#HOYO PERCEIVES US

[starcurtain]

Oh, so when IIIII make the "mutual" joke it's delusional, but when Hoyo makes it--

(Actually, since that Youtube end card tried to gatekeep it, here's Ratio's tsuntsun sweatdrop as he tries to think up a good excuse for going on TV to talk about some guy he's definitely not "friends" with:)

[hungnitan]

I'm pretty suprise with 4.7 database, hoyo decided to sailing Sethos x Wanderer (additionaly HaiKaveh become more closer) and how heartwarming Sigewinne character story could be...

[stormofdefiance]

True knowledge exists in knowing you know nothing || Dr. Ratio & Socrates

Okay, I legitimately laughed out loud writing that title, but listen. LISTEN.

Ratio's inspirations derive from many sources; from referencing Archimedes's brain-blast in the tub, to being doomed to have his head bonked by Newton's apple ad infinitum in his idle animation, to his ultimate line ('esse est percipi' / 'to be is to be perceived') a direct quote from Berkeley on Idealism - it's apparent that his design nods towards scholars across time periods rather than being a direct parallel to a singular academic.

Nevertheless, just for fun, I've been rotating Ratio and ancient greek philosophers around in my head and have had a great time chewing over how parallels Socrates in particular. I am in no way saying that Hoyo even thought about Socrates while they were designing Ratio, but I thought I'd share my thoughts. I think there are some worthwhile parallels to be drawn that touch on all aspects of Ratio's own philosophy regarding ignorance, the value of knowledge, and his deep appreciation of life. So, let's get into it.

Ratio is interested in humanity and curing 'ill minds with knowledge', that 'to turn a blind eye to the folly of others is not an etiquette, but a wicked worldly practice.' Ignorance is a disease - this is a concept that can be viewed through a Socratic lens. Socrates believed that that virtue and knowledge were impossible to separate from one another, and that virtue could be developed through acquiring knowledge and insight. If knowledge is virtue, then ignorance is vice. In Socrates's mind, no one would rationally choose to do something bad. People might choose to do bad things, but this is rooted in their own perception of the world - as in, someone would only choose to do something bad (for the world, or for themselves) because they believed (erroneously) that it was the right or good thing to do. To Socrates, the cure to this was knowledge: 'There are two kinds of disease of the soul, vice and ignorance.' & 'What does most harm in the world is not sinfulness but ignorance'.

To Ratio, 'If ignorance is an ailment, it is the duty of the scholars to weed it out and heal the universe'. He views his own ignorance as 'filth' that must be cleansed through methods such as reading. He also views knowledge as a method for humans to overcome their problems - 'Another day has passed. If your problem still hasn't been solved, is it possible the problem is you?' & 'You look distressed. Is something troubling you? if so, you can figure it out for yourself.' These statements sound harsh, but they also clue us into Ratio's philosophy - that through self-examination and improvement, one can overcome one's ailments.

Socrates was also known for being a trouble-maker, he was abrupt and tactless and did not care for someone's social standing nor decorum. He was also known for using what is now called the Socratic method, asking a series of questions that ultimately seek to show contradictions in the beliefs of those who posed them, and to move systematically towards a hypothesis free from contradiction. Socrates rarely made assertions himself - after all, he had no wisdom of his own. But he could interrogate others in order to expose their own foibles, much to the embarrassment and annoyance of those around him. He was once described as a 'gnat' chewing on the 'lazy horse of Athens', causing it to wake up and spring to life due to his persistent gnawing and prodding. Ratio also employs the Socratic method - 'I'm asking questions' - and also adopts sophist tactics such as playing devil's advocate and taking opposing sides (with both himself as seen a story quest, and with others as we see with his texts urging us to take up a side so he might debate us). Through questioning and interrogation, upsetting what we consider social convention and norms, we can dispel contradictions and thereby come closer to some form of truth.

To add to this - as highlighted in the replies below - Ratio’s skill ‘intellectual midwifery’ is a reference to the Socratic method. The idea being that Socrates helped those around him give birth to the knowledge that was already within them, rather than treating his students minds as empty vessels for him to fill with his own answers. Again this is beautifully echoed in Ratio - he doesn’t want to tell you how to live your life, he wants you to work out for yourself what it is you need, thus empowering oneself through self-examination and questioning.

Socrates did not believe in writing anything down. He believed that face-to-face communication was a far more effective way of communicating knowledge - which means, unfortunately, what we know of Socrates is primarily derived from secondary sources. Much of what we know about him today comes from Plato's dialogues, and Plato was known for liberally exercising artistic license.

Although Ratio is not dead, I find it interesting that his character story is told exclusively through secondary sources. To quote - '…There are no less than eight documentaries detailing his legendary exploits, and over a dozen memoirs about him. However, despite the plethora of commentaries, none of them seems to provide a compelling perspective.' It's as though there are no surviving fragments penned by Ratio's hand and all we have to go on is through the lenses of other people. This challenges us, perhaps, to try to think about our own interpretation of Ratio since secondary sources cannot be taken as a wholly unbiased account - and once again employing the Socratic method and empowering the reader to come to their own interpretation.

While Socrates left no writing behind, he was interested in spreading knowledge. Socrates spent most of his life in Athens, a city that was, during his lifetime (~470-399 BC), a hotpot of scholars, wisemen and philosophers. Athena, the Greek god of wisdom, was named after the city - her symbol the owl that is also appropriately perched on Ratio’s shoulder. Also in Athens at this time where the sophists. The sophists were a class of intellectuals who were known to teach courses in various subjects - but often for a high fee, and generally centred around the idea that persuasion and the use of knowledge as a tool was more important than wisdom or truth itself. There's some debate about whether Socrates could be characterised as a sophist himself, but, crucially, he is characterised as refusing to take payment for his teachings. He was born a plebeian (perhaps you might describe it as a mundane background.) He was known to dress in rags and go barefoot, speaking to and (often antagonising) people from all walks of life, preferring the marketplace as a center of debate than palaces or courtrooms. I can't help but think of the sophists as similar to the genius society (or at least Ratio's depiction of them in contrast to himself), cooped up in ivory towers and gatekeeping knowledge to the most privileged. He doubts if Herta's talent is always helpful to others, he compares Screwllum to a 'monarch'. Then again, the sophists may in fact be a bit of a parallel to the Intelligentsia Guild - from Ratio, 'when someone is willing to listen to knowledge that is being disseminated and circulated, a price is created'.

Socrates (or at least the Platonic depiction of Socrates) was at one time declared the wisest man in Athens by the Oracle of Delphi. Socrates balks at this assertion - how can he possibly be the wisest man in Athens when he in fact knows nothing at all? This was not a claim made of modesty - he truly believed that he had no wisdom, that he was unsure what 'wisdom' itself even was. Ultimately, Socrates concludes that the only way that the Oracle could be correct is that by actually acknowledging that he knows nothing he paradoxically is the wisest man in Athens. All wisdom, therefore, is rooted in wondering, with wondering only possible if one is open to admitting one's own ignorance.

