#and he still looks so white. which I mean is a theme in genshin I guess but like Explore tagged Tumblr posts

[mistspirals]

Ok but what if... what if he was wet though...

My art - Do not repost/use without permission, do NOT use for AI "art".

[mossy-green-aka-ferrythem]

I like. Have not played a single Hoyo game so it is quite shocking to see people take deeper looks into the games and their themes to uncover just how DEEPLY racist Hoyoverse is.

When I say racist I mean like. Painting this fantasy, ideal, "aesthetic" world that only wears the face of multiculturalism, while explicitly making it so all the heroes and good characters are white, while making the enemy characters typically with a darker shade of skin. Like just. In fucking Genshin. Look at the Hilichurls. They've literally got pitch black skin and masks, and despite having their own culture, are constantly and consistently treated nothing more as "pests". Like just. I swear to god there are so many "Hilichurl" like examples of weaving weird racism into video game enemies in the wider media sphere, but I digress.

What really gets me is like. I saw some shit from fucking Honkai or whatever where there is an entire character who was born black, but bleached her skin out of shame. Like. What. Also this is all second hand, so forgive me for getting details wrong, but doesn't she just. Keep hating herself for her skin color and her heritage? Also the way her mother is drawn is just like. Somehow both a racist and transphobic caricature rolled into one. Like they illustrated her in a way that doesn't feel done in good taste. It fees like they want to evoke a sense of confusion and maybe disdain. Perhaps they wish for you to sympathize with the girl who bleached her own skin (???) and like. What the fuck is this writing HOW DO PEOPLE JUST NOT GIVE A FUCK ABOUT THIS??????

Also. There is of course ZZZ. The issue here is more what people have already mentioned and something I don't feel like fully relaying. Which is the sort of heavy emphasis and inspiration from Hip-Hop and Rap culture, but without any black characters actually in the setting. Ben Bigger is like. Legit the blackest character there, problem is that he ISN'T HUMAN. Like it shows that they would sooner create an anthropomorphic bear, a fantasy character, than a black character that actually displays their culture in a proud way. Not really my place to say all of this, since others have said it much better than I ever could. Last thing I would say is that the Black edits of the characters (especially Ellen Joe), make the character designs leagues better.

To cap off this messily organized tumblr post and rant, it brings me to my biggest issue: erasure. The fact that when you search up Tighnari, you only get that dogshit anime boy, hell, the issue even still persists somewhat when you specify for Al-Tighnari. I am not well read on who Tighnari is, but even skimming past a description of that man is truly breathtaking. He sounds like a very well traveled, very wise man who likely had a sizable impact on the world. Thing is. When you search up Tighnari you don't see this man anywhere. When you bring up Tighnari, it is unlikely people actually recognize who the man himself was. Instead you have this character, who's skin is as white as a sheet, actively acting like a shroud being thrown over an old cultural icon. His design has been criticized endlessly for how little it lines up, but that's not the point. The point being is that Tighnari in Genshin has uprooted knowledge of the original in the public eye. This is but one example, and doesn't even BEGIN to touch upon the absolute shitshow that is Natlan. However, people have already exhaustively described what is wrong with it so I digress there. Oh and I said I would close this out but like. Fucking Star Rail or whatever has a character with Dark Skin who has "shacklebreaker" as one of their main skills and like. This is some J.K. Rowling type racism. Like what. What the fuck?

Look what's really important here is that I am just so fucking taken aback by learning the extent of it. I always bore a minor grudge against Genshin, but the clarification, and the knowledge of how deep this shit goes... just makes me realize this. There is no longer any confusion about how this got so popular, because racism is excusable in general fandom spaces. Racism isn't considered a dealbreaker to many people, and that is the root of the issue I believe. How general online fandom communities and people as consumers are just so unbothered by racism that they will just not criticize it, pass it off as normal, and will actively engage in racist tendencies, rather than making any effort to better themselves and to be more tasteful in what they choose to support financially, and what they choose to consume.

[cometrose]

hi. i’d like to hear your take on how the other archons represent or have moon symbolism to zhongli’s sun, if you don’t mind!

in genshin there’s a lot of lore scattered around and pieces waiting to be clicked together, and your post really makes ideas go off haha

sure, im not as read up on the other archons as I am with zhongli but there is still a lot to work with

Venti

In his trailers and cutscenes (e.i Xiao) we often see Venti with the moon

You can also look into his style of archonhood and how he does not directly guide his people but rather lets them do as they want and times guides them from behind the scenes

He is not overt and direct like the sun but more subtle like the moon

This is going to be true for most of the archons but there is the fact that Venti's image is based off someone else. Venti looks like the nameless bard but that is not his true form.

Venti is a reflection of someone else, much like moon reflects the sun's light

Mondstadt literally means moon city

To others he can be very bubbly and outgoing but when he is around the traveler his calm more reserved sides come out.

Venti has connections to the god of time, Istaroth, and time one key themes of moon symbolism as the cycles and phases of the moon have been used to track time, seasons and life itself. (Did you know the phases in the spiral abyss are based off the 3 moon sisters which is why there are 3 versions of a spiral abyss before it resets?)

Ei

First look at her design and her wish. She has a dark color palette, deep purples and reds and Inazuma, specifically Tenshukaku, in the background is covered in darkness

In her domain and her trailer it is rainy, dark and thunderous

Ei's constellation, Imperatrix Umbrosa, translates to Empress of Shadows

She was literally Makoto's shadow (kagemusha)

To go further, Ei lived in the shadows of Makoto's light. The story tells us that Makoto was better at guiding humanity and understood humans much better. Makoto was the archon, Makoto was the one who was adored. Ei was the moon to Makoto's sun.

However, you could even say since Makoto and Ei are twins rather than sun and moon symbolism you could attribute Makoto and Ei to the light and dark side of the moon. Because of the way the moon rotates, from earth we only see one side of the moon at all times. Hence, Makoto was the light side of the moon that was leading Inazuma while Ei was the darker side that was never seen.

