Genshin Impact fans are thirsting over Albedo’s thighs

Hi, it’s me, Ana. I am the one behind this screen. As a culture writer at Polygon, I’m no stranger to covering and dissecting fandom. In the past, I’ve covered topics like Mario cum pipe memes and Sonic characters going to the mall. The future is bright. Genshin Impact fandom has given me the opportunity — no, the honor — of alerting you to news that we can now see a single inch of Albedo’s thighsHis tailored shorts and thigh-high boots are a perfect match.

He is a blond ponytail-wearing swordsman who is well-known for his artistic skills and research as an alchemist. Albedo is seen in the game with tall boots and long socks. He also wears shorts. His socks usually cover the skin in between the boots and shorts. Hoyoverse shared official artwork on Bilibili on Saturday to commemorate reaching 13 million followers. It showed an alchemist on a sofa with no socks and revealing a single inch of his skin.

That’s it. That’s the news. The fandom responded with an unquenchable thirst to this chalky inch. Albedo became a trending topic on Twitter on Monday. More than 27,000. Twitter users shared new memes, cosplays and fan art of Albedo’s thighs.

People made fun of the response with funny memes. Redditor One compared the fan response to a Victorian man looking at an ankle. All this thirst was derived from one inch of skin.

Ironic, considering that Hoyoverse released a lot more (arguably) important news this weekend. A livestream hosted by the developer on Saturday revealed tons of new information. Genshin Impact’sSumeru has a big update. It will include a new region and characters as well as a new elemental strength. You know what? That’s ridiculous. Because all of that news pales in comparison to Albedo’s thighs.

One can’t help but feel that Hoyoverse has an awareness of what they’re doing, because this is far from the first time the company has released fan art that’s precipitated similar responses. Last month the company shared art of the the Anemo catalyst Shikanoin HeizouThe detective was seen blushing in the tree while he held his lips open. We received birthday art of a few weeks earlier. Childe that showed him with his jacket unbuttonedThis once more sparked communal thirst.

Now all we need is for Hoyoverse to bring back Albedo’s banner so we can all wish for him.