Tumgik
#(Yeah I wanted Venti)
verdantmeadows · 1 year
Text
To me the joy and beauty of vocal synthesizers has always been that they don't sound real and exploring that to create artistic expression that can't be achieved by human voices, so seeing them become more and more realistic is disheartening, almost? Especially since a lot of artists make the same voice banks sound so different and have their own personal charm. I'm glad that people will be able to make things that sound realistic, but I'm worried that songs that intentionally play out of sounding as realistic as possible will be sidelined, discouraged, no longer created, impossible to find, or unsupported by fans of vocal synthesizers. I don't want things to just push towards being as realistic as possible. There is beauty in how everyone's usage of the same voice banks sound different. There is beauty in the lack of realistic sounding vocals in vocal synthesizers.
2K notes · View notes
ashenstars · 4 months
Text
Tumblr media
comfort ship fr
220 notes · View notes
cathalbravecog · 11 months
Text
Tumblr media
QUACK QUACK QUACK QUACK
#my brain treats these things the same as it does spamton. almost. i want to see them dead i want to chew on them. i want to kiss them gentl#y and tuck them in bed and sign up adoption papers for them. i want to hit them with a baseball bat. i will take a bullet for them#yknow?#you get me.#again an experimental fun quick drawing#that i ended up ... popping off on. oops.#i have... 0 self control in art#fun fact originally this was gonna be a painting but i went hmm what if i do the thing#ive been doing with sketch lineart on paper but... digitally? angular and sketchy and sharper#aw yea#guz art#toontown corporate clash#low baller#also i had to post this on clashcord and bail instantly because the second i see angst for stuff i like that i havent made myself#i lowkey start breaking down oops#i dont do well with other fans of things that im not familiar with.... my brain works in mysterious ways !#i say this as my next drawing i plan is literally oc angst ... oops !#something i aint done in a while....i only ever do vent stuff i never post if anything. i try not to be like.... venty edgy like that it#just. aint for me. well i say while i ramble on and vent constantly. oops. but yknow what i mean - not let my art reflect that? be goofy#with the stuff i do? but like yeah either way. lore gettin angsty. have we gotten to the point in our lore / rp yet? no. is it kinda an#inescapeable point? yes. i loooooove making my characters suffer the consequences of their actions#WHY AM I TALKING SO ELABORATELY ABOUT THIS. THIS IS A LOW BALLER DRAWING.#BY TALOS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! MY BRAIN!! OH WELL if you like these. thanks for reading you are swag. you probably went thru#like. 5465465341564 thomas 'fights' now havent you#oh well gotta have a place to dump my thoughts somewhere!
166 notes · View notes
lanternlightss · 1 year
Text
the first act that the anemo archon took was, indeed, a bit of a selfish one. he had taken his friends form as his own, so that he may see the birds in flight. so that he may see the skies he had longed for.
however, the second act the anemo archon took was not recorded in history.
it was not flying off to reshape the mountains—to make sure the people of mondstadt could live in a land that was not snow upon snow, but rather gentle winds and fields of green.
no, no, the second act that anemo archon took was this: a scream so loud, so shattering, that it shook the nation of what was to be mondstadt for all of a few seconds.
the true second act the anemo archon ever took was mourning loud enough that celestia could hear.
103 notes · View notes
thelunaticghost · 5 months
Text
xvn fic recs !!
i have been meaning to do this for a while : mostly because fic recs are fun to compile and also thee seems to be a BIG shortage of any fic rec posts!! so here are some fics i have enjoyed over the years!! ofc this list is non exhaustive please note the ratings of each fic and heed the tags before reading! sorry, that i am putting in the shorter summary
anyway!! feel free to put in more fic recs too!! :D
End OTW Racism | over the edge of all our knowings by merthurlin [ G, 10,146 words , 1/1 ]
Years down the line, after the whole business with Lumine and her brother has been concluded, Venti decides to go on a world tour. He sends Xiao letters.
merthurlin got me into xiaoven so ofc my list starts with her fic! this is just so so sweet and even if its not necessarily fluffy there is a warmth to the writing it is a comfort read for me! i recommend every work by her (regardless of fandom). though in xvn End OTW racism | never dreamed of nobody like you is another excellent fic!
nocturne by yanrans [ T, 34,540 words, 4/4 ]
In which Venti sells magical music boxes, Xiao is his unwitting customer, and there is absolutely, definitely nothing more to it at all.
modern au where venti is - a scammer? - i mean a music box seller and xiao is just a regular guy and and. its funny and delightful and absolutely breath taking. i wouldnt elaborate more so as not to spoil anything further but the fic has many unexpected surprises in it! yanrans is another writer i definitely recommend to check out more! their writing style is very flamboyant and poetic.
what hides in neon shadow by morii_tea [ T, 7,547 words, 1/1 ]
In which Xiao is a cyborg, Venti is a thief, and the glittering city of Teyvat hides more secrets than they’re prepared to find out.
its so rare to see morally grey venti is potrayed (even though he isnt v morally grey but still. xiao having to remembering that venti isnt as honourable as he appears is yesssss wohoo). this fic has some thrilling action and a v fun cyberpunk world!! i wish it was longer but it is v exciting nevertheless
every morning in the dark by magicites [ M, 77,124 words, 34/34 ]
Stuck in a time loop where he succumbs to his karmic debt, Xiao struggles to see the point in moving forward. Venti struggles to save him.
