windborne-outlander

[windborne-outlander]

Hmm, I guess that, for my perspective, I just believe in the narrative principle of checkhov's gun - if something gets repeteadly brought up, it must be important to the story. "hm something weird happened w the exuviation/the memories hmmmm" feels like it ought to be exceptional somehow, because there's no point bringing it up, storywise, if everything went as it should. Besides, everything becomes very weird if we're to assume none of this is relevant - the 30 years without cauldronmaster as a consequence of....nothing, and the preceptors are as such a shady faction because...they fixed the rebirth? there's no logical thoroughline there.

That said though, some notes - the exuviation charm wasn't the Ten Lord's plan to execute Dan Feng, it was the vidyadhara's to induce hatching rebirth - Caelorum Venti was the one who proposed it. We don't actually know HOW the Ten Lords would have DF destroyed, (which I suppose to mean death without reincarnation)

"An unattainable desire for millenia" you actually fused the two separate quotes - "creating a new life that had not been seen for millennia " and "an unattainable desire that could not be carried out for long years in the past". It's not Dan Feng remembering the desires of past lives, it's an acknowledgement that for as long as there has been memory, there have been no new Vidyadhara. It's not quite clear what the "desire" was, exactly, and how far back "long years" entail (I personally think it was the desire to escape his role as Imbibitor Lunae, but again, it's not certain)

And, again, we don't KNOW what's up with Dan Heng's tail and horns - it could be transmutation, or, since cloudhymn magic can be used to make yourself invisible, it could simply be Dan Heng hiding his tail and making illusions with cloudhymn. It would even make sense why Bailu can't hide her tail, since her powers are restrained by the shackle on her tail.

ALL THAT SAID! I feel like much of the points we're making stems down to "well there isn't a canon explanation that DISproves this' so maybe we should stop here and agree to disagree lol - as you said. there's a lack of concrete info, whether to argue for or against Dan Heng being weird for a high elder. Thanks for having a conversation with me though :) feel free to ping me in the future if like, new information comes to light and you can go "mwahaha I was RIGHT!" lol

since I keep seeing people getting it wrong: No, Dan Feng's rebirth was not tampered with. The thing that was supposed to tamper with his rebirth was tampered with. He had a normal rebirth. The reason Dan Heng remembered virtually nothing is probably because hating Dan Feng and pushing away those memories was pretty much his only coping mechanism.

[windborne-outlander]

This got so long it no longer fit in the replies 😭 so re: your last comment:

Hmm... honestly, it rather feels like you're ignoring the points I make, so some quotes to back up what you're saying would be appreciated. don't get me wrong, you're free to headcanon what you like, but to claim the fandom gets it wrong yet ignore canonical quotes that don't fit with what you say feels a little...

Just so we're clear: Dan Heng's memories as Dan Feng are CANONICALLY unnatural and caused by tampering, as told to us by Jing Yuan on why he banished Lingsha's master. the quote above about healing arts to restore Dan Heng's memories of Dan Feng IS Jing Yuan's

that said, I'll try to adress your claims on this topic point by point:

"ie the thing that would have stripped dan heng of his powers had it been done correctly" do you have a quote on that? as far as I'm aware, we're still by and at large ignorant on what the exuvation charm entails, exactly - and even less about whether the reincarnation of a high elder would keep the power of their previous life should they be unable to complete the succession ritual before the end of their life. All we do know is that the exuviation charm was excruciatingly painful, so it might just have been outright torture to force Dan Feng into an egg, as injury can trigger hatching rebirth prematurely.

"We have no evidence of anything else being done to affect his rebirth." to be fair, it's unclear if what Lingsha's master did affected the rebirth itself or just his memories after the fact, but that did, indeed, happen. other than that, Dan Feng's rebirth was forcefully induced, but we're not clear over how that might have affected his reincarnation.

