#candace genshin

[kirakuudere1]

genshin redesign of Candace my fav character!

Video under (no sound but yes sound on TikTok)

[lilliangst]

biblically accurate, semi-realistic candace or kandake, who was a nubian queen

image renders:

Incoming yap about the current genshin problem:

As a Chinese person swarmed by western media, Liyue means so, so much to me. Seeing the culture that I've been taught to be ashamed of all my life being represented so accurately and positively makes me incredibly happy. It was the first time I saw the famous landscapes that I've visited in person and recreated a fantasy game. Seeing characters wear clothes with similar designs to what I’ve worn and eating similar foods to what I’ve eaten, is indescribable. The euphoria I felt when I first climbed atop of Qingyun Peak and heard the music is something I wish I could experience again.

That being said, Sumeru was a mess, and Natlan is just depressing. What I would give to have people from SEA/SWANA, Latin America, Africa, and Indigenous groups etc. to feel the same way I did when strolling through Liyue.

HYV’s colorism isn’t just stifling their character designs; by whitewashing real-life people, real cultures and even their deities, they are inadvertently whitewashing history. They are taking from actual ethnic groups: learning their history and struggles, then retelling these narratives after replacing their people with bleached protagonists in orientalist clothing.

All this because of what? Out of touch beauty standards? The possibility of lower sales? Dehya is extremely loved in China and her fans donated thousands to a children’s charity in her name. Other Chinese companies like Lilith Games and Bluepoch don’t have this problem. Dislyte is able to consistently pump out gorgeous character designs with varying skin tones and Reverse:1999 makes accurate designs and does in-depth research into the cultures of their characters.

It’s a basic lack of respect.

I've heard that Iranian players were extremely happy and touched by their representation, and that's amazing. And most European, Chinese, and Japanese players are fine with theirs. I just wish this extended to the representation of people with skin tones that are darker.

HYV has shown that they are capable of making characters with darker skin tones and interesting designs, but they will only do that for npcs and enemies. Orientalism, culture mash-ups and inaccuracies across regions is unfortunately common in the game, but the problem with the unchanging pale color of playable characters reflects an obvious and sinister bigotry. I do personally believe that a lot of this has to do with the meddling of higher-ups; many playable characters look like they’ve been white-washed at the end of the process, and just from an art/design standpoint, they fit darker skin-tones much, much better.

It is impossible for Genshin to be a fully “fictional fantasy game” because they chose to bear the responsibility of incorporating real life cultures into their world-building. The criticisms about Sumeru and Natlan are what they brought upon themselves. If you don’t want to represent properly, don’t do it at all. You cannot take everything from a culture and leave their people out of it. They deserve the same respect and research as the region representing your own nation.

For the people who have seen themselves represented in media over and over again, or for those who do not care about being represented at all: even if YOU don't care, others do, and they have a damn good reason for it. This is a big deal, it isn’t too much to ask for, and I will be blocking racists. Peace.

[pokerfacedartist]

they're bonding!!

[phoenix-creates]

Genshin Impact, Both the Game and the Community, Cannot Hide Their Colorism or Racism Anymore

This is going to be a long read. I refuse to stay silent.

I've played Genshin Impact on and off since 2021 when I was first introduced to it. I drew fanart but rarely participated in the fandom, as Genshin has one of the most toxic and racist fandoms that takes pleasure in driving off content creators of color, perpetuating racism within the communities, as well as harassing and threatening people who dare try to speak out about it. But, for as racist as the fandom is, what can I expect from them considering Hoyoverse as a whole has it's own set of racial problems.

It is clear from the release of Sumeru to the recent teasers of Natlan. Hoyoverse has colorism problems and racism problems and we're going to take a look at them here.

Before we begin, I want to take a moment to say that there will be a lot of information presented in this post. I ask that you read carefully and be considerate of every talking point presented.

Now, let's talk about Sumeru.

Sumeru, the fourth region released in Genshin Impact, draws a lot of real world inspiration from Middle Eastern culture, with even the geography mimicking the real world geography of China and India. The characters, music, food, and geography all draw inspiration from various different real world cultures, and just from a few glances, it is easy to see exactly where and what cultures they’re taking from.

Candace for instance, from name to appearance, draws inspiration from kandakes, which was the title of a queen mother in Nubian kingdoms. Even her accessories, her talents, and her weapon take pieces from other aspects of Egyptian culture.

Cyno, another character from Sumeru, is dressed in garb that mimics depictions of Anubis, the ancient Egyptian God of funerary rites and protector of graves. As with Candace, his talents and abilities reference Egypt.

Even Sethos, a newcomer to the game and also a Sumeru character, has clothes, skills, and a name that alludes to either the Egyptian God Set, the god of the desert and storms, the Egyptian pantheon in general, or the Ancient Egyptian King Seti/Sethos.

These three characters are tanned, anyone can see that, but if you take a closer look you'll notice that they're all around the same shade. Considering all three of them take inspiration from real world Egyptian culture, it is insane to me that they're all a similar shade of the same slightly tanned tone. It is unacceptable that they're all a shade or two away from white when all of them has some aspect of Egyptian culture in their character.

To further shed light on Sumeru's racist sins, there exists a long standing conflict in Sumeru regarding The Eremites, a race of people descended from the ancient, now-collapsed civilization who primarily live in the desert. These people are the enemies in the game. You read that right. The desert dwellers are the enemies and not only that, but unlike the treasure hoarders who disappear into smoke when defeated, the Eremites collapse to the ground like the Fatui.

Why do the Treasure Hoarders, a band of pale skinned thieves, get away but the Eremites, treated as if their culture is lesser, presumably die?

Worse than that, there is a long quest in Sumeru where a white academic from Sumeru spends nearly the entire length of the quest insulting an Eremite. The quest I'm referring to, Golden Slumber, is a multi part quest that has the Traveler accompanying a researcher named Tirzad who is exploring the ruins in the deserts of Sumeru. Throughout the quest, Tirzad spends most of his time complaining and insulting Jeht and Jebrael, calling the latter an uneducated brute whenever Jebrael tries to do anything. And the Traveler is no help, with dialogue options remaining neutral instead of rightfully telling Tirzad to stop.

What we have here is a white man stereotyping a man of color and assuming things about himself and his race due to his own racist biases.

Many players have called out the racism in Tirzad’s actions and this quest overall, but Tirzad at multiple times fails to see the error of his ways and leads the group into life threatening situations simply because he can’t believe an “uneducated desert brute” could possibly know more than him.

