𝗩𝗘𝗥𝗦𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗟𝗘 𝗝𝗢𝗞𝗘𝗥.

╰♥︎╮ 𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐍𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐬.

This event lets us know that Sampo was in fact on Penacony. For how long is unclear, though this will be the basis for some of the arguments presented in this post. Not to mention, it's also clear that he is presenting the proposal to work together on this business venture, so it from the get go was intended to be something we could take part in upon his return.

╰♥︎╮ 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝟏 - 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐥𝐮𝐢𝐝, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐲𝐭𝐡, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐋𝐞𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐝.

So, he wants to rope us into a business venture that won't make money for him. This sounds odd, isn't he all about money? While I do believe he is greedy, I have asserted in the past that he seems to value transactions more. The experience of getting someone to believe his pitch, making the sale. The reasons I think he's not heavily invested in money in the end is because of easily he parts with it. Yes, he's doing the number crunching, he's counting, but when the transaction is over and he's already reaped what he's wanted, he doesn't really do much beyond feeling the notes in his hand (as indicated by both his idle animation and his light cone). Even in the museum event, he has no issue offering money as a bribe. Same as in his light cone, offering money to the sniper. And then he's not too broken up about not being able to get money out of the Trailblazer for taking a photo of him during the Stellar Shadowseeker event.

He also tells us that he was feeling really lonely and made a trip to Penacony. I do believe that he's had sort of a lonely vibe to him. He doesn't appear to have any close relationships and even the one person that he might've been close with, Serval, seems distances. The Fools aren't really people he spends a lot of time around and has seemed to purposely put distance between him and them, despite being one himself. We know from the Friendship is Magic event that Sampo views his relationship with the TB as transactional and it seems almost preferable because it not only means that he gets something out of it but he has an excuse to interact with the TB. Similar to his contractual jobs for Wildfire.

If we believe that he truly went to Penacony, then he's not being entirely honest, since we experienced a dream bubble where he was there helping Sparkle as part of an agreement to get his mask back. While I do believe this did in fact happen, may I remind you all of what Dr. Edward says at the end of the mission:

There's an implication that his image was implanted there on purpose, Sparkle or Black Swan tampered with the dream. We know via the dream that Sampo was his own person, but who really was Sampo?

And then we have the meme crate, the object kicking off this entire venture. This will come up again during transaction 7, so take heed. He claims to have found it eight years ago in the snow plains of Jarilo. How true is this? Well, assuming he's not lying, then he's been on Jarilo-VI for at least eight years, which is quite a while. How did he end up there in the first place? My initial theory is that he had been sent there to intercept the Astral Express, but would he have really tried looking for the world so long ago in the event that he'd be able to? Time travel is usually a varying thing due to the science of planet positioning, rotation, and all of that, but this is a fictional game, so there's no real way to know how the flow of time might have affected his judgement. It could be that he was attempting to run away from the IPC or something else or even distancing himself on purpose and ended up stuck there. If it was due to the Stellaron that he was unable to leave for such a long period of time after finding himself there, that would explain how he got in touch with people after the quelling of the Stellaron Crisis. However, what does not make sense for this theory is that if the Stellaron had been blocking communication as well, then why would Sampo at the end of 1.0 tell whoever was in the TV screen that:

"Turns out the Astral Express crew is more fun than I expected! You liked it? Really? Haha, told you so!"

And then whoever he's speaking to asks if he's going to Epsilon now, implying that would be the logical next option since he's finally done with what he planned to do on Jarilo. Something is incredibly fishy and still not adding up. What makes it more difficult to discern anything is that this happened in what is understood to be a dream that the TB is having. So did it really happen? Is it not like the uncertainty with us seeing him converse with Sparkle? Is it not akin to us seeing the weird memory bubble at the end of Aetherium Wars and not knowing how it got there nor why it seems different from those on the Space Station? There's a lot of unknowns that complicate things.

On a separate note, how exactly is he so familiar with synthesis all of a sudden? Sure, it's implied that when he puts his mind to something he's a fast learner, but we already know that he's been forging relics as part of his scams... And part of what the omni-synthesizer is able to do is synthesize relics. Coincidence?

