#raiden ei x reader

[okekru]

for the plot i need to write about arranged marriages dick and balls etc but i really can't write about a man having sex with someone so maybe i should just skip directly to the raiden ei x reader lesbian sex part... oh decisions decisions

[sxom1n]

Help I am trying to find this fanfic I read a long time ago. It was a genshin impact fic about ei, yae miko and kojou sara and they work in the office it was a modern au and reader was sara coworker and it was smut. It was the readers birthday and the whole team decided to go to the bar to celebrate and the reader was late and thought she missed the celebration but instead they surprise Her and long story short everyone got drunk and ei, yae miko, sara and y/n slept together.

[loveliyuelesbians]

Raiden Ei x Reader

Stealing her hoodie!

Last one I had prepared, just didn't find the time to post it, somehow. Anyway —

Setting: Modern AU, you're roommates with Ei and Makoto. You started dating Ei a little while ago.

Fluff, GN!Reader; more under the cut.

She's pouting.

You'd fallen asleep between the different times it takes for you and the twins to come home; the two had a later class than you. The sight of you asleep on the sofa, curled up and snoozing away like a little kitten, is absolutely adorable and she'll remember it for all Eternity. But, she's pouting anyway.

Not because you'd fallen asleep (without her, as well; she likes her cuddles), and not because you'd taken her hoodie without asking. After all, you often exchange items of clothing and Ei is more than guilty of stealing your hoodies, shirts and sometimes your pyjama pants. No, the problem is..

Ei is wearing her hoodie.

She's wearing her hoodie, with the words "Yae's Publishing House" on the back in Miko's fancy handwriting. In all fairness, it's identical to the one you're wrapped up in, down to the last detail — except for the names embroidered beneath the little pink fox on the front.

And to make things worse; while she's pouting, Makoto starts laughing. Whether it's some twin thing, or because she knows her sister so well, Makoto immediately catches on to the cause of her sudden moodiness and has the audacity to be amused by it. It only makes her pout more. The sound of Makoto's giggling wakes you.

"Hmm.. what's happening?"

You sleepily rub your eyes and fail to notice Ei's expression. You blink to get the drowsy fog out of your brain, staring at your girlfriend. Wait.

You look down at your clothes. Then back up at her. The gears in your mind are grinding like an old locomotive, slowly building up to form coherent thought and then it hits you. "Oh, shit —"

Quickly, you scramble to take the hoodie off — a rush of cold greets your exposed belly in the progress — and with flustered cheeks, you hold out the hoodie to Makoto. "Sorry! I thought it was Ei's."

She chuckles fondly. "Oh, it's alright! I don't mind — although," she pauses and looks at Ei with a knowing little grin, "I think someone else does.."

"No, I don't," Ei says immediately, even though her actions prove otherwise. With her arms crossed, she looks away and chews on the inside of her cheek in an attempt to stop expressing herself so openly. You step to her; bring your hands up to lovingly cup her face in your palms.

Then, you pinch her cheeks.

"Eiii~, don't be jealous!"

Your teasing does absolutely nothing to erase the pout on her lips — though Makoto starts laughing even more at your antics — and Ei quickly grabs your wrists to save her reddening cheeks.

"I'm not —"

You interrupt her with a quick kiss, and she actually squeaks, continuing to turn darker shades of red when you don't relent and press even more smooches onto her face. There's no escape for her, especially when you wrap your arms around her waist. For a mercy, Makoto slips into her room whilst shaking her head. Eventually, you step back and admire your handiwork with a big grin. Ei actually glares at you, like a little purple-eyed tomato.

"You —"

One more light kiss to the tip of her nose. She sighs, and fixes your shirt — pulling the bottom back down over your waist, if only to give her an excuse to return the embrace and hide her burning face into your shoulder. You chuckle, running a hand over her soft, braided hair.

"Do you forgive me, Ei?"

Her response is mumbled into your shirt.

[angeliteeyes]

Do you have any modern au ideas for other characters? Ones I’d specifically be interested in are Eula and Ganyu. Or maybe Ei and Yae? Or whoever you like honestly your writing is great

Aww thank you so much!!! :o I have thought a fair deal about modern versions of the last three, but nothing about Eula—until now! So thank you for the lovely idea mwa mwa mwa

Modern Genshin Girlies x Reader - feat. Eula, Ganyu, Ei, and Yae Miko

- Eula -

Since her backstory involving her clan is a little impossible to translate directly to a modern AU, seeing as having a marred family history in that kinda way is so commonplace, I'm going to switch it to something that still (hopefully) gets the heart of it across—a relative that's an across-the-board hated politician. And, of course, they share the same, incredibly rare last name, so everyone clocks that they are related and shits on her for it so bad. She can't even try to make friends because the second she talks to someone, people are already whipping out their phones and gossiping with one another, blasting her every move.

Naturally, this messes her up a lot. She feels the need to be the definition of perfection and elegance every waking second, because everyone's watching all. The. Time. She can't eat messily without eyes on her. She can't trip without phones clicking and posting it on social media at every possible angle. Eula literally cannot be a human being without being publicly mocked for it and it's eating her alive from the inside out.

So, like any other social outcast in the modern age, she turns to video games. Of course. The exact genre doesn't matter too much to her, although she does heavily enjoy both the action side of things as well as romantic visual novels. It's just about the humanity of it all. Sure, she isn't delusional; she knows full well that the companions on the other side of the screen are either not real or—in the case of co-op content—people who'd turn on her in a heartbeat if they knew the truth, but even then... This is all that she's got. Nobody knows the sins passed onto her like shitty hand-me-downs here, and if things go as planned, they never will.

This heavy dependency on non-fiction media for socializing is also the origin of her... unique way of talking. Chuuni Eula superiority!

Cut to one of her many game night seshes going ham on some open world RPG she's particularly fond of. Most days, she doesn't even touch the co-op option, but now that a limited-time event is going on? You better believe she's teaming up with people left and right just to try and get all the various free goodies day one. This is where you come in. See, not many people are willing to stay teamed up with her for long (even with the anonymity) because she's so goddamn weird. So weird. When she meets you, though, she finds you're not like that at all. You always give her the time of day, even long after the event is over. Heck, you even like to play along with her roleplay shenanigans from time to time!

You're special to her. So, so special. And that's why she tries so hard to doll herself up with silly nerdspeak, why she's constantly throwing in emoticons and throwing out punctuation that she worries might make you misconstrue her as genuinely angry when she's not. Now that she's gotten used to you being there when she logs in every day, she can't go back to the way things were before. She just can't.

Except, you're way friendlier than even she gave you credit for. When she goes to log in the next day, her heart starts racing like a startled horse at the sight of something peculiar—another username, but instead of it being your in-game alias, it's the one you use for Discord. You want to call her. Of course, that should be an absolute no-go (what if you somehow recognize her voice), but... if she refuses, will you stop talking to her?

A friend request comes in on your end. You accept it right away.

She keeps herself muted the first time you two wind up in a call together, claiming to still be recovering from some generic illness. Thankfully, you accept the excuse without a second thought and are perfectly fine with chattering away while she stays on mute and just listens. God do you sound so nice. When's the last time she's had someone be this accepting of her, other than customer service workers who didn't hear her full name to know any better? It's terrifying, honestly, but it feels amazing. Euphoric, even.

As the days pass by, her excuse grows stale. You start moving past generic wishing her wells and into deeper levels of concern over her health, and she just can't bring herself to keep worrying you like this. And so, the next time that good old call-starting melody rings out, it's without the shield of the mute icon protecting her.

