#and i felt for him so much during the archon quest and i hope everything turns out okay with him because he deserves so much better | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

ixiot-ghostrebel · 6 months

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Hey I hope you have a great day.

So I just saw the post with the wrath of the creator on Azar and I had an idea.

I am very emotional and I bailed my eyes out when I did the chasm quest with xiao and he nearly died AND I got a sad cutscene of the adepti after so my traveler was just stuck in the dialog with Xiao while I was crying a whole waterfall and sniffing really loudly and the only other quest where I had that was when we were in the chasm with dain and he tells us that the hillichurls are cursed people from Khanri'ah. I stood in front of the corpses and cried heart out.

So I wanted to ask the characters reactions to that. Especially Xiao, the archons we know (because khanri'ah and its destruction is a big thing here) and dainsleif.

I'm sorry this got so long. If you want to change something or want to add someone or take a character out it's okay, this is just my 5 am thought I just had.

Alr, Anon! Coming right up! Imma just focus on the Perilous Quest lol-

Creator Having A Meltdown During Perilous Quest

(Warning: Might Be OOC & Spoilers to the Perilous Archon Quest!)

Yelan

She wasn't going to lie, she wasn't expecting you to cry your heart out so freely. Raw emotion was hard to come by when people grow. They tend to be more...seclusive, with their emotions.

You, on the other hand, were free-balling it. You did NOT care if people were gonna look at you weird, you are gonna cry because you are sad! And honestly, Yelan's glad that the Almighty Creator is expressive and sentient. It proves just how much you care for the characters.

"It seems the Almighty Creator is far more connected than anyone thought..." She wonders what she can do with this information, but at the same time, keep it under wraps. Letting this information slip into the wrong hands was always dangerous.

She wouldn't gamble your safety. Never. Safe to say Yelan's got you covered.

Itto

Woah, woah! He did not expect you, the Almighty Creator, to be crying their eyes out the moment he wakes up from passing out and all that—what he miss? What happened while he was sleeping?

Wait, they're not in the Chasm anymore? Oh Archons, someone just tell him what happened! Why the heck is the Creator balling his eyes out?

"Huh—? What's going on? We're out of the chasm?" Poor guy is so oblivious, and no one's bothering to fill him in—at least, at the moment.

He'll pester Shinobu about this later. Just, someone, stop the Creator from crying! Those are sad tunes, not something you want to hear when you should be celebrating about leaving that gloomy place!

Yanfei

She was NOT expecting you to be this emotional! Yanfei feels a little guilty not being able to do anything about it, to be honest...

She has to resist the urge to shake Xiao out of his stupor, because a) that was unprofessional, b) she's more relieved than anything, and c) Yanfei wasn't sure if you, the Creator, would think she was okay if she started acting out like that.

So, instead, she tries to ground herself, and do her best to make sure that the situation is fine, and that everything will be okay. That's the least she can do to reassure you, and everyone else, right?

"Hopefully, Their Grace will stop those tears...Hearing them sad makes me feel sad..." As a lawyer, Yanfei knows how to sympathize with her clients. This, however, felt like she could really understand what you were going through—there was a bond between you and everyone.

She doesn't want to make you sad. That's one thing for sure. Yanfei wouldn't be able to sleep out of guilt otherwise.

Shinobu

She wasn't expecting you to be crying your heart out, but she loves how sentient you are. It shows just how you truly care about Xiao, and about everyone.

She really appreciates you. She can see how you connect with every character—how you cheer with everyone, cherish the moment with everyone, rejoice, and mourn. This was visible proof of it all.

"Hm...How should we comfort Their Grace..." Shinobu wants to do something—for the sake of the gang's gratitude for their Almighty Creator. And everyone here as well.

You contributed much of yourself for them. For that, she's grateful.

She'll have to explain to Boss later...but that's besides the point right now.

Xiao

He feels guilty for making you cry. He heard you call out his name several many times. He hears how you ball your eyes out, thinking you were gonna lose him, only for Rex Lapis to save him just in time.

He doesn't know if the Lord of Geo heard your divine prayers, or if he went on his own accord, but he feels guilty. He placed a heavy burden on you. He didn't mean to.

"How should I make it up to Their Grace..." He listens to how you scream and cry (out of joy now) that he was alive. You, the Almighty Creator, already connected yourself to someone like him. Your bond was too severe, and he tried to cut it off.

But the way the Traveler is smiling at them with a reassuring smile, Xiao wonders if he will be forgiven. Perhaps far quicker than he imagined.

Ghost Rebel Side Notes: This honestly feels too OOC—I don't really know Yelan's personality all that well, and honestly I don't think I caught the full potential of Yanfei, Itto, and Shinobu. I do hope you enjoyed this, but I'm also sorry if this came out disappointing.

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

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m1d-45 · 3 months

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just a small idea since you said you had a lil writers block: since wushi (lion dance) is used for important events/occasions and to honor special guests, maybe you could write about how ga-ming does a lil performance for creator?

- curse anon

vanguard’s fortune

note: this is not what you asked ! i thank you so much though

word count: 1k

-> warnings : written prior to 4.4, lots of “if you know you know” spoilers for liyue archon, story, and hangout quests, but nothin big

-> gn reader (you/yours)

taglist: @samarill || @thenyxsky || @valeriele3 || @shizunxie || @boba-is-a-soup || @yuus3n || @esthelily || @turningfrogsgay || @cupandtea24 || @genshin-impacts-me || @chaoticfivesworld || @raaawwwr || @ryuryuryuyurboat || @undrxtxd || @rainswept

< masterlist >

despite everything, ga ming knew he was lucky.

he certainly didn’t feel like he was. aside from his continued streak of bad luck at his performances, you never attended any of his shows and your vessels never gave him so much as a second glance. you’ve walked right by him on the street before—and yes, he knows you don’t ‘see’ most of liyue, but he was in the middle of a dance. he’s certain that word must have spread at least somewhat, but even when he put on a show during the last lantern rite, you didn’t attend. it was as if you didn’t even know he was there, skipping his meager stage to meet up with yun jin.

part of him wondered if you simply disliked liyue, but that was easily proven false. you took the time to accompany chongyun on his patrols, xiangling was more than happy to talk about when you’d helped her in a competition in mondstat, and you’d even fetched ingredients for the wangsheng consultant last year. it was the simple fact that you had nothing against liyue, and he was an outlier.

and yet, he was blessed. vision wielders were rare on their own, and only a thin sliver of them had constellations. he was incredibly lucky to be one of the few within your spotlight of attention, but he never felt the love that was supposed to come with it. yes, he had a vision, the lion carved on the back a figure he’s long memorized, but even the latest of liyuen rotations had a chance to exist by your side. though the others always tried to reassure him, their words fell flat. xingqiu had recieved his vision long before he became a vessel, but he had several turns in the sky to try. chongyun was largely ignored and ningguang was rarely missing from the jade palace, but that information didn’t help as much as they thought it did.

he didn’t care that he wasn’t a vessel (as much as one couldn’t care about such a thing) so much as he was ignored. you fought by ningguang’s side and helped yanfei out of the chasm, but he’d never even heard his name thrown your direction. it could be argued that he was being selfish or even egotistical, but he didn’t think so. sword and strongbox secure transport agency was a well-known name throughout liyue, and yet you’d never so much as heard a rumor. it didn’t affect his business—nor did he want your attention for business purposes—but with you helping a film show (at least now he knew you enjoyed theater) in fontaine, he may or may not have been hoping that yilong wharf’s name might have been passed your way.

it hadn’t been, though. his days went on and he continued his rounds as usual, doing his best to promote his dance and maybe getting a few mora thrown his way in return if he was lucky.

but that was fine. irritating, sure, but fine. liyue was in the tail end of preparations for this year’s lantern rite, and he was set on attending. as soon as the ministry of civil affairs opened applications for performers, he’d done his best to secure himself a stage. nobody had given him a secure word, though, saying that it was “up to divine guidance” as if your traveler hadn’t taken the transport up to the jade chamber last week. yes, you often found other things to do during lantern rite, digging into liyue’s past, but you still attended the scheduled events. you still walked the streets and saw the stalls, and there was no way that the entirety of the main road was already taken up when he’d made a point of asking early.

it was because they saw him as a guard first and a dancer second. most people did, and he was lucky they’d given him uncertainty over a guaranteed rejection. the only reason they did at all was because of the constellation etched into his vision, and he was lucky to have that too. he was lucky to have this chance when most street performers could only dream of performing at the lantern rite.

‘lucky.’ it was an accurate word, but one he was beginning to get tired of hearing.

it was fine, though. he was determined—his vision blazed as he left the ministry’s office, a constant warmth at his side—to prove himself, determined to perform for you. he didn’t know when his chance in the stars would be, or when he’d have his time by your side, but he would make the most of each day until then. when, not if, he did, he would do everything in his power to make the best impression possible.

he gave a few polite waves to various merchants as he walked through liyue, making the familiar trek over the bridge and past the gate. the millelith didn’t stop him, and he didn’t stop to say hello, only lingering long enough to acknowledge them with a quick nod. he knew liyue’s hills and they knew he did too, easily navigating to a quiet, flat space of plain. the threat of hillichurls was a constant outside the harbor, but he didn’t let that stop him, confident despite the growing twilight.

ga ming reached into his inventory and pulled on his mask, hands easily finding the controls for the massive puppet. he took a breath, then began to dance, his feet sweeping over the quiet grass.

he had no guarantee when or if he’d receive the chance to chance to win your favor. but if you chose to have him on your stage, he was determined to put on the best show you’d ever seen.

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particular-one · 9 months

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I noticed ur request are open I just have to request something aslo had this idea for awhile now I tried my best to explain it detailed hope this ok

May I request a crossover fic fan heng x Genshin impact reader where reader based of electro archon Raiden shogun and maybe reader gets transported to astral express /honkai star rail universe and Mets the team I Aslo wanted to elaborate on raiden past and how she is very closed off perosn due to her past experiences with people and is very hard to make Friends

Until she Mets dan heng and they grow close bond and maybe helps reader try return her homeland . You know how raiden has two forms maybe her body is unstable like in honkai universe (like how in story quest for Genshin Ei (Reader) body want able to be in control due to shogun and she had battle her puppet self in like the boss fight verison in game maybe she unlocks this form in Plane of Euthymia to keep herself from the effects of erosion. So Reader created the puppet Shogun to ensure immunity from the decay of her physical body.While in the Plane of Euthymia, maybe reader loses control of herself like in her new form shogun and Dan heng and the team have to reason with her I hope this makes sense I was trying add shogun past best I can plus I desperately wanted crossover idea like this Dan heng since I adore him I hope this request is ok fill free to ask questions and I hope this request idea makes sense 💕I just adore Dan heng sm and love ur work plus raiden shogun Ei is my fav so YEY

pairing. dan heng x raiden ei!reader author’s note. i had to revisit shogun’s story quests cz it’s been a while i’ve gotten invested in the storyline of genshin but i enjoyed writing this (i hit the word limit with the text block too😭). i took a little creative liberty around the story of hsr so i hope it’s to your liking. :]

◇ — before you were recruited by the astral express, you were a lone drifter with a mysterious past. this universe was very much different than your own, so it was only natural for you to close yourself off with anything foreign — which is, pretty much everything. ◇ — it had been welt that located you in a nearby planet, but sent both march and dan heng to investigate. you were classified as an anomaly, and truthfully, welt had his suspicions about you at first — it was clear you did not belong to this world (but neither did he, hence why his curiosity was stoked. ◇ — to say that dan heng was merely intrigued by you is an understatement. he was downright mesmerized, that march kept teasing him on the way back. still, you were waaaaay harder to crack than anyone they’ve had on the express. you only agreed to stay with them because himiko had sensed that you were looking for your home, and promised to find a way to help you safely return. ◇ — despite the fact you’ve been with the astral express for a month, you seemed to just pop up with your presence undetected around the express, sometimes even scaring pom pom. since you did not have a permanent room on the express, dan heng offered to let you sleep in the archives. yet, during one night, he found you sleeping on the couch of the express instead. whenever he found you like that, he grabbed the singular blanket he had in his room and draped it over you. ◇ — among all the members, dan heng was the first one you warmed up to. you were always grateful when he seemingly checked up on you to make sure you were alright at night (though you had pretended to be asleep, you could always see him checking). you ended up trying to cook for him… but despite the rock hard bread, dan heng felt touched at the gesture. though he had a hard time swallowing after that. ◇ — somehow, you slowly started participating around the express. you returned march’s very chirpy greetings, you sometimes made the occasional remark that always turned everybody’s heads towards you and you sometimes shared a serene smile with dan heng, which .. made march envious because she wanted a smile from you too! dan heng knew how much returning back to your home meant to you and had stayed up in the archives trying to look for a way to get you back home — though he sometimes underwent a slight cognitive dissonance on helping you to get home, since he didn’t want you to leave the express this sudden. ◇ — due to your powerful nature, welt and himeko assigned you to go trailblazing with march and dan heng. you could easily demolish your enemies which march always finds cool and remarks on it every time. dan heng finds it cool as well but he isn’t as expressive as march about it. however, as you engaged in more battles and rumours of your god-like powers spread across the universe, it was only a matter of time an enemy faction took notice and decided that they wanted to take you for themselves. ◇ — the astral express fought to keep you safe from them, but amidst the struggle, dan heng protected you from a fatal blow which resulted in him getting severely injured. seeing him injured because of you drove you to guilt and made you remember the grief of losing everyone you loved to erosion. you went berserk against the enemy faction and successfully wiped them out, but you suddenly disappeared from the astral express. ◇ — when dan heng recovered, he was worried sick when himeko mentioned how you suddenly distanced yourself from the express and disappeared without a moment’s notice. he took it to the archives yet again to figure out where you might be, and not long after, he and welt surmised where you might possibly be — the planet they first found you in. ◇ — you were different than how they remembered you; since the fight, you had withdrawn back into your plane of euthymia and allowed raiden shogun to take full control of yourself outside. the astral express fought against your puppet to not only try and crack your shell again, but also to get one of their beloved members back.

