Traveler's Log

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Credits to Hoyoverse for this pic.

Hello, Travelers! It is I, yourfriendlytabibito, returning from the grave! It's been years since I last posted. Lots have happened so... Yeah. But I'm back now, ready to share my thoughts about Genshin Impact characters.

In Version 5.7, Travelers will once again meet Dainsleif in an attempt to stop the Abyss Order. But alongside him, there's another character that will make their debut: Childe's mentor and disciple of Surtalogi, Skirk!

Spoilers: Content has mentions of events from Skirk's Story Quest. Please do it first before you read. Thank you!

Childe once mentioned his master in passing. When he fell into the Abyss as a boy, a mysterious woman took him under her wing. Her name was Skirk. She's skilled with a blade, capable of using the powers of the Abyss to defend herself. A warrior in her own right, Skirk was not from Teyvat, but another planet. She lived with her parents in a village. One day, outsiders came disguised as a merchant caravan. Skirk's fellow villagers welcomed them, providing them with food and shelter. Skirk dreamed of venturing into other places, skipping school to go exploring. However, they showed their true colors. The outsiders burned her village to the ground and killed all of the villagers that welcomed them warmly. Skirk would've joined them if not for the intervention of her master, Surtalogi, one of the Five Sinners of Khaenri'ah. Thus, she became his disciple. But her hardships would not stop there.

Surtalogi was not a kind master. In fact, he was brutal with his training, forcing Skirk to swing her sword until her wrists broke. But she came out even stronger because of it. Those who witnessed her prowess in combat were in awe of her strength. However, it came at a cost: her innocence. Surtalogi told her that in order to become stronger, one must give up a part of them that makes them weak. Silence it to the point it no longer exists. Skirk did so, and she came out on top.

Another one of his teachings is that fear forces us to become stronger. In order to evolve, one must be full of fear. This fear he instilled in Skirk forced her to stay detached from the world. According to her master, she's not a Descender. Rather, she's just an intruder. A passerby. Whatever actions she made in Teyvat will not affect the realm in the slightest. And if she does form a bond with someone, Surtalogi will break that bond permanently without hesitation. It became a motivation for Skirk. If she gets stronger, she would have the power to protect what she has to from Surtalogi. I must say, it's an interesting way to motivate someone.

But when a thief came knocking and stole our constellation, Skirk helped us retrieve it. However, her power was stolen in the process. Thus our training under her began. While dream-mirroring, we got a glimpse of her past and met a strange creature who turned out to be her inner child. Because of Skirk suppressing her emotions, she could not heal as fast as before. But with our help, Skirk realized that rejecting a part of you would not help you heal.

© Hoyoverse

Spoiler: Contains spoilers from 2.6 Interlude Quest.

In her first appearance in-game, you would think Shenhe was an adeptus. She did look the part with her snow white hair and eyes the color of glaciers. The way she carried herself is also part of the reason why people mistook her for an adeptus. Her aloofness and lack of understanding of human interactions was caused by her upbringing under Cloud Retainer. But who would have thought that the young woman we met in Liyue Harbor had a very tragic past?

Shenhe came from a family of exorcists who reside near Mt. Tianheng. In fact, she's related to another lovable exorcist, Chongyun. But due to a family tragedy, she was forced to fend for herself. You see, when her mother died, Shenhe's father went mad with grief. He sought a way to resurrect his wife. One day, he came across a malevolent spirit who demanded that he sacrifice his only daughter Shenhe. Out of sorrow, he did so willingly, even going far as to call her "a cursed child". But Fate had other plans for the young Shenhe. Despite her slim chances of survival, she managed to win against the spirit with only a blade in her hand. Afterwards, one of the adepti managed to rescue her and brought her to Jueyuen Karst.

Her life with the adepti was peaceful to say the least. She accepted Cloud Retainer's offer of becoming her disciple and trained under her. In due time, she mastered the adeptal arts and acquired a Cryo vision. But the fortune-telling that Moon Carver did revealed the truth about Shenhe: her fate was under two ill-omened stars. One was solitary life which indicates the separation from family and friends. The other was "disastrous evil", meaning a great catastrophe. To prevent from unleashing her homicidal urges, the adepti bound her soul in red ropes to keep it at bay.

