#ventao

[scatter--minded]

shoutout to furiventao for being the coolest queerplatonic polycule in genshin impact btw

[scrion7]

lantern rite - ventao overanalysis

Okay, as a VenTao shipper, I was expecting a simple introduction where the two got introduced because of Zhongli and then the plot would move on.

What we got instead was Hu Tao and Venti having fucking secondary and tertiary conversations in the subtle words between words of what are on the surface flirty compliments (and yeah, those are really cute too) but are actually them planning and enacting a 3 point dunk on everyone's favorite ASMR voice WHILE ALSO sussing each other out.

It's probably not even that deep, but by god I am a mole with a jackhammer and I am going to dig.

The first conversation they have is seemingly just flirting on main, with a side of Venti dunking on Zhongli by saying Hu Tao is the greatest authority here (with Rex Fucking Lapis, Xiao the Yaksha and the Traveler in the room). If there's something other than that here, it's something lost in translation, so I'll take Venti calling Hu Tao a beautiful bouquet of flowers and the source of all life on earth at face value.

The second conversation they have, on the other hand, is not as benign. Hu Tao starts off by saying this:

The use of "unsatisfactory" is the tell here. Only Venti can decide what "unsatisfactory" is, and Hu Tao wants him to let her know if that happens.

What Hu Tao is actually saying is that if you want to, at any time, dunk on Zhongli, I'll dunk on him too with the power of being his boss. They're both poets, they know subtext. This is AFTER Venti's first roast, where he demonstrated that yes, he is aware Zhongli is the supposedly deceased Geo Archon, and that isn't going to stop him from dunking on him. You know how Venti responds?

There are so many fucking layers to this. The obvious first layer is just what it looks like: a straight up compliment. The second layer, which is still obvious thanks to the side eye and the sarcastic tone of 'impressive,' is a dunk on Zhongli. The third and fourth layer are a bit of a stretch but I am ready to do some fucking yoga.

Saying she's savvy, directly after her previous comment? That is an acknowledgement that he heard what Hu Tao didn't say - aka, if Venti wants to dunk on Zhongli, Hu Tao will back him up.

Saying she's reliable implies that Venti trusts Hu Tao to dunk on Zhongli where it hurts.

And then he fucking dunks on Zhongli by calling him an impressive consultant with a sarcastic tone and obvious side eye.

This? This is not a compliment. I mean, yeah, it is, and at face value is also cute, but that's not why I love it. What Hu Tao actually means is that Venti's too nice for giving her the opportunity to dunk on her employee.

And then she fucking does it, somehow with MORE LAYERS than Venti.

That right there? Face value, its a compliment, but we all know it's her insulting Zhongli's ability to stay incognito.

It's ALSO her acknowledging that, yes, she is aware Zhongli is, in fact Rex Lapis. Venti already implied he knows, so she decided to let Venti know that she knows, as well as saying that she knows that Venti knows he's Rex Lapis.

But the last layer is where I really started to dig. Don't see it yet? It took me a while too.

"From the sophisticated way he speaks, it's hard not to suspect that he could very well be an adeptus in disguise! Hehe."

Now, a simple question. When Hu Tao says "he," who is she talking about?

Obviously Zhongli right? But, considering that Hu Tao and Venti have spent this entire conversation hiding conversations within conversations, Venti clearly also has a sophisticated way of using words. If you substitute 'he' with Venti...

"From the sophisticated way VENTI speaks, it's hard not to suspect that VENTI could very well be an adeptus in disguise! Hehe."

This? This is an accusation. Hu Tao thinks Venti is not human. Hu Tao thinks Venti is sus.

You know what she does next?

She goes to Xiao, someone who actually knows Venti's true identity, and asks if he thinks it's possible that her accusation is true. Of course, Xiao doesn't know subtlety if it kicked him in the face, but still.

[Edit: After seeing the additional character interactions outside of the epilogue, I can almost certainly confirm that Hu Tao knows that Venti is the Anemo Archon.

Hu Tao: With that extraordinary demeanor and literary talent, he's definitely not just any bard. If he's someone that could hold his ground in a conversation with the consultant, he needs to at least be as talented as me!

(also she absolutely just implied she regularly holds her ground against Rex Lapis)]

Anyway, TL:DR, VenTao spent their second onscreen interaction by simultaneously flirting with each other, dunking on Zhongli, and somehow also fit in Hu Tao accusing Venti of being the anemo archon in TEN SENTENCES.

Their relationship is an onion of layers and it's everything I could have hoped for and more.

Oh and apparently I'm a fake VenTao shipper because Venti and Hu Tao have matching flowers in their hats and I never noticed.

[farawaytown]

☆ / ☆ / ☆ / ☆ / ☆

[scrion7]

unnamed huxiaoven snippet

Venti suddenly felt a finger boop his nose, shaking him out of his reverie.

“You know, it would be amazing if the god of freedom and poetry could see us now, breaking new ground. With us two brilliant breathtaking beauties, it would be odd if he couldn’t see what was right in front of him.” Hu Tao slyly said, laying her head on his lap with a shit eating grin on her face.

Right. He was locked in a bitter battle of wits with Hu Tao. Now was not the time to be daydreaming about the yaksha that had tormented him for centuries with his really cute blush. Although, now that he’s thinking about that…

“Hmph… it wouldn't make sense for such a powerful anemo immortal to be vigilant of the words of wordplay demons such as you and I, all the way in the land of the adepti,” Venti replied, eyes not-so-surreptitiously scanning the area. “Although I must say, one such as he would surely react in a…positive way to our partnership of words.”

Hu Tao processed his words and the meaning beneath them for a moment, then smiled. “Ah. Gotcha.” Then she called out, head still splayed out on Venti’s lap, “Oh Great Yaksha, Conqueror of Demons, Adeptus Xiao, your shoes are untied!”

This was going to be fun, Venti mused to himself.

[scrion7]

ventao has happened.

It's been a full day after the Lantern Rite epilogue, and I think I have recovered from the rain of evidence for one of my crack rarepairs I endured.

I went from shipping two characters that have never met to shipping two characters that literally flirted with each other (MULTIPLE TIMES) on screen. Hoyoverse, what the fuck.

Seriously, has there ever been a pair in Genshin who met on screen for the first time and INSTANTLY started flirting with each other? Who says to a complete stranger that they're "carrying a valiant breeze wherever they go" or "you're as bright as a fresh bouquet of flowers and the morning's rising sun"?? Like??? I could see Yae Miko or Lisa pulling that off, but both of their most popular ships already met them before the Traveler showed up.

Come to the Ventao ship. We have flirty meet-cutes.

I initially shipped them because haha funny little shits pranking Suffering!Zhongli, but apparently not. They're actually verbally sparring every time they meet on a level that even Beiguang or Kavetham can't match in terms of brainpower required to interpret it. And yet they can immediately shift from that straight to haha funny little shits in an instant if one of them spots a victim.

Anyway there's currently 4 competing ideas for what kind of fic old friends is going to end up as, and I am sorely tempted to just write them all (even though my WIP folder is still fucking massive).

[scrion7]

Okay, I know everyone’s screaming about canon XiaoVen interactions, but also consider Hu Tao seemingly has a role in Lantern rite too! HuXiao shippers might also get some food.

Meanwhile, as a VenTao and HuXiaoVen shipper, I am Living.

[joshy-tomato]

Okay but ventao is kinda cute, not gonna lie.

[scrion7]

better fly butterfly

Anya has no idea why the conversation she's hearing her new bard (spy) dad have with the strange funeral (mafia) lady has nothing in common with what they think they hear, but she's entertained nonetheless.

Informant Zhongli is not entertained.