#hsr paths

Robert - Preservation. He’s trying to maintain the peace. He’s very durable. There’s his whole legacy thing. Now, I can be persuaded towards Permanence, and there’s a huge chance Nihility is what he’ll end up on, but I like Preservation

Sonar - Erudition. While he’s no genius society member, he does align with the values of seeking knowledge

Flambae - Destruction. While a lot of characters will be destruction, I don’t really see another fit for him. Maybe Elation? Or Beauty, lmao

Invisigal - Enigmata. Invisibility is definitely an ability of the enigmata. I also think it goes with how she tight-lipped she is

Punch Up - Destruction. You don’t punch that many dicks without following Nanook

Prism - Elation. I feel like a lot of entertainers follow Aha. She could be Beauty, tho.

Malevola - Harmony. HEAR ME OUT. Her healing ability by wound transferal feels very much like a Harmony ability (as opposed to Abundance). She also has that vibe, you know? She easily forgives Invisigal. She’s an NA sponsor. She eventually comes around to whoever you replace her with. I am open to counter arguments, tho

Golem - I want to say Harmony, too, because he’s such a chill guy and he also has that duplicate himself ability, but eh

Coupé - Hunt. That’s a very assassin-coded path to me

Phenomaman - Whatever he was, he became Nihility after his break-up. But before that, either Destruction or Hunt? Maybe Preservation, too. I’m not sure

Waterboy - Given his lack of confidence, he’s probably pathless right now, but he might end up being Harmony just because of how helpful he wants to be

Blonde Blazer - She was likely Destruction or Hunt before she started questioning what lay beyond hero work

Royd - Erudition. Now here’s a real genius society member—

Chase - Nihility. He just seems to have given up on people and heroics because of the loss of his powers, especially in Chapters 5 and 6. But for a few seconds, he was no longer in IX’s shadow

I wanted to talk about a small thing I think I got from 3.x of HSR that I think some people misunderstood. Inspired and floating in my head from seeing way too many "See, Dan Heng can use his new form outside of Amphoreus" (and a bit fueled by the "Why Trailblazer replaced Phainon" salt from some people) As I understood it, by explanations given in Scepter Logs in digital As I've Written, Amhporeus was a simulation of the HSR universe, with the 12 Coreflames (and Chrysos Heir iterations) acting as specific paths inside of it. They had fancy words and titles and divine connotations, but at the end of the day, it was like the Titans were Aeons (or close to) conceptually and Chrysos Heirs were Emanators. (In reality, we could probably scale it down to Titans being close to Emanator level, and Chrysos Heirs to Pathstriders far along their Path).

It's all meant to simulate a journey on a Path until eventually reaching a level where one could replace (or at least understand) an Aeon. Probably made by Lygus so Irontomb could actually be on the level to interact with Nous. Which brings me to my main point and the comments that inspired this post. (Once again, as I understand it, when taking the previous elaborated concepts into consideration)

Dan Heng's new form, being used outside Amphoreus, doesn't make him some kind of Earthbending god. It's his own growth on the Path of Permanence which Georios/Earth was simulating. He may even retain abilities he showed on Amphoreus, but it's definitely not because he was a god of earth, but because he travelled a long time on his Path there. (Additional talk about Paths being stronger in the places connected to the concept an Aeon represents and that affecting a Pathstrider and their abilities or character are a separate talk we should have and in fact discuss in more detail more often cause it's fascinating and what keeps me in HSR despite gameplay and story not always being as good as in the past or specific moments). And then comes the second point. Trailblazer "Replacing" Phainon as the Deliverer. It's not an asspull, nor does it make Traiblazer special or destined or some other crap (Unless we count Elio interference, but come on. That was literally there from the start of the game). It's not anymore special or different from Dan Heng replacing Terravox or March replacing Cyrene in the last Cycle. Himeko could not replace Cyrene, but Black Swan probably could (it was even kinda evidenced by Evernight). It's a matter of matching Paths. Because the journey of Era Nova was focused on reaching the Scepter's goal (Equation of Destruction), the Worldbearing coreflame, was simulating Path of Destruction. The role of Kephale needed a Pathstrider of Destruction (Which is why Lygus emphasizes it to Irontomb at the end of 3.4). What was needed for the concept of Deliverer, that Phainon and Cyrene envisioned (there was no simulation for that. It was their own Tarot based dream of where to take their world), was something which this world didn't have, and Phainon and Cyrene only started on when they devised the plan for the Cycles.

