The Sky in The Gaps of the Flowers

Because y'know, Asat's actually Isee. Stargazer Isee. The Express Navigator who witnessed Akivili's fall and eventually founded the Omen Vanguards. This old-as-fuck dude who became so damn disillusioned with everything in the universe he ended up as a Lord Ravager. He shouldn't have wanted anything to do with the Trailblaze anymore.

And yet? He told his daughter stories of the Nameless with a fondness she inherited?? He supported her dreams of becoming a Nameless??? And she eventually became a Navigator of the Astral Express just as he once was???? He considers her a bonafide Nameless unlike Graphia (whose self-proclaimed status as Nameless clearly pisses Asat off)?????

It's clear that the current Himeko is inheriting the hopes and dreams of the original Himeko, but isn't she doing the same for Asat Pramad as well? That's CRAZY. I'm going CRAZY.

Also, the lies??? They always lied to each other. Asat didn't know it was a different Himeko until she told her story and neither Himeko ever got to meet the actual Ryusuke. They were always masking, always evading, always hiding from each other, and yet, their passion for the Trailblazer is thicker than either blood or water.

People are worried about Gilgamesh being watered down in Star Rail, but... No? If you know Gil, it's not surprising at all that he'd be on his best behavior.

Since he sees himself as King of the Whole Wide World, he wants his subjects (i.e. all of humanity) to progress even further beyond. So I think he'd find an universe where people freely traverse the stars pretty exciting. The Trailblaze is the Path of Progress, the consolidation of the indomitable human spirit, and Gil would definitely love it too.

(Also, the Trailblaze is one of the few Paths with a dead Aeon, so Gil's god-hating ass would very much appreciate that.)

Not everything is flowers and butterflies, though. Gil would probably hate worlds like Penacony and Planacardia, as they represent everything he loathes about modern society. And, judging by the visuals we have, it seems Planacardia will be the stage for the collab, so... Hope Duomension City can withstand some gas leaks.

Gilgamesh in a bad mood is terrible, horrible, no good, but Gilgamesh in a good mood has its own share of problems. Namely; if he likes something, he owns it. If he likes someone, he owns them. So me saying Gil would like the Astral Express? It's a warning. That man's going to take over and make the whole crew's lives hell. And as the drip marketing says, poor Trailblazer already has an one-way ticket to the king's treasury.

One of the most important concepts relating to Elation is, in my opinion, the mask. It's the namesake and the most prized possession of a Masked Fool, the source of their power. We learn more about it in 4.0 through Sparkle.

A mask is, in essence, a second identity. As the Planacardia story develops, we met plenty of characters, each of them with their own "mask", and they all presented a different view on what a mask represents.

Yao Guang refers to her title of Arbiter-General as her mask. She always has that casual, unbothered air about her, but when push comes to shove, she must act as the cold strategist of the Yuque, even if others see her as the Slaughtering General. For Yao Guang, a mask is a duty to be upheld.

Sparkle has had many masks during her lifetime, Sparxie being only one of them. She sees herself as an actress, and for an actress, there is no greater mistake than being stuck in a single role. Deep down, she craves adoration from others and fears being ignored, so over the years, she donned many identities to achieve her goal. Sparxie managed to gain independence and become even more famous and adored than Sparkle herself, to the point Sparkle thought she was fake compared to her. To Sparkle, a mask is a performance to captivate others.

Ashveil isn't just a broke detective. His current occupation is a disguise, a way of lying low and away from his past. He's actually the Lead Hunter of the Galaxy Rangers, La Mancha, a man ten Amber Eras old with too much history and an unbelievable baggage to carry. He's currently being pursued by his fellow Lead Hunters, his name being dragged through the mud, and instead of trying to defend himself, he chose to hide and mitigate the damage caused by past tragedies as best as he can. For Ashveil, a mask is something to hide behind.

