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bubblefina · 1 year

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No Puppet Strings Attached 1

Summary: When Katsuragi brings a puppet back to Tatarasuna, saying that he found him wandering the shores, the village and blade smiths took him in as their own. Something about the puppet struck a young girl's heart. Despite him not having a heart of his own, the puppet felt something that would seem to be impossible for someone like him to feel.

Pairings: Scaramouche x f!reader

. ⋅ ˚̣- : ✧ : – ⭒ ⊹ ⭒ – : ✧ : -˚̣⋅ .

Rain on Tatarasuna was a normal thing. The blade smiths would still go to work on their weapons, even if the harsh winds blew directly in their face. They simply put up different clothes to block out the rain, so it wouldn’t ruin the delicate smelting process of the weapons.

One of these blade smiths was Niwa Hisahide. He was a practitioner of the Isshin arts. He was so good that his skills led him to become an armory officer, but he still joined the other blade smiths to keep creating unique and well-made weapons.

Niwa had a younger sister, y/n. She was a bit eccentric in a way. Always full of energy, simply could not stay still in one place for too long. If she were picking flowers with the other girls in a field, and saw someone start walking towards the smithy, she would simply grab whatever flowers she had in her hand and make a run towards them.

Everyone had known her, because she knew everyone. No one was safe from at least one conversation with her. Even the old, sour residents of the village couldn’t hide in their huts for long. She just wanted to know anyone and everyone.

So when Katsuragi ran into the smithy with a boy in his arms, she immediately took notice. Sitting on a pile of smooth stones, she hopped off and immediately ran towards Katsuragi.

“Who’s this?” she asks.

Everyone now had their eyes on Katsuragi and the boy.

“I found him wandering the shores, he didn’t look all that well. I brought him here to keep an eye on him.”

There was a twitch in his eye, a twitch in his eye means that he’s lying. Y/n knew this, of course.

She raised her brow, to which Katsuragi ignored and walked towards the other blade smiths. They laid out a blanket and placed the boy on top, drying him from the rain.

“Do you know his name?” One of the smiths asks.

Katsuragi shakes his head, “He passed out when I approached him.”

As they continued to talk, y/n began to become more suspicious. She grabbed the sleeve of Katsuragi and dragged him away from the group of smiths.

“You’re lying,” She says, hands on her hips.

“I am not.” He replies.

“Where did you actually find him, it wasn’t on the shore.”

Katsuragi scoffs, “Why would I lie about where I found him?”

“Maybe because you found him somewhere that you weren’t supposed to be?” a small smirk appeared across her lips.

Katsuragi sighed, “it’s nothing like that,” y/n continued to raise her brow, “I found him at the Shakkei Pavilion”

Y/n gasps, to which Katsuragi puts a finger to his lips.

“You can’t tell anyone. I have a feeling that he’s not just some lost person that was abandoned there. There’s something different about him.”

She nodded, walking back to the group to join in as they continued to observe the indigo haired boy that laid on the cloth.

. ⋅ ˚̣- : ✧ : – ⭒ ⊹ ⭒ – : ✧ : -˚̣⋅ .

It was dawn the next day when the boy woke up. His eyes scanned the area, this scenery wasn’t familiar to him. He climbed to his feet and exited the smithy area, face to face with the subtle sunrise across the hills.

As he observed his surroundings, a person took notice of him.

“Hey! He’s awake!”

A bit taken aback, the boy moved backwards as the person approached him. He had a basket full of vegetables in his hands, which he set down.

“It’s okay, I won’t hurt you.”

The boy stopped in his tracks and continued to stare at the man. A few other people now stood beside him.

“Katsuragi found you wandering the shore yesterday and brought you here. Do you remember him?”

“Katsuragi…” the boy spoke, his voice was so soft, as if he had never spoken before this moment, like this was his first time using his voice.

“He’s a bit burly, dark hair pulled back in a bun-”

The man was cut off when Katsuragi himself showed up behind the small crowd.

“Hey little man, you woke up.”

Katsuragi gave a smile, to which the boy immediately recognized. It was the same smile he had seen before he passed out. This must be the man who brought him here.

“Do you have a name by any chance? Didn’t get a chance to ask you before you…you know.” Katsuragi asks.

The boy shakes his head, which makes the other villagers feel pity.

“Well, do you have a home? Anyone that you may think could help you?” Another villager asks.

The boy shakes his head once more.

“Well we have no choice then,” Katsuragi says, “You’re welcome to stay with us then, but we’re going to need a name to call you.”

The crowd all thought together, muttering names to each other. Shaking their heads at each other's suggestions. They all turned to Katsuragi.

“Well, since you’re the one who found them, it’s only fitting that you’re the one who gets to name him.”

“Hey, why’s all the pressure going onto me?” Katsuragi's brows furrow. He looks at the boy and sighs.

“Kabukimono, that’s what we’ll call him. For now at least.”

The villagers were a bit reluctant at first, since the name means ‘strange thing’. However, when they looked upon the boy's face, who had a small smile, they agreed.

The story of how he got his name, and how he became accepted into the village as one of their own.

. ⋅ ˚̣- : ✧ : – ⭒ ⊹ ⭒ – : ✧ : -˚̣⋅ .

The sun had reached its peak when y/n had gotten news of the boy awakening. She had learned that he didn’t have a name, but Katsuragi named him “kabukimono”. Curses for Niwa for not making her wake up earlier.

She quickly cleaned herself and ran towards the smithy where the boy was. Bare feet upon the harsh grass, she gave a war cry as she ran into the smithy. The other blade smiths had gotten used to her antics, but Kabukimono hadn’t.

This was new to him, he may have not encountered many people before, but the few he had a chance to meet did not act like this. She locked eyes with him, a hazed smile appearing upon her lips.

“Oh my…” she scutters up to him, “you’re so pretty.”

Kabukimono was taken aback, she was so close to him. Their noses are almost touching.

“Hello” the boy says, his voice a whisper.

“I- hey. Y/n!” one of the blade smiths grabbed the back of her kimono to pull her back from the now startled boy.

“Didn’t Niwa teach you any manners?”

“I wouldn’t know, he’s never around to teach me anything.” she pouts, her attention now turning back to Kabukimono.

“I heard that they named you Kabukimono, or rather Katsuragi did. He’s awful with names you know, would have been better off if I had named you.” she gleams, to which the other blade smiths laughed.

