#genshin analysis

The Dance of Death

During the worst epidemics of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, cities became total quarantine zones. Whenever the plague rolled in, rulers and wealthy citizens packed up and fled to the countryside. In the middle of all that abandonment and chaos, plague doctors and priests were pretty much the only authorities who actually stayed behind to face the horror on the streets, since the science of the time blended religion with medicine, both professions needed each other to manage the chaos of the infected cities, Doctors treated human bodies while clergymen treated the soul (since the plague was considered a divine punishment) so doctors rarely treated a patient if he had not confessed to a cleric beforehand bcs a cursed soul could not be cured

The Lazarillos and Pure Faith (14th Century)

In the original Black Death outbreak, their teamwork came from sheer desperation. Back then, doctors just wore regular cloth clothes (no bird masks yet ☹️ ....) and they worked side by side with priests in lazarillos (make-shift plague hospitals administered by religious orders, but the technical staff were plague doctors) and it was a total team effort:

While the doctor tried to stabilize the patient's body, the priest kept people from completely panicking, which was a huge deal because hysteria caused massive riots in the wards.

If they visited an infected house, they went in together. The doctor figured out if the patient had a fighting chance, and the priest stepped in right behind him to prepare the dying for the afterlife bcs they breathed the same infected air and handled the same fluid exposures, both professions caught the plague and died at insane rates, literally they were literally wiping out together......

Bureaucracy and the Bird Mask (17th Century)

Flash forward to 1619, and a French doctor named Charles de Lorme invents the famous leather suit with the beak-shaped bird mask 🙂‍↕️ and by this time the doctor and priest dynamic wasn't just about faith anymore... it was a highly regulated government control system

The doctor called the shots, Protected by his leather suit and beak mask, the doctor was the only one allowed to go in first. The priest had to wait outside at a safe distance until the doctor tapped the door with his wooden cane to give him the green light for last rites.

Shared paperwork, Since people were dropping dead in days, wills had to be written on the fly, the doctor (from a distance) certified that the dying person was still lucid, and the priest blessed the document, both had to sign together as official legal witnesses.

Counting the bodies, at the end of every day, the bird-masked doctor and the parish priest had to sit down and cross-reference their lists of the dead to make sure the government's body count was completely accurate.

I find it curious that Pantalone and Dottore are inspired by the two professions that irl helped each other in such a catastrophe

Pantalone's design evokes a high ranking Orthodox cleric with liturgical vestments and the Globus Cruciger constellation and its strong inspirations based on a real priest named Feofan Prokopovich, Dottore for his part, reinterprets the 17th century beaked mask and all his characterization linked to crows

aaaaa but it's not just that 👁️

The Clergy banks and economy

Although the Church declared greed a sin.... in the age of the plague, the clergy controlled the world's economy, Monasteries functioned as the first modern banks, lending to kings and insuring fortunes. When the plague struck, the fear of hell became a multimillion dollar financial business.... wealthy people paid fortunes in gold for "indulgences" (papers that bought their entry into heaven) furthermore, if a wealthy family died without heirs from the disease, the Church automatically inherited all their lands and palaces (lol rests in piss my granny she got hit by a-) while the people lay dying in the streets, the clergy accumulated capital and controlled the flow of money.

The Doctor alchemy and science

In those centuries, medicine was not separate from magic or alchemy, Plague doctors didn't know what caused the disease, so they experimented with the occult, searching for the "Elixir of Life" to become immune, their prescriptions were a bit...well hum.... they made the sick drink ground gold and used arsenic or mercury to try to "neutralize" the plague's poison, but the most disturbing thing was that, although the Church forbade opening corpses, considering it a horrific sin, these doctors secretly performed illegal autopsies in dark basements to study the anatomy of the dead.

In the end.... these two professions were two sides of the same coin........ Clergy controlled the economy while the Doctor controlled the bodies, ppl who perform religious functions suffered massive mortality during the Black Death (estimated at between 42% and 45%), this high death rate led to a severe shortage of priests and a crisis of faith that called into question the moral authority of the Church and forbidden science, churches and wealthy cities needed to pay these doctors fortunes so that the financial system wouldn't completely collapse due to a lack of workers and the Doctors were critical figures during the epidemics, most were junior physicians or young mens hired by cities to care for all citizens rich or poor, needed the clerical capital to finance their clandestine laboratories and potions, It was like a perfect and twisted alliance 🙂‍↕️ the economy provided the funds and science did the dirty work in the shadows.

recently, info about new characters was leaked, including information about lohen. we saw his constellation, and i really want to talk about it!

lohen’s constellation is a hare with a sheild and a spear/dagger (?). you may find this familiar if you looked as medieval art. that’s because hares with weapons was a common theme in it!