Then Ei hiding away in the plane of Euthymia for hundreds of years while her puppet ruled means that Ei once more lived in the shadow (or subconscious) of another being

Originally Raiden wished for an eternal and neverending Inazuma. She wanted nation that would not suffer from the change of time. However change, and new beginnings are signaled by the onset of dawn. Each new day begins with the sun rising so by yearning for an "Eternal Inazuma" it was a nation that never saw a new day or was always stuck in night.

Even though the war is over and she can freely mingle with her people Ei is rather reserved and prefers to keep to herself

Nahida

Nahida has very direct moon symbolism.

Nahida directly refers to herself as the moon in Act II of the Sumeru Archon Quest and throughout the entire questline as a whole.

Similar to all of the other archons, Nahida is trapped in the shadows of Rukkhadevata.

Nobody cared for Nahida because Rukkha's glory and wisdom outshone her in every way (plus she was locked up in jail) even Nahida herself believed Rukkha was more shining and brilliant than her.

She even says in Act II after learning the sages have been acting behind her back that "In the end, I'm just the Moon. The real Sun is long gone."

Nahida's abilities and symbols are dreams, sleep and illusions. All of which are all connected to the moon and the night.

Nahida's character design. She is very white, and pale like the face of the moon. She looks like just a younger version of Rukkhadevata.

Although, Nahida comes to understand that she does not have to be like Rukkha or any other archon to be a good archon-she still has a long way to go. She is still a "small light" in Sumeru and it will take some time before she can shine as brightly as Rukkhadevata once did

Her wish looks like a big old moon doesn't it?

Furina

Furina much like the others lives in the shadow of not only Focalors but indirectly Egeria

She is constantly trying to live up the glory of her predecessor (Egeria) but also the other archons.

Furina was forced to be in the spotlight. She shines brightly and strongly but that is not her own light. She is using the title as god and archon to be something she is not. In a sense, giving off light that isn't hers but merely reflecting the light of Focalors.

Just in basic symbolism, oceans, waves and tides are all usually connected to the moon, so the god of water is going to be connected to the moon.

Furina's "true" form her Ousia form which is dark and black in color while her "fake" form her Pneuma form is white and bright.

Furina had no real power and to save Fontaine true divinity and power had to come from the original source (Focalors and ultimately Neuvillette)

Her true self lived in the shadows of the "Hydro Archon". Her true identity was a mystery until the trial.

When Furina leaves the spotlight and the curtains close and the lights dim was she finally able to be herself.

For example even when Arlecchino ambushes Furina it occurs in the dead of night when she assumes nobody is watching her anymore and she's allowed to be free for just a moment.

Furina's power and authority came from "others". She acted like an archon so we believed she was an archon. Much like how the moon "looks" like it produces light but really the light comes from the sun.

Furina is haughty and gaudy as an archon but as a human she far more relaxed and easy going. She doesn't have the striking confidence and dominance of the sun but a more gentle and refreshing aura to her.

Furina’s true light and beauty is when she can be herself or on the stage as a performer when she is no longer trying to be something she is not she because far more special.

A big part of why most of the archons have moon symbolism is simply because they are 1) not the original archon or 2) derive a significant portion of their life, legacy and or goals from someone else. In their lives there was a person who was the center of their life -their "sun". Whether or not the knew the person depends but these archons either embodied or idolized their ideals and appearance. As in they derived their light from someone else. Zhongli avoids this cause he doesn’t have a “twin” and he’s an original archon.

Character development and story progression have changed these characters appear and their respective symbols but I think you can safely argue that most of the archons have more ties to the moon than the sun.

The only exception I really see is Zhongli (you could argue Venti too sometimes) and the Pyro Archon due to the connections between flames and the sun.

But the Tsaritsa, on the other hand is very likely to have lots of moon symbolism. The only time we see her palace is in the dark of night, she's always commanding the Fatui to carry out her plans in secret, cryo -> ice -> winter -> dark -> night -> moon, plus the moon is tied to themes of romance and love she is the goddess of love etc. We can do this all day.

Nonetheless, moon symbolism connects to a multitude of themes such as femininity, shadows, time, darkness, eternity and renewal, love and mystery, divinity and gentleness etc. Many of these concepts appear in our archons and their storylines.

So of the archons we know Zhongli is the most sun-orientated (masculinity, power, strength, passion, clarity and knowledge, life etc) so far. It’s not like sun and moon traits don’t overlap so you’ll definitely see these characters embody different ideals but in my mind most of the archons represent the moon.

[shera-dnd]

I try not to be negative here. Like there's just too much negativity in this webbed site as is and I don't wanna add on to it

BUT god it's so hard not to shit on Mihoyo's character designs

Like I could write a whole fucking essay on why Yae Miko maybe has the ONLY good character design in Inazuma, and how Kokomi's and Raiden's designs are an affront to character design

Not to mention how much I could dunk on how pasty white the entirety of their fantasy India is

...but that would take like an ungodly amount of words and effort and ranting, and like I said I wanna keep negativity to a minimum

so instead I'm gonna do a little "bulk dunk" and go for the entirety of HSR in one go

quick disclaimer that I still play and enjoy these games and Jingliu has me by the balls no matter how painfully boring her character design actually is

ALRIGHT LET'S GO!

I guess it goes without saying that the design of any character in a gacha game is created with only a single thought in mind and that is: MASS MARKET APPEAL!

Which means the characters are meant to be PRETTY and their designs are meant for immediate appeal, not to actually inform the character

This results in some...weirdness

Like the fact that the Natasha (girl on the left) raised Seele (girl on the right) from childhood and used to run an orphanage, meaning she's much MUCH older than Seele, even tho they look about the same age

Okay Nat does look a little older, but no one is allowed to look old in this game

Something that becomes extra clear with

Serval! Who you'd be forgiven for thinking is a young adult playing for a rock band, and not a middle aged disgraced scientist who used to be in a rock band.

And yeah she's supposed to be AT LEAST in her 30s, because girl is the same age as Cocolia and that woman is a mother to an adult woman by the time we meet her

Oh and speaking of Nat and Serval, you've now seen 2/3s of all characters with ANY FORM OF BLEMISHES ON THEIR SKIN!

