#natlan rant

[banjomelodies]

Honestly really sad about the fact Natlan has some of the coolest outfits and animations ever .. but everything about the characters is plain colorist and stereotypical. Mualani is super cute, Kinich seems interesting, Xilonen is super pretty, Ororon is really cool. ..But then you look at their designs. And realize that they just stripped a culture from the real world of the actual people behind it, being POC.

All I can really recommend is to not pull Natlan characters and keep yourself as F2P as possible. They obviously are trying to beg on their knees for players considering all of this really cool stuff they're sending out, and because of the fact Shogun AND Kazuha somehow got a rerun before Shenhe despite running really recently. They're compensating. Don't let their compensation win.

[zeichannnnn]

⚠️ In regards to the natlan controversy (and Sumeru by proxy)

Do NOT accuse people of being racist just because your skin colour cannot be found in a game. Learn to know that people don't live in the same situation as you.

Please read this fully for the reality of things I'm sorry for getting political, skip if you don't want to interact

I’m kinda sad at the fact that a lot of people are quick to hate, judge, and scrutinise Hoyo without understanding the situation.

With recent teaser of Natlan characters, people are rightfully upset at the fact that the characters shown to hail from Natlan… don’t exactly look the part. With characters lighter than my own skin tone (I’m a Chinese Southeast Asian by the way, heya) people are calling hoyo bullshit and accusing them of being a racist for failing time and time again at giving us characters with POC shades of skin. Now I’m not here to defend Mihoyo for their actions, or to tell you to stop being mad at the situation being the way they are. No, I’m here to shed you some light of how life is as a game company under the rule of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and Xin Jin Ping (XJP cause I won’t be bothered to type his whole ass name)

I've highlighted points of each section

Any pages that requires translations, I recommend using DeepL instead of google translate because you can check the meanings of specific words and it's translation are better (imo)

Skip to the last part if you just want a summarised version

Before we get into the nitty gritty that is Genshin drama, I'll give you a run-down on what and how China works.

check the part "In relation to Genshin's design choices and how China's beauty standard influences it" if you want to go straight on to the point

People’s Republic of China

is a Unitary Marxist–Leninist one-party socialist republic. This means that China is under a one-party (Chinese Communist Party) rule with communism ideology on how they rule and govern the country and socialist standards for how they manage their economy and everything else. [.]

The CCP holds a very nationalistic view

[.] which is commonly used as propaganda [.] for them to garner either sympathy or control over the people of China. These nationalistic view, in its raw and most rudest form, simply states that Chinese people are pure by upholding traditional Chinese culture (that's not even traditionally Chinese, more or less more catered towards communism and the CCP's ideologies which are that they're great and everyone else is wrong) and not mixing themselves or tainting themselves with things that are not pure (i.e. anything that isn't Chinese, from China, belongs to China) This nationalistic views, which glorifies China and detests anything foreign (i.e. culture, language, people, etc.) have led to a lot of xenophobia being built and nurtured inside of China's society [1] [2] [3]

Aside from the CCP's nationalistic views,

China's society is very censored and monitored by the CCP

[.] Google, YouTube, or more specifically, the internet itself is heavily banned by the government, electing the people to use the CCP's private internet that allows them to be monitored 24/7 through IP location and private information. [1] [2] [3] [4] Aside from heavily monitored and controlled internet access, people in the real world are also actively being watched and monitored through CCTV with facial recognition features and an AI that can predict people's action (yes, exactly like the akasha, and yes, Sumeru arc is based on reality, I won't talk about it here but feel free to read between the lines and compare it with the sources and news articles I'm about to drop on you) [1] [2. Behind paywall] [3] [4] [5]

With its censorship in mind, let us talk about what brings us all here:

the gaming censorship in China.

In order for a game to be published in China, whether it's made by an indie or a multi-billion dollar company, the game has to go through a complicated preliminary test made and assigned by the CCP to play, test, and go through your game before publishing it anywhere in Chinese media [.] This test includes you company's paperwork, your game's paperwork, the things you're displaying in your game, and the story it's trying to tell. There are not that many rules on what should and should not appear inside of your game, such as: polyamory, the undead (in both graphic and non-graphic manner), etc. That should be considered tame and should cause no problem, however, we do have a problem with one of the rule given which is: Emphasizing Cultural Sensitivity.

Emphasizing Cultural Sensitivity

in the article I've mentioned before, describes it as "Games should impart “correct” information on politics, law, and history, as interpreted by the authorizing agency." Now what does "correct" information entail? Who fucking knows because truth is relative. Facts, when in the eyes of the CCP, are relative to what they believe is to be right and what they want us to believe is right.

Now with that out of the way, let us get into the main deal.

MiHoYo

(not to be confused with Hoyoverse/Cognosphere which is their international branch) is a is a Chinese video game development and publishing company, founded by three classmates from university Cai Haoyu, Liu Wei, and Luo Yuhao [.] That means that Genshin Impact's development, ever since it was at its infancy, first-established days, and updates until the near future, are all subjected onto that game censorship law that I mentioned earlier. Now you might all be wondering, what does all of those rules have to do with genshin characters having dark skins? To that I point you towards the fact that MiHoYo and the CCP are and have been actively working together ever since around September 2021. [1] [2]

Cooperation between MiHoYo and the CCP

Ever since Genshin Impact's massive hit both nationally and internationally, its massive fanbase has hit the internet no one has ever seen before. It is the first ever Chinese game that has gotten world wide acclaim and with that, new eyes begin to look upon China. It is no surprise to anyone that Genshin is very particular about showing and promoting Chinese culture to the outside world. Genshin has somehow become the face to Chinese culture in just a year, with limited events such as Lantern Rite and Moonchase festival to showcase China's cultural beauty. With world-wide acclaim comes a price, wherein the CCP no longer treats Genshin as "another game" but a tool that they can use to promote and advertise themselves into the global population.

Begin the censorship and micro-manipulation of things in Genshin

New gaming censorship dropped after the Genshin Impact became a hit in the industry, with even Venti and Gorou as examples of characters that should not appear in media published in China (effeminate man) [.] In additional to the list I've linked in the "the gaming censorship in China" section, a lot more additional rules have been added to that list, such as: queer representation, morally grey character, but I what I want you to look at more is the section where "historical elements, including characters, maps and clothing, should conform with mainstream accounts." in addition to that, a self-regulation pact was made between game companies and the CCP that bans any and all content that is deemed "politically harmful" and "historically nihilistic." Now focus more onto that "historically nihilistic" point, what does that mean?

