[video]

[commediadellanime]

Goooood evening, everyone!

[It’s like, 3pm, that’s not that late at all. But Childe doesn’t care about that! What he cares about is getting information.

The camera has been propped up a stand, so you can see Childe from the waist up - a red-haired man (boy?) who can’t be more than 20, with a red mask tucked into his hair and blue eyes that are crinkled into a smile.]

I’ve got a couple questions, but I’ll try not to take up too much of your time.

[Hopefully less time than it took him to really figure out this piece of tech. Could you imagine what it would be like if they had this sort of thing in Teyvat?]

First off, probably one that’s been asked a lot - just how serious is everyone about this whole… Cuddling up to people to rejuvenate the world or whatever? Like, that’s not literal, right?

[Please tell him it’s not literal. He’s not the cuddly type. Still, time to move on to the more important question. He perks up, grin getting even brighter.]

Second question! I’m sure I’m not the only fighter here, and hopefully I’m not the only one who doesn’t want to get rusty… So, is there anyone who’d want to spar with me?

[He claps his hands together.]

And that’s it! Oh, right - you can call me Childe. And anyone interested, just let me know whenever you want. Or attack me out of the blue! That's fine, too.

Comments

[commediadellanime]

Of course not.

[He sighs, shaking his head. Somehow, the mask tucked into his hair doesn’t even move.]

So you think that for every person that leaves another person shows up? That seems... About what I’d expect, honestly.

[shroudedsecrets]

... It is a possibility, though not a certainty.

[ She has many theories, though few that she will commit to without substantial proof. ]

Such a consideration would require a survey to assess how many have been here, for how long, if they knew any who had vanished, how long those people had been there, and...how it may or may not correlate to the energy present.

And... then you would take into account how many would choose not to answer for personal reasons, or if a presence was here so briefly that they would only have encountered others who also have gone. Although perhaps those at the temple who greet Otherworlders upon their arrival might have access to that nature of data.

[ Whether or not they'd be willing to share it though, hm. ]

[commediadellanime]

[His head cocks, and he supposes she has a point. It would be hard to get information like that unless you asked someone who had been recording everyone's moves... And who would do that besides the machines who were greeting them?]

I'll see what I can find.

[He presses his lips together.]

Seems to me the gods would want as many people here as possible. They must be weaker than I thought.

[shroudedsecrets]

Their power is strained, or else they would not have had need to call us here at all.

[ Strong enough to pull across dimension, yes, but to maintain that supply? ]

They gain their power through energy that contact stimulates, and of course that was limited before we were brought in to revitalize it. We have seen changes occur due to their strength growing, but we also know that there is an imbalance. There are also other needs to be met, to support growth and life upon this world, as well as those within it to continue to supply that energy. Perhaps that limits the hold they have upon those drawn here.

[ Which. She doesn't like that. But she's had many conversations along those lines. ]

[commediadellanime]

[It seems to him it'd be easier to maintain people than keep pulling them in, but what does he know about gods? He was fooled by the one that was right under his nose.

But hm. This is the first he's hearing of an imbalance.]

What exactly do you mean by an imbalance? Nobody else has mentioned that so far.

[Sorry for ignoring everything else you've said - he'll think on it, but right now he just wants all the information he can get. Theories he can deal with later.]

[shroudedsecrets]

The temples we arrive at determine to which deity any energy we may potentially create will flow toward.

[ She doesn't mind; she knows she's said a lot, and better to be able to clarify something than not. ]

However, some of the Gods seem to receive more energy than others, mostly because as individuals, whom we interact with and how much contact we have will vary. While in the end the energy is still unified, we do not know for certain how the imbalance affects the world itself. And that does not even account for... other potential issues.

[commediadellanime]

[Hm! Good to know.]

I woke up in the temple dedicated to Ohma.

[Which, he didn't stop for a moment to consider that each god would have people they favor or that the energy generated through touch went to a specific god...

Interesting.]

I didn't get the feeling they were all that powerful.

[shroudedsecrets]

There are four gods with dedicated temples. Ohma, Rawna, Ainea and Diacht. We have come to observe that they seem to have a particular set of months in which they are associated with, as well as associated beliefs, though they tend to promote those equally even with different adherents.

[ And that isn't even touching the new information about the missing gods that they're just starting to piece through now. ]

This month is another of Rawna's, and Rawna has also consistently been the strongest, as time has passed. Although all that seems to imply is that the ones associated with them engage in more contact than most.

[commediadellanime]

So Rawna's... Followers are really cuddly.

[Interesting.]

Is there a reason for which god we end up stuck with, or is it just... Completely random?

[shroudedsecrets]

[ He does get a bit of a smile for that one. She does at least know of one particularly cuddly Rawna aligned, so he's not wrong. ]

The gods seem to have values they stand for. Perhaps they thought that those drawn here either resonated with them or could come to in time. Or perhaps they were simply that desperate for energy that they will take it as they can get it.

[ The short version: who knows? But she doesn't tend to speak short-version. ]

[commediadellanime]

[It’s okay, he’s well used to people who don’t speak short version by now.

His mouth twists into a grimace for a moment.]

Kind of seems like desperate is the answer, ma’am. Otherwise I don’t think we’d be here at all, you know?

[shroudedsecrets]

[ She also prefers to give others a chance to take the information in and draw their own conclusions, when the scope of it is so broad. Which, at least, he seems to be doing. ]

Desperation would account for our presence at all. Perhaps the division is simply for the sake of an intended balance, though it does not take into account how people will behave otherwise.

[commediadellanime]

Well, who would have expected that people would behave differently?

[That’s... A lotta sarcasm.]

I really do appreciate all this information, Miss Honerva, even if these gods seem a bit...

[He trails off.]

Well. Not what I’m used to.

[shroudedsecrets]

[ She offers a slight shrug. ]

Indeed. And that is hardly even accounting for the others... you will not find them in doctrines, though you may yet hear something of them. The Winged Lord and The Crawling One.

[commediadellanime]

[Oho? What’s this?]

Why aren’t these gods in the doctrine? Are they being excluded for a reason?

[shroudedsecrets]

We are still determining the nature of that, though it seems likely they were forgotten. Perhaps... intentionally so. The citizens did not show any recollection or interest of them until material relating to them began to be found, as well as certain occurrences.

[commediadellanime]

[...Huh.]

I see... That's interesting.

[He will have to investigate.]

Well, I can't say I know much, but that does seem incredibly suspicious. It seems like a lot to just forget if you're not taking steps to erase them from history.

[shroudedsecrets]

We know only some of what led them to this point, and the same would go for themselves. Granted, there's likely much they would rather keep from our awareness as well, while they scramble to make sense of the changes that have happened.

We can surmise, for example, that the presence outside of the barrier and responsible for the current state of the outside is that of the "Crawling one". The "Winged Lord" had long fallen, but these forces were opposites in some way. And then... a reminder of balance, even there. Perhaps with some investigative work, you'll find some of your own conclusions as well.