-I'm not from here, you see? And, um, I appear to have found myself a bit lost..." you can't help but feel small under his stony gaze, hearing him hum lowly in response.

"I see. From where do you hail?"

"Oh, I'm a travelling merchant. I docked today with my crew and told pa—uh, m-my captain that I would be back before dark, but..."

"Ah, I understand," The male's stern features seem to melt ever so slightly at your stammer, and he gives you a small smile to ease your nerves, "do you recall where you are suppose to be?"

"Somewhere called Third Round Knockout, I believe."

You give him a sheepish grin in return, toy clutched close. The stranger's eyes lighten in recognition of the name.

"A place I frequent in my days of rest. If you would like, may I escort you to your destination?"

"Really?" You brighten hopefully as he offers you his arm, "you wouldn't mind? Thank you, sir!"

"Zhongli," He states as you link your arm with his, "you may refer to me as Zhongli."

He smiles at you softly, causing you to flush, and begins leading you back towards the plaza.

"Mister Zhongli! Mister Zhongli!" You wave him down excitedly, the male breathing out a chuckle at the notion.

Throughout the following months, the two of you had bumped into each other once more and became well acquainted, soon becoming friends as you met up frequently.

The geo user became acutely aware of his new found friend's fascination with Liyue and was more than happy to show you around and tell you the many tales of said nation.

You got to know each other well within your first visit, you having been rather disheartened when the time came for you and your crew to leave--though the man had assured you that when you next returned, he would still be waiting.

"[name]," He greets with a gentle smile, opening his arms as you gleefully jumps into them, "how have you been fairing?"

"Good," You reply curtly, smiling up at him, "but better now that I'm here."

You laugh when he shake his head at you, "What about you? Are you okay?"

Zhongli tilts his head slightly with a confused hum, "I heard about the Archon's passing, news of it has already reached Fontaine although it was a few days ago. Are you alright?"

"Oh, that, yes," Zhongli clears his throat and composes himself, "indeed, it is tragic. However, I believe the Qixing has everything under control."

"I suppose. Something doesn't... feel right though..."

He leans forwards in interest, a certain glint in his eyes at your words.

"Oh? How so?"

"I'm not sure, I just feel as though Morax—uh," You glance at him momentarily, catching yourself before you blurt out something controversial.

As an Archon yourself, you swore you could still sense the presence of Liyue's God; though you doubt herself, chalking it up to the fact that you were an inexperienced Archon, simply sensing the ramenants of his power.

"N-nothing. It just feels, odd? Someone having the ability to murder a God, and the Geo Archon no less... Um, anyway..."

Zhongli hums, the glint in his eyes ever so prominent, "I understand what you are inferring. In any case, it will be a long time before any such revelations come to fruition."

He takes note of your nerves, watching as you squeeze your left hand nervously and swiftly changes the subject to ease your discomfort.

You traverse towards Yujing Terrace, where Zhongli breaks any silence by running his mouth on about the flowers maintained in the gardens.

"A dear friend of mine, Madame Ping maintains the flora."

"Really?" You hum, "what kind of silk flowers does she grow?"

"All three variations I believe," The man goes on to continue but is interrupted by a high pitched and child-like voice from afar.

"Mister Zhongliiiiiii!"

The duo pause and turn towards the sound, you tilting your head at the sight of a frantically waving, floating mushroom fairy child and a boy.

The unknown blond makes no attempts to hush his companion, simply shaking his head at her loudness before approaching.

Glancing to the side, you notice Zhongli's ease in their presence and calm yourself.

"Ah, Aether, Paimon, hello," He greets with a nod, "what brings you two here?"

"Oh, we were just about to meet Ms. Ningguang! We've got a special invitation to head up to the Jade Chamber!" The mushroom fairy child—Paimon—explains proudly.

"Oh? Impressive, indeed." Zhongli humours her kindly.

"Sorry, did Paimon disturb you?" The blond—Aether—asks, ignoring his companion's offended 'hey!'.

"Not at all," You give the two a smile, "don't worry about it. Zhongli was just going to show me around Yujing Terrace."

Your companion nods, "Aether, Paimon, this is [name]. A dear friend of mine."

"[name]?" Paimon blinks, "you mean like the—"

Zhongli clears his throat, "Anyhow, I suppose the Qixing won't be too fond of waiting. I take it you are prepared?"

Sharing a peculiar look with Aether, the two communicate silently.

"Right!" The blond scratches the back of his head, "we've just picked up a gift for Lady Ningguang. Hopefully it's good enough."

"I'm sure she'll enjoy it." The taller assures.

Paimon huffs and stomps in the air, "Hey! Why are you interrupting—"

"Anyway, we'll see you later then! It was nice meeting you, Mx. [name]!" Aether grins at you and waves before bolting off, leaving his companion dazed.

"I—uh, whaaa? Heyyy! Wait for me!" The floating mushroom fairy is quick to fly after him, the two fading from sight.

You laugh, mildly confusde, "Well, they're an interesting pair."

The male beside you releases the breath he was quietly holding, chuckling softly, "Yes, indeed they are. Now, where were we? Ah, yes, about the silk flowers..."

"[name]?"

You perk up at the sound of your name, peering up from behind the stock of open crates you had been counting.

"Oh, Zhongli!" You brighten immediately, hopping over the boxes to reach him.

"Hi! What are you doing here? I thought you had work today?"

Despite your concern, you give him a grateful smile, a familiar warmth creeping up your neck.

The man smiles at you contently.

"I took a small break earlier than usual, though my boss doesn't mind."

He internally winces and fights back a flush of embarrassment when recalling Hu Tao's thorough interrogation for the sudden departure.

He wasn't in any trouble for doing so, no—but once Hu Tao found out it was to see someone outside of work, oh boy...

"Ah, anyhow," he clears his throat, "I... wanted to ask you something, and I suppose I just couldn't wait any longer."

Your interest peaks. Unfortunately, so too does some of your crew mates--a few of them slowing in their work to eavesdrop on the conversation.

Zhongli takes in a breath, "I was hoping to be able to treat you to dinner tonight, if you would be interested?"

His amber eyes meet yours with a hopeful glaze. Despite his outward composure, he could feel his nerves skyrocketing once he took note of their minor audience.

Your eyes widen and you bite back a squeak.

Is this even real? Or are you just assuming things? Oh, you could feel the excitement bursting within you—wait, but you're an Archon... oh gods you forgot about that. Ugh, but he's so—

"[name]?"

You snap out of your thoughts, embarrassment flooding you.

You quickly blurt out, "Yes! I-I mean, uh," you straighten yourself up as to not seem so flustered, "sure, ahem. Um... a-are you...?"

Zhongli let's out a subtle sigh of relief, closing his eyes as he allows a ginger smile to grace his lips.

"Yes, [name]. If you would, may I take your hand in courting?"

Oh.

Oh.

OH SHI-

You tense and fight to push down an unholy squeal, mind racing. You could feel your mouth go dry the moment he reopened his eyes and made contact with yours.

You only manage to give him another giddy smile, nodding shyly with sore cheeks. Zhongli chuckles at you, taking a step closer and gently grasping your dominant hand in both of his.

"Then, I will see you tonight by the stairs of Yujin Terrace. Do not fret, my dear, you are perfect as always."

He brings your hand up to his lips, placing a gentle kiss upon its skin whilst maintaining eye contact.

He gives you one last charming smile before stepping away and leaving the harbour, ignoring the light blush coating his cheeks.

Later that day, as the sun kisses the horizon, you make your way from the inn and towards Yujing Terrace.

The night life in the plaza is bustling, the noise and chatter growing faint as you move farther from the docks.

Well into the city and past Luili Pavilion, the moonlight glinting across the shallow water catches your eye.

You slow and stop for a moment to peer into the pool, smiling softly as the golden bass and koi curl towards you. You glimpse a shadow passes from behind.

You giggle softly and, with a wave of your hand, summon gentle currents beneath the water's surface to play with the fish.

While the bass laze and let the gentle currents drag them along, the koi play along with the hidden tides, weaving in and out of the streams.

"Ah, there you are."

With a gasp and a jolt, you drop your hand to your side and step away from the waters edge.

"My apologies, [name]," Zhongli chuckles light heartedly, "I did not mean to frighten you."

"No! Not at all, aha," You quickly smooth any secret crinkles in your clothing and give your suitor a sheepish smile, heart racing in mild panic, "j-just nervous, I guess."

"Nervous?" The male quirks up a brow, "do I make you nervous, my dear?" Though his eyes--sharp as always--watch you attentively, the cheeky glint and subtle smile gives him away.

Stumbling over your tongue, you simply sigh and give him a pleading look, warmth creeping up behind your ears. Zhongli just smiles at you before offering you his arm; henceforth, commencing your date.

As evening turns into night, the moon rises higher and higher into the darkening sky with the two of you remaining arm in arm.

You find yourselves at the very top of the Terrace, where the annual Rite of Descension would have taken place.

Overlooking the sea of clouds*, you lean yourself against the railing, sighing softly as you gaze down at the waters fondly. Zhongli remains behind for a moment, watching you and getting lost in his thoughts before finally approaching.

He leans down beside you, facing the ocean although his attention is drawn to your being.

"[name]?"

You hum in response.

"May I... tell you something?"

Your attention peaks at his hesitancy, and you turn towards him curiously.

Zhongli keeps his glowing eyes out on the ocean.

"What I am about to say must remain secret between us. It is something that only a select few know," His gaze never wavers, "and I hope it changes very little, if it changes anything at all, between us."

Your brows furrow slightly, and you give his profil a soft smile, tilting your head to the side.

"What do you mean?"

Zhongli takes in a breath, "You know my name, correct?"

Your frown deepends, "Zhongli?"

The male nods slowly, "Indeed. Although, prior to this name, I used to go by many others—the most famous of which is one, revered, throughout all of Liyue."

You lean towards him in your puzzlement, and it is only then that he looks at you.

"My name, is Rex Lapis."

He doesn't blink, and your heart stops.

You can't breathe.

Disbelieving of your own ears, you search his gaze for any sign of deceit.

Alas, he remains firm.

His sharp amber irises seem to glow in the low light, glinting beneath the moon.

You swallow nervously and take in an uneven breath, a single word passing through your lips.

"...Morax."

Dread fills your entire being, and fear overturns your heart.

Why would he tell you this?

Why would he tell you now?

Why should he have ever told you? You don't just say that you're a dead archon to your friends—

You feel deathly cold all of a sudden.

He knows.

All tension in your being drops into the weight of lead as the entirety of Teyvat comes to a halt.

He knows. 

He knows who you are, he knows you're a God, he knows all about you.

And for how long?

You feel sick to your stomach, and so you take a step back.

Seeing you fumble and your dreadful silence, Zhongli's firm gaze softens. He sighs quietly through his nose and moves towards you as he speaks.

"[name]—"

"Please."

He stops, face falling at the amount of fear in your eyes. He sees the unwavering fright in your very being.

The horrors of the war echo in your memories--whereby from stories or the experience of its aftermath.

Unadultered terror regarding your ultimate death as an archon sits like cement in your bone and tissue.

Zhongli watches, and you don't dare to breathe.

This wasn't how it was suppose to go.

He steps towards you again, but you fear to step back.

"Please don't."

Your voice wavers, almost a whisper.

It takes every fibre of your being not to retreat in immediate terror. But you know the power of a God, even if they no longer claim the title.

Zhongli's heart clenches, eyes widening as his mind begin to race once he notices your form trembling.

Though your hands were tense and nearly hidden by your sides, he could see their tight tremors. Barely glancing off to the side, he could see ripples surfacing from beneath the shallow pools of water decorating the Terrace.

They slowly grew bigger, and began to bubble.

"[name]... My dear, please. Calm yourself—"

"D-Don't!" Your voice barely raises, though your fear and desperation are apparent.

"Please... I...I don't have any followers. I don't have any land. I-I don't plan on taking anything, I swear I've basically only just woke up—"

His brows furrow, "[name]—"

"—I'll leave! I promise!" Your legs give out, and you collapse to your knees.

Your terror filled eyes no longer dare to look upon him, "I...I'm not a part of the seven but... I-I didn't..! I'd never..!"

A pitched cry forces itself passed your lips, "if I had a choice I wouldn't be here in the first place so p-please! Please... Banish me to the seas! I just--I... I don't want to die..."

Zhongli's stomach drops, "Oh, my dear—no..."

Sickness fills him to the brim and despair overwhelms him in waves.

He slowly lowers himself to your level, gaze soft as he does so.

"[name], please, look at me," Your lack of response causes him to sigh, but his patience is ever present, "here, how about you take my hand?"

Sniffling quietly, you tense when he draws closer.

"...I couldn't... M-Morax—"

"Whilst I retain the name of a former archon, the name you have come to know bares no such burden."

He keeps his hand outstretched, "So please, won't you look at me?"

It takes a moment of tension before you feel you foolishly dare attempt to make contact.

Your head lifts ever so slowly, and though you refuse to meet his eyes, you gradually reach out a trembling hand to meet his.

Zhongli breathes out a silent sigh of relief, gently tracing his thumb across your tense knuckles to soothe your nerves.

He whispers small praises of strength and gratitude, smiling gingerly when you look at him in alarm and embarrassment when he presses a kiss to your stiff fingers.

"There you go," He hums softly, "nothing is going to harm you, lest of all me, my dear..."

Slowly, slowly, the tremors stop and terror fades from your body. Exhaustion clouds you once you you're conscious of your senses.

Your embarrassment only grows at the awareness of your state: settled on your knees and with tear stained cheeks—not just in front of another archon but your (once upon a time) date no less.

Uh oh, you forgot about that.

You take in a sharp breath and look away to hide your face, clearing your throat as you attempt to pull away your hand.

Zhongli refuses to let go.

Instead, he stands, and gently pulls you up with him. Your voice wavers, feeling the dryness of your tongue, but Zhongli is patient.

He waits for you to gather your bearings.

"How," You sniffle quietly, "ah... how long have you known..?"

You refuse to meet his gaze.

Zhongli smiles gently, "From the very moment you mentioned your name."

"What?" You blink.

He chuckles lightheartedly, "No mortal would dare name a child after a God, my dear. Besides, your youth as an archon means you have yet to master how to conceal your presence."

"Oh."

While mortals may not be able to detect a God among the people, there is always a connection from archon to archon unless they wish to mask it.

As you are a young archon (though two thousand years old, you've been asleep for the past five hundred) with your elder brother trapped beneath the ocean depths, you lacked the guidance he would have provided.