I could sit here and pick apart more aspects of Sumeru and it's failures to properly represent the culture it's using, but I want to get into the inciting incident of this entire post, which is Natlan.

When the teaser for Natlan was released, it was just another failure on Hoyoverse's part. To understand why, we can break it down into parts, starting with the character leaks:

Mavuika, presumably the pyro archon, with a name inspired by Māori fire deity Mahuika.

Ororon, a mispelling of the Yoruba god Ọlọrun, the creator deity in the Yoruban pantheon.

Kinich, named after the Mayan god of the sun.

Iansan, another character whose name comes from the Yoruba pantheon.

Xilonen, this name coming from one of the aspects of the Aztec goddess of maize and the goddess of sustenance.

Kachina, name inspiration directly lifted from the religious beliefs of the indigenous Pueblos people.

Chasca, name coming from the Incan goddess of dawn and twilight.

Citlali, a name derived from Nahuatl, which is a language from ancient Mexico.

Are you seeing something interesting with these characters?

Hoyoverse has shoved multiple different cultures under one region and whitewashed every character. They did the bare bones work of lifting names and small design inspirations from so many different cultures and using them in the laziest way possible. If not pale white, the few characters who are tanned are a mere shade darker than Cyno and almost the same shade as Kaeya. There is nothing darker in sight with any of these characters.

Cultural representation matters. If Hoyoverse can explore the cultures of Germany (Mondstadt), China (Liyue), Japan (Inazuma), and France (Fontaine), it is insane that the same sort of love couldn't be given to both Sumeru and Natlan, both nations where we should rightfully be seeing more people of color.

(Side note, we should be seeing more people of color in the previous regions as well, even as NPCs. Bi-racial people exist all over the world, not just in America. Quick google searches will show what I mean.)

I can already hear the arguments against me.

"But Hoyoverse is an East Asian company! They don't need to/don't care about representation!"

Oh really? Because Lilithgames, the company behind Dislyte, is a company based in Shanghai, China. And when you compare the variety of skin tones of Dislyte to Genshin, you cannot make the argument that a company based in Asia doesn't care about diversity. Hoyoverse does not seem to care, but don't make it a blanket statement for all companies.

Still not convinced? Bluepoch, a small Chinese company behind Reverse:1999, is responsible for this character:

Smite, a game published by Hi-Rez Studios and Tencent Games (A Chinese publisher), has a character based on Olorun. And they did just fine in their depiction of him:

And the director behind Tekken 7, Katsuhiro Harad, shared concept art of an Arab fighter they want to add to the game. Why? Because he wanted to make sure he was respecting Middle Eastern culture and asked for feedback to see what can be improved. He posted this concept art and asked the community for input to make Shaheen as accurate as possible:

But sure. Asian companies don't care.

"It's a fantasy world! It doesn't have to 1-to-1 mimic the real world!"

Oh really? So why are characters named after real world cultural figures, why is the food based around real world food, why are outfits somewhat inspired by real world garbs then? If you're gonna draw inspiration from something and use the real world in your game, the world is a diverse place. It is not all white nor all slightly tanned.

"You can always stop playing the game."

I could, but that would mean letting them win and get away with their racism. It would mean letting Hoyoverse think this is the norm instead of the outlier. It would mean staying silent during injustice. I can do a lot of things, and exposing their issues is one of them.

"It could be difficult for them to implement dark-skinned characters."

It actually is not. Look at all the examples from other games and companies discussed previously. It's not hard. Plus, take a look at Wriothesley's concept art:

Originally, he had a different skin tone. So characters with different tones existed but got lightened and changed over time.

"I don't want [insert race here] in my fantasy game/it doesn't matter!"

Honey, you're just racist.

"Wow, I get it now. This is bad. What can I do to help?"

There are several ways:

Use Surveys and Feedback when you log into Hoyoverse games. This problem extends past Genshin, into HSR and ZZZ (a game whose ads promote itself with rap music and yet noticeably lack playable dark skinned characters so far). Use the platforms that they gave us in order to spread the word. Tell them that you're dissatisfied with the cultural appropriation and disappointed in Hoyoverse for taking certain cultures and whitewashing them. Email genshin_cs@hoyoverse.com if the feedback buttons aren't working for some reason.

Stop putting money into the game. A lot of companies listen when there's monetary loss involved. Show them that you mean business and stop supporting their business. You can also leave a one star and a review with your thoughts on their cultural appropriation.

Amplify the voices of those speaking out. There are plenty of posts out there better worded than mine that go in depth into a lot of these problems. Multiple voice actors of all ethnicities and backgrounds have spoken up about Hoyoverse’s injustices as well (many of the VAs from the game, including the voices of Albedo, Sucrose, Layla, Beidou, and even VAs for smaller NPCs have spoken out). When you see those posts, share them. Spread the word. Get those voices out there.

Shut down those silencing others. For as many posts out there trying to bring more light to this issue, there are others who try to shut us down. They continue to be racist and double down that nothing is wrong with Natlan. Do not let them get away with this. Show them this post or the myriad of other posts that exist. Tell them to shut the fuck up. Call them out. But don't let them silence anyone else.

If you've made it to the end and learned something, I'm glad. If you've made it to the end and want to further support me or anyone else in this fight, share this post and others like it.

Thank you for reading.

EDIT: As noted in this ask, the naming conventions of characters from other regions as opposed to Sumeru and Natlan. I’ll be adding a separate reblog to this post with a full list of naming conventions from each region.

[genshingorlsrevengeance]

(Genshin Impact) Furina, Lynette, Navia, Arlecchino, Chiori, Dehya, Shenhe, Candace, Sara, Yae, and Xianyun's S/O spoonfeeding them

No one requested this, I just had some cake and got reminded of that cute thing from Rune Factory 4 where on a date you can spoonfeed your date. Speaking of, I need to write more for RF4...

Furina hums in very smug content as S/O rightfully feeds her a spoonful of cake that she rightly deserved.

After all, such hard work from Fontaine's most beloved star deserved nothing but amazing treatment!

All she did that day was lay on her bed.

She closes her eyes as she lets out a small "Aaaah!", expecting another helping of cake, albeit with a small blush.

Furina would be more flustered if she wasn't so happy having two sweet things in the room right now.

(Furina) "S/O, give me another bite, do not keep me waiting!"