"As far as we know, the only way Dan Heng differs from any of his previous incarnations is the lack of healing powers, and you could argue that was due to tampering," I'm not arguing, I'm giving you the quote where jing yuan TELLS US Dan Heng having Dan Heng's memories are a byproduct of tampering. (and personally, I think that the split in powers was an accident - I can't agree that Dan Feng planned it.) That said:

"Dan Heng's memories are fragmented, just as you described" ...are they? do they seem difficult to interpret to you?/gen. there's an entire department charged with transcribing and annotating the High Elder's dreams, yet Dan Heng's memories seem remarkably clear and easy to understand - the people involved, their place in the timeline... Besides his memories being canonically unnatural, I feel the main point of divergence between Dan Heng and every High Elder ever is that Dan Feng's memories do not come only in dreams - the clearest example of this is the sequence about drinking together in Ichor of the Two Dragons, but Dan Heng remembered how to open the sea, how to reseal it, etc, while he was awake. besides, the only memories he seems to get are of Dan Feng, not any other high elders, which I'd think is unusual too.

Personally, I think it's reasonable that speculation runs so rampant in the fandom - the lore is...very confusing lol. and sometimes outright contradictory ("the xianzhou doesn't engage in torture" vs what they did to dan feng and hoolay, the flawed exuviation charm vs what was caused by lingsha's master, some logical assumptions being regardless disproved with new info, etc.). I...didn't intend for this reply to get so long lmao, feel free to ask for clarification if you like

since I keep seeing people getting it wrong: No, Dan Feng's rebirth was not tampered with. The thing that was supposed to tamper with his rebirth was tampered with. He had a normal rebirth. The reason Dan Heng remembered virtually nothing is probably because hating Dan Feng and pushing away those memories was pretty much his only coping mechanism.

[windborne-outlander]

That's not all! They also staked him through with nails! And hung him from chains! And did you know the song about the red dragon and green pines (in the Cloudcry Songbook) actually refers to the dragon turning red from the blood as they ripped his green scales out with the exuviation charm? :D

tHe XiAnZhOu DoEs NoT eNgAgE iN tOrTuRe - my fucking FOOT. Jing Yuan, when I catch you...

Excuse you, they did WHAT

Now, I am not an owner of scales or horns, nor do I have a rebirth cycle, but that sounds not only unethical but extremely painful. Tf did they even need to do that for!

Everything I learn about Dan Feng is against my will and I end up sobbing every time.

[windborne-outlander]

Moon Carver and Mountain Shaper gijinka

[windborne-outlander]

Reread the Genshin webtoon, and I think they mistranslated this part. As in, it should say "the statue is no longer here" or something similar...?

When I started playing Genshin and read through the Mondstadt lore, I remember the bit about the nobles breaking the statue caught me off-guard. As in, the comic said the opposite? So I assumed it was a change Hoyo forgot about, kinda like the 100 years since the cataclysm.

However!

Observing Mondstadt's skyline in the past, Barbatos' statue isn't seen, only the tower. This panel also shows the whole square, and you can very clearly see the tower is in the place the statue should be.

So it has to be a typo or a mistranslation instead!

On an unrelated note, I love how Venti's first thought was for the girl's safety and doesn't give a crap about the statue otherwise.

[windborne-outlander]

Re uploading this to see if it’ll appear on tumblr tags.

The life of imbibitor lunae. Ik hoyo needs to move on with the story but I’m greedy. I want a full autobiography of Dan feng like what was he like before he became high elder what did he look like before the rituals what was his personality like before he was washed away by the title of high elder.

[windborne-outlander]

Dan Heng's birth

[windborne-outlander]

Venti’s Presence in Mondstadt and in Lore: A Comprehensive List

Barbatos is an Archon that does everything in secret and wants virtually no recognition for it. Desiring not to become like Decarabian, he "disappeared" so Mondstadt could be free and without a ruler, yet he has still done what he could to retain Mondstadt's peace. Here is a comprehensive list of everything of note that he has done.

Disclaimer: I may miss details. Some things such as character voice lines about Venti, save for Xiao’s are largely omitted. All sources are present.