You've managed to figure out a few things on your own, but your isolation from others of your being have left you clueless.

Zhongli smiles at you softly, "Not to worry, my dear. While I may have officially, well, unofficially, really—retired from being an archon, you are no longer alone. Do not carry this burden by yourself, hm?"

You take in a bashful breath, "R-Right. Thank you, uh, Zhongli."

He offers his arm to you once more, keeping a soft look upon his features as to keep you assured.

You glance between him and the ground, hesitation clouding your mind before you rationalise your thoughts—he had known about you from the moment you met. If he really wanted you gone, you would be.

But you weren't.

And so you give him a shy smile before accepting his arm, and you continue your night at a slower pace.

Though you both remain oblivious to the soulless blue eyes that observe you from within the shadowed darkness of the night.

A sly smirk traces his lips—a that plan would soon come to fruition.

Nearly two weeks since that night, you help load up at the docks on a bright sunny day.

The ramp creaks slightly with every heavy weight carried over from land and on board, the workers chattering about as they go on with their business.

Zhongli and you had continued to meet up, occasionally for lunch, but more so in the evenings so you had more time to spend together. Your crew mates teased you relentlessly, but they were nice about it—thanks to your pa, that is.

He was in near tears when he first heard about it, sniffling about how his little one was all grown up, even when you've never been a child in the time he'd known you, but it was funny (and sweet) nonetheless.

Darla was ready for all the gossip, and gave you all the romance talk you could ever need.

Needless to say, you were incredibly embarrassed that day.

Particularly when Zhongli came to pick you up at the docks after seeing you were late. Never again will you let Darla speak to him.

Zhongli was amused though.

It was around midday when things began to get weird.

It was only you who noticed at first, though you brushed it off seeing as you would be the only one to notice.

You'd noticed the currents beneath the water's surface began to quicken, gradually turning into a swirl. Then the sky darkened, and the swirling currents moved further out to sea before breaching the surface—a vortex.

Thunder clouds rolled in and lightning struck the ground. At the sudden change in weather, the people of Liyue slowed in their works.

Panic came to fruition as the vortexes rose into the air, connecting with the storm clouds above.

Harsh rain pelted down on Liyue Harbour, the ocean waves rising and crashing down like a dominoes on the docks; the water became so rough it began to damage the boats and ships, fiercely pulling the wooden stakes of the docks.

"Run! Run!" People screamed, "move inland!"

"Away from the waters!"

"Move! Quickly!"

The harbour was in hysterics.

You felt pain grip your heart at the fearful screams of the people you had come to love, worry flooding you as the wooden stakes began to rock.

"[name]!" Your pa comes barrelling towards you with heavy footsteps, his rain drenched clothes weighing him down, "stay away from the boats! Get inside the buildings!"

He hurriedly nudges you away from the docking point, eyes rapidly blinking to get rid of the water.

"What about you?!"

You have to yell over the sound of the thunder and heavy rainfall.

"I'm getting the rest of the crew!" He calls back, "stay put!"

You can do nothing but nod, dumbfounded at the sudden turn of events.

As you turn to leave the harbour, a deep voice calls for you.

It's quiet, yet it rings throughout your head and echoes in your ears, and your eyes widen.

You recognise the voice, though it had been many centuries.

"Big brother..." You mutter under your breath.

You move your gaze towards the violent waters, seeing a small, snake like tendril beckoning you forwards. You feel a sting in your eyes--and not just for the pelting rain.

Nervous butterflies flurry in your chest as the rain falling around you grows lighter.

"[name]..."

The voice beckons you, and you move closer.

It repeats your name again, "little one... follow..." the tendril falls back into the water, and you gasp.

"W-Wait! No!"

You rush towards the rough waters edge and collapse to your knees, peering into the depths.

Desperation clings to you and you loose all rationale, a cotton haze in your mind forcing you to no longer pay heed to the life you had built since your awakening.

"Brother! Brother, where are you!?" Your eyes dart around before spotting the tendril once again, and relief floods your system. It motions for you to follow before disappearing once more.

You follow.

Chasing it across Liyue Harbour and spying it from the ocean border, it popped up each time before dropping down and appearing someplace else.

Before you knew it, you found yourself by the cliffs of Wuwang Hill.

You struggle to see through the veil of rain, the thunder grumbling louder and louder. Through the thick of it, you spot the faint outline of a man, his back turned to you.

Shock almost paralyses your body. You find yourself slowly moving towards the man nonetheless.

The closer you gets, the better you can determine some of his features.

While tall, he maintains a lean build, ocean hued locks cascading down his pale back. His body is adorned in a loose hanfu, colours corresponding with the oceanic depths.

Your eyes widen when he turns his head toward you, lapis blue irises meeting with the [colour] of your own.

The smallest of smiles tugs at his thinned, pale lips, fondness softening his gaze.

"Hello," He greets, voice—though with a slight rasp—is rich and otherwise smooth, "little one."

Your heart races, a heavy breath leaving you before you bolt towards the man, tears streaking down from your eyes and mixing with the rain.

"Big brother!" You cry out, embracing his form from behind.

Despite your affection, the male keeps himself facing the cliffs edge. He places his hands upon yours, tracing your knuckles softly.

He hums softly, "My dear, sweet sibling," a sad look overcomes his features, and he gazes out towards the harbour.

At his lackluster, you sniffle before looking up confusedly.

"Osial..?" You question, eyes glistening.

He does not ordain you with a response.

Your attention slowly draws towards the city of Liyue, absolute horror filling you to the brim at the sight of it—vortexes reaching from between the sea and the sky threaten to swallow the buildings and wreck the stone mountains, whirlpools drawing closer to the bayside.

You spot giant tendrils of a hydra composed of water thrashing amidst the chaos, roaring and hissing as the rain pours heavy.

"Osial!" You cry out in terror.

"Brother—what's going on?! What are you doing?!" You remove your arms from the figure of the God, pushing yourself in front of him in a panic, "brother, please!"

The male's firm eyes do not falter, and he merely glances at you.

"It is for the best, dear one," A frown makes itself known on his once passive features.

You feel a swirl of emotions well up inside you, "What? No, no! Please—brother, Liyue is my home!"

Osial's gaze hardens, and anger clouds his view.

"Liyue," He spits the name, "has corrupted you, dear one," his fists clench by his side, and the large tendrils of water grow even more fierce, "he has corrupted you."

Your stature falters, "W-What..?"

The man only huffs, crossing his arms across his chest as he holds his chin high, "Do not act so naïve. I know who you confide with. You have betrayed me, little one."

"Betrayed you..? Betrayed? Brother, what are yo—"

"You have made treason with the one whom trapped me under our depths for millennia. You have taken side with Rex Lapis, the Geo Archon—he has taken you from me!"

The God's hair rises in opposition to the heavy downpour, locks twisting into the form of snakes that hiss, "and so I too, will take something precious from him."

His voice booms across the hills and across the waters.

From the edge of the Jade Chamber, Aether and his comrades divert their attention towards the sound of the yell, and their eyes widen.

You feel your heart break in your chest, "What..? No.. no! Osial! Brother—" you begin to scream, tears, like a waterfall, steaming down your face, "brother, please! Think for a moment! Brother!"

The elder ignores your cries of anguish.

Staring you down sternly despite the ache in his chest. He says nothing as he pushes you to the side, walking towards the cliffs edge once more.

He turns to you one last time, a sharp bite present in his tone.

"Once this is over, I will be back for you, dear one. And him," His eyes glint dangerously, "I will kill."

And then he leaps, vanishing into the furious, crashing depths below.

Your stomach drops, and the amount of panic coursing through you makes you dizzy.

You can't lose your brother.

But you can't lose him either.

And you surely wouldn't be able to cope without your beloved city.

So you run.

You race through the forest on foot, terror coursing through your veins.

While it would be faster to traverse through the waters in your bubbled form, it's current condition would render you immobile, and it would only be easier for your brother to hunt you down.

You hiss at the rain hitting your eyes, pushing through the irritation and the pain as you continues to run.

Not to the harbour, no.

It would be much to easy for him to find you there.

You must get away, far away.

Away from the waters, away from your brother, and away from him—your beloved, Morax.

Zhongli.

Your body aches and your heart shatters, but you persist--never once sparing a glance over your shoulder at the chaos that ensues.

You didn't know where you were, but even if you were far, the distance between you and the harbour still could not disguise the explosion from afar.

Your eyes widen at the light booming from whence you had gone, hands covering your gaping mouth as you fall to your knees with a stifled cry.

That was it.

It was done.

The fight was over, but you could feel it, in your heart, that it was not your brother who had won.

The breath in you chest is forcefully taken from you, and you can't find it within yourself to fight for it back.

You stumble into the nook of a mountain base you had hidden in, falling onto the cobbled and cold ground with tears. Your shoulders heave with your heavy and silent cries, before a loud scream escapes you, rocking the land and rippling the waters.

A searing pain grips your heart.

Despite their victory and with their feet on solid ground, the traveller and the rest cannot help but feel unease.

After their win is assured, a shrill shriek of pain ruptures the air, having echoed from afar. The people of the harbour shudder and almost collapse, looking around in fear, worry, and wonder.

But the group know better, and Aether shares a look of alarm with Paimon—their attention is yet to be caught by the figure slowly and weakly rising through the bubbling of the ocean water.

Through your tears and anguished cries, your exhausted mind forces you into a deep slumber—your body rested in the cave.

You remain undisturbed for days.

Panic and worry consumes those who know you, unknowing of your whereabouts and your condition.

Zhongli, putting aside his contract, feared for you the moment of the attack.

News reached him quickly of Osial's anger towards Rex Lapis for having 'stolen' his beloved sibling, though information of Morax's mortality remain only with the adepti and the Qixing.

By request of the former archon, the traveller sought the help of the fellow adepti to track down the missing god, the Qixing keeping an eye out, though having to prioritise the chaos of the people.

Within the time of their search, you awaken in a daze. Though still heartbroken, your mind is in more ease.

You peek outside of your little cave, stepping out and glancing around. It seems that you made it to the border between Cuijue Slope and Tianqiu Valley, near the adeptus mountains.

About to leave your enclosure, a cold fear consumes you as a shadow obscures you overhead. You look up, spotting the retreating form of Cloud Retainer from above.

Panic grips you again, and you immediately return to your stone cold haven.

They've discovered your existence—they're after you.

After the defeat of your brother, they've come to deal with you next. Since the destruction your brother had caused, surely only death would befall you as punishment in suit.

Tears gather in your eyes again and you muffle a weep. Your body stiffens at the sound of a shuffle from the cave's mouth, and your throat tightens.

Slowly, you stand, keeping silent as the intruder grows closer. You take in one last breath, deciding to play defense as there was no where for you to go.

You summon your catalyst which rotates with your elemental, encased in a bubble with strands of water circling around it. In your spare hand you generates the first burst of hydro, ready to attack.

Anticipation and anxiety flood you as a head pops around the corner, followed by a body with a sword in their hand.

Without hesitation, you clench your eyes shut and let out a battle cry, throwing down your elemental and attacking at a rapid pace.

While your original attack is not powerful, it's continuous onslaught is fast and taxing.

Yells of alarm and pain are heard from the intruder, voices reverberating around the cave.

"Wait! W-Wait!"

"[name]—Wait! It's me! Aether—t-the traveller!"

"A-Aether..?" You slowly cease your attack and peek your eye open, gasping at the sight of the familiar blond male and his floating mushroom fairy companion, "oh! Archons..! Aether, Paimon—I'm so sorry!"

The traveller gives you a sheepish grin whilst Paimon shakes the remaining bubbles off her head, smiling at you.

"Don't sweat it!" The little fairy dismisses.

"So this is where you've been hiding, huh?" Aether comments, "are you okay?"

You shrug, weapon dissapating, "I..I don't know. I've been too afraid to leave, and had fallen asleep in my grief... I don't know how to feel."

The male hums, "Liyue has been looking for you, you know," his voice is gentle, "come on. Everyone is worried."

With a bit more coaxing, the traveller and his companion manage to lead you out of the cave.

You freeze at the sight of someone waiting outside.

Xiao had been standing guard the mouth of the cave, waiting for Aether's return. His hardened eyes meet yours, and you cower in fear, re-summoning your catalyst on a whim.

Your hands bubble with hydro.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Take it easy!" Paimon flies in front of you, waving her arms about frantically, "it's just Xiao! Paimon knows he looks scary, but Paimon promises he's really nice! Deep, deep down!"

You glance between Paimon and the adeptus, who eyes you back wearily.

"He...he's not here to kill me..?"

"Kill you?" Everyone is taken aback by the statement, "why would he kill you?" Aether furrows his brows worriedly, "we've been searching for you for days."

"And Zhongli's been worried sick!" Paimon chips in.

"Z-Zhongli..?" Your eyes flutter, and your guard lowers, "oh no... please—take me to him..!" And so they do.

A weary but rushed trip back to Liyue Harbour consisted of Paimon fretting over you and lowkey (okay, highkey) freaking out over the fact that you were indeed another archon, you fearing for your life whenever Xiao so much as glanced at you, and Aether reassuring you that no one wanted you dead. 

Reaching the harbour was like a slap in the face for you, of both uncertainty and relief--relief at the fact that most were safe, and casualties were little, but uncertain of how those who knew you would react to you returning, especially the Qixing and Zhongli.

You wondered if the Qixing will let you roam or imprison you for your brother's acts, or if Zhongli will shadow you in favour for his city--though that would be fair, you conclude.

They are his people after all. 

"Baby pearl!" Your head perks up at the name, head darting around in search for the source of the watery call, "oh, thank the archons!"

Your papa comes barreling towards you, unshed tears glistening in his dark brown eyes as he wraps his arms around your frazzled form, "you're safe..! You're safe..." 

"P-Papa..." Tears, once again, well up in your pretty [colour] orbs, and you sniffle at the tightness of his hold, "...papa..!"

You let out a cry, sobbing into his shoulder, "I-I'm so sorry..!" 

"You're okay, pearl, you're oka-y!" The usually stoic captain's voice cracks, and he sniffles with you. As your tears die down, he straightens himself and clears his throat, turning towards your onlookers, "thank you, for bringing [name] back safe." 

Paimon tiltes her head slightly, "Hm? Doesn't he know that they're...?" She eyes you shaking your head rapidly and a lightbulb goes off in Paimon's head, "Ooh! Paimon gets it. Yes! We kept them very safe indeed! Hehe." 

