The Price of the Archons' Ideals [Genshin Impact Character Analysis, Theory, and Lore]

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Time to dive into the Archons' Ideals! A video for Genshin Impact that I've been REALLY meaning to make for a long time but I just haven't had the chance to! On a side note, I have no idea what to name this video. :| Also, sorry for the slow updates this coming weekend ! But nevertheless, let's talk about the Genshin!
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[@ChillwithAster]

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[@The_Rational_One]

Hello Aster. i found out something recently about zhongli's Ideals. It is possible that his real Ideal is not actually "Contracts". the thing is, in the chinese (original) translations of his ultimate he says something completely else: Heavenly Principles march deep, This is order. (literal translation: "This is the Way of Heaven") and The world revolves around order. (literal translation: "Heaven moves all things)". So, what if his real Ideal (or "original" Ideal) was in reality "Order"?

[@timrim9405]

Concept of archons and ideals reminds me of Ergo Proxy

[@someoneinasia]

it's interesting that contract and freedom are opposite of other, which actually reflect their element. like wind and rocks, one freely moves and one is immovable.

[@someoneinasia]

@@The_Rational_One yeah, it's kind of ironic that english translation of genshin actually has the most mistranslations.

[@The_Rational_One]

@@someoneinasia hm.. now to think of it, You have your own freedom to sign a contract. you dont exactly have to. but if you do, the contract binds you up, and if you refuse to do everything right, you are dead

[@mariapazgonzalezlesme]

Another flaw about Venti's ideal of freedom and his character --- is his appearence based of the Nameless Bard. If freedom from Venti's view is the ability to live your life without any chain nor regret. And yet, he still retains the image of his friend, and uses alchohol as way to cope with his sadness, that's an contradiction to his ideals. Because Barbatos chained himself into the memory of his friend, he cannot seem to fully enjoy freedom himself.

[@plushycatt]

He needs a viable human form, enjoys alcohol as it's a mondstadtian culture. Doesn't mean he can't enjoy freedom to the fullest, he did the very things he likes and enjoys as he's free to do whatever he wants to do.

[@lnsflare1]

I mean, he had an entire quest where he helped someone get over their unhealthy attachment to their own dead friend whose identity they had assumed, with the despair driving him to make up stories and drown himself in booze. That seemed like a pretty blatant attempt to show that Venti's own situation is significantly different, with him wearing the Nameless Bard's appearance as an homage rather than a crutch, and telling stories and drinking heavily out of his honest enjoyment of ephemeral pleasures without impairing his ability to act in defending the people he loves of his own volition, rather than a way to hide from his own pain.

[@erikboncoref.7020]

@@plushycatt yes, but once again, he is not content with his alleged freedom, it's more of a pointless libertinage, he actually seems regretful about a lot of stuff (it's certain to say that regret nullifies the freedom of consciousness), and he doesn't speak or act as freely as he would like, which leads to his contradictions and underlines the fact that he's holding onto something, hiding it from the Traveler, so he's attached to stuff, and he's not free

[@Sakuyamon]

I beg to differ. Ventis ideal isnt restrainless freedom. Venti may act like he is careless but he is always there when he is needed, he freed Mond from both tyrant god, aristocracy and corrupted dragons when he easily could have turned his back on it. He take his friends form because he has his own regrets. Freedom doesnt mean you will never regret things, or be free from responsibility. Ventis freedom is the choise, no matter if the consequense is good or bad. Choosing what to regret, choosing when and how to be responsible, that is freedom too even if you may feel like you arent "free".

[@captainvalourous6668]

This comment reminded me of a qoute from Warhammer 40k series. "You're still a slave, a slave of your past, blind to the future" -Rouboutte Gulliman the 13th Primarch

[@Ikcatcher]

“What does freedom really mean, if demanded of you by a god?”

[@ChillwithAster]

Truly. The quote that started this whole idea

[@w1nther930]

Yeah because there is one thing wrong with it. Its a command. Is it really freedom if you are commanded to be free? Its like a paradox. You are forced to be free but isn’t that forcing them making it Not free?

[@mneech609]

And some anemo characters exercise freedom by choosing not to be free for the sake of others (Jean)

[@Sleepy_Muse]

@@w1nther930 the freedom here, is freedom of choice, venti inspires the idea of freedom, but he won’t let others take each others freedom away from eachother The freedom of choice I assume, the Lawrence clan could have changed there ways after all theses years, and venti could have forced them because of how they continue to effect mondstadt, but instead there allowed to choose, and they have no authority to subjugate anyone they think would be beneath them, nor are people stripped of there freedom to associate with the clan, or even work under them This isent that hard a concept to understand, I don’t thing damn was pointing out a problem, I think he was asking a question in relation to a problem he’s considering, venti Dosent demand that people be free, he demands that they should be, which they are, freedom isent just the state of being contained, or structured, vs, unbound an un-orderly, it’s the act of making a choice, and having a chance to figure out what you want to do, and exscuse it, if you face consequence’s for a choice you make, it is NOT a punishment for expressing your free will, it’s just a consiquences of action, be it good or bad Like, your free to pick a fight with a kid, but that kids parent is also free to knock some sense into you, and the ath routines have the freedom to deal with both parties however they see fit, which tends ti be dictated by the combined choice of the people If you don’t like it, you are free to leave and change, or leave and stay the same, the point is the journey, blah blah, something about smelling the roses. Those who are given the option of free choice, and use that choice to take away another’s freedom of choice for unjust reasons, in turn would deserve to have there choice taken away from them, yet venti Dosent do that ether, he lets the people handle it And if it gets really bad, he dose step in, but even then I can’t imaigin he’d do anything nearly as drastic as the other archons would, when the Lawrence clan tryed to kill venessa he dident even fight them, he just appeard and told them to “play fair” they gave her an impossible task, because they had the “freedom of choice to do so” they chose not to be fair, and so in turn, there god chose not to play fair, and enhanced Venda with the power she needed to overcome her challenger, the agreement both settled on dident take any of theses things into account, and with the archon there, the clan relented Venti dident lay a finger on anyone during the whole event ether, he passively did whatever he wanted to help those he wanted to help in a just manner, and let the people deside what they wanted to do about the situation

[@Gomjibar]

I always got the impression that Venti's ideal of freedom what that the people of Mondstadt were free from his control, free to choose their own path. He is there, as their god to protect them and help move them in the right direction, but the people of the land don't have a God lording over them like the old storm god, or like Zhongli or Ei do/did for their countries.

[@iarbach]

What if Venti going to sleep is his way of combatting corrosion? Similarly to how Ei avoids change and Zhong-li tries to resist it.

[@ChillwithAster]

THIS i think might be the case. I really like the theory he's conserving energy or whatever put him to sleep basically treats him like a battery

[@mysticshawty1234]

@@ChillwithAster i love this idea! if venti is anemo and time together this would make a lot of sense, other gods were replaced or eroded, so how does the god of time prevent that? Stasis seems the only actual solution, which is extremely odd bc his ideal is freedom yet hes preserved by time. Maybe there is an actual lore reason why venti is conserving himself so much or why he didnt go balls to the wall for his gnosis. My guess is he knows a heck of a lot more than hes letting on. One of those being fate itself. Freedom is inherently contradictory to what we've learned about Teyvat, it simply doesnt exist. Nobody is free and they all have a fate, then again maybe that is ventis point. Freedom in the face of fate, and the will of another god.

[@caparashon]

That's what I've always assumed! From the archons, he's the only one who's never manifested a fear of erosion. Thus, I think his slumber helps. That said, Aster's theory that mama Istaroth or his people's prayers or something else wakes him up when he needs to be an actor in the play, so to speak, can also co-exist with it

[@Water_droppp]

Is the term Ei’s consciousness the same as saying Ei’s spirit or soul??

[@h.4315]

What if Venti does not actually "go to sleep", but moving his consciousness through time.

[@alexfirth21]

Zhongli seems like he has no faith, but covertly has major hope in the traveler. Seems likely given the contract with the Tsaritsa was made before he met Aether/Lumine and Paimon.

