Fontaine/Culture

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Fontaine is characterized by its adherence to "justice," the Hydro Archon Focalors' ideal.

Life in Fontaine

When Liben visited Fontaine, he states that the locals are quite antsy, and they believe that some type of "judgement" is soon to come. This could be related to the prophecy which states that the people of Fontaine, excluding the Hydro Archon, will eventually dissipate into water. After the prophecy passed, people do not worry about it any longer and continue on with their daily lives.

Like in other nations, humans make up the majority of the population, but there are also other species, anthropomorphic beings such as the Melusines, and once upon a time, the Oceanids.

Diving is a popular activity in Fontaine, with some even using it for their daily livelihoods. Non-Vision holders have to use a large, bulky diving suit to go underwater, while Vision holders regardless of each nation can simply go in without any issue.

Though the nation itself appears to be in relative calm, there are plenty of criminal activities hidden from public view; banditry by the Treasure Hoarders are a commonplace outside of the Court of Fontaine, and there are many criminal organizations, ranging from syndicates like the Borja Family to more dysfunctional groups like the Elegant Tableware Confrerie. The upper classes of Fontainian society also appear to engage in child trafficking by exploiting loopholes in the law, as shown with Lyney, Lynette and Wriothesley in their youth.

In the Fortress of Meropide, the prisoners have their own set of lives as they are not under the jurisdiction of the Court of Fontaine despite being their de facto prison. The prison's inhabitants make use of the terms overworld (the surface) and underworld (the prison). As the prison has a very notorious reputation among the law-abiding, people who are sentenced there and finish their sentences are generally ostracized even after release. Wriothesley, the current Administrator, sees the prison as a land of "rebirth" and his relaxed policies, coupled with the potential ostracization upon returning to society, has resulted in some people deciding to stay even after their sentences are finished.

Technology

Fontaine's people are particularly technologically savvy, although not as much as in Snezhnaya. Alain Guillotin was a pioneer of Fontainian technology in the times after the cataclysm, inventing kinetic cores, the Arkhe energy system, clockwork mechanisms (and the subsequent Clockwork Meka), and establishing the still-operational Fontaine Research Institute. Like Snezhnaya, some Fontainians use guns, though not as widespread.

The Mikage Furnace was developed in Inazuma by several experts from Fontaine, one of them being Xavier. When the core went critical and threatened to leak Tatarigami energy, Xavier was able to develop a containment barrier, and later on made a device to eventually purify it.

The Kamera originated from Fontaine. There also exists a video variant, the Film Kamera.

Garcia, a Fontainian, is in the process of inventing a "Numbering Machine," a device that can perform rapid calculations. It is implied that the natural progression of his research will be the modern computer.

With Fontaine's most advance technologies, it is possible to create a four-sided aquarium using just one piece of glass.

According to Santon, the air in Fontaine is "practically toxic fumes" compared to the forests of Sumeru, suggesting a degree of air pollution.

Clockwork Meka are a series of automatons built by the people of Fontaine, which utilizes Arkhe, an energy system unique to the region which is divided into two categories; Pneuma and Ousia, while combining both results in Annihilation energy. While the Clockwork Meka can be used for menial labor and entertainment, they can also be modified for combat purposes, such as the Icewind Suite and Gardemeks. Other powered Clockwork Meka include the Mekafish, meant to help maintain Fontaine's waters, though issues had arose such as them eliminating all nearby sources of life to do so. The process of making Pneumousia is unknown, though Neuvillette is states that he has full control over it after regaining his powers.

The other energy source used was Indemnitium. It is generated from the process of "judgment" by the Oratrice Mecanique d'Analyse Cardinale, a machine created by Focalors that "harvests the people's belief in justice" and converts it into energy. According to Focalors, the amount of Indemnitium the Oratrice stored would be enough to power Fontaine for millennia were it not used for her own execution.

Cuisine

Fontaine's cuisine is usually refined and elegant. Afternoon tea is fairly popular among the upper classes, and is often served with some of Fontaine's many desserts, such as macarons, coffee custard, mousse, and fruit tarts. There is a large number of foods offered, from casual options such as Fish and Chips, to lavish dishes such as Fontainian Foie Gras. Fonta is a popular drink in the nation, which is usually sweet and colorful, though attempts have been made to branch out into other flavors.

