genshin impact headcanons

a guide to surviving the house of the hearth

gn reader, child reader, reader doesn't explicitly show up but is referenced as if they are being spoken to, reader is implied to be mute

I promise you honeys I am not dead but I did like go through the wringer a bit like I was PROPER living the a/n life I like got sick for a whole week then I fell and slid on concrete and it was a whole thing yet somehow my glasses stayed on?? anyway you did not come to hear about what an accident waiting to happen I am have this food

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I started working on two separate fics that require the House of the Hearth recently which means that I had to come up with hcs for it. So, little one, I bring you the rulebook on how to survive your stint in the Tenth Harbinger's orphanage.

How did you even find your way there? Well, you were far too young to remember it, but it was something that caused Arlecchino to find you, uneager to be seen and hardly enthusiastic about conversation. Somehow she had managed to make herself seem more inviting than the underside of the bed you were hiding under, soft and inviting—a gentle guiding light holding out her hand to lead you to safety.

Rule one. While all children may be messy, they are not to leave their messes about. Any toys should be packed away, any spills should be cleaned, as should any utensils that happen to find their way into the hands of children. Nothing should be dirtier than it was when you found it, even if that means asking one of the matrons how to get blood out of fabric and the hardwood floors.

Rule two. You're to eat as much of your food as you can at the table. Not liking it is hardly an excuse, especially if you won't even try it. Receiving food at all is a luxury for orphans who would otherwise be uncared for and on their own. Picky eating will only get you in trouble. Even if you don't like it, stomaching it with a grimace is a break in your composure that will only be a detriment to you in the future.

Rule three. All children should be blessed with the ability to read and write. It is just as valuable as the skill to fight. Silent communication is very useful, also a reason to be familiar with sign language. The importance of knowledge should not be understated, because once you learn to read and write, you have access to anything and everything in literature, even things people don't want you to know as you peek quietly over their shoulder.

Rule four. It's a pivotal skill to know how to play nice even in the face of spats and disagreements with your playmates. If you can't, people won't like you, and you'll be all alone. Everyone is family, and family puts each other first, even if not related by blood. You have no family anymore and are in most desperate need of one. Everything else was just like you once, and they're always happy to accept a new little bird like you.

Rule five. Honestly is important, but only to the right people. Outsiders don't know the luxury of the House of the Hearth the way those inside do. They don't know how wonderful your childhood is now compared to before and they're raring to send you back to that. You shouldn't allow anyone to learn too much and shouldn't let someone ignorant of that speak on your behalf. The people should only know lies, while the matrons should know everything.

Rule six. Your bedtime is the same as everyone else's, and you are to sleep when told. A good night's rest is important when you spend the next day hard at work running and jumping. You need lots of energy to lug heavy weaponry around and it's always nice to have a bit more rest to get you through the day.

Rule seven. Slackers who don't so their chores are sent to timeout, and there no joy in timeout. No fidgeting, no sitting, no noises out of you, even the ones you make when you need something. You will have to stand in the corner and wait until a matron decides you're ready to cooperate and contribute like everyone else. But you won't need to be warned that way, will you?

Rule eight. Playtime is a gruelling thing sometimes and that's good. Children push, and adults are not easy to face. The world you will grow into will not be kind to you, and in return you mustn't be kind to it either. You should know how to handle yourself, and how to survive when the situation is against you, especially if you can't call for help. Those who can't play shouldn't expect to know how to live in a world that doesn't want them.

Rule nine. Fatui affairs are not for the eyes of children, and you shouldn't stick your nose in them. Once you know too much, there's no way to have your little mind, and the consequences are...well, you shouldn't listen to how bad it can be, even that is more than enough to scare you. You won't break that one, will you?

Rule ten. It is because of Father that you are able to live this life and treasure your childhood, and her word is more important than anything else. Arlecchino is your overseer and the one who enables you to live such a spoiled life as you do now that you live in the House of the Hearth. You must repay her generosity handsomely.

Children who don't make the cut are sent off to the Doctor, children who disobey the rules are sent off to the Doctor, and children who aren't grateful for the new lives they've been given are sent off to the Doctor and it is not to get a checkup. You don't want that, do you?

Arlecchino is a lenient Harbinger by the standard of the Fatui, generous enough to believe that every child has its own uses, even those with what would seem like drawbacks to the untrained eye at a glance. The children must give back in return, and you will surely be doing a lot of giving from now on.