Historical nihilism

is a term used by the CCP and many Chinese scholars to describe research or discussions deemed to contradict an official state version of history in a manner perceived to question or challenge the legitimacy of the CCP [.] TLDR; it's a term used for when what you're saying clashes or goes against what the CCP said. Why is this important you may ask? It's because that now, at this point, if anything Genshin does something—whether that'd be plotline, design etc.—that the CCP thinks shouldn't exist or be represented, they have the lawful right to block or stop it from reaching the final product. Now this, this is what happened to Genshin's Sumeru and Natlan cast.

In relation to Genshin's design choices and how China's beauty standard influences it

white has always been a predominant part of modern Chinese beauty culture, for some reason (I don't know and I'm not going to go that deep into it, research it on your own if you're curious) In fact, it's not only China but also Asian culture in general. White skin has always been hailed as pure and beautiful here in Asia, where the line "as pale as the moon" is a common compliment to give to someone. Skin colour that are tan or even darker are connected to being dirty or stinky. Despite the younger generation not really adhering to that view, the older generation (calling out the CCP here) upholds that standard till this day. Pin straight hair, round eyes, pale white skin, and a thin figure are the standards put upon those born as female. Their male counterpart are not that different, with lean and fit being the preferred body type rather than big muscles or bulky forms.

The reason behind why this is the case is because of Asia's strict social code in rules and appearances. We must appear prim and clean, that means no dyed hair, no tattoos, no piercings, and minimal make-up. Anyone that goes against those rules are regarded as delinquents or deviants that usually break the rules and do criminal activities (despite it not being the case) Having a bulky stature also applies to that list, regardless of what gender you are, and especially for men. You're regarded as dangerous, criminal, bad influence if you look like that in public (this is why we don't have that much bulky characters gang and why we were robbed of heavy muscles Itto orz) (he deffo was very bulky in the original design, probably similar to the Nobushi but it got nerfed in final product)

Given all of that in mind, it's no wonder that Sumeru's and and Natlan's casts are mostly white... but were they always that way?

The original skin colour design for Natlan cast might've been darker than what we have in the final product.

As a lot of people have mentioned (especially with the many beautiful edits I'm very fond of) the character designs for Natlan's new up-coming rosters looks better with darker skin tone. Take for examples this edit right here:

taken from @ rarepairz on twitter [source]

Their designs (with darker skin tones) seem to pop more, giving highlights onto their clothes and accessories in comparison to the original design. Here are more examples of this happening:

taken from @ Wabs_nabs on twitter [source]

It is especially clear to anyone with basic colour theory that the colour used for designing the clothes and accessories and highlights in the hair look better with darker skin colour. There is *intent* on making it this way in comparison to woeful ignorance of making them look white as hell. If they were to intentionally to make the characters look white, they would've chosen a better colour for the clothes, less bolder ones and eye-popping ones to contrast with the already luminescent light that's emitting from the skin.

And this is not the case for only Natlan, by the way! The same thing happened when the Sumeru cast was first leaked. Case in point this:

taken from @ animuswonder on twitter [source]

and my personal art of Cyno and Nari:

Look at how much contrast there is between their colour palette or how much resonance there is, with Cyno his more cold-colour attire and hair, in comparison to his deep dark warm skin or Tighnari that's the epitome of a "spring girl" like come on man. There's INTENT in those designs, to have more darker shades than they are in the game. Sadly, they just can't do it due to censorships. Why? Because, as I have mentioned before, darker shades of skin are represented as dirt here in Asia as we glorify pale skin more.

The representation of uniqueness and differences in Chinese game is not common due the fact that most Asian countries are homogenous, which means they prefer everyone and everything to be the same, to look the same, and follow and do the same things. They do not advocate for uniqueness, they do not advocate for individuality, they advocate for us to conform and to follow like a sheep in a herd. Because of that, most people spend their whole life trying to whiten up their skin, keeping them light, and those who are darker than most are shown prejudiced and scrutinised.

Mentioning again the fact that MiHoYo and the CCP are working closely together, Genshin Impact is currently being used as a cultural weapon by the government. With MiHoYo showing numerous time that they've donate and support Chinese cultural heritage, the CCP is using that fact and holding control over Genshin as a way to promote and advertise sympathy towards Chinese culture and the Communist regime by proxy. It's like how your parents are getting you to eat broccoli brownies in hopes that you'd eat normal broccolis and other vegetables by proxy. Everything and anything that Genshin shows in its game are now under close inspections of the CCP and colourism especially will not fly-by their radar.

In conclusion

Your anger and hatred towards the new characters’ designs are justified, however the person you aim those anger and hatred should not be towards Mihoyo, or Liu Wei, or any of the staff members but towards the situation and the laws and the local government MiHoYo has to adhere to.

We're already lucky to have MiHoYo even wanting to represent and shpw different cultures from different parts of the world, telling us engaging stories, and incentivising us to think more and to be be more of us instead of following the crowd and to judge those in power (if you are literate and have the ability of a 6th grader, you know the theme Genshin Impact is showing in its story). In a world where they aren't able to live as freely as people outside of mainland do, they shouldn't have to put their life at risk by creating a game that goes against the CCP's laws that will lead to a deduction to their social points (yes, those actually exist, WAKE UP). Yet they do, they update every month, telling stories, creating characters with many characteristics that goes against Chinese gaming laws, just for us to enjoy.

Do NOT accuse people of being racist just because your skin colour cannot be found in a game. Learn to know that people don't live in the same situation as you.

You are right to be mad, you are right to be upset, but do not condemn them for something they hold no power to. It's between their lives and your fantasies and if you choose to value your delusion over their livelihood then that just shows what kind of a person you are.

Where's this conviction towards other game companies aside from MiHoYo? Where's the rightful air when it comes to companies that breathe much fresher air? Do they not have the same responsibility? Or is it because you actually do not care and merely want to point your unbridled emotions towards something or someone? If so, you're pointing at the wrong person.