Nat has a spot on her chin, and Serval has a tattoo on her hip

Last one is Arlan

My man has the only two scars in this whole ass video game. He's also the only dark skinned character. He follows a pattern set by Xinyan and Dehya in Genshin, by being dark skin rep, carrying a big sword, and sucking absolute ass

But okay these characters are pretty, but there's nothing wrong with keeping characters pretty. Well, there is when their prettiness goes against what their character is supposed to be

So Belobog's story is one of class struggle in a military state that is holding back a never ending catastrophe. The entire population of the world is just one big walled city holding back the cold.

In it the rich and powerful live in the Overworld, where they have museums and theaters and grand statues, and a massive building from which their rulers can pass judgement.

The Underworld is mostly just a giant fucking mine where the lower class people are forced to work 24/7 in order to get food and medicine from the Overworld in the hopes that they'll keep surviving.

Underworld characters are survivors who have been struggling every day of their lives and have NEVER SEEN SUNLIGHT BEFORE

Yeah guys I can really get hardworking survivor from these two

But I mean that is just ONE planet, it can't be a thing for EVERY world, right? ...right?

So the Xianzhou Luofu is... a lot. Like it would take a long time to explain everything that is up with those guys, but the big themes here are stuff around chronic illness, memories, PTSD, war time trauma, and a whole bunch of stuff about aging

Like here are two characters who are veterans of war. One is constantly overwhelmed by her own traumatic memories, causing her to go into violent dissociative episodes.

The other one lost her copilot/best friend/rival/love of her life (YOU CANNOT CONVINCE ME SHE ISN'T GAY, MIHOYO) in battle, and the trauma of that loss has left her terrified of flying again, living the rest of her life in the shadow of this one monumental event

...yeah I don't see it either

But hey don't worry, this game believes in gender equality, and that means the men are also just very pretty and very boring

Like the Luofu's messiest polycule, who are all millennia old pretty boys made with the sole purpose of making the straight women in the fanbase call them "daddy"

Well at least Blade has spider lily symbolism, which is like always a plus for me

Okay

That's it

That's all the dunking I have for HSR. I exorcised the angry grumpy critic from my system, and can go back to being positive and loving things again.

And I mean these games make more money than I can ever even conceptualize, so maybe I'm the one who is wrong

Oh also

Clara is perfect and objectively the best character design in this game, don't fucking @ me!

[idyllic-affections]

oooohhhhhh 🦊 is a lovely choice!

Anyways, hi ⭐ (and lio!) thanks for the questions:

Who's your favourite character?

for genshin, its without a doubt xiao. ive mostly lost interest in the game (but that obsession will probably come back in a few months stronger than ever, just give it some time to cook lol), however he still has a special place in my heart, y'know? like, i wasnt that much of a fan before i found out how fucking bad his english translation was (no offence to laila, though. she's a sweetheart i just dont think she was a good choice for him :/). i also adore his chinese VA, kinsens voice is so good!

A few honorable mentions would be: venti, zhongli, guizhong, gorou, scara, yanfei and yelan

hsr is also a very quick answer lol. its yanqing! i first found out about him from the joke that he was xiaoaether's kid, since im very fond of that ship. and even when i started playing, something about him just made me love him, and i wanted to get him as the free five star (and i did! hes my strongest character yet). to me, hes very much "some kid" but thats what i like about him, hes charming, hes cute and has alot of story potential.

honorable mentions: tingyun, serval and dan heng

obv these arent the only fandoms im in but i wasnt sure if you where asking for every single one

Cat or dog person?

Yippee, a question that wont take two paragraphs to answer! Im very much a cat person, but i have owned a few dogs in my life (rip to čupko* and hepi (his original name was 'srećko' which basically means 'happy person' (masc.) in serbian but my grandpa changed it. little me was pissed lol)

I also have a cat now, her name is jinx and shes currently napping on my windowsill<333

Why did you choose the 🐌 emoji?

ok funnily enough i was actually racking my nerves trying to chose an emoji, i remember i wanted to try the 🦭 emoji, but chose the snail bc its one one my favourite animals. and now that i think about it, a snail fits the garden theme most of us have going on lol

sorry for sending this behemoth into your askbox lol (well idk its going to look like as an ask yet), but i absolutely adore answering questions, even if im awful at asking them. so if youll humor me, ive got some question of my own:

whats the most recent book you started/bought? (mines vol. 1 of beastars, super excited to start it!) what is some of your favourite media? (shows, books, movies, etc) and whats your favourite animal? mine are axolotls :3

your truly, 🐌.

HI 🐌 ANON I ALSO HAVE A CAT NAMED JINX!!!! HELLO...... she's a black cat with a little white spot on her chest and is the sweetest cat in my house <3 and none of you ever have to apologize for sending long asks! they're always welcome.

for me, if you want the most honest answer to the most recent books i bought... the two most recent books i bought were The Reason I Jump: The Inner Voice of a Thirteen-Year-Old Boy With Autism and Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By In America for my ap english class AJDKCHKSSGJF but for a more fandom-y answer, i recently bought volume 2 of spyxfamily.

some media(s) i really enjoy. hmmm. to be honest, i haven't recently had the patience or attention span to watch a lot of new shows or read new books. so i don't have a good answer LMAO

and as for my favorite animal, i like cheetahs a lot!!!! they are so fucked over by nature and it makes me so sad sometimes. but i also like snakes, i think they're all so cool.... vipers are all so pretty. so dangerous, but so pretty. ball pythons have the cutest little faces and i cannot wait to get one of my own. i like a lot of animals i think!!!!! but those are two of the notable ones.

