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lilimalia · 1 year

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REMINISCENCE // zhongli

SYNOPSIS... to remember the friends you had once loved so dearly, and to cry away the feelings you had wished you had left behind.

CHARACTERS... traveller/aether,, zhongli/morax,, streetward rambler,, madame ping,, cloud retainer

DISCLAIMERS... angst, no comfort, fem reader, short series, Part II

BARISTA'S INTEL... If you had signed up for Taglist, please make sure you put the right tag/handle in! And if you’ve changed your handle/tag resubmit an answer! Thank you 🍓

TAG LIST... @neverlandlostchild , @yae-raidenmyloves , @inky-oni , @milkiemei , @seyboo , @shaneelyn , @lumpywolf , @i-heart-dainsleif , @dartheldur , @simpcreator , @rjreins , @chuusposts , @thelonelyarchon , @i-loveyou013 , @iiyumii , @gellitu , @patchi-chi , @almighty-raiden-shogunate

CAFE TUNE... Space Song // Beach House !

The sound of Liyue fireworks resonates within your heart, watching as the young children of this new age dance like lotuses to water.

Breathing in the scent of the festivities, you gaze upon the flickering yellow lights that adorn the new Liyue. Listening to the blissful beauty of mortal exchange as the smell of tea brews beside you.

"And so you go by Madame Ping now Streetward Rambler?..."

The women, eyes solemnly gazing at you, nods to your remark. Her fragile body bending forward to hand you the warm stone cup. Rim glistening with pools of reflection as the scent dances up towards your nose.

"Is this... Silk Flower tea?..."

"Only the finest batch Duànzào." Madame Ping smiles, bent posture leaning towards the railings of the pavilion as you both gaze outward.

"You have much on your mind Streetward... Please, do speak." you murmur, hands clasping around the smooth stone cup as you breathed down the aromatic clouds.

"... Why is it that you have decided to return now?"

Her words stung like glaciers. Your heart chilling as you glanced away from her watchful gaze. Instead finding interest in the stone steps below.

"It was... A change out of my control..."

You can feel her hand soothe your back, taking it's place as it rubs up and down in a comforting manner.

"Cloud Retainer has missed you... I am sure they will welcome your return..."

No one was suppose to know

"One has heard their name being spouted. Who dares to gossip about one without one's presence?!"

"Ah... Haha! Cloud Retainer, what a joy to see you here"

"One has been advised to come and visit the New Liyue... So one has decided to ask how you fare Streetward Rambler". The crane bellows, magnificent wings retracting as she lands.

And yet you refuse to turn around. To gaze at your greatest councilor.

"Who is it that you speak with Streetward Rambler? They seem quite rude! It is an Adepti that is present mortal! Turn your head, although we do not withhold the same business with Liyue as before, you are to still treat us with respect!"

"Haha... Now, now, Cloud Retainer. That is no way to speak to an old friend now is it?"

Turning, your grey pupils lay eyes upon her own. Black beauties that glisten in the moonlight.

"It is good to see you again... Old friend"

Upon the Liyue night. Lanterns blazing, festivities murmuring joy into the air.

A god and her advisor meet once more.

If only it had been on more joyful terms.

"And so you had returned on account of the Adeptal Sealing breaking away at your power?"

"Yes... Unfortunately, it seems... that no Adepti creation will be able to handle a god's strength..."

"One believes it is a fortune that no such thing can! How dare you leave one all those years ago?!" Cloud Retainer chides, her voice raising in mocking irritation.

It raises a smile out of you, to see your old friend still the same as ever.

How long had it been since the three of you had stood on that balcony? An hour perhaps?... Or two? To think you had missed so much.

"One had begun to believe Duànzào had forgotten about ones self!"

"Oh really? Is that so? Hmph! Perhaps I should have! You always did spend your time going on and on about your sucesses instead of drinking Streetward- I mean Madame Pings tea! What a waste..." you smile, giggling as you held up the steaming tea to your lips.

Watching as your old friends gossip about good times, your heart stings.

It could have been three... had you been there faster.

Had you not have been stricken with jealousy.

Several hours pass, and with each, you are introduced with the new representatives of Liyue... A child, and two remarkable Adepti that seem glowing with youthful energy. And a traveler... One who's hair shines as bright as midnight stars. He seems to study you from afar.

Ever so often, he glances at his smaller companion, murmuring secrets you fail to understand.

But his eyes are ever so watchful, kept on you like a hawk, as you try your best to remain poise.

Alas, the night must end, always. And to that, you give your goodbyes and good thanks, strolling away in deep thought.

Your steps echo from the stone stairs, descending down from the patio. The sound of fireworks resounding across the midnight skies.

You aren't alone. You can feel.

"Is there something you would like to ask me Traveller?... It's quite rude to follow a lady without her acknowledgment you know..." You chuckle, turning your head around.

"One is offended that you Duànzào have mistaken one for a mortal! Hmph!"

"Ah.... Cloud Retainer... My apologies, I did not mean to offend you" you smirk, watching as the regal human walks towards you; arms folded.

"I suppose you have many questions...."

"Indeed, one does. One will not let this opportunity pass one. So, speak." It feels as though her voice is laced with venom.

Was it directed towards you?...

"I am sorry Cloud Retainer. It wasn't my intent to have to leave you that way." Your hands are rubbing up against each other uncomfortably. Yet that deceitful smile adorns your complexion.

"You know just as well as one does that this has nothing to do with your encaging years ago. One may appear to be noble and arrogant to some, but one is also watchful." Her words sting like a scorpion's tail, piercing your chest.

Like a dull punch. One you can't seem to cover up and hide away...

Maybe it's the falter in your act that gives her the hint. The way your turning your head away from her, refusing to face her directly.

" Duànzào, please. It was never your fault."

She's begging now. What for... You can't seem to determine. For you to face her directly? Or to break through your mental fortress...

She's stepping closer, her heels echoing. Blue eyes, solid and cold. Her hands suddenly clasp around yours. Enveloping them in warmth. A silent reassurance.

"One knows, it was never your fault, Duànzào."

You won't cry. You won't let it happen, not in front of her, and not infront of anyone.

Your efforts to run away, were pathetic, undeserving of forgiveness. You didn't deserve her remorse nor forgiveness...

But, the way that her arms wrap around your body, caressing you.

It's too tempting.

"One has decided."

"One will never let Duànzào fear the emotions that plague Duànzào's mind..."

"Your safe little one, safe by ones side."

Zhongli feels as though he's forgotten to breath.

It feels sinful listening in on them.

Why does his chest hurt so much? Why is it that, of the two women in front of him, one is his advisor.

His greatest weapon, weakness, and friend.

"Duànzào....? Your alive?"

Never before, has Zhongli been so grateful for his years of honing his voice. The confidence that it emitted, was far different from the feelings that come from his chest.

She hasn't turned around. And Cloud Retainers arms have wrapped around her harder.

"[Y/n]?...]"

SPECIAL BREWS... none available, sorry customer!

BARISTA'S INQUIREMENT... This was really hard for me to write... I feel like I didn't do as well this time around. I'd love your feedback!

word count. 1195

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©-FUTURIST... Please do not plagiarize, themes are edited by me, reblogs allowed, do not repost on any other platform!!

banner credits: @IllaOhara

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valyrielwrites · 4 months

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As The Heavens Move - Chapter VII

Chapter 7/9 (full fic available on Ao3)

Relationship: Zhongli (Genshin Impact) / AFAB Reader Word Count: 4387 Summary: The Archon war rages across Teyvat, leaving untold chaos and destruction in its wake - as you earn the ire of a Chi that has stolen your home and all you hold dear, you take solace in a contract that the Lord of Geo offers. Warnings: Smut, 18+ themes

Pink and amber hues stretch along the horizon while the wind gently carries you through the skies above the river, an unusual quiet settles across the landscape as if the world already knows of the impending battle to come.

You sit atop Morax in his dragon form, the fingers on one hand woven loosely through his dark amber mane whilst your other hand softly strokes circles against the smooth scales of his neck, the mountains growing ever more distant behind you as the Adepti finally approach your stolen home.

“I will leave you a short distance from the boundary line, and go on ahead,” He tells you as he begins his descent. “The Chi will not notice if you enter on foot whilst I trespass the skies above. Remain here until I signal otherwise.”

“Be careful.” You warn.

“I ask the same of all of you.” He replies.

“As always, My Lord.” Skybracer gallops elegantly through the air beside you with ease, as if the clouds themselves were solid stepping stones and not just swirling mists. He keeps pace, despite carrying Madame Ping on his back. “We shall find Cloud Retainer and bring her safely home.”

Unease settles in the pit of your stomach as Morax lands at the centre of a large ruin a short distance from the road that lined the shore, your legs shaking as you slip down from his back and feel the rubble of a collapsed wall crunch beneath your boots. It hits you then, just what you’re getting yourself into - that the safety you felt at Morax’s side was not guaranteed, that you might be returning to find that there was no longer a home to return to…

People had lived here once too, you thought. Families, friends, neighbours.

Would there ever be a time when that could be possible again?

“We shall cleanse the path as we go,” Madam Ping’s voice pulls you from your trail of thought. “Look for any signs of a struggle, things on the path that are out of the ordinary - Skybracer and I shall protect you, but you must flee if we command it.”

“Yes,” You nodded. “I understand”

Your chest tightens as Morax leaps into the air without a second glance, the fear that this might be the last time that you ever saw him gripping you so tightly that you could barely bring yourself to breathe or think beyond his ever shrinking figure in the distance.

He flies low across the water. A threatening hiss ripples from his throat that seems to shake the very earth beneath as he crosses the boundary of Qingce’s domain.

You take a few steps forward, craning your neck to see the end of his tail follow the bend in the river before he disappeared from your sight completely.

“He will be fine, Mortal.” Skybracer says. “He is the strongest of us.”

You had seen him broken before, yes, but undeterred - and he had swore to you that the Chi would be destroyed. You had given him so much of your heart, your body, your admiration… What good would a God of contracts be if he did not keep his word?

“I know.”

You swallow the lump in your throat and accept that no matter what, fate will have its due.

An unnatural thick black fog obscures the air as Morax makes his way along the shoreline alone, almost as if it were clinging to the still waters in order to mask his approach - or to conceal something that dwells in the depths below.

The familiar taste of old ash lingers in the air, the scent of ancient blood and dirt that sullies the lake, it triggers the muscle memory of a thousand battles that he has won but is destined to repeat if he wants to see his dreams realised by the heavens.

Morax lets his power flow freely as he flies through the smoke, releasing a threatening growl and heavy huffs of breath in order to attract his opponent, his righteous fury sending shockwaves through the stone in challenge.

He takes a moment to think of you, to imagine your family and friends that he has never met, the common people of your home… what may befall them if he fails as he did at Guili, what may happen if he does not live to face Osial one last time.

He does this for them now, for Liyue, for you.

The rumble of thunder beckons him deeper into the Chi’s lair, passing the battered bamboo lined path where the two of you fatefully met, towards a break in the fog that reveals a small island in the middle of the lake. A long shadow snakes around it beneath the surface of the water, twitching, distorted by the waves as it begins to thrash and jolt when it finally breaches the surface.

Qingce screams as it sees Morax, its jaw unhinging itself wider as it dives towards him, the hunger as insatiable and all consuming as the unending void behind its blackened eyes. It had spent too long in the corruption, picking on the flesh of the fallen and rotting, to resist the urge to claim the prime of Adepti as its next meal.

But Morax would not flee.

The Chi’s needle-like teeth crack against the barrier that Morax summons, black blood oozing from its festering gums as it screeches and bellows again and again, slamming its head against the golden screen of light as Morax simply hovers above the water and watches.

“You have terrorised these people for far too long.” He hisses. “This ends now!”

Just as he wills it, the silt and earth below bends and breaks, a dozen stone pillars jutting up beneath the beast to scrape its slimy grey scales as it struggles against the land like a caught fish desperate to escape back into the water.

He would trap it here, make things quick - or at least he hopes to.

But Qingce lets out a blast of hydro against the rocks from its foul mouth, cracking them under the pressure of concentrated water and giving itself enough room to wriggle free and slip back into the river - diving underneath the barrier to burst forward and lunge for Morax.

A foul wind whips past as he barely manages to move away in time, his heart racing as he quickly summons another barrier at his right side and sails out of reach to try to trap it again - letting out a frustrated roar when the creature simply dodges and weaves past his defences and attacks.

There's no time for this, He frets. Cloud Retainer could be in serious danger, the people of the village could be caught in the crossfire, but if he couldn’t save his power to spare them in the clash how would he be able to kill the Chi fast enough?

He soon realises that he has no choice but to stay and wear the beast down, or put events into motion quicker than he would’ve liked - for an easy victory is nothing compared to the lives of all that he cares for.

Morax shakes his tail at Qingce as he flees, taunting, tempting him to follow as he swerves to avoid torrents of hydro shot in his direction, slowing his pace just ever so slightly to ensure that he keeps its attention before he whips his body around to catch Qingce’s neck between his own teeth and claws - ripping and biting, desperate to tear through to the flesh as he ascends.

The distant screams and the clash of battle makes your stomach turn, remembering the way that it had looked when you saw Morax fight for the first time, your imagination filling the gaps with each terrifying roar that echoed from the north.

“Look!” Skybracer lifted his antlers toward the heavens, his little nose pointing in the direction of a comet that flashed across the horizon. “That’s our signal.”

Your sense of awe briefly cuts through the fear you felt - the marvel that the man, the God, that you cared so deeply for was able to do something so beyond yourself… you wish that you’d get to see this again, see him again… that you would have the chance to learn the very limits of every wonder that he could do.

“Let's make haste.” Madam Ping says, and that is what you do.

The three of you make your way out of the ruin and head up toward the road, watching closely for any signs of Cloud Retainer’s presence along the path, taking care to watch for any monsters or areas that are corrupted.

The thick fog that covers the landscape is easily dispelled with a ring of the cleansing bell, although the darkness fades not an inch further than the sound travels, you know that home lies on the other side of it - that Morax does too.

“Adeptus Cloud Retainer?” You call out as loud as you dare, although you doubt that Qingce would hear it over the battle that rages on ahead.

“She is nearby. I sense it.” Skybracer confirms.

“Alive?” You ask.

“Yes - although her aura is faint.”

You pause. “Do you know where exactly?”

“The fog is distorting everything!” Madam Ping lifts the bell high again and whips her arm back down as if to ring it as hard and as loud as possible. “I’m struggling to pinpoint Morax and the Chi as well. It's almost as if it's intentional.”

“It wasn’t like this before,” You explain as the fog shrinks again. “There was some smoke from the other side of the river but the rest of the area was clear.”

“She must be using it to disguise herself from the Chi.” Skybracer concludes and then gallops on ahead.

You and Madam Ping jog behind, calling out for Cloud Retainer and scanning your surroundings until you come across the shallows where Morax had fallen that day. Half washed away blood still stains the shore in some areas, but all other traces of the two of you seemed to have been swept away with the current.

“This is where you found him?” Madam Ping asked.

Perhaps not all traces then, perhaps not the ones that the Adepti could still see.

“I thought he might die.” You whisper, shuddering at the memory of his charred and bloody body lying in the silt.

“But he didn’t,” She reminds you. “He won’t.”

“Thanks to you.” Skybracer bows his head and you suddenly feel yourself choke up.

You avert your gaze for the briefest of moments to collect yourself, looking toward the bamboo culms that line the path ahead until a small flash of white catches your eye against the sea of green.

“Wait.”

You alert the Adepti and step forward, carefully following the breeze that coaxes you along until you reach the edge of the cleared fog, crossing the stone bridge to see a single dirty white feather stuck to the side of a rock as the stream gurgles below.

You reach down to pick it up, fingers trembling as you touch the quill and gasp as a disembodied voice fills your mind.

“Help…”

Your head snaps up toward the nearby waterfall, to the hidden cave where you had tended to Morax, and your heart begins to race.

“She’s here!” You yell as loud as you can, leaping from the bridge to land on the rocks and clamber your way up the entrance. “Adeptus Cloud Retainer!”

Within seconds the two Adepti are already at your side, crashing through the veil of water to find the Crane lying in an awkward and unnatural position - her coat of feathers soaked through with dirt and blood.

“Wing… broken.” She wheezed with what little strength she had left.

“Don’t speak.” Madam Ping hushed and knelt down beside her.

“There’s things that we can use as bandages in the back.” You rush toward the crates, pulling out a stretch of fabric and tossing it towards the pair.

You watch as she tends to Cloud Retainer, wrapping her wing and transferring some of her power to speed the healing up, and feel a wave of relief wash over you. Morax would not lose another friend today.

“She’s strong enough to move?” You ask. If she could leave, she ought to.

Although this cave had provided Morax with a safe place to recover, you weren’t quite sure that Cloud Retainer would have the same luxury of time and space whilst the battle raged on downstream, and her condition seems much less dire than his had.

“Soon, once the bones have set.” Madam Ping said as her careful hands hovered above the Crane’s body.

“I shall remain here and accompany her to safety,” Skybracer began, “If you wish to find your people Mortal, now would be the time.”

“But the fog-”

A deep rumble in the distance interrupts you, shaking the foundations of the earth so suddenly that for a moment you believe that the ceiling might cave in as dust cascades from above.

“Go with this one’s gratitude, ____.” Cloud Retainer did not make an attempt to move as she addressed you by name now, but slowly extended her wing to confirm that the healing had worked. There was warmth and recognition in her usually cold blue eyes. “Save your people as you have already saved Rex and I.”

