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dkniade · 2 years

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In Your Image, the Midas Touch

(以你的形象，点石成金）

July 29, 2021. // August 22, 2022 Reupload

Characters: platonic Barbatos, Morax, Nameless Bard

Genre: hurt/comfort

Warning: memory of character death, major spoilers for Venti’s backstory

Synopsis

At the thought of Morax’s shapeshifting ability, Barbatos asks his old friend to shift his appearance into his image. Barbatos then reminisces fondly on his memories of a certain bard.

Author’s Comment

This one’s based on the comic by my dear friend @popping-greenbean who loves Venti very much. Dialogue straight from greenbeans’ comic, actions based on their visuals.I read their comic and was so inspired I started writing this and finished it the next day. I don’t usually cry when writing something myself, but I nearly felt like crying when I wrote this.

Please listen to “A Storm, A Spire, and A Sanctum” when reading for full effect.

————

The form I take is in your name. Every time I look into the looking-glass, I see your image.

So Morax, won’t you be my looking-glass even for a little while?

A playful breeze parted through a certain young girl’s hair, tied up in two buns. Her amber eyes softened and flickered towards the direction of the wind.

Contrary to the small frame of the girl, her eyes seemed to be far more knowing.

And it would seem she was familiar with this particular breeze.

From the air before her there materialized a young boy with a cloak, floating. He took hold of her hands, as though excited to see an old friend. The glowing tips of his braided locks matched the colour of the blue sky.

The girl looked at him, silent.

“What do you want, Barbatos?” she asked calmly.

“This is the first time I’ve seen you so small!” True, she had taken many forms in the past eons.

But this one was so small, as small as... his form.

“Don’t get too used to it.”

“It’s really making me wonder… What can’t you turn into?”

From the air, Barbatos loosely hung onto the girl’s thin arm, an innocent smile on his face.

“Trees? Dogs? My Ragvindr Knight?”

It was just a faint desire, a sliver of hope that maybe, maybe, he could meet that friend once more.

Morax exercised his small wrist as Barbatos let go of him. Golden crystal-shaped particles appeared as the flowing white sleeves of a robe materialized, draping over his arms gently.

“Hey, you could probably even turn into an actual rock, right? Right? Right??”

Barbatos flew behind Morax, playfully holding onto his shoulders. The gesture was perhaps a guise behind which hid the desire of, he would admit, not wanting to let go of that shoulder he once floated near.

If Morax could turn into a rock, then surely a human boy who so yearned for that sky would be no problem too…?

Morax ran a hand through his hair, which flowed out into long, silky locks with golden tips. More floating Geo crystals materialized around his body as his arms glowed the same colour. What was once a young girl’s form gradually transformed into the image of a young man.

Ah, his dear, dear friend, Morax… Surely he’d understand this yearning of a familiar face?

To turn into an actual rock? Morax looked at Barbatos in silence. Surely this was just the God of Wind messing with him, mischievous as usual?

No, wait, he wanted Morax to construct his appearance based on the Barbatos’ own image, right? His old friend was always one who enjoyed these tricks, after all.

“You want me to turn into you, is that it?”

Surely Morax would understand his desire to see the face that would forever be reflected by Barbatos’ form? A face that he so yearned to see again with his own, sky-coloured eyes?

He looked at Barbatos, who in turn looked at the ground meekly. A breeze blew through the Archons’ hair, carrying the silence between them into the sky.

He knew it was selfish of him to ask such a thing. Morax was his friend, but not him. He was gone.

“It’s no problem.”

What? Ah, but it was just to play along with Barbatos’ jokes, right?

Well, a chance was a chance, and he wouldn’t let it slip past. That feather was never delivered to his friend. This… was the closest thing to a reunion.

Barbatos grinned at his old friend as Morax’s form shrank from his usual tall stature down to the young, small body more similar to Barbatos’ own. He brushed his long, golden locks to one side, trying to get used to this small body.

“Morax, why didn’t you have your statues made with this shape?” Barbatos asked, bubbly.

“Stop talking before I change my mind.”

His dark hair shrank to a messy short haircut. Trying to replicate the features of Venti’s form with his calm amber eyes, he ran his side bangs between his delicate fingers, his Midas touch repainting the now-longer strand of hair.

That memory Venti thought would only be preserved in ballads from his tongue and melodies of the whispering winds finally appeared before his own eyes. With his hat in his hands, Venti watched like a puppy seeing his owner return home from afar.

Before him was the exact image of that young bard, smiling and doing his braided bangs.

The young boy smoothed out his long side bangs with his right hand—that hand which the wind spirit Venti had so longed to hold in his small, wisp-like form. The golden tips matched his eyes.

Ah, how difficult it was for the little wisp of wind to braid the young bard’s dark, beautiful locks! He had no hands! Yet despite his clumsy attempts to help, the bard had always smiled in happiness in the wisp’s presence.

