I’ve 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.
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.
2) night time; tea leaves; good company by dirtmemer. 5.7k, 1/1. this reads like a ship classic. I’m so happy with the way Childe is written. If only it was more violent.
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.
4) forfend by en passant. 21k, 3/3. amazing. additional tags: gore, body horror, intrusive thoughts. it’s right up my alley.
5) somewhere holy by apricotlipped. 3.4k, 1/1. a stunning little thing. bit of a character study on both of them.
–the Bgtea interlude- they’re a super popular author and a very prolific writer, deservedly so. I don’t usually read incomplete fics, but I follow (6) Entirely Out of Spite religiously and I am confident that it will be completed.
7) The Autumn Winds Are Sighing by Bgtea. 138k, 21/21. The highest hitter of this ship; a cemented classic. Well done.
8) Pulcinella’s 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.
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.
10) grounding by en passant. 12k, 4/4. Childe centric/charcter study. nicely gruesome.
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.
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.
14) slow embers by lady_peony. 13k, 5/5. THE food date fic. this tag sums it well: ‘in liyue we don’t apologize we just vibe.’
15) yanluo wang by tzitzimeme. 5.2k, 1/1. I usually don’t leave a note when I bookmark something on ao3 because I remember what happens. except for this fic. a lot of ‘oh my god’s and some tear stains on my iPad for this one.
16) along the wild geese, my heart flies by lady_peony. 5.8k, 1/1. this author knows how to write good fic.
17) my faceless self, alone by recursion. 7k, 1/1. zhongli centric fic. comes with all the pain and anguish with it being so.
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.
19) sir knight, please get out of my tree by oronine. 9k words, 1/1. a nice and light historical au. female zhongli.
20) sometimes it’s impossible by crossbelladonna. 4.7k, 1/1. cute.
21) the consultant’s kidnapping by glassdrachma. 19k, 14/14. crack treated seriously. I love this. super funny.
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