[prettybbychim]

[this became much longer than i intended whoops]

u know i think it would’ve been much better if the ode of resurrection was not shown to us immediately, and wasn’t a main part of their culture. have people die throughout the archon quest, make us believe that there’s no saving them. kill off kachina at the start and convince us that she’s the first playable character in genshin thats not alive.

build up these bonds, forge these friendships, make us care.

just to take it all away

that’s war.

but there’s a tiny flame, that glimmer of hope. maybe it’s something the pyro archons have been working on, passing it down to their successors. something mavuika has been working on. yeah u heard that right she’s actually doing something wow get citlali in there to help out. get the whole goddamn tribe involved idc

there’s a scramble to find the last of the heroes. they don’t want to force it or fuck something up but they’re running out of time. the abyss is coming. it will consume the nation. they need to fucking buckle up and get down to it.

they could probably still go into the night kingdom to search for kachina, so that mualani can get her ancient name. or it can occur under entirely different circumstances. haven’t given that much thought yet. do they find her?

do they find her and can’t actually bring her back to the surface?

for the next part, we’re gonna have to shake things up because we need the captain on our team sooner rather than later. how that happens is up in the air but regardless, we put aside our differences to save natlan.

so, we help the captain find old dragon tech. maybe we enlist the help of kinich and ajaw, maybe we go into ochkanatlan, tie some of that shit in. we can take iansan along too, who is super duper strong and can carry all our fancy dragon tech or smth idk the three of them need more involvement !!! ajaw would drive me up the wall but it’s a necessary evil

in ochkanatlan, we see how the abyss can mimic lifeforms. the twin is in irminsul right? maybe it’s steals the twin’s image, but the traveler knows it’s not them because their twin would never say things like this. we learn that they abyss manifestations are (always?) twisted and mutilated.

we see the dragon. we don’t defeat it, that’s for the world quest lol but we get the image of the dragon in our minds so that when it shows up later down the line, we know what the fuck is happening lol

on our trip, we learn bits and pieces about the captain. it’s all disconnected, nothing makes sense. and since we’re nosey little fuckers, we find correspondence with the tsaritsa in his belongings.

capitano is gentle with his body. maybe a little too gentle. it catches the traveler’s eye but they don’t know what it means, they have no grounds for suspicion. it’s blown off as recovering from his duel with mavuika. (little do we know that he was hit directly in the heart and he’s worried, goddamnit)

ororon lets it slip that something feels off with the captain’s soul. (could the captain be using ororon’s sensitivities to monitor the souls housed inside him? would he eventually tell ororon what’s going on? or would that be too risky?)

ororon receives ancient name same as before, nothing really needs to change there i suppose. more suspicion is thrown on the captain because of the identity of the soul trying to possess ororon. maybe the captain didn’t share his plan in its entirety, he has a lot riding on this, he can’t afford to fuck it up, and keeps his cards close to his chest. he and mavuika can still argue in front of ororon like mom and dad lol

chuychu dies. she doesn’t get to give a long goodbye. she bleeds out in her sister’s arms. (they actually try to stop the bleeding and give her medical care) chasca goes berserk hell yeah, there’s a struggle. she manages to rein herself in, the love between sisters reigns supreme. chasca gets her ancient name

boom u got all ur heroes. they supercharge mavuika to beat back the abyss core thing. what was its name? gilgamesh? i don’t fucking know

the losses are extreme

fast forward a bit bc i’m losing steam and attention span here

we dive back into the night kingdom to track down the “brain” of the abyss corruption. the people we’ve met and lost in natlan help us out. kachina can be added to the mix. the gay lovers, chuychu and her pokémon team, boba and coconut — the whole gang’s here yooo i actually loved this part. favorite section by far

and after our trip in ochkanatlan, we know that the dragon we’re fighting is an abyssal manifestation. the voices of the previous pyro archons are their own but the words are all wrong, designed to discourage and distress us.

we defeat it using the power of friendship (i’m gonna kms)

also mavuika’s kit is completely different. i’m giving her a redesign fuck it. but that’s a post for another time.

traveler seems pretty good ngl i just wish the cons aren’t limited to fighting the dragon. i really liked what i was seeing and then they pooped all over my party (what’s the point!!!)

instead of a big parade, we gather around together at the stadium to finally try the thing all the pyro archons have been cooking. the heroes are a necessary component.

the incandescent ode of resurrection

among the many, kachina comes out of the flames. mualani sobs her heart out and vows to never let her out of her sight ever again

chuychu perhaps? 👀 pls pls she’s the only one besides cap and ororon that i give a shit about pllssssss playable chuychu when? her design is fantastic as is u dont need to touch it PLEASE—

now we can have a party!! after everything is all said and done, we can have One party instead of the five or so we’ve had since we came to natlan. (nation of war? more like nation of fiestas)

ororon, though, feels uneasy, and not because of the atmosphere. he says he’s going to find the captain, but he can’t explain why. concerned, the traveler and paimon try to follow him but are intercepted by citlali, who is for once not freaking out about ororon’s whereabouts, instead…

oh but wait. where’s mavuika gone? oh nooo

plays out relatively the same i suppose. could use some tweaking but not anything significant enough to mention right now.

except now we have somewhat of an understanding of the captain already, all the little bits and pieces we noticed, and the clues we (so rudely) discovered, it’s all starting to make sense now. we’ve also spent more time w him, the emotional attachment runs deeper, and it’s much more painful to experience.

bittersweet

mavuika is confused, especially in the days coming after. she had planned to die then. she said her goodbyes in a roundabout way. she finished the painting of her family, so they’ll never be forgotten. she saved her nation from the oppression of the abyss, resurrected so, so many. there was only one thing left to do… she was supposed to be the one to do it.

what does she do now?

what does she do with herself now, when she hadn’t planned for her own future? it was supposed to end, she was supposed to die. could she have reunited with her family? could she have seen them once again? she’s sad over what could have been, she’s confused because how did it end up like this, she’s mad because the captain stole it from her, she’s guilty because he was ultimately the better choice

what do you do when you’ve spent hundreds of years waiting for your destined day? when you’re only ambition has been this.

it’s time to learn how to live.

the end~

[gold-rhine]

by the way, i keep saying that sumeru is extremely well done cyberpunk masqueraded as fantasy, but the big part of it is also how the focus idea of "knowledge" is explored in corpo\capitalists context. like all cyberpunk explores wealth inequality and class stratification, but sumeru really focused on how knowledge - i.e. higher education, is used to keep these class borders in line. getting high education is the only option for class mobility, as the requirement for university degree gatekeeps a lot of high paying jobs even if they do not in fact require specialised knowledge, or if degree doesn't even have the actual knowledge needed for job. we have npcs, esp in world quests, who had very different dreams, but felt forced to go into academia bc this is the only way to get enough money - more blue-collar, "manual" jobs are de-evaluated, treated as "un-intelligent" and "unskilled", despite them requiring a lot of both. we have academics with their dreams shattered, bc they went in with a dream to explore the world, but were forced to play politics and take research into military and corpo contracts they hate bc this is only way to get funds. the akademia is used not for noble advance of all knowledge, but for targeted research of specific topics that profit corpos, academia restricts knowledge instead of spreading it. academia not only gatekeeps who gets to access knowledge, but also how they process that knowledge and how they use it, and it affects everything

tbh i wish we had a section of main quest where we got to be INSIDE of akademia for a bit and interact with it firsthand, bc i feel like a lot of this is in background stories and characters and story quests like alhaitham's and cyno, but i think it would be great to have it dramatized better

