Space Gays

Art Dump // Lore Hoard // Multifandom Dan Feng did nothing wrong

[punkrinn]

Rinn ✦ He/They 🏳️‍🌈 🌻

I draw stuff sometimes, and I like to yap about lore and characters.

Current Brainworm: Honkai Star Rail

Other Fandoms: OCs, Genshin, MDZS, BG3, D&D, etc.

Search: “My Art” to see my drawings

Ask Box: Open! Drop theories, lore asks, drawing requests, or whatever you want :3

[punkrinn]

In light of the newest update, I have a revised theory:

What if Yingxing was infected with Shuhu's cells before the Sedition?

(4.2 spoilers ahead)

There was a huge chaotic battle with this thing that likely had his flesh and blood (bark and sap?) flying everywhere and landing on people. (I imagine a huge draconic Dan Feng just absolutely ripping into this big tree monster). The Xianzhou weren't affected because they are *technically* already Abominations of Abundance (infected by the Ambrosial Arbor). But a plain short life human could absolutely be affected by even the tiniest cells. The Happiness Society members were infected by a microscopic collection of Shuhu's cells, so who's to say Yingxing couldn't be infected in the same way?

Let's say Yingxing got covered in Shuhu's blood and guts during the battle. It seeped into his body and lay dormant there until some sort of trigger. Ashveil was the one who eventually killed Shuhu and ended the battle, swallowing it up completely with his shadow, even the parts that scattered across the battlefield. But what if the shadow missed a small part attached to Yingxing? Either because Ashveil sees him as an ally, or he simply couldn't detect such a faint scent of Abundance on him (especially surrounded by other Xianzhou folks who also have dormant Abundance cells).

So now Yingxing is infected with Shuhu's flesh, but he's not showing any symptoms of Abundance or mara until something triggers it. Him and Dan Feng clear the palace ruins at Scalegorge for whatever experiment/ritual they were doing, and something during that experiment triggered it. And THAT'S why Jingliu killed him. Yes, Jingliu was on mara-watch, but she didn't have it *yet,* and I can't imagine her killing one of her close friends for no reason. Yingxing suddenly becoming mara struck out of nowhere would absolutely be a justifiable reason for her to freak out and kill him in front of Dan Feng.

On the subject of Dan Feng, I can't imagine him purposefully infecting Yingxing either though that is what I was initially led to believe. (And honestly it's still a possibility. Dan F/Heng will go to extremes to protect his companions, he even admits it himself). It's likely whatever ritual they performed triggered Shuhu's dormant cells in Yingxing, like how the Happiness Society members had dormant cells until triggered and they transformed into beasts (hmm). This would leave Dan Feng totally blind sided and *devastated*... enough to allow himself to be arrested (cause come on, there's NO way he would've gone to the Shackling Prison if he wasn't willing OR extremely injured, which is another possibility. Dan Feng is ridiculously strong and could probably wipe out a Xianzhou ship if he *really* wanted, especially surrounded by his ancestral waters). While I do love the narrative of a slightly evil/morally grey Dan Feng who would use even the flesh of his enemy to make his lover immortal, I'm more inclined to believe he's smart enough to understand that is a VERY bad idea, even as arrogant as he is. He would've had to preplan and consciously make a decision to sneak into the Shackling Prison and take Shuhu's remains (unless he was given the remains by Sanctus Medicus, which is also a possibility given it's implied Dan Feng was tricked by them).

(Did the Xianzhou even have Shuhu's remains if Ashveil swallowed him completely? No one’s even allowed to check. Hm Xianzhou propaganda makes lore sleuthing very difficult lol).

In short Yingxing being unknowingly infected by Shuhu from that battle would explain Jingliu and Dan Feng's behaviors around the Sedition (what little we know of it).

Side tangent: How does Blade have such good control over mara/Shuhu? Imagine this, Yingxing is infected by dormant cells. Whatever ritual him and Dan Feng perform triggers it, turning Yingxing into a mara struck beast. Dan Feng panics and uses his dragon heart to stabilize him (either before or after Jingliu comes over and kills YX).

That's right. Dragon Heart theory. Jazz hands.

It would also explain why Dan Feng allows himself to be arrested. He *severely injured* himself to stabilize Yingxing, and likely drained a lot of his power/energy to make it work. It explains why he doesn't have his dragon heart in the Prison. It explains why Blade isn't visually affected by his immortality/mara other than his eyes (which look shockingly draconic). It explains why Blade feels calmer being with Dan Heng (you can hear heartbeats when he looks at him). He's essentially with his other half. It explains why Motenax Blade's splashart is in the shape of a heart.

(I've been a long time believer of the dragon heart theory. I came upon the conclusion myself when I first played through, but it's only recently I discovered it's actually a popular theory).

Now whether the "dragon heart" is metaphorical or literal is to be decided. Personally I'm for it being literal because I enjoy body horror (especially from the Xianzhou those freaks have body horror everywhere). Dan Feng is also a biologist/doctor, so it's something he could absolutely attempt to pull off (we talk about his cool magic dragon powers a lot but let's never forget he's also an old fart smarty pants scientist). Something about giving your *literal* heart to your lover so that you can find each other in your next lives is so tragic and beautiful and fits their theming.

Mortenax Blade has a suspiciously placed marking on his chest that seems significant, which could point to the dragon heart. The phoenix motifs also align with Vidyhadara themes of rebirth (and connects him to Dan F/Heng, since phoenixes and dragons are seen together as a symbol of unity). The fire element could point to draconic features, but it could also just be a reference to being the "Furnace Master." Overall Blade is definitely going to gain some sort of enlightenment/insight/control over his body, so this would be a perfect time to reveal something about the dragon heart.

TLDR: Yingxing was infected by Shuhu before the Sedition. Dan Feng's only interference with his mortality was giving him the dragon heart to stabilize him.

Getting my scattered thoughts out before 4.3, cause the next update will almost definitely give us more details about Yingxing, Shuhu, and the Sedition.

[chaotic-anxious-the-2nd]

Adding onto this, the readable 'Disciples of Sanctus Medicus: Collection of Exhibits' contains this right at the end about the 'Pharmacological Studies on the Draught of Draconic Surge'

so it is entirely possible that a mixture of Shuhu cells caused Yingxing to become Mara struck and so Dan Feng gave the dragon heart to Yingxing which caused the de-aging until the two sort of balanced out and well,

since at that point he would have had the cells of the Emanator of Abundance and one of the closest beings to the Permanence it probably just stayed that way for the last 700 years (?) with a heavier lean towards the Abundance because the Permanence is a dead Aeon at this point so (??)

