#sacred sakura cleansing

[the-curious-cat24]

The World quest that I am mentally challenged with the puzzle, emotionally dry from the partings and the quest that I ask my cousin to help me defeat the monsters, for my characters are not well built. I always remember this quest, the lore is good and the memories I had with my coop friends and cousin, fighting the steroid samurais hahahahha... Inazuma is a challenging nation and full of angst.

[unaplays]

[deathofafangirl01]

I’m playing Genshin and I got to the point where I have to go to Inazuma (such a fun place btw/s), so I met Thoma and passed his little test blah blah blah. So now he wants me to find a way out of Ritou and meet him at Komore Teahouse.

When I get there, he made a comment of explains that bc we kept his waiting for oh so long, he came up with a prank blah blah blah.

However, it actually took my character a long time to meet him at the tea house bc not only did I deliver the letters/gifts for this two Romeo and Juliet themed side characters just to get a passport, I also met this shrine maiden with a Kitsune mask and completed the world quest for her where I had to do this Cleansing Ritual for the Sacred Sakura and it’s roots.

And I like to imagine my traveler telling Thoma that and him just going “You did what now?” While internally conflicted bc “I left her alone for 5 minutes” (it wasn’t really 5 minutes but you get the point) and “wow she really is the person that Kamisato Ayaka needs”

[maplefield]

not my crying bc of the end of part iii of the aranyaka quests 😭😭😭 iykyk

[roseofthewind]

This game has objectively had many more interesting and funny bugs over the years but my favorite will always be when it’s supposed to automatically switch to your Traveler for side quest dialogue but it doesn’t so someone else gets to have a chat with Paimon.

[gachagen]

Is Furina a Hydro Eidolon? And other Fontaine 4.1 theories

I finished the Archon Quest and I have a LOT of thoughts, but mainly one solid theory I thought about after I finished it. And I rambled on and on in my friends DMs about this too lol so now I'm rambling about it here.

The reason I believe Furina to be a Hydro Eidolon is that she matches perfectly with the description of Hydro Eidolon replica's that we saw in the Mirage during the summer event. She has the signature blue hair and everything. And I think she could possibly be the Hydro Eidolon of the former Hydro Archon.

Another reason I think she might be a Hydro Eidolon is because I also think she might not even be the archon of Fontaine. During the archon quest, Arlechinno says that she tried to take the Gnosis from the Hydro Archon but that Furina didn't have it. She also noted how Furina practically begged for her life instead of fighting back like all the other Archons would have done.

So she thought maybe it was with Neuvillette but she doesn't disclose why she believes it's not with him either. So if it's not with Neuvillette and it's not with Furina, where could the Gnosis be? My theory, it's probably in those very scales that Furina uses to judge people. If Furina isn't an archon herself, than it would make sense why she relies so much on Neuvillette who is one of the Sovereigns, but also would explain why Furina would even need the Gnosis and has to safe guard it some place important or use it's power.

So far, we've seen that the Archons aren't really that caring about the Gnoses for some reason, but my theory as to why is because unlike Furina they aren't being watched by an old Dragon Sovereign, and have no need to really use it's power anymore. The Gnoses are a catalyst for an Archon's power obviously, but it's not the thing that grants them power. A lot of the archon's we've met already besides Furina seemingly are already really powerful creatures (Venti is a wind spirit/nymph thing who also has connections with the old goddess of time, Nahida has direct access to Irminsul whenever she wants, Ei has the Plane of Euthymia and the Sacred Sakura tree that literally can cleanse traces of the abyss from the earth, and Zhongli can bind anyone to a contract even those "above" him in power.) But Furina can't hold the Primordial sea back at all. She has to rely on Neuvillette, who can't solve the problem forever for some reason. He even says it's a "sentencing" as in its a punishment set by a judge.

