Shortly after you and Zhongli get together, you make sure to carry yourself with the utmost decorum and elegance you can muster, which confuses Zhongli.
It’s vastly different from the silly and carefree version of you Zhongli had known prior to getting into a relationship with you. While it’s rather comical, the way you sit stock-straight in your seat to avoid slouching or pull your blanket farther up your face so he can’t see when you drool, he is still perplexed by the switch-up.
One time, after you leave the room and come back a moment later (and Zhongli knows why, after all the sweet potato you had for lunch), he’s finally decided to ask you about it. “Darling, why have you been acting so strange as of late? You are not being yourself.”
“Oh,” you stutter, avoiding eye contact as you fidget, “I just want to be perfect in your eyes so you won’t ever hold anything against me.”
At this, Zhongli frowns. “What would I, and why ever would I hold it against you?”
To this you tell him sadly, “You have a photographic memory. If I did something embarrassing you’d remember it for the rest of your life! The heat death of the universe could approach and you would remember how, eons ago, your darling farted really loud it sounded like a struggling tuba player.”
Zhongli laughs. He would never hold any of your embarrassing moments against you, but this conversation—and your wet cat expression—he’ll certainly carry with him to that prophesied heat death.
[ synopsis. ] it wasn’t the first time morax has experienced the lost of a dear one. but you were different. you were a mortal, not an adeptus, and he was prepared for your departure from him since the beginning. but along with your relatively short lifespan, there was something else…
‣ when the earth bleeds ⋮ find the masterlist here !!
[ content warnings. ] character death. angst. reincarnation. there’s not a lot to say; it’s not dark content.
[ word count. ] 3.8k
[ author’s note. ] yayy! the second one shot of my pair of one shot collections! i had this almost finished for so long but never got the chance to actually write the last few paragraphs. (i did not mean for the second one shot to come out like a year later…at least im not dead!) this also ended up being a lot more longer than i intended it to be…(this is 3.8k????????????) but oh well, enjoy!
you don’t remember how long it has been after you died. after all, you continued to live your life normally. it was only natural that the exact time passed has become blurry to you.
though you remembered everything that happened after you had died. you remember the voice in your head and explaining the whole circumstance to you, and you remember seeing zhongli around liyue as you continued to “live.”
the whole ordeal wasn’t that complicated actually. simply put, you had such a strong love and longing for your immortal fiancé that it was dangerous to let you just pass on. if you couldn’t resolve the knot of regret that sprouted the moment you died, you would likely turn into a disruptive spirit, and the best way to solve the issue was for you to let go of the things that still tied you down to the world of the living.
the solution was for you to let go of zhongli.
it seemed impossible, and you almost laughed when you heard about the mysterious voice telling you that you had to fulfill your regrets. but your regret was not being able to accompany zhongli for the rest of his long, never ending life.
how were you supposed to resolve that regret?
your first thought was to follow zhongli throughout his daily life, thinking that if you saw that he could live on happily, or better yet, if he could find someone to accompany him like you once did, that you could soothe the agony in your heart. even though the thought of him finding someone to replace you tugged on your heart and made it ache, you found it to be better than to see him live in solitary after your passing.
however, what you saw as you followed him was only the ways that he would force a smile on and push through tiredly through each day. you could tell that he still hadn’t completely digested the reality of your death, and he wasn’t having an easy time too.
you originally thought it risky to follow him around so much, as the geo archon was always someone of high observational skills, but he was rather busy with mourning to notice the silent eyes that watched him day and night.
and even though your original plan was simply to follow him and see how he was doing, you soon became greedy and wanted to be next to his side again. you knew that it would not only cause complications if he found out who you were, but it also would only make the feeling of regret grow larger. and yet you couldn’t help it. no matter how long it truly has been after your death, you knew it was far too long to be away from him.
you missed him. you missed being in his arms, missed taking walks with him, missed the feel of his hand in yours, missed the soft and gentle voice he used when he called out your name. you missed it all.