That or he was the abomination, they used Shuhu's remains in the ritual and Dan Feng did who knows what with the dragon heart, either used it in the ritual or something else

but if that second one is true then that begs the question of how does Bailu exist?

[punkrinn]

Bailu has always been a Vidyhadra. You can talk to her past life at Scalegorge waterscape (I'm struggling to find a screenshot of it since it's optional dialogue, and the water mirages aren't on the map anymore :c). Dan Feng willingly passed his powers to her so she could become the next High Elder. She may have also been fed some power artificially thru Sanctus Medicus as the Dragon Draught is made with Dan Feng's body parts, but otherwise she wasn't "created."

Personally my favorite theory is that Blade is the dragon abomination. Yingxing gets infected with the Abundance, Dan Feng uses the dragon heart to stabilize him, and something triggered a transformation at Scalegorge. How did Jingliu get ahold of his body to torture him? He should've been arrested with Dan Feng if they were together. And why does Blade have so many dragon motifs if he's supposed to be an abomination of Abundance? Suspicious. The Vidyhadara seem under the impression that the dragon abomination was made from another species, and Yingxing was the only other person at Scalegorge during the Sedition.

(I'm planning on making a longer post about Yingxing being the dragon abomination if 4.3 doesn't outright confirm or deny it.)

I think Bailu is a bit of a red herring for the Sedition. Her significance lies in paralleling how Dan Feng was treated and what may have pushed him to do something desperate. Just like Bailu, he felt trapped by his duty and longed for an escape (which he succeeds as Dan Heng following the Trailblaze). Knowing the Xianzhou and the Preceptors, the shackle on her tail doesn't even do much and is just a means to control her, make her feel like she *needs* the Preceptors. That same shackle was used on Dan Feng (metaphorically and literally) so it's not an indication she's the dragon abomination or an artificial Vidyhadra.

Otherwise I think you are spot on. The dragon heart stabilizes the mara, and the Abundance stops the rapid de-aging from the Permanence, leading to a weird equilibrium that stops Blade's aging at his prime, makes him un-killable, and allows him to somewhat control Shuhu's influence. It's likely the Abundance lean is because he's been separated so long from Dan Heng, making the dragon heart "dormant" so to speak.

Dan Heng also mentions the blood of Permanence feeling dormant, but pulsed when he saw Blade taking on Shuhu. If they are connected through the dragon heart, it makes sense that they may influence each other and we'll see more evidence of Blade being connected to the Permanence soon.

[deltame13]

What did he mean by this

[punkrinn]

Hmm interesting

[punkrinn]

Ari chibi sticker + emotes based off my most frequently used emojis. I think the emotes would be better way more exaggerated as they don’t read super clearly from far away (ie, on Discord), but this was a fun little experiment. :3

[punkrinn]

In light of the newest update, I have a revised theory:

What if Yingxing was infected with Shuhu's cells before the Sedition?

(4.2 spoilers ahead)

There was a huge chaotic battle with this thing that likely had his flesh and blood (bark and sap?) flying everywhere and landing on people. (I imagine a huge draconic Dan Feng just absolutely ripping into this big tree monster). The Xianzhou weren't affected because they are *technically* already Abominations of Abundance (infected by the Ambrosial Arbor). But a plain short life human could absolutely be affected by even the tiniest cells. The Happiness Society members were infected by a microscopic collection of Shuhu's cells, so who's to say Yingxing couldn't be infected in the same way?

Let's say Yingxing got covered in Shuhu's blood and guts during the battle. It seeped into his body and lay dormant there until some sort of trigger. Ashveil was the one who eventually killed Shuhu and ended the battle, swallowing it up completely with his shadow, even the parts that scattered across the battlefield. But what if the shadow missed a small part attached to Yingxing? Either because Ashveil sees him as an ally, or he simply couldn't detect such a faint scent of Abundance on him (especially surrounded by other Xianzhou folks who also have dormant Abundance cells).

So now Yingxing is infected with Shuhu's flesh, but he's not showing any symptoms of Abundance or mara until something triggers it. Him and Dan Feng clear the palace ruins at Scalegorge for whatever experiment/ritual they were doing, and something during that experiment triggered it. And THAT'S why Jingliu killed him. Yes, Jingliu was on mara-watch, but she didn't have it *yet,* and I can't imagine her killing one of her close friends for no reason. Yingxing suddenly becoming mara struck out of nowhere would absolutely be a justifiable reason for her to freak out and kill him in front of Dan Feng.

On the subject of Dan Feng, I can't imagine him purposefully infecting Yingxing either though that is what I was initially led to believe. (And honestly it's still a possibility. Dan F/Heng will go to extremes to protect his companions, he even admits it himself). It's likely whatever ritual they performed triggered Shuhu's dormant cells in Yingxing, like how the Happiness Society members had dormant cells until triggered and they transformed into beasts (hmm). This would leave Dan Feng totally blind sided and *devastated*... enough to allow himself to be arrested (cause come on, there's NO way he would've gone to the Shackling Prison if he wasn't willing OR extremely injured, which is another possibility. Dan Feng is ridiculously strong and could probably wipe out a Xianzhou ship if he *really* wanted, especially surrounded by his ancestral waters). While I do love the narrative of a slightly evil/morally grey Dan Feng who would use even the flesh of his enemy to make his lover immortal, I'm more inclined to believe he's smart enough to understand that is a VERY bad idea, even as arrogant as he is. He would've had to preplan and consciously make a decision to sneak into the Shackling Prison and take Shuhu's remains (unless he was given the remains by Sanctus Medicus, which is also a possibility given it's implied Dan Feng was tricked by them).

(Did the Xianzhou even have Shuhu's remains if Ashveil swallowed him completely? No one’s even allowed to check. Hm Xianzhou propaganda makes lore sleuthing very difficult lol).

In short Yingxing being unknowingly infected by Shuhu from that battle would explain Jingliu and Dan Feng's behaviors around the Sedition (what little we know of it).

Side tangent: How does Blade have such good control over mara/Shuhu? Imagine this, Yingxing is infected by dormant cells. Whatever ritual him and Dan Feng perform triggers it, turning Yingxing into a mara struck beast. Dan Feng panics and uses his dragon heart to stabilize him (either before or after Jingliu comes over and kills YX).

That's right. Dragon Heart theory. Jazz hands.