"Of course, sir," Aether nods respectfully, Xiao simply dozing off into his thoughts. 

"Papa," You gently call his attention, "have you seen Zhongli anywhere?"

The man scoffs, "Where haven't I seen him? He's been frantic since you left. He's either by the pavillion or the terrace. You've given the young man quite the fright."

You sweatdrop.

"Ah, y-yes..." You give your papa one more shaky smile, planting a grateful kiss on his scruffy cheek, "I'll be back soon okay? I promise I won't be going anywhere again."

"Hmph, you better... now, come on you lot! We could use a few more hands down by the docks!"

Xiao promptly disappears at that, with Paimon groaning and Aether simply smiling and giving a polite nod before heading off to help. 

With that, the young archon begins making their way towards the destinated areas, checking the pavillion first before heading up to the terrace.

Anxiety pulses in your heart momentarily, but you quickly dismisses it--like papa said, Zhongli had been frantic, so you have nothing to worry about. 

Making your way up the stairs, you ignore the eyes of a certain ginger who walks opposite to you, watching as you pass him by.

Reaching the top, disbelief takes over your very being.

Your jaw drops and your shoulders sag at the amount of shock coursing through you. 

There, atop the end of the terrace, was Zhongli talking to a man only a few blue hairs taller than him.

His clothes are slightly tattered, and still loose, reflecting colours of the ocean depths. His skin, though pale, is slightly bruised. And although his brows are furrowed ever so slightly, the smallest of smiles rests confortably on his thin lips. 

It was Osial. 

Your brother.

Your brother. 

Talking to Zhongli. 

The geo archon. 

Civilly. 

How in the abyss were you suppose to react to this?

How the hell are you suppose to approach them?

Do you say hi to your brother first? Would Zhongli be offended? Or do you greet your lover? But wouldn't Osial be mad then? You couldn't really just waltz over either, you'd just been recovered from hiding. What does someone even say after that?

Your mind races with these conflicted thoughts, eyes dazed and mouth still agape in shock. 

You blink.

"Ah, [name]," Your brother addresses you first, the two men turning their attention to your figure, "dear one..."

His gaze is soft, a regretful look on his features. His shoulders are no longer held back and squared, and his chin is no longer held up so high. Sadness overwhelms him at your lack of response.

You continue to stare, only taking small, slow steps towards them. 

"I..." He sighs, "my dearest kin... I am so... sorry. Truly. It was I, who was corrupt, not you. Never you." His throat tightens, but he continues.

"So many years under trapped under the surface made my mind weary, and I was easily influenced by those you call the Fatui. I had not meant to hurt you, or cause you great fear... My mind was overwhelmed by anger when I was told that the very God who entrapped me had stolen you, forcefully entrapturing you," Osial closes his eyes in remorse, "it is only now that I learn it was all a ploy, and for that, I deeply apologi--"

He stops mid sentence, eyes snapping open in surprise with a silent breath. 

Once within arms length, you had thrown your arms around his waist, nuzzling into his chest with watery eyes. Osial looks down at you in bewilderment, Zhongli quietly chuckling at his expression off to the side.

You sniffle. 

"I'm just glad you're still here, big brother..." 

Blood rushes to the male's cheeks at the sentiment, and his own eyes begin to gloss over with unshed tears. He takes in a sharp breath, holding you close and tight. He rests his chin atop your head.

"As am I, dear one... I had taken you for granted..." Osial is the first to pull away, smiling down at you gently.

He cups your cheek in his hand, caressing it gently, "My, how you've grown... so beautiful and mature now. I've missed you, little one." 

"And I, you, dear brother..." You smile tearfully back up at him, leaning into his familial touch. He places a loving kiss on your forehead before releasing you, stepping away and looking towards the former geo archon.

Your eyes draw towards the dark haired man, stomach fluttering while your heart does flips. 

Zhongli smiles down at you fondly, gaze soft. He steps towards you, outstretching his arms before pulling you into a secure embrace. He nestles his nose unto your head, breathing in your familiar scent.

"You had me so incredibly worried..." You flush at his bold affection, nuzzling him back. 

"I know... I'm sorry." 

He pulls back to look at you, cupping your face in his hands, "It's alright, my love. You're here now, and we're safe. Everyone is."

Your breath hitches in your throat, heart thumping from his endearment. He leans closer to you, nose brushing against your as his eyes grow half lidded.

"...I'm overjoyed that you're safe--"

"Ahem," Osial clears his throat, interrupting you.

Your face blossoms in heat with embarrassment, and you turn away in shame from your brother. Osial's arms cross with a deadpan look on his face.

"Not in front of me, you overgrown reptile," Osial hisses.

Zhongli rolls his eyes. 

"Blink, then, you water-born cretin." 

With that, Zhongli leans down and captures your lips in a long overdue kiss.

A squeak escapes you at his uncharacteristic vigor, though you figure he's doing so to get on your brother's nerves. Despite that, you can't help but indulge, eyes fluttering shut and humming into the kiss.

Your mind goes haywire at the feeling of his tongue gently running over the plump flesh of your lips. You can feel his breath through his nose caressing you, the air breaking upon contact with your skin, and he moans lowly against your mouth. 

Osial gags at the sight, "Alright--alright! That's enough! Get your filthy hands off of my family, you decrepit fossil!" 

It's safe to say that his protests went on unheard. 

[heedmywarnings]

One last time

(Full Chapter)

In which you insult them one last time. (Aka me insulting pixels even tho I'm on Hiatus)

(Written when I was on Hiatus lmfao)

Warning: Cursing, lots of them.

》 - Chapter 2

Masterlist

♤~-~♤

You were finally captured. It took three months to get where you are, standing before you are the Archons who participated in the hunt, and now they will execute you.

"Before you here, is the Impostor that stole our beloved deity's face" Barbatos started, looking down upon the people, "As if you didn't" you said, barely a whisper "Would you like to repeat that, thief?" The Goddess of Justice whispered on your ear as she pulled your hair, "I SAID, AS IF YOU DIDN'T" you repeated, the crowd gasps because they are very very shocked because they gasped.

Also this moon cake im eating doenst taste good.

"What?"

"You were born from the desires of people, meaning if Decarabian wasn't a tyrant then you wouldn't even be born!" The crowd screams defending the Wind God, "Oh come on! He stole the face of his DEAD friend!" You yelled, "Don't get me started with how he abandoned his nation for the tyrants to just invade Mond. Lady Venessa freed Mondstadt from the Lawrence clan!" Technically, Venti did help but you need to get the crowd on your side.

"That's enough," Ei said approaching you as she unsheath her sword, "You also abandoned your nation! What? because your sister, THE TRUE RULER of Inazuma died?" At this point everyone is appalled.

"T-"

"Don't even get me started with you, you rat tailed motherfucker. You literally made a deal with the fatui, you knew Childe was gonna summon Osial and you let it happen. More so, you faked your own death because you didn't feel like ruling over Liyue? Or was it because you finally understood that you're just incapable of being an Archon? The only reason you survived the Archon War was the adepti and yaksha that you expended!"

"..."

"And who's to say you didn't commit any crime?" Ei said after the shock had dissipated, "What crime!? How do you think a mere mortal were to steal a God's face!?" You screamed through a horse voice, now you've got everyone talking, (like the jury in the Ace Attorney.)

"Is your god suffering from sever little-bitchitis to the point you'd hunt anybody who look REMOTELY similar to them?"

The Archons were stunned, it seemed like you made everyone hold their breathe. "Such blasphemy won't go unforgi-" "I don't need your forgiveness, you cockroach arthritis-suffering bitch," you cut Zhongli off.

"Hey now...let's not say something will regret, huh?" Nahida said, through the familiar gentle voice, "I won't regret anything that comes out of my mouth." You replied, not finding any reasons why Nahida should be insulted.

"By far, the only Archon that ever helped the Traveller was the Dendro Archon! And she was even locked up!" You said, "You, Barbatos, you just avoided any talk about traveller's twin. Morax, why did you sign a contract that silences you about their twin? Do they scare you that much? Are you really that weak and pathetic?" You said apathetically and sarcastically.

"I am under a contract, and I must abide by that contract," Zhongli replied with a more... confident form, you can't wait to crush it, "Didn't you also sign a contract with the mortals of Teyvat that you'd never hurt them? WELL WHAT ABOUT ME? WHY AM I AM EXCEPTION?" Technically, he didn't, but if they were gonna use lies and deception to win this argument, you might as well do the same.

"Because you're nothing but an Impostor, not even worthy to be called human" Ei said, striking her blade on your thigh, you gasped in pain. "Hah! And what are you? You were an Impostor that created another Impostor because you can't handle the guilt of being one!" At this point it was useless to argue, they were pissed off but the people? They don't believe you, but they've also lost faith to their Gods.

And so, what did you achieve? Death and your name on the history textbooks saying that you were the reason that Teyvat rebelled against their Gods...

So, are you ready to resurrect later in life to attack the Archons (verbally) once more?

Next chapter coming out idk when

[i-am-a-l0st-gh0st]

After the battle against Osial and urged on by Paimon, Lumine tracks Xiao down to confess her feelings, only to find him in a training session with his son, and you, his wife, sitting on the sidelines.

Meet me at our spot- Xiao x fem!reader

Baby, are you coming for the ride? T/w- Your married and have kid, fluff, angst Summary- As shown above

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Lumine pov 

After the battle with Osial everything in Liyue returned to normal. People went back to their daily lives almost unbothered that their city had almost been turned to ruins. Lumine, however, wandered the city only with her companion Paimon,

“Paimons saw the way he looked at you, Traveller!” Paimon squeaked. “You should tell Xiao how you feel!”

Lumine shot Paimon a death glance hoping people around them didn’t hear. “Paimon be quiet!”

“Paimons sorry.”

Lumine sighed accepting the apology, but maybe Paimon was right, maybe it was time to tell Xiao how she felt. When he saved her, the butterflies couldn’t be controlled, almost like would come out any second. His golden eyes stared into hers and he held his hand on her waist pulling her closer. That whole moment felt just like a dream.

Lumine’s blush seemed to get redder by the second and Paimon noticed this.

“Paimon thinks you should just tell him!”

This only caused her to blush more, how could she gather the courage to tell him? Sure Lumine had slain a dragon before but this was a different kind of courage. This courage could either strengthen or break a relationship. The worst he could say was no

Right?

Your pov

You sat on the sidelines lovingly watching your son and husband train together. Xiao had never cared for someone more, ever since you’d had this baby it was all he could talk about. It was time to pass down Xiao's fighting skills to your child so maybe one day he could win a fight against his dad.

“Go easy on him Love, he’s still a kid.”

Xiao huffed at your statement, sometimes he was the one who acted like a child. Well more so than yours anyway. Your son was a bit clumsy holding the spear, probably because it was double his size. Despite this, he still tried hard to be just like his dad. Xiao was someone who had been through a lot of stuff to get where he is today and you were determined to give your kid a good childhood. Unlike both yours and Xiaos.

“Dad maybe I need a smaller spear?” Your son whined

“Nonsense you’ll grow into it.”

“I don’t think he’ll grow much if you’re anything to go off.” You chuckled.

“Hey, I’m not that short!” Xiao shouted

“Sureee”

The family continued to train uninterrupted, going until the sun went down. Your son had fallen asleep and was lying in Xiao’s arms, he was gently snoring and tugging on his father's shirt. Xiao had his head on your shoulder, almost fallen asleep. For someone who ‘never got tired,’ he seemed awfully sleepy. You were happy with your family and never wanted it to change.

Lumine Pov

Lumine went to go see Xiao, tracking across the vast mountains and fields of Liyue. Only to find him with another woman. And a child. Her heart ached, he couldn’t be with Lumine. He was already with another person and had a child. Paimon stayed silent for the first time, feeling terrible she had played a part in her current state. She saw Xiao's smile, that pure smile. He was happy. and he was only going to be happy with you, his happiness was important. And if that meant letting him go, so be it.

“At least he’s happy. I just wish it was with me.”

Taglist

@pandragonsoul, @mxyarylla

[aha-chuu]

Natlan Act II Spoilers

So we get to see the fight between Capitano and Mavuika, thankfully (I remember Hoyo robbing us of Dainsleif vs Abyss Twin before). I just wanted to share my thoughts on it a little because it's kinda wacky?

So obviously the fight itself is sick as fuck, and Capitano and Mavuika match each other blow for blow. Then Mavuika lands a hit and Capitano retreats (with aide). Pretty solidly this is a win for Mavuika, but Kinich expresses afterwards that they were quite evenly matched. This is something Hoyo emphasises, presumably for two reasons: 1) maintain the stakes, and 2) keep up Capitano hype.

Because here's the thing. Harbinger losses - especially outright losses - aren't that common. Just look at all the gnoses they've gotten. What's a lot more common is this thread of harbingers "losing the battle but winning the war".

Discounting Mondstadt for being sort of short and tutorial esque, every other region plays with this.

In Liyue, we defeat Childe, he summons Osial, we defeat Osial, but Signora planned all that anyway.

In Inazuma, Scara defeats us, we defeat Signora, but that Scara defeat left him with the gnosis.

In Sumeru, Dottore fakes a retreat to lead us into a false sense of security! We may defeat Scara-mech, but Dottore is around the corner with sleeping gas and his own deal to get two gnoses.

In Fontaine... In Fontaine we're kind of working with the Fatui the whole time, so this really only applies to Childe losing to the oratrice and then the narwhal but that still helping Arlecchino anyway.

The point of all that was to demonstrate this trend. But, there's a secondary link between all of those events - the way the Fatui come out on top each time is through a scheme. We have about 50/50 (ha) odds across all these actual fights, but the Fatui have their 100% win streak via trickery and bargaining.

The Natlan archon quest establishes that Capitano won't use these methods. It is a divergence from most other harbinger characterisations.

Capitano flat out refuses to attack Mavuika while she is weakened, preferring a fair fight. This is not a strategic choice, for one, but he is also still injured - waiting for Mavuika to regain her power would place Capitano at the disadvantage.

This combination of factors does do a good job of setting up Capitano as a character, but it leaves some weaknesses in establishing him as an antagonist. We're used to harbingers essentially having plot armour when it comes to gnosis hunting, via the trusty method of "oh well all that was their plan all along" and a hand off off screen. In this quest, Hoyo pretty much cuts that option off: Capitano's attempt on the gnosis is too brazen, his ideology too steadfast. But since he loses against Mavuika in a fair fight, Hoyo risks lowering the stakes. If Capitano couldn't beat Mavuika already, there's no way he will beat her when injured and refusing to attack while she's vulnerable. So why should we be worried about whatever "threat" he poses?