[@ChillwithAster]

This i whole heartedly agree with. The Contract was already established before Ae/lumi/pai since Tartaglia already considers Zhongli as an associate. Zhongli seems resigned to HIS fate, but I don't doubt a part of him has great faith that the Traveler will surpass the limitations of this world. That's what he alludes to in both his story quests at the end, so that's nice.

[@boruto536]

@@ChillwithAster hey aster I don't know if zongli said true I mean the god of salt is weakest god so how the heck she can put a powerful curse I think the god of salt name might be guizong and I think zongli and that god might be best friends but once he found out his own people killed the god of salt zongli might be mad and throws a meteorite and made them stone statue we also seen zongli uses meteorite make a stone statues on hillichurls coincidence I don't think so

[@mysticshawty1234]

@@boruto536 God of Salt is Havria and an Guizhong is the God of Dust, very different. Guizong was most likely reincarnated as Ningguang so she still has a presence in the story.

[@Water_droppp]

Is the term Ei’s consciousness the same as saying Ei’s spirit or soul??

[@someoneinasia]

@@Water_droppp according to urakusai in miko quest, memory-conciousness-spirit are the same thing.

[@river5253]

I think we DO know the Tsaritsa's ideal-love. She doesn't follow it anymore, but I don't think it's changed. Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if she is doing everything unintentionally in a way that respects a twisted version of love.

[@kevinirmiter3669]

I definitely think you're right that her ideal is love. You might also be right about her acting out of a twisted sense of love, but I see one more possibility. I think the story with her might involve her thinking that she has lost her ideal of love, but finding out that she hasn't, and that she does still feel intense love for her people.

[@breadninjaplays3836]

We are 99% sure but it's not confirmed yet in-game soooo

[@river5253]

@@breadninjaplays3836 well, Venti tells us that was her ideal last he checked

[@breadninjaplays3836]

@@river5253 he did ?! Oh *Rushes to the archive to check*

[@river5253]

@@breadninjaplays3836 wait never mind I thought he said that at the end of the prologue (you know, when you ask the archons or miko questions) but he only alludes to it. So does Dainsleif, so does the gemstone. Note that for in the Travail trailer, where the archons' ideals are revealed, he does not outright say that the Pyro Archon is the god of war, but we all assume it just because.

[@NegaKill13]

The Hydro Archon seems to be having a heavy case of White and Black morality madness. it would be really fitting if the two characters showed in the Fontaine teaser are Phantom Thieves since they could dispense own sort of justice in grays. The muddy Gray were the clean pure waters of the Goddess of Justice refuse to touch

[@ChillwithAster]

Ugh true. From what we know now, just reading the Gemstone I'm like "damn, you want us to praise your magnificence. And I thought Ei's 'this body is the noblest' was egotistical"

[@firby7341]

i would love to see the old hydro archon being overthrown by a judgmental new god. one whacky theory i have is rhodeia being the former hydro archon. we know that she suspects "assasins " from her homeland to be after her....maybe she was found guilty for whatever by the new archon and fled? i think that wouldbe a fun way to introduce the former hydro archon

[@rensunni1572]

I love the theory of them being phantom thieves, cuz everywhere I see ppl say that they’re performers, which I honestly don’t believe. Cuz why would performers be important if we’re going to a courtroom.

[@Water_droppp]

Is the term Ei’s consciousness the same as saying Ei’s spirit or soul??

[@someoneinasia]

maybe the new hydro archon is like ammit and the og hydro archon is like khonsu. one punishes people who may be doing bad stuff in the future, while the other punishes people only after they are doing bad stuff.

[@eertikrux666]

I sense insecurity in the Hydro Archon, almost as if she did something wrong, something embarrassing, and thus feels the need to regain her pride by “judging other gods”

[@user-oy2fu1sx1c]

Theres actually a theory that the current hydro archon killed the previous archon, and wanted to completely change fontaine to fit her own ideals. Thus the oceanid's line: "an assassin from our homeland? or a fool who trespasses upon the waters of qingce?" The hydro archon tries to make people believe fontaine is perfect by getting rid of creations of the previous god, as well as making the people of fontaine wear the same looking clothes, like a uniform. She judges all other gods out of jealousy and insecurity, but dares not judge celestia.

[@sampofools]

venti seems like the best archon overall. perhaps it was because he was not born into godhood, so he knows first hand what its like to be small and insignificant in the eyes of gods, to have dreams beyond ideals by best i don't mean hes the best at the job of course, I mean morally. he cares more deeply for his nations people than zhongli and ei. zhongli loves liyue of course, but he didnt stop to think how the people would feel about his test. ei didnt even think at all. venti on the other hand, all his big quests have been initiated purely by his genuine care for someone or something, rather than "his nation" he wanted to help dvalin, his friend, and apologise for his absence he risked revealing his identity to everyone by given imposter stanley closure on his dead friend, closure venti never really got with the nameless bard. even in the wholesome golden apple archipelago quest, he summons dvalin so his friends can go somewhere they seem passionate about i think hes very caring

[@loona.8663]

I think the archons didn’t really know what to expect when they became archons. They seem to develop an “all or nothing” mentality over time. The weight of their powers, title, responsibilities, and immortality becomes too much, and they make questionable decisions. I think Ei is the perfect example of that, and the hydro, dendro and cryo archons seem to have gone through a similar process. Celestia seemed to have given power to them based on some sort of criteria of theirs, sat back and watched the show lol I mean, they literally went to war to, according to speculations, occupy the seven seats in celestia. Also, they helped to destroy Khaenri’ah and probably other civilizations as well because celestia told them to. It doesn’t seem like it’s that fun to be an archon, tbh.

[@sampofools]

i believe venti was actually asleep during khaenrias destruction, it was the peoples cry who awoke him to stop the abyssal beasts that were released as a result of it. out of all the archons he seems to be the "trapped good guy", sort of, dropping hints here and there because he cannot reveal the full truth for example, wayy before we find the abyss twin, venti says "traveler, remember, your *journey* itself has *meaning* " then poof, abyss twin appears few updates later and says "brother/sister, you must finish your *journey* before we can reunite" bit of a stretch, but an interesting one imo

[@loona.8663]

@@sampofools i think so too! He is always dropping important info and foreshadowing. I think his 1st voice over is something like 'hey traveler good to see you again' but the traveler didn't remember him. I am curious to see what's that all about and the journey thing too.

[@sampofools]

@@loona.8663 it seems he may have protected or comforted traveller in their dreams. We know he can see dreams thanks to his character story five (but the anemo archon glimpses and sees that they dream each night of warm reverie). In his windblume poem (imo it was directed at traveller because i can't think of how it would make sense for anyone else + in the cn version some parts change based on the traveller you picked) he says "who was it that embraced your noble soul in dreams deep, skies soaring?" When traveller gives an example of their nightmare, they say they were falling through the *sky* They also mention it's "without a wind glider" .. wind gliders are blessed by barbatos

[@trulymrword]

Time is the ultimate oppressor of freedom.

[@antoniosaesthetic9045]

Very excited for when Fontaine releases to see how the Archon quest plays out

[@patrickagokei]

Her justice is going to be very corrupt I assume

[@erikboncoref.7020]

Well, the few Fontaine characters that have appeared so far, both in story and events, already paint a scene of Fontaine being almost a dictatorship

[@ChillwithAster]

See you in 2 years

[@niamhomahony7794]

Prison break is on the top of my list of predictions

[@Water_droppp]

Is the term Ei’s consciousness the same as saying Ei’s spirit or soul??

[@tlrdgg]

From my anime-fu story sense: I suspect and guess that the Tsaritsa/Cryo Archon that she will be emotionally distant. She will claim "she loves everyone" but in fact is emotionless except for Celestia which she will hate with a passion.