There's a comment from the contract automaton that's beside him: "Don't worry, buddy: The tiring, dirty work will be outsourced to the robots." It is implied that this automaton is meant to sound or speak like him. The only interesting comment I have here is that Screwllum actually recognized automatons during the Aetherium Wars event. The reason this even matters is because there's a theory out there that the automatons might create an uprising. Screwllum seems hopeful for the evolution of the spirit harbored by this budding life, which may further hint at things related to a potential uprising if something like the Anti-Organic Equation from the Mechanical Emperor's Wars is ever utilized again. Potential looming danger that Sampo may or may not be preparing for by going and fetching his mask, but then at what point would that be possible since he's purposely shifting work to automatons that he views as being beneath humans? Unless, the catastrophe coming to Jarilo is merely something he knows vaguely but isn't actually aware of what it might be. I am not saying that something related to the automatons is improbable but it might not come about in this manner. There is still unused cutscenes within this trailer of HSR that may or may not hint at what's to come given all the other teased scenes, in particular I'm referring to Xianzhou characters fighting the Engine of Creation. This event followed the Trade Agreement, so I think there's some merit.

This item's name appears to be based off of the phrase "the man, the myth, the legend," which is comical because some believe that its origins stem from circus showrunner P.T. Barnum being introduced as such before his performances. Pretty fitting for Sampo's first item on the list, eh?

UltimateSwordmaster123 is Yanqing and Silver Wolf is herself. It's amusing that SW calls him out on selling fake goods, even though Sampo implies in his item descriptions that what he describes the items are supposed to do or how they should function aren't actually the case. These are simply creative titles and descriptions, fake Curios indeed, but he's not trying to hide it since they're in the descriptions.

It's funny because we know from his past scams on Ja.rilo that he actually does handle customer complaints and acts like he's taking them seriously. He'll provide refunds since people are dissatisfied, though we know that he at least then scammed Chavez a second time after stating he might need a second item for what he bought to properly function. But hey, he still offered to refund the guy.

And oh, we get a mention of the tavern. Lower case "t" tavern, which I think is a means as sidestepping his direct claim to being a Fool, since we know he uses capital "T" Tavern at the end of 1.0's dream. The language here is interesting and somewhat matches that of what we know of World's End on Penacony. So long as you can provide entertainment, you too can enter and join in the revelry, grab a drink.

Beyond this he compares the items being sold to drinks in that sentimental value is the main thing you get out of both experiences. Despite these items being "fakes" they still have interesting little blurbs or functions about them. And even if someone in say a tavern prattles on about something that isn't true, you at least had a drink to enjoy the company.

Also, I'd like to point out the manner in which he speaks, the words he decides to use... Such as balderdash. I think he's already been shown to speak like this in more of his unvoiced content. Dated is not the word I would use to describe it, but it is sometimes peculiar how he mixes in words like this with "fam".

Okay, people don't seem to understand this one. It's like kind of an inside joke? Based on this description:

The elated one understands that only the wise and sentient possess the privilege of understanding joy.

A narcissist can't really be wise, therefore their wisdom would be laughable. So in a world where only Fools theoretically understand the truth and are considered to be the wise, then they know it's a joke. And hence, a Fool's humor is truly on a different level. The joke is just a joke.

╰♥︎╮ 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝟐 - 𝐋𝐢𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐝 𝐅𝐥𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐕𝐨𝐢𝐝.

This transaction uses "virtual particles and phlogiston" which "will coalesce into a fire that provokes profundity." In case you do not know, a definition for profundity is: deep insight; great depth of knowledge or thought. The reason this definition matters is because it might be implied that deep insight can be gained from gazing into the abyss?

I believe that Data Bank Admin is Dan Heng and Spherical Joint is Herta. Seeing Herta call the virtual particle trash sounds like something she would say and her mockingly saying "you call this a Curio?" would also fit. Sampo interestingly picks up the trash part and reverses that to say that even a trash bag can have a unique shine. Coincidentally, we know he hides in trash cans, so he'd be familiar with trash bags inside them. And the TB also goes through the trash, so he could be indirectly referring to their activities rummaging around as well. Since HSR is big on the inclusion of trash cans, it's probably both. Also, I love how He.rta left it as a positive review, technically insulted the product, and Sampo ran with it and thanked her.

