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7homunculifor7archons · 1 year

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Dollhouse Stories

The following fanfiction contains spoilers for Archon Quest Chapter III: Act V (the end of the Sumeru Archon Quest), and HCs/AU events leading into Interlude Chapter: Act III.

Summary: Nahida asks you up to the Sanctuary of Surasthana for a favor. Unfortunately, that favor involves spending time with someone from your past that you're not exactly excited to see...even if he's completely harmless. Finding it hard to tell the Archon no, you agree to visit the Balladeer.

Characters: Nahida, Scaramouche, GN!Traveler (Reader Insert)

Tags: Hurt/Comfort, fluff, the beginnings of a found family, platonic relationships, one-shot

Warnings: Spoilers for the end of the Sumeru Archon Quest, Traveler has flashbacks

Word Count: 2567

Author's Note: So this is where you all find out about my obsession with Nahida and Scaramouche/Wanderer having a found family dynamic. I love them, they are my children. Literally, 3.4 rolled out and I was slamming down the adoption papers. I want the entire world for them, and this is me giving them (and my friends who also love the dynamic) a little bit of goodness before canon went and destroyed whatever work Nahida put into winning Scaramouche over.

You had ventured up to the Sanctuary of Surasthana at the Dendro Archon's request. Visits to Nahida's home admittedly weren't unusual for you–you made a point of stopping in to see her every time you were in Sumeru City, often so that you could share souvenirs from your adventures with the Lesser Lord, but this was different. She'd put in an actual request this time, though you still refused to come empty-handed. As a result, you cradled a bouquet of Mondstadt's regional flowers in your arms, assembled with care and tied off with a bow that Flora had referred to as "Barbatos blue."

"Aha, there you are! The Lesser Lord is expecting you," one of the on-duty guards greeted as you approached the entrance to the Sanctuary. The other Corps of Thirty member across the pathway from him scowled at his friendliness and enthusiasm, but at this point, you were used to it. The number of guards that rotated shifts this high up was pretty small, likely to ensure those closest to Lesser Lord Kusanali were trustworthy. This one–you thought you remembered his name being Halil–you saw often enough to be on somewhat friendly terms with the man. As such, you flashed him a quick smile and waved, noting that the doors to the sanctuary were already opening. Taking this as a sign of Nahida’s impatience, you moved past Halil and the other guard with a murmured thanks as you went, rather than stopping to chat.

The Dendro Archon barely allowed you to step fully through the entrance before she tackled your legs in a surprising display of childish affection. “You made it!” she chirped, sounding nothing short of absolutely delighted as she pulled back to look up at you.

“I did. And I come bearing gifts,” you chuckled, waiting for Nahida to release your legs entirely before you knelt down to present the bouquet to her. “Regional flowers directly from Mondstadt.”

Though you had seen some of Mondstadt’s flowers in stalls throughout Sumeru City, they never looked quite as full or pretty as the ones you saw that had been grown in the land of the Anemo Archon, and no one ever seemed to bother trying their luck with cecilias at all. “Thank you!” Nahida beamed as she took the bundle of flowers from your arms and inspected it for herself. Her fingers danced along the petals of the cecilias and the small lamp grass, and she paused to flick gently at the petals of one of the windwheel asters, giggling as she watched them spin. “Really, thank you,” she repeated, “but I didn’t just call you here today for me. I…have a favor to ask of you.” When she looked up at you again, her tone and expression were more serious than they had been before, more the Dendro Archon than your cheerful little friend.

Your response was immediate. “You know all you have to do is ask. I am the First Sage of Buer, after all.”

Nahida smiled at this, but it was more knowing than happy. “I have a feeling you won’t like it,” she countered, glancing back down to the flowers and biting her lip.

“I highly doubt that, but we won’t know how true that is until you ask, will we?” you offered, trying to ease her worry, but something about the way she was acting concerned you.

“It concerns the Balladeer.” Immediately, you felt your own smile slip from your face. The memories came back in a flood: A room filled with purple haze, pain, anger, and laughter. They were always going to die, with or without a Delusion. Pardis Dhyai, a sleeping Haypasia, Tighnari struck down by lightning. I’ve missed that look of abject horror. You’ve given me that look every time we meet. A massive room, an enormous contraption hiding an angry puppet, battle after battle, 168 loops. The existence of what once called itself "Kunikuzushi" appears infinitely small and ugly. The–

