part one ( lyney / lauma / kaedehara kazuha / tartaglia / kinich )
pantalone would fall under the stalker sub-type. you catch his eye almost instantly, and he takes his time getting to know you in the shadows before ever introducing himself to you. he’s careful, calculated.
every move he makes, he knows what he’s gaining or losing. as long as it benefits your relationship with him, he’ll take it. he pulls you closer without you ever realizing it, until it’s too late.
he often finds himself staring at you for far too long, when he should have left ages ago. he can’t help it, can you blame him?
..you’re all he has eyes for.
candace would fall under the exclusionary sub-type. she makes it no secret that you’re hers alone, and she’ll force everyone to finally acknowledge it.
she doesn’t think she’s being harsh. you don’t need anyone else but her by your side, and she’ll always be enough to protect you. nobody else matters.
yes, she understands that you may not like how everyone begins to avoid you at first. she knows you’re upset over it. she finds she doesn’t care as much as she’s supposed to.
..because in the end, you’ll finally run into her arms for good.
wanderer would fall under the possessive sub-type. he’d never admit it, though. he clings to you constantly, and it unsettled you at first from time to time.
now you’re just used to it. you don’t realize it’s so nobody else looks at you, nobody else thinks about taking what’s meant to be his. contrary to popular belief, he doesn’t mind you having friends, but if they get too close to you, he makes sure they cut you off quickly.
he should be the only one you ever have eyes for. the only one you ever look at with the same longing expression on your face, matching his own.
..it makes him nearly sick thinking about you with anyone else.
yumemizuki mizuki would fall under the harmless sub-type. she puts you above herself, but it nearly kills her inside to not be involved in your life - be the only one you look at.
her temper is hard to control whenever she thinks about it. she tries not to snap, but she often finds herself taking the time to try and seek you out, hoping you’re alone. it’s the only way she can quench her feelings, if only for a bit.
it upsets her when you’re not. but she never approaches if you’re with anyone, she’d hate to intrude. she hopes she’s doing the right thing, even if it hurts her to do so.
..she’d do anything for you.
layla would fall under the harmless sub-type. she’s always been too nervous to approach you from the start, and it stings knowing she can’t do anything to make you want her to be your favorite person.
she’s very distant, even if you two talk. it hurts her deeply, but she hates seeing you with anyone else. she figures the best way to not see anything is to avoid you completely.
she wonders if you even notice when she starts to. those thoughts plague her, and she tries to push them away. she tries to forget her feelings regarding you.
Do you think if we told Layla that everything she’s ever researched and lost nights over was a cosmic tapestry of lies, she’d gain a second vision? Would the world itself bestow her a Moon Wheel to prevent her from having a mental breakdown?
The more Genshin progresses, the more Jean’s portrayal of a hardworking character feels the most unsatisfying and unrealistic to the point of feeling like a caricature. The game overall has a huge problem with tying morals to hard work (might write something on that as well as give cultural context for why that is) but it was especially bad in the early game before Inazuma’s release, and Jean’s portrayal especially didn’t age well.
Other similar characters that were released not only had to face consequences from it that affected them and others, but they also take that to heart to do better, and it’s given respectful treatment that makes them feel more human. Sometimes they even touch upon a scenario that isn’t widely explored but still happens enough in everyday life to be recognizable. For example:
-In Ganyu’s Story Quest, we do learn the reason why she works so hard: not only is it a good distraction from past and present trauma, but it’s how she feels connected to both her adeptus side and her human side. Hence when she’s on leave, she doesn’t know what to do with herself and tries to find other things to do, like training with Xiao. We also learn that the job is what helps her meet new people during her long lifespan - she mentions knowing Uncle Tian when he first got the position of Tianshu, and has watched as the position traded hands over the years. Ganyu’s thousands of years old and a lot of people she’s met are long gone, including her father, and even more recently she had to face the end of Rex Lapis’s era. Not only is her job one of the markers of normalcy she can use to keep grounded in a constantly changing world, but since she’s an adeptus, she can carry on tasks for longer than her human companions so they don’t have to push themselves to their limit. It’s a lot easier to stomach than Jean’s Story Quest, where she gets taken advantage of by the people for being “so nice” and it’s treated like an honor (As someone who’s gone to therapy for that…it is NOT an honor, especially with so many irl stories as of late about women being put on a pedestal for their kindness and hard work, and having their health and humanity compromised as a result). Another thing that sets this apart from Jean’s quest is that the people involved in the problem actually face consequences for it - Ningguang’s secretaries get a taste of how hard Ganyu’s daily load really is, and they end up with a different perspective of her when she goes back to work. None of the people who were making Jean’s job harder get any sort of consequences for it, and if anything they don’t learn since they still go to Jean for minor problems afterward (even more awkward if you play Noelle’s second hangout after Jean’s Story Quest). There isn’t even an option for the Traveler to sass at or scold the people involved after taking Jean to the Cathedral, nor do the citizens have any moments of remorse for literally overworking their leader to the point of collapse. Ganyu’s SQ may not have handled the concept perfectly (since she still goes back to the status quo at the end) but it was a ton more respectful than how Jean’s was portrayed.