you tried convincing yourself that because you’re only alive temporarily, the mysterious force had changed your appearance to avoid raising suspicion and he wouldn’t be able to recognize you. you wanted to give yourself every single excuse to justify that it was okay for you to approach him once more.
as long as you left before he found out and you got too attached, you’re sure that it would be fine. you’ll even use a different name to avoid him catching on.
though what were you thinking? you were facing zhongli, a previous archon who had many years of experience and knowledge.
and the knowledge that he had on you was probably the greatest.
you have introduced yourself to the wangsheng funeral parlor consultant as someone who has heard many things about him, and wished to seek information about morax’s past. being as respectful and responsible as he is, he offered to meet after he got off “work,” suggesting for you to see him at third-round knockout. you agree eagerly, happy with any opportunity to be with him.
you arrive early, too excited to do anything else but wait in anticipation, and when you finally see him heading your way, you wave.
“mister zhongli!”
he gives you a curt nod as he takes the seat opposite of you. “hello, did i keep you waiting too long?”
you shake your head and hands, “no, not at all. i just arrived not too long ago.”
you exchange the normal formalities and after a short while of asking about how morax was like and the accomplishments he’s achieved, you ask what you were really wondering. how would he feel at the mention of you? will he brush it off and pretend not to know you, or will he reminisce the time he spent with you while you were on the earth?
“is something wrong?” zhongli asks, expressing his concern for your sudden silence.
“it might just be a rumor…but i’ve heard that morax once had a partner before. do you know anything about their relationship?”
zhongli’s hand stiffens in midair as he was about to take another sip of his tea. he sets the teacup down shortly and looks away, seeming to feel awkward upon your question.
“a partner…? ah, i see. yes, i believe they were quite a harmonious couple. i don’t know much about this as it wasn’t widely recorded.”
it was your turn to freeze as your mind runs wild, thinking about all the possibilities for why he wouldn’t disclose anything. was he ashamed of you? did he not think you were worthy enough to mention? with all these questions consuming your mind, the rest of your conversation with zhongli was short and lackluster.
when you were about to take your leave, you convey your thanks for zhongli’s information and turn away, yet he grabs your wrist gently before you could take another step.
“you…will i see you again? you remind me of a dear companion of mine. i’d like to be in your company once more sometime.”
you smile warmly and nod, “of course, mister zhongli. it would be a pleasure to meet with you again.”
he seems to look relieved as his facial expressions relax. he returns your smile and lets go of your wrist somewhat unwillingly as you finally part ways with him.
though unbeknownst to you, his eyes followed your shape as you walk further and further away.
the next few days were spent with you next to zhongli’s side—so much that other acquaintances of his suspected the possibility of the two of you dating. and when you both walked by yet another small shop immersed in a light-hearted conversation, you hear a man’s voice call out to zhongli.
“mister zhongli!” he approaches the him as you both stop in your tracks. “i see you’re with miss y/n again,” he smiles in your direction, a smile knowing and akin to that of an elder. he nudges zhongli with his elbow and leans closer to him to say something you couldn’t quite make out, but by seeing zhongli’s widened eyes you assumed he was caught off guard.
“oh, no, no. i was simply enjoying an afternoon walk with miss yue.” to his response, the man nodded slowly, expression giving the impression that he was not quite convinced by this answer. though he didn’t pursue the topic any further and quickly left you two alone.
you glance at zhongli a few times as your stroll continued and before you could repress your curiosity properly, you were already asking the question.
“so, what did he say to you?”
zhongli’s eyes stray to meet yours for a short second before he chuckles softly. “i believe he was curious if our relationship has progressed beyond simply acquaintances that can share a topic or two.”
even if you thought you were prepared for it, your light hearted smile still dropped at the idea of zhongli having another partner besides you. even if this body was currently inhabited by you, you knew that it was impossible for zhongli to know that. and thus, in technicality, he would be romantically affiliated with another person.
zhongli, being as perceptive as he always was, noticed the slight change in your mood as he stopped with you. your dull eyes that were spacing out in thought slowly meet his golden ones and you catch the worry behind them.