Weirdly, he says that there are many stories that aren't convenient for me to share, which based on how he talks about the tavern as if he's never set foot in it, seems like he knows certain stories would implicate him. And again, he should know that we know he's a Fool, yet he still dances around it. Even more so, he says that the tavern seeks out those with stories, which he's telling us plenty thru this event and implies that he's heard a bunch, so isn't that just him indirectly mentioning that he's been sought out? Even specifically says that the TB has a penchant for elation and might receive an invitation, implying that he knows that you need an invitation to the Tavern to be a Fool.

This here kind of explains like why they're interacting with people from the Xianzhou in this event, as well as seemingly the HSS. He's expanding his potential market.

╰♥︎╮ 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝟑 - 𝐇𝐢𝐠𝐡 𝐕𝐨𝐥𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐒𝐭𝐨𝐥𝐞𝐧 𝐅𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐬.

This one is a fun one! We've basically got a lightning rod. Rolling Boulder is Serval, VidyadharaOnline is Bailu, and it's not clear who Nameless is. A Leyden jar is an electrical component that stores a high-voltage electric charge between electrical conductors on the inside and outside of a glass jar. Very rudimentary. And if someone has been struck by lightning, there is research out there that suggests that physiotherapy is effective in improving their physical condition. The description pretty much just warns of the dangers of being around the kite if it's going to get struck.

Sampo's pretty proud of his positive reviews. Good for him, that's what business is all about.

The story with this one is actually a story told to him by a Knight of Beauty that he met while beyond the sky, which based on him prefacing the event that he went to Penacony, perhaps he met Argenti. Maybe it was a different one. Basically this Knight tells the story of Benjamin Franklin's kite experiment, but then the lightning getting placed into a glass bottle, which is what Serval's Leyden Jar would be kinda. The humorous part of this story is that the Knight found beauty in the moment of the scientist getting struck by lightning. So moved that Sampo truly believes that the Knight would personally embrace Idrila. Which then clears up Sampo not only being aware of the Knights but also Idrila.

We know that the Masked Fools have some sort of relation to the Knights of Beauty. The description for the Curio, Spirit of the Knights of Beauty, reads as follows:

The faction that likes dealing with the Knights of Beauty the most are most likely the Masked Fools. These Fools like to amuse themselves by exploiting the knights' faith in the eventual return of Idrila, while the knights themselves remain ever-pious and obstinate practitioners in the ways of Beauty.

I think it's clear as to why he'd then say the following:

They truly are steadfast, unwavering in their belief. Almost to a fault, seemingly bordering ignorance if he's lumping them in with idiots and fools. But he can't help but admire that. Almost like he feels they wouldn't know any better.

╰♥︎╮ 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝟒 - 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐈𝐜𝐞 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐍𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐋𝐚𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐬.

He prefaces this one with: "... I was hoping you'd be back for more stories. We're cooking up some toys today..." Sampo is really set on the whole "story" thing.

This toy is meant to be ironic. He calls it the ice that never laughs, yet squeezing it does emit laughter. Say~Cheese~ is March and FRigid_Raven is Hanya.

Hanya's comment is a little interesting. I don't want to like assume anything about her character beyond what she presents as I'm not super into her lore, but she's rather dry and logical and from what interactions I recall she finds irony somewhat puzzling yet her humor is also dry. I want to say that this comment somewhat reflects these things, but I cannot say with 100% certain. What I can instead comment on is that Sa.mpo takes it as a compliment to then say "People here all say Mr. Cold Feet is disturbed!" He's likely referring to the people he frequently interacts with in Belobog which means Wildfire at the very least find him odd. It's fair since he's not exactly trusted and doesn't always appear when you need him to nor when you want him too. But disturbed typically has a heavier meaning.

He's talking about a rubber chicken, y'all. It's a rubber chicken. There's nothing crazy here. He just simply likes a rubber chicken. I've seen it compared to the Aha Stuffed Toy occurence in the SU, which if you wanted to stretch it to fit the who "disturbed" thing, I guess I can see it?

You open its manual, which reads, "This is a doll to vent extreme emotions on, made by Aha in THEIR own likeness. THEY wish to see THEMSELF beaten up. The worse the beating is, the happier THEY will get, and the more Gold Coins THEY will award you! Note: Aha is not involved in the quality control process."

But I think it's rather obvious that Sampo just found the sound that the chicken emits after squeezing it to be funny. And instead of screaming, the ice cube laughs when squished. I think that makes sense since Fools like laughter.

