Genshin writer who's here for the story

[wakeup-anxiety-repeat]

Just something I noticed: did anyone ever realize that the oceanid never gets rid of the middle tile on the platform?? Like I've fought the thing A LOT. I have every hydro character who uses it and my friend has a few as well so I'm no stranger to the fight. I mean (maybe I'm just having some consistent things happening) I see people running all over the place trying to avoid the platform thing and I checked guides as well but it's not there? and no one just stands in the middle? Is this just something no one noticed or are my fights just stupid consistent?

[wakeup-anxiety-repeat]

Out Shopping

ft. part of the Geo family

Zhongli: *looks to the side* *sees dog food* *looks at Gorou, realizes opportunity*

Zhongli: Want any dog food?

Gorou, without even hesitating: Nah, they don't have the flavor I want.

Zhongli: ...Touché.

[wakeup-anxiety-repeat]

Fabulae Textile

The ever-mischievous book lover is well known throughout the land, but not quite by name. His pseudonym is proclaimed to be an amazing writer, and all those who dwell upon his literature are destined to never find out his true calling, the master of the blade (or messing with people, lest he be within the same area as a certain exorcist he can’t help but tease).

His vision is hung at his side, a tassel connected to the frame around it, a tribute to, once again, the exorcist. His movements are elegant and precise, the pride of his clan. After all, that it only took him four years to master the technique was seen as quite a feat. He enhanced further when he wrote a beautiful verse describing the way one should go about learning the fighting style, wether it be with sword or polearm. Despite its elegance, it is unlikely the verse will ever see the light of day, for the others of the clan doubt anyone could read such...interesting looking writing. His outfit, as he is, is elegant and poised, it allows him to be light on his feet while still providing an impressive example of how those within his clan dress. One can oft find him at the nearest bookstore, he cannot help but become distracted when the books seem to be calling out to him. Who is he to ignore such wonderful pieces of literature? What if one of them just so happens to be the book he is looking for? That is what he asks himself every time he finds that he wishes to bury himself in a new story; who is going to stop the one who has almost no work to do? His family takes care of the busy work while he simply does what he pleases. For him, it is quite the deal. After all, what is better than delving into a new word where he can be whoever he wishes? What is better than drowning in the words so elegantly brushed on a sheet within the tome?

[wakeup-anxiety-repeat]

Dragonspine and Books

Chongyun x Xingqiu

Genshin Impact

~

Chongyun sighed again. This was the third day he had attempted to find some kind of spirit or thing to exorcise, but he was still out of luck. He resigned himself to wandering around the city. Chongyun found himself mindlessly wandering to Wanwen bookhouse, a place he found himself frequenting more and more often. It was upon arriving that he was greeted by both a wave from the owner, Jifang, and a subtle hand gesture that indicated where his reason for coming so often was. Upon walking over to the shelves piled high with books, Chongyun was met with a familiar mop of styled blue hair and an earring. Xingqui was holding a book that Chongyun did not recognize, so he took it upon himself to read the book from over his shoulder. It looked interesting enough, in his opinion. Xingqui moved to place the book back in its spot before turning around.

“You’re not interested in that one?”

“Reminds me far too much of the writings of another. I take it that you didn’t find anything?”

Chongyun sighed. “It seems not much is happening lately, and if there is something, I can’t seem to find where. But, I shall still keep up my training!”

“I don’t doubt it. What brings you here though? It isn’t oft you walk around like this during the day.”

“I had some free time, so I decided to walk around. I don’t do it too often in the morning, so it’s interesting for me to see so many people around. I even got to say hi to Xiangling.”

A fond smile rested on Xingqui’s face when he saw the happiness on Chongyun’s. “Good to hear it. Say, why don’t we go somewhere then?” A smirk crept up on his face. “How about we get Xiangling to make us popsicles?”

“That would be… Wait! No! The last time she did that… I can’t even think about it…”

“Hahaha! How about we go to the edge where Mondstat meets Dragonspine then? I have some novels that I’m going to pick up from Jifang. Once I've finished browsing, I can grab them and we can bring them along.”

“That sounds nice.”

“Dragonspine it is then! I shall get my books!” There was a pause as Xingui began walking and then realized where they were going. “...and my coat. How about we meet up in about half an hour?”

“Alright, I’ll be at the usual spot then.”

Chongyun walked over to and tapped the teleport waypoint in the city, using it to go to another waypoint right near the dragonspine area. It wasn’t close enough that it would be freezing, but it was also right near a river, meaning the area held a slight chill. “Ah, this weather is delightful.” It was only a short wait before Xingqui arrived, books and two blankets in hand, with one looking strangely sheer. Chongyun moved a bit over and took the books from Xingqui, allowing him to lay out the blanket.

“How’s it?”

“It’s nice, I think. Not too cold, but not too warm as well. A nice place to relax.”