“she’s so strong—!” march yelled from the back, just as dan heng deflected another hit from the shogun’s spear. he had always admired your strength; it had always been a delight to fight side by side with you, but never against you — that was for sure.

he knew this … puppet was not you. in truth, dan heng had sensed for a very long time that you were grappling with some sort of internal conflict, but he didn’t expect to be validated like this.

nor did he really expect that he would be fighting you as another you, that is.

still, dan heng had been extra careful not to land a devastating attack on you — well, puppet you. he didn’t really know how these cases work, but in the event that that was still you, he didn’t want to hurt you by accident.

that would be the last thing he had wanted to do.

every inch of his body was aching, his muscles felt like they were burning with how much dan heng was pushing them. he still hadn’t fully recovered, but he jumped right into this mission with only you your safety in mind.

“dan heng! behind you!”

he had been too tired to notice that the shogun was right behind him, sword raised up and ready to inflict an attack. dan heng could feel his body freeze up as he tried to get himself away — though, to his surprise, the shogun moved past him to unleash a lightning strike on …. the shogun?

was he that tired that he was now seeing double of you?

you — the you with the sword — looked back at him with a confused expression, before going back to engage with the other you. but the fleeting look you gave him was a look he could always recognize a mile away. “that’s y/n!”

immediately, march was by his side as he stepped outside the area where you were fighting the shogun puppet. “they’re both y/n, dan heng— but they’re fighting each other???” he shook his head. “no— the one with the sword. that’s our y/n.”

march didn’t seem all that convinced until welt nodded. “right. we have to stay out of her zone so we don’t block her line of sight.” dan heng’s hand gripped cloud piercer tightly just as he watched you jump right back into fighting the puppet.

“but we can’t just leave her alone—” march started, but welt placed a hand on her shoulder and shook his head. “we won’t. we just have to find that opening.”

━━━━━━━ ˖°˖ ☾☆☽ ˖°˖ ━━━━━━━

it was a constant back and forth. with the express supporting you at the back but never directly interfering, you were the one who directly battled the shogun. you withdrew back to your plane of euthymia in shame for endangering dan heng, so you were surprised to see him and the others here.

they care more about you than you had initially thought.

the shogun was relentless in battle — but you had instructed it to be like that. the shogun was meant to be flawless and firm; yet, here you were: battling against it for full control of yourself, and to be able to reunite with your friends.

with your newfound will, you pushed yourself to the limit to finally face your fears head on. it was time to put an end to this.

“dan heng, now!” the voice sounded like welt, but at his command, you watched as dan heng leapt in the air and into the battlefield. his cloud piercer raised just as he timed his attack on the puppet just as you unleashed another lightning strike. the impact had been enough to send you back, that dan heng immediately dropped back down to catch you in his arms.

you could see the shogun lower their spear, it’s form no longer in pristine condition as it once was. your own puppet was staring at you, its eyes glancing at dan heng, who still had you in his arms, and to the rest of the astral express. without another word, the shogun turned back and disappeared into the plane of euthymia, but not before giving you a nod.

“are you okay, y/n?! what was that? where are we?” you never thought march bombarding you with a million questions would comfort you as much as it did now, but you really did miss her, and the rest of the crew.

“you guys… came back? for me?”

dan heng helped you up, but his arm never left you. “of course we did.” he had a furrowed expression in his eyes, but they shone with the brightest concern. normally, you didn’t want anyone taking pity on you, but you simply relaxed in his arms.

they did care. he still cares.

the thought of home and eternity had always staved off the cold in your heart, but the feeling of being in dan heng’s arms had sent enveloped you in a warmth that you’ve frankly never experienced before.

you could hardly suppress your smile, and seeing dan heng return it to you made the warmth in your chest spread even further.

you could definitely get used to this.

written by carlyle (@particular-one) copyright: all content belongs to particular-one on tumblr (2023)

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genshin-impact-fics · 3 years

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Streamer!Genshin Reacting to Character!(Y/N) Dying in Game

!Warning!: Major character deaths & angst

Characters: Diluc, Venti, Childe, & Zhongli

Diluc:

It was a race to get inside one of the bases of the Abyss Order to put a stop to whatever plans they were in the process of executing that could potentially put many lives in danger. Diluc was rather calm while playing though it would be a lie to say that it wasn’t a bit annoying that the route to the domain was timed

It was once inside the domain did things pick up fast as it seemed to be a fighting wave system which after beating the first two rooms there was a short scene where in the end Lisa and Amber stayed behind to hold off the incoming enemies so the rest of the group could go further. It seemed like forever doing some of the puzzles to unlock the doors to reach the next fight

In that fourth room after the defeat of hilichurls and abyss mages did suddenly a short cut scene appear to show the appearance of an Abyss Lector. As remembering how much he hated fighting this guy in the spiral abyss he already knew what he was in for; however that was until your character stepped forward with your weapon ready. Diluc was actually sad to have to leave you behind as he was hoping that you’d be one of the characters that went with him to the very end

“I think I’ve watched enough shows and movies to know what this could be leading up to.” He’d comment to his viewers as he finally reached the destination where the Abyss Herald was. Finishing the fight triggered another cutscene as the traveler’s sibling appeared and was making their small speech, asking if the lives of the “friends” the traveler made were worth losing

Diluc is watching with a straight face as he kinda expected this but the who was what he wasn’t sure about and truthfully the only one he’d be truly heartbroken about is your death, but they wouldn’t kill you now of all times right? Wrong; soon the cutscene finally came across where they had left you and you were leaning against the wall extremely injured with your weapon laying beside you. Diluc is frowning cuz he has to watch you die now

Listening to your final words as you spoke to no one Diluc would sulk in his chair a little. In the last moment before your eyes closed, if you mentioned something about not getting to tell his character your true feelings it is visible that Diluc looks like he wants to cry(but he doesn't). Once the screen showed the mission complete he’d grab the plush he had of your character and hold it looking at his camera. “Of all the characters I thought were going to die, I wasn’t ready for it to be (y/n).” At that point he’d probably call it a day from there but he’d still talk to his viewers as he probably would watch the tribute videos that fans had already made

Venti:

Everything was in chaos as it looked like archon war 2 was going to be taking place, but this time it was a war between the Abyss Order and the Archons. He was heading to Mondstadt to help and to check on you. Dvalin was flying around sending attacks at the abyss members. “Ah traveler there you are!” The sound of your voice as you landed before him; as weird as it was to see you in your archon robes was odd but you looked so good! After a short conversation you had gone flying off and it was time to get back to fighting

Things were looking good as it seemed like they were winning against the abyss order though it wasn’t over yet. It was until up in the air did a cutscene starting showing you and the traveler’s sibling fighting going at it. Venti is so captivated by how serious and cool you look fighting, but it all changed when the sibling landed a blow that caused you to fall from the sky ending up falling into the Whispering Woods

Venti couldn’t run fast enough to get to the woods to check up on you but when he did the first thing he saw was the sibling standing before you. He’s already sad and yelling at the sibling for hurting you though it seemed that now he was there the sibling went and disappeared revealing the real condition you were in. “No, no, no! This better not mean (y/n)’s dying.” He’d say in denial as he’s already starting to cry a little

“A-Ah Windblume h-haha… Sorry you have to see me like this.” Even in a moment like this you gave him such a cheesy grin until you seemed to grimace in pain. “Unfortunately it seems like… This is it for me. As long as the winds blow I will always be with you, so please watch over Mondstadt for me.” Your words were making Venti cry as it was like back in your story quest but only ten times worse. And to think it was already painful as it was your next words that did him in. “Maybe in another life we will find each other again and maybe then we can be together.”

Watching you start to glow until you turned into partials of light till nothing of you was left, Venti is devastated. The chat is crying with him as he’s saying how awful it was that his sibling had killed the love of his life! His viewers are going to send him fanart and fics to look at that was an alternative that you lived in the game

Childe:

It was a big fight with the confrontation of the Fatui Harbingers, facing off against one of the other stronger members that blocked the path to proceed to seeing the Tsaritsa. The boss’ first stage was fine; however during the second stage it seemed after losing a certain amount of health the damage that Childe was dealing significantly decreased.

It was when the cutscene started that Childe was already dreading the foul legacy form he’d be facing this time. You suddenly came out of nowhere and already in your foul legacy form yourself Childe is going crazy over how cool you look; he’s also swooning at the fact that you’ve come to his rescue. The fighting progressed until you landed a successful hit that weakened the other harbinger; however, at that same time the other harbinger managed to hit you with a powerful attack

Childe is screaming at the sight of your mask breaking while you fell to the ground. He’s so glad that his character is running over to check on you instead of the fight picking right up, but he’s already feeling the feels hit him hard cuz he hates seeing you hurt. Seeing you back to normal, the damage you sustained was really bad; then the worst thought came to his mind. “This-This better not be what I think it is,” he’s saying not looking away from the screen listening to you weakly talk

“Haha don’t give me that look sweetie, I couldn’t just let this be where your journey ends.” Hearing those words and the nickname you used for his character was sad. “To think we’d be able to travel together more, but hey… Promise you won’t stop fighting and could you look after my siblings for me.” Childe is literally crying now that the reality of the situation is clear. If he gets a choice of dialog to choose from he is going to pick the choice that says that he pinky promises

If your character smiled at the choice he wanted to smile but he’s also just sad, you were dying in his character's arms. If you had given a small love confession in the little bit of life that was in you, he’s going to ugly sob and once the fight was starting again he needs to pause by going into his bag

Immediately he goes getting his big plush of you and coming back to hug it and cleaning his tears with his sleeve before looking at the camera. “I wasn’t ready for this, my baby!” He was not expecting to be losing you; he figured that some characters would possibly die but you were the last character he thought would be killed off in the game. There’s Fs in the chat all around and the crying emote; it’s sad boi hours in this chili’s. He doesn't wanna do the fight but also he gotta avenge you so this last stage fight was for you. Afterwards he’s gonna go look at fanart and video edits

Zhongli:

After helping some of the other nations and their archon’s fend off the abyss order it was time he headed to Liyue to find you. Of course as usual it wasn’t going to be as easy as running around the harbor until he got word from Xiao that you were in Cuijue Slope. So he headed over to help you before anything seriously bad could happen to you

Getting to the open area there you were fighting against the sibling as you were even in your archon robes. Going in and interrupting the fight his sibling clearly looked annoyed and proceeded to try to get him to side with them which of course he didn’t. A Herald appeared to allow the sibling to get away which the fight with the Herald commenced

Just when Zhongli finished up the fight thinking he had won it strangely went to a cutscene as his character and you started to talk; however it was when the fallen Herald came out of nowhere about to attack his character but must to his surprise you shielded him not only taking the hit, but also using your elemental burst to finish off the enemy. Zhongli is frowning at how badly you were hurt as he already has a bad feeling this wasn’t going to end good; the traveler was helping you sit up after having fallen over

“I’m glad to see that you aren’t hurt my friend.” You said as you certainly have seen better days. “Sadly I believe my time has come… Do not be sad dear friend, I have lived many many years… As knowing you has been life changing. Though rocks change from erosion, know that no time will change how I felt about you.” Your words broke his heart as you had such a soft expression on your face as your body began to glow and before he knew it you turned into particles of light and disappeared. He probably wouldn’t cry at most maybe a tear but he is clearly upset about your passing in game and would take a break to talk to his viewers and maybe look at the fanart that surprisingly had been put out already

#streamer au #streamer!genshin x character!reader #genshin x reader #genshin scenario #genshin imagines #genshin diluc #diluc x y/n #childe x reader #genshin tartagalia #genshin childe #venti the bard #genshin venti #venti x y/n #zhongli #genshin zhongli #zhongli x y/n #angst

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versadies · 3 years

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hello helloo,, can i req a zhongli oneshot or hc (whatever you like ^^) meeting the reader who looks like guizhong—or the reincarnation of guizhong,, just a thought ty !!

MY DEAREST FRIEND (hc scenario)

penpal: hope you don’t mind me making this a bit angsty!

pairing/s: zhongli x fem!reader, zhongli x guizhong (platonic)

sypnosis: in which zhongli meets someone who reminds him of his best friend and questions his feelings.

warning/s: spoilers of liyue archon quest: act 1-3

note: in this fic, guizhong and zhongli are friends !!

-> when zhongli first met you, he thought you're somewhat familiar, as though he has known you for such a long time despite only knowing you for days.

-> he concluded that how you treat him is the reason why he's feeling this way. the way you talk to him, the way you take him around places he has already been, it made it look like you two have been friends for so long. it's not that he's complaining about the familiarity you give to him – in fact, he loves how you're so easy-going.

-> while he's the consultant of the wangsheng funeral parlor, you're one of the greatest inventors liyue ever has. your ancestors are famous for inventing the elevator that is still working in wangshu inn to this day so you're pretty well-known around the city.

->. he finds himself hanging out with you everyday. whether it'd be during his usual strolls around the city, eating delicious liyue dishes in wanmin restaurant, you're always there by his side, the both of you chatting whatever comes in your minds.

-> as your friendship with zhongli grew, he slowly falls in love with you. he loves your jokes that can make a harbinger cry from laughing, your animatic gestures whenever you show him your creations, your willingness to help your dear friends, everything about you.

-> it was in guili plains when zhongli realizes why you feel so familiar to him.

