They Turn Their Head In The Direction Of Ren's Voice, A Faint Frown Etched Onto Their Face. "you're Too

they turn their head in the direction of ren's voice, a faint frown etched onto their face. "you're too worried over what i can and can't handle," chongyun says. "just because i'm human doesn't mean i'm not durable." they double check the knot in the back, wondering if ren had actually seen them in action before. the answer is likely not. meditating and throwing around their cryo is one thing, but actually using their weapon and deflecting attacks is an entirely different story.

"trust me a little more, okay? i know what i'm doing." MOSTLY. chongyun still has some internal doubt, but they know with practice, they'll improve. it's not like they haven't tried before now, either.

they fall silent after that, holding out their claymore with one hand. in their GOOD hand. the wrist with the brace on it is already up by their chin, ready to use whatever they can to deflect ren's attacks. chongyun isn't sure where the attacks are going to be coming from, but they're already slowing their breathing down, more focused on listening, and using their yang energy to pinpoint ren's direction at any given moment.

― and the second chongyun gets into position, chongyun can feel something whizzing right past their ear. jumping back, chongyun instinctively lifts their claymore, as though to attack. with a twitch of their poised fingers, the ground around chongyun begins to tremor. under normal circumstances, it would knock an advancing enemy off course, but if ren is in the air, it PROBABLY won't do much. still, it's better than automatically resorting to their claymore.

he's  been  relatively  quiet  for  the  majority  of  their  walk,  though  that  doesn't  come  as  much  of  a  SURPRISE.  ren  isn't  the  type  to  engage  in  idle  chatter  —  he  would  much  rather  drink  in  the  silence  and  appreciate  the  nature  around  him.  the  mountainous  nature  of  liyue  isn't  his  favorite  kind  of  scenery,  though  the  verticality  of  it  does  lend  itself  to  fascinating  views  whether  the  wanderer  chooses  to  travel  by  foot  or  through  the  air.  truth  be  told,  he's  feeling  a  bit  UNEASY  about  this  entire  idea  —  though  that  has  less  to  do  about  chongyun  and  more  his  inability  to  temper  his  own  strength.  it  isn't  as  if  he's  still  a  complete  notice  to  anemo  these  days,  but  trying  to  channel  it  oft  feels  like  attempting  to  squeeze  a  raging  ocean  into  something  miniscule  as  a  STRAW.  ordinarily  it  isn't  too  much  of  an  issue,  but  tasks  that  require  a  degree  of  fine  control  aren't  exactly  his  strong  suit.

...  which  makes  this  entire  adventure  a  bit  RISKY.  he  doesn't  want  to  hurt  chongyun.  they  may  be  stronger  than  the  average  human,  but  that  does  little  to  quell  ren's  paranoia.  everyone  is  fragile  when  compared  to  the  likes  of  himself.

❝  a  blindfold? ❞  that  strip  of  cloth  may  as  well  be  kindling  to  the  fires  of  anxiety  for  all  that  it  REASSURES  him.  ❝  are  you  TRYING  to  get  yourself  killed? ❞  oh,  the  wanderer  didn't  like  this  before  —  but  somehow,  he  likes  it  EVEN  LESS  now.  ❝  what  happens  when  you  fail  to  block  an  attack  and  you're  left  injured  and  in  need  of  medical  attention? ❞   well,  naturally  it  would  fall  to  ren  to  fly  them  back  down  the  mountain  —  he  KNOWS  that.  (  and  in  a  pinch,  he  could  surely  do  it  rather  quickly,  too.  )  it  still  doesn't  inspire  much  confidence.  he  would  probably  bleed  all  over  his  clothes.

unfortunately  it  seems  chongyun  is  rather  set  on  this  ridiculous  idea,  because  they're  already  tying  the  blindfold  before  ren  can  talk  them  out  of  it.  the  wanderer  groans,  audibly  —  just  to  make  sure  they  can  HEAR  his  displeasure.  anemo  dances  and  curls  around  his  fingertips.  he  tries  to  control  it,  divide  it.  tries  to  use  only  a  fraction  of  his  full  power  as  he  calls  forth  the  breeze  an  sends  a  blade  of  compressed  wind  hurtling  towards  his  companion.  a  test  run;  hopefully  it  won't  be  something  he  REGRETS.

me: scouring the internet for any of my rarepairs last night

me: wakes up to see mention of rarepairs on my dash this morning

my brain: you wanna see rarepairs, my rarepairs have almost no content whatsoever, i have to search for crumbs

"i'm sure wherever we go will leave me satisfied. i don't get out much, so i'll trust your judgement. as long as the drinks taste good and leave me feeling even better by the end of it, i'll be happy."

he KNOWS that while this is an actual date, it doesn't actually mean anything beyond surface level. kami's okay with that. being smooth talked into forgetting about the ice cubes is always a plus, in his opinion.

plus, the drinks are a HUGE bonus.

