Liminality
is a Genshin Impact fanfiction written by springfieldofcherryblossoms.
Takes place in the middle of the Archon Wars. What if Zhongli when he was still Morax met Lumine in his dreams two thousand years before their canonical meeting? A girl who resides in a different world? A girl who he eventually calls Ying? And what if he slowly fell in love with this mysterious girl the more they meet in dreams?
Liminality contains examples of:
- Angelic Beauty: Morax describes Ying as otherworldly to Guizhong when prompted, much to his confusion and to her pain.
- Brains and Brawn: Morax describes himself and Guizhong as this when he is reassuring her during a moment of crisis. Morax is the brawn to Guizhong's brains.
- Character Development: Morax meeting Ying kickstarts this. He becomes more talkative, repeating the stories that Ying has told him to others as well as taking an interest in the music and arts when in the past he had little to no interest in it. To Cloud Retainer's shock, Morax manages to speak an entire sentence without stopping.
- Desperately Craves Affection: Though he is not aware of it at first, Morax realizes finds he strongly feels this about Ying after an exhausting month of traveling and interrogating other gods. When he sees her in his dreams after a long time without sleep, it doesn't hit him how much he misses her until he sees her again.
- Face Palm: Cloud Retainer would very much like to do this after she learns that Guizhong has no idea about Ying. A serious matter considering that the Goddess of Dust is in love with Morax and Morax, as unaware as he is, has feelings for Ying. Too bad that she doesn't have any hands.
- Genki Girl: Basically young Ping when she makes her first appearance.
- Girl of My Dreams: What Ying is to Morax. Though he is unaware of it. Both in the literal sense (since Morax only sees Ying in his dreams) and in the metaphorical sense in that he is in love with her even though he doesn't realize it.
- Hearing Voices: Morax deals with hearing whispers for a short time. They begin to die down when he gives her a name at her prompting.
- Heroic Self-Deprecation: Guizhong believes that compared to the others, she is a burden due to her inability to participate in fights because of her lack of physical prowess. She can only build things, which in her eyes she sees as being pretty much useless. Morax disagrees.
- I Want My Beloved to Be Happy: A non-romantic variant. Cloud Retainer cares deeply for her friends Guizhong and Morax and only wants them to be happy. She is well aware that Guizhong has feelings for the latter, but is also respectful of the fact that Morax is already in love with another woman. Cloud Retainer chooses to be supportive of them regardless of whatever happens.
- Just Friends: While Morax is the brawn to Guizhong's brains, his thoughts see his fellow co-ruler of the Guili Plains as this. A friend that he deeply cherishes and values, but still a friend. Guizhong on her end hopes to be more than friends, until she finds out about Ying.
- Language Barrier: There is one between Morax and Ying. While Morax can understand what Ying says, she can't understand him. She does a good job at guessing what he tries to communicate to her, though.
- The Load: Guizhong sees herself as this compared to Morax and the other Adepti, unable to fight due to not being as physically inclined as the rest. She very much does not like it.
- Long Hair Is Feminine: Ying. It helps that Morax describes her as being very beautiful in his eyes.
- Love Hurts: Guizhong when she learns about Ying and realizes that she is the reason for Morax's positive change over the past few months.And, unbeknownst to him, Guizhong stayed another hour, trying to nurse the unmistakable pain in her chest that she had felt throughout the conversation about her.
- Love Triangle: Guizhong is in love with Morax, while Morax is in love with Ying (even if he doesn't realize it).
- The Man Behind the Man: Morax originally thinks that Vassago is the God causing trouble in his lands as of late. He's not wrong, but it turns out that Vassago was merely a pawn for someone else.
- Meaningful Name: Morax gives Ying her name. He bases her name off of her appearance, describing as radiant and a luster of gems.
- The Mentor: Guizhong is Morax's teacher when it comes to teaching him to be more open and empathetic to others.
- Mercy Kill: Morax delivers this to Vassago when he finally finds him.
- Oblivious to Love: Cloud Retainer observes that Morax is this both in regards to Guizhong's feelings towards him, and his own growing feelings for the mysterious woman in his dreams, Ying.
- O.O.C. Is Serious Business: Guizhong and Cloud Retainer observe that Morax has become this as of late, though they aren't aware that it's because the God of Contracts meets with a girl in his dreams. From being more talkative, to telling others stories that he learns from Ying, to devoting more time to learning to play the song he came across Ying playing one time they realize he is becoming more open with others, albeit still closed off.
- Oh, Crap!: Cloud Retainer has this reaction when she realizes that Morax has growing feelings for Ying, also aware that Guizhong is completely in love with the dense God of Contracts.
- Stepford Smiler: When Morax tells Guizhong about Ying, her smile does not reach her eyes throughout their entire conversation about the latter.
- The Storyteller: Ying is this to Morax. Morax in turn repeats the stories she tells him to Cloud Retainer, Guizhong, and anyone else who will listen.
- What Beautiful Eyes!:
- Morax thinks that Ying's eyes are this during their second meeting. He describes her gold eyes as being that of a regal colour.
- Ying describes Morax's eyes as beautiful, citing them to be more gorgeous than her own brother's.
- You Are Better Than You Think You Are: Morax tells Guizhong that he values her talent and brains when she has a moment of crisis about being useless.