"not gonna lie, this is honestly the first time i've seen a glaze lily up close." you confessed with a chuckle, staring at the flower in admiration. "i regret ignoring these flowers whenever i'm by yujing terrace, it does look beautiful as you described it, zhongli."

indeed it is. the flower was as beautiful as it was back then when he met his dearest friend.

seeing you standing where she used to gave zhongli chills down his spine, feeling deja vu from the sight. how did he not realize this after months of hanging out with you?

he starts to doubt his feelings. does he actually love you for you or does he just love you for reminding him of her?

he then remembers guizhong's death. oh how he desperately wanted to reverse time just to save her from death's grasp – she had so much things to tell him about humans and their strange ways, she could've live on to see liyue growing into a prosperous city. realization hits him when he remembers that you're mortal.

will you leave him just as his old friends did?

suddenly zhongli felt your hands holding his. "zhongli?" you called out, concern laced in your tone. "are you alright?"

he blinks a few times, looking at you in confusion. was he spacing out just now?

you place your hand on top of his forehead, thinking that he felt unwell. "you were spacing out earlier.. are you not feeling well?" you asked, moving your hand away from his forehead.

"i'm... alright." he spoke up, smiling apologetically as he shies away his recent discovery. "apologies on making you worry, but i'm alright. i was just thinking about something."

you smile lightly. "mora for your thoughts then? if you don't mind, of course."

deep down, he knows you're not guizhong. unlike her, you showed him the feeling of what it feels like to have butterflies in his stomach, the feeling of what it's like to know that there's someone that he considers as home, the feeling of knowing that he wants to spend his future with someone.

unlike her, he does not see you as his best friend, but someone who he wants to be more than just friends.

for now, he'll just enjoy this precious time with you and wait for the next right time to tell you his feelings.

"i was thinking about my dearest friend, guizhong." he spoke up, "you would've loved her if she was here."

#get urself a friend like guizhong or zhongli #PLS i love zhongli and guizhong’s story so much #genshin impact #genshin impact x reader #genshin zhongli #zhongli x y/n #zhongli x reader #genshin angst #genshin x reader #genshin impact fanfiction #genshin headcanons #zhongli #genshin #guizhong

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cynettic · 3 years

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Hii,I’d like to request a fanfic about kaeya and venti(seperate) comforting a gn!reader after losing their pet

Summary - Venti and Kaeya comfort you after the loss of your pet.

Pairings - Reader x Venti / Kaeya

Warnings - Pet angst

Penpal - Sorry for getting to you late! If you did by chance lose a pet like that I’m so sorry to hear that- I tried to make it extra comforting for that case. If not and I’m just overthinking it- I hope you enjoy it either way :)

A/N - Ahhhh- I havent posted in so long ;-; sorry sorry, been stuck with 40-50 hours of work this entire week, and when I get home I just grind Inazuma. I havent even caught up to the archon quest, just exploring lol

Comfort after Losing a Pet

Venti

Venti has lived for a very long time, and even with his cheerful chatter and harmless jokes, he’s gained a strong sense of wisdom from these years. He has no doubt attached himself to people throughout these years and lost them, but instead of feeling sad for them, I feel like Venti would keep them close to his heart instead.

He’d urge you to do the same.

Things like these take time, taking in the death of someone important to you is not easy, he understands that.

Venti can be incredibly patient, even though it might be hard for him to put himself exactly in your shoes, he will wait alongside you.

Unless it’s a cat.

He’s allergic to those little fuckers- and even if he doesn’t share a particular hatred towards them…

Jk jk he’ll comfort you and mourn your pet with you either way, he just wants to see you smile again.

What Venti could best give you is words and time, he doesn’t really have much archon duties so he’ll spend the day doing things with you. He’ll even skip a few nights at the bar just to cuddle with you and make you feel safe and like you have someone to rely on.

As for words, we all know Venti is a smooth talker- who’s to say he isn’t good at soothing someone either?

He probably won’t be as touchy as Kaeya will, and will rely on the things he can do to cheer you up. Playing his lyre, telling you jokes, and just being by you.

_-_-_-_

"People and animals come and go, I know for sure that -pet name- loved you dearly Y/n. And even if they can’t be here with you," Venti pressed a loving kiss to your chest right where your heart was. "They’ll always be right here with you.”

_-_-_-_

“They’re gone.”

You slowly sank to your knees, lips pressed firmly shut as you tried to blink away the tears. Shock coursed your body as you tried to understand just what had happened. But every time you thought about it, your heart thud a bit too loudly against your chest, and suddenly you wanted to cry all over again.

Venti, who was right beside you didn’t know what to do. His hands were outstretched to bring you into his arms, but he was unsure of whether it was the contact you need at the moment.

He decided to simply rest his hand on your back.

The two of you had just been on your way back home after having to put your pet down, something you’d been trying to delay, but knew you had to with their age and actions. Venti had stood with you through it all, but you hadn’t shed a tear back then.

But the shock gradually faded away, and you were a sobbing mess.

Venti rubbed his hand on your back, whispering soft promises and loving words into your ear. It hurt him to see you like this, and even if he was close and had known your pet well, it didnt affect him nearly as much as it did you. However, when you continued to sit crouched on the floor, he knew he needed to take action.

Slowly, he lifted you to your feet, opening the door to your home and slowly helping you inside. Tears continued to trickle down your face as he walked you over to your bedroom, a firm grip on your arm so you wouldnt fall. His thumb gently brushed the skin of your arm, a contact that reminded you he was there.

He gently sat you on the bed, pressing a kiss to your forehead. “Y/n,” he began gingerly, already taking off your boots and unnecessary accessories. “Take a deep breath in.”

You did just that, but another sob broke past your lips and suddenly you were wiping them away.

“No no,” he took your hands in his, your wrists encased in his gentle grip. “I’m not asking you to stop crying… I just want you to clear your head a little.” His gaze was soft as he looked up at you from his crouched position. “Being sad over this is completely normal, I’ll be with you through it all.”

He slowly brought your fingertips to his lips, pressing a featherlike kiss to each of them. So soft that by the time he’d finished, you’d stopped crying. His touch made you feel warm, a bright reminder that he was here with you, that you wouldnt be alone during this.

“(Pet Name) loved you Y/n. I want you to know that they were happy till the end, happy with you. I know you need to grieve, but don’t ever think that you’ll have to do it alone.”

Kaeya

Kaeya may not as lived as much as Venti, but he has certainly gone through enough to understand handling a loss. He’s lost a great amount of family, and has lost his relationship with his brother. He probably hasnt had a pet before, but knows the importance they hold.

He probably got to know your pet too, formed memories and came to love them as well.

It wont hit him as hard though .

Kaeya will also be patient with you, theres no rush to heal over what happened or finish your grievances. Expect him to be there with you for the majority of the time, he might ask for a couple of days just to stay with you.

But Kaeya still needs to work, hence time not being one of the main providers he can give you. Instead, he would wrap you in his arms and wouldnt let go. Physical contact and giving are what he’s gonna be doing.

You feel hungry for eggs and bacon? Chef Kaeya to the rescue-

Tbh I dont even know if he can cook.

Like Venti, he will remind you constantly that he’s there. Because he knows that its exactly what he needed back when Crepus died. He’ll remind you through his words, actions, and contact.

24/7 Cuddle buddy.

He most definitely calls you nicknames all the time, but the names before the death of your pet might have been more like, babe, doll, honey. He might’ve switched to love, dear, dearest, stuff like that for a little.

Idk- but ‘Your pet loved you doll,’ doesnt sound as nice as, ‘Your pet loved you dear.

_-_-_-_

“We made so many memories with them,” he whispered into your ear, arms around you. “You were always there with them, loved and took care of them, I know they loved and appreciated you for it.”

_-_-_-_

“I’m fine Kaeya,” you mumbled as he held the cup of tea to your lips. Your hands could easily grasp the sides, but for some odd reasons he insisted on being the one to do everything for you. You knew it was partly because he’d have to start going back to work soon, and he just wanted you to feel comfortable.

“I know,” he simply said, a smile playing at his lips. “But I want to spoil you with love, just take it.”

You felt your throat go dry and your chest thud painfully, something you’d gotten used to since yesterday. The loss of your pet struck hard, but you found it all the more bearable with Kaeya, who stood alongside you through it all.

Finishing the tea, he climbed into bed with you, hand coming to pull you close to his chest. His fingers slowly brushed the skin of your back, soothing patterns that would send you to sleep right away. But instead, you nuzzled your head deeper into his chest.

“I miss them,” you spoke softly.

Kaeya didnt stop with the motions on your back, but instead drifted his other hand to the back of your head. He brushed his fingers through your locks, lowering how own head down to press a kiss to your forehead.

“I know you do,” was what he said in a whisper. “Theres nothing wrong with it either, you will miss them for an eternity.” He spoke from experience, but was never harsh with his words as if he expected you to know. “But eventually, you will solely remember those good memories with (Pet name). Those are the only ones that matter, because you made them happy, and they made you happy.”

The deep breath you took in was painful.

But he was right, you knew well that their memories and your yearning for them would turn into a past adoration. You would never forget them, but you’d come to accept their loss and always remember them in a happy light.

“Thank you,” you mumbled softly to the boy, wrapping your hands around his waist. “You always know what to say and do… thank your for being here for me.”

“I will always be here for you,” was his answer.

#genshin #genshin impact #genshin hc #genshin headcanons #genshin fluff #genshin oneshot #genshin fanfic #genshin kaeya #genshin venti #kaeya x reader #venti x reader #kaeya fluff #venti fluff #cynshealthysfw

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aspiringauthorintraining · 3 years

Text

Sands of Eon (2/2)

(A/N): hoped you liked the first part. Enjoy! Read with sad music cause I wrote it with sad music. I hope you cry lol.

Part 1 here!

Fighting in a battle changes a person. But surviving an Archon war destroys them.

At least now, you had a better understanding of what Xiao went through before. And seeing how it affected you, it made you all the more thankful that you could suffer in place of Xiao.

Once you arrived in the past, you had successfully prevented the contract between Kubira and Xiao from coming to fruition. It was simple really. Kubira wanted a servant to do his bidding, and figured Xiao would be perfect for the role. But if the god were to find someone before Xiao, someone who was willing to become his bloodhound instead, there would be no reason for him to actively search out the adeptus. In short, you took over Xiao’s role in the war. It was the only plan that would change the outcome of the war and the future the least, without having others get involved.

All it took was offering yourself. You had surprised the god, who was amused that a mere human would want to serve in his army. But he decided to humor you, and in exchange for your obedience to his orders, he granted you immortality and increased power. By the end of the forsaken war, your power had become strong enough to rival an adeptus’. At the price of insurmountable bloodshed.

You hadn’t seen Xiao during the war, something that you were thankful for later on.

Not a day would pass that you wouldn’t think of him; hesitating, wondering if you would be able to face him after all that you had done. If he would look at you in disgust, knowing of all the deeds you had done for your master. If it would be worth facing his hatred, just to get a glimpse of his face once more.

Once the long war reached its end, Rex Lapis freed you from the chains of your blood-filled servitude. You had considered asking the archon to bring an end to your curse of immortality, but decided against it.

You could have had a merciful death, spending the last of your days as a human. But you didn’t deserve such an easy death, not after all the inhumane sins you committed. What you truly deserved, was to live every day of the rest of your immortal life; remembering every life you had taken, every drop of blood shed with your polearm, never being able to escape the horrors you submitted yourself to. You would continue to roam Teyvat, neither human nor adeptus, barely surviving, barely hanging on the thread of sanity left in you. Never forgetting that you had chosen your fate.

And the selfish part of you urged you to keep your immortality as well. You held onto the selfish desire to see Xiao one day, smiling and celebrating, surrounded by the people of Liyue. Blissfully unaware of what you endured and suffered, in his stead.

And as a millennia passed, you never once regretted changing your fate with Xiao’s. You had made your choice, and you now lived with it.

Your life followed in the steps of Xiao’s original fate, spending your days and years protecting Liyue; an atonement for your sins, as well as gratitude to the Geo Archon who saved you. On quiet days, you ate Almond Tofu at the Wangshu Inn, finally understanding why the adeptus had craved the dish so much before. It was the texture, rather than the taste that made it so alluring.

Avoiding the yaksha in the millennia had been easier than you thought. The only way you would hear about Xiao was through the Geo archon, who came to visit every now and then, checking up on you from time to time. He would update you on the man’s whereabouts and health during each visit, keeping the adeptus nameless, per your request.

“I don’t remember my real name.”

“Xiao isn’t your real name?”

“No, it was given to me by Morax after the Archon War…”

Xiao wasn’t his name anymore, and you figured not knowing his name would prevent you from ever seeking him. The less you knew, the better.

“It’s the last night of the Lantern Rite festival, (Y/N).”

Verr Goldet informs you as you greet her on your way up the stairs.

“Is it that time already?” you asked with a small smile. You reached down to pet the cat who rubbed her back against your leg with a purr.

“The traveler stopped by to let you know his invitation to join him and his flying companion at the festival still stands.”

You looked out at the terrace, watching the violet, sunset sky turn darker with each minute.

“You know me. I’m fine watching from the roof.” you responded, shaking your head.

The Wangshu owner gave a sigh at your response.

“At least go to the mountains for a better view. I��ll pack you an Almond Tofu so you can eat dinner up there while watching the ending festivities.”

Seeing her pleading face, you couldn’t reject her suggestion.

You finally reached the top of the mountain, giving you a good view of the city of Liyue, as well as the lanterns floating in the sky. Looking down into the city square, you could see the people of Liyue celebrating the last moments of the festival: children running around with last-minute made lanterns, lovers gathered near the bridge hand-in-hand, and Ruijin explaining the rules of her new game to the curious crowd. But it was the crowd gathered in the center, dancing in a big circle that grabbed your attention.

You spotted a figure dressed in teal, playing a flute instead of his usual lyre, providing music for the crowd to dance to. You smiled seeing the anemo archon having the time of his life. And it seemed that one more figure was having the time of his life, in the center of the dancing circle, wearing a mask and dancing along to the bard’s wind music.