Similarly to the people of Mondstadt, Fontainians are generally not fond of spicy food.

Due to how Melusines perceive differently compared to humans, their form of cuisine, similarly to the Aranara, is usually considered unfit by humans for consumption.

Language of Flowers

Fontaine has their own flowers, which have hidden meanings behind them; gifting a Rainbow Rose signifies attachment and romance, a Romaritime Flower loyalty and unswerving oaths, a Lumidouce Bell separation and a desire to return. There are alternate meanings for some flowers, however these are less used and usually for special purposes.

The Arts

Fontaine is well known for its love of the arts, particularly the performing arts — music, theatre, and opera.

Performing Arts

In Fontaine, theater is an essential part of ordinary life — it is said that "to say that you grew up watching the theater is no different from claiming that you were raised drinking water." Most shows are held at the Opera Epiclese. Under Furina, the citizens even treated their judicial trials like performances.

Theater has been a component of Fontainian culture since at least 500 years ago, in the time of the famed playwright Coppelius. His plays are still performed today, and have likely influenced Fontaine's penchant for romantic themes. The Icewind Suite was intended to be a live art piece based on his final work, "Clockwork Coppelia."

Fontaine also holds annual music and film festivals. Its largest music festival, the Iridescence Tour, is trying to branch out into other regions. The recent Fontinalia Film Festival was organized by the Fontaine Film Association to introduce more people to the art form, implying future iterations.

According to Xinyan, Rock 'N' Roll music was brought to Liyue from Fontaine (though it is unclear whether Fontaine was its place of origin).

Mystery Novels

Mystery novels, such as "Great Detective Hurlock" and "The Case Files of Miss Orith," are very popular in Fontaine.

Designs, Motifs, and Symbols

The overall shape of Fontaine Character Cards is a large circle with a darker ridge pattern covering the circle's inner edge. To either side of the circle's center are circles with symbols nestled in the troughs of the ridges, presumably. At the top of each Character Card is the character's Vision showing their Arkhe attribute: either Pneuma or Ousia.

In clockwise order:

• Top right appears to be two back-to-back Melusine with fish tails. It is the emblem of the Gardes.
• Center right is an anchor being wrapped by a vine with two roses and thorns, the emblem of Spina di Rosula.
• Bottom right is an emblem representing the Pneumousia gears of Clockwork Meka, possibly representing the Fontaine Research Institute.
• Bottom left is the emblem of The Steambird, depicting their mascot Sir Arthur, a clockwork bird wearing a top hat, within a gear.
• Center left is a three-headed wolf-shaped emblem, the emblem of the Fortress of Meropide.
• Top left are stylized scales, the insignia of Furina, the former Hydro Archon before her abdication following the events of Masquerade of the Guilty.

Character Cards

Furina's Character Card

Sigewinne's Character Card

Emilie's Character Card

Maison Gardiennage

The emblem of Fontaine's law enforcement is composed of two melusines with mermaid tails back-to-back beneath stylized scales. It is worn on the hats of the gardes' uniform and by members of the Marechaussee Phantom. The melusines were added to the design to commemorate Carole.

Esmond

Menthe

The Steambird

Sir Arthur

Charlotte (detail)

Spina di Rosula

The most likely candidate for the Spina di Rosula's emblem is the sybmol of an anchor bound in rose thorns, above a six-spoked Ship's wheel. It appears in the Fontaine character cards (see above). The individual elements of the anchor, rose, and wheel appear in the attire of various Spina members. However, Navia's idle voice lines state that the logo is shaped like a heart. It is unconfirmed whether this is the emblem being referred to.

in Fleuve Cendre

Navia

Callas wore an anchor on his eyepatch and a ship's wheel on his lapel

Melus and Silver

Clockwork Meka

The mek symbol (unofficial name) is a figure-8 made of two gear parts. It can be found on various clockwork meks and in places associated with them.

On the chest of a Recon Log Mek

Geological Survey Mek

Another design element, the fin motif (unofficial name) can also be found as decorative elements in most meka.

Humanoid specialist mek hats feature the fin

Fins as the Annihilation Specialist Mek's knee guards

Nimble Harvester Mek

Fins form Coppelia's dress

Fortress of Meropide

The cerberus or three-headed wolf is the emblem of the Fortress of Meropide. It is also personally associated with Wriothesley through his constellation.

The Duke's Office

The text translates to 'ATONE a fate is not a punishment'

The Fortress of Meropide (Card Back)

Economy

The Steambird is a newspaper that hails from Fontaine. They have readers and writers all over Teyvat. Currently, there are two known columns affiliated the newspaper; "All Things Astrological," overseen by Mona, and "Teyvat Food Notes," overseen by Long Erjun. Besides the columnists, Charlotte is a reporter covering the news.

Fontaine also exports their technology to other nations. Due to the intense mechanical nature of Fontaine's products, there appears to be a lack of organic items, which are in high demand.

Lumidouce Harbor primarily handle's the nation's exports and imports; while some ships are present in Romaritime Harbor and even has an Aquabus line dedicated to it, to the south is the Girdle of the Sands, a vast desert with few travelers and many dangers.

Fashion

There seems to be a clear divide in clothing styles between the Court of Fontaine Region, which has more formal and decorated clothing, and the more simple and practical wear of Fleuve Cendre and other areas outside of the city.

Most non-uniform clothing — both men's and women's — come in a variety of color schemes. These tend to feature various shades of blue, purple, yellow, green, red, and brown. In some cases, outfit recolors slightly change the pattern of certain aspects of the outfit (see Aurele vs. Cava or Antila vs. Eloffe).

Men's Fashion

Boys' attire (Olivier)

Men's attire, version 1 (Xavier)

Men's attire, version 2 (Batasso)

Men's attire, version 3 (Livre)

Men's attire, version 4 (Virgil)

Men's attire, version 5 (Earnshaw)

Men's attire, version 6 (Maillardet)

Men's attire, version 7 (Raimondo)

Elderly men's attire (Thurel)

Boys' clothing seems to be inspired by the kind popular in Europe between the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The first and second versions of adult men's attire, however, are more similar to those from the mid-to-late 19th century, as that was when that style of cravat/bow-tie and waistcoat were most popular. The third version is closest in style to the late 18th to early 19th century, due to the jabot and longer coat being hallmarks of the period.

Women's Fashion

Girls' attire (Veta)

Women's attire, version 1 (Luzerne)

Women's attire, version 2 (Euphrasie)

Women's attire, version 3 (Dolora)

Women's attire, version 4 (Trudaine)

Women's attire, version 5 (Coralie)

Women's attire, version 6 (Estelle)

Elderly women's attire, version 1 (Bracari)

Elderly women's attire, version 2 (Yvette)

The second and fourth versions of women's attire seem to be inspired by the fashion of the Belle Époque, which is characterized by decorated hats, lace blouses, and straight falling skirts. The first, third, and sixth, in contrast, are less based directly on historical dress and more on modern subcultures that take inspiration from history, such as steampunk and lolita.

Additionally, maid outfits in Fontaine (Argalia) are identical to those in Mondstadt (Hillie). This makes Fontaine the only other region where this style of maid outfit is considered standard.

Chef Uniforms

Men's uniform (Alphonse)

Gardes Uniforms

Men's uniform (Bruneau)

Women's uniform (Gracie)

Melusine uniform (Blathine)

Sailor Uniforms

Men's uniform, version 1 (Baltasar)

Men's uniform, version 2 (Lectoure)

Women's uniform (Alcina)

Male captain's uniform (Xugney)

Female captain's uniform (Galathee)

Aquabus Operator Uniforms

Melusine uniform (Elphane)

Spina di Rosula Uniforms

Attendant uniform (Melus)

Diving Suits

Men's diving suit (Yves)

Women's diving suit (Linorea)

Champion Duelist Outfits

Men's Champion Duelist attire (Savinien)

Women's Champion Duelist attire (Clorinde)

Fortress of Meropide Guard Uniforms

Men's uniform, (Estienne)

Women's uniform (Galvana)

Melusine Fashion

Melusine attire, version 1 (Cosanzeana)

Melusine attire, version 2 (Puca)

Melusine attire, version 3 (Rhemia)

Dog Fashion

Working dog's attire (Baguette)

Festivals and Holidays

The Iridescence Tour is described as a famous music festival that originates from Fontaine and run by several organizers.