“is something wrong?”
you laugh a bit nervously, your throat suddenly feeling dry as you swallow, trying to come up with something that can fool him. “yes, i…i just wasn’t expecting that.”
his eyebrows furrow slightly and you can tell that he doesn’t buy it. the air between you two is quiet for a long moment and the next time he opens his mouth, his voice sounds a bit less neutral than it usually is. “does the thought of going on a date with me…bother you?”
you wave your hands in distress, not wanting him to get the wrong idea. “archons, no! of course not! i greatly enjoy your company, mister zhongli. it’s just i was caught off guard.”
he stares intensely at you, and under the pressure that he unconsciously put on you, you finally speak your mind.
“it’s just…i was thinking about how you’re so knowledgeable about morax, yet you know nothing about his relationships. the sudden lack of consistency made me think that maybe you weren’t interested in any form of romance, so i was worried that you-”
“yue, my feelings for you most definitely extends beyond mere friendship,” he says, interrupting your ramble before you got carried away.
his sentence made your heart utterly drop. you had a bitter taste in your mouth and couldn’t think whether to be happy or not. should you celebrate that he could fall in love with you again—even in another body? or should you grieve that he has now completely forgotten your original self and has no more space in his heart for you now that he’s handing it to another? you suddenly felt like your whole world was turned upside down. no matter how much you initially wanted to believe that seeing zhongli happy with someone else would assure you, you know realize that deep down, it truly was you who couldn’t let go of the past.
“i…i’m sorry, mister zhongli, but i must go now.” you hurriedly bow as a form of apology and leave him immediately. as you turned on your heel to almost run away, your eyes stung and the tears you unknowingly kept at bay started to roll down your cheeks.
the moment you settled down by a tree to finally stop and think about the situation, you started to brainwash yourself into believing that you should be happy for zhongli. you should be glad he’s not held back by the memory of you. you should take this chance to let go of him, to finish resolving that knot like you came here to do. though the other part of you pleaded to not just surrender like this, and the internal conflict only grew as you struggled to unify your mind.
so until you could determine a final solution, you decided to just simply detach yourself from zhongli. the frequent meetings were no more as you couldn’t possibly face him like usual anymore; it would only make the mess that is your mind even worse.
though zhongli’s patience wore thin. even if he’s rarely one to be impatient, his attitude always seemed to be different when it came to you.
so after a whole week of you avoiding him like the flu, he finally hunted you down.
when you turned the corner of third-round knockout, you were met with a familiar face and before you could run far, he caught you by the arm.
“y/n. i know it’s you.”
you almost jumped at hearing your real name. you knew that zhongli was smart and hard to fool, but the fact that he actually uncovered your identity is unbelievable.
you turn to face him, and when you saw his distressed eyes and sad frown, you knew you couldn’t lie to him anymore. the moment he recognized your surrender, he pulled you into a hug, arms wrapping around your waist and head leaning into the crook of your neck—an embrace so familiar you would never dream of forgetting it.
“i missed you so much, y/n. please, you can’t even begin to understand how deeply devastated i was when you started distancing yourself from me. my heart sunk at the thought of losing you once more.”
you could feel tears approaching as you returned the hug. “how did you know it was me?”
zhongli pulled away from the hug to hold you at arm’s length, looking at you lovingly. “i could recognize you even if you became a pile of ashes. though it didn’t seem like you had any intention of reuniting with me, so i played along and pretended not to know you as well. but, it appears that it wasn’t the wisest choice on my end,” he sighs, “i should’ve kept you by my side no matter what.”
you smiled. “it’s relieving to know you haven’t forgotten me.”
zhongli’s eyes fill with disbelief, almost appearing offended at the notion. a sad frown is painted on his face as he looks at you softly. “i could never forget you, y/n. you’re the only one i’ve ever held this close to my heart. although you may underestimate your impact towards my life, i assure you that without meeting you, i would’ve turned out to be a less than pleasing person.”