Madam Ping stood now, breathing deeply as if to recentre what was left of her energy, and turned to you one last time.

“The fog can be cleansed, but it is you that must forge the path ahead.”

You feel the sting of tears behind your eyes, a mixture of relief and confusion washing over your exhausted brain as you blink and try to mask the emotions on your face. You had always thought of your contributions as nothing more than trying to make the best of being in the wrong place at the wrong time, but they meant something.

Your choice to leave the village that day, to stumble across Morax - to help him, to trust him, to fall for him … Your small human choices have made all the difference and brought you all to this point.

“Then we go now,” You would not waste your chance. “I shall see you again when my people are free.”

Cloud Retainer nods in approval as you bow deeply and make your way out of the cave.

Morax finds himself reeling as he crashes into the dark waters, Qingce dragging him below the frigid surface as he thrashes and resists under the weight of the Adepti’s locked jaws. All of the light and joy in this world is suddenly gouged from his soul, leaving behind a gnawing void that was empty, wrong and endless.

For a moment he forgets himself and what he was meant for, forgets his light and ambition in the face of the intoxicating nihility on offer - there would be no more loss, no more fighting if he gave himself over to it - but the distant toll of that familiar bell cleanses his mind of all doubts.

He feels his blood heat as he clamps his jaw down harder, ignoring the pained screams of the creature he is desperate to destroy, and uses all his strength to throw his opponent back against the jagged rocks that line the far shore.

Qingce let out a terrific wail as the stone shreds its sailfin and rips through scale to cut into its flesh again, a thick cloud of festering black blood pooling around it in the shallows as it wriggles away to recover.

Morax violently shudders as he rises, his celestial body itching and caked with sludge as the filthy water drips off him with every laboured breath.

He’s tired, and can feel the pollution lingering on his skin, but it isn't over yet.

In the distance he can sense the panic of the people, their frantic footsteps in the earth as they scramble in their homes, he can sense you running through the bamboo forest with fear at your back and purpose in your heart.

The water that promises oblivion could never give him the peace that he longed for.

It was nothing to the man that was everything.

“Morax!”

You stop and scream his name until your voice is raw but he does not turn his gaze to you as he hovers still against the water. You want to tell him that you found Cloud Retainer, that she is alive and safe, that you believe in him, but his focus is still fixed on Qingce.

He can’t afford to be distracted just yet, even if the news might strengthen his resolve.

You take a moment to brace yourself, to catch your breath, to trust that he knows that your hopes are with him until the end, and when the cleansing bell rings you start again - racing towards home.

The clouds burst open at the breaking of thunder as you find yourself back in your village.

You had left Madam Ping behind with Morax to focus her efforts on stopping the fog from spreading, although it now seems as if the skies themselves have joined you in wanting to wash away the last of the filth and ash.

The rain feels fresh against your skin, cooling the sweat that soaks your brow as you double over and let out an exhausted groan when a dull pain shoots through your side. You have never run so hard and fast before, pushing your body to its limits just to make it to this point - with no thought of what comes next.

Nobody notices your arrival in the panic - the usual hustle and bustle of the market increasing tenfold as some of your neighbours frantically try to load carts to chance an escape, whilst others search for their loved ones so that they might spend their final hours together.

Nothing is how you left it.

“Mother?” You call out, voice breaking toward the end as it's lost amongst the crowd. “Mother? Father?”

You frantically scan your surroundings for your family, for anyone that might know where they are, but can barely register who any of these people are through the worsening wind and rain. They look haggard - at their breaking point - as it begins to pour relentlessly and the sound of fighting grows closer and closer.

You force yourself to push forward, attempting to weave through the crowd to your home at the centre of the village but your boots lose their footing in the mud. You slip and fall into someone, stumbling to the ground with a pained yelp as your wrist bends at the wrong angle and takes the full weight of the impact.

“Are you alright? Wait -” A familiar voice speaks as you feel a pair of strong arms slide around your ribs to pull you up. Your uncle brings his muddied hands up to cup your face. “____? You’re alive? My sweet child, we thought you were dead! Your Mother is beside herself!”

“I brought help!” You immediately sobbed, the pain in your wrist and your reunion less important than making sure that everyone makes it out alive. “Where is she? Where is Father?”

“At the shrine on the mountain, making offerings to the ancestors… to you -”

Relief shot through you like lightning as the storm continued to rumble overhead. They were safe.

“Gather everyone! We must leave now - to higher ground before the village floods.” You explain. “Morax has come to free us from Qingce.”

His face pales. The Prime of Adepti’s reputation as a God of war precedes him. “Morax? You brought him here?”

You hear screams as the river bursts its banks, water rushing across the market to wash over your ankles, submerging your feet in filth and sludge.

“I don’t have time to explain - Uncle, please… help me get these people to safety.” You plead that he sees reason, that he lives long enough to see all the good in Morax that you have come to know. “I made a contract with him to save our home.”

The ground shakes as Morax and Qingce crash around the bend in the river, wrestling and clawing at each other again as they come into view. They’re so close now. Dangerously close. There’s no more time to delay.

“Everyone!”

Your voice strains as you push away from your uncle and make your way towards an abandoned cart that has caught in the mud, heart pounding as you pull yourself up with your remaining good wrist and clamber on to gain some height.

“People of Qingce village, Listen to me!”

You scream over the panicked wailing, stomping your feet against the wood to make yourself as loud as possible despite the fear that has infected the crowd as they wade through the rising waters.

“____ has returned!” You feel the cart shake as your uncle joins you with his bellowing male voice. “Stop panicking and listen!”

“Leave your belongings, head to the mountain shrine,” You roar over the sound of the torrential rain. “Any able-bodied man must carry the sick and injured - if you want to live, go now!”

Qingce releases an ear-splitting shriek as a blast of hydro intended for his opponent comes careening toward the town, cleaving through the rockface of a nearby cliff - uncaring as the stone comes tumbling down to crush the people below.

A wave of screaming goes up to the heavens - but the rocks never come down.

A screen of golden light suddenly illuminates the sky above, flashing with every impact as the rockface collides with, and then bounces off, the barrier that Morax managed to summon to protect the village.

Your heart almost gives out in relief - but not for long. You were all lucky that he had been able to react in time, and there was no guarantee that it would happen again.

Your presence here was a distraction from the fight and now Qingce knows it.

“Rex Lapis protects us so that we can make our escape!” You call out again with a newfound resolve. “Everyone must leave now, while we still can!”

You cradle your wrist as you jump back down into the water, wincing in pain as you and your uncle go to gather the people and shepherd them toward the mountain path. This time there’s no hesitation as the villagers rapidly move into action, picking up stragglers as you all march ahead with little more than the clothes on your backs - helping each other, working together to make sure that elders and children alike aren’t left behind.

The further up the mountain you climb, the more intense the fighting below becomes. Eventually, you steal a glance over your shoulder to see Morax has pulled back, dodging Qingce’s blows rather than attacking - as if to try and avoid causing further damage to your home, or to buy you more time to get as far away as possible before he loses his edge in battle.

But you can’t bring yourself to leave him, to not see the outcome, especially after that first time you had seen him fight and fall so broken against the shore.

So you step to the side of the path, allowing your friends and neighbours to pass you as you turn your whole body to face the rain. This is not like last time, you tell yourself, But if it is… I’ll be there to find you again.

You watch him dance through the air to avoid each strike, to lure the beast onto land, but with every passing moment the waters rise to wash more of the earth - more of Morax’s advantages - away. He had expected this though, prepared for it, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t hope that he wouldn’t have to take such a risk.

But your words on Mount Aocang echo in his mind, and he knows what must be done.

If it won’t be pushed from the water, he thinks, I shall have to drag it out kicking and screaming.

So that’s exactly what he does.

He knows that you watch him from the side of the mountain, he knows that you see him as he rears his proud head back and surges forward, claws outstretched to grab his opponent one final time, wrestling with and snapping his jaws shut around its neck as he leaps up into the air.

Qingce’s screeching intensifies as Morax climbs back up towards the skies, soaring higher and higher until he passes through the torrential rain and cooling mists, stopping only when they reach the space above the cloudbank.

He struggles against the Chi for a moment, biting down harder as if to stifle its violent convulsing, but then he feels it… a small spark in the distance that fills his entire being with fire when he closes his tired eyes and allows it to flow - a single dream that you had entrusted to him, now echoed across Liyue in all of the hearts of people below.

“You’ll build a more peaceful and prosperous Liyue as an Archon,” You had told him once, and he was determined for you to see it.

Qingce stills suddenly then, its strength finally failing as Morax uses that borrowed power to pour elemental energy into its broken body, submitting only when its scales begin to calcify and its insides turn to stone - frozen in every aspect.

Morax’s jaw opens at the same time as his eager eyes, releasing the defeated Qingce as he looks toward Celestia and makes his triumphant vow.

“To build our safe harbour, I will be the law of everything in this land,” his commanding voice echoes out in every direction, travelling through the earth and skies as easily as he breathes, “And as the heavens move, everything in this world shall bow before me.”

Half a heartbeat later he descends beneath the clouds, pursuing the petrified creature as it plummets to the earth, the air cracking in his ears as he whips his tail down and strikes the stone with all the strength he has left.

Radiant heat bursts forth from the impact, releasing a gilded light that evaporates the rain and fills the sky with brilliant gold as Qingce’s form shatters into a thousand scattered pieces on the wind.

#zhongli #zhongli x you #zhongli x y/n #zhongli x reader #genshin zhongli #morax #rex lapis #genshin #genshin impact #原神 #dragon zhongli #part dragon zhongli #afab reader #reader insert #my writing #as the heavens move #athm #ao3 #ao3fic

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chroniclesofstars · 1 year

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❖ ── 'Her Last wish, from me to you.'

⁠↗↝↗ Zhongli x reader.

⁠↗↝↗ In which you, The goddess of Wishes, had one wish—That wish being to have The beloved God of Geo, reciprocate your undying love for him, but of course, you'll always, always, be inferior to her.

⁠↗↝↗ W.A.R.N.I.N.G.S: — Angst, No comfort, Mentions of Death, Mentions of war, blood, weapons, mentions of insecurities. [If you can't handle these, you might not be able to read the story!⁠ (￣⁠︶⁠￣; ) ]

⁠↗↝↗ S.O.N.G.S: For the First Time, Let you break my heart Again.

—Amongst the many mountains in the old era of Liyue, was a chiseled stone table where bickering amongst many friends was heard,— This bickering being from the Infamous, Goddess of Dust, Guizhong, who'd also go by the Alias, Haagentus. And the Beloved Crane, Cloud Retainer. But besides the bickering pair, there was three other people,

You being one of them.

The other two said people, being the vain beauty, Streetward Rambler, and the Cold-hearted God of Geo, Morax. The same man who you had an infatuation for, though, he of course, did not know this, for he was in love with the Beautiful Goddess of Dust, and you were well aware,

Well aware that you were inferior,

And always will be.

But that did not stop you from continuing to have an undying passion for the man, who was indeed, a beauty, he was the finest gem in all of Liyue, and your very wish was for him to reciprocate your feelings, but you failed to possess the power to grant your own dreams, so you'd have to let the stars do the dirty-work for you,

But they hated you,

You were Star-crossed.

You'd attempt to gain their blessing, but you just made their hatred for you worse, so . . You stopped messing with them in hopes they'll welcome you with open arms, they didn't.

So, you'd just sit there, silently drowning in envy as he watched the Beloved Goddess of Dust, wishing that you could take her place, and that he could love you. Oh, how you wished you could grant-

"Who dares believe one's inventions are superior than the ones of I?" The Blue-haired woman said in a harsh, offended tone. Evidently irritated on how Guizhong, The Goddess of Dust believed she was superior in the arts of Mechanics.

"My inventions are indeed far superior, My Beloved Retainer." Guizhong said with a cheeky smile, as she hid behind Morax who seemed to be casting his votes on which invention he deemed far more worthy.

"Hm . . Guizhong's inventions do indeed seem far more practical, Cloud Retainer." Streetward Rambler said as she continued to softly strum the strings on her Zither, playing a tune in hopes it'd drown out the bothersome bickering.

"How foolish!- [N.A.M.E.] Whose invention is far more practical? You needn't feel ashamed to say that one's inventions is far more superior than the ones of Haagentus's." Cloud Retainer, The Blue-haired woman said with an irritated tone.

You blinked, tilting your head as you began, "Well . . Perhaps yours, Cloud Retainer? Simply because Guizhong's inventi-" Then almost instantly, you were cut off.

Guizhong scoffed. "Hey!- No insults to my work! I've put my blood, sweat, and tears into them, They are superior!" Guizhong retorted.

To this, Cloud Retainer grumbled. "Rex Lapis, wrap up your final judgement, and speak the truth on who's invention is far more superior!"

He'd huff, as he continued to examine the blueprints laid out Infront of him, his index finger and thumb on his chin as he thought. Before he came to a conclusion and nodded, looking up from the Blueprints, "Guizhong's inventions are far more practical, they have a more detailed way of work, and would be far easier to plan out, work with, and wouldn't be such a hassle to fix."

You blinked, as you looked over at Cloud Retainer, interested on what her reaction would be.

"Hah, my foot." Cloud Retainer said as she rolled her eyes, crossing her arms as she looked away from both Guizhong and The infamous Rex Lapis.

"Ah . . I thought Cloud Retainer's would be more practical because she gives a thorough explanation on how it should be used, and more . ." You said, as you tilted your head, a bit embarrassed how you went on the opposite side, and lost.

Rex Lapis nodded, "Yes, that was what nearly led me to pick hers, though," He'd point to one of the paragraphs on Guizhong's blueprint. "This gives a far better explanation of what other things it could be used for, making it superior as it has other abilities."

Guizhong grinned, as a soft giggled escaped her lips as she hugged Rex Lapis from the place she was, behind him. "Thank you, Oh-so-noble God of Geo!" She said, in a playful manner.

Seeing this, you couldn't help but feel jealous, as his gaze softened at the sight of her, and how he so obviously relaxed in her embrace, it made your blood boil. "How absurd . . " You mumbled, to which the woman beside you, Streetward Rambler heard, as she opened one of her eyes to glance at you for a moment, closing it again as she chuckled, shaking her head.

"Your blatant distaste is showing, attempt to be more secretive, Sitri." The woman said, as she went back to strumming her instrument.

You blinked, turning red in embarrassment at her words, but you quickly shook it off, deciding to switch the subject. "Ahem . . Rex Lapis, would you be willing to tag along with me as I wander around Guili Plains?" You asked, kind-heartedly.

He'd glance at you for a moment, his gaze hardening before he nodded. "I suppose I'll honor you with such." He said simply.

Upon hearing this, Guizhong smiled. "Do you mind if I tag along with you two?"

You blinked, and although you were indeed upset, you allowed her, she was far too kind, far too pretty and intelligent to deny. She's everything you, The Goddess of Wishes , dreamed of becoming, but a wish that rivaled that thought was Rex Lapis Reciprocating your feelings, but you know he won't, as you were the other woman,

from start to end.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

From the moment you met the pair, you were well aware that you'd always be inferior to Guizhong. You had met them both while you were on one of the tallest mountains in Liyue, sitting on the edge of the cliff as you hummed a tune, granting the wishes of the common folk as you sat there, in the pale moonlight with the cold, calming breeze brushing against your skin as it blew at your hair, and made your long, flowy and billowing outfit flow in all directions.

Then, at that moment, was when the pair encountered you, "Oh, who must you be?" The gray-haired girl said with a small smile, as she tilted her head in curiosity.

And upon hearing her voice, you opened your eyes, turning your head to face her, and the man beside her, who upon first sight, you fell for. He had such, cold, but delicate features, he dressed elegantly, he was clearly of high statues and strong, he was tall, he was the embodiment of Perfect, but seeing how he softly watched the gray-haired woman, you knew, he loved her most.

────────────────────────

After what felt like a couple minutes, which was truly a couple hours, you all properly introduced yourselves, told your reasons on why you wish to participate in the Archon war instead of just attempting to hide as any logical person would, and state your ambitions, and wishes.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

Looking at that flashback made a small smile appear on your lips, though it was terrible timing as it was no longer the age of Peace, this is the Era of war and bloodshed, it was bound to be cruel. Which is why you were here, on the battlefield as you attempted to defend yourself, you were never the fighter,

Infact, you didn't even know how to properly wield a blade, so that's why you stood there, behind Cloud Retainer who used her countless inventions to protect you both, as Streetward Rambler was on the other side, behind you, fending off the other wave of foes.

As you all stayed focused on the intense battle, with you, analyzing the fight and giving tips on how to counter the said attacks, and even giving a few heads-up and warnings, something you knew how to do, analyzing rather than actually fighting.

But as you were all staying focused on such, you failed to notice how Guizhong, The beloved Goddess of Dust, was overcome in battle, a loud yelp escaping her lips as she was hit with a powerful blast, but with the three of you cornered, you were unable to help.

But hearing her, hearing her scream in utter anguish hurt you, causing you to space out as you too, were hit with a painful attack, a slash across your chest, slightly horizontal, as a pained yelp left you , the blood stained your white outfit, dyeing it a dark crimson color, as you bent over, covering the large gash as you began to breathe heavily, the blood from your wound staining the battle field just as the other countless gods, and mortals blood did.

