Yesterday FatuiHQ got another mental breakdown because of this, it was really funny to watch lol
slayer589x2026-01-08 18:45
We love to see miserable people feeling miserable over stupid things lol
aYuShKr4822026-01-08 18:45
i love there meltdown lmao it just too funny to watch them rage and angry
FloorGang-R22026-01-08 18:49
Snezhnaya might just make them go insane
Ok_Orange_34292026-01-08 19:17
No matter how genshin show snezhnaya they will go insane either showing snezhnaya as dictator or normal they will go insane either way
azahel4522026-01-08 19:49
hear me out: tsaritza waifu bait. 10 videos fawning over Aether.
Phonyyx2026-01-08 20:41
While I would personally dislike that because I feel it would lessen her character; I also personally love that idea because it would make those dumbasses fucking seethe more than they ever did before.
Watercrown1232026-01-08 21:11
I'm waiting for the inevitable arc where we melt the Tsaritsa's icy exterior at least a little and that entire sub goes ballistic saying it's a retcon.
BidDaddyLei2026-01-08 19:43
They will once Traveler joins the Fatui. Tsaritsa will hand him that 10th seat.
BobTheGodx2026-01-08 20:06
There's an empty 8th seat which Traveler made vacant 3 years ago 😭
gryphon_duke2026-01-08 18:51
genuinely what the hell is wrong with that sub?
AhmCha2026-01-08 18:55
I genuinely think it started with the fake leak a few years back that stated Capitano was “the strongest individual in all of Teyvat”, causing them to overdose on copium and aura memes. They created a version of the game in their heads and don’t want reality to get in the way of it.
-Navaja-2026-01-08 19:16
They are delusional 🙌.
astarothanimations2026-01-08 18:55
They are in love with a version of the game that never existed, while crying and berate it like an abusive housewife whos drowning in not enough wine.
forcebubble2026-01-08 19:01
Started as a parody sub.
Attracted the dissatisfied crowd.
Dissatisfied crowd displaces the parody group.
Sub is now pretending to be a parody.
EdgyDemon_Child2026-01-08 19:20
I was there back when it was just about being silly and liking the Fatui. Now every time I see anything from there it’s just mindless hatred of the game.
Like, I get that Genshin is by no means perfect and has a lot to improve on. But they make so many ant hills into giant mountain ranges with how they complain about basically everything.
SnooTigers82272026-01-08 19:30
Pretty much this.
It was a sarcastic parody of circlejerk who usee exaggerate false toxic agenda to show the parody.
And then it turned into a full blown actual extremely toxic circlejerk as people saw the opportunity to be really toxic in the open while shielded by the circlejerk .
Circlejerk are kind of the biggest downside of the subreddit approach of reddit, where it becomes really easy to gatekeep, gather toxic people and then brigade other community, it isn't unique to fatuiHQ, you also have fatuiradical, Buddy sub. Queen sub, etc. Each with their own circlejerk.
ChrisTheHurricane2026-01-08 19:42
Such is the fate of nearly all parody subs.
Diligent-Phase73712026-01-08 19:54
That sub used to be so funny at one point, now its like...
StellarTruce2026-01-08 20:41
It was funny during all that Capitano vs Ei brainrot. Now it's just a doomposting echo chamber.
Plus-Theme-32832026-01-08 19:44
Over taken by edgy toxic husbando fans that act as vegina in meat shop for the gatcha games, literally there dark path lead them to only now like dottore as the "fatui fans sup" and honestly i wish what ever is going to him the next update well be there downfall
Bon-Pon2026-01-08 18:55
>!they're going to lose their minds when the traveller defeats Dottore </3!<
No-Narwhal47922026-01-08 19:01
That's for sure.
Ok_Orange_34292026-01-08 19:21
Even worse >!because dottore actually saved the traveler!<
00Teonis2026-01-08 19:28
Then we get a “we’re not so different, you and I” speech.
Phaaze132026-01-08 19:07
Sometimes I wonder how many of them are actually still playing the game
corecenite2026-01-08 20:06
i love the fact that they never get any Ws from the game yet still exist... they're cockroaches atp
Clean-Unit3362026-01-08 18:48
Are people really mad that she's fond of the traveler?
imbusthul2026-01-08 18:53
Yes. Yes they are. It's not just the FatuiHQ.....
FloorGang-R22026-01-08 18:55
I was kinda taken aback too from how traveler apparently is her favorite person and not her long time friends like sandrone but eh its still cute
infojb22026-01-08 18:58
To be fair without the traveler she would definitely have vanished, without Sandrone it's only a maybe
Clean-Unit3362026-01-08 19:00
It seems like such an overreaction.
Like, I'm not sure I'd even consider her interactions as a romantic undertone rather she's finally able to learn how to be a person and have a friend under more normal circumstances.
Even if it is intended as romantic - so what? Genshin doesn't usually force elements like that so a rare and subtle inclusion doesn't strike me as that big of a deal.
S_Guderian2026-01-08 19:02
The way the Traveler has treated her has been the most different she has been treated in her life. Sure you could say Sandrone and Arlecchino were her friends but Columbina canonly confirmed she didn’t even understand that Sandrone was actually showing her affection in her own way. Arlecchino id imagine has been nice to her but still somewhat cold/distant from what we know of Columbina’s time in Snezhnaya. As for Lauma, it’s complicated with how they had to move from all the ‘Kuutar’ stuff and it’s definitely a work in progress. TLDR it just makes more sense for the Traveler to be her favorite person currently as they also helped her leave her comfort zone and have done a lot to try to help her without asking for anything in return (unlike the Fatui and the Scions in the past).
No-Narwhal47922026-01-08 19:14
Yeah, like i can understand some of the critics but Hoyo did make sure to show why Columbina grown fond to the traveler, but for some reason some people is ignoring that.
Basaqu2026-01-08 19:24
It's moreso dissapointment that that's the way Hoyo wanted this story and character to go. That it makes sense with how they've written it doesn't really matter cause they disagree with the writing direction in general.
omegavolt92026-01-08 19:16
Literally all these friendships and relationships Columbina had, she only started to realize what they were and what they meant to her because of the Traveler
Drachk2026-01-09 02:33
Tbf, people like Sandrone were also in denial of being friend with her, refusing to get close to people, so it was a two way street issue though for different reason
ihastomato2026-01-08 19:02
Traveler definitely had an impact in her life though, plus if the selenic chronicles are like semi canon or whatever, traveler actually spent alot of time with her too
IlliasTallin2026-01-08 19:14
She never considered Sandrone her friend until recently.