I think the reason neither of them can really solve the problem is because 1. Neuvillette isn't as strong as he used to be now that the Sovereigns powers have been split in 7, and 2. Furina isn't an archon and thus doesn't have the power to rewrite the laws of teyvat like the other Archons can. The Prophecy is probably a set in stone rule that HAS to happen, and with no Archon present that means there's nobody around to change that rule. Furina's "plan" that she's been 'working' on could very well be a plan to become an Archon, which is why she's always acting so extroverted and is trying to make everyone love her. She probably believes that if she makes everyone in fontaine have faith in her, than she can ascend and become the Archon and then save all of Fontaine. But she can't possibly reveal that she's NOT an archon because than that will throw everyone into disarray and reveal that Fontaine has been a godless nation this whole time.

[reginrokkr]

■ ■ ■ 𝐏𝐎𝐑𝐓𝐑𝐀𝐘𝐀𝐋 𝐍𝐎𝐓𝐄𝐒.

Talking with a friend a few days ago I realized that it's been so long since I established certain things that it's easy to go unnoticed by others or that even I can forget, so for a brief refresh I'll be pointing out a few things, mainly in regards of Dain's involvement in certain aspects:

✧ During the end of the Cataclysm or immediately after it, Dain immersed himself in a samsara of memories of the past. This was done in pursuit of finding the truth about Teyvat as a means to decide what to do, after losing everything including a future to look forward / destiny. It'd entail the danger of a spiritual collapse were he receive mortal damage within said memories. ↳ This implies the possibility to interact with others that are part of that distant past of Teyvat, albeit the varying degrees of knowledge one may have of what he's doing are subject to plausibility of every individual that is involved.

✦ Besides assisting the Pari in the purification of the land, he fought alongside the Aranara too in order to subdue the effects of the Cataclysm on the rest of Sumeru. In the present, he will assist both groups to do the same he did five centuries ago.

✧ Following his journey to find his destiny and avoid that innocents suffer the wrongdoings of his people, he participated in the Sacred Sakura cleansing in Inazuma and will continue to assist in its purification in the present.

✦ In the past, he participated in the Enkanomiya Watatsumi Goryou Matsuri and he does so in the present again due to the requirement that not many find out what happens in Enkanomiya or run the risk to spread an information that the ancestors of Enkanomiya spent several generations to conceal in order to return to the surface.

✧ Sometime in the recent past, Dain took care of the affairs revolving the Ley Line disorder that took place in Tsurumi Island.

✦ The Narzissenkreuz Ordo caught his interest for some time, but he didn't act until in the present days. Given what they were fighting for and founded beliefs, this supposed a challenge of views to him.

✧ As an individual deeply connected to Irminsul, hence to Ley Lines, he helps Fujin to stop Lingyuan's land reset to what it used to be like in the past and thus taking care of the miasma breaks.

[stainedglassthreads]

I think I know what kind of theme and overall message Genshin Impact is trying to go for. 

Over a year ago, before Inazuma came out, I wrote a post discussing how all the Archons so far had had strong themes of grief, humanity outgrowing the need for them. The grief theme holds very true with Ei and Nahida. For Ei, the death of Makoto lead to a long period of depression, which she’s only now starting to move forward from. Said depression is the root of a number of her mistakes that went on to create problems for Inazuma and Teyvat, such as the abandonment of Scaramouche and the manipulations of the Fatui. (And if not for the Sacred Sakura, even worse things may have come to pass.) 

As for Nahida, it’s not so much her own grief. Rather, Sumeru’s grief for Rukkhadevata casts a long shadow over her. Because she can’t be a perfect replacement for Rukkhadevata, it’s led to her being overlooked and neglected, developing a host of insecurities about her abilities to be a good Archon and protect what few followers she has, let alone all of Sumeru. She’s not allowed to be her own person and properly grow into her role, because she fails at immediately and flawlessly replacing what was lost. 

While Ei needs to learn how to move on from Makoto, the people of Sumeru, namely, the Akademiya, needs to learn how to move on from Rukkhadevata. 

Now we come to the Aranara worldquest. The various World Quests, including Sacred Sakura Cleansing Ritual, A Company Vanishing Into the Deep, and Dream Nursery, have told us far more about the Cataclysm than any Archon or Character Quest. Furthermore, a very strong theme of memory has been threaded through each of these World Quests, being the most prevalent in Dream Nursery, which features the Aranara, whose power and fluency in the human language directly scale with memory. 