[@YayaFeiLong]

It's very likely the Tsaritsa will be the Genshin version of Bronya, so you're onto something with the "emotionless" part

[@yamakaze951]

I recall that the Japanese or Chinese translation of the Cyro Chapter of the Travail video was less 'she has no love left for her people' and more 'she has her love focused on something/someone else'

[@ChillwithAster]

Ughhh the classic "i'm hurting you because I love you'

[@tonkababic9826]

@@yamakaze951 Oo I do kinda theorise that Celestia maybe caused Tsaritsa to become so cold and wanting a revenge

[@blackfrostangel9436]

I wonder if Ventis sleep is allowing him to resist corrosion of time better. We have not yet heard anything about corrosion relating to Venti and since he was close to the God of time, maybe he or them together figured out their own way to slow down or effectively stop corrosion.

[@merlin0552]

In one of my theories about Venti‘s naps, they could have something to do with Celestia and his gnosis. Knowing his rebellious nature and ideals, perhaps Celestia doesn’t want him acting up and to ensure that he only hears the minimum about what they do, they make him got to sleep when he isn’t needed. Given that Venti seems to dislike and or fear the place, it wouldn’t be far-fetched to assume that they did something that hurts the freedom of others, even before the cataclysm happened. Perhaps they make him sleep via his gnosis, which we know connects archons to Celestia and show their status as an archon, but we don‘t know much more than that. Now that it‘s gone and he isn’t forced to sleep, he could stay with his people as long as he wants, which could be why he hasn’t gone back to sleep yet.

[@cait8480]

a theory i’ve been marinating wrt the dendro archon and the conflation between knowledge and wisdom is the fact that, based on some of the dialogue in the chasm questline, sumeru seems to be accumulating knowledge related to the suppression of ancient civilizations by celestia. we know by repeated exposure to their ruins that these cataclysms have usually been preceded by a society getting a glimpse of some truth behind the larger meta-reality of teyvat that they’re not supposed to see. i think the “folly” dainslief mentions is directly related to this; that the “ignorance” might actually be of the greater looming threat. by commodifying knowledge and essentially turning the accumulation of it into an arms race, the people might be recklessly bringing themselves closer to the ruin they seek to understand. in this way the pursuit of knowledge directly subverts the principles of wisdom: the presence of mind to extrapolate the end result from the information available to you. it’s an icarus situation. i definitely think we’re about to get a massive celestia lore bomb, or at least be standing on the precipice of a lot of hidden things, as the story moves into sumeru. who knows, maybe it’ll figure into the current threat there! great video as always, lots to think about.

[@Water_droppp]

Is the term Ei’s consciousness the same as saying Ei’s spirit or soul??

[@yukishiro3287]

I feel that maybe, as they are searching in the ruins, Kusanali is probably also trying to find an answer to the disappearance of any form (death, escape, fading, etc.) and what caused the God of Woods to perish in the Abyss

[@w1nther930]

There’s another theory i love which could also be the folly dainsleif mentions. The false god kusanali. This is the theory where the god of wisdom kusanali is not the actual dendro god but only a stand-in. The actual god is the god of wood who is Said to have died 500 years ago in the cataclysm. This god is still alive but like dainsleif is sick. This person is Baizhu, who we know is ill from Qiqi’s Lines. We also know that Baizhu seeks immortality and is Why he keeps Qiqi around. There is chinese folklore about a free and a fairy and the fairy’s name is kusanali oddly enough. I’ll try and explain the story as good as i remember. There’s this tree which is godly i Think and a guy was ordered to Cut the tree Down. In a Plead for help the tree called for help and a fairy hid the tree by making it look like an Old dead tree. This is the Why the theory kusanali is only a stand in makes sense. Genshin has taken many inspirations already from different real life stories and mythologies. Just like in the story the god of Wood is thought to be dead while the fairy is protecting him. This May also be Why kusanali doesn’t correct the ideal of wisdom, because it would lead to baizhu If you wanna know more its a video by “IslandXD” called Lesser Lord kusanali and Sumeru’s lie

[@drpulcinella1870]

Tbh I'm expecting the hydro archon to be a boss when we get there. Based on the quote from her on the gem stone she just sounds like the most egotistical prick ever. Not to mention liben has said that Fontaine and sumeru are.. Not in good places right now and he wants NOTHING to do with either of them. Sumeru definitely gonna be that turning point in the story I'm guessing

[@ChillwithAster]

Just hearing about the Fontaine God is making my blood boil honestly

[@drpulcinella1870]

@@ChillwithAster I.. Uhh..I could tell 😐😐😐

[@arnowisp6244]

I'm more curious on how war fits as an ideal when...Teyvat is clearly in an era of Pax Archon before and after the Cataclysm.

[@specturv9836]

Fascism that’s probably the best way to turn war into an ideal Also venti describes the pyro archon of a “war mongering wretch” so i think fascist pyro archon is are best bet

[@specturv9836]

Oh also teyvat might be in peace yes but we don’t what frick is happening in natland

[@lnsflare1]

War to defeat the Abyss and/or Celestia, I'd guess.

[@shadowatch4767]

@@specturv9836 This is exactly what I was thinking. Might Makes Right and the inherent virtue of institutional violence are both core tenets of fascistic political philosophy. It's not hard to imagine from the hints we have that Natlan isn't in an international state of war, it IS a state of perpetual war in and of itself. In accordance with Murata's order, that "the victors shall burn bright, while the losers must turn to ash."

[@The1andonlysharpshooter]

Im pretty sure im wrong, but my theory is much like every archon like tsaristsa and Ei, natlan’s archon was probably so traumatised with what happened to Kheanriah, that she now obsesses over being strong enough to fight against the god’s if another war was to break out on teyvat again. She would never be too weak to save a nation ever again. Or something. Also i’m not sure where this piece of info started or if it’s completely wrong but I heard that a few refugees from kheanriah fled to natlan? again I have no idea if thats true and or who came up with that but i’ve seen it floating around here and there but if its somewhat true then it could fit in with my personal theory on “war” and the pyro archon. She takes them in because of course why wouldn’t she? especially after failing to protect them despite her nation having the strongest army. So “war” is more of a title for “continuous and obsessive practice for war”. And it could be encouraged through a lot of strenuous outdoor activities like “Gladiator Battles” such and such etc. Anything in that field. Obviously there has to be a problem in Natlan for Traveller to fix because,,,why wouldn’t there be. (sorry traveller) I’m not quite sure what this would be honestly, maybe different factions had been created because of these said competitive battles, kinda like in sports where you have teams you support in a game. These areas can be really hostile with one another and traveller probably has to challenge the champion from each sector or something to climb up the ranks and finally meet the pyro archon. Maybe once a year theres this larger event held and whatever champion wins from a certain sector wins some sort of respect for their region and or maybe get to spar with the pyro archon. That’s my theory but its not nearly as impactful as Mondstat, Liyue and Inazuma. There were “leaks” a long while back that natlan and fontaine would release together and you could start with whatever nation youd want to before the other and it makes me think there could be a weird link in storyline between the two chapters, like an overlap. War and Justice, Physical and Verbal. Both that can be used to settle a disagreement. Interesting no? Those leaks could’ve been wrong, but it would be extremely interesting if they could go hand in hand, despite the travail trailer saying they’re separate chapters. The nations boarder one another too, theres so much you could do with very different nations next to one another. Red and Blue, Fire and Water, Justice and War. The two nations seem so different but is there finding Justice in War? 👀 Crazy.

[@SageDarkwind]

It's interesting how Venti and Zhongli are both two sides of the same coin. They're both characters who want to do good, but their position as the God of Freedom and God of Contracts respectively demands the both of them to take on a more neutral stance. Which Archon will be the other half of Ei's coin?