READ THE TAGS!!! character death and suicidal thoughts are two major warnings. but DAMN this fic it's just so. SO FULL of everything WRONG with xiao!! and venti too but such a GREAT angst fic!! it gets everything so Right. magicites also happened to have written one of my most favourite genshin fic too :] and if you havent read her other works!! you are missing out!!
the half-life of the yaksha is absolute by GStK [ G, 1,000 words, 1/1 ]
Venti digs his thumbs in to keep open the wound but it is too late His gaze snaps over to the teal essence dancing over Xiao’s fingers. Now all those words will belong to him And Venti will belong to him, only.
READ THE TAGS!! now that i have went into the time loop fic ofc i have to mention the beautiful corrupt xiao prose. the imagery is flowery and grotesque!
foreigner's god by smallghosts [ T, 3,818 words, 1/1 ]
Lord Barbatos falls asleep for a few hundred years. Xiao copes with his absence in strange ways.
a pre-canon fic where xiao becomes - in a way - a worshipper? it's SO GOOD. its about the yearning!!!!!!!!! SCREAMS i dont think i have to explain further
love me like you do by Limerancy [ T, 3,000 words, 1/1 ]
They aren’t the kind of friends that touch.
TOUCH STARVED AND TOUCH AVERSE XIAO!!!!!! this fic makes me a lil bit feral. a little unhinged. i absolutely enjoy reading about the yearning , the desire JUST!!!! AAAA. this writer also writes v fluffy modern au one shots!!! so be sure to check them out too :)
The Kissing Tree by Princeliest [ G, 7,581 words, 2/2 ]
Venti kisses Xiao, and Xiao does not understand why.
VENTI COMMITMENT ISSUES!!!!! as much as i adore reading xiao angst, venti angst is still something i love seeking out and its a tragedy that its not explored enough in this ship :c but anyway!!! such amazing characterization and exploration!! princeliest is one of fav genshin writers and this fic delivers!
wishing on dandelions all of the time by OedipusOctopus [ T, 8,270 words, 1/1 ]
When Venti first catches sight of the swords artfully hung on the wall of his new roommate's bedroom, he regrets putting up the sublease on Craigslist. Firmly believing this guy is a total weirdo, Venti is more surprised than anyone when he realizes the total weirdo is actually adorable. It's not against some invisible Roommate Code to dream about kissing your roommate, right?
ofc there is a classic roommate au fic!! this was one of my most favourite fic from last years xvn week: its hilarious and silly and just a perfect relaxing read!! the characterization and their banter is so entertaining i admit i have read this multiple times!
Where Words Fail by kavvueh [ T, 27,926 words, 11/12 ]
"You're Barbatos," Xiao repeats breathlessly. The young man in front of him nods. "Yep." "But..." Xiao cuts himself off and tries again. "You're the God of songs and poetry." The Anemo Archon nods his head sagely. "More or less." Xiao fixes Lord Barbatos with the most incredulous look he can manage. "... You're failing Music Theory."
this fic is such a delight!! it has some light background lore, some silly shenanigans, miscommunications, pinning - a truly fun mixture! the fic is v light hearted but written with a lot of tenderness. i am v excited to see its conclusion!
what queer sins stain thy soul by Anonymous [ M, 3,232 words, 1/1 ]
In which Xiao, long-established asexual, learns that identity is not as stable as he’d like to believe.
there is some explicit things in it (in non explicit way) i believe religious guilt is one of the best flavouring to xvn. it is an under-explored area in this ship imo and this fic not only has that but also!!! asexuality !!!!!! this fic so so personal and its exploration of desire that gets to me a lot
unholy virtues by morphasia [ E, 17,065 words, 6/6 ]
In exchange for his body in more ways than one, Venti summons a demon to reclaim something that has been stolen from him. It's a just contract. That's all it's supposed to be. That's all it was ever supposed to be.
READ THE TAGS!!! this fic truly went creature/creature. this au is just so fascinating and funny in a twisted way (but not bad). this fic isnt for everyone though but it is definitely worth the shot.
32 notes · View notes
minimujina · 2 years
Text
ᴍᴏᴏɴʟɪɢʜᴛ sᴏɴᴀᴛᴀ !
Tumblr media
ᴄʜᴀʀᴀᴄᴛᴇʀs. venti, thoma, kazuha, xiao, albedo
ᴄᴏɴᴛᴇɴᴛs. the boys x ballerina reader; kazuha’s a flirt; albedo’s a menace and a tease :)
ᴡᴀʀɴɪɴɢs. she/her pronouns used. normally i write in 2nd person, but i didn’t even realize i wrote in 3rd person here, so i just went with it. im so sorry! also there’s lots of smooching :) none of it is sexual or meant to be interpreted that way, intimacy like that is just beautiful, or i use it as a sort of comedic medium (kazuha’s <3)
ᴀᴜᴛʜᴏʀ's ɴᴏᴛᴇ. perhaps i’m biased as a dancer, but i’ve always wanted to write something like this :) hope you enjoy!