-Kokomi faces a lot of similar problems to Jean: she’s looked up to as a strategist and someone who can handle social disputes amongst her community, and it’s also shown to tire her out. But she keeps track of her energy levels through a log and has a secret room where she ducks away to recharge whenever she could, and the Traveler and Paimon are actually honest about their concern for her instead of “yeah you nearly worked yourself to death, but you’re such a nice person and that’s what matters!” like they did with Jean at the Tree of Vennessa. (Which is another one of those moments where the Traveler and Paimon are supposed to come off as great friends but instead look like enablers). And in her Story Quest, Kokomi has to deal with the consequences of her political decisions when some traumatized soldiers want to stir up conflict because it’s all they know, and is shown facing that problem head-on with compassion and firmness on her own. She empathizes with why they would do such a thing because trauma shapes how you navigate the world, but also acknowledges that they messed up and gives them consequences for it. In the end, her solution satisfies both the rogue soldiers and Watatsumi Island’s peace. Not only does Jean’s priority always end up being “don’t upset anyone” regardless of how harmful the outcome of that is, but the story never puts her in a scenario where her leadership decisions are portrayed as disagreeable (even though she has plenty of questionable moments), and her values called into question like most of the later released characters. More often than not, she’s treated like she can do no wrong because she’s so nice and hardworking. This isn’t really Jean’s fault, though, as much as it’s part of Mondstadt characters in particular having a “tell, don’t show” problem - which also comes up in the next thing I’m going to talk about.
-Kaveh’s another character with self esteem problems who often overworks to prove his worth, but what sets him apart is his support system. Since the beginning, Kaveh’s always had someone who will keep him in check whether he likes it or not: Alhaitham. Alhaitham cares for Kaveh in his own way, and his lack of aversion to conflict often leads to Kaveh feeling a sense of relief in the long run. As he expands his social circle, he gains friends who admire his drive and kindness but aren’t going to let him sink himself deeper even if it means hurting his ego. They appreciate his work ethic but also give constructive criticism (Faruzan, Tighnari), outright refuse to take advantage of his generosity (Cyno), and are honest with their friends even in risky situations (Dehya) and they’re not portrayed as bad people for it. They show their support more than they tell it, which sets them apart from a lot of Jean’s friends, who show concern for her when talking to the Traveler but won’t say anything to her face or take action until things get really bad, and will often go “Jean works hard so she’s the best!” Amber and Lisa will go “oh poor Jean” out of her earshot sometimes, but aside from Amber doing her job so that Jean doesn’t worry, they often add to the issue by putting Jean on a pedestal and only ever praising her to her face. Barbara takes care of Jean after she overworks, but also won’t address the issue to her face (and since she’s also an overworker and a teenager, she likely has trouble recognizing it as a problem as well). Noelle has a lot of the same pitfalls that Jean does and looks up to her, but is much younger and isn’t in a position where she has a chance to stop and question it. Diluc acts disappointed but never points out what the problem is to her face either (see a pattern here?), and talks a big game about hard work himself. Rosaria, while she declines Jean’s help, also admires her drive (and because she ALSO won’t say the problem to Jean’s face, Jean misinterprets it as another thing she has to prove by working harder). Being surrounded by this every day, is it any wonder that a lot of Jean’s self worth is tied to working as hard as possible? The only ones who really do anything substantial to counter it are the Traveler and Paimon (who directly involve themselves in Jean’s problems and stop the townsfolk from giving her requests after her Story Quest) and Kaeya (who treats Jean like he’d treat any other person and takes on work secretly so that some of it doesn’t even reach her ears at all). And the former can’t be in Mond all the time while the latter’s focus isn’t only on supporting Jean, but everyone else around him and more. Again, it’s that “tell, don’t show” problem that makes a lot of Mond feel weird and out of place compared to other nations. We’re told Mond is nice and supportive but the actions really prioritize the “nice (TM)” over the kind. Both on Jean’s end and everyone else’s.