It would also explain why Dan Feng allows himself to be arrested. He *severely injured* himself to stabilize Yingxing, and likely drained a lot of his power/energy to make it work. It explains why he doesn't have his dragon heart in the Prison. It explains why Blade isn't visually affected by his immortality/mara other than his eyes (which look shockingly draconic). It explains why Blade feels calmer being with Dan Heng (you can hear heartbeats when he looks at him). He's essentially with his other half. It explains why Motenax Blade's splashart is in the shape of a heart.

(I've been a long time believer of the dragon heart theory. I came upon the conclusion myself when I first played through, but it's only recently I discovered it's actually a popular theory).

Now whether the "dragon heart" is metaphorical or literal is to be decided. Personally I'm for it being literal because I enjoy body horror (especially from the Xianzhou those freaks have body horror everywhere). Dan Feng is also a biologist/doctor, so it's something he could absolutely attempt to pull off (we talk about his cool magic dragon powers a lot but let's never forget he's also an old fart smarty pants scientist). Something about giving your *literal* heart to your lover so that you can find each other in your next lives is so tragic and beautiful and fits their theming.

Mortenax Blade has a suspiciously placed marking on his chest that seems significant, which could point to the dragon heart. The phoenix motifs also align with Vidyhadara themes of rebirth (and connects him to Dan F/Heng, since phoenixes and dragons are seen together as a symbol of unity). The fire element could point to draconic features, but it could also just be a reference to being the "Furnace Master." Overall Blade is definitely going to gain some sort of enlightenment/insight/control over his body, so this would be a perfect time to reveal something about the dragon heart.

TLDR: Yingxing was infected by Shuhu before the Sedition. Dan Feng's only interference with his mortality was giving him the dragon heart to stabilize him.

Getting my scattered thoughts out before 4.3, cause the next update will almost definitely give us more details about Yingxing, Shuhu, and the Sedition.

[definitelynotarabbit]

I've had kind of the same theory for a while now and the little bits we got of Dan Feng in amphoreous just reaffirmed it for me. Dan Feng talks about how he "would have done the same for any of them" emphasis on would have, like he didn't get the opportunity to with Yingxing. It really makes me think that whatever happened to Yingxing wasn't initially within Dan Feng's control or design.

I'm personally more inclined to think that after the battle and subsequent Shuhu exposure maybe Yingxing started to change and get younger. Maybe his wounds healed on their own. It would also explain why Yingxing was willing to help Dan Feng in the first place since it never made any kind of sense for Yingxing to willingly participate in anything abundance related. So maybe he wasn't even marastruck but Jingliu saw that something had happened and in context of the draconic abomination assumed the worst.

As to how he came in contact with Shuhu, we know that Dan Feng had to be snapped out of dragon delirium after the battle so what if Yingxing had gone to him? What if he went up to the dragon who was out of his mind with rage and grief and utterly covered in viscera and in the chaos accidentally dunked in the stuff? I wonder if Dan Feng gave him his heart then, as opposed to at the sedition because I think it's curious that Dan Feng doesn't fight the draconic abomination himself. Why would he make Jingliu do it if he A. Knew how to kill it and B. Had the ability to meet it in battle as a dragon himself?

[punkrinn]

This!! Yingxing being the one to calm Dan Feng from his Dragon's Delirium, subsequently getting infected by Shuhu (especially if they kissed or something, Shuhu's cells would've gotten *into* Yingxing's body). His love and care for Dan Feng is more important than his hatred for the Abundance. Dan Feng seeing how it affected Yingxing, gave him the dragon heart to stabilize him. The ritual at the palace ruins was in part to figure out how to "fix" Yingxing.

I enjoy this narrative.

"Would have done" is such a good catch. You're right. Same with Yingxing NEVER wanting anything to do with Abundance unless he HAD to. I also thought it was weird Dan Feng never fought the dragon abomination, so my conclusion is that either he was injured (from the battle with Shuhu or giving up his heart), or the abomination is Yingxing himself (how did Jingliu get ahold of him? He should've been arrested with Dan Feng if they were together. Why does Yingxing have so many dragon motifs? If he has the dragon heart + Shuhu, whatever ritual/experiment they were doing could've triggered a transformation). Yingxing being the dragon abomination is my personal favorite theory, and I may expand on it later if the next update doesn't completely disprove it.

[punkrinn]

In light of the newest update, I have a revised theory:

What if Yingxing was infected with Shuhu's cells before the Sedition?

(4.2 spoilers ahead)

There was a huge chaotic battle with this thing that likely had his flesh and blood (bark and sap?) flying everywhere and landing on people. (I imagine a huge draconic Dan Feng just absolutely ripping into this big tree monster). The Xianzhou weren't affected because they are *technically* already Abominations of Abundance (infected by the Ambrosial Arbor). But a plain short life human could absolutely be affected by even the tiniest cells. The Happiness Society members were infected by a microscopic collection of Shuhu's cells, so who's to say Yingxing couldn't be infected in the same way?

Let's say Yingxing got covered in Shuhu's blood and guts during the battle. It seeped into his body and lay dormant there until some sort of trigger. Ashveil was the one who eventually killed Shuhu and ended the battle, swallowing it up completely with his shadow, even the parts that scattered across the battlefield. But what if the shadow missed a small part attached to Yingxing? Either because Ashveil sees him as an ally, or he simply couldn't detect such a faint scent of Abundance on him (especially surrounded by other Xianzhou folks who also have dormant Abundance cells).

So now Yingxing is infected with Shuhu's flesh, but he's not showing any symptoms of Abundance or mara until something triggers it. Him and Dan Feng clear the palace ruins at Scalegorge for whatever experiment/ritual they were doing, and something during that experiment triggered it. And THAT'S why Jingliu killed him. Yes, Jingliu was on mara-watch, but she didn't have it *yet,* and I can't imagine her killing one of her close friends for no reason. Yingxing suddenly becoming mara struck out of nowhere would absolutely be a justifiable reason for her to freak out and kill him in front of Dan Feng.

On the subject of Dan Feng, I can't imagine him purposefully infecting Yingxing either though that is what I was initially led to believe. (And honestly it's still a possibility. Dan F/Heng will go to extremes to protect his companions, he even admits it himself). It's likely whatever ritual they performed triggered Shuhu's dormant cells in Yingxing, like how the Happiness Society members had dormant cells until triggered and they transformed into beasts (hmm). This would leave Dan Feng totally blind sided and *devastated*... enough to allow himself to be arrested (cause come on, there's NO way he would've gone to the Shackling Prison if he wasn't willing OR extremely injured, which is another possibility. Dan Feng is ridiculously strong and could probably wipe out a Xianzhou ship if he *really* wanted, especially surrounded by his ancestral waters). While I do love the narrative of a slightly evil/morally grey Dan Feng who would use even the flesh of his enemy to make his lover immortal, I'm more inclined to believe he's smart enough to understand that is a VERY bad idea, even as arrogant as he is. He would've had to preplan and consciously make a decision to sneak into the Shackling Prison and take Shuhu's remains (unless he was given the remains by Sanctus Medicus, which is also a possibility given it's implied Dan Feng was tricked by them).