the reason they were drawn this way, is because it’s sort of a caricature. hares may be pretty harmless irl, but the artists wanted to “switch things up” and portray them as vile creatures. there were multiple artworks of hares killing hunters and people in general. while them killing hunters is reasonable and can be considered revenge, them killing innocent people might be just for fun😭

that seems like lohen! of course, he doesn’t kill actual mondstadt citizens, but he’s a big fan of murdering every monster he sees with no particular reason. that’s not a bad thing, he’s protecting the city, but his motivation to go on a hilichurl killing spree might be just boredom or a desire to have fun.

i also will talk about hare symbolism in general. i will try to pick out fitting details. i am mostly gonna be referring to european folklore, since mondstadt is based on germany.

hares were often considered a bad omen, sometimes associated with witches. witches do exist in genshin, even in the knights of favonius, so lohen might have a connection to lisa or to the hexenzirkel. that’s especially fitting, because he’s releasing in the same update as nicole!

i wanted to mention the three hares motif, since it was apparent in many places, one of which was europe, but i can’t really find a connection here. the motif can represent the moon cycle, but lohen isn’t exactly related to nod-krai or kuutar. he was on an expedition there, but i don’t think there’s much more similarities.

i don’t have too much to say, but i hope you liked this small analysis! i really like lohen, and his symbolism is another interesting thing about him. if you have something to add, i would appreciate that!

thank you for reading !

Hello!! Wanted to yap about Scara and his connections with Dottore + some other things about Scara!! Very Scara-centric. To Scara, Dottore was first a stranger whom he met without knowing, then a colleague/collaborator, whom he spent a lot of time with, and finally his final betrayal and arch-nemesis. (Definitely not mentioned everything in this post.. just some things my brain won’t shut up about after the Nod-Krai AQ! Might be a mess as I jump around with my thoughts gulp.. and I also might make some mistakes here and there! forgiveme….)

Let’s start off with some design and the false God aspect! As we found out in Nod-Krai, Scara was basically a prototype and test run for Dottore before getting his hands on divinity himself. The irony.. Scara being a prototype for someone again.

Some of the visuals, design, and attacks from Dottore’s boss fight really reminds me of Shouki no Kami, too!

Scara’s lines talking about Dottore and him being a new false God.. This all just really speaks for itself..

I’d also argue that achieving Godhood was mostly an idea planted by Dottore in Scara’s mind, and he went along with it because he believed it would be to his benefit–isn’t that ‘something he was made for’?

Next, something that is a similarity between them but it was caused by the perceived betrayal manipulated by Dottore, thus here they diverge. They are both ‘different’ from the rest of humanity in different senses. (However, as we’ve seen in the AQ, Scara sees himself as a real human now ;-; no different from a human!!!the development aaah!!) Dottore was rejected by fellow humans. Scara did believe (due to the lies) that he was rejected by his human friends, too, seeing him as an ‘abomination’. But this is not true as they have always seen him as a part of their community. Scara was accepted, Dottore was not–however, he made him believe he was ostracized, too. And it was so easy to manipulate and break someone who was already abandoned by his creator. His heart shattering..

When we think about Scara’s present self, he was accepted by the place Dottore was rejected–Sumeru. The Goddess of Wisdom herself took him in. The Akademiya praises him to the heavens for his papers in Vahumana, while Dottore was expelled. In his birthday letter, he complained about how popular he was with the other students, annoying him with celebrations (oh, how loved you are, Scara</3). Well, now that is another irony, but this time it stings for Dottore. It is also interesting how Nahida represented Scara’s backstory in the fairytale, implying that Dottore was ‘furious’ at the happy life he had in Tatarasuna. Could this be accurate portrayal of his feelings upon seeing Kabukimono? Nahida also mentioned he was carved from a 'white tree', and now we know for sure he was actually made from Irminsul.

In the end, their lives are similar, yet somewhat altered. Their stories seem to dance around each other. A very bitter dance, one which Dottore pulled Scara into.

Let’s rewind back to his Harbinger era. It was already seen in the artifact set Husk of Opulent Dreams how Scara mimicked a phrase (potentially even more than just that off-screen on different occasions) from Dottore–establishing the connection between them and the mold which Scara has found himself in.

‘He would only say in that tone of voice he had learned from a certain researcher: “It was all just a little experiment into human nature.”’

The word ‘learned’ has that feeling to it that Dottore has taught him more than just a tone of voice and a few words. There are many things he could have learned from him.