I. Wind Gliders

“The ability of wind gliders to glide is reliant first and foremost on the Blessing of the Anemo Archon. Of course, it’s also been intertwined with human engineering.”

Wings of Companionship

II.  But I do not intend to make my readers think that we could do without archons. On the contrary, say, if Barbatos had not guided the warm monsoons to Mondstadt with his divine powers, would Mondstadt still be so bountiful as to produce the brews that it does?

The answer would be no. Mondstadt is an inland city and would have struggled to provide for itself if not for the grace of Barbatos. If we look back through history, we learn that Mondstadt is situated on a land that was once frozen, where the living conditions were harsh and brewing would be virtually impossible. It was the power of Barbatos that changed everything.

Along With Divinity: Prologue

III. The songs that had once flown joyfully in the wind were drowned by a venomous dragon [Durin]. In the wake of its earth-shaking footsteps, even the cries and the flames were ripped asunder. The Anemo Archon heard their agony, though he had refused to rule. But to protect his old friends' dream, and defend the wind-kissed fields of green,He woke from his long slumber anew, and with the sky dragon [Dvalin] in battle he flew...

Elegy For The End

IV. In ancient times, Barbatos softly strummed his lyre and summoned the pure thousand winds and songs. Charmed by the free-spirited winds and songs, Dvalin the high dragon descended and swore loyalty to him. Barbatos rejoiced in making a new friend, and entrusted the people of Mondstadt to Dvalin. And so, the wandering Anemo Archon and the Wind Dragon forged Mondstadt's dawn with their relationship.

Skyward Harp

V. On the cliff facing the eastern sea, the ancestors worshipped the masters of Time and Anemo together. The two are intimately related, as expressed in the saying, "Anemo brings stories while Time nurtures them." This bow tells the story of the pioneers and the hardships they went through.

Sacrificial Bow

VI. When Mondstadt was born anew, and the Church finally unshackled, the scriptures of the winds could bear no longer being confined to a shelf, and so the book took flight, left the Church's treasury and was gone. Like the winds of Mondstadt, and like the people of Mondstadt, it belonged to freedom and the winds. The elegant handwriting on the title page reads:

Children of the Anemo Archon, heed these words:

From the winds we have come, and with the winds we shall go.

Never, ever grieve for me.

'Tis but my flesh and bones which rest in the soil:

My soul has become one with the thousand winds.

When flowers bloom, when leaves sway,

That is me who sings the songs of freedom, of the winds.

Lost Prayer to the Sacred Winds: Scriptures of the ancient winds, passed from generation to generation among the observers of ritual in service of the Anemo Archon.

VII. The Skyward Atlas consists of 100,000 odes to a single cloud or wind and calling it by name. The cloud atlas gave form to the winds, and odes infused them with personality. The myriad formless winds are now friends and family in the eyes of Barbatos. Legends tell that in ancient times, Barbatos summoned the four winds with the original version. He thawed the snow, drove away vicious beasts, summoned rainfall, and created Mondstadt.He permitted the atlas to be shared and copied among the people, giving it the name of Cloud Atlas.

­Skyward Atlas

VIII. In the days of the ruling aristocracy, the Church that revered the Anemo Archon was once split in twain by a schism: On one side stood the clergy, who ate at the lords' table, and overturned the archon's statues with them even as they wrote songs and hymns of praise. On the other stood the saints, who held no clerical office, and who walked the streets, the wine cellars, and the world beyond the walls. These saints drank cheap moonshine, blessing the slave and the plebeian with the original holy manuscripts that circulated amongst the people and with words that the wind brought to them.

And while they did so, they penned forbidden songs and poetry.

When the gladiator from a foreign land [Vennessa] arose together with the re-awakened Anemo Archon and raised the banner of rebellion, the aged saint known as the Nameless Shepherd mobilized the true adherents of the Church of Favonius.

Song of Broken Pines

IX. When he opened his eyes, he was in the sky above a mountain swept by roaring snowstorms, the green, tranquil land had already been painted crimson by fire and blood,and the song of that sky-blue bard's lyre was almost drowned in the howling tumult,and that bejeweled, lovely dragon, like a tender lover, had now pierced his neck through with its sharp fangs.