“Sure. Everyone knows how wonderful you were when you tried to name Kaede’s son.”

Y/n’s eyes widen slightly, she clears her throat and mutters something about not talking about that.

“Since I am a good person, I’ll respect Katsuragi’s decision for naming you, but I’ll make up a nickname for you, just for me.”

She puts her finger to her chin, staring deeply into the boy's eyes. No one knows how she’s able to keep eye contact with people for so long, most people would get flustered and look away, or just get bored. She however breaks the human limit of eye contact in inhumane ways.

“I’ll just call you Kabuki, it’s hard to create a nickname with what Katsuragi picked out. If only I had gotten to you first.” she pouts.

One of the older women called for her not too long, so she bid the boy and others goodbye. Following the elder woman towards the ocean, there were other women picking out seagrass for tonight's dinner. The menu consisted of chazuke and pickled vegetables.

In the midst of picking out the seagrass, y/n indulged in a conversation the other girls were having about kabukimono.

“He doesn’t look like the other boys or men on Tatarasuna does he?” one of the girls says.

“No, he’s completely different. Take Hachi for example, he’s so tall and strong, almost looks scary at times with that scowl on his face.”

“Right, but he’s slender, his face looks so soft. He looks as if he was carved by the archons themselves. He’s like royalty.”

The girls giggled.

“His voice is soft too” y/n adds.

“You heard him talk?” one of the girls asks.

“Yeah, I was at the smithy earlier. Wanted to check him out once he woke up, he said hello.”

One of the girls squeals, “Maybe he is royalty. A lost prince from another island, perhaps?”

The girls began to gossip, but their rant ended soon when one of the older women snapped at them to get back to work.

. ⋅ ˚̣- : ✧ : – ⭒ ⊹ ⭒ – : ✧ : -˚̣⋅ .

Later that night, the village gathered for a group dinner to welcome Kabukimono. Everyone laughed, drank, ate, the air felt warm with love. The boy was taken aside by the other men, toasting to a lasting friendship.

He had gotten slightly acquainted with a few, but only Katsuragi and Niwa took the time to go out of their way to talk to him.

“Anyone catch your eye, you seem to be in a daze there.” Katsuragi takes a swing of the sake in his cup.

“That girl from earlier…” the boy trails off

“Oh, you’re talking about y/n? She’s Niwa’s younger sister.” Katsuragi elbows Niwa, some of his drink spilling onto his thighs.

“Careful,” Niwa gives him a straight lipped look, “I’m sorry if my sister made you feel weird. She unfortunately makes it her mission to know every person within a mile of the village.”

“There was this one time when a kairagi was roaming near the beach area. She was there doing who knows what, called out to him. If we hadn’t gotten there in time, she may have been his dinner.” Katsuragi stops to pour himself another cup full of sake, offering some to the boy, but he refuses.

“What’s kairagi?” he asks.

“They’re a group of samurai that deserted from the shogun's military. Now they’re just thieves who take from the innocent, show no mercy to anyone.” Niwa watches his sister dance with some girls, wondering if her vibrant nature would get her into trouble one day.

“Shogun…” the boy whispers. He isn’t heard by anyone, but he thinks that's a good thing. Perhaps he shouldn’t tell people that he’s a creation of the raiden shogun, but was discarded because he was too weak to carry out his original task.

It wouldn’t be worth it to tell them. They couldn’t gain anything out of it, what could a discarded puppet even be worth.

. ⋅ ˚̣- : ✧ : – ⭒ ⊹ ⭒ – : ✧ : -˚̣⋅ .

Over the next few months, the boy had gotten accustomed to life in the village. Many of the village residents had grown fond of the boy, treating him as if he were their very own. He was becoming popular amongst the women as well. Unlike the normal male residents, he looked more delicate, acted very mellow. It was refreshing for them.

Both Niwa and Katsuragi grew close with him, which prompted y/n to do the same. As Niwa once said, any friend of his is a friend of his sisters.

She’d sometimes pack lunch for both Niwa and the boy. Her cooking skills weren’t on par with the other women, but she’d still try to make a small lunch for whenever her brother and the boy would go to the smithy.

Kabukimono had taken interest in the art of forging weapons, which led him to join the others in creating different swords and claymores. He never seemed the type to use those kinds of weapons.

He didn’t seem to talk much outside his small circle, but he did sometimes help the elder folk with carrying things that were just too heavy. They’d call him an angel for offering his help, to which he just smiled and said it was the right thing to do.

It didn’t help that his white attire made him look as if he was sent from the heavens.

. ⋅ ˚̣- : ✧ : – ⭒ ⊹ ⭒ – : ✧ : -˚̣⋅ .

The months had turned cold. Many of the crops that were once flourishing had frost covering them. Harvests consisted of many root vegetables that were good for growing in the winter. The villagers had to be careful when going out to harvest their food. During times like these, when the air grew cold to a crisp, many thieves would take their chances stealing food right from others’ palms.

The Nobushi grew in numbers during the winter, decreasing the distance between themselves and the village. They may have been criminals, but they were still humans that craved warmth and food, even if their ways of getting it weren’t the best.

During a late night when it had been the coldest it's been that month, y/n tasked herself to gather some firewood to take back to the hut. Much to Niwa’s resistance, she urged that she would be fine. There was a stockpile of cut up logs in a shed not too far away from where their home was.

Putting on a thicker robe, she rushed outdoors towards the shed, hoping to get the logs and be back as quickly as possible. The door was left unlocked so that anyone was able to access fresh wood whenever it's needed.

Grabbing a few logs, she held them tightly in her arms before making it back to the hut. While walking back, she heard some rustling of leaves behind her. She stopped in her tracks, a big mistake.

It was the dead of night, not to mention the snow that was falling, which would make anyone want to stay indoors. Who could possibly be up this late? She had to go out because there wasn’t enough firewood, everyone else would have already stocked up.

“Is someone there?” she asks, but it sounds like it's a whisper. She couldn’t allow too much of the cold air to get into her mouth.

Tightening her grip on the logs, she continues to walk until she once again hears steps behind her. She freezes, this time not looking behind her. She grips onto one of the logs, hearing the footsteps press into the snow grow louder as whoever was nearby walked closer. When she felt as if she could feel their presence right behind her, she turned around in a swift movement, holding a log in her hand ready to strike whoever it was behind her.

