#[ psa. ] seeing isn't always believing. and if you can't trust your eyes; you certainly can't trust rumors.

[orchideae]

A little unpopular opinion on something I've seen happen more commonly throughout November/December and wanted to address quickly for my own blog: Please never hesitate to reblog anything from me. You see me reblogging a sentence starter list that you like? Go for it and reblog it from me directly without any pressure on you whatsoever to send anything into me before doing so. You like a GIF-set or musing that I reblogged? Nab it from me, it'll brighten my day to see that we share an interest in something. I like to see interaction between me and anyone who follows me. I like to see that little activity notification light up.

Honestly, it simply reminds me that we're all part of a community, and more specifically, a fandom that consists of characters and nations that we all came to love and then share that amongst ourselves. And honestly, seeing a reblog happen shortly after me but it's from the source, creates (in my opinion) an odd sense of chosen disconnect between people that can feel awkward, it's as if we're walking on eggshells as to not rub each other the wrong way. But what's wrong about going 'Hey, I see what you reblogged, I like it too!', it even gives you potential common ground to start a conversation. We're a community, and I don't know about you, but I like seeing people interact with each other beyond merely threads and notes. It's the little things that matter, after all.

[orchideae]

... I'm really proud to be writing a Hydro vision holder.

[orchideae]

I'm a little late to the party, and I have a few more of those 'before 2023 ends' to answer in typical me fashion— which means answering them incredibly late: on the 4th of January (okay, it's the 4th over here). Who's surprised? Okay, but, but! Better late than never, right? So here we go: Happy New Years, you fellow-obsessers over fictional characters! (And let's be honest here, they're the real reason that we get up in the morning, right?)

Now, while 2023 proved to be a year of many tribulations and changes in my personal life, it also proved that not all of that change was bad at all. Relocations and all kinds of stresses aside, 2023 was also the year where I finally caved and got into Genshin Impact. I've forgotten how many times people have told me that 'It's right up your alley, Sae!' And honestly, every single person who ever did was so right, 'cause I haven't enjoyed a game as much since the peak of Warcraft. Its gameplay is engaging and diverse, its storytelling is one that I thoroughly enjoy, and its lore is deep and vast and never-ending that I'm given crumbs in corners of Teyvat where bread shouldn't even exist! And the latter is, as anyone can guess, my favorite. I just don't feel like I ever run out of things to dig into and research.

But most importantly, Genshin has slowly been giving me something back that I lost numerous years ago after a very big loss in my personal life, which was/is my desire and will to write. Throughout the last few years, I've tried to get it back, but nothing ever quite nudged me enough, and I only recently realized just how much of an effect the prospect of losing a passion of that kind of magnitude, had come to have on me. But my enjoyment of the game ultimately led me to its RPC, and through the likes of Guizhong and now Yelan, I think I've found my next 'home', a place where I want to stay for quite some time to come. And that's because of you guys, it's because of all of you who engage with me every time I surface (even the tiniest of likes has me smiling), all of you who read my ramblings, and express an interest in writing with me despite the fact that I'm slow as a snail, and most of you haven't even gotten a thread or ask response out of me yet. And that has to change. I always preach that words don't mean much if your actions don't back them up, and so it's time I really make this a proper resolution this year: I will do better. Not just for you guys, but for myself. I can yap all day about how much I want to write because I really do, but what does it mean if I don't actually... write? There's so much that I want and need to say and talk about, there's so much that I want to write with so many of you; and so it's time I proved that. I have numerous resolutions this year, but actively engaging with my passion again? Yeah, that's a big one.

Here's to 2024, may all your resolutions and wishes for it come true, may Hoyo bless us with not only more quality of life updated, but also more ways to gain primos, because sanity knows I'm running out! And here's to you guys, for making this fandom, and my time in it so far, truly great and rather memorable. 💙🤍

[orchideae]

In today's episode of 'Sae, do you (...)': the topic of Ningguang and Yelan, and I thought that I should note my opinion more clearly outside of my rules as it's very important information for my portrayal: I do not ship Ningguang and Yelan romantically.

Honestly, while this is of course my own opinion, I don't find that there's anything to really substantiate a romantic interest between the two. For starters, I don't think that Ning, as interesting of a character as she is with a past that might just be similar in its 'rise' to Yelan's (we're left with very little information on the latter's childhood), ticks the right kind of boxes for her, though to be fair: not many do. Yelan craves a specific sort of thrill in her life, I mean she lives it at the roll of a dice because she is, on some level, bored, and craves the unexpected, the unusual, the 'surprise', and Ningguang's life nor personality seem to play into that. Beyond it, Yelan would need a kinship within this very specific 'loneliness' that I talk about too often and I think that Ning is not one who quite meshes into that in the right way.

Second, despite their long-standing history that even predates their mutual involvement with the Qixing, there seems to be a certain professional distance between the two that I'm quite fond of that is shown in brief event cutscenes, and also Yelan's vision story, that I find inherently intriguing. Perhaps this distance plays more into Yelan's character of not investing too heavily, or rather not too easily, into social dynamics than it does Ning's (I'm not one to weigh in on her character), but it seems evident to me that there's also that semblance of professionalism that creates a line that takes away the possibility of growing closer on an emotional level. And whether that's a mutual decision or not is not up to me to judge, but I think it's one that's made rather clearly from Yelan's side. On top of that, Yelan is Yelan and it's my personal belief that shipping her is rather difficult.