Your breath hitched at the sight of the figure. Even with the mask on, you could recognize him anywhere. It was your first time seeing him in over a millennia, and you could still remember his face, down to every last detail.

Before you knew it, tears streamed down your face, the sight of finally seeing him overwhelming you with emotions.

“Looks like your wish was granted too.” you laughed happily through your tears, remembering what he had wrote on the lantern you once gave him long ago.

“For a day to come to wear the mask, not to conquer demons, but to dance to the tune of that flute amidst a sea of flowers.”

- Xiao

As he continued dancing, you were entranced, never being able to see this side of him before your time venture.

It was only when the ending rite began that he had stopped his movement, taking his mask off to properly watch the show. Your heart stopped at the sight of his face, a small smile gracing his features. And it wasn’t until the ending fireworks rang in your ears, that your heart was reminded to beat again, realizing you had spent the whole ending festival watching him.

You took a moment to look out at the vast sea of lanterns, wondering if Xiao had made one of his own, and what wish he had written on the lantern. Taking one last look at the brightly-lit night sky, you turned your attention back to the city, watching as a group of people surrounded Xiao with smiles on their faces. And at the sight of his responding smile, all the pain you had endured up til now was forgotten.

“Xiao.” you called out quietly.

It was the wrong name, but it was the only one you knew him by.

The yaksha darted his eyes around the crowd, seemingly as if he had heard you call out to him. Although, it was far too loud with festivities in the square, and the distance between the two fo you, that it wasn’t likely.

“Happy Lantern Rite.” you whispered, a tear falling down your cheek.

It was worth it. Seeing the smile on his face, surrounded by the people of Liyue who respected him. It was worth your loneliness and pain, to save him from his. Being the only one to remember everything would be a suffering you would gladly take for his happiness.

So, you forced yourself to tear your eyes away from the his figure, away from the lantern-lit city. And silently, you headed down the mountain, back to Wangshu Inn, alone.

(A/N): AhhHHH!, you’ve made it to the end! Thank you for reading! I felt so sad playing the story quest for Xiao during the Lantern Rite festival. I planned on having a happy ending but just ended up going on an angst spiral. Let me know what you thought! I’m thinking of doing another part with a possibly happier ending, but we’ll see if I’m up for it lol. Again thank you for reading! Safe readings!

Like, comment, subscribe, ring the bell for notifications for more videos. jk lol, this isn’t youtube. Just play some Genshin.

#genshin impact imagine #genshin impact #genshin x reader #genshin x you #genshin imagine #genshin impact x reader #genshin impact x you #genshin impact xiao #genshin impact xiao imagine #xiao imagine #genshin xiao #xiao x reader #xiao x you #no beta we die like hilichurls lol

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kazewhara · 2 years

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augh.... zuzu youre killing me ..... best friends to enemies to lovers.... the angst potential the sheer TRAGEDY......... id imagine that even tho you hate the idea of going thru with the raid, you hate the idea of not being there more because with anyone else leading the troops, how are you to make sure kazuha at least escapes unscathed? of course, you never tell him that. after this, after seeing him see you on the estate-made-battlefield, after seeing the /expression he had/... you could never shame yourself(more than you already have) by subjecting him to your presence again.

drowning in your shame, regret, and self loathing at this point, you spend your next years playing out the role the shogunate wants you to. you are jaded, you feel faded, and the dead end position you have in the army is the only thing you let yourself do anymore. nothing feels the same since the raid, and everything feels dulled by the monotony of just going through the motions every day.

its at this point that id want to set up the reader for a well and truly redemption arc taking place during the events of the inazuma archon quest in game.... maybe you meet him again after he joins the traveler with beidou in the skirmish at nazuchi beach, and kazuha finally has the chance to get the answers he didnt ask for that night during the raid. you two are hostile to eachother, kazuha because, well, you were the downfall of the kaedehara clan, someone he thought of as a friend and even had feelings for betraying him just like that. but you? youre so convinced that youre bad for him that you cant bring yourself to drop the 'perfect tenryou commission general' act. its a mercy to him, you think, to make things simple, to make it so that he can dismiss you as a bad person from his past, to push him away so he never has to see the ugly thing youve become because of the ugly thing you did to him. so he never has to know that secretly, hes still the person you think of the most. (you cant help but think that you dont even deserve to think upon him fondly anymore, but you cant stop either.)

kazuha's arrival at inazuma after years of not seeing him in person shakes you in ways you cant describe. after nazuchi beach, for the first time in years, you cry in bed that night. the self sabotaging monotonous life you had set up for yourself suddenly seems so bleak compared to the possibility that is kazuha being in your life again. you think, you KNOW that you shouldnt think this way, you dont deserve it after all, but you cannot stop yourself from cradling the sharp spark of yearning that has rekindled itself after seeing him again.

kazuha...... kazuha knows that something isnt right with how you were acting when he interrogated you at nazuchi beach. he was your best friend, he Knows your tells, that you were lying somehow when you told him that you raided the kaedehara estate because the shogun told you to, plain and simple, that your past friendship didnt mean so much as he thought it did and that the shoguns orders are more important than anything else to you. a part of him is upset that somehow after all these years you still are lying to him and being dishonest, but a smaller part that he cant seem to quell hopes that the thing you were lying about was the part where you said you felt nothing for him the whole time.

this is already long as fuck and i dont want to clog your inbox with a whole fic but ideally this would end with you being dishonorably discharged from the tenryou militia for confronting kujou sara and the raiden shogun about what happened to the kaedehara estate and Everything Else theyve done being wrong after you get back together with kazu and have your character development moments together ALSO ASKJFDBAKJFBKSDJF SORRY I KNOW THIS IS SO LONG BUT LOVERS TRAGEDY ALWAYS HITS A SPECIAL SPOT IN MY HEART ESPECIALLY WHEN THERES A HAPPY ENDING SO I KINDA RAN WITH IT SORRYYYYYYYY

-🌲

MY CHEST???? I'M LITERALLY CLUTCHING MY CHEST RN LIKE I'M SO INVESTED HNNNNGGG THIS IS PROBABLY ONE OF MY FAVORITE TROPES EVER LIKE THE WAY WE LIE AND THE WAY KAZUHA HAS HOPE AND FUCCKSKAJSJDJNDSJ)$&×*@@^@@;#@,,#&##,@,,#,

THE NOISES COMING OUT OF MY MOUTH ARE UNGODLY

OKAY SO WHEN'S THE FIC COMING? 😁 I'M YOUR BIGGEST FAN, WHEN WHEN WHEN :DD

#z box #z anon #🌲 anon #im definitely gonna take a crack at writing stuff like this #but your ideas are your ideas and i would LOVE to read something of yours SOOOO WHEN :D

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pastel-rights · 3 years

Text

Spoilers for all of the Inazuma Archon quests!

Damn, I was watching some of my favorite Genshin streamers react to the new archon quest earlier today and I just… man. It got me thinking… this is very much so headcanons and my personal feelings towards the cutscene… but…

The Musou No Hitotachi… it’s sure as hell a powerful move and seeing it in action is one thing… But seeing it being used again is a whole nother feeling.

Seeing it being used on someone you’ve come to know and even become close with must be traumatizing. It must be life ruining. And for all that to happen again, with someone new… Kazuha’s world must have felt like it was ending. The air felt stiff to Paimon and the Traveler after seeing it the first time. The air must have been suffocating to Kazuha.

Kazuha can hear everything, as long as it travels on the wind. The sounds of the Musou No Hitotachi, the sounds of Signora turning to ash and the sounds of the Raiden Shogun acknowledging the Traveler’s victory, Kazuha probably heard it all.

And seeing the Shogun appearing behind the Traveler with the intent to execute them, the look of terror in Kazuha’s face… it wasn’t the same as Gorou’s look or the Traveler’s look. Kazuha seemed genuinely traumatized… Seeing that glowing purple blade triggered memories in Kazuha’s brain. Ones Kazuha’s brain has tried so hard to suppress. He’s teleported back to the day he first saw the Musou No Hitotachi. The day it was used on Tomo. He probably heard Tomo’s body hit the ground before he saw it. (I think Signora burned to a crisp because of the overwhelming heat already in her body, the intense heat from the Musou No Hitotachi just lit it up like gasoline and burned it till there was nothing left.) He sees Traveler in Tomo’s place. His body locks up, he’s frozen. He’s suffocating from fear. He feels powerless. He feels weak. And then there’s the voice. “There will always been those who dare to brave the Lightning’s glow.” It’s the last thing Tomo ever said to him.

Now it’s canon Kazuha can hear the wind. It’s also canon that the statue of the omnipresent god has visions imbedded into it and those visions contain voices. (The Traveler hears those voices.) Those voices, can be heard with the wind. People’s hopes, people’s dreams, their ambitions… they all travel on the wind. Tomo’s voice isn’t the only voice Kazuha hears but it’s the only voice Kazuha can focus on. In that moment, Kazuha is hearing 99 different voices at once (not including Tomo’s own) and it… compels him. “You may have been helpless last time, but you’re not helpless this time.” Kazuha’s body makes a decision before his mind catches up to reality. He blocks the hit from the Shogun to protect Traveler. It’s pretty obvious Kazuha isn’t able to catch up to reality quickly enough. He stares at his sword in confusion. (“How did I get here… why is my sword infused with… electro?”) It causes him to be caught off guard again when the Shogun strikes him. She strikes him at his chest (probably with the intent to fatally wound him.) but to her dismay, it only serves to knock him back.

I wish The Raiden Shogun mentioned something about that moment. I don’t think she’s ever had someone block a hit by the Musou No Hitotachi. Especially having someone survive it too. It’s new to her. It’s shocking. She’s so caught up in the Traveler that she completely disregarded Kazuha. Yes, having someone who can manipulate the elements without a vision is interesting but having someone who can manipulate an element that’s not their own (especially the one YOU control) is just as interesting. Not only is the Traveler an enemy to eternity… but in that moment, so was Kazuha. To reactivate a dead vision, apparently before that moment, didn’t seem possible. This is a change, a change that can’t go unnoticed. It takes a certain catalyst, a certain event to reactivate a vision. To rekindle a vision. Ei must have known Kazuha from when he took the dead vision. She must have. Kazuha was probably unique in her eyes, but not in the same way the Traveler was. It’s not the first time a vision was taken from her grasp though. It may have been the first time it was a live vision… but she’s been defied before. And the shock on the Raiden Shogun’s face when Kazuha blocked her attack? I wonder what the puppet saw. Was it just Kazuha? Was Tomo’s ghost there? The ghosts of the others? What did she see? I think she saw something in Kazuha. Something surrounding Kazuha. The puppet shouldn’t have been surprised by someone striking back. There was just something about Kazuha that took her by surprise.

The way Tomo’s electro vision started back up, the way it resonated with Kazuha’s anemo vision, the elemental energy surrounding Kazuha and his blade, it all looked so cool.

I wonder if having that added electro energy hurt Kazuha at all. Absorbing electro energy must be shocking, maybe even numbing but even then, it’s at a lesser degree. But the electro energy this time, was coming from within Kazuha, as well as the anemo energy. Not to mention the electro energy from the Shogun as well, and the close contact electric shocks from their weapons clashing too. Pyro energy makes you hotter, you burn up from doing too much, cyro energy makes you cooler, if you stand still too long, you’ll freeze. These things would be worse for new vision users probably too. Electro energy probably causes burns, it may sap energy from the vision user overtime. Having your energy drained during a fight… especially against a powerful opponent like the Raiden Shogun… no wonder all Kazuha could really do was block the attack. Anything else and the Shogun would have killed him. He wouldn’t have had the energy to dodge or attack back, and if he didn’t block correctly… it would be all over.

And we also see the electro vision fall, and when it falls to the ground, it deactivates and returns to its masterless state. Though, is it really masterless anymore? Even for a brief moment… Kazuha was able to draw power from it. Even if he not longer has the vision on hand, can he still draw the electro energy from it? Is he Teveat’s first duo element wielder? Is there even a such thing? Not to mention, after Kazuha leaves, the vision lights up again. (It was probably just as a transition but mAN-)

I wonder if Kazuha can resonate with other masterless visions as well… and if he can draw on their powers during people’s times of need…

“You… are the enemy to eternity… you defy the laws set by the archons… you defy what is known…”

#genshin impact #genshin impact spoilers #genshin spoilers #inazuma spoilers #this started out as a:#hey I think that fight scene between Kazuha and the Raiden Shogun left Kazuha severely traumatized #even before the actual fight began #but I just kept writing and writing so uh #have fun reading that I guess lmao #all headcanons all speculation on my part cause I love that scene with all my heart

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siberlius · 3 years

Text

three times diluc said something nice about kaeya (+ one time it was said to kaeya)

also on ao3

i didn’t even have to come up with anything new about their relationship content wise they are mostly in the official story. note for spoilers ahead!

“Master Diluc!”

Pyro user. Talented with a bow. Three-time winner of Mondstadt Gliding Championships. The Outrider. The Crimson Knight. Diluc had met her grandfather, back when he was still part of the Knights of Favonius, had smiled at stories of mayhem caused by his grandchild shared during campfires, mayhem that stopped with his mysterious disappearance and the tragic erosion of the Outrider Division. Diluc had also heard about the girl’s determined attempt to revive her grandfather’s legacy. She’s young, she’s passionate, hopeful. And she’s brave, brave enough to protect a child plagued by the Archon Residue from a Delusion user. Despite his distaste towards the Knights of Favonius, Diluc could see the similarities between his younger self and her. The bitter, jaded heart of his was cynical, but still he carried an irrational hope that she didn’t become worn out like he did.

“Evening, Outrider. To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?”

“You know me?” Amber perked up.