She needed it pointed out to her that people that came to the tea parties cared for her beyond what she perceived to be a transactional relationship.
Drachk2026-01-09 02:31
it doesn't help that Sandrone is a massive tsundere that is in complete denial of her feeling
Like it is not just Columbina, signora as well, even with Alain, she cannot be honest that she has grief
It took her losing everyone and going after Bina to accept that part of her
And Arle is the youngest by far, so she didn't spend that much time and her focus is on the children regardless, so she isn't lacking in people that love her
Izanagi322026-01-09 02:43
The traveller caught on to her real personality really quickly while Columbina’s reclusive nature and naive personality never did until just recently.
Mercinare2026-01-08 19:20
She didn't fully understand what friends *were* until she met the traveler though lol
arshesney2026-01-08 19:50
With her limited social skills she likely has no way of telling that Sandrone is a tsundere and she's actually friendly, at least until Traveler helped her opening up.
Matty1Ben2026-01-09 00:07
yup, she only realized when she was so closed to disappearing and that was when trav was the most impactful for her
Mystoc2026-01-08 19:00
she has other two well-known friends she has known way longer that also helped fight to save her and appeared in the story and she doesn't think about them at all?
its more that in trailer they aren't shown even once but traveler someone she really just met is now best friend status? it's like she has discarded her entire history and past relationships so traveler can be number one.
I don't mind her liking traveler it is bit weird though that they are the only focus.
omegavolt92026-01-08 19:18
She didn't understand the friendship they were showing her until Traveler changed her whole world view. So even though Traveler wasn't her first friend, he/she was her first *recognized* friend, and the other friendships were only recognized afterwards.
Mercinare2026-01-08 19:21
Story skipper detected lol
Frostgaurdian02026-01-08 19:04
God forbid we have someone that wants to befriend the traveller and not be their fanfic plot material.
Clean-Unit3362026-01-08 19:07
I hate forced romantic things in games - and have left games before because they forced a bunch of harem type interactions.
This genuinely doesn't read as that to me.
medikiwi2026-01-08 19:22
You're saying this like it's a rare occurrence when literally every single playable character has befriended the Traveler, most of the time almost instantly, some players want some variety in the dynamics
BeefChopJones2026-01-08 18:48
I don't interact with this community enough to understand why this would be something to be upset about
imbusthul2026-01-08 18:53
Their headcanon didn't become a reality. That's about it really.
misterkalazar2026-01-08 18:55
What was the headcanon?
imbusthul2026-01-08 18:58
One was that Columbina was some mysterious dangerous entity described by Childe and Wanderer, the fan animations did not help. Then there is the fact that many of them absolutely hates the Traveler for some reason, the reason many of them like Fontaine the most is because Arlechinno got to aura farm there and the Traveler was just a cameraman and not the other things.
Frostgaurdian02026-01-08 19:01
Aka edgy fans that just wants blood, and hi3rd plot in the game. Childe and wanderer description of her was vague but never wrong.
RaiStarBits2026-01-08 19:24
Yeah I don’t think it’s hard to see why some would think she’s meant to be eerie when the battleholic DIDNT wanna battle her
Cocoatrice2026-01-08 19:03
It's not that people hate Traveler, but they call every character a simp, just because they are nice to Traveler. And while Ayaka was genuine simp, majority of the characters are not. Columbina literally didn't care about Traveler, but Traveler was extremely nice to her, so obviously she started to like them. That's natural. If someone did this to me, I would also have positive relation with them.
TemporaryPool61502026-01-08 19:13
Tell that to Fatui fans and watch how they tweak lmao 🥀
SolKaynn2026-01-08 19:17
Fatui fans kinda just tweak regardless
Bunnnnii2026-01-08 19:19
Ayaka just wanted a friend.
Xerxes4572026-01-08 19:20
So something that kind of confused me is how fast she seems to have liked the Traveler for being nice to her. I don’t mind it overall. Just that it happened so fast that the animation happened. Weren’t the members in the tea party also nice to her for longer?
ErasedX2026-01-08 19:28
This was also the main criticism I've seen when they did a similar thing in ZZZ. I think this type of character relationship needs more time to make sense. I get that people like it, but for me personally it takes longer for it to hit the right way. Add that to the fact I like the character type people were making her in headcanon before, and I feel kinda bummed out.
I won't complain about it in unrelated threads because it's annoying to do. Just saying it here to try and explain why some people feel disappointed on this type of character relationship.
Xerxes4572026-01-08 19:40
I’m also of same mind, I just didn’t personally like how fast it went.
grumpykruppy2026-01-08 19:37
Yes, but she didn't actually understand that.
Sandrone is... Sandrone, and Signora was... Signora. While Capitano, Tartaglia, and Arlecchino are more normal, they still aren't going to go out of their way to say that they consider her a friend and enjoy her company for its own sake.
The Traveler, on the other hand, repeatedly and openly talks about how they like Columbina for *Columbina,* not for what she can offer them as a source of power. She does realize that her friends in the Harbingers felt the same, but it's only because the Traveler was able to get her out of her previous equivalent exchange mindset, so it's post-fact in a sense (note, this is probably also why she accepts the name Columbina and doesn't just regard it as another meaningless title like Kuutar).
Mystic9871232026-01-08 19:20
Columbina literally said that her time with Rosalyne, Sandrone and Arlecchino were the ones she will treasure the most. She didn't even mention Traveler but the fandom always ships literally every female character with Aether for some reason
AnaYuma2026-01-08 19:08
Wanderer never called her dangerous... He only said that we won't be able to fight the damsel in distress because of our conscience...
Why would our conscience make it hard to fight her? Because she's literally a damsel in distress....
Turns out, the damsel in distress is actually a damsel in distress and not something pretending to be a damsel in distress, which a lot of headcanons thought would be the case..