With the irony it carries is also that it needs to keep laughing to prevent itself from melting into a puddle of water. Specifically a capricious age, which fits the drive for chaos Fools would seek. This can further bolster the stuffed toy thing in a way. Basically, it's called "doll theory" that usually relies upon this toy occurrence. Essentially Aha and the cosmos' punching bag to incite laughter. I think it also could fit into my own theory for Emanator Sampo which is that he feels that he needs to do something funny or provide laughter so he does not get discarded.

This to me says that he's trying to get laughter or joy out of life despite the turmoil that might be a threat to it. If he were truly an extremist then he probably wouldn't worry too much about that, but Sampo has always felt off when it comes to how he pursues his Elation and where he draws the line. While he does harm people in his scams, both financially and emotionally, when it comes to the people he likes, such as the TB, he does take into account their joy or mood. And I think his curtain call has a part in this.

╰♥︎╮ 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝟓 - 𝐅𝐮𝐥𝐥-𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐨 𝐀𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐛𝐨 𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐤.

"Salutations, my dear Nameless." The way he be speaking... And also him using "my dear", ahhhh.

ShanshangOfficial is Sushang, Warp Trotter... I don't believe that's supposed to be Topaz. I feel like this is a callback to Aether spirits, thus why a Warp Trotter would have a comment to share. I could be wrong though, so correct me if you've got evidence.

Again, we know that Sampo is not marketing these as real Curios, and instead fake ones, essentially. So in order not to look super dishonest, he continues to clarify what the products do. In this case this one is only guaranteeing a feeling but not replacing the experience.

Interesting. Almost sounds like fleeting Elation and worthwhile high-level indulgences like I've brought up in relation to his True Happiness. Can't say for certain that it's intentional or not.

Which feeds into this a bit, at least the first sentence. He's more focused on the setup and the transaction, and as an Elation follower he's not too consumed by chaos. Sampo is pretty tempered in comparison to say, Sparkle, who seems to use Elation as a means to live because it's all she really knows (based on her character story information). He even says that to become more open-minded you have to learn to be self-deprecating, but then rather than say something serious, it almost sounds like a joke. Which I think he purposely does change his advice to something light hearted since he wouldn't want to ruin the mood. Though, it's interesting because the way in which he interacts with people is very social chameleon like. He'll play into whatever image they have of him, even if that means he has to be overtly pathetic. A form of self-deprecation.

This to me sounds close to the Jester of Anatta description, which is something I've already discussed. Where they chase the need to find something more exciting to keep their audience engaged and in the end laugh at themselves. Though, Sampo does have sense about him, so I don't think he would ever fully succumb to this and even believes it to be scary.

╰♥︎╮ 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝟔 - 𝐒𝐲𝐧𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐚 𝐎𝐦𝐧𝐢𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐩𝐞𝐫.

FRigid_Raven is Hanya and TileGamer4ever is Qingque. Funny that Hanya is using it for an intended purpose, at least as advertised (this one's for real!) and then Qingque using something that's meant for career advice is disappointed because she's already where she ought to be for her career (and to work harder). Sampo praises her but then says she can return it for free within 7 days just so he can get a positive review and not a negative one.

I want to believe that he thinks that people want this item because it would help them sort of their lives, by means of figuring out their career.

And he again brings up the tavern, saying that the only ones that aren't really accepted in there are those that never change their routine. This makes sense, as he already said previously that as long as you have a story, you can potentially get in. Sampo even seems to believe that it's impossible for someone not to have some sort of excitement to the point of saying he'd like to meet them.

Interesting that he mentions a farce here. To me he's describing the type of Elation he dislikes. Hence why he says it sounds like real life. It would make sense, especially since Sparkle would be someone undoubtedly part of such act.

╰♥︎╮ 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝟕 - 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐟𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐋𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐄𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐇𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠.

"It's the last day for this shop's old games." Interesting way to put that, I don't really have much to say about it though. "Use ... and we'll be unlocking the secrets of the universe... Just kidding." What I'm about to touch upon is with the impression that he isn't entirely kidding. Though, there's so little to go off of, it's difficult to know if there really is more or not (with the item in particular).