[hakunoluvr]

EXTREMELY LATE but i am here with starbucks (not starbucks actually but just a nice lil drink✨️) and am all cosy and ready to reread this and type out my thoughts bc >:3c TIS SIMPLY DA LYNN WAY IM SAWRYY <3

gilgamesh: I DO REMEMBER !!!!! and i am vv happy u remembered too wahh 🥺 I JUST THINK IT WOULD BE VERY NEAT! and ohhh it would hurt sm on hakuno's end <3 logically she knows that she shouldn't be because this isn't the gilgamesh she knows, but emotionally she just </3 it's tough, yknow!!! it's gonna hurt like a binch for hakuno but i see it as good development for her in the long run! AND ALSO YES PLS.. it'd be interesting to see em maybe have to do smth together- like a mission or just working together? not sure how that dynamic would turn out (BUT I AM OFC VERY EXCITED TO SEE HOW IT GOES... ✨️✨️) but i do know that even regardless of the circumstances hakuno would still look out for and want to help him in her own distant yet caring way,,,

achilles: YES ABSOLUTELYYY i want hakuno to, at first, be somewhat intrigued by achilles's dudebro-ness yknow.. it's super different from hakuno's more reserved kinda demeanor, so i think that's Neat(TM) they are both burying certain things down reaaal deep and i want em to uncover that too!!! it could also force hakuno to confront some of her own unhealthy ways of coping methinks, which would be very nice too >:3c oh and also! hakuno's also a huge History Buff from what we see in fate/extra (which is pretty ironic because she knows sm abt all of these people but nothing of herself </3) so i'm also wondering how achilles would react to somehow who'd know sm abt his story and myth 👁✨️

leonidas: LET'S GOOOOO!!! THE SILLIES.... if he asked her then she'd see no reason to refuse but also- hakuno vc would it even be possible for me to gain muscle..? /just artificial human things yknow ✨️ BUT YES ! hakuno seems like the type that's perfect for just sitting still and looking pretty and she could do just that without complaint as well orz but she's not exactly fond of it! she does like being on her feet and exploring, even if she's not exactly aware of it, so it'd be so nice if leonidas could get her to be more active in general 🥺 ALSO UM HIM MAKING SURE SHE'S NEVER LEFT OUT- WHAT IF I CRY ACTUALLY /POS she'd appreciate it sm but also she has her reasons for being so distant despite wanting to be closer to others and i just 🥹 Man

hei: me, googling hei and seeing his name is 黑 which means black while hakuno has 白 in her name which means white: 👁👄👁✨️ OKOKOK CHARLIE THAT SOUNDS FRIKKIN COOL AND I ALWAYS LOVE EXPLORING IDENTITY THEMES WITH UUU 💖💞 LET'S GO!! i also read your hei verse post and egad- that genshin one!!! hei who can take on many different identities v hakuno who lacks one of her own? hei whose solely focused on getting bai back v hakuno who has no purpose nor family? AND HELLO, THAT BIT ABT HEI WANTING TO ERASE WHO HE WAS AND MAKE THE MASK HIS NEW IDENTITY HAS ME REELINGGG we absolutely need to explore that wat da wat!!!!!!! also Yes to that genshin plot because that sounds So interesting and i'd wanna see where their dynamic could go from that!! and if they have an enemies kinda dynamic in genshin- if u do end up making a fate verse for him, how about an allies kinda dynamic for em there mayhaps ? >:3c

alhaitham: FOUND (FORCED-) FAMILY ?! okay help now i'm giggling kicking my feet losing it over that dhfksjjd BUT I THINK THAT'D BE SO FUNNN on hakuno's end- i can see her going from her usual polite and reserved demeanor to being more relaxed and possibly even playful! she might even get that sorta bratty lil sis energy sorry in advance al-haitham <3 sgjfwhdj i imagine it being annoying in a roundabout way of looking out for him too like- i can see her disturbing his reading time when it's rlly because she thinks he needs to take a break from reading sm and rest his eyes 🙏 lil stuff like that! AND GAWD I'D LOVE TO SEE EM WORK TOGETHER LIKE THAT i feel like al-haitham looks purely at the logic and rational side of things, which hakuno does too but she has a tendency of getting swept up and swayed by others' emotions if that makes sense... so honestly it'd be good for em to work together and get a more balanced and clear view of things!

qiqi: me, knowing hakuno fears forgetting and being forgotten: 👁👄👁✨️BUT YEAH WAIT THAT DESCRIPTION MAKES ME SO SADDD 😭😭😭 and gawsh it would make hakuno sad too i just know it- let em vibe together!!! it'd be so sweet methinks but also bittersweet in a way bc they're both so ??? their circumstances make me rlly sad </3 but it'd be rlly wholesome and meaningful for them to find happiness in their shared moments together 🥹 it's those lil kind of moments yknow! ALSO OH MAN I'D FEEL BAD FOR HU TAO BC WHFKJWJF IF HAKUNO FINDS OUT SHE WANTS TO BURY QIQI SHE'D BE LIKE 😐 hu tao. (Menacing) also i just randomly thought of it but hakuno would also so accompany qiqi in doing her calisthenics and i'm losing it bc IMAGINE SEEING THESE TWO EXERCISING WITH THE MOST 😐 FACES EVER WGFJEJLVEJKF PLSSS

❓️ GASP FATE OR GENSHIN MAYHAPS 😳 ?!

hakuno & gilgamesh. oh man u remember when u said about different summonings and gil being hakuno's servant in ccc? we should explore that. the whole different summonings and giving hakuno a bit of angst of that it is a gil but it's not her gil but its also still him but they have to establish a dynamic again.

hakuno & achilles. i want hakuno to see right through achi and how he's burying some things far deeper than he should be and its not healthy. to have that surface level dynamic of him dudebro-ing his way through life but also catching those hints of his grief and shame beneath. pulling on the threads a little, y'know?

hakuno & leonidas. sometimes we deserve something light-hearted and a little silly, and he wants to get hakuno involved, training and jumping around. bringing hakuno into the community, encouraging her to take part and ensuring she's never left out either.

hakuno & hei. okay but hear me out. this is genshin verse but i could also reskin him a fate verse too. but this is another charlie and lynn explore identity because omg. okay so hei basically has this whole deal that he uses his face and normal appearance as a disguise and he's only really showing his true feelings when he has his mask on (except also there's more to it than that it's more he want to erase who he was and make the mask his new identity) but in g.enshin he's using this to do undercover work for the fatui and i just think it would be neat if hakuno saw right through him. because this cheerful, pleasant server who is occasionally clumsy and has a big appetite is acting the part but his eyes are dead. and she sees that because she would. unearthing this fatui spy completely on accident (making an enemy?) and then dealing with the fallout of that.

hakuno & alhaitham. no because the more I think about the brief discussion we had of this, the more I love the concept. I need the comedy of this researcher driven to sibling antics because of the dynamic they have. I want them to have to face a problem that requires both of their skillsets to solve so he's forced to slow down and listen to her and she can see how he works. him having to learn how to work with her (not that it will stop him being him)

hakuno & qiqi. okay but someone who never had any identity, and someone who lost it all. qiqi can run into hakuno easily enough - help her escape hu tao while she's trying to pick herbs in peace and make a friend of this zombie. help her organise her notebook into a more coherent system and let her offer you medicines and share cocogoat milk with you and share odd thoughts out of nowhere.

