Today I'm Thinking About Ships.

today i'm thinking about ships.

i have wanderer character analysis under the cut. please watch this trailer for reference!

so we have this angle in the beginning of the trailer. i really like the mood around them, with the storm signifying the trouble that's about to come. either representing him bringing the trouble, or the fatui giving him trouble. but regardless, the environmental storytelling is really good!

i also really like his pose here. the bird isn't a source of irritation for him. his main irritation with the bird + wind is that it almost knocked his kasa off. but right now ultimately, he's nonbothered.

but then you have this. his head is angled, and even without eyes showing, you can see that he's more annoyed over having his path blocked than being harassed. the stance is a very clear "you're annoying me, move" type of stance. and the way he just goes "two big strong fatui, asking me to be their chaperone. is this some kind of joke?"

because now we can see his whole face. he hasn't lifted a hand to either of them yet. he hasn't done anything except glare. which means he's not going to act unless directly threatened. which is, interestingly enough, what happens next!

a bullet is fired at wanderer here. because the two fatui aren't actually interested in a guide, they're lookign to pick a fight, and they think wanderer is an easy target. but here we have his first display of strength: he effortlessly uses the agent's weapon to block the bullet. and i'm pretty sure that expression is more resignation than actual anger or irritation. more like "ugh, i have to waste energy on these guys?"

and when we see this in the next scene, this is really interesting to me. i don't know if the light reflected in his eyes is from an outside source (the flash from the gun, him activating his anemo powers), or if it's internal. Because the way his eyes are glowing are purple. my thoughts on this are that there's still some traces of his former self in there, OR MAYBE it's a result of him being ei's creation. she's the electro archon, and electro, at least mainly, is colored purple for convenience sake. part of me thinks that the god he aspired to be never fully died when he was reincarnation, and maybe he relied on electro for too long for it also to be completely erased. he's essentially two people in one body, both halves learning to come to terms with each other. i just thought this shot was really interesting, because it's clearly the harbinger we're expected to see, and not the wanderer.

this is the second display of strength. because while yes, wanderer is using his anemo here, he's barely touching the weapon to keep it at bay. this tells me his anemo is just as strong as he is. and i wonder what exactly is giving him that strength. is it being a puppet? or is it the previous incarnation of his god self coming into play here? or is the anemo enhancing what strength he already has? because this shot has me wondering just exactly how strong wanderer is. he's barely using any force behind this defensive move, while the agents are putting their all into it.

i mostly liked this shot for the jab to the throat before he was grabbed by the throat. power move, wanderer.

the next display of strength. this is my favorite part and the whole reason i wanted to analyze the trailer. because it took zero effort for wanderer to grab him by the throat and yoink him high into the air. he's using only one hand to not only hold the guy up, but hold him higher than his own height. his own body is very still and even relaxed, i'd argue, while the fatuus is clawing at wanderer's arm and shaking.

there's no doubt that the fatuus is strong, considering he was using a hammer as a weapon, but the difference is astounding. because it doesn't even look like wanderer is using his full strength. he's still very unbothered by the whole thing. still doesn't care enough.

and then you get this shot where his eyes glow a very vivid blue. i don't know if this is just a trailer visual for the audience to see him using his vortext ult, or if it's in game. but if it is in game, i find it very interesting to note, because to me it means he's fully embracing his new lease in life, embracing the anemo that he was given. personally i'd like to think it's an inverse/canon bit, to demonstrate how powerful his anemo really is.

but also interestingly enough, in the following shots, we get this quick frame:

it's really hard to tell what color his eyes are glowing, but i'm going off of context clues and saying his eyes are shining purple again. the glitching, the black and white with traces of purple? to me that screams balladeer/scaramouche. so he HASN'T left behind that side of him. this, to me, says he's embracing both sides of that personality within him and melding them into one. he's still the ruthless balladeer he spent ages of his life being, and he's also the innocent wanderer that worked at a fruit stand. this series of glitchy frames ALSO tells me that he's weighing his options and deciding on the right course of action. should he be the balladeer and kill the fatui? or should he be the wanderer and leave well enough alone?

cause through this all, he was acting in self defense.

this is the sternest he's looked through the entire trailer. the crossed arms and the mini lecture of "you were looking for trouble and got what you asked for."