Chongyun placed the stack of books on the blanket and sat down, Xingqui doing the same. Picking up a book from the pile, Xingqui looked at Chongyun.

“How would you like to go about this today?”

“You wouldn’t mind reading aloud, would you?”

“Not at all.”

Chongyun sat next to the hydro-vision holding boy and peeked over his shoulder at the words of the book, but quickly decided he was too tired from his late ventures to find spirits to process all of the text. Xingqui began to read aloud, and Chongyun let his mind drift, not really focusing on the words that were being read. It wasn’t long before he began to feel himself nodding off, but he didn’t make any move to stop it. Instead, the young exorcist let himself fall into a peaceful slumber, Xingqui’s voice lulling him to sleep. Xingqui lost a bit of his focus when he felt Chongyun’s head hit his shoulder. He couldn’t help but smile at the boy as he pulled the much more sheer blanket over the two of them, marked his page in the book, and placed his own head on top of Chongyun’s, the quiet sound of the river and the cool breeze blowing making it easy for him to enter the land of dreams.

[wakeup-anxiety-repeat]

Almond Tofu

Venti: *walks in with Almond Tofu*

Xiao: ...why did you materialize Almond Tofu?

Venti: Cause I wanted some Almond Tofu. Why didn't you materialize any Almond Tofu?

[wakeup-anxiety-repeat]

Memories Upon the Wall

Chongyun and Xingqiu

Genshin Impact

Art By: @unmappedquest

Warnings: angst, character death, a bit of depression, mention of blood, violence

~

-I found that it was something I could never bring myself to get rid of, but I didn’t want to keep it either.-

He couldn’t help but stare at the tassel that hung upon his wall. How long had it been there? Chongyun had lost count of the days. Its amber color stood out on the pale white walls, on some days it almost appeared to have an ethereal glow. He could still remember the day it happened. And even if he found himself unable to in the moment, one glance would send the memories flooding back.

He had been told of an opportunity for an exorcism by none other than Xingqiu himself. He should have known it was a prank when Xingqiu insisted on coming with. Not that that was the important part, though. The tragedy struck once they were there. The place was supposed to be devoid of enemies, and yet, the area seemed far from it. Fatui were there, and in an overwhelming quantity at that. Xingqiu had turned to him. “There wasn’t supposed to be anything here… at least, not anything overly powerful...” The two prepared to quietly leave without being seen, but the noise of a stray slime that came from their direction alerted the Fatui. They had gotten up and began towards the two, weapons in hand ready to attack. Chongyun and Xingqiu could fight, sure, but that many? Whether or not they could do it, they had no other choice. The fight had started out well. Chongyun should have noticed something was off. It was when they were distracted by their unexpected margin of success that the devastation came.

A fatui moved to launch a blow on Chongyun, creeping up from behind. He hadn’t seen it, but Xingqiu had. Chongyun didn’t process what happened as Xingqiu pushed him out of the way and took the lethal hit himself. The fatui jumped back to regroup with its comrades, its job well done, and Chongyun watched as the body of the person he had spent so much of his time with crumbled to the ground, crimson liquid staining the dirt and Xingqiu’s elegant outfit. He could only stare, wide-eyed, as the last thing Xingqiu did was smile at him and mouth ‘It’s not your fault.’ He snapped. Chongyun wasn’t quite sure of what happened after that.

He remembered bringing Xingqiu’s lifeless body to Hu Tao, taking the tassel that he had crafted as a return gift, and hanging it ever so delicately on his wall. He spent much time after that indoors, the only visits he really got were from Xiangling, who would bring him either food or ingredients to make something. He eventually mustered the strength to get out and about again, but he swore to himself he would never visit that place again.

It wasn’t until when he had finished reminiscing that Chongyun realized where he was. That spot. There was still a slight stain of red that was visible on the ground, accompanied by a stone that rested in the dirt. He fell to his knees in front of it, but he could not bring himself to say anything. Instead, all he could do was offer silent apologies as tears continuously flowed down his cheeks and landed on the ground, each one not making a sound. He took a deep breath and stood up. Xingqiu would laugh at him for still crying over this, wouldn’t he? Xingqiu would hate to see him mourning. Chongyun almost chuckled at the thought. Knowing Xingqiu, he'd go all poet, spouting out words that seemed as elegant as a bird at home in the sky.

He’d say something like, "Don't mourn death, but instead celebrate life." Then he'd say something less elegant, yet still equally as touching: “Why waste your time crying here when you could be out doing the things we never got to?” Chongyun looked up to the sky in hopes that his quiet prayers for Xingqiu were heard by some archon out there, and began to head back to Liyue. He had so many things to do. So many things to do for Xingqiu, and for himself.

