Nicole: Clamor Within
The Silent "Mage," the Voiceless "Angel"
#GenshinImpact#Nicole
Many of the stories Nicole envisions begin with a phrase as old as stories themselves: "Long, long ago..."
Perhaps, for some authors, "long ago" is less the threshold of a tale than a refuge from all further questioning. For once a story is consigned to unreachable distance, all the people and events bound up within it may as well have faded into obscurity, leaving no path by which the present might truly follow them back.
And yet, in Nicole's thoughts, those stories of "long ago" endure still.
Long ago, the lights of many nations filigreed the earth in gleaming gold. Long ago, the daughters of heaven wandered in carefree grace betwixt divine courts and mortal cities. Long ago, the sovereign of ages past, who had descended into deepest darkness, had not yet brought disaster back to his homeland. Long ago, the three radiant moons that hung aloft in the night heavens were still three...
The years brook no pause, the wheel spinning onward all the same. Within a cycle emptied of hope, the spark of paradise perished alongside the lives annihilated. Servitors once loyal to their ruler turned traitor for the sake of the lives that had been fashioned. The black dragonlord returned from beyond the stars. The moonlit chariot of the heavens shattered like crystal...
The story had not reached its end. Rather, it was those who had once read it, and those who had once listened to its telling, who had long since taken their leave. The angel who once longed to write laughter into the world lost all that had once made laughter possible. In the end, she even lost the voice with which she laughed, and could speak no more.
Thus, it seemed that the story Nicole kept within her would never properly find its beginning. She could only go on cradling her many "long agos," roaming the world and watching as all things passed, changed, and were remade by time.
That remained so until the day she met a tiny mage in an enormous hat, its extravagant brim tipped up with such pride it seemed almost ready to brush the sky. Compared with the hat she wears now, however, it was still a fair few sizes smaller.
The little witch tucked herself down at Nicole's side and listened intently as one story after another unfolded, not stirring until she had finished her drink and emptied her bag of biscuits.
"So you really are an angel? And all those stories were real, too?"
"Then yay, that works! I'm a mage, and you're an angel, so we match perfectly."
The merry little mage stretched out a hand to the angel who had come so far, all the way from those distant "long agos," and warmly invited her along.
"Want to join my Hexenzirkel? I only just came up with the name, but it has a real ring to it, don't you think?"
"It's going to be the funnest, awesomest, best club in all of Teyvat — I promise!"
"..."
No answer came from the angel. None could. But the little mage did not wait for one. She caught the angel's hand in both of her own and slipped the last piece of candy into her palm.
"There. Now our mages' pact is made."
Nicole had no thought of joining then, nor could she have guessed what this little gathering called the "Hexenzirkel" would one day grow into.
But at the very least...
It did sound like a place with happiness enough to spare.
Varesa • Strength in Serenity
Stalwart Warrior and Orchard Owner from the Collective of Plenty #GenshinImpact#Varesa
When discussing the Collective of Plenty's tribespeople, the first instinct of the Natlanese is to praise their "universal fitness," followed by a fond recollection of sweet fruits and fresh vegetables. Strength and abundance are the time-honored calling card of this tribe, with the most eye-catching pattern on that card coming from none other than Varesa's orchard—
As the cheerful call "Fresh produce from Varesa's!" rings out from the easternmost Children of Echoes to the Flower-Feather Clan in the far north, every tribesperson of every tribe can be sure that they shall enjoy healthy, all-natural, and delicious crops in the next few days to come. Her fruits are always intoxicatingly sweet, and her vegetables smack of rich, crisp petrichor — the taste of freshly rained-upon grassland bathed in sunlight. Over time, people have started erupting in heartsome laughter whenever they espy Varesa from afar, knowing a wonderful feast to be close at hand...
In the children's legends, a certain "Masked Hero" shall descend whenever evil beings and monsters run amok, wreathed in lightning. Charging at her foes with three times the ferocity of a Tatankasaurus, she delivers kicks as explosive as pyroclastic fallout, sending all the bad guys flying! The hero's battle cry when she executes her finishing move has become a popular catchphrase among the children, and the incredible swiftness of her departure is seen as the benchmark for "heroic speed"...
Astute observers would discover that the areas where the "Masked Hero" metes out justice overlap neatly with the Collective of Plenty's trade routes.
As was their duty, the Patrol Team approached their colleague, Varesa, asking if she had encountered such an individual, to which Varesa responded while scratching her head in bewilderment:
"Umm... That sounds a lot like me, though?"