i worked very hard on this piece for a long time, so if you like it, reblogs are much appreciated <3
Tumblr media
ᴠᴇɴᴛɪ’s breath caught when he saw the familiar silhouette of a girl at the foot of his statue. she had always left such a prominent impression on him that her form could never appear foreign to him, even in the cover of darkness. as usual, she was dancing without music, alone—but he knew that there was a content smile on her face. there always was.
the girl danced with such grace that the wind god was consumed by wonder; it ate his heart away bit by bit until he could feel and think of nothing but her. permanently imprinted in his mind was the image of the ballerina drifting elegantly along the ground as if it were ice, swaying in a nearly hypnotizing manner. she was so delicate, so gentle, so lovely—like a whisper in the wind, venti mused. her movements conveyed deep emotion without words, emotion that couldn’t be expressed by words. fabric fluttered around the girl as she twirled and leapt and leaned, arms following suit in a form not perfect, but uniquely beautiful.
every other night, the girl was there. every other night, venti came to watch. and every other night, he began to expect her. so when she started to arrive only every two nights, then every three, then four, the god’s smile fell when he watched her dance, because what he saw in her movements was no longer the same as it had been.
before, the girl’s dance seemed to be her expression of joy. she had looked so happy. now, her movements were slower. they were solemn. sorrowful. he saw it in the way her fingertips no longer reached for some invisible object like they used to, in the way her lips never once showed an inkling of a smile, in the way her elbows sagged in her arabesque. occasionally, she would simply stand with her head bowed, one leg crossed behind the other. it crushed venti's heart. even more dispiriting was when he could hear the girl humming a tune he did not know—and venti knew every tune. but now, all he identified in the girl’s humming was a song of broken desperation.
so the god stepped forward into the light, startling her slightly, but she saw that it was only the bard. the bard, who had unashamedly pursued her for quite some time now—chasing her around mondstadt with his lyre while he tried to convince her to go on tour with him; the bard, who reminded her of a child's laughter and the smell of a summer breeze; the bard, who had surprised her with new shoes to dance in when her own had become much too worn. the ballerina had witnessed the sides of this flirtatious and fun-loving musician that no one else had.
her lips melted into a sad smile, and she welcomed him with open arms.
before venti enveloped her in his embrace, he lifted his lyre into the air; it floated on its own and began to play a much lighter—but still mellow—tune. it was a clear invitation to waltz, the lyre swaying mischievously as if encouraging her to just go on and dance already. the girl’s surprise was evident, but when the hands of the bard found her hips, everything melted into the background except for him.
venti guided the ballerina, letting his own joy pour into the movements in hopes that the girl would find her own. his hands brushed around her waist as she pirouetted three, four, five times, her arms floating above her head. as she came to a stop, the two faced each other once more, and venti could finally see that beautiful smile of hers again; her cheeks flushed, hair messed, and eyes bright, venti thought that no one could be more lovely. and he told her so, too, as he brushed stray hairs from her face, his touch like lightning on her skin.
they danced to the lyre until their feet stung and muscles ached, but their faces were sore from smiles and laughter. they had waltzed until dawn, and now the townspeople's chatter began to rise like heat, sending the ballerina into a sudden panic. their night of solitude and fairy tale-esque atmosphere had ended rather promptly, and her heart was beginning to feel the effects.
"hey, hey! it's okay!" venti murmured, placing the girl's hands in between his own. "do you trust me?"
she tilted her head. "i...i think so? what kind of question is that? are you gonna do something weird?”
venti's grin turned from sweet to sly, hands snaking around her torso to hold her to his side. "oh, no," the girl laughed nervously. "no, no, no, venti--"
but then the two were up in the air, blurred scenery of the city of freedom and its surroundings rushing past. the ballerina clung to the bard for dear life, barely managing to bite back her screams of terror; yet as quickly as the journey had begun, it ended, and the they landed in a secluded clearing of trees and underbrush.
as the couple composed themselves, little birds and squirrels began to approach them meekly, and venti swore the girl’s eyes lit with a joy like fire in that moment. she chittered back at the small animals in what most would consider just a goofy voice—but to venti, it was goofy and incredibly endearing.
after resting their achy muscles for a good while, and perhaps sharing a kiss or two (or seven), their waltz started back up right where they had left off, animals of all kinds hidden away in the trees to watch the lovely scene unfold.
Tumblr media
every second ᴛʜᴏᴍᴀ waited, the eagerness in his heart grew.
she visited komore teahouse every so often, needing a place to stay after a performance or during travels, and every time, without fail, thoma somehow managed to fall more in love with her.
even when she wasn’t dancing, she was the embodiment of grace—lovely, gentle, charming. thoma could barely restrain himself from following her around like a puppy at all hours of the day just to see her smile and laugh and, well, dance. he loved nothing more than watching her dance, for when she did so it was clear that she was the fullest version of herself. the most happy. the most confident. the most free.
but thoma had no idea that the ballerina happened to be quite in love with him, too. half of the times she came to the teahouse with the explanation that she’d just had a performance were lies—she came simply to spend time with the housekeeper of the kamisato clan, just because she liked him.
“i’m bored,” the girl murmured, resting her chin in her palm to stare at the man across from her. they’d just finished eating a meal thoma had prepared which was, as usual, perfect.
thoma felt a slight panic rise in his chest. did he do something wrong?
but a sudden smile lit up her features as she sat up straighter, wiping any negative thought clean from thoma’s mind.