Peeps just can't take their headcanons being wrong nicely..
imbusthul2026-01-08 19:12
That might be so but, you see the average genshin players don't know how to read and even if they read it, they will read it wrong.
Khoakuma2026-01-08 19:02
That Columbina is some sort of Lovecraftian eldritch monster
IlliasTallin2026-01-08 19:10
Take a trip over to r/FatuiHQ to see all the delusional headcanon.
SolKaynn2026-01-08 19:16
Might be what the other person said, might be Yuri. Who knows, really.
Gregamonster2026-01-08 18:54
Shippers want characters to have no confirmed opinions on anyone at all so they can ship whatever nonsense combo they want.
If Columbina is confirmed to like the traveler in any way, that threatens their Columbina X Lauma X Arleccino fanfiction and they can't tolerate that
S_Guderian2026-01-08 18:58
Its more like Columbina x Sandrone x Arle from what ive seen
Gregamonster2026-01-08 19:09
I was trying for a combination that would sound as absurd as possible.
But as they say, truth is stranger than fiction.
S_Guderian2026-01-08 19:13
It’s actually a lot closer to reality than you’d think.
Personally I’d have gone for Columbina x Ying’er x Jeht
BeefChopJones2026-01-08 18:59
Ah. So it's not important. Got it. Thank you for the assist, fellow Dehya enjoyer 🥂
Iihatepineapplepizza2026-01-08 19:01
Traveler x Columbina isn't confirmed either though lol. Unless they're kissing and shit on screen nothing is ever confirmed
(also wasn't columbina x sandrone the more popular one? at least at this point. Ik it used to be arleccino x columbina)
Vigilantia2026-01-08 19:11
>Unless they're kissing and shit on screen nothing is ever confirmed
I need you to edit your sentence so I'm not imagining Traveler x Columbina dook-dooks.
Cocoatrice2026-01-08 19:05
I mean, I don't understand that. People ship characters who *does* have wives/husbands or even simple love interests (or clearly aren't interested in anyone) and this happens for decades. Naruto with Sasuke. Light with L. Harry and Hermione. So I don't even get what would that change.
WillTheWAFSack2026-01-08 19:21
i'm a shipper and i really don't get why some people get mad at canon ships. the only time i'll get frustrated at a canon ship is if it feels lazy or forced (e.g. naruto/hinata and sasuke/sakura felt entirely one sided the entire time and it made no sense to me that they suddenly got married at the end). if a canon ship is done well, often times i'll ship that one even harder (e.g. simon and betty in adventure time are literally one of my favorite ships ever), and if i really wanted to ship one of them with someone else i'd just make them a polycule. like columbina and the traveler make perfect sense to me, i could never be mad at that.
arshesney2026-01-08 19:38
It's Hoyo, they'll *never* officially ship any MC with anyone. Most it'll be is the heavy baiting like Firefly/Cyrene or Vivian/Ye Shunguang.
At least Columbina (and Ayaka) have a good reason to like the Traveler, since they are the first person treating them as friends.
Daeths2026-01-08 20:13
My problem with using traveler is that my traveler is Lumine. In my game Columbina has never met aether so it’s odd for her to be drawing his picture
ankitjad2026-01-08 18:54
Huh... Some % of the EN genshin comm consume this media only to goon/have headcanons.. it's the shipping comm. The right side on pic are lesbians, Things didn't go acc to their headcanon.
FlatisJustice1770132026-01-08 19:00
The gooners don't really mind from what I can tell.
BeefChopJones2026-01-08 19:00
Saying this and then seeing the "top 1% commenter" banner on my comment is crazy work on my part
_LFKrebs_2026-01-08 19:09
To be fair that 1% could be that you just comment here and there on a bunch of random posts, not that you actually interact with people of the community in particular lol
Shopworn_Soul2026-01-08 19:22
Yeah, it can be from a single popular comment or a whole bunch of 1 point comments. Doesn't matter, as long as the total is in the top 1% of a given community.
GlitteryFangs2026-01-08 19:43
So the badge is basically a math flex, not a social one. Makes the irony even better.
Shopworn_Soul2026-01-08 20:15
It sorta depends on the community.
In a sub with a few hundred visitors you could probably reach 1% by sheer volume of 1 point comments. But in a sub with millions of visitors you'd need a significant number of actual upvotes to even get close.
Cedar_something2026-01-08 19:14
Tbh there could be a lot of people that comment very little so doing just more than the small number is already more than most
SoggyCold2026-01-08 19:23
That was frying me 🤣🤣🤣
ExtrovertArtist2026-01-08 19:38
its hilarious lol
RubApprehensive25122026-01-08 20:38
You can literally be a top1% comenter by commenting in this sub every day at least once for 5 days straght.
Rezboy2092026-01-08 20:48
😭😭😭😭😭
sufferIhopeyoudo2026-01-08 19:00
No one is. Just losers at fatuiHQ. It’s a toxic sub that hates Columbina and mostly any female character. They’ve been harassing Columbina mains since way before nod krai. Raided their sub 2x before nodkrai ever even happened. fatuiHQ is where the trashy genshin players flock to
Genprey2026-01-08 19:07
...is this still a gacha game people are playing?
sufferIhopeyoudo2026-01-08 19:07
Genshin Impact?
According-Dentist4692026-01-08 19:13
I can already tell the demographic of a sub that hates Columbina and any female characters..
ultragaydotcom2026-01-08 19:10
Most people are angry because "waifubait", Lumine exclusion etc. Hoyo does love to push their harem agenda sometimes by having petite girls be depending on Traveler but imo it can fairly easily be ignored + the incels and "Aether canon mc" crowds are annoying the other people in the community by saying "Aebina canon yuritards were finally shutdown" and whatnot. A lot of shit is happening lol
azul3602026-01-08 19:26
Basically FatuiHQ has a problem with character protrayals in the game while this sub has a problem with FatuiHQ existing (at least based on the 900 threads that seem to be constant here)
Mean-Razzmatazz15542026-01-08 19:37
Everybody is annoying and always complains anyways. But people are hating on columbina for travler shipping
Unbound-King2026-01-08 18:51
All I need from Columbina is more lollipop scenes.