you look away from him, quietly speaking, almost as if talking to yourself instead of him, “i thought you felt differently from the way you denied having knowledge of morax’s partner.”
with how much attention zhongli gives you however, he definitely caught onto what you said. “i was only avoiding the topic since i didn’t want to remind you of the sad times. not being able to give you a proper wedding before you passed was always the biggest regret i had.”
the air is silent for a moment before he cups your face and brings your gaze back to him. he smiles endearingly at you, an idea coming to him suddenly. “how about i give you that promised wedding?”
in the back of your mind, you knew that this body was only temporary, that even if you did go along with the idea, you wouldn’t be able to live with zhongli as a married couple forever. though the offer was too tempting to turn down, so you nodded your head in a silent agreement as you mirrored his smile.
“can we keep it small though? i don’t want such a big audience.” since you knew this wouldn’t last long. you didn’t want zhongli to have to deal with prying questions of where you went whenever your time was up.
“of course, my dear. it will be as you wish.”
so the next few days were spent planning the wedding until the moment came when you heard the celebratory music as you walked down the short aisle. only a few familiar faces were present in accordance to your request of zhongli; you recognized xiao and xianyun and many other friends from your past life and you smiled in their direction. it was evident that they were all happy for you and zhongli, the well known couple of the time.
when you finally stopped to meet zhongli at the end of the aisle, you noticed how he wore the same soft expression that was met with you every time he was in your presence. a few minutes pass as the introductory was given and anything and everything that followed seemed to have past in a blur or sound and colors. your attention was solely on the love of your life in front of you, and nothing was received by your brain until after the classic question was asked and zhongli began speaking his vows.
“in a long time past, we shared our hearts with each other. you accompanied the most important and joyous moments of my long life, only to be separated from me in a cruel joke of fate. i could not do anything as i watched you fall into sickness, and i may have resented the powers that took you away from me. your absence left a void in my soul, and i could only regret that i could not fulfill my promise to you. but blessed as we are, fate has bestowed me with a chance to make those vows a reality in this life as we are once again reunited. with this ring, i pledge to cherish you as i did before, if not more so and longer. i vow to stand by your side no matter the obstacles that we may face, honoring my never ending love for you. today, let us continue the journey that we had started so long ago, and let our fates and hearts remain interconnected throughout this life and beyond.”
your eyes never left zhongli’s as you struggled to match his loving gaze with one of your own. his vow to you composed of too many promises you knew he would be forced to break due to the nature of your stay in the human world. this would not last. you can’t tell if the watery view you had was due to hearing his profound and unwavering love for you or if it was out of sorrow for the knowledge that this was all temporary and won’t be anything beyond that.
though you couldn’t break his heart like that all over again, so you hid the truth inside your heart, even if you knew doing so would hurt the both of you more. you pressed your lips into a small smile and declared your own vows, mimicking zhongli’s in the way that it was filled with empty promises yet very much honest words of how you deeply loved him as well.
your head struggled to remain clear in the short time span that you recited your vows, and by the end of it, you found that you have come to accept the fact that this was all temporary. you knew that it was from the start, so there shouldn’t be so much of a reaction when you’re only just being reminded of the fact.
your rings were then exchanged before your officiant declared the marriage. you smiled at zhongli, genuinely this time, as you finally found peace with the situation you were in. when the officiant finally announced that you and zhongli were now permitted to kiss, you took a small step forward as zhongli’s hands reached out to cup your face. he tilts your face upwards gently, staring into your eyes softly before finally kissing you as your hands rested gently at his sides.
common to loving couples, your wedding kiss lasted rather long. you smiled into the kiss in relief that at the end of this all, at least you were able to officially marry zhongli in this life. yet when you finished thinking about this, you heard that familiar voice in your head.