(Did the Xianzhou even have Shuhu's remains if Ashveil swallowed him completely? No one’s even allowed to check. Hm Xianzhou propaganda makes lore sleuthing very difficult lol).

In short Yingxing being unknowingly infected by Shuhu from that battle would explain Jingliu and Dan Feng's behaviors around the Sedition (what little we know of it).

Side tangent: How does Blade have such good control over mara/Shuhu? Imagine this, Yingxing is infected by dormant cells. Whatever ritual him and Dan Feng perform triggers it, turning Yingxing into a mara struck beast. Dan Feng panics and uses his dragon heart to stabilize him (either before or after Jingliu comes over and kills YX).

That's right. Dragon Heart theory. Jazz hands.

It would also explain why Dan Feng allows himself to be arrested. He *severely injured* himself to stabilize Yingxing, and likely drained a lot of his power/energy to make it work. It explains why he doesn't have his dragon heart in the Prison. It explains why Blade isn't visually affected by his immortality/mara other than his eyes (which look shockingly draconic). It explains why Blade feels calmer being with Dan Heng (you can hear heartbeats when he looks at him). He's essentially with his other half. It explains why Motenax Blade's splashart is in the shape of a heart.

(I've been a long time believer of the dragon heart theory. I came upon the conclusion myself when I first played through, but it's only recently I discovered it's actually a popular theory).

Now whether the "dragon heart" is metaphorical or literal is to be decided. Personally I'm for it being literal because I enjoy body horror (especially from the Xianzhou those freaks have body horror everywhere). Dan Feng is also a biologist/doctor, so it's something he could absolutely attempt to pull off (we talk about his cool magic dragon powers a lot but let's never forget he's also an old fart smarty pants scientist). Something about giving your *literal* heart to your lover so that you can find each other in your next lives is so tragic and beautiful and fits their theming.

Mortenax Blade has a suspiciously placed marking on his chest that seems significant, which could point to the dragon heart. The phoenix motifs also align with Vidyhadara themes of rebirth (and connects him to Dan F/Heng, since phoenixes and dragons are seen together as a symbol of unity). The fire element could point to draconic features, but it could also just be a reference to being the "Furnace Master." Overall Blade is definitely going to gain some sort of enlightenment/insight/control over his body, so this would be a perfect time to reveal something about the dragon heart.

TLDR: Yingxing was infected by Shuhu before the Sedition. Dan Feng's only interference with his mortality was giving him the dragon heart to stabilize him.

Getting my scattered thoughts out before 4.3, cause the next update will almost definitely give us more details about Yingxing, Shuhu, and the Sedition.

[punkrinn]

Tartag twitter trend

[punkrinn]

HSR 4.1 Spoilers

I see some folks misunderstand(?) Dan Heng's intentions with Blade. "I'll keep an eye on you" as in he will protect Blade, not fight him. "As you did for me," meaning he will continue to pursue him no matter Blade's protests (he has none lol). Dan Heng is *worried* for him. Blade reveals his script has something to do with "death." Yao Guang wants Blade destroyed. The IPC has a bounty on him. Blade has become the scapegoat of everything bad happening on Planarcadia.

The context of the entire conversation isn't as hostile as some are made to believe. Most of the conversation is amicably exchanging information sprinkled with some light teasing and banter. ("So what's your plan? Kill me again?")("Should I congratulate you?" "Much obliged.") As soon as Dan Heng gets shy, he flips it around and tries to look intimidating, which just makes Blade laugh. (Gosh they really still are Dan Feng and Yingxing).

Of course there was tension. "Oh my, things are getting heated." But it's not the same tension as the beginning of the game. They're not trying to kill each other anymore (and Dan Heng is not running from his past). Really "I'll keep an eye on you" is just a repeat/continuation of what Dan Heng said to Blade at Scalegorge "We have no choice but to continue the pursuit." "If you wish, I will see it through." Only this time it's not an obligation.

(Dan Heng is still not quite in the place to admit he *wants* to pursue Blade, hiding it under a veil of "I need to protect my friends," but we've seen what Dan Heng is like when he genuinely believes the Express crew is in danger and this is not it.)

And that's not even touching on the romantic implications of this scene (the hand holding, the near kiss, the camera angles, the abundant romantic tropes). Oh RenHeng the depth of your relationship is fascinating.

(Rewatching the scene, I didn't realise Dan Heng was FOLLOWING them, "skulking around." What a freak lmao no wonder Blade was teasing him).

[punkrinn]

I noticed this before, but now that fae are confirmed to be a species in Genshin…

Why does Childe have changeling motifs?

He disappeared for 3 short days as a young boy and reappeared completely changed. His more bold and violent personality was so extreme, his family sent him away to the Fatui. Not to mention he gained the Foul Legacy transformation. This is almost beat for beat changeling lore, but Childe isn't the changeling species in Genshin... is he?

What is a changeling? Depending on the culture, there are many answers to this. But the common denominator is that a changeling is a fae creature (it could by a devil, troll, elf, etc) that replaces a human child. There are a few signs that a child has been replaced by a changeling such as a sudden personality change, violent tendencies, or acting too mature for their age. (Honestly a lot of “changeling signs” are just indicators of neurodivergence, but getting into all the signs and the history makes me very sad, and it’s off topic, so I’m only highlighting those that pertain to this theory). While we don’t know a lot about Changelings in Genshin (yet) they seem to at least share the shapeshifting trait, and Hoyo is pretty good at doing their homework.

From Childe’s parent’s perspective, they witnessed their bright eyed son disappear and come back a completely different person. They likely felt like he was replaced (even though he really wasn’t, but again, he definitely has the motifs).

We don't know a lot about his family other than his youngest siblings. Given that Snezhnaya used to be the land of the fae, it's completely possible one of his parents (or an ancestor) was a fae. It may be why his Foul Legacy doesn't affect him much other than leaving him "worn out." Because the fae are made of moonlight, their powers seem to counteract Abyssal corruption naturally, which is why they were assigned to watch over the Irminsul forest (which is likely gone now given everyone seems to agree there is one Irminsul tree in Sumeru... suspiciously side eyeing the Tsaritsa).