How difficult, and yet Venti had always held onto the sweetness of such simple times. The young bard’s hand was warm as the sun, and his laugh, clear as the jingle of a windchime beneath the green shade of the large oak tree in Windrise. The gentle breeze that was his image seeped through the old but never abandoned temple that was Venti’s mind.

And such a temple crumbled as the breeze blew through the age-worn cracks. Rain fell from the blues above. Venti felt a discomfort in his throat as raindrops flowed down from his sky-coloured eyes. The breeze caressed his hat, his cloak, his hair—everything—as the thousand winds blew through the temple, still.

Previously, Venti could only feel the bard’s resolution from within the wind and his victory from the laughter of Mondstadt’s children. All this, but never his face again. The song of freedom had to be sung alone and without—

“Barbatos…” the young bard asked, having finished braiding his gold-tipped hair. “Are you… alright?”

Venti looked at his friend, teary.

Oh, dear blue skies...

Finally, we’ve reunited after millennia of separation, my friend!!

A sudden weight made itself present in the body of the young boy with golden eyes as Venti leaped into his arms and hugged him tightly.

My friend, the most undying spirit of determination, the poet whose soul cut through the storm and shaped the future of Mondstadt. My friend… My dearest love…

The young bard stumbled backwards and the two fell to the ground with a thump. Venti’s green hat fell off somewhere but he couldn’t care less.

Oh, at long last… I can finally embrace you with my own arms and feel your warmth on my body, my dearest friend… How I so yearned to touch you all those eons ago, but couldn’t because of my form…

The wind blows through the City of Freedom. Yet even though this breath flows through the land so easily, how many arrows did it cost?

On your behalf, in your image, I’ve decided to travel through this land. It’s all for you.

Along with the bard’s shoulder, Venti’s blue eyes were stained with tears.

Please… Let the wind blow through both our hair at the same time…

Morax held the back of Barbatos’ head in his hand, and his amber eyes softened at the direction of the wind.

The form I take is in your name. Every time I look into the looking-glass, I see your image.

So Morax, thank you for being my looking-glass even for a little while.

#dusk fan writing #fan fiction #nameless bard #venti #Morax #Genshin impact #not ship #genshin fan fic #genshin fan fiction #hurt/comfort

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nex-ture · 3 years

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Just Like A Friend

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Warnings: Death, Dealing with the lost of love ones, Spoilers for Ventis story quest!

Paring: Venti x Anemo!GN!Reader

Inspired by this Tiktok

Lover and worshiper to the god of Anemo. This is the label you gave yourself. Venti would call you this as a joke as you were a worshiper to the god of Anemo. Yet how the tables turn, you're now dating that very god. Venti has told you all the stories of his past, he has told you the story of his friend.

Hearing that story made you think about the fact that you are not immortal like he is. What in fact will happen when it's your time to leave this world? What will he do then?

Venti never really thought about you leaving him. Even though so many friends have left him he tries not to think about it. What would he do in a world without you?

I guess you finally leaving the world didn't hit him...not until it happened. People in this world are disgusting, they will do things for their own amusement. So when a group of treasure hoarders beat you for your Anemo vision that Venti gifted you the only shocked one truly was Venti.

The moment you were brought in by the knights was a familiar feeling. Like the day the nameless bard- No his friend had died. This was a similar feeling, his lovers dead body being carried in by a knight and the Calvary Captain at the time. The bight had business in Liyue, he was helping a small shop woth deliverys, They Calvary Captainwas helping liyue transport horses. They don't call him the calvary captain for nothing.

They decided to travel back together and had stumbled across a Treasure hoarders camp. Your body had many stab wounds and bruises, next to you were a few dead treasure hoarders you had killed. The faces plastered on the bodys of the knights were looks of terror. They knew Venti would be broken if he saw the sight they see.

Venti and you were very open with your relationship. Venti was very big on PDA, everyone in Tevyat knew you were dating.

Venti never liked funerals, he had been to thousands, being alive for more than a thousand years has it's pros and cons. The worst part of it all is watching your friends grow older and die while you stay as you are forever.

Your funeral was silent, Venti wad holding by tears as your traveling friends all across Teyvat were crying. You made an impact on so many peoples lives. Venti didn't care about how those other people felt, they didn't know you like he knew you. You were an angel that came to save him from his dark past. Why were you taken away from him?

Over a thousand years had past and people had come and gone. There was a new acting grandmaster, her name was Jean. She was aware of Ventis identity but never pushed on why he looked the way he did. Did he choose to look like someone from thousands of years ago?

One day after an adventure with Stanley it had reminded him of his lost friend and lover. Sitting on the statue of the Anemo Arcon he begane the story of the two of you. Crying in front of the traveler was something he did not wish to do, but it was something he could not choose.