[evelynpr]

Why the fuck are there roller skates, dubstep, stage lighting, an LED screen, and all kinds of modern technology in Xilonen's trailer??? I thought Fontaine had the most advanced technology next to Schneznaya and arguably Sumeru, and every instance of high-end technology we have seen leaned more towards machinations with gears, magic, alchemy, essentially fantasy styled sci-fi???

The disrespect towards Native American and African cultures is enough to piss me off already, but it even goes against Genshin's own consistency with its fantastical world design..and for what? Just so you can have this...pop and gamer aesthetic???

Just look at these two bubbly and optimistic characters for me okay

Yoimiya's design isn't the most respectful and accurate representation of a Japanese firework craftsman, but at least you can damn tell she is Japanese. The large ribbons, hair accessories, tassels, leg covering, tattoo design, shoe style, and fabric patterns all allude to this (I apologize for not knowing the exact terminologies for these, this needs further research).

Then there's Mualani who has...what? Please do correct me if I am wrong here, but her character must be inspired by the real Mualani, a Hawaiian Chiefess. Additionally, her tribe's specialty is in tourism and vacationing, which further leads into the idea that she and her tribe are based off of Hawaii despite the known issues regarding Hawaii and tourism (if there are any good sources that summarize the issue, please do lmk).

I am not too familiar with Hawaiian culture, but there really is nothing about her design that reads as Hawaiian, or even just traditional, to me. What about a 2 piece swimsuit with bows and tails, a bow + braids + ponytail hair style, combat gloves (?), and an entire neon shark, is Hawaiian???

The characters, their designs, and their trailers, are just so culturally disconnected from their real life counterpart that it's even disconnected to Genshin's own world building and design. How the fuck is the fashion trend in Natlan denim pants. I feel like the only parts of Natlan that feel like Genshin Impact and culturally inspired are the in-game music and landscapes (God bless Hoyo-mix and the world designers).

[kiki-1109]

celebratory albedo birthday drawing!! i tried doing the twitter 4-image crop trend with it so it looks kinda awkward lol

[justeasing]

Is it just me, or has Hoyo kinda given up on Genshin?

Because it honestly feels that way, and it's pretty depressing. Like, I used to really like Genshin Impact— Fontaine, especially! (I still go there to do all my crafting and see Katherine, etc. And if not there, then Mondstadt) But now it just feels... lifeless?

It's like they put their whole-ass pussy into Fontaine – its characters, the lore, and design, even down to mini-games/puzzles, and just lost all steam on Natlan.

Don't get me wrong! It's still gorgeous! But the environment is about all there is for me. Even the Saurians are such a letdown. Like, I heard from Neuvillette, "Natlan is the land of dragons", and I got images in my head of drakes in treetop and crevices, large winged BEASTS flying overhead at a constant rate, the world swirling with wingbeats!

Instead we got... Pokémon. Basically.

And I'm pretty sure everyone and their grandmother didn't imagine the "Nation of War" to look so lush and colorful where – instead of the walls and rockface being covered in BLOOD – everything is covered in graffiti. And, to top it off, none of that graffiti shows depictions of war, but is more just slashes of color.

Now, I know people will be like, "Well, if you set expectations you'll be disappointed," and yes. That's true. The difference here is that we've SEEN dragons in pretty much every region. We've seen Dvalin, the bones and beating heart of Durin, Morax, Orobashi's skull and ribcage, Apep, and even Neuvillette ffs! As players in this world, we hear "dragon" we think "GRANDIOSE! LARGE! MENACING!" not... cute fluffy bats and bouncing lizards. Those aren't dragons. They're dinosaurs. It's different.

Then there's the "war" part... Genshin has shown us areas that are dark and torn apart by combat. We've all BEEN to Inazuma – I do not NEED to elaborate. We've seen battlefields and remnants of destruction in the form of crashed ships, swords and spears jousting from the sand and stone, armor plating discarded and canons – weaponry! – everywhere.

Where is that type of monumental storytelling in Natlan? Where's the bloodied battlefield? Where's the desolate patch of land like Old Vanarana? A place so sullied by death nothing can grow there anymore? Where the Archon's flame has scorched away a thousand droves of Abyssal monstrosities, and yet they keep coming? WHERE IS IT? I WANT BLOOD!

So it's just disappointing, and I'm starting to feel like Hoyo themselves are giving up on Genshin Impact. I think the company's assets are starting to be moved more towards HSR and now ZZZ. I think they're possibly actually trying to KILL Genshin so they can focus on new, "more exciting" titles that have fesher graphics and more of a revenue. And, annoyingly, there's evidence in this in the way they treat their fans of these series...

HSR has had better treatment from Day 1 with higher Resin caps and Free 5☆, which Genshin has only just now received after the competition from Wuthering Waves. It's no coincidence that Wuthering comes out with its 240 Waveplates and – not ONE, but TWO! – Free 5☆ Banners (not to mention a LOT of QoL features that gave players more freedom and fun, like their Echo system VS Genshin's Artifacts, and constant Dev Team mail handouts of Astrite, etc.) and suddenly Genshin is doing the same thing with a free 5☆ Banner and getting Primos in the mail as apologies for "bugs", the new Artifact locking system, and Resin cap increase to 200, etc.

It's just ridiculous... These changes are ones that players had been asking for for FOUR YEARS and it's only now – with Wuthering – that we're getting these changes. Meanwhile, with Wuthering, they've listened to player feedback and made a bajillion positive changes in under 1 year. The playerbase has never been happier! And it shows! But it also backs up what I'm saying towards Hoyo just... giving up.

Hoyo – before Wuthering Waves – has never had to hold itself accountable. Complaints? Didn't matter. There's no bar set, it's that low. It's more like a stick in the middle of the road instead of even a speedbump. They WERE the bar to reach! So they didn't have to comply to customer feedback and never had to care. Because of that, Natlan has fallen into shambles... They don't care about coherent characters in their world backdrop!