-Layla’s depiction of someone who’s brilliant but flawed, and often pushes herself too hard is one that’s handled pretty well. I won’t go too much into the split personality stuff because I don’t have much knowledge on that, so I’ll focus on her circumstances and the support she receives. We learn that Layla going to the Akademiya was partly influenced by her parents wanting her to do so, and the only reason she’s even able to keep going is because she has a genuine love for what she studies. She’s well-versed in her field, puts in a lot of effort and is a lovely person all around, but that doesn’t erase her struggles, and they’re not glossed over as a cute quirk. She develops a sleep disorder over this, her reputation amongst her peers is clouded because her social anxiety is mistaken for snobbery, and she often doubts whether she deserves to be in the Akademiya. She’s aware of these problems herself and of her own flaws, but they’re treated as a place she can’t stay in forever and in her hangouts, she puts the work into it with some help from the Traveler and…other Layla??? The way her hangout branches are about keeping her anxiety at bay, and assuring her of her worth even if she struggles with her memory or can’t be at full capacity is so refreshing to see. One step at a time, even if they’re small. She also has a balanced support group that I hope keeps growing - a kind mentor who can also dish out constructive criticism (Faruzan), someone who takes a considerable load off her shoulders (Candace), and people who fully appreciate her and offer her a safe place to go if she’s tired (the villagers she helped rescue in her hangouts). It never feels like she’s just stuck in the same gimmick over and over again, and each time we see her we can see growth, and learn things about her that make her more than just an overworked college student. This is what I hope for whenever Jean appears, but considering the Imaginarium theater still has her trying to sneak in more work like it’s an adorable quirk and the recent strategy game casually brushes off Mondstadt’s security problems…I guess we’ll have to wait a bit longer to see that. I really hope we do eventually.
-While she’s not explicitly shown to be a workaholic, the relationship Clorinde has with her friends is something that Jean desperately needed in her Story Quest to make it more compelling and human. This comes from her debut web event, where Clorinde is on break from work and is trying to enjoy herself. Along the way, she meets up with three of her friends, who all make sure she has a good time and swiftly deal with anyone who tries to ruin her vacation and reputation. Something like this could’ve made Jean’s SQ so much better: find a way for her to take her break before anything bad happens, and even better, have her spend that break with Barbara since the original quest doesn’t even give any indication that they’re sisters. Amber, Kaeya, Lisa and other knights can patrol the city with the Traveler and take requests from the citizens before they can get to Jean, allowing her break to go smoothly. During the break, Jean can still feel guilty about not working and go off to the Tree of Vennessa to cool her head, because that’s a thing that happens to people who have only known hard work all their life. Then the Traveler and Paimon’s pep talk would be more appropriate, and they can still have the domain fight with the Abyss Mages. And the party can still be thrown for Jean afterwards, and the others, after being in her shoes for the whole day can voice their appreciation. And most of all…give the Traveler or one of the other characters the option to tell off the NPCs making ridiculous requests. It won’t be the end of the world if someone tells Margaret that she’s being unreasonable. Just anything that doesn’t make it look like everyone just brushed off an overworked woman’s burnout like nothing happened, as it’s a serious medical condition that can take months to recover from instead of “oops, my bad” for a couple of hours.
I might’ve forgotten a few characters since Genshin isn’t using the overworked character trope as much as they used to, but those are the ones that stood out the most to me. (Feel free to let me know if you think I missed a character) But Jean’s portrayal could’ve gone a lot better, and I hope she gets treated more like a person in later content than just “haha she can’t stop working all the time, so quirky and totally not a serious problem.”
I love the idea of Layla sleep walking into the Final Night Cemetery in Nod-Krai and Flins being like “wtf is she even awake” that’d be sooo funny. And I’m not talking about “other Layla” btw, I mean that Layla is FULL ON asleep when she does all this