What I love about all of this in relation to Ratio is that Ratio styles himself as a mundanite. The Intelligensia Guild advocates that 'all knowledge must be circulated like currency' and accepts 'all beings… who seek to learn'. Ratio has no time for the satisfied self-styling of intellectualism, he himself states that 'to speak knowledge, we must first make people realise their own folly.' No one is above criticism in this regard, even himself - again, to quote 'Whenever someone agrees with me, I feel like I must be wrong.' Again, I feel as though he would resonate with Socrates here: 'Smart people learn from everything and everyone, average people from their experiences, and stupid people already have all the answers'. With Aventurine, he is quick to mock his appearance as over-the-top and vapid - once again making it clear his distate for vanity and hollow displays of showiness (albeit he may have been acting for Sunday's sake here. Also, no comment about this coming from a man who runs around in a toga, lmao) Equally, with Aventurine, it is clear that Ratio is willing to learn from him - he apologises when he offends, he abhors his methodology and yet he still relies upon it and trusts in Aventurine's plan, he is drawn to him in some ways precisely because he is so different to himself. Aventurine (at least styles himself) as impulsive to Ratio's slow and steady methodology, Aventurine whose learning has been entirely self-made vs Ratio who has spent his life in classrooms, Ratio who scoffs at Aventurine's favourite games of chance yet adds slot machines to his simulated universe. And to Socrates, the experience of aporia – in all of its discomfort and disruption – is the very catalyst of wonder, and that wonder was not just the root of wisdom but also the way to live a good and happy life. There is something beautiful in this to me, and this extends to Ratio. Ratio fundamentally cares about life. For all his brashness, his lashing out against 'idiots', his harsh demeanour - he wants people to live good lives, he wants to contribute to the good of humanity - all people, even those he is annoyed by, he cares so profoundly and absolutely about life. The entire reason why he is obsessed with wisdom and learning is not to exalt or elevate himself, not as some kind of ritualistic expression of piety towards a deity, but it is instead an expression of devotion towards life itself. Ratio has a strict work out routine not so that he can show off his body, but because living healthily is living well and working out is a component of that. Even the way he fusses and worries about Aventurine, someone he is pointedly irritated by, reveals how deeply his care runs. So so much of his character is centered on caring for life, even if it is not immediately obvious.

Finally, I'd like to highlight some ways in which Ratio is not like Socrates. First of all, Socrates was repeatedly described as 'ugly' by fellow philosophers Plato and Xenophon - this is contrast to Ratio being repeatedly described as 'handsome'. This is an interesting subversion to me (albeit likely an indulgent one) as in both cases both men attempt to distance their physical appearance from the weight of their words. Ratio wears the bust for many reasons, but way to view it is that he is attempting to stop his appearance from bearing any influence in the subject of debate.

Socrates was also said to be blessed by a divine touch, and as we know, this is something that agonises Ratio as Nous has not yet turned THEIR gaze towards him.

Lastly, Ratio has - thankfully - not yet been ordered by the state to drink hemlock for all his trouble-making and blustering. Though perhaps he may someday be put on trial by the IPC if the theories that he is working alongside Aventurine to undermine the corporation are true - we will just have to wait and see.

Thanks for reading my little ramble. I'd be super interested in anyone's thoughts if they'd like to share, but regardless, I'll leave off on some of my favourite wee quotes from the Rat man:

'Even a life marked by failure is a life worth living - it is only in moments of solitude and despair, when help is absent, that fools grasp how to pick themselves up.'

'Do stay alive. I wish you the best of luck.'

[rune-rambles-art]

Okay I have to yell about Koleda Belobog Zenless Zone Zero because I feel like I love her in a very specific way that I haven’t seen a lot of people talk about. More under the cut because I have,,, so many thoughts.

Koleda is such a good portrayal of someone who struggles with their perception as an adult. A pretty easy conclusion to make with the first thing she usually says on the character select screen being “Hey, don’t look down on me!”, but it definitely goes a lot deeper the more you spend time with her. Specifically, she seems to struggle in her perception of herself as someone much more mature than her younger peers, but still not on the same level as the adults in similar positions of power as her. I kinda. Hate zenless for not explicitly stating how old she is, but given she rose to her position at Belobog “when she came of age” (which honestly, I still can’t give a concrete answer to what hoyo means by this? Some searches I found claimed the working age to be 16 in China, I’ve seen others online claim 18 but that’s not reliable. Hoyo I'm begging you put official ages on your characters it's a cool and based practice), she waited for a significant amount of time before taking up her role as president. She is an adult from what the game implies, and a core part of her character is fighting against the constant infantilization she faces due to how she looks.

Let’s start with her love of desserts (and a honestly this is the reason I started writing this). It’s her most highlighted character trait (it is also the first known attribute in her trust rank profile when you unlock her), and most of her trust events on 6th street revolves around them. Initially, she hesitates in proclaiming her love for them, likely to avoid being perceived as childish.

Her rank 4 trust special event is, admittedly, my favorite, but it’s one of the best breakdowns of this.

In order to maintain her image as a mature adult, she uses her position as company president to get around having to request a special dessert drink by name (in her defense, "Sweet Girl Fluffy Marshmallow Lambkin Milk" is an insane mouthful of a product name). At the end of the event she admits that saying its name “wasn’t as bad as she thought”, but her initial kneejerk reaction was a complete rejection of even entertaining the idea of doing something that could put the image she worked so hard to create and maintain at risk. Despite this, she still refuses desserts that aren't tooth-rottingly sweet, even if they are seen as the more mature or "refined" option. It's only around people that she really trusts does she allow this part of herself to be known, because she knows they wouldn't misconstrue this behavior as childish.

I also think her perception on the differences between kids and adults is interesting ("thank you agent story quest" we all say in unison). She doesn't ever feel like she fits in with other kids, probably due to all the responsibility she had to take on as the eventual heir to her father's company. But she also holds a vocal distain for many of her adult peers. Her declaration of "When I was younger, I thought the whole world was rotten, trying to make people just as rotten when they grow up." is a reflection of how she struggled to find her place in the world as she was forced to suddenly transition into adulthood, while still trying to understand the actions of the adults around her.

Her relationship with her father becoming strained contributed significantly to her world outlook as well, and may have caused such a specific distinction of what she deems "the world of adults". I don't want to dive too specifically into that because spoilers and the game is only a few weeks old so. Pin that for another time maybe? It definitely matters in the sense that the loss of her father is the catalyst for the loss of her childhood, but a lot of the specifics in how that affected her are speculative (and I don't wanna get too headcanon-y in this particular post) and she explicitly chooses not to discuss it too in-depth with the proxy (which, girl. Valid). But she's slowly learning to cope with that loss, at least it seems that way by the end of chapter 3. Honestly I could probably find more to add about the agent story in particular, but I would have to replay it to get a better idea.

To me, Koleda Belobog is very solid representation for women who had to grow up too fast, struggle with the perception of being seen as an adult, and hold guilt about indulging in acts that can be perceived as childish by their peers because they never fully got the chance to just be a kid. It truly did resonate with me, and it feels like such a specific "if you know, you know" kind of experience that I don't feel is talked about as much in media, especially with people who identify as female during their youth.

Also, also! I hope they dive in a bit more on how she got/has so much hollow corruption at a young age. Because they imply that she is so short as a result of this hollow corruption. Like that's so damn interesting conceptually and I know they delved on it more in Rina's agent story but. It was more of a mental affliction than a physical one.

Anyway I've been working on this for like 2 days now but that's all I have in terms of like. A canon-compliant character analysis.

TLDR; Koleda is such a perfect example of "God forbid short women exist" and I love her for that. Thank you for coming to my TED Talk.

[eating-figs-here]

Oh my stars I need to gnaw on bones and perish in the woods because. Because some people believe Wanderer/Scaramouche has gone through an entire redemption arc. No!! He is at the beginning. He is taking his first steps forward!!! He is STICKING with the Good Guys (TM) because it's the most optimal thing to do!! It's not out of character, he knows how to play the cards he's been dealt! And y'know, overtime, he should begin to grow to care for the people of Sumeru and the region itself!!! Like that's the point!!!! He isn't there yet!!!!!! He isn't supposed to be a good guy yet!!! The reason this "redemption arc" feels "unsatisfying" is because he isn't a fully converted good guy yet!!!! Aaaaaaaa!! :(

I have my thoughts below- and uh, it's a bit long

And to those saying Hoyo should've killed him off? Please, I do want to hear why you believe that killing off Scaramouche would've been more impactful than keeping him alive. I, personally, believe that killing him off would be a disservice to what the story has been trying to get across as Sumeru's version of wisdom.