"Farewell, Mother! My journey is ended. I shall sleep beneath this white, shining silver... and perhaps this, too, is good. Farewell, O lovely bard! And farewell, O lovely dragon! Would that we had met in a different time and place, to meet, to sing and dance together!"

So he thought most sincerely as he lay dying.

Durin (Dragonspine Spear)

X. They say that a region's character follows that of its archon, and that this holds true both for the people and the land itself, but was it the unfettered archon who bestowed a love of freedom and wine upon the land and people amidst conflict? Or was it the people who nurtured the Anemo Archon's love of freedom as they pined for it amid the howling wind and frost?

This is a question that can no longer be answered.

Freedom Sworn

XI. Twenty-six hundred years ago was the era of Mondstadt's most ancient inhabitants. They swore a solemn oath, after the new Anemo Archon descended and reformed the world:

"For Mondstadt, as always. For the verdant plains, for the hills, and for the forests of Mondstadt. May they continue to flourish, as always."

"For Mondstadt, as always. For the everlasting freedom of Mondstadt from the blizzard and the tyrant, whose coldness and oppression are one and the same."

­­Royal Longsword (Refers to Gunnhildr Clan & the oath to protect Mondstadt.)

XII. Ludi Harpastum

Ludi Harpastum was established in commemoration of how Barbatos, the Anemo Archon, taught his people to brew wine and live freely. It was a festival meant for all people to enjoy. However, by the time of Vennessa's rebellion a thousand years before Genshin Impact's main story, Barbatos had long departed to avoid becoming a tyrant like his predecessor, while the aristocracy that ruled Mondstadt grew corrupt and abused their power.

The event turned into a mockery of what it originally was. It became an event enjoyed only by the wealthy elites. The head of the Lawrence Clan, the foremost clan among the aristocracy, cared not for the enjoyment of the people and canceled all the games, leaving only the climax of the harpastum. However, only Lord Lawrence's son, Barca Lawrence, had the right to touch that harpastum. Anyone else who dared even approach the ball would immediately face torture. Furthermore, Barca was also given the rights to take the maiden who will throw the harpastum home.

Barbatos awakens during the climax of the Ludi Harpastum in the manga and seizes the Harpastum.

Genshin Impact Manga

XIII. The Letter in the Chasm

Not as if I were to be outfitted as that guardian of Khaenri’ah,

Not as if my destructive self were made to be the lyre of Barbatos,

Not as if I were meant to soar like a Pegasus,

Not if I were the swift, snow-white pair of Morphes,

Add these to the feather-footed and the winged,

And likewise, call for the swiftness of the winds,

And though you should harness these, friend, and offer them to me,

Yet I should be tired to the bone, and worn away by frequent faintness,

My friend, while I would search for you,

The heavens fall to pieces,

And falsehoods collapse.

Mysterious Letter obtainable after completing The Chasm related Archon Quest(s) & World Quests (Information gathered by CatWithBlueHat)

It is important to note that each player who finished these quests only received one line of this letter in Abyssal Language, indicating this is a bigger part of something and made to be very secretive and hard to decipher if not for the efforts of players to translate it.

XIV. The Hexenzirkel

“Once upon a time, it even challenged the Anemo Archon himself, but he replied: “Let us make music, not war, and resolve our conflicts through song.”

Alice, The Mage’s Tea Party (Windblume’s Breath)

XV. Waterborne Poetry

“A soft breeze beckoned me unto a spring. “Sleep, weary wanderer. Your journey is over. May the dancing petals sweeten your slumber.”

Callirhoe, who recalled her journey to Springvale (Waterborne Poetry event)

XVI. Presence as a significant figure to Xiao

He longs for a day to come when he will wear the mask and dance — not to conquer demons, but to the tune of that flute amid a sea of flowers.