<it seems that you have let go of that obsession of yours. congratulations.>
the voice didn’t have to spell it out for you. you knew that this means that your borrowed time in the human world was finally coming to an end. you admit, you do feel satisfied now knowing that your broken promise from your last life of marrying zhongli was finally fulfilled. though it didn’t help soothe the ache that came with knowing you had to leave much.
you and zhongli pulled away from each other and you left your body growing lighter each minute that passes as you turn to face your audience—your friends. you smile at them and walk down the aisle with zhongli as you both thank them for joining the event. though as the reception starts, you pull zhongli aside as you smile at him once again, this time not as worry-free.
“what’s wrong?” his face expressing a curious worry, though it doesn’t override the joy he felt from finally being your husband.
you bring up your hands to cup his face as you try to engrave his features into your soul so that you can recognize him when you officially reincarnate. it was then that zhongli finally noticed you blending into the dark night and his eyes filled with a type of sad understanding.
“you…you’re leaving. is that right?”
you nod softly. “it’s okay. i’m happy that at least i was able to be wed to you once. that’s honestly more than i could ask for,” you laugh gently, “i thought that i would’ve had to leave after seeing you move on. but zhongli, i truly do wish that maybe, with time, you can find another that treasures you as much as i do. although it isn’t ideal for me that you’ve found someone else, i don’t wish for you to spend eternity alone. i…i don’t know how long it’ll take for me to reincarnate or if i will for that matter. so,” you caress his face as he leans into your palm, “please don’t spend too long trying to wait for me. if an opportunity for your happiness presents itself before that, i hope you can take it without feeling burdened.”
zhongli chuckles bitterly, “you’re asking something impossible of me. i don’t believe there is anyone other than you that will be able to make me happy.”
“you never know.”
“i do know,” he insists, closing his eyes as he holds the hand you had on his face with his own, “perhaps i will just spend the rest of my life anticipating your return.”
you shake your head with a small smile, not knowing how to deal with his stubbornness in things he’s set his mind on. though both of you knew that your silence meant you had accepted zhongli’s way of handling this.
your body dissipates to almost nothing, though it seems that the powers above have granted you just enough time to finish your farewell with your new husband.
“i don’t mind if it takes eternity for it to happen, but please return to my side one day.” he pauses for a short moment before speaking softly, “i’m sure that we’ll get our happy ending.”
he looks into your eyes as he sees through the borrowed appearance you wore; he sees through all the disguise that they tried to cover you with and he sees the true you. he smiles with eyes that treat you as the most beautiful thing he’s ever laid his eyes on. it was the last thing that you saw before being blown away with the wind.
zhongli’s eyes linger in the direction that you disappeared in as his eyes turn watery at the realization that he lost you once again. he can only wish that you heard his last few words.
“i’ll be waiting.”
do not copy or repost my works. likes, reblogs, and comments are appreciated.
SOME genshin characters and how I THINK they eat in a buffet.
the weirdly elegant ones: they eat like it's a full course meal. minimal amounts of food in their plate, trying everything by bits before getting what they really like.
zhongli, diluc, baizhu, neuvillette, raiden + your faves
the carbs lover: somehow i think these people can eat 12 cups of rice in one sitting if they're really hungry. so it's no surprise that they eat a lot in buffet, you almost feel full just seeing them eating heaping amount of carbs and protein. though, they're the best companion in making the money well-spent.
kaeya, itto, childe, ayato + your faves
dessert first, meal later: if they think they're gonna get away from the weird stares in this habit. no. they don't even escape your weird and confused looks. they either eat the dessert as the basis to see if the buffet is going to be good, or they're just that keen on loving sweet things.