First of all, Lynette was slightly insulted that S/O was using a spoon on shellfish.

You ate them the way it was intended, and that was with your hands and napkins.

Putting aside that, Lynette can't help but play along and lets S/O put the spoon in her mouth.

She doesn't make too much of a reaction, at least on her face.

Her ears twitching and tail swishing is what tells S/O how she's really feeling.

(Lynette) "Mmm...Tastes good."

Navia already feeds S/O with macarons, so she does not even blink when S/O gives her a spoon.

Her smile gets even bigger as she opens wide and happily takes a bite from their spoon.

Wiping the crumbs off with a fancy napkin, she finishes swallowing before nodding enthusiastically.

Her heart is beating fast to be sure, but she just wants to enjoy this very cute moment for a little longer!

(Navia) "Oooh, that tastes really good! Here, now it's my turn!"

Whenever Arlecchino is having dinner at the House of the Hearth, her demeanor does ease up by a significant amount.

Especially around the kids and her S/O.

Meaning when S/O offers her some of the food, Arlecchino indulges them by leaning in.

Noting their happy reaction, Arlecchino takes a moment to gauge the food.

(Arlecchino) "Hm...Not bad. However, I could use a second opinion."

She grabs her own spoonful of the food and offers it to S/O, without a single second of hesitation or any signs of blushing.

Chiori greatly enjoyed Inazuman desserts, but did prefer to create rather than taste them.

Nevertheless, that did not stop her S/O from always making her them when she was working.

Making sure she was far away from the clothes she was tailoring and her tools, S/O brought Chiori a plate of sweets. However, it made her raise an eyebrow when S/O offered her a spoonful, and told her to open wide.

Sighing, she rolls her eyes a little and opens slightly, tasting the treat after a few seconds.

(Chiori) "Yeah yeah, very cute S/O. I hope you didn't expect to do this for the entirety of our lunch break."

Dehya gets flustered if her S/O tries to spoonfeed her, especially in front of the other mercs.

But that being said, she has no problem with letting them feed her Candied Ajilenakh Nuts.

She leans into their hand and almost bites it from them, laughing at their reaction as she does it so quickly.

Once a few seconds of crunching passes, she looks expectantly at S/O.

(Dehya) "Come on, don't hold out on me, pass me another!"

Shenhe just nods when S/O offers her some soup on their spoon, not even blinking when she allows them to feed her.

Nodding in satisfaction, she then continues eating her bowl of noodles before pausing for a brief moment.

Silence passes through the table for a few seconds before Shenhe offers some of her food to them.

(Shenhe) "Would you like to try mine? It tastes good."

Though she remains stoic, she feels very happy to mimic S/O's actions, seeing how happy they were.

Candace warmly smiles at S/O when she sees them hold out their spoon to her.

A small chuckle escapes her lips before tasting S/O's food, seeing how happy they were.

(Candace) "Delightful, S/O. Thank you."

It was moments like these that made Candace fall in love with them all over again.

She moves a little closer to them, if only to let S/O feed her a bit better than having to reach out their arm so far.

Sara's eyes widen in surprise, seeing S/O smile at her expectantly.

Swallowing her pride, Sara hesitated for only a second before leaning in.

Chewing the food S/O gave her made her cheeks start to heat up, making her eyes look anywhere but them.

(Sara) "T-Thank you...Please do not speak of this to anyone."

Thank the Shogun they weren't feeding her sweets, otherwise she'd really be in trouble...

Honestly, Yae would be more insulted if S/O didn't pamper her in some capacity.

(Yae) "Oh? Well, this is quite the service for dinner, S/O. Come on now, let me taste your cooking."

No shame whatsoever, Yae allows herself to be fed by S/O.

In fact, she pretty much has all of her meal spoonfed to her, partly because this was really cute, and mostly because she wanted to see how long S/O would actually keep this up for.

Would she do the same for S/O? Probably, if they asked. But for now, this was her dinner.

No questions even asked, Xianyun immediately takes S/O's spoon into her mouth, sampling their cuisine.

She doesn't really understand, nor care for that matter, about how some people would see such an action.

If there was good food S/O was offering her, then One would be a fool to refuse!

The smile on her lip quickly follows after, having properly discerned the delicacy.

(Xianyun) "Simply marvelous cuisine One has been given, S/O!...Hm? What is that expression for? That could not have come from your meal alone, do tell One the reason for it."

[vericchi]

candace (genshin impact)

[meirisuu]

welcoming fontaine to the international teyvat yuri lineup!

[genderfluid-insomniac]

GENSHIN S/Os WHEN THEIR LOVER TURNS INTO AN ANIMAL

Characters: Aether, Albedo, Al Haitham, Amber, Ayaka, Ayato, Beidou, Candace, Cyno, Dainsleif, Diluc, Dehya, Gorou, Heizou, Itto, Kaeya, Kazuha, Lisa, Lumine, Layla, Nahida, Ningguang, Raiden Shogun, Scaramouche, Shenhe, Tartaglia, Thoma, Tighnari, Venti, Xiao, Yae Miko, Yelan, Zhongli

A/N: I've been working on this for a while and it got backed up thanks to finals but I hope you all like it!!

Aether (golden retriever)

It’s quite a fun morning when you wake up to a flurry of cries and laughter along with a big furry retriever pouncing on you as you just woke up.

You happily cried out for help and Paimon came to your rescue asking where Aether is, still cuddling and petting the cream colored fur as the dog's head rested on your lap.

On the dog's ear was aethers earring and you took a guess, asking the dog if he was your lover to which you got a pretty excited bark and more “kisses”.

The day is pretty much one of the best days ever as Aether gets to fawn over with cuddles and free food while you get to skip your responsibilities, running through the lands and laughing at the playful games you all played.

It’s decided that it was the result of a side effect of a domain your boyfriend recently cleared and it wore off after 24 hours but to say you were glad that it was over would be a lie.

Albedo (snow leopard)

He is a menace especially since snow leopards thrive in colder climates and naturally blend in with snow means a full day of hide and seek on Dragonspine, chasing him around and watching him observe the dancing hillichurls.

‘Bedo is of course going to let Klee pet him and cuddle near a fire if it’s cold (you get priority too), pawing at the knee for attention or to continue combing through his soft thick fur and wiggling around to show his stomach for pets.

You’re going to have to keep an eye on him as the now cat alchemist is going to try to perform experiments on himself to figure how he got in this position and with his large paws he’ll give you his best cute eyes for your help, please say no his fur almost got dyed neon pink.