Xilonen? The roller-blading DJ cat? That smithies up motorbikes? Yeah... she lives in a hut. In a ditch. And also there are no ocelots in Natlan. And she works with hammer and molten metal with a full mani-pedi. It's just..... what?

Kinich – uses pixels to fight people because of an ancient dragon soul trapped in a Ben 10 watch – and where are the pixels in the ancient dragon ruins, then? Or, if it's just a manifestation coded by Kinich himself, where are the pixilated accents in the Scions camps? Why aren't they blockier, or using holographic screens?

What about Mavuika, herself? Why the flying dragon bollocks does she have a MOTORCYCLE when there are no roads? We see a road in her animation, but no highways in Natlan exist. Why not? Why not make busy roadways where her bike can be used at 2x the speed or something? No..?? WHY NOT?

Because they don't care. Not anymore. Everything made sense in Mondstadt and Liyue... but after that, writing started to slip. Some parts of Inazuma and Sumeru in particular make that obvious, but I'm not gonna go into that, currently. If you want to know, send me an ask. But, right now, Natlan is a total rip-off/failure of a Nation, and I can explain more of that - too - if you want (the "rip-off" part), but now I'm tired and need to just... not.

I genuinely just wish it was better. But, why wish when everything I could ask for is now in Wuthering Waves? So... I'm just gonna play that, haha 😅

Anyways: Rant over! Hope you enjoyed/agree if you got this far! And I wish you all well on your 50/50's! 💕

[pumpkinbunnyva]

Honestly? I hope all the ENG Genshin VA's siding with Corina lose their jobs. I don't even care anymore.

Scab this and scab that, how about you actually do something worthwhile instead of harassing and sicking your deranged fanbases on an innocent man for rightfully taking a role when he had no idea there was a strike going. Woah shocker, the non-American who isn't chronically online didn't know about the strike.

But at this point it's not even about the strike anymore, this is YEARS of unprofessionalism from not only Corina but a couple of the other ENG VA's as well. They're losers. They're fucking bullies. And they shouldn't have a platform if not being a stupid cunt is so hard.

Fuck you Corina, fuck the other VA's that are bullying the new Kinich VA, and especially fuck the dick riding loser nobody amateur VAs justifying the harassment the new Kinich VA is receiving. Fuck you especially, I hope your career never takes off.

[meisaer]

"nation so bad they brought mondstadt back" I am about to explode. I am literally about to detonate and bring down fifteen buildings with me, hopefully one with you in it.

[elfenslieder]

I'm just gonna be blunt and raw and honest and unapologetic when dropping this and I could care less how dramatic it might come off. In case someone feels the need to defend what I'm speaking up against:

It's disheartening and heartbreaking when a game I've invested time and energy in doesn't stay true to its elements that made it so captivating. I remember being absolutely in love with dragonspine (I still am) and the atmosphere and I've come to cherish Mondstadt while wandering through there. Natlan is so very cheap. It's ugly. It's horrendous. Flying guns and a fucking motorcycle in genshin is a drastic departure from the setting that the game has been cultivating. See, I've read many people say how ungrateful and bitter and unhappy the bigger part of the fandom is and hell yes, the fuck do you expect? How can we not be?

Natlan introducing industrial and modern aspects feels jarring because it completely erases the vision that many players build up and appreciate. Fontaine's steampunk aesthetic works because it's grounded in its regions thematic identity. Hydro, elegance and a vintage feel.

I've been using genshin as an escape. I just want to immerse myself into a world where I don't have to deal with any mainstream bullshit or industrial influences. It was a place of comfort. Of something magical and pure. And now it's no longer a refuge from the mundane but something that reminds me of it.

And it's not just about the aesthetics; It's about the emotional connection I've had to the game. It's like this escape has been compromised. This safe haven is suddenly invaded by stuff I was trying to get away from.

"Oh you're whining about motorcycles now, what's wrong with you?" That's not what I'm whining about, I'm just so pissed that genshin mixes up all of these elements instead of sticking to a beautiful fantasy setting with no intervention of mainstream crap.

Really had to get all of this off my chest. I know I'm not the only one who thinks like this so yeah. It felt odd seeing so many people hype Natlan up so much, specifically Mavuika. And even Chasca whose kit gives me such a headache. Hell, even riding a dragon would be so much more acceptable and fitting. Especially in Mavuikas case. I guess this is another time where I have to crawl back to fanon and my own daydreams.

[argentimybeloved]

I hate seeing people STILL defend hoyo/Genshin even after Natlans trailer. I’ve seen so many excuses but none of them really work.

((if I said anything incorrect or accidentally offensive please correct me!!))

Rant(?) UTC

— “It’s a CN (Chinese) company, what did you expect?”

Just because China has a racism/colourism problem does NOT mean anything. You’re going to excuse it just cuz of that?? On top of that, CN players have ALSO disliked the lack of PoC characters. Also, blaming it on the fact that they’re Chinese is racist in itself I believe. You’re generalising a whole country as well.

With the talk that they only care about the CN fanbase is also wrong, cuz again. Even CN player base are mad about it.

On top of all that. Reverse 1999 and Dislyte, 2 games by a Chinese company have AMAZING rep from what I’ve seen and heard. They have a diverse cast and not only do they have a large variety of skin tones for their characters but their designs aren’t sexualised (*cough* Raiden and Yae Miko *cough*)

— “Oh you have (Insert character like, Kaeya, Xinyan, Candace ect) though”

And most of those characters are getting whitewashed by the company still!! Sure we have some character that DO have darker skin. But the art that the company posts of them, you’ll usually find them whitewashed.

I’ve seen people say they should be happy with Iansan.

Why?? That’s one character with darker skin in a nation based off of countries with people with darker skin.

Their skin colour is more ashy as well (as stated from other people I’ve seen, so correct me if I’m wrong there)

If you’re going to take inspiration from various countries for your game. AND make characters based on said countries, represent them better. Don’t just make them white when the people from those countries aren’t.

— “It’s HYV what did you expect??”

Oh I’m sorry, so I shouldn’t have expected for a nation to be accurately represented?

Also, many people who say this, usually have said “oh wait for Sumeru, wait for Natlan”

And now that both of those nations are released it’s:

“What did you expect”

Make up your mind please and thank you :3

And it’s not uncommon for people to wait to see if there’s at least SOME change to a game they enjoy

I’ve actually seen people say “Wait for more characters to be released”

HOW LONG DO PPL HAVE TO WAIT TO GET GOOD REP 😭😭

— “People complain yet still play the game”

People can complain and still play the game.