"Sitri!-" Streetward Rambler yelled as she ran towards you after she and Cloud Retainer finally cleared out the enemies, she helped you gain balance as your crimson blood soon stained her as well. "You'll be alright, [N.A.M.E] , just keep breathing, do not close your eyes to rest!- Stay awake!-" She yelled in worry, and seeing how Streetward Rambler was checking on you, Cloud Retainer decided it was best to go and Check on Guizhong.

You coughed a bit, shaking your head as you attempted to fight the insane amount of fatigue and pain you felt coursing through your entire body. "I'm . . . . Alright," You said through pained breathing. "But I'm not the one we should be worrying about, we must find Haagentus . . She was alone in battle, no one came to her aid!-" You yelled, "Streetward Rambler, please. Take me to her!"

Upon hearing your words, Streetward Rambler frowned. "Alright, I will. But once we do, we'll be healing the two of you." She said as she began to walk with you, allowing you to use her as a crutch.

────────────────────────

As you both reached the place of where Haagentus's scream was heard, you saw both, the frowning, and clearly upset Morax in front, with the beloved Cloud Retainer a few meters behind him, with the 5 Yakshas attempting to seal something . . It was . . You gasped, it was Haagentus, you failed to come in time, and all that you were able to see, was her lifeless body.

As you took a look at your surroundings, with tears welling up in your eyes, you came to realization that this was the exact place you both met, and the exact place you had to say goodbye, you slowly moved to the front where Morax stood, watching her lifeless body as it was now stone.

"I . . " You paused, you had one plan, you could . . You looked up, as you let go of Streetward Rambler, who panicked, but then stopped and watched you through eyes of confusion.

You stumbled your way to Guizhong's lifeless body, holding both of her hands. "If anything . . he'd wish for you to be alive and well then wish for me to be such . . So . . I'll save you, Haagentus." You said as you closed your eyes, as you , and the corpse of your beloved friend began to glow a faint white, as you began to grant a wish, not for yourself, but for her and Rex Lapis, for her to Revive and live a prosperous life with him, though, large wishes must come with a price, as saving her, would cause you to exhaust your strength, and revert you to the smallest form possible, far before you were even born, meaning you would be erased, you would eradicate yourself for the sake of her, for the sake of him.

And that was okay, as long as he was happy, as long as he was content in this life, then you could wait for the next, and if not that, then the very next, until he chooses you, you'll let him break your heart again, you always will, you'll never regret it, you'll continue to meet the two of them in every lifetime, even if it means that you'll have to see them fall in love everytime,

But even then, you could hope for once, for the first time, he could fall in love with you, The Goddess of Wishes,

But you were Star-crossed.

The stars hate you, there is no way they would let you have such a happy ending.

For this is the story of the Beloved Goddess of Wishes, the Mistress of Wishes, and the Cold-hearted God of Geo,

And perhaps over those many millenniums , the wishes granted by her, could finally soften a heart of stone, and that he , would realize that maybe, he did love her,

For that was Her last wish, from me to you.

P.S: Please don't translate, copy, change, or attempt to edit my work!~ ♪

C H R O N I C L E S O F S T A R S

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caramelstarlight · 10 months

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Hello! First time requesting on your blog so I hope I do it right.

Could I request Zhongli with an s/o who's a sea demon? The two were originally enemies because of reader's immensely powerful control over water and the two would fight for the silliest reasons. But after a bunch of fights, Zhongli began to fall for and eventually they got married but hid their relationship from the public.

People still believed that the two hate each other, so imagine their shocked faces when Zhongli and reader meet up and start kissing while calling each other pet names.

I lost my energy to post the past days so… yes ✅/⭐️.

Love me some gods :) first archon request wooo!!!!!

Gonna make this so we call him by Morax just bc I feel like we would say that until or when In liyue harbor.)

Lovers Hidden in Plain Sight

Zhongli x sea demon reader

Fluff / Angst ~ Hehehhehe…. :D (idk how old yanfei is so she isn’t included, some adepti aren’t included as well. Shenhe and yaoyao aren’t here either)

(SeaGazer and Skybracer are dead, but not in this. Skybracer was the one in lantern rite 1.3 running in the sky and SeaGazer was the bird in 3.4, or well modeled after the bird lantern.)

“Morax!” You said as you saw him eat a bit of your sandwich. Slightly angered at him as he opened his eyes and looked at you.

“Sorry Y/N I was hungry.” He replied as you came closer. You scoffed at him and hit him lightly. The adepti watched you and Zhongli at the picnic.

Xiao was with Ganyu and the other yakshas Seemingly interested by cloud retainer and mountain shaper. The birds entertained the them.

Madam ping and moon carver focused on the wellbeing of the picnic and little gathering. With gouba helping out with them.

You looked at Zhongli with anger. Trying to get your desired sandwich back to which he responded by handing it over and splitting it into two.

You were shocked and take the half he gave you. Staying silent as the kids came up to you. Also wanted some of your sandwich. You gave them the half Zhongli gave you as they all took pieces.

Zhongli noticed this and gouba gave him more food. Handing a full sandwich to you and ate his. SeaGazer and Skybracer focused on keeping everyone safe. Watching from afar to make sure no one would bother the group and ruin the gathering.

The event was enjoyful and would have many more to come in the future. Except the archon war… ending the lives of some of the adepti. Effectively protecting liyue and dieing in honor. -_-_-_-_

Many moons have since passed since the dreadful war. Many thoughts still clouded your mind of the images of fallen soldiers and adepti. You shaked your head clearing it out of the memories. Making your way to one of the restaurants you had a reservation for.

Seeing as Zhongli was waiting for you. Both of you went inside and enjoyed your lunch. Going out and playfully fighting. Many were puzzled. Weren’t you and Morax enemies? Staying close to Zhongli on a bench you kissed and called him a pet name with him doing the same back.

Many were confused as you got bombarded with questions. Answering as many as you could before rushing off somewhere with him. “Too much people for my liking it was like a crowd.” You said as you arrived to the spot.

“It’s understandable. Would you like some tea and to go take a stroll?” “Yeah! We can go tomorrow.” You said with a smile and dangled your feet. “Why are you so dedicated to hiding your archon form?” Asking him in a whisper. “Well they think I died remember?” “I wasnt there.”

“Oh.” You both said to eachother and laughed. Looking at the view ahead of you both. Watching the cranes fly and animals move around was relaxing.

#genshin impact #liyue harbor #liyue #morax x you #genshin impact x reader #zhongli #genshin x you #genshin x gender neutral reader #genshin x y/n #genshin x reader #genshin zhongli #genshin zhongli x reader #zhongli x you #Geo #zhongli fluff #zhongli fanfic #genshin fluff #genshin impact liyue #genshin liyue

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nitrosodiumfmp · 3 months

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The Aesthetic, Part 1

To help describe how I want the City to look, I've looked at the work of Viktor Antonov. He started off as a texture designer for Redneck Rampage, but after that he worked on Kingpin: Life Of Crime and eventually Half Life 2. I'll research his work on Kingpin first. It takes place in a dirty alternate-1930s city - industry, gangsters, the works. A lot of the game has a very strong aesthetic to it, especially the "Poisonville" section, the factory district.

Even in these low-resolution screenshots, you can see what the game's going for. Tight streets, dark alleyways, ghoulish neon lights and buzzing signs. There's this choking oppression to the game that never goes away, and it works well with the violent themes of organised crime and revenge. Most of these screenshots are from one small area of the game, though. There are much better examples of this aesthetic a little later.

Everything is just dark and ominous, you can imagine it all coated with grime and oil and grease. This oppression comes in the level design, too. Not only are maps tight and snaking, but they end up being very vertical, with buildings stacked on top of buildings like they ran out of space in the city to build anything new. Even in open space, you feel enclosed, with the sky obscured by catwalks and balconies and overhanging roofs. The skyboxes are also very well done. They're blurry, but they encapsulate the environment really well - silhouettes of factory smokestacks and tower cranes standing tall amongst clouds of sickly green smog.

However, Kingpin isn't the only game Viktor Antonov worked on. He also contributed heavily to the look of Half Life 2 - especially its beta aesthetic. If you don't know, that game was going to be considerably more edgy, and it's actually quite interesting to see what was cut, and what was reworked.

As you can see, it retains the same sort of "Gothic Industrial" look that Kingpin had, but because of Half Life 2's more overt sci-fi trappings, the environments could be more far abstract, as you can see in the following images.

It's really hard to pin down a name for the look of the HL2 beta. Obviously it draws inspiration from dystopian films like Dark City and Brazil, but there's this very alien edge to it. These buildings weren't designed by human architects, they weren't built for humans. They're very skeletal, almost weak-looking, but there's this hard mechanical undertone to the whole thing, like it's all built for a purpose that goes beyond human understanding. It doesn't look weird to look weird - these nightmarish workstations make sense to someone, or something. A good example of this is the Strange Clock.

youtube

In a random room in a beta map of Half Life 2, you can find this weird contraption, consisting of a wheel and pendulum. It creates a ticking, droning sound, and each strike of the pendulum creates a horrid screeching. Nobody knows why it's there. Nobody knows what it means. It never made it to the final game; it's a relic of the strange, more undefined technology of the beta. I just love stuff like that in games. Tiny details packed out of the way, for inquisitive players to discover and theorize about. Considering I plan for my game to be all about exploration and solving a mystery in a weird environment, this sort of thing is perfect to draw from.

#gamedev #devlog #indiegamedev #indiedev #indie dev #nitrosodium #game development #game dev blog

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canonical-transformation · 2 years

Note

pls give us more Jixiangcao pls i am begging for more nahida!retainer Jixiangcao being cloud retainer's baby

Mutagenesis

Your name is REX LAPIS.

It’s approximately 500 B.C.A.W. (*) The Khaenri'ah Cataclysm has come to a close. Liyue is worse for wear, but it’s not as bad as it could be.

(* BACW ≈ “before Cold Archon War”)

You entrusted your citizens and your Adepti with the defence of Liyue, while you ventured to Khaenri'ah to strike at the root of the “problem”. (You may not agree with Celestia’s understanding of what makes a problem, but so long as you are Archon your contract is clear and your word is set in stone.)

ASIDE: Through great sacrifice, the tenacious Millelith (😜) and some unknown Yaksha have sealed away the corruption from the Chasm. The city at Dunyu was abandoned and sealed beneath cubic megatons of water. Many more settlements were destroyed or displaced, and now Liyue’s population is concentrated around a handful of geographical centres: mining villages, major agricultural centres like Qingce and Qiaoying, and of course Liyue Harbour itself.

You RETURN HOME, broken, tired, and dejected.

> look around

CLOUD RETAINER, one of your trusted Adepti, is waiting for you. She is making that face she sometimes makes when she expects an argument.

Shit.

You are TOO TIRED FOR THIS.

“Lord Rex Lapis,” she says with deference. (She is never deferential so this another red flag.) “Welcome home. Your campaign in Khaenri'ah was successful, I take it?”

> answer her question literally, -ish.

You are tired and do not mince words. “Only if one redefines success,” you say. “I nearly died on multiple occasions.”

Your dragon form, over a thousand times larger than hers, does not still her pride.

The crane flaps her wings proudly. “How fortuitous that you survived. One’s blessings and thaumaturgy surely tilted the scales in your favour.”

> speak frankly

You exhale. “Cloud Retainer,” you say. “My existence was in peril. Makoto died. Rukkhadevata died. The Tsaritsa, bless her, has lost… lost her—”

Wait. Who’s that?

> look at creature

You take in the CREATURE next to Cloud Retainer.

Same hair. The same sandal-shoes, soleless at the heels and toes for better contact with the groundsoil. The same green streaks in her hair and splashes of colour at the tips. A panelled tunic very similar to the one you’re familiar with, down to the bronze bias binding around the seams and the pre-Archon-War half-knot details.

She thrums with the unmistakable energy of a GNOSIS, and this almost drowns out the more familiar energy of her divine aspects: information-theoretic compression, data archival, surface-world Irminsul biomimicry. These you can see by looking into her eyes.

> look more

Differences: the creature looks, not like a regal fifty year old human, but like a human newborn (though this is belied by her full head of hair and the fact that she is standing). If stood next to the Queen you remember, this “child” wouldn’t come up to her knee height. Her power is faint.

Her unstyled hair falls into a sidelock, of its own accord. Her eyes, though brimming with intelligence, seem more uncertain, more timid… and they are not the eyes of someone who has watched countless loved ones die. There is still innocence there, and a specific strain of optimism that it hurts to see.

And, even though your own aspects limit the ways in which you can see the world, your attunement to Law is enough to tell you that her power has undergone mutagenesis. She seems fractionally less attuned to Deductive Reasoning; she resonates slightly less with your aspect of Contracts. Instead, she feels slightly more like your last Yaksha, Xiao, who is attuned to Abductive Reasoning.

(Oh, the Hierophant and the Sun are still there, to borrow a Seelie turn of phrase. But in her you sense the Priestess and the Moon.)

> ask Cloud Retainer wtf

“Cloud Retainer,” you say, “did you go to Khaenri'ah to take Rukkhadevata’s body?”

“One sensed a youngling, lost and in distress,” your vassal replies.

Cloud Retainer clearly enjoys fussing over children. Ganyu springs to mind, as do Xiao and Bonanus when you first took them in. Then there was the Natlani orphan from after the Archon War; the one who turned out not to be an orphan.

> tell Cloud Retainer she has a problem

You attempt this for the fortieth time, to limited success.

One does not have a problem, the Adeptus explains. One is filled with compassion and an instinct for child-rearing.

When do Xiao or Ganyu ever willingly drop by, you ask.

They have left the nest and your question is silly, Cloud Retainer replies.

> nvm

You turn to the girl.

“I am Rex Lapis,” you tell her, “god of contracts, Geo Archon. So long as you are in Liyue you are under my protection.”

The girl bows, careful to retain her balance despite her underdeveloped frame. “My greetings, Rex Lapis,” she says, her crisp and unwavering enunciation just like Rukkhadevata’s. “Cloud Retainer has named me Xiǎo Jíxiángcǎo Wáng. It is an allusion to an idiom about plants. Perhaps one day I will have other names, but it shall suffice.”

“Do you know who you are?” you ask her.

“Death is just a loss of memory,” Jixiangcao replies. “Yet loss is loss.”

Well, that answers that.

“Also there are angry people from my land looking for Cloud Retainer,” she adds.

You sigh deeply. “Of course there are.”

“I lack control over this form,” she says, and she points at her stomach. “I believe I need to do a bǎba(*).”

“One suggests you sit on a tree,” says Cloud Retainer.

#au: cloud retainer and jixiangcao #rex lapis #cataclysm #genshin theory #genshin fic #MSPA house style #zhongli #(<- zhongli hasn't been invented yet but that's my organisational tag)#cloud retainer #lesser lord kusanali #nahida #jixiangcao!retainer #cloud retainer has a serial adoption problem #my writing #silly headcanons #death is just a loss of memory #asks #anon

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cryoexorcist · 8 months

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it is a bright and crisp morning up on mt aocang - the combined energy of their cryo visions perhaps making the air a little more chilly than it would normally be. shenhe has laid out a tea set and a few plates for her nephew's much anticipated visit (birthdays are an important celebration for both adepti and humans after all - and most especially for family). ah - but is a breakfast and an offer to spend the day together training, praying and meditating an appropriate way of spending one's birthday? doubt suddenly settles uncomfortably on her chest; until the flutter of cloud retainer's wings informs her that chongyun is approaching. the young crane shakes her head, and lets a muted smile light up pristine features as her nephew approaches. at the very least, they will be spending time together - isn't that what matters most?

truthfully, chongyun's heart is beating faster as they approach the karst, where shenhe is staying. they can already see her with cloud retainer, and there's a knot in their stomach. not out of a sense of impending doom -- chongyun is EAGER to spend the day with their aunt and the adepti today. it's hard to tell what kind of surprises will be offered to them today, but the excitement of it all is outweighing everything else, trying to manifest into an anxious sort of eagerness. they pause for only a moment to take a deep breath, silently reciting a mantra to ease the flurry of anxiousness and trying to redirect it to excitement.

when chongyun approaches the location, he takes a few seconds to glance over everything. there's a setup for refreshments and the chill in the air from the cryo visions makes it feel like it'll be a peaceful day. the cool of the cryo helps dispell any lingering nervousness, FINALLY letting chongyun channel the excitement he's been wanting to feel. chongyun grins widely as he approaches his aunt, rubbing his hands together eagerly.

"you did not have to do all this for me, auntie," chongyun says to her. he nods approvingly at cloud retainer before eyeing the tea set. it's nothing extravagent, but it's still beautiful all the same, perfect for a day like this.

"but i thank you, this is truly going to be a wonderful day." what could be better than spending a day in his favorite location, with one of his favorite people? he considers giving her a hug, then pauses. she's probably not USED to this kind of physical attention, but --

chongyun hugs her, anyway.

#answered asks #maquiscursed #; shenhe #ic.#; chongyun birthday asks #your honor i love this family

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random-musings-of-life · 2 years

Text

Genshin Impact Name Meanings and Musings

Spoilers for Genshin Impact ahead! These are just my thoughts, so they may not be completely right. Also, I'll reblog this with new character names as they come out.

MONDSTADT

Amber — Arabic; "jewel" (from the word "ambar"). Also Old French; "amber-colored".

Her grandfather was from Liyue, which has a lot of amber, so maybe she was named in homage to that?

Lisa — Hebrew; "God's promise".

Jean — Hebrew/English/French/Scottish; "God is gracious".

She thinks Barbatos is great, and he's a god, so kind of a fitting name!

Diluc — Latin; "daybreak/dawn".