Kaeya is no doubt going to catch wind of the situation and tease him about gaining a new fur coat to replace his usual white one, casually speaking about how you’re suddenly available since your boyfriend is an oversized house cat.

The cavalry captain gets a snarl and small but fierce roar as he sees Albedo get in front of you and slowly move towards him, both of you don’t see kaeya for the rest of the day and your furry alchemist lover demands rubs.

By the end of the day there will be two sheets of papers with a charcoal paw print on it and a messily done heart, paper slightly shredded but you and Klee love his gift anyway.

Alhaitham (Madagascar day gecko)

Like Albedo is a menace and uses his new form to hide from you and play games but most importantly get info that he normally wouldn’t be able to get as he’s now an ordinary seeming gecko.

Most likely he’ll find you before you find him, climbing up your back with his padded toes and smirking (you think) at your confused scattered self.

Alhaitham can’t just go about his day as normal so he does have to rely on your help much to his disagreement, wandering through the stalls and purchasing fruits for you both.

All in all a very relaxing day for the scholar compared to what he’s used to and did have fun being able to be pretty much inconspicuous, playing “catch me if you can” with his significant other.

Amber (french lop bunny)

Probably has to do with Albedo or something she ran into while being an outrider but nonetheless loves it, finally she’s like her baron bunny and adorably fluffy.

Jean gives her the day off because there really isn’t anything Amber can do in her current state and she could get hurt, you end up having a fun day to yourselves and walking through Mondstadt in with bunny amber cuddled in your arms.

You can’t help but prepare a satisfying salad for her and you, sitting just outside the city and enjoying the wind brushing through Amber’s whiskers.

The way her cotton tail twitches when she’s excited or her high hops in tall grass chasing after you, every soft small part of her is too cute.

Ayaka (persian teacup kitty)

Thoma’s going to come up to you with a mixed expression of worry and awkwardness, his hands hiding a furry pale blue moving ball that unfurled to be a kitten and according to Thoma…your girlfriend.

You’re too busy cooing over her cute cat form to listen to what Thoma was saying besides her not being able to take care of her duties, entrusting you to take care of her and watch over Miss Kamisato.

Most of the day is in her room watching her struggle to walk and fall whenever she tries to stand on two legs, not only not being able to reach items because she’s a cat but she’s a teacup cat.

She does have to admit that you’re adorable from her point of view and you give the best scratches behind her ear while she’s laying on soft blankets and weaving between your legs.

Ayato (peacock)

This is one of the best and worst days for him because he gets a day off of work for a valid reason and he gets to show off how pretty is to you. Thoma and his sister cannot stop doubling over with laughter.

The lord is almost always puffed up and displaying his feathers for you to enjoy, following you around like it’s the only possible option and occasionally cawing to get your attention.

Several times Inazumans came up to you while you were running errands and warned you that there was a very large color bird “stalking” you, turning around to see your lover trying to impress you

It was very clear that this magnificent bird was Ayato Kamisato based on its attitude and coloring but how it happened….. who knows?

Beidou (Treeing walker Coonhound)

It’s quite a shock to see the captain of the Crux fleet basking and swimming in liyue harbor under the hot sun, perking up when her nose caught your scent and shook the water off her much to the crews displeasure.

There are a couple pros when you inevitably go to Ningguang to inform her of the situation and Beidou goes right to tackling the leader with tons of wet kisses and barks, looking back at you with what you swear is a smirk or cocky expression.

As a hound she gets so many snuggles from the children and elders but her enhanced hearing and smell allow her to find more illegal deals or goods being stolen and smuggled by treasurer hoarders (they can’t hardly believe that this dogs is somehow on Captain Beidou’s size till they see you and they bolt without the goods).

At the end of the day you and her are at the front of the ship, overlooking the lanterns decorating Liyue Harbor and having your girlfriend on your lap cuddled up close to you with her head nuzzled into your stomach.

Baizhu (ball python snake)

Since he’s already used to Changsheng being on him 24/7 Baizhu going to know what to do in order to keep himself alive until whatever this is wears off but until then you and Qiqi will have to help run Bubu Pharmacy, your lover coiled around your neck to help you like his own snake as Chengsheng is around Qiqi’s hat.

It isn’t a surprise that Baizhu is playful in his serpent form, racking his brain for when or how this could have happened when he’s normally so aware of his situations but chose to ignore the reason and press light kisses again.

You take breaks for both yourself and your new snake partner who Zhongli immediately recognises but chooses not to comment on while you order food from Wanmin restaurant, going just out of the city to find some some rodents for Baizhu to snack on and holding back a gag reflex when you saw the bulge in his coils.

Whenever it’s hot out his cold bloodedness comes in handy for both of you and trailing down your body to get herbs when you cannot find them, coming back to your arms before coiling around your wrist and dropping the herbs on the counter but not without giving you a nuzzle which gets a funny comment from the customer.

Candace (coyote)

It's unusual to wake up to a coyote instead of your girlfriend but weirder things have happened before strangely enough and both of you have work to do so you couldn’t just laze about and cuddle your new canine companions.

Although now being a coyote, she can cover the area surrounding Aaru village better and fast with four legs, using her intimidation as a fierce wild dog to scare away potential threats with her bared fangs and chasing them off.

You went to work and notified people that yes Candace is okay but she was called away by the Akademiya on a mission in the desert and to come to you with concerns until she was back.

Tiredly smiling when the sun hit the horizon and you saw her slip into the village, playing around with some children before heading to you and encouraging you to brush the grit out of her fur while sunbathing.

Neither of you knew what caused this but it ended the next morning and you both chalked it up to some strange harmless magic, laughing about the fun memories while you woke up and went about your day.

Cyno (death stalker scorpion)

He’s not going to even try come up with a logical reason for how this happened but does find it ironic and is happy that he’s now the most venomous scorpion in all of Teyvat but is now terrified that he’ll accidently sting you hence why when you wake up he’s on the opposite side of the room with a book on your desk open to his species.

Immediately going to find Alhaitham with your help and bug him, pure amusement filling his heart when his colleague glared at him and skittering closer with his tail threatening to sting him. An unspoken threat hangs in the air, the Mahamatra daring the Scribe to mock his jokes without consequence.