Say~Cheese~ is March. Data Bank Admin is Dan Heng. The March thing is a bit uh unnerving in a way considering her whole companion mission stuff. The Dan Heng comment is also not a surprise. What I do find interesting is that this item does claim to do what it does, and that's gain insight on past and present lives, plural. Parallel universes is quite a common thing for the Fools to take an interest in, specifically when it comes to inventions and even Sampo's scams. It's weird how that's a common thing, like they definitely know something we don't. What further adds to this point is that both Sparkle and Sampo end up in HI3.

If you instead pick the option where you tell him that you're still going to report him for selling fake goods (because he technically was). He will instead say "Why would you do that? I refunded all the customers who left poor reviews." I initially picked the good friend option because we never get to be nice to this man, omg.

Anyways, remember the tavern. Ah, it goes back to drinks and stories. He implies that the place he went to go get drinks might not be the same tavern, but I think he definitely means the Tavern. We know that he was in Penacony and had to go into the Tavern to retrieve his mask. Therefore if people did recognize him, he would've stopped to have a drink and share a few stories. Based on the description for the event and the fact that we had the whole Wardance event, he might not have come back right away. It's unclear when he would've returned or why he would've lingered, but again he was lonely, so maybe he really did need that sort of company.

Sampo explains that he got to have his fun because they essentially netted him stories to tell. He sounds rather pleased that he'll be able to tell stories in his next stop at the tavern. So, it really wasn't able the money, but the sentimental value that items can create via stories or in his case, what he's gained from selling such items.

If you instead say "What a pragmatic answer." He will start his first comment with "Haha, we've known each other a long time." First of all, that implies that he does think himself sensible or realistic. Remember, this is in relation to him still getting to have fun despite not making money himself. It was a mutual venture and he made sure that the TB got their share. And based on the time frames that the game hints at here and there, we might've known him for about half a year, at the very least. I don't believe he's hinting at anything more. Unless he's actually Aha and there's some Ahavili tomfoolery going on.

So, at the very beginning he claimed that he found the meme crate in the snow. But here he says that it was gifted to him by a friend. Does that mean he lost the create on Jarilo and that's how he ended up staying? Or is there a lie somewhere? It doesn't quite make sense. Especially since he links this to "I've also had run-ins as adventurous as the Nameless have had." What does this mean, sir? That the crate came out of same wild adventure? Not to mention he thinks it's pointless. I don't know if that's him attempting to hide a part of himself or if he thinks it's truly not worth explaining it. I think he's still trying to hide something. I will bring this crate up again.

"Although there are many things you can't drink... But I intend to go have a drink!" I wish I could understand this, but I've been having trouble for a while. He makes it seem like there isn't booze where he's going.

Here it is. The Part Of All Time. A bit to unpack here. So, I will start with the obvious.

Sampo directly quotes from Rune X of the english translated Kalevala. This particular part of the epic is where Ilmarinen forges the Sampo for one of Louhi's daughters hand in marriage. There's a bit more background to how Ilmarinen ended up in this situation, but he himself I believe is considered a god and is a blacksmith. "Ilma" means air, which relates to wind, wind was also used in the forging. There's a lot more specific details that could warrant a post dedicated to finding every single parallels, but that's not the point with this. I'm just giving context.

The Sampo in the Kalevala is described as a magic mill, though there are varying interpretations of it, some equating it to that of the Finnish imaginary tree. It is a fortune and wealth producer, able to produce even gold and so forth. In Finnish it's also referred to as "kirjokansi" because this means lid of colors. This is typically where I like to say Sampo's ascension line "Everyone has a colorful past... Wouldn't you say?" Is pretty suspect. Furthermore, we know that he pretty much tinkers and creates fake relics and curios as part of his schemes. This could have to do with the object or perhaps it makes him Ilmarinen.

The question then is, did he quote this because he's aware of his namesake? But then does that make this a fourth wall break or is this lore that they will apply to the game, considering we do have a planet named Kalevala? You can see what I've said before about this, but I think this is more of a reason to believe that it is his homeworld. It cannot just be left as a coincidence, it would end up feeling wasted, almost.