[wakeup-anxiety-repeat]

Control Lost, Nothing Gained

platonic Klee and Albedo

Genshin Impact

Warnings: Angst, unedited

How much longer could he hold it back? Albedo didn’t know. The power he held, it was growing. It… It was getting stronger, and there was nothing he could do to stop it. He could go ask someone for help maybe? But who to ask? It’s not as though he could just waltz up to one of the knights and go “Hey, I’ve got so much power that one day I might lose control and destroy all of Mondstat. Mind killing me?” Yeah, like anyone would believe that. They’d think he was mad because of some alchemic mishap. ‘How about the traveler?’ He thought to himself, maybe that was the right idea. He paused in his thoughts. ‘I could not- No, I should not let the traveler have such a thing on their conscience.’ His eyelids felt heavy as he stared up at the night sky, which was clear as the snow he walked past every day, and gave into sleep, his thoughts slipping away.

Some time had gone by, Albedo realized. It was the dawn of a day later in the week, and he could feel the presence of the power more than ever before. But, he could not let it overwhelm him today, his facade could not break in front of the person he most loved. He would not let the person who he saw as his younger sibling see him in such a broken state. He had to hold it together, even if it was just for the day. He was taken out of his thoughts by an explosion in the distance and a cry of, “Oh no! Master Jean won’t be happy with me if she finds out about this…”

Albedo chuckled quietly and began to make his way to the source of the noise. Lo and behold, there she was, the young Spark Knight, Klee. She heard him approach and ran over, a sad look on her face.

“Albedo… It was an accident! Klee didn’t mean to…”

“Well, as long as Grandmaster Jean didn’t see, I don’t recall anything happening…” He feigned ignorance, and Klee’s frown turned into a smile.

“You won’t get in trouble, right?”

Albedo shook his head. “I’ll be fine. Shall we head to the camp?”

Klee gleefully nodded, and ran ahead. He couldn't help but smile at the girl’s cheery visage. He followed her, and was about to say something when he was struck with a sharp pain.

“Ngh…!”

“Albedo?”

‘No… not now… please… not now…’ He couldn’t stop it. That was something he knew for a long time, but he had hoped that he would at least have had the chance to spend a bit more time with everyone before he lost himself… As it turns out, dreams and hopes rarely come to fruition.

He fell onto his knees in front of the young girl, who ran over with a concerned look. “Is something wrong? Should I get a person?”

He would have laughed if it weren’t for all the pain he was in. No one could help him now. “Klee, I want you to- gah…!”

Klee took a sharp breath and walked closer. “No! Stay back!” Albedo could hear the distortion in his voice, a warped and broken tone instead of his usual monotone-sounding vocals. He looked down at himself. His appearance, it was changing. The black veins were beginning to crawl up his arms, and the poor girl standing in front of him looked terrified. He tried so desperately to call out to her, but it was no use, Albedo realized. He had already lost control.

“Big brother Albedo…? What’s going on? What’s happening?!” He could still hear the panic in Klee’s voice. Oh, how much he wanted to shout out, tell her to run, to leave and never come back, to not look at him… But he wasn’t able to say a thing. Instead, he felt his body move, rising into the sky and taking off in the direction of the city. The small knight followed, opting to use a waypoint. Jean had always told her they were faster, and she had made it to the headquarters before he could make it to the city.

The knights were notified, and they had gathered upon the bridge. They were to stop Albedo at all costs. He landed in front of them, veins that went from black to purple trailing up and down his body, eyes red and dilated, parts of his outfit ripped off. He did not say a word, merely glared. Jean could only stare, shocked at that which their chief alchemist had become. “K...” Kaeya hesitated, looking at the figure that stood in front of their group. Albedo had been his friend and comrade for so long. He was the only one who understood. Keaya paused again and looked up, making his decision. That… that thing that stood in front of him… it was not his friend. “K… Kill him! At any cost necessary!”

It was what had to be done. “Wait! NO!” It was the voice of the Spark Knight that halted them all in their tracks. “That’s… That’s my big brother! You can’t…!” Klee stepped forward. “Big brother?” Her words were quiet. Albedo fought, he tried as hard as he could. He HAD to regain control, even if it was only for a moment. He had finally managed it. “Klee… I know this might be hard, but you have to stop me, ok?” “No! I won’t! You’re… you’re big brother Albedo! You’re not-” “Klee.” Tears were forming in the girl’s eyes. “Look at me.” She sniffled and looked at Albedo, who’s eyes were as kind as she remembered them being.

“When this is all over, in another time, we can play together again, ok? Just like we did. We can spend all the time in the world together, but right now, I need you to- ngh..!” “But… But I can’t…” He smiled at her fondly. “You, can and you must. Please Klee. For me. I love you, okay? You know that, right?” He lost control. His eyes turned back to that sickening red color. “I… I love you too, big brother Albedo!” She wiped away her tears, and Klee prepared for what she now had to do. The knights launched their attack at Kaeya’s signal once more, and the fight began.