I don't think Zhongli needs to sleep much, if at all really, but I do think once he gets into a serious relationship with you, he ends up adopting your usual bedtime (or enforcing an earlier one if you're the type to stay up late with the justification that you do need adequate rest). Even so, while you sleep peacefully, he spends most of the night awake, savouring the sensation of you being curled into his chest, the way he can feel the faint but steady beat of your heart from where you're pressed against him. Over the many, many years he's lived, he's found a number of ways to pass the time while the world around him slumbers, but this, lying together in the dark with you, might be his favourite.
nah but why did my brain automatically went to the angst route on how zhongli would still include ❛sleeping❜ in his routine just so to remember the way his lover does it when they inevitably die. there he was, laying beside all the comfort pillows one could get, yet it doesn't feel the same. he doesn't have someone to adore throughout the night. instead of finding the blessing in not needing sleep (just to admire his lover), he slowly starts to feel as if it was cursing him again.
in which, Zhongli takes care of you when sudden pains go through your body. yet when you keep being careless and neglect your health, he may or may not run out of patience. who knows how extreme he'll get just so you remember?
tags: fluff, short fic, zhongli being a lovely menace, health, nursing back to health, married relationship, sick!reader (not rlly), lowercase
; this is an idea inspired by my own pains :'). take care of your health, everyone!!
you should've known that your working habits will come to bite you back one day. sitting on a stiff chair for hours, unsupported back hunched unless you crack it back to stretch, your water intake barely existing, and the unhealthy habits of your meal times. all of which took a toll on your mortal body.
only when you start to get sick does it dawn on you how weak your immune system is.
of course, your complexion was something that bothered Zhongli. you were quite pale. in fact, when he was still courting you- he was already a worrywart about your health. if his work permitted him a freetime, he will absolutely take the chance to nurse you.
now your husband, his worry became tenfold. back when he was still single, Zhongli barely uses his paid vacation from work. but due to your carelessness, he began to use them frequently.
❛love, haven't I told you to stretch at least twice a day?❜ he mutters one evening, setting a cup of tea infront of you.
❛I knooowww.❜ you drag off, feeling your whole back ache as you sat idly on a chair. you heard your lover sigh in disappointment, yet you felt his presence coming up from behind— gentle hands gliding from your shoudler blades as he massages them.
❛but I just needed to finish some paperwork. I was so into it, too!❜
❛darling,❜ he calls out softly, ❛those are just some things that can be extended over a period of time. your health is more important than—❜
❛I know, Zhongli. I'm really sorry.❜ you mutter, feeling your muscles loosen as you slowly relax under his hold. you already know his sermon spiels that's about to come out of his mouth. you didn't mean to cut him off, but you've been so tired today. a lecture from your husband isn't really what you need right now.
unbeknownst to you, he was beginning to lose patience. something that never happened before. he was an old god after all, experiences shaped him to be patient and wise. a truly benevolent god befitting for Liyue.
yet when he hears that tone for the nth time. his patience can just snap. not at you but for you. here he was, your husband fretting over your mortal body. you can just disappear from his grasp at anytime. and no matter how much he tries to deny his worry, he does feel scared of losing you.
though here you are, not a shred of care for your own health.
Zhongli knew that falling in love with you will result in a bittersweet relationship. cut short by time taking away the liveliness of your soul. so when he keeps hearing the same apologies over and over with no absolute change done by yourself alone. Zhongli guesses it's time to do things as your husband. he vowed to take care of you after all.
he will help you. even if you do not want to.
❛w- wait! Zhongli, that hurts!❜
❛hm?❜ snapping out of his stupor, he felt you move away from his hands as you whined audibly. your hands weakly attempting to massage your sore back. he had realized that he may have accidentally pressed too hard on the sore spots.
oops.
...but well, you do need absolute help, right?
❛oh darling,❜ Zhongli tugs you back on the chair, a sweet smile adorning his face.
oddly enough, you felt a cloud of doom looming over your head by his expression.
