I haven’t posted in a long time, and I think this is the first time I’m sharing something about the lore. While talking with my friends in a WhatsApp group, we were left wondering who the characters appearing in the trailer could be and what the reasons behind the images in their nightmares were. Both the protagonist, Atsuko, and Yin'ger were immediately recognized by us—and by the entire community. But the rest, not so much.
First of all, I want to clarify that I haven’t yet checked if someone else has researched this topic or published anything about it, so the information might differ from others. I encourage you to comment on anything you disagree with, as this is more of a personal opinion or interpretation (since many NPCs look alike, and the decision is based almost entirely on the clothes they wear).
Anyway, I’m here to show you my take on who these NPCs might be:
The first character is this one, who is from Mondstadt. We know this because of the bouquet of Windwheel Aster that appears. This flower is described as one that cannot grow in places without wind and represents "the visible winds." It is associated with freedom, which is the ideal of the Anemo Archon, as well as with adventure.
My candidate for this character is Anna, the protagonist of one of Mondstadt’s Commission questlines, which is also tied to an achievement that was very difficult to obtain in the past.
Based on the clothes she wears in the trailer, I will assume this scene takes place before she became an adventurer. Anna suffered from a persistent illness. Her brother, Anthony, was deeply worried about her and worked hard to find a cure, even making offerings to Barbatos in hopes that she would recover. Despite her condition, Anna tried to stay optimistic, dreaming of the day she could explore the world as an adventurer.
However, as we can see in the trailer, during this period, she was likely feeling lost. This is my way of interpreting her nightmare. Perhaps the instability caused by the lack of a clear future, the feeling of helplessness, the burden she felt she was placing on her brother, and her dreams being crushed by her illness—all of this created a sense of confusion and chaos, which manifests as those ruins that lead nowhere.
The next character to analyze needs no introduction. Yin'ger was recognized by everyone. Even so, it was quite surprising to see her in this setting. What could our favorite flirtatious girl be going through?
I want to point out the Violetgrass that decorates the scene, which is a flower from Liyue. I’m not sure what it represents—I haven’t looked into it—but I have a vague idea based on the characters who use it for ascension and the way it is obtained.
Although unnecessary in this case, we know the perfumer’s location. In reality, she hasn’t had much backstory aside from her plotline with Timaeus. She is an assistant at a vase shop who makes perfumes in her free time. She was quite useful during Liyue’s Archon Quest.
This was the most difficult one for me, and probably for most people. I might even be wrong. However, based on the clothing and the Sumeru Rose, I was able to quickly place this NPC in Port Ormos due to his outfit and mustache.
The Sumeru Rose also has some peculiarities. First, it is not actually a rose. And second, it is associated with festivals because of its fragrance—and with wine.
The NPC's name is Abbanes. He is a merchant, seemingly pragmatic and cautious, who manages caravans and is concerned about the safety of his trade routes. This is all we know from his dialogues, as he hasn’t appeared in any quests or events. He seems to dislike disruptions to his plans and considers hiring mercenaries to deal with threats like pirates and Kairagi.
In his scenario, there are several elements that could be interpreted in different ways, but it doesn't contradict what little we know. We see him suffering from a lack of control, being restrained by the ribbons, which could reflect external circumstances. On the other hand, he is also being observed, much like Yin'ger, but now as a famous figure, where his words carry some weight.
In other words, he may feel at the center of attention, but without the power to free himself—not to mention that the ribbons emerge from his own mouth.
Finally, the character of Atsuko. Her story is very interesting, and thanks to the trailer diving deeper into her, there are many interpretive images about her insecurities and traumas. However, I won’t focus on that for this post. I’ll wrap it up here and say goodbye.
If you'd like me to talk more about it, feel free to leave a comment. This was written as is, without much research or deep exploration, because the idea was to recognize each character. I wish you all the best, and a happy Lantern Rite.
This was an English version of my post, in Spanish:
