The Genshin Impact social media account made a post to wish the Hydro dragon Neuvillette a happy birthday and trust me—the net is on fire. Or just a little. The tweet had a very captivating picture of the Chief Justice with his long hair blowing and his calm, composed face that we all recognize. The text was totally Neuvillette, too, like he was telling the weather to be nice and then saying not every rain is his fault—dragon judge behavior at its best. They even mentioned their TikTok account for more clips. But what made it the biggest happening? The replies, oh my god, the replies! A very momentous digital flood of purely and totally controlled thirst and chaos, and it is somewhat terrifying but really fascinating to see it happen.
Right from the beginning, the Genshin Impact community showed that they were in a different world. The replies became like a shrine for the simping. One user, ‘🌧️🦦Daily Neuvillette,’ just went on posting nonstop. I mean literally, the giant of capital letters was full of lovestruck messages all the time. “I AM IN DEEP LOVE WITH YOU, MY LITTLE WIFE, MY PRECIOUS KITTEN, MY LITTLE SWEETHEART, MY LITTLE CUTE PIE,” if they said, which is a lot of naming for one dragon regent. And then they asked: “PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE GO EASY ON MY WALLET HOYOVERSE” and “I NEED HIM SO BAD ITS NOT FUNNY.” It was more an ‘existential crisis triggered by a fictional character’s beauty’ atmosphere rather than ‘happy birthday.’
Many others shared the same sentiments and thoughts. Another user ‘vick || neuvitits ceo’ had some really… daring requests. “I NEED HIM LOVED AND APPRECIATED. Aka get backshots,” they bluntly stated. They even commented later, “I will make something else rain neuvillette dw (its you),” which is a kind of devotion you might want to regard? The overall mood was so wild and unhinged. Another person just cried out, “OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG IM GONNA COME EVERYWHEREEEEEEEE,” which, uh, gives a pretty clear idea of the emotional state this birthday art caused.
Nevertheless, it wasn’t all just chaos. Some people were just very mighty excited about the character. “MY GOAT DRAGON 🙌,” one person tweeted, being straightforward and polite. Another referred to him as a “gorgeous dragon” and “my babygirl fr fr,” which is a lovely combination of compliments. There was even a cute and more artistic reply from a user named ‘kieshi,’ who posted a drawing of a paw reaching for Neuvillette’s hand and the words “Place my paw to his hand……” So sweet! A real moment of peace during the storm that was raging with hormones.
But hold on, what was I saying? Oh, yes. The enormity of it all. The main point, besides the overpowering desire, was the appreciation for the artwork. Gamers were mesmerized by his hair and labeled it “AMAZING.” They were clamoring for the image to be one of the items on their walls. One person yelled, “HE IS STUNNING, HE IS THE MOMENT, HE IS MOTHER, HE ATE THIS,” and that is indeed the highest modern praise you can get. One thing is certain: HoYoverse‘s art team created something wonderful with the character of Neuvillette, and the players are expressing it in a very loud, wild, and crazy manner.
It is quite amazing how a simple birthday shout-out can unite an entire fandom in this manner. This incident is a perfect example of how much more it can be than just liking a character; it is already a full-blown parasocial event. The fans are spending, presenting their pictures, giving their… affections… and throwing their utmost appreciations to this pixelated dragon man. It can be easily traced back to the terrific character design and writing in Genshin Impact that a not-so-docile centuries-old dragon who is acting as a judge can generate this much passionate, chaotic, and beautiful at the same time response. The replies are nothing short of a beautiful, messy tapestry of internet culture, where sincere admiration and absurdist horny posting coexist side by side without the slightest hint of irony.
Eventually, the Genshin Impact social media team must have known exactly what they were doing. They started with a breathtaking picture of a character that fans love, wished him a happy birthday and then let everything else go on like a beautiful fireworks display. And they surely got fireworks. The weather alluded to in the tweet may have been improving, but the comment section was a Category 5 hurricane of emotions. Hence, if you’re a fan on PlayStation or Xbox, you can still join in the celebration.
