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ETA: This post is outdated. It turns out Azhdaha’s concept is taken from crocodile, alligator snapping turtle, komodo dragon and Stegosaurus. You can watch MHY’s Birth of a Dragon video on youtube.

ETA: This post is outdated. It turns out Azhdaha’s concept is taken from crocodile, alligator snapping turtle, komodo dragon and Stegosaurus. You can watch MHY’s Birth of the Dragon video here.

Azhdaha, the boss coming in Genshin V1.5, reminds me more of a turtle than a dragon. My first thought about his inspiration is Xuanwu (the black tortoise of the north of the four sacred beasts), but then I remembered the nine sons of the Dragon King, which seems to bear more similarity. 

In Chinese mythology, one of the nine sons of the Dragon King is a dragon with the shell of a turtle. The name is Bixi (赑屃). Bixi has teeth and is known to have tremendous strength. Sculptures of Bixi can be found in temples and are rubbed for wealth and fortune.

(Bixi and Bixie are not the same creature.) 

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Title: Shine Like Gold  Pairing: Azhdaha/Zhongli, Osial/Zhongli, Eventual Azhdaha/Zhongli Rating: PG-13 (Rating may change in the future) Language: English

Chapter summary:

There are things Zhongli has learned that his younger self has not.

Story summary:

Fate is indeed cruel and stubborn. When someone tries to change its destined course, it will resist. But that doesn’t mean it completely objects the change in minor details as long as it can obtain the same end result.

The moment Zhongli decided to challenge fate, the history as he has known it becomes twisted.

But fate too can sometimes be kind. For it has another plan; one that speaks volume for its sense of humor and the love for irony.

—

In short, the current Zhongli time-travels back to millennia ago, when the Archon War is still boiling.

[zeromora]

Title: Shine Like Gold Pairing: Azhdaha/Zhongli, Osial/Zhongli, Eventual Azhdaha/Zhongli  Rating: PG-13 (Rating may change in the future) Language: English

Chapter summary:

The evil god has more than a few cards up her sleeve. And when she decides to upstage the game, the most dangerous behemoth will rise from the sea.

Story summary:

Fate is indeed cruel and stubborn. When someone tries to change its destined course, it will resist. But that doesn’t mean it completely objects the change in minor details as long as it can obtain the same end result.

The moment Zhongli decided to challenge fate, the history as he has known it becomes twisted.

But fate too can sometimes be kind. For it has another plan; one that speaks volume for its sense of humor and the love for irony.

—

In short, the current Zhongli time-travels back to millennia ago, when the Archon War is still boiling.

[zeromora]

Title: Shine Like Gold Pairing: Azhdaha/Zhongli, Osial/Zhongli, Eventual Azhdaha/Zhongli Rating: PG-13 (Rating may change in the future) Language: English

Chapter summary:

Azhdaha has his own observation about Morax. Zhongli has an offer for Havria, but the God of Salt has another plan. Osial's pride only makes things worse.

Story summary:

Fate is indeed cruel and stubborn. When someone tries to change its destined course, it will resist. But that doesn’t mean it completely objects the change in minor details as long as it can obtain the same end result.

The moment Zhongli decided to challenge fate, the history as he has known it becomes twisted.

But fate too can sometimes be kind. For it has another plan; one that speaks volume for its sense of humor and the love for irony.

—

In short, the current Zhongli time-travels back to millennia ago, when the Archon War is still boiling.

[zeromora]

Title: Shine Like Gold Pairing: Azhdaha/Zhongli, Osial/Zhongli, Eventual Azhdaha/Zhongli Rating: PG-13 (Rating may change in the future) Language: English

Fate is indeed cruel and stubborn. When someone tries to change its destined course, it will resist. But that doesn’t mean it completely objects the change in minor details as long as it can obtain the same end result.

The moment Zhongli decided to challenge fate, the history as he has known it becomes twisted.

But fate too can sometimes be kind. For it has another plan; one that speaks volume for its sense of humor and the love for irony.

---

In short, the current Zhongli time-travels back to millennia ago, when the Archon War is still boiling.

[zeromora]

// 1.5 spoilers, angst 

Title: Grave of Memories  Pairing: Azhdaha x Zhongli  Rating: M  Language: English 

Note: Zhongli is referred to as Morax throughout the fic. 

Even dragons and gods couldn’t rebel against fate. The time they had were ticking, counting down.

Azhdaha and Morax, millennia ago. 

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Barbatos and Morax's constellations are Carmen Dei (Divine Song) and Lapis Dei (Divine Stone). The 'Dei' in their constellations apparently ties to their status as a divine being. Thinking back on Scaramouch saying the sky is false, does this mean their real constellations might be something else? 

