#tldr I don't think it's morally bankrupt like the other one but I still block people over it bc it sucks that much and the fans are horrible

[cantarella]

Hopping on this (well-informed) hate train to ask your thoughts on foc*llette? I noticed a lot of nvfrs make the switch as if that makes it any better. I thought it was pretty clear in Furina’s sq that Focalors was pretty much everyone’s big sister, to put it simply…

"well-informed hate train" took me out ngl but it's definitely an accurate way to describe whatever's happening here

since I've mentioned I believe furina and focalors to be different characters with different experiences and different minds technically what I think of the idea of furina and neuvi romantically doesn't apply with focalors, but I do think 1. it's deeply heterosexual and boring as hell 2. the fans are annoying and conflate it with nvfri so like even if I didn't mind it at first the fans made me dislike it and 3. it's also kinda weird for a bunch of reasons which I might as well elaborate on

so dragons in teyvat have been textually colonized by celestia, like it's a 1:1 comparison it's not particularly difficult to get that, so I'm not exactly comfortable imagining neuvi romantically invested with an archon no matter who they are. in fact I think even something like neuvi being as sad as he was during her execution scene and afterwards was kinda forced, considerng he's never hidden his resentment for celestia nor gods

you could argue he's inherently kind and felt sad she had to go to such lengths, which, well, yeah obviously. but other than what I've already mentioned there's the fact he straight up didn't know her until 5min prior so it was all a bit much

it also really undermines the fact the execution was an act of righteousness, oppressed groups don't owe gratitude to their oppressors for giving up on their privilege in the name of doing good. so the framing being entirely on how sad and tragic this sacrifice is and make the colonized character be the one to express said sorrow was... ehh a bad look. yes he's kind, and part of the emotional reaction must have been bc he learned of what furina went through and bc he finally found the answer to what he's supposed to do in his life, but it was still sketchy framing when you consider the bigger picture and the themes it touches on. ok tangent over bc this is barely relevant

you're also onto something in the way focalors is a sort of bigger sister bc she is a mentor figure, though only symbolically. in a way her leaving furina 500 years ago, revealing to neuvi her reason for inviting him to the court, handing over her powers and leaving both furina and neuvi for good ties back to the moment in a coming of age narrative in which figures that give guidance and mentorship leave and you're left by yourself to learn to stand on your own. obviously in this case it's only symbolic bc neuvi literally looks like a man in his 50s and they didn't know each other at all, but it terms of story beats it ties back into the main theme of the region. that's how I interpret it, and as always (bc I'm a romance hater) I think the canon dynamic is more interesting if kept as it is and not potrayed as romantic for the sake of it

also it's just weird bc she looks identical to furina like idk my man. I've talked ad nauseam about why I think neuvi fills the role of a guardian figure both in the text and symbolically, I'm not gonna feel comfortable imagining him romancing someone who looks like his pseudo-daughter what kind of freudian nightmare would that be😭