note. i surprised myself with how much plot this actually has.
零 ; you, the typecasted “passerby a”
the path to stardom is an arduous journey, but you’ve already abandoned your dreams not even halfway down the road.
you are far from the fresh newbie you once were. maybe you hoped to be famous at some point, your name sung in ardent praises and joint with stellar performances, but you’ve never received major roles that strayed from “classmate b” or “the protagonist’s best friend” who only ever appears to give advice.
the closest you’ve been to getting a main character role is being part of the second pairing of a cheesy romance drama that never became a hit, a series with a generic plot and a bland cast of no name actors.
but you can’t deny the spark of hope lighting your heart when you receive word of an audition for an upcoming drama adaptation of a well-loved webtoon series, a series you are an avid fan of. it’s a murder mystery following a genius detective striving to solve a serial killings cold case, with snippets of romance and the occasional comedy, grim as the premise may be.
once the drama adaptation was confirmed, it quickly became a hot topic; fans are anticipating the casting and filming crew, expecting nothing less of perfection to honor the brilliant source material. by all accounts, it’s big news, and snagging even a minor role would definitely earn you more recognition.
if you’re chosen to act as the victim in the first murder, you would already be beyond satisfied—being part of such a masterpiece is enough to make you overjoyed. you don’t have too high hopes but there’s no harm in trying for the audition, right?
yes. no harm at all.
that’s if you don’t count the brain damage you suffered when your head slammed against the wall from complete shock as you received an e-mail from the staff confirming your admittance to the project.
as the protagonist’s love interest, no less—a journalist investigating the serial murders to enact revenge on their younger brother’s stead, the third victim in the killings.
一 ; xiao, the celebrity crush
acting practice is generally considered a casual affair in every project you’ve taken on, yet you couldn’t help but spend hours trying to make yourself look presentable (and avoid looking like a beggar compared to your shining idols when you stand side by side). you may be a tad bit overdressed, but you’d hate to make a fool out of yourself on day one.
except that is exactly what you do. because you’re a walking disaster.
in your defense, it’s not even your fault! the moment you step foot in the venue, you’re ushered by the staff to a row of waiting rooms… without any nameplates attached by the doors and no indication of where you’re supposed to go. left with no other choice, you mentally count eeny meeny miny moe and surge forward for the chosen room.
you can’t tell if you’re tremendously lucky or the most unfortunate person on earth, but you come face to face with a person you never thought you’d see in the flesh.
the thing is, the staff never informed you of your future colleagues. the casting is a well-kept secret, even from the actors themselves, to prevent information leaks to the media before the official announcement.
you really wish you had time to prepare yourself before you had to meet xiao, though.
he’s lounging by the sofa, curls of dark hair sprawled on the cushions. his face is obscured by an eye mask, fashioned in a cute design you wouldn’t expect him to take an interest in at all. if you took a picture of him right now and printed them as merchandise, you’re sure they’ll sell like hotcakes, but a selfish part of you wants to keep this sight to yourself.
yes, because… because you’ve been crushing on him since forever!
you’ve seen his growth as an actor as far back as five years ago, when he only just started his career! he made the perfect mysterious pretty boy male lead, and the romance film he starred in was such a good classic! but he didn’t get typecasted, no no. he went beyond his pretty boy persona to work in other productions, where he acted as the crazed antagonist in a horror movie. that, too, eventually became a classic film for any horror movie fan. his murderous glare is just too damn scary!
he’s excellent in action-packed movies as well, there’s never a need for stunt doubles with him. you’ve seen his behind the scene clips, and they’re just awesome. he doesn’t speak much in interviews, his replies clipped and hardly substantial, but you try to catch each piece of precious footage.
oh fuck i shouldn’t be here. you snap back to your senses and reach for the doorknob, but the creaking sound of the door prompts xiao to twitch.
a pale hand drags down the eye mask to his chin, and his dazed golden eyes pin you in place.
“…who are you?”
it’s a simple question, but it’s like you’re trying to prove your innocence to court. you begin to ramble, introducing yourself in a series of stutters, and explaining how you got to his room. you insist you aren’t there to peep on him and it was a complete accident.
“…so you entered my room by mistake,” xiao summarizes your ten paragraphs-worth of explanation into a single concise sentence. he doesn’t look angry, but doesn’t look pleased by your presence either. “it’s fine. i could guess the staff was too busy to show you your room.” he sits up properly, fixing his hair messy from his nap. “you’re the journalist, right? i look forward to working with you.”
rather than a job, filming feels more like a reward. you get to see xiao everyday, get to talk to xiao even if it’s just you commenting on the weather, get to eat with him in lunch breaks (you’re seven seats away from him but that counts, right?) and get to act alongside him-
and xiao is the second male lead. you get to act romantic scenes with him. you get to act lovey-dovey with xiao in a police uniform because he’s a policeman in this show.
each brush of your hands together sends your heart racing in a speed too fast to be healthy, but as an actor, you’re expected to keep your composure and deliver your lines properly.
(the makeup artist is always wondering why you look so red on screen when she swears she didn’t put much blush on you, though.)
“don’t you need to ask something of me?”
you blink innocently as you peel off the heavy costume, the last scene for the day finally wrapped up. xiao must be feeling hot too because he’s also wearing a huge coat in the middle of summer—his face is beet red.
“ask you for something…?” your cheeks burn bright. “oh no, was i too obvious?”
xiao awkwardly looks away. “you could say that.”
how mortifying! you fan your face, hoping your makeup isn’t too melted. you already feel like an idiot, no need to look like one.
but xiao already thinks you’re stupid. no turning back now.
“o… okay… since the cat is out of the bag, then…” you pull out a pen and a piece of paper, holding it out to him. “please give me your autograph!”
“…what.”
“i’ve been your fan for the last five years! i don’t know who ratted me out, actually i’m about 87% sure it’s childe, but since you know-”
“wait- what? five years?”
“………if that’s not what you’re talking about, then what is?”
“no, i thought you wanted me to ask me ou-”
he seals his lips at the most crucial moment, horrified at himself. “sorry. i’ll ask you another time.”
… and then he walks away. just like that.
“xiao, what about my autograph?!”
“forget it!”
“why all of a sudden?!”
二 ; childe, the scandal magnet
notorious for the massive number of scandals under his belt, it’s a surprise to find ajax (with a stage name of childe) in the set of this major production. you’re advised by your manager to steer clear of him and avoid unnecessary contact to prevent sullying your reputation, but you can’t deny his acting prowess—he shines on the stage, a performance you can’t tear your eyes away from.
he’s incredibly versatile, capable of taking on any role and absorbing the character to make it come to life, almost as if he is its incarnation.
it starts as a simple game before actual practice, each actor asked to draw lots from pieces of paper scribbled with different roles, and given an accompanying script to base off of.
everyone laughs when childe, ironically enough, draws the “womanizer who cheats on his lover.”
unfortunately, you couldn’t laugh along with them because you picked the “lover” role. your incredible (read: atrocious) luck astounds you.
it goes just about as well as everyone expects it. childe, seemingly in his element, plays the part of a perfect scumbag. it’s easy to hate him like this, all flamboyant gestures and empty promises of “you are my one and only.” his performance inspires you to try harder, and so you raise your voice, your passionate screams of indignance almost sounding heart-felt, like you truly are experiencing a severe betrayal.
when childe sweeps you into his arms, whispering platitudes dripping with honey, you’re nearly fooled into forgiving him.
it’s hard to get yourself out of the role when the director ends the scene, satisfied with the act. childe’s expression returns to its usual lazy grin, a far cry from the smug smirk prior, and he pats your head to wake you up. “nice work. i really felt like i was getting scolded by an angry girlfriend.”
dazzled by his brilliance, you barely have enough coherence to return the compliment.
your awe doubles when he performs his next act.
much to xiao’s horror, he picks the “dying younger brother” role, a direct accompaniment to childe’s “grieving older brother.” they make an… interesting pair, but they’re also professionals, and the scene they perform almost makes you weep real tears.
xiao lays limp on the floor like a lifeless doll, and childe cradles him to his chest, delivering his lines with sobs and cries that sound too real to be an act. his heart-wrenching wails bounce from the walls, going straight to strike your heart. his voice cuts through the air, demanding your attention, as if telling you to keep your eyes on him and to never look away.
it’s nothing like the sleazebag character he was playing twenty minutes ago, and you have to remind yourself your scripts are only given once you’ve drawn lots; he had a maximum of five minutes to read through it, process the information, decide how to deliver his lines, and visualize himself performing it in the best way possible.
like this, he doesn’t look at all like the scandalous man everyone makes him out to be. he’s just an earnest man who’s good at pretending to be someone else.
it’s terrifying to think about. did he ever act like his true self when the cameras stopped rolling, then? was he just playing the part of a “good co-worker” when he was talking to you earlier? was the whole “scandalous womanizer” image something he set up for himself? a reputation he deliberately made to attract the media’s attention? it isn’t unusual for actors to cause drama as a publicity stunt, after all.
no, that doesn’t make sense. no matter how desperate, nobody would like bad rumors circulating about them. as much as your name is spread around, it also goes hand in hand with distasteful gossip. childe is plenty famous, even before the scandals began popping up, so he never really needed them and they would only further ruin his image…
…on the contrary, if there’s anyone getting famous from those scandals, it’s…
…the girls he supposedly hooked up with?
rather than making those scandals for fame, doesn’t it make more sense if those girls fabricated stories and took advantage of his reputation?
it’s no secret that meddlesome paparazzi and hardcore fans obsessively pry into celebrities’ personal lives. if they sniff a hint of dating scandals, they don’t stop digging. furthermore, once the media releases information to the public, people will take it as fact. in actuality, it doesn’t matter what’s true or not; what the public wants to believe becomes the “truth.”
if the people deemed it plausible, if they thought “childe would definitely do something like this, so of course if the girl says they hooked up in the dressing room, they did”…
…even if childe denied those claims, nobody would believe him. not even you. you didn’t think about it until now. in fact, at the very beginning, you already had assumptions about him, devouring the media’s lies.
childe laughs when you apologize to him. it was certainly a shock when you suddenly knocked on his door, then the instance he opened it, you began to bow deeply, nearly slamming your forehead to his chest.
“i’m used to it, don’t worry.” he smiles, but it doesn’t reach his eyes. “you were so stiff around me, it was pretty obvious what you thought of me. but you didn’t have to apologize.”
“no, i do! i was being disrespectful!” you insist, taking him by surprise when you grab the lapels of his jacket. “you’re nothing like what they say! i’m sure you’ve been through a lot just because everyone keeps saying whatever they want, without thinking of your feelings… and everyone laughed that one time we played the acting game… i… i can’t take back the time i’ve spent being suspicious of you, but i want to change that!” you stare directly at his widened eyes, determined. “i want to know you better, ajax!”
the use of his real name stuns him and for a moment, all he can do is gape at you.
then he narrows his eyes, his lips shaping to a firm line, and he tugs you inside the room.
a yelp unwittingly escapes your mouth when you’re pressed against the door, his arms caging either side of you. his expression is unfamiliar now, unlike anything you’ve ever seen before; uncharacteristically stern, harsher around the edges, spiteful gaze boring holes into your skull.
“you want to know me better… some pretty words you just said. what do you actually want?”
your breath hitches when his hand caresses your cheek, but the striking glare he’s giving you makes you think he wants to sink his nails deep into your skin instead.
“this isn’t the first time someone tried to approach me, you know. what, you want to be friends with me? you’re going to ask if i can invite you to my house? then you’re going to tell people how i took advantage of you while you were sleeping?”
“what- no! of course not!” you yell, face heating up just by the thought of it. “nevermind lying to the media, i don’t have the guts to sleep over a guy’s house i barely even know!”
his expression falls to a deadpan. “oh. my bad. you’re quite pure, aren’t you. of course you wouldn’t.”
“that’s what makes you believe me?!”
the arms caging you falls to his sides as he walks away, leaving you dumfounded. “right, right, sorry for scaring you. can’t you let me off easy? it’s pretty hard to trust someone when you’re in my position. if i treat you to dinner, will you forgive me?”
“i… i came here with good intentions… now i feel as though i was harassed…”
his usual smile falls on his face, like he’s a completely different person from the man who trapped you just seconds prior. “what do you think about seafood? i’ll let you eat as many crabs as you like. i really am sorry, promise. if you were saying the truth earlier, then i’d be glad to know you better too, [name].”
you give him a look. “…if they saw us entering a restaurant together, wouldn’t that attract rumors?”
“hm? is everyone so narrow-minded they think anyone who eats together is in an illicit relationship?”
the answer is no, so you eat as much crabs and shrimp as you want to your heart’s content. you’re getting your food’s worth for that fright he caused earlier. childe isn’t complaining anyway, only impressed with how much dishes you’re practically inhaling.
in any case, it isn’t a date. there is no ambience or heart-pounding romance of any sort. not when you’re overtly taking advantage of his money and childe’s taking ugly pictures of you mid-bite.
but then, of course, the media takes note of it; the topic of your outing is brought up at an interview, to which you fret and panic because you were never popular enough to be interviewed before, and they’re asking if you’re fucking childe, of all things-
“what are you talking about?” childe pops up behind you, unhelpfully wrapping an arm around your shoulders as if he wants to add fuel to the fire. he chuckles, tilting your chin to lean closer to his face. “i’m just pursuing [name]. nothing’s happened yet. unless [name] wants to…”
you take it back. he’s definitely at fault for having this many scandals.
三 ; albedo, the male lead
the first day of rehearsals, the protagonist of the drama isn’t even there.
to your astonishment, nobody complains about it. twenty minutes into practice (most scenes skipped due to the protagonist’s absence), the director gets a call and excuses himself outside. less than a minute after, he informs everyone the star of the show won’t be able to make it.
the actors trade unsure looks, wondering what the hell is going on, but the rest of the staff remain unfazed. the director notices and explains, “it’s albedo. his busy schedule can’t be helped. his manager called me to let me know his flight got delayed.”
and then it makes much more sense.
albedo is well-renowned in the film industry, an extraordinary talent who first came into showbiz three years ago. it’s not at all a long time, but it’s long enough for him to receive countless awards and bountiful movie offers—he was just born for the stage. if anything, this drama is lucky to have him in it, not the other way around. a late arrival for a rehearsal is nothing. he could probably disappear for two months without telling anybody and when he comes back, the director would beg him to act for the drama for twice the pay. (an exaggeration, but you get the point.)
and… you’re expected to partner with him? you? a speck of dust compared to the sun that is albedo? you have to match his brilliance and not look like a turd beside him on screen? you have to be equals with him and- and you actually get to- you get to hold hands with him, kiss him, and- those couple stuff? everything? his fans would murder you if your mother doesn’t kill you first! you know she likes his movies a lot!
the fourth day of rehearsals, he finally comes to the set. not with an air of arrogance or excessive pride. he just exudes confidence, strutting to the room in an elegant poise you can’t hope to replicate. he gives his sincere apologies for the inconvenience to the staff, all polite bows and offer of recompense.
“but there’s no reason to worry,” he declares, gaze steely. “i won’t make any more trouble for you.”
he refuses when the director suggests taking it slowly and instead goes straight to practice. but it doesn’t look like he needs any of it at all.
as if he’s been here all along, he falls into place with the other actors, not a single awkward pause in their scripted conversations and everything smooth sailing. he delivers a flawless performance, like the cameras are already rolling and he’s practiced for tens of thousands of times already, not read through a portion of the script in the car ride towards the set.
there is one thing he’s struggling with, however.
“you’re too stiff with each other,” the acting coach comments, frowning slightly at the two of you and cutting the scene short. “rather than bickering, it’s like you’re actually arguing, and that’s not what we want to portray.”
you blink, exchanging a look with albedo, and look down at his collar you’re still gripping.
maybe you do look like you’re trying to strangle him instead of pulling him closer to your face for some good ol’ sexual tension.
originally, the characters you play didn’t get along well in the beginning of the webtoon; the genius detective didn’t like to rely on others, conceited enough to believe he can solve the case on his own, hence seeing the journalist as a hindrance since they kept pestering him to let them help him, and he help them in turn so they could work together. the detective didn’t deem them “useful” for the investigation, and it was only much later that he (begrudgingly) admitted the journalist can be helpful… sometimes. thus officially starting their partnership for the investigation, and later on, partners in the romantic sense.
there were quite a lot of bickering scenes before the actual romance commenced, and you’re struggling with finding a delicate balance to that—where exactly do you draw the line between petty squabbles and severe disputes? how do you show the chemistry between these two characters while butting heads in every instance? the enemies to lovers trope is harder to act than it seems.
“try to get familiar,” the director suggests. “you’re stiff because you don’t know each other well. you’re too shy to touch or get closer. why not leave early and go on a little date by yourselves to fix that?”
“is that really okay…?” you say, unsure. besides being hesitant to leave earlier than the rest, you’re also nervous to be alone with your co-actor.
“if he says it’s fine, then it’s fine.” albedo shrugs, starting to walk towards the dressing room and tugging you along. “but if we’re going outside, we should wear disguises. it’s also fine if we borrow some of your clothes, right?”
“of course, of course~” the director indulges him. “have fun, kiddos.”
as it turns out, albedo is a master of disguise. he doesn’t even have a wig or anything but you almost can’t recognize him clad in casual attire. he also almost looks like a stylist while figuring out what outfit to give you, and you’re left in awe when you look at yourself in the mirror wearing clothes you wouldn’t normally pick out yourself but they look really, really good on you, and they do a good job changing your image too. not that you think anybody would recognize you anyway, unpopular and all.
“where do you want to go?” you trail after him on the way to the bus station, always a step or two behind. albedo makes a humming noise, subtly slowing his pace to match your strides.