The hand holding the log she meant to use as her weapon was stopped in midair. With such a grip around her wrist, she was surprised and let go of all the other wooden stumps she was holding.

“Oh…” her mouth slightly ajar, her hand letting go of the last piece of wood, “It’s you.”

As if he camouflaged into the snow. Both his white attire and pale skin, small snowflakes hung off of his indigo hair, there wasn’t any sign of him being cold.

“I’m sorry if I startled you” he lets go of her wrist

“It’s alright, what are you doing out here? It’s freezing.” while saying that a chill went up her spine, perhaps she should have brought an extra layer.

“I’m on patrol to make sure the nobushi don’t get too close. They’ve been closing in on the village lately.”

“Did someone assign you to be on patrol?”

He shook his head, “Katsuragi told me that I didn’t have to, but I insisted. I don’t feel the cold as harshly as the others. It’s perfectly fine.”

A frown appears on y/n’s face, he was doing this just to do it.

“That’s not right,” she bends down to pick up the logs that were on the ground, “you need to get home and by the fire.”

He also bends down to help her pick up the logs.

“Please, it really is okay. Nothing I can’t handle.”

While he reaches for the last log, she puts her hand over his. As if to check if he was actually telling the truth, his fingers were frozen cold.

“You’re so cold,” she grabs the last log, “Please at least come to my home tonight. Niwa is waiting for the fire logs, I don’t want you out here alone.”

The boy was about to reject her offer, but her eyes pleaded with him more than any words could. He sighed, agreeing to her offer. In the end, he asked if he could hold onto the logs while they walked back, it was the least he could do for being invited into her home at such short notice.

When they arrived back at the hut, Niwa was already fast asleep. The fire that was on had been dying out due to lack of healthy wood to keep it going. Y/n takes out some ashes and puts in the new logs, igniting another fire.

Kabukimono sits nearby, unsure of how he should go about making himself feel welcome as a stranger in someone else's home. Y/n offers him a knitted quilt that draped over his shoulders. He gives a thank you before she walks to brew a cup of tea for the both of them.

She brings over two cups and joins him where he’s sitting.

“It might be a little bitter, sorry. Sugar is scarce right now, but I’m sure it’s enough to warm both of us up.”

“It’s fine, thank you.” he blows the steam brewing from the tea and takes a small sip. Y/n looks to see if he has a reaction, more or so one of disgust. That’s mainly the face Niwa makes when she makes tea for him.

His expression doesn’t change, he just goes in for another sip. She takes one herself and continues to watch him as he ever so delicately drinks the tea down to the small leaves at the bottom of the cup.

“Did you like it?” she asks.

“You’re right, it was bitter,” he turns to her and smiles, “but I enjoyed it more than I thought I would.”

She gives a smile back, she can’t tell if the heat rushing to her face is because of the fire, or the fact that he complimented her brewing skills. He is after all the first to do so.

She takes the cup from him, momentarily brushing her fingers with his.

“Hey, you’re much warmer now. See, it’s no fun being out in the cold.”

“If you offer me this tea often, maybe I won't have a reason to stay out in the cold.”

Both stare at each other for a split second, before quickly looking away. The boy coughed and hid his face while y/n put the dirty cups in a bowl to clean the next morning.

“I’ll bring you a spare futon, so you won’t have to sleep on the hard floor.”

After she gives him the futon, she binds him goodnight and he does the same. Both of them head to sleep, the last interaction still on their mind.

#genshin #genshin impact #scaramouche #scaramouche x reader #scaramouche fanfiction #scaramouche fanfic #scaramouche imagines #fatui #harbinger #fatui harbinger #kunikizushi #kabukimono #tatarasuna #inazuma #kannazuka #scaramouche romance

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spiritboundtwins · 1 year

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❀ ❝ My chest will never again be defiled by wordly filth... I will scrub away every last trace of human emotion. ❞ ❀

#genshin impact #scaramouche #wanderer #genshin impact scaramouche #genshin impact wanderer #kabukimono #genshin impact kabukimono #tatarasuna

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genshinnrambles · 1 year

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[3.2] Haypasia, the Irodori Warehouse Thief, and the Rather Aged Notes

or, We Have the Raiden Gokaden Downfall All Wrong Part 3 AND a Part 2 to this post.

Hello. I have returned. Here is a quick and dirty theory of how the plundered Rather Aged Notes of Tatarasuna, the attempted robbery of the warehouse containing the Kaedehara Clan’s belongings, and the “secret” Haypasia saw through her connection to Scaramouche’s consciousness are all related incidents pertaining to the same secret.

SPOILERS: The latest Sumeru Archon Quest! MAJORLY! Please don’t read before you finish it in its entirety!

DISCLAIMER: “Quick and dirty” does not mean quick, but rather: half-baked. Still thinking. Feedback welcome, thoughts and contradictions more than appreciated.

Now, a lot happened in the final installment of the Archon Quest, but I want to focus on what was happening around Haypasia and attempt to connect her value to the Fatui (or at least, to Dottore) back to some events related to Scaramouche.

Some Archon Quest Recap

Dehya and the Traveler met up with Tighnari at Pardis Dhyai to discuss Dottore’s whereabouts so that they might successfully complete their objective of removing him from the larger equation of their plan to rescue Nahida. There, Tighnari divulges that Dottore requested that Haypasia’s care be transferred to him so that he might take her back to Snezhnaya:

Tighnari: Hmph... so you mean, you're leaving this place soon?

The Doctor: Indeed. Otherwise, we could have perhaps talked a little more.

The Doctor: I was just about to set out when I remembered something important. To that end, I made a final trip to Pardis Dhyai.

Tighnari refuses, and Dottore backs down - he give the illusion that he has abandoned this endeavor and leaves him with this chilling message:

The Doctor: Under normal circumstances, I wouldn't just let you off the hook like this, but unfortunately, I'm in a hurry today — what with Her most noble Majesty, the Tsaritsa, calling for our return.

The Doctor: Luckily, there is still some time left for me to take care of everything before I leave.

The Doctor: It's just as the Akademiya said — you're a responsible and gifted scholar. Sadly, even with all of that, you're still lacking a bit of shrewdness.

The Doctor: And that's also why people like you can never realize that sooner or later, everyone must pay the price for what they've learned.

After catching up to Dottore’s segment in Port Ormos, Dehya speculates as to why he’s taken an interest in Haypasia in the first place:

Dehya: They might be after Haypasia. Let's get back to Pardis Dhyai!