Crepus — Latin; "twilight/dusk".

Albedo — Latin; "whiteness". Also the name for the light reflected off of a surface. Also a measure of solar radiation.

He is made of chalk, which is white, and he's pale

He's also named after a scientific term, and he practices alchemy, which is sort of science in Teyvat

Venti — Latin; "wind".

He's the god of wind

Barbatos — Latin; "bearded". Also the name of a demon from Ars Goetia.

The demon Barbatos is a duke and advisor; he can talk to animals, tell the future, and find lost treasure.

Barbara — Greek; "foreigner/stranger".

Diona — Greek; "divine". Also English; "from the sacred spring".

She's from Springvale

Klee — German; "clover".

She has a bunch of four-leaf clovers in her design (on her hat, her dress, the tops of her bombs)

Fischl — German; "little fish".

Canonically, she named herself after the protagonist in "Flowers for Princess Fischl"

Her real name is Amy, which comes from Latin and French and means "beloved"

Razor — French; "to shave closely".

Since there is a sword in-game called "Razor", perhaps the intended meaning of the name is "sword" or "blade"

Eula — Greek; "well-spoken".

One of the things in her character quest is teaching the Traveler how to speak like a proper aristocrat

Rosaria — Spanish/Italian/Latin; "Our Lady of the Rosary".

She's a sister (nun) of the Church

Mona — Irish; "noble". Also Italian; a shortening of Madonna, a name for the Virgin Mary.

Thoma — Aramaic (an old Middle Eastern language that Jesus most likely spoke); "twin".

His name doesn't follow the European naming conventions of Mondstadt

The name "Thomas" is Greek and has the same meaning, so he could have shortened/changed his name upon arriving in Inazuma

Bennett — Latin/English; "blessed". Also the name of a type of thumb fracture.

The adventurers who named him clearly did not have the power of prophecy. But the adventurer who rescued him thought he was a treasure, and he takes good care of his dads, so in a way, he is a blessing of sorts

His Burst references the thumb fracture

Noelle — French/Latin; "Christmas".

Sucrose — French/Latin; the scientific name for sugar.

She practices alchemy, the science of Teyvat. It makes sense for her to have a scientific name

She also really likes Sweet Flowers, which can be turned into sugar

LIYUE

Beidou — Chinese; this is the name of the constellation known as "the Big Dipper" in English.

Chongyun — Chinese; "layers of clouds".

Ganyu — Chinese; "sweet rain", the rain after a drought.

Hu Tao — Chinese; "walnut".

Keqing — Chinese; "one who brings clear skies".

Ningguang — Chinese; "frozen/condensed light".

Qiqi — Chinese; "seven-seven".

"Qi" sounds like "chi", the word for life essence, and she's a healer

Shenhe — Chinese; "immortal crane".

She was raised by a crane (Cloud Retainer), and she has a crane motif

Xiangling — Chinese; "fragrant water".

Xiao — Chinese; "dawn/morning", "little", "flute", "reverence/respect".

He is short, so "little" is quite accurate

He was saved by Venti's flute playing

His real name is Alatus, which comes from Latin and means "winged". This might be a reference to his bird motif, or the fact that he can jump really high, so it seems like he can fly

Xingqiu — Chinese; "passing autumn".

Xinyan — Chinese; "joyful beauty".

Yanfei — Chinese; "flying bird", "beautiful flight", "falling snow", "beautiful snowfall".

Yelan — Chinese; "in the dark of night".

Yun Jin — Chinese; "violet cloud".

Zhongli — Chinese; "off the clock", "time to leave".

He's retired, so he's not working, and he's also "left" Liyue to be independent

Rex Lapis — Latin; King of Stone.

He is the god of stone

Morax — Latin; "that which delays/stops". Also the name of a demon from Ars Goetia.

The demon Morax is the president of hell. He also teaches astronomy and knows a lot about medicine and herbs

INAZUMA

Arataki Itto — Japanese; "Arataki" means rough rapids, and "Itto" means number one.

He calls himself "the one and oni", and he hits hard, like rapids do

Gorou — Japanese; "fifth son".

Kaedehara Kazuha — Japanese; "Kaedehara" means maple field, and "Kazuha" means ten thousand leaves.

He has a maple leaf motif

Kamisato Ayaka — Japanese; "Kamisato" means God's village, and "Ayaka" means colorful flower.

Kamisato Ayato — Japanese; "Kamisato" means God's village, and "Ayato" means colorful.

Kujou Sara — Japanese; "Kujou" is the name of a famous aristocratic Japanese clan and is named after the street the founder lived on, and "Sara" means princess/lady.

Ei — Japanese; "shadow", "the emptiness of forever".

She was her sister's "shadow", and she strived for eternity (forever)

Raiden Shogun — Japanese; "Raiden" means thunder and lightning, and "Shogun" is the term for a military ruler.

She is the Electro (lightning) Archon

Sangonomiya Kokomi — Japanese; "Sangonomiya" means coral shrine, and "Kokomi" means beautiful ocean.

She has an ocean theme, and Watatsumi Island, where Sangonomiya Shrine is, looks kind of like coral

Sayu — Japanese; "small", "to tread lightly".

Sayu is small, and she's a ninja, so she has to tread/walk lightly

Yae Miko — Japanese; "Yae" means "multi-layered", and "Miko" means "shrine maiden" or "beautiful child".

She oversees the Grand Narukami Shrine, and presumably she was a shrine maiden at a point in time

Yoimiya — Japanese; "evening palace".

Kuki Shinobu — Japanese; "Kuki" means "air", and "Shinobu" means "stealth" or "patience".

She has a lot of patience with the Arataki Gang (relatively speaking)

Scaramouche — Italian; "little skirmisher".

In the commedia dell'arte, he is an unreliable servant characterized by being a boastful coward

He's also known as The Balladeer, which is a term for a singer

Kunikuzushi — Japanese; "country destroyer".

He tried to destroy Inazuma by getting rid of the five sword artisan families

Shikanoin Heizou — Japanese; "Shikanoin" means "wild deer in the courtyard", and "Heizou" means "unbiased concealment".

SUMERU

Collei — Arabic/Persian; I couldn't find any meanings for the name.

Cyno — Greek; "dog".

His name doesn't match the Arabic/South Asian naming conventions of Sumeru

He wears a jackal hood, and jackals are a type of canine

Dehya — Arabic; "military commander".

Kusunali — Pali (a South Asian/Indian dialect related to Sanskrit; some believe it to be the language that the Buddha spoke); "sacred stalk".

Nahida — Arabic; "delightful", "to rise".

Dori — Hebrew/Greek; "gift".

Tighnari — Arabic; although I couldn't find a name meaning, he shares a name with an important botanist, Al-Tighnari.

He may be based on the real-life man

Alhaitham — Arabic; "young eagle/hawk".

Nilou — Persian; "water lily".

SNEZHNAYA

Tartaglia — Italian; "stutterer".

In the commedia dell'arte, he is mainly known for his farsightedness and stutter

He's also known as Childe, which is a term for a young noble

Ajax — Greek; "eagle".

It is also the name of a legendary Greek hero

Pierro — Greek; "rock".

This is a variation of "Pierre", which is French and has the same meaning

In the commedia dell'arte, he's a sad clown who loves Columbina, but she prefers Arlecchino/Harlequin

He is also based off of Pedrolino, another character in the commedia dell'arte who is clever and manipulating, and is often the "first" role, referencing that he's the first of the Harbingers

He's also known as The Jester

Pulcinella — Italian; a combination of "rooster" ("pollastrello") and "chick" ("pulcino").

In the commedia dell'arte, he's an incessant social climber and can either be pretending to be stupid while knowing exactly what's going on or be pretending to be smart while being totally clueless. He's also fearless and always a winner in some sense

He's also known as The Rooster

La Signora — Italian; "the lady".

In the commedia dell'arte, she's Pantalone's wife and Pedrolino's mistress, and she wears a wide dress and a lot of makeup

She's also known as The Fair Lady

Pantalone — Italian; "pants".

In the commedia dell'arte, he's a merchant. He's very greedy and petty, and he makes a lot of moves on women, but he's always rejected. He is also La Signora's husband

He's also known as Regrator, which is a term for a person who buys cheap goods at a market and sells them to others for a way higher price

Il Dottore — Italian; "the doctor".

In the commedia dell'arte, he's very rich and loves the sound of his own voice, and is also fond of drinking

Il Capitano — Italian; "the captain".

In the commedia dell'arte, he's known for his cowardice, his high-pitched screams, and his narcissism

Sandrone — Italian; I couldn't find a meaning for this name.

In the commedia dell'arte, Sandrone is a man, and he's a clever peasant. Him, his wife, and his son were originally portrayed by puppets

She's also known as The Marionette, which is a type of puppet

She has a big robot, which might be a puppet similar to Maguu Kenki

Arlecchino — Italian; "harlequin", which is a clown.

In the commedia dell'arte, Arlecchino is a man, and he's a clever servant. He is also the love interest of Columbina

She's also known as The Knave, which is a term for a dishonest person

Columbina — Italian; "little dove".

In the commedia dell'arte, she's the only intelligent person. She is also the love interest of Arlecchino

She's also known as The Damselette, which is a term for a young woman/girl

KHAENRI'AH

Kaeya — Hindi; "monsoon flower".

The Hindu god of war has a similar name (Karthikaeya)

Despite being from Khaenri'ah, his name is not Norse like the others. Maybe he has some Sumeru ancestry, since that's the region based off of South Asia?

Dainsleif — Old Norse; "Dain's Legacy", "dead legacy".

It is also the name of the sword of Hӧgni, a legendary Danish king

His name was Twilight Sword in the Khaenri'ah guard

Halfdan — Old Norse; "half Dane".

It is also the name of the king of the Scyldings in Beowulf

Serkir — Old Norse; "shirt".

Roneth — Scottish/Old Norse; "counselor/ruler".

Buliwyf — Old Norse; I couldn't find a meaning for the name, but it's similar to "Beowulf", which comes from Old Norse and means "war wolf"

Herger — Old German/Old Saxon; "army spear".

Rethel — I couldn't find a language of origin or a meaning for this name.

Skeld — Old Norse; "shield", "shelter".

Haltaf — Old Norse; "half restrained".

Hyglacg — Old Norse; I couldn't find a meaning for this name, but it's similar to "Hygelac", which comes from Old Norse and means "one who likes to play mind games".

Edgetho — Old Norse; "servant of the sword".

#genshin impact

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stormy-seasons · 2 years

Text

Lost/Found snippet!

The first lesson is an absolute disaster. Cuiyin’s... friend – some kind of crane spirit, and her... current, very human apprentice – sputters wordlessly at how Xiao sets a kettle to boil water for tea. “You – you –”

Xiao coaxes the stove fire to greater heat, uncertain why the crane spirit looks even more offended. “Won’t it heat faster this way? And I no longer melt the kettles....”

She huffs angrily at them, “Setting the fire to such strength will make it difficult to control the water’s temperature! How have you avoided scalding the tea leaves? The only tea that will withstand water set to such a boil are the fermented teas!”

“... yes, that is why I asked to learn how to make tea...” Xiao replies quietly, discreetly attempting to reduce the flames of the stove. “I... sometimes would like to make tea for Morax or Retuo, but the only tea I can make to a standard Morax can bear to drink is, well... the heavily fermented black teas...”

“.... Morax lets you touch his tea collection?” The crane spirit demands. Xiao nods, then clarifies, “He said I should only use the black teas, the ones that come in wrapped bricks and shapes that have been aged for several years, if the writing on the wrapping is correct.”

“... well. Well. If you’re... this determined to learn.... Fine! Smother that stove fire entirely, this one will teach you from the very beginning!”

Later, Xiao stares at the burnt out stove, and then cautiously glances at the utterly shocked, silent crane spirit. Why did cooking have to be this complicated? Wasn’t it enough for the water to be hot – wouldn’t the tea be ready faster if the water was boiling? But no, it had to be certain specific degrees of hot – and now –

The crane spirit shudders. “How did you... not... burn down Morax’s quarters earlier, trying to make soup stock?”

Xiao shrugs. “... it was... interrupted by assassins, that time. But the stock already smelled wrong, compared to when... when Morax was preparing his... favourite soup.”

“I see... I see.” She shakes her head. “Perhaps Marchosius will have better ideas on how to help you. For now, you can ... return to your other pursuits. Or perhaps this one should ask Yingda if there are some among the yakshas who enjoy cooking, who have better ways to explain this to you....”

“Lessons with the Cloud Retainer didn’t go well?” Morax asks Xiao. They perk up at his question, and answer, “Is that her name? She didn’t introduce herself. Ah... no, no they didn’t. I... destroyed a stove....”

Morax visibly controls his laughter, and Xiao cannot quite help the blush of embarrassment that spreads across their face. “I... asked her how to start preparing your... your favourite soup... but... there are... so many steps...”

Their lord’s fond touch on their cheek drags Xiao’s attention out of their thoughts, and they look up. Morax is smiling ruefully, still very amused, but also kind. “It might be my favourite soup, but it is also... quite finicky, if prepared at the standard that I enjoy for personal consumption. It is no shame that you find it difficult, my Xiao. The same for tea, to be honest. The basic concept of hot water onto tea leaves, herbs, or flowers is the same, but the precision of it that I appreciate, isn’t the easiest to grasp.”

They rub their face against Morax’s hand apologetically. “I would have liked to be able to make something that you enjoy.”

“You do well enough with the fermented black teas. We have time.”

#my fic #zhongxiao #genshin fic #zhongxiao fic #Xiao's... Xiao-ness about cooking

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svaelfyr · 2 years

Text

Novel

Frozen winds bit at what few features the crew had left exposed; most of the Embers had wrapped up in as many layers as they could stand to carry themselves in, but even then, flurries continued to scoop up loose snow from banks and blast it against barely-shielded eyes. At the back, perhaps most accustomed—and well suited—to cold weather, Svaelfyr still tried to defend his face from blasts of ice with an outstretched hand. A few curious gazes craned over their shoulders to fix upon the hrothgar, who gave a singular nod.

Rolph was the first to speak; his voice raised uncharacteristically as he spoke from thick black furs that still, somehow, seemed to retain some degree of formality upon the hyur.

“ʏᴏᴜ'ʀᴇ ᴄᴇʀᴛᴀɪɴ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴛʜɪs ɪs ᴛʜᴇ ᴘʟᴀᴄᴇ, ʏᴇs?” The man’s usually-reserved tone had all but been lost to volume that the weather demanded of him.

“ʜᴇ'ᴅ ʙᴇᴛᴛᴇʀ ʙᴇ ᴄᴇʀᴛᴀɪɴ, ᴏʀ ɪ'ᴍ ɢᴏɪɴɢ ᴛᴏ ᴄᴏɴᴅᴜᴄᴛ ᴀ ᴍᴜᴛɪɴʏ.” Came the response of Daedaena, who wasn’t too far away from Svaelfyr. She retained a thick outfit—still pink, naturally—layered enough that her silhouette was almost spherical. Even though the hrothgar could barely see her features, he could feel the knife-sharp gaze and dire intent she commanded.

“ɪ'ᴍ ᴄᴇʀᴛᴀɪɴ! ʀʏʟᴇɴ, ʏᴏᴜ'ʟʟ ᴛᴀᴋᴇ ᴘᴏɪɴᴛ. ʀᴇx sʜᴏᴜʟᴅ ғᴏʟʟᴏᴡ. ᴛʜᴇ ʀᴇsᴛ ᴏғ ᴜs ᴡɪʟʟ ғɪʟᴇ ɪɴ ᴀғᴛᴇʀᴡᴀʀᴅ.” Svaelfyr called in response, urging the highlander to stride towards the open cave they stood before.

He hadn’t been able to see it only a few yalms back; though it was day, a thick blanket of snow-filled grey clouds knit so tightly together in the sky it seemed it could be night, and only the fact that they could see anything at all let them know that the sun was still somewhere beyond. Dustings of white powder whipped upward from drifts and blocked sight for seconds at a time, and it’d been by compass readings and map alone that the group had navigated their way to the entrance of a cave, barely visible for the ramp of snow that almost entirely obscured it. Rex and Rylen went to work channeling out the entrance, and had only gotten a few fulms in when a great beast—the same they had been after—burst through.

A great black-scaled and multi-legged beast plowed through, its movements quite likable to an insect rudely awakened from beneath a damp rock. It scurried along the rock with a midsection that twirled and weaved through thickly packed snow as though it were an afterthought.

Rex’s instincts proved unerring; with what seemed like barely a split-second’s worth of coiling and crouching upon his legs, he launched himself forward, speartip guided clear into the lower flanks of the beast. As the majority of the group were still struggling to right themselves in the snow, Rylen and Rex were already forcing themselves into the fray. Svaelfyr caught sight of a proffered hand—Zahra’s—and took it to bring himself onto his feet beside her and Rolph.

In a hurry to ensure all heads were accounted for, Svaelfyr scanned his immediate surroundings to find Daedaena, the last upon his list. She was easy to spot.

Eager to exercise newfound skills against a newfound beast, he watched as the air around her raised staff seemed to grow dense and force even the insistent winds away. A soft hiss replaced the howls of the weather as fire heated the air around them and the snow at the lalafell’s feet receded into a wet slurry bathed in the orange-red light of her flames.