And to explain what I believe the story has been trying to get across about wisdom: Wisdom is, to Sumeru, the celebration of individuality interwoven with the celebration of community. Greater Lord Rukkhadevata says that dreams are the fruit of human wisdom, and dreams are reflections of a person's raw joys, anxieties, sorrows, and examples of the bottomless creativity the mind produces. Those combined dreams power the Akasha, which helped Rukkhadevata repel forbidden knowledge and is considered an incredible piece of technology in Teyvat. (That's a lot of weight and power they're putting into dreams!!)

Wanna see another example of how starkly different individuals come together to beat an imposing foe? LITERALLY THE SUMERU CAST. Wonder why when you played throughout the Sumeru quest line it felt a tad bit like found family?? Because that's the point!! The narrative spends time fleshing out the bonds between characters, whether old or new! We see characters like Cyno, Dehya, and Alhaitham grow to trust one another despite their tense start! We see previously established relationships like Dehya and Dunyarzad or Tighnari and Cyno! They all get closer to the Traveler as well! It is INTENTIONAL!!

Okay, now back to this puppet, Scaramouche is someone who has consistently had his own personhood denied, with his right to exist as an individual played with. His own perceived abandonment from Ei and the Fatui orchestrating the destruction of his only support group (the people of Tatarasuna) in order to be used for their own gain hammers that point home. He rejects himself by ignoring his own humanity in favor of becoming something he THINKS he's supposed to be! The Harbingers do not trust one another, and they are ready to stab their colleagues in the back from their own gain. (Which he does!! What sense of community here?? None!!)

Do you see? Scaramouche, in this state, is the antithesis of Sumeru's wisdom. Which is precisely why he fails. He fails and he falls due to the wisdom of the people of Sumeru and the joint efforts of the Sumeru cast. He, a shattered puppet once more, is forced to reckon with the fact that who he believes he should be is not who he is. And to make that realization have meaning, he must live.

There is a reason why the nation of wisdom is also the nation of dendro. To grow, adapt, and change are its core principles. So why wouldn't the Dendro Archon extend her hand to someone denied what she had been recently given- support, companionship, community. Wouldn't it be much more impactful to see a sickly sapling turn into a tree rather than letting it die? With Wanderer, we will (eventually) see the harvest of Sumeru's ideals. From rocky start to the nebulous finish, Wanderer will embody the adaptation and growth that marks Sumeru's wisdom as he steadily grows into his own individual- with many characters we know accompanying him on that journey.

I dunno how else to put this, I literally just think that having a character actively being shaped by what makes Sumeru.. Sumeru after a total rejection of it is neat. Because.. Y'know. Plants? Nurturing and growing?? I am being SO real I do not think narratively cutting off a character's ability to grow would be Sumeru's jam. Sorry for this mess of a rant, I hope my thoughts got through.. and this isn't even talking about the nuances of other characters (especially Nahida!!) but I am. Tired. So tired :')

[blood-orange-juice]

About Childe and his weird gender again, expanding on this post.

I think it has a lot to do with how gender is constructed. Male gender has very clear-cut prescriptions, mostly it's everything that is considered "good" or "human" in current culture. The expectations it places on a person may not be realistic or achievable but they are very clear. Great importance is also placed on separating itself from Everything Female. Things That Are Too Much. Things that break the current culture meaning-making procedures.

Women, while having quite a few prescriptions of their own, also deal with whatever falls through the cracks. Someone needs to ensure the world still functions and reality is never completely covered by whatever official model of the world we currently have.

So women deal with the things men have the luxury not to notice. Mostly bodily and psychological aspects and societal injustice that are not supposed to exist in the ideal picture of society men have imagined. (to be fair, it happens to anyone oppressed and othered. the task of not letting the oppressors meet with reality is delegated to them. I'm just talking about women specifically in this post. but there's a reason oppressed minorities always have ties to supernatural in folklore)

In a way, feminine women are very scary. Walking semiotic horrors.

And I explain all this to say that Childe can be perceived as feminine in two ways.

First, with his disregard for all and any societal norms he just doesn't follow the normal gender prescriptions. He plays a superhero/knight role because it's shiny and it reminds him of the stories he loved as a kid. He doesn't suppress his love for his family because it brings him joy. He looks pretty because looks are a weapon too. He does all these things that would be either stereotypically masculine or painfully unmasculine for anyone else who cares about what society thinks, but he doesn't really see any difference between them. He truly, genuinely doesn't care what others think.

Second, he's also painfully aware of the dark and insane parts of the universe everyone else has the luxury to ignore. He also knows no one cares so he dances around the things a normal guy would never have to deal with (it's such a stereotypical female experience. sometimes I wonder if that's why women rarely like Lovecraft. his brand of scary isn't scary or exciting to them, it's just Tuesday).

But that's just our perception, a trick of light. These are not necessarily gendered.

He also gives an impression of someone extremely vulnerable, yes, but I don't think he handles his vulnerability in a feminine way. He just doesn't hide it and we are used to labeling everything vulnerable as feminine.

He also doesn't really do anything feminine-labeled in a characteristic female way. He isn't really in contact with his emotions (despite having a lot of them), him caring about people takes the form of "protector and provider". his cooking... have you seen his cooking? He doesn't look for support and doesn't try to build things that last. He's self-sacrificing in a very male way too. Because he was there and because he could and because it's a cool thing to do.

So he's just that. Himself. Someone outside of gender.

(or rather his gender is knightcore)

If we perceive him as feminine it says more about how our culture perceives gender than about who Childe is.

Also, quoting my previous post, it's a part of him being full of contradictions. For every thing that he does he also does the exact opposite, and this holds for gender too.

Yes he lives the male power fantasy. He also does it in an incredibly feminine way. I think this was Hoyo's original intention and then it blossomed into this human disaster we see.

And to end up on a joke, surely you all have seen that leaked art that is theorised to be Skirk but could have also been an early design of Childe before Hoyo decided to make him a guy.

[tjemegames]

HSR: Character Build Archive - Hunt

Lan

The Cruising Aeon known as the Reignbow Arbiter by the Xianzhou, presiding over the Path of The Hunt. THEY roam endlessly between worlds to eradicate the abominations created by the Aeon of Abundance.

Boothill

this looks better than it is because of the crit weight

desperately need to roll more break; I used to roll nothing but break before I started farming for this cyborg. once I hit 300%, I'll be satisfied with my min-maxing

need to farm theif (hands + spd boots) & talia (def sphere)

last upgraded - 7.1.24

Dan Heng

A cold and reserved young man who is reticent about his past. To avoid his kin, he decided to travel with the Astral Express.

hello to my favorite character! it is I, your number one fan

build is very solid; the best one on my entire account. I'd love to hit a character score of 500 though so I'm still tweaking it

need to farm musketeer (hand) & glamoth (wind dmg sphere); ideally w/double crit on both

last upgraded - 7.1.24

Dr. Ratio

An eccentric, self-centered, slightly gloomy, and yet elegant Intelligentsia Guild member. He often wears a bizarre plaster head sculpture over his head despite his handsome features.

unleveled: lvl 1, e0

will level him up if hoyo ever feels generous enough to give us a free copy of his sig; I'm not interested in using him without it

Feixiao

The Arbiter-General of the Xianzhou Yaoqing. Referred to as the Merlin's Claw. Decisive like lightning and always doing what is right, she has demonstrated outstanding military success through her martial prowess.