Apart from information through keeping tabs on prominent Vision users with Diluc’s own intelligence network, to her credit, the Outrider had made a name for herself. Diluc tilted his head, “Of course. I have heard great things about you.”

She blushed. “Eh? From who?”

“The Acting Grand Master of the Knight of Favonius, of course. To celebrate your heroic deeds, why not have a drink, on the house? Here’s the menu of-“

“Ooh is it the super famous dandelion wine!”

“- the non-alcoholic drinks. I know you are underaged, miss.”

At that, Amber looked sheepish. “I will have a Berry and Mint Burst.”

“Good choice.”

As Diluc prepared the drink, he asked, “Why are you here at the tavern? Not that we mind, just that at this hour the Angel’s Share is more popular with the adults.”

He watched her hastily form a lie. “I wanted to see what’s so good about the tavern!”

Diluc raised a brow. Amber crumbled. “You caught me. I wanted to find Sir Kaeya.”

It’s practice that prevented Diluc from dropping the mixer onto the table. He poured the mix of ice, berry juice and mint concentrate into a glass, topped the drink off with a swig of mint and served it to Amber.

“The calvary captain? Why are you looking for him here instead of at the headquarters?”

“Shit this is good. Um. Well, I don’t know if I can say this, but uh...”

“So it’s a secret mission.”

“No! It’s just, he has been avoiding me since the thing with Collei, and I am trying to catch him to apologise!”

The child with the Archon Residue. Huh. “And why is that?”

“I. Uh. Look I know he thinks I am a rookie and doesn’t take me seriously and I may or may not have gone against his orders but you know what? It’s his fault for not telling me anything!”

Diluc almost offered her free drinks for the year there and then. Instead, he chose to nod. “Just between you and me, you don’t seem to be the only one with such complains.”

“Sir Kaeya is an amazing knight, a great captain. I respect him a lot. But, sometimes I can’t help but wish he could let us help him. I know he runs off for a reason, though giving us orders we don’t understand why while he leaves makes the other knights question him. And when he’s back he always looks at us like he knows what we have been doing and as if everything has gone according to plan. But what if he doesn’t come back? We won’t be able to help him since we won’t know what’s happening. It irks me so much.”

“Maybe you should provide feedback to him.”

“Do you think he would mind? Argh, I wanted to apologise to him.”

“You can apologise and give him feedback. I’m sure calvary captains would want to hear out the knights under their command.”

“Wouldn’t it be nice if you were the calvary captain,” Amber muttered, and immediately froze in horror. “Wait. You were a calvary captain!”

Diluc’s eye twitched.

“Please don’t tell Sir Kaeya, Master Diluc! I know you must be friends and-“

“We aren’t friends.”

It must have come off a little rough, with how Amber’s face was turning pale, so Diluc quickly schooled his features back into character, and added, “He’s a good paying customer, that’s all.”

“You promise you won't tell?”

“Of course. A bartender offers a listening ear. It would be bad for business if I don’t keep the things people vent to me about.”

Amber heaved a sigh of relief. “I know I complained a lot, but honestly! I want him to like me. I know I am not as experienced as some of the Vision users in the knights, but I am good at my job. I just wish he could see it.”

“Oh, I am sure he knows that.”

“Eh?”

“Well, he did come over with the Acting Grand Master and the Librarian. You were the topic of their conversation. He knows what you have done and is proud of you. I don’t think whatever you were concerned about was in his mind at all.”

“Oh! That’s kind of him. I mean, I - keep this between us okay - kind of helped the person who was killing him to escape.”

Diluc blinked. Kaeya always left out a lot of details.

“Maybe it was the right thing to do, and he knows.”

“It was the right thing to do,” the Outrider’s back straightened as her eyes flared in determination, “though if he had told me earlier that he knew who the culprit was this wouldn’t be an issue! Well, I think I still owe him an apology.”

“He usually goes to the table in the dark corner near the stairs around this hour. Why don’t you go upstairs in the mean time. I will give you a signal if he shows up. If he doesn’t, you can still stay and order more drinks if you like. It’s on the house for heroic Outriders.”

“Really? Thank you Master Diluc, for listening to me, and for the drinks!”

Diluc waved her off as she skipped upstairs with her Berry and Mint Burst in hand.

They watched the Traveler leave, Paimon flying by their shoulder in a dash of sparkles, and the Ameno God slipped out of the tavern with a flurry of green.

“You aren’t going to ask Kaeya to come along?” Jean asked.

“We don’t need him.” The Dandelion Knight was an army of her own. They had Barbatos on their side, even if he wasn’t the all powerful god he imagined. The Traveler was uncannily talented as well.

“I thought things between the two of you are a little better now.”

Better? Diluc furrowed his brows. As much as he was a thorn on his side, Kaeya had been quieter these days, busy with his missions. In other words, he was the same as always.

But Jean knew them back when they were still brothers in name and heart.

“We are okay,” Diluc replied shortly, “he just isn’t the sort that enjoys heroic quests involving errant divine creatures.”

Kaeya’s cup of tea involved sifting through backend politics and pre-empting backstabbing using a lot of manipulation that Diluc frowned upon. He would do better managing the city in their absence.

“Ah, but you do,” Jean smiled, a little teasing, “that’s more your style, after all.”

Diluc huffed. At least she stopped referring to him as sir. While it was touching to know that old colleagues still respected him enough (and useful too, for insider’s information), he had left the Knights and all its false glamour for a reason.

“I was worried - well. I know the two of you don’t see eye to eye, and I don’t want to be involved in your personal issues, but I am the Acting Grand Master, and I have to know if you don’t trust him for whatever reason, for the sake of Mondstadt.”

Diluc stilled. There’s no other reason for anyone else to be suspicious of Kaeya, despite the obvious. “Just because he isn’t from Mondstadt?”

Jean shifted uncomfortably. “Grand Master Varka had his reservations. You know how he’s like especially with the Fatui situation, and Khaenri’ah, not to be judgemental-“

“So don’t be,” Diluc cut in tersely. Jean paused, surprisingly calm for being interrupted.

“Good,” Jean said, and her face was one full of relief, “he does things unorthodox, but without him it would have been hard to deal with all the politics involved in diplomacy. He’s remarkably talented at cleaning unsightly messes. I trust him, just so you know.”

“Okay,” Diluc said, strangely relieved as well, “we should hurry to Stormterror’s lair before our dear traveler bites off more than they can chew.”

“Yes sir,” Jean said.

Diluc sighed. So much for one step forward.

“Master Diluc! Master Diluc!”

The strange pair of travelers were always loud in their steps. Fitting for the role of a hero. Diluc set his papers down on the table. “How can I help you?”

“Tell Paimon about your rivalry with Kaeya!”

Diluc felt an oncoming headache building between his eyes. “Rivalry?"

“We have been talking to the townsfolk back in Mondstadt!”

“You have been gossiping?”

The Traveler quickly shifted to the side to create some distance from Paimon, and Paimon, as if on instinct, flitted closer to the Traveler much to their chagrin.

“Why didn’t you tell us you are famous? The two dashing opposites of Mondstadt! How poetic the two of you are! Blue and Red! Night and Day! Cryo and Pyro! Ice and Fire! Calvary captain and vigi -“

“I get it please calm down and lower your volume,” Diluc pinched the bridge of his nose, willing himself to ignore the stares and whispers of visitors at the Dawn Winery.

“Answer Paimon’s question! How did the rivalry begin!”

“There is no rivalry. We are not competing or anything.”

Growing up, Kaeya preferred to stay in the shadows supporting Diluc, being his comrade-in-arms, right hand man, spokesperson, and confidante, smoothing out the road ahead and helping Diluc through with every challenge. They trained together, because Kaeya was a clever fighter who when push came to a shove, gave up on knightly decorum and fought dirty. Kaeya had been formidable on his own even without a Vision. But they, well, Diluc never felt that they really wanted to best each other. Who knew what Kaeya thought, though something in Diluc told him that Kaeya never cared for that either.

“Oh,” Paimon said glumly, “I thought there was some spicy story, from what the girls at the Cat’s Tail said.”

“Paimon, do me a favour and stop indulging in gossip.”

Paimon flew to hide behind the Traveler. “Oh no he’s angry!”

“Sorry about that,” the Traveler grimaced.

Feeling a little guilty, and before he stopped himself, Diluc threw them a bone, “We used to be brothers.”

“BROTHERS?” Paimon yelled. The Traveler slapped a hand over her mouth. But their stare on Diluc was serious and disconcerting.

“Used to be?” The Traveler asked, troubled, “how can one use to be brothers?”

“Sometimes, when people become too different, they drift apart,” Diluc answered smoothly, already regretting starting this line of conversation.

“But,” the Traveller looked distraught, “that doesn’t change anything. You will always be siblings, right?”

Paimon’s face was full of sympathy, “Hey, chin up! Don’t listen to Captain Pyro - once you find them, Paimon’s sure the two of you will still be fine!”

Diluc blinked. Right.

“Paimon’s right. Your circumstances and mine are very different. And, Kaeya and I can speak to each other, even if we aren’t close anymore. He has his duties, and so have I. We still serve Mondstadt, even if we don’t see eye to eye.”

The Traveler shook their head, “If I find them and they still welcome me into their arms, it will be a miracle. It has been so long. I - I have to find them soon, lest they forget me. Hey Paimon, let’s move onwards!”

“Okay! Bye bye, Captain Pyro!”

Diluc nodded. “I wish you all the very best.”

Twins - it was often said that there were no bond stronger than the one between a pair of twins.

People used to refer to them as twins, despite how physically different they looked. As with matters of his heart, his past, Diluc pushed them to the furthest edge of his mind, and returned to the reports at hand.

The party was surprisingly well-organised, despite how rushed it had been to deal with the Acting Grand Master’s duties while preparing the surprise. Near the end of it, everyone helped to clean up, sweeping the floors and wiping the tables of the Angel’s Share. One by one, they had left in cheers and high spirits. In the silence Diluc did a quick count of the stock left in the tavern.

Footsteps, carefully volumed and timed just to not startle him. The drag of a chair. The creak from a person’s weight on the seat.

“You are still here.” Diluc said.

“Wanted to say thank you for letting us host the party here. I didn’t even have to pull a favour or two from you," Kaeya replied, lilt in his voice.

“That’s because you secretly got Noelle to make the request. And, this was for Jean.”

Kaeya laughed. Sighing, Diluc took a clean glass, filled it up, and dropped it in front of Kaeya. Kaeya raised his brow, but accepted the drink. He winced as he braced himself for the taste of grape juice, but upon realising that it was dandelion wine, he began sipping it with childish glee that stirred something fond and old within Diluc.

“You are in a good mood today.”

“We can’t always be hunting down abyss mages and beating no-gooders in the night.”

“Or tricking innocent travelers to be part of some grand scheme.”

Kaeya hid a smile behind his glass of wine. “Ah, we never could maintain polite conversation for longer a minute, can we?”

“We-“ Diluc stopped himself. When they were younger, conversations between them were childish chatter that had to be hushed by Father, familiar digs at each other that only they could get away with, and once in a blue moon, banter that sometimes got mean enough to turn into brawls.

Unpleasant memories twisted nostalgia into something ugly that sank uncomfortably in his gut.

“Do you regret telling me?”

Kaeya’s blue eye twinkled against the flush of his cheeks, “About?”

“You know what.”

The edges of Kaeya’s lips curled. He considered Diluc for a moment. “Sometimes, yes. If only so that you won't hate me so much.”

Diluc stared at him in silence. Whether or not he said anything in return, Kaeya would read him. Kaeya could always read him. A part of Diluc’s resentment would always be about that. He used to think he could read him like the back of his hand as well. After the worst day in his life, he couldn’t shake off the grinding suspicion in his gut that Kaeya could be lying every word he spoke, couldn’t help but wonder if all the times they spent together were a series of carefully concocted lies.

Now, he looked at Kaeya. Really looked. Saw a grinning, younger, vulnerable Kaeya who was a warm presence by his side throughout their childhood, superimposed upon the image of an older, resigned, distant one who Diluc had swung at with the claymore.

“Other times, well most times,” Kaeya hummed, swirling the wine glass in his hand, “without it I wouldn’t have gotten my Vision, yeah? A blessing from the Gods for telling the truth. “

Huh. Diluc always saw it as the Gods stopping him from making a mistake of a lifetime.

“And I’m glad that there’s someone in this world who sees me for who I am.”

When Kaeya first joined the Ragnvindrs, he had obsessively helped with the chores, answering Father’s and his beck and call, playing more the role of a subservient errand boy than a ward under the protection of the Ragnvindrs. Diluc couldn’t understand why he was uncomfortable with the unwavering smile plastered on Kaeya’s face, and spoke to Father about it.

“Give him time,” Father said, though he looked worried as well, “try to help him adjust. He will open up in time.”

So Diluc, without the sense of tact, went straight to Kaeya and said, “Father wants to adopt you as his son. I don’t want my only brother to be some sort of unpaid house servant.”

It did the trick, even if Diluc didn’t plan for it. It was like meeting Kaeya, the person, for the first time again, watching sheer trepidation and relief shine through the elusive cracks of the mask on Kaeya’s face.

In hindsight, he was way too young to be wearing one that perfectly already, wasn’t he?

Diluc thought about the knights who patronised the Angel’s Share, gossiping about their calvary captain in jealousy, admiration, suspicion. He thought about the girls who fawned behind his back and the local elderly who gushed about what a sweetheart he was. He thought about Kaeya scheming a convoluted plan just so that Collei would not get arrested, even though it would cost him his own reputation. He thought about him planning a party for Jean and giving the Traveler reasons to stay in Mondstadt.

Things had changed. But some stayed the same - these things, they couldn’t possibly be an act, right? Diluc shoved the strange mix of feelings threatening to burst from his chest away.

