History TearJerker / GenshinImpact

---> Focalors: "But...faced with death...I find myself a little afraid. Perhaps, this is one thing that both gods and humans have in common. Hehe. Farewell, Neuvillette. I hope you've enjoyed the part you've played these five hundred years."

* Furina’s Story Quest starts with showing us Furina’s state following the aftermath of her abdication as Fontaine’s ruler, and it’s a pitiful sight. She now lives in a common house with no friends, no money, no job (though Neuvillete is at least kind enough to support her), rarely comes out and just eats macaroni. And because of her trauma as a “fake Hydro Archon”, she vowed herself to never perform or play an act again, even though it’s clear she enjoys it. Worse still, there are some people of Fontaine (especially from Poisson) who still didn’t forgive her for her seemingly inaction towards the prophecy, something which Furina is very remorseful about. It’s a far cry from the boisterous and dramatic persona she once had.

[[quoteright:350:[[AngstySurvivingTwin https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/screenshot_2022_06_04_171115.png]]]]
[[caption-width-right:350:''"I'm fearful because of what I witnessed five hundred years ago — her demise and that thing. But, if... If it were you, everyone would be safe. You would've saved the world."'']]

** Furina's trial is...hard to watch. What starts out as an attempt to squeeze information from her turns into a trial to unveil her secret - that she's a human pretending to be the Hydro Archon. Any other person will spill the beans; Furina, knowing very well that if she is exposed the prophecy she has fought so hard against will come into motion, tries everything to win back her people trust ranging from blustering to even dipping her hand into a pot of primordial water knowing very well she can be melted on the spot. Yet no matter how hard she tries, the people turn away on her; in the end after being declared guilty, she just gives up and sat back down without a single word, remaining in tears. Watching her crying and begging for people to believe her is hard to watch. Worse still, when the Oratrice issues a ''death sentence'' allegedly for the Hydro Archon, she doesn't panic or attempt to bargain for her life, instead just remains seated and broken in her chair, [[DespairEventHorizon seemingly accepting of her impending demise]].
*** And it turns out that, in the attempt to unveil her secret so they can force her to give up the information to stop the prophecy, the Traveler and gangs [[NiceJobBreakingItHero actually put the prophecy into motion by unveiling her secret]]; exposing her as a fake Hydro Archon was, in fact, the trigger for the prophecy all along. Even when given the chance to confide in the Traveler under possible LoopholeAbuse, Furina decides not to take the risk and play her part to the hilt. It's this sleight that causes the Traveler to jump on her in the trial, a rare case of [[WhatYouAreInTheDark sticking to your guns in the dark]] [[{{Deconstruction}} NOT being the right call]]. And yet, at the same time, it was the only choice Furina could make. Even though the Traveler was not from Teyvat, telling them would still cause the prophecy to be fulfilled. The Traveler and their allies put Furina into a MortonsFork and nearly ruined everything by doing it.

* Furina’s Story Quest starts with showing us Furina’s state following the aftermath of her abdication as Fontaine’s rule, and it’s a pitiful sight. She now lives in a common house with no friends, no money, no job (though Neuvillete is at least kind enough to support her), rarely comes out and just eats macaroni. And because of her trauma as a “fake Hydro Archon”, she vowed herself to never perform or play an act again, even though it’s clear she enjoys it. Worst still, there are some people of Fontaine (especially from Poisson) who still didn’t forgive her for her seemingly inaction towards the prophecy, something which Furina is very remorseful about. It’s a far cry from the boisterous and dramatic persona she once had.

*** And it turns out that, in the attempt to unveil her secret so they can force her to give up the information to stop the prophecy, the Traveler and gangs [[NiceJobBreakingItHero actually put the prophecy into motion by unveiling her secret]]; exposing her as a fake Hydro Archon was, in fact, the trigger for the prophecy all along. Even when given the chance to confide in the Traveler under possible LoopholeAbuse, Furina decides not to take the risk and play her part to the hilt. It's this sleight that causes the Traveler to jump on her in the trial, a rare case of [[WhatYouAreInTheDark sticking to your guns in the dark]] [[{{Deconstruction}} NOT being the right call]]. And yet, at the same time, it was the only call Furina could make. Even though the Traveler was not from Teyvat, telling them would still cause the prophecy to be fulfilled. The Traveler and their allies put Furina into a MortonsFork and nearly ruined everything by doing it.

