FURINA'S MENTAL HEALTH: A DEEPDIVE
Furina's struggle with her mental health and sense of self is a core part of her character, and one that I have done an ungodly amount of research into, so now it's here in a compiled list for anyone that's as insane as me. (sorry it's short I'm just tired, anything you want me to cover throw it at me I love genshin!)
We most often see the struggle between the facade she puts on and her true self, as well as the conflict between her humanity and her false godhood, in her flashbacks. We see her put on a show for everyone, every second of every day, and because of just how long this went on for, she struggles to separate her true self from the "mask" she puts on. We see moments where she is interacting with the traveler and we can clearly see that she is trying to be her authentic self with the traveler, but every time we get a bit too close to something emotional, she falls back on her habits of acting. This is typically shown with her putting back on a smug smile and saying something about how she's the best and such, but it's a deflection tactic that she learned by necessity. Furina clearly doesn't know how to be without that persona anymore, leaving her feeling alone and isolated, which only makes everything worse.
One of the only times we truly saw her be without that mask was before she made it, when she was interacting with Focalors. The other was around 200 years into her masquerade, when she was crying alone. It shows how human she truly is, and how much she had to act.
A scene that really highlighted just how alone she truly is was when he was talking with one of the citizens of Fontaine in her flashbacks, where in the middle of the conversation, Furina started crying. She had been holding it in for quite some time, but after hundreds of years, I'd expect her to break earlier. When confronted about this, even though she was very clearly struggling, she still had to act, saying that it was an abundance of hydro overflowing from her person due to her overwhelming powers, and that explanation was accepted without a doubt. In that moment, I imagine that Furina both didn't want the citizen to help her because of her mission, but also wanted someone to help her.
Even the names of her hydro summons are used to show of her stature and grandeur, being Gentilhomme Usher, Mademoiselle Crabaletta, and Surintendant Chevalmarin. It's all very flashy and meant to draw attention to her. Same goes for her introduction to the traveler, showing her sitting in a very regal and poised status, and with the camera being pointed up at her, it adds to the sense of her being "above" everyone else. Her place in the courtroom is also high up, this is clearly an intended act from her.
Her design also shows just how much the act has infiltrated her everyday life, having her sword act somewhat like a cane, and a top hat perched atop her head at an angle, resembling famous dances such as Puttin' on the Ritz by Irving Berlin (1982) and Top Hat by Fred Atraire (1935). She also has a large skirt, drawing attention and taking up space. Her design also features many small shiny bits that draw even more attention. Practically every aspect of her design shows this despiration for people to pay attention to her and revere her.