Not to mention, that there are implications that he's potentially the object itself? Or maybe this has to do with the whole past and present lines thing that the transaction 7 item is supposed to allow you to gain insight for. It is so difficult to say with him since we know he's broken the fourth wall before and the quote he referred to there about True Happiness happens to be a reference to a real-world lecture. To say that he's the object is a stretch, as he seems very in-tune with emotions and how to manipulate people thanks to them. Though, if he's been learning how to be human for many, many years, then maybe it's not so weird.

There's a lot to consider, especially if you go further and consider that the Sampo fell into the sea and broke. Is this why he has a jagged line in his black top? Are the love motifs perhaps related to the plights of those in the story attempting to marry? These sound somewhat like stretches, but it is still no coincidence that he DIRECTLY quotes the lines from the Kalevala.

There's this lovely post that came up while I was in the middle of writing my post and it actually taught me a little more. I've had a headcanon for a while now that if Sampo is whistling or humming, you wouldn't recognize the tune. And that was kind of born out of him in his idle animation and being from somewhere not Jarilo. Now I have to say that this can absolutely be a headcanon turned canon thanks to the fact that he hums, or rather sings (since it's dialogue) this portion of the epic. According to the aforementioned posted, the epic was written in the Kalevala metre and because of this, it was meant to be sung. This is the example of the melody they provided.

Sampo not only knows the source material, but also know the accompanying tune or at least knows enough about the epic to then be able to sing it. That is very very suspect and so incredibly interesting. It might have to do with the in-game canonization of the content or this is yet another 4th wall break and he's showing off just how hyper aware he is of his existence.

He will come back again, since he knows of a catastrophe meant to come to Jarilo. But is this in relation to this information? Or a hint that he must have some Emanator powers? Or perhaps it has something to do with his scamming wherever he happens to go, but for a while now he has remained on Jarilo.

╰♥︎╮ 𝐄𝐱𝐭𝐫𝐚 𝐓𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 𝐈 𝐃𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐊𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐄𝐥𝐬𝐞 𝐓𝐨 𝐏𝐮𝐭.

Firstly, a lot of people bought into the theory that he's a Mourning Actor because of how he phrased things but the most important thing to remember is that an MA completely renounces joy. So even if he were somewhat sorrowful over something, he wouldn't then be going and using joy to brighten up someone's day. Do you see what I mean? I think that he is special in that he doesn't seem to fit in with the typical standard of a Fool, but he still feels that he belongs to the group. Acting for a MA typically refers to their renunciation upon the stage and lamenting, not acting to pretend to be a Masked Fool or something, you feel me?

Secondly, a lot of what he does in this event is simply speak. He talks and pretty much says whatever comes to mind. Maybe he had a bit of it prepared since he would've had an idea of what products to make, but he's still just seeking an audience with the TB. Considering he said that he was lonely and in the past when we've spoken to him, it's always been with the pressure of something else going on OR we go to him for some sort of help or favor, this is one of the first times he just gets to speak. There's some people who said he felt ooc based on all he said, and I find that to be false because there's never been a moment for him to really do this otherwise since we never sought him out. This venture is just for fun for him and he's not the one making money, yet the TB is seemingly interested in the venture because of the money they can make. Begrudgingly almost like Sampo is the one that they gotta deal with the get the rewards each day. It is a bit sad in this way that he's only finally getting to be somewhat more plain (despite speaking in vague ways on purpose in this event) but we can tell that he's more comfortable with the TB than most.

Thirdly, as I was in the process of writing this, Sampo finally appeared in HI3 content. I believe I'll cover his part in that story in it's own post, but what I'm focused on is that this collab event seemingly takes place as like a flashback/history filler for why Sparkle showed up in the story content for the game. I won't spoil all the reasons outright, but there are very blatant reasons as to why this is the case.

It's speculated here that the meme crate that Sampo got his hands on that's eight years old is supposed to line up with HI3's 8th anniversary and that he would've been gifted it around this time because during that event they were in a dream bubble, I believe. Coincidence with the eight years thing? Perhaps, but it might be the reason why he would've had a meme crate for so long.

I was told that HI3 takes place about 8 years before HSR's timeline, but I know that online there doesn't seem to be a general consensus. So, no matter what, it's a somewhat younger Sampo, but he still seems to have his gripes about Sparkle so whatever might've diluted him or toned him down already took place long before. I have a post about the HI3 collab event here.