The only other people we've seen harness the Foul Legacy in such a way are Sutogolgi (who is a sinner and WAS corrupted by the Abyss) and Skirk (who is an alien species that is shockingly good at adapting to any environment, to the point it was seen as a threat and she is the last of her kind). No Teyvat HUMAN can escape Abyssal influence unscathed, let alone control it to the point Childe does.

This is also some heavy speculation, but Childe's father talks about Ajax (the historical figure) in a reminisce sort of way. If Childe's father is a fae, I don't think it's too crazy to say that a retired fae adventurer might've met the hero Ajax himself and named a son after him. But the fae ancestor could totally be from his mother's side as well as we know NOTHING about her. Or both. So many things to think about.

(That is assuming the boy and his father in this story are Childe and his father. Description is from the Ballad of Fjords weapon. There’s so much juicy lore in this description alone but we’re focused on Childe here).

(It’s the way his father got so invested in the story he spaced out, or the fact that he quickly ended it and didn’t want to continue. Since it’s only text, I may be reading the emotion wrong, but it feels like reminiscence to me.)

Is Childe a changeling? Or one of the fae? Probably not, but the motifs are certainly there. I would’t be shocked if he had some fae in his ancestry or some other link. I don’t think we’ll get anymore heavy fae lore beyond weapon descriptions and readables until we get to Snezhnaya though.

Anyway what do you think? Childe already has an elephant’s worth of lore behind him, and I may have not taken everything into account. This is just something I noticed as someone who has a casual interest in fae folklore.

[punkrinn]

Oh Ajax's parents ABSOLUTELY think he's a changeling.

This brings to mind how he's treated by his family and his warped sense of love/belonging. I kind of wonder if they tried to cut him off completely ("you're not our son" sorta deal), but his paychecks keep them reluctantly in touch. He tends to use money to keep his relationships in good graces (ie his family, Traveller, Zhongli), or at least doesn't see it as important as those connections.

I also noticed Childe has a negative outlook on his relationships in general. He finds it hard to believe anyone likes him completely and genuinely. He even lies to his little siblings about his job because he thinks the truth would make them hate him. I wonder where he got that notion from hmmm

On a side note: I think it's hilarious (most of) the other Harbingers actually find him charming. They're literally out here inviting him to tea parties, but Mr Unreliable Narrator over here thinks no one likes him lmao

Tldr: Childe is so loved! But he doesn't see it. I wonder if his parents think he's a violent changeling and tried to cut him off completely, leading to his negative view of himself.

[punkrinn]

Zhongchili doodles from this drawing. I was on a call and got distracted.

[punkrinn]

The Abyss Stares Back

[punkrinn]

Twunk-lluga doodles

Finished

[punkrinn]

Some headcanons for Illuga. I think he's got a sleeper build under that thick coat. You're telling me he carries around a huge lantern and a polearm all day? Fighting monsters? He's got muscle for sure. Twunk-lluga.

[starcurtain]

A (Silly) Look at that Chimera Tiktok

Since Castorice's magazine marketing basically confirms that Mydei is, in fact, the account owner behind "Fig Stew is so Yummy!" which posts hand-drawn chimera videos on the Amphorean equivalent of TikTok, I thought it would be funny to take a look at everything the meme-y video can tell us about Mydei (and Phainon) if we choose to take it at face value.

(Do I think it's actually meant to be taken that way? No, not really, but it's definitely more fun!)

A) Mydei likes to sleep in (or at the very least, to nap). In the video, Phainon forcibly wakes Mydei up at "third quint of Action Hour"--that's mid-afternoon, for us real world folks.

B) Mydei's impression of Phainon versus his impression of himself is a hilarious reverse of the fandom's stereotype: In Mydei's eyes, Mydei is the victim of Phainon's grumpiness.

To be fair to Mydei, that is what he looks like sometimes...

C) Phainon not only knows where Mydei lives, but has the ability to enter Mydei's room even when Mydei is asleep. Mydei is so either so confident he doesn't lock his front door... Or Phainon has a key???

D) Uhhhh, make of this whatever you will. Maybe Mydei gives Phainon piggy-back rides when we're not looking. Actually, maybe this is just Mydei's shorthand way of saying they rode Kokopo III to the baths!

E) Despite being all about Kremnoans bathing in boiling sword-forging water, Mydei prefers cold baths and likes bathing when not too many other people are present. Phainon, on the other hand, is not a fan of cold water, lol.

F) If Mydei curses, he won't say "By Nikador!" he'll say "By Kephale!" I'm not sure who would be pissed off more about a Kremnoan cursing using Kephale's name--the Okhemans or the Kremnoans?

G) Mydei thinks Phainon has "sensitive skin and tender flesh"... Or perhaps Phainon has admitted as much? Just normal things tough dude bros talk about while soaking in the baths together, you know.

H) Mydei's profile pic is Phagousa's sacred beast, the seal, and there's a matching seal with him in the baths the whole time. Apparently, he's a big fan! But this makes sense, given that he lived in the Sea of Souls for nine years--maybe we will one day learn that he had a whole colony of seal friends in the depths of the sea lol.

I) "Fig Stew" is a foreign dish in Okhema, but it's not from Kremnos, which tells us Mydei probably enjoys experimenting with foreign foods, trying the dishes of the many different cultures that have found refuge in Okhema, and also that he's a fan of Kyros's restaurant in Marmoreal Market, the only place in-game that sells Fig Stew.

J) There aren't any figs in Okhema's version of Fig Stew though; the restaurant responsible for selling Fig Stew in Okhema actually just substitutes "milkberries" (possibly Lowveld Milkberry) instead. Milkberry fruits look somewhat similar to figs but are known for having a vanilla-like flavor--Fig Stew is described in-game as a very sweet dish with a creamy and refreshing texture. The Trailblazer is also a fan!

And, finally K) The description of the video "Shopping day chronicles with friends in Okhema be like--" not only implies that Mydei somehow knows far more meme lingo that he's willing to let on in real in-game conversations... but also that he's made so many of these little daily chronicle videos that he's got FIVE VOLUMES of stories just about his days shopping with friends in Okhema. This is a whole visual diary, guys.

...And then it loops back into depressing when you imagine Mydei happily posting a video each day of the mundane events of his life in Okhema, light-hearted and playful chronicles of himself with friends--MY MAN JUST WANTED TO LIVE AND PLAY WITH SEALS AND EAT SWEETS, Hoyo, whyyyyyyyy?!!

