Iâve been hoarding these for the better part of the last 12 months. a lovely dynamic, though I do wish works focused more on the violent parts of Childe and less on how much of a loser he is. and also unlocking some more ferality in zhongli. please peel back their layers of civility and reveal the rawness within.Â
1) sunshine riptide by rire. 23k, 4/4. the opening of this fic really set the scene. by that, I mean a persistent sad face while reading that got deeper and deeper as I reached the end. I also love the title.Â
2) night time; tea leaves; good company by dirtmemer. 5.7k, 1/1. this reads like a ship classic. Iâm so happy with the way Childe is written. If only it was more violent.Â
3) if i choose not to see it, it does not exist by inareese. 4.9k, 1/1. suuuper popular fic, and for good reason.Â
4) forfend by en passant. 21k, 3/3. amazing. additional tags: gore, body horror, intrusive thoughts. itâs right up my alley.Â
5) somewhere holy by apricotlipped. 3.4k, 1/1. a stunning little thing. bit of a character study on both of them.
âthe Bgtea interlude- theyâre a super popular author and a very prolific writer, deservedly so. I donât usually read incomplete fics, but I follow (6) Entirely Out of Spite religiously and I am confident that it will be completed. Â
7) The Autumn Winds Are Sighing by Bgtea. 138k, 21/21. The highest hitter of this ship; a cemented classic. Well done.Â
8) Pulcinellaâs Guide to PR and Marketing Strategies- Idol Edition by Bgtea. 20k, 3/3. for some reason this is not as popular as the aforementioned, but it should be. I laughed out loud multiple times. a delight to read.Â
9) Of Gold by IlluminanceinTales. 18k, 2/2. a zhongli-centered fic focused on loss and grief. This work really resonated with me. If there was one thing that I dislike, it is that the ending (the second half, really) felt rushed. I just wanted to read more but I understand how hard this fic must have been to write.Â
10) grounding by en passant. 12k, 4/4. Childe centric/charcter study. nicely gruesome.Â
11) aim for the heart by wolframvonbielefeld. 3.5k, 1/1. I love this idea. Childe centric.
12) bond default by yenkieu. 13k, 1/1. also reads like a ship classic. this is when I realize exactly how much I like reading fics with similar-ish happenings, or at least very similar themes.Â
13) one lantern, two prayers by wolframvonbielefeld. 4.5k, 1/1. lantern rite date and then some. a case study in how to choose which excerpt to use in the summary. it certainly drew me in. what an amazing excerpt.Â
14) slow embers by lady_peony. 13k, 5/5. THE food date fic. this tag sums it well:Â âin liyue we donât apologize we just vibe.â
15) yanluo wang by tzitzimeme. 5.2k, 1/1. I usually donât leave a note when I bookmark something on ao3 because I remember what happens. except for this fic. a lot of âoh my godâs and some tear stains on my iPad for this one.Â
16) along the wild geese, my heart flies by lady_peony. 5.8k, 1/1. this author knows how to write good fic.Â
17) my faceless self, alone by recursion. 7k, 1/1. zhongli centric fic. comes with all the pain and anguish with it being so.Â
18) farewell, my archaic lord by growingclouds. 11k, 4/4. I swear I thought this fic was completed waay later than feb 2022. I guess I just think of it that often. Chinese opera and zhongli/childe!!! yunjin!! an amazing work all-round.Â
19) sir knight, please get out of my tree by oronine. 9k words, 1/1. a nice and light historical au. female zhongli.Â
20) sometimes itâs impossible by crossbelladonna. 4.7k, 1/1. cute.Â
21) the consultantâs kidnapping by glassdrachma. 19k, 14/14. crack treated seriously. I love this. super funny.Â