Newish stuff. This tweet, which is a follow up to the other one, connected chapters with the items Sampo is selling in the shop. Each seemingly some sort of reference to a character in the chapter or something else like that. Again, I'm not familiar with HI3 but given that day 7 ended on the same day that Sampo finally appeared in the collab event cannot be a coincidence if this is all intentional. The meme crate would've been from his time in HI3, the friends he made and Sparkle. Or it could've just been based on the fact that he was "playing the game," and this is in reference to him in the collab event saying that he's not sure what chapter to start from since there's so many in the game (HI3). And he would've already had to have been on Jarilo as well even if he made a stop on over to HI3 because in his boss fight in HI3 he uses Belobog style trash cans.

╰♥︎╮ 𝐒𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐨 𝐢𝐬 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐲.

If you attempt to warp to a location while in the reviews page directly after a completed transaction, this message will pop up. This blocks you from warping, despite visually appearing like you might be able to warp.

I think it's curious that as we're checking out the reviews and the overall success of the transaction that Sampo is expectantly looking to us. Fondly. It almost seems as if he's genuinely looking at us in this way, considering he wanted to do business with us. I genuinely believe that this is a sign that he's enjoying his time and likes that we're participating and hearing him out and his stories to go along with each item.

It can be assumed that the TB is the one that feels as if they need to stay given how genuine he appears. Or perhaps this is another example of some odd 4th wall break effect. Either way, even if it is all to do with the TB, it is clear that they are aware of what Sampo is doing and would feel bad leaving.

╰♥︎╮ 𝐔𝐈 𝐍𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐬.

Look at how cute that icon is for real. And of course it keeps in line with the hearts in his overall character kit. Sampo has a lot of love and hearts theming, which I have previously attributed to his sentiments being deceiving. While I still believe this to be true, it doesn't quite line up when he does seemingly act more "honest". Albeit, honest in his roundabout way, he's never very forward and just says things in the most vague or confusing way possible to avoid a full truth.

In the event screen, there's the use of stars and hearts. I don't want to project as to why stars are there, but at the same time this is the only spot stars are found in. Perhaps it's just to change up the way it looks, but then again both of these shapes have just the outline that flash prior to being the filled versions. So, why a star? It may be representative of the fact that he wanted to do this venture with the Trailblazer. He specifically wanted the TB in on things so that they could have a part in his fun (while he dropped vague lore on them). I think it's purposeful.

The "Pre-Sale" overlay is just cute. Specifically, this is the "wish" sticker. So, he's hopeful to make a sale.

There's also five hearts on each item and the price is always reflective of the pre-sale, however, all the products have the same price.

╰♥︎╮ 𝐒𝐮𝐛𝐦𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐈𝐧𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐏𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐁𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐫.

Here on the banner, we have a mix of achievement names, quoted dialogue, and emoticons.

• Emoticons.

After reviewing the emoticons and current content we have in relation to HSR. I think it's safe to say that they're just there to break up the text in a cute way, since Sampo's got hearts and stars as decorative flair everywhere else in the UI. The only instance of characters using emoticons outside of a couple in text messages are in this video. Of which Sampo doesn't even use one of the ones shown in the banner and all the other characters in the video alternate between having text and emoticons to reflect their thoughts. I could stretch it further to having to do with breaking the 4th wall, but it's all the other characters included doing the comments and reactions to art submitted, not just him.

• "So, what group chat is this?" - Ghost-Hunting Squad Messages.

I have tried so hard to look for something in here that might relate to Sampo. There just doesn't seem to be anything in particular. There's a bit where Gui talks about shops reviews but the context doesn't fit Sampo's way of conduct. The only thing I have to say here is that if we understand that Sampo is aware of this, it's just one of the many things he shouldn't know about to put into a banner for his pop-up shop.

It could have something to do with Heliobi, possession. Seeing as there's Guyun that was on Kalevala but that was in Yunli's companion mission and nothing to do with the stuff related to this event. Could have to do with overall manipulation, a call back but super indirect reference to Phantylia being a Heliobus Emanator.

There's also this one theory that Gui is from Kalevala, which then could mean that both Gui and Sampo are from Kalevala… I won't make any other comments on that, though.

• "Take It Easy, Icarus" - Achievement Name.

