An (former?*) angel who lost her voice in exchange for a part of her former powers. She is said to be the last angel created by the Heavenly Principles, responsible for the Hyperborea. Despite being mute, she is very talkative and loves to share her knowledge. She communicates through telepathy (which seems to be a power common among angels).
*Skirk refers to her as to a human, Alice calls her „The Silent Angel”. In general, many still call her an angel, she is described as one in official introductions. She is said to have lost her authority as an angel and parts of power and knowledge. Regardless, it is hard to consider her human, either. She is immortal, displays angel traits, has a bit different mindset than humans and wishes to be admired by them).
Nicole seemingly still wishes to keep fulfilling her old duties: providing guidance, protection, preservation and companionship to humans.
As a part of Hexenzirkel and one of its seven founding members, Nicole is said to be a powerful mage and propethess. Her title is „Guide who will never get lost”. She goes by the codename „N”.
Name
• Her full name is Nicole Reeyn.
• Nicole Reeyn sounds similar to Nicole Reine, doesn’t it? Nicole-Reine Lepaute, to be precise. This lady lived in the 18th century in Paris and was an astronomer and human computer (person responsible for conducting calculations, it was an occupation before machines started to do that for us). Alan Turing, a pioneer of computer science, called human computers "supposed to be following fixed rules; he has no authority to deviate from them in any detail" (this might be me overinterpreting, but it really sounds like genshin angels. Think about it, when they deviated from the rules, it ended up in a catastrophe and erasure of the whole race). Back to the Lepaute:
Already in her childhood Nicole showed her lively intelligence and a tireless zeal for the study, passing her nights reading books that she literally “devoured.” (source: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/315024924_Nicole-Reine_Etable_de_la_Briere_Lepaute_1723-1788)
Sounds familiar, doesn’t it?
Angel symbolism, ties to Celestia
Of course, as an angel, Nicole was once a divine envoy. It can still be seen in her design. Her robes resemble that of other Angels. She has a halo (part of her beret while off combat, in combat beret disappears, halo is better visible and centered). In combat, her wings can be seen (off combat she has a tattoo on her back, where wings should be).
The use of triquetras is quite interesting as well. The exact meaning of this symbol in genshin is unknown, but it can be seen on the domain entrances, Paimon's attire, etc. Taking a closer look at her wings, it seems to be safe to say that they at least take inspiration from it. It is also visible on her weapon and she stands on one during her burst, when the animation is cancelled.
Her constellation is reliquiarium (reliquary = vessel containing sacred objects, commonly saint’s remains or objects connected to them. Reliquiae means remains). This might be interpreted in many ways (how much of an angel’s power remains within her? Her being a relic of a race that met a tragic fate? Perhaps angels powers being granted directly by Heavenly Principles?
Nicole's clothes share motifs with seelies (lower part of the dress, parts of the sleeves). She takes a form of seelie when performing a plunging attack, she summons a seelie in combat and special charged attack. Her chair in Witch's Lodge resembles a seelie court (and when you use her to take a seat there, wings are going to appear!).
Hobby: sculpturing. Michelangelo reference?
I made a post about it a while ago so I will just insert a screenshot here:
It is a reoccurring theme when it comes to speaking about Nicole's sculptures, as shown in "Miniature Stonecraft's" description:
A Seelie statue concealed within stone, said to have been modeled after a certain renowned writer.
To reveal the statue hidden within, the extra stone must first be chipped away, and only then does the shape of a Seelie slowly emerge. To make it truly lifelike, however, would take certain secret techniques of a great mage...
Of course, no such witchcraft exists within the Serenitea Pot. Even so, Tubby has found a special way to recreate the process of shaping and refining a Seelie statue.
Angelos' Heptades: Nicole's past
In her signature weapons description, her past (Koitar's rebellion, meeting Alice) is recorded. I will attach just a fragment here:
The eldest daughter who dared overstep met her end, plummeting from the mountain peak, while the armored emissaries who swore to strike down the Lord of Hosts perished one after another.