There’s good aspects to Genshin. The music and landscapes. Animation too. People can enjoy the game for that reason and still criticise the game.

Of course some people can quit the game due to how Genshin deals with PoC characters but others may stay for their own reasons. As long as they don’t IGNORE the problem then fine, they can keep playing. It’s their own choice.

— “They’re not white though!!”

What…

Have you seen the cast from the Natlan trailer??

I have actually seen this as an excuse and it honestly confuses me so much. Do people genuinely think that the Natlan cast isn’t mostly white people?? I hope not…

— “There’s white people in those countries too”

Okay and? Chinese people can also have tanner skin and we don’t have characters with said skin tone in Liyue.

Same with Japan.

What’s your point?

Natlan AND Sumeru are both nations based of countries that have people with darker skin. Yes you may find a white person in those countries too but that shouldn’t be your excuse of why there’s such a lack of diversity in those nations. If there’s a diversity in the countries their based off of, so should the in game nation.

— “Their designs are pretty though!”

(Not rlly an excuse but felt like I should add it)

I’ve seen people saying they like the characters design and think there pretty and that’s fine!! Can’t fault you for liking a characters design. I also do find some of the designs pretty. I will admit. It’s when you defend their designs when it becomes a problem. Just cuz you like a characters design doesn’t mean you can ignore the lack of diversity for PoC.

Especially when they’re the ones being represented

-

-

-

That’s all the excuses I’ve seen going around. The more common ones, I’m unsure if there’s more (hopefully not…) but if there is feel free to comment about it

Apparently the ZZZ team have talked about their dislike about this whole mess. Which hopefully means they’ll do better but it is also the same company.

I’ve seen a good few concept art of characters who DO have darker skin tones but apparently genshins higher ups made them lighter. Can’t fully confirm that but I have seen concept art with characters with darker skin tone.

Once again, if I said anything incorrect or accidentally offensive please correct me as well!! Thank you :)

(Silently hoping I won’t get death threats for this to the point I have to delete it 👍 - Will likely private my DMs if I can)

[mukipookie]

is it okay to say that escoffier is actually really ugly

that if she was a natlan character nobody would like her

that varesa getting bitchy treatment and escoffier getting hoards of praise is really hypocritical and stupid

everyone saying "fontaine peak is back!" is just lying to themselves

"fontaine = peak character design" and it's the most horrendous design on the face of the earth

shes not cohesive at all, she's insanely random, she's a 5 star for some reason, and she's a cryo wielding chef. CRYO. for what purpose?? she makes an ice swan sculpture in her idle while being a professional CHEF. she has the golden ratio on her splash and on her burst while being a professional CHEF. Idk why but she has a random tail??

and dont even get me started on the lingerie?? her "apron" is being held up by nothing btw.

literally the only thing she's wearing is that apron corset thing (THAT DOESNT EVEN MAKE IT TO MID-THIGH) and a skirt: it's not even a skirt, it's just the back, and then skintight white stockings.

genshin twt complains about the fanservice and revealing designs of natlan yet the moment their blond little frenchie drops all of a sudden it's "peak fontaine" as if fontaine wasn't 80% dogshit in the first place and as if she isn't wearing significantly less clothes than varesa, citlali, and basically everyone in natlan.

stole this image from a moot who got it from idk where but yeah basically:

okay okay sure by the looks of it she's gonna be a silly lil fella most likely and her personality is probably gonna be fine but this level of hypocrisy and glazing is genuinely so stupid.

she's so ugly, no wonder she's a chef with a tail, she's actually remy the rat, except calling her that would be an insult to the GOAT remy

[gold-rhine]

SPOILERS i still cant believe they had an eldritch abyss god take form of corrupted pyro sovereign and it was somehow more boring than plotlines of most of their filler events. like genuinely im so baffled, how do you even do it

[hopeless-5-foot-2-spiderlily]

Ayoooo! Genshin Fans!! Y'all need to archondamn read!!

Mavuika is not like Furina! Yes true both are humans BUT Furina is CURSED and WAS A GOD remember FOCALORS/FURINA basically divided herself into two, human(Furina) and divine (Focalors).

IF YOU WHO CLAIMS AS GENSHIN FAN WHO FAILS TO UNDERSTAND THE LORE OF FURINA/FOCALORS imagine this Venti sacrificing his godhood he separates his power becoming the no memory human Venti and the divine Barbatos with 100 Memory—essentially a one person with two names who separated themselves with different attributes. (ALSO VENTI IS JUST AN EXAMPLE HE IS STILL A FULL ARCHON)

ANYWAY back to Mavuika

SPOILERS!!

Natlan according to her has no species called gods, the first archon, was but a mortal man who ascended to the archon throne and from there borrowed the power of the heavens BASICALLY CELESTIA BECAUSE GNOSES IS AN OBJECT THAT DRAWS POWER FROM CELESTIA. So, yes, MAVUIKA IS A MORTAL, AND THAT MEANS MAVUIKA IS THE PYRO ARCHON, like her predecessor

If she was the pyro archon from 500 years ago, how is she still alive? She's like furi--!! NO, SHE IS NOT LIKE FURINA

Mavuika as she said sacrificed herself to the sacred flame 🔥. "EMBEDDED HER SOUL IN THE SACRED FLAME TO BE REAWAKENED 500 YEARS LATER" and that means she hasn't lived through those 500 years. She was reawakened and entered the pilgrimage and became the pyro archon once again—what hwr physical body's age is also her mental age—she died young in her previous life. OKAY IN SIMPLER THOUGHTS THINK PHOENIX die burning and reawakened from ghe ashes.

Question: why is pyro traveller not available?

I in fact don't know but from what we know we can assume that the Pyro Archon has no elemental dominion over well fire. The pyro archon draws power from the heavens but that was probably used to make the rules they currently have in Natlan which is why they can bring people back to life—specific requirements in certain areas. Like what IL CAPITANO mentioned "what is the use of the gnoses in your hands blah blah then it's up to me to make new rules for Natlan" so I concur that the sacred flame and the rules of the nation is the mortal archon's borrowed power from the heavens.

It might also be because the pyro archon is mortal and therefore their body can't withstand the entirety of the elemental dominion. Formidable but not in equal to a god in Barbatos, Moral, Baal/Beelzebub, Buer, Focalors caliber.