Hoyo brush this aside a little by having Kinich claim they're pretty evenly matched, implying Mavuika won more by chance than totally overpowering Capitano. It's also not unlikely that another harbinger will show up later and take over gnosis duty. But Capitano is No1... Is he really just here to show off how strong Mavuika is? And exactly how is Mavuika so strong?

According to Nahida, the top three harbingers are archon level powerful. She claimed to have no chance in a fight against Dottore, who is no2. Ofc, her combat strength is pretty low, whereas Mavuika's is obviously much higher.

Raiden was strong enough to incinerate Signora in one slash. With that context, Capitano putting up any fight against Mavuika seems impressive.

Narratively, there is no way to do a satisfying rematch with the current set up. Which makes me think that Hoyo aren't planning on a rematch at all - but a team up.

The event that took place in Act I can be broken down into three stages:

Group contest (Kachina & Mualani vs everyone else)

Solo fights (Kachina vs Mualani)

Actual war (group vs Abyss)

I think that this sequence will end up being representative of the Natlan plot, and more specifically reflect the dynamic between Capitano and Mavuika.

What if, 500 years ago, Capitano was part of Mavuika's group. Not necessarily in the big war against the abyss, even, perhaps before that. It would explain his ties to the Natlan of the past, at the very least.

Then the present: Capitano fighting Mavuika for the right to change Natlan's "rules", just a few days after the pilgrimage competitors used the same arena to battle each other for the right to protect Natlan against the abyss. Those "rules" he spoke about we know to be the methods and rituals that slow down the abyssal assault. That makes Capitano and Mavuika's duel also to decide who can protect Natlan from the abyss.

The future: team up. Maybe aligning with Mualani and Kachina, Capitano could appear to rescue Mavuika later on, despite losing to her in the arena. This doesn't mean they'd be besties like the girls are, rather that these same general actions could take place, regardless of individual motivation.

I just can't see another satisfying route with what we currently have

[musings-ofthe-unamused]

In the Depths of the Ocean (Genshin Impact

Pairing: Osial x GN!Reader

Wordcount: 4.2k

Warnings: NSFW, tentacles, boat sex

A/N: I wrote this years ago for some Genshin friends so... have it as a treat as I work up some other fanfics for y'all

The giveaway is ongoing until October 15th! All you have to do is like, and you'll be entered!

The ocean was dark and cruel. It was never your favorite, despite you living near the harbor. It was always a fear of yours to set off in a boat only to be swallowed whole by aegean waves. Funnily enough, you came from a family of fishermen. Well, your father was a fisherman and your mother was a merchant. As a child, you would sit on the edge of the dock waiting for your father to come back. Every day, without fail, he would appear on the horizon, waving his arm and shouting your name. Every single day.

Except for today.

“He won’t come back,” Your mother was despondent, sitting by the window and looking at the calming sunset. “He’s with the ocean now.”

“Of course mother. I made some dinner, so please eat, ok? I have to go out for a bit”

Your mother didn’t move. It had been like this for a week. It was her way of mourning her husband. But you didn’t want to mourn. You didn’t need to. Your father was out there and you were going to find him. It was a terrible plan, sailing out to sea when you haven’t done so before. But you refused to do anything else. It was time to get over your fear.

There wasn’t much to take with you. A bag haphazardly filled with food and a large jug of water was all you needed. There was some gut feeling inside of you leading you to believe that he wasn’t so far from Liyue. You kissed Mother’s head, reminding her once again of the dinner you made. The door was light as you swung it shut, your body heavy as you trudged towards the docks. Not many people were milling about, only the Millelth and three or four fisherman coming back from sea. The weather was clear, clearer than it had been for a whole week. The air was crisp. A nice strong breeze blew through your hair. 

As you made your way to the edge of the docks where the boats were stationed, you spotted a lone man checking the ropes on a small boat. You sighed slightly. If you were going to get another lecture, you’d rather ask someone else for help. But he was the only option at the moment. The only cheap option. You dropped the sack and jug into the boat, making it sway. The older man straightened, looking at you with unease as he held his hand out to you.

“If you could not haphazardly throw things about, that would be very kind of you.”

“You’re strong enough to keep yourself steady,” You grabbed his hand. “You are a Qixing after all, Uncle Tian.”

He laughed heartily as you stepped into the boat. His hand was strong and calloused. Like Father’s. Your brow furrowed as you took a deep breath, preparing yourself. Did you know how to work a boat? No. Did you know how to navigate? No. Were you hopeless when it came to directions and often got lost? Yes. None of this would stop you. If Rex Lapis was kind and if he cared about the people of Liyue as much as that was preached, then he would lead you to your father. No fear was strong enough to the fear of losing someone you loved.

“The stars are bright. You won’t have trouble losing your way since you’re good at that...right?” 

“Sure, sure.” You frowned and turned towards him, crossing your arms.

“What?”

Uncle Tian was a mentor to your father and eventually became an honorary part of the family. He wasn’t as heartbroken when your father disappeared. You couldn’t tell if it was due to losing people in his long lifetime, or the hardened heart of a businessman. It made you bitter, either way. You were just ready to leave.

“Ok, this old man can take a hint. Just… be careful.”

“I will, Uncle Tian.

“I’ll keep an eye on your mother,” He said as he got off the boat. 

“Thank you.”

Without another word, he pushed you off to sea. You sat down slowly, grasping the paddle in your hand. You couldn’t watch the harbor grow small behind you. It would be a sign that you were leaving forever. And you weren’t. You and your father would make it back safe and sound. The shaking in your hands stopped as you dipped the paddle into water. It moved languidly as you pushed through it, from side to side. Uncle Tian was right. The stars were awfully bright tonight. You sang a song quietly as you kept paddling. It was best to keep your mind distracted.

After a good thirty minutes, you stopped paddling to rest. Your breath was the only thing you could hear. You were far enough out from land where you couldn’t hear a single wave. The waters were calm and inviting. There was no light except for the stars glowing down onto you. It was peaceful. You leaned over the side of the boat. The waters were too dark to see. Although, you weren’t sure what you were looking for in the first place.

“Hmmm, what do we have here?” A voice so deep it made your body crumble to the ground disturbed the once calm waters.

Luminescent blue slowly flowed from the darkness. It was dull at first, growing brighter from the darkness. You’ve heard of bioluminescent creatures in the ocean, but these looked like giant tentacles. It grew so bright it was piercing your eyes as you shut them incredulously. You felt something underneath your chin, tilting it up. It was warm yet felt like air itself. Were you hallucinating?

“Open your eyes.” 

You did as you were told. It was…a man? No, it wasn’t. It looked human, but it transcended any conceived thought of what you knew humans to be. Their navy blue eyes stared into yours. Their hair was light blue, flowing behind them as if it had a life of its own. Their clothes were..your eyes grew wide as you realized they were barely wearing any clothes. Only a pair of plain looking shorts. 

“Who…who are you?” A small voice, your small voice spiked almost involuntarily. 

“Shouldn’t I be asking you that?” They leaned in close, their nose brushing yours. “You’re in my waters, after all.”

“Your...waters?”

“Ha!” Their laugh shook the boat. “Have they not taught you anything? Do you not recognize what is before you?”

“I..I don’t-”

The person melted into a puddle of water, seeping through unseen cracks in the boat. The blue light appeared again as the waters grew rough, rocking the boat. You clung desperately to the side. Then you saw it. Rising from the water were five heads connected to an unseen body in the waters. Your heart pounded as you realized just what you were looking at. A head slithered down, facing you directly. Fear shook your body but curiosity made you lean forward, caressing the head gently with your hand. 

“You’re...Osial?”

“So you have heard of me.” They spoke once again, seemingly inside your head.

“Of course I have but I was under the impression you were sealed away.”

Water crashed down on you as Osial once again changed forms. They were back into the human-like entity, your hand still on their head. Osial was smiling, nuzzling their head into your hand. You shivered realizing you were now soaking wet, in the middle of the ocean, with a supposedly sealed away god on your boat. 

“I am sealed away,” Osial spoke after a second, grabbing your hand off their head. “But I have just enough power to briefly appear in my hydra form. Or, appear in this human form for longer.”

“Humans don’t really have tentacles for hair.” You giggled.

“They don’t? I guess I’m special then.”

You jumped slightly as he wrapped his arms around you. Your eyes closed and you wrapped your arms around them. It wasn’t until they became scalding hot that you pushed yourself away in surprise. What were you doing? You were supposed to be looking for your father, cuddling up to an ancient and evil god.

“What are you doing?” You hissed, touching your now red skin. “That hurt!”

“You were cold and wet. So I tried warming you up.”

“Why would you-” You took a slow, deep, breath. “I don’t have time for this.”

“Are you looking for something?” Osial tilted their head. 

“Yes. My father.” You turned from the god. “He got lost at sea last week.”

“I can help you.”

“You can?!” You whirled around. 

“For a price.”

The corners of their lips curled up into an almost sinister smile. Another shiver was sent down your spine as you realized what you were up against. You didn’t know their plans or motives. Nor did you know if they would ensure your father’s safety if you were to find him. Then again, you were desperate enough to do anything. 

“Will you swear not to harm him and bring him home safe and sound?”

“I promise.”

“Then…I want to form a contract.” You nodded, sitting on the bench of the boat. 

“Ah, my least favorite word,” Osial sat next to you. “But we are in his land after all. What are your terms?”

“First of all, like I mentioned, no harm to my father. I also want you to not tell him who you are. He’s…quite the devoted follower of Rex Lapis.”

“Go on,” They sneered slightly at the mention of the God of Contracts.

“I also don’t want to die. As in…don’t take my soul or something in exchange for my father’s safe return. Finally, I want to forget this exchange after all is done.”

“Oh? And why is that?”

“I don’t think I can sleep soundly knowing an ancient evil god is still conscious is probably plotting the demise of the man who built my home. Haha…Anyway! Any objections?”

“It sounds perfect to me.” They grinned. 

“Then…what do you want me to do? And your terms?” You swallowed thickly. 

“I want you to lay with me.”

“Like…on the deck of the boat? It’s kinda shaky, but the rocking might be ni- oh. Oh.”

Your face flushed immensely as you realized the weight of their words. Osial wants you to lay with them. You pinched yourself, hard, hoping this was some sort of dream. It wasn’t. When you said you’d do anything for your father, you weren’t expecting this. At all. If anything, you were expecting him to give you the current whereabouts of Rex Lapis or at least find a way to break the seal that currently held him (mostly) captive. 

“I have needs. And being locked away for centuries upon centuries…” They paused, then leaned in and nipped at your ear. “I’m hungry.”

“I-I-”

Hungry. The word itself held a banal meaning for you, never once being a thing so serious. In that you were lucky, grateful. You were not dense enough to not realize the true meaning of the god’s words. It was the first time someone had spoken of you in this nature. If you were being quite honest, it flustered you. Romance was never a thing on your mind, and you were sure that this had absolutely nothing to do with romance in the first place...but it was always associated with it. You took a deep breath, pulling away from them.

“Listen, uh...?”

“Just Osial is fine.”

“Ok, Just Osial. Look, I'm not sure I can do this. I mean I’ve never done,” You motioned wildly with your hands. “Anything of that nature. Do you...do you even need to do this?”

“No,” They shrugged. “But I want to. Before that nuisance struck me down, life was all pleasure and power. And oh how I’ve missed the pleasure.”

“What about the power?”

“All in due time, my flower. Now, do you accept the contract? I promise I’ll be gentle. I’m sure you’ll be begging for more anyhow.”

They held out their hand, a smirk on their face. Of course this was a stupid idea. There was no working around that. Any doubt that you had consumed your stomach, twisting and turning it upside down filling you with nausea - it had to be pushed down and forgotten. It will be forgotten. This whole incident. It wouldn’t be as bad if you can’t remember? Right? You took their hand gingerly, shaking it once.

With a gentle pull, Osial’s lips found yours almost immediately. They truly wasted no time in rediscovering how it felt to touch a human body. When Osial said life was pleasure and power, they meant it. Practiced hands traveled all along your body, playfully biting at your bottom lip. They reveled in the way that a simple kiss on the soft skin of your neck had drawn out a quiet moan. Osial was skilled in everything they did. Proud with getting an immediate reaction, they bit down on your skin.

“Ah…” You sighed, tilting your neck to give them more room. “Slow…slow down.”

“Hmm? It seems you’re enjoying yourself,” They murmured. “Are you sure you want me to slow down?”

You said nothing and instead closed your eyes. There was something in the way they spoke, a fire igniting in your lower stomach as they left wet trails of kisses down your neck. Osial smirked, knowing exactly what was happening. Of course, as a god, they had full confidence that their skills were enough to get the job done and more. But what’s a little aphrodisiac to get you in the mood? Their hands gripped the edge of your shirt, pulling it over your head. The cool wind nipped at your skin and you involuntarily leaned towards Osial for warmth. They chuckled and kissed down your skin, making sure to leave no inch of you unmarked.

“Os...Osial,” You murmured, your hands weaving through their hair. “What did you do?”

“Oh? Figured it out already? Just wanted to make this a little more fun.”

You didn’t protest. You couldn’t. The aphrodisiac wasted no time, making your body overheat, every touch amplified. Osial's lips found purchase around your nipples, sucking and biting. You mewled softly, arching your back as you pulled him closer. Their hands wrapped around you and he gently laid you down on the deck of the boat. Osial straightened, staring down at your body with greed. Your cheeks were flushed, your eyes watery and glazed over as you squirmed at the sudden absence of touch. Glowing blue tentacles sprouted from Osial’s back. Your eyes widened. 

“Don’t look scared now, my flower,” They pulled down your pants and underwear. “I promise I’ll fulfill our contract in no time.”

Four tentacles wrapped themselves around both your arms and legs, spreading you out all for Osial. They leaned forward, kissing you with more passion than the first. It was a sort of distraction as another tentacle curled around your waist to hold you steady. A sticky essence dripped from every tentacle, covering your center in an aphrodisiac lube. Osial slowly thrust their hips forward, entering you slowly. The sensation made you throw your head back with blinding pleasure. Osial let out a low groan as they bottomed out.

“Ah...hahahaha, fuck-” Osial laughed, their voice melting into a moan. “It’s been so long.”