[@lekycanoura9364]

the thing that gets me about how "imperfect" the archon's ideals are is that they're not bad in and of themselves. they're reasonable ideals to have for oneself. the problem comes when the archons try to rule a nation according to them, and end up imposing them on their people. like sure, they're gods. but above all they're the patrons of their nation. they still need to rule according to the needs of their people and not just their own. which seems to be a pretty important point in the inazuma archon quest specially

[@myrtle8347]

Thank you for a really good analysis of all the Archon's ideals, it just makes me realized how "human" and "imperfect" certain ideals can be when pushed to the extreme especially for those who are given the title of "Archon" (because it is gods whom people look up to as perfect examples to follow and obey) I just wonder how all of these ideals would shape the Traveler's journey seeing as (maybe I'm wrong) but the only thing or ideal traveler is associated with is their journey and if we take Dain's words about "the threads of fate would be yours to reweave" that's something I really look forward to. I do also think that Zhongli's and Ei's 2nd story quest is them finally coming into terms of the meaning of their ideals, Zhongli upholds his promise as he is the god of Contracts while Ei has finally accepted loss and change, embracing Makato's ideals. I hope that if we get Venti's second story quest (copium, knowing Hoyoverse...) it would really show us the true meaning of freedom, I don't know why that phrase "What does freedom really mean when demanded of you by a god?" bugs me because Traveler mentions it in one of the his/ her voicelines also more about Venti's relations to the god of time. And hopefully we get to go back in time or something QwQ haha because I think Time travel is pretty cool...(I just really miss Venti...lol)

[@Water_droppp]

Is the term Ei’s consciousness the same as saying Ei’s spirit or soul??

[@violettegami4582]

One thing I think about occasionally, in The Archon Quest, It seems like only Mondstant fights for the thing their Archon embodies for. Like, the first act is basically Traveller and friends setting Dvalin free from Abyss's crutches. However, Liyue and Inazuma are the opposite of it. In Liyue, Traveller saw the end of the contract between the Adepti and humans, while in Inazuma, the people literally rebel against their God's eternity. I don't know how the future regions will go, but it's kinda expected that The Traveller will oppose the future Archons once more. Maybe disproving the wisdom of Dendro Archon or fighting against the corrupt justice of Hydo Archon.

[@sampofools]

yep, venti seems like the best archon overall. perhaps it was because he was not born into godhood, so he knows first hand what its like to be small and insignificant in the eyes of gods, to have dreams beyond ideals. edit: by best i don't mean hes the best at the job of course, I mean morally. he cares more deeply for his nations people than zhongli and ei. zhongli loves liyue of course, but he didnt stop to think how the people would feel about his test. ei didnt even think at all. venti on the other hand, all his big quests have been initiated purely by his genuine care for someone or something, rather than "his nation" he wanted to help dvalin, his friend, and apologise for his absence he risked revealing his identity to everyone by given imposter stanley closure on his dead friend, closure venti never really got with the nameless bard. even in the wholesome golden apple archipelago quest, he summons dvalin so his friends can go somewhere they seem passionate about i think hes very caring

[@sumyat8154]

@@sampofools I think you summarise it pretty well. perhaps this is the reason we can resonate with Venti much more in this aspect

[@sampofools]

@@sumyat8154 travler and venti are so much closer than people realise, when you sit on his statues hands you get the achievement "beloved of the anemo archon" and travellers ascension material is a plant that adores the wind. traveller has only ever asked paimon to leave them and another character to talk once and it was in ventis story quest hyv named the main album "the wind and the star traveller" venti was once listing types of windblume and when he said "flowers of love" he looked directly at traveller in the teapot, ventis npc smiles at you when you go up to him and he comforts the traveller about their feelings of being lost and tired, telling us "i will always be by your side" and his voicelines constantly suggest that the traveller and venti are happiest when theure together alone. idk how people dont notice it more haha, i rly think theyre platonic soulmates or something

[@YukiZero]

Venti wakes up when something has happened to Mondstadt and goes back to sleep when Mondstadt is safe....... but up to now its been over a year in game and Venti is still awake and the storm terror threat has long been over and Dvalin has actually returned as the dragon of the east and is actively protecting Mondstadt now (this happened during the windblume). The question now is.... why is Venti still awake?

[@user-qo9vo7eq2o]

maybe he still needs to wait until the rebellion towards the celestia lead by the tsaritsa really ended, or maybe even after the traveler have left teyvat for him to have another thousand years nap ╮( •́ω•̀ )╭

[@yeetmetothewildwest]

Maybe because he lost his gnosis he can't go back to sleep. Well obviously he can sleep because without his gnosis he is now a mortal but he cant go into a comatose state because his gnosis is gone ; he is a mortal he doesn't have to go into his coma because he can't preserve anything Devine because it's gone?

[@YukiZero]

@@yeetmetothewildwest no he is not mortal. he's still the archon powers and all. he just lost his connection to celestia... coz if your logic was that if an archon lost their gnosis they would turn mortal. Ei would be dead by now from fighting for 500 years against the puppet. and the puppet had powers rivaling that of an archon and she beat it. so no...

[@NaruCale]

Probably because Mondstadt is not completely out of hot water yet. The danger for Mondstadt was not Stormterror but the one who pulled the string. Venti knows it.

[@flowerss.992]

Im honestly impressed how frequent you upload aster.

[@Nokyyyyy]

Me before meeting the Raiden Shogun: "wtf is wring with you ??" Me after meeting Ei properly: "Damn, I feel you, sister." I would never have guessed that I would find the god of electro, ruler of her own country since 500 years more relatable than the little blond guy in his white coat constantly searching for answers and understanding the world, having difficulties staying with people for too long despite liking them a lot. But here we are. Ei's reason for creating a realm of eternity is the same feeling that is haunting me for almost 2 decades. (that's my age btw. I'm 20) Hoyoverse really know how to build characters and make them likeable and relatable. I love it

[@Water_droppp]

Is the term Ei’s consciousness the same as saying Ei’s spirit or soul??

[@Nokyyyyy]

@@Water_droppp I guess yeah ?

[@Water_droppp]

@@Nokyyyyy so she rests her spirit in the sword in her own dimension and meditates to preserve herself..?

[@Nokyyyyy]

@@Water_droppp yes

[@agnijabistrovaite1082]

I understand her now, but she needs to take responsibility for what she did to Inazuma

[@feraset9639]

Yo that tartaglia background is killing me 🤣

[@Lemural]

I think the pyro archon and Kokomi would get along well.

[@ChillwithAster]

sun tzu, art of war

[@Water_droppp]

Is the term Ei’s consciousness the same as saying Ei’s spirit or soul??

[@1swagevilregalallen479]

@@Water_droppp Yo why do you keep repeating this in every comment???

[@Water_droppp]

@@1swagevilregalallen479 i dropped the same comment on some other comments because i obviously wanna know

[@Lemural]

@@ChillwithAster That’s literally the best thing anyone’s ever said as a reply to one of my comments.

[@Midnight-zn2yy]

now that we know of kusanalli's condition... Oh boy how things has changed..

[@harmonialarts]

I think Venti's state of being awake/asleep is being dictated by the entity he was born from: aka the Thousand Winds of Time. If the Thousand Winds are just a collective of a thousand wind sprites then it would stand to reason that in order to function they need all of them present- including Venti. Its like yeah he may be considered more impressive than his other peers being a god now, but there isn't anything available to replace him so its back to the hive mind of wind and time for you problematic wind sprite. You can go back to your city when the story needs you to find a hero to save it or do your job. I admire Zhongli keeping his end of the contract no matter what, but I can forsee this biting him in the back one day because if you don't bend you break. Contracts can work out in a vaccum, but situations change and the balance can shift. What will happen if the power/punishment you hold against someone no longer affects them substantially which threatens you in the process? Eternity is very straight forward. Just a fancy word for preservation. Ei is also very straight forward. Wisdom is gained through experience, knowledge and time, but not everyone will grow wiser and depends from person to person. Kusanali is wise enough to know certain things must never be known, but is also aware that the people will still find out because it is in our nature to be curious and because everyone is interconnected on the basis of simply living in the same world the truth will eventually be discovered. Idk about Justice but I just know that I just hate the Hydro Archon. Narcissus is thy name, and justice you have forsaken. War is a concept both glorified and damned but its really a test for how much one can sacrifice for a means to an end. The word is shaped by war as much as we hate to admit it. We only improve because we strive to thrive and in order to thrive we need resources and power. It never really stops, its just called 'fighting for what you believe in'. But constant fighting can make you burn out and you either get snuffed out or reignite into a new flame. Its an unspoken agreement that the Cryo Archon's past belief is 'Love' but in its absence is 'Indifference'. 'Hate' is the opposite of love and cannot exist without it. The writers can also pull out a different noble ideal such as Kindness or Hope, but Love in its very broad definition encompasses all that is good. So its a very tragic notion to meet a God of Love who've lost faith in their own belief in something so good, to the point their correcting old habits that makes them seem 'gentle'. I hope you do a video on the potential ideal of the Cryo archon based on Cryo Vision holders' own ideals and principles.