Thank God you don't clock who she is right away like she feared. Instead, she hears an adorably elated gasp from the other end of the screen as you overflow with gratefulness that she's finally recovered. She even hears you say that you wouldn't have ever been able to guess she'd been so sick, not with how pretty and smooth her voice sounds. It's a good thing you're not here to see how red her face got from that one.

Over the next few months, the relationship slowly blossoms. You two have gotten so accustomed to each other's presence by this point that y'all talk about literally everything. From what you had for breakfast to the nights where neither of you can seem to rest, you're practically glued to one another every hour of every day.

Maybe that's why she slipped up. She grew comfortable with you—too comfortable. And now she's paying the price.

It was supposed to be just another innocent picture of her meal, the same way all the others you've mutually shared in the past have been. The way you responded so casually to her almost allows her to believe that's all it was and carry on with her day as if nothing happened. But she sees it. Her full name in frame, clear as day. God, why did she have to be so careless? All these moments of bliss, the ingraining of one another into your daily routines so intensely that you talked more than most married couples, and she doxxes herself. Over a photo of pizza of all things.

Still... you don't seem to be treating her any differently. It's not because you didn't see it—she knows you had to have seen it—so is it that you actually accept her for who she is? Even the thought alone sounds so ludicrous that she nearly denies the possibility altogether. But... why else would you still act so friendly to her? She knows you well enough to read your signs of discomfort at this point, and she can confidently say that there are none.

A week later, she gets an answer.

Like any other day, you two are busy yammering away in a call with each other. It's been so long that she even starts letting her guard down, feeling almost like everything's the same as before, when—

"There's something I've been wanting to talk about..."

And here it is. The moment you inevitably reject her for good and leave her to rot as an antisocial corpse all alone in her gaming chair, no one left to yap or laugh or cry with but herself. She tenses up, bracing for impact.

"This is going to sound creepy, I know, but I accidentally saw your name in one of the photos you sent a bit ago and I'm pretty sure we live in the same area. If I'm right, then would you maybe want to meet up sometime? I live over by..."

She swears her heart stopped beating for a second. You want to actually meet her??? You're willing to be seen with her in public??? What??? It takes her forever to collect herself enough to respond, but when she does, a faint sniffle carries over through her mic.

"I would love to."

- Ganyu -

Ganyu's one I could see going quite a few ways depending on the exact type of job position she ends up with. While I do love imagining her in a secretary role and wearing one of those really pretty black and white office outfits, I also find the idea of her working at a nonprofit that's centered around helping those in need really endearing. She's totally the kind of sweetheart who would be willing to overwork herself for a low-paying job, all with a smile on her face from knowing that she's giving back to her community.

The unfortunate thing is that, in reality, people like her aren't treated fairly. Not even remotely. Cruel individuals see people like her and use them, overwork them, and all while talking down to them as if they aren't the ones actually carrying the organization singlehandedly on their back. It's horrible, so much so that it nearly crushes her ideology of being willing to give her best for the sake of those less fortunate altogether—except it doesn't. Yes, largely due to her own strength and ability to persevere in hard times, but also because of you.

You're one of the few coworkers that both pays attention to her and actually does so with her well-being in mind. It may be true that you can't save her from the higher-ups' nagging and berating, but hey, you can still be there for her when she hides in the break room to cry over it afterwards. It's honestly her lifeline. After all, the entire reason she's suffering like this is to try and help goodhearted people like you; bad actors like her boss, then, shouldn't dissuade her from such selfless acts.

Except... she's breaking.

You watch it happen in real time. The way the bags under her eyes keep sinking further and further down into her skin. The way that she's always got a coffee cup pressed to her lip between tasks and, on the rare day that there is none, her body wobbles back and forth uncertainly, as if on the brink of losing consciousness altogether.

You try your best to intervene—encouraging her to take all of her breaks, even once suggesting that maybe this place isn't worth her time and how you're sure she could land a job elsewhere if she really wanted to. But she doesn't listen. Every single time, without fail, she looks up at you with that fragile, warm smile of hers and tells you that it's okay. She just hasn't been sleeping well and, once the weekend rolls around for her to catch up, she'll return good as new. She never does.

Of course, there's only so much of abusing her body and mind that she can take, and she finds that out the hard way. Literally, because she straight up collapses onto the floor in the middle of a meeting. When she wakes up, she finds her head snuggled right in your lap. The stare you're giving her alone is more than enough for her to know what's coming next.

"Ganyu, you can't keep doing this to yourself."

She knows. She knows. But her lips move on their own to retort you anyway—half out of habit, half pure fear.

"But what about our clients? They need our help. I can't just abandon them."

"And what about you? Even if you want to, you can't afford to keep sacrificing yourself for the sake of others. The only way that you can help others is by taking care of yourself first and foremost."

God she knows, she knows. She always has deep down. How could she accept that, though, when everyone else around her has wanted the exact opposite her entire life? It was always about them and what they need and what she was supposed to do for them. Even when others have said kind things like to take care of herself, they've never really meant it. They just wanted her pain to be less obvious; that way, they wouldn't have to feel guilty about leeching off of her.

And even if you do really mean it, since knowing you, you might... that's almost worse, because the thought alone makes her want to cling onto you. And yet, listening to your advice would mean leaving you behind. How cruel fate is. She forces a smile.

"It's okay. Really. I'm feeling better already thanks to you being here, so you don't have to worry about me."

You take a few seconds to reply, but when you do, her heart stops.

"About that... I actually just gave my two week's notice earlier. You should, too."

"Huh?" The sound leaves her lips like the wheeze after a punch right to the gut. Her stomach even aches the same. She'd been so caught up in her own troubles, her own inability to keep up with the soul-crushing tempo this job demands out of her, that she hadn't even considered the possibility that you wouldn't be able to handle it either. That you would choose to take care of yourself and leave this toxic environment.

She's so, so selfish. Why else does she start crying at the thought of you leaving her behind, despite knowing that this is what's best for you?

In the end, she submits her resignation letter.

As she clocks out and leaves the building, she finds herself staring emptily into the sky. Logically, she knows she should feel relieved at the weight being lifted off her shoulders, but she doesn't. She just feels... lost. That is, until you call out to her and break her out of her daze with that dazzling smile of yours she's going to miss so very much.

"You did the right thing."

"I... I'm not sure about that, but thank you." Her lips curl to match yours.

"You did. I promise. Oh, and by the way, I wanted to give you something." You pull out a folded notepad from your pocket and slot it into her hand. "There's my number. Message me whenever you're free so we can set up a time and place to hang out, okay? Only if you want to, of course—"

"I do!"

She blushes. Oh, why does she have to be so awkward? Thankfully, you don't seem to mind too much.

"Good. Then I'll see you soon."

When she finally returns to her humble apartment, she all but collapses onto the floor once again—only this time with her consciousness hopelessly intact. In retrospect, all of her angsting over how either of you quitting would mean never seeing each other again felt so silly. You really did like her, after all, and not just her work ethic.

Which is perfect, because she likes you just as much—no, even more.

- Ei -

Maladaptive daydreamer Ei my beloved... I must use this opportunity so graciously bestowed upon me to resurrect you. Also sorry this part be so angsty/borderline horror qwq I can never help myself with Ei content (T^T)

Your story first starts when you were all children—you, Ei, and Makoto. The three of you held a bond so tight and eternal that, if it weren't for the twins' distinctive hair, you could easily be confused as all part of one giant triplet trio; even with that identifying detail, though, you still often got lumped in with them purely out of how blatant your attachments to each other were to everyone around you.

