#alga

early birthday present for @gorbo-longstocking

Kelpie

Drawn in December 2024

Designer's Reflection: Lanterns of Fish

Obtained: Blessed Blossoms top-up

Rarity: SSR

Attribute: Green/Fresh

Awakened Suit: Lanterns of Spring

Story - transcripts from Designer's Reflection

Chapter 1 - Fish in Yue

Chapter 2 - Fish Lantern Wish

Chapter 3 - Glittering Night

Chapter 4 - Awaiting Bloom

Story - summarized

Luming is on a mission to fulfill a wish in Yue Prefecture City. One small problem: the wish belongs to a goldfish, and he has no idea where to start.

He gets a fish lantern to store the Wish Lantern in while he searches. The marketplace is filled with hot, sweet cakes and passionate storytellers, and he runs into you, the player. The two of you decide to fulfill the wish together.

The Wish Lantern guides him to the nearby pond where the fish used to live. Luming finds out that someone had gathered fish from the pond earlier this morning to sell at the market.

Finally, they find the right vendor... but someone just bought the last goldfish. Luming hurries to catch up with the family. The little girl with the goldfish sees the bright lantern that Luming has. She offers her fish for the lantern.

He gladly accepts. As the family walks away, the lantern inside dissolves into stardust. The wish is almost complete. You and Luming return to the pond and release the goldfish into the water. It reunites with its old friend, a piece of alga floating on the surface.

The both of you return to the festival, determined to enjoy the snacks and the entertainment. One such play you pass is Qin Yi's play about sacrificing a goldfish to be accepted by others. He spots you two in the crowd, and he swears he saw a goldfish.

Connections

-We met Luming during the first Chinese New Year event, Wishes on the Cloud. It was the first time he was able to leave the Lake of Wishes, and we learn more about his birth, existence, and job in his Reflection for Cloud Benediction.

-Goldfish are usually a good omen, but in Qin Yi's memories for Mind Maze 3, he ended up killing his beloved pet fish in order to convince the Qin family to take him in as their "long-lost son."

-The story of the goldfish reuniting with the pond alga parallels the story of Lingwu the Tiger and Yuntan the Flower: two friends promise to meet each other again later, and encounter obstacles along the way.

Fun Facts

-"Yue" means moon, and it's pronounced "yuAY" (all one syllable).