introductory build: I've been rather lucky with my valorous luck so far. still tweaking but this is not a bad place to be in after only a few dedicated weeks worth of farming

completely folded on myself and pulled for her. she quite literally cost me everything (227 warps) to pull her. big fan of her whole kit and love her animations though. I think she’ll prove to be very worth all the effort

last upgraded - 10.15.24

March 7th - The Hunt

A girl who once slumbered in eternal ice and knows nothing about her past. To find out the truth about her origins, she decided to travel with the Astral Express. As of right now, she has prepared about 67 different versions of her life story for herself.

acquired & began the building process! big fan of her gameplay, she's been really fun to play around with while I test out potential shifu configurations

has two potential build routes to take: traditional dps (crit) and break; I'll probably go 4pc musketeer + rutilant for crit & 4pc thief + talia for break. could also go pioneer + salsotto for crit & calvary + forge for break, but that sounds like a headache in the making

Moze

An aide under Feixiao. He is in charge of intelligence and security. As a hidden blade, his presence is rarely perceived, appearing only when he is needed.

unleveled: lvl 1, e1

will be working on building him up when I’ve got the chance. really love his design and gameplay—can’t wait to have him built up enough to truly shine

Seele

A resident of the Underworld and the backbone of Wildfire. She goes by the alias "Babochka." She has a frank personality, but there is a delicate and sensitive hidden side to her deep in her heart.

working towards overhauling the entire build: swapped glamoth planars for rutilant, recycled the outdated 4-star quantum dmg sphere, & traded atk ropes w/serval

relevant stat change(s): +10.9 spd, -2.2% crate, +8.8% cdmg, -177 atk

score change: +34 (S+)

was not planning on messing with her anytime soon but I ended up using her to complete the 2.3.1 PF, which was quite satisfying to do, so she is officially being taken off the bench (until I pull a multi-target quantum damage dealer that I like more)

need to farm 4pc genius (crate body + atk boots); could potentially go 2pc genius, 2pc musketeer but I'd get more dmg out of a full set of genius so that's my priority

don't have any plans to pull for her sig since I don't use her all that much. would need to look into the benefits of all the hunt cones to see if it's worth having on my acct

last upgraded - 8.2.24 | changelog

Sushang

Born on the Xianzhou Yaoqing, sent to the Cloud Knights of the Luofu for military training. She wields her family sword, a gift from her mother, and longs for the future she will go on to write.

outdated build: 3/6 relics are 4-star

due to my boothill investment, I have no need to work on or use sushang anymore; a tragedy because the big chicken is one of my favorite ults

Topaz & Numby

Senior Manager of the Strategic Investment Department in the Interastral Peace Corporation, and leader of the Special Debts Picket Team. Already a member of the "Ten Stonehearts" at a young age, Topaz's Cornerstone is the "topaz of debt retrieval." She and Numby— her partner —are traversing the cosmos together, chasing down various debts and liabilities that negatively influence the IPC's commercial ventures.

Numby: A Warp Trotter who is capable of acutely perceiving where "riches" are located, and Topaz's family and business partner. It can even perform jobs involving security, debt collection, and actuarial sciences.

unowned: not interested in pulling. may change depending on the release of future synergistic follow-up units

Yanqing

General Jing Yuan's retainer. A gifted swordsman who hasn't even come of age. No one can best Yanqing when he holds a sword in hand.

unleveled: lvl 1, e2

The most recent version of a character’s build(s) will be listed here; older build versions can be found on their designated changelog. To avoid word/image limit issues, information on a retired build will be removed from the path archive and a link to the build’s changelog will be provided in its place. Changelogs will only be created and maintained for the characters that I actively use; they will be updated whenever significant relic upgrades/changes have been made. Characters that have multiple builds (i.e. additional builds that are non-traditional, niche, or memes) will have a dedicated changelog for each one. Return to Navigation

[trebledcrow]

“Is Dainsleif a Red Herring..?”

Warning: Do not proceed if you haven’t finished this year’s Dain quest Chapter IV: Act VI Bedtime Story. I will be yapping about it and one of my longtime suspicions!

This could very well be out of copium, but is anyone else under the impression that Dainsleif is an intentional red herring in the Traveler stories of Genshin?

Hoyo seems to guide us in the direction of the traveler’s sibling. To make us trust the sibling. They are Traveler’s twin, after all.

They seem to intentionally make Dainsleif mysterious, secretive, and.. suspicious. He comes once a year to drop a lore bomb on us, to remind us of his existence and determination to eradicate the Abyss Order, and to leave as quickly as he appeared.

That aside, in the Interlude Quest Bedtime Story, Dainsleif and the Abyss Twin do have a confrontation with each other in those ruins after Dain sends the traveler out and back to the village.

Although I am an Abyss Princess Lumine truther, I’ll just speak vaguely for whichever interpretation.

Both of them speak accusingly towards the other of a trap.

“Hmph. I knew going along with your trap would be the only way to meet with you face to face.” — From Dainsleif.

“You risked your safety… and that of the eye… That’s quite the gamble, Dainsleif… But I believe that I am the one walking into a trap laid by the Twilight Sword.” —Abyss Twin

Dainsleif had possessed the Eye of the First Field tiller, which was highly important to the plans of the Abyss Order. Caribert notes that due to Dain’s memory alteration that he contributed to, they have obtained the eye, and thus the Loom of Fate has been completed.

Shouldn’t the Abyss Twin know that? They ARE the Prince/Princess of the Abyss after all. They should, and yet in this scene alone, it is not explicitly revealed by the Abyss Twin to Dain. It had been revealed to us, as the traveler, when we met with Caribert, only after that cutscene with Dain and the Abyss Twin.

So, I feel that this was the Twin’s trap, involving the Eye and Loom of Fate, yet Dain seems to have begrudgingly walked into it. Though, Caribert did predict his plan… So he only lost rather than gained here. I mean, he did get his ass handed to him… and we don’t know if he ever got to have his conversation with the Abyss Twin, and in my preferred case, Lumine.

Throughout the story, we keep seeming to gloss over the Traveler’s twin being the Abyss Twin. Dainsleif did ask if we believed our sibling to have betrayed us. One could perceive it as Dain being shady, but there seems to be more to it than that.

It feels like foreshadowing in the face of the intended distraction: Dainsleif, our possible redherring.

There were discussions of betrayal within this scene as well, particularly that of Dainsleif’s brother, Vedrfolnir. That in itself was another huge lore bomb.

Maybe this ramble was a little disorganized, it is 4:33am after all. But well...

All of that to say… I’m currently not as suspicious towards Dainsleif than I am towards the Abyss Twin. He is strange indeed… but the Abyss Twin is even stranger.

There’s still much we don’t know, and we’ll just have to wait til next year for more information…

Currently rambling while listening to…

[ccaptain]

IT'S TIME TO PAY THE PRICE. IT'S TIME

Spoilers under the read more related to the plot of the 2.2 H:SR patch:

BIGGEST SIGH EVER. So like. Hoyo, stop making my imaginary H:SR Kaeya fatherless. This is the second game already-

Look at what Gallagher says here:

When I started with his verse, I headcanoned that Enigmata ''beings'' identities were essentially lost in time due to their occupation as History Fictionologists. Just like how history unravels back up again once the fog surrounding it has dissipated, thus nullifying their work, their identities unravel and unfog once exposed, making their existence null and void. Being of the Enigmata means, indeed, being enigmatic, and once you cease to be a mystery, you are essentially yeeted out of Enigmata priviledges.

So for this verse specifically, I'm going to go with the hypotesis that Gallagher's teaching to turn Kaeya into a ''being'' made him essentially unfoggable.