He asked the traveler one requests before they headed off. "Could you find me [Names] Vision, I atleast want something to remember them by." Venti agreed to pay the traveler back with a beautiful Lyre of their very own. A Lyre that may help lead to their sibling.

This was an offer the traveler could not give up, he would find that Vision no matter what it took. Whatever it took to find their sibling.

All Venti wished to see was a glowing Vision of yours, once more. Taking on your form could only heal so much, knowing your alive could heal more.

#venti genshin x reader #genshin headcanons #genshin x reader #genshin reacts to you dying #aether genshin impact #venti the bard #tone deaf bard #barbatos x reader #gay #mlm #lgbtq #venti x male reader #Venti x female reader #venti x gender neutral reader #Venti #venti genshin impact #genshin impact

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probably-haven · 3 years

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oh fuck....

spoilers for venti’s backstory... but i just had a really sad thought

A lot of the characters and people in the fandom kind of share the view that Venti doesn’t act like how a god “should” or would be expected to-

and I was thinking- huh, i wonder why he acts that way, and initially I passed it up like ‘oh it was just for humor probably, the devs decided to do it and that was it, no reason’.... but for yall who watched the inazuma stream... i feel like there is very little that they do for no reason. and then I had a thought

Everything about Venti’s personality is highly exaggerated, almost like it’s a caricature of something. He’s not just a generally happy person, he’s always overly cheerful even in situations that dont necessarily call for it(outside of when he’s taking on the barbatos mood that traveler points out a few times). and even when not, the other emotion is always taken to the extreme as well(again unless barbatos mood). He’s not just good with words, he’s constantly is going out of his way to put wordplay into as much as he can. He’s not just an alcoholic, he’s.... yeah.

there are a few more but I’ve thought and realized that “Venti” is composed of a relatively small number of identifiable traits that are taken to the extreme.

And I was like- “so then what could have made him like that- that exaggerated. like sure, he likes attention- but to do it all the time,” so i looked to his past and naturally I was like “nameless bard” because venti takes so much inspiration from him already- but i figured, nah thats too easy

BUT

..... the nameless bard died 2500+ years ago

and the sad thought occurred to me

Barbatos, becoming Venti, taking on and embodying the nameless bard perfectly- he is a bard too afterall. Becoming the god of the people his friend had freed, and doing so as his friend. The nameless bard died too soon, but Barbatos could let his legacy carry on as “Venti”.

But he’s called the nameless bard for a reason- he’s been gone over 2500, and Venti no longer even remembers his name-.

Imagine Venti, scrambling for memories, for the traits he remembers, as he realizes that he no longer remembers how his friend used to act- you remember an idealized version- how happy he was, how he made everyone, how smart and clever and admirable he was, you remember... vaguely the toast that he shared with you and the rest of the people of mond before the final battle- no, you dont remember it... but- but you know there was one, right?

i talk a lot about the traveler realizing they’re forgetting their sibling’s face/voice a lot-

but for venti its been thousands of years- if he hadn’t latched onto something and repeated it time and time and time again, over and over and over again- he would have forgotten the nameless bard completely. He only would have remembered him as “the friend who’s form i took, who freed mondstadt, who died before he himself could see the freedom he so desired” because thats what was in his song.... he eventually would have remembered no more than those he sang to-

I feel like- “Venti” or at least the way he acts- is a form of exaggerated caricature of what little things about the nameless bard that Venti has still managed to remember after all this time, and that he’s still clinging onto with everything he has- so his friend never has to become just another name in a book.

#genshin impact #genshin headcanons #genshin headcanon #genshin venti #genshin barbatos #genshin theory #genshin lore #nameless bard #angst #oop- i made myself sad

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rainbowrider1290 · 3 years

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Expanded for my circus AU! Xiao and Venti backstory below the cut!

I think Xiao would've started as part of a rhythmic gymnastics team with the other yakshas. Things Go Down and the yakshas split up. Xiao's always been a part of this whole that they had, so Zhongli encourages him to go solo, which he does. His performances are technically flawless. He'll pull off moves no one else dares to attempt as a gymnast. But like. He doesn't care about it. Doesn't care for much of anything anymore.

On the other end, Venti retired early from performing. His nameless bard friend died and never really coped with it properly, so there was one performance he wasn't really focused on due to this weighing on him and Things Go Wrong. Thus, Venti is injured and retires. He recovers from the injury but fell into this hole where he feels like he doesn't deserve to get back up there and be happy and successful while his friend is dead and he (to himself) messed up so terribly.

Enter Aether and Lumine.

Aether sees how Xiao's face immediately drops when he finishes a performance, how his injuries are... not untended but he definitely rests for less time than he's supposed to and the strain on his muscles and joints is now chronic pain. He communicates this to Lumine.

