Episode 68: The Sunchildren of Enkanomiya

If you are unfamiliar with Enkanomiya, it is located beneath Watatsumi Island. Its entrance is deep within a whirlpool outside of the Sangonomiya Shrine. Quests to enter the area start when you speak with a shrine maiden outside the shrine itself.

You may know this by now, but in case you don’t… we love Enjou – or, more specifically, “The Thing Calling Itself Enjou.” And we’re apparently not alone! On White Day (a day one month after Valentine’s Day when people reciprocate gifts), Genshin gave us art with Enjou, who is giving us a rose he has clutched in his teeth. It was ridiculous and fantastic, and we want more!

Teyvat exists in a kind of seven-layer dip, but Feens can get down with this one. As Bee mentions, there are three main layers: Light, Human, and Abyss Realms.

‘Before Sun and Moon’ is the second volume in the Byakuyakoku Collection – which you receive by completing one of the Enkanomiya world quests. It focuses on Istaroth’s influence on the land, where she is referred to as “the moment.” Bee would like to note that the text says, “She was the moment,” but we like his version better: she IS the moment.

Dainichi Mikoshi plays a large part in the story of the Sunchildren. Since this is Genshin, it has multiple names: Dainichi Mikoshi, Hyperion, Helios, and Byakuya no Hikari. Aberaku created the device to ward off the Bathysmal Vishaps after receiving the blueprints from Istaroth. The nobles then decided to use it to deep-fry babies.

We chat about the size of the Bathysmal Vishaps after Al calls them ankle-biters. She’s not wrong when you measure their annoyance level, but we’re pretty confident they were much larger than the Byakuyakoku people. If you compare the twins below the Dainichi Mikoshi to the Sinshades (Shades of Tokoyo), they’re probably nearly double in size.

It seems we forgot to list one more name for the Dainichi Mikoshi – Philips, the lightbulb god. After all, the Dainichi Mikoshi truly is a glorified lightbulb. And it’s just as ridiculous to worship a lightbulb as it is to worship Helios.

Feens describes the Soul Guide Locus as a semi-see-through sparkly triangle with sparkly water paths. We use these pretty paths to locate the Sinshades of the Sunchildren and essentially set their souls free. After interacting with each Sunchild, they disappear and hopefully finally find some peace.

The Divine Bridle is a triangle-shaped rock crystal that signifies the Sunchildren’s authority. We use it along with Clymene’s memories to help free the Sunchildren. Clymene was one of the nannies and felt enormous guilt that she could not help the Sunchildren back then. After freeing their souls, her ghost also dissipates.

Al explains the correlation between the Sunchildren and Apollo’s children in Greek mythology. She also describes a traditional Crete dance in which people dance in the shape of a crescent moon – the same shape in which the locations of the Sunchildren can be found.

Here are some helpful links if you’re unfamiliar with the movies, music, or books we mentioned during the episode. Feens mentioned the band Marianas Trench, which Tif confused with the song Mary on a Cross. Tif talked about the original Riddick movie, Pitch Black. Feens told us the premise of the book/movie Dark Places, while Al brought up The Lighthouse.

Thank you to fellow travelers Kendon, Maria & Zell for writing in. We truly appreciate your questions and comments! If you’d like to send us mail via the Komaniya Express, reach out on our Instagram, X/Twitter, or email. We’d love to hear from you! And Kirara could use the work.

Maria asked our thoughts about the implications of Scaramouche being shown in Arlecchino’s short ‘The Song Burning in the Embers’ and what that means about her origins. And in true ToT fashion, we talked about the shorts. Feens discussed Zell’s comment about the multiple names given to the Harbingers, and their coats.