Aranara seem to have a particular philosophy about memory. Old, bad memories should be forgotten. Precious, happier memories should be made to replace them. But friends are more important than memories, because you can always make new memories with those friends. From A Company Vanishing Into the Deep, and from Alphonso at the very end of Dream Nursery, though, we get perhaps the exact opposite philosophy: to never, ever forget the Cataclysm, because it’s still an ongoing calamity. Grow up and see what the world has to offer, but never forget the darkness you’ve experienced. 

It makes it even more poignant then that the Aranara word for the Abyss, Marana, seems to translate to ‘the memory of death.’ 

The Aranara advocate for healing by letting go of bad memories and making new ones. But both the Fatui and the Abyss Order cling onto their traumas, grief, grievances, and grudges. The Tsaritsa and the Abyss Twin both want to seek vengeance against Celestia. But while Celestia may not be blameless either in this conflict, I don’t think they’re the big bad anymore. 

I think the Abyss is going to become the main antagonist. And I think the story is going to require the Tsaritsa and the Abyss Twin to... I don’t wanna say forgive and forget, because I still don’t know what EXACTLY Celestia’s sins were. But I think they’re going to need to learn to move on from their grudges. Anger can be constructive, but clinging to it can be toxic. And I think that’s what the Abyss is-- the toxic and corrosive force of clinging to grief and anger. And so long as the Tsaritsa and the Abyss Twin keep causing so much destruction and collateral damage in the search for rebellion and redemption, prioritizing old memories over the people they swore to protect, they’re just going to continue to empower the true threat-- the Abyss. 

Related past analyses, for full context: 

My analysis about the Archons and grief. 

Analysis of Fatui mindset from A Company Vanishing Into the Deep. 

[ac-liveblogs]

Posting some notes here re; the Cataclysm so I don't lose them

Each region's plot should relate back to the Cataclysm in some major way. The Cataclysm is the impetus for the creation of the Fatui and the Abyss Order, and is the primary mystery the Traveler wants to solve, so it should be a recurring major plot thread.

Genshin has a lot of plates spinning too, and not all of the information a player needs to understand what's happening is actually in the main story.

Mondstadt - Dvalin, + meeting Dainsleif. Mash up the first two We Will Be Reunited chapters, but save the reunion with the sibling for later.

Diluc and Kaeya should be aware of Dainsleif; Diluc might ask Lumine to keep an eye on him. Leave unexplained for now.

Liyue - The Chasm; Rex Lapis sealed Abyssal Forces beneath the Seven Star Array and the Abyss Order seeks to break the seal and free them + Traveler's reunion with their sibling moved here.

Inazuma - Ei's trauma regarding what happened during the Cataclysm/disdain of Celestia; she plans to totally isolate Inazuma from the outside world + the eyes of Celestia by increasing the power and range of the Storm Wall to preserve Inazuma as it is forever. Shift the Sacred Sakura Cleansing Ritual into the main plot.

Sumeru - Eleazor/the Withering + introduction of Forbidden Knowledge, Irminsul. If Forbidden Knowledge infects Irminsul, it should have a negative impact on reality in some form. Rather than make the Samsara a repetitive loop, this could leak into the Akasha Terminal first and result in the Samsara turning into a nightmare that the Sages can't shut off. (If everything is connected via the Akasha Terminals/Dendro Gnosis, this might be a more organic way to see what's going on with Scaramouche as a god rather than inexplicable forest hallucinations)

Fontaine - Change Elynas into one of Rhinedottir's creations, focus on the Abyssal corruption bleeding from its body out into the waters of Fontaine (most pure Oceanids fled Fontaine, but the Oceanids-turned-citizens have been exposed to the corrupted waters). Instead of a physical illness, long-term deterioration of the citizens' mental states by Abyssal Corruption (the dramatization of the trials etc) (related to Venti's storyline later down the line) + the Seven Dragon Sovereigns and their stolen Authority (Neuvillette judging Archons - not just Focalors, but Barbatos as well.)

