#hibiki asase

[lycheesodas]

GENSHIN IMPACT ARTIFACT SETS (4/?): SHIMENAWA'S REMINISCENCE

There once lived a shrine maiden named Hibiki Asase. In order to continue her training, she went to the Grand Narukami Shrine to study under the famed Kitsune Saiguu. Hibiki did not like the enigmatic kitsune at first, but she learned many things from her and grew to highly respect her mentor.

She also trained under the Yougou Tengu alongside two others, Kamuna Harunosuke and Mikoshi Nagamasa. The three would later be known as the Yougou Three. They also became acquainted with Takamine the Mistsplitter, a samurai who was also studying under the head Tengu, Reizenbou. Hibiki and Takamine grew close, though they never admitted their feelings for each other.

When the Cataclysm struck, Takamine was sent to the front lines as befits his rank as the Shogun’s hatamoto. In a reckless move, he promised Hibiki that he would return alive, and left her his prized bow as a bet. This would prove to be a fatal mistake, as his blade broke during battle and he was overwhelmed by the forces of darkness.

But that was not the end of Takamine. Years later, when Hibiki had tired of the life on Narukami and returned to her own family shrine on Seirai, Takamine appeared once again, now corrupted by the Abyss. Hibiki slew him with his own bow, viewing this as an act of mercy.

ko-fi | insta | twitter

[glouris]

About some characters’ possible incarnations in previous samsaras

So Teyvat is trapped in a cycle, is constantly going through samsaras, and reincarnation really is all but confirmed now apparently. 

A lot of people jumped to point at Childe and Parsifal, then speculate which other historical figures could also be his previous incarnations.

Childe's case is really, really interesting, but I wanted to bring up another character that also seems to be pulled into this samsara vortex somehow - Itto. 

(This is gonna be long and have A LOT of reaches and speculations.)

Let’s look at Akuou (Touzannou) from Watatsumi Island. We don't have confirmation on which species he actually belonged to, but from what information we have on him, he would most likely be either a vishap hybrid, or an oni. He was described as “the wicked fangs and claws of the Great Serpent, the savage, demonic invader of Yashiori Island”. “‘Fangs and claws of the Serpent” makes it sound like he was a vishap, but I think him being called “demonic” is a more important characterisation here. The name ‘Akuou’ also may be a reference to the legends of Akuro'ou - “an ancient demonic warrior in the Japanese folklore who fought against the imperial court”, so again, demonic, an oni. And, well, oni also have claws and fangs, but I did have to mention that this guy could be a lizard person instead. 

If we assume that Touzannou was an oni, we can start to notice a lot of coincidences pile up. First, Touzannou’s personality seems to resemble Itto’s - he was reckless, boastful, presumptuous, but very kind. Not the brightest mind, as it’s said that “his strength was his only strength". He came up with his own fighting styles that are still passed down on Watatsumi. Itto’s fighting style is his own as well: 

(I love Itto so much man.)

Touzannou fought the Tengu Sasayuri and was called Akuou  - “Wicked King”; Kokomi’s Everlasting Moonglows story mentions it like that: 

Itto’s Redhorn tells a story about an “Otogi King”, who was boisterous and boastful too. And that’s where it gets weird, please walk with me. One of Itto’s passive talents is getting more wood, and if we look at how the trees are distributed on the map, the VAST majority of the Otogi trees are found on Yashiori Island.

As already mentioned, Yashiori was invaded by Orobashi and his people 2000 years ago, and ultimately became the resting place for Akuou (Touzannou) and shrine maiden Mouun, a very important figure I’ll talk about later. 99% of Itto’s story quest also happens to take place on Yashiori.

A cornplate detail, but Itto was also at Nazuchi Beach (Yashiori Island sub-area) in his dedicated album posted on genshin’s youtube channel. The ost playing on Nazuchi Beach is called Stranded Wish, which is quite an interesting name choice for a place that suffered so much tragedy and war. 

(This is also actually a Watatsumi ship, as mentioned by an npc we can talk to there)

Speaking of Watatsumi, Itto’s most obvious connection to it is through Gorou, as he is his dedicated support. The less obvious connection is his similarities with Akuou, and some things involving Kokomi. Sure, his quest is only accessible after you complete Kokomi’s, and their signature artifacts in the same domain, but her involvement seems to run a bit deeper than that. 

You see, the whole thing that started it all is Akuou being mentioned in Kokomi’s donut. At first I thought it’s actually the same guy from the Redhorn, because their description was so similar, basically just ‘evil king that fights a tengu’. But it was exactly this description that made me notice some interesting pattern of interconnected characters.

2000 years ago: Akuou the Evil King, Mouun the shrine maiden and Tengu Sasayuri. 

500 year ago: Tengu Reizenbou, Asase Hibiki and Ako Domeki.

Present day: Arataki Itto, Kokomi, and Kujou Sara. 

Take a look at depictions of Asase Hibiki (left) and Mouun (right) from the TCG cards:

Their haircuts seem to be identical, with the hair color being the only difference. Better yet, it's also similar to Kokomi's haircut. 

The oni from their respective time periods (or samsaras) are named Akuou, Ako and Arataki. Inconsequential, but interesting. 

Let’s take a look at Ako Domeki, and speculate a little (or a lot). Both Akuou and Itto had conflicts with a tengu, but Ako seemingly didn’t. But, since he’s 500 years back on the timeline, it puts him on the same time period as Tengu Reizenbou and the ‘otogi king’ from Itto’s redhorn. There is a slight chance that this ‘otogi king’ was actually Ako Domeki post Serai and Golden Apple, but there’s nothing really to prove or disprove this, apart from the fact that they both have similarities with Akuou and Itto.