Small hands pressed against your cheeks, pulling you out of the flashbacks. “Traveler? It’s okay. You’re safe. It’s not…it’s not anything bad, he’s not causing trouble. I'm keeping my promise. It’s just–he’s not getting better, either. He hasn't woken up, and I'm wondering if maybe someone else he knows might be the key. I was hoping that you might be willing to spend some time with him–with us–and talk to him? It could be about anything, you could tell him about your adventures, about the world, tell him…tell him that not all people are worthless and not all Archons are bad. You could read him a story, sing, anything, talk about the weather, as long as he can hear your voice…” Nahida’s voice trailed off, and as you opened your eyes, you found the girl looking at the floor. Finally, she looked back up at you, her expression filled with a deep sadness. “But if that’s not something you’re ready for, that’s okay, too. I can try something else…ah…other visitors? Flowers, maybe?” Her gaze darted to the floor again, to where she had dropped the bouquet in her haste to reach out to you.

The last time you'd spoken to Nahida about the former Harbinger, she told you he was comatose. It had been months since then, and yet nothing had changed? You could feel your brow furrowing at the thought. "He's...still asleep?" The words came slowly, but the little Archon was patient.

"He is. I tried leaving him to heal on his own at first, but I thought about how lonely I was when I was left alone, and I…started visiting him. A lot. I tried music, as well as reading to him before I thought that a change in scenery might be best. I started moving him around the Sanctuary so he could feel the sunlight, like a plant. I even invited animals in to come lay with him...but he hasn't responded to any outside stimulus, which was why I called on you. I fear I may be running out of options, and the others aren't very keen on helping. Obviously I understand their positions, however I am finding it difficult to craft alternative solutions without someone to share ideas with."

You looked back at the girl for a long time, the furrow in your brow slowly easing, and finally, you sighed. If he was asleep…was there really any danger? Admittedly, you wondered if waking the puppet was truly for the best, but the look in Nahida’s eyes was one you found difficult to refuse. She, too, had been lonely for far too long, and it was obvious that she saw something of herself in the Balladeer. “If he wakes, I can’t promise I’ll be able to stay,” you told her, voice filled with uncertainty.

The way Nahida’s eyes lit up was almost a reward in and of itself, though when she spoke, she kept her voice even. “That’s understandable. I would never force you to do something that would make you uncomfortable. And if you realize that maybe you’re not ready after all, that’s fine, too. I appreciate that you’re at least willing to try.”

You mustered up a weak smile, then glanced around the Sanctuary. “So…where is he, then?”

Nahida’s eyes flickered to one of the doors ringing the central platform, and she crouched down to retrieve the bouquet from the floor. “The lighting’s best in the library at this time of day. Come on, I’ll show you,” she replied, looking back to you and giving a quick nod. She shifted the bouquet to one arm, then held out a hand. Obviously the Archon couldn’t help you stand, given her much smaller size, but you chuckled before pushing yourself up and taking it. She lead you over to one of the doors, shouldering it open with a little bit of care before leading you inside.

As soon as you passed through, you found yourself stopping short. It was easy to forget that the Sanctuary of Surasthana, as well as most of the Akademiya, was built around and inside a tree. There weren’t many windows inside either location, but the library here was different. Unlike the utterly massive House of Daena below, the Dendro Archon’s personal library was obviously built for someone of her small stature. Most of the shelves stood no higher than your waist, and ran both along the room’s outer wall, as well as in neatly organized rows, ringing a single open, central area. It was that central area in which your eyes snagged on a familiar figure, though instead of locking up in fear again, you found yourself holding in an awkward laugh.

Nahida had told you that she'd hidden the Balladeer away "like how one would hide a feather," but you hadn't quite expected to find that she'd built him a nest. The former Harbinger had been laid on an utterly massive pile of pillows with what was obviously a fair bit of care. Even from here, you could tell he had been cleaned up since your last meeting, his clothing and body no longer covered in dust and debris, and his hat rested on the pillows near his head. His hands had been folded against his chest, and the rest of his body remained still. It was a marked difference from the way he’d held himself every other time you’d seen him: Tense as a coiled spring.

“Traveler? Is everything okay?” Nahida’s voice cut through the silence, and you snapped out of your thoughts to notice that her hold on your hand had gotten just a little bit tighter.

Not wanting to worry her more than necessary, you gave her a jerky nod. “Yeah, I’m fine. I’m just…surprised, is all. No need to worry.” She looked unconvinced, but Nahida nodded as well before leading you further into the library, closer to the Balladeer’s resting place. Mentally, you attempted to brace yourself, but it turned out this was unneeded.

