#oddity mumbles

like he could internalize falling into literal hell, being sent away to the army as a child because his family were like, really unsure of what to do with their little bloodlust monster, and then being told by a god that his ideals and opinions no longer matter and that he is just her pawn...

but he doesn’t. not like diluc, whose past is so tragic and his outlook so bleak because of it. for me, diluc is more of a character. i don’t see anything real in him because he’s so far on the end of the “i am a character who is angsty and has a big sword >:(” spectrum.

childe has this optimism that drives him. he is so positive when it comes to looking at the world, and even at people. he still  believes that he and zhongli can be friends after it’s revealed that zhongli lied and used him. he thinks we’re being friendly when we meet up to kick his ass. he thinks the world is beautiful, even if there’s violence or bad things in it, and his all time goal is to get to the top of the world. 

he has hobbies and  likes and dislikes that don’t add up to an aesthetic of “ooh i’m so sad because i fell into a really big hole and now i’m a monster, don’t touch me, i’m damaged.” that just makes him more developed and real to me, and one of the reasons why childe is so versatile and intriguing as a character. 

i love shuake because it can be hilarious, it can be complex, and it can be tragic, but if i try to write it as fluffy, i have a hard time keeping it that way. i’d have to write it in the actualized universe created by maruki, or the bad ending where akiren accepts the deal and influences tokyo’s inner psyche, and that isn’t fluff anymore. it gets too dark.