[punkrinn]

I noticed this before, but now that fae are confirmed to be a species in Genshin…

Why does Childe have changeling motifs?

He disappeared for 3 short days as a young boy and reappeared completely changed. His more bold and violent personality was so extreme, his family sent him away to the Fatui. Not to mention he gained the Foul Legacy transformation. This is almost beat for beat changeling lore, but Childe isn't the changeling species in Genshin... is he?

What is a changeling? Depending on the culture, there are many answers to this. But the common denominator is that a changeling is a fae creature (it could by a devil, troll, elf, etc) that replaces a human child. There are a few signs that a child has been replaced by a changeling such as a sudden personality change, violent tendencies, or acting too mature for their age. (Honestly a lot of “changeling signs” are just indicators of neurodivergence, but getting into all the signs and the history makes me very sad, and it’s off topic, so I’m only highlighting those that pertain to this theory). While we don’t know a lot about Changelings in Genshin (yet) they seem to at least share the shapeshifting trait, and Hoyo is pretty good at doing their homework.

From Childe’s parent’s perspective, they witnessed their bright eyed son disappear and come back a completely different person. They likely felt like he was replaced (even though he really wasn’t, but again, he definitely has the motifs).

We don't know a lot about his family other than his youngest siblings. Given that Snezhnaya used to be the land of the fae, it's completely possible one of his parents (or an ancestor) was a fae. It may be why his Foul Legacy doesn't affect him much other than leaving him "worn out." Because the fae are made of moonlight, their powers seem to counteract Abyssal corruption naturally, which is why they were assigned to watch over the Irminsul forest (which is likely gone now given everyone seems to agree there is one Irminsul tree in Sumeru... suspiciously side eyeing the Tsaritsa).

The only other people we've seen harness the Foul Legacy in such a way are Sutogolgi (who is a sinner and WAS corrupted by the Abyss) and Skirk (who is an alien species that is shockingly good at adapting to any environment, to the point it was seen as a threat and she is the last of her kind). No Teyvat HUMAN can escape Abyssal influence unscathed, let alone control it to the point Childe does.

This is also some heavy speculation, but Childe's father talks about Ajax (the historical figure) in a reminisce sort of way. If Childe's father is a fae, I don't think it's too crazy to say that a retired fae adventurer might've met the hero Ajax himself and named a son after him. But the fae ancestor could totally be from his mother's side as well as we know NOTHING about her. Or both. So many things to think about.

(That is assuming the boy and his father in this story are Childe and his father. Description is from the Battle of Fjords weapon. There’s so much juicy lore in this description alone but we’re focused on Childe here).

(It’s the way his father got so invested in the story he spaced out, or the fact that he quickly ended it and didn’t want to continue. Since it’s only text, I may be reading the emotion wrong, but it feels like reminiscence to me.)

Is Childe a changeling? Or one of the fae? Probably not, but the motifs are certainly there. I would’t be shocked if he had some fae in his ancestry or some other link. I don’t think we’ll get anymore heavy fae lore beyond weapon descriptions and readables until we get to Snezhnaya though.

Anyway what do you think? Childe already has an elephant’s worth of lore behind him, and I may have not taken everything into account. This is just something I noticed as someone who has a casual interest in fae folklore.

[dan-hengs-tail]

Okay, this is all very interesting and Childe being not entirely human really would make a lot of sense cause he shouldn't be able to use Abyssal power.

However...

(I am about to go off on a long tangent that I've been wanting to talk about for a while. It doesn't really have that much to do with your post? I just felt the need to finally get this rant out.

I am not refuting your post or accusing you of being wrong. I think all of your points are very good. Childe absolutely has changeling associations and has since the beginning and this was likely a build up for eventually including the fae. He could well be related to them. I just think there could also be more to it and I like talking about Genshin lore and what I find and don't have many friends I can reasonably rant about this to. I have to give poor Eli a break sometimes lol)

I want to address a common lore misconception that is very pervasive in the Genshin community. The Fae being fae. See, I've spent a LOT of time deep diving the Fae lore because I was very interested in them.

And my conclusion was that Genshin misnamed them.

Ok, not quite, they absolutely pulled from some fae ideas--like the references to the Winter and Summer courts, the wings we see on Flins, the direct reference to changelings at the Eye of Kratti, etc.

But do you know how I was describing the fae to people who asked about them before we got the Piramida update? I described them as Russian nobility who also were made of the elements. Because I could not find that much that directly linked them and their behavior to the more common fae legends (like not lying. Flins lies so much you guys. It's a favorite hobby of his. And they can clearly touch iron. Stuff like that just isn't there and I was trying to figure out why.)

So while using fae isn't the wrong word per se... I do think it added a lot of connotation that might not have been intended.

Then the Piramida update dropped and I found this readable on the Wings of Keres:

Our previous source on the origins of Fae simply said they were made of moonlight with no real details on what that meant. And that bothered me. Because how did that work, when I could find no links between Flins and Columbina? Nothing linked the one fae we had to the moon. Not in design, not in lore, not in stories, nothing. All the links led back to Lauma instead.

Well, this was the answer. The fae weren't created by the moons (tho they likely used their dragon technology, hence the legends stating they used moonlight), but rather were genetically modified humans.

I'll admit, I wasn't expecting them to actually be humans rather than another species entirely. Genshin has so many other species in it (tho uhhh, now i'm side-eyeing them a bit. Where DID they come from? Are they dragons? Humans? Elemental beings? Angels? Hell, what makes a god a god in this game? I have so many questions). And you could indeed argue that nowhere in this readable does it directly mention the Fae. Maybe this is something else they did. Maybe this is the origin of the Frostmoon Scions instead!

Except, this is clearly about the Fae. Humans blended with elements and can freely control them? That absolutely describes what we've seen from Flins. He is both his lantern and his human form. If this isn't about the fae, I will eat a hat. (pls back me up here linnea. I don't want to eat a hat. that sounds horrible)

But you know what Genshin loves doing with their lore? Creating the distortions to stories that happen with long periods of time and ignorance.

The fae can transform and the reason they can has been lost to time. So why wouldn't people come with their own stories about transforming fae? They could very easily believe that they can steal faces and replace children. They don't know how the fae work. And the fae were said to be very insular, at least up until towards the end of the Belyi Tsar's reign when he finally opened the doors to let humans and fae more directly interact. So some scary stores about their powerful and controlling neighbors make sense.

