It’s not actually a theory, it’s just a lore reference rabbit hole.
1. Plato’s Timaeus begins with a tale from Sais, Egypt
Per the story, the city of Sais happens to contain the histories lost to the rest of the world because it’s protected by the Nile from periodic calamities from Heaven. Some interesting quotes from the tale below.
Timaues Quote 1:
"And from this calamity the Nile, who is our never-failing saviour, delivers and preserves us. When, on the other hand, the gods purge the earth with a deluge of water, the survivors in your country are herdsmen and shepherds who dwell on the mountains, but those who, like you, live in cities are carried by the rivers into the sea."
Timaues Quote 2:
Periodic destruction of civilization leading to history being lost … nice
"Whereas just when you and other nations are beginning to be provided with letters and the other requisites of civilized life, after the usual interval, the stream from heaven, like a pestilence, comes pouring down, and leaves only those of you who are destitute of letters and education; and so you have to begin all over again like children, and know nothing of what happened in ancient times, either among us or among yourselves.”
Timaues Quote 3:
The fair and noble race here is referring to the Athenians… remember how Enkanomiya had a Greek theme 🤔
"In the first place you remember a single deluge only, but there were many previous ones; in the next place, you do not know that there formerly dwelt in your land the fairest and noblest race of men which ever lived, and that you and your whole city are descended from a small seed or remnant of them which survived. And this was unknown to you, because, for many generations, the survivors of that destruction died, leaving no written word."
The tale also talks about Atlantis and stuff… but those quotes are for a future post… maybe…
2. Timaeus also mentions how the patron goddess of Sais is Neith
Neith was an Egyptian deity attributed with the creation of the universe, and the governing of how it functions.
She’s actually the goddess of a lot of things… including fate, wisdom, the cosmos, hunting, and weaving.
Fate... weaving... cosmos... setting laws of the universe... 🧐
Oh, and she was also commonly depicted wearing a deshret… the namesake of King Deshret
Also worth noting that Neith was often interchangeable with Isis and Athena per certain accounts.
3. In real life, the city of Sais supposedly had a statue of Neith with an interesting inscription
Per Plutarch, a statue of Neith/Isis (called the Veil of Isis) had an inscription stating:
"I am all that has been and is and shall be; and no mortal has ever lifted my mantle."
A different account by Proclus claims the inscription contained a third line:
“…The fruit of my womb was the sun”
4. The inscription led to…
The "lifting of the mantle/veil" came to represent the "discovering of truth", and later became incorporated in modern witchcraft / esoteric practices in a ritual called the Rending of the Veil.
And 'rending' (tearing something into two or more pieces) just so happens to be the description, per the Pale Flame artifact set, of what ushered in 'divine wrath' against Khaenri'ah.
“So too did I fail to stop them from tearing away the veil of sin, ushering in a tide of divine wrath, destruction, and foolishness…”
While trying to find specifics on the ritual itself, I came across a reference saying the ceremony originated from "Khem", which they stated was an ancient name of Egypt…
5. Etymology of chemistry
According to the "Etymology of chemistry" on Wikipedia, one of the etymology connections for alchemy mentions Kimiya (the name of the Sumeru NPC), Khemia (alchemy of Khaenri'ah), and Khem = Ancient Egypt.
It also references how the term alchemy is interchangeable with “Egyptian Art”
Which sounds very similar to Dainsleif referring to Khaenri’ah alchemy as “The Art of Khemia”
So in the 3.3 trailer, we saw this Irminsul with very interesting branches.
It feels like Genshin uses these kinds of lines whenever they show something that's seeping in.
1. Leonard's will (Unreconciled Stars)
This cutscene shows the backstory of Leonard, an adventurer who lived around 2000 years ago. Among all the mountains he tried to climb, he only failed to conquer Pilos Peak. It used to be a tall mountain, but due to Barbatos' terraforming on Mondstadt, it became the Musk Reef we see now (yes, the island with the Spiral Abyss Portal).
Though he failed to reach the peak, Leonard was not disheartened. He then designed and invented the Wings of Incompletion, the very first wind glider, hoping that someday someone will finally reach Pilos Peak at last.