This is just my theory for now but it would also not explain why there are allogenes of Pyro, if the case was this to explain non pyro traveller. However, we are descenders who have elemental resonance to every element and the gnoses was made by the dragon's sovereign and the third descenders' remains and thus maybe the power is not enough to give to traveller because we're not really allogenes.

ALSO COULD ABYSS TWIN HAVE ALREADY DIED???? AND THAT'S WHY IRMINSUL COUNTED THEM AS PART OF THIS WORLD??? WHAT IF THEY DIED SOMEHOW IN NATLAN??? MAYBE THEY HAD A FORGED ANCIENT NAME LIKE WHAT MAVUIKA OFFERED TRAVELLER??? RIGHT???? IDK BUT THAT'S BEEN WEIGHING IN MY MIND SINCE NATLAN TRAILER AND I JUST FORGOT TO RANT ABOUT THAT HERE HAHAHAHAHAHAHA I'M GOING 🤣 CRAZY!!

[cherryxmouse]

I know we have been over this a lot in the past few months, but I also wanted to rant about why I dislike Natlan and what Hoyoverse is doing with Genshin Impact right now. And to keep it a little more comprehensible, I'll sort my complaints into three categories:

The character designs

The characters by themselves

The quest

The way Natlan doesn't even fit into the games lore

So, first of all, I wanted to talk about the character designs, something a lot of people have talked about already. Although I do like some of the designs, they just don't look good for what they are supposed to represent. For example Kinich. If you asked me what country or culture he was inspired by, I could never tell you, because it's not obvious. If you told me Citlali was supposed to be a Shaman I wouldn't have believed you, because there is nothing about her design indicating that she is. A character's design is very important to show what the character does, what their role is and sometimes (like in Genshin Impact) which culture they are supposed to be from. I've seen people on TikTok do better redesigns of the Natlan cast, ones which actually look like they are inspired by the different cultures the characters are supposed to be inspired from. And to think that people doing this in their free time, without getting any money or help for their designs, it's honestly embarrassing that Hoyoverse can't do better. If it hurts you that much to make characters based on a culture or country (in which a lot of dark-skinned people live) perhaps don't make a Nation based on those cultures/countries. And it isn't just the fact that the character designs have no real representation, some of them also don't look like they belong into the game of Genshin Impact. Like Mavuika, who looks very out of place with her motorcycle and biker suit, next to Kaeya or Yae Miko who look like they don't know what electricity is. It seems like Hoyoverse got tired of the high fantasy aesthetic they are using for Genshin Impact, and are now using the sudden modernisation of Natlan as an excuse to not do any research on the cultures and countries they are basing Natlan off. And regardless of the racism, it still feels weird to suddenly have motorcycles and dj's and roller skates in the game, when Mondstadt still uses horses to get around. And (and this isn't just Natlan) character designs have been becoming increasingly 'fan service', like that new character Varesa, Mavuika's body suit which has an entirely pointless zipper going all the way down and the weird angle of Mizuki's burst animation. Genshin Impact has always been fan service, but I feel like it mellowed down with Fontaine and is now coming back even stronger.

Now to the characters themselves. I feel like the characters from Natlan are all kind of... cluttered. They have too much going on for them, too many motives. For example, Xilonen is a blacksmith, a cat girl, a skater and a dj all at the same time. And while these things are cool, they have nothing to do with eachother and it's also hard to show off all of those attributes for a character without it being overwhelming to users. I feel like a character should always only have two (or in some cases, three) things going for them, so that you can properly show them in the character design, idle animations and game play. Other than that, I also find it sad that there are this little playable male characters in Natlan. The rate of playable male characters has been steadily declining ever since Sumeru, but it feels weird that we've only gotten one male character from Natlan up until now. It kind of feels like Hoyoverse is catering more to their perverse male audience instead of anyone else. Another big thing that bugs me is Mavuika's character as a whole. I know that she, since she is a Himeko variant, has kind of a predestined role as a character, but then I feel like they shouldn't have made her an Archon. That way, they could've done more things with the Pyro Archon. Ignoring how out of place she looks like with her design and play style and how she doesn't represent Māori (which she's supposed to be) I also find it weird, how Mavuika, who should be a flawed person, considering she's a human Archon, has no flaws or anything that pulls her down whatsoever. She is loved by everyone, her sacrifice was taken over by Capitano, has no flaws like being rash or brutal or something you'd expect of a war deity (although I understand that it would probably be stereotypical to make a would-be dark-skinned women dumb or aggressive) and also has no other conflict to her character whatsoever. Her character just feel so bland and boring because there is nothing about her making her interesting or even flawed like she should be for being a human tasked with an Archons job.

Now we come to the story quest. Personally, I do like the fact that the NPC's actually die and dissappear fully after the war, because it adds something new and dark to Genshin Impact. But the quest is a little too obvious with the message (I think) it's trying to convey. Like, we get it, you are stronger if you work together. The way they handled it made the quest feel like some kind of disney movie. Especially because the tribes were already working together and living peacefully alongside eachother, so there wasn't even a conflict to overcome.

Now we come to the last point in my rant, and the one that bugs me the most. Natlan as a Nation makes no sense if you put it into the lore that existed about it beforehand. First of all, where does the Nightsoul's Blessing and 'red-lava-that's-keeping-it-alive' come from? Why is it never explained in the game? I know it's just there to make the characters meta so that anyone would pull for them, but then at least pull some kind of explanation out of your ass. Another thing, and I spoke about this before, why are there motorcycles and dj equipment and roller skates in Natlan? I know you could argue that Sumeru has the Aksha System which is practically wifi and Fontaine has a lot of animatronics, but at least those were explained and had relevance to the story. Mavuika's motorcycle is never explained or used at any point in the story. Also, wasn't it said at one point in the game, that Khaenri'ah was the most developed Nation? And if Khaenri'ah, as the most developed country, only had like ruin gards, why does Natlan, which isn't known for it's technological advances suddenly have all of this modern stuff? Especially because it doesn't even fit into the aesthetic of Natlan whatsoever, I mean Fontaine was at least fully steampunk, but Natlan is just 'technologically NOT advanced tribes' AND 'motorcycles'. Another thing, wasn't there this whole story line about this Vanessa and her family fleeing from Natlan to Mondstadt? So first of all, if everything is all fine and dandy (except that later the abyss attacked), why did she have to flee? Nothing was wrong in Natlan during that time. And another thing, why are Vanessa and her family called 'children of Murata'? It makes no sense, because according to the game no Murata ever existed. Mavuika has been Archon twice now, so there isn't even any sense in the time line anymore. Also, why do the (Archons of the) other nations warn us so much about Natlan and tell us it's a place full of war and dragons, when, other than the abyss attacking, there is literally no conflict. It just feels like they did all of this foreshadowing just to then change the whole story line.