Cyno grows to enjoy his new form as he’s just as threatening as he was when he was human and even gets more confessions as he points his stinger at the criminals neck with another Matra coldly asking him to just confess already (you’d informed the Akademiya that Cyno had been turned into a scorpion which Nahida got a kick out of but did confirm the truth).

Late in the afternoon both of you were laying on a rock in Gandharva Ville with the sun warming up your boyfriend, Tighnari had just finished examining your lover and gaining some venom from the scorpion in order to work out an anti-venom just in case but left to two of you sleeping.

Dainsleif (fruit bat)

You rarely see Dainseif because of his constant traveling but he always seems to be there when you need him and stays for as long as he can before he slips away to take care of his personal issues.

Although through everything you’ve seen with Dainsleif this has to take cake, opening your window around midnight when you heard some taps and yelping when a bat flew into your bedroom.

Clinging to your shirt and looking up at you, key details being a half mask-like mark across his face and your boyfriend's signature star eyes stopping all words coming out of your mouth. Was this your lover? It couldn’t be- but who else looked like that. It couldn’t be a coincidence.

Welp now that all your plans were cancelled since your lover unexpectedly is here and now turned into a bat for some reason but nonetheless you sat with Dain hanging from your shoulder eating a juicy fruit you’d given him and looking at you with love filled eyes.

Dehya (Bengal Tiger)

Personally thinks this is an upgrade and takes advantage of it for as long as it lasts, giving you “puppy dog eyes” to explain to Rahman what’s happened but to let her continue her jobs with you as her translator (no way she’d allow any harm to come to you) and begrudgingly agreeing to let her go.

You make sure to pack up some water and snacks (having to go out and buy some food for your tiger girlfriend) so you are nourished during the journey, setting out with a happy oversized cat purring and rubbing against you with no care of the onlookers concerned or confused faces.

All of her work goes smoothly with you having to occasionally step in to explain what’s happened and her enemies not willing to fight an overgrown pyro infused tiger with only a simple weapon.

Evening is one of the best, both of you laying down in front of the fire and stroking the big cat that’s smothering you with wet kisses, chuffing while nudging her head against your hand as you take another piece of fruit for yourself and some grilled meat for her.

Diluc (red tailed hawk)

Usually you woke up to your fire haired lover’s tight grip on your waist before he’d kiss your head and sneak off to get ready for his busy day but today you awoke to a soft chirp and light nips to your cheek by a red tailed hawk. Strangely it wasn’t freaking out externally but tried to get more comfortable next to you as you just froze in shock and looked around the room for your lover or some explanation of what’s going on.

Your feathery friend flew over to a pile of Diluc’s uniform and dropped his glove and vision in your lap, picking up the edge of the glove with its beak and trying to slip the glove over its talon. Its scarlet eyes desperately looking at you with some sort of desire only known to it and causing your thoughts to wander to how similar the bird and him were.

Eventually accepting that your boyfriend was now a bird for an unspecified period of time and calling in Adelinde to explain the situation in order to cancel or reschedule any business meetings. You carded your fingers through Diluc’s red feathers who was now on your shoulder observing the view from outside the Winery and flew out to one of the rows of grapes, picking off one with his talons and eating it with a content coo.

Both of you did have to go into Mondstat to take care of Angel’s Share where Venti cackled upon seeing the famous intimidating bartender and Kaeya was a bit more snarky fully aware of the damage the hawk could inflict. But the aerial view of the city when he would fly around the cathedral was breathtaking to say the least and he wished more than anything to share this view with you, swooping down to you as you came to the base of Barbatos’s statue with to chicken skewers smiling up at him and offering him some dinner from Good Hunter.

Il Dottore (blue ringed octopus)

As far as you know this was probably his doing because frankly it seems like it was something he’d do just for kicks and it was another new accomplishment he could brag about but apparently something went awry when the fatui agent directly under his command came running to get you.

You were about to be handed an octopus but ripped your hands away when you realized the species of cephalopod to be the highly venomous blue ringed octopus which your lover often raved about and nearly yelled at the agent for attempting to kill you before the tiny sea creature pointed an arm towards a note on the doctor’s table.

After reading the note that basically said Dottore maybe fucked up by adding a chemical he wasn’t supposed to into his recent already unstable concoction and that you had to take care of him until the effects wore off in about 24 hours.

The rest of the day was pretty relaxing given you had to carry around a full container of water that your lover resided in. It was eventful with you occasionally slipping him bits of fish and having him climb up your arm to your shoulder to watch the world from your view compared to his small one.

Gorou (Shiba)

General Gorou personally doesn’t like this new development because some people (Yae Miko) already saw him as part dog despite various attempts of him doing everything he could to just get others to ignore his canine features.

So when he woke up one morning feeling a bit smaller than usual and went to rub his face but saw paws instead of his hand, freaking out and immediately turning over to wake you up but only getting out scared barks or whines.

After almost an hour of calming Gorou down with the help of Kokomi who agreed that until your boyfriend was back to normal he wouldn't be allowed to do any work as general.

Well Gorou wasn’t happy with the situation but he came around to liking it when he realized that he get’s to spend all of his time with you it clicked and eagerly asked for more cuddles now that you could both sleep in until lunch.

Heizou (ferret)

Chaos. I don’t feel like I need to say anything else if you know what ferrets are generally like and if you don’t then please look it up it’s hilarious (also fits Heizou’s personality to a T), but better pray for the Tenryou Commission when he wakes up and get ASAP before Sara breaks her “No killing Heizou under any circumstances” rule.

This boy is so slippery even when he’s human but loves to run around you while climbing you up and down as he gives playful kisses on your face, not to mention his coat is gorgeous with bits of tanish brown mixed with stripes of vibrant red and gold along his fur.

It’s going to take more than one person if they want to get him off of you, trying not to touch you in the wrong places as the guard attempts to get Heizou out from your clothes and even if they’re successful the detective is going to nip at them so he can further secure himself around your neck.

You do love it when he’s peaceful, eating bits of fruits or grilled meat from your hand and nuzzling her soft cute face into your cheek (Heizou is going to make it up to you for all the trouble he caused later with cuddles).

Itto (bull)

Please help this man or bull who woke up so frightened that he wasn’t an Oni anymore that he crashed through a wall of your house and it took the entire gang, including both shinobu and you with the threat of Kujou Sara to get him to stop rampaging.

Also in this I imagine that he’s not Ushi sized but full on bull sized but with his signature red horns and red marking colored in his black/grey fur.