When Scara first joined the Fatui, there is no doubt it was at his most vulnerable time as he went through so much, hardening himself after his experiences but still fragile enough. One of the first people who came up to him was none other than Dottore! As mentioned in Scara’s character story: ‘A stranger named The Doctor would welcome him warmly in this frigid northern land, inviting the Wanderer to be the key reference material in his experiments–his grand research project’. Key word: ‘warmly’. Could we deduce that he was treated the same way as Columbina in her character story? At first, he praised Columbina, but then it was not good enough. Columbina left him, but Scara stayed around as it was mutually beneficial. Columbina and Scara’s personalities also differ a lot. Everyone around Columbina expected something from her, while Scara wanted to be useful. 

When Pierro recruited him he called him a ‘weapon, one that could be wielded with an iron will’, which seems to be something that Scara did like hearing. He wanted to be something useful, something with a purpose. Dottore and Fatui in general gave him that, as he was very useful to them–until he failed.

How did Dottore regard Scaramouche? Did he see him as a family, the same way he saw Columbina? We could say that maybe, at the beginning, if we take the fact he apparently welcomed him warmly into account (but this could very well and probably was just a manipulation–to appear kind at first). Or just a ‘like-minded’ individual? Or simply a test subject. We could see that there was a tension between the two even when they were working together. So we could say that the ‘warmth’ did not last for a long time.

At first when he arrived, he might have wanted to see Dottore as a friend, the same way Columbina did. Soon enough, he found out he only cared about his experiments. This did not scare him away as he did get what he wanted from him, too.

In addition, I also think due to his bitter feelings (portrayal from Nahida's fairytale) in Tatarasuna–Scara might have irritated him even more, which could also show through resentful behaviour, which means he might have even treated him worse than he would under normal circumstances? As Dottore said himself when Traveler called him ‘lying psychopath’ that his past self (the self during the Sumeru AQ) would have probably gotten even angry–so it would be safe to assume he might have reacted with negative emotions when it came to Scara. Yet, in Nod-Krai, Dottore seems to believe he is above such feelings now.

Noticing how Dottore has the same beliefs while talking to Traveler as Scara had about relationships. Transactional relationships–borrowing and giving back, mutual benefit. 

(I would definitely not say he took all of his behaviour from Dottore, though!!! Even before meeting him in Snezhnaya, he was already hostile, bitter, and angry at the world. (cough.. though whose fault is the Tatarasuna incident.. cough) A little hints here and there. People around each other are bound to mimic one another.)

Hoyoverse clearly wants to point this out even more as it is finally more evident in the 6.3 update, where we can see more of the effect Dottore has left on Scara and his opinions through their shared history, company, and time.

The most obvious one is when Traveler points out that Dottore has said the same thing—directly pointing out their similarity to the players.

Spending decades around Dottore? That may need no comment. It is also very obvious they were close throughout these years as pointed out many times that Scara knows him very well, which is useful for their plans against Dottore in Nod-Krai. 

Their closeness was evident from the very beginning as Dottore himself expressed disappointment at not being able to spend as much time as he used to after Scara kept being sent to the Abyss for exploration (probably way better for him than the experiments..). 

This closeness is rather mostly physical proximity as (again) they do not seem to get along much from what we could see in Sumeru. However, even physical proximity creates some type of bond between individuals. For the better or worse.

The time he spent with Dottore had definitely shaped him into The Balladeer we’ve seen in the past, and it is so sweet to see him healing from these views. He seems much more open to friendships now, even spending time with other characters from Akademiya as said by Durin in his voiceline: ‘I've asked Hat Guy if they're his friends. He always complains about how noisy they are, but he's never denied their friendship.’ He does not seem to see relationships as only transactional like he used to. Yet, he is still hesitant and acts nonchalant as it could never be this easy to let his guard fully down. The ‘I care’ emote of Wanderer portrays that well, haha.

Scara pushing away Durin because he thinks it’s his fault the world is forgetting him? ;-;

‘"If you decide to plant your story here in this world, I suppose I'll have a small part in it. Just remember that part I played, and that'll be enough. That's my story, as far as you're concerned." Hearing this, Durin fell silent for a long while. It was the first time he'd ever heard Hat Guy speak to anyone like that — in an encouraging tone, yet tinged with a faint trace of something that almost sounded like a plea.’

(not his exact words as this is the fairytale version but it reflects his mindset)

Not to mention, the way he trusted Traveler with his core (I could yap about his core, too–because ugh, that was his actual heart!! the visuals are heart-like, too!! he did not see it as a real heart and yet it was so important and fragile like a heart that the risk of dying could have been high!!! him being so resilient but take his core away and he is gone!!!!! But I won’t digress more..). The self-sacrifice and risk to stop Dottore in time. And also the trust in Durin and Albedo to watch over him. He does not trust easily, but when he does it feels so special and meaningful. He cares so dearly about his closest companions, and he always did. He just buried that part of himself. After all, one of the things he wanted was to be stripped away of his human emotions, showing just how much he felt and how much he wanted these feelings to stop.

