Reading those reaction fics feels like holding a mirror up to the characters, and honestly, it's the secret, messy feelings that grab me. The story might be about Aether finally telling Diluc about the trauma of losing their sibling, and the focus isn't on the epic battle that caused it, but on Diluc's quiet, furious guilt for not seeing it sooner. Or a piece where Shenhe, after witnessing a simple act of kindness in Liyue Harbor, sits alone trying to parse this unfamiliar warmth in her chest, completely bewildered. It's less about reacting to the big plot and more about reacting to the mundane humanity they've missed.
That exploration of interiority is what keeps me coming back. We know what the Traveler did, but how did seeing that make Ningguang feel, privately, when no one was watching? The best ones nail the subtle shift in a character's voice, the half-formed thought they'd never speak aloud. It fills in the silent gaps the game leaves, and sometimes that emotional aftermath hits harder than the quest finale ever did.