Another thing that could possibly have something to do with Ako Domeki are those weird oni symbols scattered around Watatsumi. These symbols are connected to Rinzou's Treasure world quest - you look for pirate treasure, and find Rinzou’s letter where he talks about his life.

This “outlander king” inspired Rinzou to leave Watatsumi when he grew up. And, it’s interesting that he chose an oni mask as his insignia when he left Watatsumi. If this old man was the reason for him to go into the world to seek adventure at sea and become a pirate, it would make sense for his insignia to be inspired by this old man. Which would make him an oni. 

Could this be Ako Domeki, an oni pirate, that inspired another person to become a pirate? It’s far-fetched, but again, as we don’t have any confirmation for the end of Ako Domeki story, it could have really been him. 

Getting back to Akuou and Mouun. Mouun’s name has a very interesting possible origin: 

Kokomi’s ‘slumbering dragon’ constellation comes to mind here. 

Mouun was friends with a great 900 year old whale called Daikengyou.

They both were slain during the Yashiori Island invasion. But, the fact that this whale managed to live for so long almost definitely means that it was no ordinary whale - perhaps it was the same creature as the All Devouring Narwhal. 

Meanwhile Kokomi had a whale in her demo, which should definetly raise some red flags.

Akuou was taught different rituals by Mouun and her sister Ayame, including an art of whalesong. Interestingly enough, Itto is a very good singer apparently:  

So, in light of recent developments with whales in the main story, I don’t really think that this art of ‘whalesong’ was something connected to ordinary marine life, it’s too specific now. Given that Orobashi was actively opposing Heavenly Principles, I won’t put it past him and his followers to be involved with the likes of Surtalogi that keeps celestial whales as pets. 

Last thing, the books about Akuou and Mouun, as well as about other Watatsumi dealings (Debates on the "Viceroy of the East", A Preliminary Study of Sangonomiya Folk Belief, The Life of Mouun the Shrine Maiden, and more) are not in the book archive, but in the quest items. Must be important. 

So, let’s round things up. Akuou, Ako Domeki, Arataki Itto, all with similar sounding names, are boisterous, kind oni, that all have mentions of being called ‘kings’ (Itto’s ult is called ‘raging oni king state’), all have some ties to Yashiori Island (Ako Domeki is mentioned on a note on Nazuchi Beach, and if the Otogi King and him really were the same person, there’s Yashiori having the most otogi trees in Inazuma), all being exceptional fighters, all having ties to a notable tengu and a shrine maiden, that also have connections to characters taking on the same role from a different time periods. 

Ako Domeki is up in the air, but Akuou and Itto really do seem to be connected somehow.

[hamausagi]

there is no greater puzzle than eiji's lore dawg. i literally cannot figure out what happened to him. i remember originally writing that he was supposed to guard the asase shrine while the power of the thunderbird was still housed there, and since he failed to stop hibiki from unleashing it against the shogun's will he had to run away, but 1. that wld make him 500+ years old. and 2. why tf wld he go back there

reading inazuma's history hurts my brain bc i have to go to 10923509824089233 wiki pages to learn anything i need to find a straightforward timeline that has everything in it so i can actually give this man a reason for running 😭

[https-heizou]

case file: yuzuki. [info sheet]

name: yuzuki

age: 500+ years

pronouns: she/they

species: neko

vision/weapon: electro sword

job: shrine maiden at the grand narukami shrine

love interest: hibiki (past) + ei (future)

home country: inazuma

known relatives: n/a

known nicknames: the children on seirai island used to refer to her as kiki so that’s how she introduces herself to children on narukami island (this amuses miko). many of the other shrine maidens take to nicknaming her yuzu. miko and ei refer to her as zuki

claimed emoji: ⛩️

lore. a neko found by hibiki as a kitten, at night in the moonlight. raised at the asase shrine, yuzuki was once a favourite of the village children and they would often play with her and bring her toys. when yuzuki began to utilise her human form, she fell in love with hibiki.

after hibiki left for the grand narukami shrine to train, yuzuki stayed at asase shrine as the head shrine maiden. but hibiki fell in love with takamine and soon after the cataclysm happened, killing takamine and sending hibiki insane. seirai island would fall as a result of a resistance against the electro archon and hibiki releasing kanna kapatcir.

even when seirai fell to ruins and everyone abandoned the island, yuzuki stayed at asase shrine, tending to the other cats until she realised no one would return to seirai island and hibiki would not be coming back. as a result, she migrated to narukami island and became a shrine maiden for the grand narukami shrine instead.

notable songs from her playlist. strange love - halsey. follow you - bring me the horizon. passenger - noah kahan.

[imperator-solitarius]

" I know... And during my daily 'mediation' to gather information across Inazuma, I haven't found anything that you haven't already seen. No paper records, only the history within weapons and artifacts. Anyone with elemental powers and sufficient awareness can read the 'story' in objects, but the most I got is an old song from 400 years ago. 'Arataki of the Front Gate, Iwakura the Successor, Kitain the Serpent, Takamine the Mistsplitter.' "

The Kabukimono pours the tea once it's steeped, the first going over tea pets, the second for himself, and the third cup to Itto.

" The Kitain fought the Tatarigami, so their serpent connection makes sense. Iwakura was the clan name Mikoshi Michihiro took to separate himself from his mother, and he founded the Iwakura Art as well as created the Tengu-Sweeper technique the Maguu Kenki uses. Takamine, or Konbumaru, was loved by Asase Hibiki and gave her his bow, but married a high-ranking samurai's daughter after becoming one himself. He fought against the Cataclysm and disappeared in the battle. The Arataki clan, or at least one member of the clan, was considered equal to heroes such as them, if that helps at all. "

To the Kabukimono and Belial, however, species and any past 'sins' or crimes doesn't matter when it comes to followers. If they made mistakes in the past and seek to better themselves, they are welcome, as is anyone of any species, be they human, homunculus, Melusine, Oni, Tengu, Kitsune, or Tsukumogami.