I think most of the "fae" like stories we see from Genshin's Fae is exactly this. Stories distorted by time and creating a species that doesn't really exist. Snezhnaya has a long history that is largely bad between the fae and humans. Hell, the fae may well have forgotten their origins themselves. it would make sense following the purge of Hyperborea.

And the lore does back me up on this conclusion. If you look at the description from the Midsommar berries, it straight up calls its own tale about the Holly King and Oak King into question at the end

-

Ok pause. I just went to grab a screenshot of this and they changed it???? It's now the King of Winter Icelea????? It definitely said Holly before. I know this because i went looking for more info on these titles and discovered that they were actually Wiccan in origin, which was a point I was about to bring up to further divorce the Fae from the fae tales from our world. What the fuck genshin.

look, i found a change log:

why did they change this???? ok well, i dunno if i should bring up the wicca point now that they're the king of winter icelea and king of midsommar oak. but ok. they did this. it's probs still a reference, just renamed

-

Well, anyways, I think they went with the term fae because it's a very generalized term. Fae can cover a lot of different "species" of mythological creature from European folklore. Kinda like yokai in Japan. And considering that new book, A Brief History of the Pale Starborn, we got that straight up uses other folktale creatures names like Vila and Vodyanoy and then has the Belyi Tsar unite the different Fae and say they're all his responsibility... yeah. I think that one really proved my point.

Which is basically just that we need to remember that Snezhnaya is largely based on Slavic lore, not Celtic. So we have to be careful when bringing in any biases we might have when we hear the word "Fae." (this is kinda a note to myself. i had to do a lot of research into both folklore and actual russian history to start looking at the fae differently rip).

(Nod Krai does have a lot of celtic refs tho, so maybe Snezhnaya will actually prove to be a blend in the long run? That could be fun.)

But you know...there is a force in Teyvat that makes changelings.

It loves to steal shapes and replace things. You know what that is? The Abyss. The Abyss' whole THING is mimicry. It's why Rerir could transform. Also whispers that drive people mad and push them into following their worse impulses, you know, normal stuff.

Am I saying that the Childe we know is actually an abyssal mimic and that the original Childe died? No, not really. I mean, I guess we can't discount it entirely, but I don't think that's what happened here.

Based on the brand new Abyssal info we got from Alice about Fates not chosen, I think it's more likely that he could have maybe....merged with another fate? Or this was a fate he wasn't supposed to have. So the Abyss has a sort of foothold with him, but it's still him. IDK I'm spit-balling here.

There's also a lot of interesting parallels between Childe and the original Ajax and we can't forget the whole, sharing names shares fates thing. And that the first Ajax may have been the third descender. So those are worth remembering too.

Childe is a really really weird and interesting character and I am shaking Hoyo desperately asking for answers. I def think he's going to end up being a centerpiece in the Snezhnaya story. If he isn't, what are they even doing? They've set up so much interesting stuff around him and they need to properly address it.

Uh, yeah. That was a lot.

If you have further thoughts to share on any of these topics, i would love to hear them. I didn't do a ton of research with this and I def haven't read all the new readables from the most recent two patches cause I've been busy. I just wanted to talk about the Fae and this was an opportunity to do that. They're a big interest of mine lol

(if childe was a fae, do you think he'd have water ancestry? is that why he can do the weapon mimicking? or is that another abyss skill? i am super curious about how these things would interact)

[punkrinn]

Never apologize for hijacking my post hehe. I am also insane about fae. I've been having way too much fun sniffing out all the new lore. I have more fae posts in my drafts, but I had to get the Childe brainworms out first. He really is a weird little guy, and I hope he takes on a central role in Snezhnaya.

I didn't get super into it in my original post, but I have a rough idea of the origins of the fae and what may have happened to them. First of all, I agree that real life fae lore does NOT equal Genshin's fae. Fae folklore is already all over the place and shared by many different cultures, so Hoyo is likely pulling from many sources and only choosing what they want for their story. Describing Genshin's fae as Snezhnayan/Russian nobility is an excellent way of putting it. Also! Just because a Genshin character has fae inspirations doesn't mean they are the Fae species. For example lauma (the creature) is a fae, but Lauma (the character) is a human (and a Frostmoon Scion, a descendant of Hyperboreans). Side note, Frostmoon Scions are the last survivors of Hyperborea and have created a sort of cult-like religion to preserve themselves. They are not allowed to associate with the fae. :P

On that note, the fae were created by the Hyperboreans at the instruction of Koitar (the first angel/seelie). From what I understand they are alchemical creations made with "moonlight and bones of beasts," possibly created with the Sampo Mill? Or a similar alchemical contraption. Part of the reason Koitar was punished so severely was because she gave the humans this forbidden knowledge (at the encouragement of her wife, Seutervoinen, who is not from Teyvat btw). It is said she was punished for falling in love, but I think it's more likely her greatest sin was rebelling against the Heveanly Principles, giving the humans "forbidden knowledge" from beyond Teyvat. Heavenly Principles in general seems to not like anyone messing with their perfect little creations.

Anyway the fae were likely servants to the Hyperboreans (seen as "impure" and "lower class") and that's why they're partying it up in Snezhnaya after Heavenly Principle nukes Hyperborea lol. This is further supported by irl fae folklore since it is possible to trap or bribe them into servitude. In this instance, they are indebted to their "creators" I suppose.

It's also likely why humans didn't live in Snezhnaya after the fall of Hyperborea. The Bely Tsar purposefully made it so cold and unforgiving to keep the humans out (also that thing about accidentally killing his brother... but I take in-game fairytales with a grain of salt; as you mentioned, information degrades with time and Genshin implements that). Flins describes having to rescue people from the snow and guiding them back to the border. It was only after the Tsaritsa took over that humans were able to live there again (Flins calls the humans "latecomers" to Sneznaya). The Tsaritsa's reign is likely why there's not many fae left. Based on Flins attitude (dude literally ran away and "killed" himself) and bits of fae lore here and there, it seems the fae generally don't like the Tsaritsa and only a few stayed with her.

Speaking of Flins! He does indeed never lie. If you pay close attention, he only misdirects and leads you to your own conclusions, which is a pretty well known fae trait irl. They can't lie directly, but they can be tricky with their words. It's part of the reason Illuga gets so annoyed with him (and also why he can't stop hanging out with him. Aaand also why Flins calls him "young master" as a joke, cause Illuga can be equally tricky with his words and "acts just like a young fae noble.")

