Varka shows us part of his daily life as Grand Master of the Knights of Favonius and Protector of Mondstadt.
We see him in a playful art style that looks like his own drawings but beautiful, and it feels like the way he sees himself.
I read in the fandom that this animation style is a nod to JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, and fun fact, Varka's Japanese VA, Tomokazu Sugita, also voices Joseph Joestar in JoJo.
Varka on a cliff, apparently feeling handsome (lol), spotting an adventurer in danger and running to help.
But part of his job also involves a lot of paperwork.
Still, this man is an untamable soul.
He loves freedom and if he has accomplices, things get wilder.
Unfortunately, that freedom means that people with a strong sense of responsibility have to step in.
Varka (sometimes) is so unserious!
This seems like a normal day in Mondstadt: some working nonstop, others enjoying life.
Jean chases him around Mondstadt to get him back to the office to finish the paperwork and as if dealing with Klee wasn't enough, now she's also "raising" Varka.
(Why did they darken Jean's eyebrows?)
Suddenly, Noelle and Razor show up, looking for some training with the Grand Master.
Varka can't say no.
He tells them they're unbalanced and need more practice with the dummies.
Then, a surprise attack almost catches him off guard.
Jean finds him and confronts him.
At the same time, Noelle's charged attack sends the dummy flying to Mondstadt's entrance, scaring Timmie's pigeons, which wake three Ruin Guards heading to attack the city but Varka stops them by infusing Cryo from his drink into a Luxurious Sea-Lord weapon he quickly buys from Sara at the Good Hunter.
We see how Varka can infuse elements into his swords, transitions from his battles in Nod Krai with the Wild Hunt, and how he defeats the Ruin Guards with the help of Klee and Fischl in Mondstadt (Hexerei team, by the way).
The music in this part is jaw dropping!!! (according to the fandom, it's similar to Playing God by Polyphia)
After the battle, it feels like he's reliving memories from the past at Angel's Share.
Running with wolves, as a knight, as a rider, post-battles, being melancholic...
But even though he seems untamable, in the end, this wind cannot escape the God of Wind himself.
Seriously Jean had to summon Barbatos for Varka to do his damn job?
... 🤣
Well Venti, "like father, like son".
Jokes aside, I wonder why Varka holds the role of Grand Master of the Knights of Favonius. He clearly struggles with paperwork.
Yeah, he's disciplined, takes serious matters seriously but everyone has their talent. If he isn't good with paperwork and that's such an important part of being Grand Master, why keep him in that position?
I wonder if we'll learn in his story quest (or at least through his voice-lines) how he became Grand Master and whether it's a title he actually wants. From my perspective, what he wants is to protect Mondstadt through battle, not manage institutional work.
This trailer is currently my favorite. It's full of nostalgia, the art is spectacular, the music SURPRISED ME!!! That semi-flamenco guitar, the jazz, the whistling that's stuck in my head all day… the laughs it gave me, the softness, the questions it left me with.
It hit me the same way Alhaitham's trailer did but even harder. I looooove when trailers highlight a character's interactions with other characters from the same nation.
I'm so excited for tomorrow! In just a few hours, we'll finally have Varka playable and learn more about him, while some characters will get new layers through his story.