" Huh... Though, I do have knowledge of youkai from before the majority were wiped out or forced into hiding, so there is a chance I could help with that... Oh, a music festival? Sounds like a lot of fun. If you ever want or need a shakuhachi player, just invoke my divine name and I'll be there in a flash. Literally, depending on the audience. "

He perks up immediately, only moving to retrieve the pot and let the tea steep in a container he poured the water into.

[syea-say]

“Neko, are you still waiting for Hibiki?”

Read Hibiki’s lore!!!!!!!!!!

[mytheetarecold]

Page 1 of a 4-page comic about Neko :D I’m selling the fanzines at Otakuthon!

[therosefrontier]

Whumptober Day 27

+++

No. 27 PUSHED TO THE LIMIT Muffled Screams | Stumbling | Magical Exhaustion

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Fandom: Genshin Impact

Characters: Asase Hibiki, Takamine the Mistsplitter (a.k.a. Konbumaru), Kitsune Saiguu, plus a little bit of Neko and Ako Domeki

Placement?: Five hundred years before canon present, the time of the Cataclysm as per lore

Word Count: 2697

//Note: refers to lore materials mostly from the Shimenawa's Reminiscence artifact set, the Storm Cage from the Emblem of Severed Fates artifact set, and the weapon lore for the Thundering Pulse, Mistsplitter, and the Hamayumi, with some direct quotes included here and there  

+++

Hibiki was friends with an absolute fool.

“Idiot,” she grunted while dragging him another step up the mountain, which the shrine just had to be on the top of.

“Well, I won, didn’t I?”

“It’s bad enough that you gamble away all your money all the time. If you go and gamble away your life, I will end you personally.”

Konbumaru (or “Takamine the Mistsplitter,” as people called him now) paused for a moment before the words settled in. “Wait, isn’t that a little counterintuitive…?”

“Shut up!”

Idiot. Hibiki didn’t know why she tried to reason with him. Still, she helped him up the path, his left arm draped over her shoulder as she half-dragged, half-carried him back to the shrine while he stumbled over his own feet, so he could get some help. She let her anger be a suitable distraction with the unsettling feeling of his blood smearing itself onto her side. She knew he would be fine, though. He needed healing, but mostly, he was just exhausted, she knew. Although his Electro Vision still shone brightly at his hip, its energy had been more than depleted. He would need some time.

“Just think twice before you go running after monsters, okay? What if I didn’t show up, huh? You don’t want to fall somewhere and have no one around to pick you up.”

“Yeah, yeah, okay. I’ll keep that in mind.”

 When they finally got to the shrine, Lady Saiguu laughed at them, as soon as she saw them.

“Saiguu!? How are you laughing!?”

“Oh, that?” The head shrine maiden buried her snickers then, her white kitsune ears twitching playfully. “It’s just that you’re so short. He’s twice your height, and here you are, carrying him like a little finch trying to drag a whole Yumemiru tree branch to make its nest.”

“He is not twice my height!”

“Okay, okay, one and a half.”

“Just…help him, please?” She was too tired for the shrine head’s weird jokes at the weirdest times. Years ago, when Hibiki was the greenest rookie of maybe any rookie walking into Narukami Shrine, she held Lady Saiguu in great awe and respect. She knew so much, and Hibiki knew so little. Her parents in the backwater fishing village she grew up in never even taught her how to read. She couldn’t talk right, she couldn’t act right, she couldn’t do much of anything. However, she learned. She studied as hard as she possibly could, to appease the curiosity burning within her, and so that when the day came when she would return to Serai Island, she could take command of its shrine and make it something great.

So, now that she had done her time and made herself into not so much of a fool anymore, she felt that she had the right to call Kitsune Saiguu weird, if she felt like it.

“No worries,” Saiguu assured with a giggle. “We’ll fix him right up.”

 +++

 “…I’m too good with a sword, you know? That’s why no one ever talks about my archery. Actually, now that I think about it, that’s such a waste of good archery. How about I teach it to you, then?”

Konbumaru came to her that day because he had broken the string on his bow, the “Thundering Pulse,” and he needed her help to fix it, again. Hibiki wasn’t expecting that day to end with her learning archery from him.

She wasn’t complaining, though. She was fascinated by the art, and she felt a rush at the very possibility of learning (although she wouldn’t tell him that, instead accepting the offer with a roll of the eyes and an ‘okay, I guess’). Traditionally speaking, shrine maidens weren’t fighters, but Saiguu fought (formidably, she might add), so why shouldn’t she?

Konbumaru guided her hand back, told her to keep focused on the target before her. “But not too focused!” he laughed. “That’s how you get stabbed from behind, or so I hear. The best archers, like me, can see every target at once, like you have eyes on the back of your head!”

“Yeah, yeah, we’ll get there. It’s my first day, alright?”

Hibiki hit the target, missing the center by a long shot, but she felt satisfied enough that she hit the target at all.

They trained again the next day, and then the week after that. They lingered sometimes afterwards, watching the stars in the sky.

“I wonder, you think the constellations we see belong to dead people? Because, I can’t, say, find mine up there, but the stars have to come from somewhere, right?” he asked.

“Hmph. Well, what if the stars are just stars? Never saw too much point in divination, anyways.”

“Oh really?” He quirked a smile. “That is a shame. And right after I got a ‘Great Fortune’ slip at the shrine today, too. I thought I might just go to the teahouse before midnight today to play some cards.”

“Heh, really? You’re really going to do that with me?”