#ffxiv writing #ffxivwrite2022 #ffxiv roleplay #svaelfyr #c'zahra sahdi #rylen ashworth #rex winchester #daedaena daena

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fatuilady · 3 years

Text

— 𝐜𝐫𝐲 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐢𝐭. (NSFW)

✦ word count : 1.7𝐤

✦ feat : 𝐆𝐍 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫 , [𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐧 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐭] 𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐞

✦ cw : 𝐝𝐨𝐦 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫 , 𝐦𝐢𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐫𝐬 , 𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐚𝐬𝐦 𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐚𝐥 , 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐩𝐬 , 𝐝𝐚𝐜𝐫𝐲𝐩𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐚 , 𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐝 𝐝𝐞𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧

𝖎𝖓 𝖜𝖍𝖎𝖈𝖍 :

— a certain fatui member is insistent that those of his level of importance don't have time to spare to waste on crying. little did he know, his rival intended to take him up on his statement all with the intent to conclude just exactly how much it takes to make a harbinger cry.

'Harbingers don't cry. It's below somebody of my position.'

The fatui's most valued redhead wore his confidence through his infamous, upturned smirk. He held his relaxed arms knotted together in definite security, crossed against his chest as he lifted his chin to further assert his prior statement. Though he spoke in a self-assured tonality, cockiness resonated in his ultimatum.

It was surely said to coax a remark from you, it was too obviously laced with brimming arrogance to not be some form of verbal mouse trap. It was amusing, how he attempted to retain his mirage of false strength.

'Is that so?'

You pursed your lips, allowing him to add to his curiously delusive ideology. His impudence was mildly beguiled and for the first instance in the whole of your passive-aggressive rivalry, his nerve began to agitate every one of yours. Challenging him with a simple three-part chuckle, you observed him as he shifted his posture. Just how much would it take to change his thesis?

'Tears come from weakness, something that I refuse to display.'

On it's own, it was a rather insensitive statement, considering he was by no means unshakeable. You both knew very well that he was going to contradict himself strongly in due time.

He was going to eat those words.

And he was going to like it.

You tied each finger into the auburn wefts atop his head, stray hints of frustration collecting together as he writhes, shifting and squirming. It was something you had discovered in the moment: he was incredibly hair sensitive. The way your nails dug into his tender scalp, pulling on every fibre sent electrical pulses through his skin.

Tugging sharply, you craned his head to the left. From such stark force, he stumbled, both on his feet and on a choked out groan. It was laughable, how quickly the tables turned at your hands.

'Harbingers don't cry?'

His previously smirking lip now quivered as you projected your words right into his ear. Admittedly, he made his statement with an absent mind. Would he have expected such a one-dimensional outlook would leave him back exposed, red-kneed as his rivalling other half forced each of his four limbs into the hardwood?

Would he have expected to warm up so easily to the situation?

No, but it was more likely than he thought.

You alleviated your grip on his hair, consequently dropping him onto his palms. He flinched once more as his forearms quaked, barely able to support the weight of your hefty boot on his lower back. He should have been thankful you blessed him with permission to keep his pants, however the elemental energy you emanated stung his bare back, torturing him as he shivered with anticipation.

'Pathetic, really.'

With utmost care, he peeked behind him through the space between his quivering forelimbs.

Childe's usual front, being the fatui's most infamous prodigy, didn't allow him to show any sign of submissiveness, however, what he saw flushed him with a feeling he'd never even considered before. It was one of desperation.

One of want.

One of need.

A critical shadow cut across your face, cast sinisterly over your newfound sadistic smile. It bore into him, made him feel queasy, weak at the joints. It was wrong for him to feel excitement prickle upon seeing you assert him in such a way. It was wrong for him to betray the very rules of his nation in the name of his own masochistic desire. It was wrong for him to want to brand the outlines of your sick face into his mind with a hot iron. It was wrong for him to indulge in the very actions he enjoyed inflicting on others.

Yet, it felt right to entertain them.

It felt right to submit and toss the coin to it's most opposite face.

It felt all too right to fall prey to his feral instincts.

'P-please...'

The address was barely audible in ordinary circumstances, but in a barren room, it was alarmingly loud. So loud that Childe couldn't recognise his own voice. It was subordinate, faltering and breaking apart with every syllable. The eleventh harbinger had never uttered such a word in his life; it was an address to a superior, something someone of his recognised status would never dream of choking out underneath someone he held such strong taunting against.

You caught ear of what he uttered, much to his controversial dismay. It was indeed a delight to hear on your part. Pressing your boot further into the base of his spine, you revelled in his weary whimpers. For such an accomplished warrior, he seemed particularly weak to human touch. Perhaps it was a double-edged blade, performing so well that no opponent could touch him also meant that in this irregular instance, he upheld the resistance of a flimsy piece of parchment when it came to withstanding another's force. Entertaining this now obvious forbidden fantasy of his, you unsheathed one of the two foils, a particular favourite from your personal arsenal, from the holsters on your back. It was thin, made rigid with elemental energy in the same way that he materialised his own blades.

They suited you well in previous duels, never once had they failed you against the tyranny of the Fatui, so it was unlikely they would betray you against an unarmed, unhelped and so clearly sexually frustrated opponent.

Such a weapon would not have intimidated him usually, in fact, he also knew how to use it perfectly well and precisely. This time, it struck a kind of taboo enjoyment within him. You performed much differently to him in the dance of battle: he was a jack of all trades, you were more concentrated as a master of one. As you leaned into him once more, you traced the charged edge over his shoulder blades, feeling the muscles underneath contract and tense under your fervorous guidance.

Your control was indeed as masterful as he expected, possibly even too much for him.

'What was that?' You mused, through an invasive grin.

He gasped, the last of his depleting reasoning was begging him to come to his senses. It was quickly fading away into mere electrical impulses that made him twitch with every subtle move. Sabre now pressed to his throat, he felt the power of your vision burn into his skin, adam's apple resting uncomfortably on top of the honing edge.

You were waiting impatiently for a response, minutes elapsed and you quickly discovered you would have to coax it out of him. Digging the blade in further, you forced him onto his knees just so he could avoid an accidental demise.

Truthfully, he wouldn't have minded going out this way. If it was to a more despised enemy, he'd turn his nose at even the thought, but with you, his mind wandered like a lost puppy.

'p-please, m-m...'

He seemed as though he was going to choke out another few syllables, but caught himself, or more likely, became tied up on his own tongue.

'I want that in words,'

'f-a-ah~ p-please, [NAME] I-I'll beg, I swe-swear-'

Before he could finish his statement, you disenchanted your foil, allowing it to lose its structure, falling into a long strand connected to a handle. With a careless flick, it coiled around his neck thrice, all whilst leaving an arm's length of cord, more than enough for you to tug on sharply. He jolted upwards, vocals breaking as he wailed.

'Then beg.'

Childe's eyes widened, the sheer cold was like lightning, superconducting across his skin. It felt euphoric, pinning and placing freezing, soothing pressure on each and every torn muscle. Brimming tears started to swell in his waterline.

How utterly humiliating.

'[N-NAME]...m-ma-' he took a moment to swallow back the saliva pooling in his mouth at the sultry thoughts beating him up below, 'm-make me cry.'

'Is that what you want, pretty boy?' He crumbled at the nickname.

'p-prove m~me wrong...'

And there was all the confirmation you needed.

Taking your chance to dual wield your two rapiers, you disenchanted the other and with one forceful swoop, lashed it right across his bare back.

The initial sound was one of pain, but in mutual desire, he melted into the succeeding throbbing, the stinging coaxing unholy sounds to tumble so effortlessly from his lips. He was very well already on his way to Cloud 9, mind spinning with wishful stars as his vision became blurred.

'youre so pretty when you cry,' you cooed, knowing his pants would be far beyond uncomfortable at this point. Another lash.

'f-gahh~ pl-plea-'

Again.

'It's- too- too much,' you leaned down to kiss his blushing earlobes, listening to him sob over his embarrassing request, 'I- n-need t-'

Again.

'Touch yourself? how crude.' Biting the handle of the cord around his neck, you used your now free hand to hook around the front waistband of his pants. 'Go ahead. That is, if you're so desperate to be vulgar.'

You traced the wicked serpents tongue over his back this time.

A thought quickly came to pass. Your vision trinket illuminated a gentle hue as you crystallised the surface in front of him. Puzzled, initially, he only realised it's purpose when he suddenly saw his reflection gaping back at him, scarlet faced with glazed eyes. You had made the surface reflective with elemental energy, all with the purpose of allowing him to see himself come undone at the seams.

'Are you going to begin? or are you to embarrassed to watch yourself?' Leaning into his other ear, you could feel the hot air from his panting, 'would you rather me drag you like a dog all the way back to Snezhnaya so the Tsaritsa can look upon you in this condition?'

The sounds of his muffled moans and wet slapping of raw skin started to fill the room. Just like that.

'I hope you intend to clean this mess you're making, Ajax, you're leaking all over the floor.'

You were more intent now just to watch him cradle himself to desperately over your mere presence alone, how could you resist disrupting him with occasional thrashing, causing him to jerk his hand harshly.

The eleventh harbinger was foaming at the mouth, growing more non-verbal with every shot you took at him like he was merely just a discarded hilichurl training dummy. It was a cocktail of eroticism, pleading whines, tortured whimpers and shameful cries all shaken up as one.

Childe wasn't usually one to complete his process so quickly, mostly saving the build up, so this was something new for him. He made eye contact with you through the makeshift mirror, the look in his eyes telling you he was about to pop. He had discarded his concern for volume long ago, keen to ride out the feeling under your stern supervision. He figured it was drawing to a close soon, so gave it his all.

You didn't like that.

One of your whips wrapped itself around his working hand, tugging it forcefully away from his work. For a brief moment, he had allowed himself to indulge himself to a point where he forgot who's mercy he was under.

'Ajax.'

You trailed your tongue across his salty cheek, the intoxicating taste of your victory turning the flavour sweet.

'Just who said that you could finish?'

It was a guarantee that you would make him cry about it.

This was a mistake on his part.

But boy, was he glad he made it.

#genshin impact #childe #childe genshin impact #tartaglia #sub childe #childe x reader #tartaglia x reader #genshin sub #dom!reader #childe smut #tartaglia smut

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albedoswifehusband · 2 years

Text

Reminisce

This is a commission for Anonymous centering around looking back on the past with Cloud Retainer turning into remembering a saucy night with Zhongli+Guizhong! I’m excited to have this done, it was so fun to write!

content includes: poly, fem reader, big dick zhongli, and smut

Under a cut for both length and smut:

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It's been so, so long since Cloud Retainer has seen Y/N, Guizhong, and Rex Lapis all in the same place together. She used to spend so much time together with the three gods in the past, and it's a shame that she'll never get one of those exact moments again with Guizhong's passing thousands of years ago. Despite the sadness and longing, she’s grateful to have two of them still alive and always makes the best of what she's given. She may not be able to see Rex Lapis often, but she can at least regularly entice the lovely Y/N with exquisite food and great company to look back on the past fondly with.

Out of the foods the Crane makes for her, Halva in particular has always been a long standing favorite dish of Y/N's and Cloud Retainer has always been careful to make it just how she loves it for some extra happiness during their get togethers. She has everything set up and perfect by the time Y/N appears smiling walking across the swirled, grey stones among the water lilies in the crisp clear water. Everything looks as it normally does, a smooth stone table and perfectly sturdy chairs with beautiful carvings embedded in the surfaces of each piece of furniture. The food is set up as a perfect even spread, appetizers, main dishes, and desserts all taking up equal space on the surface of the table and looking equally delicious.

Cloud Retainer sits at her usual place closest to the large winding tree, red and orange leaves gently swaying in the breeze. Everything looks so beautiful in the afternoon light, as always.

"Good afternoon, Cloud Retainer! It's great to see you," Y/N calls out in greeting, then she closes the distance between her and the table. Cloud Retainer replies,

"One is delighted to see you, Y/N, It really has been too long."

Still smiling, Y/N takes her place to the left of her, at the seat where Guizhong used to sit. The stone is cold, the elements having no obligation to warm such a thing. Y/N had only met everyone after the others had known each other for quite a while, and because of this she hadn't ever visited this meeting place until after Guizhong's passing, making her use of the Goddess' old seat even more bittersweet. There were so many good times she'd had with the woman, all of them still bringing a twinge to her heart.

The two women sitting at the table miss Guizhong dearly but Rex Lapis, now going by the name of Zhongli, possibly misses her the most. He moved on from the gut wrenching and immobilizing part of grief thousands of years ago, but every single time a mere whisper of her name passes through someone’s lips it makes him sigh longingly and think back on the past. Many people who were alive back then still do at this point.

Y/N shakes her head to clear her thoughts and moves to take a golden shrimp ball. The first bite is always the best as the satisfying crunch resounds in her ears and the fresh flavor explodes in her mouth. There really isn't anything that can beat Cloud Retainer's cooking, in Y/N's opinion.

She remembers years upon years ago sitting in the stern woman's warm kitchen, watching her as she prepared these from scratch. Meticulously peeling and slicing the potatoes, deshelling and cleaning the shrimp, and skillfully wrapping the thin potato slices around the dough covered shellfish. The sound of sizzling and the sight of hot oil bubbling is comforting as each piece of food is submerged in oil and fried to perfection. It was always so hard not to ask to immediately eat one, and even if Y/N did, there was no way Cloud Retainer would give in and let her potentially burn her mouth like that.

She smiles at these thoughts and looks back up at Cloud Retainer,

"Thank you, dear. These dishes are as perfect as always."

The crane puffs up slightly at this, pleased at such praise, and tells her that such is to be expected when one is as well practiced as herself. Y/N chuckles and agrees with her, reaching for a Jade Parcel this time. Soon the two sitting at the table start talking fondly of the past. Everything so lighthearted and sweet to reminisce on. They focus on Guizhong the most in particular, thinking of so many things to miss about her.

Y/N remembers her love's countenance and features so clearly. She would often come right up to her after working on some sort of new invention and look into her eyes lovingly while taking Y/N’s hand onto her own. Guizhong’s unique and comforting warmth is something she can almost still feel to this day. Something as simple as seeing a glaze lily can immediately make Y/N picture her fellow Archon's smiling face, one of those particularly gorgeous blue flowers tucked carefully behind one ear. Losing herself in those memories, Y/N lays her head on one arm over the table, similarly to how she would back then as either Guizhong or Rex Lapis would stroke her hair lovingly. She sighs and begins to recall one of the last times she, Rex Lapis, and Guizhong got to spend a moment together…

A spacious bed chamber. Her two favorite people by her side. This beautiful room belonging to Rex Lapis is gilded, pristine, and traditional, very fitting of such a man. There's not a speck of dust to be seen, obviously large amounts of care and love poured into every task involving the living quarters here in his adeptal realm.

He is seated back on an expertly crafted chair, dressed in comfortable robes after cleaning himself up from a hard battle. Y/N rests at his feet, the perfect wood flooring cool against her body as she leans against one of his legs with her head and arms gently resting on his thigh and knee. Guizhong comes towards him from behind and leans forward, arms soon draping casually around the Archon's shoulders. Talking softly directly to him, she speaks the highest of praises to what they've accomplished on this day.

Guizhong's hands make their way rubbing gently along the skin from his shoulders down to Rex Lapis' chest. The man melts into the touch and hums in appreciation of those expert hands while relaxing further. The woman pulls back and Rex looks at her confused as to why she stopped, but she's already walking around to the front of him, Y/N perking up immediately at the movement.

She leans down to cup his face adoringly with one hand, her hair falling like a curtain from the bend of having her head forward from her body. The woman then lowers herself down to Y/N's level on Rex's open side, brushing her long dark hair back behind her shoulders out of the way, and slides a hand slowly up his thigh, making the other woman excited for what might come of this celebration.

The man above the two sighs and asks,

“And just what is it you two think you’re doing right now?”

Y/N smiles and takes his hand in her own, softly kissing it and answering,

“Hmmm… I wonder? Just what do we think we’re doing, guizhong?”

The other woman chuckles and looks their beloved fellow god in the eyes,

"Why, I was thinking we could reward you for the victory today? Unless you would rather we not do that..."

He chuckles and nods his head,

"I believe that first option would be perfectly permissible in this case."

Rex Lapis now stands, displacing the two at his feet and makes his way over to sit on the much more comfortable bed, Gold and Crimson adorning every blanket and pillow on the large piece of furniture. The man disrobes along the way and once settled, the two women follow to take their places at his lap once again, both watching as he places a hand on his cock and pumps himself slowly for a few moments before the two women have the chance to do something to him themselves.

Their Archon's cock hardens, slowly changing colors until it stands fully erect, a dark shade all along its length, lightening to a lovely molten golden hue at the head with glowing gold veins running along its entirety.

Guizhong gently moves to trace slow lines up the glowing veins on Rex Lapis' cock with her finger tips, making the man under her shudder with anticipation. She smiles as Y/N places a hand on his thigh again and finally drags a hand of her own up to his pelvis, barely ghosting over his heavy balls to firmly place her palm against the hot base of his shaft, fingers coming into place against the skin soon after. His breath hitches sharply at this action and he blushes deeply.

Rex Lapis swallows thickly as he watches how her hand can't even wrap all of the way around his girth. He's been aware of this fact for so long, yet every time the size of his cock is put into perspective like this he has to give it his all not to call off the hand and mouth involved worship in favor of having his lover struggle to ride him instead. The mere thought of watching someone try to fuck themself on him but failing and needing to beg him to take care of them is enough to make this powerful god almost cum right then and there. All he needs is his lover to want him to attend to their failing stamina and aching legs and he's a goner, wanting nothing more than to lay whoever it is down on the nearest surface to carefully and gently fuck them senseless.He can't have then hurting themself on his cock now, can he?