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I keep thinking about Madame Ping a lot. The first thing being that she might have known — or at least suspect it — from the start that Rex Lapis is not dead. And the second thing is about her age and appearance. 

Keep reading

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I keep thinking about Madame Ping a lot. The first thing being that she might have known — or at least suspect it — from the start that Rex Lapis is not dead. And the second thing is about her age and appearance. 

Madame Ping was the only adeptus that didn’t fret about Rex Lapis’ death. If you look closely at her dialogue, Madame Ping only mentioned what people thought about the rumors of Rex Lapis’ death and the sadness that affected the glazed lilies. 

Paimon: Don't you think it's weird? Something's just happened to Rex Lapis, and then we come running up asking for it... Madame Ping: Oh, don't be silly. Liyue Harbor has been through a great deal in its history. In that time, it has seen the departure of countless adepti. Madame Ping: But no matter what, we have always performed the Rite of Parting first before any other matters. Madame Ping: To cry "catch the murderer!" at the top of one's lungs, but ignore the Rite of Parting... That, to me, is what is wrong-headed.

Here, she never mentioned what she thought of these rumors aside from the importance of the rite of departure.

She also seemed to know who was the one borrowing the bell and the thing about that old friend of her finally ‘take matters into their own hands’. 

Madame Ping: Now that you have come to borrow the bell, I guess that perhaps an old friend of mine has finally decided to take matters into their own hands.

Madame Ping: Oh, and, do tell the person who sent you... Madame Ping: ...that if they have time, they can come over for tea. I don't have much to offer, but you can always count on an old lady for a pot of tea.

The reason that I thought Madame Ping wasn’t in on Rex Lapis’ plan but only had her guess about it was Zhongli sending the Traveler to her instead of borrowing the bell from her himself. Perhaps he did it to avoid answering questions? After all, Madame Ping seemed pretty good at pestering him to get things her way considering one version of how she obtained the bell. 

Madame Ping: I was a vain beauty when I was young, and I would pester him for that bell all the time. Madame Ping: He could not dissuade me, and so he gave it to me. But he said that if someone should come to borrow it, I must not be loath to give it away.

(The other version said Rex Lapis gave it to her himself because he had seen her stare at it. Her version of reply depends on the dialogue your MC selected.) 

Now that she mentioned how she was a vain beauty when she was younger, I cannot help wondering how Madame Ping, as an adeptus, seems to be the only one (at least from the adepti we have seen up to now) who looks old. 

The Liyuen adepti in GI comes from the Chinese concept of Xian (仙), which refers to an enlightened person with longevity/immortality. (Actually, there’re nuances regarding the meaning and portrayal of Xian across texts. You may look them up if you’re interested.) But as to how or which of these beliefs are used as references in GI remains a big question mark. 

Assumption 1) Madame Ping was a practitioner and became an adeptus much later in her life. Hence, her appearance is that of an old lady. 

Note: Madame Ping might originally be a human then a practitioner whereas the illuminated beasts might be beasts that have achieved the status of an adeptus. Perhaps that’s why she’s more open-minded toward co-existing with humans and understanding humans’ hearts? 

But if an adeptus can change their form however they like it, why does Madame Ping decide to be an old lady?

Assumption 2) Madame Ping decided to be an old lady because the form fits her current demeanor and she does feel her age. 

Still, an interesting question here is whether all adepti in GI can really take any form and shape they wish to? 

Ganyu, at least, has her share of difficulty in controlling her weight and physique. 

The qilin are strict vegetarians, but Liyue is a veritable powerhouse of gastronomical delights, one in which even vegetarians struggle to control their appetites.

Ganyu, who has grown accustomed to city life, is thus very vigilant in matters concerning her weight and physique.

Whenever she finds herself being drawn towards some delicious dish, she will attempt to reassert her self-control. For Ganyu, the difficulty of such a challenge is second only to finding a Flaming Flower atop Dragonspine.

But she is not one to give up half-way through the ascent. During the Archon War, she once choked a giant monster to death with ease after getting lodged in its throat when it tried to eat her, said monster having fatally underestimated quite how wide her waistline was.

For Ganyu, avoiding any similarly embarrassing episodes in the future is an absolute must.

If an adeptus could simply take any form, would it not be easier for her to just appear in a form with her desired size? But then, we can also argue that she is only half adeptus. 

Zhongli, on the other hand, is able to take many forms (See: Rex Incognito) as he wishes. But again, Rex Lapis is not just an adeptus but also a god. 