“let’s dance,” she whispered, a certain fire in her expression that only appeared when such prospects came about.
“what?” did he hear her right? thoma couldn’t dance. thoma was a housekeeper.
“i said let’s dance, pretty boy!” she laughed, wrapping her hands around his upper arm and pulling him to stand. “it doesn’t have to be perfect—you just do what you feel like doing.”
leaving him with an eager grin, she rushed to the music player in the corner of the room, picking a song so unlike anything he’d ever heard the ballerina dance to. it was upbeat, playful, and completely foreign to him, though he wasn’t against it at all. in fact, he felt his chest flutter in excitement as the girl shuffled back to him, beginning to move to the music.
what she did was completely different than her normal style of dance. while the ballet was beautiful and graceful, and she did indeed look happy when pirouetting and leaping, what thoma saw before him was a new side to the girl that he might’ve liked even more.
silly. joyful. bouncy. fun. the girl twirled herself around before grabbing his hands, saying, “come on!” in a sing-song voice. the girl lead him in a kind of duet where their hands were clasped as they danced; a lot of leg-kicking was involved, as well as switching positions with a twirl, or four. the music sounded vaguely familiar to thoma, which was odd, since he was sure he’d never heard it in his life.
“what is this?” thoma laughed, struggling to get a hang of the footwork, but enjoying the feeling of the girl’s soft hands in his own.
she beamed up at him, unable to hide the excited blush on her cheeks. “it’s called the charleston!” she exclaimed, twisting her hips with a laugh. “it’s not from here.” she would’ve liked to tell him where it came from, but that was an unfortunate secret she wasn’t allowed to disclose.
“i’m terrible at this, but i love it,” thoma yelled over the music as he tried to copy the girl’s movements. they danced until the end of the song, chatting and laughing until their lungs hurt from breathlessness; and as the last beat of the song died out, thoma and the girl collapsed in a heap of giggles, bodies cradling each other, their hands still tangled.
the atmosphere gradually became more calm as the two rested. thoma couldn’t help but say what had been burning at the back of his mind for so long now.
“sometimes…i wish you came around more,” he mumbled. “no, always. i always miss you when you leave, you know that?”
thoma ran his thumb over the back of her hand wistfully, waiting for a response. the only thing he got, however, was a brief kiss smack dab on the lips and a smile that could shame the stars. but these affirmed him better than any words could.
he was shocked—not that he didn’t like it. he’d wanted to do that for a while now. so, after seeing her happy little grin as she leaned over him, he took the liberty to lean back in, stealing as many kisses as he wanted. between each kiss, he mumbled ridiculously sappy and sweet things such as, “my pretty ballerina…” “my tiny dancer…” “my little cookie crumb…” (she barked out a laugh at the last one).
the girl reluctantly received every single kiss and comment, barely holding back her laughter at his too-sweet attitude. thoma knew what he was doing, and he only continued amusedly. “my beautiful, beautiful sugar plum fairy…” another kiss, more laughter, and thoma’s hands gliding along her hips to pull her closer.
“thoma, you’re killing me here,” she cried, crumbling into a fit of giggles as he attacked her face with more smooches. cheek, forehead, nose, lips, temple—nowhere was safe.
the ballerina ended up coming to komore teahouse even more often than before, and it wasn’t uncommon to find her at kamisato estate either, “bothering” thoma while he was supposed to be working.
Tumblr media
ᴋᴀᴢᴜʜᴀ met her on the crux. she often had to travel between inazuma and liyue for shows, and beidou was more than happy to have her as a stowaway—especially when she found out just how much kazuha liked her.
well, it was apparent that the feeling was mutual, because not once, not twice, but three times did beidou catch kazuha and the ballerina making out in some discreet corner of the ship. young love, she mused. it made sense, didn’t it? a poet and a dancer? regardless, she snapped at them each time (affectionately), threatening to separate them if they couldn’t stop snogging each others’ faces off on her goddamn pirate ship. she was met only by childish giggles and kazuha’s dramatized smooching sounds in response.
but hey, how could they help it? they only saw each other every so often. they completed each other, they said, and perhaps this was true—the ballerina would listen with heart-shaped pupils as kazuha recited his sappy, lovely poetry; she flitted to and fro when he played his music, pirouetting to her heart’s content. they had an intimacy so innocent and incomparably tender that beidou often pretended to be seasick. “you’re gonna give me a cavity, assholes,” she would mutter as she passed by the couple, who had practically no space in between them as they “snogged each other’s faces off.”
kazuha was no ballerino, but he could certainly dance a duet. mostly, he loved to hold her hand or support her weight while she twirled and leapt—although he was quite guilty of interrupting her practice with distracting things like hugging her waist or tenderly kissing the back of her neck. each time kazuha committed such an act, he was met with a playful smile, but was ceremoniously and smugly corrected to place his hands on her hips, not his arms. then such distractions could be avoided. he would hum and agree, but just keep doing the same thing, kissing her neck with a grin as she struggled to pry off his leech-like grasp.
eventually, she would have to give in, but kazuha’s hold wouldn’t loosen—his arms snaked around her waist and pulled her ever closer as if this is the last time they’d see each other.
it struck her then that that was actually true—though not for a while, at least. she was going to leave the crux when they arrived to inazuma, and he was going to stay on board; it was likely they wouldn’t see each other for several months. the thought made her skin prickle uncomfortably, so instead she focused on her poet’s hands gliding around her hips.