“You would be happy to hear that a lot more people than you think sees you for who you are, then.”

“Oh?” Kaeya said, looking genuinely surprised.

Diluc chose not to elaborate, but added, “You aren’t important enough to be hated by me either.”

Kaeya’s eyes widened as his face lit up. “That’s the nicest thing I have ever heard you say to me. Gee, Diluc. I never knew you had that in you.”

Diluc rolled his eyes.

#my writing #shitty siblings shenanigans #genshin impact #the title sucks but whatever asjahdksl

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fraink5-writes · 3 years

Text

From Darkness Into the Lantern Light - Chapter 13

The final chapter!! But hopefully, it’s not the end of Childe and Zhongli’s journey...

@leio13 is the best for editing this (and for everything else she does)

Summary: Once upon a time, there was a cold-hearted queen. Although the Tsaritsa, as she was called, possessed her own divinity, she coveted the powers of the other Archons. Aiming to steal the Geo Archon’s gnosis, she sent her strongest warriors to Liyue Harbor. But just when Rex Lapis was almost defeated, he escaped to another vessel, that of a powerless baby, and was swept away to a hidden tower for his protection.

Many years after the great fight, the young and ambitious Harbinger, Childe, arrives in Liyue to grant the Tsaritsa’s desire, but, on his search for the Geo Archon’s gnosis, he ends up tangled in a mysterious man’s dreams to see Liyue Harbor’s Lantern Rite.

This chapter can also be found on Ao3 here. Without further ado, please enjoy!

“Zhongli!” A familiar voice beckoned the archon from unconsciousness. Zhongli? Yes, that was the name he was quite fond of—especially in gentle, whimsical tones. “Zhongli, let down your hair!”

As Zhongli’s vision came to, the first thing he noticed was the trail of his hair leading out the window, by which his “mother” was standing, next to the discarded flowers. Although his strength had not fully returned, his physical senses slowly returned. A burning chill coiled around his wrists, legs and throat; heavy chains bound him to the wall.

Then there was a tug on his hair followed by the sound of climbing steps. Ajax. Zhongli’s heart, which had been lifeless before, danced about in irrepressible excitement. Ajax jumped through the window, landing shakily. Discolored skin peaked out beneath his clothes. Zhongli’s eyes shot open.

“Zhongli, I’m sor—”

The blonde woman hovered behind him, the golden accents of a spear glinting in her grip.

“AJAX!!”

As Ajax drew a single alarmed breath, the spear swiftly pierced through his abdomen. Its gold tip was stained incarnadine as it burst from the blossoming rose of blood on his stomach. More blood sputtered from his contorted lips.

“‘Ajax?’” The woman scoffed, “Like the great hero? Ha! Don’t make me laugh.” She pulled the spear from Ajax’s abdomen, and he crumpled onto the bed of forsaken flowers. “A bloodthirsty murderer like you could never be like that. You’re Tartaglia, no. 11 of the Harbingers. Although at this point, you’re no more than a traitor.”

Ajax slumped further under a great shadow.

“That’s not true,” Zhongli spat.

“Oh?” The female Harbinger put down the spear and turned her attention to Zhongli. “You still feel like fighting? I was hoping you’d be more reasonable when you woke up... Oh well...” She sighed then lifted his chin, meeting his glare with menacing eyes. “It doesn’t seem like you understand the situation. You are coming with me to Snezhnaya.”

“No.” Zhongli shook his head from her grasp. “I refuse.”

“Let’s be logical here. There is nothing for you here. Liyue doesn’t need Rex Lapis anymore. And even your precious hero, Ajax—” The Fatui woman threw an affected pitious glance towards Ajax, who was still—”doesn’t have much time left. But you can still find a purpose at Zapolyarny Palace with the Tsaritsa.”

Zhongli wanted to deny her, but he couldn’t. His days as Liyue’s archon were long over, and his short frolic with Ajax had run its course. He could never be satisfied with the ending, but just as he, over the course of 6,000 years, had watched time strip him of the people close to him, he was powerless to resist it this time again.

“No... Zhongli…” A weak voice rasped by the window.

There’s still time. Zhongli glared up at the Fatui woman. “I will make a contract with you.”

“Oh?” The woman grinned. “What are your terms?”

“If you let me heal Ajax and swear that neither you nor any of your affiliates will bring harm to him again, I will surrender the gnosis which resides in my hair to the Tsaritsa.”

Despite her initial frown, the woman agreed to the contract and undid Zhongli’s shackles.

Zhongli rushed on stumbling legs to Ajax’s side. “Ajax, it’ll be all right now.”

“No, Zhongli…”

“Please.” Zhongli rapidly coiled up his hair. “Let me concentrate.”

“Wait.” Ajax grabbed Zhongli’s hand as he tried to cover the wound with his hair.

“There isn’t time.” Zhongli shook free from Ajax’s grip. “Please.”

“Signora is right.” Ajax reached up with his left hand and faintly stroked Zhongli’s cheek. “Liyue doesn’t need Rex Lapis anymore. But, Zhongli…” His embrace firmed as his right arm, dagger in hand, wrapped around Zhongli’s neck and sliced his ponytail right off. “You deserve to be free.”

“Ajax?” Zhongli watched powerlessly as his hair fell in dark coils on the ground. “Why?” He shook his head. As long as Ajax was breathing, Zhongli couldn’t give up so easily. He lifted Ajax’s head gingerly onto his lap. “No, hang on, I’ll find another way—there has to be something—”

“Zhongli.” Ajax squeezed Zhongli’s frantic hands. “It’s over.”

“No, that can’t be. Not yet.”

“Childe has wreaked enough havoc; this end is long overdue.” Ajax’s fingers fell limp in Zhongli’s hands.

“But what about Ajax?”

“Ajax, huh?” A reminiscent curl floated to Ajax’s lips.

Zhongli tenderly caressed Ajax’s face from the corners of his smile to the tousles of his bangs until the warmth disappeared beneath his fingers. He delicately laid his body on the bed of flowers and closed his unbearably lightless eyes.

Picking up the tainted spear, Zhongli rose silently to his feet.

In the corner, sweat was dripping down La Signora’s face. “That’s quite a shame, but he did it to himself. I did not break the contract.”

“The contract is void.”

“Then, surely, Rex Lapis, we can think up another one with more feasible terms…?” Signora shrank further into the corner.

Zhongli advanced with plodding steps.

“Wait, Zhongli—”

Zhongli drove the spear’s rufescent tip through her chest, and her body thudded on the floor.

With his rage-driven strength gone, Zhongli staggered back to where Ajax lay. He squeezed his brittle fingers and brushed through his hair the way he had done before, but this time, Ajax would not wake. There were no more dreams behind his smiling mask.

Despite his great strength, Morax was unable to protect a single, small and fragile human. Another person had passed away in his arms. Over 6,000 years, time had claimed the lives of humans, adepti and gods alike, leaving Morax in timeless solitude. Although the clock struck too soon, Ajax was no exception; even if his body remained, it too would be reclaimed by time, leaving only a brief haze of memories.

Zhongli’s chest and throat constricted with a caustic ache. His shoulders shuddered as swelling tears inflamed his cheeks. Then he collapsed, burying his face into Ajax’s still chest. The steady trickle of tears soaked into his jacket, at which Zhongli clutched feebly. He couldn’t let go, clinging to the promise of heroic adventures and quests for new dreams, of whispered contracts and gentle embraces, of playful grins and scintillating blue irises. But they had all been snatched away along with the future.

Zhongli felt a small thump under his cheek. Then another. Then two more. One by one, the thumps created a steady rhythm. Then, Ajax’s chest swelled, causing Zhongli to jump up. “Ajax?” He gaped at the weak movements of Ajax’s chest as a warm color bloomed across his face. A violent diaphragmatic spasm was accompanied by coughing.

Zhongli propped Ajax’s body up against the wall then he glanced down; besides the bloodstained hole in his clothes, all evidence of the wound had vanished. As Morax, he wondered if some of his gnosis remained dormant in his chest, but as Zhongli, he was grateful for whatever miracle had worked in his favor.

Zhongli cupped Ajax’s soft cheek. Ajax’s eyelids cracked open, revealing his oceanesque eyes. “...Zhong..li?”

Zhongli nodded.

“...Can I call you that?”

“Yes. Please.”

“You know…” Ajax combed his fingers through Zhongli’s disheveled haircut. “Your hair must be way more convenient like this.”

Zhongli couldn’t help but laugh. Ajax was right; Zhongli felt lighter, free from a huge burden. “Do you remember the other night, during the Lantern Rite?”

“Mmm… How could I forget?”

“We never finalized our contract.” Zhongli slid his fingers until Ajax’s chin.

Ajax flashed a crooked grin. “Remind me again; what are the terms?”

“From now on, stay by my side.”

“If it’s just that, I don’t need a contract.” Ajax laughed as he reached out with his other hand, his fingers circling lightly behind Zhongli’s ear. “I, Ajax, promise I will never leave you again.”

“And as long as you live, I, Zhongli, will remain by your side.” Raising Ajax’s chin and cupping both his cheeks, Zhongli planted a thoughtful kiss on Ajax’s lips. Its taste was a mixture of bittersweet blood and tears and warm vitality. As their lips interlocked, Ajax’s combing fingers massaged Zhongli’s brain, easing away all thoughts. Even though the future had made a beautiful return, Zhongli paid it no regard, wishing for nothing but the present.

“Hey, Zhongli,” Ajax’s whispers titillated Zhongli’s lips. “You never told me—what is your new dream?”

There was little point in answering that question anymore—at least not aloud. Zhongli’s lips curled as they pressed a deeper kiss on Ajax’s mouth.

***

Even when Ajax and Zhongli returned to Liyue Harbor (this time, taking the fast route by boat), they could not settle down. Zhongli was a man without an identity, and Ajax, a wanted criminal. Upon immediate arrival, they were whisked from the Alcor by some Millelith soldiers.

“The Tianquan would like to see you,” one of the soldiers announced.

Zhongli stepped in front, shielding Ajax with his body. “I believe there is a misunderstanding.”

“Zhongli.” Ajax sighed and stepped out from behind. “I will take responsibility for what I’ve done.” When Ajax thought of his actions that led to his arrest warrant in the first place, he felt such great shame that he couldn’t even look at Zhongli. I’ll play along, so just don’t mention the specific offenses—not in front of him.

The Millelith reviewed his papers with a chuckle. “I think there might be. The one she’d like to see is the man named Zhongli, not the Fatui agent.”

Ajax and Zhongli exchanged several confused glances before Ajax spoke up again. “What for?”

“Only the Tianquan knows that. It’s strictly confidential.”

“I’m coming too,” declared Ajax, tightly squeezing Zhongli’s hand.

“Be my guest. She didn’t say anything about additional guests.” The soldier shrugged. “But I don’t know how well a Fatui criminal will fare in the Jade Chamber.”

The main room of the Jade Chamber was an impressively spacious office flooded with white light from the high windows. To one side, an infamous board stood, smothered in papers, and behind the scroll-stacked desk, tall vases and jade leaf screens gave the space an additional flare of opulence. Upon arrival, Ajax and Zhongli were met by a woman with white hair falling below the knees and a gold-adorned qipao—undeniably the Tianquan—and, surprisingly, Captain Beidou.

“Hey, long time no see!” The Captain, with a familiar grin, strolled out from behind the desk, followed by the Tianquan.

“Welcome to my Jade Chamber. I am Ningguang, Tianquan of the Qixing.” Ningguang approached Zhongli with a courteous bow. Her brief glance at Ajax, however, was chilling. Zhongli returned the bow as Ajax retreated tactically into the corner. “Beidou has told me all about you, ...Zhongli.”

“What did she tell you?” Zhongli’s tone lacked its prior timidity about his identity.

“About your real identity.”

“I had my suspicions,” Beidou interrupted. “And some beat-up bankers filled in the rest.”

Zhongli shot Ajax a glance, and although he had his suspicions, Ajax just shrugged.

“Welcome back to Liyue Harbor, my Lord.” Lowering her head, Ningguang dropped to her knees, with Beidou following suit. Silent reverence stunned the room, singling out Zhongli, the figure of authority, and Ajax, who squirmed uncomfortably. Should he have kneeled too?

“Do not lower your head, Tianquan.” Zhongli helped Ningguang to her feet. “Liyue belongs in the hands of the Qixing now. You must lead them with pride.”

“I do not understand…”

“Morax is dead. The city of Liyue now looks to you for wisdom and guidance.”

“Yes, my—” Ningguang shook her head, wiping away the tear on her cheek. “No, I will see to it, as the Tianquan of the Qixing, that Liyue’s 3,700 year history of prosperity continues into the future.”

“A fine response. I can trust Liyue in your hands.” Zhongli wore a proud smile. “Ah—wait, I have one final request.”

“Yes? What do you wish?”

Zhongli grabbed Ajax’s hand and pulled him closer. “Exonerate him of his recent crimes.”

“I’m afraid I don’t understand. If that’s what you wish, I will see it done, but—”

“I know what he has done—” Zhongli wrapped his arm around Ajax’s waist—” But he is also the one that saved me.” His words lit a flame under Ajax’s cheeks, who tried to wriggle out of Ningguang’s gaze.

“Is that so?” Ningguang giggled. “Very well.”

After clearing up the issue of Ajax’s punishment, Zhongli and Ningguang engaged in a long discussion of history, economics and politics. Ajax didn’t bother to keep up; he was content to watch the subtle fluctuations in Zhongli’s smile as he imparted his wisdom. Such peace, however, only brought drowsiness upon him, and he excused himself to the Jade Chamber’s deck for fresh air.

Ajax peered at the expanse of Liyue’s scenery below him. It was truly nothing like Snezhnaya; although mountainous, it was rife with colors. In the days he had trekked across its diverse scenes, many vivid emotions had blossomed on his monotonous heart.

