An Analysis of Genshin Nicole's PV: The Silenced Golden Strings

It has to be said that Genshin Impact tailors the artistic style of its character teasers to match each character's unique traits. Whether it was the traditional Chinese ink wash aesthetic of Zibai's previous character teaser or the strong Western legendary mural style of this Nicole character teaser, both fit the characters perfectly.

Returning to the Character Teaser, the story is set many, many years ago, when Nicole was still a "divine envoy." In that era of turmoil, frightened and anxious people, filled with unease, sought answers and prayed to Nicole.

In that time before the gods, the Heavenly Principles created the divine envoys to walk between the heavens and the earth. They brought the prayers of the people below to the rulers above, and they delivered the decrees of the heavens to all living beings on the earth.

At that time, the "divine envoys" travelled between heaven and earth via the Ladder to the Sky, delivering messages. Therefore, the people guided by Nicole pleaded with the "divine envoy" not to leave at that moment. However, unaware of the truth, Nicole still trusted in the "divine plan" of the Heavenly Principles. Thus, she smiled and comforted the people before continuing to ascend the celestial ladder according to her duties to relay messages.

This explains why, in the weapon "Azurelight," the rebelled archangel left "prophecies of the future" for her sisters who survived the rebellion (Sybilla, the Goddess of Flowers, and Zibai), yet omitted Nicole.

"Brothers, sisters, you who have submitted to the primordial master, let me tell of the truth I have witnessed."

"One of us shall wander beneath moonless night, drinking a sea of tears in futility for kin who will not return."

"Another shall trudge across gilded sands, never to comprehend scarlet sincerity or ardent admiration."

"Still another shall shrink into the dark, into bone-piercing hostility, until the promised tides arise to play out one final melody."

"And still another shall wander ever, in dreams solely to journey, awaiting an encounter in a stagnant, foreign land."

"Beg, plead, and sacrifice — not one of these shall loosen the bonds about your necks."

--Azurelight

In reality, it was only after ascending to the heavens that Nicole witnessed all her colleagues being "dismissed" by the Heavenly Principles. Only by seeing with her own eyes how the rulers of the heavens were willing to dispose of so many of her comrades did Nicole truly realize that the current crisis was enough to shake the world. The flawless perfection and correctness promised by the Heavenly Principles were not the only unshakable direction for the world.

The "angels" who "loved humanity" followed the Heavenly Principles because they hoped to use that perfect "divine plan" to guide the world toward a bright future. But all of this, through the Heavenly Principles' unforeseeable and desperate act of cutting off its own limbs, made the once-painted cake of promise appear false.

And in turn, the creations became the rebels who questioned and overthrew their creator. A ruler who relies on perfection and eternity to maintain power will also face challenges to their crumbling throne when unexpected vulnerability is exposed and momentary crises lead to miscalculations.

"Once upon a time, the titan craftsman of the skies once wove the destinies of all living beings, the golden harp their instrument of fate."

"That was the divine plan of the heavens. If it were followed, the entire world would usher happiness in."

"Yet even the ignorant can dream, and in her dream, a new future revealed itself."

--Etherlight Spindlelute

Based on the text of the "Etherlight Spindlelute" and the content of Nicole's PV title, we can confirm that the "golden harp" used by the Heavenly Principles to weave the fate of Teyvat is precisely the created "angels." The "angels" who walked between heaven and earth, conveying the decrees of the heavens, were the instruments through which the Heavenly Principles wove the world's destiny and manipulated its minute details.

The rebellion against this can be explained with one line: "That is not love; it is domination." No matter how much the Heavenly Principles try to explain their control as "love," excessive autocracy will ultimately be questioned when challenged by the "unexpected."

The "choice of two" presented by the Heavenly Principles was, in essence, a declaration of allegiance forced upon the angels.

"Power" is the gift bestowed by the Heavenly Principles. Choosing to retain power signifies continuing to accept the will of the heavens, maintaining recognition and adherence to the "divine plan."

"Wisdom" belongs to the self of the angels. Choosing to retain wisdom signifies rejecting the dominion and choices of the heavens. It means preferring to return what was granted by the creator in order to defend one's own personal fantasy.

Nicole's exploitation of a loophole was not mere cleverness but rather her choice of a "third path"—"observation." Losing her voice meant losing the ability to directly comment and set the tone. For Nicole, she both believed that the fantasies of the people could become a new choice capable of shaking the heavens and also did not consider the "divine plan" conceived by the Heavenly Principles to be entirely wrong.

She did not arbitrarily take sides, but instead calmly observed and contemplated the answer regarding the world's future choices from a different perspective. Therefore, the archangel did not invite Nicole to join this rebellion, and the Heavenly Principles tacitly allowed Nicole's "loophole" manoeuvre. With Nicole as the center, they left a blank space, waiting for this former angel, this future witch, to write the final answer over the course of time.

That concludes our analysis of Nicole's character PV. After reading it, do you feel you have a better understanding of Angels? Remember to keep following us for more content. See you next time!