@genshin-obsessed

[wakeup-anxiety-repeat]

Dragonspine and Books

Chongyun x Xingqiu

Genshin Impact

~

Chongyun sighed again. This was the third day he had attempted to find some kind of spirit or thing to exorcise, but he was still out of luck. He resigned himself to wandering around the city. Chongyun found himself mindlessly wandering to Wanwen bookhouse, a place he found himself frequenting more and more often. It was upon arriving that he was greeted by both a wave from the owner, Jifang, and a subtle hand gesture that indicated where his reason for coming so often was. Upon walking over to the shelves piled high with books, Chongyun was met with a familiar mop of styled blue hair and an earring. Xingqui was holding a book that Chongyun did not recognize, so he took it upon himself to read the book from over his shoulder. It looked interesting enough, in his opinion. Xingqui moved to place the book back in its spot before turning around.

“You’re not interested in that one?”

“Reminds me far too much of the writings of another. I take it that you didn’t find anything?”

Chongyun sighed. “It seems not much is happening lately, and if there is something, I can’t seem to find where. But, I shall still keep up my training!”

“I don’t doubt it. What brings you here though? It isn’t oft you walk around like this during the day.”

“I had some free time, so I decided to walk around. I don’t do it too often in the morning, so it’s interesting for me to see so many people around. I even got to say hi to Xiangling.”

A fond smile rested on Xingqui’s face when he saw the happiness on Chongyun’s. “Good to hear it. Say, why don’t we go somewhere then?” A smirk crept up on his face. “How about we get Xiangling to make us popsicles?”

“That would be… Wait! No! The last time she did that… I can’t even think about it…”

“Hahaha! How about we go to the edge where Mondstat meets Dragonspine then? I have some novels that I’m going to pick up from Jifang. Once I've finished browsing, I can grab them and we can bring them along.”

“That sounds nice.”

“Dragonspine it is then! I shall get my books!” There was a pause as Xingui began walking and then realized where they were going. “...and my coat. How about we meet up in about half an hour?”

“Alright, I’ll be at the usual spot then.”

Chongyun walked over to and tapped the teleport waypoint in the city, using it to go to another waypoint right near the dragonspine area. It wasn’t close enough that it would be freezing, but it was also right near a river, meaning the area held a slight chill. “Ah, this weather is delightful.” It was only a short wait before Xingqui arrived, books and two blankets in hand, with one looking strangely sheer. Chongyun moved a bit over and took the books from Xingqui, allowing him to lay out the blanket.

“How’s it?”

“It’s nice, I think. Not too cold, but not too warm as well. A nice place to relax.”

Chongyun placed the stack of books on the blanket and sat down, Xingqui doing the same. Picking up a book from the pile, Xingqui looked at Chongyun.

“How would you like to go about this today?”

“You wouldn’t mind reading aloud, would you?”

“Not at all.”

Chongyun sat next to the hydro-vision holding boy and peeked over his shoulder at the words of the book, but quickly decided he was too tired from his late ventures to find spirits to process all of the text. Xingqui began to read aloud, and Chongyun let his mind drift, not really focusing on the words that were being read. It wasn’t long before he began to feel himself nodding off, but he didn’t make any move to stop it. Instead, the young exorcist let himself fall into a peaceful slumber, Xingqui’s voice lulling him to sleep. Xingqui lost a bit of his focus when he felt Chongyun’s head hit his shoulder. He couldn’t help but smile at the boy as he pulled the much more sheer blanket over the two of them, marked his page in the book, and placed his own head on top of Chongyun’s, the quiet sound of the river and the cool breeze blowing making it easy for him to enter the land of dreams.

[wakeup-anxiety-repeat]

the meaning of life

(This is based off an interaction I had with my family)

Ganyu: So, about the state of affairs for the economics...

Zhongli: Yes, I have the documents right here.

Xiao: *walking in* What are we talking about? The meaning of life?

Zhongli: Yes.

Xiao: Disgusting. Keep me out of it.

[wakeup-anxiety-repeat]

Hibachi (modern! AU)

Childe x Zhongli

Genshin Impact

~

It was another Friday night. The streets of Liyue were busy, but they often were during the weekends. Zhongli stared out his apartment window at the crowded streets, the loud noises of car horns and people piercing the usual silence of his apartment. He brought his cup of black coffee up to his lips and took a sip, finishing the last of what was left. Moving to a couch on the other side of the room, Zhongli mindlessly picked up his phone, the screen flashing on to show a picture of him and a certain Harbinger he had found himself enamored with.

‘Friday… Is he finished with work?’ Zhongli pondered to himself, ultimately deciding to unlock his phone and send a quick text to said Harbinger, asking if he had. After sending it, Zhongli took a moment to gaze at the profile picture of the person he was texting, a selfie that they had taken as a joke. It didn't take long for a response to arrive, confirming the Harbinger was out of work and, all of the sudden, on his way over to Zhongli’s apartment. There was barely a wait between receiving the text and hearing a knock on his door. Standing up, Zhongli walked over, looked through the small glass window, and opened the door. “Childe.”