Don't care who it's with. Traveler, Lauma, Rerir, Nefer, Flins, Jahoda, Varka, Ineffa, a Rifthound, a Slime, or Eula's favorite Hilichurl. It doesn't matter. The fact is that we know now that Colombina has a talent that needs to be studied, nurtured, and showcased at its apex.
FloorGang-R22026-01-08 18:53
Ik what kind of a man u r 💔
Unbound-King2026-01-08 18:54
I am a Genshin Impact enjoyer.
TraceFinder2026-01-08 18:52
As soon as I watched the video I knew what some "conversations" would devolve into.
"She drew his face, it's canon, suck it up!"
"No, she said she missed everyone, not just him, idiot!"
"She touched his finger longer, that's a sign, you clueless moron"
"She touched Paimon first, doesn't mean anything, you're delusional!"
I don't have anything against shipping, hell I have a few ships ans headcanons of my own, but I'm always puzzled by how over the top some people can be.
Iihatepineapplepizza2026-01-08 19:13
fr 🥀 it gets even more ridiculous when people get homophobic over it
RoyaleAbsol2026-01-08 19:20
Its crazy too because literally EVERY side was eating with the last patch.
Traveller fans (both Aether and Lumine) had the lollipop and Merry-go-round scenes.
Yuri fans had the scenes of Bina playing games with Sandrone and Arlecchinno.
There's genuinely no winning with people like this.
Kakita_Kaiyo2026-01-08 21:02
Fans of both yuri and Lumine: polycule it is then!
ban9132026-01-08 21:07
Right?! Heck, even the fatui people got a dottore w.
layzthecat2026-01-09 01:04
bold of you to assume theyre satisfied with a W
omegavolt92026-01-08 19:21
Argument unclear, now raging that Columbina has feelings for Paimon
GlitteryFangs2026-01-08 19:41
Harbinger x Emergency Food confirmed, trust me my uncle works at HoYoverse.
No_Telephone_87032026-01-08 19:47
Paimon is gonna grow to 6'4 and grow muscles to carry columbina
Thisegghascracksin2026-01-09 00:39
That's how Capitano becomes playable, Paimon switches bodies with him, creating a loophole in the deal with Ronova. The voices switch bodies too.
iguanacatgirl2026-01-08 19:51
The real reason paimon doesn't let us go to dormant port is because she's in cahoots with the fatui
Not_Xiphroid2026-01-08 21:30
They’ve been secretly bribing her with turkish delight behind our back.
TheCapybara92026-01-08 23:49
And she didn't share the bribes with us? That fiend!
Not_Xiphroid2026-01-08 21:29
Columbina when she realises she left without any snacks for the journey…
peachymagpie2026-01-08 21:58
For me, I think my confusion is coming from the seemingly absolute desire for it to be canon. It’s perfectly fine to ship pairs that aren’t canon, never will be canon, and have never met in canon. Shipping is supposed to be fun
GoldenZero1202026-01-08 23:21
Conveniently left out the just as loud toxic ones pushing for the opposite narrative just because Columbina looked in the direction of another woman
Insidious_NX2026-01-09 02:09
Unhinged emotional attachments to fictional characters or irl celebrities can be very terrifying. Arguments can devolve into threats, doxxing, and even worse.
Pi-Alamode2026-01-08 18:56
I'm not even sure how her doodling the traveler is confirmation of any ship, like can't people doodle their friends that they miss deeply?
Edit: I don't hate shipping, I'm a shipper myself (Not Columbina x Traveler but I do ship), but taking this as canon proof of something is wild
DevolayS2026-01-08 19:13
This. I swear. It's like saying "hi" to someone and they somehow take it as a love confession.
But maybe it's because a lot of people are very lonely today. Maybe it's really how they feel. When someone acknowledges your existence for the first time ever, perhaps it does feel very special, and they want to cherish that moment, when in reality it's just a simple "hi", nothing more.
Kohjiroh2026-01-08 21:56
> It's like saying "hi" to someone and they somehow take it as a love confession.
Unfortunately, there are people like that who unironically go "OMG they talked to each other, I already hear the wedding bells!"
Operation-Cultural2026-01-08 19:48
Yeah considering hoyo never do canon couple
Lazy-Traffic53462026-01-08 20:17
Except Rerir but he is in NPC jail
Dazzling-Award90272026-01-08 21:20
If hoyo ever make a ship canon, you’d best believe at least one of them is dying soon.
Lazy-Traffic53462026-01-08 21:35
Or both , bruh
kirby86k2026-01-09 04:18
timeaus x ying'er supremacy
ManonBr_2026-01-08 20:16
... I've seen this drawing 20 times today and you just informed me this isn't Varka
Hunter_Crona2026-01-08 21:19
My only problem is I really wish she drew the others too instead of just one person when she said she misses everyone. It would've made the moment land more imho.
Pi-Alamode2026-01-08 21:22
Oh i agree wholeheartedly
herminihildo2026-01-09 01:58
Guess we have a Varka harem then. He doodled a pretty lot of characters.
Dramatic_Opening40192026-01-09 12:54
I think the main problem is that she draws a dude she met like yesterday instead of either one of her fatui besties who she's known anywhere from about ten to hundreds of years. Her entire character is dependent on the traveler for some reason, but they barely know each other, which makes the forced shipping really stand out as cringe and out of nowhere. And you already know she'll be discarded for the next regional waifu in snezhnaya, so there's no point to this stupid 'relationship' in the first place.
WinWunWon2026-01-08 18:58
I play as lumine so this confused me at first. How could Aether be a love interest if there are people who play as Lumine? They both experience the same things basically right? So Aether’s hanging out with Bina while I am as Lumine, all in the same world/timeline?! Doesn’t make sense. Unless they make her attracted to Lumine as well. Now that would be kinda cool of them to do
edit next day: after thinking on it, I can see how they maybe intended two different story lines in certain areas but if they’re not going to make the same effort of content for Lumine’s story, why did they give us a choice at all?
Illustrious_Kiwi55182026-01-08 19:04
Aether is the "canon" gender for teasers & marketing but unless there is a difference in dialogue between the genders (which has happened with Jeht and Citlali before), it should be implied that she is interested in the traveler (Aether or Lumine) no matter the gender.
xrds_x2026-01-08 19:08
With varka too
Illustrious_Kiwi55182026-01-08 19:09
wait which part of the dialogue is different for him?