Paimon: Huh? What do you mean?

Traveler: I just remembered...

Traveler: Haypasia once connected her consciousness to The Balladeer...

Dehya: I'm afraid that she's seen something that she wasn't supposed to see. If I were the Fatui, I would also try to take her away. And if I couldn't...

Paimon: Oh no! Are you saying they're going to kill her!?

Dehya: Hmm. Maybe the Fatui want to cover up some secret of The Balladeer? Is that why they tried to seize Haypasia?

And as we see, the Fatui were serious about this pursuit. The seemingly endless waves of assault the Traveler met with back at Pardis Dhyai was only thwarted by Scaramouche’s thunderous temper tantrum. Though they were not able to make good on their intent, the risk Haypasia posed to them was an important loose end to tie before leaving Sumeru.

What exactly that risk is, I do not know. We can’t be sure that The “Divine” Will is a complete account of what Haypasia saw by connecting to Scaramouche’s consciousness - at first glance, there’s nothing about this cutscene that should implicate the Fatui at all. The question remains - why was Dottore concerned with Haypasia’s connection to Scaramouche’s consciousness? Why would he want to remove her from Sumeru because of it?

I am choosing to take Dehya’s and the Traveler’s speculations at face value here because I think there is sufficient previous evidence to suggest that this dialogue is not a red herring, but in fact a set up for what will be covered in patch 3.3 either in a story quest for Scaramouche (sorry, Wanderer) or in his character lore. Knock on wood, I am tired of the loose ends with this dude.

The Palace, Dyed in Black

Let’s back up a little bit, because this is not the first time that we’ve seen this behavior relating to Scaramouche’s past. You will recall if you played the Irodori Festival in patch 2.6 that Ayato disclosed to the Traveler something very peculiar - a “Fatui spy” attempted to rob the warehouse containing the Kaedehara Clan’s belongings, the very same warehouse where we found Kaedehara Yoshinori’s secret letter divulging the truth about the case of the Eccentric and the Raiden Gokaden’s demise less than one hundred years prior to the start of the game.

At the time, I was convinced that the attempted robbery had to have been Scaramouche’s doing, based on the flimsy evidence that he would be concerned with the contents of that letter - namely, that Kunikuzushi had shown weakness and spared someone, a member of the Niwa Clan. And no evidence could exist in this world that he had ever been weak. This doesn’t work for a few reasons, the most obvious being that there’s no way to know that he was aware of this letter’s existence at all. In fact, there’s no way to know that anyone else knew of its existence either, but there are two things that the attempted robbery and Haypasia’s attempted abduction have in common: they concern Scaramouche’s past, and they were both targeted by the Fatui.

What’s more, as Ashikai pointed out in her video on the matter, there is sufficient ambiguity regarding the identity of this thief to call into question the possibility of it being Scaramouche. The most important reason, in my opinion, is that Scaramouche had stopped corresponding with the Fatui by this time, and likely could not have left Inazuma by boat so brazenly in its port town Ritou. Therefore, my top contender for this warehouse thief is now one of Dottore’s segments.

Nothing but Ivy

Finally, we have the Rather Aged Notes, a key piece of lore pertaining to Scaramouche’s past that is also maddeningly incomplete and faded with age so that just enough information is missing. If you’re not aware of what these are, you can read about them on the Genshin Wiki:

Now, I speculated earlier this year that these notes had actually been plundered from the Fatui rather than by the Fatui because of what I now suspect is a translation error - the blurb that appears before each notes’ dialogue reads “These notes seem to have been plundered during a recent raid on the Fatui.”

But now I am wondering if the way my brain originally read it, which is that the Fatui were the ones who plundered the notes from Tatarasuna, was actually correct. Some weak supporting evidence for this is that two of the more easily reachable notes are actually near Fatui mobs in the open-world. A somewhat stronger piece of supporting evidence for this is the possibility that this would not be an isolated incident from them given the previous two examples.

So what about these notes? They are also indirectly about Scaramouche’s past, specifically about the time that he spent on Tatarasuna with Mikoshi Nagamasa and Niwa Katsuragi. The maddening part of these notes is that with age they now give an incomplete account of what exactly happened during that time. But they are still usable pieces of evidence, and here’s why:

There is something that all three of these examples have in common with each other beyond the fact that they concern Scaramouche’s past and were targeted by the Fatui: the Rather Aged Notes cover a crucial point in the manufacturing history of Inazuman blades, when Jade Steel was introduced as a smelting material, while Kaedehara Yoshinori’s letter covers the reason for the ending of sacred blade forging schools belonging to the Raiden Gokaden, though this is not the end of Inazuman blade forging overall. Haypasia has no doubt also seen from Scaramouche’s consciousness that one of his betrayals occurred on Tatarasuna, and it is highly implied by the cutscene narrative that he was betrayed specifically by Niwa Katsuragi.

And so, the other common denominators between these three examples are just that: Niwa Katsuragi, if not the Niwa Clan in general, and Inazuma bladesmithing. Again, we had the reasons for the Raiden Gokaden downfall all wrong.

Final Thoughts

Now, I am of the opinion that we have not yet seen whatever dangerous secret Haypasia has seen at all, and not that we just don’t recognize what that secret is at this time. But who knows? Maybe I will be laughing at myself in a month from now. Wouldn’t be the first time.

What I don’t understand is this - if I am right that these three incidents are all connected and related to the same secret, then why is this secret important enough to pursue, but not important enough to permanently subdue? I don’t believe the Rather Aged Notes were actually tampered with in any way, but if they really wanted to be thorough about the warehouse they might as well have burned it down. And yes, Dottore didn’t have any segments left by the time he high-tailed it out of Sumeru with two gnoses in-hand, but he really didn’t have time or the upper-hand to deal Haypasia one final blow? Really?

In fact, that may be it. But what do you think? Some pieces of lore I think are worth revisiting include Kagotsurube Isshin and the fact that the Fatui offered asylum to the exiled Raiden Gokaden bladesmiths in Snezhnaya, any lore pertaining to the Isshin Art in general (like in Haran Geppaku Futsu), and Tatarigami. I’m curious what other theories people have about this!