Barbatos appears as a cameo in Yakshas: The Guardian Adepti, playing the Dihua Flute. It suggests his music is powerful enough to suppress Xiao’s Karmic Debt. He also has a line for Barbatos indicaing he knows who he is, but cuts himself off.

Yakshas: The Guardian Adepti & Xiao: Mask (Namecard)

Other things to note:

As of Version 4.3 Mondstadt is the only nation that does not suffer from any “filth” that needs to be purged either by a Sacred Tree or otherwise. The battle that took place 500 years ago with Durin did not affect the nation in any way, instead, Durin died on Dragonspine which was already affected by the Skyfrost Nail and is an inhabited land that only Adventurers see as an area to explore. No one lives there. Even with the presence of his “heart”/”core” still beating, it would forever lie in the frozen wasteland unless someone were to deliberately disrupt it.

There are no storms in Mondstadt. Vind, one of the Sisters/Storm Watchers, says that she hopes she never has to do her job.

A large amount of npc’s around Mondstadt, especially in the area of the Anemo Archon statue, revere Barbatos and speak highly of him

It is important to note that during the second rebellion, Barbatos also forged Rex Lapis’ signature to dismantle the Aristocracy, indicating he would go to such lengths to establish freedom for the nation.

Barbatos’ voiceline about Albedo suggests that he knows close to “everything” about him, especially about his fear of “destroying Mondstadt.”

In addition to the above, Barbatos contradicts himself: “Ah, never mind! What goes on within Mondstadt's walls is up to Mondstadt's people to deal with!” Except that twice when the people cried out for help, he awoke to help them and has actively been helping Mondstadt with no recognition. From liberating Mondstadt to helping an Oceanid, this line will not hold any weight in any argument that suggests that Barbatos does nothing for Mondstadt.

Barbatos was already attempting to purge the Abyssal corruption from Dvalin prior to the Traveler’s appearance.

There is irony in Diluc and Jean finding out Barbatos’ true identity considering both the Ragnvindr’s and the Gunnhildr’s were primary protectors of Mondstadt.

The Skyward Atlas suggests Barbatos was originally a catalyst user while Amos’ Bow suggests he changed his weapon to a bow to honor Amos’ memory. He uses Der Frühling (E Skill) in a way a catalyst user might.

His appearance as his dear friend, the Nameless Bard is to honor his memory for the skies, bright sun and birds he could never see. To honor the songs he could no longer play.

[windborne-outlander]

Idk how fans keep assuming Venti's concept of freedom is absolute freedom rather than freedom of choice

Because in the archon quest, there was the whole "freedom when demanded of you by a god, is really no freedom at all" and how in the end it was up to Dvalin to choose if he wants to leave or not

Then we have the history of Mondstadt and how it was ruled by Decarabian, who while wanting what's best for Mondstadt, ended up being very controlling to the point of even the city itself reflecting it. Everything had a place, but with how restless people became and how Gunnhildr's clan even chose the outside blizzards over his suffocating rule, most of the people didn't have the luxury to choose for themselves in these conditions. When Venti became archon, he made sure Mondstadt could fend for themselves and then left the rulership up to THEM

And in the comic, when Venti tried offering freedom to Vennessa, she chose to earn it by herself just so she can be sure her clan is freed too. And Venti respected that! He also only showed up after Lawrence chose to bet the property title of the city on Vennessa, and was there to make sure he held up his end of the deal.

We also have the fact that Mondstadt is just full of families of choice. We have characters that chose to leave and chose to stay. Not to mention all the narratives of choosing your chains with both anemo and Mond characters

The theme freedom when it comes to Venti and Mondstadt seems to be all about having the ability to choose

[windborne-outlander]

Have you noticed that the people of Mondstadt are complete beasts?