This is a good point to bring up Childe's Abyss connections, but have Lumine and Childe arrested together and Lumine witness his nightmares while they're in Meropide.

I have no idea what to do with Skirk yet. Boot her from the main Fontaine storyline and save her for a later point.

Abyssal corruption may exacerbate erosion.

Abyss Order activities should result in an uptick in attacks from Abyssal creatures.

Some minibosses around Teyvat should be Rhinedottir's creations or other Abyssal creatures.

5 Sinners of Khaenri'ah and the Hexenzirkel should be introduced as concepts sooner.

[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.

[magicofinsanity]

Sacred sakura tree cleansing ritual.

[shoggothkisses]

there's a lot going on with the moon, how does it tie in with music?

HOKAY so for context: I wrote this big honkin' response to an anon who wanted only a breakdown of lore on the Moons in Genshin. In that post, I briefly discussed the names of the three Moon Sisters - Aria, Sonnet, and Canon - but didn't go into detail about what the Sisters actually have to do with music.

So let's do that now!

We've had lots of evidence so far to demonstrate that music has a real, tangible effect on Teyvat. More specifically, singing and music are very closely related to Dendro:

Singing to Glaze Lilies in Liyue causes them to bloom

Chanted prayers (and prayers are related to music, as I'll address shortly) play a major role in the cleansing of the Sacred Sakura in Inazuma

Singing the "Great Songs" of Khvarena is believed to stop the Withering

The korybantes / kory drums awaken Rashnu the Pari from her slumber

The Aranara songs on the Vintage Lyre (which is specifically from Mondstadt, or so says the description) allow you to communicate, bring things to life and even transcend realms

The first Aranara was created after Rukkhadevata sang to the ley lines, causing the Ashvatta Tree to grow and produce the Aranara as fruit.

Ley lines follow the path of Irminsul's growth through Teyvat - and it makes sense that Irminsul would be associated with music, since it's also associated with myths and fairy tales. We learned in Inversion of Genesis that historical fact can be protected from deletion from Irminsul if it's couched in allegory (that is to say, it uses symbolic stand-ins to carry its hidden core message). I bring this up only because music and its creation is associated with the divine in many major world mythologies:

The lyre (in Greek mythology) was invented by Hermes the day he was born, and was at different points given to Apollo (as an apology for stealing his cattle) and to Amphion (his...lover? stepbrother? unclear...to help him build Thebes. Like, the music of his lyre could move stone.)

In Chinese mythology, Fuxi (the half-dragon demigod who also was thought to have molded the first human beings out of clay) invented the yaoqin (now the guqin) after hearing the sound of phoenix song, and bestowed his gift to humanity so they could use it during celebrations.

While not responsible for creating the actual instruments, Odin is believed to have taught humanity how to create music and poetry by introducing them to mead in a less-than-tasty way.

In Aztec lore, the wind god Quetzalcoatl kidnaps musicians from the court of the Sun and brings them to the world of humans so that it may also be full of music. There are also multiple gods who govern the realm of music (Huehuecoyotl, Xōchipilli).

In Vedic (and later Buddhist) mythology, the goddess Sarasvati was the embodiment of music (as well as rivers, knowledge, and "all things that flow.")

The last two points here are especially important, as in them, music is directly tied to flowers (Xōchipilli is the Lord of Flowers; Sarasvati is often depicted upon a white lotus), water (Sarasvati is the anthropomorphization of a river with the same name; Xōchipilli wears a mother-of-pearl talisman shaped like a water droplet), and the moon (pearls are associated with the moon; Sarasvati is often said to "shine like the moon" or "wear the moon in her hair").

There are two figures in Genshin so far that have a close relation to these symbols: Greater Lord Rukkhadevata, and Nabu Malikata (the Goddess of Flowers). As far as the latter is concerned, there's very little we definitely know about her and more that can be implied from information elsewhere.