You all loved talking about the future together. Dreams about what each of you would become. Makoto first wanted to be a superhero, but quickly switched gears once she asked her parents too many questions and figured out the unviability of that path. After that, she decided that a politician role would work just fine. Ei decided to become her future bodyguard, to no one's surprise; even with her tiny frame, she'd always been the sort to pounce into action the moment a whiff of danger hit her nostrils.

Perhaps that's why she never managed to recover from the accident. The one time she lunged to her sister's defense too late to do anything but watch in high definition as her other half turned into nothing more than a husk of a human being.

You wanted with all of your heart to help, to do something—anything—to drag Ei outside of the shell she sunk herself into after that fateful day. But what were you to do? You were just a kid. You all were. And so, when your parents cautiously sat you down at the dinner table some weeks later and broke the news that you all were leaving this cursed town of yours to start life anew, all you could do was nod and silently accept it. Accept that you, too, were now abandoning her during the time she needs you most.

She, on the other hand, didn't react at all.

There wasn't much she did after that day, honestly, despite her parents' great efforts to coax her into some semblance of a normal life. She would just... sit there. Her eyes would flicker from side to side occasionally, but even then, she was never looking at them, or anything that existed in reality for that matter. That blurry, unfocused gaze of hers was always set on some other dimension nobody else was privy to, a place and time where everything was different. Okay. Maybe even happy, if the occasional curvatures of her lips were anything to go off of. The one thing it never managed to be was real. Never that.

Her parents hoped that age and enough rounds of therapy would change things somehow. They thought that, perhaps, time would be enough to heal that gaping wound of hers. The opposite happened. The more and more years that went by, the harder it hit her that you both were gone. Knowing how she couldn't save her sister already ate away at her like ever-growing infected flesh, but once she truly processed that you were gone? It obliterated her. How was she supposed to smile and go to school and pretend like everything was okay when you weren't there? What if you got hurt? What if you were already hurt? What if you—

Stop. She had to stop thinking. And so, she did.

Giggling enters her ears. She aims her gaze downwards at the floor, littered with toys and trinkets and two children. You and Makoto are huddling over some picture book you've been obsessed with lately—something about nature? You turn the page with a smile.

"That's a monarch! Isn't it pretty?"

Makoto gasps with childlike wonder at the sight, but Ei's too far to see it. She's always too far to see it. Before she can make her way over and grasp at the page herself, it's already gone. Changed into something different, redder, splotchier.

"And this is a cr■■■n ■■■■■..."

Why are her ears ringing? Why can't she make out the words you're saying? Please, she wants to hear them again so bad, please ■■■■■, please say it again. She can't hear you. She can't hear you.

The butterflies soar off the pages and onto her throat. Into her throat. She's drowning in them and their wings are splattering their red liquid all over her and she knows the stains won't come out because she's tried already and she knows that no amount of water will make her clean.

No amount of water will make her clean.

No amount of water will make her clean.

No amount of water will make her clean.

No amount of time will make her clean.

No amount of repetitions will make her clean.

No amount of water will make her clean.

No amount of waiting will make her clean.

No amount of praying will make her clean.

No amount of saving her will make it past this dream.

No amount of saving you will make you come back.

She's alone.

Giggling enters her ears.

She lifts her gaze up towards the butterfly that's made its way onto her wrist. It doesn't hurt this time. It's not red. It's not even a butterfly.

It's you.

It's... you?

But you don't look anything like the child sitting on the floor, flipping pages of a book that gets blurrier by the day. No, the person she sees in front of her is from another dream entirely—yours. She sees you in that work uniform you always mention whenever the topic of the future comes up, all grown and mature and nothing like the child you actually are. You give her a strange smile she's never seen you wear before.

"I'm back, Ei."

She doesn't know whether to believe you or not.

- Yae Miko -

Okay, I love love love making modern Yae a certified mean girl. Buuuuut since I've posted a little about that version of her, I wanna talk first about the exact opposite—nerdy Yae Miko!!!!!

I've never really explored all that much on this blog who Yae was before the character growth off-screen that made her the mature, conniving woman she is, but just know I've thought about her. A lot. Which is good because, in a modern AU, that younger version of her translates really well into the stereotypical geeky high schooler who hasn't quite figured out how to get their acne under control. Or how to eat without a bunch of food bits getting stuck in her braces. Or anything, really. She's a mess, but a super cute one!

Of course, the fact that she's also a total bookworm doesn't help her case. It's not that she's introverted like many with similar interests are—the opposite, actually—but she loves a good story to help pass the time. School's just far too boring, don't you think? Fantasy novels, on the other hand...

So, it's only natural that you two first cross paths in the school library! You're looking for a book to read and accidentally brush hands with her, prompting her to offer sharing it with you. Without a second thought, you nod, expecting her to propose some sort of hot potato where one of you'd read a couple of chapters before handing it over to the other. Nah. The instant you agree, she latches her arm right under yours, drags you to her designated corner, and plops you right down beside her.

What follows is pretty much a carbon copy of the DDLC Yuri scene. Only, she's not the least bit shy about curling up to you and brushing shoulders; you are.

It's true that you've seen her around from time to time, but you had never gotten the chance to really look at her up close like this. Her hair, her eyes, that charming smile of hers... Even with all the aches and awkwardness that naturally come with this stage of life, she still manages to retain this air of sophistication like none you've ever felt before. So much so that you find yourself forgetting what you came here for—much to your companion's amusement.

"As much as I appreciate the attention, I don't think you can read and stare at my face at the same time."

"O-oh, right. Sorry."

The bad news is, there's only so much time before classes start back up again and you're forced to part ways with your newfound crush. The good news? You've still got a long, long way to go before completing that book of yours, and she's more than happy to keep meeting up with you however many times it takes to do just that.

This routine of yours quickly becomes something of a tradition between you two, even well after that specific story's last page was turned. First within the confines of the library's walls, then those of the school's cafeteria, until you don't even need the pretense of school at all to be snuggled up by each other's side.

Time skip to a few years down the line. In the blink of an eye, Yae Miko's somehow transformed all the way from the girl you once knew—mouth riddled to the brim with metal and occasional voice cracks—to the elegant yet bold woman we all know and love. Her job position's slightly different, this time solely being a businesswoman in charge of running a popular bookstore rather than a shrine maiden, but don't worry. She's just as much of a baddie as always, even down to her fashion sense. Yae in a suit supremacy!!!!!!!!!!

I gotta say. You REALLY lucked out with marrying her. Not only do you get the pride of knowing you won over the heart of the prettiest girl in town, but you also have a ton of freedom to pursue whatever goals of yours you wish to accomplish by virtue of her being hella rich! Whether it's an intensive college degree or a simple, domestic home life with her, she'll support you all the way.

Just don't let your guard down too much... After all, she's still a prankster at heart :p

[sea-lanterns]

CW: Mentions of sex, penetrative sex, desk sex, Reader is in cosplay

Thinking about Nerdy Gamer! Ei somehow bagging a Professional Cosplayer! Reader after meeting her at a con. Ei is sweet, kind and respectful, but she can’t keep her eyes off you because you’re cosplaying one of her absolute favorite characters from one of her games. She feels so ashamed and tries to avert her eyes, but you catch onto this and teasingly flirt with her in one of the character’s most iconic lines.