Stay with me here: Gallagher took him as his pupil, and of course he cares abut his strays not vanishing upon being discovered. He used the loophole of turning someone into a ''being'' to further shroud his identity in mystery- both for his sake and his old, destroyed planet's. Fogging ''Kaeya'' also means reorganizing the history of the Great Catastrophe and the end of his homeplanet, thus giving him an already good jump-start for the mission that will accompany him for the entirety of his life.

''Kaeya'' is no longer the lone survivor of a cataclismic disaster that happened when the Aeons set their gazes on their abuse of knowledge. That identity of his has long since died, and his work has been done so excellently that nobody knows of any survivor from said destruction.

Anyone who perceives him as ''Kaeya Alberich'' upon introducing himself, and keeps him in their mind as ''Kaeya'', contributes to further muddle his real identity. His acquaintances perceiving him as ''Kaeya Alberich'' make them unknowing accomplishes in shrouding his real identity in mystery. If we wanna go in a much tender part of this, his friends are keeping him in existance. It's a little heartwarming bit that we deserve.

''Emanator of Enigmata'' is not his real identity either- it's a simple title, and while he does respond to it, by now he's much more complex than that. There's a personality that has grown behind this identity too- there's a will to be kind and help people and to preserve the cosmos as it is, along with every inhabitant of it. ''Kaeya'' has grown his self, thus not making anything react to this title.

''One of Gallagher's strays''. ''An History Fictionologist'', ''a threat'', ''the man with cobalt hair'', ''Kae'', ''A sweetheart of a person, that's what he is'', ''such a kind young man'', and any nickname his friends might give to him are not his identities either, despite being a part of him.

In truth... Gallagher possibly went through many loophopes to make sure that ''Kaeya'' would never cease existing. Once he successfully taught ''Kaeya'' how to be a ''being'', half of the work was already done- for ''beings'' of the Enigmata are in the fogged uncertainty of a lost existence, made of mystery themselves. 

''Kaeya'' being perceived as ''Kaeya Alberich'' goes further from the truth while inching a bit closer to it, but not quite: because Kaeya Alberich was another man entirely with an entirely different mannerism and personality, having long since perished. He acts nothing like the old Kaeya Alberich despite donning his skin, his eyes, his hair. It's a comfortable suit to mask himself in.

You cannot say that, after going through so many hurdles to keep him alive, Gallagher doesn't care about him. There's the emptiness and melancholy that comes from being an entity in a crowd of real people- but this is a thought that disappears once ''Kaeya'' is with friends, the people who made him feel more human, loved, and perceived without it being a dangerous thing.

[haeresys-realm]

Sorry not sorry, some criticism again.

https://youtu.be/5hZM3M2dMgY?si=jbR1ka3-SLwy56bV – to all such reactions I want to answer this. –

My mind never changed. It is absolutely unnatural to show such arrogant self-assured motherfucker and then say he's a little wretched baby come show us a pity and give us your money, NO. It doesn't work this way, hoyo. If the character behaves himself as a selfish fucker I will never believe he's so poor thing to feel compassion. Whatever story you show after absolutely inappropriate behavior. We always read and see he's not a pleasant person, but an insolent narcissistic boy who talks too imbudent and familiarly even to the galaxys great genius. And hoyo are trying to indoctrinate us the idea that this Marty Sue, who supposedly has everything going according to plan and also has a superpower of luck like Marvel's Domino, is actually a poor and unhappy boy who has a great fear of final lose. Yes, yes, that is why they've wrote and shown us everywhere how much he does not care and how easily he perceives victory. Of course. And it's too hard, silly and obviously unpleasant to watch how some casino prince bypasses talented strategists and politicians easily as it's a slam dunk. I like that they finally gave a big-deep story development to a male character, but this tearjerker storytelling model for kids, and the story of this Marty Sue typical icon is so out of place, that I did not appreciate. As a result, judging by his appearance and some episodes, he is an interesting character, but in general - a disappointment.

A really cool hero, whose development I had to my heart, is Lesley Dean. Its a pity that we will never be allowed to play for him, and even more so as 5 * will not be released, huh. Meanwhile, this is the healthiest personality and a well-developed male character, for once, a good story that teaches a lot on his part. The fucking typical drama that he should disappear at the end, but in general not entirely corny and very beautiful. One of the few stories Im grateful for.

And the most charismatic man whose supremacy even I could respect is Jing Yuan. It's a pity they always tries to belittle his ruler and battle skills while comparing with some ladies. Very unpleasant moment.

AND. I must say something else to explain my Impression about his insolent way. You know, in English I really liked how him and Ratio talks. BUT. In Russian Avanturine always uses the familiar way to address to his comrade while Ratio uses the polite one. It's obviously stupid way that makes an impression as if Avanturine is something much higher than him which is definitely nit true. So, I must ask you, if you know how it was in original, could you please answer was it true or the fail of our localisation?

[punishing-eden]

Thoughts on the Latest Archon Quest...

Aka why Neuvillette is the best boy, a stan's Essay...

⚠️MAJOR SPOILERS FOR ARCHON QUESTS AND STORY QUESTS⚠️

>>>TDLR at the end

Tags: Rambling, long post, not really an essay, but just want to say a few things, idk will this make sense, I can't write essays this just a word vomit.

Please note that this is just MY opinion. I am not here to slander, theory craft, or be in an argument. I just want to give my two cents and thoughts about this game and the story.

══════════════════

I have recently got back to Genshin mainly due to Furina. I actually like everything about her, from her colours to her characterisation. The lastest Archon Quest solidifies her as one of my favourite Genshin characters.

Firstly, I want to talk about Fontaine's plotline as a whole, how everything ties up together on the end. Then, why I find Neuvillette such an endearing character through out the arc.

Previously, after going through Sumeru's Archon Quest, which; I find it more enjoyable and better written than Inazuma's arc, I had expressed my concerns regarding the AQ's plotlines in the Hoyo survey.

This concern feels a bit silly to type it out now after the fact, but during that time, at least to me, it felt like a main concern.

The main concern was about the over all theme of AQs: the people vs Archon. I fear that it would be overly used and recycled. That, it might get predictable, and what's the point of me continuing the quest if the story is basically, help people accept the archon, or help the archon accept the people.

In otherwords, if each nation has a unique crisis of their own, I personally would find it more engaging to continue and see.

In general, Fontaine did not disappoint.

Firstly, I want to say, I enjoy watching Tartaglia getting yeeted. Lol.

As for the story, I think the pacing improved, although there are still some areas in the story that I think could be better. For instance the Fotress of Meropide arc, and the Spina arc. But, I think it has improved in terms of linking the events and foreshadowing something bigger for the grand finale at the last act.

Not to mention, the AQ seems to finally address, or acknowledge the anomlies of Teyvat, like the Descenders, Skirk, and a bit about Celestia.

It's not a lot, but enough for me to be satisfy. Because, in the past, these lore bits are just crumbs. And, now it feels like the actual agency/story is moving forward to something.

As for the story itself, I like the concept of the prophecy. For some reason, it reminds me of Noah's Ark with the flooding, punishment, and the flying ship in Meropide.

The prophecy aspect feels unique. Paired it with Furina, the archon who we all perceive as a stereotypical Marie-Antoinette-quese, and dramatic personality, to be incompetent in the time of crisis. I was at the edge of my seat to see how can she solve this problem.

People might say, "Well, the traveller is going to help her, of course!" which brings me to my next point.

For once, the traveller feels powerless. A stark contrast to the usual, "Only the traveller can do this.", or "The traveller is so strong they can bring an end to this.", and I think this makes the stakes higher, more exciting.

Heck, most of the cut scenes show how the casts were the ones who take initiative to solve problems. Like, Clorinde and Wriothesley at Meropide, or Navia saving the traveller when the clockwork meka went haywire.