They started to slowly and deeply thrust into you. You could feel everything from their tentacles pulsing around you to the ribbed feeling pumping in and out of you. Osial stretched you out to your limits, moaning as their pace sped up. One of their hands traveled down your torso and you let out another moan as they added another level of pleasure.

“Do you wish to forget me now?” They murmured, their other hand gently caressing your face. 

“No, please I-“ Your whines were pathetic but oh so delicious to the god’s ears. “I need more.”

“Oh? But we wouldn’t want to break the contract. Then your beloved Rex Lapis will know. He’ll know that his loyal subject prefers getting violated, filled, pleasured by an enemy of Liyue. Do you want that?”

With every word, you felt the cooling slither of tentacles around your body. Every square inch was covered in Osial’s essence. If anyone had witnessed this, you would be called a heretic, a traitor to Liyue and its history. But fuck that. With every hard thrust inside of you, your body squirming to get closer and closer to them, your mind lost all sense of self. You wanted this. You wanted Osial. You wanted more. 

“No, no, I want you,” You whined. “Give me more Osial, please.”

Osial let out a loud and boisterous laugh. With one more thrust, a tentacle joined inside of you. Your mouth opened in a silent scream. You felt full. If it weren’t for the amount of aphrodisiacs flowing through your body, it would have been painful. Instead it felt dull and overwhelming. A knot formed in your stomach as Osial lost all control of their sanity. Being locked away for centuries did terrible wonders on the psyche. Osial wasn’t known for keeping their cool, but in this instance, they would do anything to chase a pleasure that has been taken from them. The two tentacles holding your legs open unwrapped from you. One wrapped around your neck, the other forcing its way into your mouth. You choked around it, your eyes rolling in the back of your head. Osial’s eyes glowed, loving the way you struggled to moan against the tentacle. They tightened their grip around your neck just enough to amplify the pleasure. Your body started to shake.

“Hmm? Are you getting close?” Osial grinned. “Ha...Hold out for just a little longer, dear.”

Your legs were propped up on their shoulders, allowing Osial to hit the very spot that drove you crazy. Their breath stuttered, their thrusts growing sloppy. It took everything in you to hold back the orgasm that was itching to be free. Osial took the tentacle from your mouth. Their hand gripped your face, moving it so you were staring directly at them. They wanted to see how much pleasure they gave you, how your mind was on them and only them.

“Come on then, darling,” They hissed. “Show me how much you love this.”

With a final thrust, both you and Osial reached your climax. You felt them release into both your mouth and down in your core. Osial groaned, pulling out of you and closing their eyes. You spit out all the extra essence and your body went limp. Osial’s tentacles wrapped around you again, pulling you to their chest. Everything was silent save from the panting coming from both of you. The tentacles retracted themselves and Osial held you in their own arms, nuzzling against you. 

As you rested, your body and mind were cleared of the fog. Every muscle felt weak and sore, not to mention your throat. Did you regret this? That remains to be seen. You haven’t felt that much pleasure ever. It was overwhelming. You glanced at Osial. They were hugging you tightly as if they didn’t want to let go.It could be written off as post coital bliss, but you actually wanted to stay with them a little longer. 

“So…” You sighed. “We did that.”

“We did.”

“Uhm…”

“Did you enjoy it?”

“I refuse to answer.” You pouted.

“Embarrassed, are we?” They bit at your neck. “How about we go one more round then? To make sure that you enjoyed it. I wouldn’t mind hearing my name fall from your lips like a prayer.”

“That’s enough,” You pushed them away and sat up. “Is our contract fulfilled?”

Osial said nothing. If you blinked, you would have missed the disappointment that flashed in their eyes. The waters around you rocked the boat gently, and you scooted closer to them. They must have felt lonely. Being locked away for so long without contact with anyone. If you were naive (more than you are now), you would have felt bad for the god. But you weren’t. And this was a contract, nothing more. Contracts were not meant to be broken. You were in Rex Lapis’s land after all. 

“Our contract is fulfilled.” Osial stood. “You should rest now. Taking memories takes a toll. Not as much as our activity just did.”

“Thank you for helping me find my father.”

“If you ever wish to keep me company, my waters are always open to you.”

“Of course, Osial.”

Your voice was sickeningly sweet. It was painful. They wanted to hear their name over and over, feel your body crave them. Fate was cruel, and Morax was even crueler. Had it not been for him, maybe Osial wouldn’t be feeling such pathetic emotions. Jealousy, wanting, possessiveness. It was just one night yet they underestimated how much they would enjoy it. With a wave of their hand, you slowly fell onto your side in a peaceful sleep. Osial dressed you all back up, making sure you were comfortable. Small blue particles that looked like fireflies surrounded your sleeping face. It was done. Osial was nothing more than a terrible tall tale.

•••

“Hey, kiddo, wake up!”

“What the fuck?” You quickly sat up looking around.

“Thank god!!”

You squinted, the bright light of the sun blinding you. Waves crashed against the sand as you took a look around. Sand. Sand? Your hands dug into it, the cool feeling of it slipping through your fingers waking you up. Weren’t you out at sea looking for your father? Father. You gasped and stood, shakily taking a step with your groggy body. You had to find him. You had to go back and find him.

“Woah, woah, hold up! Take a step back, kiddo.”

Kiddo. You finally looked at who was grabbing your shoulders. It was him. It was your father. You let out a sob and hugged him tightly, refusing to let go. He was here and he was alive. You would be damned if you let him out of your sight again. He chuckled softly, his voice cracking as he rubbed your back. You could tell he had gone through a rough journey by the way his hands shook. You pulled away slightly.

“I thought you’d never come back!”

“Here I am,” Father tilted his head. “It’s odd...I don’t really remember going out to sea. Nor do I remember crashing.”

“Really?”

“I found both of you here on the beach,” You turned to see Uncle Tian crossing his arms. “A bunch of trouble, the lot of ya.”

“Thank you, Uncle Tian.” You smiled.

“Thank you? I should’ve never let you go alone! This could have all been avoided.” He huffed. 

“Are you telling me my child, the one with the fear of the ocean, went out there all by themself?”

“Of course I did!’ You shook his shoulders. “You disappeared!! I had to find you! Do you know how despondent Mother is? Don’t ever do that again!”

You hugged him again. It was quite a tearful sight. Tian watched with loving eyes. There was nothing like a family being reunited. Something ate at him though. He wasn’t sure if he should bring it up, but curiosity killed the cat. With an awkward cough he stepped forward. You and your father both glanced at him. Tian’s face contorted slightly but then he finally spoke up.

“So, uhh...Do you remember anything? From after you sailed off?”

“Yeah! I remember going pretty far out. It was pretty cold but the water was quiet. Then I saw this...I saw...there was…” You trailed off. 

A piercing pain exploded in the middle of your head. You doubled over. How could you not remember? Everything was so clear in your mind up to the point of you stopping in the middle of the ocean. Father wrapped his arm around you. You slowly straightened, your brows furrowed. You had a nagging feeling that you should remember.

“Sorry I-...I must be dehydrated. Why do you ask?” 

“You were muttering in your sleep and you have odd bruises all over you. It also looks like you were bound.”

“Muttering?” Your father asked.

“Something about...a contract?” “Must’ve been a weird dream!” You suddenly spoke up, forcing out a laugh. “I do that sometimes...We should go get some rest now, right Father?”

“Right…” He shared a glance with Tian. “We should get going. Thank you for everything, Tian.”

“No problem. You all take care now.”

The two of you walked off, waving goodbye. Your father was relatively unscathed besides a few cuts here and there. You, however, were covered in dark red and purple bruises. Your wrists were red and you felt as if your throat was on fire. Something had happened out there. Flashes of blue painfully crossed through your mind whenever you tried to think about it. Whatever it was, you weren’t supposed to remember.

Father held onto your hand, forcing you out of your stupor. His smile brought you back to Teyvat. Maybe you didn’t have to remember. All that mattered now was that your father was here and alive. Your family was whole again. For now, you could ignore the voice in the back of your mind calling you back to the ocean. 

[shiori42art]

Royalty AU! AU summary below! ✨

(Royalty AU + Omegaverse + a bit Furry)

Mondstadt. Kingdom of crops, large meadows and good wine. Most of its inhabitants are winged beings (For example Jean is an eagle, Kaeya a peacock. But there are other animals like Diluc who is a lion or Klee a bunny!)

It is ruled by Decarabian (Alpha, bluish black wings) and his wife Istaroth (Omega, white wings) Their heirs are the Bard (Who I call Dorian in my AUs until Mihoyo gives me his damn name) (Beta, tan wings) and Venti (Omega, white wings with turquoise accents) they are twins!

Decarabian was unfaithful, her lover was Amos which caused Istaroth to execute her and leave the kingdom, leaving Deca as a single father, LOL. He totally invested in his little children. Super protective father.

Dorian being the oldest for a few minutes and a Beta was chosen to occupy the throne when Decarabian passes the command or is no longer there. He was raised to be the next king, although he hates the word "rule" he prefers to say that he took care of Mondstadt.

But two years ago Dorian contracted the terrible disease of eleazar, he was on the verge of death then but he survived. He now has to rest a lot, suffers from fatigue and muscle pain, sometimes black scales grow on his body causing numbness.

Decarabian searched for the best doctor specialized in the disease, who turned out to be the Fenec Tighnari (Omega) of Sumeru, where this disease is somewhat more common there. Tighnari travels from time to time to treat Dorian.

When the scales cover a certain amount of his body they must be removed, this is very painful and Dorian spends a lot of time in bed, although when he feels better he usually plays music in the garden.

His personal guard the Red Knight (A lion Alpha, I called him Brend because I don't have his name either) has been in charge of his care since he contracted the disease and spending so much time together sparked the spark of love!!

A secret love, of course, only Venti and some gossips like Kaeya (Omega, Captain of the cavalry and Venti's best friend) know about it.

All this made Dorian unable to govern properly, there is no cure for his disease and they know that if it worsens he will not live much longer. So Decarabian, much to his regret, had to pass on to his second son, Venti.

But since we're in a dumb old monarchy, an omega can't rule by itself! So Deca must make an arranged marriage for his precious omega son (Imagine Decarabian raging here, no one touches his child)

And of the 6 kingdoms that remain, what better than to ally with the beautiful neighboring kingdom? Liyue! A huge kingdom, full of mountains and a booming economy with its huge port. The Liyue royals have money, trade, good relations with the other kingdoms, they are perfect.

Liyue is ruled under the harsh dynasty of Osial (Alpha Blue Dragon) his wife Beisht (Quillin Omega) his eldest son and heir Zhongli (Alpha Dragon-Quilin) his middle sister Ninnguang (Alpha white and gold Dragon) and little sister Ganyu ( Quilin Omega)

Zhongli has a complex because he is the only one who is a mix, he is embarrassed by the soft golden hair on his tail, and his father does not hide his disgust.

So Osial does not hesitate to accept the neighboring kingdom's offer, it is his chance to gain territory and get his son out of sight, leaving his favorite daughter Ningguang in control of the port.

In order not to look bad in front of the other nations, Decarabian throws one of his famous parties, this time with the theme of courting his son. Although he has a contract prepared for Liyue.

At the party Venti is very upset to find out about this whole thing, but he meets Zhongli and they hit it off right away! Despite being a dragon he is not scary like the Kitsune that Ianzuma rules (Ei is here, sent by Makoto, her courtship fails even though she was not interested lol)

Still things are awkward and embarrassing between them! They dance, and Venti is fascinated by the sparkling jewels that decorate Zhongli's horns (He likes things that sparkle, he's a bird) Zhongli gives him one of his chains, making a small bracelet as a courtship gift.

They are cute! Meanwhile Osial only examines Venti with disgust, but approves of his wide hips which will be useful for egg-laying, the contract calls for an heir after all.

After the dance, the next day it is announced that Zhongli was the winner of the courtship and the arranged marriage is official!

Venti wants to run away from all this, and refuse marriage, at least leave it for a few years to really meet Zhongli. But Osial threatens that if they don't get married now, Dorian will have to marry Ganyu.

Zhongli is horrified because his sister is still very young, and Venti does not intend to destroy the life of his brother who is in love with his knight, besides that stress could worsen his illness.

So Venti accepts the marriage.

There is a lot of drama and many more characters here! But maybe one day I'll be encouraged to write fic! For the moment I will continue roleplaying happily with my homie and making silly drawings of this

Thank you for reading!

[rian1023]

Fatui Harbingers +Tsaritsa x Fairy Reader Brainrot. Feel free to use this in anyway tbh.

TW! Cussing, mentions of murder, yandere, guilt tripping, gaslighting, like omg.

Ok, so Childe finds a mysterious flower in the wild. Snezhnaya to be specific.

Boi would be confused like 'Why tf is there a flower in the snow and how is it alive??' just yanks it out, places it in his jacket and goes back to plant it.

Brings it everywhere since it gave him luck. Like, he surprisingly didn't get nagged by his mom when he visited, his workload was smol, and he def didn't get a punishment when he summoned Osial.

Brings the dang flower(aka you, but unborn) everywhere. EVEN TO HARBINGER MEETINGS.

So one day, the flower glows and blooms.

Yey, you're born now, everyone is in shock, when you spread your wings and smile.

You're so confused like 'who is you?' And 'where tf am I?'

The Tsaritsa is speechless, she loves cute and adorable things and there's you.

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

"I guess it's not just a flower..?" Childe smiles nervously. Looking at your confused, but happy face as you rub his finger on your head, nearly makes him go through a heart attack.

"What a lovely specimen!" Il Dottore, smiles creepily.

"What a lovely tune she makes!~" The sing song voice adds.

"Never in my life have I seen such an interesting creature such as this." Pierro says surprised by you.

"Let's keep an eye on the creature and see if anything happens." The Tsaritsa holds back on taking you for herself like she is making plans to have you already.

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

They spoil you like crazy.

Colombina buys you a big ass dollhouse, Pantalone buys custom miniature clothes, Dottore gives you miniature laboratory stuff, Childe gives you miniature utensils and stuff, Arlecchino is buying miniature weapons cuz why not?

They pet you 24/7, there is no stopping the petting especially when you lean your head to their finger.

Your wings help you fly around and about, sometimes you bring some things...

"Lil Fairy what the fuck?!"

You brought a goddamn knife.

Your just like(•;∆;•) 'Was I not good?' and a sad face that gives them heavy guilt on their hearts.