“What’s up? You didn’t have work today?”

“I did not.”

“Your schedule is weird, you know.”

“Hm.” Childe lazily walked over the couch and flopped down on it as Zhongli closed and locked the door.

“You know, Mr. Zhongli-”

“Zhongli.”

“Huh?”

“...Without the Mr., if you don’t mind.”

“Alright, sure. Anyway…” There was a slight pause as Childe processed what Zhongli had said before continuing, “I like where I work, I really do,” Childe flipped over to lay on his stomach, laying his head on top of his arms that rested on the armrest of the couch (it wasn’t really that comfortable in his opinion, but he did it anyway), “but even I get tired sometimes, you know?” Zhongli walked over to where Childe was.

“Do you mind if I sit?” Childe once again shifted his position.

“This is your place, you don't have to ask me.” He sat down next to Childe and Childe laid his head on Zhongli’s shoulder.

“Are you hungry?”

“I could eat. Are you hungry?”

“Somewhat.”

“Where’re you thinking?”

“If I remember correctly, a Hibachi place opened up near here recently. My treat.” Childe tiredly laughed.

“You say that like money is the issue here. But sure. That sounds good right about now.” Standing up and stretching, his shoulders giving off a satisfying ‘pop’, Childe turned to face Zhongli. “Lead the way.” One short walk later in the mildly cold temperature accompanied by small talk and they were standing in front of the new restaurant.

“That didn’t take as long as I thought it would.”

“How long did you think it would take?”

“Um… Longer than it did...?”

Zhongli shook his head and once again looked at the restaurant. “Were we supposed to make a reservation or something of that sort?”

“I… dunno.”

“It doesn’t look very crowded.”

“Well, time to find out.”

The two walked in and, after a short talk with the person at the counter who happened to recognize Childe, they had their own table in an area with no other people.

“Word of your influence travels fast.”

“Haha! I don’t have that much influence! I owe it to the boss!”

“She does have quite the amount of power, and not just around this area either.”

“Gotta say, it’s kinda convenient sometimes. So, what’re you thinking of getting?”

Zhongli held up the menu and scanned it. “Perhaps the shrimp or the steak. You?”

“Hm… the steak does sound good… Why not get both?”

Zhongli nodded. “Perhaps that would be best.”

There was a slight pause before Childe waved over a server; the two placed their orders and they were told the chef would be there shortly.

“I’ve never really known what people see in getting their food made in front of them. What about it do they enjoy so much?”

“Perhaps the spectacle. The chefs make the food in an artistic way, I believe.”

“You believe? You’ve never been to a Hibachi before?”

Childe’s surprise was evident on his face. Zhongli had been alive for so long, how had he- ‘Forget it,’ he thought, shaking his head, as if to get rid of said thought. The noise of a rolling cart drew their attention and Childe watched as the man pulled in in front of the stove that was in front of the two men. Childe continued talking to Zhongli, paying him no mind.

“How have you never been to a Hibachi before?”

“It never crossed my mind to go to one.”

“But,” Childe waved off the chef who was going to pour some concoction called “sauce” into two small dishes, and the man put the dishes away. “Somehow you knew that the food here was good.”

“Have you been to one?”

“I have.”

“Yet you also did not know whether or not to place a reservation.”

“I usually don’t, and I wasn't sure if being with another person made a difference.”

“I suppose it did not.”

Zhongli cast a quick glance to the chef, who wore a slightly miffed expression on his face as he made the food, seemingly upset at being ignored. Childe turned to face the man. “Something wrong?”

“N-No! Not at all!” the chef had seemed to recognize Childe in that moment, his expression quickly shifting. There were a few minutes of silence as the two men watched their food get cooked and served to them for a bit before resuming their conversation, uninterested in the display.

“So how did you know that the food here was good anyway?”

“I was informed by Ningguang that this type of place was good on multiple occasions. She seems to go to this type of restaurant often, and was the one who informed me that there was one opening near my residence.”

The chef placed the last of the food onto the two men’s plates and bowed, uttering a “Thank you” and quickly walking away. Childe’s gaze scrutinized him as he left.

“You know, I don’t think we should tip him.”

Zhongli chuckled and began to eat his food before making a remark.

“I believe I see where you were coming from earlier.”

“Hm?” Childe fumbled with his chopsticks, attempting to pick up some fried rice. He let out a quiet cheer upon success, sending a mock glare towards the spoon and fork sitting on the napkin next to him.

“On why people found this interesting. I fail to see why as well. It was… not as artistic as I thought it would be.”

“Well, I did tell you I didn't know why! My point,” Childe lifted up the small cup of green tea he had ordered earlier and took a sip, “has been proven.”

Zhongli nodded and looked at his plate of food, continuing to eat.

“But wouldn’t Ningguang have informed you that the display was uninteresting?” Childe moved to stab something with his chopsticks until Zhongli took them out of his hand and replaced them with a fork.