“why not just go wherever our feet takes us?” he pipes up. “as long as it’s not teeming with people, of course.”
so with zero preparation at all, you do just that. you stop by a bookstore, with you showing him around the comics section and him adamantly insisting the plain hard-cover literature he’s picking up is a thrilling epic that will definitely pique your interest, [name] stop yawning-
you pay a visit to the arcade, where you find albedo is clumsy with his feet and can’t play dance dance revolution to save his life, but also unnecessarily adept with claw machines because he has a little sister who loves getting stuffed toys. you compete over who gets the most points in the basketball game to decide who pays for dinner, end up in a tie, and move on to a zombie shooting game. you win by a narrow margin and albedo tells you so, but you point a finger at the results and tell him to cough up the cash. then you play around in the photo booth using the craziest filters, and you take the liberty of pasting stickers everywhere.
dinner is a simple affair. albedo looks ready to go to some michelin star establishment but you introduce him to a sushi restaurant that’s relatively cheap. he’s impressed by the way you swipe at the conveyor belt so quickly. okay, so you may look like an utter glutton right now, but it’s fine. not the first time you embarrassed yourself in front of a co-actor.
lastly, you stop by an ice cream shop to get gelato. your appetite is “awe-inspiring,” as albedo put it, but you argue there’s always room for dessert.
“will this actually help us, though…?” you sigh, eating a spoonful of gelato. “i don’t understand the difference between bickering and arguing.”
“we’ve done it the whole day,” albedo reminds you, using a tissue to clean the residue of cream on your cheek. “we’ll do just fine.”
you stare at him in disbelief. “…is this also one of your habits from taking care of your sister?”
“ah. you could say that.”
just as albedo said, filming goes a lot more smoothly. the playful air is a huge improvement compared to last time when they said you looked ready to beat him to submission. the romantic tidbits are coming along well, too, spun between action-packed scenes where you’re pressed against albedo in a slim locker to hide from the murderer lurking nearby or sweet slice of life moments outside of the investigation.
at last, the confession scene is upon you. just a while back, the two main characters got into a full-blown argument; the detective was irritated by the lack of progress in the investigation, and deduced his feelings were distracting him. he decided to keep the journalist at arm’s length, never allowing them to go close. of course, they didn’t react well to this, and so they pester him again, but the argument became heated and it eventually peaked to “you’re an inconvenience to me!” which led them to separate ways.
the journalist, desperate to solve the case on their own, approached people who seemed to be in the know. they were nearly pulled into bed by an attractive yet suspicious man, who’s genuinely interested in the journalist romantically and used intel on their younger brother’s murder as leverage, but they get interrupted by the detective pounding on the door.
he dragged the journalist out, thoroughly upset at the notion of selling themself, but they deny the accusations and claim they were tricked.
the argument stretched longer, the both of them airing out everything they dislike about the other, but the detective accidentally slipped and confessed his real feelings. the journalist, who never thought of him that way, was frozen on the spot.
it’s a long scene requiring much preparation. aside from the amount of lines you have to memorize, there’s also a hotel suite you have to borrow for the shoot, the cameras they need to set for the “dragging” scene that has a lot of movement, the really awkward half-bedroom scene you have to act with your co-actor, and the fact that you have to take the confession scene before the sun completely set.
it’s truly a busy day. anxiety plagued you the moment you came out of the makeup room, knowing what comes next.
but it’s a job, and one especially you couldn’t afford to slack on. the kind-of-but-not-really-bedroom scene goes without a hitch, but albedo interrupts you a tad bit too early; the top of your shirt is barely unbuttoned but he’s already storming in, ripping you out of the other man’s grasp.
the director doesn’t chide him for it however, and he drags you out of the hotel as planned. you’re a bit frazzled by the suddenness of it all, clothes still rumpled, but it adds on to your acting and your stuttering questions make the scene look more natural.
albedo’s fury seeing you in such a disheveled state seems almost genuine, too.
“why are you acting like this?!” you pull your wrist away in an effort to make him let go, as described in the script, but albedo refuses to. an improvisation, perhaps? but now of all times…? “you didn’t care about me before! are you trying to be nice now? didn’t you say you were sick of putting up with me? you hated me for being stupid, right? guess what, then! i was stupid enough to get almost taken advantage of! if you’re just going to lecture me, let go. i don’t want to hear any of it. i already know how much of a fool i am.”
you’re supposed to back away now, but he doesn’t let you do that either. for one step backward, he takes two forward, nose nearly brushing with yours in the close proximity. your face heats up in a combination of confusion and embarrassment, your ears barely registering his lines.
“…never listen to me. you always go off on your own and i still think you’re a reckless idiot. you’re noisy and brash and you annoy me to no end,” he says in one breath, staring deeply into your eyes. “but seeing you with someone else annoys me even more. to the point i’d abandon everything just to get you back.”
“w…” your throat is incredibly dry. “why would you…”
“whether i like it or not, you’ve become important to me. i love your stupid laugh and your stupid smile. i love the way you look at me, and i don’t want you to look at anyone else. you drive me crazy when you put yourself in danger because i don’t want to lose you. i want you so badly that i want you to only think about me, spend time only with me, only love me. i-”
you’re fairly certain this is nowhere near his lines in the script.
“i love you so much that it scares me.” his voice trembles as his hand lifts to cup your face, something that finally bears semblance to the original scene. “it was wrong of me to say those horrible things. not just last time. i’ve been terrible to you, and no amount of apologies can make up for it. but i ask only one more chance.”
his finger hovers at the corner of your lip.
“[name], won’t you only look at me?”
you gape like a fish out of water, unable to reply. you’re trying to remember your lines, flipping through the mental script in your head, but the director’s “cut!” pulls you back to reality.
albedo blinks, getting himself out of the role, and he lets go of you reluctantly, the heat of his fingers lingering on your skin.
“the scene was good, but you said the wrong name.” the director laughs. “it’s alright. we can still shoot where we last left off. return to your positions.”
as told, you go back to your previous position. you give a furtive glance at albedo, whose cheeks flare in humiliation. he’s probably never done such a rookie mistake before. there’s no reason to be that flustered about it; you’ve made the same error plenty of times.
“i apologize. i won’t do it again next time.”
(if he’s going to confess, the least he can do is make his own lines for the occasion.)
SUMMARY: you punched his main target’s child, how would he react?
FEATURING: diluc, kaeya, childe, zhongli and ayato
WARNINGS: mentions of reader punching someone and cursing
NOTE: spy x family au woooooo!!!! :D i’m sorry if anything in these didn’t make any sense i was writing this at 11:50 pm :( this is just for fun though :D
DILUC
he was definitely crying inside. this man literally thought that he warned you enough and that nothing would go wrong—but you still punched his target’s child instead of just holding it back? he knows that you’re probably so done with the kid that you can’t help but punch him but STILL!- he just sighed very loudly and forced himself to smile at you. “how was school today?” if you answered him honestly, he would just forget about it and just ignore the first red flag of his mission and he would ask you to apologise to him—because it’s wrong and it’s not elegant but if you chose to lie to him, he would just nod and smile and think about getting a new kid (it’s a joke he won’t).
KAEYA
he was pretending to be a janitor and he heard how his target’s son bullied you (don’t worry the kid didn’t bully you, kaeya was just too worried that he called it bullying and besides, the kid has a crush on you so there’s no way he’s going to bully you). kaeya was internally cheering on you and wishing for your patience and sanity to be longer—but your patience was so thin that your sanity just went “bye!” and BOOM! you punched the kid and he went FLYING across the hallway /hj he was so shocked that he just went home and thought about his life choices. hours passed and when you knocked in the door, he opened it with a smile. if you weren’t a mind reader, you would think that he’s smiling at you genuinely. but if you read his mind—he’s screaming and panicking. i just know that this man is a perfectionist /j and seeing this MAJOR RED FLAG (you and what you did) makes him wanna pass out but he still greeted you happily.
CHILDE
i bet he was the one who taught you how to punch someone HARD in the face. it was supposed to be used in emergencies but THAT GUY deserves to be in the emergency room after all those things he did to you. when you come home, like diluc—he’s going to ask you “how was school?” and he won’t be mad at you, in fact, he’s very proud that he taught you that (you delivered a very good punch) and will be celebrating it with you! he’ll buy you whatever you want and spoil you! (fuck the mission- he’ll let this slide because you’re just too cute and his efforts paid off!). but you’ll have to practise apologising after that.
ZHONGLI
the calm one. like others, he would ask you how your school was. he doesn’t care if you lie to him or not because he was literally disguising himself as your history teacher and of course, you know that and you forced yourself to do good in “his class”. and i bet this man would be there to stop you before you could get to punch the kid. (but if you did punch the kid, he won’t do anything about it and just sigh). expect to be scolded though. apparently, you didn’t do very well at history and he also saw your test papers. (he’s also the type to make you apologise to the kid because of his mission and he also doesn’t want you to get tonitrus striked).
AYATO
smiling through the pain. he’s definitely a perfectionist and seeing a part of his plan fail (basically you befriending his target’s kid) makes him want to go and execute the plan alone. but that won’t happen because he can’t disguise himself as a kid (and he got TOO attached to you) so he’ll just report this to the headquarters and mark it as a minor problem (he trusts you) and like zhongli, he’ll ask you to apologise to the kid (don’t worry he’s not mad! just ignore everything he’s saying in his mind and watch your favourite spy cartoon on the tv)
summary — it was only recently you found out kamisato ayaka was, in fact, not an only child after all! seeing ayato for the first time gave you the severest case of the butterflies but according to ayaka, he’s off limits, especially to you as her most treasured friend. well, what she doesn’t know won’t hurt, right?
“ you don’t have to hide your tears from me . ” “ you’re doing great, okay??i mean it. ” “ you are so strong. ” “ please don’t ever give up.” “ i will always believe in you. ” “ why do you always think you have to do everything on your own ?? ” “ it’s okay, i’m here. i’ll always be here. ” “ you’ve always been strong for me. let me return the favor. ” “ just listen to my heartbeat, okay?? ” “ come on, take a deep breath. it’s gonna be alright. ” “ please, just hold me. ” “ you always meant the world to me. i’m sorry i let you forget that. ” “ i never stopped loving you. ” “ you’ll feel better if you talk about it. i’m here to listen. ” “ you’re so much more than the mistakes you’ve made. ” “ i forgive you. ” “ you are so fucking powerful. ” “ i’m not leaving you here. ” “ i trust you more than anyone else in this universe. ” “ it’s okay to be confused. nobody has all the answers. ” “ i’m so, so sorry . you didn’t deserve that . ” “ healing is not linear, but it’s always moving forward. ” “ you can admit that you’re hurting . it’s okay to not be okay . ” “ hold my hand?? ” “ you are my home. ” “ no matter what anyone else says, you are so important to me. ” “ don’t worry. i’ll protect you. ” “ shh, it was just a nightmare. you’re safe. ” “ don’t talk about yourself like that. ” “ just say the word. you know i’d do anything for you. ” “ you are loved. ” “ i just need a hug. ” “ i’ll destroy anything that so much as thinks of harming you. ” “ don’t ever let anyone make you feel ashamed of who you are. ” “ you’re not alone. you’re stuck with me forever. sorry. ” “ well, hello sleeping beauty. you fell asleep on me. ” “ if you don’t take your butt back to bed, i will carry you there myself. ” “ i’m sorry to wake you up, but i really need someone to talk to. ” “ i hate seeing you like this … please, let me help. ” “ you are & always will be precious to me. ” “ i can’t believe that asshole said that to you. it’s not true, you know.” “ you want me to punch him in the face ?? ” “ you deserve every good thing in the world. ” “ you know i always have your back. ” “ you don’t have to worry about anything, as long as i’m around. ” “ stop apologizing, okay??i’ve already told you i’ve forgiven you a hundred times now. ” “ don’t beat yourself up over this. be kind to yourself, it’s not your fault. ”
please hop into my inbox and give me a genshin character and one of these prompts!! (if you’d like it to be yandere specify that as well!!)
HELLO! HI! I HAVE JUST COME TO THE REALIZATION NOTHING IS STOPPING ME FROM WRITING HEADCANONS OF [NAME] BEING LIKE, 14 IN GUIDE AU AND BEING ADOPTED BY EVERYONE
Keep in mind this is not the canon, this is me having ideas that make my found family loving heart very happy.
Please enjoy but either way, oh well because I need to write this for my soul.
This also isn’t very good, this is me rambling and it has been sitting in my drafts because I didn’t know if I should post it or not.
[Name] didn’t always look their age, or act it to be honest, and when people think you’re a god they let you get away with a lot of things.
So honestly [Name] didn’t bother telling anyone their age, it didn’t bother anyone, it’s not like they had anyone flirting with them, it’s not like it would gain them any respect, the only thing it might provide was an explanation for some more childish behaviors of theirs but if you look at Venti, you know it’s uncommon of gods to be immature.
It only really came up on accident though someone was bound to find out someday.
It was supposed to be just another Teyvat meeting. Zhongli had some paperwork he wanted signed, Ei had some questions about offerings, Childe wanted me to help him fight Aether, Diluc was fighting the urge to drop kick Scaramouche, Xiao and Venti had gone somewhere and Albedo and Dainsleif were caught in a conversation about some kind of project, that wasn’t everyone but it was normal.
However, [Name] found a bit of a problem in the paperwork and sighed. They really didn’t want to lie about their age or have anyone know but unfortunately this piece of paper was about payment for items and required you to be of legal age, something [Name] was unfortunately not, so they slid the paper back over in Zhongli’s direction who then looked up at them.
“Was there something wrong with it?” He asked and [Name] shrugged.
“I can’t sign it. I’m not old enough yet.”
Zhongli paused at that, staring at them for a few moments. “Please repeat that…”
“I’m not old enough to sign that. You need to be at least eighteen. to sign for anything regarding financial issues in that country, I’m not.” [Name] did their best to reply casually and not make a big deal out of it and luckily for them, Zhongli seemed pretty relaxed about the whole thing.
“How old are you exactly?” He asked.
[Name] internally sighed, hoping there wouldn’t be any getting in trouble for this. “Fourteen.”
Zhongli blanched and [Name] could tell they were likely going to get a rant regarding the fact they had signed so much paperwork, but he surprised them, simply asking “Why didn’t you inform us?”
Again, [Name] shrugged. “No reason to. I have a bedroom I can act like a kid in if I so chose.”
Unfortunately Zhongli shook his head “No, that won’t do. I’ll speak with the other archons about lessening your workload and finding you some friends in your age range.”
[Name] held back a look of disgust. “No thank you. I’m doing fine, please just treat me according to how I act.”
Zhongli nodded and [Name] hoped that would be the end of it.
_______________________________
Update, it was not the end of it. Two days later, [Name] had been called out to make an appearance in Liyue, some sort of holiday celebration.
If [Name] was being truthful, they weren’t actually listening during the meeting, planning their later adventure with Venti and Kaeya, unfortunately that meant they had no clue what they had said yes too.
They had arrived only twenty minutes before but found themselves facing both Zhongli and Childe at a restaurant that had been reserved and [Name] fought to the urge to berate the duo over just how much money this must have cost.
Not long into the meal, Zhongli brought it up again, this time, and [Name] was tempted to say he did this on purpose, with Childe in the room.
“So, Your Grace, I’ve spoken at length with the other archons over how your duties will change now that we are aware of your situation.”
Childe raised an eyebrow “Situation?” He asked.
“Don’t worry about it.” [Name] told him, glaring daggers into the archon’s head, who simply smiled like the self assured asshole he is and spoke, much to [Name]’s chagrin. “Their age. Their Grace is in fact, a minor.”
[Name] had to restrain themselves from making a I’m a Minor, and I’m Neurodivergent joke, but decided against it.
Childe looked over to them in shock “You’re a kid?! But you act so old… that does explain a lot though.”
[Name] rolled their eyes “I don’t know if that’s a compliment or an insult.”
Childe grinned before pausing for a moment and asking another question “What about your family?”
[Name] also paused.
“What do you mean?” Zhongli asked.
Childe straightened himself in his chair as he explained. “Most human children really should spend as much time as possible with their family. I don’t know how old they are exactly-” Childe was cut off by Zhongli “Fourteen” “Oh that’s even worse. Your Grace, again I ask, what about your family?”
[Name] shrugged once more. “They showed me how to care for myself, I’m sure they’ll appreciate that I’m putting those oh so important life skills to use.”
Child shook his head. “That’s not what I meant. I mean, what are you going to do about your family now?”
“I just told you, they’ll be fine."
Childe looked over to Zhongli who shrugged. He knew he wasn’t the most aware of the emotional needs of human or godly children.
Childe groaned in annoyance and turned back to [Name] "I mean, you’re gonna need somebody to be a sibling or parental figure.”
[Name] stared at him. “… No. I refuse. Absolutely not. All of you act more like children than I do. Not a fucking chance.”
To [Name]’s annoyance, Childe just laughed “I’d be happy to be your older brother. I’m sure my parents would also be happy to be your parents.”
Zhongli nodded slowly in understanding. “If it’s a parental figure you need, an archon like myself would be a much better choice to teach you about growing up into godhood.”
[Name] buried their face into their arms and groaned.
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When [Name] made a return to Mondstadt, they had a few more unwelcome interactions regarding their legal guardian.
It midday on a so far enjoyable Saturday afternoon, they sat in the training grounds of the Knights headquarters, watching Jean care for Klee and witnessing Bennetts usual stunts when training with Kaeya. [Name] winced at a particularly hard smack on the older man’s ankles.
They almost didn’t notice when the wind began to pick up, chiming in their ears and attempting to draw their attention.