It’s going to take more than a couple minutes to tell him what’s going on (Sara already has Heizou trying to figure out what happened) but afterwards finds it pretty cool and naturally offers local Inazuman kids a ride.

You ensure them it’s safe with you going on him as well and the entire day is filled with the laughs of kids thanking their favorite Oni for bull rides, whispering comments to you about your lover’s protectiveness whenever another person gets a bit too close for comfort (like anyone would want to face off against an angry bull).

Kaeya (peacock)

This man is already cocky but now as he’s a bird know for being gorgeous and pretty, will not stop preening himself or looking for some way to impress you.

Each of his feathers has his signature star eye instead of it’s normal colors on his plumage which doesn’t take long to put two and two together, calming yourself down and laughing at your lover’s attempt to console you by perching himself on your lap (encouraging you to use his soft feather to distract yourself).

Both of you silently agree that it’d cause way more of an issue if you went out with an unusually colored peacock of all things (something not native to Mondstadt) and stayed home, sneaking out to walk among the gardens at twilight and admire the luminescent moon lighting up the path.

Kazuha (yellow ragdoll cat)

Such a good kitty he is, doesn’t panic upon realizing his new form but does have some concerns and atm he can’t do anything so he might as well relax with you until you start your day which doesn’t take long.

He’s so adorably cute and you cannot help yourself when you sweep him up in your arms, your lover is happily purring and swiping his paw over the signature red streak to hopefully clue you in. Luckily you took it well with minor panic but ultimately hoped it’d wear off after a day or so and scratched his head as you strolled through Inazuma City.

Many people flock to you and ask to pet your “cat”, commenting on his red streak and cooing at him whenever he walks around on your shoulders purring.

The samurai naturally attracts cats, so expect to be followed by a herd of cats which isn’t bad because they’re all so fluffy and Kazuha would rather nap on you when you’re basking in the sun which leads to a cuddle pile.

Kokomi (full moon betta fish)

Honestly how either of you got into this scenario is a mystery but needless to say it involved a very worried and concerned general Gorou cradling a small glass bowl with a beautiful pink and purple white full moon betta fish.

Most of the day was spent carefully resting in Kokomi’s room in order to avoid any soldiers in case they came looking when Gorou informed the resistance that her excellency wasn’t feeling well which wasn’t technically a lie although your girlfriend tried to convey that she wanted to go outside and swim in some shallow pools.

The happiness you could feel coming off her in waves as she excitedly swam among the shores of Watatsumi Island and fluttered about in between your legs when you walked in the water beside her.

Soon or later you ran with her in her bowl trying to escape Gorou for yelling at you for “endangering” Kokomi and understanding you’re her significant other but that doesn’t mean you get to steal her away (your girlfriend begged to differ).

Layla (sloth)

It fits her very well mostly due to how cute she is and her clinginess whenever she’s asleep, waking up one morning to feel a tight grasp on your waist and being a bit frightened to see a small icy blue sloth peacefully sleeping on your stomach.

You looked around to see your girlfriend’s signature star head accessory sitting atop their head, having heard to the Akademiya’s recent mess you’d believe pretty much anything and your Layla being an adorable sloth was not your life until the foreseeable future.

After locking the door so she couldn’t do any of her work (not like she could anyway), you went out to the nearby markets to get some breakfast and kept her close to you, her arms now wrapped around your neck and happily stared at your focused expressions.

Upon her request (really just her pointing at the House of Daena repeatedly) you went into the library and checked out some books in a small corner to her joy, cooing at her cute form and running your hands through her fur which she seemed to like).

Lisa (fine haired Persian cat)

You were in the library petting a gorgeous Persian lavender cat when the Acting Grandmaster bust into the room frantically asking if you knew where Lisa was and yelling that someone went wrong when the librarian as helping Albedo out with a recent experiment only to see you with the cat happily purring on your lap. “Oh good you found her.”

Obviously after the explanation that your lover had been accidently turned into a cat you couldn’t help but coo at her more than you did before you knew and cozy up in a faraway section of the library with some pillows and take a nap among the many books lining the shelves.

Napping away when the sun warmed both of you up and groaning when she pawed your face with her little fuzzy mittens, yawning as you got up to get food for both of you at good hunter and brought her back to your little pillow nest.

Lumine (cream tabby cat)

Just like Aether you woke up to a sound you hadn’t heard in a while which was a very friendly pale yellow tabby cat sleeping on your chest whose eyes fluttered as you began to fully wake up and nudged your cheek affectionately.

It didn’t take a genius to realize somehow that the traveler had somehow turned into a cat and until further knowledge so you had no choice but to care for your girlfriend, who was happily getting a lot of attention from you.

Your companions found this very amusing and Paimon did occasionally laugh at the way the traveler plays with the leaf being tossed about in the wind but quickly shuts up when she tries to take a swipe at Paimon.

There isn’t an hour where you and her aren’t connected in some way and Lumine often naps on top of your shoulders as you go about your day doing your chores, chuckling to yourself at the content purring kitty sleeping on around your neck.

Nahida (butterfly)

A/N: this can be read as either platonic or familial love

It’s not going to be easy to find her but she’ll let you know very easily via a dream and she archon magic, flapping her gorgeous green and white wings all around you while dropping small flowers on you.

Nahida is definitely going to need some help when it comes to eating and you can definitely hear phantom giggles as you cut into a slide of zaytun peach, biting into one yourself and lifting it to your shoulder where the dendro archon is perched.

There is no doubt that she’s going to lead to to the Aranara Village, introducing you to all her friends who without a doubt both know it’s her and adore you (many flower crowns were made for you that day and you brought all of them home).

You can tell just by how Nahida acts (even if it’s just flying about) that she’s happy to have another form of freedom where she doesn’t have to be Sumeru’s archon and just have fun, gliding from flower to flower that just seem to reach towards her every time she passes them.

Pantalone (arabian horse)

All you woke up to really loud noises and a bunch of whining which scared you awake and nearly screamed when you saw a fully grown black stallion worriedly pacing around the room, quickly backing yourself against the headboard and rapidly looking around for your lover but calling out his name.

To your surprise the horse looks your way and something in his eyes softens before stopping to a halt, nudging something towards you that was knocked onto the floor and picking it up to see it was Pantalone’s slightly cracked glasses.

No explanation could be given but you did have a very amusing time trying to get him out of the house without damaging or breaking anything, but the harbinger got back at you by sweeping you up on his back and galloping across the snowy fields.