Despite her lack of common sense, Shenhe is a force to be reckoned with in a battlefield. With her Cryo magic, she was able to stop a tidal wave from drowning all of Liyue Harbor and drive Beisht away. She learned that in order for her to integrate into human society, she must first know what she was fighting for.

Yun Jin's opera, The Divine Damsel of Devastation, tells the story of Shenhe's life. But she did a last-minute addition, telling the audience about her taking a stand against a raging goddess. In doing so, she saved Liyue Harbor and proved that the humans are fully capable of defending themselves without the aid from the adepti.

Spoiler Warning: Please watch her character teaser and finish her story quest before reading this post. Thanks!

The Eremites are a group of mercenaries from the scorching deserts of Sumeru. They took on several jobs like escorting merchant caravans, working as private bodyguards, and others. Among them is the Flame-Mane Dehya, famous for her excellent work ethic and survival instincts. Because of her skills, Dehya is sought after by many merchants including Dori. But despite her intimidating appearance, she is a person with a heart of gold and sympathy for others. She is also loyal towards her clients and friends. In a profession where money does all the talking, Dehya is a rare gem.

Though her father, a mercenary leader, wanted her to be free of the mercenary life, Dehya became a mercenary herself and left her father's brigade. She rose up the ranks and became one of the most sought after mercenaries in Sumeru. The reason why she left was because of an issue she had with her dad who is an alcoholic and a pervert. He would chase women and drink wine all day until he's fallen into a drunken stupor. He was also fond of hero stories and would often force her to play the lead role. But little Dehya has no clue about what goes in the background.

Her father's mercenary troupe, the Dakar Al-Ahmar, was under the brigade of Deshret's Relics. Seeing that Kusayla did not register Dehya as a member of his mercenary troupe, Deshret's Relics had no information on her. When interrogated about this discrepancy, Kusayla would lie and thus, would receive a beating from one of its members. The beatings would eventually cripple Kusayla to the point where he had to use a cane to walk.

Deshret's Relics kept tabs on all of the troupes under their brigade. These records would be used for blackmailing its members in order for them to secure loyalty amongst the many groups under their jurisdiction. Kusayla knew this and so, he sneaked into the headquarters of Deshret's Relics, went into the records room, and set it on fire. This happened when Dehya left and joined the Blazing Beasts.

Upon learning her father's fate and the involvement of Dunyarzad's father in supplying Kusayla's troupe with weapons and medicine, Dehya and the Traveler went to the headquarters of Deshret's Relics and defeated its members one by one. Then when the battle ended, she went to the records room and found the toy sword he gave her. She gave a speech afterwards, the very speech in the play her father loved very much. It was a bittersweet moment for Dehya, knowing that Kusayla did everything he could to protect her. And yet, she viewed him as nothing but a scoundrel. It was one of many regrets she has.

The reason why the title of this article is written as such was because of the aftermath of Dehya's character teaser. Chinese players donated money to charities dedicated to helping children, just like how Dehya donated all of her savings to help the children of the desert to get access to education. She named that trust fund "The Wall of Hope", the reason being the true purpose of the Wall of Samiel surrounding Caravan Ribat. It was meant to protect the forests from sandstorms rather than something that keep desert people out like previously believed.

© Hoyoverse

The desert in Sumeru can be unforgiving. In order to survive, one must do whatever it takes to do so. This is the story of a Falcon with a bent wing, whose desire to remain a friend to us led to her demise.

Tadhla was under the care of Masseira, her "father". Masseira asked for our help in rescuing his daughter and helping her hunt creatures, sort of like a coming-of-age ceremony that is unique to the Tanit tribe. Together with Tadhla, we hunted down and slayed a serpent, a bird, and a scorpion. However, during this hunt, Tadhla was injured the whole time. Despite us telling her to get some rest, she kept on pushing herself over the limit, afraid of disappointing her father figure. It got to a point where we have to fight the last creature on our own.