SEND ❓ FOR PLOT IDEAS. // @nulltune

[renegadewangs]

Van Zieks - the Examination, part 12

Warnings: SPOILERS for The Great Ace Attorney: Chronicles. Additional warning for racist sentiments uttered by fictional characters (and screencaps to show these sentiments).

Disclaimer: (see Part 1 for the more detailed disclaimer.) - These posts are not meant to be taken as fact. Everything I’m outlining stems from my own views and experiences. If you believe that I’ve missed or misinterpreted something, please let me know so I can edit the post accordingly. -The purpose of these posts is an analysis, nothing more. Please do not come into these posts expecting me to either defend Barok van Zieks from haters, nor expecting me to encourage the hatred. - I’m using the Western release of The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles for these posts, but may refer to the original Japanese dialogue of Dai Gyakuten Saiban if needed to compare what’s said. This also means I’m using the localized names and localized romanization of the names to stay consistent. -It doesn’t matter one bit to me whether you like Barok van Zieks or dislike him. However, I will ask that everyone who comments refrains from attacking real, actual people.

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11

Let's bring this thing home! It's time for the conclusion of the essay series!

Conclusion With a stupidly long essay series behind us, it's time to look at what we've learned! Let's go back to Part 1 and review what we needed from Van Zieks's character development for a fully rounded redemption arc, shall we?

1) Present an antagonistic (possibly immoral) force who personifies Ryunosuke’s biggest personal obstacle/weakness, in this case racial prejudice. 2) Humanizing traits begin to show. OPTIONAL: A backstory to justify any immorality he has. 3) Over time, Barok has his realization and sees the error of his ways. 4) Barok atones for his immorality, not simply through apology but by taking decisive steps. 5) The cast around him acknowledges his efforts and forgives him.

And looking at the main game (plus additional dialogue), we have...

1) Antagonistic force:

Etc. etc. I have many of these. We can all agree that as an antagonistic force, he does his job quite well. CEO of Racism and White Privilege in the flesh. It works, since we as the audience get very frustrated and want to see him defeated.

2) Humanization:

Giving him an old friend to be a defendant was a brilliant move, really. Albert's reflection on the friendship and the person Van Zieks used to be really helped flesh him out and make him appear more like a human being with, y'know, emotions and weaknesses. The little snippets of dialogue in his office really help too. Presenting evidence can also lead to fun tidbits. All in all, considering how gruff and distant Van Zieks is, they really did their very best to humanize him. The writers were given very little to work with but they exploited every opportunity to come their way.

OPTIONAL backstory:

Again, I don't think we needed a tragic backstory to have a well-rounded, redeemable character. Still, it ties in very expertly to the game's plot and the motivations of quite a few other characters. The story of Klint van Zieks and his death isn't necessarily Barok van Zieks's backstory, it's the center of an intricate web which also holds Kazuma, Stronghart, Gregson, Jigoku, (S)Holmes, Mikotoba, Sithe, Drebber- I could go on. A LOT. So because of how very integrated it is into the main narrative's recurring themes and characters, I'll give it props for being relevant and well thought out. The bigger question is: Does it justify his immorality? Not entirely. I think the game could have gotten more out of this if they'd involved the other two exchange students in this tale just a bit more. They could have given more attention to how Jigoku's aggressive behavior in the trial impacted Van Zieks, and explained whether he might've suspected Mikotoba of sabotaging (S)Holmes's investigation. If the narrative had done that, all three Japanese people to come to London would have been ‘the bad guy’ in Van Zieks's eyes and it would have given more credence to his racial generalization. They could have also given more attention to how the people around him reacted to Genshin being the Professor, because I'm sure Stronghart and Gregson stoked the fire in terms of xenophobia. As it stands, there isn't really enough there to justify hatred of an entire race as opposed to just one person.

3) Realization/Redemption

We see him already start to realize the error of his ways around the end of 1-5, which is technically only about halfway into the full narrative. Unfortunately, thanks to 2-2 being played afterwards (but chronologically set before 1-5), any progress made in 1-5 can become invalidated in the player's eyes. Growth works best when it's done linear. Don't get me wrong, flashbacking to earlier times when a character is still more morally tainted can work well, but it needs to be executed properly. Barok's behavior in 2-2 is downright insulting towards the audience itself and therefore, it causes emotional friction when relaying the narrative endgoal of redemption. It also makes it extra jarring when we hit 2-3, and suddenly Van Zieks is meant to be relying on the protagonist's desire to expose the truth. How on earth can we as the audience trust that Van Zieks believes in Ryu's abilities when we just came fresh out of a case where this man actively sabotages Ryu's efforts?

Still, the line of redemption continues from 2-3 into 2-4 well enough. He admits that he was wrong- that his hatred was illogical and that he needs to change. This is the very definition of redemption. I need to stress once more this is not to be confused with atonement, which comes next.

4) Atonement

Here it is. It's not enough to simply acknowledge mistakes; one needs to work hard to fix them. Since Van Zieks is the defendant for two whole episodes, equaling roughly 20% of the full narrative and 67% of the time following his first true realization (chronologically), there isn't much that he can actively do to atone. Because remember, not only do these actions need to fit the situation he's currently in, they need to fit his personality. These two limitations ensure the atonement mostly takes the form of dialogue. Of apologies.