Sweet Ei nearly passed out right then and there, and after that the rest is history. I imagine Ei is a semi-popular streamer, so one night when you walk into her room, the comments and view count explode because what is a popular, professional cosplayer doing in Ei’s streaming room? Wearing her clothes? Ei notices a significant spike in viewers after that, so sometimes she will have you sit on her lap while she streams, and on special occasions you’d even be in cosplay.

The fans love it, but sometimes there are weird people who are confused as to why someone like Ei managed to bag a baddie like you. And to that, you go off on them because even if Ei is an “introverted loser” to them, you make it very clear that she is the only woman in your life that you love. It’s rather endearing to have Ei sitting there, blushing and nodding along while you go off on those who dare insult your girlfriend, as if any one of those commenters has a chance with you to begin with.

Also, since you cosplay a lot of characters, I imagine you spoil Ei by cosplaying her faves and letting her bang you in them. There’s just the cutest little tent in her pajama pants as she eyes you up and down; the cosplay so fucking hot but she doesn’t want to fuck you because she knows how much effort you put into them.

“What’re you waiting for? Take off your pants.”

“I…can’t. It’s too pretty and I don’t want to ruin the accesories…”

She’s so hard yet she doesn’t want to ruin your hard work. So you have to guide her to take off the pieces before she can absolutely ravage you. Sometimes she’ll take you right on the desk where she streams, legs spread and hunched over her shoulders while she plows you senseless. This cute nerd will just grunt and whine as she fills you up over and over again, the fantasies in her head making her drool because it really does feel like she’s fucking her favorite character.

But afterwards, she’ll take the entire cosplay off because as much as she enjoys imagining that she’s sleeping with her faves, she loves her girlfriend’s natural self better. Once the wig and clothes come off, Ei is coming back with a raging hard-on.

[loveliyuelesbians]

Hmm, it's rather cold today, huh?

Whose hoodie are we stealing?

Ei's Hoodie (or is it?)

Beidou's "Crux Crew" Hoodie

Ningguang's Designer Sweater™

Voting ended onOct 25, 2025

❄️ Shenhe's Hoodie

🎲 Yelan's Expensive Jacket

[angeliteeyes]

I miss Ei :(

Do you have anything? Headcanons? Little hurt/comfort story? Sickfic? 🥺

I MISS EI TOO WIFE COME BACK

SICKFIC IT IS... but with the catch that somehow, despite being a literal Archon who uses a puppet instead of a normal body that can get sick, it's her that goes down for the count. So... Outofcommisionfic I guess lol. Hope you enjoy!

Ei x Reader - Even the Mighty Can Fall

♤♤♤♤♤♤♤♤♤♤♤♤

Convenient. When your one and only Raiden Shogun opted to create a puppet for herself, that was the primary word she would use to describe her motivations. Unfortunately for both of you, the situation you now found yourselves tangled in was very much not convenient.

"U-uh... Ei? Are you okay?"

Despite being unable to see any of her expression, courtesy of her body having collapsed on top of yours and currently lying helpless together in a pile on the floor, her silence served just fine as an answer. Like a worm, you groaned and wiggled your way out from under her, careful not to harm her in the process. Well, any more than she already clearly was. You frowned and gently pressed your palm against the plush of her cheek.

The good thing was that she had only managed to make it a handful of steps away from her workspace, offering future her the peace of mind of knowing she hadn't tarnished her impervious reputation with the citizens of Inazuma. The bad thing was... well, the whole situation, but most pressingly that you were left all alone to care for this deadweight lump of mass and with zero damn clue as to how exactly. Babysitting the Archon's puppet wasn't exactly a class you could just enroll in, after all. You sighed. It was trial and error time.

"Eiiiiiiii?" You crawled over and smushed her cheeks together before poking each of them rapidly. Mmm... Nope. Not effective. Good fun, though. After biting the inside of your cheek for what felt like a whole minute in contemplation, a lightbulb went off in your head and sent you scrambling once again.

"Ei..." You snuck a skewer of dango underneath her nose, waving it around a little for extra oomph. Unfortunately, she remained still and stiff on the floor all the same, not even offering a subconscious strong inhale. "Oh, come on. Is your sweet tooth out of commission too? Ugh, whatever. Moving on."

What to do, what to do... At this point, your mind's ability to concoct new plans was wearing down, and fast. Maybe you just weren't up to the task? Despite your greatest efforts, there was no way you could compare to the problem-solving skills of many others in your life. Like Yae Miko. If she were here to help, you were certain she'd know just the trick to wake her up... Huh. Looks like you managed to come up with a third idea, after all.

-

"Hm... I see." Yae's face morphed into a frown—although you both knew very well the smirk subtly hiding itself within that sour expression of hers. "Quite the predicament you've found yourselves in, from the sound of it."

"So... you've never seen this happen to her before?" You gulped. Moments ago, you held confidence that her longer lifespan would allow her to offer more specific guidance than that, but her phrasing quickly refuted such a feeling. She shook her head before pressing a finger to her chin, pondering in silence. Thankfully, this pause was broken soon after by a lightbulb moment of her own.

"I may have one idea..." Her exposed fangs flashed inside your vision.

"Really?! Thank goodness." You breathed a sigh of relief. "Well, what is it?"

"You'll see. First, though, why don't you take me to her?"

You were really starting to not like the ever-growing grin smothering Yae's face, and even less her concerning lack of transparency. But if it's for Ei's sake, you'd do anything. You think. Yeah, totally. And so, you buried your complaints and fears within your chest and strolled along the path back home, all the while with a certain foxian friend trailing behind you and humming eerie tunes. Thankfully for your heart, this trip of yours only lasted a couple of minutes before you two finally crossed the barrier marking the Archon's primary workspace. Yae clicked her tongue.

"Sleeping on the job now, Ei? That's so not like you."

"Ha..." You let out a timid chuckle before clearing your throat. "So, can you tell me how to help her now? It's been a while since she collapsed. I'm getting a little, uh..."

"Nervous? Don't you worry your sweet little head. She's perfectly alright." She leaned over and petted your head, switching her once mischievous smile to a far warmer kind. "If I had to guess, our dear Archon overworked herself a touch too far and activated some emergency shutdown procedure built within that puppet of hers. Just give her some time and she should return back to normal on her own. Although... I do have an idea for speeding up the process, if you'd like to hear it."

"Huh." You sat there for a while, soaking in her words. True enough, Ei had spent an exorbitant amount of time cooped up inside of this very room as of late, even going so far as to avoid her typical rest breaks, claiming them to be unnecessary. As if damaging her body's well-being to the point of it revolting against her was any more beneficial. Still, the memories of how easily you gave up on convincing her to take said breaks gnawed at your skin and heart, urging you to take some sort of action to help her—even if some hours too late. "What's your idea?"

"My dear, have you ever heard the tale of Sleeping Beauty?"

"Wha—wait, huh?! Are you saying that actually works in real life?" Your face burned with a bright red blush. "I-I thought that only works in fiction."

"Oh, no, it's very real. Go on, try it yourself if you're so curious." She smiled at you.

"O-okay... Uh, are you going to just stand there, or..." You sent a feeble glare her way; if it weren't for the sheer intensity of the shame coursing through your veins, perhaps it could've been more convincing. Or maybe not, with how her prior grin only grew wider and wider as you visibly withered away from her gaze.

"Hm? I'm just here to help in case you still need it afterwards. Don't tell me you're getting shy on me now. And here I was, thinking you would do whatever it took to help out your precious lover..."

"I will! I will." The words flew out of you in a panicked rush before a telling hush coated the room. Neither you nor Yae were all that keen on breaking it. Sighing, you turned your back to her and refocused your attention on your still-unconscious beloved, caressing her cheek once again—although, this time with shivering fingers. You inhaled, then exhaled. Here goes nothing.