Sources

As by a God’s side

The Five Colors’ True Form

The Rather Aged Notes

#genshin impact #genshin impact theory #genshin lore #genshin spoilers #scaramouche #wanderer #irodori festival #rather aged notes #tatarasuna #theory #sumeru archon quest #haypasia #raiden gokaden #genshin

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nightismyhaven · 1 year

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3.3 Interlude Archon Quest Spoilers

I finished the quest yesterday morning and I needed time to process it all but over all I rate it 8/10 could've been better and more fleshed out but I love it anyways. So to my thoughts.

So Nahida preserved the memories of Wanderer through storytelling didn't she? So what if the story of the five kasen still remains?

The lady that talked to us in the end. I first thought it was Alice but then realized the voice doesn't match so there's a high chance it was Istaroth or maybe another god that is responsible for the weaving of fate and destiny.

This quest now that I think about it is kinda like in greek myths. Basically in greek myths you can't change a prophecy your fate (the greeks has the three sisters by the way and if I remember correctly the norse mythology also has one with Frigga and threads of fate and with hoyo referencing Odin well maybe there is a goddess of fate (do correct me if I'm wrong)

Contrary to what other people think, I think that this is the better way for Wanderer to continue on. He still shoulders the sins of his past (him telling Traveller to tell the descendants of the bladesmiths about the truth) and we now are not on opposing sides. He may not be as powerful now but one less puppet for the Doctor to experiment on the better.

Niwa and Katsuragi not being the same person kinda feels pointless since they were not properly fleshed out as individual characters but not gonna lie I cried a bit (also niwa with the gozaru fuuuu- as a kazuha main I cry) but asides that I love the found family they got with Wanderer. Makes me emotional when I think about what could have happened if things were better.

Which brings me to my next point. At first I thought Wanderer suddenly deciding to erase his existence is kinda sudden but then when I think about it more I guess there was a part of himself that is still in denial about the three betrayals and that deep down he hopes that his family doesn't hate him which turns out to be true and because of that lingering attachments he hoped that by erasing himself from Irminsul would actually save them and give them a chance of a full life.

Which brings up another point that Wanderer is hella depressed. He knows that at that time that he is now weak and already served his purpose him wanting to basically die is something that we already know since his teaser. So his thought process is probably that since he is now useless and served no purpose it would be better to erase himself from existence and potentially save those he once treated as family.

And of course there's the fact that I think there is still one thing that prevents him from truly being free. And that is his desire for revenge. He still wants revenge and now it's towards the fatui and at the very least Dotorre so I don't think his story is over yet. And besides we still don't have his story quest yet do we?

And lastly... Anyone else creeped out by the way he acted? Like not really creeped but more like unnerved? I mean that was probably his personality before everything but holy crap it scared me and made me so paranoid I basically thought he was luring us in then when we lower down our guard he's gonna kill us.

#genshin impact #genshin theory #wanderer #niwa #katsuragi #tatarasuna #dottore #3.3 spoilers #genshin 3.3 #aaaaaahhhhhhhhh #I can't take this man #wanderer's story is far from finished #he's gonna come back!!!

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whalesandstars · 10 months

Text

Hello, World

Wanderer & Nahida, Platonic [Angst, Hurt/Comfort]

Summary: [Jan 3, 2553 Hello, world I am Kunikuzushi, a robot made by a researcher named Raiden Ei. I am made with the purpose of pursuing eternity by recording the history of the world.] A series of electronic journal entries telling the journey of a robot, of joy and grief, as he met different people and went from being an artificial being to becoming a human-like robot with emotions. ============================== “Rukkha, I’d like to ask, what does it mean to live?” “The answer to that is something you need to find yourself in order for it to be a ‘true answer’.” “...I don’t understand.” “You will someday.”

Jan 3, 2553

Hello, world

I am Kunikuzushi, a robot made by a researcher named Raiden Ei. I am made with the purpose of pursuing eternity by preserving the history of the world. Following the task I have been given, I will proceed in recording events in this electronic journal.

Log 1:

On December 31, 2033, a war broke out between the inhabitants of a planet called Teyvat and those from Celestia, a galaxy with the coordinates 45.9703, -118.2472.

As an AI made at the time after the war, I am not able to retrieve earlier records aside from what my creator has given me. But here is the data stored in my database:

“The old Teyvat was described as a bountiful planet with beautiful landscapes and was composed of mountains, valleys, rivers, oceans, deserts, and underground caves. Its citizens were capable of wielding seven elements namely: anemo, geo, electro, dendro, hydro, pyro, and cryo. This unique ability was utilized to maximize an individual’s potential through amplifiers called visions, which was an ancient technology produced by Celestia and regulated by the leader presiding over each element called archons.”

[Searching database for ‘Celestia’ and ‘Celestial War’]

[Match found]

[Compiling search results]

Celestia oversees the progress of nations and vision holders in Teyvat, as well as enforcing order throughout the land. Teyvat and Celestia co-existed until a dispute and the destruction of a nation called Khaenri’ah caused the Celestial War that killed millions from both sides. Celestia retreated and surrendered control over Teyvat. However, the planet sustained extensive damage and its iconic landscapes were turned into barren wastelands. Survivors grouped together and created camps from ruined cities, scavenged items for daily necessities such as food and clothes, and fought monsters that remained in the land.

Log 2:

A decade after the war, a few cities, considered as the last bastions of humanity, thrived in terms of technological advancements, and a prosperous Teyvat emerged after a decade. My creator, Raiden Ei, is from a nation named Inazuma. She is a descendant of an archon and well-known researcher who created me in the image of her sister who died saving her from a monster ambush. My creator aimed to preserve her memories of her and of the past, creating an ‘eternity’ by recording history.

On the third of January 2553, Raiden Ei completed her 99th prototype, a robot which she named Kunikuzushi.

September 16, 2554

Log 1:

Raiden Ei passed away peacefully in her sleep. I am incapable of stating the cause of her death for she told me not to record it, but she did let me save this message in my memory:

“Go out and see the world with your eyes, record your own story, and live our life how you want it to be.”

As per her request, I buried my creator’s remains beside the Great Sakura Tree, where her sister also laid. As I stared at the two graves next to each other, I experienced a minor malfunction. There was something wet on my face and my optical units went blurry as I walked away from the tree.

September 17, 2554

I have broken down my creator’s final words in three primary tasks and aligned them to my original purpose.

Task 1: Wander around the world

Task 2: Record events in an electronic journal

Task 3: Live

The third task remains obscure. As an artificial intelligence, I am not alive and incapable of living. Sub-task has been created for this, which is to ‘understand what living means’.

