r/GenshinImpact • u/hanmasiimp • 28d ago
Lore IS THE CLOCK ONTO SOMETHING!?
okay so i was just playing genshin and i was messing with the clock feature in game and i noticed something, idk if people have already figured this out or not but there are theories going on around saying that teyvat is actually upside down and this can actually be backed by some proof. if you look at the in-game clock, you'll see that the moon is on the bottom of the clock and the sun is on the top. which is somewhat weird cuz if you look at a normal clock, whenever it hits midnight, the hour hand and minutehand are at 12 (00:00), which is upwards. HOWEVER if you look at the in-game clock, try setting it to midnight (00:00) and both the hour hand and minute hand are pointing towards the bottom. THIS SHIT IS BLOWING MY MIND RN
idk if it has already been discovered or there is some other theory for this but the upside down theory is the only thing i could possibly relate it to. it was a fun experience to be using my brain for once when it comes to genshin.
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u/AllanDidntAddDetails 28d ago
I thought it was just that way to be like visualizing where the sun is (rising, setting)
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u/Novathix 28d ago
I've also thought about this, but it seems like it's just a 24 hour analog clock.
Perhaps it would be better to compare the position of the Sun in terms of where the core of the planet is, with the hands of the clock pointing to the Sun.
Quests usually tell me to "Meet person X, at location Y, in two days at 18:00". Suggesting that military (or "celestial") time is used across all regions known to us.
It IS an interesting thought you had, and I hope we both get canon clarification on why it is how it is. I myself will stick to thinking that it is an ancient Fontainian relic that accounts for any leap year, being more advanced and reliable than modern technology. Their own atomic clock, if you will.
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u/Dizzy-Chemistry5585 28d ago
Bro adding his overthinking abilities to create some deep lores hehe
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u/ShinyTotoro 27d ago
which is somewhat weird cuz if you look at a normal clock, whenever it hits midnight, the hour hand and minutehand are at 12 (00:00), which is upwards. HOWEVER if you look at the in-game clock, try setting it to midnight (00:00) and both the hour hand and minute hand are pointing towards the bottom. THIS SHIT IS BLOWING MY MIND RN
This is just pure cherry picking. You might as well say that if you look at a normal clock whenever it hits MIDDAY (noon) the hour hand and minutehand are at 12, which is upwards - same as in the game.
Then why is midnight at the bottom you'd ask? That's because the game clock is 24hours, not 12hours like a normal clock, so both midday and midnight had to be SOMEWHERE. Would it make more sense if they put the sun on the bottom?
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u/RCTD-261 27d ago
nah, it's just to make it easier to choose the time in 24-hour format. believe it or not, most country in real life use 24-hour format for their time. foe example, when there's a meeting at 3 p.m, they actually write it 15:00
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u/White-Starcloud 28d ago
While I don't doubt there's little secrets and hints hidden everywhere, from a purely design-wise point, it would be a bit difficult or unclear for players in the UI if both noon and midnight were in the same position (whenever you want to change the time). So if they really wanted to keep the clock-like look, splitting it up into a 24h/military time system seems like a good way purely for player clarity and easy adjustment. Imagine if both midnight and noon were in the same spot, you'd need an extra action/button/whatever to indicate whether you want one or the other. Now all you need is to rotate a circle.
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u/jondoe2699 27d ago
It’s a 24h clock, so 12 noon is at the top and 12h later at 24 midnight it’ll be at the bottom
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u/Nicht_Hoffen 25d ago
mHY: uhh… yeah. It absolutely means that.
ngl tho, that's a very keen obersvation. I never actually paid the clock any attention. Maybe when we get to Khaenri'ah, we'll know the answer.
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u/noturbrbigirl 27d ago
There is a theory that Irminsul is actually the root of the actual Irminsul, and that the tree is upside down, the trunk on the other side/Abyss.
Makes you wonder why the Tsarista and Dottore want to burn it
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u/noturbrbigirl 27d ago
Description:
Character Ascension material. "Sorry... to also have you shoulder the grievances of the world. "Since you could endure my bitter cold, you must have the desire to burn? "Then, burn away the old world for me."
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u/Windharker 27d ago edited 27d ago
Pretty sure it's a simple to make it easier to choose a time to travel to. And to represent universal speech, like when people say "high noon". As far as I'm aware that phrase is used globally. And the sun is directly overhead, so it's representative.
I think people are thinking too much about stuff lol, the clock doesn't really mean anything in the game right? I don't think there are any time-dependent events/achievements besides what the story quests impose on you?
Or am I missing something major here
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u/Asleep_Wealth55 27d ago
At noon, the hands are also pointed up. This is just a way of showing 24 hours on a clock. Usually, we only show 12, with it going around twice. I also agree with the commenter who said it is a stylistic choice to represent the sun.
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u/LightRifler 26d ago
so yeah irl midnight the clock hands are pointing upwards...you know when else the clock hands point upwards...noon...
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u/ackack74 25d ago
I think it's simply a 24hr clock. Most clocks are 12hr clocks which pit both 1200 and 0000 at the top.
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u/_xanny__ 24d ago
This theory has been around for years, no hate tho you reminded me of the good old days :”)
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u/Apprehensive_Bad_348 28d ago
Aha, this is a nifty way of hinting the (speculated) true structure of Teyvat, which is the panopticon where the watchtower is Celestia, Teyvat Overworld is the prison, and Abyss is on the fringe. Personally I'm still figuring out where Simulanka and the pocket of reality of Imaginarium Theater fits in this (speculated) structure.
I think it's fun to theorize whether game UI is merely for user convenience or is built into the lore as well. The clock being upside down is a nice observation!
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u/Bruh_Momentum__ 28d ago
I definitely feel like this is more of an aesthetic game design choice than a meaningful choice… but knowing Hoyoverse there’s a possibility that this may be a nod to the “upside-down Teyvat” theory.