“zuha,” she whispered. “when will i see you again after this?”
his expression became grim and his movements faltered, but he turned her around and tenderly kissed her forehead in response as if to comfort her worries. they both knew the answer to her question—not soon enough.
“why do you have to leave again? can’t you come off the boat with me? just for a little while?” she was close to tears at this point, tired of losing her love to distance. kazuha pulled her into a gentle hug. once again, they both knew the answer to her question.
kazuha was a wanted criminal in inazuma. if he got off the boat, the ballerina would lose him for good.
so they made the most of their time together, dancing and singing and laughing and kissing until beidou couldn’t stand it anymore (“you kids are gonna eat each other’s faces off, i swear,” she grumbled). however, the captain had no choice but to let it pass when she saw the crew members of the crux smiling and laughing, too, even joining in on the dancing and singing. when tasks were light, kazuha and the ballerina often led spontaneous group dances where most of the crew either joined of their own volition or followed reluctantly by means of force.
when the time came for goodbyes, the ballerina was very tearful, like always. kazuha had composed himself, but he felt deep turmoil at having to leave her again. but soon, he thought. soon they’d be together again. i just have to be patient, he told himself, wiping away his darling’s tears and kissing her forehead with a gentleness that was so characteristic of him.
patient.
how could he be patient?
kazuha knew that he could never be patient again. not after how long he’d spent with her, how deeply he had cherished her presence, how much he had kissed her and loved her and sang for her and danced with her. kazuha was not going to wait. kazuha was not going to leave her again. he didn’t care what it took—if he got arrested, if he died.
but the ballerina knew. kazuha had this look in his eye that said everything he was thinking—such teary desperation, overwhelming sadness, and anger.
she wouldn’t let him come after her. the risk was too great.
this spelled the beginning of a heated debate, one which beidou had to disarm very carefully as if tip-toeing through a minefield. once she was finally able to knock some sense into romeo and juliet, she stated very directly, “kazuha can stay with the resistance on watatsumi. problem solved? yes? okay, great. now kiss, you two—i’m getting bored.”
Tumblr media
xɪᴀᴏ would never associate himself with mortals. he wanted absolutely nothing to do with them, not only because he didn’t want to harm them with his karma, but also because most of them were just annoying.
however, there seemed to be a mortal girl he considered to be noticeably less annoying than the rest, given that he allowed her to bring him almond tofu and sit next to him on the roof of wangshu inn. he tolerated her, was all he said when questioned suggestively by the owner of the inn.
the girl in question came to wangshu inn often to perform, as she was a travelling dancer and moved all around teyvat, but her favorite place to reside for long periods of time had always been liyue. this may or may not have been due to the presence of a certain adeptus. was she herself aware of this? not consciously, no. all she knew was that she always felt safe in liyue, as if protected by someone or something, and something about the place was simply attractive to her. she couldn't help but be drawn to the picturesque landscapes of jueyun karst, the warm and charming qingce village, and liyue harbor's lively atmosphere. it felt like home away from home.
xiao just happened to be surveilling the area around wangshu inn when the cliché occurred—the ballerina was meandering down the road to the inn for the first time, drinking in the sights with her small bag clutched before her, when a group of treasure hoarders approached. xiao had disarmed a great many similar situations, so it was no surprise to him when the thieves surrounded the girl threateningly, making her feel small and helpless with their jeering and suggestive whistling. xiao’s heart lurched in disgust.
“get lost,” the adeptus growled before anything more could occur, brandishing his spear as he sauntered toward the band of ruffians. the clear leader puffed up his chest in challenge, but the rest merely shuffled uncomfortably and glanced at each other, seemingly at a loss for whether to flee or fight.
“are you stupid?” the yaksha tilted his head in question; but before anyone could act, the surrounded girl suddenly whirled her travel bag, sweeping the lead thief right off his feet. he landed on his bum with a thunk. the other thieves bristled angrily, beginning to move towards her, but they had all been knocked out by xiao before a single hand could be laid upon her. the leader of the group, as the only one conscious, whimpered pathetic apologies while he scrambled to his feet and scurried away like a rodent.
this was how xiao and the ballerina first met.
her eyes were filled with wonder and appreciation as she profusely thanked the adeptus, but he dismissed her with discomfort, departing in that abrupt way of his—teleportation. she remained in the same place for a long time after his leave, heart beating in her ears, limbs tingly with anticipation. though xiao had disappeared from her sight, he had not traveled far. he watched the girl as she stood, eyes transfixed on her stunned figure until she finally began down the road. if anyone asks, he definitely did not follow her all the way to the inn to make sure she stayed safe. and he definitely did not give the stink eye to anyone who even glanced at her.
to xiao’s faux dismay, the girl became enamored with him. she considered herself in debt to him for saving her life no matter how much he insisted that he didn’t care. she knew that xiao at least didn’t hate her, just by the fact that he still talked to her. and she was right. he acted annoyed and distant, but he truly cherished the moments where she sought him out at the inn and sat next to him at the edge of the balcony, leaning on the rails and swinging her legs restlessly. that was one thing he thought was amusing about her—she was never still, never had been still in all the time that he’d known her. xiao supposed this simply came with her love of dancing and moving.
one of the ballerina’s proudest moments was when she managed to make xiao smile. they were alone on the balcony of the inn as usual, xiao staring into the horizon while the girl danced gracefully behind him to a silent tune. it would occasionally manifest in a hum, the volume jumping in intervals at extreme movement, but xiao was lulled by her voice nevertheless. he refused to face her in fear that she would see past his tough facade, because if he saw her smile, he was sure he would fall apart.
that is, until she slipped and fell. xiao’s head whirled to the sound of the crash, eyes darkening at her crumpled form. “i told you it’s not safe when you’re wearing socks,” he grumbled, helping her up by the hands. once standing, her grip on him tightened, refusing to let go even when he pulled. he glanced up to see the girl grinning mischievously.