To fulfill all these, I left the Shakkei research facility and commenced my goal of traveling around the world starting by going to the areas beyond Inazuma City.

September 20, 2554

I have arrived in an island named Tatarasuna where the supplies of Crystal Marrows, a valuable source of energy for Inazuma, are mined. This is also where most weapons are forged through the knowledge of the last surviving blacksmiths who aim to preserve their legacy by teaching youths about the craft.

>>Accessing system command log

>> Subtasks created

Task 1: Observe the humans of Tatarasuna and gather intel on how they live

Progress: 0%

Task 2: Learn blacksmithing

Progress 0%

The humans welcomed me without noticing that I am a robot. My creator has taught me basic human functions I needed to know so I am able to blend well with the people in that island. According to my processor’s calculations, the probability of me progressing with my third primary task will increase if I stayed here, so I accepted the humans’ offer for accommodation.

October 20, 2554

Log 1:

[Generating monthly report…]

[Running task check…]

[2 active subtasks found]

> Task 1: 23% completed

> Task 2: 75% completed

One month has passed. I am still living with the humans of Tatarasuna. I have stored information about the citizens: their name, eye and hair color, facial features, height, occupation, and personality. Those who have shared their goals have also been recorded.

[Katsuragi: To forge a blade that will surpass the quality of his grandfather’s work

Nagamasa: To see a peaceful and prosperous Tatarasuna, to clear the reputation of his adoptive mother.

Niwa: to continue Isshin Art and be a good father.

A sick child with no name: to be healthier and explore the world.]

Log 2:

Today, I have forged my very first blade. I expressed my inability to create a perfect blade (due to insufficient data) but Niwa insisted that it does not have to be perfect. Listing it down as a secondary command, I did the task and mimicked the simple knife on a nearby shelf; a plain blade attached to a wooden handle. I showed it to Niwa, who smiled and ruffled my synthetic hair while commending my work. According to my database, he seems to be displaying a human emotion called happiness. He also explicitly said that he is proud of me.

I do not understand the implications of his words but replied with “thank you” as per protocol whenever I received a positive feedback. A malfunction occurred again. My lips smiled without direct command from my processor. I ran a diagnostic but no error has been detected.

November 30, 2554

The sick child kept following me. He greets me in the morning and walks with me as I picked lavender melons for him and the pregnant wife of Niwa. He also asked me to teach him how to read and write while we ate lunch on a field 75 steps away from the workshop.

He is full of energy despite having an illness. He will flash a toothy grin at me whenever he greets me in front of my small house. He looked confused when I used a research analysis as an example for our reading sessions and seemed to be happy after I changed my lesson materials into children’s stories. He also jumped up and down while smiling once I gave him a handmade doll, which I asked one of the villagers to teach me how to craft. Although he easily gets tired, he still insists on catching crystalflies with me before the sun sets.

December 30, 2554

The child moved into my house. He also started calling me brother and us as family. I said that we cannot be brothers for we are not related but he explained that you do not have to be biologically connected to be a family and that all that matters is that you love and care for each other. Such words are foreign concept to me so I asked him what love and care meant. He replied that it is when you feel comfortable with them and that you do not want to see them sad. You always want them to be happy.

>>System command to compare parameters with the received information

>>Checking…

[Parameters matched]

I told him he is family to me too.

The people of Tatarasuna as well.

March 12, 2555

The boy died. I have tried searching for a cure but his health deteriorated too fast during the winter season.

Earlier today, I was picking lavender melons and some herbs to try and create a nutritious soup but when I came back to our house, I found him on the floor. I shook him to wake him up but he did not. It was the same with his creator. He has no pulse. He was not breathing. I accessed the first aid module in me and tried reviving him but soon, people came through the door I forgot to close and told me to stop. He was gone, they said. They were right.

While they were taking him away, I checked my subtasks. One of them stood out.

Task: Watch the sakura trees bloom this coming spring with the boy

I looked at the budding flowers on the branches outside the window as the task dissolved away.

March 19, 2555

7 days have passed since the boy died. I now stand in front of his grave, under the shade of a sakura tree whose flowers are just days away from blooming, holding a small bouquet of flowers the same way I did after my mother creator died. I placed the flowers on the tombstone and walked away.

I went through my usual routine before the boy lived with me, which involves waking up from rest mode, picking fruits, helping with forging, and mining Crystal Marrows. From my memory logs, I can confirm that I am doing the right tasks and yet people kept asking me how I felt or if I needed a break. This confused me. First, I have no need to take breaks because my synthetic body gives me more stamina compared to living beings. Second, I am not capable of feeling because I am not human.

Yes…I am not supposed to feel anything.

But why is there a weird sensation in his chest and a sting in his optical units?

I logged the times this occurred and based on my records, this happens when I wake up in the morning, when I pass by the places I usually go to with the boy, when I visit his grave, and before I sleep at night. I ran diagnostics daily but no anomaly has been detected. Maybe my diagnostic tool is the one having an error…

…because how cannot detect the cause of this ache and the excess moisture on my eyes.

June 6, 2555

[Request for subtasks log]

[Generating…]

Task 1: Observe the humans of Tatarasuna and gather intel on how they live

Progress: 100%

Task 2: Learn blacksmithing

Progress: 100%

I have completed my subtasks in this island despite the persistence of the anomaly in me.

The people of Tatarasuna lived a simple life yet they looked happy. Concluding from the information I have gathered, it seems that “living” involves two important factors.

You need to have a family or someone you care about.

You do not need to have a lot of mora or material possessions but you need to find something that makes you happy.

All these are abstract and subjective things I have yet to fully understand.

>>Analyzing options to further investigate these concepts…

>> Analysis done.

Results:

Option 1: Continue observing the people of Tatarasuna

Option 2: Search other places for cross analysis of information

>>Selecting Option 2

>>Prioritization set to Option 2

This will align with my main task of wandering around the world and recording events. My mother once said that different cities and nations have different cultures and values. If I visit other places, I will be able to study other kinds of humans and their way of life.

June 7, 2555

I told Niwa and the others about my plan to leave Tatarasuna and travel around the world. They expressed concern over my wellbeing but eventually agreed. They spoke about missing me and asked to stay for a week before I depart for my next destination.

Strange. The thought of leaving them gave me a weird sensation.