Badump.

Badump.

Badump.

Badump.

...

"I can't do it! Yae, why are you still staring at me?" You shrieked, only to be met with a fit of her signature, cunning laughter.

"Oh wow, that was quite a show you put on there. I almost thought for a second you were really going to do it."

"You tricked me?!" As realization set in, your eyes widened and flooded with watery almost-tears of embarrassment. "I thought you actually knew how to help Ei."

"Oh, but I do."

"Yeah, right." You grimaced at her. "You just wanted to make me look stupid, didn't you?"

"No, really. Turn around if you don't believe me." She pressed her lips into a smile as her head motioned to her side. By then, you'd already dealt with more than enough of her teasing for one day and nearly ignored her command. However, if what she said really was true... ugh, she better have meant it this time. You turned your head apprehensively, expecting yet another prank. What you hadn't expected, though, was a palm snaking its way directly onto your own cheek, flicking away the remnants of a fallen tear. Squinted, violet eyes bore into yours.

"What's wrong? Are you hurt?"

"Ei... Ei!" Faster than lightning, your greedy arms wrapped themselves around her upright form. You wasted no time in burying the entirety of your face into the crook of her neck, suddenly lacking any energy to worry about the pink-haired observer still lingering in the doorway nearby. A heavy sniffle echoed against the walls. "You're finally awake! I was so worried. Don't you ever overwork yourself like that again, okay?"

"So that's what happened... I see." Her voice rasped out. Slowly, gently, her limbs moved to return your loving gesture. And then they left your sides and reverted back to hers. "I'm sorry for worrying you like that. However, I still have important work to do, so I must get back to it at once—"

"Absolutely not." Both of your eyes moved over to Yae. That smug face of hers you'd grown so accustomed to disappeared without a trace, leaving behind a scowl so humorless you nearly jumped out of your skin. "You've already tormented the poor thing with your little stunt earlier more than enough, don't you think? If the work is really that important, then be responsible and allow some of your assistants to help out."

"I..." For a moment, Ei's lips moved to retort the other's stern words. Yet, after a pause and moment of quiet contemplation, she seemed to reconsider. "I suppose you have a point. Very well, then."

To the relief of both you and Yae, the weight of the latter's words seemed enough to crush out any ego-driven desires of hers to hoard her work as vehemently as she once had. As time flowed by and her stack of papers grew thinner and thinner with each assistant she handed them out to, a gentle lull took over the atmosphere between you all. Yae took that as her cue to exit and threw a knowing wink your way before strolling away and back to her original day's plans. Now, all that remained was you and your lover. Her eyes lit up as they met yours.

"Now that that's all out of the way, what would you like to do? I suppose I owe it to you for the fright earlier."

You paused. And then, you spoke.

"Honestly, I'm exhausted. Can we just go to bed and cuddle for a while?"

Her hands glided over to yours and pulled you inwards, absorbing your body heat hungrily, before guiding you to your shared sleeping quarters.

"Of course."

[angeliteeyes]

Hey, hello, hi — hope you're well.

Y'know that trope where a distrustful/anxious character latches onto the person who saved them, while remaining wary/scared of other people? But the person they've decided to trust is the least qualified to actually watch over someone. Like Shenhe, with her limited emotional range — or Ei, and Sara. They're warriors, not caretakers. Yelan, too; she doesn't want the attachment.

Hello darlin! I'm doing lovely, thank you very much <3 You're so right about the girlies and I'd love to explore all that further, especially with the focus on their faults that aren't quite so romanticizable. This is half freeflow half proper analysis so might not be the most cohesive qwq but either way hope you enjoy!

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly - feat. Shenhe, Ei, Sara, and Yelan x Reader

Note: Feel free to only read The Good sections if you want fluff, as The Bad/The Ugly sections can cover some darker subjects

- Shenhe -

The Good

I think one of the most notable traits of Shenhe's worth crediting here is, even despite her typically cold demeanor, just how warm of a person she really can be. Look at how instantly she switches to a near-maternal manner of treating Chongyun in her character demo once she notices he's physically unwell as an example. You canNOT tell me that she wouldn't look at you acting like a rabbit, jumping at every little thing, or feel you trembling behind her as you hide behind her back for protection and go "FRIGHTENED CREATURE DETECTED MUST COMFORT". Now does that mean she does it well? Mm... that's for the next part of this. But will she earnestly try and, at the very least, do her best to offer you teas and methods of calming your heart in tough moments? Absolutely.

This nurturing side of her overall is a huge component of why being in this dynamic with her can actually work out decently well (at least most of the time). Even if she does find some behaviors of yours perplexing or even annoying, this helps a lot to keep her perception of you and your actions civil and free of any lashing out on her end. I can totally see her mentally framing you as a pet to some degree in this vein, now that I think of it. And yes, that absolutely causes some interesting interactions between you two. Hope you don't mind being pet constantly.

In this ask, Shenhe's limited emotional range is listed as her main drawback. And don't get me wrong, it absolutely is in many circumstances. However, it is also a huge strength of hers in many others! Being with her can offer a healthy dose of predictability—a valuable trait for anyone who struggles with the opposite. You can learn to pretty easily understand exactly how she'll think, feel, and react to just about any circumstance on one simple basis: she trusts logic far more than any murmur of temporary feelings that phases through that barrier.

With logic guiding her through day-to-day life, she's able to support you in ways and degrees many aren't willing to. She'll wake up early or stay up late if it's for your benefit. She'll witness you crying over some shattered glass and soothe your worries not with gentle, reassuring tones, but with a broom and earnest confusion over what the big deal is. She'll watch with zero judgment as sickness consumes you and your grace, face only scrunching over what herbs would best aid in your recovery. She'll be a rock, but gosh will she be your rock.

I would be remiss to talk about Shenhe with someone who relies on her for protection without going over her physical strength. Girl is fucking STRONK and will not hesitate to use this to save you the instant you're in even the most minor of danger. While this can be a potential negative (which I'll discuss in a second), I cannot overstate just how safe you are from others with her around. Hell, she doesn't even necessarily have to be around to protect you; just the mere knowledge that you're connected to her is enough to ward off a huge chunk of potentially harmful people from crossing you.

Overall, Shenhe is incredibly skilled at caring for your physical health and safety, as well as offering you the emotional peace of knowing exactly who it is you're relying on so heavily.

The Bad

Yeah... it's time to circle back to some of those previous thoughts.

Shenhe is a human, but that does not mean she always knows how to act like one. After all, how is a person supposed to know how to comfort someone when they themselves don't ever get the chance to experience being on the other side of that equation? It just doesn't work out so well, even with her best efforts. Sometimes she even makes things worse. The exact way this plays out varies depending on your own problem points, but make no mistake, she'll probably hit on at least a few of them. You have a hard time with harsh voices? Sorry, but even her most nurturing side still is accompanied by a blunt tone. You have trust issues and need verbal reassurances that she's not mad at you? You'll probably have to ask for them, and even then, her tone and frown (courtesy of her confusion) hardly make it convincing.

One of the worst parts of this is that it's a compounding issue. The more you visibly aren't being comforted despite her attempts, the more frustrated she gets by it all. And unfortunately, as we all know, that's the one emotion that does hold a lot of power over her. She might just have to walk away when it gets too much, which obviously isn't conducive to comforting someone.

