Genshin characters x a reader with ADHD!
Summary: Your ADHD is odd, however, your (boy)friend is just as strange, so you think it evens out.
Or, how the genshin characters react to a reader with ADHD. (Ft some lesser known aspects of ADHD)
Featuring: Tighnari, Venti, Xiao & Albedo. Can be read as romantic or platonic.
A/n: it's frankly criminal how few neurodivergent reader content there is out there so here I am.
Disclaimer!! While I do have ADHD nobodyโs ADHD is the same, so what might be common for me is something another person has never experienced.
Also I drop some lesser known aspects of ADHD in this post so hereโs a general index of what those terms mean. Itโs a lot more nuanced than what Iโve written down here but itโll give you a general idea of the concept!
Executive dysfunction/ADHD paralysis: Wanting to do your job/work, but it feels like youโre physically unable to.
Food sensory issues/selective eating habits: A lot of people with ADHD are โpicky eatersโ and refuse to eat certain foods even if it's good for them. Usually we pick foods with high sugar since it causes a โdopamine surgeโ.
Auditory processing disorder (APD): Having difficulty making out what someone is saying or processing what someone said too slowly.
Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria (RSD): Being much more sensitive to rejection or perceived rejection.
Verbal stim: Exactly the same as other stims (Like bouncing your leg or clicking a pen) but just with words. Usually being a certain phrase, sentence, or humming. Although any vocalization can be a verbal stim.
Probably the most knowledgeable about this out of everyone on this list.
He knows it's not just 'lose your focus fast' and that ADHD is a lot more nuanced than that but at the same time he isn't an expert on it.
You'll have to explain some things to him, and knowing Tighnari, he'd happily let you tell him.
Mf takes notes. If he gets too excited and overwhelmes you tell him so he'll calm down a little lmao
Downside of him knowing a lot about (your) ADHD is that he knows when you need to cut back on some things.
If you're a very picky eater like me and don't like the taste/texture of healthy food he will literally not allow it LMAO
You'll be eating an excessive amount of sugar and he'll literally snatch whatever is in your hands and tell you to eat something healthy instead. And no, you cannot convince him to give it back to you until further notice.
If you hate the texture of actual healthy food heโll definitely find an alternative for you to eat no matter how long it takes. You are not getting out of this.
In the nicest way possibleโฆ Tighnari is probably a little annoyed about your ADHD sometimes ๐๐๐
He never blames you or gets mad at you because he knows it's not your fault when this does or doesn't happen but he's still a bit miffed about it lmao.
Like when your auditory processing disorder suddenly kicks in and you make him repeat himself ten times. Or how you space out during his lectures.
However, Tighnari is smart so he'd definitely find a way to gain your attention so when he tells you things you can actually pay attention.
He's pretty good at wrangling your executive dysfunction, too (he's used to Collei having similar problems when he's tutoring her). He believes in the work/reward system and he always knows what'll make you actually get up to do what you're supposed to.
Usually by using your current hyper fixation/interests against you LMAO
"Do that assignment/task and I'll take you out to get that merch you've been wanting for over a month."
(If you like soft things like his ears, he would absolutely use it as bait for you to do your work also LMAO)
But if it's a really rough day he knows when to dial back on his constant nagging for you to do your work and encourages you to take it easy for the day.
If you're like me and forget things semi-regularly he'd always remind you. Especially if it's an outing/meeting with someone.
(Although, if you're the type of person to get annoyed by it he'll stop/dial it back if you ask.)
Can be overstimulated by loud noises easier than others.
Seriously though you both are at a loud party or something and look over to each other giving each other the 'why are we here? Just to suffer'? Look.
But if either of you are about to/are overstimulated you leave the area with each other to calm down. It's sweet ๐
He was originally a bit annoyed by how easily your mind wandered or how quickly you jumped from topic to topic but got used to it after a while. It even grew on him, he finds it endearing nowadays.
Always loves to hear you talk about your hyper fixation, seeing you so happy makes him happy too.
(And you best believe you'll be listening to that boy's flower talk. You think you know more than most rangers about the flora in Teyvat than they do. He's cute though, and you love hearing him talk about it as well, so really it's a win-win scenario.)
Mean this in the nicest way possible, but.. Tighnari is probably going to make you feel really bad once or twice on accident LMAO
With this tough love nature and your Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria you sometimes can't tell when he's being sarcastic/playful and/or he didn't mean what he said (or simply didn't understand.)