One might want to point out that he never apologizes specifically for his racism, but there's a reason for that. If you pay close attention, you'll notice that there isn't a single character who ever uses a word like “racism”, “xenophobia” or even “racial prejudice” in this game. It's for the same reason you'll never see an Ace Attorney character utter words like “alcoholism”, “drug abuse” or “depression”. These things may be implied very strongly, to the point where you'll know for certain a character is suffering from it, but it's never given these exact labels. It has to do with the tone of the game. In Great Ace Attorney's dialogue, Barok van Zieks is only ever described as holding “a deep hatred for Japanese”, which is then the only thing he could apologize for. And he does, so long as you aren't looking for a literal phrasing of “I apologize for my deep hatred of your people”.

Regardless, he can't take more active, decisive action until he's freed from prison and two scenes with Van Zieks later, the game has ended. He still manages to take two actions, though! The first is to publicize the truth of the Professor, taking the blame of the mass murders off Genshin's shoulders (and losing his own privilege in the process). The second is to take Kazuma under his wing as his disciple. I'm not certain there's anything else the narrative could have had him do. What is decisively missing, however, is the following:

5) Acknowledgment

The above aren't good examples of cast acknowledgment that Van Zieks is taking part in a redemption arc, rather, they're the best I could find. Characters are acknowledging that he's changing- that he's being kinder to them and they can get along with him now, but they're not acknowledging that he caused hurt in the first place. This, in my opinion, is the Great Ace Attorney's biggest narrative flaw. I've talked before about how Ryu's reaction to Van Zieks's racism is 'indirect communication', a typically Japanese manner of dealing with negativity. I've also talked about how Ryu is not in a position to speak up, as he's a literal minority who is there to represent his country in an official capacity and can’t afford to make enemies. However, characters like Susato and Kazuma are far more outspoken in their opinions, as is Soseki. The only one who ever calls Van Zieks out on his racism is the British judge, and even that is done very meekly. When an old crusty white guy is the one who condemns white privilege in a cast full of minorities, you've got a problem. The Japanese cast's refusal to acknowledge that Van Zieks's words were harmful is like Team Avatar telling Zuko that sure, he can join since he's a good guy now, but never once acknowledging that he burned down villages or betrayed everyone's trust in Ba Sing Se. There's something very vital missing, see? If indeed the cast had called Van Zieks out more actively on his harmful ways and how necessary it was for him to change, he in turn could have taken more atonement steps in response.

So, for the conclusion: Does Barok van Zieks tick all the necessary boxes for a complete redemption arc? Yes. In a very technical sense, all the requirements are there. But does that mean it's a successful arc? Not necessarily. The game has a few slip-ups, a few things not executed as well as they could have been. For that reason, whether the audience is satisfied with the arc is entirely up to them. Taking into consideration that they had to cram a whole lot of story into just two games- the second game in particular, I can acknowledge they did their very best with the limitations that were there.

And there we have it! That’s all I could think to say on the matter. I hope everyone who read this till the very end enjoyed it, maybe even learned a thing or two. I’m always open to questions, input and constructive criticism!

[chem-24]

some thoughts on one of the datamined/leaked characters and Inazuma

Specifically, about this funky Aetherface-looking dude + some stuff about the Electro Archon got in too, somehow :/

(watch as this gets debunked into the ground when the Inazuma update is released)

What are the scraps that we know of him so far? Well, his name is “Kazuha”, and he’s going to be an Anemo Sword!

Yeah there’s been some prior misinformation about him being a pyro polearm (even I thought he was going to be pyro sword), but that was more just him getting confused with this other guy called “Tohama” (who’s also supposed to be Ayaka’s (arranged) fiancée? No idea how that’s going to turn out). Plus, you can see Kazuha’s Anemo Vision on the second pic here:

It appears to be an autumn motif instead, which is also pretty cool and can still tie into the wind theme

The second thing I did notice though (first being ooooo new pyro character) was that he looked like a samurai. It’s also why I had doubts about him being a polearm user.

*[Yes I know historical samurais have used bows and spears in the past. But even Japanese media pushes the “samurai = katanas” angle, and Kazuha strikes me as more of a “pop culture-style Japanese swordsman” than a historically-accurate one if you get what I’m saying.]

To digress a little; how’s Inazuma looking? Well, according to Zhongli: the Electro Archon, also known as “Baal” or “Raiden”, has issued a “Vision Hunt Decree” to confiscate her people’s visions and decorate them on the hands of a “thousand-armed statue”, as well as closing off the country. Furthermore, it is said that no one has received an Electro Vision in a year in-story by “the will of the Electro Archon”.

There is a runaway NPC from Inazuma to Liyue called “Atsuko”, who provides a tangible picture of Inazuma’s current state of affairs:

As pointed out in this reddit post, Baal’s actions are a parallel to other real life Japanese rulers such as Toyotomi Hideyoshi & Tokugawa Ieyasu; from closing the country and confiscating swords (visions) from the populace, up to melting all the swords to create a giant metal statue (that one didn’t work, but it’s the thought that counts).

**[my personal thoughts on this is that someone or something else has either succeeded or stole Baal’s position as the Electro Archon, which would explain the sudden extreme personality change.

Like, try to think of this in terms of the in-story timeline - the lockdown specifically happened a year ago; no one knows what’s going on inside Inazuma, nor does Inazuma know anything about the outside world. Thus, the Electro Archon shouldn’t know about ‘recent events’ like Venti getting his gnosis stolen or Zhongli’s “”death””, so her/their(?) current actions are definitely not influenced by what’s happening to the other Archons - this was something the Electro Archon decided to do on their own, independently of the Tsaritsa’s/Fatui’s plans.

Venti has explained before that anybody with a vision is capable of becoming a god, so the possibility is there. Hell, they may even be posing as Baal and hiding the truth of their ascension for some reason.

If you’re familiar with Japanese history, then think about how Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Tokugawa came to power in the first place.

To summarize briefly: Hideyoshi was originally a vassal of another warlord called “Oda Nobunaga”, who united most of Japan. However, Nobu was betrayed and killed by another one of his vassals known as “Akechi Mitsuhide”, so Hideyoshi stepped up and finished the rest of the job.