[Name] tuned into their song just long enough to hear the wind call Venti’s name before tuning out once more and mentally preparing themselves for his arrival.
As always when the bard arrived, it wasn’t without his share of theatrics.
He had apparently jumped from the top of the knights of Favonius headquarters and didn’t bother to use anything to catch his fall until the last moment.
[Name] wasn’t startled at his arrival, the warning from the wind being enough, but Bennett sure was, resulting in missed swing from his mentor and a hard blow to his side.
Kaeya looked to the side awkwardly for a moment before regaining his usual demeanor. “And that, is why you don’t take your eyes off of your opponent.”
Venti simply smiled at let out a small ’“ehe!” Before turning to face [Name] who looked at him in confusion as they greeted him.
“Good Morning Venti… Is there something you need?”
He grinned and [Name] just knew they had opened the floodgates to something they didn’t want.
“I hear you need a family.”
They resisted the urge to punch his stupid smily face.
“I don’t need a family.” They told him “I’m perfectly fine without a family here in Teyvat.”
Jean looked over at the two in curiosity “What are you talking about?”
Venti grinned even wider but [Name] jumped to their feet and placed their hands over his mouth before he could speak, leaving his words as untranslatable noises.
[Name] answered for the muffled god. “Nothing, don’t worry about it. Go back to your previous task.”
Venti laughed behind their hand and forcibly pulled their arm away from his face. “Their Grace is a child~” he told Jean in a sing song voice.
“Really? You’re gonna talk like that and claim I’m the kid in this situation?”
Jean stared at [Name] for a while before whispering “Are you really?”
[Name] rolled their eyes. “Yes. Yes I am. I am fourteen years of age.”
She looked at [Name] with a level of pity that tempted them to throw her off a cliff.
“That must be so lonely… to be in a new world without a family… I would gladly take you in if you wanted me as your mother.”
[Name] huffed. “This, this is why I don’t tell people.”
_______________________________
[Name] had no plans for returning to Mondstadt or Liyue for the time and visiting Snezhnaya would only make Childe’s insistence worse, so Inazuma it is.
Arriving, they were constantly on guard for any comment that could have been made towards their age and when they could have sworn Ei was going to say something, they quickly redirected the conversation, requesting to plan a visit to the Kamisato estate, hoping, praying, to anyone who would listen and apparently themselves that nothing would be said.
When they arrived at the estate, all they wanted to do was discuss business. The first conversation ended up derailed however, instead of focusing on trade deals with Snezhnaya and moving towards family stories, Ayato had plenty of stories to tell about his dear younger sister.
It was a story that took place when Ayaka was around [Name]’s age that caused them to tense and one of the two to ask what was wrong.
Honestly [Name] had enough of avoiding the topic at this point that they simply explained, starting with the fact they were fourteen and ending with several tales of people insisting they have a legal guardian while in Teyvat.
“See, the issue is that if I choose someone to be my family, it’s like choosing a vessel but twenty times worse. If I choose the wrong person, they’ll hold it over everyone else’s head for eternity!”
Ayato and Ayaka simply shared a look. “Perhaps” Ayaka began “You could be a part of our family. You’d definitely enjoy it and we promise to be respectful towards others."
Ayato chuckled "For the most part at least.”
[Name] simply shook their head. “I’m fine as I am. I really really am.”
_______________________________
It was almost 3 weeks later when [Name] got a knock on the door to their bedroom.
With a call for them to enter, [Name] put down the book they were reading onto their desk and directed their attention to the door as Childe, Ayato, Venti and Zhongli walked in, closely followed by Jean. [Name] knew this wasn’t going to be good.
“Well good morning to you all as well… to what do I owe this meeting?” They asked after a long stretch of silence.
More silence filled the room until Childe broke it, a stack of papers that [Name] realized was in his hand was plopped down in front of them at their desk and [Name] looked at the papers in confusion. “What’s this?”
The group looked between each other before Jean spoke up. “Adoption paperwork.”
[Name] could only facepalm.
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There was nothing stopping me and my found family loving heart had to. I’ll probably expand on this idea further once I have brain power if y'all don’t hate it.
@sayomiikaye@eccedentesiast-sapphic (this is part of the being tagged in random headcanons/ideas stuff but if you’d like me to not tag you in this kind of non-canon content, please do let me know.)
Chapter 11 perhaps. Sorry this one came out late, I took a bit of break because I needed one and breaks will probably become more common. I got those first ten chapters out and now I can relax for a bit.
On another note, I have a tentative idea for a main party of Razor, Kaeya, Bennet and Xingqiu. I do really like that team from what I’ve played and my research so that might end up being the canon main team that [Name] played. At the very least, Razor will be canon (Sincerely, a Razor main.)
Now then! Onto my very very self indulgent chapter.
TW!! for derealization, injury, implied panic attacks and implied dissociation. I don’t think it’s as bad as I’m making it out to be but better safe than sorry.
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The stars in Teyvat were fascinating to stare at, each constellation unknown and simply an array of lights, likely with their own unique story.
Maybe that particularly bright star to the south was of a world Aether had seen, one he had explored and made memories in. Maybe that really dim one in the west had goddesses and glowing magical triangles like a certain video game franchise.
No one knows, least of all [Name]. The sun had begun to rise but it was early enough that the stars were still visible as the sunrise made its way over the mountains.
They weren’t sure how long they had been walking but upon reaching Springvale, they realized they had got farther than expected or planned and vaguely wondered if they should have left a note, however upon finding themselves glancing over towards the Wolvendom Woods, their thoughts of Aether left their mind as they smiled as walked quickly towards the treeline.
Wolvendom was a beautiful place, one they knew well from searching for Wolfhook for Razor’s ascension, he was part of their main team after all.
They had spent hours building every character in their main party and at least one hour on every character they got, honestly it was worrying and probably signaled they need therapy but Hey, if they weren’t planning on it before, this ‘dream’ as they call it will definitely make them get it, provided they can find a therapist.
See, just because [Name] spent a long time in Wolvendom doesn’t mean they’re smart in it, in fact, [Name] is apparently really good at getting themselves in really bad situations.
They weren’t sure what they were expecting when they remembered Hilichurls were along the path but apparently they thought they’d be able to sneak past unnoticed, something they couldn’t even do outside of this dream.
However the opposite of what [Name] expected when the Hilichurls saw them. They were honestly expecting to wake up from pure fear. The creatures moved over to them slowly and peacefully before doing this weird worship like motion that [Name] had seen them do in idle animations before, which explains where their brain got the image.
[Name] also didn’t think their impulse control was the best but to be honest, they thought it was better than patting a Hilichurl on the head to feel its fur, but hey, they’ve been learning lots of new things about their apparently very very unintelligent brain.
What brought them out of this self deprecating inner spiral was the sound of growling from the woods behind them. [Name] wasn’t sure if it was a wolf or a human but they couldn’t say they were keen on finding out and it did not sound pleased.
They could have sworn their heart nearly lunge into their throat as they simply took off running. Whatever was behind them moved as well but [Name] didn’t bother looked as they simply ran, their foot moving as fast as they could go.
A strange reaction for a very strange dream.
Dream.
They yelled in panic as they tripped falling into a bush full of wolf hooks. The hooks at the end of the bury burrowing into their skin but not a drop of normal blood.
Pain shot all through their body as the fall, horribly, suffocatingly real.
The liquid flowing from their cuts was not proper blood. It’s metallic sheen was visible in every hint of light however otherwise it was seethrough, the leaves and branches seemed to strain themselves to reach every drop that freely flowed from their hands, arms, legs and other miscellaneous body parts.
It stung, the Wolfhook making itself known in every available way, feeling as though it was pulling itself deepened into their body. Stung was too kind of a word, it burned, it felt their arms had been cut open and was crudely being sewn back together with knives.
The pain was inescapable, this wasn’t a dream. They couldn’t wake up but every second they stayed, the pain only multiplied in on itself.
This wasn’t a dream. None of this was dreaming but what else could it fucking be? [Name] asked again and again to empty air what it could be, their heart beating against their chest and their lungs tightening, a suffocating pressure placing itself on their already burning chest.
This had to be a dream but it couldn’t be. It’s too vivid, too lifelike, too fucking painful. What else could it be, they had no clue.
It felt real but it was a game, it wasn’t real. It couldn’t be, it wouldn’t be. They’d wake up, now. They had places to be, friends to visit and message, books to read and emails to reply to, they needed to wake up, they wanted to go home now.
The mental connection to the world around them began to dull as the pain reached a climax and began its descent in level and they retreated into their mind, attempting to pull at any scraps that could explain this.
What brought them back to attention was the smell of food. There was meat and something more that they couldn’t quite tell.
It took a moment for their vision to zero in once more and they jolted at the sight. They were no longer in a bush of Wolfhook, instead sitting in Hilichurl camp with not a Hilichurl in sight.
Instead, there was Razor. His brown hood sitting on his head but not limiting their view of his face. He sat, eyebrows furrowed at the cooking pot in front of him as he seemed to be making something. [Name] didn’t want to make him stop.
However it was unavoidable, they glanced down to where their cuts had been, only to find faint silvery purple lines across their skin, that definitely was not normal, however the movement alerted Razor that they were back to focus.
He gave them a smile that caused their heart to begin to melt before speaking. “Food almost done. I help Guide now.”
[Name] nearly wanted to cry.
This wasn’t a dream, maybe that would be okay.
Guide huh? That’s a cool title and if it helps to encourage people, surely it wouldn’t be wrong to take it. Maybe they could make friends.
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I actually wrote the thing! It took me a while but it happened!
Please enjoy! Feel free to like/reblog/comment/send in an ask or send in a request!
(I’ve given up on adding a link to every chapter.)
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It was around four am when [Name] slowly woke up from their slumber.
They opened their eyes to find Aether holding them, his face buried into their neck and arms wrapped around their waist, which caused [Name] to make a sound of annoyance as they struggled to free themselves from his annoyingly strong grasp.
It took about five minutes for them to free themselves without waking the Traveler but upon looking out the window and seeing the stars in the sky, they decided it was worth it.
Slipping back on their shoes that they didn’t quite remember taking off and grabbing their bag, they opened their door to step into the hallway.
They walked down the echoey corridors, exiting the same way they had entered hours earlier and being very gentle with the annoyingly large doors.
Dispite the late hours, Mondstadt was not fully asleep yet. Sounds could be heard from taverns and alleyways, and [Name] could have sworn the air of Mondstadt carried every word to them.
[Name] didn’t exactly consider themselves the most intelligent person so when their mind presented the idea of leaving Mondstadt and returning that afternoon, their pride had no chance of stopping them, however they did recognize they wouldn’t make it through the front gate. They could go out the side gate though.
Walking through Mondstadt at night was beautiful, gentle yellow lights illuminated the stone below their shoes and provided them something to see by, even as they turned into a more dimly lit part of town.
The clouds that had covered the sky had vanished now, the moon shining brightly and providing any light the street lamps could not.
As they reached the side gate, they grinned upon finding it empty and hoisted their backpack higher on their shoulders and approached it quickly, at least until a burst of flame in front of them caused them to fall backwards in surprise.
“What the fuckims?!” Again, awful last words.
Footsteps from behind them stole their attention and they turned to see Diluc quickly make his approach, annoyance written on his face as he spoke.
“State your name and business for being out so late at night.”
[Name] vaguely contemplated being as snarky as usual but one glance towards his claymore changed their mind as they scrambled to their feet.
“[Name], [Name] [Last Name]. Here to… I don’t know, go for a fuckin walk? Didn’t really have a goal when I left my room…” they trailed off, realizing how suspicious they probably looked.
“I’ve never heard of you before, and there’s no good reason for a walk this late at night.”
[Name] shrugged. “Ask your bro-… Ask Kaeya, he’s met me, and you can check my bag or something, I’m just going for a normal walk, don’t even have a vision to threaten you with.” Terrible save [Name]. Terrible save. Well, at least he’s treating them like a human being.
Diluc looked them up and down slowly before holding out his hand “The bag?” He asked before muttering to himself quiet enough that [Name] wasn’t sure they were normally able to hear it “Definitely doesn’t look like a threat… definitely doesn’t wield a weapon.”
They were tempted to try to bash his head in for that comment but doubted they would live long enough to do that if they tried as they handed their bag over.
Diluc was through in his investigation, [Name] would give it to him, however when it involved going through their things, they weren’t super happy with this development.
The first thing he pulled out was the pasta dish which [Name] had genuinely forgotten about but hoped was still edible.
He looked at it and its tupperware container oddly but put it on the ground beside him, then pulling out a pocket knife that made [Name]’s eyes bulge.
It was a normal pocket knife that they carried around, what made them stare was the fact it now sparkled like an obtainable item in game, well, it was a dream they told themselves, anything was possible. A stinging feeling from where they fell backwards caught their attention but they shook it off, this was just a dream, a very vivid one.
The third thing he pulled out was a change of clothes, black jeans and a white undershirt with a black and white flannel to wear overtop. Diluc gave them a look that made [Name] wonder if he was judging their fashion sense or lack there of in their chess like outfit.
Fourth was the item that caused him to step in his tracks, a simple hardback book with the cover, a boy in an orange shirt, he stood staring up at stormy skies above the empire state building, likely an unknown building but that wasn’t reason for him to stop like that, until [Name] realized he likely didn’t recognize the writing… this was going to be bad.
Unknown to them however, Diluc did recognize it, too well in fact. Everytime The Guide would control his body like a puppet on a string, increasing his speed and strength exceptionally, he’d see writing in front of his eyes, writing like this.
He’d been there for upwards of an hour before, staring at the unknown words in front of him because he couldnt do anything else, but he’d never complain. How could he complain? The Guide was the best protector Mondstadt, hell, Teyvat as a whole could hope for. Someone he could see as a role model, even though he didn’t know them personally.
Here he was, the middle of the night in Mondstadt, staring at a stranger who only awkwardly smiled at him as he went through their things, the cold of the night completely undetected as he stared into the eyes of someone who had a book with the same writing that The Guide used.
Diluc stood with the book in hand “Where did you get this?” And [Name] shrugged.
“Can’t remember, been a few years now but knowing me? 2nd and Charles free bin. Best find of my life, I’ve read that series from beginning to end like thirty times, you know, Nico really gets to me every tim-” their ramble was cut off by a glare so they shortened it down to something he might actually understand. “Not from this world.”
Diluc paused, staring at them. He stayed that way for a while as he tried to process what that meant. A stranger, an unknown traveler shows up whose very presence clears away the biting cold air of Mondstadt late at night this time of year, with writing only The Guide has ever been able to understand and claims they’ve read this story multiple times.
[Name] took that as a chance to put their stuff back in their bag and was tempted to snatch the book out of his hands.
“Do I get my book back? I’m no lighting quick thief myself so if I could just…” they slowly began lifting the book out of his grasp but Diluc came to his sense, ripping the book away from them and backing them up against a nearby wall, [Name] resisted the urge to make a snide commentary about how this scene could be misinterpreted.
He held the book near their face. “Where the hell did you come from?”
Now, professionalism was not [Name]’s strong suit, so they cannot be held responsible for what they did next, smug smirk included.
“Well, when a mommy and a daddy love each other very much, they do a little dance and that’s where babies come from."
A smirk grew on [Name]’s face as they continued with their godforsaken explanation, at least until a flare of heat from Diluc’s vision reminded them that even though this was a dream, for some reason they still felt pain so it was not wise to mock the guy who could turn them into the most delicious grilled meat skewer you’ve ever tasted, with enough natural salt to cause dehydration.
"Um, Earth? I came from earth.”
Diluc pulled back, staring at them in confusion and placed the book in their hands. “I have several questions for you, I’d like you to come with me.”
[Name] resisted the desire to slap anybody who tried to pull them around right now and instead touched his shoulder, lacing their words with as much venom as they could and hoping he’d follow through “And I’d like you to walk back to the winery and stop acting like such a bitch. Such a shame only one of us can be made happy.”
See, [Name] made that comment because they were tired of being pulled around. What they did not expect was for Diluc’s shoulders to loosen and for him to turn around and begin to walk the other way, back towards the main gate.
Diluc wasn’t expecting his entire body to once again be filled with the warmth and comfort of The Guide’s commands, much like when he or others were set out on expeditions. Not lovingly guided but controlled, the will to fight back stripped away, only capable of following through on their orders.
He then realized with a start, he was following that strangers orders… no, not a stranger, his god.
[Name] simply watched in quiet confusion. Hey, they figured, this being aware that it’s a dream thing really is working out.
They gathered their items back into their bag and zipped it up once more, stepping out the side gate as the sun began to make itself known.
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Well! I have no clue what this became but muahahaha, I get to eventually explore [Name]’s abilities more.
No clue when the next chapter will come out but I’ve made it over a week straight of posting so please forgive me.
Feel free to like, comment, reblog, send in an ask, send in a request or even not interact if it makes you feel more comfortable! Just know I love seeing what you all have to say!
Hey folks! Part nine of The Guide! Let’s go!! Why do I work this much on fanfiction? I’m not sure but it’s currently the basis for my mental health so again, CHAPTER NINE BABY!
The Guide is a SAGAU (self aware Genshin alternate universe) where instead of [Name] creating the world, they played the game and was seen as a god who cared for Teyvat.
From Aether’s perspective, it was amusing how easily entertained The Guide could be but their quiet awe and fascination with the church caused him to be silent.
As [Name] began walking the aisles, the air they provided changed, still protecting them from the elements but changing to a cool breeze that was slightly too cold for comfort.
[Name] grabbed a book from one of the pews, a set of hymns dedicated to Barbatos before setting it back down. They didn’t have to know the words to know hymns when they saw them.