“Hey, I won’t go broke this time! Promise.”

“Please, you’re already a Hatamoto with important responsibilities. Why are you still running around looking for trouble? And you’re already married too, to a sweet wife no less. Why do you spend your days wandering and gambling, huh?”

“No, no, I promise. I am not ‘wandering’ anymore. I’m protecting Inazuma, starting a family, and also, teaching you how to shoot a bow. I actually have no free time at all, really.”

She punched him in the shoulder for that, the gesture feeling like a touch of old times. They knew each other ever since they were young, before he went off and got mentored by the great tengu Reizenbou, and before he ended up in service to the Raiden Shogun herself. Their paths were simply very different, it would seem.

“Hmph, if you have no free time, why waste it watching stars, then?”

“Well…costs less money than gambling, right?”

 +++

 He gave her his bow, before he left.

Their world had turned to chaos, that day. Hibiki was not a person prone to fear. Especially she became the master of a weapon, she would often fight monsters afflicting the shrine and the villages on her own. When she returned at last to her hometown, she became a defender of that hometown. Nothing could faze her.

Today, her hands trembled. She shook underneath a blackened sky, screams of monsters and men howling in the distance. The horde was coming for them, and she didn’t know where it came from. The apocalypse was here, and she didn’t know why.

Konbumaru was going to fight the apocalypse. He had no reason to be confident, but the fool never did stop gambling.

“I bet on the mightiest bow in the world that I will return here alive,” he said with a smile, before handing over the Thundering Pulse. He insisted that swordsmanship was his strong suite, anyways. He would fight the Abyss with the sword that gave him his title.

 She watched him go, and she focused only on protecting the shrine. She evacuated the citizens of the village into the shrine so they would be easier for herself and the warriors to protect. The best fighters were out there with the Shogun’s army, facing the bulk on the onslaught. However, they would do what they could to protect their own.

Serai lost over a quarter of its population before it was over. Most of them were the citizens they failed to evacuate. Apparently, the rest of Inazuma didn’t do much better.

Lady Saiguu died in the disaster. Reizenbou disappeared not long afterwards, out of grief and guilt for failing to protect Saiguu. And Konbumaru never came back.

They did the best they could, was what Hibiki told herself every day. They fought the best they could.

 +++

 Konbumaru came back nearly a year later.

She found him in the forest that was their promised meeting spot. It was that same forest where the Kitsune Saiguu would never again roam. The same forest where they roamed in their youth.

“Asase, our promise... No, say rather our great bet. I will not lose it, not for the world!” he had told with confidence. He always spoke with such confidence. It was one of the brightest things about him.

 “Hibiki, I had that dream again,” he said with tired eyes and a weak smile, as if trying hard to make light of it, but desperate to talk about it, all the same. Hibiki knew what he was talking about. It was the dream in which he cut off his own head.

“You’re just stressed about adulthood, probably,” she spoke with a shrug, but if she honest, it disturbed her too. She didn’t really believe in fortunes or dreams like the other shrine maidens did, but still, the thought sent shivers up her spine. “You should relax more,” she said, a little more seriously this time. “Maybe take a break from training so much? Get your mind on things not decapitation-adjacent, got it?”

He laughed at the way she described it, the intended effect achieved. “Alright, got it.”

 He stood before her with dull eyes, masked in dried blood and a wetness that Hibiki probably only imagined to be tears. His clothes were ragged and filthy, and underneath them, a dark venom shone in the moonlight. The venom snaked up his chest, his neck, his face. It stretched down his arms and morphed into long, sharp claws that were wreathed in Abyssal energy.

He stared at her with nothing. No life, barely any soul. He looked to be in pain, but perhaps, Hibiki only imagined it.

His Vision was strangled in that same dark energy. Its light constantly flickered in and out.

Hibiki drew her bow with shaky arms. Chiyo was corrupted, they said. She fought against the Raiden, one of her closest friends! Was this that, she wondered? The corruption? The Abyss?

She paused a moment in the darkness. This couldn’t be happening. This shouldn’t be happening. She would have done anything, anything to save him. She shouldn’t have to—

He ran for her. His seeming lethargy was overcome by a shock of crazed energy, with an unearthly howl. She darted backwards, and he stopped short. He dropped to his knees, venom spreading into the ground and killing the grass that he touched.

Hibiki had to do it.

With tears in her eyes, she drew the bow, the Thundering Pulse, back again. A single arrow flew from it, with sparks of lightning glowing from its tip. It hit him in the heart.

“Losing one’s memory is no different from losing one’s life,” Saiguu once told her. “It is like death amidst darkness eternal.”

Hibiki refused to forget. She never will. She would die first before she died in that way.

Radiance sparked in Konbumaru’s eyes again for but a fleeting moment before they went dark forever. He dropped lifelessly to the ground. His Vision, too, finally found peace and went dark.

At Hibiki’s hip, a new Electro Vision shone in its place.

 +++

 Hibiki vowed that, no matter what, she would preserve Serai.

The rage and grief from her loss never went away, but she found new people by her side in those years. Ako Domeki reminded her far too much of Konbumaru sometimes, with his recklessness, but she appreciated his liveliness, as well as his help around the shrine. When he was not around, she had Neko to talk to.

Neko would talk to the Tenryou officers who came by too, successfully freaking out the uninitiated sometimes. The talking cat would also sit on Hibiki’s head during their meetings, making those envoys from Narukami even more uncomfortable, which gave Hibiki oh so much pleasure. As the years passed and her hair turned gray, people would grow more inclined to call her the “weird cat lady from the shrine.” It was amusing, really.