Lumine knows of Venti from the time she and Aether spent apart and one of the circuses she was at did a couple clinics with him. She's witnessed his performances and knows about why he retired. She finds him with a bottle in his hand and despair on his face outside of the theatre they're performing at one night. He'd come to see a show bc he missed the whole scene and couldn't stay away.

They end up having a talk and Lumine gets an idea. She tells him that they have a performer who's lost the passion and maybe he can say something to inspire them. As a mentor.

Venti's hesitant about it but ends up agreeing after telling her that he has no intention of coming out of retirement. Maybe it'll make him feel useful.

So she takes Venti backstage, Aether whispers an "is that who I think it is" and so they find Xiao.

The conversation is... a trainwreck to say the least. Venti's all fake smiles and empty words about flowery passion and Xiao sees straight through it so he shows no sign of interest in the conversation, which ends with Xiao leaving with a half-assed comment on having to go stretch and cool down.

Lumine had a feeling it'd go down like this, but wanted to try anyway. Aether subtly slips into their farewell conversation that the twins work late today so the rehearsal space will be open until super duper late.

So Venti leaves with plans to go to a bar and wander until someone kicks him out, but before he leaves, curiosity gets the better of him. He goes to the rehearsal space just to see what he's been missing out on and maybe breathe in the worn ropes again. He gets there and What A Coincidence! Some aerial silks are set up. Warm-ups for other gymnast-type performers or the like.

Even through the blur of the tears he finds himself in front of the silks, sobered up a little by now.

With one quick peek around and probs zero regard for his safety, he gets on and performs one of his routines. The movements are still ingrained into his muscles and carved into his bones. He feels his heart start to beat again. Like this is the first time he's breathed in years.

He finishes the performance and the colours around him start to dim again. He breaks down crying and What A Day For Coincidences This Is!! Xiao caught the back half of his performance, and for a moment he forgot about everything weighing him down. For those few minutes, the pain in his muscles became a dull ache, his joints felt good as new, and he felt like he'd soar were his feet to leave the ground in that instant. Like someone injected purpose into his veins again. At the breakdown he understood that this was someone like him. Someone who was being cut apart by the jagged pieces of an identity in disarray.

So Xiao comes out once Venti's calmed down and they have a heart to heart along the lines of "it hurts doesn't it?" And they talk about feeling like something that was once like breathing feels unreachable now and lost purposes.

Venti ends up suggesting that Xiao try aerial performance, thinking that he may be past his prime but that maybe he can help someone fly again.

Xiao agrees but only after a lot of pushing, and still dazed from feeling that sense of purpose again.

They end up spending all night in that rehearsal space and by the time the sun's coming up, Aether and Lumine are in there watching them cooperate and exchange a little high-five.

Venti joins the circus exclusively as Xiao's coach. He makes Xiao stretch more and forces him to take care of himself (insert team bonding shenanigans here to get him away from the workplace) but there's still something missing in his performances. His technique in anything Venti choreographs for him is as flawless as it can be at his level, and the transitions are smooth and tasteful, but there's still something lacklustre.

It's that trust in someone else. As antisocial as he may be, Xiao was cultivated in a team setting, so Venti suggests that he keep training with the silks (which he's picking up surprisingly fast bc it's Xiao) as he gets back into shape. Xiao notices this and helps him without knowing what Venti has planned. By "help" I mean throw a bucket of water on him at 6am like "rise and shine we're going on a run".

After a while of this, Venti has a team exercise in mind. They choreograph a routine and perform it together. Something about strengthening your own skills in trusting someone else. By then Xiao's proficient, and Venti is back in shape.

When they perform their routine, it's rusty, uncoordinated, and needs a lot of polishing, but Xiao's smiling and Venti can't hold the giggle that escapes him.

Venti calls Aether and Lumine over to see Xiao's progress with his other solo routine (which is now a lot better than before), Venti offhandedly mentions that they've been doing practice pair routines and it's really helped his energy and why are you two looking at me like that.

The twins are curious about the training exercise, obviously only to make sure they're safe and they aren't straining the silks too much (Venti assures them they aren't bc he would know) and to see if they can apply this method to some of their other solo performers.

Before Xiao and Venti know it, they're being told to polish the routine bc next show they're opening with that.

They're terrified and convince them to at least hold off bc there's so much to polish (and to emotionally prepare themselves), but overall they come to the agreement that they don't mind the arrangement.

At which point the two realize that Aether and Lumine's names may as well have been Coincidence 1 and Coincidence 2 from the very first night.

They help each other process their respective traumas. Xiao helps Venti on those days he feels like he can't process the day without alcohol, and Venti drags Xiao out of the rehearsal space on the days he feels cripplingly alone, and slowly, they become part of something amazing.

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