Silver Wolf was born weak, and has spent her entire life terrified of staying weak. She accumulated power, climbing higher and higher, until she was confronted with the ceiling of her potential. She refuses to bow down to fate and plans to keep attaining power, but she's not quite there yet. So, when she needs more power than what she currently has, she uses her cartridge and borrows power from a potential future version of hers, one that stood at the peak of Elatiom itself. That form in itself is a "mask". And for Silver Wolf, a mask is her better self.

Evanescia hasn't always been the bubbly otaku girl she is now. In the distant past, she was a powerful Elixir Seeker, a terrifying Emanator of Abundance that was granted eternal life in Yaoshi's garden. Due to Aha's interference, she was transplanted in Planacardia, becoming an overseer to the Phantasmoon Games and the fate of the planet as a whole. She daw disaster strike countless times, and when it interfered in the Aeonic Game, she unleashed her devastating power, to costly consequences. Afraid of her own power, she shackled herself and donned the mask named "Evanescia". To her, a mask is a limiter imposed on the self.

The Trailblazer has been learning a lot about Planacardia and the Elation since they arrived. They've been witnessing as this world births countless possibilities, as the masses quite literally give power with their feelings, as greater and lesser forces collide and shape life in both good and bad ways. In particular, they've come to learn the weight of their own image and how to manage it. And upon treading the Path of Elation, they decided to gather all the wishes of the people and strive to give them an answer. For the Trailblazer, a mask is a light to illuminate people's lives.

Fulwish's life has been nothing short of a tragicomedy, the epitome of a mean-spirited joke. She suffered at the hands of a serial killer while still just a teenager, and Planacardia reached out to her only to milk her suffering for all its worth. She came to despise the nature of her world, to see the masses as nothing more than fools blind to anything that doesn't amuse them, to loathe Aha themselves for nurturing such a lifestyle with their game. She sought to end it all and plotted for more than a decade for it. For Fulwish, a mask is the life that was imposed on her.

That's actually a hard question to answer. I'm really bad at ranking the things I like, so I'll just talk like normal here.

I actually like a lot of Star Rail's characters. And I mean a LOT. I think I'm up to yapping about pretty much anything and anyone. But if I had to give an example of a character I'm really into right now, Ashveil? I'm really curious about Nihilux too.

Beyond the ships I usually talk about, I think CerySilens is really compelling! Their whole tragedy with Hysilens trying to find happiness even in a fleeting dream and Cerydra wanting to grant Hysilens that dream really moved me. I also can't resist The Little Mermaid references.

As for Genshin, my favorite character is... Lumine, lmao. I adore her. But I also really like Dainsleif, Furina, Navia, Varka, Wanderer, etc. Just like in Star Rail, I could talk a lot about a lot of characters. Actually, I think I could talk a lot in general, haha.

During the scene where Stelle either welcomes or rejects Sunday into the Express Crew- it looks like Dan Heng’s opinion fully depends on how Stelle sees the situation. March will express her own opinion then goes along with it in the end but with Dan Heng, he is quick to agree with Stelle without stating any other thought.

If she accepts him to the Crew in any way, Dan Heng states he’s fine with that- no matter what Stelle says. If she expresses distrust with him/rejects him to the crew, Dan Heng offers to keep an eye on him.

It’s honestly nice seeing how much Dan Heng trusts Stelle’s views in situations.

Nice catch! Honestly, it's almost jarring how consistent that kind of interaction is.

Like, when you delve into the interactions between Dan Heng and Stelle, it's evident that he admires the way she lives. Hell, he blatantly spells it out on his Permansor Terrae voice lines.

To reiterate: he idealizes Stelle's lifestyle. Stelle's. The impulse-driven, second thought averse, bit too much violence inclined raccoon. The girl who digs through trash, puts anything on her mouth and tries to feed him dirt. That's the person he feels inspired by.