He never lies but he never answers the question either. He let's you draw your own (incorrect) conclusion.

(These two sure are hilarious. Truly the ragebaiter vs ragebaited of all time. When did this turn into an IlluFlins post? Ahem).

He also pays really close attention to favors and debts, but I have a whole post about Flins' fae references in my drafts, so I wont get into too much detail here wheeze

Tangent: Winter Icelea kinda looks like Holly (except blue), so that's likely why they changed that. Hoyo loves their flavor words.

I think Snezhnaya will likely be a blend of many cultures, since that's how every nation has been so far. Along with Slavic, there've been references to Balkan, Celtic, Norse, German, and Greek (of all things lol) cultures and folklore.

So tldr on the fae: They were created by Koitar (first angel) and the Hyperboreans (humans), likely as servants. After the fall of Hyperborea, the humans left and only the fae remained in Snezhnaya. The Bely Tsar became Cryo Archon and lived somewhat peacefully (minus fighting the Abyss) with his fellow fae. 500 years ago, the Tsaritsa became Cryo Archon and offered to let the fae keep their noble titles, which most refused. The fae that didn't accept the Tsaritsa either dispersed, died out, or are in hiding.

Now onto Childe...

I agree Childe is likely not an Abyssal mimic. If it was anyone but Skirk who found him, my answer might be different. Even if she doesn't admit it, I think she really cares for him and wouldn't let him die. Also like I said in my original post, Childe has a really good grasp on controlling the Abyss. It's never corrupted his desires or drove him to madness. At his core he is still Childe, who loves his family and his nation. His desires are still "pure." He just has a little bloodlust on the side.

I don't think changelings are Abyssal either, but it is strange they have such a negative connotation among every reference I've found. Ajax himself was tricked by "wicked changelings." Actually the fae as a whole don't seem very well liked... It wouldn't be Hoyo without some subtle in-game racism.

You bring up a really good point about Childe merging with a fate in the Abyss. Since the Abyss is the cumulation of hatred from discarded fates (holy lore bomb, Alice), I can see one or more of these "fates" latching onto him and driving his violent tendencies. Maybe it's the discarded fates of the previous Ajax?

Gonna take the moment to say I don't think Ajax is the third descender, but I'm not throwing out the idea they may be connected. If Ajax (previous) and Ajax (Childe) have connected fates through their names, Ajax (previous) CAN'T be a Descender because Descenders aren't tied to Teyvat's fate. BUT Ajax's name could totally be a red herring. If Ajax (previous) is a Decender, then Childe has his own separate fate (which I'm hesitant to believe because Ajax and Childe have way too many similarities).

Just like Durin, Childe is repeating Ajax's fate to a degree, but I think the story is going in a direction where Childe will break free from his tragic fate. Not just because of the Abyss thing, but also because that seems to be the Tsaritsa's overall goal for Teyvat.

Childe having some sort of water ancestry would make sense. There’s lots of folklore out there of water spirits. Since this is Genshin, changelings themselves could be some sort of water creature, and that’s how they shapeshift. Genshin's fae are purely elemental creatures afterall.

I have a lot more I could say, but this post has gotten long enough already asdfghjkl. Thank you for reply! I am always open to more discussion. :3

[punkrinn]

I noticed this before, but now that fae are confirmed to be a species in Genshin…

Why does Childe have changeling motifs?

He disappeared for 3 short days as a young boy and reappeared completely changed. His more bold and violent personality was so extreme, his family sent him away to the Fatui. Not to mention he gained the Foul Legacy transformation. This is almost beat for beat changeling lore, but Childe isn't the changeling species in Genshin... is he?

What is a changeling? Depending on the culture, there are many answers to this. But the common denominator is that a changeling is a fae creature (it could by a devil, troll, elf, etc) that replaces a human child. There are a few signs that a child has been replaced by a changeling such as a sudden personality change, violent tendencies, or acting too mature for their age. (Honestly a lot of “changeling signs” are just indicators of neurodivergence, but getting into all the signs and the history makes me very sad, and it’s off topic, so I’m only highlighting those that pertain to this theory). While we don’t know a lot about Changelings in Genshin (yet) they seem to at least share the shapeshifting trait, and Hoyo is pretty good at doing their homework.

From Childe’s parent’s perspective, they witnessed their bright eyed son disappear and come back a completely different person. They likely felt like he was replaced (even though he really wasn’t, but again, he definitely has the motifs).

We don't know a lot about his family other than his youngest siblings. Given that Snezhnaya used to be the land of the fae, it's completely possible one of his parents (or an ancestor) was a fae. It may be why his Foul Legacy doesn't affect him much other than leaving him "worn out." Because the fae are made of moonlight, their powers seem to counteract Abyssal corruption naturally, which is why they were assigned to watch over the Irminsul forest (which is likely gone now given everyone seems to agree there is one Irminsul tree in Sumeru... suspiciously side eyeing the Tsaritsa).

The only other people we've seen harness the Foul Legacy in such a way are Sutogolgi (who is a sinner and WAS corrupted by the Abyss) and Skirk (who is an alien species that is shockingly good at adapting to any environment, to the point it was seen as a threat and she is the last of her kind). No Teyvat HUMAN can escape Abyssal influence unscathed, let alone control it to the point Childe does.

This is also some heavy speculation, but Childe's father talks about Ajax (the historical figure) in a reminisce sort of way. If Childe's father is a fae, I don't think it's too crazy to say that a retired fae adventurer might've met the hero Ajax himself and named a son after him. But the fae ancestor could totally be from his mother's side as well as we know NOTHING about her. Or both. So many things to think about.

(That is assuming the boy and his father in this story are Childe and his father. Description is from the Ballad of Fjords weapon. There’s so much juicy lore in this description alone but we’re focused on Childe here).

(It’s the way his father got so invested in the story he spaced out, or the fact that he quickly ended it and didn’t want to continue. Since it’s only text, I may be reading the emotion wrong, but it feels like reminiscence to me.)

Is Childe a changeling? Or one of the fae? Probably not, but the motifs are certainly there. I would’t be shocked if he had some fae in his ancestry or some other link. I don’t think we’ll get anymore heavy fae lore beyond weapon descriptions and readables until we get to Snezhnaya though.

Anyway what do you think? Childe already has an elephant’s worth of lore behind him, and I may have not taken everything into account. This is just something I noticed as someone who has a casual interest in fae folklore.

[punkrinn]

☀️ Deliverer ☀️

+ My attempt at a background TT

I'm proud of it! Buuut it's not the right vibe I wanted for this piece.