This is an achievement you get for attempting to cross the area boundary while flying a cycrane. Obviously, the achievement itself is referencing Icarus but why is it in this banner? This achievement is listed under the "Fathom the Unfathomable" category, which could hint that Sampo popping up everywhere is unfathomable. A stretch, I know. Other stretches I've discussed with my friend have been Sampo's supposed to be Icarus or perhaps even Daedalus? Daedalus was a craftsman and Sampo tinkers with stuff. Without saying too much, there's little to nothing to suggest that Sampo has had a fall for flying too close to the sun, so I can't really comment more on this.

It could be more in line with him being a risk taker but still drawing a line. So, maybe this is something he'd live by in the sense that one should not fly too close to the sun before it's too late to back off sort of thing.

The more obvious thing to me is an attempt to cross a boundary implement via the game, which we the player knows exist, but obviously the TB would be unaware of such a boundary. So, yeah. 4th wall strikes again.

• "This must be a trap created…" - Found in the Boxes and Ladders Achievement.

This is the only instance that this specific text is quoted. Here is the full quote: "Darn, this must be a trap created by a Masked Fool!"

Obviously, the tie in here is the Masked Fool bit. However, there's something else that's a bit curious here. Upon exiting "This is so childish." You get the following: "Congratulations, you've overcome the impulse deep in your heart and returned to the mature, sensible world of adults."

"World of adults." If you recall, even though it's Sparkle appearing as Sampo, there's this whole bit about the adult world, which then amounts to trash cans in the Underworld, Tatalov… All that. To be clear, we know it's the trash can dream that is the adult world because playing Hanu's Adventure is in an effort to get the last item necessary to hand over to Dr. Edward to them hop into the dream. This particular achievement is attainable in Dreamflux Reef, which was released a couple versions after that. Sparkle tried hard to get down Sa.mpo's mannerisms and speech pattern and some of how she acts is noticeably different depending on the VO you're playing with but in the original Chinese text dialogue, Sparkle as Sampo was a little flirty with the TB when talking to them. So it's clear she has a sort of perception about the man and was projecting that. Is the world of adults thing merely just a coincidence? Perhaps, but following the mention of a Fool is rather interesting.

• "Diogenes' Utopia" - Achievement Name.

What's wild is that I've already talked about this achievement in relation to Sampo in the past so it was kinda crazy to see it in this banner lol.

So, I'll just kinda grab from what I said over there. TLDR Diogenes had lived in a barrel, took up the life of a beggar, was living in poverty. Sampo likes money so we know that none of that applies to him, however, imagine if Diogenes had empty trash cans to go crawl and live in, moving around for free. That would be the utopia. This relates to Sampo in that we know he hides in trash cans… Yeah, and then also some of the trash cans you have to interact with mention Tatalov and I don't think I have to explain that one, it's gonna go back to that dream bubble adult world business where Sampo is representing Tatalov. This is also a "Moment of Joy" achievement, which is the same category as "Versatile Joker" (achievement for having Sampo in multiple teams)

• "Cool Guys Don't…" - "Cool Guys Don't Look At Explosions" Achievement

This achievement can be unlocked by having 10 or more blessing of Destruction when clearing the SU. The name is in reference to explosions happening behind people while they do a cool walk in things like movies and what not.

We know that Sampo tinkers with bombs and uses both smoke and flash bombs. He also had a cool walk moment through his own smoke bomb's smoke. But it wasn't really an explosion.

Sampo isn't really destructive by nature. Though, you know where "his" bombs are explosive? In the Tatalov dream bubble. Here we go again! There's actual explosions occurring on the ground and knocking back both the TB and trash cans. There's not really a cool moment with the TB walking with explosions in the back, they stop when the TB starts running towards "Sampo". But maybe it is just a subtle reference to something with Sa.mpo's explosives?

╰♥︎╮ 𝐃𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐧 𝐏𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠.

The inside of the box is kind of reminiscent of his heart bomb box. On the inside of that, there's what appears to be real roses, and here it looks like there's pink flower petals that float for a moment and it's possible that the pink shapes within are meant to be flowers or roses. When it closes, more petals are floating and they do look to be rose petals.

And then, tada! There's a rose. This one seemingly has thorns, so I will actually be changing my headcanon on that. Any time he presents someone he likes with a rose, he'll remove the thorns himself. I think him leaving the thorns on for a product is a bit telling that it's all just business.