The worst thing is that Tadhla was conditioned to think of herself as nothing more than a hunting machine and not a human. It shows in Masseira's treatment of her, playing the role of a doting father on the surface while neglecting her needs. Tadhla didn't care about her own feelings at first, so long as she could please her father. When we had to fight her, I was heartbroken. Tadhla didn't want any of this to happen. In fact, she wanted to remain our friend, even at the cost of her father's approval.

Tadhla's condition reminded me of the children of the House of Hearth, an orphanage in Snezhnaya operated by the Fatui Harbinger, Arlechinno. She raised children into soldiers and conscript them to the Fatui. The children's loyalty was solely to her, like Tadhla's loyalty to Masseira. Like her, they were made to be obedient to their parental figures with almost no agency of their own.

© Hoyoverse

Content Warning: Mentions of gaslighting. Contains spoilers on world quest after The Dirge of Birqis. I forgot the name.

Liloupar, the Jinni in the bottle, told us that Jeht is someone we must protect. At that time, I had no idea what she meant. Sure, Jeht was a dear friend and a valued ally. But I didn't realize back then that what she meant was far more sinister.

When we last left her, she has found her home within the Tanit tribe. As the trusted subordinate of the matriarch Babel, she was responsible for executing those who were deemed traitors to the tribe. At first, Jeht obeyed the matriarch's orders without complaints. She executed Aderfi for his collaboration with the Fatui. Then she executed Azariq for the same crime. But when Babel told her of our supposed treachery, Jeht refused to do the deed. She knew deep in her heart that we would never do such a thing. But Babel claimed that it was true, sending Jeht to hunt us down. The worst part is, she told us that Jeht was the one who had gone rogue.

I had my suspicions of Babel from the very beginning. When I first saw her, something about her ring my alarm bells. Her display of maternal affection was not genuine, but a ploy to manipulate those around her. She will not stop until she gets what she wants, even if it means dirtying her own hands with the blood of her fellow elders. She got rid of them pretty quickly in order to consolidate her power within the tribe. Jeht began to suspect Babel after we told her of our conversation with her.

During the confrontation, Babel tried to turn Jeht against us, telling her that we are the traitors. She pitted us against Jeht, reminding her that the Tanit tribe is her family. But Jeht, fiercely loyal and lovable Jeht, refused to fall for her lies any longer. Once Babel realized she could no longer control her, she immediately turned on her, calling her a filthy outsider and ordered her men to kill her.

The confrontation with Babel and the entire tribe turning on Jeht was heartbreaking. She thought she finally found a home to go to, only for it to be taken from her. Once again, she was all alone. Not only that, Babel sent scouts around the desert, informing the Eremites that Jeht is dangerous and untrustworthy. By spreading this rumors about Jeht, Babel screwed her over and ruin her socially. After all, no Eremite would dare to help someone who was branded a "traitor" by their own tribe. By isolating her from the rest of her fellow Eremites, Babel punished Jeht and called her an ungrateful child. This is a tactic used by abusers to isolate their victims to make them more reliant on the abuser. Even Babel's maternal personality was just a ruse. And once she deemed you're no longer useful, she will get rid of you.

To be honest, I really feel bad for Jeht. She was declared an outcast by the mother she thought she could trust and screwed her over by spreading false rumors about her. That, ladies and gentlemen, is what you call toxic parenting.

© Hoyoverse

Content Warning: mentions of suicide and bullying. Contains spoilers from Alhaitham's story quest.

I'm sure that most of us Travelers have undergone stressful situations in academic settings. For example, school projects that require groupings and piles of assignments would make anyone cry out of stress. The Sumeru Akademiya is not that different from the educational institutions in our world. The standards for excellence is one of the reasons why graduates from this institution are highly viewed by those who are not affiliated with the Akademiya. But there are darker aspects of being a student of this institution.