[Name] themselves didn’t notice the level of care with which they touched the book but Lisa did, she appreciated the kindness it was shown, and Venti sure as hell did.
He watched in pride as his temple was explored by an outworlder god. Venti had been angry before, especially at outworlder gods, playing with the free will of each and every person in Teyvat, but The Guide had proven themselves.
They could call out to their followers and those who had never even heard of them but if they could, they refused to force anyone into servitude, they simply called from the stars, sending down lights and sending stars across the sky to show they were hoping for somebody to answer their calls.
Venti had watched several times and felt their pull, perhaps not directed towards him, but carried to him to him by the winds who told him their name and told him all of how Teyvat itself begged for their presence, how even those that humans feared would not harm them for all would learn how Teyvat adores its human.
Now he got to bear witness to their silent respect towards his temple, vaguely reminding him of how he himself used to see human arts, pieces of beauty and an excellent representation of their culture and just who they were.
Venti wondered if his temple showed the same before shaking it off, it only mattered what you saw in the place.
For a bard so loud, he was pretty good at not beIng noticed if need be, he would be content watching from the sides as you and the leaders of Mondstadt spoke, this was not the time for his introduction.
What Venti didn’t realize was that his presence was noticed a while ago, at least by [Name]. They could have sworn they heard whispers of his name in the air and looked for him, locking their eyes onto him and ignoring him afterwards after realizing how deep in thought he must be.
Lisa had immediately sat down on a seat at the front of the chapel, Kaeya and Amber following suit as Aether watched you walk through the church and Jean followed not too far behind, occasionally asking questions.
“Is this kind of temple to your liking?”
“It is beautiful but it’s not mine.”
“Would you like something built, Your Grace?”
“No, and that’s not my name.”
“Do you enjoy church hymns? We have amazing choirs and I’m sure some local bards would be happy to comprise some tunes for you.”
[Name]’s brain and eyes quickly darted to Venti before returning to the matter at hand.
“No thank you. Again, I simply was willing to hear you out about me potentially being more than a drowned rat, not willing to hear about how to start my own cult.
The two went back and forth like this for about ten minutes, Jean asking questions about [Name]’s view on the types of services hosted by Mondstadt and offering to set up versions dedicated to them, personally.
Again and again, [Name] told her no, growing more and more frustrated each time she ignored their attempts to request explanations rather than offers. The limited abilities they had might be strange but they weren’t a god, they didn’t want to be a god and they sure as hell didn’t behave as one deserving of worship.
After Jean asked yet another question, this time in regards to what they wished for the requirements to serve at the temple she insisted be built, [Name] lost it, whirling around to face her as the wind picked up and pounded against the walls from the outside.
They spoke sharply and at a reasonable volume, wanting to make their view understood but not wanting to lash out.
"I am no god. I do not wish for a temple nor followers. Anything I have done for you in the past was done through a vessel, thank them for once with something other than money and let me life my own gods forsaken life.”
Lighting struck outside the building as a storm began, there hadn’t been a cloud in the sky before but lights flashed in a snow darkly light sky, closely followed by thunder.
[Name] held eye contact with a now startled Jean before they relaxed a bit and looked away.
“Look, there are others far more deserving of anything you’re going to give me. A god should be able to help their people and I can’t do anything of the sort… so please, just stop. I’m excited to be here, I truly am, but I would prefer if this worship talk stopped. I offered to hear you out and I haven’t heard a hint of an explanation, only your insistent ramblings about how Mondstadt can best serve me. Please, Mondstadt is built around freedom, not debt. I’d expect this behavior over the other nations but you all?”
[Name] vaguely wondered if this dream was in fact a nightmare, their brain reminding them their work may be praised to high heaven but there was always someone out there who deserved that recognition far more.
They wanted to wake up.
Jean stopped following them for a time, instead moving over to speak with the other four as [Name] continued to walk the aisles.
She returned a few minutes later.
She offered [Name] a place to stay the night, hoping they would be in a clearer headspace tomorrow, and [Name] couldn’t refuse, it’s not like that had any other place to go in this strange mental landscape.
It took longer than [Name] would have liked to convince the group that they would be fine on their own but that didn’t stop Aether and Paimon from making them aware that the two would be right next door if anything was desired.
So there [Name] sat. Still mentally stewing in anger and self pity, thinking to themselves once more ‘I want to wake up’.
They couldn’t, they tried to pinch their own skin but they just would not wake. Pain in a dream was normal but even what they inflicted on themselves wasn’t enough, they’d have to manually find a time where the connection to this dream was weakest and force themselves out. The lighting left the storm but the rain was as hard as before, causing [Name] to only sink further into their mind.
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They spent the day in the room given to them, lost in their own thoughts and only calling out to be left alone when people knocked on the door, at least until after they had fallen asleep.
Another dream filling their mind but ending as a blur when they woke, a blur, a mess, of course this was a dream and that’s why they couldn’t remember what dream they had just had.
Moonlight from the now clear sky seeped through open curtains onto the wood and [Name] zoned out staring at the illuminated flooring, pulled out of it when a knock at their door drew their attention once more and instead of telling them to leave, they spoke plainly, telling them to come on in.
The door opened to revel Aether once more, this time without Paimon at them by his side. He looked at them in concern but all they could do is shrug.
“I’m not a god.” They told him once more and he approached slowly, sitting at the edge of their bed.
“I have a question for you.” Aether spoke so gently that [Name] was couldn’t help but wish to humor him and instead made a noise of curiosity.
So he continued “You claim you aren’t a god, what makes you so sure?”
[Name] paused for a moment, contemplating the answer.
“Because the things you say I can do aren’t so special. I can only do them because I’m not from Teyvat and if you were from where I was from, you’d be able to do the same.”
Aether stared into their eyes “Does your world have stories of gods? I assume they do considering you know the term.”
[Name] nodded in response so Aether took that as permission to keep talking.
“Most godly tales have entire races of gods, does them having equals make them any less powerful than the average human?”
[Name] paused for a moment, considering his words. “No, I don’t believe it does.”
Aether smiled. “Does a genius from a word of geniuses visiting a place where nobody can match their mind make them less impressive to the people they meet?”
[Name] shook their head slowly.
Aether smiled even wider, reached out to grab one of their hands. “You may be average to your kind, but you’ve done so much good for us, not being the only one doesn’t make you any less impressive, I’ve met other gods, other gods who could challenge you in control but non used their power the way you did. You have done nothing but help us so even if you cant do anything more, allow us to thank you properly.”
[Name] felt their eyes begin to sting “Not being the only one doesnt make me any less impressive huh? I feel like I’ve waited a long time to hear that.” [Name] took his hand in theirs and moved to sit beside him.
“I’ll do my best to let you all quote en quote help me, but please, no temples or servants.”
Aether chuckled. “Agreed. I’m more than enough.”
The now relaxed [Name] smile as tears began to roll down their face and they wrapped their arms around him and speaking with muffled words. “Thank you very much Aether… and can you tell Jean I’m sorry?”
[Name] couldn’t see the wide and vaguely unsettling grin as he wrapped his arms around them and whispered into their ear. “Why don’t you do it yourself? I’ll be there for you and we can have a proper conversation on what you need here in Teyvat.”
A nod set all of Aether’s worries to the side, relaxing into the hold of his god who would now accept the title. He had fixed her mess, Jean better be thankful he knew his Guide better than anyone.
All [Name] could do now was chuckle to themselves as they held Aether close, a thoughts entered into their mind. '1/48’ they thought to themselves.
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Well, there was a tone shift for this chapter that I wasnt planning on.
I’m not super pleased with this chapter but I had a very long day and I wanted to make this for you all. Thank you for tolerating my attempts at writing and i hope you enjoy!
Feel free to like, reblog, comment, send in an ask, send in a request or even keep scrolling if it makes feel you feel more comfortable! Just know every interaction gives me a crazy large boost of motivation!
Well my dear people who interact with my content. Here’s part eight of The Guide.
The Guide is a SAGAU (self aware genshin alternate universe) with the premise of what if [Name] actually being the creator, [Name] was seen as being the only ‘god’ who helped the world.
Mondstadt was a very beautiful nation, all of the nations in Teyvat were but Mondstadt did a brilliant of capturing the hearts of travelers, [Name] being no exception.
As such, [Name] would enjoy being given the time to look around on their own instead of being dragged towards the cathedral.
Jean had always considered herself a well put together individual but when Hoffman had burst into her office, rambling that the Traveler had arrived and had someone with him that he called 'his guide’, Jean felt her normally calm disposition crack.
She gave him orders to locate Kaeya as she walked out of her office and towards the Library where she knew Lisa and Amber would be.
Normally Amber wouldn’t set foot in there but after accidentally setting an edition of 'The Dandelion Sea’, Lisa insisted Amber spent a week assisting the Librarian to quote 'teach her proper respect for the written arts’.
When Jean opened the doors, not worried about being gentle with the knowledge she currently possessed in her attempt to gather the first vessels of The Guide, she found Lisa napping on her desk as usual as Amber read through yet another gliding manual.
Amber took her feet off the desk where she had been resting them and quickly shook Lisa awake, calling out a greeting to her boss.
“Good afternoon Acting Grandmaster Jean!"
Jean’s mind offered the thought that Amber was trying not to be called out in front of Lisa for her disrespect of the paperwork but Jean didn’t have time for that.
She smiled at the two, waiting until Lisa was somewhat awake and speaking briskly. "According to the Traveler, Our Guide has arrived in Mondstadt.”
Lisa straighted in her seat and stood up to insure she wouldn’t fall back asleep as Amber gasped and spoke quickly.
“Is he sure? What do they look like?! Where are they?!”
Jean softened her tone at Amber’s joy. “I’ve been told they’re in the town center. I have yet to meet them but I’d like you two to come with me, as well as Kaeya whenever he gets here.”
“Well now, that’s not very nice of you, I can be here on time when it comes to them.”
Kaeya’s voice rang out from the doorway, leaning against the wall.
Jean nodded. “In that case. Let’s go. I’d like to take them straight to the Cathedral to discuss how they wish to be treated while here, preferably before anybody makes a scene.”
Ten minutes later, Jean found herself on one knee in front of The Guide, a bag had been placed beside the chair they sat on and they had this smile on their face that made her heart feel weak.
The warmth they produced was unmistakable, blocking the wind on Mondstadt which might otherwise send a chill up her spine.
She insisted Their Grace came with them to the Cathedral and requested Sara have their meal delivered when finished, she agreed, of course, especially with the hefty pay that the Traveler had promised.
When [Name] stood and reached for their backpack, a hand entered their vision and grabbed the handle. [Name] looked up to meet Kaeya’s uncovered eye and he gave them a playful smirk.
“Let me get that for you.” He told him and [Name] rolled their eyes and smiled at his antics.
They responded in a similar light hearted tone. “If you want to, I definitely won’t stop you.”
Kaeya lifted the bag, slightly underestimating how heavy it was, they had a lot of books and chargers in there, okay? And having to sling it around his shoulder.
There were a few minutes of walking towards and up the stairs, of which there were many, a fact [Name] was none too pleased about, perhaps they could convince Mondstadt to put in a ramp, before [Name] decided to ask a few questions, perhaps foolishly hoping for answers.
“So, do I get any sort of detailed explanation for what you meant by service and mercy, earlier?”
Aether held in a snicker. For a god who played his existence like a fiddle, they didn’t seem very good at reading social cues. Perhaps that explains their tendency to do things like climb walls in the city or cause him to say the strangest things, it’s was alright though, he would be more than happy to teach them everything he’s learned about social standards from his travels.
Luckily for [Name, Kaeya seemed to take pity on the confused outworlder. “She meant what you have helped us do for the betterment of Mondstadt and Teyvat as a whole, as well as the increase in power you have blessed your vessels with.”
Ahhh, [Name] slowly realized. Them playing the game probably looked very weird from an inside the world perspective. Their brain never even thought of that, well, they supposed it did considering it was their dream.
“So, you guys are calling me a fucking god is because I played a game? Look, whatever you’re thanking me for, I can’t do it anymore so there’s no need to thank me.”
Aether, who had been walking alongside Jean at the front of the group, paused and turned around quickly. “What do you mean you can’t do it anymore?"
[Name] felt slightly guilty at the hint of panic in his voice. "I needed a specific item and I don’t have it anymore, so I can’t do it. I’m sorry… but hey, you get to go back to your life now.” [Name] tried to smile to comfort him but the now awkward atmosphere and stares from other members of their group made them feel like they were going to stabbed or something.
It was a rather good thing [Name] couldn’t read minds as Aether’s was going a million miles a minute. He had spent his entire time on Teyvat with the knowledge he would always lose control to his god, that his god would keep him safe and he’d come to no harm but if having them with him ruined that promise of safety and increased strength then what could he do? Nothing, he was nothing without his Guide.
However through the panic of the group, every vessel nearly losing their minds with fear, Paimon simply laughed. “What are you talking about Silly? You can do it, you just need to learn the new controls! Don’t worry, it’ll come naturally when you need it!”
[Name] fought the urge to raise an eyebrow in judgement and instead simply glanced at Paimon.
“What the fuck are you talking about?”
“I taught you how to use vessels before! I know you haven’t lost that ability, I can feel it!” A stupid grin never left Paimon’s face as [Name] fought back an existential crisis.
Before [Name] could speak again though, Jean spoke up. “Paimon, if I understand you correctly, their godly blessings work differently when Their Grace is in Teyvat rather than out of it?”
“Of course! I mean, they still have access to the settings after all! Just press some buttons in your vision, [Name].”
It was only then that [Name] noticed a handful of buttons in the corner of their sight.
One featured the usual Paimon symbol needed for pulling up the menu, another seemed to have Aether’s face, one more had an eye icon and another had a map. Four in total, each in separate corners.
Normally, [Name] would be terrified but right now, all they could think was that this was a very detailed dream. A fun one as well. So [Name] reached into the air and pressed the Paimon icon.
The world around them seem to freeze in place, only Paimon moving around, who then came to float by their side, getting between them and a now stuck in place Kaeya.
[Name] ignored the action, looking at the blue screen that made itself seen in their view, formatted similarly to the Paimon screen on their laptop. There were options of buttons to press so [Name] decided to look them over.
X
Notifications Worldsettings
Quests Bag Achievements
SPEAK WITH TEYVAT
[Name] stared for a while before tapping the quests button and they couldn’t stop themselves from laughing loudly at the first quest they saw
Well this won’t get awkward.
Hug every playable character 0/48
(Set more quests?)
They didn’t need to see more. They pressed the x buttons on every screen and exited the Paimon icon. The world resumed and the 4 humans could only watched confused as [Name] howled with laughter, bending in on themselves as grasping their stomach as they struggled for air before they spoke, Paimon giggling at their side.
“Oh… my… goodness… this… this is the best dream ever. Okay! So I might get my abilities later but I’m not touching that right now! Onwards to the Cathedral!"
[Name] ignored the worried glances that the group exchanged as they walked up the stairs and eventually reached the final steps into their destination.
"I’m still very confused on what exactly the reasoning for this is and I am still convinced I am not a god but I’m definitely willing to hear you out. Inwards!” [Name] opened the doors walked inside, glancing around at the currently empty seats. “Huh, no one is here. Kind of a shame, was hoping to interrupt service.”
Amber watched in confusion as [Name] sat down on the stairs at the other end of the church before trying to whisper in Aether’s ear. “Do you think they’re mentally unstable or this is normal god stuff?”
Aether held back another snicker before whispering back “Definitely god stuff."
Speaking of god stuff, one stood behind them, watching quietly as his Guide, someone he wished he could at least call a friend, explored his church.
Also, if you sent in an event request, I’m so sorry if it takes me a while to get to it! I promise I’m not ignoring it, I just am either trying to find inspiration or am researching the character if I don’t know much about them (cough cough Dainsleif cough cough)
Don’t have the brain power to write a proper chapter right now but please enjoy a series of in game scenes I think took place before [Name] entered Teyvat.
Is this just an excuse to write scenes of some of my favs? Perhaps.
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The sun in Liyue was always incredibly warm, it beat down on Razor’s now tattered form as he pulled back from the broken shield of a mitachurl and readied his Claymore for yet another damaging blow, electricity crackling in air.
As he landed a solid hit, sending the large creature staggering backwards, He felt himself being pulled away, the world around him flickering as he found himself back in the woods of Wolvendom, his scrapes beginning to sting as he left The Guide’s presence.
It was a few minutes later, after he sat down to rest, when he was pulled back to the now destroyed monster camp. The ground beneath him was warm and glowing a shade of red that put him at ease.
The soothing temperature of [Name]’s influence highlighted the ease he currently felt, yet his sight flickered once more, going black for a moment before once more returning to him. He found himself standing on unseen flooring, sparks of electro filling the purple room.
As his sight returned, he looked forward to catch a glimpse of his Guide.
They looked down at him with a smile and their words were heard clearly “Do I have enough? Do I have enough?”
He felt their touch move from his head, moving over quickly to an unseen button and a screen he had seen so many times before, their hand hovering over a white button that they then clicked.
Their face then light up with joy “AYO! RAZOR ASCENSION MATERIALS COMPLETE!” They shouted, causing him to flinch back before quickly returning to his previous position and smiling back.
“We’re gonna build you up and make you so fucking cool! So close to full ascension! Are you excited? I know I am!” Their joy was infectious, their continual praise over his strength and announcements of how much better he would become caused his chest to swell with pride.
He was safe with them, so whenever [Name] called for him, he’d listen. They had offered him a family he thought he would never get to have and he’d rather die than disappoint them now.
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It was half past noon at the Golden house when Tartaglia made his arrival, he was running a little late but it was fine, after all The Guide’s main team didn’t arrive until the evening so he had until then.