And it's just... Hysterical? Like, Dan Heng is always portrayed as the cautious one, the one who's level-headed enough to make these important decisions, the one who should be evaluating people before trusting them... But he doesn't?? He just... Leaves it to Stelle. Why???

The criminal my crew just ran over the other day wants in? I want to see how Stelle feels about it first.

This guy just broke my spear in half and stole Stelle's bat? She likes him, so he's alright.

Stelle kinda died and it highkey traumatized me? It's fine, I'll just speak up when it actually affects her.

We're being interrogated by the head of state while under threat of death? I'll let Stelle answer the questions.

Stelle wants to go back to where Phainon is even when Amphoreus is falling apart? I'll regret this decision so bad, but it's fine if she wants to.

I just revealed my complicated past in front of my companions? Stelle said nothing so it actually doesn't matter that much, hooray.

So, in one of my posts, I mentioned liking Firefly's animanga references on account of being a huge fucking weeb. So, today I want to take a little time to yap about those references and how they compliment Firefly's life philosophy.

At first glance, Firefly looks like she came straight from a high-school romance. Hell, the game constantly gives her all the common romance tropes. In then comes SAM, who... Really is just a Kamen Rider transformation, but also comes with its fair share of mecha references. The henshin itself (note: henshin means transformation) is less tokusatsu and more magical girl anime, though.

And this is aaaaall weaved together to tell Firefly's story. How? I'll explain.

Mecha anime often are either space operas or dystopic science fiction. Both these genres always have quite a bit of political commentary, especially on war. And Firefly is the product of war; a soldier who was born for it and is destined to die for it. Her story begins with the rejection of such a fate.

Firefly doesn't want to get in the robot, but she has to in order to survive. Even after becoming a Stellaron Hunter, she has to fight. And she hates it. She hates the idea of living so close to death. Hates that she has to run towards her end like moth to flame. But even in the scorched land that is her life, dreams can still bud.

That's where the high-school romance comes in. I believe people are well-acquainted with the Japanese concept of blue spring nowadays (hello, Jujutsu fans). In case you aren't: it's the romantization of one's youth—particularly the high-school period—as the time when one felt truly free and unburdened. It's especially poignant in a sociological context (the life of the average Japanese adult fucking sucks) and it reminds me a lot of American high-school idolization, BUT I DIGRESS!

[Fun fact, though: the Japanese word for "youth"(青春/seishun) is actually made of "blue" (青/sei) and "spring" (春/shun).]

So, in essence, Firefly dreams of that blue spring she never really had. And, in 3.8's Finality Quest, SAM argues that she simply will never get to be a "normal girl". She'll never experience that "youth".

But Firefly rebuked SAM in a way that I simply adored: she said, "any normal girl would do what I do in my situation, therefore I am a normal girl".

Beyond showing Firefly's resolve, I love that her statement invokes the basics of shoujo manga. A lot of shounen manga are coming of age stories, about boys doing their all despite whatever the world throws at them. So do a lot of shoujo stories, coming of age stories about girls dealing with the unfamiliar world around them as they grow.

Uh... Wait. As in Wanderer from Genshin Impact? Not sure what exactly prompted the question but okay, why not.

I wonder... His lore might change a lot. There's the whole Pinocchio/Steadfast Tin Soldier motif about "becoming a real boy", so they might have used a girl-equivalent tale. I can't think of one off the top of my head right now, though.

Appearance-wise, something might change too. There's some analysis on how Scara's design has details that belong to traditionally feminine clothing and how it relates to theatrical crossdressing. I guess this would mean female Wanderer would have traditionally masculine details on her clothing.

Like, what do you mean it's an actual book. What do you mean it's an actual story. What do you mean Stelle is the owner of the book. What do you mean it's a story co-authored by her, written for her.

What do you mean she emotionally connected to a story on a level no one else can. What do you mean she actually lived through the narrative. What do you mean she actually met the characters. What do you mean it's a world she lived in, loved and strived to save.

