caelus & Phainon 💛☄️🚂🌌 ☀️ simp💕

Watch here -> trailer.

Let’s talk about Cyrene from Honkai Star Rail.

This is the story of how they ruined her character for me:

She might be the character i despise the most in the game until now (it’s a tie with Dumbo Sampo). At first I’ll admit she had potential, but her storyline ended up being the worst in the entire game. All they talk about is her sacrifice without giving a clear reason to why she even sacrificed herself in the first place (like- Phainon’s dream was to fulfill everyone’s wishes, he’s the hero, lives for the greater good ecc..) i swear all they talk about is how this poor girl died in vain (tricked) for no reason at all. Is she a saint? There’s not a story with an actual emotional ride or something to explain her life, her believes, or something of her to just relate to, she just did it because???

Zero characterisation, does anyone know what type of person she is? Her interests? Likes? Habits? Except she likes swings? She’s a blank paper who popped out of nowhere and started calling us her friends I swear. There’s no gradual knowing. Like, her and mem were the same but still different(?). I like her in the mem form better to be honest, at least we got to know mem and grow attached to it.

But every time you get used to her being there they pull another one of her forms for no actual reason. She got prettier and older? Why? Oh just for fun? Ooook. I swear she feels like that girl you met once that believes you’re her best friend in a weird way and you’re just creeped out.

I even tried to take the best her character gave, sometimes I thought- heh at least she cares about trailblazer? But then they ruined her more.

We went through Amphoreus arc getting to know the Crysos Heirs and experiencing a rollercoaster of emotions with Phainon by our side, we literally promised to take on his role and grant him a bit of peace (which we failed to do) and suddenly in these latest updates he’s a side character who takes no screen time? After everything we went through together? Phainon is Amphoreus for trailblazer, they built up our companionship with the climax in 3.4 to just let it die out?

I hate how they’re pushing Cyrene on us for the sake of it, we’ve seen her like five minutes (not in her real form at all in half of the amohoreus quest and five minutes in the next cycle before disappearing for thousands years). That’s how much we interacted with her but suddenly? She’s Amphoreus and taking us to the final stop?! Imagining herself part of the Express? Her picture with the crew? She doesn’t even know half of it. It was sooo creepy this self insert. For real? Were are all the Crysos Heirs we actually know? That went through everything with us?

It feels like we’re a kid left with our mother’s friend just there waiting for someone familiar to take us back home- like- what are we doing with this stranger? Why is she talking like she actually knows us?

From all the Crysos Heirs she’s the one I’m least attached to and now she’s ruining the finale of this amazing world, they did Painon dirty i’m sorry. The only way i can change my mind is if she’s pushed so much by Hoyo because she’s going to die to save everyone. The only one i’ll accept.

And i’ll repeat something someone said on the internet that i totally agree with: if anyone should survive Amphoreus it’s Phainon. Period. If we take her with us on the Express i’m done for realllll.

I just want to clarify something about the adult Cyrene a bit.

In my opinion, the adult Cyrene is actually our Mem, and not the Cyrene of Phainon's past.

Let me clarify it more. In my understanding, the Cyrene in Phainon cycle is part of data made to progress IronTomb birth, similar to the people in Amphorius and Chrysos Heir, a data part of the simulated world of Amphorius.

While the adult Cyrene (from my understanding of Herta's explanation), is actually the heart of IronTomb or the Demiurge that changes its form from just a cube that represents IronTomb's heart then changes its form over time and takes the form of Cyrene because since the beginning the only thing she knows and learn is Cyrene and the story that she told to Demiurge.

And when she escaped from the cage made by Zandar, she turned into a fairy form of Mem (because she drained almost all of her to escape), thus became the Memosprite of our TB because Mem are in sync with the Stelaron inside our TB. But in the process of escaping the cage, she also loses a big chunk of her memories. Meaning, meeting TB became her new start in her memory. And this might also be why she seems so attached to TB.

Now here's where I want to clarify even more that the Cyrene, and the adult Cyrene/Demiurge, is the same person yet different.

Like what I explained about the Cyrene from Phainon cycle, she is a data, while Mem/adult Cyrene is Demiurge, that's why I say that they are not the same person. But at the same time, a the same person.

(I know you might be confused right now, but hear me out okay 😅)

At the beginning, the heart of IronTomb/Demiurge seems to be in a state of blank, it doesn't have a consciousness of its own, it doesn't have feelings, it's all blank.

But it can learn.

Then came Cyrene. Telling the story of epics and inserting data into it in the hope of doing something to prevent the progress of IronTomb's birth.

And that's where the Demiurge starts to learn. Learn to understand, learn emotions, learn to have empathy, learn to love,

And learn to be Cyrene.

She is taking the form of the adult Cyrene because the Peach she loves so dearly doesn't get the chance to grow up. (From what I take, the Cyrene actually yearns to grow up. She wishes she could grow up to be an adult, but she can't/didn't get the chance to)

From what I learned, Cyrene, is actually gone. Like, disappear or the data is obliterated, delete. The only thing that remains is the memory of her, which I believe Mem absorbed. So in a way, the Cyrene and the Mem Cyrene became one. She has the memory of the Cyrene from the cycle, but she also still our Mem.

And since Mem got all her memory back, combined with the memory of Cyrene, she became the Demiurge we all know now.

That is all I can say about it. In my opinion, Cyrene's character has ups and downs in the story. I do not dislike or hate her, but I can also say she isn't my favorite.

I also understand why some people dislike her, or hate her. They have a valid reason of their own.

I just made this reply to say my own opinion on Cyrene.

I really can't decide on who to get in HSR next update in Stellar Convergence, so that's why I made this vote to help me decide

But...

Like I said, my oc is till in process. Both in design and the characters it self.

But I do already have generic idea on what will she be in HSR.

She will be the doctor of the Astral Express, so she will be a nameless. And probably will be in the Path of abundance (still can be changed, since you don't have to be an abundance to become a healer character. Example: Hyacine) with quantum as her element. And for why I chose to make her the doctor of the Astral Express... Let's be for real, they need a doctor or a healer in the express if something might happen and no healers or a medical assistant around.

(But in all honesty, it's more so I can dream of Astral Express main team since we already have DanHeng PT, Evernight, and rememberance TB I'm still not counting Sunday yet since it was clear in his bio he is not part of the nameless but he is a temporary passenger in the express and are labeled as part of the Cosmos instead in his bio so a healer maybe with an addition of support will be a great addition since Evernight is an HP scaling character :b)

Her ability and background will be heavily inspired by Undertale, more specifically Ghaster. And I might take few more Undertale story as a reference for her background and lore.

(fun fact I used to be an Undertale fan back in the day :3)

And the reason I take inspiration from Undertale is because I think their world concept, leaning more towards the skeleton monster, would fit right in the sci-fi world of HSR. I probably would lean on Handplates au for reference to her lore and background (of course with a bit of lore tinkering).