He almost always realizes right away and reassures you he meant no harm, and you believe him, but you're understandably still a bit upset LOL
He always makes it up to you, though <3
And if you ever get mad at yourself about how easily you get upset he's always there to reassure you that it's okay and you shouldn't bash your emotions like that, even if they're irrational.
He's your free therapist /j
Was originally confused when you started verbally stimming around him before you explained that to him as well. As long as it's not unexpectedly loud, he doesn't mind it and if you ever stop for a long period of time he def gets a bit upset ๐ like 'why'd you stop?? Did something happen??'
And if you stim in a way that hurts you he definitely puts a stop to it right away. Usually by offering you alternative ways to stim in ways that don't make you hurt yourself.
He is your mom (boy)friend <3
โI knew it. This place is way too loud for you as well, isn't it? C'mon, let's go out for a bit.โ
"Oh you mean like the thing where you can't sit still?"
But really, Venti doesnโt quite understand what ADHD is all that much. Heโs heard the term before but never really cared to figure out what it means. Youโll have to educate him on it before he understands.
Honestly heโs kind of surprised at how much more there is to ADHD than he originally thought. Like damn your brain works against you like that?? You deal with that DAILY?? Damn bitch you live like this? /lh
โฆ But also he unironically kind of finds it funny.
โI canโt believe your brain will go to such lengths to not do work just because it doesnโt like it.โ
Sorry, but Venti is a tease at heart and he cannot hold himself back. Although, if he sees you genuinely upset by what he said heโll apologize.
Despite that Venti is actually really good at helping you if you need it. He never gets annoyed if he has to repeat himself a dozen times or if he has to help you get something done, or if he has to calm you down for any reason.
If your ADHD is keeping you from falling asleep Venti always offers to sing you to sleep, itโs up to you if you decide to accept or not. (Heโll be very pouty if you decline though lol)
If you're like me and have lost items right in front of you (once I lost an item I was looking for for a good fifteen minutes. It was in my hand.) Venti can and will tease you about this.
"Hmm~ I don't knowโฆ Where did you see it last?" You could basically hear the laugh in his voice.
Once you do find it in a really obvious spot he will then laugh out loud. Just joke about breaking up with/leaving him and he'll quickly be on his knees apologizing
If one of your vocal stims is humming/singing anytime Venti catches wind of it he's definitely singing along with you. It turns into a karaoke in seconds and you're both laughing and smiling by the end of it.
Heโs surprisingly one of the most understanding people on this list. No matter what, he'll always be there for you and somehow always knows how to help. You asked him about that and he said,
โWell, a magician can never reveal their secrets.โ
โYouโre not a magician, though. Youโre a bard.โ
โThen how is it that I stole your heart?โ
Although there is one aspect heโs not great at steering you away from only because heโs also bad at steering himself away from it.
Did you impulsively buy something? What a coincidence. Venti did something similar just seconds ago. Did you leave the group you were with because something caught your eye? Venti is right beside you, also looking for whatever caught your attention. Did you say something without really thinking about it? Venti just did the same somewhere across the room.
You guys are almost in sync for impulsive decision making no matter how far apart you two may or may not be.
On multiple occasions youโve both run to each other in a panic after you both impulsively did something you shouldnโt have.
โVenti, help! I just entered a competition I know nothing about and it starts tomorrow afternoon!โ
โY/n, help! I just promised Iโd do something I definitely shouldnโt!โ
You both look at each other in panic and internally scream.
Unlike Venti, Xiao hasnโt the slightest clue what ADHD is. He literally has no concept of mental disabilities and genuinely just thought some people had a harder time with things, not that their brain is wired differently.
Before you tell him heโll see you stimming sometimes or notice you say certain words or phrases multiple times and just shrugs it off as โhuman thingsโ. Same could be said for most of your ADHD shenanigans.
It was a blessing and a curse since he wouldnโt judge you for any of them, however if something like your executive dysfunction kicked in heโd probably think youโre being lazy ๐๐
Youโd have to have a long sit-down talk about your ADHD and everything that goes on with it before he understands and can help you with it.
Even if youโre like me and your explanation skills are about as clear as muddy water heโd likely at least get the gist of it.
Now listen, Xiao is a harsh person by nature but once you tell him about your rejection sensitive dysphoria and what it means heโs probably looking back on anytime he was even slightly mean to you and worrying about if he accidentally hurt you.
Reassure him that even if he did hurt you, itโs in the past now and he knows to do better now.
Boy is much softer to you after that talk, even if he wonโt admit it. He's the one least likely to accidentally hurt you with words out of everyone.