A warm arm draped across Ajax’s back to his waist. “Ningguang has assured that she will discuss the issue of your punishment with the rest of the Qixing,” Zhongli stated. “With that almost settled, what do you plan to do now?”

“It’s not over yet.” Ajax gazed at the distant snowy landscape.

Zhongli sighed. “Yes, we will need to settle issues with the Tsaritsa.”

The Tsaritsa… Ajax had tried to preoccupy himself with thoughts of Zhongli and their future, but thoughts of the Cryo Archon weighed heavily on his shoulders. Not only had Ajax gone against her will, but his heart had betrayed her. He, who had sworn his absolute loyalty to her, could no longer serve her as he once did.

“Ajax. I will go with you to Snezhnaya, and I will talk to the Tsaritsa. I have my own business with her, anyway.”

“No, I must settle this on my own.”

“You’re right.” Zhongli’s eyes were the stern ambers that had held humanity accountable for centuries. “This is the punishment and atonement you must bear for your transgressions. However”—his features melted into a reassuring smile—”If you must live with this guilt for the rest of your life, I will help you shoulder it.”

“Is that really the Wrath of Rock?” Ajax cracked a small grin. “Man, the years have really softened you.”

“No, the age of the Geo Archon and the Wrath of Rock has passed. Additionally, as Zhongli, it would be dishonest to scorn your actions which have benefitted me.”

Perhaps Ajax was wrong. Zhongli’s leniency had not weakened him at all; instead, it had given strength to Ajax’s crumbling courage. He squeezed Zhongli closer. “Well, it won’t be so bad. I am looking forward to seeing my family again.”

“As am I. I would love to meet them.”

“Of course, I’ll introduce you to my family, and then—and then what? What would you like to do, Zhongli?”

“Hmm… now that I’m no longer the Geo Archon… Well, I suppose I’ll do what I’ve always done, this time living fully as a mortal.”

“Hm?”

“Do you know of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor? I think I would like to work there.”

“A funeral parlor? Why?”

“Well, it feels as though I’ve already died once.” Zhongli curled at the short tips of his hair.

Ajax gently stopped Zhongli’s insecure hand. “Do you miss your long hair?”

“Even before I accidentally transferred my gnosis, I used to keep my hair long. It’s bizarre at this length.”

“It’s not weird.” Ajax kissed Zhongli’s lips, brushing his fingers lightly through his silky, dark hair. “I think it suits you, Zhongli.”

#Genshin Impact #Chili #Zhongli #Childe #La Signora #Beidou #Ningguang

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angrykittybarbarian · 6 years

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Egg Timers

So a while ago I wrote this one shot as a tribute to my friend’s grandfather who passed away suddenly last summer. The following story is inspired by one that has actually happened and when she told me this story of her grandparents I couldn’t help but think that my Ryder and Jaal would totally do such a thing. I hope you like it, I’m not really much of a writer.

*******************************************************************************************

It was a sunny and peaceful day on Harval. The red gas giant was looming over the sky and groups of mantas hovered across the horizon.

Two years have passed since Rachel Ryder, human Pathfinder, had defeated the Archon and effectively began the end of the kett as a meaningful force in the Heleus cluster. Normalcy began to descend over the troubled galaxy, a normalcy the Milky Way species desperately welcomed back and adult angara were absolutely unacustomed to. Even without an imminent threat most of them constantly walked around in battle armour, as if ready to strike down any possible attacker who might show themselves and Resistance patrols were still a very common sight too, although they mostly spent their time walking around and doing nothing.

Colonist settlements and angaran daara began to truly develope and grow. On Harval it meant that the hidden villages stepped into the light where they were formerly hidden by the planet's viscious jungle. And this developement contained a variety of new buildings. For the first time after centuries of chaos and disorganization the angara started to run their own buisnesses. Not the loose trading exchanges they did with eachother mostly to keep everyone alive and supplied, but actual economic structures in co-operation with Milky Way traders.

One of these buisnesses was a shop in Daar Pelaav that opened on this exact day. It wasn't really something special if it wasn't for the galactic scale war with the kett not too long ago. The shop sold mostly kitchen wares and cooking utensiles like plates, pots, pans, bowels and any tool necessary to keep the tummy happy, but also decorational items, simply made to look pretty on a window shelf.

Colourful shining balloons decorated the entrance. A big red sign read '10% opening discount on everything' and a human woman in a painfully yellow t-shirt distributed small packages of candy to any children entering the building with their parents.

Like other curious inhabitants, the Ryder siblings and their partners decided to take a look at the new shopping opportunity.

Rachel, Jaal, Jacob and Vetra came here per Vetra's request respectively. Originally it only involved her husband Jacob, but when Sahuna heared from Rachel, who was telling Jaal that her brother and his lover planned to pay a visit there, the older angaran woman insisted that her son and daughter bring her one of those flower forms she had seen on the extranet not a long time ago so she can bake her pies (or attempts of the same) in them, instead of the blunt round ones she happened to have around during her first try.

So here she stood, with her husband and a clear quest from her mother-in-law. Vetra wasn't so clear about her interest in the place however.

„So, why are we here again?“, Rachel asked, as the group walked in, deliberately ignoring the cringe worthy smile of the woman in the eye cancer provocating t-shirt.

„Vetra wanted to buy something.“, came Jacob's immediate and prompt response.

„Oh really, Captain Obvious? And I thought she wanted to sacrifice a fiend here.“, Rachel shot back, slightly too sharp. It earned her a low chuckle from Jaal and a nervous mandible twitch from Vetra.

„Well, it's because she didn't tell me either what exactly she wanted here, oh mighty queen of saracsm.“, Jacob answered dryly. Vetra beside him fidgeted with her talons restessly.

„I actually wanted it to be a surprise...“, she mumbled shyly. Jacob's face lost at least two shades of colour. Oh boy, not again...

„I found an earth recipe in the Nexus data banks and...“, Vetra explained.

„Vetra, please...“, Jacob attempted to talk the idea ou of her.

„...and I need a very large pot for it and we don't have one, so...“, the turian ended her explanation and glanced into the round.

Rachel had a wide grin on her face that reached from one ear to the other. Her twin brother had told her about the incident with the burnt steak.

„Ah, you wish to cook for him. To take care of someone's every need is a true testimony of love.“, Jaal commented.

Vetra's mandibles twitched again, this time with hope and a slight sparkle in her eyes.

„Yeah, well, she doesn't need to cook for me. There are othr ways, love.“, Jacob said hestitantly and turned to Vetra with his last sentence.

„You don't want me to cook, because of last time?“, she answered with audible dissapointment.

„What? No, no. I mean, I'm an adult-“, he stumbled over his own explanation.

„Or trying to be.“, Rachel threw in. Jacob sighed heavily almost bordering on a growl.

„Look, point is, the reason I'm with you is not because of you being some kind of subtitute mom for me. I'm with you because I enjoy your company, I enjoy you and because you show your love by being there when it counts. That's all I need.“, Jacob replied, his ckeeks won their colours back and turned into a glow of red now.

He looked at Vetra and took her hand in his, exhaling shakily. It was like he was confessing his love to her for the first time.

And here he was complaining about her and Jaal being sickeningly sweet together, Rachel thought, still grinning like an idiot.

She felt Jaal's hand wander up her back and finally resting on her shoulder. He drew her slightly closer and gave her a knowing smile. He thought the same.

„And this is why I love you.“, Vetra said softly.

„No pressuring expectations. But this is also why I want to do this. Not to conform to some ideal or duty. I just thought why not make something nice once in a while?“, she said with more confidence.

Jacob sighed defeatedly. „Alright, let's get in. But promise you'll let me help you with this.“

„Deal. Oh, and you two are officially invited to dinner now.“, Vetra gazed at Rachel and Jaal with her last sentence.

„A pleasure.“, Jaal replied happily and Rachel nodded in agreement.

The group finally entered the shop. A few signs hung from the ceiling, giving directions to the various sections.

„Okay, so cooking is to the right and baking to the left. Where do we go first?“, Rachel asked.

„How about we split up, quickly get what we need and meet up at the exit?“, Jacob suggested.

„Good plan, let's not waste more time in here than needed.“, Rachel agreed. She hated shops like this one, not because it wasn't fun shopping for dayly tools like pans and baking forms, but because she tended to get carried away by the offeres and as a result ended up leaving more money behind than necessary because that bowl was so beautiful and little else.

The group did as planned. As Vetra and Jacob walked straight for the cooking department Rachel and Jaal began looking for the requested silicone form between other baking utensiles. To their great dissapointment they didn't find the desired item anywhere.

„Maybe ask a clerk?“, Jaal suggested. As if on command an angara with a name badge reading his name pinned to his rofjin with the same sickening yellow as the woman's t-shirt from outside they walked by.

„Uh, excuse me?“, Rachel beckoned for him to stop.

„Yes, how can I help?“, he answered.

Rachel proceeded to explain what they were searching for. The angara replied that they had had only few exemplars to begin with which were taken already early on on that day.

„I'm sorry. Perhaps we'll have another load next week.“, he apologized.

„Thanks anyway.“, Rachel answerd and left the clerk to go on about the rest of his work.

„Kind of a pity but not so dramatic. We just come back next week.“, Jaal said. The words were on themselves nothing special but they way he said them made Rachel think for a moment. Like many other angara Jaal still wasn't used to having such certainty in his life. Not too long ago he couldn't even surely tell if he would live to see the next day. Rachel shook the thought away. The shop wasn't really the place to dwelve deeply into such gloomy thoughts.

„Back to our rendevouz point then.“, she prompted and the pair made their way back to the entrance which was also the exit. Rachel however was stopped in her tracks not two seconds later.

On a table she saw packages of egg timers arranged above one another in no particular order. Many of them were standing there unpacked. About twenty to thirty of them.

„Darling one?“, Jaal asked her in confusion as he was forced to stop suddenly as well. A diabolic idea came to her mind and once again a grin spread on her face. But this time it was an evil one.

„You see those things?“, she said and tilted her head to the egg timers. Jaal eyed the devices dubiously. „Yes. What are they?“, he asked. „Egg timers. You use them to see if your cooked egg is ready. They ring once the required time is up.“ Jaal opened his mouth slightly as if he wanted to say something but closed it again. His eyes wandered a bit around as he processed the information until it seemed to sink in as much as it could.

Rachel still grinned. „And...?“, Jaal questioned further as he saw the lasting smile.

„Okay listen, we turn on these unpacked ones, all with a one minute difference.“, Rachel answered. Jaal's face split into a wide smile as he slowly understood where this was going.

„And then we wait.“, he said.

„And then we get the hell out of here.“, Rachel corrected and they immediately proceeded to realize their genius plan. They worked as quickly as possible so they would have enough time to escape before the alarms would go off and returned the colouful devices to their places as accurately as possible so no one would notice that something was off. Once they were done they rushed away to the exit.

Jacob stood behind Vetra as she measured two pots that caught her interest the most against each other.

„Do you think this one's enough?“, Vetra asked and held up the slightly smaller one.

„Depends on how much you want to make.“, Jacob replied.

„Hm...“, Vetra made. She glanced at both pots in exchange before she decided to put the small one back.

„This one's only slightly more expensive. And it will not be too small if we decide to make a bit more.“, Vetra explained. She seemed to be content with her choice and that was for Jacob enough to go with it.

„Alright then, let's go pay and...“, Jacob stopped in midsentence as he turned towards the outskirts of the baking department only to discover Jaal and Rachel fumbling with the egg-timers.

„What's up, Jacob?“, Vetra now asked after his sudden silence. The turian lady followed her lover's gaze to its focus. They both observed the other pair for a few moments before Jaal and Rachel appearantly decided to jogg out of the shop, giggling maniacly and loud enough for Vetra and Jacob to hear.

„Did they seriously...?“, Vetra asked with an unbelieving surprise.

„These children.“, Jacob commented laughingly and shook his head slightly.

Only seconds afterwards the egg-timer began to go off. One loud deafening ringing after the other started to sound through the room in a seemingly unending harmony of panicking annoyance as confused clerks scuttled around the table attempting to turn the devices off.

Shopping for houshold utensiles turned out to be fun after all.

#jaal ama darav #sisryder #vetra nyx #broryder #rydaal #vetryder #m!ryder x vetra #f!ryder x jaal #mass effect andromeda #faniction #i wrote a thing

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rate-out-of-10 · 7 years

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MASS EFFECT: ANDROMEDA REVIEW

Since the Mass Effect series is one of my all-time favorite game series, I almost have to get my thoughts out on Andromeda. This game is a bit of a departure from the original series, taking us to the galaxy of (you guessed it) Andromeda. We leave the Milky Way in search for a new home amongst new stars and planets. Mass Effect: Andromeda is a loaded game, filled with content, so I will do my best to stick to all the pertinent information.

SPOILERS AHEAD. This review is based off my experiences with the game on the Xbox One.