“let go,” threatened the yaksha, but the girl was unrelenting. “i will get you to dance with me, xiao,” she smiled, beginning to move and pull him along.
he shook his head profusely, voice rising in pitch as he growled, “no, no you will not. i will not dance with you, mortal.”
“oh, xiao, you know my name by now.”
“i won’t dance with you.”
“but you already are!”
and with that, the ballerina released him with a reserved smile and continued her solo, but now xiao couldn’t look away. he was trapped, watching her dainty form as if in a trance. he was grinning before he knew it, even if it was just a slight upturn of the lips.
the ballerina had seen it, but this was for her only to know. she took hold of him once more, not daring to mention his smile—but now he was more willing to comply, intertwining his fingers with hers, placing one hand on her waist, and responding to her movements gently. she had done it—tamed the beast, danced with him, made him smile. her heart swelled with accomplishment, as well as admiration for the adeptus before her.
they seemed as if paintbrushes dusting across a canvas in the way that they moved, waltzing on the balcony with the kind of silent delight one finds in solitude. they were alone together, not a distraction in sight, allowing xiao to focus on one thing for the first time in his elongated, exhausting existence—the way she smiled. his life had always been dark. it consumed him day by day, the pain inflating like a balloon in his chest, fuzz clouding his vision until there was nothing left but a numb sort of grief. but the way she smiled? it washed away the fuzz. it popped the swelling balloon in his chest. he could see again; he could breathe again. he felt his face muscles lift to mirror the ballerina’s innocent grin as they twirled across the balcony in a dazed stupor, and xiao thought that he’d never experienced something so simply profound.
all in all, he was quite soft deep down.
Tumblr media
as a master of alchemy, ᴀʟʙᴇᴅᴏ wasn’t really one to pursue frivolous affairs of the heart, those frivolous affairs being crushes or anything to do particularly with love. but aside from being a scientist, he was also a painter—he could appreciate art when he saw it and was not incapable of finding the aesthetic beauty in things. his deepest desire would always be to watch the universe expand, break it all apart so that he could understand it, then build it back together again; but albedo’s love of art swelled to meet this desire when he encountered a ballerina, and all his preconceptions of love were thrown out the window.
her downright indifference to him was what spurred albedo on in his pursuit. he masked his intentions with the claim that he wanted to study the ballerina and her dancing, both for science and his paintings. he hadn’t fooled her, this was obvious, but she was so unbothered by his false motives that she played along anyways. she wasn’t quite sure what he really wanted, but whatever it was, she was certain that she wouldn’t mind it, given he was just a harmless scientist—as she saw him, anyways.
those who had pegged albedo as the type of intellectual to be inept at love couldn’t have been more wrong—he was wildly flirtatious when he had his wits and confidence about him. just because he normally didn’t take advantage of his attractiveness and focused on his work didn’t mean he couldn’t court somebody properly, by all means!
the ballerina was truly charmed by his efforts, but she kept that to herself, along with all of the letters and paintings and sketches he had sent to her from dragonspine when he was unable to see her, or she him. it was her guilty pleasure to read them over again and again, tummy fluttering unwillingly.
the girl had no clue just how infatuated albedo was with her. something about the artfulness of ballet and the beauty of human movement had inspired and entranced him, and since she was the embodiment of such things, naturally he was drawn to her. the more and more albedo saw her, the more and more his appreciation for her dance grew; and then it became a sort of cycle, where his appreciation for her dance trickled down into love for her as a person. he found himself unable to focus on his experiments and research, instead wishing he could watch her dance all day—or perhaps, he could dance with her. that was something he’d have liked to try, though he was certain his lack of experience would be his downfall in that activity.
despite her soft-spoken nature, sucrose—albedo’s assistant—couldn’t help herself from telling the ballerina many of the things her teacher had accidentally imparted to her, the subject usually being the ballerina herself. sucrose wasn’t a gossip at all, no! she was simply trying to help the girl realize just how much albedo thought of her. as much as the man was charming, at the moment he seemed to be tarrying, as if his courage and energy were waning. all sucrose wanted was for the both of her dear friends to be well and happy (and in love).
this opened the ballerina’s eyes, promoting her to understand albedo’s actions a bit more. when he made advances, she didn’t resist so blatantly, instead finding herself to even be a little bashful.
the girl’s favorite pastime was speaking to albedo in french, her hometown being fontaine. it amused her that this was the one advantage she would have over him, probably ever. that is…until he inevitably decided to learn it for himself. he would probably master it within weeks with that brain of his.