June 13, 2555

One day before I am scheduled to leave Tatarasuna. It is sunny as usual and I am able to continue my daily routine. I was in the middle of completing a task of delivering newly made clothes to the outskirts of the village when an explosion happened on the other side of the mountain.

August 19, 2555

I was not able to leave Tatarasuna.

Another war broke out.

An organization, The Fatui, who turned out to be allied with Celestia commenced a plan to recapture Teyvat and take revenge for what happened in the Celestial War. Reorganizing my tasks and prioritization, I stayed in Tatarasuna to help Nagamasa come up with a plan to defend the island and its people. Combat functions were not specifically installed in me but I was able to learn through the soldiers who aided the island and from the retired ones, as well as the books I read before in my mother’s library. I helped in forging blades when the situation was calmer and made a weapon for myself; a sharper and more lethal version of the one I used for my sword dance with Niwa.

We were able to stave off the invaders and defeat the monsters who attacked us.

November 11, 2555

We were ambushed in the middle of the night. A large troop came and was led by a Fatui harbinger; a man with blue hair whose face was covered by a mask and wields a newer version of a vision, a delusion. The dead body of the front line’s defense general, Nagamasa. Niwa instructed me to save as many people as I could but before I could run to follow his command, the harbinger found us. We were overpowered.

I am the only one left standing after Niwa, who was severely injured, is thrown to the side by the harbinger. The damage I sustained during the battle exposed my broken components, revealing that I am not human.

Something ached in my chest again after realizing that my lie has been exposed.

I do not want Niwa to hate me.

Niwa is surprised but he told me that he still views me as family despite me being not human and not telling the truth to him.

I smiled.

The harbinger just laughed at us and mocked us for playing house with a mere object.

Was that what I simply am?

An object?

Yes, I am an object but I will fulfill the tasks I was given promise I made.

>>Creating urgent tasks

>>Tasks created manually

Task 1: Defend Tatarasuna

Task 2: Protect my family

I fought with the harbinger despite not being a combat-oriented unit. I calculated my every move and searched for a way to outwit the enemy but the odds of winning was only 0.03%. By the time dawn was approaching, a red warning was already flashing at the side of my vision.

WARNING: COMPONENTS COMPROMISED

DAMAGE SUSTAINED: 85%

I can barely move and static is beginning to fill my vision as my knees fall to the ground, the purple liquid equivalent to a human’s blood dripping down my exposed and severed wires and from my head down to my eyes, obscuring the warning on my visuals. I wiped the dampness away and looked up to see the harbinger lunge at me…

…only for Niwa to shield me from the blow.

Purple and red mixed together.

Genuine and synthetic eyes met.

“Why?” I asked.

“You’re human. You’re part of our family. Remember that.”

He pushed me down a low cliff, sending me falling to the dark sea.

The last thing I saw is the harbinger piercing Niwa’s chest and Tatarasuna burning to the ground before I plunged into the cold water of the Inazuman sea.

WARNING

SYSTEM ERROR

DAMAGE CRITICAL

TRYING TO REBOOT…

REBOOTING FAILED.

ENTERING FORCED SLEEP MODE–

?? ???, ???

SYSTEM REPAIR INITIATED

?? ???, ???

VITAL COMPONENTS REPAIRED

?? ???, ???

REPAIR COMPLETE

SYSTEM FILES RECOVERED

REBOOT COMMAND STARTED

SYSTEM CHECK…

> Processor: OK

> Motor Function: OK

> Memory Logs: OK

> ???: OK

READY FOR REBOOT

REBOOTING…

Hello, world

I am Kunikuzushi, a robot made by a researcher named Raiden Ei. I am made with the purpose of pursuing eternity by preserving the history of the world.

Task logs detected:

Ongoing tasks:

> Raiden Ei’s wish:

Task 1: Wander around the world

Task 2: Record each moment and events on an electric journal

Task 3: Live

Other tasks:

> [Deleted] Task: Watch the sakura trees bloom this coming spring with the boy

> [Failed] Defend Tatarasuna and protect my family

I opened my eyes expecting to see a village in flames but instead, what I can see is a small room filled with soft green light.

> Searching database for location matches…

No result found

I sat up from the soft mattress beneath me, making the white blanket fall down to my lap. I blinked before I let my optical units scan my fingers, hands, arms, and legs, searching for any trace of damage but found none except for the faint scars that formed on my artificial skin. Looking around the place, I recognized some common items humans usually use such as a table, closet, cup, and a few traditional paper books. Just when I was about to get up to inspect more of my surroundings, the door swung open.

A woman clothed in a long white dress appeared from the doorway, her green eyes, which matched the highlights on her hair that runs up to the back of her knees, are fixed on me. She smiled at me. She seems happy to see me. She said that she has been waiting a long time for me to wake up after she rescued me from the shore and repaired me.

“I’ve been waiting for you.”

September 14, 2558

I have been asleep for 3 years after I fell from the cliff. The war has ended and although the connection from Celestia has been permanently severed, 80% of Teyvat has been destroyed.

The woman’s name is Rukkhadevata but we agreed that I will call her Rukkha and she will address me as Kuni.

Profile information:

Name: Rukkhadevata

Nation: Sumeru

Age: 200

Bio: (more information needed)

[Transcript audio record]

“I’m an archon guarding Sumeru…or what’s left of it. Do you know what an archon is?”

“According to my database, archons are revered to by the Old Teyvat as gods. They are capable of wielding elements and have been crucial to the survival of humanity during the first war. However, all of them died during the Celestial War.”

“Yet here I am, claiming to be one.” A giggle, “I can’t blame you for looking so surprised.” “Suprised? As an artificial being, I am not capable of such emotions.”

“And yet you feel. I saw your memory logs. Sorry for viewing them without permission. I need to check them to see if there is anything left damaged.”

“No need for an apology. Those files are not strictly confidential. Going back to what you said earlier, I would like to inquire more about it.”

“Sure. Let me ask you a question first. If given the circumstance that a casualty is unavoidable, if you have to pick between a single sickly old person and a group of young adults, who would you pick to save and why?”

“Considering life expectancy and being capable of helping in the restoration of Teyvat, it will be more beneficial to save the young adults.”

“I see. How about between the sickly child who lived with you and a group of healthy knights?”

“I…”

“You hesitated. By logical calculations, it will be wise to save the knights but you care about the boy more than a bunch of strangers. Care is a mix of love for a person and the fear of losing them. Both are emotions, and to have emotions is to be human.”