She also struggles a lot with annoyances involving you in other parts of day-to-day life, particularly if she can't understand the logic behind your behavior. When you have an issue that she gets, she by all means will be respectful and do her part in fixing it as needed. When she doesn't though... honestly, she can get a bit hurtful with how incapable of empathizing she is, and is prone to just bluntly telling you the facts without considering your subjective experience of whatever you're going through. The definition of brutally honest, minus the implication of her having any intention of hurting your feelings. It just happens.

Speaking of not always taking your thoughts and feelings seriously, let's go back to the pet thing. There are plenty of ways that this mindset in perceiving you expresses itself in healthy ways—physical affection being one—but you can imagine how demeaning this can get real quick. Honest bids for connection and communication with her often get swept away in the logical twining of her mind. You probably just didn't eat enough this morning, or maybe you haven't been exercising enough as of late. Of course, those things can be factors sometimes and even occasionally useful in her efforts to support you, but certainly not every single time in which she processes your emotions in such dehumanizing ways. Getting worked up and arguing with her over it usually doesn't help your case either, as she often sees that as your emotions overriding your logical side and, therefore, needing her help in balancing the scales.

She never intends to hurt you with any of this, truly. She even will go as far as to apologize and spend time meditating on her past wrongdoings if you can get through to her what those actually are. It's just... when you two have grown up in different worlds, it's not exactly a walk in the park to see each other's point of view.

The Ugly

And here comes the one point I took specific care not to go into in the bad section, the thing I'm so reluctant to talk about normally due to how intensely nonromantic it is: her violent tendencies, and the unfortunate truth that you can sometimes be the victim of them.

Now, those red ropes of hers do wonders for her the majority of the time, don't get me wrong. I wouldn't even blame you if, after enough time by her side and adjusting to her often neutral manner of existing, you fell into the false belief that you were immune to the dangers of her violent outbursts. But you aren't. Eventually, a time will come where something will go wrong. Maybe you startle her on a day where she's already worked up from some asshole getting on her case, or maybe you get a little too comfy with arguing with her and end up getting an inch too close into her personal space when you really, really shouldn't.

Ultimately, the end result is the same. You wind up with bruises—hopefully only bruises—and she backs off, but only once it's too late. Only once she gets a good look at your terrified face and hears the hitching of your breath as you whimper in pain does it course through her veins just how horrendously she fucked up and, worst of all, how permanent the damage she inflicted is. Yes, bruises and all that will heal just fine with enough time, but your trust in her? It may never be the same. Even if she drops to the floor and apologizes with all of her heart, and believe me, she will... there's good reason why you're so scared of other people to the point where you latched onto her this hard in the first place. And now here she is, acting just like the people she swore to protect you from.

To be frank, she may never recover from this either. Her ego in regard to her role in your relationship has always been fragile from the start, her knowing damn well that she is not and never can be the person you need 100% of the time, but to see the reality of it up close and personal like this? It absolutely destroys every hope she had of being good enough for you.

You can try to console her after the fact, by all means, but the word "try" does a lot of heavy lifting. There's no excuse for what she did to you and she knows that perfectly well, and even will argue with you if you indicate the opposite. The whole reason she's there by your side protecting you so much is because you don't deserve to be treated that way, so please don't try to act like everything's okay. And please please please don't smile at her like that. Not while there are tears so visibly pricking your eyes, not while you're cradling your injury like a wounded animal. It breaks her heart. Well, even more than it already has been.

There is a chance you two can recover from this to some degree in the end, but that's entirely up to you. If you get through to her that you still need her just as much as you did before, that she's still your safe space, she may ultimately relent and protect you like she did before. Now, though, she realizes just who it is she's really protecting you from.

- Ei -

Ugg writing this one's going to be particularly hard due to just how severely her reaction to this scenario changes based on where she is in her character development. To make it simple, I'll state outright; this version of Ei will be a sorta half-breed of her character pre and post Inazuma's story, in which she has gone through her canon character development, but rather than suddenly becoming a perfect leader and companion, she still often slips back into her old habits and ideologies.

The Good

Something very endearing about this version of her is her sincere desire to learn more about the modern world of Inazuma and its culture—a fact that you'll become rapidly acquainted with due to being the target of much of this endless curiosity of hers. What are your favorite foods? What about your hobbies? Huh, she hasn't heard of that before... Must be something new. And what exactly was that term you just uttered—no, not that one, that one—"sus", was it?

Admittedly, her constant probing whenever you speak of something foreign to her can get embarrassing at times. It genuinely is like trying to explain modern memes to your half-deaf half-blind grandma. The good thing is, unlike a lot of grandmas, she has genuinely no judgment whatsoever, even if you feel like she totally should. Sure, she may not quite understand it, but... that's just a part of adapting to culture changes, no? So feel free to ramble your sweet lil heart out about that interest of yours, however cringey you may feel at first. She'll happily listen.

This openness carries into a lot of aspects of your life together. See, now that she's come to terms with the idea of changing things for the better, she has to actually learn what exactly in Inazuma needs to change. And of course, what better way to learn about Inazuma's present failings than from people like you who struggle to survive within it? This is doubly true if you two met in the middle of you being the victim of some crime. It's not good enough for her to have saved you back then; she must ensure that whatever circumstances led to such a shameful act are no more, offering a far more widespread boost to your safety.

Overall, you'll likely find her presence in your life to be (generally) quite peaceful and fairly adaptable to your own lifestyle. She does have a strong tendency towards isolation and remaining indoors, and even a more outdoorsy you may find yourself inching closer and closer by the day to matching her shut-in status, but she adores walking around the city or training outdoors with you just as well.

Speaking of peacefulness, that is one major strong suit she has that Shenhe does not: she lacks the same kind of outward temper as the latter, even in circumstances where you're being threatened by some malicious party, all the while retaining just as much—or more, actually—capability to protect you. After all, they aren't exactly a real threat to you. Not with her status and fighting prowess on your side. This makes her a wonderful fit for anyone who wants that kind of physical protection, but without the potential unease of worrying about being in the metaphorical splash zone of said protection.

The Bad

As indicated before, when Ei makes a conscious effort to be present and engage with you, she's an avid listener. The problem is... that doesn't necessarily mean you'll receive this side of her all that often. The opposite, really, given her tight schedule and habitual use of the Shogun to handle routine matters. Even when it is her piloting her body, though, she's highly prone to simply forcing you to be by her side while she's taking care of whatever business needs her presence without so much as even looking your way or humming approvingly at your remarks. Sometimes, you can't even tell if she's still there or if she's crawled into the Plane of Euthymia—at least, not until she turns and frowns after a prolonged silence on your end.

There is yet another issue with having her as a talking companion, even in her engaged mode, and that is uh. Um. She's old as fuck. While this definitely can be endearing at times, a lot of the time it's really not. There's only so far your conversations can go without her eyes glazing over a little, or the frequent occurrence in which you turn to her after rambling for countless heartbeats only to find that she got lost a grand total of five seconds into your speech.

This isn't even a factor that just affects concepts typically labeled as modern—think new-age slang, pop culture references, and so on. In reality, this affects literally every single aspect of your abilities to connect with each other's morals and ideologies. Think back to the grandma issue and how often older people and youth clash in conversation over their worldviews by nature of differing life experiences. Add her being, you know, the most reclusive Archon known to Teyvat, and you get the picture. She struggles constantly to see the world from your perspective. Don't be fooled into thinking her openness to learning and adapting extends all that far, either; you will never be able to change her mind when it comes to her deepest guiding principles. Feel free to try, though. She likes the sound of your voice enough to keep her mouth shut in this matter.