A quick sharp bite to his thigh snaps him out of the increasingly desperate fantasies and he lets out a choked gasp. Y/N's other hand squeezes his thigh where it rests briefly and then she puts it up to wrap around the opposite side of his cock before using both warm hands to rub him in tandem as Guizhong keeps up with her light traces. Rex Lapis lets out a deep, reverberating groan and tosses his head back to keep enjoying this lovely moment of both women's focused attention being completely on him.

Soon Guizhong follows Y/N's actions and starts pumping him as well instead of tracing lines, both women's hands now steadily working his cock together. Rex Lapis lets himself lay back completely at this, reclining comfortably against the plush bed as his breathing gets more erratic, his flowing dark hair fanning out beneath him.

Getting closer to his pelvis with her face, Y/N opens her mouth and licks her lips before taking the head of his cock into her mouth, swirling her tongue around the sensitive tip. There's no way she could ever get it far into her mouth but there's always satisfaction in at least trying. Rex's torso jolts upwards and he lets out a delicious loud moan, looking down at Y/N with desperation and trying not to get too caught up in how her chest squishes against his thighs as she focuses on him. Guizhong moves one hand away and adjusts her other to allow more space for Y/N to work with, the latter using the flat of her tongue to lick a long wet stripe from base to tip on the sensitive underside of his cock before taking as much of him as she can into her mouth, bobbing her head up and down. He shudders and lays back again humming, throwing an arm across his forehead.

They are merciless with their actions, his whole body tingling and his husky moans piercing the air. He soon chokes out,

"If you both continue like this, I'm… I'm going to cum soon."

The woman sucking him pulls off of his cock with a wet pop and presses a soft kiss to his shaft then says lowly against it, looking up at him into his eyes,

"Well that just won't do."

Y/N pulls back fully before he can completely lose himself as Guizhong continues to stimulate him. She takes note quickly and also slows down her ministrations to make the god wait for his orgasm, knowing full well how patient he can be, Guizhong and Y/N often wanting to push that patience in times like these. When it finally seems like he won’t crack any time soon even with his restless writhing, Guizhong resumes at her previous speed and actions, doing her best to make him lose it now while Y/N watches Rex Lapis’ reactions appreciatively. There’s no way he can last very long this way, soon unable to hold back.

When he cums, the tips of his hair start to glow and the molten gold of his cock gets brighter as large amounts of his hot white cum spurt on to Guizhong’s hands and his own stomach messily. It’s a wonder nothing gets on the sheets. While coming down from his high he gently pulls the two women up towards him, attempting to hold them close in his tired state as he tries to steady his breathing.

It’s so comfortable like this, the ones you love by your side after such bliss.

#Fic commission #zhongli x reader #guizhong x reader #zhongli #guizhong #slight angst #genshin smut #smut #not sfw #notsfw #Scenario #reader insert scenario #genshin imagines #genshin impact x reader #genshin impact reader insert #genshin impact imagines #afab reader #she/her pronouns

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celestialarchon · 3 years

Text

The Celestial Archon

Chapter One: A Storm of Stars

Genshin Impact x F!reader

In the first chapter, you may find the mystery archon described in a way that doesn’t fit you. That’s okay, it will change to each individual’s own tastes with time. The archon is described a certain way for reasons regarding the story line!

WARNINGS: lots of genshin spoilers, mentions of blood/violence, & mentions of injury.

tag list! @pebblegwn @krexpe @rockinaflock @creation-magician @noythe @weightlessrose @kclremin @vievi @simpinforkirari @red-riots-crocs

Our story began when Mona, the esteemed astrologist made a bold declaration. The stars foretold the return of a mysterious eighth archon. With this information, the most influential people of Mondstat and Liyue set a plan into action. The beloved traveler and his sidekick were quickly dragged into the preparations for the Celestial Archon. Aether and Paimon were looking forward to resting after weeks of hard work but unfortunately were interrupted by a star falling from the heavens. And so, we continue onward with our adventure.

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Aether’s legs were sore, his knees began to buckle as he finally made it to the entrance of dawn winery. He yelped, falling forwards and closed his eyes preparing for the impact. It never came as two sets of hands grasped the boy and steadied him. Diluc, the esteemed owner of Dawn Winery sighed as his brother gently removed the mysterious young woman from Aether’s back. The red headed man scowled as the traveler’s knees buckled once more, catching the now unconscious boy.

The knights of favonious stood outside the winery, watching the two men carry the weakened traveler and mystery lady. With the stars still falling in the distance it was quite a sight to behold. Mona gasped as Kaeya approached, the woman in his arms still still sleeping. Her hair was long and wild, strange silvery tattoos danced on her skin, and her body was frail. Kaeya tried to be gentle with her, holding her bridal style but he could feel her losing strength and the warm blood from a wound staining his shirt.

Noelle rushed forward to remove Aether from Diluc, “My apologies Master Diluc, but this young lady needs a free room immediately.”

Diluc nodded, grimacing at the sight of the wounded woman in his brother’s arms. He pushed the doors to Dawn Winery open, making his way to the nearest guest room. Kaeya followed him and Jean yanked her younger sister along. The room was simple with a bed, night stand, and single chair. Kaeya set the woman down on the bed carefully, and rolled her over to see the back of her top soaked.

“Kaeya, go wash up.” Jean ordered, unsheathing her sword.

Diluc steered his brother out of the room while Jean got to work. With speed and precision, Jean’s sword cut the cloth away from the injury. Her eyes widened and she stepped back as the wound as freed. Barbara peeked around her sister and felt nausea building up. Noelle entered the room to see the two sisters in shock. Jean’s eyes were filled with a mixture of sadness and disgust.

“Did she have wings?” Barbara whispered, eyes never leaving the back of the woman.

“No, this isn’t a tear. Somebody or something did this to her,” Jean gritted her teeth, “they carved it into her.”

Noelle glanced over them to see something incredibly awful. There were two deep and wide gashes starting at her shoulder blades and meeting at her tailbone to make an upside down v symbol. Her breathing was shallow as the air hit the open wound. Barbara made her way to the bedside to infuse the wound with hydro energy and try to help the pain.

“Noelle!” Jean barked, “Find the Alchemists and tell Albedo to set up a direct teleport point here. Bring Sucrose here, we will need all the help we can get.”

Noelle nodded and dashed out the door, nearly colliding with the knight’s librarian. Lisa frowned but ignored the rushed girl and stepped into the room.

“Lisa,” Jean sighed as the woman walked in.

Lisa’s hand found its way to the dandelion knight’s shoulder, “Yes, acting grandmaster?”

“Please send word to Liyue Harbor that we need the aid of their best herbalist right now. This is urgent. You may also inform the adepti and Zhongli of the archon’s arrival but we need aid now.” Jean’s tone was serious, it struck a chord of anxiety in Lisa.

Without a word, Lisa strode out of the room and began to do as she was asked. Barbara continued to ease the pain of the sky goddess but grew more worried each second. The wound was infected. Sucrose burst in soon after, tears forming at the sight before her.

After what seemed like an eternity, Liyue Harbor’s esteemed top herbalist arrived with a small zombie girl. Together, the best healers from both countries began to work hard. They poured all their energy into their work and successfully removed the infection. By the time the sun began to come up, the wound was rapid healed but scarred terribly.

Though morning approached, the temporary residents of Dawn Winery found themselves crawling into bed to get some rest. Jean didn’t want to leave the eight archon’s side but was convinced to by her loving sister. The healers slept all day and all night long, missing the arrival of Liyue’s highest regarded people and adepti. Not a single soul dared to peak at the mysterious goddess as she slept, in fear of interrupting her much needed peace.

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24 Hours had passed since the arrival of the eighth archon. The herbalists and knights began to wake finally as morning approached. Unfortunately, when they went to check on the strange woman and her injuries, the room was empty. Dread set over Dawn Winery with the goddess of the stars missing once more.

Noon soon came to pass but there was no sign of the Celestial Archon. Everyone had split up to search for her but had no luck. Aether was frustrated and panicked as he fell onto the grass. Suddenly a large gust of wind blew him over, Paimon clutched to his hair as a winged blue beast shot across their line of vision.

“Dvalin?” Venti stood abruptly, “Could it be..”

Realization hit Aether, “Let’s go! We need to follow him!”

Aether, Venti, Kaeya, and Lisa trailed behind the dragon. Paimon screamed at them to slow down but they were too focused to care. Finally, out of breath, they stopped. Dvalin had landed on the edge of a cliff, his head leaned down to press his snout against the cheek of a beautiful woman. Her hair was still long and wild but not unkempt. Her eyes shone bright like stars and her skin seemed to glow under the sunlight. Aether was awestruck. Was that really the same person he rescued only a day before?

The wind carried her laughter as the majestic beast snuggled up to her. Her hands came up to stroke his scales as her feet left the ground. She truly was floating. Starstruck, Aether and the knights of favonious could only stare. Venti, however, burst forward with a gleeful giggle. The celestial archon turned as the bard crashed into her. Dvalin rested his head atop of hers as her arms wrapped around the childlike god.

“Don’t worry, Barbatos,” She reassured, “I missed you, too.”

“You scared me, you stupid supernova!” Venti nuzzled his face into her chest.

Aether shivered as a growl tore through the air. The noise startled him enough, he fell right on his ass. Xiao shot forwards, ripping the anemo archon off of the celestial archon.

“You bastard drunk,” Xiao’s face was dark, “Don’t touch her as you please.”

“Ehe,” Venti giggled as the adeptus held him by the collar.

Aether stood and sighed, gazing at the shocked woman. He turned, hearing footsteps behind him. Zhongli had found them and the remaining adepti trailed behind him. The eighth archon’s mouth was agape. She flung herself at Xiao, tackling him. Venti escaped the yaksha as the goddess fell ontop of him.

“Oi,” She grinned clutching onto him, “I think I even missed your shitty attitude, pretty boy.”

Xiao’s face was red as he grumbled, “Just shut up, space case.”

Zhongli clicked his tongue, impatient. He pulled the goddess off of the yaksha and embraced her. His sudden affection made her cheeks flush but she returned the hug. Zhongli’s arms tightened around her, fearful that he would wake up from a dream. After a few moments he released her only for the poor bright eyed goddess to be swarmed by the adepti.

She giggled as they each took turns showing her how much she was missed. Even as Cloud Retainer scolded her, the smile never left her face.

“What exactly happened to you anyways?” The female crane adepti grilled the goddess.

A nervous laugh escaped the young woman, “Well, I kept thinking about how my heart was restless. So I guess I kept walking. Eventually this strange darkness consumed me and I couldn’t go anywhere. It was as if all the evil gods I struck down were exacting their revenge. Some time ago, the void I was stuck in opened up a bit and I escaped but was forced into something even worse. There were terrible monsters and powerful beings who sought my abilities I guess. They mistook me as a new goddess and attacked me.”

Aether’s ears perked up. She was talking about the Abyss, he was sure of it. His heart hurt at the way she tried to mask the pain of the endeavor. She reminded him of Lumine a bit.

“So anyways,” She continued, “I ran again and got caught in this space. It wasn’t bad, but nothing happened. I mean nothing, I was actually stuck for real that time and the space seemed to shift around me even though I couldn’t move. Time didn��t pass and my thoughts came to a stop, too. Then I was forced out and I think I was falling? That blonde kid picked me up but I was weakened. Sorry I don’t remember much but that.”

“Forced out, hm..” Cloud Retainer seemed stuck in her thoughts.

“That’s not quite right,” The goddess sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose, “It’s more like it shattered? I think I fell with the pieces of it.”

“How strange,” Kaeya started, “It almost sounds like a domain.”

Zhongli nodded, “It does. Let’s not discuss this any further for now, it seems to be a painful topic.”

The celestial archon smiled gently at the geo archon, embracing him again. Zhongli stiffened but wrapped his arms around her again. Aether felt Xiao shift next to him, he glanced at the adeptus and had to restrain his laughter. He didn’t think the rough adeptus could ever pour, but there he was pouting.

After exchanging greetings and parting with Dvalin, the group headed back to Dawn Winery. Paimon had already taken a liking to the goddess of stars. Aether couldn’t blame the chubby fairy, the archon seemed oddly mortal to him. The other Archons carried themselves with grace and authority. The Celestial Archon was strangely human. Her appearance was godly and she did have a sort of divine aura to her but she was far more down to earth then even Venti.

“So why did you leave so suddenly?” Aether’s curious eyes met hers as they hiked back to the winery.

“I, uh, well the sun was calling to me.” A bashful smile formed on her lips.

Aether raised his eyebrows, “Calling to you?”

“Yeah,” her eyes were a bit distant, “It’s as if it was reminding me that the sun is a star, too. It willed me to bask in it I suppose.”

Paimon giggled at the archon’s clumsy wording. Aether pondered over what she said, thinking it was unique. Dawn Winery came into view and the traveler noticed that everybody else had returned. Chaos ensued at their arrival.

“Ahem,” Venti cleared his throat, “This is the eighth archon. The Celestial Archon, Seraphim. I call her supernova though cause she’s beautiful and destructive.”

“Hello! Let’s skip formalities, feel free to call me by my chosen name!” She introduced herself cheerfully.

Everybody chose to ignore Venti’s comment on the goddess being destructive. She was far too kind and gracious to be anything of that sort. Aether was the only one among them who noticed Venti’s words. They filled him with curiosity.

“I’m so hungry,” Paimon groaned.

“Oh, I missed food!” The bubbly goddess yelled, “Let’s eat! Can we eat?”

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The dining room was filled with chatter as they celebrated the arrival of the long lost archon. Paimon was stuffing her face as Venti chugged another bottle of dandelion wine, hiccuping. Diluc sighed as Kaeya poured another glass for himself with rosy cheeks. The scarlet haired man found himself looking for the celestial archon again. No matter how heard he tried to distract himself, his thoughts and eyes always found their way to her.

She was levitating above her seat, giggling as people brought her food to try. Xiao was uncharacteristically calm and looked happy even, as he fed her bits of almond tofu. Zhongli was smiling at her as she took sips of tea. The goddess picked up the small zombie girl and sat her in her lap, letting the child introduce “coco goat” milk to her. Things were going well overall.

Diluc watched as the kind hearted goddess set the child down and excused herself. She glided towards the terrace with a lingering sadness in her eyes. The esteemed Ragnvindr swiped the unopened bottle of dandelion his brother was reaching for and uncorked it. For a moment, the man was hesitant but his legs carried him to the open terrace anyways.

“Hello, Mister Diluc,” The goddess greeted him without turning to look at him.

“Pardon me,” He stopped at her side, “I don’t mean to intrude. This is a gift for you, Dawn Winery’s special.”

She glanced at him through her peripheral vision and held out her hand. He sighed and placed the bottle in her slender hand, watching her take a sip. She returned to staring at the stars above, sipping on the wine. The tycoon couldn’t help but stay by her side, seeing the look of longing she had. He felt that if he left her, she might just disappear again.

“It’s good,” She murmured, closing her eyes.

“Thank you,” Diluc tried to hold back the smile growing on his face, “I appreciate that you’re savoring it and not gulping it down like certain alcoholics.”

A snort escaped from the girl, “Barbatos the esteemed anemo archon and local alcoholic.”

Diluc snickered at her comment. She was so surreal. Everything about her felt dreamy, it was truly enchanting.

“I can leave you alone with your thoughts, I am deeply sorry if I disturbed you.” The man sighed and turned, but was stopped by her fingertips grazing his wrist.

“Diluc Ragnvindr, you are not a bother,” She sighed, “I am just a fool who would rather look for answers in constellations than face the reality before me. For me, not much time has passed since the Archon War. So you’ll have to forgive me if I seem cold, I simply am frustrated and depressed by the changes in Teyvat. I missed thousands of years and it will haunt me for a long while.”

Diluc’s jaw nearly hit the floor at the bluntness of the woman in front of him. He was empathetic to her situation, after distancing himself from everyone around him he had moments of sadness as well. He was also fascinated by her adoration for the stars.

“Do the stars give you answers?” He asked quietly.

She laughed, “Not always, but i’m able to read the constellations of an individual, even you Darknight Hero.”

“Oh, fucks sake that’s mortifying!” He groaned and then leaned in, “Wait. I have a constellation? How much do you know?”

“Your constellation is Noctua, and it’s fairly easy to read. I know that you pretend like everybody is bothering you at all times, because you don’t want to be disappointed again as your brother disappointed you after the loss of your father. You feel the need to be strong and never seen as weak, somewhere between inferiority complex and social anxiety.” Her words made his heart pound.

“But,” She continued smiling, “I understand. I also have daddy issues of sorts. And it often feels easier to put up those walls.”

Diluc was speechless. Their conversation was interrupted by clapping, as Kaeya made his way out of the shadows. Any vulnerability left Diluc at his brother’s entrance. He quickly exited the balcony seeing Kaeya’s smug expression.

“You are interesting,” his voice was almost sultry, “Tell me, what do you see from my constellation.”

The goddess gave him a sour look. She was quiet for a minute, eyes narrowed at the man. He waited, expectantly.

“Pavo Ocellus,” She sighed, “A complicated constellation. You do carry a heavy burden savior of Khaenri'ah. So much of you is shrouded in mystery, although that’s fitting isn’t it? I don’t know enough to see you as a threat, however your dishonest habits and constant tests you put people through seems irritating.”

“Oh, you’re bold,” He grinned, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, “Bold, beautiful, and busty. Just my type.”