Leonard's will was so strong that meteorites from his constellation descended onto Mondstadt and Liyue during the Unreconciled Stars event (1.1). Anyone who touches the meteories all fell into a deep sleep and dreamed the same dream: climbing Pilos Peak.
2. Zhongli reaching out to Azhdaha (Zhongli Story Quest Act 2)
This cutscene features the beginnings of Azhdaha, back when he was still a stone deep underground. He had yet to see the light on the surface, so Rex Lapis answered his wishes: "I bestowed him with a pair of eyes to see the world."
I assume that the yellow lines here represent Rex Lapis' Geo energy seeping through the bedrock...quite reminscent of how he saved Xiao from falling into the Chasm's chaotic space (Perilous Trail cutscene).
Lastly, this cutscene showed us how forbidden knowledge seeped into the world, plaguing King Deshret's ancient civilization. It is said that forbidden knowledge was "not from this world."
When King Deshret brought this knowledge, Eleazar spreaded for the first time, people would hear crazed whispers in their mind, and the land lost its vigor.
In Conclusion...
It's interesting to see that the lines from Cutscene #2 and #3 flowed downwards while those from #1 and the Irminsul's branches pointed upwards. But that's probably from our perspective 👀
they meet in a literature class for their writing requirement
they have very different interpretations of these novels and it often leads to heated discussions in class and everyone else is like :x..
all hell breaks loose when they're grouped together for the final assignment
other teammates are used to their bickering by now
haitham secretly enjoys these discussions, he finds kaveh's pov interesting. but he also likes watching his reaction so he'd be deliberately antagonistic sometimes
kaveh's annoyed cos haitham's so composed unlike him and he wants to think haitham's just bullshitting but his points actually makes sense ugh
freshmen year ends and when kaveh thinks he'd never have to see haitham again (and forget abt the stupid pocky incident once and for all!!) boom they're assigned to the same room in sophomore year
Posting my most iconic drawings so people can recognize my old ass profile or artstyle to revive this account 🙏
Which is your favorite archon? Mine’s is Venti ✨
tbh i have no resentment against people who use twitter; i know plenty of people have found a community there
....but for specificity's sake: the delight i am experiencing at the downfall of twitter is 100% because i resent elon musk. we are watching "pride goes before the fall" play out in real time in the most spectacular of ways. i feel like a goose that has just remembered what it felt like to be a dinosaur. i feel absolutely, rabidly, joyfully feral.
this man bought into his own hype and damn forgot he lied on his resume. man has the personality of wet rotten tunafish and has nothing to show for it but blood money and ruined lives. and watching him construct and carry out his own bankruptcy? oh girlie. oh my. come get a taste. this shit is delightful.
In the Chasm, one of the serpent knights tells us that the traveler (calamity) is a companion of the tyrant (fate).
To me, what’s most interesting about this quote is the use of the term “companion” to describe the traveler’s connection to fate, since it implies that travelers are friends/allies of fate…
Why is that important exactly?
Let’s consider what happened in Inazuma with Istaroth, the traveler, and the “fated” planting of the Sacred Sakura.
Looking at Eis quest:
Makoto wished for Inazuma to be protected from destruction
Istaroth responded to that desire, causing sacred Sakura to suddenly appear in Inazuma
Ei plans to just sit & pout in her realm for the rest of eternity
The traveler appears breaks Ei out of her funk, and helps her find a new perspective that aligned more with Makoto’s views
Ei duels shogun, and Traveler interrupts their battle at (apparently) exactly the right “moment”
Ei plants the seed in the past at the point in time where it was needed by Inazuma, thus making Makoto’s wish for Inazuma’s protection come true.
So, 500 years ago, the Sacred Sakura tree appeared (presumedely) with the help of Istaroth’s power… which means at the moment the tree appeared, Istaroth had guaranteed a future where “Ei agrees with Makoto’s views and plants the seed to make her wish come true”.
Ei planting the seed was predetermined (fated) the moment Istaroth decided to grant Makoto’s wish 500 years ago…
Though Istaroth fated for the Sakura tree to be planted, Ei’s “will” had her going down a path that (unintentionally) opposed that “fate” for 500 years.
A path she likely would’ve stayed on if it wasn’t for the the traveler.