Overall the story felt like a roller coaster of emotions, packed with tension, mystery, and drama. The last act was just so bittersweet for me.

I love the moments between Focalor and Neuvillette. I think it kind of shows how much connection they both had through out those 400 years.

Also, Focalor is really pretty!!!!??? Like, can this be a skin option?!

In regards to Neuvillette, I am not here to do an expert character analysis, but to kind of just tell you how I interpret Neuvillette's character, and in what aspect did I enjoy him the most in the role of the story.

Do note that I play in the Japanese voice over, so the characterisation and interpretation is different than the English voice over.

What I like the most about Neuvillette might be the fact, how simple his character is. If I were to boil down Neuvillette's core character it would simply be: benevolent.

His character is of a benevolent Hydro Dragon (I don't know can this statement be use to describe to his past self.) Not only to Melsuines, or to other people in general, but I also think it is how he sees the world.

Such as, his relationship with Furina, I actually think he's being very patient with her (Save for the trial, because everyone was desperate at that point). The time when he was ask how he would 'hunt' his 'prey', Neuvillette states he would use the most gentlest way as possible. Visiting Callas's grave after being confronted by Navia. Heck, this guy even goes out of his way to make the small talk just to not let Paimon feel awkward.

Despite how simple his characterisation is, it is also complex in a sense. In his SQ, we get to see how Neuvillette has his own concerns and issues settling in Fontaine. And, it is not soley his benevolence that is causing him the issue, rather, it was the circumstances that happened in the past, and how he interpreted the whole situtation and it's aftermath. I think the SQ did a good job in showing how complex he can get, if given the right conflict and situtation. *cough cough* we will not talk about a certain SQ *cough*

I think the narration for his SQ did a good job in focusing on Neuvillette as a character, and the emotional side of him. I might be a little empathetic, with the cut scene and the information we learned, I was able to connect with Neuvillette emotionally by how well the cut scene wrapped up the story. I felt the melancholy and bittersweetness.

Whereas for Wriothesley's SQ, just to compare, it was interesting to say the least. But, I couldn't connect with him in an emotional level as I did with Neuvillette. And, I think if the Devs could just show a bit more vulnerability of Wriothesley's character (his past is the most interesting part about him.) it would be a better connection with the character, instead of info dumping about his past in the most anti-climatic way.

I actually really enjoy Neuvillette's and Furina's relationship. As I said before, I find Neuvillette being extremely patient with Furina with her antics, despite he sometimes make comments on how she handle things, I still think he holds Furina close (Not in shipping way), after all it was her that gave him a place in Fontaine.

The part where Neuvillette finally meets Focalor, and knowing what was being set in stone; Neuvillette will regain all his original powers to end the crisis, and Focalor getting guillotined to get rid of the heaven principle's influence on Fontaine (I think Focalor is the only one, by far, was able to actually spite Celestia). That scene, I find, moving, and it really shook me, especially when Neuvillette made this expression:

He might not be the most expressive character, but...gosh that expression conveys so much of his emotions.

My interpretations is: I don't think Neuvillette wanted Focalor to sacrifice herself, and felt there could be another way. There are so many things he wanted to say to her, and to even ask her.

But alas, he never got a chance to before Focalor was guillotined.

The more I write about this particular scene, the more questions and new possible interpretation comes to mind:

Why did Neuvillette feel upset when Focalor executed herself? If, essentially, she's a different "person" to Furina. Could this mean, regardless of Focalor and Furina, he still sees them both as one entity?

Who, or what, is he grieving (I interpret him as griefing in the admist of powering up) for? Was he grieving because he felt sympathy for what Furina and Focalor had to do?

To be honest, I don't know, so I can't conclude an opinion. Maybe when he got a second act to his SQ, it could provide more insight for me to have an opinion.

But for now, I believe everything Neuvillette does comes from a good place in his heart even if it doesn't seem like it at the beginning. He could have got his power up and simply reclaim Fontaine and not care about the people, like Apep, but he didn't and chose to fillful Focalor's wishes. Even so, he still worries about Furina's well being after the fact.

After all that has been said of my impression of Neuvillette, I find his benevolence, and his lack of conventional human expression very endearing. I also enjoy how we began to gradually see him become more expressive. I enjoyed his relationship with Furina because they are kinda like a set, in my opinion, like a dynamic duo type of characters.

That being said, I hope the devs can continue with their good work, and I am excited to see what the Teyvat journey ahead would be like.

>>>

TLDR: Teyvat's Fontaine arc is nicely written. It has showcase improvements in regards of the overall story telling of the Archon Quests, such as pacing, flow, and themes. Although, there were a few parts of the story that I feel could have been done better.

It's nice that the story also finally addressed the anomalies of the Teyvat world (as they play a much bigger part), thus giving more information to the lore, and help to bring agency back to the main story.

In my opinion, Neuvillette is a greatly written character, and I enjoy his character throughout the Archon Quests. In my character study/writing perspective, Neuvillette's characteration, I find, is very interesting, and I couldn't wait to see more of his character in the future.

Thank you for reading of you made it this far!

[monards]

(I've just had Normal thoughts brewing for so long with nowhere to spew them I've thought about rhinedottir Genshin impact a normal amount) but another Bedtime story my brain tells me is where Alice sets up a surprise reunion because Rhine at her core is a loving mother, but mental issues and abyssal corruption warped her to slowly become colder towards Albedo until she left him. BUT!!! months later she showed up in front of Alice crying because she just now processed she pushed her human son out of her life and (after being like "I know😐 I had to take that broken child in😐") Alice finds a way to bring them together again (usually my brain says it's set up as her coming to see Klee). Rhinedottir was going to play it cool and try to keep her emotions controlled while she apologized, but Albedo was so shocked to see her again that he calls her mom while crying. The last time he called her that was when he first learned to speak, so hearing it now just breaks her. It ends with both crying and hugging each other because they deserve some familial love

Anon. i fear to tell you. these are not normal thoughts (sitll love them though.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! as much as they've ruined my night and mad eme cry!!!!!!!!!!!!)

I always sort of imagined that Rhine was still pretty emotionally distant when khaneri'ah wasn't. gone. mostly because of how the culture there seemed to be,,, but thinking about this too…. the buildup would've been. insane. OUGHJSHHSIOO THIHIS IS KILLING ME. RHINEEEEEEEEEEE

I think it isn't acknowledged enough that Rhine DID seem to be good (at some point) at the beginning,, because as much as we can take into account the fact that most her kids don't perceive things normally; I doubt literally all of them (besides dorian. because he's a unique case. LMAO) would be so enamored with her as their mother/creator IF she hadn't been a loving mother at one point or another, or in atleast one aspect..,,, which is why she is most certainly fucked up after seeing half of those guys die. there's most certianly something, deep in her heart!!! you are so right!!!!!!!!!!! I appreciate the idea of Alice of all people being the one to facillitate it sooo mmuch,,,,, alice's character is built sosoo well on the idea of family and compassion... after chastising her for being a deadbeat mother,, i doubt she'd let the chance for her to plan this slip by (ESPECIALLY considering the fact albedo is so obviously keen on seeing her again) its just auguhhhhhh... they are such a little family and they make me ill.

