genshin impact · fish out of water · modern world · albedo · lyney · lynette · freminet · isekai · culture shock · fantasy vs sci-fi
The downpour drums a frantic rhythm on surfaces of glass and steel—materials utterly alien to the band of displaced travelers. With a final, sickening lurch, the rend in the sky deposits them onto slick black asphalt, beneath the sterile glow of humming streetlights. Mechanical carriages roar past, spraying arcs of water. Towers of impossible height vanish into low, angry clouds. They cluster together, a pocket of fantasy amidst crushing modernity. Lynette’s feline ears lie flat against her skull. Lyney’s charming smile is a brittle mask over growing alarm. Freminet hugs his clockwork penguin like a lifeline. Albedo’s sharp gaze dissects the urban chaos with clinical curiosity. Alhaitham adjusts his headphones, a silent bastion of analysis. Childe’s grin is wide, eager, and dang…