Fate had been set by Istaroth, but it was the traveler’s actions that continued to move events forward until the fated momented finally arrived.
So, how does this make the traveler different than everyone else who was involved in the event? What’s the difference between a companion of fate and a subject of it?
*** DEAD THREAD ***
Too unmotivated to finish this, so the rest of the posts are listing the talking points I originally planned to cover:
1. subject vs companion: humans as static / travelers as kinetic —forces of fate that get static pieces into motion. Examples
1a. Yae miko’s lack or action until traveler arrives
1b. Abyss twin ex: awakening of Dvalin
2. traveler and kairos > Istaroth creates the “openings” the traveler takes > the determination of the traveler to find their sibling gives them the force they need to be successful
3. “the journey” = the thread of fate. + why the abyss twin might need the traveler to finish their journey (focused on “end” of journey instead of journey itself)
4. Staying on the fated path: the true purpose of paimon as a guide. Examples:
4a. Fantastic compass
4b. Inazuma before Sumeru, but why? Entering each region in their moment of turmoil (sumeru has “dark clouds hanging over it now” according to recent event guy)
4c. Influencing the traveler to help when they otherwise wouldn’t
5. Companion = the choices they make don’t oppose the course of fate, and in fact, seem to assist it. But traveler(s) wouldn’t choose a path that would lead to calamity, so how do their “goals” align?
5a. The road to hell is paved with good intentions — Istaroth hurting by helping?
5b. Multiple “fate” gods
** end of dead thread **
Maybe I’ll come back and finish this one day… but based on all my other dead threads, probably not 😅
[2.2] THE 4 PRAYERS CIRCLETS - Do They Foreshadow Genshin's Plot?
Originally tweeted on Nov. 19, 2021 (Version 2.2)
https://twitter.com/celestiabyss/status/1461390916821069824
Celestia being secretive, people questioning the divine, the search for answers in "deep places", and other recurring themes - these are mentioned in the lore of 4 certain circlets that offer elemental resistances.
The 4 circlet sets are:
Prayers for Illumination
Prayers for Destiny
Prayers for Wisdom
Prayers to Springtime
The descriptions for each set are all pieces of the same puzzle: they seem to tell the story of ancient Teyvat and their ties with Celestia. Now let's dive in!
[Prayers for Illumination]
It seems that ancient Teyvat used to be in contact w/ Celestia, and used to be covered in "eternal ice" that begun to thaw. People could hear "revelations from the heavens" directly, and "envoys of the gods" were present. Who could be these envoys?
"It was a time of great prosperity, when all was left in the hands of such heavenly revelations."
The envoys said that "the world would soon enter a new and brighter age". The people wondered if these "wonderful times" might come to an end, but the envoys were silent about this.
Thus, the people chose a "chief priest" among them to search for answers in their behalf.
The chief priest was sent out into the "deep places of the world".
"To antediluvian ruins and long-buried altars of sacrifice, to seek answers and enlightenment..."
Going to ruins in search for answers...does this experience seem familiar to you? In our travels, we've consistently encountered mysterious underground ruins (Dragonspine, Tsurumi, etc.). Makes me wonder if underground areas will be endgame...
link to lia's original tweet: https://twitter.com/windflowerlia/status/1460683406388436993?s=20&t=J9U_xmonZdsMeiNcRw3ftQ
[Prayers for Destiny]
This circlet almost has the same story as Prayers for Illumination, but with extra stuff:
"elemental flows were smooth and well-ordered" (were the leylines ok in ancient times?)
"A hundred years of bounty were written in the stars..." (constellations?)
[Prayers for Wisdom]
This is where things get even more interesting! We now see the people questioning/challenging the Gods, and this is a recurring theme in Genshin (e.g. Khaenri'ah, Inazuma arc).
"Their prosperity brought pride and ambition, and the mind to question."
The people "questioned the heaven's authority, and schemed to enter the garden of gods." This angered the envoys of heaven, and the line that followed notably mentioned Eternity!
"For to question eternity was forbidden, For earth to challenge sky, inexpiable."
This makes me wonder if this is related to one of Ei's lines, "Only Eternity can bring us closer to the Heavenly Principles."