Thisss would actually be. so fucked up in my head. because albedo would be the first of pretty much all her children who she'd see after sending out. Elynas, durin, even the unicorn who's mentioned once,, all just either died or vanished after Rhinedottir set them off (not including riftwolves bc those mfs were an accident.) ,,, imagine how bittersweet it'd be to see your last remaining son alive. and better than before. OUGH Albedo was taughtt sooo much about family and love in mondstadt,, and I swear I've made a post before on how he'd obviously realize at SOME point that rhine wasn't really completely horrible, as mean and strict as he was... annd oughhh him seeing her again... after so longn.... they hurt me. they both hurt me so much. I think. i think that if albedo called her mom I would tear in half. because the wayy hoyo keeps using the mother narrative in this game has already teared my emotional state to bits... and albedo calling the great sinnner..... gold... rhinedottir his mother. i'd throw up. everywhere. the most evil women on the planet but he's still her mother. OAUUGHHHHHHHHHHHH

i hope you know these asks are making me. so incredibly sick. I love them. THankyou.

[alloganes]

miscellaneous murata notes. because i do not trust hyv

first and foremost, murata is not pale. do not trust or perceive whatever white woman hoyo is going to put out. murata's ethnicity is analogous to that of the mēxihcah people, who were an ethnic group present in the mexica empire. similar to the depictions of the children of murata in the webcomic, murata has darker skin and red hair.

she's also genderfluid and goes by all pronouns. they can change their form into whatever they please and although they tend to present androgynously anyways, they can present either masculine or feminine. they tend to use he/they pronouns when presenting masculinely and she/they pronouns when presenting femininely, but really, they do not care.

their true form is a dragon similar to a deity named quetzalcoatal and several of their draconic features shine through to their human form. her nails are pointed, she has longer and sharper canines and lateral incisors, and some parts of her hair can easily be described as feather-like.

wasn’t always affiliated with war. they were, however, always at the side of the first god of war and always fought by his side in combat. prior to ascending to the role of pyro archon, murata was a god of life. although they were a fearsome foe, they were highly valued on the battlefield for saving and preserving the lives of their soldiers. additionally, he was seen as the patron god of priests.

he has several titles attributed to his name. to his people, his official title is the huēyi tlahtoān. his gnostic name is eligos. otherwise, he is known as the god of war, the god of victory, the pyro archon, and the feathered serpent.

i am really toying with the idea that murata has full presidence over the capital of natlan and that the capital is a neutral ground for the nation. there are strict laws of war in the nation and the capital is absolutely off limits for any sort of battle. also toying around with murata's throne perhaps being up for grabs for anyone capable of defeating him, but so far, nobody has come close.

aside from their status as god of war and victory, murata is also seen as a god of agriculture, medicine, and astronomy in their nation. astronomy in particular is a great field of study in natlan and that's primarily thanks to murata.

[celestial-narwhal]

*walks in and sits down with a beer*

SO, I have a question, Mun. You don't have to answer this if it ruins anything but...

Is Luocha like an emanator for yaoshi? Does this mean that this is some Romeo and Juliet thing? But like, they hate each other?

*Cracks open a cold one right next to you and manspreads*

WELL I am so glad you asked, Anon! :] Thank you for your question!

For me personally, #ThornsofTheAbyss Luocha is most definitely an Emanator of the Abundance. His visage is far too uncanny of an resemblance to Yaoshi and his powers mimic theirs way too much for me to think otherwise. That, and when you get the achievement "Coffin Dancer," you can see he is looking out at the Ambrosial Arbor, talking to it. (Putting the rest under a read more cause I blabbed too much :()

I also love the hc that the Rating Pistol in Herta's station cannot rate Emanators, which is why some characters get an error; including Luocha. If Hoyo decides he is not an Emanator, then I simply will not perceive™ because he's my barbie now smh /lh

Despite being an Emanator of Abundance, however, Luocha does not worship Yaoshi. My version of him holds too much contempt for the divine to ever do anything like that, as explained in this hc post. Luckily for him, you do not have to place your faith in an Aeon in order to become an Emanator, as Aha shows with their methods of choosing. I believe Yaoshi and Luocha have a transactional relationship, as blasphemous a thought as that is. They are using each other. On a later date, I'll explain what exactly that transaction is for my muse of him!

So- yes. On the outside, it is sort of a "forbidden" relationship, however, both Willow's Jing Yuan and my Luocha don't really place their faith in their respective Aeons. They really care not for the gazes they've drawn nor their opinions, which is why they are.. well, fucking around and finding out. Both of them are wise enough to know that the Aeons are far too lofty to really care about who either is, well, having a right dalliance with.

As for #PrayerofTheAbyssFlower Luocha... honestly, I don't know! I'll probably play it out by ear as I get more into playing him, but he is genuinely just a harmless guy, despite having the same mannerisms and bad habits as Thorns Luocha. He's just... quirky like that. I'll probably lean more towards yes on being an Emanator too for him, because you can also just be a guy™ but also drawn the gaze of an Aeon. It all depends on whichever situation I find more humorous :D

[a-dinosaur-a-day]

Micronisus gabar

By Lip Kee, CC BY-SA 2.0 

Etymology: Small Sparrowhawk

First Described By: Gray, 1840

Classification: Dinosauromorpha, Dinosauriformes, Dracohors, Dinosauria, Saurischia, Eusaurischia, Theropoda, Neotheropoda, Averostra, Tetanurae, Orionides, Avetheropoda, Coelurosauria, Tyrannoraptora, Maniraptoromorpha, Maniraptoriformes, Maniraptora, Pennaraptora, Paraves, Eumaniraptora, Averaptora, Avialae, Euavialae, Avebrevicauda, Pygostaylia, Ornithothoraces, Euornithes, Ornithuromorpha, Ornithurae, Neornithes, Neognathae, Neoaves, Inopinaves, Telluraves, Afroaves, Accipitrimorphae, Accipitriformes, Accipitridae, Melieraxinae

Status: Extant, Least Concern

Time and Place: 10,000 years ago, in the Holocene of the Quaternary 

The Gabar Goshawk is known from most of sub-Saharan Africa, apart from the densest rainforest 

Physical Description: Gabar Goshawks are small birds of prey, coming in two main morphs of colors - some are dark all over, with dark banding on their tails; while others are grey, with that same dark banding on its tail. The females are larger than the males, and they range between 28 and 36 centimeters long. Their feet have long claws and are orange, and they have short, curved beaks that are orange with black tips. So, in a lot of ways, they are somewhat Halloween themed birds of prey! The sexes tend to look the same. They also have white patches on their wings, most of the time. The juveniles tend to be brown, with streaks across their chests.

Diet: Gabar Goshawks feed mainly on other birds! Primarily, small birds such as guineafowl, coucals, and francolins. They also eat small reptiles and some small mammals - including bats! 

By Bernard DuPont, CC By-SA 2.0 

Behavior: The Gabar Goshawks will spend a decent amount of time actively pursuing prey, diving through the air to catch the flighted animals after which it chases. It will sometimes also wait in trees, or go into nests in order to get food - taking dozens of animals from sites at a time and bringing them back to their nests. It will hunt mainly in places of cover, sometimes in pairs, and sometimes with the help of falcons. They’ll tear into nests, grabbing whatever they can to devour the food inside. They are fairly silent birds, only making piping noises from perches when displaying to each other. These piping calls will also be made when feeding young - and when the young are asking for food.

Gabar Goshawks don’t migrate, but they do tend to move locally based on the dry season, and juveniles are a little nomadic and move in response to food. They tend to lay eggs at the end of the dry season, sometimes even breeding twice a year. The couple will do circles in the air around each other, and call to each other as a part of their mating rituals. They build nests together out of sticks in thorny trees, using earth and rootlets to bind the nest together. These nests are usually quite high off of the ground, and they’ll even have intentional spiderwebs on top to conceal the eggs. Two eggs are usually laid, and incubated for a little more than a month by the female; the male will help bring her food. The chicks are very white and fluffy, growing less and less white as they age. They fledge after another month or so, and tend to become more independent at that point. 