* Furina’s story quest starts with showing us Furina’s state following the aftermath of her abdication as Fontaine’s rule, and it’s a pitiful sight. She now lives in a common house with no friends, no money, no job, (Neuvillete is at least kind enough to support her), rarely comes out and just eats macaroni. And because of her trauma as a “fake Hydro Archon”, she vowed herself to never perform or play an act, even though it’s clear she enjoys it. Worst still, there are some people of Fontaine (especially from Poisson) who still didn’t forgive her for her seemingly inaction towards the prophecy, something which Furina is very remorseful about. It’s a far cry from the boisterous and dramatic persona.

*** And the assassination gets worse once we learn about Furina's backstory in Act V. For 500 years she has to endure unimaginable mental stress from pretending to be the Hydro Archon, struggling to not break let alone to enjoy life. The moment she plays with the cat is the ONLY on-screen moment we see Furina being truly happy, and perhaps that is her only truly happy moment in many many long years...And Arlecchino nearly kills her then and there. No wonder she locks herself up and breaks down afterward.

** Furina's trial is...hard to watch. What starts out as an attempt to squeeze information from her turns into a trial to unveil her secret - that she's a human pretending to be the Hydro Archon. Any other person will spill the beans; Furina, knowing very well that if she is exposed the prophecy she has fought so hard against will come into motion, tries everything to win back her people trust ranging from blustering to even dipping her hand into a pot of primordial water knowing very well she can be melted on the spot. Yet no matter how hard she tries, the people turn away on her; in the end after being declared guilty, she just gives up and sat back down without a single word, remaining in tears. Watching her crying and begging for people to believe her is hard to watch. Worse still, when the Oratrice issues a ''death sentence'' allegedly for the Hydro Archon, she doesn't panic or attempt to bargain for her life, instead just remains seated and broken in her chair, [[FaceDeathWithDignity seemingly accepting of her impending demise]].
*** And it turns out that, in the attempt to unveil her secret so they can force her to give up the information to stop the prophecy, the Traveler and gangs [[NiceJobBreakingItHero actually put the prophecy into motion by unveiling her secret]]; exposing her as a fake Hydro Archon was, in fact, the trigger for the prophecy all along. Even when given the chance to confide in the Traveler under possible LoopholeAbuse, Furina decides not to take the risk and play her part to the hilt. It's this sleight that causes the Traveler to jump on her in the trial, a rare case of [[WhatYouAreInTheDark sticking to your guns in the dark]] [[{{Deconstruction}} NOT being the right call]]. And yet, at the same time, it was the only call Furina could make. Even though the Traveler was not from Teyvat, telling her would still cause the prophecy to be fulfilled. The Traveler and their allies, without knowing it, put Furina into a MortonsFork and nearly ruined everything by doing it.

*** And it turns out that, in the attempt to unveil her secret so they can force her to give up the information to stop the prophecy, the Traveler and gangs [[NiceJobBreakingItHero actually put the prophecy into motion by unveiling her secret]]; exposing her as a fake Hydro Archon was, in fact, the trigger for the prophecy all along. Even when given the chance to confide in the Traveler under possible LoopholeAbuse, Furina decides not to take the risk and play her part to the hilt. It's this sleight that causes the Traveler to jump on her in the trial, a rare case of [[WhatYouAreInTheDark sticking to your guns in the dark]] [[{{Deconstruction}} NOT being the right call]].

*** To put the situation into perspective: picture yourself as someone keeping something to themselves, no matter how simple or innocuous, no matter how much it might help to get off your chest to someone. What's the price for failing to keep it? An EarthShatteringKaboom or something similar. Sounds ludicrous, doesn't it? Only you know it's anything but, but anyone on the outside would understandably write it off as a vague deflection or a joke and Just. Keep. Prodding. And still you cannot speak, no matter how heart-wrenching or frustrating it is, now matter how kind and understanding the questioner, because the world will end if you do. You can't take the easy way out by going off to live in solitude or a HeroicSuicide either, because the nature of your secret demands you interact with people on a regular basis, knowing that slipping up even once means the apocalypse. ''That'' is Furina's reality, one she had to maintain for 500 years. She could not let a ''single'' soul find out she wasn't the Hydro Archon, or else Fontaine would be destroyed -- it really was that simple.