[@ilikeudonnoodles1626]

I like this, I’ll come back when I have something interesting to say

[@yukishiro3287]

I think that the Hydro Archon promotes justice in the first place as a way to maintain peace. Laws and contracts sound pretty similar in the sense where you can both find fairness for the people involved. Contracts are always done within the law, which is why when you need to consult a lawyer for every contract made. As of laws, it's probably a way to maintain equity between people, to make sure that there aren't any fights, to make sure that no one is scammed, to make sure that everyone has a chance of living something, and many more. Laws are first made because of morals. The current Hydro Archon probably started this way because of how unfair the world can be, especially in face of power. However, when you add too many laws, the laws will lose moral value and even contradict themselves. That's why, if we ever get caught, we could call Yanfei because she is a specialist at finding loopholes in laws, to the point of making it a headache for Ningguang as she had to find ways to close as many gaps as possible in the laws

[@yukishiro3287]

Considering that Fontaine is based on France and that the French Revolution is an important part of history, it could be that the Hydro Archon revolted in the name of Justice, but has become arrogant with the power she has in hand

[@kreideprintz]

Tsaritsa's ideal is love which then transform into control/manipulation or coldness. Canonically we know that she loved the humans more than anyone else and she, together with the dendro archon, took a stance against celestia during the cataclysm to protect the people of Khaenri'ah. Multiple fatui talk about how full of love she used to be, but she is no more and I think that's because of what happened during the cataclysm. I think even Childe says that underneath her cold exterior she used to be gentle and loving. I think the "death" of the people of Khaenri'ah affected her greatly, which is when she began to form her own army, the fatui, in order to one day overtake Celestia itself. She's blinded by her quest for revenge, unable to see how she's hurting the very humans she used to love. But maybe her quest is also one of love, of eliminating the ruler of heavenly principles and free the people of their controlling gaze, maybe she's sacrificing everything she has, including the humans she loves, in order to secure a future free of the heavenly principles and the controlling hands of Celestia. But since her ideal manifests through manipulation, I think it's clear why we could come to that assumption for now, since, from what we know, it seems that she's trying to have influence in every nation of teyvat, along with taking the gnoses. My theory is that she's taking the gnoses because, after the cataclysm and the death of the dendro archon along with the extermination of Khaenri'ah, The Tsaritsa proposed to all the other archons to unite and overtake Celestia, since only by uniting they'd be able to accomplish such a feat. Everyone disagreed. Ei, overwhelmed with grief, Venti nearly losing dvalin, Zhongli dealing with his own erosion, and sumeru without a god. No one agreed with her, letting her take this fight on her own. By taking their gnoses, she's forcing each one of them to fight her war, one at a time.

[@yukishiro3287]

At the same time, the Tsartisa is purposefully sending herself to death's door because Celestia could become suspicious when they find out that all the gnosis are at the same place (since the gnosis can act as a tracker)

[@fallenking8388]

After thinking about it, war can be quite the flexible ideal as no one creates war "just because". There is always something to gain out of a war which can range from resources to imposing ones own ideals onto others. Natlan's story might explore the problems of a might-makes-right society. Where imposing one's will on others, regardless of how good-hearted those intentions and ideals were, has led to problems, or perhaps someone with bad intentions has risen in the ranks and it has caused a decline of natlan's citizens wellbeing.

[@Your_Local_WeirdWeeb]

Zhongli is the guy who looks really young (20-30ish) but has the wisdom of a 6000 year old

[@sablibratoski7622]

Imagine if the god of justice is blind, that will be a good design or the god of justice is going to be blind in an archon quest

[@user-fj4cg2be1x]

funny thing is the Goddess of Justice Themis, blindfolds herself so she can "see the truth."

[@jmb4408]

In the far future when we finally get the end game, they should make a whole ass movie about how the whole story unfold. I wouldn't even mind if its a series.

[@Eli-qb2sw]

11:30 I just realised what *"THE CONTRACT TO END ALL CONTRACTS"* is Zhongli's part: Give the gnosis to the fatui Tsaritsa's part: End celestia, hence terminating the contracts between zhongli and celestia so he wont have to hurt anyone anymore. Edit: ALSO, if a vision is a rudimental version of a gnosis, and a vision is an ambition, then a gnosis is a god's ideals.

[@xoc_20x64]

I don’t believe a gnosis is a gods ideals. Venti said his powers would be fine after getting his gnosis stolen and ei maintained her ideal of eternity in the plane of euthymia without it. She gave it to yae miko before entering the plane and just told her to do whatever with it so clearly, it was not necessary for her eternity. From what we know, it’s given by celestia so perhaps it’s a means of communication but all archons who have lost it so far still pursue their ideal. That is unlike a vision where as soon as it is gone, it’s user can no longer use its powers.

[@HauntedMushroom96]

I once had the idea that only venti and zhongli fully embody their ideal in their element and themselves Venti- carefree his ideal is freedom like free as the wind. (Although you've now shown that he's restricted not only by heavenly principles but by his cycles of sleep) Zhongli- anything stated in a contract should be unchanging aka strong as stone. Also he's old like fossil or any rock in general. (Although both zhongli and rocks can errode) Now for the contradictions Ei- her ideal is eternity but lightning lasts for a moment Kusanali- with age comes wisdom and she is the youngest archon, it fits plants since plants are alive and age and in terms of knowledge plants can send nutrients and chemical signals to other plants through fungal networks. Hydro- water is pure and flexible. Justice should be firm rules equal to everyone. If your laws are flexible and change at will then thats unjust and hypocritical and if its hypocrytical then its not pure. Pyro- fire is destructive and so is war. If something is burnt its not coming back and you cant undo the destruction and casualties of war. But the pyro archon possibly has connections to ressurrection. Cryo- ice usually represents cruelness and apathy, its the opposite of love but probably fits the tsaritsa

[@Sakuyamon]

I have to disagree to your point about Ventis absence. Venti had no choise in the matter! He fell asleep due to having spent his power to protect mond, it wasnt a choise, in a way you could say he basically lost his freedom. Ventis freedom isnt one of restrainlessness, if it was, he would allow the aristocracy to have the freedom to take other people captive, but he dont. Ventis freedom, is the freedom of choosing, and the consequenses that it bring. Sometimes a choise will have bad consequenses, like choosing to defend mond can cause your friends to be harmed, but likewise choosing to not do anything can cause the destruction of everything. And Venti is painfully aware of it. But having freedom is worth it. Now there is another beef with his freedom ideal, cuz how free are you really, if fate is preordained by the stars?