After Hideyoshi’s death, Tokugawa (and 4 other men) was supposed to look over his son until he was of age to rule. But Tokugawa was growing in popularity at the time, so he stepped to take power himself.

So in the context of the Genshin story, perhaps the “Toyotomi Hideyoshi” and “Akechi Mitsuhide” figures are being fused together (aka: this person killed the previous Electro Archon and took her place). Or it’s a Stanley/Venti’s friend situation 2.0

Plus, it’s added dramatic irony to the whole ‘God of Eternity’ also being the god of lightning; something fundamentally transient and brief. Their so-called ‘eternity’ is as fleeting as a lightning bolt, or something.]

~

Anyways, back to Kazuha.

If we’re going with the implication that the Archons are responsible for giving out their respective elemental Visions (others have theorized about this too); then what does that say about Kazuha, who has an Anemo Vision (proudly displayed in full view too!) given by the God of Freedom?

I’m going to go out on a limb and assume that Kazuha may turn out to be a “wandering vagrant” or “ronin”-archetype character; kinda like what Miyamoto Musashi does. A vagabond that wanders the land and maybe hides in a village once in a while, but never having an established home.

Of course, there’s still plenty of unknowns such as what his actual personality is like - but I think that with this, we can narrow down one part of his character concept at least.

Take another look at his character design: Kazuha is associated with “autumn”, which invokes the imagery “falling leaves in the wind from a tree” and “the passing of something”; possibly exemplifying Kazuha’s nature as a ‘wanderer’ who never stays in one place for too long, and perhaps the presence of a former/deceased master or organization(?).

Furthermore, Kazuha has very albino-esque features with white hair and red eyes, which could further indicate him being a “outcast”. Razor is another character with white hair and red eyes, and he’s very much an “outcast” from ‘normal’ human civilization too - what with being raised by wolves and all. (there’s also some people who think Kazuha and Razor could be long-lost brothers, which is kinda eeeeehhhhhhh 🤷 for me)

Combining that with the historical context of “confiscating swords = confiscating visions”, that would make Kazuha either:

A: a wanderer from the start, and thus far enough away from Inazuma’s capital to avoid the initial Vision Hunt order when it started

B: went on the run after the “Vision Hunt Decree” was issued

Either way, by refusing to give away his “sword” (vision), it would most likely make Kazuha a high-profile criminal and wanted target in Inazuma. Possibly with a bounty included too.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

By the way, as some have already pointed out: some significant characters (interestingly, most of the gods) in Genshin share design similarities with other Honkai Impact characters (another Mihoyo-made game). For more examples, here’s official art of Fu Hua (a Honkai character) that makes her look suspiciously like Zhongli.

I’m bringing this up because some twitter users have pointed out that Kazuha seemingly looks like Fu Hua in her [Phoenix] battlesuit:

Is this just a coincidence, or does it really hold some deeper meaning? Personally speaking, I’d prefer that Kazuha stays human, but I guess another god isn’t too bad either :X

and with that design significance, my dreams of obtaining Kazuha as a 4* are flushed down the drain

[espritmuse]

I had a Pomeranian when I was little and he was cute but such a bad dog. I’m getting a Doberman puppy next week!! I’m so excited! His name will be Ferris like Ferris Bueller 😎 so don’t worry babes my Doberman will protect you from yucky men 💅🏻

My apartment is full of organized clutter. I don’t like the idea of minimalist, it just seems to plain to me. I want to decorate I want to have things that people will go “omg that’s so cool”.

OMG YES MAYBE ILL DM YOU SOME STUFF IVE DRAWN IF YOU GUCCI WITH THAT 👀👀. I basically live at Barnes & Nobles, I go there waaayyy too often and come out with way too many books 👀. I think my favorite book has to be Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo love both books ((is a doulogy)) omg I have so many plants! My apartment is like pastel themed with a lot of white, chestnut brown and green plants EVERYWHERE! I have this cute baby pink ((which is my fav color btw)) retro fridge 🥺 I love it. I’ve been playing Genshin for almost a few months now so I can help ya, my AR is 49 😉 Hmm favorite video game? I really like halo 3, CoD, Death by day light, Phasmophobia, Minecraft, ummmm my brains had gone a blank but yeah those ones and probably a few more. Oof I’m so glad my wife is so similar to me 🥺💖-💍

Sorry for the late response my head hurt a lot ><

Ur so so lucky for ur puppy 🥺 so happy for u!!! Wish I could adopt one too but it’d take me too much energy ;( I have a cute cat tho!! She’s 16 yo 😳 old lady but she’s very cute and looks very young too!!

And yes u could definitely show me ur art !!! I’ll love it <3 I’m not that much of an artist tbh, I tried when I was in middle school (yk the manga/art/fan art phase that almost everyone went through back then 💀) but…..yeah

Six of crows is on my book list !! I already bought the priory of the orange tree, it’s the next one I’ll read!! Can’t wait to start even if it’s huge. And for genshin I’ll love ur help but I still don’t know how to play at all ;(( I don’t even know what AR means…

And oh God ur appartement looks amazing, for real. I hate minimalism too!! Not a single inch of my walls is blank…. It’s all filled with pretty plant posters, history pictures, paintings and stuff !!! I have a lot of hanging plants too (idk if they’re named like that but yk)

One true pair 💍💅

[pwnyta]

Genshin Impact character opinions (alphabetical)-

0/10 Albedo is my least favorite design... He looks so fuckin goofy and from what I know about his character the fact he looks so goofy is not great.... The shorts look so dumb and the blue of his shirt looks weird...

Just wanted to visualize my issues with his goofy outfit... wont be ‘fixing’ anyone elses.

10/10 So fucking cute. The colors are beautiful and well spread through the design, Zettai ryōiki. bunny theme...terrific. Ambers just perfect. Look at that fucking adorable face as well... look at her big ol smile and tell me she aint a 10/10. She’d get a 10 if all I ever saw was that big ol smile.