You could vaguely hear happy winnies whenever you yelped or shrieked from the fast pace he was setting and would use his head to nudge you back onto his back. Anyone could tell that this horse was very prideful about its handsome appearance and you couldn’t deny it.

Raiden Shogun (Jaguar)

Needless to say walking back into your shared room only to see a violet patterned jaguar was enough to get you to call out to nearby guards and your breath fell short when you got the big cats attention, freezing in place as you slowly backed up and dropped the desserts had bought for you both.

You didn’t even have to run because it easily smelled the sweets and laid down to munch of them, nudging one toward you and watching you keenly with her tail swishing idly behind her; of course that’s when the guards came in and pushed you behind them in order to stop you from being harmed.

After a long accident involving the cat hissing at the guards and keeping you behind her, lifting her chest to show an exact copy of the symbol the archon had and sparks of lightning emanating from her paws marking up the matted floors. The message was clear that this was somehow their archon and didn't touch what’s important to her, without hesitation Yae Miko was called.

Ei was so much more calm when they left, you could feel that she was overall done with everyone and just wanted to relax with you (which you both did), escaping away to the secret garden where you hid among some flowers and napped with your lover now a jaguar purring quite happily.

Kunikuzushi/Wanderer (black ragdoll cat)

Nahida called urgently called you to the Sanctuary of Surasthana because something worrisome had happened involving the wanderer and to not panic because it wasn’t too bad, the situation you got only increased your anxiety when you ran in through the doors only to hear the archon’s voice yelling to “Close the door before he gets out!” and briefly seeing a black puff ball scurrying towards you while hissing.

The obsidian ragdoll cat uses you as a shield as he angrily hisses and takes swipes at Kusanali who is clearly having a lot of fun although it seems very stressful, thanking you and scolding the cat who she calls “Wanderer” for trying to escape when someone was trying to help him (you do a double take at that).

She explains that she doesn’t have an explanation but roughly knows what happened and most likely angered some Aranara who specialized in illusion magic to which you try and pay attention to her however your eyes haven’t left your lover’s pale indigo ones.

You go to pick him up (he strangely gave you a onceover before jumping onto your chest without warning) and nearly fell while glaring at him annoyed with his actions, the anemo user only squirmed in your arms to get more comfortable and blinked up at you once settled with false innocent eyes that you were all too familiar with.

Thankfully it was raining so even if he did get out he wouldn’t get far, so begrudgingly agreed to stay at the Sanctuary until he changed back and (much to his embarrassment) started purring when you pet him right behind the ears, looking around to double check if the damned archon was around before allowing himself to relax and wind his tail around your hand lovingly.

Shenhe (red crowned crane)

For sure is going to wake up confused and curious, pecking you awake as softly as she can and nudging you with her head to try to get you up.

At first you thought that she was Cloud Retainer and freaked out, scrambling out of bed and brushing the invisible dirt off your clothes to greet her correctly.

Upon noticing that it was your girlfriend, you chose to ask Cloud Retainer herself who also didn’t know what was going on but assured you it was temporary.

Shenhe flew across the lakes, freezing the water in spiral patterns and landing gracefully on the ice to invite you over to skate.

Tartaglia (red fox)

Him and Heizou have something in common and it’s still being able to cause mass amounts of chaos despite being non human, the entire day will be spent chasing him around while you try to clean up the messes he “accidently” causes.

No doubt one of his antics is going to be finding Zhongli and being playful but just tolerable enough to not be thrown into Liyue harbor, squealing and gekkering when Hu Tao came up to ruffle his tangled fur.

By mid afternoon you’d given up searching for your boyfriend and gone to sit by the harbor, swinging your legs off the dock and feeling a certain soft fox cuddle his way under your arms as an apology.

Thoma (Shiba)

You’re called over by the Kamisato siblings who were trying their best to keep it together and hold in their laughter while they led you to a room containing a dog that looked suspiciously like Taroumaru, noticing that he wore your lover's black metal headband and similar happy go lucky smile.

The two explained that somehow Thoma had been transformed into a shiba when they came to check in on him when he hadn’t said good morning and the only idea they had was to get you so no one else found out, asking you to watch over him until either of them found out a way to turn him back.

Thoma who’d been contently laying in your lap and snuggling against the hand petting him perked up at that sentences, barely able to contain his barks of excitement and running circles around you.

It was rare that the housekeeper got a day off and this was a strange incident but he’d take it, leaving you to chase after him through the city and coming back with some food a chef had given him because of his cuteness.

Tighnari (fennec fox)

There’s really nothing different except for the lack of control, short height, people cooing over him- yeah he officially hates it and scampers off into the Avidya forest to continue his duties. Even if he’s now an actual fennec fox instead of just being a hybrid like he was previously, a small hiccup isn’t going to stop him no matter how much Collei pleaded.

He is shocked that you instantly know who he is based on his various shades of green and blue coat coloring (not missing the hint of pink on his ears and nose) and hazel curious eyes, looking around before jumping into your arms and silently pleading for you to hide him.

You do manage to convince him to take a walk through the forest towards a small river runs and sweet Zaytun Peaches, mint, and Harra fruit grow; biting into one of them and savoring its sweet flavor before offering the other to Tighnari who happily took it.

He gives you the best privilege you could ever have and it’s cuddling him as a fox, it isn’t surprising you fall asleep with your boyfriend in your arms who is slowly falling victim to fatigue as well (he didn’t notice Collei peaked through the door and took a picture for later).

Venti (Mocking Bird)

Like Tighnari, the archon is already like a bird so it doesn’t affect him so much until you and Diluc tell him that he can’t drink any alcohol cause it might kill him in this form and he’s not going to chance leaving you behind in this world (although the face the red head made after you were finally able to convince him the bird was Venti was pure gold).

Your boyfriend never leaves your side and is able to hear all the songs that he can make as a mocking bird, including anything he overhears from anyone else and being able to mimic it completely.

He spends most of his time nested in your hair and showing off his beautiful feather pattern to his beloved, green and blue swirls painted on his brown and white wings (a small Anemo symbol placed on his chest).

Windrise’s massive oak tree provides lots of shade and roots for sitting on as you sit against the bark as Venti flutters about in the air joyously, occasionally stopping and giving you a love peck while he picks up some diced apple with his beak to nice.