The Fontinalia Festival is a festival to commemorate the Lochknights' search for the Oceanids and welcoming of Egeria to Fontaine as its Hydro Archon. The Fontinalia Film Festival, which was added to the festivities, was organized by the Fontaine Film Association to introduce the art of cinematography to the public. People may submit films to be evaluated, and the entry with the highest score will be given the "Furina Award" by the Fontaine Film Association, although nobody changed the award's name following the events of Masquerade of the Guilty.

Fontaine Fashion Week is also a recurring event. Chiori implies that it draws large crowds.

Furina's birthday is a public holiday in Fontaine; although no longer the ruling Hydro Archon, her birthday remains a holiday.

Languages

In the Inazuma World Quest Series Tatara Tales, Xavier states that people in Fontaine use the phrase c'est la vie, which is French for "That's life." From the precedent set by other regions, it is fair to assume that Fontainians speak and write in a French-inspired language.

Politics

According to Yanfei, Fontaine has a notoriously complex law system in place. This was partially in part due to the Hydro Archon Furina prior to her abdication, who lived for the spectacle of the courtroom: seeking to judge the other gods, but knowing not to make an enemy of the divine. Individuals from Fontaine appear to be judged by the court for their responsibilities when performing tasks. According to Patrice, the tiniest infractions are considered crimes that can come with severe punishment, even if it may seem trivial in other nations. For example, it is illegal to eat ketchup on its own, as it must always be served as a condiment, and even eating cake meant for the Archon can be punishable with jail time. Poaching is considered a serious crime, punishable by death. However, the death sentence was supposedly a myth as it has never been carried on; only one instance of it had occurred since the creation of the Oratrice, where it was used against the throne of the Hydro Archon.

The Maison Gestion handles administrative work, such as archiving cases and processing papers. Many of their workers are generally overworked to the point that they are prone to fainting from exhaustion.

Before a trial begins, the accused are given the option to face a Champion Duelist instead to maintain their honor. However, the Champion Duelists are some of the strongest fighters in the nation, and thus it is very rare for one to prevail over them. The duel lasts until the accused gives up, though as many tend to maintain their honor to the very end; this option is usually the equivalent to the death sentence. The court is maintained by Neuvillette, who originally used the Oratrice Mecanique d'Analyse Cardinale to assist him in his judgement, though he no longer does so following its deactivation.

The Fortress of Meropide is where the sentenced are held after a trial, and while it has a notorious reputation among the law-abiding, the prison itself is actually an independent entity outside of the Court of Fontaine's jurisdiction with its own rules and regulations, with Wriothesley serving as its administrator.

The God of Justice is not the one of the original Seven. The previous Hydro Archon, now deceased, sent the Oceanids across Teyvat to spy on the people to connect them to the world. After her passing, the Oceanids refused to acknowledge the God of Justice as the Hydro Archon and continue on with their former master's request.

Following the death of Focalors, the throne of the Hydro Archon, and the disabling of the Oratrice, all related duties to the position are now handled by Neuvillette, the Hydro Dragon Sovereign.

Military

Around the time of the cataclysm, the Narzissenkreuz Institute seems to have taken part in protecting the people of Fontaine and/or the whole of Teyvat, with its Director and Vice Director dying while joining the fight to stop the cataclysm. After their deaths, some of the surviving members decided to "protect the realm" by joining the Marechaussee Phantom or the Special Security and Surveillance Patrol.

Apart from the Gardes—human law enforcement officials—the Clockwork Meka also serve as the primary force to minimize human casualties, known as Gardemeks. Clockwork Meka can also be bought by the rich and/or influential, though many others have fallen into the hands of criminals and others violently malfunctioning.

During the cataclysm, Fontaine also had an active navy known as the Fontaine Armada that also protected the nation; it is not known if a navy exists in the present day. The Fontaine Armada was pursuing Elynas, a great beast that had appeared during this time and caused severe pollution to the land and sea. The armada was tasked with stopping Elynas, following its path while attracting many abyssal sea creatures along the way, which sank several ships. By the time they reached Elynas, what was left of the fleet was likely destroyed. It is mentioned that a fleet still exists, though it has yet to appear in-game.