He checked himself over in a handheld mirror he had once bought before one of these meetings and attempted to give it as an offering. It was cracked after that battle, Aether seemed to delight in crushing it underneath his shoes.
Regardless, Tartaglia kept it on hand, the cracks were stained with blood but he considered that a sign of good use.
He sighed to himself, hand moving down to his pockets to grab ahold of a new item he planned to offer to the team with the hope it could be of use. It was quite the pain to obtain so he hoped it would go to good use.
Upon learning of Their Grace’s unusual fascination with any items found in domains, he made it his personal goal to provide them with the best objects he could find, last time being one of those books the group had been gathering, this time he would offer a feather he had found within a chest, the blue shades starkly in contrast with the red on the tip. Perhaps he should set it to the side so it wouldn’t be ruined during the fight.
He had been told on several occasions that his obsession with gaining The Guide’s acknowledgement would lead to nothing but he had to try. Why you may ask? Tartaglia is a competitive soul, the idea of being the first Harbinger to gain this gods blessing was a tempting one indeed and with The Tarista having granted permission, that’s what he would do.
Zhongli had describe the feeling of their summon as a call from the sky and all of Teyat urging him to listen, Tartaglia was always willing to hear that call, to receive that strength, even if he simply answered in someone else’s place, the moment he heard it, he would come.
He needed that strength, that power that this god offered, most of all, he needed to be a part of their constant battles.
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As the clock sounded the hour, it pulled Klee’s attention away from the food she had on hand and towards the bag of her own she had left in the corner of the room.
With a glance towards Albedo, who was currently still eating after being pulled down to Knight of Favonius headquarters, she stood up and grabbed her bag. “I’ll be back soon!” She told him with a smile and he raised an eyebrow “Be careful, and please be back within the hour.”
She nodded and ran out the door, her steps echoing throughout the finely kept hallways.
She swore she planned to be back when Albedo told her to be but as her tests of fish blasting continued as the sun began to set, she eventually looked up towards the sky.
It looked so peaceful and the world felt rather serene. She took a moment to prepare her next explosive when the sky lit up in beautiful shades of blue, purple highlights soaring through it all.
She grinned and set the bomb down gentle before plopping down on the grass around her, watching the stars streak through the sky, until she heard a voice behind her.
“Klee.”
She whirled around, expecting to see Albedo standing there but instead was met with an unexpected sight.
The wind was flowing gently around her yet it whipped itself together in a humanoid shape, each leaf, piece of grass and fallen stick forming the shape of a person quite a bit taller than her. It seemed to smile and point upwards, towards the colorful sky. The wind spoke again.
“Klee. Listen. Answer.”
She held her breath, not out of fear but in the attempt to hear what this person wanted and so she could answer what this person wanted to know.
Then she heard the sound from above. “C'mon, c'mon! Give me the chaos child!”
She fully looked upwards, staring into a purple star that shone across the sky once more, then the voice echoed again. “Oh c'mon! Just let me complete my collection of powerful children! Wait… that sounds wrong out of content. Please Hoyo, I just want the gremlin child! Let me make a chaos team. Come home Klee..”
She tilted her head in confusion and looked back towards the humanoid shape who point skywards once more. “Answer. Say yes. Go home.. Now.” The voice from the form changed from welcoming to cold and Klee flinched back, she looked towards another star and focused on it before muttering under her breath. “Yes… I’ll come home.”
She watched in awe as the star shifted from a blue to a golden and separated from the others.
A warmth flooded her body, blocking out the cold of the evening and she felt a joy fill her body. “AW YEAH! HEY KIDDO! NEXT UP ALBEDO FOR A FULL CHAOS TEAM!”
Klee smiled. She wasn’t scared and nothing in this world could or would hurt her anymore. She couldn’t wait to tell Albedo all about it.
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Not sure what this is but I had fun! I don’t think this counts as a proper chapter but it sure was fun to write and I kinda wanna do more like this.
Taglist for random thoughts (this taglist is open but please be sure you want to be @‘ed everytime I have stupid self indulgent thoughts.)
Chapter seventeen of The Guide! I hope y'all enjoy it!
The Guide is a SAGAU (Self Aware Genshin Alternate Universe.) Where instead of [Name] being seen as the Creator, they’re seen as a god based off of the powers they can offer from the video game mechanics.
Oh my goodness this took a while to get out there. Sorry this took so long! Life was kicking me continuously! But hey, thing has been done.
Previously, after arriving at the Dawn Winery, [Name] and Paimon went off on their own to help [Name] adjust some of the world settings. [Name] turned on a few new buttons, not sure what they would do so but is curious as to the results.
The sun beating down but softened by the trees, Diluc’s frustration fading into the background as he watched their joy, Jean and Aether speaking quietly between each other with occasional glimpses towards the three tree dwellers.
They enjoyed the domestic feeling for a while before speaking up. “I need someone to practice some new skills on, any volunteers?"
Every hand went up, even Razor in his tired state, causing them to stare in shock for a moment. "Huh… alright then. Wasn’t expecting that.”
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So apparently, getting into the tree was the easy part, getting down would not be so simple.
For Razor and Kaeya, it was as easy as a jump, to [Name] on the other hand, a simple jump would likely become a simple broken leg… maybe two.
With that in mind, they simply waited patiently for the other two to get down before softly calling Kaeya’s name.
“Oh Kaeya~ Would you be a dear and help me down?” Their voice carried downwards and a sly smirk slipped onto their face. Unfortunately, it was mirrored by the man below them, his smirk making them begin to regret asking.
He looked up with one eye as he spoke “Is our oh so holy Guide unable of making a little jump?”
[Name] awkwardly looked to the side “Pretty much. Aren’t you supposed to do what I ask or something?”
Kaeya shrugged in response. “Not really. I kinda just give you respect for the strength and ignore you otherwise. Diluc here on the other hand, an absolute worshiper, never forgave me that I’m on your main team and he’s not.”
As he spoke about the older of the two, he reached an arm around the other’s shoulders, shooting Diluc an infuriating smirk which caused Kaeya’s arm to quickly be shrugged off.
“Damn. Whatever did I do to deserve that, Master Diluc?” [Name] asked, distracted from their original request.
Diluc grimanced. “Well. You do a good job of protecting Mondstadt, despite your rather immature attitude.”
[Name] nodded in response “In my limited defense, your world is one of the few places I allow myself the chance to be as childish as I wish.”
Diluc raised an eyebrow “Explain?”
They stared at him for a moment “No.”
Kaeya couldn’t stop himself from laughing as he stepped closer towards the tree. “Do you want help down, [Name]?”
They nodded, suspicious of his friendly approach. “Yes. I do… Are you offering?”
He smirked, “Why else would I be mentioning it?”
Aether simply watched, Anemo at the ready to catch [Name] should they risk hitting the ground. He kept a close eye on the two from him place beside Jean as [Name] stared down at Kaeya and placed themselves in a situation where they could either jump or step down into his grasp.
“If you drop me, I swear to Barbatos, I will take every artifact I have given you back and replace them with one star traveling doctors set. I don’t know how to do that yet but I’ll learn.”
Kaeya merely laughed “I’ll catch you if you need it, do you doubt one of your most loyal servants?”
As [Name] attempted to take comfort in his words, a thought struck them. “Didn’t you just tell me that Diluc is the follower between you two?”
A silence followed for a moment “Perhaps. Regardless, I’m the one you made stronger so get down here or I’m telling a certain Adepti from your normal rotation.”
[Name] rolled their eyes and began their attempt to get down, first lowering themselves on branches as much as possible before latching their arms around a solid piece of wood and lowering themselves closer to the ground, letting go and being caught bridal style by Kaeya, who decidedly to promptly drop them in a way where they wouldn’t hit their head.
[Name] now glanced up from the ground to glare at him before turning to Paimon. “How do I take away artifacts?”
Kaeya stiffened “Wait, that was just a joke, chill, you aren’t hurt or anything, right?”
[Name]’s eyes flickered to him before flickering back to the traveling companion.
Razor and Diluc shared a look as they chuckled at the side effects of the Knight’s actions catching up to him.
Paimon only giggled “Same icon as before to pull up characters!”
[Name] smirked up at him, quickly darting out their hand to tap the Aether looking icon in the corner of their vision.
The change of the world was strange though, flickering around them in different colors until it went black and then they were floating in what seemed like a purple void.
They couldn’t see the floor yet they were standing comfortably, looking down almost made them feel dizzy so instead they looked straight ahead.
Razor was standing there, a smile on his face “You look solid now."
[Name] offered a look of confusion before looking upwards, seeing a familiar display of different characters, Razor in front, closely followed by Diluc and then Kaeya, then continuing on with other characters they had.
So, this was the C button screen. "Huh… Well, I’m not sure what you mean but I have a thing to do so if you’ll excuse me.."
They shifted onto their toes to reach up and tap Kaeya’s icon and they stumbled back when the purple display switched to a cool blue and Razor’s figure was replaced by Kaeya.
He looked side to side awkwardly. "Um.. Funny seeing you here.”
[Name] looked at him plainly before moving over to tap the artifacts display, resulting in each item floating in a circle around him. He reached out to try to grab one, only to move his hand back after a jolt of electricity hit his hand.
They looked curiously at the see through colored sphere around each item before holding out a hand to touch it themselves.
The first they grabbed was a headpiece. The color faded away, leaving only the artifact in their hands and they had to resist the urge to drop it when stats then appeared above it.
They didn’t focus on that though, instead turning back to Kaeya with a grin that then fell upon seeing his face staring at the item in their hands.
[Name] almost thought they saw hints of anger in his eyes, his fists were clenched, as was his jaw.
It took them a moment to speak up but they spoke as calmly as they could. “Kaeya, is this taking the joke a bit too far?”
He took a deep inhale before speaking again. “Yes. Give it back.”
[Name] gently placed the headpiece upon his hair, offering a calming smile. “Care to talk about it?”
He closed his eyes, attempting not to glare and invoke their anger.
“It’s a source of strength… and do you know what happens when you take away somebody’s artifacts?”
[Name] furrowed their eyebrows and shook their head. “No clue but I bet you’ll explain.”
Kaeya scoffed. “You don’t even know the influence you have… they’re disgraced. Everything they were? Forgotten. Sure, you can switch out items, temporarily, and you give them back and they’re okay but losing your favor? Losing your gifts ruins their lives. Nobody wants to hire somebody who let you down, nobody wants to work for somebody who let you down.”
[Name] tensed and then frowned. “Why go so far? Just because I no longer have a use for them doesn’t mean they have no use.”
Kaeya smiled bitterly. “No use, huh? Those people have been my friends and I’ve watched how people treat them. Amber’s been degraded to just teaching others how to glide, nobody trusts her to handle their fighting anymore as she obviously didn’t do well enough for you.”
[Name] glared downwards, through the see through ground and into the icey blue void below. “They’re fools. Every last one of them! Has it never crossed their mind that I just have a certain way that I play?! I do physical damage, only switching out for catalyst users when I need distance, bows work weird on a slow computer, I don’t have enough of their constellation to make them worth while! That’s the way I do it but that doesn’t make them bad characters. Every individual has their play style and so what if they don’t match mine? So what if I only use them in specific scenarios?” Their rant turned into quieter but still frosted mumbling.
A thought occurred to them and they looked upwards quickly. “Whose the worst about it?” They asked him.
“About isolating the disgraced?” Kaeya took a moment to think before speaking. “Some members of the church, most of the Knights, honestly Jean included as she worries you’ll fall out of favor with Mondstadt… And Diluc. He’s not upfront with his distaste but he can still make it known.”
[Name]’s eyes glanced up towards the exit button. “I need to speak with them in that case. I am not a god and I most definitely with not have them ruining others in my name.”
With a harsh slam on the X button, they returned to reality. Aether looked at them worriedly as Diluc glared heavily at Kaeya’s now smirking form.
When the character button is pressed, only the individual that The Guide was viewing disappeared but that didn’t mean the four, five if you count Paimon, weren’t aware of their disappearance.
The return eased the anxieties amongst them but [Name]’s viable anger and the now quickly changing weather replaced those worries with new ones.
Each of them were silent until Jean stepped forward “Your Grace… is something the matter?”
[Name]’s [eye color] eyes met hers. “I learned something very interesting. I’d love to hear your attempt to explain it.”
A mocking smile fell upon [Name]’s face as rain began. None of the group felt any sense of cold, once again only [Name]’s warmth but that didn’t make the rain much less uncomfortable.
“What did you learn, Our Grace?” She asked, taking a step backwards and tilting her head in a mix of confusion and worry.
[Name] closed their eyes before speaking “What good does isolation do?” They waited for a response and upon receiving nothing but silence, they continued. “Kaeya told me this really interesting fun fact that people that I take artifacts away from often get their lives ruined, what’s the logic behind that?”
Diluc sighed a sigh of relief. Something he could explain. “As you’ve forsaken them, we forsake them as well. If they’re not worthy of your service, unwanted by the god who makes even the most useless become saviors…. Then what good would they do for Mondstadt?”
[Name] looked at him in horror. “What the hell are you talking about?!”
Aether winced at their anger and attempted to speak gently while explaining Mondstadts actions. Surely if anyone could calm them, it would be him, and that would cease this dangerous weather.
“You’re seen as the god of potential and of strength… Mondstadt, Liyue and Inazuma have developed the habit of ostracizing those who lose their favor as they hope you’ll continue to protect their nation..”
[Name] looked at Aether. “Aether, Darling, surely you see how ridiculous this all sounds? Why hasn’t anyone put a stop to this?!”
Diluc was the one to reply. “Why would we, Your Grace? They failed you and upset you and Mondstadt is so grateful for what you’ve done for us. Is it wrong to cease them from disgracing us even further?”
[Name] gave him a cold look. “Stop talking. If you are going to treat me as a god, know a few things. One, treat everyone with basic fucking decency! Two, the only people who should be having their lives ruined are those who cause harm to the innocent! Three, I will not stand for ruining somebody’s life because of my opinions on them!”
[Name] looked at each of them one by one before pausing. “Oh my goodness, did I just make my first three commandments? Is this my version of the ten commandments? Somebody quick, get this on stone tablets.”
The tense atmosphere lessened. “What the hell are you talking about?” Kaeya asked from beside them.
They shrugged. “Don’t worry about it. Just, think through what I’ve said. I wanted to train some different types of control, where’s the nearest Hilichurl camp?”
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Well, I wrote it but I’m not sure what I think of it.
Anyway, I don’t know where I’m going with this, don’t know what I’m thinking. It’s late and it’s nap time for me. I am too sleepy for proper brain function.
Chapter 16 perhaps? In the same night perhaps? For my own amusement perhaps? Perhaps.
This is another update in my The Guide series, which is SAGAU (Self Aware Genshin Alternate Universe) where instead of [Name] being seen as the Creator but instead seen as a god who cares for Teyvat that can offer great power.
Please enjoy my attempt at making my mental lore make sense and if you can’t tell from the way my speech patterns have dissolved, I’m tired.
Previously, [Name] set off towards Dawn winery upon deciding they would remain there while in Mondstadt. Upon arrival, they got to experiment with their ability to control their vessels inside Teyvat while waiting for Diluc to return.
Kaeya’s shifted his weight and placed a hand on his chest in mock offense. “I didn’t understand half of what you said but excuse me?”
“You’re excused, feel free to leave.” They told him with a teasing smile to which he shook his head.
“Hell no, I’m not leaving without an explanation.”
[Name] shrugged. “Guess you’ll be here forever then. In the meantime, I’ll be in the next chapter.”
“Next what now?”
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“Next what now?” Kaeya asked again, cocking his head like he thought the other had gone insane.
[Name] smiled and waved their arms around them. “The next chapter. Now then, Paimon, what will the next thousand or so words consist of?”
Paimon chuckled “Really messing up the wall, huh? Why don’t we go off just the two of us?”
[Name] gave her a suspicion look before nodding. “You concern me, fairy looking child.”
Paimon giggled again, waving off the concerned quartet of Razor, Kaeya, Aether and Jean who stayed in place as Paimon lead [Name] further away from the manor.
“So! What do you want to know?” She asked with a smile
“What can you teach me? I would probably be able to learn how this stuff works on my own but I’d rather not risk hurting something.”
Paimon nodded. “Well why don’t you open the menu first?”
[Name] shrugged, that at least was something they knew how to do.
With a tap at the corner of their sight, a display entered their view as the world seemed to pause in its tracks.
x
ɴᴏᴛɪꜰɪᴄᴀᴛɪᴏɴꜱ ᴡᴏʀʟᴅꜱᴇᴛᴛɪɴɢꜱ
Qᴜᴇꜱᴛꜱ ʙᴀɢ ᴀᴄʜɪᴇᴠᴇᴍᴇɴᴛꜱ
ꜱᴘᴇᴀᴋ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴛᴇʏᴠᴀᴛ
Paimon smiled “Pretty cool, isn’t it?”
They nodded “Which button should I press?” They asked with their eyes trained on each button and Paimon answered with glee.
“Try the worldsettings option!”
With slight hesitation, [Name] tapped the button and a new display appeared, their sight changing once more to as though they were seeing through a blue filter and they entered a suffocating silence.