Xiao (Blue-backed Manakin)

Takes the whole “fierce harsh warrior” and turns it on its head as he tries to figure out if this new form is because of his karma or just the world laughing at him, overall is very grumpy and does his best to avoid you knowing you’ll coo over his new bird form.

Light but harsh repeated pecking against glass gets your attention and you see a small bluish black manakin bird perched on the window sill trying to get out but freezing when they lock eyes with you.

You recognise the purple triangle that your lover has tattooed on his forehead and remember something he had mentioned about his previous form being a bird, putting the two together and scooping him into your hands; five minutes later both you are on the same page and will later see Zhongli for help but for now you’re okay with some snuggles after some puppy eyes (which Xiao knows he can’t stand strong against).

When the time finally arrives to find the ex-geo archon, Xiao finds a comfy stop nestled on top of your head (bonus point that he can also keep in contact with you and lookout) and does unconsciously let out small chirps when you nuzzle his chest or mention how beautiful his feathers are (which you wish could keep one and luckily enough are gifted one by him as your arrive in Liyue).

Yae Miko (arctic fox)

The Guiji does change into her fox form on occasion and when you’re at your lowest in need of comfort but never out in public where others can see her but something must have gone wrong because now she can’t transform back into her human form which alarms both her and you.

Doesn’t let anyone see her and curls up in her room as she tries to figure out what happened however you manage to sneak into her room, using your puppy dog eyes to your advantage.

Yelan (Black widow spider)

Something was scattering across your face and opening your eyes to see a larger than normal black widow spider to which your reaction was to scream in fear, throwing the spider to the other side of your room and desperately checking your face for bites while grabbing a big book on the shelf next to you.

When you turned back the arachnid was busy using it’s webbing to write something on the floor, quirking your head so didn’t have to move but you could see and becoming genuinely shocked at the sight of your lovers name being written in blue glowing silk (it’s artist looking up at you with all 8 eyes).

It took a lot of patience but you came to accept the fact that your fiersome girlfriend was now one of the most venomous spiders in all of Teyvat until you could change Yelan back but you’d make the most of it and she’d weave complex designs out of her webbing for you.

Another perk was that the hydro user could now gather intel more easily because of her new form and much to your dismay she crept out of the house to continue on her recent mission but just before midnight you felt a soft cloth brush against your face (Yelan had made herself a little bed on the headboard).

Zhongli (standard bearded dragon)

Generally alright with his new form but isn’t happy that he can’t drink tea anymore whenever he tries which only ends in your holding all of his tea hostage for fear of what it’d do based to his reptile body and Zhongli with his now obsidian black beard rather than the normal beige.

He does enjoy basking in the Liyue sun that beats down on a roof he’s taken a liking to after giving you a slip and flattens himself out into (as you like to call it) “pancake mode” to best enjoy the sun’s heat.

Hu Tao upon hearing why he can’t come to work cannot stop laughing and taking photos via her Kamera but lets you both off until a solution appears.

The day consists of you with your lover on your shoulder and walking around the plains of Liyue, more than once does he speed off to investigate a commotion and finds out he is very fast on all fours.

[velkia]

Some Twitter requests ❤

[honestsister]

The amount of backlash I've seen from Chinese players is honestly so inspiring, I'm so used to people saying "oh there's light skinned Latinos too!" Which yeah I know I'm one of them???? The fucking problem is that people only ever depict Latinos as light skinned and sympathetic or dark skinned and evil WHICH IS WHAT HOYOVERSE IS DOING! AGAIN! AFTER PEOPLE ALREADY WERE QUITTING AFTER SUMERU!!!

[secretkittywolf]

Happy pride to these Genshin couples

I need more mlm ships since most are wlw. Which isn't a bad thing! I personally thought I shipped more mlm that wasn't all rarepairs.

Hoping for Scara and Sethos to meet in game!

[shamblessm]

EDIT: I MIXED UP NEKOMATA AND CANDACE'S SKINTONES! The bottom-left gradient chart has them correct, but the one on the top had them mixed up because I reordered them by value. Sorry about that!

I was working on a bigger skintone chart but I noticed something very... concerning.

Woolsey is the darkest character in all of Hoyoverse - A MINOR NPC. So here's a smaller chart.

I love Woolsey to bits and he's my favorite character so far, but it's not fair that a NPC that people have only seen like once or twice with like 5 voicelines get more melanin than *anyone else*.

I'm not sure if I'll finish the expanded chart today (which includes all Natlan and Sumeru characters minus Wanderer, plus more NPCs), but I just needed to throw this out there because... something about this feels really bad. Anyone else is free to make a similar chart.

I just don't know what to say. Feel free to add more to this thread, such as NPCs with darker skintones.

TWITTER THREAD IF YOU WISH TO RETWEET ON YOUR TWT

[abilai]

Candace genshin you will forever be real to me (I literally don’t know her lore at all)

[endlessskymaster]

Almost everything: The Traveler is only concerned about their sibling and not much else.

Me: Aether demonstrated selflessness by prioritizing Nahida's happiness on her birthday over his own. He has helped numerous people in each region he’d been to, showcasing this perfectly.

Any older sibling would naturally be concerned about their younger sibling, and vice versa, even if they know they're leading the Abyss Order, which they've fought since Mondstadt, despite knowing that Lumine can take care of herself. They also care about the well-being of their friends.

Aether, along with the other members of the Sumeru crew, made a concerted effort to ensure that Nahida's birthday was a joyful occasion instead of a somber one. Given the hardships Nahida endured at the hands of the sages for 500 years—essentially being imprisoned and mistreated—Aether's kindness and thoughtfulness truly shine through in the screenshots below.

[lumine-luvr-xiaokazuhamains]

Excluding Paimon, they're all graduates of the Akademiya and yet they all share one (1) braincell here

I wasn't fast enough to ss the moment they all thumbs upped Nilou 😆

Even Lumine was freaking out. The only one who didn't act so suspicious was Candace and she was behind them 😂

Nilou and Candace kept their wits about them 😆

[iwant-fuitgummi]

genshin headcanon / au edits pt. 2!!

Candace bint Hamza ibn Ahmar Asim, Charlotte Benoîte LaFramboise, Chasca Cárdenas-Rivas

Chevreuse Cosette Caideux, Citlali Xahuentitla

Clorinde Maëlle Archambault, Collei bint Tighnari ibn Zayd Habib, Corentin Neuvillette

Cyno Cyrus Bamoun El-Hafez, Dahlia Bram Batz