The Traveler being around is probably good for Furina. In Marcel's trial, we see Melus and Silver speculate on why Furina's suddenly taking everything way more seriously--and they think it's either because the Traveler humiliated her, or because she's so embarrassed and horrified by pressing charges against an innocent.
In a way, I feel like the people of Fontaine kinda encourage Furina to act as she does--spoiled and immature, dumping responsibility on Neuvilette and the Oratrice. But she also encourages them to not question the justice system, by struggling so hard to put on a show and save face. It's something of a vicious cycle. The people treat her as a celebrity and only really expect her to amuse and reassure them, not actually DO anything. So she's encouraged to act like a bratty and spoiled child. But the Traveler being around is someone who's NOT impressed or amused by her--and, even better, they're someone she really, really does WANT to impress, who she greatly respects. The Traveler will treat Furina as a person and an Archon, and force her to take responsibility for her people and actions. 'Cause like, she sucks at her job and needs to either take responsibility or find a way to retire like Zhongli. But also I feel like she's probably kinda lonely.
Like. Venti and Zhongli are highly respected and beloved by their people, and are the most proactive and responsible with their roles, at least in the present day. They're also the most oldest of the Archons, so they are the most experienced. It makes sense.
Ei, Nahida, and Furina, though, all seem to be foils of each other to varying extents. While Zhongli and Venti rule their country from behind the scenes, the three younger Archons initially appear to be in positions of power and authority...but aren't really.
Ei has a great deal of power and authority, and is feared or respected by most of her people. But due to her grief over the losses of Makoto and her generals, she has given up responsibility and stopped caring what her people want. She orders Visions be collected and does the war against the Resistance, but she's not really...present, letting the Raiden Shogun and the Tenryou commission run things. She knows the Fatui are in Inazuma apparently, but doesn't seem to care. Only when the Traveler and Yae Miko beat/talk sense into her does she really start to act like a leader and try fixing her mistakes. Up until that point, Ei has been isolating herself.
On the other hand, the Akademiya were grieving Rukkhadevata so much that they forcibly rejected, isolated, and imprisoned Nahida. She did her best to interact with her people and help them when she could, but she wasn't really allowed to rule, and lacked the power and authority she needed to properly lead Sumeru. Largely, Nahida only needed more confidence, and to be believed in--she was already much more mature than Ei or Furina were.
Ei is treated as an Archon, but lacks the maturity of one. Nahida had maturity and a sense of responsibility, but people didn't treat her as an Archon until Rukkhadevata was erased from memory. Furina inherits the worst of both Ei and Nahida's positions and personalities. She lacks the maturity of an Archon, but also no one actually treats her as one. When the Oratrice malfunctions people turn to her for reassurances...but really, the Oratrice seems like way more of a God to them than she ever was. It's not Furina who is the final authority in the Court, it's the Oratrice.
Honestly, Furina might be what would've happened had Nahida lacked the maturity and wisdom she had, and been completely replaced by the Shouki no Kami. Aside from the lochfolk and the Pari, people in Fontaine don't grieve the Lord of Amrita like Rukkhadevata was grieved, but the people replaced their Archon with a machine that tells them comforting lies about how easy and straightforward Justice is, and their Archon helped them do so.
I feel like Furina must be a lonely individual, since she's dismissed by most in her country, and even other Archons likely find her unpleasant, annoying, or immature. She has some growing to do, too, but I hope that by not being impressed by her at all, and instead being blatantly annoyed by her, the Traveler can reach those parts of her.
892 notes
·
View notes