[@ChillwithAster]

I mentioned in the vid that Venti's absence is probably not his own volition and that's why he embodies freedom through contradiction. Because he's not conventionally free, at least from the definition that most would think of the word "Freedom". The Freedom HE wants for Mondstadt isn't restrainlessness, but rather autonomy. Expression and choice as I mentioned. But just because that's what he wants for Mondstadt DOESN'T mean that HE himself isn't paying the price for embodying the ideal of Freedom (all of its pretty and ugly aspects). There is a bigger picture that whatever is happening to Venti's fate. He's seemingly "free" from ruling Mondstadt, but we see that he isn't. Freedom is misinterpreted as this "free like the wind" motif, but Venti clearly reflects the harsher contradiction that his freedom might be a facade. The relationship here isn't between Mondstadt and Venti, but instead, the general ideal of Freedom and Venti. From my analysis, Venti's narrative reflects Freedom through Contradiction. From the larger narrative, the story reflects Freedom in Venti by showing you that Venti isn't free. You would think he's free because of how he acts, but he's not. The deeper story of Venti is that he's still bound (by the very definition of bound being obligated) to Mondstadt as the other archons are to their nation. Which turns the conventional meaning of Freedom on its head. Which leads into the CONSEQUENCE of this "Freedom" as a general ideal. The price he's paying for now (whether he likes it or not) is absence, disconnection from Mondstadt's changing times, and the lack of immediate knowledge (as we see everytime he wakes up). And going back to the theme of contradiction, Venti himself might not even be free. He's not free from the obligations of ruling Mondstadt like their archon [freedom in a sense of dereliction of duty], he's not free to choose when he awakens, he's not free to spend his days because of probably another entity controlling his fate. Freedom is instead a word to describe what Venti isn't in the grander scheme of the story. His personality might be carefree, expressive, and everything in between, but his fate sure ain't.

[@Sakuyamon]

@@ChillwithAster you have to forgive me but im like 4 minutes into the video and at that point it sounded to me like you were saying Venti chose to go to sleep. I couldnt get further into the video and adjust my comment because I had to get dinner. Sorry, sometimes im a bit too trigger happy with my comments, I didnt expect you to see and write a whole paragraf so fast.

[@Water_droppp]

Is the term Ei’s consciousness the same as saying Ei’s spirit or soul??

[@brendo7289]

@@Sakuyamon You're not the only one who does that. lol

[@Sakuyamon]

@@Water_droppp No not quite. Its complex but they are seemingly different things. I think its easiest to say that the plane of euthymia is Eis conciousness, while the Ei we meet in there is Eis soul. Thsts why when we enter Makotos conciousness world its empty and blank, her soul is gone so there is nothing to power the conciousness. I suppose you could compare it to a brain that has been preseved, it still exist but the person it used to be no longer do.

[@jogadoru4]

About freedom: well one could say that time is the ultimato shackle against freedom, you Stills have to bem servant to time, sleep, death, etc. About justice: as a great thinker one data Said" what a digital dummy"

[@mattsandrini180]

I have to disagree a bit on the part on Venti tho, one thing you forgot to mention is the fact that he chooses to be absent, and the reason for it, a reason that is stated numerous times by the bard himself, "what is freedom if demanded by a god?", Venti chose to be absent, to loose power by not being active in his nation and to leave agency to his people for this reason, he finds it hypocritical to demand freedom, because requesting it negates the freedom demanded, on the reason why he sleeps, there could be different reasons, one could be the one you mentioned, surely an interesting one, othere reasons could be that being weakend because of his lack of presence he needs a lot of rest, or another one all together, he just sleeps, Venti is an immortal wind wisp, thus his concept of time and how he lives it is different, what we see as a century of sleep, to him might feel like a good night rest. I want to note that I don't want to dicredit you theory, just I found it a bit forced in the point on Venti and thought that a different prospective might help

[@wadigkin95]

Traveler will become millionaire when he gets to sumeru. Imagine his otherworldly knowledges before their descent to Teyvat.

[@angelicgacha]

I just had the worst news of my life and really needed something to distract me thank youu

[@uzumazin5099]

What happened? What’s the bad news?

[@malaksafa4074]

I hope your ok. I hope you'll be gone. Stay safe our there!

[@Tsuki2132]

Everything's gonna get better. Cheer up :)

[@uzumazin5099]

@@malaksafa4074 What?

[@jojorican9726]

He started playing gacha life

[@jadeparelius]

this is just making me more hyped for Sumeru and Fontaine hell yeah

[@krcnos43]

For the record I just wanna mention that Zhongli's Divine Ideal is not Contracts. It's Order, which he upholds THROUGH contracts. Just how Venti and Ei uphold their ideals through their own methods as well.

[@Anonymous__S]

And can we talk about the fun contradictions among characters. For the land of freedom, most characters are comitted to a job or a duty that ties them up (Jean gave up her childhood to be the grandmaster, Diluc runs a winery despite hating alcohol, etc.). In Inazuma, many characters represented ephemeral circumstances, such as fireworks, sakura blossoms that wither or the fallen leaves in autumn... As for Liyue.... Honesly I have no idea xd

[@sumyat8154]

Businessmen trying to find a loophole in contracts and laws? Yanfei examins the laws for loopholes to help her clients and Ninguang tighten it (said in one of her voice line)

[@arouraskeatch5903]

Its said that Venti and zhongli are the only left of the origonal 7 and there ideals seems to have an iron choke hold on them. The other nations archons have since changed and, aparently, so have the inturpriations of there ideals.

[@firby7341]

sadly we only "know" two former ideals. transience basically happened i guess?xD and the former dendro archon being the god of woods. i think it would be neat if the former hydro archon was judged "guilty" for anything by the new archon, and the former pyro archon lost a war against the new one.

[@cidila]

One of my favorite hobbies is to dissect the character of my favorite archon, Venti. while I love him, I've come to find that his version of freedom goes to a dangerous place of neglect, I've discussed this with my friends and I think is because Venti knows more than he tells us but not enough as someone like zhongli or Ei. everything painful that an archon or god had to go through so far comes directly from Celestia and Khaenriah or it's a consequence of their actions, and Venti knows it. Morax and Ei had first hand experience with the khaenriah war, I have a theory that Celestia lured the archons to khaenriah with something they desperately needed. Zhongli has a contract that doesn't allow him to speak about khaenriah and we know Liyue was attacked, Inazuma was doomed until makoto went to the war, the dendro archon also went there and died, I suspect the tsaritsa also had to fight there, since she hates them so much. But Venti didn't. besides mondstadt going into chaos when Durin attacked, he waking up only to fight him with dvalin and put things in orders on the city, he didn't had a calling to fight in khaenriah. my theory is that he sleeps as a way to protect himself from erosion since he's the only one that doesn't seem preoccupied by it for now and to not be forced to interact with things that could put his people or himself in danger. The "freedom" venti represents is the desire to avoide celestia, their wars and punishment at all cause, meaning, he only wakes up when is absolutely necessary. Maybe his sleep even works as a way to hide from them. Since he was close with Astaroth, I think Venti knows that having celestia notice you is not a good sign.

[@angelwolf8993]

Could that also be why the Cyro archon seems to not like him much? Because he managed to avoid Celestia and he never ‘warned’ the other archons that something like that might happen.

[@darkomiku8902]

I find it very exciting that the cryo archon is the god of love. They use this line in honkai "Things done out of love are not bound by right or wrong." And reading the cryo gem and venti's view on cryo archon I just can't not get excited on how the most powerful faction are doing gathering all the gnosis and military power. Also, bronya, seele, rozaria, liliya, raven and also elysia are from there! AAAAA my wallet can't wait anymore. C6 Seele is already a guaranteed.

[@johnonia4225]

I've been waiting for this topic 😍

[@SoulStorms]

Aster you're hilarious the promo was the laugh i needed

[@lueiolue7726]

out of topic but your way of talking + voice + tone is so calming! It really calms me but also teaches me but it doesn't 'relax' me enough to slack off on any topic, idea or information :)

[@w1nther930]

I remember dainsleif saying all the gods are born arrogant. This would imply that all archons have had an ideal they followed unrelentlessly. It also implies every archon will do so.