“You could at least try to convince me you really were practicing by using the proper etiquette.”

Childe pouted before Zhongli continued.

“Ningguang most likely does not pay attention to such things. She is more interested than the cuisine than any spectacle that may come with it.”

At this point, the two were nearly done with their meals, but both felt as though they had eaten enough.

“Should we ask for takeout boxes? We could take the leftovers with us.”

Childe nodded and, once again, waved over a server. He casually asked for two boxes and the check, which arrived swiftly. Childe reached to grab the book that held the check when Zhongli grabbed it from right in front of him.

“I told you it would be my treat, did I not?”

“And here I had thought you forgot and I would be able to treat you.”

“You do that enough already, I believe.”

Childe laughed lightly but made no attempt to argue. After quickly paying, the two men were out the ornate glass doors and back outside.

“So. Do we head to your place or mine?”

“Considering that we would have to walk a much farther distance to reach your place, I propose we return to my apartment.”

“Alrighty then, shall we?”

“Indeed.”

It wasn't long before the two found themselves standing in front of the lightly painted door, Zhongli, once again, remarking on how it was still chilly out. The cold only got worse as it got later in the night. Zhongli fished the key out of his pocket, then unlocked and opened the door while Childe grabbed his leftovers and moved to put them in the fridge.

“Should I assume that means you will be staying over today?”

“I dunno. Should you?” Childe walked out of the small kitchen and over to where Zhongli was standing, once again in front of the window that overlooked Liyue. He rested his head on Zhongli’s shoulder.

“Do you miss how it used to be?”

Zhongli quietly sighed. “Part of me does, and part of me does not. While I am happy to see how much this place has changed without my guidance, there is a piece of me that wished they still looked to me for such things.”

“If you could, would you go back to that time?”

“Hm…?”

“That time where the people looked to you for guidance.”

Zhongli chuckled and moved away from the window to sit on the couch. “I would not.”

Childe tilted his head as if to question Zhongli’s response.

“There are things that I would miss if I were to go back to that time.”

“Oh? And what would those be?”

“That is something for me to know.”

“What?! You’re no fun!” Childe moved to sit next to Zhongli. “Tell meeeeeeeeeee!”

“I will not.”

“Come on! Why not?!”

Zhongli simply laughed and shook his head.

“You really are no fun,” Childe pouted, an upset look on his usually cheery face. Zhongli looked at him and smiled.

“You might not agree with my reasons if I told you.”

“What makes you think that?”

“Because my reason… is sitting right next to me.”

Childe paused to process Zhongli’s words, a light blush rising to his face. “That’s… That’s a bit… cliché, don’t you think?”

Zhongli smiled once again. “Yes, but it is the truth.”

[wakeup-anxiety-repeat]

A Picnic Date

Childe x Zhongli

Genshin Impact

~

There was not much left for him to do around Liyue Harbor, Childe noticed. He had been there for a few months at this point, and the business with the Tsaritza and the Geo lord had been over for a little while. Speaking, well thinking rather, of said lord, Childe turned a corner near the jewelry shop, and there he was, Morax, or Zhongli, as his mortal form was called.

The taller man was standing in front of the shop admiring an earring accented with noctilucous jade, no doubt spouting some history of the jewel to the person unfortunate enough to be working the current shift. Childe had to suppress a laugh at the simultaneously bored and fed up look the person had on their face.

Zhongli, feeling a gaze on his figure, turned around, and the person immediately let out a silent sigh of relief. “Childe,” Zhongli called out to him quietly. Childe walked over and stood next to Zhongli, the man greeting him with a hello. Zhongli once again looked at the piece of jewelry he had been staring at, then deciding it wasn’t worth the mora, turned and walked away, beckoning Childe to follow.

Childe walked next to him as the two looked around Liyue, both trying to figure out what to do. At last they arrived at Wanmin, and the chef, Xiangling, greeted them cheerfully. Childe stood, trying to decide what he wanted to eat, when he finally got an idea for something else to do.

“Mr. Zhongli, what if we did something different today?”

“What are you proposing?”

“A picnic. Somewhere in the mountains.”

“Such an experience could prove to be enjoyable. I shall take you up on your offer.”

A small smile graced Childe’s face. “Would you rather us make the food, or order some, since we’re already here?”

“I believe ordering food would be best.”

The two ordered dishes to their liking, with Childe footing the bill, of course. Zhongli turned to face Childe as he was paying.

“Did you have a particular mountain in mind?”

“Mt. Aozang has a good view and there usually aren’t many people there, so would that work?”

“Are there not Adepti on that mountain that would be disturbed by our presence?”

“Maybe mine, but if I’m with you, I don’t think they’ll mind.” Childe had a sly grin on his face.

“I suppose you are correct. Cloud Retainer should not mind, we will just be eating after all.”

