#springtime charms

[genshinimpactresources]

Genshin Impact | Rattan Dolls from Springtime Charms

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[welcometoteyvat]

actually can't believe this

[awkwardtuatara]

There is so much gapfiller potential in the fact that Hu Tao, Lan Yan, and Qiqi spent two days inside the border as it was disintegrating around them, and Hu Tao could see the exit but could never reach it in time. Like the border between life and death was both her duty and a place where she is fairly comfortable, she maintained it and in turn it helped her job go smoothly, and now it traps and betrays her despite her efforts, a sanctum desecrated through no fault of her own.

The border is the place where she's supposed to belong, it's her expertise, and suddenly none of her skill or dedication is enough - not to preserve the border, not to deal with the sudden illnesses in Qingce, not even to save the two people trapped her, let alone herself. She's not even in her familiar uniform, not wearing the hat that provides her with confidence, or maybe a reminder of her duties. Yes, she's expecting backup, and no, she's not alone. But she's with a person she just met (albeit one she gets along with) who also bears a long legacy, and the child who might as well be the embodiment of compromise, the proof that Hu Tao's perception isn't perfect. And if she misunderstood Qiqi for so long, what else about her job (her livelihood, her life) has she missed?

[ame-haruru]

as sweet as this year's lantern rite ending was, i think it would've been better if the traveler didn't find hu tao in the border in time:

after the ritual is done, everyone reconvenes at liyue harbor. the traveler comes back alone, holding the extinguished staff of homa. her friends hold a memorial service for the 77th director who gave her life so valiantly.

yun jin regrets not performing the tao dou opera earlier that day; now hu tao will never get to hear it. xingqiu has lost a friend whom he can be himself around, no pretenses, just pranks and poetry. xiangling will never chat with her over dinner again, never be able to cook for her again. xiao and zhongli stand silent, their grief muted by the crushing numbness of past friends lost to time. ningguang is haunted by the memory of another director who died on wuwang hill, another soul sacrificed for the living who go on unaware. how much farther will death encroach on their world? how long until history repeats itself again?

everyone mourns...

...only for hu tao to crash her own funeral, having survived miraculously by a thread, and wondering why everyone is gathered together in one spot? are they having a party without her?

[ag40249]

xiangling lantern rite skin

[canonical-transformation]

Yun Jin always gets such good mocap omfg

[kitsunabi]

Okay this line is completely different but to be fair it would never translate that well into English

『希望是這樣，我真沒想到你居然感怎麽冒險…要不以後你也跟我姓「胡」吧， 「胡來」 的胡！』

She actually says, "I hope so, I didn’t expect you’d actually take the risk…. How about after this you also take the surname “Hu*”, huh, like as in “hulai’s hu*” (lit. acting irresponsibly / mess things up)

*胡/(hú): by itself, as a word, it can be used to mean outrageous, reckless, wildly, etc. it also happens to be Hu Tao’s surname!

**a very common practice in Chinese when giving names is to give an epithet right after due to different characters having the same sound and you don’t want to mess up names. In my name for example, for one of the parts I would literally say, 「史是歷史的史」“shǐ” like in “lìshǐ” >> or “shi like in history” because by itself, you could potentially mistake it for the same sounding word “shǐ” as in start 「始 」 (among others).

[rainycloudmountain]

The Untold Meaning Behind Hu Tao's name

Alright so 2025 Lantern Rite ended with Zhongli sharing the memories with the homies, and they had a brief discussion about the spelling of her name.

Zhongli: The Director's surname is Hu (胡), and her given name is Tao (桃). Moon Carver: Hu... Ah! As in, our word for "butterfly" (蝴), yes?Zhongli: No, Hu as in "mischief-maker" (胡闹). Moon Carver: Then "Tao" must likewise be the "Tao" (淘) that means mischief (淘气) in our tongue? Zhongli: No, in fact, it is the same Tao as appears in "Tao Dou" (桃都). Mountain Shaper: Ah. So "Hu" as in butterfly, and "Tao" as in "Tao Dou" (蝴桃?) A fine name. Fitting indeed . Xianyun: No, Hu as in "mischief-maker," "incessant pestering," and "wonton gluttony"!

Now you may have heard that 胡桃 also means "walnut" and that is true. What I see less people mention is that 桃 by itself means "peach", and peaches are lucky symbols in Chinese culture of longevity and immortality.

In Taoism, there is an orchard of immortality peaches under the custody of the the Jade Emperor and his Queen, and the setting is referenced in Journey to the West when Sun Wukong the Monkey King eats a number of them while on duty as the Protector of the Orchard right before the Queen was about to host a peach banquet and gains immortality several times over.

There is also this dude, Shou Xing (literally "Longevity Star"), who is classically depicted as holding a peach.

Wikipedia also says that peaches were associated with the Eight Immortals, which were a group of people with extreme spiritual power. They were most likely the inspiration behind the Eight Adepts who sanctified Tao Dou. There is a saying that goes "The Eight Immortals cross the sea, each demonstrating their talents (八仙过海，各显神通)", and imo there's some parallels that can be drawn between Genshin and the Taoist folk figures. Just to list some of their more interesting connections:

钟离权 (or 汉钟离) - Zhongli Quan/Zhongli of Han (dynasty) who created and distributed silver and gold coins from stone to end poverty and famine. Zhongli the ex-Archon is named after him.

蓝采和 - Lan Caihe, most prominently known for their basket, which is often depicted carrying longevity herbs and fruit. Shares the same surname as Lan Yan.

李铁拐 - Li Tieguai (Iron Crutch Li), a mentally and physically disabled traveling doctor who stored his medicine in his calabash gourd. Feels very Baizhu, although Qiqi was the one who lit the fire in the ritual.

吕洞宾 - Lü Dongbin, swordsmaster, scholar and poet. Reminds me of Xingqiu, especially since he's the one that was holding the torch at Yilong Wharf.

It is common to serve steamed buns in the shape of peaches at birthday parties especially for senior citizens to wish them a longer life.

As such, when Hu Tao got "eaten" by the Ley Lines, the fire butterflies that came out from the Tao Dou effigies purged the fetor that was causing rapid aging and Liyue got to live. I wouldn't be surprised if Xingqiu's great grandfather even gained a few more years to his lifespan and that's how he survived, the lucky bastard.