*** That man who lost his daughter would also be later mentioned in the casualty list.

---> Focalors: "But...faced with death...I find myself a little afraid. Perhaps, this is one thing that both gods and humans have in common. Hehe. Farewell, Neuvillette."

* Furina’s story quest starts with showing us Furina’s state following the aftermath of her abdication as Fontaine’s rule, and it’s a pitiful sight. She now lives in a common house with no friends, no money, no job, (Neuvillete is at least kind enough to support her), rarely comes out and just eats macaroni. And because of her trauma as a “fake Hydro Archon”, she vowed herself to never perform or play an act, even though it’s clear she enjoys it. Worst still, there are some people of Fontaine (especially from Poisson) who still didn’t forgive her for her seemingly inaction towards the prophecy. It’s a far cry from the boisterous and dramatic persona.

*** To put the situation into perspective: picture yourself as someone keeping something to themselves, no matter how simple or innocuous, no matter how much it might help to get off your chest to someone. What's the price for failing to keep it? An EarthShatteringKaboom or something similar. Sounds ludicrous, doesn't it? Only you know it's anything but, but anyone on the outside would understandably write it off as a vague deflection or a joke and Just. Keep. Prodding. And still you cannot speak, no matter how heart-wrenching or frustrating it is, now matter how kind and understanding the questioner, because the world will end if you do. That is Furina's reality, one she had to maintain for 500 years. She could not let a ''single'' soul find out she wasn't the Hydro Archon, or else Fontaine would be destroyed -- it really was that simple.

*** Furina had been introduced as a boisterous and bombastic god born at the top of the world, who seemingly keeps dodging and fumbling real issues. The memories the Traveler sees of Furina's past reveal her for what she really is: a genuinely ordinary young woman (apart from being an Oceanid in human form) who was asked by Focalors, her other self and the true Hydro Archon, to trick the world into thinking she's Fontaine's Archon. She can't tell anyone what she knows because she really doesn't know anything, only that if she's ever caught then Fontaine is doomed. Her act as Archon seems like everything to her because as far as she knows, it truly is ''everything'', a hellish act that wrecks her mental health and frays her sanity as her normal human soul is stretched to its limits by 500 years of nonstop acting. People the likes of Chlothar Alberich began to lose it over a mere fraction of this time span, and even Dainsleif has lost memories to erosion across the same period.

*** And it turns out that, in an attempt to unveil her secret so they can force her to give up the information to stop the prophecy, the Traveler and gangs [[NiceJobBreakingItHero actually put the prophecy into motion by unveiling her secret]].

*** And it turns out that, in an attempt to unveil her secret so they can force her to give up the information to stop the prophecy, the Traveler and gangs actually put the prophecy into motion by unveiling her secret.

** Focalors's death deserves a spot here. She is afraid of death, telling Neuvillette that she is scared despite knowing her death is inevitable the moment she becomes the Hydro Archon and tries to solve the sin of Fontainians. And yet she faces the giant executioner sword hanging over her with a smile. In her last moment she dances her last dance, then gracefully bow out as the sword falls upon her, a true performer till the very end.

** Furina's trial is...hard to watch. What starts out as an attempt to squeeze information from her turns into a trial to unveil her secret - that she's a human pretending to be the Hydro Archon. Any other person will spill the beans; Furina, knowing very well that if she is exposed the prophecy she has fought so hard against will come into motion, tries everything to win back her people trust ranging from blustering to even dipping her hand into a pot of primordial water knowing very well she can be melted on the spot. Yet no matter how hard she tries, the people turn away on her. Watching her crying and begging for people to believe her is hard to watch.

** After Carole's death, Vautrin, a member of the Special Security and Surveillance Patrol who had been a close friend of both Neuvillette and Carole, murdered the conspirators who framed her in a RoaringRampageOfRevenge. When he was convicted of murder, Neuvillette was reluctantly forced to find him guilty, prompting a WhatTheHellHero rant from Vautrin in light of how much good he had done. As it turned out, Vautrin ''wanted'' Neuvillette to sentence him to the Fortress of Meropide so the people of Fontaine, who doubted the Iudex, would see him as a fair and impartial judge, and Vautrin's rant was merely a JerkassFacade to make him lose sympathy with the public. This, like Carole's death, haunted Neuvillette for centuries, but learning the truth at last gave him some proper closure.