[@Hiiaijdjjja]

I can’t hear Zhonglis voice without hearing Hawkzaddy

[@lolosh99]

Ah but haven’t you heard? “My ideal have no stains”

[@rafaelamartinez1735]

omg my favorite theory person just posted a video😭❤️

[@deathsinger969]

A very interesting video, I definitely have stuff to think about now

[@johnkghts]

no because it kinda make sense, people in sumeru who pursues their god's ideal 'wisdom' became a glutton for knowledge and keep on making new discoveries to the point that some student from the academia started to experiment on humans

[@sadie9205]

i will be extremely suspicious of natlan until we hear something else about it cause it freaks me out sm HAHAAH

[@jardejay8804]

I love ya videos. I hope you get top marks in your next test! :D

[@airllama1676]

Howdy and nice you been improving

[@elolan9049]

Haii ester, I just wanted to suggest that, I think you can make this as "episodes" and make atleast 16-20 mins of videos per archons so you can elaborate more concepts and theories about the contradicting ideals of these 7 archons. Your statements are very wonderful and I know im not the only one who loves to see more additional concepts about the current archons and the remaining archons about their ideals and their contradicting ideals. Hoping to see more stuffs about this topic on your channel. Thankiess 😘😘😘

[@NaruCale]

Venti, the archon with (probably) the most shackles, ironic since his ideal is freedom. The bard who tell other's story but not his.

[@midnightllamaz6826]

so i remember reading something a while back about the tsaritsa, (i dont remember where, i think it was something childe said?) but basically it went something along the lines of "the cryo archon used to be the sweetest, most loving person in the world, but because of (something i forgot, i think it was the heavenly principles) she had to make her heart as cold as ice" basically it seemed like she was forced to change and act "cold." literally oh and i love your vids and just subscribed

[@firby7341]

what if she changed from loving and being sweet to being cold because the entity changed like makoto and ei? tsaritsa technically is a title rather than a name (monarch, ruler), so what if the current tsaritsa inherited her title from her mother? in honkai, there are character slike our archons, for example himeko is said to be the pyro archon lookalike. there is a cryo character with no visible face....so what if people, like in inazuma, didnt notice the change of archons? what if even venti didnt notice? i think that would be an interesting take, but maybe too close to ei and makoto

[@1swagevilregalallen479]

Childe’s Tsaritsa Voiceline, “ The Royal Highness The Tsaritsa is actually a gentle soul, too gentle in fact and that’s why she had to harden herself, Likewise she declared war against the whole world only because she dreams of peace, And because she made an enemy of the world, I had the chance to become acquainted with you.”

[@sageanimations2463]

Now that Sumeru is out the line "The god of Wisdom's enemy is wisdom itself. In the oases of knowledge is a mirage in the desert of ignorance, in the city of scholars, there is a push for folly, yet the god of wisdom makes no argument against it." could mean that the people of Sumeru (particularly the sages) think they are so smart that they feel like they don't need a God of wisdom, and since Kusanali is still a child, she doesn't exactly know how to enforce rules in a nation despite her being 500 years old.

[@louloudaki_]

i wouldn’t be surprised if tsaritsas ideal is peace, seeing how the harbingers say things like “noblest and purest” about her and how the other archons twisted their own ideals. it seems she wants unity, in a sense, and maybe she’s pursuing peace by trying to have one final war i think it’s a bad way to go about it but i could completely see if we went from the nation of war to the nation of “peace”

[@KkA0712]

In the dainsleif quest, he says the tsaritsas ideal is love. "Though she has none for her people"

[@RiskoPlexus]

I once saw this community post with an image that said: “In Mondstadt, we helped solve [Venti’s] problem. In Liyue, we got caught up in [Zhongli’s] problem. In Inazuma, [Ei] was the problem.” Then, it showed Kusanli with “????” And one person replied, “Wait maybe it’s us helping HER find her problem”

[@MrSoBitchy]

I cannot watch ONE video without a sponsor. Holy shit

[@Kasraken]

I am pausing the video to say this about venti, I don't think it's made clear the importance of why he was absent, although I believe the clues are right in front of us. One word, corrosion. In all of the archons so far we have seen them dealing with the problem of corrosion. Zhong Li fears it, and it moved him to take on the contract putting the people he cared for in harms way. Ei thinks she has solved the problem by making a puppet to act as her body while locking away her consciousness in her sisters sword. Even Dainsleif explains how the hilichurls erode down to nothing but darkness in the end. So I believe that venti's way of dealing with corrosion has something to do with his long slumber segments, he is after all one of the oldest archons so far. I believe this is how he resists the spread of corrosion over time.

[@user-qo9vo7eq2o]

cough erosion cough (

[@SeraSer4phic]

Unrelated but I really had to say this after watching a good amount of your videos. I really really like your voice!

[@maycheng9308]

Every new PC/laptop/phone I get, I will come back here to install Opera GX from your affiliate link :) cuz I just enjoy your lore explanation even as a background video playing while I do my chores. (Leaving this comment here so that I know which video to go in the future hahs)

[@Maethendias]

the sumeru part aged well

[@christinefink743]

What if Venti woke up because the Traveler woke up? It seems he woke up right before we did when we came on him and Dvalin in the forest. Everywhere the Traveler has been, something huge has happened and we’re on the path to change some major things in Teyvat

[@xiuehe]

Oh, oh my god. Babe wake up aster posted

[@rustyspottedcat516]

I think Sumeru is going to be the major turning point in the game. The Abyss Order hasn't been super involved in Liyue and Inazuma, and since Sumeru has such a big focus on knowledge, it makes sense to me that Sumeru- the Academia in particular- would be trying to discover the secrets behind the Abyss Order and Celestia. I think that if Celestia is going to be the main villain of the game (which seems highly likely at this point), they would want to take some kind of action against Sumeru. I don't think we're going to get a full Cataclysm situation, but it seems likely that, assuming Celestia is the main villain, there's going to be something major happening in Sumeru.

[@Bianca-io8rm]

Hey Aster what do you think Zhongli’s contract inscribed? (The one between him and the Tsarista)

[@bug8992]

This video is awesome.I am interested in how they are going to do Fontaine the archon sounds very interesting. But sumerus plot is really good so far so I don’t mind waiting. Side note whenever I hear Fontaine I think of the guy from bioshock.

[@britneybij3997]

After seeing what happened with Ei, I wonder if the other Archons will be challenging their own ideals and overcoming? I can see the Pyro Archon, Archon of War, probably being challenged by their people who are sick of the bloodshed and constant battles as they are probably forced to be mercenaries or divided into clans and fight in a sort of collesium. I wonder if we will have to help kill an Archon?

[@slothfulgrimm]

Cover pyro visions and how people get them

[@bosunbill9059]

A funny detail is that Tsarista being the goddess of Love. Despite her being at the same time Goddess of Ice, and the fact she owns the most aggressive Clandestine Agency in Tevyat, the Fatui. Fatui could be a reference to 1989 Ingsoc`s Ministry of Love. Given their goddess`s embodiment.

[@firby7341]

there is one tiny bit i dislike about the video: Ei and the vision hunt decreee. she didnt start it, she just didnt do anything against it bc it was no enemy to eternity. in your video, it sounds like she actively wanted it instead of passively letting it happen

[@rushalias8511]

Another thing to note is that of the three archons mentioned, some of the issues were not solely there fault but rather exploitations in the ideals by outside forces. The abyss and Fatui both played roles in exploiting the ideals. The abyss exploited the fact that Venti was absent to poison and corrupt Dvalin, while the Fatui exploited Zhongli's contracts to acquire the gnosis. Similarly Ei's eternity was exploited by both the corrupted commissions and the fatui . The Archons ideals are flawed but its often the exploitation by an outside force that causes them become major problems.