“ta cervelle est assez drôle (your mind is rather funny),” the ballerina mused, observing albedo during his work time. the man replied without so much as batting an eyelash to her, “i told you to stop doing that until i’ve learned it myself.”
“arrêtez quoi ?” (stop what?) her voice was lilting and musical, as if trying to push him to his limits.
“there you go again, being coy,” the scientist murmured, still focused on his work. “perhaps you’ve stopped playing hard to get, no? do you actually like me now?”
she hesitated. but since she believed he couldn’t understand her, she ended up pouring her heart out.
“c’est pas que je t’aimais pas,” she mumbled. “j’appréciais toujours ton compagnie, sincèrement. en fait, je pense…je pense que je t’ai toujours aimé.” (it’s not that i didn’t like you. i always enjoyed your company, sincerely. in fact, i think…i think i’ve always loved you.)
albedo paused in his work. he spun around to face the girl, an unreadable expression on his face.
“i’ve always loved you too,” he said, a whisper of a smile gracing his lips.
so this asshole really did know how to speak french.
“il y a beaucoup de choses que tu connais pas sur moi, ma ballerine.” (there’s a lot of things you don’t know about me, my ballerina.)
“tais-toi.” (shut up.)
“ouch, how rude. i thought you loved me,” albedo teased. at this point, both were standing, and he was inching closer to her by the second, each footstep slow and meticulous. the girl’s heart thumped in her ears like a drum; she was still in shock from the fact that she had just accidentally poured her heart out to him. he knew now. he knew.
but all he asked of her was one dance. one dance, and he wouldn’t tease her about it anymore.
her agreement led to the two waltzing around albedo’s workshop, the passage of time forgotten amidst glowing smiles and the touch of each other’s hands. of course, he had no trouble picking up the steps or getting the hang of the movement’s flow. she wondered how he could be so well-versed in quite literally everything—he was truly a gift.
many “tais-toi”’s were uttered that day, albedo’s teasing being unrelenting despite his promise. he claimed that they hadn’t danced enough yet for his standard, so he still had teasing rights. of course, it turned out that this scale of “enough dancing” was decided wholly by albedo, so he could claim that no amount of dancing was enough and potentially tease her for the rest of time if he so wished. and oh, did he wish.
Tumblr media
𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑘 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑠𝑜 𝑚𝑢𝑐ℎ 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑑𝑖𝑛𝑔 ❤︎
also, i am obviously not a native french speaker, so if there are any mistakes or strangely worded parts in the dialogue of albedo’s, please let me know!! im just a student and it’s only my first year learning :)
1K notes · View notes
wraenata · 6 months
Note
Hi Wren how have you been?
Hi Koi! I hope you're doing well! Every beautiful art and comic you make touches my heart!
I'm doing ok. I just have really low energy. It's really frustrating because I don't have any energy to do the things I enjoy doing, and it feels like every day it gets worse 😔 I finally made an appointment with my doctor to see if anything is wrong, but it's not til October 17 sadly. Things have just been going downhill for a long time.
I'm just really sad that even after unfollowing a lot of blogs, which I hated doing, I still can't muster the energy to get through my dash and leave the tags I want to. It makes me sad. I've missed and will continue to miss amazing things and I don't like that.
I've also been worried about my cat Sally's weight and appetite lately, though the last couple days she's been eating better which is good. I just worry a lot.
Umm, I need a positive. I ordered the build a bear bulbasaur for my birthday which is in a week. He makes me smile. His name is Yarrow 🌱 Not even 5 pound Sally for scale <3
Tumblr media
30 notes · View notes
gierosajie · 1 year
Text
Thinking about how there's a lot more ghosts wandering Mondstadt in the Archon Dvalin AU than usual because Venti is usually the one sending off spirits into the afterlife and well. he's kinda stuck on that side post-Cataclysm
At first there weren't any because they just followed Venti, but afterwards there were some that still lingered and the number just kept piling up over the centuries. Many did eventually go on their own, but there's just more that didn't want to or simply couldn't
Dvalin doesn't know how to send them off, no one really showed him how and he doubts that even if he knew, he probably couldn't. Still, whenever a spirit decides to show themself, he stays with them for a bit, just to alleviate their burdens even a little and maybe help them find enough peace
It's probably another thing that eats at him alive because he couldn't even help those that he failed to protect, no matter how much most of them say it isn't his fault
And then, after the whole reconciliation with Celio thing, one of the lingering spirits asks him for a song. Before, he might've gently turned down the request, but after everything, he decided he might as well
Dvalin starts singing an old song he loved. Singing it had been painful, once, considering it was made as a duet and having to listen to the silent answer just brought him nothing but grief. Now, there's a sort of peace to how the breeze and the sound of nature fill in the gaps and pauses.
Over the course of the song, more and more ghosts come to listen. By the end of it, Dvalin opens his eyes to see most of them disappear, not in terms of hiding away like usual but rather beginning to dissolve into light as they finally move on
The last one to leave was the one who requested a song. She turns to smile at him. "I suppose I can finally tell that bard how much you've grown," she says before finally dissipating into the wind
70 notes · View notes
newbieineverything · 1 year
Text
About Scaramouche
Kusanali: I'm going to rehabilitate him!