Serai’s relationship with Narukami grew sour, in those years. The problems started with money, as far too many damn problems did. The Tenryou Commission asked for large amount of money in taxes from them, for reparations after the Cataclysm. However, Serai saw very few of those reparations. They had to restore their island on their own. They were told that Narukami needed it more.

Some people grew discontented with the taxes and the soldier’s presence. Others blamed the Shogunate itself for not doing its job back during the Cataclysm, for not protecting them enough.

Ako Domeki was a pirate, and he took the fight to the Shogunate as such. The islanders began to see him as a hero.

Hibiki didn’t care much one way or another over the talk of rebellion. She was tired of fighting, herself. However, everyone she ever cared about on Narukami was either dead or gone. There wasn’t much point trying to bridge the gap between them. She only fought to preserve what she had.

She did her best, as the shrine maiden. She taught the kids how to read and write. She taught archery to the youth eager to learn how to fight. “Aunt Hibiki,” people would call her. She had little patience for foolishness, but she took care of everyone, fools included.

She was friends with a fool, once.

 Battle came to Serai, one day. She knew it was going to happen. She watched the ships gather, and she came to see her troublesome pirate companion off before he set off to face the Shogunate.

“Get off the ship!” he said, as full of cockiness as ever. “Women are a hindrance here!”

Hmph, he wanted to protect her. How cute.

He turned his back to her, sword in hand. The same way he once did it.

Hibiki watched him go, with fire in her eyes and electricity sparking about her belt.

This time, I will not let this person die.

She held an old warbow in hand, the Hamayumi. She had not picked up the Thundering Pulse in a long time, now. However, neither were necessary. She set the bow down and quietly walked away.

 They didn’t stand a chance, she knew. Domeki and the revolutionaries were full of fire, but they would never be able to defeat the Shogunate, the army backed by the might of an archon. Maybe, she should simply accept that. Maybe, she was about to make a choice that wasn’t hers to make. However, Serai was her home. It was the only home she had left.

She climbed to the top of the mountain, where a great power was sealed. Long ago, she had learned “true magic” on Mount Yougou. Today, she would use it.

She lifted her handcrafted storm cage to the sky, futilely praying once again that the gambler would win his bets. She looked out onto the land below, on the mossy reefs and harbor where she and Konbumaru once had their rendezvous, back when they were still young.

She hoped to retrieve those memories once again. She would rather die than lose them.

She broke the seal. Thunder and lightning ripped forth through the sky in overwhelming force, the remnants of that dead god coming back with a vengeance. Hibiki thought she might suffocate from it, but she held her ground. She was going to control this monster, and she was going to end this battle with her own two hands.

In the waters around her, lightning rained from the sky. Ships were cracked in two. Masts were set aflame. Even from such a distance, she could hear the cries from the Shogunate’s army.

Soon, it was over.

Hibiki dropped to her knees. Her strength was taken from her like it was siphoned. She did it, but she couldn’t control it anymore. Her Vision flickered. This was too much energy to handle, even for it.

Well, looks like I’m the fool, this time.

She dropped to the ground. There was no one around to pick her back up again.

Take care of the shrine for me, Neko.

The light from her Vision faded away to nothing. The light from the flashes of lightning above her will remain for another five hundred years.

[genshinfand0m]

"THE PICNIC"

Most of us has already seen this picture... it's "the picnic" it contains many lore about Raiden Ei and the former Electro Archon Raiden Makoto...

Kitsune Saiguu AKA Lady Kitsune

Affiliations:

❖Hakushin Clan

❖Grand Narukami Shrine

❖Ei

Info:

The Kitsune Saiguu , also known as Lady Saiguu and the Hakushin Kitsune, was a prominent historical figure in Inazuma who was worshipped as a kitsune goddess. She was a descendant of the Hakushin Clan, was a close ally of Ei, alongside the oni Chiyo ,and served a mentor-like role towards a shrine maiden named Asase Hibiki.

1. During a "dark disaster," likely the cataclysm five hundred years ago, the Kitsune Saiguu was among those who disappeared.

2. She was consumed by a "dark will," and both her body and memories were broken down and turned into filth.

The Hakushin Ring catalyst is narrated from her perspective and its blueprint is rewarded after completing Sacred Sakura Cleansing Ritual, a series of World Quests related to her.

Sasayuri AKA Great Tengu Of Yougou

Affiliations:

❖Tengu

❖Ei

Infos:

Sasayuri was a cherished tengu general from Inazuma who served the Raiden Shogun and was known as the Great Tengu of Yougou.

Sasayuri was killed during a civil war between the Shogun and the people of the Great Serpent Orobashi from Watatsumi Island.

Sasayuri is depicted alongside the Raiden Shogun, Mikoshi Chiyo, and the Kitsune Saiguu in Character Teaser - "Raiden Shogun: Nightmare." Of them, Sasayuri is the first to disappear from the picnic ground after Raiden recollects the battle against Orobashi.

Chiyo/Tiger Bite

Affiliations

❖Oni

❖Mikoshi Clan

❖Ei (formerly)

Infos:

Mikoshi Chiyo , also known as Torachiyo , was an oni and a member of the Mikoshi Clan who lived around five hundred years ago. She was the biological mother of Iwakura Doukei and the adoptive mother of Mikoshi Nagamasa. She was a close ally of the Raiden Shogun, Ei.

Chiyo is depicted alongside the Raiden Shogun, Sasayuri, and the Kitsune Saiguu in Character Teaser - "Raiden Shogun: Nightmare." She is the second to disappear from the picnic ground after Ei recollects their battle against each other.

[stainedglassthreads]

Okay but genuinely, ‘Lost in a Foreign Land’ and ‘A Company Vanishing into the Deeps’ were so incredibly fascinating for getting into the Fatui’s mindset. We’ve gotten that a little bit with Childe, but Childe is a tiny sample size, being a single person, and is a bit unique being a Harbinger. He’s also not totally accurate compared to the footsoldiers, because compared to most of them he also has his own personal desire-- fighting stronger and stronger foes. 