...Which is itself a problem. You'll never really end up in heated arguments with her, but believe me, that isn't due to her empathizing with the feelings you're expressing. It's just that she views herself as so innately superior and wiser than you that she doesn't feel the need to defend her truths or change yours. You can talk as empathically as you want about this core belief of yours for literal hours, and it won't change a thing because she doesn't care to even try to change her perspective, not when she's so certain of her objective correctness in this matter. So much for adapting to the times.

To sum it up, you will be listened to, as expressed in the prior section; you just won't be heard unless she wants to hear you. And if she doesn't, that's that.

The Ugly

Y'all who've read my previous Ei content probably know exactly where I'm going with this—or anyone, really, if you can picture what happens when you combine godly power, a control freak, and poor coping mechanisms regarding grief and the inevitability of death in mortals.

With the events of Inazuma's storyline fresh in her mind, you find yourself at the benefiting end of much of her newfound growth. She cares to change and improve herself, she's willing to interact with others one-on-one more, and she's learned not to take her desire to protect Inazuma and its citizens too far to the point of harming them instead. But, as they say, old habits die hard. It's a slow shift at first. Maybe even imperceptible to your ignorant eyes. It's so slow that you may never actually recognize these changes in her behavior—the increased quietness on her end, her decreased time exploring the outside world—for the cloaks they are, tentatively hiding the sinister side of her gnawing desire to protect, whatever the cost may be.

That is, until you end up being the one to pay that cost.

It'd be easy to dress up this scenario in some violent catalyst, in which something threatens your life's continued existence so vehemently that she must do this to keep you alive, but that'd be forgetting how grief works. How her grief works. She doesn't need to see you bleeding on the floor, belly hollowed out by some villain's sword, to see your crimson-soaked corpse. That's what memories are for, aren't they? Past experiences to show the horrible truths of the material world before they reveal themselves in real time, before they take you away from her. So... why should she wait for you to be on the brink of slaughter to step in and save you from that vulnerable shell of yours when she can save you now? And so, she does just that.

Even if you sob endlessly in the Plane of Euthymia or give her the cold shoulder, it matters not. You will be safe for eternity together, and all it costed was one, fleshy body. She is more than willing to pay that price, and just as willing to make that choice for you, seeing as you're too innocent to recognize the dangers that physical form put you in. So, go on. Cry. Sob. Give her the cold shoulder. Scream at her until your lungs would've burned from the pure, violent rage of it all. Whether you continue to return her feelings or not, she'll love you for eternity all the same.

- Sara -

The Good

As you might expect, her strongest charm point is her complete and utter devotion to you. Whether you're a highly influential figure in Inazuma or some run-of-the-mill nobody that blends into crowds with ease, one thing is clear: in her eyes, you may as well be at Archon status, right up there with the Shogun herself. As such, she quickly winds up devoting an extraordinary amount of time and effort to you and bringing you joy in whatever ways she can.

What that translates to exactly is highly dependent on you. Say, for example, that you're a fan of a local restaurant's special dish, but they keep running out by the time you slug your way over. The moment she catches wind of this dilemma, suddenly you'll find yourself being offered it not just the next time it's sold, but every single day after that as well. Or, for another example, let's say that you've developed an interest in collecting some something or other—anything you like, even if it's super niche or strange. Heck, it can even be something so simple or casual you never mention it out loud; she will still collect any and all trinkets of interest for you, no matter the literal or metaphorical cost.

The way that she actually gives you said items—food, trinket, or otherwise—is... interesting. It's moments like these where you can really tell that her crowlike nature reaches far beyond the etchings of feathers springing out from her back. Just like one, she's incredibly fond of showering you with affection via the act of gifting physical goods; the only issue she has is that she doesn't quite know how this exchange is supposed to go. This often leads to her simply showing up at your door (or wherever you may be) and shoving her offerings into your hands with a stern, yet painfully red, face before running off. Now, that might sound more like a negative, but here's the thing—you get to tease her and make her blush all you want over it and she'll still show up the next day all the same, gifts in tow.

Psssst. If you really enjoy watching her get all flustered, then take your sweet time in accepting the gifts. No matter how flushed she gets or how hard her vocal cords shiver with embarrassing stutters, she will remain there for as long as it takes for you to outstretch your palms and free her from her invisible shackles.

And, of course, what kind of general would she be if she didn't use her status to ensure your safety and comfort? After all, the fact that you got to the point where you felt the need to become this distrustful of others in the first place was likely a failure on her part—at least in her eyes. It's her responsibility, then, to correct this error in whatever way she can. She'll push for laws to protect victims of any crimes you were on the receiving end of. She'll increase the amount of her subordinates protecting a sector of the city you've expressed to be scary and unsafe. Anything for you. Anything at all.

Even if she's not there, which will definitely happen at times given her aforementioned status, you're still very much under her protection 24/7 thanks to those same subordinates. This is largely as a result of her intense dedication to her work and devotion to morality and fairness garnering her a little fangroup of sorts within the clan. Although... even those who don't have this same level of regard towards Sara know better than to let you be in harm's way, lest it become them who end up fearing for their own safety.

The Bad

It is absolutely true that her devotion to you can be charming, but there is a massive problem: there's a limit to how far this should be taken, and if you know anything about Sara, you'll know that she's not exactly the most casual of devotees. When I said that she sees you like an Archon, I really did mean that. You can do no wrong in her eyes—and hey, even if you do, it's not that you were wrong per se, just... misguided.

As such, you'll find that your relationship quickly starts to lean into being far too one-sided if you aren't careful about it. She will do anything for you, so it's incredibly important not to take advantage of this, or honestly even to ask much of her at all given how much of herself she already hands over willingly as is. So be kind to her. Treat her time and energy with respect. And if you ever find that she's gone too far in her efforts, sacrificed her wellbeing for your own a bit farther than you're comfortable with, go ahead and tell her so. She trusts your judgment enough to understand that your concerns are warranted and, unlike many other workaholics, will actually do her part in correcting the issue. Anything for you, even if that means doing not much at all. For today, at least.

Another way that this potential one-sidedness tends to express itself a lot is in conversation. You can yap literally the entire time that you two are together and she will not complain. Great for if you're in need of a good venting session, not so great if you want to actually, you know... talk to her instead of at her. That isn't to say that she's unwilling to speak and engage with you; if anything, she's transformed into a wonderful listener and regularly takes the time to hum and nod and whatnot to help you feel heard. It's just that she's so good at listening that you may not even realize how little she's shared about herself and her own emotions.

Just like with the former issue, though, she cares so much about pleasing you that your relationship can loop back around to being more balanced if you push for it. This situation may take a lot more of said pushing, given how many emotional barriers she has up—and that's not even considering how detrimental her lack of positive social experiences is for her soft skills—but it still can work out relatively fine. Who knows? Maybe one day, you'll even get to see her smiling and gushing over an interest of hers or squealing while hugging some adorable (probably Ei) plushie she found. Maybe.

Overall, you really have to make an effort to care for her and pay attention to the subtle clues she leaves regarding her troubles. If you don't, then...

The Ugly

In all of the similarly titled sections before this, I've described ways in which each of the girls' struggles can cause you harm. Sara's not like that though. Yes, she has major issues, and yes, they will affect your relationship in unsavory ways, but make no mistake; she's the one who'll inevitably be wounded the most by this unfair exchange, just as she always has been. The worst part is how good she is at hiding it all. Hiding that every single time she manages to snag that favorite dish of yours, it was at the cost of a couple of hours of much-needed rest, or how she only could scrounge up the money to get that rare item you were interested in by sacrificing her own desires.