With their location decided, the two walked to the nearest teleport waypoint and were transported to Mt. Aozang. Making their way to a table under a tree that sat on the mountain, they left an offering to the Adepti. Zhongli gave the table a longing glance and set up their food, first laying out a blanket and placing the various dishes on top of it. They sat down, and Childe noted the mildly sad look that rested on Zhongli’s visage.

“Something the matter?”

Zhongli looked up at the sky. “Simply the memories of times long past resurfacing. It has been quite the while since I was last up here.” Zhongli paused, the two sitting in silence. “But we are not here to reminisce about the centuries long past, but rather recent times.”

Childe smiled, picking up a dish and the set of chopsticks Zhongli had given him, and attempted to pick up some food with them, only for it to fall back to the plate. Zhongli chuckled and proceeded to perfectly and gracefully pick up a Golden Shrimp Ball and eat it, a slight smirk resting on his face. Childe pouted and once again attempted to pick up part of his Qingce Stir Fry, inelegantly managing to hold onto it for just long enough to shove it into his mouth and almost choke. (Zhongli quietly handed him some water in response to this.) Huffing, Childe put down his chopsticks and begrudgingly picked up a fork.

“Didn’t you say you were practicing your skills with chopsticks?”

“I am, I am. It’s just… progressing slowly.”

Zhongli’s face practically screamed doubt, but he dropped the topic. Zhongli and Childe had been talking about the current economic affairs of Liyue when Childe spotted a hint of movement in the corner of his eye. He looked down, his eyes landing on a bug of some sort that sat on the blanket the two were on. Zhongli’s gaze drifted to the tiny being as well, and before he could even blink, the bug was already on one of the chopsticks Childe had put down. Zhongli took a sip of his tea as Childe proceeded to stand up, walk to the edge of the mountain, and flick the dead thing right off of it. He then sat back down and cleaned off the chopstick, an upset look on his face.

“Something the matter?”

Childe froze and looked over at Zhongli. “No, no. Why do you ask?”

“Your expression looked less than pleased.”

“Ah… Well…” A light pink dusted Childe’s cheeks as he realized his mild anger over the bug interrupting them had shown on his face. “It’s nothing. Shall we continue?”

Zhongli nodded, and they continued their discussion. It had been a few hours before they decided they had talked enough and they were out of food as well. Zhongli began to pack up the dishes as Childe folded the blanket, and they walked back to the teleport waypoint to return to Liyue Harbor.

Once they stood in the streets of the city, which was far less busy than it had been when they left, Childe turned to Zhongli.

“Time does fly quite quickly, doesn’t it, Mr. Zhongli? Already it is much later than it was when we left.”

“Yet, I find I do not mind at all. Perhaps we should do this again, no? You do make for enjoyable company.”

Childe froze hearing the response Zhongli had given him.

“Next we meet, I’d love to know your answer on whether or not we could do that again.” The lord of Geo waved at the Harbinger and walked off, leaving a flustered Childe in his wake.

“I’ll… let you know…”

[wakeup-anxiety-repeat]

Special

Based on the world of Genshin Impact 

OC x OC

~

It was strange. He looked around, feeling a presence, but he couldn’t see anyone. “Hello?” he called out, turning in every direction he could. It was then that he saw them, when they had responded to his call.

“Hello. Are you looking for something?”

“Well, I thought someone was here, but I couldn’t see them. I guess that was you.” The person he was looking at didn’t make an expression, just stared right back. “Um… my name is Daiki. What’s yours?”

“My name is Demi.”

“Nice to meet you Demi! Do you some here often?” 

“Yes, I enjoy the environment here. It is calm and peaceful. I come here almost everyday.” The sky was darkening, he noticed. 

“Well, it’s getting dark. I should go. Do you want me to walk you home?” 

“No, that’s alright. Good night.” 

The person bid their goodbyes and walked off. So did he. He came back the next day, and there they were, sitting at the base of a large tree that, despite there being no wind, had leaves that were swaying. “Hello there!” He called out to them, waving cheerfully. “It’s good to see you again!” 

“You know I’m nothing special, right?” 

“Hm…? What do you mean by that?” The person didn’t answer his question. 

“I may have something few from this world have, but I am not special.” He gave them a quizzical look, but decided not to ask, as he doubted he would get an answer anyway. 

“We should go do something! I’m sure there are a few missions we could take!” He exclaimed, but immediately after, he looked down in embarrassment. He had barely know this person for a day! What was he doing?! 

“Okay.” His face lit up, and he didn’t know why. 

“Awesome! What type should we take? There’s battling, hunting for treasure, cooking….” 

“Whatever you’d like to do is fine with me.” The person got up and walked next to him. 

“Off we go!” He said, taking off towards their destination. They followed. When the two arrived at the board of missions, he examined them all. “I think I’m in the mood for a battle. How about you?” 

“Fine with me.” Despite this being a remark that was often not made in a positive tone, the person’s voice held no malice.