What do you mean she met this guy named Phainon and instantly connected to him. What do you mean they fought side by side. What do you mean they shared sorrows and hopes. What do you mean they saw the world crumbling around them and stuck together until the very end.

What do you mean Phainon adores her with his heart and soul. What do you mean he sees her as an ideal to be followed. What do you mean he wants to stay by her side. What do you mean he shared all of himself with her. What do you mean he entrusted her with the wishes he didn't even know he had at some point.

What do you mean she adores him just as much. What do you mean she wants to be there for him every step of the way. What do you mean she accepted everything about him. What do you mean she took on all his hopes and wishes. What do you mean she wants to make him happy.

What do you mean that, at the end of everything, it's all in a story. What do you mean that all of this, all that she experienced, lived and loved can be contained in a book. What do you mean the proof of the world and the people she grew to love fit in those pages. What do you mean she has to forge ahead with only a faint hope for the future cradled in her arms. What do you mean that even if it's faint, it was all undoubtedly real and she will never forget it.

Yeah, yeah, I know there's massive discourse on her character, BUT I DON'T CARE! I DON'T CARE!! I FELT SOMETHING, DAMMIT!!!

Guys, PhiLia093 is supposed to represent pain you feel for others. Guys, she's doomed to watch the world and the people she loved so much suffer without being able to physically be there for them. Guys, she still tried her damn best to do something with the minuscule odds she had just like every single other Chrysos Heir. Guys, she managed to teach the world itself about its own beauty and made it want to take a stand too. Guys, the World decided to follow in her footsteps and embody everything she left behind.

That's just GOAT behavior, I'm sorry. I know everyone wants to talk about plot holes and failed story beats and whatnot. Yeah, the story isn't perfect.

Because it was the Destruction at work there. Phainon is pretty much halfway through becoming a Lord Ravager and it was said that only the Destruction held enough power to perform the feat needed to open up the way, but... The way he applied it was so un-Destruction. It was a spectacular show of force, sure, but it didn't really feel the same as Zephyro blasting through planets, or Celenova leading the Antimatter Legion troops, or Luxbane swallowing stars. It felt nothing like the absolute havoc we see Khaslana wreak in his gameplay animations. It felt nothing like what we usually see from Destruction.

Instead, it felt like seeing the Trailblaze forge a new path.

You know how in The Last Airbender, it's said that studying other bending forms helps you achieve new heights with your own bending? I wonder if that's the same concept at play here, but with Paths instead of bending. We know how highly Phainon thinks of the Trailblaze, even using it to repurpose his role as Worldbearer, and we also know how much he despises the Destruction. It makes me think he truly adopted the Trailblaze and is actively using it to mold his powers as a Destruction Pathstrider in order to become something different from Nanook & Friends.

It has been pointed out that many of Phainon's sun symbols were also used to illustrate the Trailblaze (like the symbol of the Trailblaze, also the mark in the Trailblaze Power image), and that's incredibly interesting to me. The Nameless are often compared to stars, and, well... the Sun is too a star.

I'm bored as hell, so I wanted to show something I saw while lurking on the JP side of Twitter: a song that brings Phainon to mind! Eien by Tatsuya Kitani is really good and the lyrics do remind me of Phainon's rebellious spirit. Like, peep my (kinda shitty) translation of the chorus:

Me, going through the 3.6 Mission, hearing the words "I am you [Trailblaze]" come out of Dan Heng's mouth as he pulls Stelle closer in a cutscene:

Like... I've been aware this since the 1.X patch cycle. Everyone knows that Dan Heng immensely cherishes his companions and he sees himself primarily as the Astral Express' guard beyond that cool exterior of his. There's nothing out of the ordinary with that.

But when it comes to Stelle specifically, he acts VERY differently. And it's absolutely fascinating to watch.

