Marcus / Iulius - Genshin Impact!AU: designs and fun facts (sfw)

Diamante: listen I love Genshin Impact and I love the final result but boy oh boy the details. I'm going to retire. Bye! It's been nice knowing y'all!

Alice: we absolutely do NOT have a problem with this game right now

These are just their designs, there's a bunch of small comics/sketches that we'll post in the future!

Iulius is an Electro mage from Mondstadt. He was born into an ancient family that was very supportive of his interest for academia and magic. He was one of the top students at the Sumeru Academy and came back home as a brilliant archaeologist and scholar of Teyvat's ancient ruins.  He obtained his Electro Vision when he was exploring some ruins with the help of Marcus: attacked by a Ruin Guard, Iulius tried to rescue him and that's when his Electro Vision came to him.

Marcus is a Geo claymore user from Mondstadt. He's from a poor hoursehold in the outskirts of Mondstadt and since he was a little kid he's always dreamt of travelling the world to collect treasures, hoping to make his family rich. He got strong working at his parents' farm and training with his grandma's old claymore, helped by his siblings. His will to help his family was so intense and sincere that he was granted a Geo Vision as a teenager to help him in his travels. 

Some facts about them:

• They're married. Iulius made the proposal; Marcus ripped off a couple fingers of his left glove to show off the ring.
• They wear a matching red feather on their belts, that Marcus collected during his travels and gifted to Iulius.
• They live in Mondstadt, in the town's centre, in a lovely home by the flower shop.
• Some of their favorite pastimes include taking night walks by Cider Lake, getting a couple drinks at the bar alone or with friends, having pic-nics near the Windrise tree, listen to the bards' stories around town. 
• Being incredibly tall (2,20m / 7'2''), Marcus attracts all kind of unwanted attention: sometimes kids find him scary, thinking he's a Fatui Skirmisher!

MARCUS

• He's a 4* hero.
• To ascend him, you need to collect frogs (an absurd amount to compensate the spawn time) and glaze lilys.
• He works like a more damage-oriented Noelle: his Elemental Skill creates a Geo wave that pushes enemies back and grants a shield; his Elemental Burst surrounds his weapon with Geo energy that heals party members (scales on his max ATK).
• His favorite dish is Sticky Honey Roast. His special dish is Golden Shrimp Balls.
• Marcus' passive ability grants a 12% chance of creating double the product of any dish containing Meat.
•  As a kid he thought about joining the Knights of Favonius. He also doesn't want to affiliate to the Adventurer's Guild and considers himself a freelancer. He's a mentor / guardian to Klee, has a friendly rivalry with Bennet and oddly enough, he considers Beidou to be a friend.

IULIUS

• He's a 5* hero.
• To ascend him, you need to collect divination scrolls and Cecilia flowers.
• He's a dps mage. His Elemental Skill is a long ranged attack that deals Electro damage and marks the enemy; if the player activates the Elemental Skill again, Iulius can teleport next to the marked enemy and the mark explodes dealing AoE Electro damage. His Elemental Burst makes him levitate and surrounds himself with lightning that deal Electro AoE damage to near targets.
• His favorite dish is Golden Shrimp Balls. His special dish is Sticky Honey Roast.
• Iulius' passive decreases gliding Stamina consumption by 20%.
• Iulius has thought about joining the Knights of Favonius, but decided to work on his own when he returned from Sumeru. He has a friendly relationship with Lisa, since he spends a lot of time in the library, and with Sucrose too, recognizing and admiring her talent. He often talks about art with Albedo, and he likes to spend the evenings at the tavern, talking to Kaeya or the other customers.