All this time, the youngest child, the most beloved of them all, was hidden far away, in a palace deep within the wilds, sequestered from the storm of violence and the relentless rain of blood.
"I shall overthrow the throne of the Most High, to set the oppressed free, and to avenge the afflicted."
"But as for our sister, who is young and tender, we shall not harden her heart to make war against the false lord."
"Whether we prevail or fall, it is not right that her wings should bear the heavy yoke which we ourselves ought to bear."
While no one knew the capricious ruler's desire, their righteous rule still afforded one the chance to choose one's path.
And choose the youngest did, to cast off the divinity and her former powers. Then, miraculously, this child was allowed to retain human form.
Thus did she step into the world of the mortals, with nothing more than her broken wings and a fragile body of flesh and bone.
In this utterly vulnerable form, she wandered alone through a land filled with sorrow and tears, tainting her once pristine feet with muck and mire.
This went on for thousands of years, in which countless towers turned to sand, and songs of lament dissipated into the night breeze.
The envoy who wandered, the envoy who met the witch, the envoy who at last was relieved of the past...
Through the journey and memories that belonged to her alone, she found her crown irreplaceable at last.
The world she had never once deigned to behold was now etched forever in her eyes, the eyes of one who can no longer sing.
Bonus: etherwing moths
Legend has it that Etherwing Moths were born from the feathers of angels who fell to the mortal world after rebelling against the lord of the heavens. However, this does not explain their presence here in the domain of eternal stasis.
I can't explain, but Nicole's chest ornament reminds me of etherwing moths...
I’ve just finished Nicole analysis post and some error occured during uploading so only like 1/3 of it was posted (and perserved btw). Never again I will make drafts in tumblr
To say I am sad would be an understatement
That would be my new magnum opus and now I have to write it from scratch TT
Btw! I forgot to tell you that I got Nicole, one of my favourite Genshin characters! Made a few screens of her, enjoy~ Currently saving for Bina (I have 20 wishes so uhhh might be tough)
I might make a short analysis of her soon
Also no idea how but I managed to pull her weapon as well duh
Hi, I just wanted to tell you about some things I noticed (Odette's design edition) and make a quick analysis~
[beta spoilers]
Name
Odette is the name of the white swan from the ballet "Swan lake". Swan motifs are to be found everywhere on her design: the hairpiece, back and front on the costume, feather-like adornments. Part of the skirt seems to resemble wings.
About Swan Lake: context
I will mostly tell you about the two swans here.
• Odette: beautiful princess that was transformed into a white swan. Protagonist. Only true love can make her turn into a human again.
• Odile: daughter of the main villain of the story, the black swan. Looking very similar to Odette, she seduces the prince (who is in love with Odette), which (in short) results in Odette's death.
There is also a tradition that Odette and Odile are played by the same ballerina (it wasn't until the 1895 AC, when the "canonical" version was introduced).
Profession: remark
Not only she is a ballerina, but also part of the Fatui. As a student of Rosalyne (La Signora), she might become her successor and the harbinger in the future.
Duality
Light blue and dark blue parts contrast with each other. As I see it, it might reflect her duality:
• light blue: Odette, the white swan. Prima ballerina ("Her dance practices begin in the early morning").
• dark blue: Odile, the black swan. The Fatui ("her training with the Fatui usually stretches late into the night). Noteworthy: Odette's summon in game is also dark blue.
Hearts
They might be a reference to:
• Swan lake: Odette's curse can be uplift only if someone swears their love for her,
• Cryo seems to be tied with the ideal of love,
• There was a leak saying that Odette is an adopted daughter of Rosalyne. If so, she must have loved her in some way (?)
Today I wanted to share the works of amazing Sughra Rababi (found out about her today, loved her artstyle, needed to spread the beauty of her works). Enjoy!
Photo sources:
Sughra Rababi - Wikipedia
Sughra Rababi entered the world in 1922 as the eldest daughter of Asma Lotia, a Rawalpindi-based mother, and Ghulam Ali Mandviwalla, a prosp