Witnessing the fall of Khaenri'ah, the death of Makoto, and other losses while purging "obstacles to progress" made her fear of loss even greater.
Ei then began to pursue Eternity, but hers is a "static" one (never-changing). She also gave up her Gnosis and cut off all ties with Celestia.
Although Ei's actions can be seen as rebellion against Celestia, she's not actively going against them. It seems more like "avoidance".
It also seems that Ei is "playing it safe". We still don't know what exactly are the Heavenly Principles, but to protect Inazuma, she's using Eternity to become closer to said principles. This is more like a "I don't want Inazuma to end up like Khaenri'ah" kind of situation.
The whole Celestia-getting-angry portion also reminds me of Dainsleif's lines about the Hydro Archon and the Tsaritsa from the Teyvat Chapter Storyline Preview: Travail.
Dainsleif said this about the Hydro Archon:
"The God of Justice lives for the spectacle of the courtroom, seeking to judge all other gods. But even she knows not to make an enemy of the divine."
This seems to be another hint that Celestia must not be angered.
Meanwhile, Dainsleif said this about the Tsaritsa:
"Her followers hope only to be on her side when the day of her rebellion against the divine comes at last."
In contrast to Ei, the Tsaritsa is actively going against Celestia (e.g. collecting the Gnoses).
But wait...the Tsaritsa doesn't seem to be the only one actively rebelling against Celestia right now. Yes we also have...the Abyss Twin!
"Until the Abyss has engulfed the thrones, my war with destiny will see no end..."
The Abyss Twin wants the Traveler to continue their journey and see the "true nature of this world".
It seems that for the Abyss Twin, reuniting can wait, and that "engulfing the thrones" is of urgent importance right now.
The Abyss Twin has already traveled Teyvat once, has more experience in Khaenri'ah, and is furious with Dainsleif for failing to protect Khaenri'ah. This seems to explain why they're siding with the Abyss.
Given that the Cataclysm happened 500 years ago, and that the Abyss Twin's pre-Cataclysm experience in Teyvat could be a lot different than the Traveler's experience now (factors such as differences in historical contexts and people they've met), I really wonder how the Abyss Twin concluded that the Traveler will also find the "true nature of this world" at the end of their journey, because their journey MIGHT BE different.
Unless...this is a case of "history repeats itself."
And with that, we move on to the lore of the last circlet!
[Prayers to Springtime pt. 1]
Like Prayers for Wisdom, Prayers to Springtime also mentions Eternity!
"All prosperity must someday end, But this does not mean that nothing is eternal. At the end of a cycle, the earth shall be renewed. Thus eternity is cyclical."
Eternity is cyclical...this is in contrast to Ei's "static eternity", but I speculate that "cyclical eternity" might be the new kind of eternity she will strive for.
In her story quest, Ei tries to think of a "new form of Eternity".
She realizes that while change is inevitable, there are also some things that don't change.
What could be a good way of showing that Eternity can CHANGE but can also be CONSTANT?
A CYCLE! It shows change AND repetition!
I've always wondered why Eternity was the 3rd ideal introduced to us. It was introduced so early, and the ideal itself is still Ei's WIP (work-in-progress).
But maybe this was intentional. Maybe like Ei's Eternity, our knowledge of Teyvat's possible cycle is still a WIP.
[Prayers to Springtime pt. 2]
It's interesting to see how the last paragraph of this circlet is the first paragraph of Prayers for Illumination. It now directly mentions Celestia, and once again mentions that the earth was covered in "unending ice".
Now that we've read the lore text of all 4 circlets, I want you all to read them in the same order:
Prayers for Illumination
Prayers for Destiny
Prayers for Wisdom
Prayers to Springtime
Does reading them feel like a cycle?
I also wonder if the "unending ice" symbolizes something...perhaps a major catastrophe/phenomenon?
For instance, we've learned of civilizations being wiped out (Khaenri'ah, Sal Vindagnyr, etc.). They're different civilizations, but I speculate that this stuff happens cyclically.
And now the ongoing question remains...what will happen to Teyvat this time?
What will everyone do? (Traveler, Abyss Twin, Archons, Fatui, etc.)
And whatever happens, what will be Celestia's response?
