Gave my Diluc redesign a proper attempt + ramble at the end bc I love him 🦉
Version 1 is to make him a little closer to his manga design and 2 is to make him closer to how he looks in official art (but with freckles too bc he deserves them!!!)
I’ve kept his original eye size and facial feature placement, but just changed the shape of his eyes and brows and added more detail. Ik ppl don’t generally like Diluc redesigns but I really wanted to give it a go without reducing any of his features while also giving him a more updated look
Bit of a ramble abt his design, character and mischaracterisations (buckle up its a long one)
When I say that I really, really want him to get a redesign, it’s coming from a place of only love because I absolutely adore this man and have for the past 5 years. I love his manga design and his big round eyes, I think it does a very good job at giving him a very owlish look, especially with his small pupils and that little ring in his iris. It does such a good job at portraying his youthfulness and babyface but with a bit of uneasiness bc of his owl eyes.
My biggest problem with Diluc’s in game model isn’t his babyface or how big his eyes are and where they are on his face, it’s the execution of it that I’m talking about. Don’t get me wrong, he’s absolutely adorable and I love his goofy big bug eyes, but to me it feels like they’ve changed his eye shape and stripped away loads of his features; his little eyelashes at the bottom of his eyes, his thin red eyebrows, his eye colour being too dark to see his small pupil (which is supposed to give him that owlish look) and the biggest crime of all which is his SUPER fluffy wavyish hair that’s now flat and just there. Yes, it’s an early game model, but then you also look at Kaeya who arguably is one of the best executed models out there. He has his little eyelashes, he’s got loads of detail in his eye and even his hair is pretty well done for early game standards.
The thing that makes me the most sad about the model is that there’s such a lack of detail. I love his eyelashes, they’re also much longer in official art and manga, which makes him look more feminine, and his eyebrows being super thin too. I love love love that Diluc is supposed to be a very feminine man, I love the way that all the official art gives him a dainty and careful look, because he kind of is. Yes he’s strong and an insane fighter, but that doesn’t mean that he’s not soft and caring. I don’t mind that much when ppl give him a little extra muscle on his arms bc claymore user and what not, honestly something that really irks me is when femininity is constantly attributed to skinniness and needing to look frail. Femininity shouldn’t equal not having any muscle or masculine features, it’s a whole massive spectrum. I absolutely hate it especially when buff fem women get drawn as masculine and tomboys but in reality that character would wear a dress and be dolled up despite their body shape eg Scorpia from She Ra.
That’s not to say that I don’t hate it when ppl make Diluc Varka 2.0 though, because at that point you’re not making him buff for the sake of logic, it’s also usually accompanied by reducing all of his other features and completely changing his character’s personality. While I don’t mind ppl giving him maybe bigger arms and just a smidge of stockiness in comparison to Kaeya, but keeping in mind though that Diluc is also supposed to be quite lean because he’s agile and stealthy. I absolutely despise it when ppl turn him into mini Varka bc they get rid of his soft round features and make them really sharp. Something else that really irks me is in fics when they turn him into this overconfident dom kinda guy that’s super bossy and cold, only caring about what he wants. There is a damn good reason that I can only read fluff and even just skimming past stuff that turns him into that hurts me sm 😭 This man is an absolute sweetheart who would take every single step to make sure that you are okay in any type of scenario. He’s very caring and it really doesn’t take long to see that side of him. Just go to his voice lines! His tcg card description is literally “his heart is his biggest enemy”.
That’s not to say that mischaracterisation can’t go the other way too though, bc I’ve also seen ppl turning him into a completely innocent bbygirl that can’t do anything wrong and is only sweet and shy, forgetting that this guy committed mass murder in his past and still sees nothing wrong with it (yes they were bad ppl but they were just that: people). He’s also a vigilante that can and will kill if needed, he has a shady network of ppl with Nefer at the top who has also done questionable things, and he’s also the richest guy in Mondstadt. He’s morally grey, and I love that. He’s young, thinks that he’s matured now but is actually trying to run away from his past by putting on big guy clothes and a mask. You can see his immaturity shine through with both his physical appearance and his behaviour, being very sarcastic and sassy as well as a bit of a drama queen. He can get petty and mischievous and is incredibly easily rage-baitable lmao. I love how much that contrasts against his generally stoic but calm demeanour, it makes him human. You can tell he’s a 22 year old trying to act older than he is, and as a 22 year old myself I can say that him and Kaeya act realistic to their age more than most characters in the game. I genuinely think that Diluc is one of the best written characters in Genshin and he has soooo much potential. Heck, I main him and he even does nearly as much damage as my Varka, just a bit slower. I just wish that they made his design more accurate to what he should actually look like and that maybe one day we’ll get get a redesign, who knows.
Anyways sorry about the MASSIVE ramble, I just love him so much and wanted to get all that out. If you stuck through it all, congrats here’s a gold star ⭐