DDSNIPERDD2026-01-08 19:12
He won't go into your room in the Flagship if you're Lumine, says he can hardly enter a Lady's room as a knight
KenBoy222026-01-08 19:12
During one of the convos he goes "A knight shouldn't go into a lady's room at night" while with Aether he's just like, Yo bud lets talk 😂
Sitherio2026-01-08 19:15
I play Lumine, lol, that's great. And I didn't see anyone else really post about that difference.
cringeandfailnoob2026-01-08 19:18
There was no difference with Citlali though, i know this bc i double checked both scenes with both travelers
Illustrious_Kiwi55182026-01-08 19:23
Oh really? I remember there was a "drama" (crybabies whining) about that in early Natlan,,, ig it was based on misinfo?
cringeandfailnoob2026-01-08 19:27
Yep, the drama was pointless
SnooTigers82272026-01-08 19:20
To clarify, Aether is the "canon" **representation** for the mc while Lumine is the "canon representation" for the Abyss princess.
What it means is for all purpose, they won't do art in double or split them along gender, so when they need to represent the MC, they use aether, when they want to represent the Abyss twin, they use Lumine.
It doesn't mean player in canon cannot be Lumine just that the default / the representation is a specific twin.
Kind of like how some game will use a default avatar as its main representation even if players aren't dressed or similar to it (like every fromsoft soul game)
Illustrious_Kiwi55182026-01-08 19:27
yea thats what I meant with the "canon", thanks for the clarification though
crysis24242026-01-08 19:06
I’ve always viewed it as you can insert Aether / Lumine for one another just whoever you picked the traveler as. If the character is friendly or likes one, they also would like the other.
ultragaydotcom2026-01-08 19:12
Exactly! Jeht is the only one canonicaly in love with/fond of only Lumine due to the dialogues being drastically different!
crysis24242026-01-08 19:18
oh ya I loved Jeht! She was so awesome I loved those desert quests, I hope she returns an in event or WQ again some day. And I have no issue with her or a few characters dialogues being different, I think that can make perfect sense based on how they wrote the character.
ultragaydotcom2026-01-08 19:19
I think so too! Really hope to see more of her
00Teonis2026-01-08 19:25
Playable Jeht when?
Iihatepineapplepizza2026-01-08 19:16
They have Jeht who seems to exclusively show attraction to Lumine (and is said to "only like girls" according to another NPC Azariq), so I always interpreted any character having a potential romantic interest in the Traveler (i.e. not just lumine, not just aether) as liking both travelers. Basically, I think they're bisexual lol
(that being said I usually only see it as romantic if it's with lumine, cause I just prefer yuri :p)
ghostyspice2026-01-08 19:31
This is why I kind of hate the animated shorts that include the traveler. They’re A L W A Y S Aether. Like sure I can just pretend they’re all Lumine, but why should I have to? It’s annoying, so I’ve just mostly stopped watching them.
It’s also why I hate the intense waifu bait. I’m bi, so I do love a yuri ship, but I know that’s not what they’re going for [and it’s always SO forced].
PantheraAuroris2026-01-08 18:58
A video game relates most, if not all, plot points back to the player controlled protagonist, to have the player feel more part of the story? And this has been done since we had games? STOP THE PRESSES
Old_Square_91002026-01-08 19:00
I mean did those people just skip the festival last archon quest? I don't think this is strange at all, the scene where she becomes tangible again, the lollipop, riding the cart together and her telling him she would like him to remember the current "her" during that night.
If this was not a gatcha title, she'd be the no. 1 love interest for the traveler given all these interactions.
I wonder what our protagonist will do with the Tsaritsa in 7.x after all these interactions with Columbina.
TraceFinder2026-01-08 19:15
With one aspect of the Tsaritsa's character being that she has spent all her love to her people and has noke left... would be hilarious to have something that makes her say "I thank you for reminding me what love feels like", all the while using "love" in a non-romantic fashion and see the reaction in some communities.
ChaemiR82026-01-08 19:05
r/Genshin_Romance vs r/FatuiHQ
Asuru_2026-01-08 19:07
Both sides are insufferable but people are not ready for this conversation here. They just know how to parrot talk how "fatuihq is bad" but they never talk about how aethermains are disgusting too
Basaqu2026-01-08 19:28
It feels like a circlejerk. Enough people say "x is bad" and everyone parrots it if it fits their desired narrative/ideas. I feel like nowadays personal experience is thrown to the side to fit in with hating what your side hates...
CryoStrange2026-01-08 19:37
And thing is as toxic as the fatuihq is, it is not they don't have valid criticisms. Like the people who celebrate columbina and her ships will be the first one to get butt hurt when someone says she is waifubait, fanservice, uninteresting etc etc. And like genuinely what will these hardcore shippers do when Traveler will go to next region and they will be another girl who will be romantic with traveler. As much fatuihq is delusional that their headcanons are not real, so are these shippers who went on their way harass VAs because she posted skirk x rerir lol.
carnoalfa2026-01-08 20:08
as someone that dislike fatuihq, yeah.
like for example the meme sub at time almost felt like the same as fatuihq, but going in the opposite direction and that kind of stuff.
i think me staying in my own corner doing my own shit and stuff was a really good desicion.
nanimeanswhat2026-01-08 21:13
Complaining about subreddit drama including fhq is one of the common karma farming methods in the meme sub. Its quality has only gotten worse over the years. Nowadays you barely see memes that aren't porn jokes or throwing jabs at another subreddit.
LoodosWeerNe2026-01-08 19:14
I genuinely don’t understand neither parts, among all the “waifu bait” dramas Columbina isn’t even that bad. she’s basically just being thankful towards the whole nod krai cast for everything they’ve done for her, with a special focus on the traveler because they’re the main character of the game
actionmotion2026-01-08 19:19
This. I find some of the dialogue a little cringey but it was nowhere near the level of obnoxiousness as other Hoyo titles or other more waifu sim gacha games. Literally she’s just a girl who wanted friends 😭
Winter_Culture_14542026-01-08 19:15
When I was watching this yesterday and got to this moment I thought something like: "Oh, this is gonna upset them so much that I could hear sound of hundreds of keyboard warriors typing" lmao.