Now, her being self-sacrificial and overworked isn't exactly a new thing—just take a good look at her devotion towards the Raiden Shogun and how unhealthily far she takes that. The problem is that when you enter her life, her prior responsibilities don't magically disappear. She still needs to train and lead and fight and monitor and protect just like she always has before, but now she somehow needs to fit in every single one of your needs and desires into the mix as well. It's exhausting, and it's a war that she will not win. But she will still try, and unless you intervene, she will suffer for it.

Who could blame you for taking the easy way out and accepting her kindness without a second thought? Who could, when she so adamantly asserts that she's alright every time you start to wonder aloud about it, or when she always blames a training session for her eyebags rather than admitting how draining it is to keep getting you that meal you love so dearly? She certainly couldn't. After all, you've already done so much for her. You've been willing to put up with her awkward, cold demeanor to degrees no others have. You've entrusted your deepest, darkest fears to her instead of straightening your back and claiming you're perfectly fine like her subordinates always do when she comes over. You've made her feel human, so it's only right that she makes you feel like a god.

It's only right for a being so divine to use her for their own benefit. She just prays that she doesn't break from all of this, collapsing at your feet like a broken toy only a few breaths from being abandoned and discarded into some dumpster to rot and fade away.

What she doesn't realize is that she already has.

- Yelan -

Urgg she's honestly a hard one to fit perfectly into this specific model of writing, but heck am I gonna try! (ゝω・´★)

The Good

Much like her overall lifestyle outside of work, being in a relationship with her is pretty dang laid-back. Your average weekend—or day, in the event of you also not being a workaholic—probably goes something like this: sleep in late, play some most definitely rigged games together, pull a nap-cuddle combo, and rise and repeat until the sun's about ready to set. While it's technically true that there's a fair deal of work stuff spliced into those days on her end, you don't have to worry about any of it. In fact, you're best off not even asking any questions about those pockets of time where she disappears into the darkness; you'll get the exact same amount of information out of her either way. So feel free to just rest or do whatever hobbies you're into during those lonely hours.

Now, she won't go any further into detail about what she does when she's away... but I certainly will. What's she going to do, kill me? Wait, Yelan, put your bow down. PUT THAT DOWN—

Jokes on her, not even death could stop me from talking about women. Continuing on!

Based on her attitude towards you and the lack of any threats in your life to keep you on your toes, you might assume that she's simply been working for the Ministry of Civil Affairs like before and nothing else. That's only half true. In reality, she actually dedicates quite a hefty sum of time to you, and more specifically your future safety. With you being so close to her now, she really can't afford to get careless about potential threats or risk gambling away your shared futures to some bad actor. So yeah, that peaceful life you're living? It's all thanks to her, even if you'll never truly know that.

What she is more than happy to have you know about is her teasing nature. She has her own special methods of calming you down and helping to ease up your anxieties, and while they may be a bit unorthodox, they actually work surprisingly well. Sometimes even better than traditional reassurances, honestly. It's something about the way that she takes those horrible sensations of yours that get you wrapped up inside your own head and coaxes you out of it so casually, so playfully. It's the way that she pokes fun at you with her signature smirk and you find yourself blushing and arguing back with a little whine, and then all of a sudden you realize it's five minutes later and you haven't even given any serious thought to whatever was gnawing at you so vigorously before.

She knows every last detail of how the human mind works. You better thank your lucky stars that she uses that for your benefit.

The Bad

So about not wanting the attachment... Yeah, all of that good stuff I mentioned earlier? That is not how she acted when you first met. Not even close. You're just an innocent civilian, after all; how irresponsible would she have to be to allow you to get involved with such a dangerous enigma as herself, especially when you've already proven yourself to be so vulnerable that she had to swoop in and save you? It's true that she loves to gamble with danger, but certainly not with the lives of innocents.

You posed a unique problem, though, when you tried so desperately to cling onto her. She thought that she could simply hide in the shadows like always and wait for you to inevitably move on and forget about her, but... Ugh, you make it so hard for her when you keep accidentally putting yourself in harm's way. Not to mention how, every single time she shows up and saves the day once again, you inevitably stare at her in awe with them big ol' puppy eyes and rush right by her side like a giddy child. She's in disguise, so how do you even—no, nevermind. There's no way you could see through it this whole time, right? She must've just slipped into her real voice mid-fight or... something. Yeah. That's all.

Of course, this strange spin-off of hide and seek doesn't last forever. Eventually, she finds herself worming her way over by your side when there isn't any danger to speak of—at least, none that she hasn't already disposed of. She starts placing her hands playfully on each side of your waist and guiding it over to the Yanshang Teahouse, pushing you into one of its many seats despite being obviously closed. This closeness builds slowly but surely until, one day, you're living in the same house and bathing in the aroma of domesticity right by her beautiful, warm side.

If that all sounds a little too good to be true, that's because it is. Not because any of the details mentioned are inaccurate, but rather, they're all so carefully orchestrated by her that it feels more like a stage play with one author than any sort of multifaceted, mutual bond between the two of you. She may know you like the back of her hand, but you can spend years clinging onto her side and coveting her warmth without so much as gazing upon the true self buried behind her countless personas. And the worst part is that, unlike Sara who's willing to make way for your prying hands if you so desire, Yelan won't budge.

She'll make you think she has, though. She'll lower her voice just as she senses your apprehension over being the only one vulnerable rising to a boiling point and touch on some past scarring she doesn't actually care about with a raspy, pained whisper. Her hand will wrap against your own, giving it a tight squeeze as if she's the one being comforted. But she never is.

The Ugly

Listen. I love my fellow chronic illness girly just as much as the next person, but there is no goddamn way that it's not going to have a detrimental effect on your relationship in some way. And that's not to blame her at all—again, this is coming from someone in a similar situation—it's just to say that you can't really have a partner who needs to sleep as often as she does, who uses the majority of her energy for work like she does, and expect her to be some ideal partner who splits the chores and whatnot 50/50. Hell, you'll have a hard time even planning simple date nights, including indoors ones, most of the time. It's just not typically in her cards.

There's a certain feeling of distance you'll feel being with her, even despite her skillful use of psychological tricks to help pseudo close this gap. You'll run over to her with stars in your eyes and start to tell her about your day, only for her to be dead asleep or so groggy that you can tell she's just waiting for the moment that you stop so she can pull you in to lie down with her. Or maybe your gaze will fall upon the writing in your calendar marking tomorrow as your anniversary, and you'll feel your heart sink knowing that you'll be lucky to even share dinner with her. She's an incredibly reliable person, yes, but there's only so much she can do. And with it being such an immutable problem, you'll have no choice but to accept it.

The nature of her work can be equally hard to digest. While it's true that her being so willing to dive headfirst into danger was the whole reason you chose her, it also may very well be the reason you lose her in the end. That's not to say that she's quite as reckless with her livelihood as she used to be; she's honestly grown so attached to the stability of coming home to you every day that the idea of leaving you behind hurts far more than any weapon could. But, once again, old habits die hard, and even more so those that've chased down each member of her bloodline before her and urged them into the deepest depths of hell, all in the name of some destined tale of heroism.

You're certain that she'll leave behind a beautiful mark on the history of Liyue one day, that a time will come where she'll be hailed as its savior and her name will ring out in the voices of passersby and high-ranking officials alike with intrigue and pride. But, for both your sake and hers, you hope that day doesn't come anytime soon.