From the two Chasm World Quests I mentioned, however, most of the Fatui seem to believe they’re good guys, but also can comprehend why others would see them as bad guys. 

The Remnants of the Ninth Company really seem to hope to see the Traveller again as a friend, but at the same time, they’ll fight you with what seemed like no hard feelings should the need arise. 

Likewise, Katarina was distressed enough over her actual brother’s disappearance that she abandoned the rest of the Ninth Company to search for him, despite the other surviving Ninth Company members viewing her as a sister. But when you tell her Kolya might have survived by fleeing a battle, she says that if that is the truth, she’ll have to kill him for being a deserter, and seems intent on following through despite the thought appearing to distress her. She seems to have similar feelings about Gendou Ringo. 

It’s really interesting to see their worldview, and supports my theory that the Tsaritsa has good intentions, but has come down on being EXTREMELY ‘ends justify the means.’ It’s also interesting to see just how much the Fatui honor their ancestors who fought in the Cataclysm, and why the Fatui were originally in Liyue to begin with-- to investigate the potential of signs of the Cataclysm in the Chasm. 

...Actually, knowing my theories that Mondstadt and Khaenri’ah have some special connection, I wonder if that’s why Fatui sometimes try making moves in Mondstadt. Like, in the Prologue there was obviously Durin, and the need to acquire a Gnosis... but they still seem to have a presence with Viktor, Mikhail, Lyudmila... 

It’s also interesting to see how much of the Fatui mindset in footsoldiers appears to revolve around the Cataclysm. Anton and his troops appear to have never forgotten it, but almost no one in Liyue, Mondstadt, and Inazuma seems to remember it. Ignoring what Ei has told us, the only people to really talk about events that happened around the time of the Cataclysm are Zhiqiong talking about the Lost Yaksha, and Neko missing Asase Hibiki. Otherwise, only people who lived through the Cataclysm seem to mention it. And it’s not like people in Teyvat don’t care about the past-- the Knights of Favonius continue to honor Venessa’s memory and resent the Lawrence Clan for what they did, for example. 

But like... The Cataclysm appears to be a thing of the past for everyone else, while it’s still very much an ongoing crisis for the Fatui. 

[luckykittens198]

It's interesting that most of the artefact sets currently in existence speak about Khaenri'ah tragedy.

1. Crimson Witch of Flame (Or is it Ember?)

This tell the story of Signora who turned herself into the embodiment of flame in oder to burn away the monsters and corruptions

2. Viridescent Venerer

A hunter that met a blind boy, but raged after the boy was murdered by (it seems) abyssal monsters. She sacrificed her afterlife for vengeance. The lore in this set is tied to Viridescent Hunt bow.

3. Bloodstained Chivalry

A chivalrous knight that spent his life fighting the abyssal monsters, only to find that the kingdom has been forsaken by the Gods and its citizens turned into monsters. In the end he got corrupted and sided with the Abyss. I find it interesting that this set didn't say that he is dead. Who knows, he might turned into a herald or a lector.

4. Tennacity of Millelith

Presumably, the cataclysm in Liyue were focused on the Chasm. And Rex Lapis ordered the Millelith to evacuate the inhabitant and hold back the monsters and corruption. This set also mentioned this "people claim that the nameless yaksha that defended The Chasm was not, in fact, under the command of Rex Lapis. Instead, they believe that it was an act of redemption from a longstanding sin... a price paid for cowardice and dereliction of duty."

Also, a little tidbit about Zhongli mass-buying the time dials that was found in the chasm (did he even have money)

5. Emblem of Severed Faith

Rather than directly mentioning abyss, this is more of Chiyo's sone recollection of the aftermath. Sure, Chiyo corruption was told in this set, but the lore of this set mostly focused on her son.

6. Shimenawa's Reminiscence

It's a set based on Hibiki of Asase shrine, back when she was a shrine maiden in training under Kitsune Saiguu. To be exact, after the cataclysm where Kitsune Saiguu got consumed and "Konbumaru" (what's his name again? Takamine?) went missing.

7. Brave Heart

Telling the story of Arundolyn's childhood with Rostam, up until Rostam died

8. Defender's Will

Rostam's thought and wish. Also, direct mention of the abyss.

9. Possibly Berserker set

This set confuses me. It tells of a berserker that lost his country to curses and flames, it could be Khaenri'ah, but it could be other country?

10. Maiden Beloved

This is about a maiden saved by Bloodstained Chivalry knight before his descent to madness. Apparently the maiden kept on waiting for the knight to return. That's kind of sad.

Yeah, there is also Blizzard Strayer set and Prayer set that retells the Story of Sal Vindagnyr.

Also, Wanderer Troupes, Noblesse Oblige, Gladiator's Finale, Heart of Depth, Resolution of Sojourner, and the Exile that told of Mondstadt's Aristocracy era.

The rest is miscellanous stories that happens who knows where.