You tear up and all hell breaks loose. The Tsaritsa takes you and you get close to her.

You give them silent treatment if they do something you don't like.

For example, when Childe took the knife you had as he scolded you.

He never did it again, nor will he ever do it in the future.

A big ass ball arrives and the visitors see you, on the Tsaritsa' shoulder, happily munching on some (favourite food) and (favourite drink)

The shock is unmeasurable.

An assassin comes, sees you and changes his life goals. He decided to take you.

Oh boy was that messy...

Let's just say your 'guardians' aka Harbingers 'talked' to him about it.

La Siñora didn't go to Inazuma since Scaramouche took the dang electro gnosis and gave it to you. So we're the others but meh.

You play with the gnosis not knowing its value.

Dress up with the Female Harbingers is a definite YES.

One day in a meeting...

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

"Y-y/n!" You say, all eyes are on you now.

"What was that lil Fairy?" Pulcinella asks.

"My name is Y/n!" You exclaim loudly, they obviously don't know what happens.

"That's a lovely name... Y/n.." The Tsaritsa nods.

A bright ass light glows on their wrist, and a symbol appears.

"When a Fairy says their name, they are bound to those people and share their power and knowledge to those who know their name." You say it so casually.

"It also means that I trust you all very much to tell you my true name, so don't forget that!" You giggle and their hearts are basically in your smol tiny hands.

They all smile smirk as the thought of you staying with them forever and never leaving them like they would even let you.

"What an honour, what do these powers and knowledge do you mean?" Dottore asks curiously.

"Powers... uhh, immense luck, strength boost, speed boost, regeneration, Physical Damage is increased, Elemental Damage increased, Elemental Resistance is Increased, Physical Resistance is Increased. As for knowledge, basically anything I know in Teyvat whether past present or future. Forgot to mention I can grant 11 wishes." You say out of breath, like that's a lot.

"My goodness, what a blessing to have~" Pantalone smiles at you.

"But y/n, did you have other people that you were bound to in the past?" Arlecchino asks.

"Yeah, some good and some bad-"

"Who hurt you?" Scaramouche asks, seems like he has some pests to take care of.

"Hmn.. Well there's ______, ____...." You say the names of your previous masters, if they were still alive, they won't be for long lmao.

The Tsaritsa whispers something to the first Harbinger. "Kill the bitches."

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

Oh no, someone hurt you? Oops! My knife slipped and went through their arteries and they bled out and died a slow and painful death!

Who? They're already six feet underground buried alive! You don't know they're alive tho-

Really? Oh dear, was their successful business shut down?

So yeah, basically are your guardians, don't tell them about your love life tho-

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

"..Childe..?" You say flushed and embarrassed, you could actually grow in size, but you saved your strength and stayed smol and cute.

"Yes lil Fairy?" He asks, his nickname never left you.

"Uhh.. how do I confess-" here it comes-

"Are you that in love with someone that you want to leave us?"

They fucking guilt trip you.

"Oh..? Y/n, I thought you loved us very much..?" Pantalone drops his smile, oh shit.

"It's not like that at all!" Oh poor lil you, not knowing how happy they were...

"So why..?-"

"I wanted to know how to confess to someone and tell them I don't feel the same way romantically!" You blurt out.

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

You're never gonna even bring the topic up again. Ever.

Like dang they used all types of affection manipulation on you so you could stay with them forever.

PT 2 coming soon!

[eepyuii]

frostbite — pt. 7

pairing ; childe x gender neutral!reader

content ; childhood friends to “rivals” to lovers, slowburn-ish

cw ; none

notes ; happy new year!! it’s story quest time which meaaans- its teucer town. a lot of the reader and teucer being besties and *some* tiny particles of romantic feelings (if u catch them). also just a really lighthearted and humorous chapter :3

previous | next | masterlist

three knocks.

“sergeant?”

“hm? yes, ekaterina? come in.”

the secretary steps up to your desk, where you sit pitifully, head resting on your hands. it’s been some months since osial’s attack and you’ve mysteriously remained stationed at liyue, not that you mind, of course. the traveler and paimon have long since been on their way to inazuma and, according to news you heard from all around, seem like they successfully solved the crises surrounding the electro archon and the vision hunt decree. not only has there been word on the streets of their feats but you’ve also noticed a noticeable increase in inazuman immigrants by the harbor.

but- back to the matter at hand, today you find yourself incredibly more fatigued than usual, perhaps due to your struggles with getting even a good wink of sleep the night before. the sunlight creeping through the windows seems to sting your eyes harsher than normal for early morning but you still try your best to open them and read the letter ekaterina has just placed in front of you.

noticing the strain in your efforts to, well, be awake at the moment, ekaterina clears her throat.

“it’s a mandate from the doctor himself.”

now that gets you up, though not in a good way. the sheer reminder of that man’s existence is enough to shoot an icy burn into your spine, one that makes you flinch into full consciousness.

skimming more effectively through the lines, you find that the mandate talks about a ruin guard research lab here in liyue under his guise, obviously, that he is requiring you to briefly oversee in his absence. not as bad as you thought but also not entirely good. the doctor has never presently explained his affinity for ruin guard robotics to you- because truly, why would he? but it’s no less than apparent how big his interest in them is, in your experience.

with a long, heavy sigh, you nod.

“i see. thank you, ekaterina, you may go.”

she bows politely and turns to leave while you reread the letter to gather the full details of the research lab. once ekaterina is by the door to your office, you take note of the sound of as her heels stop abruptly as she yelps in surprise, muttering a small ‘hello, master childe’ and carrying on her way. the next moment, they very devil she spoke of is bursting into the room.

“good morning, doc!” he chirps with surprising energy for how early it is and places a closed cup on your desk.

“here! i got you some coffee, thought it might help wake you up.”

“thanks a lot… wait, how did you know i was tired-“

“and with that act of courtesy, i would like to propose my own favor to be granted by yours truly. and that is for us to sp-“

“childe, i cannot spar with you today.”

with that, the harbinger slumps into himself like a fussing child, ironic, and groans softly. he’s about to try his very persuasive best to convince you anyway when he spots the letter in your hands and raises an eyebrow curiously.

“what’s that?”

you sigh again, pinching the bridge of your nose. “a mandate from dottore asking me to check up on one of his ruin guard research facilities, here in liyue.”

childe seems to empathize with your disdain for the request and scoffs, mumbling about ‘that lunatic and his little toy robots…’.

“hm, well i wish you luck with that. i’ve also got myself some less than stellar debts to collect today, might as well busy myself somehow even if ekaterina thinks i shouldn’t.”

“good luck with that too.”

childe turns to leave, slightly less chipper than he was when he walked in, until he stops by the door to turn around. “you’re still owing me a spar for that coffee!”

“whatever!”

grassy mountains, building ruins, ginkgo trees- minlin was just like any other area of liyue, though you’d never steal any merit from the relaxing scenery of the entire region. every new place you visited took your breath away with its beauty all the same.

it’s become an unspoken habit to deal with ruin guards at this point and you knew their patterned behaviors and limits like no other, maybe only the doctor himself. several of them sat inactivated in the ruins around you, as expected, and you took note of each one for your report diligently. as you’re approaching the entrance of the lab itself, you spot another ruin guard sat against a crumbled tower- except it was not the only thing there, there were people too. it’s not hard to decipher that it turns out to be the traveler and paimon and… someone else.

wait… surely it’s not him.

“teucer?”

all three of them immediately turn around, except teucer lights up at the sight of you and jumps from his crouching position to run at you with full speed. despite being perplexed at his presence, you still kneel to welcome him with open arms.

“big sibling y/n!! you’re here!!” he yells out, elated.

you chuckle fondly and stand up with teucer clung onto your torso.

“it’s good to see you too, teuce’, but… what in the heavens are you doing all the way here?”

looking over teucer’s shoulder, you turn to the other two, who look just as confused about the entire situation as you do.

“and you two as well, weren’t you supposed to be in inazuma still?”

“mm-yeah, we were taking a bit of a break! we’re on our way to sumeru next and liyue’s the shortest way there so… might as well take some leisurely time off.”

paimon elaborates, until she and the traveler share a look and the two of them sigh.

“unfortunately, the millelith asked us to check out these rui- ahem, i mean mr. cyclops showing up around this area. and as we were doing that, we ran into teucer over here!”

you breathe out a laugh, pitying the pair’s lack of… well- time to take a break without any tasks given to them. ‘talk about leisurely…’ you mutter, quiet enough so teucer doesn’t hear. speaking of him…

“that still doesn’t explain how you were here at all, mister.” you poke the boy’s side with the hand that isn’t holding him up against you and he giggles uncontrollably, attempting to dodge your finger.

“ahahahahah! s-stop! hahah… i’m here to see big brother at the institute for toy research! you work there too, right?”

what.

oh- is that what he thinks childe does? dear gods, that’s too funny. however you do understand why childe would lie about your jobs, you think you’d do much the same. still it takes everything within you to not burst out laughing at the revelation, even the traveler seems to notice so, somewhat understanding the reason but also somewhat not. you huff out a breath to calm the urge to cackle and turn to the two once again.

“listen, you guys don’t need to worry about this one anymore, i’ll take care of him. oh! and don’t worry about the- err, mr cyclops replicas, i’ll sort them out too. go take your break, you deserve it.”

“but- they’re my friends! they like toys like i do! a-and they made the pinky promise!” teucer retaliates.

gods damn the snezhnayan pinky swear.

“plus, he did give us this big bag of mora to take care of him…” paimon eyes the traveler, who returns the glance with a nod as if they’re silently communicating.

“and yeah- we’d much rather go see this ‘toy institute’ than deal with mr. cyclops right now.”

you nod in agreement and gesture for all of you to head back to the harbor, partially to avoid seeing the millelith soldiers patrolling the area.

“so- just out of curiosity, teuce’, what exactly did your brother say about me working with toys?”

“he said you’re a toy doctor! you take care of the toys who get hurt or sick.”

“yeah, that checks out.”

—

arriving back at northland bank, the first thing you spot is childe and ekaterina discussing something at the center of the room, oblivious to your presence for the moment. that is, until teucer bursts from your tired arms to run to his older brother.

paimon, somehow, remains oblivious enough to what is right in front of her enough to whisper. “huh? what’s he doing here…”

“yay, my brother! i found you!” exclaims teucer and childe immediately perks up, ceasing any doubts that paimon might’ve had.

“i know that voice… why, if it isn’t my little brother teucer! my goodness!”

the harbinger takes his younger brother into his arms, much like you did before, except he wraps him in a nearly bone crushing hug before setting him back down.

“haha.. what a nice surprise, teucer! i thought i would have to wait till i return home before seeing you again. how are the others, tonia and anthon? is everybody keeping well?”

“they miss you a lot! tonia prays for you every day at dinner.” it seems that only after teucer’s response is when the realization of the sheer absurdity that is teucer’s presence sets within childe, his face morphing into confusion.

“wait a second… what are you doing here in liyue, teucer? how have i not heard anything about this?”

that entire interaction, you remained merely watching from behind with an irrepressible fond smile on your face- you were so lost in their reunion that you almost miss the incredulous glare childe throws to you, like he’s silently asking if you had anything to do with this. you jump slightly once noticing it and quickly shrug, shaking your head to signify that you’re just as clueless as him.

“well, what happened was- i saw a boat that looked like it was selling toys, so obviously i thought you were on board. and then when i got off i just kept walking and walking… and then, i found a mr. cyclops!”

unbelievable.

“mr cyclops scared off a bad guy, and then i found this nice lady and-and then y/n found us! so we came looking for you.”

childe seems to have another moment of realization, where another fleeting glance comes your way and he sighs, facing off to the side to mouth to himself ‘of course, the research lab…’.

“teucer…” he starts off and you seem to understand what he’s about to say right away, leaving teucer’s side to be right in front of him, beside childe. you kneel to teucer’s height and hold out your hands for him to hold, to make him feel less like he’s being scolded. his tiny hands are dwarfed by yours in a way that makes your heart swell.

“…teuce’, what you did was really dangerous. we’re both happy to see you, really, but please promise you won’t do anything like this ever again.”

childe nods in agreement and teucer sighs, letting go of your hands to put them behind his back sheepishly.

“okay, i promise… please don’t be mad at me.”

“we’re not mad at you. we just care about your safety, that’s all.” childe reassures.

“if you hadn’t met these nice people, and even more if y/n hadn’t found you, things could’ve been a lot more dangerous for you, teucer. i hope you said a big thank-you to all of them?”

“yep! i always remember my please’s and thank-you’s!

“oohh so you did notice we were here… you were just ignoring us, gotcha.” paimon adds sarcastically as she and the traveler look at childe through a sassy glare.

“haha… forgive me, it’s always family first where i’m from. don’t take it personally. i know we’ve had our differences up to now but.. a few minor quibbles aside, we get on quite well, don’t you think?”

the traveler’s incredulous reaction tells you that perhaps teucer shouldn’t listen to the conversation while they sort out their, erm, quibbles- so you gently take him by the hand and lead him off ever so slightly to the side, where you know he’ll be at least distracted enough to not listen. kneeling down, you once again take his impossibly adorable hands into yours and fiddle with them playfully, he only grins in oblivious amusement.

“so, teuce’, tell me more- how’re things back home? you’re not too bored without us there, are you?”

“mm-no, i’m just fine! anthon still plays with me a bunch and tonia always reads me the letters big brother sends us, she always tells such cool stories!”

“yeah? like what?”

the young boy thinks for a moment, rubbing his chin like he’s mentally paging through the deepest, most riveting tales he can recall.

“hmm.. oh! one time she told me the story of how big brother discovered a new version of mr. cyclops! he’s bigger and.. and stronger and he’s got huge horns, like a deer! he’s like mr. cyclops' big brother.”

well, at least childe is keeping his lies somewhat accurate. but the way teucer beams and hops excitedly as he talks about the bigger mr. cyclops, or a ruin grader as you know it, seems to justify keeping him in the dark. the way his big blue eyes shine with wonder is in itself a treasure worth protecting. you’ve practically long forgotten that you’re supposed to be stalling out a conversation to distract him.

“that’s so awesome, teucer!” you grin back at him. “what other stories does your brother tell?”

“hm..- oh yeah! he also talks about you in his letters.”

oh?

“does he?” you’re unsure if you should feel good or bad about the revelation, gods know what childe says to his siblings about you.