So what are the differences between a god and an adepti? If one is both, what does the status of a god signify? What about the allogenes? Perhaps I’m reading too much into things and posing too many unnecessary questions, but these are, at some point, fun to mull over.  

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Thank you for the information!

To be honest, I believe it’s better to just call it a geo statue in the game anyway because calling it Bixi would tie the statue/creature to the lore of our world instead whereas Genshin has its own gods and beliefs (even though inspired/derived from those of ours).

(Still, would be nice if anyone could confirm what this stone statue is called in the CN version.)

Azhdaha, the boss coming in Genshin V1.5, reminds me more of a turtle than a dragon. My first thought about his inspiration is Xuanwu (the black tortoise of the north of the four sacred beasts), but then I remembered the nine sons of the Dragon King, which seems to bear more similarity. 

In Chinese mythology, one of the nine sons of the Dragon King is a dragon with the shell of a turtle. The name is Bixi (赑屃). Bixi has teeth and is known to have tremendous strength. Sculptures of Bixi can be found in temples and are rubbed for wealth and fortune.

(Bixi and Bixie are not the same creature.) 

[zeromora]

ETA: This post is outdated. It turns out Azhdaha’s concept is taken from crocodile, alligator snapping turtle, komodo dragon and Stegosaurus. You can watch MHY’s Birth of a Dragon video here.

Azhdaha, the boss coming in Genshin V1.5, reminds me more of a turtle than a dragon. My first thought about his inspiration is Xuanwu (the black tortoise of the north of the four sacred beasts), but then I remembered the nine sons of the Dragon King, which seems to bear more similarity. 

In Chinese mythology, one of the nine sons of the Dragon King is a dragon with the shell of a turtle. The name is Bixi (赑屃). Bixi has teeth and is known to have tremendous strength. Sculptures of Bixi can be found in temples and are rubbed for wealth and fortune.

(Bixi and Bixie are not the same creature.) 

[zeromora]

Ying’er and her double entendres. I was shocked as I thought it was a brothel, but then she said ‘baked’.

Porcelain. Alright. 😂

[zeromora]

Just for fun: Why is there not a single eating utensil on Rex Lapis’ side? 

Because when you think of it, Cloud Retainer, being in the bird form that she is, wouldn’t need chopsticks while Guizhong, being humanoid, would need a pair. But what about Rex Lapis? 

A) Rex Lapis didn’t eat or drink. He only sat with them.

B) Rex Lapis carried his own eating utensils with him or could just produce them out of rock himself.

C) Someone fed him. 

D) Something happened during their last meal together and Rex Lapis’ eating utensils were lost. 

E) He ate with his hands. 

(Considering how Zhongli is now, if the answer is A, it’ll be another contrast between his younger self and the current him. And personally, I find E unlikely of him. Still, putting it there so that no possibility is left out. :P) 

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Just thinking: What if the third adeptus was actually Osial?

What if Osial used to be Morax’s ally until something happened between them (conflicts of interest? Corruption?) and they fought? And the forebears of Liyue only remembered Osial as the sea monster that wanted to destroy their city, hence the image of him was ground away?

ETA: After 1.5, this idea has become invalid. The Osial incident happened around 2000 years ago whereas Azhdaha attacked the Chasm 1000 years ago, so the timeline no longer fits.

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Thoughts on 1.4 Archon Quest

Khaenri’ah, Dainsleif, Aether & Lumine, and the Seven archons: Recaps, thoughts and theories. 

These are what I gathered and my deduction so please take them with a grain of salt. 

CW // Spoilers for Archon Quest Chapter I Act IV: We Will Be Reunited 

- MC has the memory of Khaenri’ah which was destroyed 500 years ago. This confirms that Aether & Lumine are at least over 500 years old. The CN script also shows that Aether is the older of the two. (Lumine calling him Gege/Older brother and Aether calling her Meimei/Younger sister.)

- The Battle Pass Cutscene mentioned about the first crowned heir being deceived and believing that she was the queen of the kingdom of darkness. This is very likely alluded to Lumine and Khaenri’ah. (As Aether seems to be the MC in this cutscene and MHY’s preview of the Teyvat chapters.) 

Once there was a glorious kingdom established among the heavens. From that kingdom came a crowned heir, tasked with seeking out the Genesis Pearl from the Kingdom of Darkness. The first crowned heir began her journey seeking pearl. But she was deceived, and the memory of her noble origins faded. She now believed that she was the queen of the Kingdom of Darkness. But take heart, a second crowned heir had already taken the path where the first had stumbled. This is the story of your journey of your tale to be told.