❛I did a research yesterday on how to sooth away your stiff shoulders. it has to be like that.❜
❛what?!❜ you basically screeched, forcing your body to scoot away from the devil, ❛you just made that up!❜
❛the books do not lie, darling. now come here, so that I may nurse you back to health.❜
❛w- wait Zhongli, i'm really sorry—!❜
suffice to say, from that day onwards you learn to never piss off Zhongli (even if he doesn't say it out loud). much less the ex-archon of your nation.
forgetting to drink water? now you drink at least 2 Liters a day from the large water bottle your husband had kindly gifted you.
hunched back? don't worry, he had made you a schedule (merging with your work time) to stretch your body every 30 mins. if it truly does hurt to do it by yourself, he'll personally come and help you when he gets home. he recommends not to skip it, even when you're engrossed with your work lest you meet his wrath.
you know that he won't harm you. he loves his spouse too much to do that. however, he won't let you be without consequences and long hours of lecture if you disobey him.
eating times? expect a temporary house husband Zhongli to come to the rescue! prep meals are already by the dining table, all you need to do is heat them up.
❛Zhongli?❜
❛hm? what is it, dear?❜
❛.....thank you.❜
no matter how much jarring it is for the sudden change of schedule. you truly are grateful for such a doting husband. from then on, you try to be meticulous on your health, just so you wouldn't see the pout on his lips or the furrow on his brow worrying about you— even if it meant enduring to the cruel process of pain. (it's just a massage, you're being dramatic.)
As we all know that Zhongli would sacrifice his love for the sake of his nation NOW what if he kills his lover(also a god btw 🙂↕️) but the lover survives and gets nerfed. Basically becomes a mere immortal with horrific memories of getting stabbed by Zhongli (I'd let him hit tbh 🤷♀️)
PLEASE IM DYING FOR THE ANGST OR ANGST/COMFORT 😭😭.
If any writer gets inspired by this corny ahh idea PLEADE OLEADE PLEASE PELASE TAG ME ok ty 💋
tho tbh angst with zhongli is best served with no comfort mwhahahahahaha
just imagining his pain of being torn between two worlds, choosing the thousands rather than that single one— his lover who he could've chosen instead because that's his life right there, his eternity and home and all the things he wanted in life. thinking abt how we (reader) will cope abt it. like the aftermath could be so many things— just thinking abt it makes it hard to fall asleep.
also, tysm for serving such a wonderful (and angsty) idea! will def think abt this scenario FOR DAYS.
As we all know that Zhongli would sacrifice his love for the sake of his nation NOW what if he kills his lover(also a god btw 🙂↕️) but the lover survives and gets nerfed. Basically becomes a mere immortal with horrific memories of getting stabbed by Zhongli (I'd let him hit tbh 🤷♀️)
PLEASE IM DYING FOR THE ANGST OR ANGST/COMFORT 😭😭.
If any writer gets inspired by this corny ahh idea PLEADE OLEADE PLEASE PELASE TAG ME ok ty 💋
tho tbh angst with zhongli is best served with no comfort mwhahahahahaha
just imagining his pain of being torn between two worlds, choosing the thousands rather than that single one— his lover who he could've chosen instead because that's his life right there, his eternity and home and all the things he wanted in life. thinking abt how we (reader) will cope abt it. like the aftermath could be so many things— just thinking abt it makes it hard to fall asleep.
also, tysm for serving such a wonderful (and angsty) idea! will def think abt this scenario FOR DAYS.
loving a fictional character can make you feel emotions all at once. like how loving a real person would.
you love that character so much that theoretically you'll do anything for them. loving them to the point where it hurts. it hurts when they're hurt, when their backstory makes you want to bonk the author, yet at the same time you're (somewhat) grateful 'cause it made them who they were today.
it's confusing and embarrassing, when you make yourself hurt for no reason, scenarios going on your head with what ifs on that certain character. if they died or not, if they did die- will they find happiness in another life amidst the cruel world?
they make me feel like i can overcome the world. my safety net even at times where my focus is elsewhere and not them at the moment. cuz i just know that at the end of the day, they'll still be there for me.
idk, but with how wild the scenarios i make in my head- there are days i cry myself to sleep cuz of that character.
yk what- Charles (At Angel's Share, Mondstadt) has the same VA as Zhongli, right? and.. Charles is included at the event... that hums the song.. for you to play using the instrument...