They took a moment to analyze the display
x
ᴍᴜꜱɪᴄ <●~~~~~~~~~~~~~~>
ᴀᴜᴅɪᴏ <~~~~~~~●~~~~~~~>
ᴡᴏʀʟᴅ ꜱᴇɴꜱɪᴛɪᴠɪᴛʏ
<~~●~~~~~~~~~~~~> ʏᴏᴜ
<~~~~~~~~~●~~~~~> ᴛʜᴇᴍ
ᴄʜᴀʀᴀᴄᴛᴇʀ ꜱᴇɴꜱɪᴛɪᴠɪᴛʏ
<●~~~~~~~~~~~~~~> ʏᴏᴜ <~~~~~●~~~~~~~~~> ᴛʜᴇᴍ
ᴛᴇʏᴠᴀᴛ ꜱᴇɴꜱɪᴛɪᴠɪᴛʏ
<~~●~~~~~~~~~~~~> ʏᴏᴜ
<~~~~~~~~~~~~~~●> ɪᴛ
ʀᴇᴠᴇʀᴇɴᴄᴇ <~~~~●~~~~~~~~~~>
ᴠᴇʀʙᴀʟ ᴄᴏᴍᴍᴀɴᴅ [ᴏɴ/ᴏꜰꜰ]
ᴘꜱʏᴄʜɪᴄ ᴄᴏᴍᴍᴀɴᴅ [ᴏɴ/ᴏꜰꜰ]
ᴇᴍᴏᴛɪᴏɴᴀʟ ᴄᴏᴍᴍᴀɴᴅ [ᴏɴ/ᴏꜰꜰ]
ꜱᴜʙᴄᴏɴꜱᴄɪᴏᴜꜱ ᴄᴏᴍᴍᴀɴᴅ [ᴏɴ/ᴏꜰꜰ]
ʟᴀɴɢᴜᴀɢᴇ ʙᴀʀʀɪᴇʀꜱ [ᴏɴ/ᴏꜰꜰ]
ᴠɪᴇᴡ ꜱᴛᴀᴛꜱ [ᴏɴ/ᴏꜰꜰ]
It took [Name] a few seconds to read through, each confusing them more than the last however upon taking note of the language barrier option, they reached out a hand to tap the Off button
They felt something round and solid as they did, pressing down they heard a click and the button light up as it changed the display from on to off.
They then decided to take the time deciding which of these they felt comfortable editing.
The buttons looked relatively safe and their meanings made a lot more sense than any of the sliding knobs, status bars? [Name] wasn’t quite sure what they were called but they knew that the descriptions of those things made no sense.
Like, [Name] didn’t even want to know what they meant by sensitivity, instead they tapped a few more buttons.
They turned on the buttons offered to them. Surely it wouldn’t hurt to experiment with the options and what harm could it do? [Name] paused that line of thought, that was exactly how horror movies started.
With that in mind, they kept off subconscious demand, that seemed like a recipe for disaster.
Once that was complete, they glanced towards the bars. Turning up their sensitivity probably wouldn’t hurt, right?
They reached out for the character sensitivity knob, laying their hand on it, it felt like cold round metal. They tightened their grip and pulled downwards, it clicked into place where they wanted and they pulled away satisfied.
ᴄʜᴀʀᴀᴄᴛᴇʀ ꜱᴇɴꜱɪᴛɪᴠɪᴛʏ <~~~~~~~●~~~~~~~> ʏᴏᴜ
As a final action, they turned the audio up two notches and turned the music on one. A gentle flow entered their ears, quiet but not too vague to be heard.
With a nod, they tapped the X, returning to their previous screen.
Paimon smiled at them “Happy with your adjustments?”
[Name] nodded, she seemed a bit louder but not horribly so. “Anything else?”
Paimon shrugged. “Nothing you won’t learn on your own, but Paimon is happy to answer questions!”
With a nod, they chose one of several questions on their mind. “What does the Speak with Teyvat button do?”
Paimon froze in place, her smile falling from her face as she shook her head. “Paimon thinks you shouldn’t press that one. Even powerful things can’t always work without permission but once you give them the go ahead, you can’t get them to stop.”
[Name] shifted their weight uncomfortably. “So you’re saying it’s a bad idea?”
Paimon nodded “You want to be normal right? Humans like challenges?” Before receiving a response, she continued. “Teyvat wants you to have fun… but it has a twisted version of fun. But that’s not important! If you don’t press the button, then we can have fun!”
[Name] jolted slightly at her quick tone change, noting the worry etched into the corners of her face, and so they nodded in an attempt to ease her worry. “Of course. That makes sense. One more question, how many quests can I set and do they give rewards?”
Paimon’s smile returned as she did a small twirl “As many as you’d like!” She told them with glee “Teyvat choses the rewards so they might be a bit different than you’re used to but we’re sure you’ll enjoy them!"
"What kind of rewards are offered?”
Paimon smiled “Weapons, mora, friendship, pets, Even things from earth! Anything you’d like!”
A thought struck [Name] “What about Primogems?”
Paimon laughed condescendingly at them “Oh silly! You don’t need those anymore, you can have any vessel you’d like!”
[Name] felt their heart stop and then begin to race. ‘Any character? Like, anyone? No more saving? Just… Character?'
Paimon smiled at their obvious happiness. “Primogems are pretty though, so if you want some for decoration then that can be done!”
[Name]’s eyes light up “So you’re saying… Primogem collection?”
Paimon nodded “If you’d like!”
[Name] smiled. “Perfect. Now then…. What guests should I set?”
Paimon giggled “I can help with that. I can set them too if you’d like.”
[Name] realized they weren’t exactly sure how they set that first one and nodded “Yes please?”
With a happy twirl, Paimon seemed to open her own screen. A screen of familiar blue and buttons that [Name] couldn’t read.
“What quests are you setting?”
Paimon smiled “Some basics about exploring Mondstadt and experiencing the world, meeting Mondstadt characters, going on commissions. You can get more… challenging things later.”
Paimon lifted her head to look [Name] in the eyes and they felt every nerve in their body go on edge, the look wasn’t anything special, a glance that they might have brushed off but it took hold of their mind, freezing them in place.
At least until she spoke up again “Why don’t we go back? You should get all settled in and I’m sure Kaeya is getting sick of holding your bag.”
[Name] inhaled and exhaled slowly, trying to push away that anxious feeling as they turned to walk back towards the group. “I’d like to try out my new settings on some enemies before settling down tonight… And is that where my bag went?! Kaeya I’m gonna fucking kill you, I was looking for that."
Paimon laughed as she moved to float in circles around [Name]’s head "Your fault for not noticing.” She told them in a sing song tone.
As the duo returned, they laid eyes upon a clearly exhausted Razor who had curled up on a tree and a very annoyed Diluc attempting to convince him to come down.
Kaeya had also decided to make himself comfortable on a tree branch, much to the chagrin of the red head.
Upon noticing their arrival, he gave a wave with a smirk on his face. “Welcome back [Name]. Care to join us up here?”
'Well’ [Name] thought to themselves. 'If they’re gonna be stuck somewhere, Mondstadt could be worse…’. As they grinned and ran over to the tree, doing their best to pull themselves up and accept Kaeya’s outstretched hand to assist, they realized they could get used to this.
The sun beating down but softened by the trees, Diluc’s frustration fading into the background as he watched their joy, Jean and Aether speaking quietly between each other with occasional glimpses towards the three tree dwellers.
They enjoyed the domestic feeling for a while before speaking up. “I need someone to practice some new skills on, any volunteers?"
Every hand went up, even Razor in his tired state, causing to stare in shock for a moment. "Huh… alright then. Wasn’t expecting that.”
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I’m not super happy with how this chapter turned out but it is what it is. TWO CHAPTERS IN 24 HOURS BABY! Anyway, I have a life, I promise.
Please enjoy this chapter, feel free to like, comment, reblog, follow, send in an ask or even just ignore this if it makes you feel more comfortable! I hope you had fun reading!
Hold up, part fifteen? How the heck did I get here? Not sure but I’m thankful that y'all have been reading my stuff.
So! Part fifteen of The Guide. The Guide is a SAGAU (self aware genshin alternate universe) where instead of being seen as the creator of Teyvat, [Name] is seen as a god who cares for the world as a result of their actions as the player.
Maybe I should make a list of characters [Name] has… idk.
Also someone requested it so I’m gonna try out putting quick summaries of the previous chapter in the beginning.
Previously, [Name] returned to Knights of Favonius headquarters to discuss how their stay in Teyvat would go, eventually deciding they would be staying at Dawn Winery while the Knights research what brought them here.
[Name] nodded. “Sounds good to me. You did say something about needing to teach me how to change vessels so maybe have some others come with as well?”
Kaeya raised his right hand “I volunteer.”
Jean placed her face into one of her palms. “Of course you would. A chance to infuriate Diluc and spend time with The Guide. What could be better?”
Aether raised an eyebrow “Wherever Paimon goes, I’m goin’.”
Razor nodded “I follow Guide. Not leave Guide.”
[Name] sighed and leaned back into the seat. “I guess we’re all going then. To Dawn Winery I suppose?”
○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○
The walk towards the winery wasn’t as bad as [Name] was anticipating and honestly they had Aether to thank for that, the godsend had decided to stand in between Kaeya and Diluc in order to prevent the two from arguing and while it didn’t stop verbal disagreements, [Name] could rest easy knowing they wouldn’t be able to be physically violent.
Razor and Paimon had flanked their sides, Razor on their left and Paimon on their right. The teenager kept a rather brisk pace and he kept himself alert, eyes constantly checking the treeline for any unnatural sign of movement, while Paimon spoke in quieter tones than expected for her about the things she could teach once they had arrived.
Jean simply watched from the back of the group, her eyes occasionally darting around for any hint of danger but mainly focusing on the peaceful familiarity that had fallen over the group.
This wasn’t exactly a normal adventuring party but they didn’t stop anybody from falling into their own roles and Jean brushed back a stray piece of hair as she thought of benefits The Guide could have, especially if this silent comfort was part of it.
From their first introduction, [Name] had filled the knight with a feeling of ease, that warmth washing away the tense muscles and aches, it was amazing what [Name] could offer Mondstadt, what [Name] offered their vessels in general.
But Jean supposed she never truly knew what they offered, not in the same way. She had been blessed, yes, given gifts and strength but that comfort, the feeling of safe vulnerability only lasted so long, fading into obscurity and instead being overshadowed by her day to day life.
But Jean had felt their pull, not much but on occasion, had felt injuries soothed by the feeling of cold cloth on a burn, the pain fading away and instead of being crippling, leaving her unable to fight as she once was, each injury blends into the background, healed when The Guide finds the time but unnoticed until then.
She vaguely wondered if [Name] understood the danger they were in. Each nation knows what they can do, knows of each second chance at life they grant their vessels, the unmatched strength and gifts and passage of time bending to their will. Mondstadt would benefit from a partnership with this God, all they had to do is stop news of their arrival from reaching more desirable nations, easy enough, right?
Well, it didn’t matter. She could ponder the opportunities presented to her homeland some other time, they had arrived.
The main building was imposing, each perfectly shined stone glistening in sunlight shining down from a clear blue sky, but even more impressive were the vineyards as far as the eye could see. The game truly didn’t do any justice to the scale of this place, which made sense. considering it was supposed to be one of the most revered wineries in Mondstadt yet you don’t see much more vineyard than what looks good with the design.
Diluc felt his heart beat with both pride and amusement at [Name]’s reaction, their awe palpable and written across their face.
“You’ve been here before, have you not?”
[Name] nodded “Of course. Several times, but the screen does not do it justice… doesn’t properly convey all the sensory details as well.” ‘Something I forgot for my list’ they thought to themselves 'the winery is full of all sorts of sounds and smells.’
Diluc raised an eyebrow “Sensory details?” To which [Name] nearly shrugged.
“Sound and smell ow. Now then, Paimon, lessons perhaps? You have a room you need to prepare, yes Diluc?”
He nodded. “Of course. I will return to you as soon as I can.” He gave a stiff goodbye before heading inside while [Name] simply turned their attention to a certain floating creature with a remarkable grin on her face. “Lessons?”
She nodded, grabbed their right arm and began to pull. She seemed very keen on leading the group to the lakeside so [Name] dutifully followed, confused but excited nonetheless.
Upon their arrival, [Name] noticed some remarkably familiar cryo slimes and glanced towards Paimon “You got a plan?”
She merely grinned. “Physical contact is great for switching vessels and all you need to do is give a command. Verbal control is less detailed than manual but it’ll do the trick.”
“Any reason they can’t just do it themselves?” [Name] asked her and she shrugged in response.
“You know how domestic dogs can’t hunt because you feed them? Same thing. Also they would be fighting without the respawn function and we don’t want that.” A grin decorated her face as she spoke but [Name] had to resist the urge for their own face to twist in disgust. Had they truly effected the characters that much? and what the fuck did she mean by respawn function?
Regardless, [Name] turned towards an on edge Razor whose eyes stayed trained on the moving cryo masses.
“Razor, Kiddo, can I use you as my vessel for this?”
That brought Razor away from his concern and he nodded “Guide can always use Razor.”
[Name] muttered a thank you and tried to figure out how to handle this bit they settled on a hand on his head as they laced their words with intention.
“Razor, go kill those cryo slimes and stay safe.”
The effect was visual this time, his Claymore which had previously been unnoticeable found its place in his hands as his eyes glazed over, a bored look overcame his face as he began to approach the slimes.
The effect was also internal. This feeling was different, instead of the hunter guided by a whisper in the wind and his mind feeling free as his body left his control, he was the prey, dancing and guided by instinct and adrenaline, not fear, he knew he was safe. It wasn’t a bad feeling… simply different.
As claymore cut through gel and electric claws infested icy surfaces, Razor decided he preferred the original. He hoped they’d figure it out soon. Razor prefers fighting with you rather than fighting for you.
[Name] watched in awe as the skill with which each creature was destroyed from each attack. A feeling of guilt settled in their chest but those creatures would be back, right? They always were.
It was only when the last slime was crushed into pieces that Razor’s stance returned to normal, his back slouching once more and he turned on his heels to face the group once more, his eyes searching for any hint of approval which [Name] was happy to show him, opening up their arms to offer a hug as they showcased a brilliant grin.
A grin Razor reciprocated as he ran into their hold. The protective warmth of The Guide’s influence only growing as [Name] brushed hair out of his face. “That was brilliant, Razor. I’m proud of you.”
Razor’s smile softened and he closed his eyes, valuing this moment until [Name] pulled away.
“Wow I didn’t think it would be that impressive but you did great out there, kiddo!”
Kaeya snickered. “Kiddo?"
[Name] shrugged "Emotionally, he is my baby brother. As are Bennet and Xingqiu. Old teenagers yes, but still children and as such, older sibling instincts kick in. Besides, who doesn’t like being told good job kiddo? I know I don’t mind.”
Razor tilted his head “Brother is family, yes? … Saying Razor is lupical?”
[Name] smiled gently. “Yeah. I see you as part of my family, my lupical.”
Razor’s grin returned, nodding. “Lupical. I said before, I say now, you are my lupical.”
That comment made [Name] pause. He’s said it in his voice lines… does that imply they’ve all actually said their voice lines? It technically wasn’t a mind blowing idea… but still interesting. Regardless, [Name] tried not to focus on it too hard and it left their mind when Kaeya spoke up.
“If they’re your little brothers, what does that make me?”
A smirk made its way onto their face “You know that guy you meet during senior year who thinks he’s the shit and is Captain of a team but is failing all of his classes so he can’t actually play?”
Kaeya’s shifted his weight and placed a hand on his chest in mock offense. “I didn’t understand half of what you said but excuse me?”
“You’re excused, feel free to leave.” They told him with a teasing smile to which he shook his head.
“Hell no, I’m not leaving without an explanation.”
[Name] shrugged. “Guess you’ll be here forever then. In the meantime, I’ll be in the next chapter.”
“Next what now?”
○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○
Mhm. Chapter. I read far too many fanfics while writing this so it kinda went from a dramatic thing to ending it off by fucking with the fourth wall.
This fanfic has a life of it’s own so I honestly never know when the next chapter is gonna be. Wouldn’t it be funny if I put out two in one night
MUAHAHAHA PART 14 OF THE GUIDE! I shall thoroughly corrupt this site with my random posting schedule and desire to receive validation from strangers on the internet!
The Guide is a SAGAU story where instead of being the Creator of Teyvat, [Name] is a player who is seen as a God.
Kaeya resisted his urge to smirk at The Guide’s obvious annoyance with the floating… Pixie? Fairy? He wasn’t sure but wow was she being glared at with the highest level of annoyance the Captain had ever seen, well, other than that which was often directed towards him.
[Name] rolled their eyes before shifting their gaze to a confused Jean and muttering “I’ll interrogate you later, you main character wannabe.”
Jean lifted an eyebrow but [Name] waved her off. “Don’t worry about it. Now then! Proper conversation about why I am here and what’s gonna happen until I can get home… please?”
Jean nodded “Yes. Of course. If we’re being honest with you, we ourselves aren’t sure how you came to be here. I was aware Albedo was working on a project he hoped would bring you to us but it hasn’t yet been completed and such we also haven’t figured out what would happen to you while you’re here.”
[Name] resisted the urge to make a comment regarding the inefficiency of the Knights but restrained themselves, simply nodding slowly. “So the answer is… you have no clue what the answer is to either of those questions.”
Jean sighed “Yes. Correct.”
[Name] inhaled slowly and exhaled, resisting the urge to yell, knowing Jean likely truly didn’t have the answers.
“I see. So, I suppose we should start theorizing, yes? I know for a fact that my computer glitched before I came here, saying some shit about how Teyvat welcomes me and then I passed out and ended up here, that’s all I know… well, that and that it felt like my world didn’t respond to me. I had to work harder to open cabinets or zippers, or powder wouldn’t come out of my spice containers… maybe it’s like I lost connection to my world and because I had Genshin open, it connected me here?”
[Name] paused at their own explanation. Honestly they weren’t sure what was happening, they weren’t sure about their own theories. It kinda just felt like it happened because some story writer had an idea and didn’t think through all the logistics before writing the early chapters.