Case in point: Raju. He is one of the researchers whose project was stolen by his instructor. The worst part is, the corrupt instructor took credit for the research. Even worse still, their fellow students went along with it just so they could graduate. It got to a point where Raju committed suicide before the project was complete. The most infuriating part was the words of one of their classmate: "If only he held on a little longer..." The utter disgust I felt was palpable. Your classmate just died! And you're worried about your stupid project?! He said it in a casual and uncaring manner too.

The icing on the cake was Ilyas reporting his instructor to the Mahamatra and being bullied for it. Like, I get it. You want to graduate. But are you so desperate to graduate that you'll turn a blind eye to your classmate who committed suicide and the instructor who took credit for a research that wasn't his to begin with?! Wow. But the Akademiya's strict standards and corruption are to blame here. Without instructors like Raju and Ilyas had, the former did not have to die due to suicide and the latter would not be subjected to death threats. Ilyas would never have fallen to Siraj's schemes and become part of the Hive Mind that Alhaitham and Cyno worked hard to disband. This also reminded me of the notion being perpetuated by Ilyas's classmates: Playing the hero will do you no good. I understand why Janaki and her other colleagues were upset with Ilyas for reporting their instructor before the project was done. It took them ages and hard work to complete. But that doesn't mean they have the right to be upset when Raju was suffering from depression because some dickhead (yes, that instructor deserves to be called that) took credit for the research that Raju did. AND THEY DON'T GIVE A FUCK ABOUT IT. THEY DON'T GIVE A FUCK AS LONG AS THEY GET TO GRADUATE. WHAT ASSHOLES.

Okay, okay. I'm calm.

Anyway, let's talk about Ilyas's interaction with his parents back in Ghandarva Ville. Talking with them made us realize that Ilyas was bullied by his fellow researchers for reporting their instructor. By doing the right thing, he had incurred the resentment of his groupmates. But I admired Ilyas for doing what's right even though no one agreed with him. Alhaitham even said that Ilyas did not deserve such treatment. And I agree with him. The man has a sense of justice and a hard worker. However, the words of his parents and his sister was deeply concerning. For one thing, they were disappointed that he did not keep his head down and had gotten the worst kind of attention from others.

This idea has been perpetuated by society that conforming to the general public's opinion is a must. If one deviates from the majority, they will be met with indifference or worse, hostility. In Ilyas's case, he suffered from being ostracized by his classmates to the point where he couldn't find a research group to join in. And frankly, he did not deserve to be treated that way. Fortunately, he may have another chance at a better life in the Akademiya thanks to the Traveler and Alhaitham. But for now, he must face his punishment for getting involved in this Hive Mind project.

© Hoyoverse

SPOILER ALERT: Please finish the Golden Slumber questline and the Dirge of Birqis before reading this post. :3

Jeht was a young woman we had encountered during Sumeru's world quest, The Golden Slumber. She and her father Jebrael were mercenaries hired to escort a researcher named Tirzad across the deserts in search of ruins. This father and daughter duo endeared themselves not just to the Traveler but also to many players as well. Jeht was a bubbly girl with a taste for adventure whereas Jebrael was stoic but not unapproachable. Although he may be intimidating, Jebrael has a soft spot for his wife and his daughter.

© Hoyoverse

But what was supposed to be an adventure became a dire situation when Jebrael's past caught up with him. His old friend Samail appeared, searching for the throne of King Deshret. While we stew in confusion, Jebrael warned him of the consequences if he sits on that throne in Khaj-Nisut. The dashing Eremite mercenary knew what would happen if Samail sits on the throne. But he wouldn't listen. When he sat down, all of Khaj-Nisut shuddered. Jebrael stopped him, but he got trapped within the Golden Slumber. Jeht called out to her father, begging him to come back. But he was lost to her forever.

I'm sure that many of us Travelers went back to the throne to try and get Jebrael back. But it was a lost cause. He can never return to his daughter's side, forcing her to face the world alone. The last time we left her in Aaru Village, she was crying at the loss of her father. And to be honest, it broke my heart knowing that this once cheerful girl has her world shattered in an instant.