“But I cannot be a human. I am not an organic being.”

“True. You have wires instead of veins and you bleed purple instead of red. By physical attributes, you can never be classified as a human. But being a human is not having flesh and bone alone. To be human is to have humanity and that means having empathy and compassion. Itis to smile when you see the people you care about happy and in grieving when they die. The ache you felt when the boy died, that is grief.”

“...I see.”

“Kuni?”

“Yes?”

“You may not have a heart that beats but you have a soul that’s capable of feeling.”

September 15, 2558

Rukkha told me how she came to be. She was a genuine archon who was born when her predecessor, the original deity of Sumeru, had left a piece of her soul before she sacrificed herself for her people and died. However, the reincarnation created a new and separate entity and her abilities were reduced to only being able to make flowers bloom. She was locked away as a source of research, which was why it was presumed that all archons had perished, and was only freed during the eruption of the second war, the one started by the Fatui, after her nation was left ruined.

Today, Rukkha led me in front of an enormous tree named Irminsul and brought me inside its core, which was another tree but with blue inorganic-looking branches. She told me that it records the history of Teyvat. All information about people, monsters, and even robots, as well as historic events were all compiled in its leaves. But right now, after the last war that left Teyvat in ruins once more, all the tree’s leaves where all recordings were stored, had been lost. I can supply a tiny portion of my own records but we will need more to fully restore it.

[Transcript audio]

“That’s why I’ve been waiting for you, Kuni. When I was imprisoned, they asked me to connect with Irminsul. I wasn’t strong enough to establish a strong and long connection at that time but I managed to read one leaf. I saw the one capable of working with me in restoring the lost records…and someone who will be my friend. You.”

December 28, 2558

We left on a journey to restore Irminsul. Teyvat has been severely damaged, almost the same way described in my database during the aftermath of the first war, leaving us traveling through fallen cities and a handful of humans. With Rukkha’s ability combined with mine, we’re able to restore the projections of memories from different locations and we experienced them secondhand.

Jan 3, 2558

Rukkha made a small cake made with nuts as a birthday present for me. We ate it as she talked about the stars, seas, and mountains with excitement, which I think is the reason why the pastry tasted better.

After all, even the simplest of food can taste like luxury when with a friend.

June 10, 2558

The story of humans is a cycle of love and loss, of happiness and sorrow, of death and birth. As we explored all around Teyvat collecting memories, as Rukkha told me and showed me a wide range of emotions, I realized that life is bittersweet yet that made it beautiful. Even though flowers sprout in spring and fully bloom in summer then wilt in autumn and wither by winter, new ones are born in the next cycle of spring. Even though the sky lights up and sunrise becomes bright at noon, dims in the afternoon, and goes dark at night, it is still a masterpiece because it is able to paint different colors. Even though the lives of humans are fragile and are bound to end, just like how Rukkha viewed it, I find it beautiful.

[Transcription audio]

“Rukkha, I’d like to ask, what does it mean to live?”

“The answer to that is something you need to find yourself in order for it to be a ‘true answer’.”

“...I don’t understand.”

“You will someday.”

July 9, 2558

I should have noticed it sooner. When she mentioned that she saw a glimpse of me from the future, I should have realized it. Irminsul was only supposed to be recording the past and the present, not the future.

She has accessed the Forbidden Knowledge.

Apparently, the sages of Sumeru forced her to unlock pieces of information related to Forbidden Knowledge and now, she is suffering for things she never wanted. I feel agony. I feel rage towards those scholars who treated her like a tool and a stepping stone for their vain pursuit of knowledge.

It’s unfair. All she wants is to freely explore the world beyond her prison and to live like a normal human, yet she has been robbed of it. Now, she is dying because of Eleazar, which has no cure. She is kind, too kind. What has she done to deserve this kind of fate? It’s unfair.

I…I’m afraid. I don’t want her to die. I don’t want to lose her. I don’t want to grieve again for another family that I found.

Please…not again.

August 19, 2558

She smiles. Even as the black scales are eating away her body, even as the pain tormented her while I carried her on my back during our journey, she smiled.

October 27, 2558

She still smiles. As I cradled her in my arms in front of Irminsul, she was still smiling the same way she did when I first met her, when she tasted lavender melon, when she ran across a field chasing after a butterfly, and as she played on the water by the shore. Even though my chest feels like it’s being torn to shreds and tears fall from my eyes like a waterfall flowing towards the sea, she smiles. The corner of her lips are curled upward as she told me how human I’ve become and how happy she is to have met me; her companion in her journey to explore the world, a friend, a family.

She still smiles as she hands me one last gift before her eyes slid close.

“Thank you.” She whispered.

“Thank you.” I wrapped my arms around her.

May 17, 2568

Ten years have passed since Rukkha died. The ache was still there and I still see the ghosts of her smile and the journey we had as I continued my wandering across the world with her last gift tucked in my coat’s pocket.

Teyvat has rebuilt itself from the ashes of war even though it was still far from its former glory. People were starting to move on with their lives and I, too, had begun walking forward from grief and was currently traveling as a wandering historian who was sharing and recording the events in this planet while guarding Irminsul.

Life was not perfect, but it was better.

October 27, 2568

Rukkha’s last gift is a seed. Over time, it became a bud, growing little by little each day, until finally turned into a little twig. The tiny branch is now glowing and I am sitting beside it, waiting like it is an egg about to hatch.

What does it mean to live?

My mother wanted me to discover that.

I once asked Rukkha that question.

Now I understand what she meant by needing to find my own answer for it to become a true answer.

For a robot, to live is an impossible notion.

For a synthetic but human-like being, it is to love despite the inevitable loss. It is to admire the stars even though they will all disappear when morning comes. It is to welcome the warmth of having a family even though the fire will be extinguished by the cold snow of winter. It is to travel and see the world, to know the experiences and emotions that make humans laugh and cry, to treasure every moment, and to weave the story of others and yours into a colorful tapestry.

To live is to find your own answer,

And just like how the people of Tatarasuna and Rukkha guided him, he would do the same for this new life that was born.

“A name is life’s first gift and I’ll give it to you. From now on, your name will be Nahida.”

Jan 3, 2569

Hello, world

I am Kunikuzushi, a human-like robot with emotions, ready to record a new era with this little hand holding mine.