At the unanimous nods of her team members, Varesa, who only just realized what they meant, suddenly felt shy. She vigorously shook her head, saying:
"I'll try harder next time — send the bad guys packing before anyone can even see them! But for now... I'm going to get something to eat first!"
Post-Lament Anthropocene: Stars Intertwined
"Praise the Sentinel. May They guide you to compassion and enlightenment."—Phoebe
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Phoebe, an Acolyte of the Order of the Deep, always carries herself with warmth and grace.
Devout and steadfast in her adherence to the Order's doctrines, she embodies exceptional self-discipline. Yet beneath her composed exterior burns a vibrant spirit, alight with heartfelt joy for all she holds dear.
#WutheringWaves
Citlali: Obsidian Opalstar
Stargazer of Mictlan #GenshinImpact#Citlali
Whenever a child starts crying uncontrollably, parents from the Masters of the Night-Wind in need of immediate relief are quick to make use of "Granny Itztli"'s name. Over the past two hundred years, many a terrifying rumor has been born from the horrendous defeats she has inflicted upon all challengers, eventually granting her prestige sufficient to silence wailing infants.
As the bearer of this title, Citlali has never sought to explain herself, as though she really is such a horrific entity.
But if you should dare set foot in her remote abode, you will find it a right mess of wine bottles and snacks, and shelves stuffed to bursting with light novels — and you would be forgiven for thinking of her less as some frightening old hag in her lair, and more as a hermit in her nest.
And in this case, Citlali will feel the need to argue as such:
"I'm not a hermit. I'm just above superficial rules of societal etiquette!"
#GenshinImpact#Citlali
"I've always thought that Citlali was chief material, and that she'd take that role on eventually. But two hundred years on, and she's still as unenthused about going outside as ever! It might take a figure more fascinating than those light novels for our genius shaman to take greater interest in the real world — but is there really anyone who can do that?"
— Mavuika
◆ Name: Citlali
◆ Title: Obsidian Opalstar
◆ Stargazer of Mictlan
◆ Vision: Cryo
◆ Constellation: Patina Anavatlaca
#GenshinImpact#Charlotte
"...Euphrasie, three days ago, one of your journalists secretly followed a suspect all the way from the Court of Fontaine to Romaritime Harbor, and almost ended up being tied up and thrown into the sea by a gang of criminals. Whether or not there's any truth in the notion that 'nearer to the action is closer to the truth,' surely Miss Charlotte doesn't value her reports more than she does her own life?"
— Yet another exasperated exchange between Captain Chevreuse of the Special Security and Surveillance Patrol and Euphrasie, Editor-in-Chief of The Steambird
◆ Name: Charlotte
◆ Title: Lens of Verity
◆ Reporter of The Steambird
◆ Vision: Cryo
◆ Constellation: Hualina Veritas
#GenshinImpact#Furina: Endless Solo of Solitude
Regina of All Waters, Kindreds, Peoples and Laws
Undoubtedly, Furina has been much loved by the people of Fontaine from the moment she became the Hydro Archon.
Her charismatic parlance, lively wit, and elegant bearing — all bear witness to her godly charms.
But perhaps the thing that she is most revered for is her unrivaled sense of drama.
As the protagonist of a famous play at the Opera Epiclese once put it,
"Life is like the theater — you never can tell when the twist will come."
Furina is as inscrutable as the most cunning of stage characters, her course of action defying all prediction.
In fact it's precisely for this reason that the god of Justice and Judgment, unapproachable in her divine majesty, has such a bewitching influence.
But when the curtain falls, a hollow feeling invariably starts to creep in.
There are those who wonder whether there are moments in the dead of night when even a god like Furina feels the sharp pangs of loneliness.
No, surely not. People couldn't possibly imagine, let alone believe, that such a scene might play out.
And that's indeed the way it should be.
That is, were it not for the fact that Furina's tears had already been silently washed away by the Fountain of Lucine.
◆ Nombre: Furina
◆ Título: La Bailarina Incansable
◆ Reina de las Aguas, los Pueblos, las Gentes y las Leyes
◆ Gnosis: Hydro
◆ Constelación: Animula Choragi
#GenshinImpact
#GenshinImpact#Furina
One lie always follows another, and so "justice" awaits inescapably at the end. The ignorant see this as some kind of farce. But if they trace back to the source, they inevitably realize that they began by deceiving themselves.
— A disordered fable left in someone's dream by Mage "N"
◆ Name: Furina
◆ Title: Endless Solo of Solitude
◆ Regina of All Waters, Kindreds, Peoples and Laws
◆ Gnosis: Hydro
◆ Constellation: Animula Choragi