Now I'm also inherently of the opinion (unpopular, I know, I apologize) that dynamics aren't always more interesting when written in romantic settings, and I don't think it's a benefit for all of them to veer into a romantic nature. And in my opinion (and most importantly: in my depiction and understanding of Yelan's character), I think that having Ning and Yelan cross the line from professionalism into something inherently more rooted in romanticism, would be a detriment to their dynamic. Because honestly, I think the fact that Ningguang being one of two people (other being Uncle Tian) to know Yelan best, without ever crossing that line, is too good. I would simply, well, just prefer to keep that not only platonic, but professional, but of course not excluding it of Yelan's quips, and the occasional 'confidant' element.

/rambles in tags because I feel like I have more to say that I shouldn't flood the post with.

[orchideae]

#Orchideae. This is a rather canon-strict depiction of Yelan, from Hoyoverse's Genshin Impact, rather passionately run by Sae (30+), and established in September of 2023.

I'm an absolute Liyue fanatic and tag rambler, who does the occasional resource post because old habits die hard (does 'iniziare' ring a bell?) But to sum me up in brief: I'm an intense deep-diver of lore, and I haven't loved something as intensely as Genshin in a long time. This blog will thread only with mutuals, but my inbox is always open for inquiries or curiosities from anyone. Aside from all of that, I also have blogs for Kafka, Guizhong, and Seele, even if they're presently inactive.

It's late. The residents sleep peacefully behind closed doors, listening to the pitter-patter of the heavy rain. Those fond of traveling at such times are either ill-intentioned, or secretly pursuing the former. It doesn't matter who wins or loses. The rain will wash away all traces either way. When the dawn breaks and the sky clears, the mysterious guest would have been gone already, without a soul noticing.

Rules (below the read more) / Meta: mini / Meta: not-so-mini / Threads

Writer/Disclaimer. Hey, hi! I’m Sae, I’m kind of in my early to mid thirties, and I’m currently located in France. While I’m in the GMT+1 timezone, my schedule allows me to sometimes be around at rather odd hours for most Europeans, so if you see me throwing you a like in the middle of the nigh, it’s our little secret.

Furthermore (and most importantly so), I bear no affiliation with the company of Hoyoverse, the game of Genshin Impact, the character of Yelan or anything related. Any and all written and visual (excluding reblogs) material found on this blog however are, unless stated or referenced otherwise, entirely my own.

A practice of the ‘one verse’ concept. This might seem a little confusing, so let me try to make this as clear as I can. As I settle into my interactions, I will try to fit most, if not all, of my threads within the same ‘verse’. There will of course be exceptions to this, including (but not limited to) conflicting/duplicate dynamics. The primary reason why I do this and have always enjoyed doing so, is that I love to be able to reference events that occur in threads, in others. This feels like I'm writing a more complete story that involves more characters across the board. This also allows, if people wanted, for others who interact with each other to do the same with my portrayal of Yelan. But if you’d prefer I don’t include you in this, simply say so!

Shipping / ‘Single romantic shipping’. This plays into the previous point, but I need to preface it just a little bit. While this is just my personal opinion of her, I don’t particularly see Yelan as someone who is made for romantic relationships in any cases except one. I feel this way because of her line of work (and her likely inevitable fate), but more importantly so, the reason that draws her to take on the work that she does. After the loss of her team, she told Ningguang the following: “We both made a mistake: We shouldn’t have involved ordinary folk in what we do.” This shows that Yelan shoulders a burden that she believes others couldn’t and/or should never bear because of the fate that is tied to it. For Yelan, this speaks of such an inherent loneliness that she has chosen in her life and is okay with, which is presumably because it’s deeply-rooted in her due to the fate of her team, and the influence of her ancestors. But this decision makes her rather incompatible with most individuals, for she will, honestly, never give up what she does while she lives. In my opinion, this leaves the only people (for romantic long-term investments), ones who have or know a similar life to her. It’s not filling loneliness with someone else, it’s finding the same loneliness in another by happenstance, for they understand this incomprehensible thing.

With that in mind, my verse(s) will all inevitably work towards a ship with delusionaid’s Wriothesley. This is exclusive to her portrayal and will not be written with another.

An important tidbit however: Based on how exemplary care she takes of herself physically, denying herself of simple pleasures such as sweets (usually) because they can too easily create an addiction and ‘disrupt focus’, I continue this across the board. The human body has its inevitable cravings, and so I do believe she indulges in physical encounters to relieve herself of this. I do not see these as ships, and they take place before and in the early phases of her slow-forming relationship with Wriothesley. Some examples of contenders for this? Kaeya, and Beidou— and no, Ningguang is and would never be included in this lineup. But never fret, this is simply a personal headcanon of mine and will never be forced on you if you write any of these characters.

Social Politics. Alright, I need to note a couple of very important tidbits about this topic. Simply put, I’m here to write, I don’t get involved in social politics of any kind, this includes (but is not limited to): call-out and cancel culture, white knighting in the eyes of anon hate, ship wars, gatekeeping, and real life politics. This blog will venture into mature and sometimes debatable themes, and if you’re unsure whether that’s up your alley, you’re free to unfollow me at any given time. There is no ill will! I’m incredibly big on respect, and I happily offer it to you in the same capacity as you offer it to me. Disagreement does not mean a default of disrespect, after all.

[orchideae]

Tag drop (1/2): General.