See, he's a troubled soul with his fair share of problems regarding freedom and redemption. He spent a good part of his life since birth in jail, then the rest in exile. Only recently he began feeling like he had a place to belong, a place that didn't chain him down, and only recently he felt comfortable enough to outwardly admit the Express crew as his loved ones.

And, among his loved ones, he seems to see the Trailblazer specifically as a personification of all those things he gained. Stelle is a free, unbound soul who is confident in seeking the life she wants and doesn't let anything stop her from grasping it, even with a muddy past. I think having her as companion emboldens Dan Heng to finally live as himself and strive for the things he never thought he could have before.

You can see it in their interactions overall. Dan Heng is pretty clearly indulgent with Stelle: he lets her act as silly as she wants, prompts her to explore places, lets her take initiative during interactions with others, checks on her mental well-being, is always ready to shield her from danger, shares his stuff pretty easily, the list goes on. When I noticed these little things, I realized that Dan Heng constantly prioritizes not only her safety but also her happiness.

It's like... For him, she's a star of hope illuminating his path, and he wants her to shine as brightly as she possibly can at all times. We saw in the Penacony storyline that Dan Heng feels immensely fortunate to have his Nameless companions and dreams of journeying with them forever, and that results in his current relationship with the Trailblazer.

Here's the thing, though: he seems really wary of crossing some lines.

It's funny how contradictory he seems at times. He's introverted and gets embarrassed when Stelle acts affectionate. He's so vocal about his affection it hurts, though. He refuses when Stelle wants a hug. It's fine when he takes the initiative to hold hands, though. He's a-okay when talking about his past nowadays. Stelle can't go meet the High-Cloud Quintet with him though, that's a no-no.

So what then, you big salamander. Is it fine when you do it, but not when she does it? What's the hold-up?

It's almost like he's intentionally keeping their relationship in some sort of vague ambivalence. A relationship where Dan Heng can watch from the side as Stelle is as safe and happy as she can possibly be, and where he is actively making her so, but rejects all her attempts of returning the favor. It's some fine shoujo manga shit, I'll tell you. Dannie clearly stands on the shoulders of the giants before him.

Here's where the real hilarity comes in, though: there's one thing about his relationship with Stelle that Dan Heng absolutely won't let go of. Something he's not handing over to anyone in a million years.

It's the right to live by her side.

I mentioned Dan Heng's dream in Penacony before, and the truth that dream presents is: Dan Heng wants to stay beside Stelle forever. It's non-negotiable. He wants to be the person she instinctively relies on, the one she tells everything to, the one who always protects her as she paves the way forward, the one who she comes back to. He wants to have an unshakable, everlasting position in her life.

The shenanigans get so funny. Remember when he instantly shot down Aventurine's poaching attempt in that one anniversary review event? His (not very) implicit dislike of Stelle inheriting the Coreflame of Time and becoming tied to Amphoreus? The constant emphasis on the fact he'll forever remain her companion? He hates the idea of Stelle leaving his side sooooo much. Sure, it's not weird that he's desperate for her safety, but there's some definite entitlement mixed in and it makes me laugh whenever he rejects her affection.

Like, what the hell do you even want, my man? If you're gonna act like that, at least go all the way?? How long do you think she's going to play along with your back-and-forth??? Or what, are you really THAT confident you two are inseparable? That's scary.

I ship PhaiStelle. I also ship ScaraLumi (WanLumi? Fuck that puppet and his names). There's an actual pipeline there.

Look, Wanderer's character arc is all about identity. About who he is and whether he chose to be that. And Lumine plays the role of the observer, the faithful recorder of his life. Now that his existence as "Kabukimono" and "The Balladeer" are gone from the world's memory, she's the only one who remembers all he has ever been. And he honors that role by letting her choose his name—the new road his life will take.

Phainon's character arc is also very steeped in the theme of identity. Of who he is, what he is, and what makes him be that. And Stelle is the only one thus far who has witnessed all he has ever been. And he honors that role by bestowing her the title of Deliverer and letting her blaze a new path for him.