“And you say things like that so casually,” She pushed his hand away, making her way back to the dining hall.

“Sir Kaeya, you should be careful saying such things. If you aren’t, somebody might fall for you. It’s like a honey trap. Give the wrong person the wrong idea and you’ll find yourself in a pinch.”

With that, she left the calvary captain alone with his thoughts. He was pulled in by her, but knew she was dangerous. His mind shifted back to Venti’s word earlier and he clicked his tongue. The bard may have been onto something.

When Kaeya returned to the banquet, the Celestial Archon was back to eating and being doted on. Xiao’s glare was locked in and targeted as Kaeya sat a short distance from the goddess. Kaeya merely winked at him, sticking his tongue out slightly. The yaksha’s hand flew to the spear by his side as he snarled at the cryo wielder. The goddess noticed the sudden change in the atmosphere and moved to the adepti’s lap. He blushed and scowled, but set his head on her shoulder.

The young woman’s affection towards Xiao didn’t go unnoticed and soon Zhongli was offering her tea while Venti offered her booze. Even Jean was attempting to seek some attention from the goddess. For once, Diluc and Kaeya had the same thought. That woman is troublesome.

#genshin impact #genshin impact xiao #genshin x reader #albedo x reader #genshin impact albedo #xiao x reader #genshin impact imagines #kaeya x reader #genshin kaeya #genshin khaenri'ah #genshin liyue #genshin mondstadt #genshin aether #genshin alatus #genshin jean #genshin impact zhongli #zhongli x reader #Celestial Archon Series

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crimsonophelia · 3 years

Note

hi basil !! can i request for an imagine with zhongli and an adeptus reader? the reader has been in love w him since the archon war but never told him bc they were scared, and when rex lapis “dies” they’re absolutely crushed. but when they see a certain funeral consultant preparing his funeral, they tell him about their friendship w rex lapis and how they regret never telling him how they felt. thank you!

featuring: zhongli x gn!reader

warnings: angst, a little suggestiveness, some god complex stuff if you squint hard enough, typos lol

published: may 14, 2021

form: imagine

a/n: hi anon! thank you for the request~ i’m assuming reader recognizes zhongli in his mortal form and confesses in that way! in canon, it’s kind of dubious whether or not zhongli explicitly told the adepti that he actually isn’t dead, but i’m going to take some creative liberties and assume that he tells some of his adepti friends that he’s alive in person, like so~

Time slowed to a halt, as the body of the magnificent dragon, Rex Lapis, plummeted to the earth from the heavens, like a meteor summoned by Celestia. You felt like it was all a cruel, eldritch dream that the Archons had cursed you with, frozen among the crowd of onlookers, as the body tumbled, tumbled, and fell in a lump at the alter. Not a single sound emerged from the crowd, as they all stared in horror.

To them, their deity, their Archon who had pulled Liyue from the depths of the abyss and ascended it to wealth and prosperity, had come crashing down to earth in front of their eyes. But to you... Rex Lapis was your world. It was not Liyue that he saved from the grasp of darkness, but rather, you, you were the one he rescued. It was you to whom Rex Lapis had shown more compassion than you had ever thought possible coming from any living being—warm hands grasping your cold limbs, pulling you up, up, and up, into the light of day, giving you a purpose. A reason to live.

The body lied there, as Lady Ningguang acted fast, trying to ease the onlookers, her own horror still painted visibly upon her usually cold and composed countenance. The corpse of your god still retained some semblance of life, you thought, scales still glimmering with a slight sheen, mane fluttering in the wind of commotion, almost as if he were glowing with vibrant life not a few moments ago.

Please. Rex Lapis. Please don’t leave me. I have so much left to tell you.

*****

“Master!”, you called. “Wait for me!”

You ran to catch up with archon, who had begun his daily routine of assessing the growth of his blossom trees. Tianheng Shan was a favorite location of Rex Lapis, particularly in the springtime when all the flowers on the treas began to bloom, and the glowing flowers that sprouted from the ground took root and broke up from beneath the soil.

Rex Lapis, hands locked behind his back, looked back at you, as you joined him at his side.

“Hello there, [y/n]. To what do I owe the pleasure?”

The archon really did behave like an old-spirited mortal, you thought. He had the mannerisms and idiosyncrasies down to a tee, certainly the polar opposite of the likes of Barbatos.

“I was just about to view the blossoms as well! They should be in season within a week or two”, you responded innocently. This certainly wasn’t an opportunity purely to spend time alone with Rex Lapis. You would never be so silly.

The both of you strolled along the banks of the river, eventually reaching an opening where tens, even hundreds, of pink-blossomed trees wove their way about the bottoms of the cavernous cliffs, some delicate petals already beginning to fall, sprinkling upon the river like memories across the stream of time.

Rex Lapis proceeded past you, craning his neck upwards to get a closer look at the blossoms. As he did so, the hood of his robe fell back down onto his shoulders, revealing long, silky locks of earthy amber resting upon shoulders as hardened as Cor Lapis.

“Quite lovely, aren’t they?”, he mused, almost absentmindedly. “These yinghua are often mistaken for taohua—yinghua do not produce fruit, and their blossoming period is much shorter.” For some reason, you thought, the archon’s gaze seemed to stray elsewhere, somewhere beyond the mass of trees.

“That is why the yinghua is renowned for its beauty. Its life is fleeting, yet so utterly captivating.”

Now, it was all gone. All that was left was a husk—a shell of the god you loved and devoted every ounce of your existence to. A mere gnarled tree that once possessed a beauty that transcended seasons.

*****

You entered the foyer of Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, hearing the bell jingle solemnly as the door closed behind you. The place seemed to be rather empty, with nobody manning the front desk. Assorted coffins and various floral wreaths adorned the rooms of the parlor, a rather gauche little showroom of death. The taste and aesthetics reflected quite well the nature of the parlor’s director.

You treaded through the silent shop, wood creaking beneath your feet. The building must be quite old, you supposed.

“Hello?”, you called out. “Is anybody here?”

Before you could take another step, you heard a man’s voice coming from a back room, tucked away behind the main desk and obscured by a curtain.

“Just a minute, please. I will be with you shortly”, the voice called back.

After some further rustling emitting from what you guessed was the storage room, a man stepped out from behind the curtain, slightly ducking below the doorframe due to his rather imposing height.

Dressed in sharp formalwear, hair tied neatly behind his head in a long ponytail, he stepped forward from behind the desk. You noticed a geo vision dangling from the belt at his waist. How familiar, you thought. Something about him tugged at a string deep inside you, but for the life you, you couldn’t put a finger upon it.

“Greetings, how may I be of service to you?”, the man queried, amber eyes penetrating into you. There it was again. Maybe it was his voice, or his gaze, or perhaps just the way he carried himself, that felt so awfully familiar. His words seemed so... warm, even. Like some fond old memory that is slipping off the precipices of your brain. I must be going mad, you thought. One thousand years and still fawning over every handsome man I see.

Clearing your throat, you replied, “Yes, I am here on behalf of Lady Ningguang and the Qixing. We are looking for a supply of flowers to send off Rex Lapis at his funeral next week.” The man eyed you, curiously. “I was wondering if perhaps you could suggest a suitable flower wreath, preferably something in-season.”

Without a response, your odd companion began to walk towards an adjacent room attached to the lobby, hands crossed behind his back, quite like an old man, although he looked to be in his early thirties, at most. Assuming you were to follow, you stepped into a side room filled with vibrant flower wreaths of all sizes and colors.

The man begun to the scan the selection closely, as you stood to the side and watched him work. Oddly enough, the silence in the room wasn’t awkward, but was even quite comforting, in the same way a blanket warms a body.

Settling upon a modest, pink-flowered wreath of bouquets, he turned to you, indicating that he has decided upon a suggestion. He turned to you, those same eyes once again boring into you. Those were not the eyes of a young man, but something much, much more ancient, and for a moment, you stood frozen, frightened.

“Might I suggest the lovely yinghua? They are a personal favorite.”

White. White was all you saw for seconds, and when you opened your eyes, everything looked crisper, like a veil had been lifted. The world felt clearer, your thoughts came at you with greater clarity, but above all, it was no longer the funeral parlor manager that stood in front of you.

It was him. Rex Lapis.

The room started to twist and warp again, but this time not because of the spell of fog that the archon had cast to maintain your ignorance, but rather because of the salty tears clouding your vision, and the pressure of pure relief, joy, and utter agony that brought you collapsing to your knees, right then and there.

You couldn’t believe it. What about the body? Was that a mere fabrication ? Or was this vision before you an illusion, an echo of the past that had somehow manifested itself in front of you? Why would Rex Lapis do this to you, make you endure such pain? If he knew how much you loved him, how much gratitude you felt for him, how much you didn’t want to move on without him—

“Oh Archons, [y/n], please, I’m so, so sorry—”, he uttered. You felt a soft pressure surrounding you, as you became vaguely aware that the man you loved was now embracing you, the both of you huddled on the floor. “Please forgive me, I hate myself for it but I had to do it, and for the pain I have caused you, I’d much rather die, myself. ”

You could barely understand his words over the sound of your own weeping, forgoing all manners and letting your tears run free. You felt your master tighten his arms around your middle, as if scared to let you go, after already sacrificing you once.

You mustered up the strength to look up at him, seeing that now the dragon’s eyes themselves had become watery with emotion, something you had never seen in the archon before. The regret you felt was threatening to burst from your throat, a lump preventing you from being civil, or talking like a proper adeptus, or confessing your feelings to the man who you owed your life to. No more. No more weakness that plagued your heart for centuries. You may never have this opportunity again.

“[y/n], I beg of you, please forg-“

You pulled your savior’s face towards you, and without hesitation, placed your lips upon his. Too long, had this moment been forgone, and the both of you knew it, as the archon gradually deepened the kiss, intertwining his hands through your hair. This was life. The clarity of it all, the energy surging into you from the points where your skin touched, the infinity of your lips melding against his. This is the god you worshipped and would lay your life down for. Without him, there is nothing.

His lips, initially hesitant, grew more confident, more desperate as they clung onto yours. His fingers were soft as they traced the back of your neck, as if trying to memorize each one of your vertebrae. A feral yearning, something only a dragon was capable of, was unhinging behind Rex Lapis’ ministrations, as you proudly latched yourself deeper into him. The silence of the parlor was now filled with heavy pants and the rustling of fabric, as the two of you clung onto each other, one not wanting to depart before the other.

As you felt the breath in your lungs dwindling, having given all of your life and energy to Rex Lapis’ mortal body, you pulled yourself off of him. Streaks of wetness along his cheeks glinted in the late afternoon sunlight filtering through the windows. His hair had become undone in the minutes where he had been attached to you, and his face showed something of a quenched desperation. He was mortal, and he was perfect.

“Promise me. Promise me, that you will stay by my side forever.”

a/n: ohoho i hope you like it anon~ this is a little bit spicier than i usually write but tbh i kinda vibe w it

#genshin impact #genshin impact x reader #genshin headcanons #genshin imagines #genshin impact fanfiction #genshin x reader #zhongli headcanons #zhongli imagines #zhongli x reader #zhongli x y/n #genshin x y/n #zhongli #zhongli fanfiction

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randomrosewrites · 3 years

Text

Bittersweet Dreams

Every night, your mind is plagued with visions of an old Liyue. She blesses your nights, like a guardian angel, but you never remember her face or name when the sun rises again.

Pairing: Ganyu X GN reader Words: ~5K Warnings/ tags: Memory loss, reincarnation, blood and injury, death, fluff and angst, happy ending, implied sexual content a/n: I never thought much of Ganyu, until I dreamt of her one night (which unspiringly inspired this fic) and now I'm hooked. Patiently awaiting her rerun.

She comes to you in a dream.

You can tell it’s her from the feeling of it. Warm. Comfortable. It loosens your muscles (if you even have muscles in dreams) and puts your mind at ease. It makes you sleepy, wanting to lie down on the soft hills of grass under the shade of a tree to take a nap.

You don’t know exactly where ‘this’ is, whether or not it’s in the fields of your home, Liyue, or some other place. It looks like Liyue, with the craggy mountains behind you, and the bubbling stream running down the hill. But it feels different.

Then, you see her.

You don’t know what – or who – she is exactly, because you can never get a clear view of her. Everything blurs around her body. But you know she’s there, know she’s waiting for you. Sitting in a pocket of empty grass, sounded by glaze lilies, feet tucked underneath her as she naps.

She starts when you approach, uncurling herself to sit up properly. She smiles. She says your name – at least you think it’s your name, it feels like your name – and pats the spot beside her.

You wade through the flowers and sit down, so close to her that your legs are touching. It’s rather close even for friends, but with her, it feels right. How it should be.

She never talks much. For a dream or a vision, she never has much to say. Only whispering in a soft voice about how pretty the flowers are, or how beautiful the day is. The silence is good. A brief period of peace.

(Peace from what? You always wonder when you wake, but no matter how many times you re-enter the dream, you always forget to ask.)

This dream always ends in the same way.

“You should get some rest,” she says.

“What about you?” you always respond, the words feel foreign in your mouth – like they’re not yours.

She shakes her head. “I’ll be alright. Rest, and have peaceful dreams.”

You rest your head in her lap, as you’ve done a thousand times before. Her hand cradles your head, brushing through your hair lovingly.

“Who are you?” “Why are you doing this?” “What is this?” – You always want to ask, but no matter what you try, the words never come out, tongue glued to the roof of your mouth.

Just like every time, your eyes grow heavy, your body grows weak, and you close your eyes, falling asleep once more.

…

When you wake, you’re never in the flowery fields anymore, but in bed staring at the ceiling. The hum of noise vibrates through the wall, employees at the Inn already getting up to do their daily tasks.

You sigh and rub your eyes, rolling around for another ten minutes before finally getting up.

By the time you dress and leave your room, you’ve forgotten all about the dream.

---

“Good morning, Mrs. Goldet,” you great sleepily, rubbing your eyes.

Verr Goldet looks up from the counter and nods. “Good morning, sleep well?”

You give the cat laying on the counter a few scratches. “As good as always. I had a nice dream.”

She blinks slowly. “What did you dream of?”

You turn away, heading out of the doorway to start your chores. “Her. As always.”

As you disappear, Verr Goldet’s brows furrow and she frowns. It dissolves the second a customer walks into the lobby, ready to check in.

---

You’ve been working and living at the Wangshu Inn for a while now. Free room and food for helping out every day, with Sundays off. It’s a good deal.

You do odd tasks around the Inn, helping out in the kitchen, moping the floors whenever travelers track in mud from the marsh – things like that.

Days are spent polishing the balconies, evenings are spent wiping down dinner tables, and you when the moon is high in the sky, you sleep.

And dream.

---

There are many people in the crowd, packed tight together under the hot midday sun. Guili plains is alive in celebration. Booths are set up on either side of the streets, the smell of delicious food wafts through the air, and colorful decorations hang everywhere. You push through them, scanning the sea of heads for a particular person. She’s not hard to miss, but everywhere you turn, she evades your sight. Anxiety begins to bubble in your stomach – the speech will start soon, and you want to be with her when it begins.

A cold hand falls on your shoulder. Turning around, you sigh with relief.

“There you are,” you yell over the noise of the crowd. “I thought I’d lost you.”

She smiles, showing off fresh Qingxin flowers in her hand. “Sorry, I was distracted by a stall. Would you like some?”

You take her free hand and kiss it. A red blush forms on the apples of her cheeks. “They’re all yours.”

Hand in hand, the two of you make your way towards an elaborate stage, raised high above the people, crafted out of rock and decorated with gold. Many people are gathered around, waiting patiently, holding umbrellas to protect from the sun or fanning themselves off with whatever they have. The two of you take your seats just as the theatrics begin.

There’s a cry, and a point of fingers as the audiences’ attention is turned towards the sky. Hailing in rays of light are two of the Adeptus, taking the form of cranes. One of them a gold and orange, the other blue and white.

Cloud Retainer, you’ve heard (?????) call her Adeptus.

They land on stage and spread their wings out in a flourish.

“People of Guili,” Cloud Retainer begins. Her voice ringing out like a crystal bell. “On behalf of all the Adepti we would like to welcome you here.”

“We hope you have all enjoyed the festivities,” the gold and orange bird speaks next. “Today’s celebration marks not only the anniversary of the creation of Guili, but to also pay homage to the warriors that have fought and are still fighting in the ongoing war. Because of the date’s significance, the Lord of Geo and Lady of Dust have decided to bless all of use with their presence.”

The two birds spread their wings once more. Cloud Retainer raises her head high in the air. “People of Guili, I now present to you, the Lord of Geo – Morax and the Lady of Dust – Guizhong.”

At the mention of their Gods, the people break into a round of applause, this only increases when a man and woman appear onstage, and everyone rises to show their respects. They’re both dressed beautifully, in fine silk-robes, adorned with smears of make-up around their eyes. Your goddess looks divine, accepting the praise with a warm smile. Morax, on the other hand, gazes out towards the crowd, sharp gold eyes piercing anything in his sight.

Morax – though you have nothing but respect for him – has always been a bit enigmatic to you. You can’t imagine what your Goddess sees in him. But their companionship has what lead you to become acquainted with her, so you’re not complaining.

Morax steps forth on stage, raising a hand. The crowd goes silent instantly.

“Thank you for the warm welcome,” Morax’s voice is rich and calm. Beside you, your companion is sitting at full attention, gnawing on her bottom lip in anxiety. She startles as you place a hand over hers. She smiles thankfully, some of the tension leaving her, before returning her full attention to the couple on stage.