Saving the Traveler from Dottore. It makes me think of how Dottore, once again, had someone close to Scara in his grasp with a potential of being harmed/manipulated by him, as were his friends in Tatarasuna. But he did not let Dottore win this time. In its way, saving Traveler from Dottore was a revenge on his own. Scara being the one to save them was so meaningful and important. For me, this scene was wonderfully done. So much development. 

His core was the reason they were able to defeat him in time (and the calculations from Sandrone, of course). So, Scara did have a key role in defeating Dottore, one way or the other.

A thing I am curious to know about more is his Harbinger era. How was Scaramouche viewed by his fellow Harbingers? We know the Fatui soldiers and his subordinates did not like working under him as he had a disagreeable personality: ‘I've got no clue which of them I'll be under this time, but I'm just praying that it's not Lord Scaramouche’. It was also mentioned that he was ‘disliked by several of his fellow Harbinger’. Was Scaramouche viewed the same way as Dottore by Sandrone and Arlecchino? Probably, but I think here they may differ a little, as they were probably hated due to different things. Despite some similarities, their personalities may not be that similar (and Dottore kind of seemed annoyed by Scara himself during that one part lol).

There are just so many questions! I really wish we could find out more about his past life with Fatui. More flashbacks, more info, voicelines about him from other Harbingers (impossible ik!!!), or at least a bit of stories of his time there. Unfortunately, I do not think Hoyo will expand onto that more. 

The new line said towards Arlecchino and Sandrone could imply he found much amusement from his colleagues during his time with them. Also, the teapot line about the Harbinger’s banquet. The conversation between him and Signora was filled with tension, but most Harbingers are behaving around each other this way. Lastly, in the Pale Flame artifact set he has also said: ‘"Since these mask-wearing people are so fun to be around..." "I think I'll become one of them."’ So it’d be safe to assume he also had some fun in his own way.

A bit of theorizing about the future: All of these things make me think that Hoyoverse plans an actual conclusion between both of these characters–they just seem to be too intertwined. What kind of conclusion? Revenge is an interesting theme, filled with so many ugly and hateful emotions. Yet, I do not think there could ever be a revenge where Scara simply kills Dottore and it’d solve everything because revenge never really fixes the past—just gives momentary relief. As we see at the end, even after Dottore is gone, Scara does not feel entirely fulfilled. This could be because Hoyo is hinting at Dottore’s return, and it just does not feel like he is really gone. Or the obvious thing, that Scara did not have the satisfaction of being the one to finish him. At the same time, it makes me wonder if even then, if he did finish him by his own hands—would he really feel concluded? Everything in his past still happened, even if Dottore is gone. Revenge often does not give the satisfaction one craves. This is a running theme in media and reality itself. An endless cycle of revenge and hatred is not something Scara needs. 

There are many ways this storyline could go. Irminsul.. Personally, the worst thing I am fearing is that Scara ends up actually sacrificing himself to stop Dottore (if he comes back but I believe he definitely will(if not just end me for spouting nonsense)). This thought stems from the fact they relentlessly keep reminding us that Scara has accepted his death already–as in, it was always supposed to happen. Also Hoyo pointing out the fact he was made from Irminsul the whole time in Nod-Krai uhhh… yeah… 

I’ve already seen some theories about these aspects plus the old leak from months ago about him becoming a hero….. and he is already a hero in Simulanka, which mirrors the real world (this could also just mean that he is a hero to Durin—saving, helping, and navigating him through life). Scara saying he is envious of Durin because not everyone gets a chance to be a hero? Durin telling him he will get his chance to strike back at fate? Hints.. I will be sick.

(technically, he was a hero in the AQ, when he saved the Traveler...and many other times he saved them..)

From what I’ve observed, most things said around Scara ends up being revisited later and actually happens.

However!!! I do not think they would kill him off haha.. they can’t do that….. Scara has too many storylines that could and should be explored. His origins in Inazuma, Khaenri’ah techniques, Raiden Gokaden, Scara perhaps meeting with the Traveler again in Snezhnaya, if they would need help with navigating around the Fatui (something I believed that could happen but as Traveler is already an ally with Arlecchino and Childe, plus only 4 Harbingers remain so might be not needed anymore…) Still, he knows the ins and outs of Snezhnaya and his anonymity is a huge advantage. 

Who knows what his fate will be? The ties of name and fate, how will that affect him? At the moment, his only names are not really names: Wanderer, Hat Guy.. The name given to him Traveler would not affect his fate as they are a Descender. Ei has never given him a name in the first place.

That is all for now, but there is probably more I’d like to say and I'm also too tired to proofread um so I hope there are not too many mistakes... Scara makes me sick to my stomach in a very lovable but alarming way. Stop putting him into danger, Hoyo!!!!!!!

What are your thoughts on potential upcoming quests?