my services are no longer needed... here the last of the original two look over their children respectively and they are well. they have learned the lessons of their history and of their arts, they are making friends and enjoy peace....
and here is Venti and Zhongli, the only ones in focus, the ones who remained and the ones who will continue to remain after these kids long pass.
At least head down and take a look first? It’s right by the inn, and there’s plenty of fun activities to get involved with. It can’t hurt to take a quick walk and check things out.
Besides, with the renowned Lumine here, what is there to fear?
i find it pretty interesting that it's venti and hu tao who convince xiao to try and socialise a bit. both have strong connections with the underworld and work as psychopomps to guide the souls of the dead to their resting place.
xiao canonically struggles with survivor's guilt and suicidal ideation, and somehow it's the director of the funeral parlor and an unofficial teyvat shinigami who work on including him in life-affirming healthy activities.
NOTE: I have so much to say about the Poetry Gala Event because I enjoyed it so much. It's going to be lengthy but feel free to read me rambling haha.
I don't mean to be dramatic but... Chongyun enthusiasts, WE WON! I'm so happy that he was able to show up so much in this event! Like he actually got lines and so much screentime!! I know he always appears in Lantern Rite, but this just hits different. Did you see how fast he was talking and the way he did his little jump after having those chili peppers? XD Also the way he was giving Xingqiu some sass at the at the end of the story? Show him, Chongyun!
And I never thought I would be able to see two of my favorite characters in the same frame! This is going to keep me fed until the next Lantern Rite haha.
On a similar note, this event was just as good as last year's goofy Lantern Rite! I will never stop talking about how much I love it when characters from different nations are able to meet each other, like the whole Xingqiu/Mika/Noelle interaction was really sweet! (But the way Xingqiu told them to just not get caught when sneaking away from home XD He's such a bad influence haha)
AND THIS. The way Zhongli and Venti were looking at the children, it really solidifies the fact they they're retired. Don't mind me crying over here 🥺
I didn't expect the event to dive a bit into Diona's lore, so that was really cool!! Also really glad that learning about Oceanids and their power kind of helped Chongyun come to terms with his yang energy. (I shall now wait patiently for some lore drop on Chongyun.)
The whole story was just so nice. And the MUSIC for Callirhoe's story was the final cherry on top 👌
GUYS. GUYS. 😭😭 Chongyun and Diona development, holy shit. Groundwork laid for more exploration of Chongyun's pure-yang spirit at some point, but anyway AAAA- he's finally becoming more appreciative of his condition, seeing it less as a curse, and perhaps a blessing, because of the possibility it was borne from love. His intense emotions, his ability to be the warmth in spiritual shadows, he's grateful at the idea that it's all borne from love, man. I'm. So normal right now. That was so beautiful. The music in that cutscene gave me chills.