[@erikboncoref.7020]

Excellent video! Waiting for the Geo and Cryo visions explanations! Also, it's interesting to notice a few things: Wind usually has a direction, and Venti, the Anemo Archon, seems actually directionless; he actually didn't go to sleep again after the Dvalin events and after being stripped from his Gnosis, which means that he changed even in the slightest by choosing to stay awake in Mondstadt, even if not being recognized by his folks (it's really funny that the "devoted nuns" and even the Deaconess Barbara cannot put two and two together everytime they see Venti and the Statue of Barbatos) On Liyue, I can see Zhongli's contract as his very own form of rebellion, because he was becoming obedient to both Celestia and Liyue's folks, so his disconnection from both can be seen as a way to release himself. At last, Ei's extreme contradiction between the meaning of Eternity and the meaning of what her Element represents is more than poetic; also, she was not as tightly bound to Celestia as the Archon Makoto, her sister, and her choice to give her Gnosis to a puppet ended up also as a form of rebellion itself, as the puppet (Kunikuzushi) ended up keeping it for himself and she decided to let it slide

[@ChillwithAster]

I. It's possible that Venti's role in Mond isn't done yet. Especially not with the Traveler and Albedo being present to spice things up. So either he doesn't want to sleep because he feels like he's still needed OR whatever god controls his fate decides that he's not yet done. II. Zhongli's disconnection through Contracts was a really smart move on his part. He's a man of principles, but even those principles are his dictation. III. It's actually fascinating to me that Ei never wanted the Gnosis. Maybe she knows something about the Gnosis that we don't at the moment.

[@erikboncoref.7020]

@@ChillwithAster yeah, indeed, those are nice points. Also, I've been noticing something interesting, that maybe you'd consider as kinda obvious rn: the correspondence between the Seven Archons and the Seven Gods/Planets of ancient Astrology. I. E., Venti could be associated, as the God of Wind and Freedom, with Hermes/Mercury, one who fleets wherever he considers, who keeps a playful and childish attitude and who can see and be everywhere... Zhongli, as the God of Earth and Contracts, with Chrono/Saturn, one who's firm and solid in everything and who establishes and respects boundaries, for good or bad... Ei and Makoto, the Goddesses of Lightning and Eternity, as Artemis/Moon, a light and a shadow (first as Makoto/Ei, and now as Ei/Raiden Shogun) guided by emotions; and so the others could be associated in similar ways: Kusanali = Apollo/Sun (being the God of Wisdom, sounds logical) Hydro Archon = Zeus/Jupiter (being the God of Justice) Pyro Archon = Ares/Mars (being the God of War) Tsaritsa = Aphrodite/Venus (being the Goddess of Love) Guess that some of their future development could stem from here somehow

[@ChimeraLotietheBunny]

Venti my fave character so much!!!

[@casschudzynska8613]

Venti is a tragic character. God of Freedom bounded to mortal grounds by alcohol.

[@ekvang2030]

I feel like the flaw of “War” for the Pyro Archon is being overly passionate and prone to emotional outbursts. Arguing over the littlest things and trying to justify every action, like, dislike, etc. As for the Cryo Archon. If her ideal really is “Love,” then it could probably be something like naivety or blindness. Tartaglia said it himself that the Tsaritsa used to be very gentle but ultimately steeled herself of all emotion after the cataclysm. My theory is that she loved all the people of Tyvet. The cataclysm originated in Khanhria, but because they had no god to protect them, the situation was too far gone. So while the archons were sent to Khanhria in an attempt to save them, Celestia ultimately decided to put Khanhria out of its misery and destroy them. This is when the Tsaritsa started to steel herself. She held on to the belief that there WAS a way to save them. From her prospective, Celestia made the archons witness the destruction of Khanhria and its people first hand. She thought there was a way to save them, only to see some of the people she cared for be cursed for life or killed by the very gods asking her to protect those people. Thus, the Tsaritsa’s grudge against Celestia was formed and the plan for rebelling started. Sorry for the long comment. I didn’t mean for it to be so long, but there’s just so many things about the Tsaritsa that’s interesting.

[@FloreMar-yp3iz]

I have no foundation to cover what I'm gonna say, but couldn't "war" as an ideal refer to passion... to revolution? To destroy and start from scratch. Every character that has a pyro vision is known for passion and adrenaline, it's what moves them to overcome difficulties, the same way war, or revolution, is caused by impulse and the passion for change for the better. However, it is pretty vague. I'm just throwing ideas to later understand the ideals of Murata (if it is the current pyro archon)

[@foxtailclips2974]

Ei is a special case. Perhaps it's because she created the Puppet to shoulder her ideals that so she was able to actually change her ideals. Zhongli and Venti can't do this so they are stuck with it themselves perhaps?

[@aspillust]

i think the tsaritsa's price is obsession or revenge. venti said she changed after the cataclysm, maybe she lost someone and became obsessed with getting revenge on their behalf? she's even going as far to rebel against celestia because her *love* pushed her to do so. she also claims to "love" her people and harbingers, yet she acts so cold and restrictive towards them, too obsessed and vengeful to notice that she no longer loves the way she thought she did. this is mostly a wild guess tbh but i thought it made sense

[@mari_zz]

Maybe the God of Justice and the old Hydro Archon are kinda like Kayle and Morgana respectively. One thinks justice should be absolute, and that anything slightly wrong should be punished. While the other tries to understand the whole situation and all the reasons behind it, and then judge.

[@jadepuguon1177]

Since we only have Ei for now so it may be not valid, but I have a feeling that Sustainer of the heavenly principles is stricter to older archons.

[@Keeby.]

13:00 "you mortals" she let it slip. aster is a god an unknown one you could say

[@septwenvi2510]

It's fitting that contracts is a part of war, love, justice, eternity and love but wisdom and freedom is both everchanging. That's why anemo and dendro doesn't react with geo.

[@nbs3846]

Imma watch this vid and enjoy it

[@toastbread2263]

Edit: Last paragraph added I agree with your interpretation of Sumeru's mix up of Knowledge and Wisdom. You can gain knowledge at your own pace, but wisdom comes with experience. (And maybe time too, but honesty im not too sure myself lol). The two aren't the same at all. Not sure what Dainsleif could mean when talking about Sumeru's ignorance or push for folly. But I do like the idea of their ideals getting all mixed up. I wouldn't be surprised if Lesser Lord Kusanali was very knowledgeable, but because of how young they are they just simply lack the Wisdom. I wouldn't be surprised if im completely wrong though. I want to say the Fatui might have something to do with this sudden change of ideals. Genshin's story always ends up surprising me though lol. 😳

[@takyjoy2461]

YOOO SHE MENTIONED GORO AKECHI

[@prezzz1766]

i think the cryo archon's ideal might be peace because in the recent fatui trailer the 1st fatui harbinger says " we will seize authority from the gods, absolute peace such is the gift from the tsarists herself." which could mean that the cryo archons motive for trying to take all of the Nosis' is absolute peace and that is her way of trying to reach her Ideal, why taking the Nosis will mean absolute peace i don't really know i haven't mush context to go on. this is just a theory but it makes sense to me. ps sorry for any grammer or spelling misstaks i'm not the best at spelling and stuff

[@jamescornell5297]

My interpretation of the Dendro Archon’s corruption of wisdom comes from the Buddhist ideal of enlightenment. The story goes that, in order to find a cure for humanity’s suffering, the Buddha meditated and fasted underneath a tree. Once he could look past the suffering of the world, the Buddha achieved enlightenment. I suspect the Dendro Archon might be attempting the same thing and is ignoring the folly of her people as consequence.

[@Kunoichi4ever4]

People have a weird understanding of freedom, it doesnt mean you are totally free, it means you choose your chains. Existence without limitations does not exist. So if you wanna define freedom that there are no limits, you are describing death.

[@ChillwithAster]

"The perfect form of freedom is autonomy. It’s not anarchy or the lack of rules and laws, but instead the capacity of choice and expression. Freedom is the wind, free to go wherever it pleases."

[@Kunoichi4ever4]

@@ChillwithAster agreed!

[@liaartist3671]

I will probably be wrong but, analyzing the words... Natlan, the nation of war, might be the most peaceful out of the seven nations. War (if mihoyo doesn’t want to repeat concepts/events with the nations) in itself is surviving, without getting it related to love and battle the world (snezhnaya), disagreement(liyue), freedom, try to change a perspective (abyss) or thriving with yourself (inazuma). Natlan would be just directly battle, something humans do naturally

[@PowerSpirit50]

I don't feel mad at all about Zhongli not telling us anything, if he goes back on a contract then that would put all his other ones into question as well.

[@elknolasshrineofraja3966]

❤️❤️