[voidcat]

Ok. But the fact that the stories that got to me the most are:

Asase Shrine’s talking cat priestess (and hibiki)

Gouba (moonchase past reveal)

Kapatcir (aka Thunder Manifestation & Ruu)

[yuri-cocaine]

finished the tsurumi quests and im reminded why i love genshin impact’s lore ;w; i’ll try to collect my thoughts under the cut

summary of tsurumi stuff:

over 1000 yrs ago, “something” (probably another piece of celestia like the sky nail) fell onto tsurumi island and caused the whole place to get covered in an unnatural fog. there are underground ruins with murals depicting this civilization and it looks really similar to sal vindagnyr on dragonspine. just like dragonspine, the environment got fucked up by debris from the heavens falling onto the surface

the thunderbird, a storm god, came to roost at tsurumi island. the islanders descended from the civilization in the murals mistakenly believes thunderbird to be the one who caused the fog and by worshipping her, the thunderbird would protect them from in the sea of fog. the islanders used human sacrifices to worship the thunderbird, but being a god and also a giant bird, she didn’t give a shit about them. the only exception was a boy named ruu, who sang to the thunderbird and named her kanna kapatcir. ruu becomes friends with kapatcir and promises to sing to her again.

the islanders take kapatcir’s fondness of ruu as a sign that she wants ruu to be the next human sacrifice, so they kill him. upon seeing ruu’s corpse, kapatcir went mad with grief and destroyed tsurumi island, killing all the villagers. she leaves tsurumi for seirai island instead, where she was eventually killed by the electro archon for being a threat to inazuma. when gods die in teyvat, the element they controlled explodes out of them, so when kapatcir died, a massive lightning storm utterly fucks up seirai island. to keep the storm from spreading, asase shrine is built with warding stones in place.

on tsurumi, the thunderbird’s lightning causes a massive leyline disorder. the events leading up to ruu’s sacrifice and the destruction of tsurumi replays over and over indefinitely. outsiders who travel to tsurumi can see phantoms of the slain villagers re-enacting these events, but ruu’s phantom can be interacted with. the tragedy gets replayed nonstop until the traveler brings ruu’s ghost to seirai to sing for kapatcir and the leylines get fixed.

the weird shit doesn’t stop there!! asase shrine eventually comes under the ownership of hibiki, high priestess of the narukami shrine and disciple of kitsune saiguu, ei’s friend. 500 yrs ago, celestia destroys khaenriah, and the cataclysm that follows after kills ei’s twin sister, corrupts kitsune saiguu and chiyo, and also turns hibiki’s lover into a monster. hibiki eventually comes to care for ako domeki, who grows up to be a legendary pirate, but during his battle with the shogun’s navy hibiki releases the wards on the thunderbird’s residual power to destroy the shogunate navy and protect domeki. domeki is swept out to.....golden island archipelago, the summer event islands that you will never go back to if you missed that event. now asase shrine is managed by hibiki’s immortal pet cat.

the cause of the cataclysm is the khaenriah alchemist rhinedottir, who is also albedo’s creator. albedo is her greatest work, and all the monsters that wreaked havoc and even killed the old electro archon are considered failures compared to him. that’s....really ominous lol

so to sum it up: celestia is actively hostile towards human civilizations. if they didnt drop whatever it was on tsurumi island 1000+ yrs ago, then the fog wouldn’t have isolated tsurumi, and the islanders wouldn’t have used blood sacrifices in a desperate attempt to appeal to an unrelated bird god for protection. celestia destroyed khaenriah because they allegedly became too advanced for a human civilization without an archon as their patron god. but the unknown goddess and whoever else is in celestia doesn’t care for the regions with archons either, because they don’t seem to care that fucking up one place leads to other places being impacted too. the archons themselves suffer from celestia’s actions, and the humans in teyvat are so powerless against these divine forces that they suffer fates worse than death as punishment for daring to make their own small lives better. 

final thought: what the fuck are visions??? each vision holder is an “allogene” or genshin, and they all have potential to ascend to celestia themselves. are all the gods in celestia mortals once? are they perpetuating some kind of fucked up cycle of destruction, like what happened on tsurumi only on a worldwide scale??? our twin is one of the main antagonists who wants to topple the gods after learning the “truth” of teyvat, whatever it is. despite the inazuma archon quests kinda sucking ass, the overall story of genshin is still too fascinating to give up on.

[kyogre-blue]

Seems I forgot to post this a while back, when I finished Seirai. 

Seirai is very cool, imo. I’m definitely enjoying it more than Watatsumi. The high altitude ziplining is pretty fun, and since the fall is so long, you can easily teleport out, so it’s not too bad. Gliding down from that high up is also very cool-looking. 

The interesting thing about Stormchasers is that it gives you the Peculiar Pinion, which belonged to the big lightning bird that had been sealed at Amakumo Peak, until Asase Hibiki unsealed it 500 years ago. (More on the bird later.) 

We know that one of the namecards for 2.2 will be “Inazuma Eagleplume”: 

Tentative description: Pirka chikappo! Kapatcir kamuy!

This is the same Pinion we received. 

That means there’s going to be some kind of follow up on Stormchasers in 2.2. And Watatsumi’s main side quest, The Moon-Bathed Deep, is in the same situation. It ends halfway through the ritual and actually going down into Enkanomiya has been left for a follow up quest. (We have the list of World Quests for 2.1, even the ones that aren’t released yet, and nothing on there looks like a follow up, so it won’t be in the second half of this version.) 

Well, they’re not necessarily going to get follow up at the same time though. Tsurumi Island, the sixth and final island of Inazuma which is supposed to launch in 2.2, is closest to Seirai, so perhaps that will go together, and Watatsumi will be elsewhere separately. There’s no way to guess at the moment. 

Anyway, regarding this lightning bird: 

Neko states that it was indeed a giant bird that was sealed at Amakumo. The Thunder Manifestation is its lingering regret. I can’t read the namecard description, obviously, but the “kamuy” is interesting, since that is an Ainu word roughly meaning a spiritual or divine being. 

The wiki currently connects this bird to the Thunderbird described in the Thundering Fury artifact set. 

To summarize quickly: 

The Thunderbird became friends with a boy who sang to it. However, the boy was (willingly) sacrificed by his tribe as an offering to the Thunderbird, so it wiped out the tribe in its rage, causing a volcanic eruption. It was hunted down years later. 