GalacticDeg2026-01-08 19:19
I think people here are also missing that it was Aether drawn specifically, excluding Lumine and the people who play as her. Like it's not even a new experience but when it gets taken in a romance context it pushes that "Aether harem" thing which is not the game a lot of people signed up for, especially when Lumine is literally a playable option who does the exact same stuff as Aether should you choose her.
Stealthless2026-01-08 19:21
It's the year 2026 and these folks don't understand that HoYo picked Aether as their MC in Genshin. Hence why Aether is on the majority of promos.
Gray_Tower2026-01-08 19:43
Sometimes I feel like I'm living in a completely different plane of existence than y'all. Like what do you mean gacha shipping drama is **the thing** you decide to have passionate discussions about on the internet
Edit: aaaand people are arguing in the replies. To clarify, I'm not even into shipping, I just personally don't see a reason to puke when a fictional character shows interest in another fictional character lmao
AdrizCas2026-01-08 21:20
2nd picture is from FatuiHQ. I dont think its about shipping, those guys are spiraling for different reasons
cakebrave2026-01-08 21:59
I mean Dottore is the only one that still follow their scripts since they are never going to accept that every fatui in the organization joined not because they wanted to do "evil" stuffs together but because they needed to accomplish something while looking menacing.
Imo just proves that reading comprehension is down the drain if you can't accept that character are allowed to be silly (cat ear Arle) or to not follow your ideals.
redr1p2026-01-08 22:42
Like 2 years ago i guess, it was a fun place. Everyone was roleplaying as a fatui member and conversations or threads were really fun. After Natlan came out i left the sub because it started to become the shitplace it is now. I looked into it and oh god it is somehow even worse than before.
AdrizCas2026-01-08 23:50
This! Joined because of the top tier shitposts, left because of the constant complaining.
herminihildo2026-01-09 01:21
I feel like it was brigaded during Natlan. Been there before Lazzo. Left last year. You would think Mavuika stole their puppy or something. Or maybe she did (Capitano)
BlushedLatias2026-01-09 04:47
Nah, they actually hate Capitano for not being shown doing Fatui things now. The only harbinger they like is Dottore (you know, the guy that no harbinger likes to work with and that the Tsaritsa herself is aware of his rebellious nature, hence why she called him back to HQ, though he straight up disobeyed that order).
Zeckrin12026-01-09 01:29
No one hates the Fatui more than FatuiHQ
SandyArca2026-01-09 06:40
There’s also the fact there’s another fatui sub even worse because FatuiHQ kicked them off the main sub
Panty-Sniffer-122026-01-09 03:41
Let me guess, they are disappointed in columbina being happy and shi and they wanted her to be like doctor ? Didn't they also cry about arle cat ears lol
Benjamin5682026-01-09 07:15
A few days ago on that sub I saw a few comments accusing Arlecchino of grooming in defense of Dottore so I'm sure the cat ears got to them pretty bad.
ZaheerUchiha2026-01-08 22:04
The dangerous answer to your question is a bit more complicated. Shipping drama is nothing new online and has always been a source of slapfights.
But nowadays, culture wars add to the fire.
There's too much baiting and bad faith arguing. I've noticed some of the most toxic aether harem shippers are just people that get legit pissed off by yuri, or Lumine mains, or complain that the fandom has "too many tourists" (usually meaning women)
Gotta remember that modern political discourse has devolved to essentially getting meaningless "wins" wherever possible and pushing agendas and whatever.
So, for whatever reason hoyo baiting with the latest ship is a "W" against them "tourists"
FatuiHQ in the other hand is both too immature and tribalistic. They take the bait way too easily.
Shiraishi3172026-01-08 23:47
Back then shipping wars is mostly for shits and giggles and everyone knows boundaries, but ever since the lockdown hits, these kinds of people came out of nowhere and forcing their rules into fictions
AmanogawaKami2026-01-08 22:29
You never been here during 2010s??? 🤔
Shipping Wars was all the rage back then in the anime community 🤣
I_am_not_Serabia2026-01-08 22:35
Back then it was all... "niche". If you didn't care about shipping you would not see shipping. Now whether you like it or not you are gonna see it.
GoldenZero1202026-01-08 23:13
Statistically the worst part of the fandom, this is why we can’t have nice things
Kardiackon2026-01-08 23:53
dawg even as someone who's actually into shipping I can't even disagree lmao
i do kinda miss when shipping was just that one weird small part of a fandom, those were much more fun times where our arguments were all so contained and no one outside really gave a shit about us. nowadays I feel like just saying that I ship two characters together is enough for everyone to pull pitchforks on me.
GoldenZero1202026-01-09 01:50
Even Hoyo knows how sensitive shippers can be, which is why they made every single playable character "ambiguous" enough to not be in any real relationship. This is the nice thing we can't have like other gatchas.
It's already a miracle for Alice, and hopefully a step in a right direction.
Murky_Blueberry26172026-01-09 00:10
Yeah shipping tends to attract the most toxic fans in most fanbases
galacticakagi2026-01-09 04:47
The problem tbh isn't shipping. It's people not being able to respect that not everyone ships the same ships and being able to live with that/avoid content related to ships they don't like.
Like, there are certain ships I absolutely cannot stand and I don't go and harass either creators of content pertaining to them nor people who like them unprovoked. Live and let live.
galacticakagi2026-01-09 04:46
I know of shipping wars that lasted longer than actual wars. 😭
Jumugen2026-01-08 22:51
These people here make their pull decision based on if they can fuck the fictional char or not
Shit is so disconnected from normality
Darkwolve452026-01-09 00:34
For real with this reply. I thought tbe whole point of shipping was just fictional pairings that the individual finds cute or charming, but are meant to be for fun.
When did everyone turn into Nepeta from Homestuck? XD
Elite-X032026-01-09 01:00
They're stupid that's why
bluejob152026-01-09 01:04
If you go outside at least 3 days a week, have a job, was on the internet before 2020, and/or are above the age of 18, I think you might as well be
Fainelle2026-01-08 19:47
Both sides have an insane degree of tunnel vision that should be studied
healcannon2026-01-08 20:00
I get why FatuiHQ would be upset over Columbina. There are some decent points over there about how she went from a mysterious singing harbinger who the other harbinger's supposedly feared to now being more painted as another person to fawn over the Traveler. What with the whole festival and the shared candy and drawing his face in the snow and all.