Anyways, that's it (for now) if I remember anything else I wanted to say I'll add it, thank you for reading to this point (if you did) and what are your thoughts about Natlan?

I actually have a rewrite of Natlan I did during New Years Eve (so before the whole story finished), maybe I'll dig it back up, redo it a bit and then post it if anyone is interested...

[miyulien]

rant.

extremely unrelated post regarding Omori/pjsk or my au!

I am very annoyed by how hoyoverse ultimately refuses to incorporate any kind of melanin or dark-skinned characters in their game(s), especially in genshin, where they take cultures of other people. they take all of the food, the landscapes, the language, and the mannerisms as well as the clothing, (be it over-sexualised at times) but they don’t carry the beautiful ethnic features that the people of those cultures have.

i am aware that hoyoverse is a Chinese company, and its player base is full of Chinese and the standard is very much based on the Chinese standards (pale skin, thin legs, tall stature, straight hair etc.) however, regardless of your country’s beauty standards, you can’t take steal other country’s cultures and proceed to not use the people’s appearances as well, it’s like you say everything they’ve made is beautiful, from the landscapes, the buildings, the cultural traditions and the way they act.. but you. its genuinely so hurtful to see in for example; sumeru,

literally based off of middle-eastern and south-asians, which both of these cultures have predominantly dark-skinned people. but our cultures are being used constantly without our own ethnic features along with it.

the only time I ever see a character with my skin tone in sumeru, is the enemies we have to fight. the disrespect that is, to know your skin tone just isn’t good enough, not marketable enough, so they won’t make you a real character.

the idea that everything we’ve created, things we’ve worked years on, traditions that have been kept and maintained as well as shared over the centuries, is practically perfect and beautiful in hoyo’s eyes.. but, us? we’re not marketable enough, our looks aren’t good enough. the idea of having melanin is jarring nowadays, seeing characters with some sort of “imperfections” like “dark skin” is disgusting. why must we cast away the beauties of others appearance, the way they look in general, but we proceed to be overjoyed at their creations yet not the creators themselves.

it is genuinely super annoying to see how little dark skinned characters there are in genshin, and hsr, I’m not even talking about just adding diversity just to appease others, I’m talking about adding dark skinned characters and just making them normal people, without simply adding melanin just to make others shut up. why can u make every single light skinned character normal, and human, yet you can’t do the same with dark skinned characters? sumeru, natlan are based off of countries/regions that are filled with beautiful different skin tones, and hair types that don’t fit the Chinese beauty standards.

and it’s fine, beauty standards are present everywhere, but it shouldn’t be an issue to not make everything fit your country’s beauty standards, especially when you are profiting off of another country’s culture. also, can we talk about how there is literally barely any proper significance dark skin characters have in their storylines? there is barely any kind of importance that dark skinned characters have in events or even the main storyline, they appear once or twice during the quests but barely matter afterwards? they are constantly shunned and cast to the side, as if hoyoverse is ashamed of including any kind of diversity…? you can take everyone’s cultural backgrounds and their own ethnicity’s creations, but you can’t take their ethnicity’s appearance too? is it so hard to make a character with curly hair, or wavy hair for that matter.. or even make them black? is it hard to have afros, or braids, or make styles other then just exaggerated stereotypical anime straight hair?

I know it is to get profit, and that these characters wouldn’t do as well from what hoyoverse sees..

but, so many people are longing for these types of appearances, so many people want these representations, for dark skinned characters to be seen in media without simply having to be stereotypical or just added for basic diversity, just.. to be normal, like any other light skinned characters are.

It’s like me taking Chinese culture, the beautiful views, the buildings, the food, the mannerisms, and the traditions.. but not their ethnic features. people would be complaining over it and be totally pissed off, but why do we brush off the issue when it’s regarding dark skinned people not getting representation when their literal culture is constantly used in different games, like genshin, but the people themselves aren’t included?

i am not stating that light skinned people aren’t beautiful, in fact they are stunning, everyone is regardless of their melanin or lack thereof, I believe everyone’s features are beautiful, from dark skin, to tanned, to light, or pale. straight hair, wavy hair, curly hair, or coily hair, or even mixes. everyone is beautiful, and that is the truth, they all have features that make them stunning. but it’s just that the representations are so minimal in terms of dark skinned people, that is why I’m making this post.

as u can see, the literal pyro archon has not a shade of melanin, like what? none of the archons have melanin, not a single one of them? literal archons based off of regions that have predominantly dark skinned people, are all pale? huh??

i love hoyo games very much, and I love the stories but i just have noticed a total disregard and practical disrespect of dark skinned people who have stated that they want more representation seeing as hoyo uses their own culture but not their appearances, its just depressing to see what your ancestors have created, the hard work it took for you to maintain your culture, only for a huge company to swoon in and take that culture, and market it, but change your appearances to better fit their idea of ‘attractive’. As if you aren’t good enough, you aren’t marketable whatsoever.

they can easily incorporate inazuma accurately, which is based off of Japanese culture, they can use their ethnic features, and the way that they look, they can use the culture, the food, the traditions and events and the mannerisms and clothing, but they can also use their features? what’s the difference between Hispanic culture, and Japanese culture? why is it easy to use Japanese features but not Hispanic? it’s no coincidence.

I don’t like complaining in general, especially abt this, but honestly I have just seen this happen so much during the updates that I really got tired of cultures being used and praised, but the people themselves aren’t worthy of the same thing because they don’t fit the ‘beauty standard’

at the end of the day, you can do what you want, but if you are going to use a country’s culture, and profit off of it, the least you could do is also include their ethnic features instead of appeasing to your country’s beauty standards constantly.

hoyoverse is a multi-billion dollar company, it really isn’t that hard to include other ethnicites beautiful melanin and natural ethnic traits that they have, like greek noses, flat noses, upturned noses, small lips, big lips, big eyes and small eyes. thick eyelashes, long eyelashes, mixed skin tones, freckles and more, it’s just features that carry beauty, the mesmerising history of a culture to them. it isn’t that hard to include it, if you are willing to steal a culture, and call that culture perfect, except the people that created that culture.

do better, hoyoverse.