I am somewhat eeeeh about this. At least so far, I haven’t found anything on Seirai that would connect the two except both being birds associated with lightning. 

Here are the Pinion and the feather of the Thundering set for comparison: 

They have some similarity, but not enough to say conclusively that they’re from the same bird imo. 

Additionally, I don’t think there’s been any mention of an eruption at Amakumo. 

We’ll have to see as we go. 

[hungnitan]

EXPOSE "Labyrinth Warriors" STORY PART 2

Screenshot came from wiki as I'm pretty lazy took every scene (lol)

Different at Liyue, Traveler kinda apathetic to Tartaglia and likewise

I read one analyst about why Traveler bother explore the domain alongside Tartaglia as they taste a bit of Fatui's wickedness thanks to Scaramouche. Even it's all because of Paimon recklessness it's still doesn't feel right if you think as Traveler...

And it feels like those two aside Paimon conversation like strangers different at Liyue while they just suspect at each others. Why ?

Remember you hear Tartaglia called us "comrade" in this event so far ? Nope, only once and it's not even calling us

Have you read Traveler ever talk to Tartaglia "directly" so far ? Only once and it's very short answer

My best guess is Traveler openly hate Fatui now and of course Tartaglia already know Inazuma situations so far know friendly talk aren't going to work anymore...

Shiki Taishou perception as weapon

from this line I 100% sure this event really dedicated to Tartaglia as those really fit him. He always see himself as weapon for Tsaritsa and do every suicide mission flawlessly (refer at his character line)

If we still get to see him until Snezhnaya I would like to see his own choice, to believe until the end then died or betray his creator... Then again this only happened if he don't get killed after this event (lol)

Tartaglia mental problem (?)

We should know by now, Tartaglia doesn't bother about what's right or wrong as long he keep slashing everyone (lol) I often saw this kind of person at other anime, the one won't bother distinguish good or bad and believe their own idea is best one... Usually that person get betrayed by their believed one or no one helped them at past

My guess that happened after he get out from abyss, everyone shocked by his sudden change then his father say something he shouldn't have and finish it with sending him to Fatui (from his character line, he respect his father as adventurer).

Well, I wanna say soo many analyst about his mental problem but my english isn't going to cover them all (lol)

Is Kamuna Harunosuke a bad person here ?

First of all, let's start with who's Kamuna Harunosuke that keep mentioned in this event story... to put in simple he's onmyouji that learn adeptus art to Liyue lived around Catalytsm age so human roughly from 500 year ago... Nothing explain around his time at Liyue but he descripted as easy going person by Kitsune Saiguu and one of Yougou Three that keep mentioned in Inazuma lore (the other two are Mikoshi Nagamasa and Asase Hibiki). We all know about Hibiki by Neko and what happened at Seirai while for Mikoshi you need to read weapon lore (Katsuragiki Nagamasa)

So I think 99% chance of him isn't doing any bad purpose in this event, he feels to me as someone only thirst for new power like someone we know but in safe way lol

Part 3 depend if there's material to talk~

[caeca-iustitia]

Makoto deeply respected and valued Orobaxi and Kanna Kapatcir as well as their influences over the various islands of Inazuma- so much so that she formed strong alliances with both to ensure the continued safety of their lands. She maintained healthy and prosperous friendships between herself and them, ensuring they felt valued and cared about. She even went so far as to gift Kanna Serai Island to appease her notorious temper- though the act came about due to the Thunderbirds concern about her people lacking room to properly prosper.

These alliances remained strong up until Makoto's perceived death. The first alliance to crumble under Ei's leadership was that of Orobaxi's, who was promised Yashiori Island to expand into so his people could continue to grow so long as he respected the clans already living there. Makoto promised him the land once she returned from dealing with the Cataclysm- assuming she'd come back alive. She appeared to not do so, which greatly worried Orobaxi. Unable to fathom the death of a close friend, he mourned for almost 2 centuries before launching his attack on Yashiori Island- hoping to claim the land he was entitled to. Ei, assuming his attack was malicious, cut him down after he struck down her friend Sasayuri.

Strangely enough, Kanna's alliance didn't dissipate until the residents of Tsurumi Island sacrificed Ruu to her. Once she destroyed Tsurumi Island and cloaked it in fog, she left for Serai Island, where she began to stir up unimaginable trouble for Ei. Unable to find a peaceful solution like her sister would have, Ei waged war again. She killed Kanna and the residual power was sealed away to prevent further bloodshed on the island- though this would all be undone by Asase Hibiki who undid the seal and broke apart Serai Island in an attempt to stop the Shogunate ships.

After Makoto returned to the realm of the living, she was distraught to discover the fates of two of her only friends. She made peace with Orobaxi as best she could, doing her best to permanently seal away the Tatarigami on Yashiori Island as well as curing those that survived, though she could not restore their complete mental faculties. She confronted the Thundering Manifestation on Serai Island, sensing deep down the connection to Kanna. Defeating the creature, she gave it a merciful death and struck it down for good before doing the same to the one on Tsurumi Island. This allowed Kanna to rest properly, which made Makoto grateful if not a bit depressed.

Sometimes, when Makoto is feeling especially lonely, she'll go and sit upon Orobaxi's skull and watch the sky above. She'll talk to thin air about anything; her day, her progress in Inazuma and the other nations outside Inazuma. She knows that while they're no longer there physically, her friends are there in spirit, keeping her company and comforting her even through her darkest moments. It's this that keeps her going; preventing her from going back to sleep under Narukami Island and just letting the world die around her. She doesn't know the fates of her only other friends- Morax and Barbatos- and prays that she isn't the only Original Archon left in the world of Teyvat.