“Alright!” He grabbed the mission off the board and pulled his map out of his pocket. “It looks like it’s about here, I think we can make it there today if we take this route.” He pointed at a canyon that was around their destination. The person shook their head and pointed at a river. 

“I think that would be faster.” 

“Hm… Yeah! You’re right! Okay, let’s go down to the dock and see if we can get a boat!” The person nodded, and they walked out carrying the paper detailing the mission, the person next to the board shouting a cheerful “Thank you!” to them as they left. Arriving at the dock, he looked around. There weren’t many people. “So, we’ll get a boat and be on our way!” 

He turned around to where they had been standing, but no one was there. Looking around, he saw them. They were standing at the very edge of the walkway that went the farthest out, staring at the expansion of water surrounded by grass covered land. He smiled, and went to negotiate a good price for renting the boat. After he had done the, he walked to the front of the walkway and shouted “I have the boat! Are you ready to go?” 

They turned around and nodded, walking over and gently stepping into the boat that he had procured for them. He pulled out the oar that was sitting in the side of it, and they began their journey down the river. It was surprisingly calm, for where they were headed. Straight into a camp of unusual monsters that had been slowly emerging from no one knew where. They littered the world now, stealing from people, hurting them, and blocking off paths. They were going to clear out a camp they had set up that was blocking a path to a place he didn’t know much about. 

As they floated down the river, his occasional steering directing them away from the mountains that surrounded them, he turned to the person he was traveling with. They were staring at the water, at their own reflection. 

“What are you staring at?” He thought he already knew the answer, but he asked anyway. 

“There are fish.” 

“Oh…?” He looked over, and there was a school of fish swimming next to their boat. The person was smiling at them, a faint small smile that would be easily missed. They floated down the river a little while longer and reached their destination. “We’re here! Ready to go?” 

“Yeah.” The two walked up the path until the blockade came into view. He took note of the monster behind it sitting around the small fire. Jumping right over the blockade, he rushed right into battle, twin swords slashing down any monster in his way. The person merely stood back and watched, casting the occasional spell from the book they carried to make sure he didn’t get hurt. It didn’t take long for the camp to be empty and the structure blocking the path destroyed. 

“Looks like we took them out easy!” He said, walking down the clear path back to them. He could tell he had a grin across his features. 

“I think you did most of the work.” He laughed. 

“I guess, but your support helped a lot!”

“One day, when you become much more important than I will ever be, I will fade away.” “Huh? Don’t say things like that!” They merely smiled at him. 

“Let’s go get the reward.” 

“Yeah!” That was one of many missions the tow took, destroying even the toughest of monsters and cooking even the simplest of dishes. When they retuned from a particularly hard mission, they were congratulated and held in high regard. At least, he was. The person he often traveled with went unnoticed. He continued picking the toughest of missions, his own gallant actions seen by the people, and the support of they other person unseen. It was after a particularly tough mission that they arrived back after that he felt as though he was missing something. He couldn’t quite put his finger on it, but he felt it. 

“It will feel as though you are missing something, but you will not be sad.” A sudden thought came to his mind. Didn’t he have… He found himself unable to recall why he had such nagging feeling. “I will disappear as I have for so many before you, becoming something you can tell is gone, but can never quite grasp.”  Maybe it was a partner of some sort? He figured himself the type to work with others, so the idea did not seem too far fetched. “I will brush past like the wind, giving you one small glimpse, one second of remembrance, until you go out to live your new life.”  

He asked the people around who were clamoring to even get a look at him, the hero who had slayed the “tough monsters that were terrorizing the people”. They didn’t mention that he had ever worked with another person, so he wasn’t sure. Apparently, if he had, they had never seen the person. 

A mild breeze interrupted his thoughts, barely brushing past his face. He felt a strange sense on longing, of loneliness for a certain person, the wind whispering in his ear as it went past. He saw a glimpse of someone, and a memory surfaced. “‘Hello?’ he called out, turning in every direction he could. It was then that he saw them, when they had responded to his call. ‘Hello. Are you looking for something?’ ‘Well, I thought someone was here, but I couldn’t see them. I guess that was you.’ The person he was looking at didn’t make an expression, just stared right back. ‘Um… my name is Daiki. What’s yours?’ ‘My name is —’ ‘Nice to meet you —!’” He couldn’t hear their name. Then, as fast as it had come, the memory faded from is mind, once again becoming a lost relic. 

“As I said, I’m not special. I will always fade into the background in the end.” Demi watched from afar, staring as Daiki laughed at the people surrounding him and thanked them for all the compliments he was receiving. Waving their hand, a gentle breeze blew through the crowd and to him. They watched for his reaction at the sudden memory, a smile forming on their face when a glimpse of remembrance appeared. The smile stayed even after the breeze had once again run its course. “Thank you, though, for making me feel special. Even if it was just for a little while.”