As you got closer, you realized two things: Firstly, that Nahida had placed a pair of large pillows on the floor just opposite the puppet’s nest. Secondly, that much like his body was no longer tense, the Balladeer’s facial expression was…almost peaceful. He didn’t appear to be happy, per se, but he was no longer scowling, and you didn’t have to endure the weight of the hatred in his gaze. Shadows and shafts of light danced across his face, and you realized for the first time that the library’s roof was glass, sloping down to meet the shelves along the far wall–the library doubled as a sunroom. In fact, amidst the large, open room, he felt almost small, and you found yourself wondering what it was about him that you’d been so scared of to begin with.

Nahida released your hand in order to free one of the windwheel asters from the bouquet. This done, she set the rest of the flowers down by one of the large pillows, then began to clamber over the pillows supporting the Balladeer. “Hey, it’s me again,” she greeted him, her voice no louder than a stage whisper, “I know you’re likely tired of hearing that, but I brought a guest today–a friend of mine, someone you know. They brought flowers all the way from the City of Freedom, so please…try to be nice?” You couldn’t help but giggle at her tone as she slipped the flower into the Balladeer’s folded hands. Finally, Nahida patted the former Harbinger on the arm, then clambered back down from the pillow pile.

“Ah…hi. It’s, um…it’s been a while, hasn’t it?” you asked in an awkward attempt to fill the quiet. Your words were met with silence, but you thought for a moment that you saw the puppet’s fingers twitch around the flower. With her back to him, Nahida likely didn’t see the motion, so you couldn’t ask her, and she didn’t really give you much of a chance to attempt the question, either.

“Have you decided on what you want to do?” the little Archon asked as she reached you. You didn’t, but the idea of simply sitting there in relative silence was dread-inducing, and it wasn’t going to help. You scrambled for an idea before another memory came to mind: A group of children, all vying for your attention and asking for stories. One of a dragon, one of a sea monster, and one of smart and powerful distinguished lady.

“I think so,” you replied, and though Nahida looked unconvinced by your facial expression, she waved you over to one of the pillows on the floor before seating herself.

“Alright, we’re ready when you are.”

You took your time seating yourself on the pillow, making sure you were comfortable before you took a long, deep breath. “Once, a long, long time ago, there was a pair of twins–a brother and a sister. They were both warriors in their own right, and together, they traveled the stars. They were inseparable, and they visited a great many stars together, but one star was different from all the others…”

Once again, you found yourself telling the tale of two siblings–your tale, and the tales of a bard-king who loved his people so much that he let them go, an immortal dragon-god who died to become human, and a bodyguard who became a queen so wrapped in grief that she held her people so close she nearly smothered them. You told him tales of love and desperation and hope and betrayal, and of finding the strength to go on, even when it felt like your heart and body were about to break. You told him of the world as you perceived it, shared a perspective on things that you knew differed from his own. You talked and talked, so long that the sunlight disappeared from the sky and your tongue and throat felt like sandpaper. By the time you reached what would have been the story of a little bird and the people who kept her caged, you barely had any voice left. A glance over at Nahida revealed that the Archon curled up on her pillow, her eyes closed in what felt more like concentration, and you wondered if maybe she’d been attempting to use her power over dreams to reach out to the Balladeer herself.

Lifting your eyes from the girl, you finally looked at the former Harbinger again, and felt a bolt of shock run through you. At some point during your story, the puppet had turned his head towards you, as if to better pay attention. As you watched, his expression shifted, knitting together for a moment before he made a soft sound, little more than a whimper, and one hand tightened reflexively around the stem of the windwheel aster Nahida had given him earlier. The other hand twitched, sliding across his chest as though he was trying to reach out to you.

“Traveler,” Nahida’s soft gasp nearby told you that she’d seen this as well, and a moment later, you felt her grab your hand. “Traveler, he’s never done that before. Not in months. He– You–”

“I don’t think I can keep up the storytelling tonight,” you whispered, your voice hoarse from the strain you’d put on it. “But…would you mind overmuch if I came by again some other day?”

Nahida looked between you and the puppet, her eyes filled with hope. “Please… Please do.”

#genshin impact #genshin #genshin writing #genshin fanfic #scaramouche #genshin wanderer #genshin nahida #genshin traveler #genshin reader insert #gender neutral reader #oneshot #hurt/comfort #winter writes a thing #genshin 3.3 spoilers #genshin 3.4 spoilers #genshin sumeru spoilers #headcanon #genshin hcs

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s-b-party · 1 year

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Setekh Wenut, the Last Prince of the Sands

This thread is gonna be about Setekh Wenut & why it might be called the Last Prince of the Sands (thanks to Lia/windflowerlia for bringing this up bc it had me thinking a lot)!