this is both scaramouche and wanderer speaking. he didn't hurt them too badly, he just gave them a lesson the fatui are unlikely to forget anytime soon. and even in this image he doesn't look entirely that mad, either. annoyed, yes. but it also vaguely looks like he's still smiling.

because through the entire fight, wanderer was laughing. he was laughing, because this was a game to him. a chance for him to test out his abilities on people. the fatui got a fight, and he got to show them why that was wrong. of COURSE he'd laugh.

which is probably why he left them alive at the end and continued on his way. because he didn't need to murder to prove a point, he'd already made it the second they started antagonizing him. wanderer knows he's strong and can outlast anyone in a fight. he barely has to lift a finger in order to make some devastating blows to his enemies. if wanderer wanted to obliterate someone, he would do it easily.

but i also wonder where that strength comes from. does it come from being a puppet, from having an anemo vision, or does the blood of that mecha-god still pump through his veins even after erasing himself? regardless, he's still very clearly one of the strongest characters.

also i'd like to point out real quick, that i feel like his fight with cyno in the recent darshan championship was a callback to this. because back then, wanderer didn't care enough to take a fight seriously, and with cyno he was clearly holding back and not taking it seriously. probably out of a need to not actually kill his opponents, especially since they weren't enemies to begin with.

his mind is an empty state of what the fuck, on repeat. it's like a static hum in the back of his mind, leaving him unable to do ANYTHING until kuni is inside. it's only at this point that kami manages to get to his feet, lurching toward the door to slam it shut, locking it once more.

he's still not sure what's actually happening, only that there's a sense of URGENCY that has him even more on edge. "i'm sorry," kami says, clenching his teeth and holding back the urge to snap. "if i can't call you by your fucking name―" he stops there, looking back toward the door. he doesn't know his neighbors well enough to have a solid connection. he's doubtful any of them would actually care about someone named kunikuzushi, but he also hasn't been part of his cousin's world. he doesn't know what exactly is going through kuni's mind.

"so basically you let me think you were dead for months on end." his voice is flat. he's still running over all the information in his mind, trying to make sense of it. it's only giving him an even bigger headache, and threatening to pull him down into some depth of despair and heartbreak. kami gets it though. LOGICALLY, he can understand why kuni did what he did. kami isn't sure he'd take the same exact road, but he can understand burning all bridges (literally) to get out of trouble.

emotionally though, kami feels betrayed and heartbroken. he'd thought their bond had been a lot stronger than this. kami had relied on kuni for A LOT, and part of him is even wondering if his own demons had helped contribute to this, like kuni WANTED to get away from him.

his eyes are starting to wonder from these thoughts, so kami turns away to hastily wipe his eyes. he's not going to start crying now, not when there's so much to actually discuss. he still needs answers, though he's not sure how likely he is to get all of them right now. kuni is probably exhausted, and needs a place to stay and... kami has a spare bedroom...

"...if you had to do all that, then why come back at all?" kami asks. his voice is neutral, forcing himself to turn back to his cousin. "why not just let me THINK you were gone forever? i would've coped, survived, something." it's not a lie, either. even after his downward spiral thanks to his own mother, kami eventually found a way to bounce back. he likes to think he'd bounced back quicker after kuni's death, with it only taking a matter of months, instead of years.

his life is still a shit hot mess though.

"...and i'm assuming you want to stay here?" he's reaching for kuni though. desperately needing to FEEL how solid his cousin is. as mad and depressed kami is over the entire incident, kuni is still his cousin. someone he always held in high regard. to lose him again would destroy him.

despite  his  numerous  requests  (  demands,  really  )  ren  isn't  expecting  it  when  the  door  finally  DOES  open.  this  time,  he  doesn't  have  the  chance  to  swallow  back  his  surprise  —  the  hacker  audibly  yelps,  and  nearly  falls  over,  only  just  barely  managing  to  catch  himself  at  the  last  possible  moment.  (  fortunately;  if  he  landed  on  his  laptop  he  would  be  furious.  )  ❝  yes,  yes.  kunikuzushi.  why  don't  you  say  it  louder  —  i  don't  think  the  entire  neighborhood  has  heard  you  yet. ❞  he  knows  it  isn't  kaminari's  fault;  his  cousin  isn't  aware  of  the  circumstances  surrounding  —  well,  ANY  part  of  the  mess  he's  gotten  himself  into.  he's  horribly  stressed  and  his  nerves  are  frayed  and  it's  compelling  him  to  lash  out  unjustly.  he'll  remember  to  feel  guilt  for  that  later;  at  the  moment,  he  only  has  enough  mental  real  estate  to  tackle  one  MISTAKE  at  a  time.