During the Aranara questline, we learned from Arama that Nabu Malikata is a Seelie who managed to retain her physical form after the calamity that tore the Moon Sisters apart (see moon lore post). While we're still not 100% on the relationship between Seelie and the Moons, we know that the Sisters oversaw a union between a Seelie and an Outlander - so, at the very least, the Seelie defer to the Moons for some manner of guidance or counsel.

We also know that, while Nabu has retained her body, she still seems to be missing...something. This description from Dirge of Bilqis feels very...husk-y.

We know thanks to the Vourokasha's Glow set that the Khvarena (the Seelie-looking energy orbs that respond to the Great Songs and at various points in their lives are the Simurgh, the Pari, and water of the Amrita Pool) originate from Nabu.

Also, in A Drunkard's Tale, Vol. 3, we meet a "pale young maiden" who speaks an unknown language and plays a lute for the Seelie, possibly while sitting by the side of King Deshret's sarcophagus.

(I believed this figure to be Rukkhadevata on first read, but since the maiden refers to the Seelie as "we," it can be better assumed that this is Nabu Malikata playing the lute for her siblings.

If this is true, and it really is Nabu, then it implies that she and Rukkhadevata look alike? Which makes things between the two of them even messier, lore-wise. But that's for another post...hopefully.)

Let's circle back to the Greeks for a second.

The philosophies of Aristotle and Plato (two of the hard hitters when it comes to Genshin inspirations) are based on the theory of animism. The tl;dr of animism is that all living things (and depending on who you ask, non-living things) have a soul, and this soul can be acted upon separately from the physical form. So - that bush? It's got a soul. Water? Soul. Humans? Souls. Umbrellas? Maybe in a hundred years or so.

Since music was given to humanity by the gods, the act of a human creating music was considered a form of divine intervention - or possession.

A third Greek philosopher, who doesn't feature as prominently in Genshin but serves a huge purpose here, is Pythagoras. Much like other Greeks, he believed that music was divine in origin, and that it could be used to soothe or agitate the soul, depending on the tonal harmonies being played. However, Pythagoras took it an extra step by blowing the theory up to cosmic proportions.

Basically, Pythagoras (and his followers) observed that certain objects - like the strings on a lute - moved when they produced sound, and that the size and speed at which those objects moved affected the sounds that were made. Bigger things moved slower, and made lower pitched sounds; smaller, faster-moving objects made higher-pitched sounds. And so Pythagoras extrapolated: the planets and stars in space are very, very big. And they move very, very fast. So they must produce a sound. And this sound is SO loud and has been around for SO long that people were incapable of hearing it. The theory was later picked up and expounded upon by Johannes Kepler, who postulated that the harmonies between planets couldn't be heard, but could be felt within the human soul.

This concept is now known as musica universalis, or music of the spheres.

-

OKAY that's a lot of information! So let's break down how it all fits together.

We have three Moons, named after types (or parts) of music.

The Moons are divine in nature, and so is music - suggesting that they're the reason why humans on Teyvat have music at all.

The Moons are related to the Seelie (and the Goddess of Flowers), who for one reason or another are cursed to have their souls split from their bodies.

In Teyvat, music affects the movement and growth of elemental energy - Irminsul, Aranara, Sacred Sakura, other plants, etc.

Music, mythologically, also has an impact on the soul - hence why Seelie and parts of other beings' souls (Khvarena, the Pari) respond to it.

-

I don't really know how to end this post so let's wrap it up with some miscellaneous notes and baseless speculation:

Is all elemental energy soul-based? Because it's sure starting to feel that way. (There's definitely going to be a follow-up post about emotions and music. Just wait.)

How close are Rukkhadevata and Nabu Malikata?? Are they two of the three Moon Sisters? Are they parts of the same god?? Will we ever find out for sure??? And when am I going to stop mixing them up when doing my research!?!

In my OG Moon post I mentioned how the Sisters are said to control heroes' fates (see Xiphos' Moonlight lore). If the Moons are related to music, and Irminsul responds to song, this may mean (literally or figuratively) that the feeding of music through Irminsul can affect (or alter) how those heroes are remembered.