“yeah he does! he talks about how you take such good care of the toys when they get hurt and how smart you are and how…”

suddenly, teucer trails off as he turns to the trio still conversing near you, like he’s heard something that’s caught his attention. he entirely abandons the sentence he’d left unfinished to join their side again and you find yourself feeling the smidgenmost bit disappointed that he didn’t finish speaking. you only sigh to yourself and smooth your clothes down from the crouching position you were in, joining back in as well.

“that’s right, my brother’s the greatest! he’s mr. cyclops’ bestest friend!”

childe chuckles in somewhat faux delight, to satisfy teucer and make it seem like he approves of his brother’s message, before leaning over to the traveler and whisper, as you hear it,- ‘just humor me in front of teucer, if you’d be so kind…’

“ahem- ah yes! ekaterina, i will deal with the issue of the outstanding payment right away.”

“hey! slinking off, are we?” paimon accuses.

“but, master childe, would it not be improper to ask you to deal with… debt collection?”

“a bet is a bet, isn’t it? and if you lose a bet with an agent.. well, you might as well get some exercise out of it.”

“are you going off to sell toys now?” teucer interjects, partially with admiration for his brother and partially with disappointment that he has to leave.

“that’s right. as much as i’d like to catch up a little longer, teucer, duty calls! i’m sure y/n and ms. nice lady will keep you company while i’m out, though.”

childe implies with a pleading glance thrown to you and the traveler. you nod gladly while the traveler puts her hand to her forehead momentarily and paimon mumbles a complaint about having to babysit for childe.

“sure!” teucer confirms as well. “i really like y/n and this lady already! and anyway, the nice lady made a pinky promise to take good care of me.”

the harbinger ends up leaving the four of you with a hefty bag of mora to spend out in the city while he’s working and you firstly decide to take him to an elderly lady’s kite shop. she patiently explains how to use the kites and teucer asks for a mr. cyclops shaped kite, because why wouldn’t he- you manage to convince the lady to make a custom build for it with a shining pile of mora. next, you take him to wanmin restaurant, where chef mao graciously offers to make a special dish for teucer, who can’t eat spicy food. you don’t blame him, personally- snezhnayan dishes tend to steer away from spice specifically and lean more towards warm, filling meals to endure the cold temperatures. however, the food teucer asks for turns out sickeningly sweet and even paimon, the awarded food enthusiast, feels nauseated at the end. finally, he asks you to give the wharf a better look than when he was stepping off his boat. paimon proceeds to give a mouthful of an explanation about liyue’s trade port, which ends up too confusing for teucer to even care. instead, his attention is caught by a ship anchor left in the wharf.

“teucer, don’t run off!” you urge as he takes off to see the anchor.

“that metal hook is huge! and it gets bigger the closer we get!”

“this is an anchor. docked ships use it to hold themselves in position, to stop wind and waves from blowing them away.” paimon explains.

“hmm, an anchor… got it. but i think i might get it mixed up with commodore hook.”

“commodore hook..? is that another one of your weird toy names?”

“my brother always sends me a really big toy for my birthday- commodore hook, blacksteel jack, iron tony… we keep them all in your backyard!”

“are they as big as the anchor?” the traveler asks.

“yeah, and that’s why i can’t bring them with me all the time. it’s a shame…”

you choke on your breath at a realization. “i-is that what your father was keeping under a tarp in the backyard..?”

teucer nods cluelessly. you’ve seen tarped objects behind childe’s family house that had some absurd silhouettes hidden by the protective fabric and the snow, but you’ve only ever assumed they were left over building materials- not gigantic fucking robots because why would you ever assume that’s what he’d send a child for his birthday. you’ll have to have a talk with him about gift giving at a later time.

“but my favorite is mr. cyclops. even though i mostly came here to see my brother, the other big thing i wanted to do was play with mr. cyclops! oh- are they selling fish over there, let’s have a look!”

and just like that, teucer is gone again. paimon stomps her foot in the air as she heaves frustratedly.

“quit! running! off!”

you briefly go to see the fish on display as teucer tells you of the time when childe caught him an impossibly large fish just because he asked for it. somewhere in the back of your head, you find it endearing that childe has kept up the habit of fishing just like when his father would take you on his trips to ice fish as well. maybe you could get him to go fishing in liyue, just the two of you when you have some free ti- wait, what are you saying? you’re supposed to be watching out for teucer, who conveniently has gone off to see the boats and seems to have his entire good mood flipped around.

“teuce’, you look upset, what’s wrong? are you tired?” you coo.

he sighs melancholically and covers his face behind his hands. “i miss my brother…”

“what? but we were just with him!” argues paimon.

“yea, but for such a short time that it doesn’t even count! take me to see my brother, i don’t wanna play anymore!”

you sigh and look to the other designated babysitters. they look back with defeated shrugs- seems like you’ve done what you can to entertain him for the moment. turning back to teucer, you offer to carry him in your hold as you leave for qingxu pool, where childe said he would be, and he gladly accepts. from behind you, a low gurgle can be heard.

“urgh… paimon may never recover from that dish.”

taglist ; @kentply @osaemu @rain-and-a-nice-nap

[faela404]

☆ The Library ☆

kazuha x gn! reader

prompt: - you and kazuha attend the same university, him being a english lit major and you being a person in stem😎 your paths never crossed until that day in the library…

*this is an smau so please do expect a lot of twitter posts and messages to read, there will be proper writing too but, it will mostly be that!!*

warning! mentions of a fight, swearing

masterlist - prev | next

☆ let the fight begin ☆

“you made it!” his cheery voice echoed across the small hall.

“of course we did, childe! we wouldn’t have missed this for the world, right y/n?” ganyu smiled at me, god her smile’s so pretty

i nodded towards her before quickly wishing childe good luck as he was dragged away by his coach. i’m honestly a bit afraid for him, i know childe is a good and very capable fighter but, it would still hurt so much to see him getting hurt in anyway.

guided by ganyu, hu tao and i found our seats as more people began piling in. the crowd soon consisted of friends and some family of the boxers, curious students from our university and even a few of the professors turned up.

the seats next to me sadly weren’t empty so i couldn’t stretch out like i wanted too. however, it quickly became clear to me who was sitting in those seats.

those tuffs of black and teal hair made it undeniably obvious; xiao. he was an IT major known for being extremely quiet and almost quite rude, though frankly being friends with scaramouche makes it hard to find anyone else rude. he was scrolling through his phone when we sat down, the seats next to him were empty though from the looks of it people were going to be sitting there. bags, coats and all kinds of winter wear were lined up neatly infront of each seat. now i like to keep warm sure, but i highly doubt all of those belonged to just xiao.

my thoughts were cut short when a loud voice began booming about all the different kinds of slushies they had. the twins had arrived, along with 3 other people i couldn’t quite make out. aether continued to enthuse about these wonderous slushies as the 5 new people began shuffling in next to xiao.

finally, i could begin to make out all of their faces.

aether and lumine were the first i saw, and they were the only ones not currently trying to get to their seats, i assume they’re sitting at the end of the row. lucky bastards. next was gorou, a humanities major with beautiful ginger and white hair, it’s clear he takes a lot of pride in the way his hair looks. finally, 2 final boys squeezed in, one next to gorou, who i quickly figured out was albedo, the nice biochemistry major who offer a lot of tutoring sessions in subjects he doesnt even take. he so smart it’s actually kind of crazy, almost unhuman like. then there was one next to xiao.

holy shit, that’s kazuha.

i really didn’t think he’d like something like boxing-

though in all fairness i’m only here for childe, so perhaps he’s the same.

or he loves watching people fight, who knows.

my attention was swiftly snapped from the pretty blonde when the first round was announced.

tartaglia vs. osial

round 1

…of 10

and then the winner fights someone else.

this is gonna be long.

finally, after 5 rounds (all won by childe), a break was given for the fighters. im pretty sure that doesn’t tend to happen in boxing but, because they’re both only uni students, it has to be given.

ganyu and hu tao, quickly excused themselves to the bathroom, though if i’m being honest i’m almost completely certain that hu tao’s only going because lumine went a few seconds ago.

i pulled out my phone and began mindlessly scrolling through twitter and instagram as the people around me began shuffling around. they probably need the bathroom or a drink.

however, i didnt notice how only the majority left.

it took his words for me to realise.

“and then there were two” he mumbled so lightly i hardly even heard him. i turned towards the sound of his voice only to find that indeed all of kazuha’s friends had left aside from him.

there was only kazuha and i left on this row.

“oh- hey, sorry i didn’t realise” i chuckled lightly

oh theres that melodic laugh of his again, “it’s alright” he shuffled into xiao’s seat next to me “are you here for childe too?”

“hm? oh yeah i am, are you? i didn’t realise childe are you were friends” i smiled lightly at him as i placed my phone back down, i don’t want to seem rude damn.

“ahh yeah, i’ve known him for quite a while now. though we don’t get to talk as much as usual”

i frown slightly “oh, why’s that?”

my eyes widen a fraction, oh shit. shit. shit! i can’t ask things like that! what if it’s private? or embarrassing for him? or for childe? god he’d kill me if i embarrassed one of his other friends or worse, childe himself-

before i could freak myself out even more, kazuha smiled and responded “we both just got quite busy, but i do enjoy these times when i can see him”

god he’s so sweet. his voice is just undeniably soothing, i swear every worry i had prior just floated away.

that calmness was quickly eradicated.

the screeching of the whistle ruined it.

the sixth round was beginning.

our friends quickly began appearing again, but kazuha didn’t make an effort to move. even when xiao returned, he just lightly smiled to him and turned back to the match.

xiao didn’t seem too bothered, well he never really does, as he swiftly sat down in kazuha’s seat.

the fight was long but, atleast i had someone to talk too. while, my friends were next to me they were way too engrossed in the match to want to talk even a little bit, but kazuha just randomly began whispering things about the match to me. things that were going wrong, excitement over childe landing a good punch, laughing at all the silly faces that each fighter made after getting punched.

he’s actually quite entertaining, quite funny.

maybe we could actually be decent friends.

atleast, then i wont have to be alone in the library right?

a/n - omggggg this took way too long for me to write lol, im quite literally the ruler of procrastination😎 but, here ya’ll have it! chapter 4!! i hope ya’ll enjoy it! i think i say this every time but i really do mean it, i appreciate all of ya’ll’s continued support of this series! and thank you all so much for getting me to 100 followers!!🫶🫶

(i literally threw up and had my cat pull the christmas tree in my room down onto my other cat while writing this-

they’re both fine dw but good god a lot happened while trying to write this PFFT-)

taglist - open! @kazuhaprnt @ryhie @scaraapologist @thissoulisnotok @kazuhalvrr @rifran @sleepyhamster1001 @mccnstruck @micahmxi @whipped-for-fictionals @sashiette @kozumieee @lazy-sanns

bold= blog couldn’t be found

[seravphs]

ੈ♡˳·˖✶ — ZHONGLI X FEM READER

Zhongli only has three friends: Childe, Xiao, and you. Naturally, the three of you have to interact at some point. 

wc — 1.4k

tags — meeting Childe because Zhongli wants you to, taking care of Xiao because Zhongli asked you to, reader is whipped without realizing it 

glossary | chapter 6 of This Is How We Mourn The Living

Having tea with public enemy #1 of Liyue was not on your agenda today, but as always, Zhongli threw a wrench in your plans. It was meant to be a relaxing night alone, until you had spotted your friend. Normally, you’d join him immediately, but this time, some instinct stopped you, and for good reason. Across the floor of the tea house, a wanted criminal playfully begs Zhongli to feed him, citing ‘lack of competence with chopsticks’ as an excuse.

“Zhongli, what is the meaning of this?”

He flinches when he sees you. You’ve never seen him falter for the right words before, but he is now. “I- ah, this is-”

“I know who he is,” you snap. “I’m asking what you’re doing with him.”

The ginger man grins up at you. “Ooh, feisty. I like that.” 

Zhongli shoots him a look.

“Zhongli, can I speak with you? Privately?” You ask, but Childe, as he introduces himself - you want to scrub the name out of your brain - is the most annoying person you’ve ever met.

“What? Anything you need to say to him, surely you can say in my presence.”

No, you absolutely cannot, because you are a government servant, keeper of various state secrets, and this is the man who nearly flooded your entire city. You convey all this through your eyes, and he completely ignores you, batting his eyelashes like that will convince you that he’s both trustworthy and friendly. It does nothing but set you off.

“Zhongli,” you hiss. “I cannot believe you’re willing to see him. He summoned Osial! It’s because of him that Ningguang lost the Jade Chamber - can you imagine the destruction that would have occurred if he had succeeded? Having him here is an affront to-“

“I tricked him,” Zhongli states simply, “so we’re even. And I’ve already spoken to him about this matter.”

You don’t believe that’s how it works.

Childe nods aggressively. “Yeah, girlie! Zhongli says it’s fine, so it’s fine. Here I thought the people of Liyue were known for their graciousness. What’s with the grudge? I was stopped before anything serious could happen.”

“You nearly flooded my entire city,” you say incredulously.

“That’s all water under the bridge now - oh, literally,” he says with a laugh. “Besides, I’m off the clock right now! I make it a rule not to talk business after hours unless I’m getting paid extra.”

“Ugh,” Childe makes a face as he takes a sip of his drink. “Liyue wine can’t compare to Snezhnayan fire whiskey. Hey, waiter! Don’t you have anything stronger?”

“Be respectful,” you say, pushing his hand down and smiling politely at the waiter, Ruohan. Of course you know him, as you’ve made it your mission to know most of the people in this part of Liyue. After all, you govern them - it’s only fair to remember their names and be able to recount their troubles with them.

He turns away, a light flush covering his cheeks. Zhongli coughs.

Childe’s eyes narrow. “That go down the wrong pipe, buddy?”

Zhongli holds up a hand to wave off his worry. “Enough. I would like the two of you to get along-“

“As if!” You say.

“Shouldn’t be a problem!” Childe grins.

Of Zhongli’s acquaintances, you greatly prefer Xiao to Childe. It’s been a while since you’ve seen the adeptus, so you head off for the inn he usually calls home. After all, you had promised you would visit, and a Qixing never breaks a promise, though Xiao probably wouldn’t have minded if you did. Preferred it, even, but you made good on your debts, regardless of anyone’s opinions.

“Leave this place immediately,” he says as soon as he sees you, like always, but now you take it as his version of hello. Perhaps it would work on some less thick skinned mortals, but you were Qixing. You had dealt with far more harsh language in your career, and you weren’t about to let Xiao chase you away - especially not knowing how much pain he was in.