9/10 Barbara is adorable. Her costume is gorgeous. I love the white with blue and the gold accents. Very pretty my only gripe is the lighter blue on her bow...

10/10 Beidou is just gorgeous.... I love that shade of pinkish-red with the off-black and purple with the gold trim. Shes just so hot... also her English voice is also top tier which is irrelevant to my ranking... maybe but--

1/10 Bennetts not as bad as Albedo but god hes annoying to look at... and listen to....  he looks like hes a Kingdom Hearts knock off, the colors are weird, and he has the personality of s1 Ash Ketchum.... Im sure hes a swell lad... but

6/10 Chongyun I mean I love the color pallet and over all its fine. I think the onesie with the cropped jacket and the weird half robe is weird but it looks fine if I dont think about too much.

7/10 Diluc is pretty but not as fun to look at as some others. I do really like those red palm gloves. My biggest gripe is his shirt.... with the belt? WHAT? Sir do you know what a belt is for.....

8/10 Diona... so cute. I kinda just wish her hair wasnt pink. I dont like the pink in her design at all but other than that... super cute. I just noticed her gloves had little peets on them.... THATS SO CUTE.

4/10 Fischls color pallet (other than her hair) is gorgeous but other than that... hate the overall design... Im not opposed to sexiness... but come on....

7/10 Ganyu is very cute but idk whats going on with her outfit at all.... its a very confusing piece.... but I dont hate it...

7/10 Whoops forgot the new girl... Her designs cute... but it is a bit dampened by the fact I think about toilet boy Hanako.... but other than that very cute!

9/10 Jeans a hottie. Love her tight pants... is it too much to ask for more hot girls in tight pants? IS THAT SO WRONG?! I dont really like the weird open top bit or the red bits but I dont hate it either.

10/10 Kaeyas design is one of my favs. His color pallet is gorgeous, the design is cool, tasteful tiddie window... its great. Good for him. I’ll even excuse the spiked fingerless gloves which no other character could possibly pull off.

10/10 Keqing is gorgeous too. Again with the beautiful colors, a really charming outfit design combined with those little cat-ear buns. I do often see up her skirt when flying and climbing however and it makes me feel like a bad person LMAO IM SORRY KEQING!! I DONT MEAN IT. She seems like the type thatd be really embarrassed about it!!

10/10 Klee is so fucking cute. I kinda wish her eyes were green like her charm but the red is good too. That red and white with the warm brown is really nice, and you cant go wrong with a poofy hat! Shes so cute.

10/10 Lisa was designed to be a smoke show but she pulls it off better than Fischl. Love the roses throughout her design, the color pallet is on point, her hair matching the dull gold of the accents is really nice, a peak of Zettai ryōiki and her green eyes just POP. Shes beautiful.... I love her.

3/10 My issue with Mona is mostly her bottom half... I get that her tights design looks cool but with the rest of her vibe having her main clothing piece be like... a bathing suit? ITS A CHOICE and it ruins her design for me. Also I hate the baubles on the ends of her hair.... but her color pallet is real nice. I also like her bigger eyebrows...

10/10 Ningguang... also a total smokin hottie. Her colors are beautiful and really feel RICH. That brassy color and gold on white with the ginkgo designs... the bitch is just poppin. She looks fantastic.

8/10 Noelle is so cute... I like when I add her to my party and she gets all excited and eager to help... very cute. Her design is an endearing mix of badass knight and dutiful maid.... my only issue is her skirt.... looks kinda weird. Wish she had some petticoats to fill it out more. Also dont like that her roses pop out the way they do... reminds me of Shreks ears....

10/10 Qiqi is adorable I love Jiangshi, love the colors, wish she wasnt wearin horni thigh highs(I only ever see thigh highs squeeze thighs like that in l00d art dont come for me... I didnt design her.) but lolis gonna lol. But again her design is top tier. Shes so cute.

5/10 Razor... is kind of a mess but its largely the colors.... its a lot of weird colors. Also his design makes me think of the male MC... I literally thought he was like an AU version of the MC....

10/10 Sucrose is so cute. Again that white blue and gold look great... I like her frilly shorts and thigh highs.... her boots are cute... her hair color is a little weird but I dont dislike it. Kinda wish her eyes were a different color tho.

4/10 Childe is fine... but after seeing all the other Fatui designs and his own monster form I look at him like this and go.... REALLY? Thats what were goin with... alright... Also his whole design screams ‘fire’ to me not just colors either the shape of his mask and the pattern on his scarf thing.... its weird that hes Hydro.

10/10 I love the female MCs design... I chose the male MC because his colors popped more and im a dumb animal and was like ‘ooh shiny‘ but I think her design is a bit better over all...

9/10 Male MC is still good... its very cute. I like how she looks more suited to the Anemo and he looks more Geo... Thats pretty cool. I really like his colors... the browns/gold/white... its a striking look.

6/10 Ventis pretty cute... I dont get the weird... corset thing hes wearing, dont like his shoes,,, but other than that its pretty cute but nothing special imo.

10/10 Xiangling is so fucking cute. everything in her design makes me clutch my heart at how endearing she is. Love her. Weird color palette... its even weirder that it fully works.

7/10 Look I love Xiao hes a good lad so I cant be too harsh... but all the colors on his design look a bit weird which really brings his over all design down... which I think is cool over all.

9/10 Really cute design for Xingqiu! The colors are beautiful... I love blue and white and gold obviously and he even does it with more of an emphasis on the blue and its a greenish blue and it looks great. the top is just gorgeous, those frilly sleeves are super cute... not a huge fan of the shorts but I hear theyre comfy and easy to wear.

10/10 Xinyan just looks terrific. Cool and punky, great fiery color pallet, cool theme, cheeky personality without it being obnoxious....  Shes great! Weird voice tho... lmao

11/10 You cant tell me what to do! Zhongli is the only male smoke show in the playable cast for that he gets an 11 ok? I love a dumb old man. I do think the coat over his longer coat is a bit weird but I aint mad at it. Love the colors, very earthy, the subtle gold design on his pant legs are cool and really hes got a lot of cool bits on his coat, his face/hair are lovely. Hes a total babe.

A SUGABABE