Seriously, we have a wine tycoon that went on a four-year rampage to Snezhnaya and became public enemy number 1 there, an Acting Grandmaster casually defeating five ruin guards while sleep-deprived and running on caffeine, an alchemist apprentice creating a mini hypostasis, a librarian that is probably on a similar level to the Electro Archon, a Cavalry Captain with no cavalry with a huge network and incredible control of his vision (just look at the manga, it's crazy), an astrologist that can turn into water an read any fate, a drunkard god that casually chops off mountains, an upbeat deaconess that can heal any wound, an assassin nun that can't pronunce their god's name right, but would kill you, a wolf boy that is the adopted son of an phantom icy giant wolf, a cheerful adventurer who can survive the apocalipse, a prinsessin that can worldbuild and out-talk Rex Lapis, a maid that could probably lift the entire city, an Outrider who is crazy strong (the manga is great), a bartender who is not afraid of poisoning her customers, a captain who can withstand the cold of Dragonspine and even go for a swim there, not to mention Albedo and Klee, who can level a city.

And that's just the playable characters.

They are all just so powerful.

[windborne-outlander]

fischl outfit edit! this one took so much time but i wanted to do a more princessy goth take on her design bc i feel like her canon design doesn’t play that up enough. thanks to my friend for coming up with the cage skirt idea

[windborne-outlander]

disclaimer: I DON’T HATE genshin’s designs. i like them quite a bit actually i love goofy anime clothing so much

but jean’s outfit bugs me bc every time i look at it i expect it to be a mantled tailcoat but it’s actually separate garments that only LOOK coat-adjacent together? anyway she deserves a cool coat

also i gave her a breastplate bc breastplates are cool

[windborne-outlander]

disclaimer: I DON’T HATE genshin’s designs. i like them quite a bit actually i love goofy anime clothing so much 

PART 2! the other characters whose clothes don’t make much sense to me.

gave amber a sensical hoodie and kaeya sensical Clothing Structure + Layers. also leather armor, boots, and puffy shorts for amber bc i just thought they’d look nice

[windborne-outlander]

noelle armor edits... bc it always bugged me that she literally has a skill called breastplate but her actual breastplate is so inadequate. i also made the unprotected skin over her plate into a gorget bc i think it fits for her

[windborne-outlander]

My little sketch

[windborne-outlander]

Sorry to butt in (I was surfing the dan feng tag and found this lol) but I... don't think the "molten vs hatching rebirth" argument is actually canon?

I don't speak chinese lol so the translation isn't mine, and if any cn speakers lurking in the dan feng tag want to pipe in, great, but it seems like in the original chinese the two terms are used interchangeably.

So yes, the preceptors tampered with his rebirth, but that doesn't make it any less true - and by Vidyadhara tradition, reincarnations should be treated as different people from their previous life.

Besides, it would not make much sense for the Vidyadhara to have a specific term for a type of rebirth that only happened because the circumstances were extraordinary and very specific - Dan Heng likely is the only case that ever took place, and the likelihood of it repeating is almost null.

You are missing something. Dan Feng went through molting rebirth, not hatching rebirth. That means Dan Heng is a de-aged Dan Feng, not a completely new person. This is literally mentioned multiple times in the story, one mention that comes to mind is in Luocha's story quest. Of course, this doesn't mean Dan Heng and Dan Feng aren't different people in terms of the lives they've lived, obviously they've lived very different lives. There are more things that point towards Dan Heng being Dan Feng, such as his memories appearing in Dan Heng's dreams despite going through the trials and everything else involved in High Elders remembering their past lives. There's also how Dan Heng reacts to learning about Yingxing, how he wields Cloud Piercer like Dan Feng did despite not remembering how to or getting the training Dan Feng did, etc. In conclusion: Dan Heng is Dan Feng, but they're still different people at the same time because of their totally different life experiences making them very different from each other

I understand that a molting rebirth meant that he still retains the appearance and some memories of Dan Feng but i still feel like functionally within the story Dan Heng is not Dan Feng. The memories he has from Dan Feng are still vague and to him feel like theyre from a different person. Not to mention Dan Heng seems like he's trying to completely distance himself from Dan Feng. However, I do get the idea of part of Dan Feng still existing in Dan Heng, I just think it's unfair to act like Dan Heng is STILL Dan Feng, if that makes any sense.

[windborne-outlander]

pissed off dragon