#perilous trail

[gloomysamurai-67]

I just did the Perilous Trail quest on Genshin and ohymgodmykgkgjfjdkdkdksk i cant get over it the lore😭😭XIAO?? 😭😭❤️‍🩹❤️‍🩹

I love Xiao even more after this if thats possible holy shit that was incredible im still gagged like drumstick in my throat gagged💥💥💥

Also yelan 🤤🤤🤤🤤🤤💥💥💥💥💥💥💥🤤🤤🤤Mnghh🤤🤤🤤🤤🤤❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ HER CHARACTER IS SO PEAK🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺

[genshinimpactresources]

Genshin Impact | (Some) Assets from Perilous Trail

Download Link for All Assets

[dkniade]

Perilous Trail Yanfei & Traveler scene

Why does Yanfei restate the same information in different words like three times in a row

“in other words”/“which means” like stop, this feels weak even for Genshin

[dkniade]

hmm, I suppose without Itto and Paimon holding up the comedy with banter, Perilous Trail would’ve been even more depressing

[iratempestatis]

someone remind me to rant about xiao and yelan's friendship later because i am of the firm belief that nobody understands him the way she does and nobody could come close to understanding the gravity of her emotions to herself the way he does. two little brothers lost their big brothers to the chasm five hundred years ago and two people in present day teyvat are products of that grief and two people in present day liyue journeyed to the chasm to gain closure for the overbearing agony caused by their losses and two people in the chasm feared that the person intimately connected to their circumstances would die and that they would once again bear the guilt only a survivor can. and they are xiao and yelan.

and only one of them watched the other sacrifice himself. another person dead and the blood on her hands. another person lost to the darkness that had already taken so much from her. and that watcher was yelan.

[canonical-transformation]

The Stygian Onslaught domain doesn't explicitly warp space and time. However, it dredges up memories of battles fought across Teyvat's history, not just limited to Liyue — very unusual for a Leyline disturbance. And judging by the randomly chosen battle arena, it warps and reshapes itself over time. It actively reacts to the people exploring it.

"chaotic space", surely?

[eulaties]

its been THREE YEARS and i still cry at that perilous trail cutscene

[dkniade]

Oh my gosh so much is going on in the music and visuals of the Xiao Chasm cutscene. So many thoughts, mostly from Xiao’s pov

For the narrative aspect, I’m looking at primarily the music’s motifs/leitmotifs, as well as the animation’s editing (that is, sequential order of shots) and shot composition (visual symbolism)

Context: I know the quest’s general plot but not the details. This is my first time watching this cutscene. This post will make more sense if you have it side-by-side with the cutscene video.

Warning: near character death, Xiao’s suicidal ideation is the general theme but I discuss it in a particularly graphic manner in one line for the 3:09 section

1:02 - is that the same motif that appeared in “Storm Befalls” and “Perpetual Motion of Wind”. Would that part symbolize the Anemo element—“Storm Befalls” plays when we first meet the corrupted/mind-controlled Stormterror who’s under the assumption that Mondstatians betrayed him when it was his duty to guard them—oh, and maybe duty vs freedom?

1:09 - is that the motif from the cryobedo shot in the 2.3 PV, what. Corruption? (Cryobedo is a Whooperflower corrupted by Durin’s blood, and Durin & Dragonspine heart is associated with deep red and black. likewise Xiao seems to be holding back some sort of deep red/black corruption)(that look like a whale for some reason. I’m probably distracted) Idk

1:24 - Yelan is showing off her elemental attacks so we’ve got the default motif based on a Mond battle theme that shows up a lot in attack shots of character demo soundtracks. Makes sense, good job

1:31 - I LOVE how Xiao’s leitmotif from his demo is included. In his demo this bit is played when he’s about to give in to the corruption at the marsh, I think.

1:36 - And then in this cutscene it cuts to a flashback of Zhongli’s lone figure with the music immediately calming (paralleling Venti’s lone flute in Xiao’s demo. I see what you did there.) and also obvious foreshadowing to Zhongli saving him a few minutes later

1:56 - Xiao’s demo leitmotifs continues as we move back to the present. We get multiple sections all out of order from the demo. We also see everyone fighting the dark blob things. These guys are in deeeeep danger—but especially Xiao.

2:29 - that shot communicates how tiny and weak they are against this dark energy as it overtakes the blue circle. Perfect

2:53 - the Fantastic Compass is cracking and Xiao’s mask too in the next shot. Really feels like they’re not gonna make it. The Yaksha General Alatus is going down

3:09 - Yenfei: “You can’t keep this up… your strength won’t last…” *Immediately a calm and inappropriately uplifting flute (?) & strings version of Xiao’s leitmotif (near the start of his demo, but that one is with a heavily distorted electric guitar) plays.* Xiao’s duty is coming to an end and he’s gonna sacrifice himself for the sake of protecting the rest of the group. (It’s like… the mentality of suddenly being calm and cheerful as one plans to commit suicide, not because they enjoy death, but because they believe this is the only way that their suffering will end.)

3:18 - *animation shows him sending everyone back* Yelan desperately reaching out to Xiao and with Paimon’s tiny voice calling out for him breaks my heart… and the magic compass. It’s shattered. He’s gone

3:35 - The golden threads of a Geo symbol save Xiao who’s falling in the darkness. It’s obviously Zhongli—as foreshadowed in that earlier shot I talked about. (Also isn’t that glow pattern the same as Zhongli’s “vision” glow)

3:47 - brief shot of Zhongli’s robe as he overlooks the chasm. Nice, obvious confirmation to every foreshadowing about him that occurred before. Woohoo. Xiao looks back in the next shot. He knows

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General conclusion: I think… if you’re familiar with Xiao’s & Zhongli’s basic settings, Xiao’s character demo, the Yaksha intro cutscene, and the basic premise/plot of the Chasm quest, then by music alone you should be able to guess the major emotional beats in this cutscene. (The cutscene’s soundtrack is called “Hang by a Thread”.) Genshin Impact’s musical storytelling is godly.

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Misc thoughts

Yanfei’s loredump of the Fantastic Compass could’ve been executed better ksjskks

Cinematography is also gorgeous of course, the visual effects and expressions whoa

He’s doing this as the Yaksha General Alatus huh…

Xiao needs to drink some water. (English dub)