.
i swear i did not close my eyes just to hear him hum. uhuh, course not. definitely did not imagine zhongli doing that. OF COURSE NOT-
of course I continue to upgrade an artifact that keeps upgrading the HP substat hoping that it'll go to the surrounding good substats in the next upgrade.
this is a corner where you can rant about how primosaving is difficult and how it shouldn't be difficult cuz we dserve all these lovely characters /hj
LIKEEEEE if zhongli [ / favorite character ] didn't exist i swear my primos will be zero 🧍🏼♀️ the moment the number hits 160 im pressing the damn button.
he's literally my gambling addiciton blocker.
😔🤚
i did a pity building party a few weeks ago cuz i thought it'd be fun.....
I learned my lesson by experience and I'm never doing it again.
anyway, this is also a reminder to save for Zhongli [Or for your favorite character in general]!! as much as possible I try not to be tempted on pulling esp since i'm still building my team.
the only advice I could give is that, if you want to get a new character.. do u have extra wishes for their signature weapon? cuz yk.... the aesthetic and matching color... would be... nice... right..?
>:))
(yes i tell this advice to myself and its basically guilt-tripping me on not wishing BUT IF IT WORKS IT WORKS.)
Op I read your old post about "the blind dragon who wants to see the sun" and I realized wait Zhongli is most symbolized by the sun
zhongli has soooo much sun symbolism here is a list
gold everywhere, lots of yellow and light in his color pallet, his eyes are described as golden or amber, the golden glow of his hands, the yellow in his suits or archon outfits, it is his signature color.
in his splash art his meteorite looks distinctly like the sun (and his character demo is full of sun symbolism)
In depictions of Rex Lapis he is always symbolizes the sun
Zhongli's namecard: stars falls light fades
His burst/ultimate is translated to "Planet Befall" in english but in chinese it is "Heavenly Star"
During the elynas/melusine quest in fontaine one them says "gold are the tears of the sun" when you gift them cor lapis. Plus they say cor lapis is warm to the touch "truly as gentle as the sun itself"
Deus Audi which translates to “god of gold” is one of rex lapis' titles
Mora (which is often referred to synonymously with gold) is minted from zhongli’s own flesh and blood
As you mentioned Azhdaha was a blind dragon who yearned to see the sun. As zhongli was the one who granted him eyes meaning he was the first person azhdaha saw, zhongli is in part the "sun" he yearned to see
In Zhongli's TCG card the story says "a hidden gemstone can illuminate the whole earth, bright and unrivaled as a star"
One of the distinct features of the adepti is the "illumination" that Rex Lapis granted them that gave them the ability to create subspaces. (what does the sun do? illuminate)
In Azhdaha's story he recites a poem to Jiu (his eroded self) "A star appears within the wild a sun ascends as bright as jade" Other than gold Zhongli's signature item is jade! Fun fact the weapons of the primordial jade series were mostly created by him.
In the description of the Geo Hypostasis it states maybe the reason it creates pillar out of its shell is not to combat enemies but to get closer to the sky
In one of albedo's voicelines he says "without human manipulation you would need to harness the power of a sun eight times the size of our own in order to naturally create gold?"
Interestingly the solar chariot crashed forming the chasm about 6000 years ago, coincidentally rex lapis descended upon the region of Liyue at the same time.
Lastly, while Zhongli symbolizes the sun a lot of the people around him symbolize the moon (Guizhong's dark blue and white color pallette with stars in her sleeves or Azhdaha is drawn against the moon, Ganyu and Xiao both symbolize the moon, the 'yue' in Liyue means moon, mostly all the other archons like Venti, Nahida, Ei especially feature lots of moon symbolism). So not only is he very "sun-like" but the people around him are very "moon-like"
❛❛Oh Mora.. Mora..❜❜ @bambooshuohuop - Tumblr Blog | Tumgag