Venti knows all songs of past and future. And every day that comment becomes more and more sus.

Anyway thanks for coming along on this journey, hope it wasn't too hard to follow, and feel free to send more asks if you want a clarification or a new post on something!

[grislyintentions]

NPC/ OC Intro: Mirai Affiliation: Shrine Maiden (Deceased), Spirit Notable traits: 14 arms (Ref: Yuu//hime (dislyte), Laura (Evil//Within)

Formerly one of the shrine maidens entrusted with the task of preparing and performing the sacred sakura cleansing ritual, she met with an untimely end at the hands of treasure hoarders.

Her lingering regrets at not accomplishing her duties coupled with the intense agony as well as rage experienced in the moment of her death, mingled with the accumulated filth of the sacred sakura's roots, thus transforming her into a spirit.

Normally reclusive, she can be found deep within the Chinju Forest. Despite largely meaning no harm to the living, she can be known to viciously attack anyone who tries to approach the sakura roots, relying on her 14 arms to maim and drag others into 'Hell'. Be careful when approaching the kitsune statues with memento lenses, for she does not take kindly to being peeked at.

Mirai's loyalty lies with the shrine maidens, and by extension, the Shogun. She can be called upon to lend assistance to those who pledge allegiance to Her Eminence (ie: Traveler, Kujo Sara, Yae Miko etc.)

[reginrokkr]

How far do go with divergencies when it comes to your canon muse? What’s something you wish to improve?

What concerns Dain's canon divergencies of my portrayal, it's rooted in certain events that are done by Traveler that I feel that Dain is more suited to do. Partly this is because I understand that Traveler is treated like our self-insert and that the way the story is written, we have to be witnesses of everything thus it's only natural that we have to be involved in everything (whether I agree with this is a whole subject, but I bet you can tell my stance in this by these divergences already). Said events include the Sacred Sakura cleansing given its connection to Irminsul, the Tsurumi Island incident as Dain would be suitable to tend the Ley Line disorder (a recent AQ proved that he's capable of doing that on his own, even), what concerns Enkanomiya, the Aranara questline and the Pari one too. Of course, I'm aware that this interferes with what Traveler does so I always keep in mind to ask beforehand if my other RP partners mind this divergencies of mine rather than impose them. Because I have the mindset to think that if any of these options if plausible for our muses aren't liked, we can always go for something else that can be as interesting.

About the second quest, I suppose that learning how to be more descriptive of the mood, the environment as a complementary thing to what I already do which is focus on Dain's feelings, thoughts and what is happening around him at the time. I look up to the writing style of a very good friend of mine that writes in such a beautifully poetical way that I wish it could rub off on me some, I feel like my writing is pretty straightforward. Maybe one day I'll be able to write like that and feel at ease with it.

Questions for the mun → Accepting! || @maquiscursed ✦

[carrotshark]

14, 17, & 30!!!

14. Least favorite enemy? SPECTERS. i had to farm so many of them for kokomi anf those fuckers are so annoying to fight

17. Favorite mission? (im going to assume this means my favourite quest) fhdfsj theres no way i can narrow it down to one,, but some of my all time favourites are carmen dei (no surprise there fjgdh), shadows amidst snowstorms, sacred sakura cleansing ritual, the fortune slip series, interlude 1 and 2, and sumeru act 2!

30. Something you like in general. the music!! i always find myself stopping to listen to the music when im running around for quests. especially love the port ormos theme, the one in guyun stone forest and a bunch of other liyue ones. sometimes i turn down the sound effect volume and go fight the raiden boss just to listen to her theme hshgkdf not to mention the character themes!! the stellar moments albums are some of my favourites and i like playing them in the background a lot :DD

[ac-liveblogs]

Golden Slumber further evidences my joke theory that there is (1) competent writer on genshin's writing team who understands subtlety, nuance and discrimination, but that they are locked in the basement for most of the year and only see the sun for one day every 6 months.

(Said writer is responsible for Cyno's characterisation and Itto's quest, obviously.)