(ETA: Some mentioned that the BP cutscene might not refer to MC and their twin due to the female one being the younger one. While it is also plausible that the cutscene might be talking about other characters, it doesn’t completely disprove that the cutscene isn’t about MC and their twin either. Because the terms ‘first’ and ‘second’ crowned heirs do not always mean the first crowned heir is the older of the two.)

- Dainsleif mentioned that it was the gods that destroyed Khaenri’ah. From what we gather, Khaenri’ah was 1) a country without a god to begin with, and 2) advanced in technology (apparently beyond the current Teyvat), it is likely that Celestia’s excuse to destroy it was either the hubris of humans or Khaenri’ah was advancing in the direction that wasn’t beneficial to Celestia. Could be both.  

- The lore of Bloodstained Chivalry also mentioned that the curse upon the kingdom of darkness is unjust. 

He ventured into the fallen ancient kingdom, and died in battle in the monsters' lair. At the bottom of the world, he learned the origin of the monsters that destroyed the ancient kingdom.

"The ancient kingdom was wrongfully cursed,"

"Turning its inhabitants into monsters."

"The code of chivalry tolerates not such injustice."

"If Abyss be thy name, I pledge to you my loyalty."

Still, for a nation that ‘fought for land with steel and blood’ (See: Field Tiller), is the curse place upon Khaenri’ah truly unjust? And if it is indeed unjust, what are the reasons for Khaenri’ah’s war waging and for Lumine to empathize with its cause after its destruction? Is she really deceived/corrupted? 

- Lumine mentioned having journeyed through Teyvat before, but when she woke Aether up, it was the Cataclysm already. So the world Lumine had travelled was the world before the destruction of Khaenri’ah. This implies that it’s likely she knows (some if not all of) the seven archons. (Previous Dendro archon died ~500 years ago). 

Zhongli might know something, but whether he chooses to speak of it remains a question. This might also relate to why he gave his gnosis to the Tsaritsa. 

- Dain said it was the gods that descended upon the earth and destroyed Khaenri’ah, but there is no evidence (and the lack thereof) whether any of the Seven was involved in this. But it is possible that the Cataclysm might be related to the death of the previous Dendro god. 

I think Dain’s negative opinions of the Seven is more from the Seven's relationship with Celestia. He speaks of gods as collective rather than an individual.

- Celestia is foreshadow to be the actual antagonist? (Or at least, the cyclical system that should be ended?) The nature of the world(s) Celestia has been creating/controlling is cyclical. Civilization has been built and destroyed over and over again (See: Tiara of Frost). An interesting question here is whether the Seven Archons system has been implemented before the current Teyvat. 

Personally, I believe that the Seven system is exclusive to the current Teyvat due to the occurrence of the Archon War. Not only do the seven seats let Celestia control the direction of humanity through the Seven, Celestia can also monitor the gods. 

(Possible) Chain of Authority:

Celestia >>> The Seven Archons >>> Gods that accepted the rule of the Seven >>> Humanity 

Note (1): Gods that refused to be under the rule of the Seven fled from the continent of Teyvat and became evil gods.

Note (2): The fact that Tsaritsa only planned to rebel against Celestia after the Catacylsm 500 years ago could mean that not all gods have an idea about what Celestia is up to, at least until the destruction of Khaenri’ah.

- The Seven Archons are tasked with the responsibility to guide humanity. However, with the newer generation of archons not interested in the obligation to guide humanity, with Venti originally leaving Monstadt free of its rulers and Zhongli retiring, how important to Celestia is actually this duty? 

Perhaps Celestia never means for humanity to prosper to the point of challenging the heavens from the start? As long as the civilizaion doesn’t advance in the direction that Celestia finds undesirable, it is acceptable? 

Note (3): Rex Lapis’ death and Zhongli giving away his gnosis means that there will be no new Geo Archon to replace him. Consequently, this makes Liyue godless city but a nation run by humans. However, Liyue has yet to incur the wrath from Celestia for the time being.

- How omnipotent is Celestia? Is the eye of Celestia all-seeing? Does Celestia even know the Tsaritsa is collecting gnoses? And what about Rex Lapis faking his death? Does Celestia even know his death was fake? If so, has Celestia begun an operation, a counter-measure, against the possible rebellion and/or the Abyss? 

- Also, at the end of the quest, Dain chased after Lumine with the Eye of the First Tiller with him and the upside-down Venti Statue was still not destroyed. Are we still getting mecha-Osial? (They mention the attachment of Osial’s limbs to the statue, does this mean the abyss plans to dissect Osial first? Poor thing. I can only hope they leave him alone.)