“How are you feeling? I brought more almond tofu.”

“There’s no need,” he says, but he holds his hand out for your offering anyway. “You should stop visiting. This is no place for mortals like you. And tell Morax he no longer needs to provide me with the medicine.”

“He prefers Zhongli,” you say mildly, inching closer like he’s a cat you might scare off. When he doesn’t flee, you grab him by the wrist, whip-quick, and pull him down next to you. As expected of an adeptus, he reacts in record time, pulling away from your grip, but you’re strong, and he doesn’t want to hurt you.

“What are you doing?” His words come out like a hiss, but you ignore him, placing the bowl of almond tofu, dusted with a variety of herbs carefully selected and powdered by Zhongli, in front of him.

“Eat. You’ll feel better.”

And while he begrudgingly takes spoonful after spoonful into his mouth, his tattoos begin to glow, black ink receding down his arms in favor of green. A physical change comes over him. Xiao’s always been strong, but the way he looks without the burden of karmic debt is completely different, as if, even with the face of a young man, he’s lost several years of aging. The lines of his face, drawn taut in my pain, have disappeared, and his mouth is no longer set in a severe frown. He could almost pass for friendly, when he’s not in constant pain.

Sometimes, not often, Xiao reminds you of Little Meng, the child who always begged you to play pirates with him in Liyue Harbor. Of course, you were sure he would be offended if you told him he reminded you of a role-playing toddler, but there was a similarity. Both Little Meng and Xiao were stoic sufferers, unwilling to let other people see their pain, or attempt to relieve it. And both were loyal to a fault.

“Zhongli makes you medicine because he cares. If you stopped taking it, you’d hurt him.”

“I am his vassal,” Xiao said. “It’s not right for him to tend to me.”

“I think Zhongli stopped considering you anything of his besides a friend a long time ago.”

To your surprise, Xiao actually listens to you. He doesn’t make an attempt to argue. “I suppose you would know what he thinks now,” he says slowly, and you have no idea what that’s supposed to mean.

He’s always overworking himself. Ningguang’s people told you as soon as you stepped in the inn. The adeptus doesn’t rest, doesn’t stop for anything in his merciless hunt for monsters. You have experience taking care of people like him.

Ningguang, Keqing, and even, admittedly, yourself - the best way to deal with such headstrong people is to just let them tire themselves out, then slowly guide them where you want them to be.

You snatch his spear away as soon as he reaches for it, already intent on jumping off the balcony to go find some more monsters to devour. The offended look on his face makes you gulp, but you soldier on. After all, you’ve already gotten away with manhandling him once today. Perhaps that has made you bold - too bold - enough so to grab an adeptus and place his head in your lap so you can stroke his green-black hair, the fringe falling in his eyes.

“You protect everyone. Let us protect you. Xiao, go to sleep.”

He fights the effects of the medicine, but it’s no use. His eyes are closing, and he falls swiftly into what must be his first peaceful rest in a long, long time.

Zhongli is waiting by the entrance to your apartment by the time you finally arrive home, when the waning moon is high in the sky. You stayed with Xiao as long as you could, watching his breathing even out, giving him the human contact he must have gone without for years. Even when you reluctantly had to leave, you entrusted him to the care of the innkeepers.

“Jiyao mishu,” he starts.

You remember how hurt he had looked when you had called him Zhongli-xiansheng. These titles between the two of you are useless formalities that only remind him of past sources of pain. You must be tired, because that’s the only excuse for how you’re suddenly blurting out, “You can call me by my name.”

Your smile freezes on your face as you hurry to add, “Because you let me call you Zhongli.”

“Of course,” he says, ever elegant, ever capable at steering past the awkwardness in a conversation. “May I come in?”

[mx-pokirby]

Genshin AU where Layla's headmate solos all of Teyvat before the Traveler even meets Paimon

Y'all already know the Wisdom Seelie could've single-handedly rescued Nahida, and gone total Rules of Nature/Attack on Titan/Some 3rd Example on Scaramouche's ass without even needing a timeloop buff.

The Stars' Blessing would've deduced the truth of Rex Lapis' murder faster than anyone else, and then Nothing Personell Kid a certain Childe into next Lantern Rite before he could even try & fail to steal the gnosis or summon Osial.

Admittedly the other 3 Nations (typing this before Natlan's full story is complete) are a bit trickier. Monstadt was helped in part by the Traveler's immunity to the abyss in purifying Dvalin's tears, and Fontaine was helped by the Traveler being good enough at socializing to unite everyone, while Other Layla tends to avoid being perceived. Though how much one could argue were necessary steps towards being the only way to resolve things, I'm unsure.

As for Inazuma, we could see it going either way. The Traveler definitely had the advantage in their power not coming from a Vision, thus catching Ei's ire and being granted access to the Plane of Euthymia.

However, Nightlight Layla's superhuman(/elf) abilities, intelligence, and preference for operating in the shadows, we think would make her an even more exceptional ally who gets roped into joining the resistance, and may even be able to see through the Raiden Shogun not being the "true Archon" of legend.

In fact, despite absolutely lacking in raw power output comparatively, we think Livia is still more than capable of holding her own against the Shogun, if not being quick & cunning enough to get the drop on her. And perhaps, just maybe, being another person familiar with what it's like to maintain existence inside the mind of another, could perhaps be enough of an Exception from the norm to catch Ei's eye as well.

So we conclude she can easily solo at least like 2.5 of the Archon Quests. The rest don't feel impossible, but admittedly a good deal tougher without help. But of course compared to the entire rest of the playable cast, excluding Archons & Harbingers, that's still like top of the chart. The Traveler gets cheaty protagonist powers; the Sleepwalker is (allegedly) just a college student with a dissociative disorder.

[trashcanwithsprinkles]

I'm currently writing out the Archon War in a fic, and it got me thinking - who exactly would Morax be going to war against in Cyanide Narwhal's original timeline? It seems like he's got pretty much most of Liyue already except Havria's land which we know he didn't fight for. And like, sure Osial's being a thorn in his side, but like, that's one god. And you had Chi coming back again later as undead, which is two gods.

it's a good question but i'm afraid the thing about cyanide is that i had no answer for that originally, and when i began writing it i didn't want to add even more conflict and complicated political schemes than i already knew there'd be? (if you can call them that?) so i sort of... ignored the big issue.

the big issue being that, before the archon war, it's likely morax would've had control of only the guili assembly and maybe jueyun karst. it's actually a complicated point of contention when it comes to pre-war liyue theorycrafting. the rest of liyue would've been populated with other settlements led by other gods. either that, or liyue was a sort of big alliance of multiple leaders, and when the war broke, everyone started fighting each other.

kinda how china itself had a tendency to unify, split, unify, split, unify, and split throughout history. i imagine Liyue could've had something like that happen at some point. you could even argue that morax had control over all of Liyue bar Chenyu Vale, and when the war broke out, all his subordinates in charge of looking over all the other settlements decided they might as well fight both each other and their emperor.

so like- please keep in mind that cyanide sort of waves away that major problem in figuring out pre-war liyue lore.

as for the original timeline, i think i sort of also toned down the amount of gods morax originally fought. not only the two you mentioned, of course, but there would've been at least four immortals in chenyu vale, more than just osial and haishan in the sea, and probably a handful of gods from the south of lisha, a region not availiable in-game that i'm simply assuming is part of liyue.

so yeah,, my excuse was a sort of "just because they're not mentioned doesn't mean they're not there" for all the gods that would've popped up to fight in the war had childe not fucked up the timeline.

edit: i completely forgot about xiao's master. so uh- yeah that one also.

[abyssmalice]

(i just had the biggest brain thonks just now for a hypothetical tonitoni version of the childe character quest

mainly that it's not just teucer that shows up in liyue.............. but also natalya (aka tonitoni's OC big sister), who's here to tidy up some loose business ends in the wake of the osial incident, but teucer took the opportunity to sneak onto the same boat after hearing that tonitoni is also in liyue and so is trying to find her)

(the quest itself probably starts with the traveler and paimon encountering natalya in the harbor, who's frantically looking around for teucer because she caught him hiding while they were already en route, but the second the boat docked, he took off.

so after some searching that leads them into the wilderness, natalya and the traveler split up to search different areas more efficiently. that's when the traveler finds teucer, who's having his little idolizing moment over a ruin guard - except, this ruin guard ends up not being completely out of power, activating, and is clearly about to smash a completely oblivious teucer to pulp.

the traveler is running like hell to stop it, but then - a flash of lightning shooting past!!!!!!! and then an ice spear blocks the guard and rapidly sends it toppling over with a loud smash!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

who could have done that?? tonitoni, ofc.

she's out here doing her own unrelated stuff (implied maybe in a future chara quest or her backstory lore to be leyline bs) when she saw the commotion about to happen while passing by.

anyway, the traveler is surprised but also relieved and trades a little bit of chitchat about tartaglia being out here. however, the convo is cut short by teucer suddenly yelling and pointing fingers at tonitoni, partly bc he can recognize the fatui symbol on her clothing so he knows she's a part of them, and as far as teucer understands, the fatui aren't all that good - but primarily, it's because she "broke mr. cyclops" right in front of him, and he starts spewing a bunch of stuff about how the fatui are truly big meanies who hurt people and stole his sister and he wants her to apologize to mr. cyclops right now!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

in the face of this, the traveler tries to calm him down, obviously, and paimon is probably frantically trying to rope in tonitoni to contribute some amount of help, please? except tonitoni is just like, blinking, blankly staring at teucer, in what seems to be dumbfounded silence (but in hindsight isn't; she very much caught the part about "the fatui stealing his sister", the mention of a "mr. cyclops" from her family's letters, teucer's name likely gets mentioned too.................. tonitoni can connect the dots on Who this random kid is—)

anyway, the traveler and paimon only manage to calm him down by (frantically, in paimon's case) saying the fatui didn't steal anyone?? also they know where his sister is! which immediately distracts teucer in cooperation.

(and ofc, teucer is thinking of tonia here - while the traveler and paimon was referring to natalya)

anyway, traveler and co. (this includes tonia, because she can't just hecking leave the matter be now??) thus head to where they agreed to meet up with natalya, and it's a cute and happy little reunion scene, with natalya worrying over teucer and thanking the traveler for helping her and - wait. who's this other girl?

"that's tartaglia, the eleventh harbinger," paimon nonchalantly drops, ofc.

and natalya Immediately straightens up because what do you mean that's a harbinger. wait, the eleventh? and natalya takes one good look at tonitoni who is trying to be as still and unnoticed as possible, just examining a tree to the side like there's nothing wrong or awkward here haha (isn't natalya the name of her own older sister? this couldnt be a coincidence...........................)

the moment doesn't last very long though, because teucer then pipes in with "natasha!!!!!! this nice blonde person and their fairy said they know where big sister is!!!!!"

and natalya is just "what"

and the traveler and paimon are just "what"

and tonitoni feels like she's dying (again) on the inside and is trying so hard to sneak away now

and ofc, it goes into a short explanation to clear up what's apparently a misunderstanding - the traveler saying they meant natalya, so like, who the heck is teucer referring to??

teucer goes :0 like "wait so not my other sister?"

"other sister??"

and teucer gets as far as saying, "i have another big sister! not as big as natasha but i heard people say that the fatui took her away when i was smaller." before natalya's face gains the full pallor of a ghost and is clearly about to say something to cut him off.

except tonitoni is the one who intervenes, sharply cutting in with a "wow veeeeery fascinating story there, i didn't know that the organization i represent is apparently so shady in the eyes of snezhnaya's citizens. fascinating, wow, would love to hear more!" said in a way that is nonchalant but with what seems to be a dangerous current underneath, a subtle warning essentially

(though the warning is less over her siblings sounding unpatriotic in front of her, and more that they shouldn't loudly throw out such critiques for any other ears; tonitoni herself obviously doesn't give a shit, but the same kindness won't be given by others)

she continues though by basically pointing in the direction of the harbor and going "but this isn't a conversation to have in the middle of fuck nowhere. we're going back to the city first." which everyone, barring a slightly disappointed teucer, agrees with.

.

anyway that's about as far as my thonks went!!

other notes for the thonks though:

natalya definitely caught on early that the tartaglia that showed up with the traveler is also v much her absent baby sister tonia. natalya knows as much since their family gets periodic updates about tonia's wellbeing, and theyve been sending letters to her as well

not that tonia's ever replied to the letters, which is why she's so awkward and quiet here - she's not just processing the whole realization that these people are likely to be her siblings, but she's also going through an internal cringe montage of "wow tonia you are the Worst sister ever didn't reply to a single letter and now they're in front of you also teucer thinks you're a cyclops murderer just fucking great tonia banger job you fucking Suck"

also yeah that last bit where she stops teucer from talking too much? that's very much an attempt on her part to stop hearing about what her family thinks about her. also doesn't need the traveler to potentially connect dots. but primarily, teucer, please don't talk about her she doesn't want to undergo the mortifying experience of being perceived, and especially not when teucer clearly Doesn't Recognize Her which makes it extra awkward like she's right here omgggggggggggg

[pwurrz]

childe sometimes struggles to believe that he’s in a relationship with zhongli.

after the osial incident, his hesitation is understandable, feeling as though zhongli had lied to him and taken advantage of him. his hesitance to accept how zhongli felt about him wasn’t just because of feelings of heartbreak however.

even on good days, childe finds himself wondering why zhongli chose him of all people. zhongli could’ve had anyone, could’ve chosen a partner that was less rowdy, less battle hungry. someone who wasn’t from some backwater fishing village. someone of noble blood, with higher prestige. someone who wasn’t tainted by the abyss and tossed aside by his own parents.

and yet zhongli loves childe. he loves childe unashamedly, his gestures of affection and adoration may be quiet by nature but they are unbearably loud in terms of the amount of emotion put into every tender kiss, every cup of tea brewed just the way childe likes it, every evening spent curled up on the couch together.

zhongli loves loudly. every action, every glance, ever word spoken is dripping with adoration. if childe doesn’t understand why zhongli loves him, then zhongli will hold him close and patiently explain every single thing he loves about childe until childe’s a blushing mess.

on good days, zhongli will press a kiss to childe’s cheek before he leaves for work in the morning. and on bad days, zhongli will spend hours reassuring childe that he made no mistakes in asking childe to be his, the two of them tangled together, zhongli peppering kisses all over childe’s face like he were kissing away every insecurity he has.