the  door  is  open,  so  ren  decides  he's  going  to  take  advantage  of  the  opportunity  before  his  cousin  comes  back  to  his  senses.  deft  hands  snatch  up  the  flower  pot  resting  on  the  porch  beside  him.  it  contains  a  SUCCULENT  —  a  tiny,  yet  vibrant  thing  with  healthy  leaves.  (  it's  all  he  has  for  luggage.  )  he  rises  to  his  feet  and  slips  inside  kaminari's  home  swift  as  the  breeze,  nudging  the  door  shut  behind  him.  it's  only  then  that  the  hacker  allows  himself  the  luxury  of  a  sigh;  it  feels  like  a  weight  has  been  lifted  off  his  chest  —  not  entirely,  but  enough  so  that  he  can  draw  breath  without  a  STRUGGLE.   ❝  i'm  a  member  of  this  family. ❞   he  says,  looking  down  at  his  cousin.  there's  a  twinge  of  sympathy  in  his  eyes  —  as  if  that  simple  fact  alone  has  DOOMED  them  both.  ❝  naturally  there's  a  lot  of  things  wrong  with  me,  but  we  don't  have  all  day  to  list  them. ❞  he  at  least  has  the  courtesy  to  nudge  the  other  with  his  shoe.  it's  a  gesture  that  might  be  construed  as  playful  or  annoying  (  or  both  )  under  different  circumstances,  but  here  it  serves  as  proof  of  his  existence.

well.  that  was  supposed  to  be  the  easy  part.  the  hard  part  is  actually  explaining  himself.

❝  i  know  it  seems  extreme. ❞  obviously.  ❝  faking  my  own  death  isn't  the  sort  of  choice  i  would  make  if  i  had  any  other  option.  i  needed  to  disappear  —  and  the  only  way  i  could  do  that  WITHOUT  being  seen  as  a  loose  end ...  was  if  they  thought  i  was  no  longer  in  any  position  to  TALK. ❞  it  was  either  that  or  run  —  but  if  he  ran,  there  was  no  telling  what  they  would  do.  target  his  mother?  fine  —  she  could  fend  for  herself.  target  kaminari?  he  didn't  deserve  that.

anxiety  has  afflicted  him  with  a  strange,  nervous  sort  of  energy.  ren  finds  he's  started  to  pace  —  back  and  forth,  back  and  forth  like  an  animal  trapped  in  a  too-small  cage.  ❝  the ...  that  group  i  was  involved  with.  i  know  you  weren't  exactly  fond  of  them,  but  they  were  worse  than  i  ever  let  on.  considerably  worse.  i  still  continued  to  lend  them  my  services,  because ... ❞   because  he  liked  feeling  useful.  feeling  powerful.  how  stupid  of  him.  ❝  ...  not  important.  i  had  to  leave  —  and  kunikuzushi  needed  to  die ...  so  to  make  a  very  long  story  short,  that's  precisely  what  i  arranged  to  have  happen. ❞

if you're interested in my other muses, i can also be found over @marchingasone! mostly genshin muses, with other fandoms/muses mixed in!

Chongyun spends so much time wishing they didn't have their yang energy and would love to overcome it, that they never once consider that it might be beneficial for other people to just be in Chongyun's promiximity.

Somebody: Oh my god, can I stay next to you? I feel good suddenly

Chongyun: wtf

WHAT CHEST PIECE REPRESENTS YOU?

black rook

You are the Black Rook. As a piece that can move inwards and outwards, you're a master of self-reflection. Being the black piece, you hide an inner beast within you. Perhaps you're one to rush headfirst into trouble, was it for a friend's sake? Or your own? Are you the overprotective type? Did you know your grip was that tight around someone's neck? For all your protectiveness and deliberate planning, you can't wash the blood off your hands that easily.

tagged by: no one, i stole it. tagging: you.