Genshin 3.4 spoilers/world quest spoilers/Dirge of Bilqis spoilers ahead!

Thoughts/edits after watching 3.6 livestream at the bottom with EDIT labeled

To start this off, I want to draw attention to something that Liloupar says regarding the Wenut in the world quest. She calls them the “children of Apep” which drew my attention bc I mostly know Apep as a giant serpent in Egyptian mythology

Apparently Apep is also the name of a star system which I never knew about! This is actually interesting bc it’s described to have stellar winds making up part of it, which would make sense why the Wenut is an anemo serpent if this is also part of their inspiration

The way I say that makes it seem like I’m equating the Setekh Wenut to in-game Apep, which I don’t think is the case, but I do believe that they’re related! What if Apep was a god that was consumed by the wildlife that would eventually become the consecrated beasts in the desert?

I’m thinking about the consecrated flying serpent in particular. We can see some similarities between the Setekh Wenut & the flying serpent (notably being serpent creatures in the desert & power over anemo) w/ some differences as well.

***I haven’t found much info on Apep in the game. Liloupar might be the only one who even mentions Apep so far? So a lot of room for speculation on who Apep is!***

We know that consecrated beasts have devoured the flesh of gods over time, which caused them to fuse w/ the parts so what I’m thinking is that Apep was possibly an anemo serpent god that was devoured by these beasts. Liloupar referring to the Wenut as the children of Apep makes me think that they at least look similar as serpent creatures unless evolution changed the Wenut to a point where it doesn’t look similar to Apep at all, then I guess that’s a different story

As for the title “Last Prince of the Sands,” based on the title alone, it sounds as if the desert Wenut is the only one left, but maybe there are others like it that survived but evolved differently based on where they fled to. The description of the Wenut refers to “this branch of their genus” which could imply that it might have some surviving cousins that could have evolved based on the environment they ended up moving to bc not all of them are guaranteed to have stayed where the fertile soil of their home eventually turned to sand. So the chance of some of the Wenut back then moving elsewhere is possible.

Going back to the desert Wenut, I feel that its title as the “Last Prince of the Sands” is more in regard to being the last one in the desert but not necessarily the last one of its kind.

However I’m still confused bc I think there are supposed to be several Wenut instead of just one? Unless the Wenut that peeks from underneath when we’re up on the surface is supposed to be the same one as the one we fight as a open world boss, then idk what other explanation there is for the one Wenut based on title vs more than one Wenut (the Tanit farm a number of them for resources, mentioned in same dialogue as Liloupar’s statement about the children of Apep).

Another thing to note, the title “prince” implies there’s probably a king, which makes me think that it’s possible that Apep could have been considered a king for the Wenut race. Sumeru was ruled by the 3 god-kings: Rukkhadevata, the Goddess of Flowers, and King Deshret so it might be possible that Apep was something of a serpent god that ruled over the Wenut race like a king and if that’s the case, then it kind of makes sense to call the desert Wenut a “prince”…I need more content for Apep!! Hyv, make it happen 😂

***what even is Wenut in plural form 💀 is it Wenuts or is it the same as the singular form 😭 I'm so sorry

***i found the viewpoint that had Apep lore some time after writing this thread, so I retract my statement about Liloupar being the only one to mention Apep! I also know the description for sand grease pupa mentions a serpent who devoured the sun, but I’m not 100% certain if that is actually Apep since multiple serpent gods could very well exist simultaneously

EDIT: with 3.6 trailer out for a bit and the actual update coming out soon, I figured I could add on to this thread about what we have seen so far

We now know that Apep is not an anemo serpent like I initially theorized

We learned that Apep is sick (the exact reasons aren’t stated outright; it’s implied that the mentioned apocalypse may have had something to do with this)

Apep is likely to be the Dendro Sovereign, possibly the original Sovereign

They have 3 phases in battle: 1) sluggish/lethargic movements, requires all limbs to support itself; 2) disappears(?) into the ceiling, must be protected from enemy attacks so that they don’t get sicker; 3) regains their vibrant green colors, doesn’t require all their limbs for support, faster & stronger attacks [for this, I’m just speculating that it’s a metaphor for life & death => withering & rejuvenation, like how plants are in life]

I’m thinking of writing another thread with Apep as the main focus once they are finally released with their own archive description, can’t wait for the update to go live! See y’all then :3

#genshin impact #genshin 3.4 #genshin spoilers #genshin lore #sumeru lore #dirge of bilqis #genshin setekh wenut #genshin speculation #genshin apep #genshin liloupar

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