"cozy and private sounds even more enticing. i'm ready whenever you are."

　―That was quite fast, indeed. He's not complaining at this opportunity to make an acquaintance while dodging getting iced. Two birds in one stone.

　"There are a couple places that suit my fancies, though I intend to have you satisfied by the end of this arrangement. There is one in mind I can wager you will like, if you're into something a little more cozy and private."

i might

might

tentatively open up the idea of exploring more nsfw topics on this blog.

People in the past have gotten really weird about it before to the point it wasn't fun anymore, especially in the case of chongyun. i always felt like i was walking some line where i would either get weird anons/asks about what exactly chongyun can do vs a crowd of people who refused to respect my portrayal in any capacity and acted like i was committing some grievous sin by writing nsfw headcanons about chongyun.

i might try again with both my muses here. I have a lot of thoughts and ideas i would like to share, and while I'm not sure if I'm comfortable writing out smut yet, I'm not above making a sideblog for those purposes either, if people are willing to engage.

idk man i don't want to push my own boundaries before im ready but i need people to know what my 2 idiots can do with their mouths.

avalon and i figured out the main differences between ren and kami, and how you can tell the twins apart if you ever run into both of the.

ren is very controlled. there's a method to his madness, he's very meticulous and plans every move down to each tiny step. as wild and mean as he seems, it's all planned out, he operates with care.

kami on the other hand is a wild card. he's very chaotic, doesn't plan anything. he doesn't like to plan much, he doesn't like to put much thought and care into his actions. he's the very definition of a feral cat and lashes out when cornered, but he does have his favorite people that he runs to when he feels threatened.

they're both SO VASTLY DIFFERENT and yet so similar. this can apply to wanderer era and/or scaramouche era. it's so interesting to see the different portrayals we have.

and yet, they are brothers all the same.

i haven't written out thoughts about chongyun in such a long time, and i have some thoughts now. especially where spirituality and paranormal are concerned. the game likes to drop some bits of lore, completely ignoring chongyun's existance like it's poisonous, but i digress.

exorcisms, spirituality, and even magic are something that chongyun takes incredibly seriously. to him, they're tools used to cleanse the land of evil, something almost religious to him. or to help him with his faith. anyone else messing with said tools and beliefs irk chongyun.

they will be the most passive aggressive and snarky asshole to someone misusing him. it's not just that they believe any other methods are wrong, chongyun is so confident that other people do not have the proper knowledge to perform a true exorcism.

i recall a story quest from awhile ago. i can't remember if it was an event or a story quest you had to unlock, but it centered around yae miko and something about exorcisms. her claiming that you just needed salt irritated my inner chongyun so much.

to chongyun, salt is a temporary fix. salt can keep spirits and demons at bay, but it doesn't get rid of them. chongyun believes, and has seen proof of, magic and magical infused weapons to actually remove the evil from this plane of existence. and since chongyun is an expert, and highly sought after for their skill, it should stand to reason that chongyun knows exactly what they're talking about in this subject.

yang energy aside, chongyun is sure that even without this 'blessing' (which they are struggling to accept, thanks to xiao's comments about it not being a bad thing), exorcism would still be used with his same tools and knowledge. still with his customized claymore, his use of talismans and thaumaturgy, and even with his vision. chongyun is trusting of his clan who has been around for centuries, and even the adepti knowing of them.

to dismiss chongyun's efforts and to claim that other people know what they're doing just as much will actively piss him off. he's not a passive person and won't take those comments lightly. chongyun takes his work and even history very seriously. at best, you'll get passive aggressive snark in response, and at worst, you'll get a furious guy with a claymore taller than him swinging at you like the weapon is paper. and chongyun knows how to hold grudges.

exorcisms are serious business, to the professional exorcist.

p.s. wuwang hill is their territory. if you go there for funsies, they will skip the snark and go straight to yelling.