It also staggers me that golden slumber -a questline which intentionally or unintentionally discusses and references Edward Said's Orientalism -exists in game where every time the followers of the scarlet king start talking about their god, the dendro archon/a follower of the dendro archon comes in to archonsplain the true history to these ignorant barbarians. The whiplash is unreal.

This quest is also making me realise how much I wish the scarlet king were actually revived (maybe as a playable character).

Like can you imagine the emotional conflict and drive it would create for Nahida and Deshret for Deshret to come back and realise that, though they weren't betrayed in the moment of their death, in the centuries after, Nahida's people endlessly exploited theirs. That the sages threw away their 'human trash' to Aaru village without compensation. That they systematically painted over the desert's true history to demonise the scarlet king. That Nahida did nothing throughout all this. (Because she couldn't do anything. It absolves her, but is she frustrated about it? Guilty? There's material here!)

It'd give the Desert side of the equation a codified and important leader (unlike the big eremite who got jobbed by Dehya) and also have the advantage of grounding the conflict in the present and not 500 yrs ago.

Then again, this is the game where Nahida says "the sages have never done anything wrong until they started harvesting dreams" despite witnessing hundreds of years of discrimination so maybe she just doesn't care. There are people online who say she has no obligation to protect them but like, lmao, sometimes the obligation is just there by morality and capacity, lol.

See, I'm pretty sure that HYV cares about two things - lore, and the Archons. Most character or storyline pretty much just exists to facilitate learning about those things, so in, like, Sumeru - the storyline about the Eremites is only just barely about the Eremites. It's about learning about King Deshret's history with Rukkhadevata, and the Eremite rebellion is used as a vehicle to make that lore relevant so it can be explained to the player.

There's an Eremite rebellion because [x] > We now have to learn how that happened! > We have learnt something cool about Rukkhadevata! > We don't need the Eremite rebellion storyline anymore. They're just cool and over it now that they know the truth. But we WILL keep using them to exposit more Godlore! (Except we already said they got history wrong so uhhhh, the person that has to exposit is-)

It's Watatsumi all over again. The rebellion doesn't matter, shh, the oppression and grievances of their people are just window dressing that we'll do the absolute bare pathetic minimum to address, just absorb all the lore about their dead god, isn't that so much more interesting? Does Kokomi get to be involved in the Ekanomiya exploration? Lmao are you joking??? Why would we want HER here??? Go talk to a million ghosts instead, isn't that so much better.

So that's kind of the angle I view the writing of almost every storyline from, and the function of almost every sidequest character? They just want you to know the lore and craft their storylines around delivering that. They might accidentally write a good character or quest despite this (Sacred Sakura Cleansing still stands on top), but I really don't get the sense they're that interested in actually writing their characters or storylines beyond the scope of a wikipedia summary.

*cough* scaramouche *cough cough*

Which is a really long way of saying - sorry, anon, I emotionally checked out of Sumeru's sidequests because they take too damn long so I hit button mash central midway through the Aranara questline and I from what I've accumulated through social media, it doesn't really sound like I've missed all that much. I know the general plot beats of Golden Slumber and how it ends, but I skipped through most of it.

I just don’t think HYV cares at all about the storyline they’ve created with the Eremites beyond how it can be used to Drop Lore about Deshret and Rukkhadevata (and related). They’ll do the bare minimum to wrap it up once it’s not useful anymore. 

I was thinking about King Deshret as a reincarnated character yesterday and originally thought it might be interesting, but I think I would have preferred... I don't know, Rukkhadevata genuinely Did A Bad for what she thought were the right reasons, and Nahida has to accept and make amends for that? It could end up being her first big Action as an Archon - one that sets her apart from both her predecessor and the Akademiya.

I get the sense in Sumeru that HYV is waaaaay more interested in Deshret than they are in uhhhh almost anyone else except Nahida? Is it just me that gets that sense? I can't imagine things would improve if Deshret was a modern character. Tbh, the less gods in the main cast the better. But you know what would be cool?

If we learnt what Cyno's damn headpiece meant