“This land has seen many years of fighting,” your Lord’s words are wispy yet firm, just like dust being blown through the wind. “Many, many people have suffered at the bloody hands of war. Such heinous acts stain the land red, spreading sorrow on every inch of the earth.”

She gathers a breath, and when she speaks again, her voice is strong, that of a warrior who has fought in battle. “But not here. Guili will be – is – a place where there is respite. It’s the beginning of the future, a future where the monsters of today are nothing but a kids-bedtime story in the future.”

Guizhong touches her chest with one hand, the other extending out towards the crowd. “I make this vow to you now – my precious people – we will fight to protect the lives of each and every one of you. I promise you security, prosperity, and peace. One day, the bloodshed will end, and I promise you, when that time comes, when the dust has finally settled, we will lead you into the new age of Liyue. To this, I swear on the very ground I walk upon.”

There is nothing but pride, joy, and determination emanating from the crowd, applauding the Lady’s finest speech. Even Morax is smiling at her, the small corner of his mouth quirking upwards.

Cool fingers squeeze yours. Looking over, there are tears in your friend’s eyes. She blinks them away, the wind tousling her blue hair.

She’s beautiful. Your heart squeezes painfully as you fight the urge to lean over and kiss her.

You squeeze her hand back, letting all of your hopes, feelings, and things unsaid pool between the two of you.

---

There is an Adeptus at the Wangshu Inn.

You know little of the Adepti, but seeing the boy (being?) in front of you, there’s no doubt in your mind that he is one.

His sharp eyes slide over to meet yours, run up and down your person, before returning to your face, then back to staring at the marsh.

“Sir Xiao?” you ask. “I’ve brought you dinner.”

Xiao doesn’t say anything, he doesn’t even acknowledge your presence. You were warned he would be like this - bitterly stubborn and unresponsive.

You settle the plate down by your feet. “It’ll be here if you feel like eating.”

You wait a minute longer, but Xiao doesn’t make a peep. You sigh and turn to go back inside.

“Do you remember Guili?” he whispers suddenly, so quiet you nearly mistake it for being the wind.

You spin around. “Do I what?”

“Guili. Remember Guili.”

“…Remember? It’s an ancient ruin,” your brows furrow as you frown. “I’ve only been there maybe once or twice, passing by.”

A painful second goes by.

“Why, am I supposed to know something about it?”

From what you can see of his face, Xiao grimaces. “Nothing, just – just forget it.”

“You can’t just-”

“I said forget it,” he snaps, his voice cracking at the end of his words. “You don’t – I thought you – ” He rubs his face with his hand, breaths deeply. “It’s nothing. Please just leave.”

He gets up suddenly and leaps from the balcony before you can even speak. Leaving both the tofu and you alone on the balcony, a cold ache spreading through your heart.

---

She’s nervous, you think. Abnormally so.

Jueyun Karst is safe, kept watch over by Morax’s Adepti and the Qilin in the clouds. Only select few are allowed up where you are – (There was a smug steak of satisfaction when Cloud Retainer begrudgingly let you traverse her abode atop the mountains, Ganyu smiling gleefully as she held your hand.) – and even less are allowed to set foot on the sacred lands.

She’s been shifting for the past hour, unable to focus on conversation and jittery. Ever so often, she rubs her hands over her horns in a pacifying motion, then as if realizing what she’s doing, abruptly tears her hands away.

“Is the upcoming battle bothering you?” you ask, finally, not being able to stand her fidgeting much longer.

She stiffens, surprised that she’s been found out, and dips her head in embarrassment. “Oh. No, it’s not that…”

“…Ok. If not that, then what?”

She swallows thickly. She turns to you, taking both of your hands in hers, refusing to meet your eyes.

“I was wondering…I mean I hope,” she starts, nervously. “That after this is over…all of it…that maybe…you’d, um…”

You’re patient, gently prompting her, “I’d?”

“W-well, that we could…?” she trails off, squeezing your hands again. “That this…could be s-something more.”

Oh. Oh.

Your chest heats as you lean forwards, whispering her name to the wind. She squeaks raising her head.

“I like you,” you sigh, unable to stop the loving cadence in your tone when you say it. “A lot. So whatever concerns you have just know that…anything you want is…it’s all good.”

She’s silent for a moment as your heart pounds against your ribs. Slowly, she tilts her head towards yours, resting your foreheads together. Her cheeks are so hot, unlike the cryo vision strapped to her side.

“I like you a lot, too,” she says. “I don’t really have…any…experience with something like this but um…I’d like to try.”

Your heart soars, leaps, and does a flip twice over. You smile so hard your cheeks hurt. “Can I ask you a question, now?”

She blinks, nodding her head.

“May I kiss you?”

She wets her lips with her tongue and nods again, vigorously.

You close the distance, firmly kissing her lips. They’re soft and plush, warmer than you’d imagined. (Because you have imagined this, many, many nights before.) A mix between a gasp and a pleasured sigh escapes her, the noise only heating you up further.

When you pull back, she’s turned three different shades of pink and her eyes are glazed. You rest your head against hers and wrap your arms around her waist, feeling the curves and dips of her body, squeezing at the skin there.

“Good?” you ask.

She nods, tucking her head onto your shoulder. “Mhm.”

At some point, you lie down together, tangled in limbs, listening to the sounds of each other’s breathing and heart beats as Liyue’s night sky sparkles with constellations.

It’s only much later, when you hear the screams, that you realize peace is fleeting in this world.

---

You pant heavily, setting the last box down on the ground and flop on the stairs. Five in total, weighing gods know how much. Each one filled to the brim with legal documents from Liyue Harbor. You had suffered through carrying them one-by-one up the stairs as the elevator had conveniently decided to break this morning.

You push the box with your foot, sliding it with the others against the wall. If this is how much paperwork the Inn gets, you don’t even want to know how much paperwork the Qixing have to deal with. (Then again, it was the Qixing that dictated the laws, so perhaps it was well deserved.)

Verr Goldet had taken one look at them and called it an early day, leaving you to handle closing.

At least your day is done now. You hang the keys up in their proper place, pet the cat goodnight, and begin blowing out the lanterns.

“Um…excuse me?”

The sudden voice startles you, turning towards the entrance. A figure stands in the doorway, silhouetted by the moonlight. You can’t make their identity out.

“Could I speak to Mrs. Goldet? It’s about the recent delivery of paperwork.”

“Mrs. Goldet is away right now; I could take a message?”

The person nods, steps through the threshold, and your mouth goes dry.

She’s tall. Eloquently dressed with hair the color of Glaze Lilies. It frames her face, falling down her back in delicate curls. As you stare, stary eyes blink back at you in shock.

She seems familiar.

“I’m…sorry…” she says, turning away quickly. “I-I’ll just come back tomorrow-”

The tassel of her outfit swings as she does a complete 180. Her hair is furled out, exposing the smooth expanse of her back. The sight sends a throb to your temple, the scene feeling reminiscent of…something.

Your head is aching.

“W-wait!” you reach out and grab her arm, catching on the cuff of her sleeve. The motion rattles the necklace around her neck – no, not a necklace – a bell. The chime crisp like morning frost, soft like the way she feels, like the way she-

Pain bursts from your temples, piercing both sides of your head. You cry, loosing your grip in the process. There’s a muffled yell before the world blurs, spins, and sends you tumbling down, down, down, into the dark.

And then, there’s a hallow nothing.

---

She comes to you in a dream, but Liyue is not as it once was.

There is fire everywhere you look, the ground scorched by flames or destroyed in the aftermath of intense fights. The air is thick with smog, choking you with each gasp you take. One of your legs isn’t working and blood pools through your fingers pressed tightly against your side. You don’t know how much further you can make it.

You hobble through destroyed fields, corpses littering the ground, blood seeping into the earth. All of the glaze lilies are gone, wiped out in the destruction.

You cross the river on one leg. You slip on a rock and lose your footing, collapsing into the water. It’s freezing, the sensation colliding with the burn of your wound. You shiver and suck air through your chattering teeth, dragging yourself using your arms. Your side screams in pain at every pull, black spots dance in your vision. You grit your teeth and dig your fingers into the dirt, pushing forward.

Not yet, you can’t die just yet.

You exhaust yourself at the edge of what used to be the flower field, rolling onto your back and wheezing at the sky. This is as far as you’ll go. Mud soaks through your clothes. You dig your fingers into it, grounding yourself from the searing pain.

You hear the chime of her bell before you see her, crisp and pleasant, soothing your mind. She cries out your name, fear and desperation in her voice. You call back, a cracked, soft groan.

The bell draws closer and she rushes to your side, kneeling in the dirt. Her hair’s a mess, dirty and singed. Her sleeve is torn, blood dripping down her pale forearm. She pulls you onto her lap and rushes to tend to your wounds, pressing a hand to your side. She’s never been a healer, only a fighter. A strong fighter. Stronger than you could have ever hoped to be.

“You’ll be fine,” she says to herself more than you. She nudges you gently. “Please stay awake just a bit longer.”

You take her hand and squeeze it tight. Smiling takes all of the will you have, and even then, it’s weak. “It’s alright.”

She shakes her head. Her eyes – such pretty eyes – wide and filled with tears. “Please don’t go. I can’t…”

“Morax,” you croak. “There’s still him.” Your goddess, Guizhong might be gone, but he’s still alive. As enigmatic as he is, you know she’ll be safe in his care.

“I care about that!” she shouts, for the first time ever, her anger directed at you. “I’m not talking about a god to follow, I’m talking about you!”

She’s sobbing now, her eyes swollen red, teeth clenched tightly through her gasps. She curls around you, fingers grasping at your bloody clothes.

You lean your head into her, offering what little comfort someone dying can offer their partner.

“I’m sorry, Ganyu…” The life is fading from your body, your fingers and toes are so, so cold. “For leaving you like this…”

She gives up on the wound, wrapping her arms tightly around you, burying her head onto your chest, over her heart. Pitiful whimpers leave her mouth, awful sounds that make your heart ache.

“I love you,” she confesses, the words coming out as a sob. “I love you.”

Your heart squeezes. “I love you too, please…”

But the words don’t come. The ache in your side is almost unbearable, growing worse and worse with each shallow breath you manage. You fight to keep your eyelids open, but you’re so tired. And sleep has never been more appealing.

“Rest, now,” she coos, combing your matted hair from your face. You feel the small, delicate press of chapped lips on your forehead. “I’m not going anywhere.”

The void calls, gathering you into its arms, wrapping you in a warm bundle; warning you that your time’s up. You fight against it a bit longer, mustering up the last of your consciousness to tell Ganyu – you friend, partner, lover, one final thing.

“Forgive yourself.”

She bites her lip, fresh tears forming in her eyes. She nods. You’re relieved.

Her form wavers, and you know you can’t stay any longer. You let your eyelids close, your breathing slows, and you give yourself to eternal sleep.

…

“Sweet Dreams…” she whispers after a long while, in a soft, saddened voice.

---

You wake up alone, sweating in your bed, in tears, and remember.

---

The climb to Quicing Village is long and straining. You could have taken the path to the west, but stubborn as you were, wanted to save time by scaling the mountain.

You don’t know what drew you to this place, only a tugging at your heart forcing you forward. A firm belief that you’re heading where you need to go.

It’s easier the further up you go. You’ve done this before, in another life, as another person. You remember scaling mountains all the time, just to pick the freshest Qingxin petals for her. You used to eat them together, on the tops of Mount Azjong, legs dangling in midair, watching the birds go by, the wind nipping at your skin.

It’s not long before you reach the top, where the path dips to overlook the village. Fields of red, blue, and yellow stretching over the lands.

You let yourself wander, talking to the villagers as you go. Everyone is so nice, excited to talk to a new stranger in town. The air’s so fresh and the grass is so green, it reminds you of those days in the fields of glaze lilies.

You almost stop breathing when a familiar scent flows by on the wind. Sweet, fresh, cool. One you’re very well acquainted with. You rush forward, running towards the smell faster than your legs can carry you.

She’s sitting in a field of flowers. Just like the ones in your dreams, except there’s only one glaze lily, resting by her knees and cupped in her palms. You slow down and take the stone paths carefully, as to not to disturb the environment.

You stop just behind her, clearing your throat. She startles with a jump, turning around. Your face heats in embarrassment.

“Ah…I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to disturb you.”

Her lips, which are slightly parted, close. She shakes her head. “It’s quite alright…I was just enjoying the day.”

“Do you mind if I join you?”

She pauses, then nods wordlessly. You settle down in the grass beside her, a visible gap between the two of you. There are many things you are unsure of. Does she even want you here anymore? Does she just want to forget what happened?

“[First] is your name, correct?” she says eventually.

“Oh – yes, it is.”

She nods, staring out over the river. Another silence befalls you.

“I’ve dreamt of you,” you blurt. “For a while. It comes back in chunks. The memories of my past.”

“That usually happens with reincarnation. The soul is the same but the body and mind doesn’t remember, plagued by shadows of a past life.”

You swallow down your nerves, trying not to focus on how your voice shakes. “In that past life, were we…were we…lovers?”

Her fists clench on her lap. She takes a shaky inhale and nods.

“Oh…” Is all you can say. You knew – know? But to heart it out loud is…

“You look just like you did all those years ago,” Ganyu murmurs sadly. “I’ve never forgotten your face.”

A heavy, hot weight settles in your chest. “How long has it been?”

“Thousands of years…since before the Arcon war,” Ganyu rubs her eyes with her palm. “I thought I’d never see you again.”

You wait until she composes herself before you speak again. “I remember in the past, you asked me to share a future with you.”

Ganyu turns to face you, and desire flares up inside your chest. Dark and powerful, urging you to pull her close and into your arms.

“I did.” She says.

“I’m not…the same person from the past. I don’t know who or how I was, and I don’t know if I’ll ever return to remembering anything. But…”

Cool fingers rest on your lap, you shudder at the touch. Ganyu smiles gently, and there’s a feeling of deja-vu when she says. “But…?”

“But if you’ll have me, I would like – I’d really like to – to try. With you.”

Ganyu scoots to the side, until your thighs are touching, and hums softly. “I think I’d like that, too.”

You let out a shaky, relieved breath and squeeze her fingers tightly. She smells sweet and floral, the scent overwhelming your body, making your head drift and spin. You’ve never smelled anything more right.

“I hope this isn’t rude, but you’re the most beautiful person I’ve ever seen.”

She flushes deeply, smile spreading across her face. “You told me that before, thousands of years ago, when you first met me.”

You smile back, tucking a piece of stray hair from her face. “Well, it’s true.”

---

As much as two immortals (???) might have just rushed back into dating, neither of you wanted that.

You two talked. A lot. About your current lives and past. You talked about Wangshu, about your occupation, about Xiao. (“Don’t mind him,” Ganyu had said. “Xiao’s always a bit cold, even to the other Adepti.”) Ganyu talked about the harbor, about your past lives in Guili.

You might not ever get your memories fully back. But even if you don’t, you feel surprisingly calm and accepting of it.

At the end of the day, after both of your throats were hoarse from conversation and your eyes wet from emotion, you both decided to part ways.

She returns to Liyue Harbor. You return to the Wangshu Inn.

Temporarily, you promised, until you figured yourself out. Liyue Harbor is daunting, the populated streets reminding you too much of Guili, of memories you can’t remember, that make your head ache terribly.

You stay at Wangshu. In the mornings, you mop floors, dust paintings, and help fix the elevator. At evenings, you go to the top floor and eat plates of Almond Tofu with Xiao, staring longingly towards the Harbor.

And at night, when you go to bed, you don’t dream of the past, but of your future.

---

One day, when you return to an empty room, and your heart aches with loneliness and the desire to see her becomes too painful to bear, you decide it’s time to go.

---

Liyue is calm, today.

The clouds drift by idly, whisps of white against blue as birds soar on the random wind currents. The sun shines high in the sky, slowly making its way across the map.

“Stop moving,” you grumble, locking your arms tightly around her, burying your face into her chest.

Ganyu chuckles, carding her hands through your hair. “I’m sorry, did I disturb you?”

“Yes…I was having a good nap.” Which is true. Ever since your reunion, you’ve been sleeping more soundly than you ever have in years. Perhaps it’s because you don’t dream of the old anymore, don’t float through your memories like a puppet being pulled on a string.

“You’ve had enough time to rest, I think,” she says tartly. “Thousands of years’ worth.”

You lift your head and pout. “You’re so cruel,” But your words don’t hold any bite.

Ganyu smiles mischievously. Her hand trails down your spine, drawing a shiver from you. “Do you think it’s unfair? To not indulge me after I’ve waited for you all this time?”

You drag yourself up to be eye level with her. Your hand cups the back of her head, trailing up to the base of her horns. A gasp escapes her lips and her eyes flutter when you tenderly pet them.

“If you wanted my attention,” you whisper, lips an inch from hers. “You could have just asked.”

Ganyu pulls you down by the neck, sighs and gasps being lost to the wind.

---

Much later, when the two of you were sweating and grass was stuck in both of your hair, you lay together, dozing under the night sky. Ganyu lays curled to your side, feet tucked underneath her, a content purr vibrating from her throat. You wonder if all Qilin do that.

As you pet her hair, fingers rubbing curiously over her empty ring finger, a deep feeling of content seeps into your bones.

You’re home, at last.

You kiss her forehead, joining her into a peaceful dream.

#i cant beleive this is so long ganyu my love #ganyu x reader #ganyu x you #genshin impact #ganyu imagines #genshin impact imagines #my writing #genshin impact fanfiction

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