We say goodbye to all of our adventures in the Milky Way, to Shepard, to our companions, to the fight with the Reapers, all of it; we meet our new human character, named Ryder, and whole new array of companions and crew mates, and other people/aliens. I will say that after the likes of Shepard and the Normandy crew, Andromeda does an admirable job with the follow up, but they just aren’t quite up to standard. And while I grew to adore some, most of the characters tend to fall flat. Drack, a krogan, grew on me very quickly the more I played with him, and I did fall into the Peebee trap, that cute ass asari, she’s just so infectious. Others like Cora and Vetra felt a little streamlined. I didn’t not like them, in fact I can say that by the end I did indeed like them, but there was a good while where I didn’t feel a good connection with them. But there is one companion that I did not enjoy at all: Liam Kosta. He was annoying, flat, boring to every degree, and I did not enjoy playing with him alongside of me at all. He delivers some of the most horrendous lines in the entire game. Our last companion, Jaal, is of the new species we find in Andromeda, an angara, and he felt cool in some places, and others a bit off (but only at first). Of course, by the end I felt for him and especially on his loyalty mission I really liked him. I was really hoping to get my twin, Sarah Ryder as a companion at some point. But of course, instead of killing her at the beginning, they chose the next worse thing: put her into a coma for most of the game. While you get to play as Sarah for a small section, which was short but sweet, and she helps you at the very end, I hope to see her as a companion in some future DLC. Andromeda features a wide array of new characters, and misses the mark with a few key ones. Our main villain, The Archon, of the new kett species, was a complete generic trope. The guy that believes he’s on some holy quest, he’s saving people, when in fact he’s just a psychopath hell-bent on killing everything that isn’t him. I was supremely disappointed in the lack of a boss-battle with him, as well. Where was it? The final section was just some drawn out wave combat as I disable some terminals, and then he dies. An absolute disappointment, especially when there are some pretty exciting bosses in the game, such as the Architects. Now, the game excels in certain categories, such as the loyalty missions for each character. I felt as though I really got to know my squad mates, and I helped them through whatever it was they were dealing with (except Liam’s. I did not enjoy him at all, I cannot express that enough). But the game tends to drop the ball in its essential story-telling. The main quest line had its ups and downs, but all together felt a little shallow. I was mostly interested in locating the other lost arks, and how they fit into the main story was very exciting and interesting, however the struggle with the kett and their exaltation, however horrifying it was, didn’t have too much pull on me. I was excited to craft new relationships and explore and do some amazing things, and I definitely did, I just wish that the main story had some stake in those feelings. In the original trilogy, I’d be torn between what to do, because I was so involved with all of it, but here I had almost no issue shelving the main quest in favor of my loyalty missions, or exploring the viable planets. I had no problem not playing the main story, until I had to, and I think that’s a problem. The main storyline isn’t strictly speaking bad, in fact it gets to be very cool towards the end with a lot of promise and spectacular moments, but it isn’t as enthralling all around as I would’ve hoped. And with the main story focusing on the evils of this new species, the kett, I was surprised that we only meet one other intelligent species native to Andromeda, the angara. Most of the other alien life is primitive and hostile. What made the likes of the Milky Way great was that humanity stumbled upon a huge galactic community of various species from the Milky Way, but in Andromeda there’s only two, and they’ve just been warring with each other for a hundred years, since before we got there? I wish we could’ve seen more, perhaps allied ourselves with another one, it could have raised the stakes a bit higher in the main story. As interesting as the angara were, this was a bit of a let-down.

Mass Effect: Andromeda makes a huge departure from the combat we’re used to playing in the series and offers a more versatile way to play. The combat itself, with your jump and dash abilities, feels so smooth. A major tune-up for the series, this was a great step in the right direction. Also, the class profiles, and access to every skill, was awesome. I very much enjoyed this new system. I didn’t feel bogged down or restricted, I could legitimately craft my Ryder in any way I wanted, and equip him with the abilities and skills necessary per scenario. It added a nicer piece of strategy to the game, and that’s always welcome. The game also looks as phenomenal as it feels in many places. Many environments are breathtaking; whether it’s the lush forest on Havarl, or the snowy mountains on Voeld, or the remains of the destroyed planet H-047c, or the springs of Kadara. I loved exploring each one and bringing up their viabilities to 100%. I felt so accomplished after activating the monoliths upon solving an alien Sudoku puzzle, activating the terraforming vaults, and settling outposts. And it wasn’t a high-maintenance thing at all, and I really appreciate that. Some games with aspects such as these sometimes go over board and make it a chore, but it’s fast and satisfying here. The galaxy map exploration has some cool things to offer as well, and some not so much. Its visuals are gorgeous, I will say, I very much like the point of view being the tip of the Tempest as you fly through the galaxy, but it isn’t so rewarding. Most planets you visit don’t offer anything other than a quick paragraph of info about the planet and some meaningless lore, others some XP and research points, and then the occasional salvage and loot. But exploring every system to 100% isn’t as rewarding as I wanted it to be. It’s not a necessity either, so that’s good because it is very much a skippable, tedious part of the game. The game’s research and crafting system is simple and cool to use as well, although I wish the OS was simple too. It can be a bit encumber-some and a real task to navigate, but you can get some really great gear out of taking the time to explore and find the elements and materials you need (or just purchase them). But trust me, you’ll get tired of the scanner real quick. Now, some other technical aspects were sore. The facial animations (of course), while I didn’t have any major glitches or problems during my 60 hour playthrough (thank god), they were still stiff and plain. However, it’s not something I take away from the game too much, plus future updates are fixing the issues. The voice acting is where I get most annoyed. Some characters just sound uncomfortable and some are lame. There were many deliveries that were cheesy or awkward, some were just painful to hear, even a few from my Ryder made me go, “oh my god stop.” One thing that players will notice as a departure from the original trilogy is the absence of Renegade/Paragon, it was swapped out with (I think?) a more dynamic approach to your Ryder character. Now in conversations, you choose between responses that fall under four categories: Emotional, Casual, Logical, and Professional. It was an interesting change from what we knew, however it doesn’t change the game or how I play all too much, it seems. You can read a nice psych profile written by the Tempest’s doctor, Lexi, based on your choices, but that’s about it. One thing that kept me coming back to the original trilogy was choosing different Renegade/Paragon options, it felt like they changed your relationships with other characters, it seemed like it would make a difference, but this new dialogue/action set up doesn’t have that same effect. There weren’t many major choices in the game that felt heavy either, none that drastically changed how the story would play out. Of course on my next playthrough I’ll be choosing the opposites of what I chose this first time, but if they don’t change my experience enough, I don’t see much reason to keep coming back to the game. I’ll wind up going back to the trilogy first before Andromeda, if that’s the case. Andromeda doesn’t have as high of a re-playability value as the trilogy.

One thing I didn’t touch on was the multiplayer, and that’s because it’s essentially recycled from Mass Effect 3. Wave-based, horde combat scenarios mixed with a few objectives, and then extraction. The combat in Andromdeda is great enough to where it’s fun to be in, but not for too long because I despise the leveling system. I don’t like the pre-set character abilities. I feel as though they could’ve kept it simple: let us choose what race we want, apply the skills we want to those races, and with each race they have a special ability that makes them unique. Almost like a create-a-class system from the Call of Duty games, but with your different characters/races. It should be progression based with the gear as well, not this loot box system with in-game currency that’s plaguing video games now. Acquiring better armor and weapons should be organic and correlative to how much I’m playing and how well I’m doing, not how much money I’m willing to spend. It takes the immersion right out of the game. It’s lazy. And that’s all I’m going to say on multiplayer. My final rating for Mass Effect: Andromeda is:

7.75/10. Not exactly what I was waiting for, but I’m glad I have it.

Andromeda has a ton to offer and for all intents and purposes, it’s a really good game, but there are quite a few shortcomings that hold it back from true greatness, especially as a follow up to one of the greatest game series’ to have ever come out. It excels with its planet exploration, its visuals, its combat, its loyalty missions, and dynamic class system. However the lackluster main story, which leaves many questions left unanswered, and a generic villain, copy & paste lazy multiplayer, some trivial voice acting, and its small scale choice system leads the game astray. I definitely think it’s worth getting for fans of the series, as well as those who enjoy sci-fi/fantasy games, and open-world exploration games. But the real greatness of the Mass Effect universe still lies within its original trilogy (for now anyway).

#mass effect #mass effect andromeda #andromeda #bioware #video game #videogames #gaming #xbox one #review #game review #gaming review #video game review #reviews #out of 10 #sci-fi #fantasy #action #rpg #space

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versadies · 3 years

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hii!! hope your day is going well!

may I request a drabble for the angst prompt 8 with childe? and if you're okay with it, could you do a little bit of fluff in the end plss

—OUR SONG, OUR LOVE (drabble)

penpal: sorry for the long wait! inbox has been flooding so much haha— hope your day is going well too!

prompt: angst | eight, in which they hear a song that reminds them of the other.

sypnosis: soulmate!au whereas you can hear a song only you and your soulmate can hear. the two times childe mistaken some people as his soulmate due to the song they hum and the one time he got the right person.

pairing/s: childe x gn!reader, zhongli x guizhong

warning/s: spoilers of liyue archon quest (act 1-3), ooc!la signora

note: don’t worry wattpad readers, i didn’t use fight song in this one. (song used: above the sea clouds from genshin impact’s liyue ost)

he hated how the song reminds him too much of his soulmate.

the first time childe heard the song in real life other than his head when lumine started humming it out of boredom.

“where did you hear that song?” he asked.

“we heard this song while we were adventuring around qingyun peak,” paimon explained for lumine, who nodded in agreement. “we wanted to see the person humming it but we didn’t get the chance to see them.”

childe sighs. “i see...”

lumine frowned, noticing his sudden change of attitude. “is it your soulmate’s song?” she asked.

“what else? i’ve been longing to see them ever since i found out about this hectic system.”

“and you think they’re in liyue?” paimon asks, curious to know about childe’s soulmate.

“where else can they be? i’ve been in every single nation and i still couldn’t find them.” childe responds, his fingers runs through his hair in frustration. “i just want to see if they’ll at least accept a harbinger to be their soulmate or not.”

“and what if this person that me and paimon saw is just someone who also heard it from another?”

“then i’ll keep looking. if my soulmate won’t bother looking for me then i will do it myself. i gave them too many years to do that.” childe replied with a solemn look on his face.

before lumine could share words of comfort, childe immediately interrupts her. “could you find them in qingyun peak?”

“what are we? your minions?!” paimon exclaims in anger as lumine looks at him in annoyance. “go find that person yoursel—”

“i’ll give you any food you want for a week.”

paimon and lumine immediately accepted his request. “come on, lumine, we need to go back to qingyun peak and find that person!” paimon says as she and lumine runs away, leaving childe alone.

as soon as their figures disappeared in the distance, childe took a deep breath.

“where could you be?”

when he heard zhongli humming a song similar to the one playing in his head every night, he desperately asked where the consultant got it from.

“it’s a song that my soulmate and i hear everyday of our lives,” zhongli replied, smiling as he reminisces the old times when he was with his lover, guizhong. “despite it playing for what felt like forever, it never gets old for us.”

childe was confused. two pairs of soulmates can have the same song?

as if he read his mind, zhongli immediately answered. “i’ve heard about the traveler and her companion adventuring around the qingyun peak to find your soulmate. i apologize for breaking it to you but i am not your soulmate. my song may sound similar to yours but i can assure you it is very different.”

“how do you know what mine sounds like?”

“the traveler hummed it to me, of course. they assumed that i must’ve know the song given that they concluded that your soulmate could be a performer.” zhongli answered.

childe felt defeated. he’s getting tired of every single person saying they have no idea what the song is or them not being his soulmate.

“i see... thanks again, mr. zhongli.”

“may you find your other half, childe.”

“all aboard! 10 minutes before sailing!”

“master childe, your suite awaits you. would you like us to take you there?” childe’s subordinate asked.

“take me there later when the ship sails. i just need fresh air at the moment.” the harbinger replied nonchalantly.

the subordinate nods in response before saluting to childe. “understood.”

it was truly a shame for childe in still not finding his soulmate. after numerous adventuring in every single area that liyue could offer, he still couldn’t find them. he wanted to at least contact with the tianquan, who apparently knows everything in the geo nation— or perhaps the adepti who can give him knowledge on what they know.

it’s obvious that both options are the last things he would do because of the incident that he pulled.

he couldn’t understand why he still hasn’t found you: if you’re not in liyue then where? could you possibly be an adventurer who doesn’t stay in one place? or perhaps you’re purposefully avoiding him with no trace.

all he wants to know is to at least let you know that he’d go through hell to find you, his other piece, his supposedly other half who’d understand and is willing to love at his worst and at his best.

“i see you still haven’t found your soulmate... pathetic.” la signora spoke up with a chuckle, causing childe to glare at her. “i thought you went off with the previous ship?” he asked.

the woman shrugged him off. “there were important matters that i had to attend here before i could go to the previous ship. besides, i just wanted to see your pathetic miserable expression.”

before childe could respond, he heard it.

he heard someone humming a song that only he can hear in his head. that one song that comforted him during his dark days in the abyss. that one song that he desperately wanted to hear from someone’s voice.

he looked behind to see you.

la signora noticed where childe is looking. “what are you waiting for, lover boy? go get her.”

without hesitation, he immediately head towards you.

you noticed the harbinger going to your direction, causing you to be tensed in fear.

you thought you were in trouble for humming so loud until you felt warm arms wrapped around your body.

it felt like the music in your head got louder.

“it’s you,” childe whispered, relief washed all over him as he clings onto you tighter. “after so many years i found you.”

suddenly it hit you.

tartaglia, the 11th harbinger, is your soulmate.

you wanted to hate him, you really do. you’ve heard winds of how the fatui are up to no good and always ruin people’s lives—

yet you couldn’t hate your own soulmate. not when you’ve also tried to find him and longed to meet him.

tears suddenly formed in your eyes, hugging childe back as you swallow the lump in your throat. “i... i always felt like i had to go to snezhnaya,” you spoke up, burying your head on his shoulder. “now i know why.”

childe closes his eyes, sighing in content with the two of you in each other’s arms, on your way to his motherland.

he finally found the right person.

fun facts!

la signora was ordered by the tsaritsa to find you and invite you to the boat that childe is boarding.

childe was so desperate in finding you that he even tried to request with the tsaritsa to help him find you (to which she did as a reward for what he did in liyue).

zhongli and guizhong’s song is “guizhong’s lullaby”

lumine and paimon did try to find you but stopped when they find out about childe’s plan.

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