Is Teyvat truly stuck in a cycle of destruction and rebirth?
And that concludes the thread!
I apologize if the thread is messy and I'm just going in circles (pun intended). But I hope you've learned something from it!
There are topics related to this thread that I wanted to cover but I'm not that confident enough, especially when it comes to leyline, domain, and Dragonspine lore. So pls feel free to share your thoughts and link some stuff! I'd love to hear about other connections you've made between the 4 Prayers circlets and other pieces of lore! Thank you for reading!
[Supplementary vid for watching]
IslandXD released a video in early 2021 about the Cataclysm, and it also mentioned the Prayers Circlets!
Here's the link to the vid if u wanna watch it too:
True Meaning of Cataclysm | Genshin Impact Theory EP.2
NOTE: Once again, this thread was originally tweeted in 2021! Some stuff here might already be outdated by the time you read them. This thread being transferred here on tumblr is for archiving purposes. It's for me to look back on how far Genshin lore and theories have come!
Event Wishes "Everbloom Violet," "Farewell of Snezhnaya," and "Epitome Invocation" Announcement
Travelers, stock up on weapons and characters in the event wish to make your party stronger in combat!
Event Wish "Everbloom Violet" - Boosted Drop Rate for "Astute Amusement" Yae Miko (Electro)!
〓Event Wish Duration〓
2022/11/18 18:00:00–2022/12/6 14:59:59
〓Event Wish Details〓
● During this event wish, the event-exclusive 5-star character "Astute Amusement" Yae Miko (Electro) will receive a huge drop-rate boost!
● During this event wish, the 4-star characters "Fantastical Evening Star" Layla (Cryo), "Protector From Afar" Thoma (Pyro), and "Analytical Harmony" Shikanoin Heizou (Anemo) will receive a huge drop-rate boost!
● After this event wish ends, the 4-star character "Fantastical Evening Star" Layla (Cryo) will be available in the standard wish "Wanderlust Invocation" in the next Version.
※ Of the above characters, the event-exclusive character will not be available in the standard wish "Wanderlust Invocation."
※ This is for "Character Event Wish." The wish guarantee count for "Character Event Wish" and "Character Event Wish-2" is shared, and is accumulated between both "Character Event Wish" and "Character Event Wish-2." This wish guarantee count is independent of the guarantee counts of other types of wishes.
※ The "Test Run" trial event will be open during this event wish. Travelers may use fixed lineups containing the selected trial characters to enter specific stages and test them out. Travelers that complete the challenges will receive the corresponding rewards!
※ For more information, go to the Wish screen and select Details in the bottom-left corner.
Event Wish "Farewell of Snezhnaya" - Boosted Drop Rate for "Childe" Tartaglia (Hydro)!
〓Event Wish Duration〓
2022/11/18 18:00:00–2022/12/6 14:59:59
〓Event Wish Details〓
● During this event wish, the event-exclusive 5-star character "Childe" Tartaglia (Hydro) will receive a huge drop-rate boost!
● During this event wish, the 4-star characters "Fantastical Evening Star" Layla (Cryo), "Protector From Afar" Thoma (Pyro), and "Analytical Harmony" Shikanoin Heizou (Anemo) will receive a huge drop-rate boost!
● After this event wish ends, the 4-star character "Fantastical Evening Star" Layla (Cryo) will be available in the standard wish "Wanderlust Invocation" in the next Version.
※ Of the above characters, the event-exclusive character will not be available in the standard wish "Wanderlust Invocation."
※ This is for "Character Event Wish-2." The wish guarantee count for "Character Event Wish" and "Character Event Wish-2" is shared, and is accumulated between both "Character Event Wish" and "Character Event Wish-2." This wish guarantee count is independent of the guarantee counts of other types of wishes.
※ The "Test Run" trial event will be open during this event wish. Travelers may use fixed lineups containing the selected trial characters to enter specific stages and test them out. Travelers that complete the challenges will receive the corresponding rewards!
※ For more information, go to the Wish screen and select Details in the bottom-left corner.
Event Wish "Epitome Invocation" - Boosted Drop Rate for Kagura's Verity (Catalyst) and Polar Star (Bow)!