Then we reconnected with her via Katheryne in Sumeru City. We found out that Jeht found a new family in the Tanit tribe. During her time there, she became more mellow and wiser. But she retained her tenacious personality and quick wit. She also became decisive when dealing with those whom she thought was a traitor to the Tanit tribe. As Matriarch Babel's left hand man, she gained the respect of others in their tribe.

© Hoyoverse

SPOILERS: This post contains spoilers from the Inazuman archon quest as well as parts of Gorou's hang out quest and the Irodori Festival. You have been warned.

The Watatsumi Island resistance was instrumental in ending the Sakoku and Vision Hunt decrees. It's all thanks to the Divine Priestess of Watatsumi Island, Sangonomiya Kokomi, and her trusted general, Gorou. Without them, the resistance would've crumbled before it began. Though they have succeeded in achieving their goals, it's not without sacrifices.

As the general of the resistance, it is Gorou's responsibility to muster their troops and lead them to battle. And by extension, it also falls to him to execute the plans laid out by Kokomi and keep soldiers under his command alive. That is a lot of responsibility for someone so young. But Gorou managed to pull it off, earning the moniker, "The Ever Victorious Pointy-Eared General". He also earned the respect of the older soldiers because of his dedication to his duty.

Despite their victories, however, the resistance also suffered losses. In one of the routes of his hangout quest, Gorou retrieved a box containing memorabilia of his fallen comrades from the Adventurer's Guild. Though he may not show it, his comrades' deaths weigh heavily on his mind. This maybe the moment where we see Gorou in his most vulnerable state. Despite that, he tried to do right by them.

During the Irodori Festival, Gorou and Kokomi came to discuss peace talks between Watatsumi Island and Narukami Island. While Kokomi and Yae Miko talk things out, Gorou explores the festival venue to buy books for Kokomi. A strange turn of events led him to win the grand prize sponsored by Yae Publishing House. Instead of taking it, Gorou proposed a trade. He asked for books related to agriculture so the farmers of Watatsumi Island can grow their crops. Yae Miko allowed it and he got the books. But like any deals involving Yae Miko, there's a catch: he has to crossdress. Poor guy.

One of his many good qualities is his empathy towards others. During the war, soldiers would often ask for his advice on something. He took his time with them, listening patiently before he gave his opinion. This became his ticket to writing a column for the Yae Publishing House where readers would ask for his advice. Despite the anonymity, he was able to help a lot of people.

In his character story, it is said that Gorou kept mountaineering gear. He longed to visit the mountains in Liyue and see the sights from a mountaintop. But it was left unused since Gorou has his duties as general.

© Hoyoverse

SPOILER: This post contains spoilers from the 2.6 Interlude quest in Liyue Harbor as well as Yun Jin's hang out quest.

Liyuean opera is an art form steeped in rich tradition. One of the best practitioners of this ancient art is Yun Jin, a daughter of the Yun family. They were once weaponsmiths but Yun Jin's father decided that it is not the only thing their family would be known for. So they delved into the world of Liyuean opera and Yun Jin became one of the rising stars of the opera troupe. Her performances are sought after by people from all walks of life. She even had the chance to perform the opera, The Divine Damsel of Devastation, after the Jade Chamber was rebuilt. Suffice to say that Yun Jin is a celebrity in Liyue.

However, that fame has taken its toll on Yun Jin. She encountered things that come with being famous: tabloid reporters, scandals, and gossips. Though she keeps a correspondence with some of the best performers in all of Teyvat, she told us Travelers that the receivers of her letters found her cold and aloof. But in reality, Yun Jin is one of the sweetest characters in Genshin. This was shown during the Steambird route wherein Yun Jin wrote a letter to Shuyi so she could have her boss arrested for extortion. Yun Jin used her acting talent to save the journalist from being exploited by her employer.

Aside from her sweet character, I admired Yun Jin for being accepting of concepts that are new to her. She's fond of rock and roll, something that is frowned upon by her elders. She even chided them for their refusal to acknowledge its place in Liyuean culture. Also, she values her friends and even threw Xinyan a surprise feast for her birthday together with Xiangling.