Venti: The amount of chaos and unhingedness I'm going to cause by giving him a vision!*cackles*
Kusanali: What?
Venti: What?
92 notes · View notes
endartea · 1 year
Text
Ok, so, I have an idea. Since Zhongli is y'know more than 6000 years old, and has experienced more wars than any other being in Teyvat. And is the one with the most traumatic experiences.
I think you know where this is going; but this man HAS to have got severe PTSD. Like crippling shit. Because I'm sorry, but you're not escaping atleast 2000 years worth of fighting and war time without some shit messed up in your mind.
Zhongli also lost Guizhong, his best friend, in their own home. So that's a plus.
So, with all of that I headcanon that:
First off, Zhongli still obviously suffers from PTSD in his daily life. So things like sudden but loud noises definetly make him want to arm himself with his spear.
Second, let's not forget that he's a dragon deity. So, he's obviously very wise. But that has to be balanced between his wiseness and his absolute suffering.
I will not stop publishing posts about how Zhongli is not a force of nature. Until atleast a quarter of the fandom, get it inside of their head that Rex Lapis, is very much a being just like say, Barbatos (who is also very traumatized by the loss of his friend and warfare, but hides it behind a cheery facade.) or maybe even say Ei or Nahida. Who are probably the most obviously traumatized between all 4 archons we've met so far. But that doesn't mean they're the most traumatized, hence why I even bothered to make this post.
Now, I'm not trying to get everybody to invalidate Nahida's trauma, or Ei's absolute shit trial with life, nor am I trying to get people to start babying Zhongli.
Just because he has trauma, doesn't mean that changes his canon personality gets retconed. I'm saying that trauma made him what he is today. And if you have ever heard his voicelines, you know he absolutely treasures ALL of his friendships, and holds his relationships with his friends very close to himself. As they are all dear to him.
Thank you for coming to my ted talk. Next time I will be back, but with even more talk about all the Archon's trauma. And possibly other characters.
58 notes · View notes
cashewally-sarcastic · 2 months
Note
Bestie i am in the middle of the enkanomiya quest so i look up some lore on my phone for more isaroth stuff since this should be the place she is associated with and im only now realizing that if they have a connection with Phanes that means Venti would have a connection with Phanes. Do you think he would call them his grandpa as a joke. Do you think Neuv is going to kick him for what the 1st decender did. Wait what if this is the reason why Venti knows stories from outside his world im going to bark at a cloud aaaaaaaaa-
Enkanomiya quest my true and real beloved have fun in lore stuff
But yes, Venti could have a connection to Phanes through Istaroth and it's wild! (obviously we don't know the true extent of Venti and Istaroth's connection completely but ya know. secretive wind wisp.)
Also yeah I think Venti would call them gramps, maybe be a bit informal with it you know? Grandpa is a long word, Gramps rhymes with more :)
ALSO ALSO Neuvillette has some funny voice lines about the archons he is 1000% going to kick Venti actually it's almost canon (they are on youtube if you are curious)
8 notes · View notes
hydrodragons · 7 months
Text
in honour of my beloved albedo's birthday im showcasing my personal favourite team of his which is double geo spread (i swear it works its fun pls try)
16 notes · View notes
galedinner · 1 year
Text
poses sadly. would you guys be mad at me if i dropped an f/o i love so much
23 notes · View notes
protect-namine · 6 days
Text
youtube
if you only have to watch one (1) genshin lore video, I highly recommend this one. not because it's a beginner-friendly guide to those new to the lore (it's not), but because the vibes of this theory are immaculate and explains like... the kinds of things that fascinate me about the game
paimon is consecrated for consumption, in a eucharist way. blood is wine is memories is life is power. ambrosia for ascension. the blood to the traveler's bones
there are so many things in the game that seem like innocuous off-hand comments but when put into a bigger picture, is so ???
like. do you ever think about how paimon likes to eat slimes because they are pure elemental energy, and she functions as the traveler's conduit for the elements similar to a vision for vision-wielders (even though she is not a vision)
Tumblr media
and what does this mean for the traveler who is hinted to be a star? how much can they consume before they "collapse under their own gravity", so to speak
I really have nothing to add, I just wanted to share how much I love the vibes of the content of this video. this is peak genshin theorizing to me
4 notes · View notes
susmintjelly · 8 months
Text
a preference i have for my fav ship xvx is when xiao doesn't feel too different from myself
I mean I feel "that's not xiao" if he has a lot of guts when it comes to interacting with people.. and venti. he gets there ofc but not effortlessly c:
8 notes · View notes
hoodies-n-cola · 2 months
Note
Hope you're doing okay! I miss your posts 😢
🥺😭 this really does mean a lot to hear, thank you so much anon ♡♡
Things have been a bit touch and go, I'm trying to be here for my friends who need me while also dealing with my own stuff n it's got me wrapped up in a heavy brain fog where I just can't seem to think of stuff to draw
Even then most of my drawing energy has been put into rebooting my ask blog @ask-edd and doing drawings for it when necessary
I do genuinely wanna post here more and keep up my drawing energy and such, maybe yall can send requests in if you've got any
Idk if I wanna do a fun little song based one or maybe I can reblog an expression challenge or something or just give yall free reign idk
Maybe one day I can just do a request stream in my EW server (which is linked on the ask-edd blog if you wanna join)
5 notes · View notes