By Lip Kee, CC BY-SA 2.0 

Ecosystem: As indicated by their distribution, Gabar Goshawks live primarily in open thorn savannah and in some more open woodland habitats. They are preyed upon by tawny eagles, Wahlberg’s Eagle, and Ayres’ Hawk-Eagle.

Other: Thankfully, Gabar Goshawks are not threatened with extinction. They are common and widespread in a grand variety of habitats. Their range is even expanding, and in recent years they’ve been found in new locations outside of their natural range. There are some places where they are scarce, but by and large they are very common. They are brave birds, colonizing urban areas, though they are sometimes hunted by people due to being perceived as a threat (though they’re too small to be a problem for poultry!)

~ By Meig Dickson

Sources Under the Cut 

Jobling, J. A. 2010. The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names. Christopher Helm Publishing, A&C Black Publishers Ltd, London.

Kemp, A.C. & Kirwan, G.M. (2019). Gabar Goshawk (Micronisus gabar). In: del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A., Sargatal, J., Christie, D.A. & de Juana, E. (eds.). Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona.  

[swifterm]

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Revenue in the Cigars segment amounts to US$9,622.1m in 2021. The market is expected to grow annually by 1.35% (CAGR 2021-2025).

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Cigars are finally growing in popularity among young consumers in many countries, marking a reversal of a decades-long trend in the opposite direction.

Experts attribute this growth to a variety of factors, such as higher taxes associated with conventional cigarettes driving consumers towards alternatives such as cigars. Many cigar companies are also beginning to market towards women and other demographics that they have traditionally avoided, further driving demand.

Many e-commerce merchants who sell regulated products like premium cigars or loose tobacco products shy away because it is perceived difficulty of processing high-risk processing transactions, specifically hearing horror stories from other merchants of how their accounts were frozen or shut down by payments gateways. Many cigar retailers selling online are particularly keen on specific features like abandoned cart recovery, automated taxes based on customer location, and shipping options to squeeze the most profits out of your business as you can.

Another favourite function is product variation; many cigar buyers like to buy in small packs, like 3 or 5 packs with some variety in each package. This requires sophisticated purpose built software especially for personalised marketing. This is possible by using by Using SwiftERM, which personalises product selection for email marketing. Offering exactly the right products to each individual consumer automatically by using a predictive analytics algorithm for each individual registered to buy online from you.

The Corporates:

Imperial Brands plc. England, UK

Stock ticker: IMP Market cap: $19.76 billion Revenue: $34 billion

Net income: $1.62 billion Imperial Brands plc, formerly known as Imperial Tobacco Group plc, is by far the largest manufacturer of cigars in the world. main brands are Davidoff, Gauloises Blondes, JPS, West, Fine, News, Winston, Bastos, Lambert & Butler and Parker & Simpson. The company’s key markets are the Unites States (US), Germany, Australia, Spain and the UK. https://www.davidofflondon.com

Altadis USA, simply a subsidiary of Imperial Brands, owns over half of the entire United States’ Cuban cigar market. Imperial Brands also owns hundreds of other notable cigar brands through its many various subsidiaries. Perhaps the greatest reason for the difference between Imperial Brands’ cigars sales and every other company on this list is their presence and exposure to the wider tobacco industry.

While many other large cigar companies focus just on cigars, Imperial Brands actually generates most of its revenue through cigarettes and then uses those sales to subsidize its cigar business. The company’s presence in the cigarette industry also allows it to purchase tobacco in greater bulk, build more factories, and build relationships with more distributors around the world. Some of Imperial Brands’ best-selling cigar brands include Montecristo, Trinidad, and Romeo y Julieta.

Scandinavian Tobacco Group. Copenhagen, Denmark

Stock ticker: DKK Market cap: $11.68 billion Revenue: $1.8 billion Net Income: $342 million

Scandinavian Tobacco Group is a manufacturer of cigars and pipe tobacco that owns many of the top-selling cigar brands in the world.

The company sells over three billion cigars each year and possesses a massive cigar brand portfolio of over 200 different products, including well-known names such as Cohiba, CAO, and Macanudo.

General Cigar Company. Richmond, Virginia

Stock ticker: PM Market cap: $134.12 billion Revenue: $79.82 billion Net Income: $7.91 billion

General Cigar Company, a subsidiary of Scandivanian Tobacco Group, is the world’s largest manufacturer of premium cigars.

Although founded in 1901, the company first saw widespread success in the United States when it acquired Gradiaz Annis and gained access to the Macanudo brand, which was and remains one of the top-selling cigar brands in the country.

The company also owns the Ramon Allones, CAO, and Cohiba brands, which all rank among the best-selling premium cigar brands.

The Retailers:

There big three highly respected cigar retailers in the UK are James J. Fox, Davidoff and C-Gars.

James J. Fox have been trading in fine tobacco and smokers’ accessories from 19 St James’s Street since 1787 and our customers have included discriminating smokers from all walks of life – from commoners to kings. Among them have been Sir Winston Churchill, Oscar Wilde, British and Foreign Royalty, the officer’s mess of famous British regiments, and the leading lights of the stage and film, https://www.jjfox.co.uk

Naturally for one not quite so established, Davidoff, who are also in St, James, London, prefer to emphasise their product, rather than heritage. “Traditional blending was not as complex as it is today. One or two tobaccos were rolled into a cylinder, without much complexity at all. During the last 20 years we began developing varieties and new tobaccos, which set us apart as craftsmen of exclusive cigars.

Davidoff is active in 15 different tobacco areas which can each produce 4 different grades of tobacco. This means that when we select these tobaccos for the filler, binder and wrapper, we theoretically have 216,000 possible combinations to choose from. If the filler contains more than one tobacco, this number is even significantly higher.” https://www.davidofflondon.com

The third notable player is C-Gars who, to their credit, got on the commerce bandwagon exceptionally early. Instead of assuming the leisurely noblesse oblige usualy associated with relaxed ambience of cigar smoking, they adopted a more pragmatic approach, more familiar to grocery retailer. The obvious distinction being an inference of competitiveness on pricing, reflected in the success their turnover suggests.  They kindly publish a list of places you can relax and enjoy a cigar here: https://www.cgarsltd.co.uk/where-smoke-the-a-224.html

There are a few more that we personally admire, including Cigars of Cuba in Aberystwyth https://www.cigarsofcuba.co.uk, My Smoking Shop of Preston https://www.mysmokingshop.co.uk and Simply Cigars https://www.simplycigars.co.uk website pictured below. Other names of note include Havana House https://www.havanahouse.co.uk, The Cigar Club https://www.cigar-club.com and Gauntleys https://cigars.gauntleys.com

According to Conviencestore.co.uk Cigars remain a vital money-spinner for the convenience sector. With more than 260 million cigars sold in the UK annually and the market worth just shy of £200m in annual sales, cigars can also generate about three times as much margin as traditional cigarettes.

A full lists of AITS member is available here: https://aits.co.uk/find-a-tobacconist/

The Top Selling Brands:

Montecristo No 2. Cuba. …

Partagas Serie D No 4. Cuba. …

Montecristo No 5. Cuba. …

Romeo Y Julieta No 2. Cuba. …

Cohiba Siglo I. Cuba. …

Hoyo De Monterrey Epicure No 2. Cuba. …

Montecristo Petit Tubos. Cuba. …

Punch Petit Coronation. Cuba. Like Hoyo…

Premium cigars are rolled by hand using whole tobacco leaves, ensuring the smoker has a pure experience. The quality of tobacco also determines whether a cigar is considered premium. Cuban cigars are world-famous; Cuba’s best tobacco comes from the Pinar del Rio region.

We hope you enjoyed this article, intended to help improve our client’s profitability. It reflects the care SwiftERM offer. If you haven’t already done so, then please enjoy a FREE month’s trial and let us know what you think.

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