However it doesn't bug me too badly as its sort of expected by this point. The pseudo shipping and the focus on selling girl characters in a gacha game as well as the focus of the company to be even more about Aether > Lumine, just cements this stuff as the future.
So I understand and I agree to an extent but I still find the overall story of Nod Krai and Columbina herself to be more interesting than Mavuika was for Natlan. The moon lore is very interesting but trying to get a shy introvert goddess to open more up to the world is less so. I am glad the festival let you run around as Columbina and didn't just treat it like a date with Aether which they totally could have instead of just having a few moments of it. It having as much content in it mattered a lot for helping to put that separation between scenes.
Its also completely understandable that after all our visits and sharing the moon marrow's power with her to keep her alive, that she would draw our face over other characters including Sandrone or Arle. Ofc the reality is really that its more about the shipping but you can make the argument as to why its Aether.
So idk it all kinda isn't surprising to me at this point but its understandable to also be disappointed. Hopefully the Tsaritsa won't be crushing on Aether too so things can be more interesting.
Seraphiine__2026-01-08 20:03
To be fair both sides are weird: one it's people living a bit too much into the waifu narrative and the others are a bit too much against said thing, just personally wished it was Bina doodling all of the cast outside of the traveler
ShadowMW22026-01-09 01:20
ngl if it was me who made it I would have made it "gender neutral", make Columbia draw a bunch of stickmen so people can just make their interpretations of who's who.
SicariusCourtenay2026-01-08 20:10
Personally this scene just makes me eyeroll, im tired of traveler being basically friends with everyone it's like every playable character has to be close to traveler or at least on good terms
It's not a bad thing on it's own im just wildly burnt out by this trope. Im definitely not in the "OH GOD I LOVE THIS" or the "OH GOD I HATE THIS" im more like "ugh, predictable"
lwkkazz2026-01-08 20:10
people gives their head canons too much importance. Both sides are crazy.
AmbitionLower74562026-01-08 20:24
Third unseen option: where lumine version
aaaaaalii2026-01-09 00:19
Paimon sort by controversal
kirby86k2026-01-09 04:39
new sorting technique just dropped
Fataha222026-01-09 00:33
Lumine deserve more screen time on character intro 😭
WokeUpToCreateThis2026-01-09 04:05
im gonna throw up but positively this was so cute it makes me sick
vansky2572026-01-09 08:11
I feel like this whole shipping thing started to blow up with Firefly and just escalated to 100 with Cyrene.
I actually like Firefly because she has something else going for her apart from her crush. I know people were expecting a whole different vibe to SAM, and they went waifu to appeal to the masses, but at least she's got some form of personality.
Cyrene, on the other hand, is literal pure trash. Ye Shenguang in ZZZ apparently also suffers from the same abysmal writing that unfortunately rotted the pink waifuslop.
Columbina, though, I'm more willing to give a pass. We actually see her interacting with the other characters, and it's obvious that she cares about the entire NK crew and they with her. She also doesn't tunnel vision on the traveler.
If a character is written well enough, I'm more than happy to excuse a cute lil crush on the protag for those miserable self-inserts out there.
Commentaires
Attracted the dissatisfied crowd.
Dissatisfied crowd displaces the parody group.
Sub is now pretending to be a parody.
Like, I get that Genshin is by no means perfect and has a lot to improve on. But they make so many ant hills into giant mountain ranges with how they complain about basically everything.
It was a sarcastic parody of circlejerk who usee exaggerate false toxic agenda to show the parody.
And then it turned into a full blown actual extremely toxic circlejerk as people saw the opportunity to be really toxic in the open while shielded by the circlejerk .
Circlejerk are kind of the biggest downside of the subreddit approach of reddit, where it becomes really easy to gatekeep, gather toxic people and then brigade other community, it isn't unique to fatuiHQ, you also have fatuiradical, Buddy sub. Queen sub, etc. Each with their own circlejerk.
Like, I'm not sure I'd even consider her interactions as a romantic undertone rather she's finally able to learn how to be a person and have a friend under more normal circumstances.
Even if it is intended as romantic - so what? Genshin doesn't usually force elements like that so a rare and subtle inclusion doesn't strike me as that big of a deal.
She needed it pointed out to her that people that came to the tea parties cared for her beyond what she perceived to be a transactional relationship.
Like it is not just Columbina, signora as well, even with Alain, she cannot be honest that she has grief
It took her losing everyone and going after Bina to accept that part of her
And Arle is the youngest by far, so she didn't spend that much time and her focus is on the children regardless, so she isn't lacking in people that love her
its more that in trailer they aren't shown even once but traveler someone she really just met is now best friend status? it's like she has discarded her entire history and past relationships so traveler can be number one.
I don't mind her liking traveler it is bit weird though that they are the only focus.
This genuinely doesn't read as that to me.
I won't complain about it in unrelated threads because it's annoying to do. Just saying it here to try and explain why some people feel disappointed on this type of character relationship.
Sandrone is... Sandrone, and Signora was... Signora. While Capitano, Tartaglia, and Arlecchino are more normal, they still aren't going to go out of their way to say that they consider her a friend and enjoy her company for its own sake.
The Traveler, on the other hand, repeatedly and openly talks about how they like Columbina for *Columbina,* not for what she can offer them as a source of power. She does realize that her friends in the Harbingers felt the same, but it's only because the Traveler was able to get her out of her previous equivalent exchange mindset, so it's post-fact in a sense (note, this is probably also why she accepts the name Columbina and doesn't just regard it as another meaningless title like Kuutar).
Why would our conscience make it hard to fight her? Because she's literally a damsel in distress....
Turns out, the damsel in distress is actually a damsel in distress and not something pretending to be a damsel in distress, which a lot of headcanons thought would be the case..
Peeps just can't take their headcanons being wrong nicely..
If Columbina is confirmed to like the traveler in any way, that threatens their Columbina X Lauma X Arleccino fanfiction and they can't tolerate that
But as they say, truth is stranger than fiction.