Aether spoke up first “We’ve had displays of something beginning in Teyvat as well. Natural disasters and the like, but last night a meteor shower began that nobody was ready for, similar to before you claim a new vessel.”
A glimmer of confusion made its way onto [Name]’s face before it clicked. Stars in the sky similarly to when they do pulls and gain a new character.
They nodded in response “So we’re still confused on what happened… Why don’t we leave the why for later while we figure out what’s gonna happen in the meantime?”
Jean nodded, this was where she could redeem her previous behavior.
“Of course we can. You’re welcome to stay in Mondstadt and Diluc has already offered to house you at Dawn Winery but we could also prepare you a place at Knights of Favonius headquarters.”
[Name] contemplated the options. Dawn Winery was distant from the main city and that had both positive and negative effects, they would have to have someone travel with them back to the main city and they’d likely feel lonely unless they could befriend some of the NPC’s they didn’t know well, on the other hand they’d likely get a nice room with privacy, they wouldn’t need to worry about someone, most likely Kaeya, barging in, they’d be living at Dawn Winery for archons sake and they’d have more of a chance to slip away and explore.
Now with the Knights, They’d be near some of their favorite characters, be able to truly experience Mondstadt in its entirety and get quicker updates on the progress of research into their return home, but once more there were downsides, little to no privacy as it was in the headquarters, people who expected them to be a god, the sheer number of people in Mondstadt and the noise that comes with it, the fact that they would likely be under constant surveillance and unable to explore on their own.
Quite frankly, based on sheer number of negatives for the headquarters, Dawn Winery seemed like the proper decision and it was so so cliche that [Name] had to avoid picking it purely for the vibes when they finally spoke up.
“I’m guessing either way I would spend most of my time in the city?” They asked. They vaguely registered Razor shifting his seat and noticed he had settled on staring directly at them in a vaguely unsettling manner.
At Jean’s nod, [Name] answered “Dawn Winery. I’d like the peace and quiet in the evenings if I’m going to be here day. Although I wouldn’t mind spending weekends on occasion.
Kaeya smirked "You just wanna see us sleep, don’t you? With the amount you stare and look closely when controlling us, I wouldn’t be surprised, it’s almost endearing.”
Diluc and Jean’s heads both snapped to glare daggers at the blue haired man but [Name] only chuckled.
“Obviously. I really thought we had something from the things you’ve said to me in the past and how could I ever go without your arrogant handsome face? And even at rest? With your permission, I’d love to keep you company while you sleep.”
Their voices were both laced with amusement and a teasing lilt that matched one another, either way it was worth it from the look of horror on Diluc’s face which caused both parties to laugh.
It did take a moment for [Name] to recover enough to speak “Don’t worry, he talked like this to me all the time, at this point it’s part of his charm.”
Diluc balked, his horror only growing as he turned to Kaeya “Have you no respect? They’ve done nothing but serve and assist Mondstadt, even doing your job.”
Kaeya shrugged “And openly simping over half the people they meet. Besides, we’re friends, right [Name]?”
[Name] smiled and nodded, giving a stupid thumbs up as they struggled not to sport a stupid looking grin on their face from joy. “Totally. You’re not getting rid of me that easy considering how much effort I put into you.”
Diluc shuddered and turned back towards [Name]’s smile as they sat, still seated in a surprisingly comfortable chair.
“Regardless of your… familiarity. I thank you for this opportunity to repay you for your service upon Mondstadt and will have a room of your choice prepared for you, however you may like.”
[Name] straighted in their back as they looked around awkwardly. “That…” they struggled while searching for the right word, feels wasteful? Is way too much effort for them? Seems so incredibly privileged? Eventually they settled on something socially acceptable. “Is unnecessary. Any room with a comfortable bed would do, especially considering I’d likely only be sleeping in there.”
Diluc’s face seemed to stiffen. “If you’re sure, Our Guide.”
[Name] nodded “I’m sure.” They told him, turning back to Jean. “Anything else?”
Jean looked between Diluc, Kaeya and the now semi-focused [Name]. “So, you’d like to stay at Dawn Winery while we do our research on what brought you here, yes? That’s the information I needed.” If Jean was being honest with herself, she wanted to leave the meeting as unfinished as possible, perhaps then she could speak with [Name] one on one and get some more personal questions… like why so many of her knights were chosen so early but not herself.
The cocky motherfucker with the eyepatch was the first to speak up. “Do you plan on continuing to assist your vessels? I’d hate to adventure alone after all.”
Arther nodded. “I’m also curious. Commissions are much more enjoyable when you’re here.” And Kaeya chuckled in response. “Oh please, My Guide doesn’t even use you for the commissions themselves, only using you to cash the check of our hard earned work and bonding.”
Arther opened his mouth to speak when Razor finally spoke “Guide only fight with you. Guide travels with me.”
[Name] shook their head. “I’m not doing this argument right now. I would love to come on commissions but first I’d like to get a grasp on my newfound superpowers.”
Paimon grinned and flew directly in front of their face. “Paimon can help with that! We can go to the winery and Master Diluc can have the maids get the room ready while I teach you everything you need to know!”
[Name] nodded. “Sounds good to me. You did say something about needing to teach me how to change vessels so maybe have some others come with as well?”
Kaeya raised his right hand “I volunteer.”
Jean placed her face into one of her palms. “Of course you would. A chance to infuriate Diluc and spend time with The Guide. What could be better?”
Aether raised an eyebrow “Wherever Paimon goes, I’m goin’.”
Razor nodded “I follow Guide. Not leave Guide.”
[Name] sighed and leaned back into the seat. “I guess we’re all going then. To Dawn Winery I suppose?”
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Hiya! The response I got was that people wanted it to be romantic which I’m game for, however please request which character you’d like to be included in the harem this will likely turn into
So far I have
•Venti
•Aether
•Kaeya
•Diluc
•Albedo
•Zhongli
•Childe/Tartaglia/Ajax (I’ll figure out what I’ll call him in this story.)
•Scaramouche
•Xiao
•Jean
•Lisa
•Ayato
•Beidou
•Thoma
•Raiden Shogun
And these are characters I can think of that are (at least according to google) over 18 but if y'all have suggestions that are 18 or above, I am open to said suggestions.
Please let me know if you really really don’t want this story to be romantic, in which case I will re-evaluate my plans and talk with you about how I can best make it work for everyone who reads this story.
Feel free to leave a like, comment, reblog this, send in an ask or even scroll away if it makes you feel more comfortable but thank you so much for all the support you have given me.
PART 13 MY DEAR READERS! Sorry I haven’t posted, I am sick again, but that said! Have part thirteen of The Guide!
The Guide is a SAGAU (Self aware genshin alternate universe) where instead of [Name] being seen as the creator of this world, they’re seen as being a god who helps the world and it’s people flourish.
Also I have a bit of a question for my readers at the end of this chapter so please check that out (just don’t wanna put it here and take up too much space.)
Sun trying to shine through leaves is a pretty sight. It decorates the road in golden light and shines on your face everytime you turn your head up towards the sky.
It caused Razor’s face to light up as he walked down the path as he lifted his face up and sunlight got into his eyes.
It reminded them just how real everything felt… No, not felt… Was. How real everything was. They still couldn’t fully wrap their mind around that but they’ll try.
Their thoughts were stolen away by a hand on their shoulder which caused their eyes to drift away from the happy Razor to Aether’s worried gaze.
He took a second to make sure he had their attention before he began to speak. “What were you even thinking, vanishing like that? I was right next to you! You could have woken either of us and we could have kept you company. Do you understand how much you worried everyone back at headquarters?"
Each word was quiet and hissed out with an emotion [Name] wasn’t quite sure how to translate from his tone but it made them shiver with anxiety and a hint of anger. Just who did he think we was? They thought. Everything he’s done, I’ve guided him through, and for him to think I can’t handle a trip through Mondstadt? How weak does he think I am?
However another portion of their mind made itself known, reminding them of the sheer panic they felt from those Hilichurls, the stinging pain of the Wolfhook in their skin. He’s in the right, their mind whispered, you’re not safe alone. You can’t travel Teyvat alone, take someone who will help you.
They didn’t respond to him during their inner monologue, continuing to walk down the path out of Wolvendom and looking anywhere but Aether.
Eventually his grip on them tightened as he waited for their response which caused [Name] to twist away from his touch and reply. "Ow… Jeez man, emotional instability much? Whatever. I understand it wasn’t the smartest idea but I’m a curious little brat. Hey, I found Razor so I could have been a lot worse.”
Aether shook his head “No, see, that’s the problem. You could have been in great danger if you hadn’t found him. This is Wolvendom! You could have gotten gravely injured…”
“Chillax, Aether. I’m fine. I’ll ask someone to go with me the next time I wander off so I don’t die like Ghostbur.”
Aether raised an eyebrow in confusion but moved on quickly. “That’s not all of what I meant… Do you think we can’t protect you? Is that it? You have made us more than strong enough that your safety is guaranteed.”
[Name] paused for a moment. Made them strong enough? They supposed that made sense, especially considering all the work they’d done for increasing levels and farming ascension materials, not to mention artifacts but [Name] never thought of how it must have looked from their perspective.
“I… I’m sure you all could keep anyone safe, that was part of the purpose after all, but… things just aren’t the same when other people are around.”
Aether only shook his head. “You’ll understand what I mean.. Let’s hurry. Acting Grandmaster Jean is waiting for us.”
_______________________________
It didn’t take long for the quartet to arrive, Razor had moved towards the rear of the group but continued inside with [Name]’s gentle encouragement.
About an hour after they left Wolvendom, [Name] found themselves in Jean’s office, staring down at Razor who had curled up in one of the seats in a way that made [Name] sure he had back problems. Whatever, their job was to wait patiently for Jean and whoever she decides to bring with her to show up and then decide what’s next in life.
Simple? Right. Right. Of course. Simple is something [Name] values.
But no. Nothing is simple. Everything stops being simple when Jean walks through the door, accompanied by Kaeya and fucking DILUC.
You know those stupid fanfics you can find on Tumblr? You know, the Isekai ones written by chronically online individuals during global pandemics? That’s what this looked like a scene from.
Kaeya and Diluc were sharing glares between each other behind Jean’s back as Razor was curled up on a chair in the corner with Aether standing beside them as Paimon had made herself welcome to the pasta that had likely gone bad but didn’t seem to effect her.
This was very much a Genshin Impact lover’s fever dream and [Name] simply pinched their arm for good measure while Jean took a seat at her desk.
An awkward silence followed before [Name] did what they did best and channeled their years of experience regarding being a social anomaly and simply turned to face Diluc directly.
“Well then, I see my request for you to go back to the manor and stay there wasn’t very well received based on that glare on your face. You know, your hair is more of a wreck than usual, did you get any sleep Oh great Darknight Hero?"
Perhaps their friends were right when they said [Name] would get themselves decked for their snarky mouth.
Luckily for them, today was not that day.
Diluc turned to look at them and the glare melted off his aggressive face.
He stared only for a moment before quickly dropping to his knees, causing Kaeya to roll his eyes and Aether to stiffen beside them.
Diluc didn’t dare risk a glance upwards as his spoke.
"Your Grace, Our Dearest Guide, The Greatest Protector of Mondstadt.” Ax Diluc began his speech, Kaeya lifted a hand and moved it as though he was controlling a sock puppet, making his head mouth along with Diluc’s words and Kaeya’s face mocked the monologue.
“There is no proper apology I can offer for how gravely I treated you. I behaved as though you may be a common criminal and I can only pray you forgive my trespasses and continue protecting Mondstadt despite the transgressions I have played upon you.”
It took [Name] a second to respond, trying to make it make sense in their own head and not laugh at Kaeya’s dramatic interpretation.
“First of all, wow that sounds like a bible verse. Second of all, what the fuck are you talking about? Dude you were doing your job, I looked more suspicious than a boss battle room that has yet to load the enemy. Third of all, Greatest Protector of Mondstadt? Bitch, what am I? An Avenger? A Game of Thrones character? Enough with the titles.”
After about five seconds, Diluc still had yet to stand and [Name] rolled their eyes to the ceiling, muttering under breath for the first sentence.
“Gods give me patience. Diluc, stand up, now.”
They laced their second phrase with as much command as they could and watched in awe at themselves as he stood, well, stood isn’t the right term.
You know how games sometimes glitch with the phrase and suddenly you’re halfway across the room?
One moment he was on both knees, his hands clasped together and eyes likely shut and the next he had stood up to his full height, his eyes wide open with admiration perhaps as he stared into their own eyes.
A giggle and a clap echoed through the room from Paimon as she grinned.
“You’ve finally learned the basis of verbal control!” She exclaimed with joy.
Everyone else in the room had simply paused so [Name] took this chance to finish their original sentence as well as they could.
“Regardless. You have nothing to apologize, you haven’t changed my view on Mondstadt, my name is [Name] so please use it and unless you are going to help explain my situation, please leave.”
[Name] glanced in the direction of the Calvary Captain.
“You too. If all you’re gonna do is mock your not brother brother and drive me slowly insane, then begone thot. I have things to do and worlds to return to you.”
It took a moment for the room to settle down, Kaeya, Diluc and Aether remained standing as Jean offered [Name] a seat and [Name] noticed Razor had sat up and was watching the situation closely.
It then was another few seconds of silence before Paimon spoke up, floating behind [Name]’s surprisingly comfortable chair.
“Well, You’ve figured out verbal control so I guess the next thing we teach you is how to change your vessel, huh?”
[Name]’s head turned to face her once more.
“What the hell do you mean? And you better not just end the chapter here and make me wait days for no explanation.”
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WELL! I LIVE! Still sick so not quite alive but close enough.
Question for you guys, you can answer by sending in an ask(if anon isnt working, feel free to request I don’t show your username. I haven’t figured out how to get Anon to work.), DM'ing me or leaving a comment, should this story’s overarching character relationship theme be platonic, romantic or unspecified?
Obviously there will be characters that have a platonic relationship with [Name], such as Razor and Klee and Bennett and so on and so forth, but depending on the shift the story takes, the relationship may be a different kind of family relationship.
I don’t want to write something with romantic tones and have a majority of my readers be uncomfortable because they are aro or they headcanon [Name] as being too young for that character or they just want to have a completely non romantic story, but I also don’t want people waiting for romance to develop that will never develop or growing bored of the fanfic or just flat out really wanting romantic content with Guide AU.
Anyway! Feedback of any kind is appreciated! Feel free to like, comment, reblog, send in an ask or even just scroll away if it makes you more comfortable.
(If I spelled your name wrong, you have full permission to send me some sort of meme of violence upon me while fixing my inability to spell. Also for the people who have asked recently, I’m sorry but the taglist is closed.
Well, chapter twelve, genuinely didn’t think I’d get this far. So! Part 12 of The Guide!
The Guide is an SAGAU (Self aware genshin alternate universe) where [Name], instead of being the Creator of the world, is seen as a god who cares for Teyvat from their actions as the Player.
Also, I am closing the tag list for now. I may open it again in the future but for now, it’s closed and I am free.
If [Name] decided not to spare their pride for a moment, they would admit the fact that being in Razor’s presence was a bit awkward but luckily, or unluckily, depends on who you ask, [Name] was an expert in awkward situations.
“Thank you for helping me.” They told him which caused his head to jolt up and shake rapidly.
“No, no, Guide helped Razor. Razor do the same!”
[Name] jolted at the level of anxiety in his voice and frowned before speaking again with as gentle a tone as they could. “I didn’t do very much, Razor, but you helped keep me safe, just like you always have… so thank you.” They gave him a smile in the hopes of easing his tense shoulders.
He only looked back at the cooking pot and frowned to himself before letting out a low rumbling sound.
[Name] wasn’t sure where the information came from but they knew the feeling he was trying to get across, a feeling of debt and loyalty, but nothing was owed and [Name] had only ruined his life, hadn’t they?
But that didn’t stop them from trying to comfort or distract the teenager. “Well then, what are you working on?”
He gave a slight smile “Razor makes human food for Guide. Doesn’t know what you want…"
They simply nodded, realizing communication would be a bit of a struggle. "Any kind of food sounds good and I’m sure it’ll taste good. I trust you on that.”
The mention of trust seemed to be what helped him the most, his formerly taut shoulders loosening and moving backwards as he moved himself in some sort of prideful upper body movement that [Name] wasn’t sure how to describe.
“Yes. Razor is trusted. Razor trusts Guide. We… friends?”
[Name] smiled. “Of course we’re friends if you want to be.”
Razor nodded, apparently satisfied with the development, as he adjusted something the pot that [Name] couldn’t quite see.
It was then that [Name] took his opportunity to ask some questions.
“How did you know where I was, Razor?”
“Teyvat told pack, pack told me. Teyvat told all that listen.” His response was mildly concerning but they supposed made sense, the system glitch or whatever that brought them here was likely felt by those in the world.
“What did Teyvat say?” They asked him slowly and winced at his reply.
“Said Teyvat’s owner here. Said Guide need be safe.”
Need be safe? [Name] thought to themselves. I’m always safe, when I’m actually faced with danger myself… my team can handle that.
“So Razor made Guide safe. Hilichurls are danger so stay with Razor.”
Razor’s voice shook them out of their thoughts but also caused some worry, the last thing they’d want now is to cause harm to any members of their team, especially on their behalf, so they shook their head.
“I hate to say it but I can’t constantly stay with you. You can visit me while I’m here but I really want to meet new people and staying in Wolvendom won’t let me do that.”
Razor seemed to take a minute to process that before speaking again “Razor will be with Guide. Guide need not be alone.”
[Name] chuckled at that. “You can’t go with me everywhere but I’d love to travel with you."
He grinned a toothy grin and then redirected his gaze to the cooking pot. "Food almost done, then Guide eat.”