Xiao didnโt- and frankly, still kinda doesnโt- know a lot about humans before he met you, so heโs learning as he goes. Which means that at the beginning heโs going to be really awkward with comforting/helping you.
Heโs trying though! And if you tell him how to help either before or after something like your executive dysfunction starts acting up, heโllโฆ still be a little awkward, if iโm being honest, but it helps much more than before you told him anything. The more he gets used to your ADHD the easier itโll be for him to help you with it.
It becomes easier over time for both of you and Xiao slowly grows a โsixth senseโ if something is wrong.
Forgot something at the house? Xiao is already handing it to you as you turn around to go and grab it. Impulsive did something you probably shouldnโt have? Xiao is suddenly there to calm you down and do damage control. Your brain suddenly refusing to process what someone said? Xiao breaks down what they said so you can fully process it.
Seriously, bring him grocery shopping with you. He'll remember things you didn't even put on the list.
You wonder how Xiao got this power and Xiao also wonders how he got this power but he isnโt complaining. If he can help you in any way, he will.
"Hey, you forgot your lunch. I don't want you going hungry while I'm gone..."
Tease him about how he's acting like a caregiver and watch him turn red.
He didn't know much about ADHD before he met you if he was being honest.
He knew more than Venti and Xiao but less than Tighnari, so you won't have to explain as much as you did with the previous two!
He finds it very intriguing, although he is the chief alchemist and human psychology has little to nothing to do with that, he finds himself listening to everything you have to say about it.
He knew humans learned in different ways but he didn't know how nuanced all of it was.
Just like Tighnari this guy is taking notes, although he's a bit calmer than Tighnari was lmao
"Fascinating. I knew humans were complex creatures, but this is much more nuanced than I originally anticipated."
Just like with Xiao, even if your explanation skills are less than ideal, Albedo still gets what you mean.
Seriously, he will pry every detail that you know about it out of you to the point that the conversation has already passed three hours and neither of you noticed.
He's asking questions you didn't even think of and you've known you've had ADHD for years.
Unfortunately, you often have to disappoint him with the fact that there's not exactly an abundance of information on mental illness/disabilities and that he'd likely have to find out for himself.
Even after that Albedo still asks you questions about your ADHD sometimes which you can either quickly answer or it takes ten minutes of pondering to figure it out.
What the fuck is a social cue
You're usually at least a little better at spotting them than Albedo is, but it's still something you both struggle with ๐๐๐
Difference is that while you may try to apologize, Albedo just doesn't care.
He lives on a cold mountain, it's only natural that he has bad people skills. (He just like me fr fr)
In the nicest way possible the first few times you impulsively make a decision/have Executive dysfunction/etc Albedo will definitely say smthn like, "Oh, so this is what it looks like." ๐
Afterwards though he'll help in any way he can. Which, of course means, any way alchemy can.
You're surprised at how useful all the things he made for you are, and you're grateful for that man making them for you every day.
All of Albedo's previous note-taking and observations of any bad habits you have because of your ADHD ended up with him being able to handle your bad habits better than you can ๐
Buddy is too smart for his own good.
You're taking notes from him at this point. You'd be a little offended that he knows more about your mental disability than you do but honestly if it helps you manage it better you'll take it with open arms.
While you're in his laboratory he likes hearing about you info dump about your hyper fixation. It's better background noise than the howling winds outside and you look adorable while talking about it. That's a win-win for him.
(Although like Tighnari, you'll also hear about his own experiments. Even if you're not really processing the information Albedo appreciates that you're trying)
If you're more creatively inclined he'll occasionally ask for your help if he's stuck on a project to see if you can think of something he hasn't yet. Even if you don't he says your input helps (translation: he likes hearing your voice and opinions)
Out of everyone on this list he's the least baffled about your odd habits. Man's is so unbothered by everything it's kinda funny.
The only thing he's worried about is when you look after Klee aloneโฆ he trusts the both of you to be able to take care of yourselves, but Klee is impulsive by herself. And if you're also impulsive it could lead to tragedy.
"You're aware the acting grand master is trying to stop Klee's habit of fish blasting, correct?"
"Well, maybe the acting grand master should try fish blasting herself! It's not our fault it's so fun!"
You're not allowed to babysit anymore
Ending note: I'm so bad at hcs it's also kinda funny. Ah oh well, at least you can say I tried! Sorry if anyone was ooc but also this is MY blog and I GET TO CHOOSE how to portray characters!!1! Also if there are any spelling or grammar mistakes no there isn't.
I was planning on adding more characters but kinda ran out of steam lmao. Mayhaps I will one day, but for now this is all you get <3 bye~
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