Personally I’d have gone for Columbina x Ying’er x Jeht
(also wasn't columbina x sandrone the more popular one? at least at this point. Ik it used to be arleccino x columbina)
I need you to edit your sentence so I'm not imagining Traveler x Columbina dook-dooks.
At least Columbina (and Ayaka) have a good reason to like the Traveler, since they are the first person treating them as friends.
In a sub with a few hundred visitors you could probably reach 1% by sheer volume of 1 point comments. But in a sub with millions of visitors you'd need a significant number of actual upvotes to even get close.
Don't care who it's with. Traveler, Lauma, Rerir, Nefer, Flins, Jahoda, Varka, Ineffa, a Rifthound, a Slime, or Eula's favorite Hilichurl. It doesn't matter. The fact is that we know now that Colombina has a talent that needs to be studied, nurtured, and showcased at its apex.
"She drew his face, it's canon, suck it up!"
"No, she said she missed everyone, not just him, idiot!"
"She touched his finger longer, that's a sign, you clueless moron"
"She touched Paimon first, doesn't mean anything, you're delusional!"
I don't have anything against shipping, hell I have a few ships ans headcanons of my own, but I'm always puzzled by how over the top some people can be.
Traveller fans (both Aether and Lumine) had the lollipop and Merry-go-round scenes.
Yuri fans had the scenes of Bina playing games with Sandrone and Arlecchinno.
There's genuinely no winning with people like this.
Edit: I don't hate shipping, I'm a shipper myself (Not Columbina x Traveler but I do ship), but taking this as canon proof of something is wild
But maybe it's because a lot of people are very lonely today. Maybe it's really how they feel. When someone acknowledges your existence for the first time ever, perhaps it does feel very special, and they want to cherish that moment, when in reality it's just a simple "hi", nothing more.
Unfortunately, there are people like that who unironically go "OMG they talked to each other, I already hear the wedding bells!"
edit next day: after thinking on it, I can see how they maybe intended two different story lines in certain areas but if they’re not going to make the same effort of content for Lumine’s story, why did they give us a choice at all?
What it means is for all purpose, they won't do art in double or split them along gender, so when they need to represent the MC, they use aether, when they want to represent the Abyss twin, they use Lumine.
It doesn't mean player in canon cannot be Lumine just that the default / the representation is a specific twin.
Kind of like how some game will use a default avatar as its main representation even if players aren't dressed or similar to it (like every fromsoft soul game)
(that being said I usually only see it as romantic if it's with lumine, cause I just prefer yuri :p)
It’s also why I hate the intense waifu bait. I’m bi, so I do love a yuri ship, but I know that’s not what they’re going for [and it’s always SO forced].
If this was not a gatcha title, she'd be the no. 1 love interest for the traveler given all these interactions.
I wonder what our protagonist will do with the Tsaritsa in 7.x after all these interactions with Columbina.
like for example the meme sub at time almost felt like the same as fatuihq, but going in the opposite direction and that kind of stuff.
i think me staying in my own corner doing my own shit and stuff was a really good desicion.
Edit: aaaand people are arguing in the replies. To clarify, I'm not even into shipping, I just personally don't see a reason to puke when a fictional character shows interest in another fictional character lmao
Imo just proves that reading comprehension is down the drain if you can't accept that character are allowed to be silly (cat ear Arle) or to not follow your ideals.
But nowadays, culture wars add to the fire.
There's too much baiting and bad faith arguing. I've noticed some of the most toxic aether harem shippers are just people that get legit pissed off by yuri, or Lumine mains, or complain that the fandom has "too many tourists" (usually meaning women)
Gotta remember that modern political discourse has devolved to essentially getting meaningless "wins" wherever possible and pushing agendas and whatever.
So, for whatever reason hoyo baiting with the latest ship is a "W" against them "tourists"
FatuiHQ in the other hand is both too immature and tribalistic. They take the bait way too easily.
Shipping Wars was all the rage back then in the anime community 🤣
i do kinda miss when shipping was just that one weird small part of a fandom, those were much more fun times where our arguments were all so contained and no one outside really gave a shit about us. nowadays I feel like just saying that I ship two characters together is enough for everyone to pull pitchforks on me.
It's already a miracle for Alice, and hopefully a step in a right direction.
Like, there are certain ships I absolutely cannot stand and I don't go and harass either creators of content pertaining to them nor people who like them unprovoked. Live and let live.
Shit is so disconnected from normality
When did everyone turn into Nepeta from Homestuck? XD
However it doesn't bug me too badly as its sort of expected by this point. The pseudo shipping and the focus on selling girl characters in a gacha game as well as the focus of the company to be even more about Aether > Lumine, just cements this stuff as the future.
So I understand and I agree to an extent but I still find the overall story of Nod Krai and Columbina herself to be more interesting than Mavuika was for Natlan. The moon lore is very interesting but trying to get a shy introvert goddess to open more up to the world is less so. I am glad the festival let you run around as Columbina and didn't just treat it like a date with Aether which they totally could have instead of just having a few moments of it. It having as much content in it mattered a lot for helping to put that separation between scenes.
Its also completely understandable that after all our visits and sharing the moon marrow's power with her to keep her alive, that she would draw our face over other characters including Sandrone or Arle. Ofc the reality is really that its more about the shipping but you can make the argument as to why its Aether.
So idk it all kinda isn't surprising to me at this point but its understandable to also be disappointed. Hopefully the Tsaritsa won't be crushing on Aether too so things can be more interesting.
It's not a bad thing on it's own im just wildly burnt out by this trope. Im definitely not in the "OH GOD I LOVE THIS" or the "OH GOD I HATE THIS" im more like "ugh, predictable"
I actually like Firefly because she has something else going for her apart from her crush. I know people were expecting a whole different vibe to SAM, and they went waifu to appeal to the masses, but at least she's got some form of personality.
Cyrene, on the other hand, is literal pure trash. Ye Shenguang in ZZZ apparently also suffers from the same abysmal writing that unfortunately rotted the pink waifuslop.
Columbina, though, I'm more willing to give a pass. We actually see her interacting with the other characters, and it's obvious that she cares about the entire NK crew and they with her. She also doesn't tunnel vision on the traveler.
If a character is written well enough, I'm more than happy to excuse a cute lil crush on the protag for those miserable self-inserts out there.