They sighed in resignation and nodded. “Yes. I’ll eat. I swear though, y'all have some plan on feeding me good food so much that I physically cannot eat anything else.”
Razor didn’t seem to be listening, instead going through the work of putting out the fire he was using to cook.
[Name] was half convinced people who cooked outdoors and made good food were the gods, not them, but they ignored the amusing passing thought and only watched in silence.
They took the time with Razor distracted to think through their game plan for the day.
‘One, I need to eat with Razor and get him relaxed enough that I can either bring him into Mondstadt or have him leave me be. Two, I need to return to Mondstadt and speak with Jean and Aether about how I’ll return to Earth. Three… See about completing the well this won’t be awkwardquest.’
Speaking of the well this won’t be awkward quest, [Name] was pulled from their thoughts to Razor offering them the now cooled down cooking pot.
“Wait, were you not gonna eat?”
Razor shook his head “Razor will not eat, food for Guide.”
[Name] groaned in annoyance and shoved the pot back at him. “Eat your fair share and then I’ll eat, you need food too. You’re a growing teenager for gods sake!”
Razor flinched back before slowly pulling the meal into his hands. “Thank you..” he told them, sounding a bit hesitant.
[Name] waved him off and instead focused on the sounds of the forest, with the sun coming up over the trees, the birds began their songs while other animals either started or ended their day depending on their habits.
It was beautiful to listen to, each chirp chiming together and relaxing them, they were almost certain they could understand the meanings of the sounds, as if they were in a crowd and making out conversations.
“Did you hear what the Windrise squirrels said?"
"The Player! Teyvat calls for you!”
“ Aww, I understand Teyvat cares but why can’t we keep them?”
“Stupid two-legs, always stinking up the air with smoke.”
“I’m not explaining to Bluestar what I’m doing.”
“Wolf Child meets The Guide… How could you not enjoy the sight?”
Each conversation felt real, instead of imagining it, they felt as though they were truly understanding the conversations that they always wanted to.
It took a moment for Razor to finish eating but upon looking up, he gave a gentle smile at the sight of their confused expression.
“You hear them?” He asked, slightly amused.
“Hear what?” They questioned in return and glared slightly when he laughed.
“The creatures. The world. It likes you. You hear it?”
Realization dawned on them. They weren’t imaging their understanding, they honest to goodness could understand the words of the animals around them.
“Holy shit… Maybe I am a Disney princess after all.”
Razor tilted his head and opened his mouth to voice his confusion when a voice rang out from behind them.
“Your Grace! Why on Teyvat did you run off?!”
[Name] turned to look behind them only to see a very worn out and panicked Aether with an exhausted Paimon floating behind him.
“[Name]… Please… Never run off like that again. I had to ask Teyvat where you were.” Paimon whined out her complaints as she reached [Name]’s side.
[Name] couldn’t help themselves from giving a full chested laugh. “HAHA! PFFT. It- hahah- its your fault you- pfft- didn’t wake up- hehe.” Their laughter slowed as they looked him in the eyes and saw just how concerned and frazzled he truly seemed.
Eyes wide without his scarf and his hair an absolute wreck, his clothes were twisted the wrong way and his shoes seemed to be moments from falling off his feet.
They stood slowly and walked over. “Aether… Hey, I’m sorry I worried you but I’m okay now, Razor kept me safe.”
What [Name] didn’t notice was the self assured grin Razor gave the blond.
Aether straighted his back and grabbed their hand.
“We should head back to Mondstadt. Now. Acting Grandmaster Jean is ready to meet with you whenever you’re ready.”
[Name] grinned and turned back to Razor.
“Brilliant. Razor! Why don’t you come with us? You don’t have to if you don’t want and I promise I won’t leave you to your own devices!”
Their smile caught both of the boys off guard and the two quickly found themselves agreeing.
Paimon simply snickered before flying towards the path. “Well then, what are we waiting for? A yes? It’s not like Teyvat will ever tell it’s master no.”
[Name] glanced in Paimon’s direction as they followed the floating being down the road. “What do you mean by that? You keep referencing Teyvat as a living being.”
Paimon chuckled once more and sped up her flying, leaving the trio to attempt to catch up.
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Okay so, this was a bit boring but I got it out there so chapter thirteen can some fun scenes.
Now then! Feel free to like, comment, send in an ask or even a request or reblog, or just click away if it makes you feel more comfortable. Just know I love seeing what you guys think of my work and thank you so much for reading!
Featuring: Diluc, Kaeya, Zhongli, Xiao, Childe & Beiodu for Valentines Day
Diluc
My love,
I hope you’ve drank water today, and have eaten full meals. If not, I’ll bring you food later when I see you, and make sure you’re hydrated.
You know how I’m awful at expressing my feelings towards you, I struggle sometimes to show you the love you deserve.
But, I love you very, very much.
I’m sorry for not always showing my love for you, I can promise you that I’m the one to blame for that, not you.
Thank you for being by my side, even during the darkest days. I appreciate everything you do for me, and I’m so glad you are with me.
Everyday I wake up excited to see you. Your laughter, your smile, your silly jokes and affection make me feel like the luckiest man alive.
I promise you, when I see you later today we’re going to cuddle all night. I won’t let you go.
I’ll say it again, I love you very, very much.
-Your Diluc.
Kaeya
Sweetheart,
How’s my favourite person in the world doing?
I know you’re not expecting me to write this letter for you, but I have to apologise for not being there for you recently.
I’m sorry for being so busy all the time, I promise you I’ll make it up to you.
I love you a lot, sweetheart.
I miss you always, I’m always thinking about that cute smile of yours.
I can’t wait to hold you in my arms again, to hear that beautiful laughter of yours.
I left my favourite shirt for you to wear, you should find it in your wardrobe. I know how much you love wearing it, and I love seeing you in it.
I promise to come see you tonight.
I love you so, so much,
-Your Kaeya.
Zhongli
My Dearest,
I hope you are doing well today, I thought I would send you a letter to ‘add a bit of ‘spice’ as you always say.
I’ll keep this short, as I want to say and do more in person,
I love you so much.
Thank you so much for being here with me, my dearest.
I always cherish the moments we have together, your cute jokes, your laughter and just your presence alone makes me so happy.
I cannot wait to see what our future would be like together.
Once again, I love you so much,
-Your Zhongli.
Xiao
Pumpkin,
I love you.
I’m bad at doing this, so forgive me if this is badly written.
I just wanted to send a letter to write how much I truly appreciate you.
You have made my life so much better by being here by my side.
I was so, so lonely. I never had anyone else in my life, besides myself. Then you came along and changed all of that for me. In a good way, of course.
I cannot tell you just how much I appreciate you.
I apologise that I’m not always the most gentle person, I don’t mean to sound harsh sometimes. I never want to hurt you, I’m scared that if I do you’ll leave. And I don’t want you to leave me.
I still remember the first time you told me that you love me. I felt like crying, that’s why I just hugged you instead of saying it back.
It’s my most treasured memory.
Pumpkin, I’m trying for you. I truly cannot express how much I’m grateful for you.
I just hope that you know, I really do love you so much.
Thank you for everything, my pumpkin.
I can’t wait to see you later.
-Your Xiao.
Childe/Tartaglia
Sweets,
My beautiful, sweet lover, who I love very much, I hope you don’t miss me too much.
I’m joking, I miss you so much! I’d do anything to see you right now.
I randomly remembered my favourite memory of you earlier. It’s the one where I surprised you with a picnic date, we traveled to a beautiful area, ate and cuddled all evening.
We’re going to do that again, I promise you.
Nothing is more important to me than you are.
Thank you for dealing with me everyday, I know I can be overbearing sometimes, but I just get so excited to see you!
I can’t wait to see you later, I’m counting down the minutes until we meet again.
I love you so much!
-Your Tartaglia.
Beidou
Peaches,
I’m sorry for leaving you so early this morning, I wish I could’ve held you more.
I wanted to write you this letter, just to tell you how much I love you.
I know I don’t tell this to you everyday, but when you’re sleeping I always whisper just now much I appreciate you being here for me.
I know I can be tough to deal with at times, but thank you for always dealing with me.
Just know I would do anything just to see you smile, laugh and look at me with those big lovable eyes of yours.
I love you so much, peaches.Everyday I look forward to your silly jokes, despite me acting like I don’t love them.
Peaches, no matter how hard life might be, I’ll always be by your side, no matter what.
Request summary: Y/n has a commission & Xiao decides to go with them, since he wanted to be with them. Y/n ends up fighting solo while Xiao sits nearby getting bored watching them, (Y/n wanted to solo!) Xiao decided to help a bit, but ends up one shotting the target.
Aaa baby I’m sorry this took forever but I hope it was worth the wait @senkuwu-chan
Xiao
“Y/n, what’s your commissions today?” Xiao asked curiously
He watched you as you got ready for your day, his head tilted slightly as he admired you
“It’s just one today, a stonehide lawachurl” You said casually, as if it’s everyday you fight one
Xiao suddenly sat up and started getting dressed himself, you looked at him baffled. “Xiao sweetie, what’re you doing?”
“I’m coming with you” He simply said, leaving you even more confused
“Why? Xiao, I’ll be alright. I promise to come back home to you” You softly said, cupping his face
Xiao blushed as he gently moved your hands from his face, feeling flustered. “I know you always will, I want to go” He said
“Fine, only on one condition though, you can’t interfere with my commission” You sternly said
Xiao looked like he was deep in thought before he finally agreed, “At least if things do go wrong I’ll protect you”
Y’all just call Zhongli to make a contract it’ll be easier than negotiating with him
After getting your belongings you finally headed out to complete your commission, Xiao carried your stuff despite your protests
“We’re nearly there, be careful it could anywhere” You said, standing in front of Xiao to protect him
Xiao smiled softly at you before he snapped out of it. “I’ll go find it, stay here”
You pouted and grabbed him softly. “No, that’s going against my condition for letting you come. Stay behind me while I work, please”
Xiao did as you asked, he moved back and stayed close behind you. In no time you managed to find the giant stonehide lawachurl, and immediately began attacking it
Xiao sat on a nearby rock as he watched you beat its ass, but stayed on high alert at all times
He can’t and won’t let the love of his life get hurt
Xiao trust you, and knows how strong you are, yet he was beginning to feel irritated sitting down while you’re fighting
He knows he shouldn’t break the condition you said, he really does
But he can’t sit down any longer
Xiao gets up, deciding to help you, unfortunately he underestimated his strength
And one hit the lawachurl, killing it instantly
Oh no
“Xiao!” You whine, pouting at him
Xiao was stunned for a second, before he realised what he had done
“I’m sorry, y/n. I didn’t mean to hit it that hard” he apologised
Without saying anything you suddenly started walking away from Xiao, leaving him baffled
He knew you’d be upset but he didn’t know you would ignore him like this
“Y/n” He called after you, but you still didn’t respond
Pls don’t ignore Xiao it physically hurts him
Still being petty you ignored him and made your way to Wangshu Inn, Xiao followed you as you walked in silence
“Y/n” He said again, still no response from you
“Hey, stop ignoring me!” He growled
You shivered at his tone but still continued to ignore him, your pettiness slightly fading away
“Fine I’ll s- Xiao?” You looked back to see he was gone
Maybe you overreacted a bit
You still continued your way but suddenly stopped when Xiao appeared in front of you
Before you could apologise, Xiao wrapped his arms around you tightly, whispering ‘sorry’
You reassured him he did nothing wrong, then treated him to almond tofu which he deserved
Normally: Diluc gets up early in the mornings, but never wakes you up until you need to be. Mornings with him would be gentle, since Diluc doesn’t show affection in public he’s always extra affectionate when you’re alone. Diluc would give you kisses on your face, neck and shoulder to wake you, while he’s holding you tight.
To be sweet: Morning cuddles!! Diluc would stay in bed rather than get up, he’d allow himself to relax with you in his embrace. When you two get up, he’d cook you breakfast while you hug him from behind. Mornings like this are his favourite.
In a emergency: Diluc throws your blanket on the floor and proceeds to tickle you. It’s a win-win for him, not only do you snap awake, but he gets to hear you laughing early morning.
To be a pain: Look, Diluc hates being mean to you. But when you’re not getting out of bed and you’re both getting late and he’s at his wits end, he’ll go and grab water to spray at you. Don’t even try to get mad at him, he did warn you multiple times.
Normally: Diluc gets up early in the mornings, but never wakes you up until you need to be. Mornings with him would be gentle, since Diluc doesn’t show affection in public he’s always extra affectionate when you’re alone. Diluc would give you kisses on your face, neck and shoulder to wake you, while he’s holding you tight.
To be sweet: Morning cuddles!! Diluc would stay in bed rather than get up, he’d allow himself to relax with you in his embrace. When you two get up, he’d cook you breakfast while you hug him from behind. Mornings like this are his favourite.
In a emergency: Diluc throws your blanket on the floor and proceeds to tickle you. It’s a win-win for him, not only do you snap awake, but he gets to hear you laughing early morning.
To be a pain: Look, Diluc hates being mean to you. But when you’re not getting out of bed and you’re both getting late and he’s at his wits end, he’ll go and grab water to spray at you. Don’t even try to get mad at him, he did warn you multiple times.
Kaeya
Normally: Also gets up early in the morning. Kaeya is a busy person but he always makes the time to wake you up every morning without fail. He’d be sweet, gently waking you up. Kaeya savours these soft moments in the morning, but he’d also tease you a lot because of your sleepy face. (He finds it adorable)
To be sweet: Gets you flowers/snacks, cooks you breakfast and snuggles you all morning. He goes all out, since he can’t do this often for you he always wants to make sure you know how much he loves you. Also very, very affectionate.
In a emergency: Kaeya turns the lights on and if you try to block out the light he’d grab your hands so you can’t. You’re forced to wake up in the worst way possible, and honestly he can’t help but chuckle at your face.
To be a pain: Makes loud noises. I can picture him singing really loud and banging pans together. He’d also be chanting “Get up y/n” over and over again until you get up.
Zhongli
Normally: Aaaa Zhongli is so sweet when he wakes you up in the morning. He’d gently shake you awake while whispering your name, giving you soft kisses once you stir awake. Mornings with him would be very relaxing, Zhongli would always have tea and breakfast ready for you. Overall 1000/10 he can wake me up any day.
To be sweet: This man is always sweet, he drinks his respect juice. But on those days where he’s feeling extra affectionate, he would hold you close to him, letting you sleep in a little more. He’d stare so lovingly at you, thinking how grateful he is to have you in his life.
In an emergency: Listen, Zhongli is a calm and collected man, but when it comes to an emergency and you’re not waking up.. bet he’d just pick you up and sling you over his shoulder. His head is empty, must get you safe first. Honestly he wouldn’t even think twice about it too.
To be a pain: Never. He’d never be a pain to you, especially in the mornings, even if you absolutely refuse to get up.
Xiao
Normally: Xiao would whisper your name repeatedly and if that doesn’t work then he’d start shaking you. Mornings with Xiao are quiet, but he’d always ask you how you slept and if you needed anything. Cuddles in the morning are not common at the beginning of your relationship, but as time goes on Xiao learns to love morning snuggles.
To be sweet: Xiao would get your favourite flowers for you. (If you’re allergic to flowers then he’d get your favourite snack). He’d still wake you up like he usually would, but Xiao would show more affection. Also when you realise he got your favourite flowers/snacks he blushes profusely.
In a emergency: Doesn’t even hesitate to pick you up and get you to safety first. He’d set you down gently before going off to deal with the problem that was caused. Don’t worry tho, he’d always come back to you quickly.
To be a pain: Believe it or not, Xiao is gentle with his s/o because he’s scared to hurt them. The most he would do is just drag you off the bed, everytime by your ankles. Good luck if you have ticklish feet, he won’t spare you.
Childe/Tartaglia
Normally: Childe would tell you to get up while he’s still half asleep cuddling next to you, gently shaking you while mumbling “Get up.” Honestly neither of you would ever get up this way, so that’s why y’all brought alarm clocks. (Good luck fighting with him about who’s going to turn it off, you placed it at the other end of the room so you’re forced to get up).
To be sweet: Ugh he’d be so sweet. Childe would actually get out of bed first to attempt to cook your favourite meal and drink. When he walks back into the bedroom he’d be happily humming proud of himself, while you eat he’ll hold you close and occasionally steal some bites.
In a emergency: Hits his pillow at you. He’d do it gently because obviously he doesn’t want to hurt you but he does use some force. Instead of you two leaving for the emergency you sometimes end up having a pillow fight.
To be a pain: Please tell why I feel like this man would just flip the mattress over. Like, he’s had enough and just *flips* you over. He’d help you up after and make sure you’re ok, but he’ll be laughing at you.
Beidou
Normally: Beidou is up early every morning, like Diluc she won’t wake you up until you need to wake up. She definitely whispers sweet nothings into your ear to wake you, she always enjoys the small smile you have on your face every morning. Pls Beiodu wake me up every morning.
To be sweet: Ugh this queen would cuddle you in her strong arms, while kissing your head. Beiodu doesn’t mind how much time she spends holding you, and when you’re awake she loves asking you about your plans for the day. She prefers cooking breakfast together one these sweet mornings, enjoying all the time you spend together.
In a emergency: Beidou definitely scares you awake. I can imagine her making a loud noise or tickling your feet. If that fails then she’s picking you up or dragging you to safety. She cares so much for you that she would always keep you safe.
To be a pain:Throws you overboard her ship. I’m joking, she’d definitely splash water on you. Unlike Diluc who’d spray it somewhat gently, Beiodu would just get a bucket and soak you. (She’ll dry you up tho bc she may have felt bad seeing your pouty face