〓Event Wish Duration〓
2022/11/18 18:00:00–2022/12/06 14:59:59
〓Event Wish Details〓
● During the event wish, the event-exclusive 5-star weapons Kagura's Verity (Catalyst) and Polar Star (Bow) will receive a huge drop-rate boost!
● During the event, the 4-star weapons Favonius Sword (Sword), The Bell (Claymore), Dragon's Bane (Polearm), Favonius Codex (Catalyst), and The Stringless (Bow) will receive a huge drop-rate boost!
● During the event wish, use Epitomized Path to chart a course towards a promotional 5-star weapon, such as Kagura's Verity (Catalyst) or Polar Star (Bow). For more information on Epitomized Path, go to the Wish screen and select Details in the bottom-left corner.
※ Of the above weapons, the event-exclusive weapons will not be available in the standard wish "Wanderlust Invocation."
※ For more information, go to the Wish screen and select Details in the bottom-left corner.
The Sumeru writing really shows how much the Inazuma writing dropped the ball with Kokomi
In the Inazuma quest, we are told Kokomi is a master strategist even before meeting her. And after meeting her, we are still continuously told she's a great strategist...
...but they tell, not show.
I cannot think of any instance in Inazuma quest where Kokomi did something that made me understand why she got the title if great strategist. Her contributions during the quest are telling us securing food is a priority for the army. Which, no shit, that's army survival 101 and not a show of superior strategic knowledge. Her other contribution is... hiring mercenaries to help out in a pinch. Which is also something basic. Even the fact that the resistance managed to reach Raiden's place as we were leaving turned out to be thanks to Ayato and not any actual planning by Kokomi.
Meanwhile...Sumeru. Sumeru shows us great strategizing.
Alhaitham is introduced as a high ranking scribe. We are not told he is a genius strategist. On the contrary, the narrative tries to make him look suspicious until the very last second. Yet this scribe is shown to come up with great and complex strategies. He builds on the knowledge he has, considers each characters unique strengths and creates a complex and intelligent plan to counterattack the overwhelming odds.
They wrote Alhaitham doing what Kokomi should have done, since she is the one we were told to be the master strategist.
Heck, the disappointment goes beyond the Archon Quest. Even her character quest did not improve this. Most of it was how she's so caring and diligent yet overworked, without again showcasing any brilliant strategies. At the end if it we are taken to witness Kokomi on the peace treaty... except there's no real tension for the player. The other side is being represented by Sara, a character we know is on our side and also wishes for peace. So again there's no real showing of Kokomi using her intelligence.
Meanwhile Nilou's quest has more strategy than Kokomi. And Nilou is not touted as that sort of character. Yet her quest also has her needing to go negotiate, and has her needing to think up intelligent arguments and plans. And for Nilou there is more tension: though the other party extended an olive branch by agreeing to the debate, it's clear he still needs to be convinced to agree to allow the theater to exist. Sara never needed to be convinced of letting the rebels go.
All in all, it's a shame what they did to Kokomi. After telling us again and again that she was a great strategist they couldn't even show us one instance of it, and Sumeru writing then shows us what actual intelligent strategizing would be.
I’ll use this post to organize my links on possible connections to Plato’s Theory of Forms (ToF) in Genshin, as well as some of my ramble / brain dump posts on general Plato connections 🙃
Genshin & Theory of Forms (ToF)
All theories for the ToF threads are independent. Parts 1 through 3 are intended to introduce the basics for ToF and some ways they can be applied, and are not intended as in-depth theories.
Part 1: Intro to ToF (brought to you by 🟣 + Ei & her puppet family)
An intro into some of the core concepts for theory of forms, and how Ei’s first story quest was actually teaching us ToF basics.
Part 2: Extended Intro to ToF, the art edition (Ei & her puppet family, but mostly Scaramouche)
An intro on art’s role in ToF and how it could apply to Scaramouche
Part 3: The Last Part of this Super Extended Intro to ToF, Sacred Sakura & Enkanomiya edition
A brief coverage on more abstract concepts — memory, space time, knowledge — and examples from Ei’s 2nd story quest on how they could potentially apply
Genshin & Plato (Junk Posts)
IN WORK … since tumblr won’t let me paste anymore for some reason 😒