And it was Path of Trailblaze. Phainon was too far down Destruction from the start of Cycles, and a Trailblaze Pathstrider (for example Himeko) would not take Kephale's role. Which is what makes Traiblazer a great specific fit, while also nothing "one of a kind" writing pull from nowhere. We were Destruction from the first Stellaron Eruption, and Trailblaze for a while now. A perfect fit for what Phainon was looking/waiting for and a core character trait from our MC. TLDR: I think people got swept up in Amhporeus' Myths and think Trailblazer being Kephale/Deliverer and Dan Heng being Earth Titan, somehow made them divine or powerful. When they were just fancy names for Destruction/Trailblaze and Permanence. They progressed their Pathstriding, and were important, but not to the level many think it did.

part 1 (Heartslabyul - Octavinelle)

KALIM AL-ASIM - The Abundance. Maybe it’s because of the abundance in his own riches, but this boy only knows how to give. But, as we learned from the history of the Xianzhou, sometimes giving too much is worse than not giving at all. Bonus that his UM matches as well!

JAMIL VIPER - The Hunt. He’s just got the whole package of Hunt characteristics. He’s cunning, focused, and chasing down his goal with ruthless vigor. And don't even get me started on how beautifully the Abundance-Hunt parallel works here, ugh

VIL SCHOENHEIT - The Beauty. I don't think I need to explain this further...? He kind of reminds me of Aglaea, too, but that could also be because we have like two Romance characters to use as a reference.

ROOK HUNT - The Beauty. He is LITERALLY Argenti. I also have nothing more I can say here, except that maybe he was Hunt before he came across the path of Beauty?

EPEL FELMIER - The Hunt. He has heroic goals that are in need of much refinement, but restraint is a large part of the path of the Hunt. I'm not gonna lie I initially went with Destruction because that rage, but considering how Destruction is meant to be in-lore it's probably best to make it make sense. Even if Destruction Epel would be hilarious and a horror to Vil.

IDIA SHROUD - The Nihility. Nihility characters tend to have grief-filled backstories, and unfortunately Idia checks all the boxes to be one. The way he shuts himself off from the world and shuns the company of others is basically the highway to IX. Fortunately, like the other Nihility characters, he doesn't truly believe life is totally meaningless.

ORTHO SHROUD - The Erudition. He's basically a self-conscious computer like Nous (and other AI "lifeforms" in the cosmos). He wants to live his own life and experiences the world with wonder and curiosity--key traits of any Erudition pathstrider.

MALLEUS DRACONIA - The Destruction. Not only is he capable of immense destructive power, but he has shown to wield it with arrogance and recklessness, even if he has good intentions. Ultimately his desire to preserve a state of "happiness" yielded destructive results.

LILIA VANROUGE - The Remembrance. To be honest, Lilia gives me the vibe of someone who's tread on more than one path in his life--he's had plenty of time to do so. The main reason I'm picking Remembrance is because it's a path shrouded in mystery, and its followers are just as interested in the future as they are in the past. They also tend to be eccentric and elusive, just like him...

SILVER - The Harmony. Because if the Disney-princess vibes don't do it then his altruistic brand of chillness certainly does. He's also in a unique position as a human raised by fae, like a herald of hope for peace between two nations... That part's a bit of a stretch, but I still think he's meandering along the path of Harmony, even if he's a little lost.

brought to you by all the closeups of those hands in Mortenax Blade's trailer

I do have to preface this by saying that a lot of the similarities are likely to be correlation rather than causation. Dan Heng wears Chinese-style armour and has nature imagery. Mara struck Cloud Knights also wear Chinese-style armour and has nature imagery. It's very obvious around the waist and shoulders especially. But I think the similarities are still enough that at least some of them are intended because I started digging and found things I'd never even noticed before.

Starting with Dan Heng's gauntlet:

Dan Heng's claws are darker in colour and more segmented, and the mara-struck also don't have clawed thumbs, but a resemblance does exist. In addition to this, both have a blade attached to the forearm, similar in shape and placement, though the mara-struck's is a lot bigger. Regular Cloud Knights don't have the forearm blade, only the mara-struck ones do.

I think the above image is also a good demonstration of how similar their colour schemes are. Mara-struck use black, brown, gold and turquoise. Dan Heng uses black, white, gold and turquoise. Most of the brown on mara-struck is their wooden armour, where Dan Heng as the Titan of Earth has metal armour. The more generic armour pieces are also similar, but that can be attributed to the fact that both reference the same culture.

When DHPT came out I literally thought I recognised the Cloudpiercer redesign from somewhere and today I finally figured it out!!!

this is perhaps not the best angle but the blade attached to back arm of mara-struck cloud knights it nearly identical in shape and colour to the reforged Cloudpiercer. Only the carvings and lighting are different.

And the Cloudpiercer similarities don't even end there. The mara-struck elite enemy also wields a spear, one with a strange cavity where the pole meets the blade.

I did a bit of research but was unable to find any real-life spears with this feature. It does seem ill-advised; real-life physics would probably cause the mara-struck's spear to snap if it applied pressure the wrong way. But between both the shape the blade, the pointed back and, and the cavity, it very heavily resembles Cloudpiercer.

There's also the preview of the Demigod of Earth from the original golden epic trailer, which people assumed to be a person wearing a helmet. However, on second glance, while the handing holding the flame is definitely Dan Heng's, the shadow behind it appears to be Terravox. If we do assume it's a helmet, though, it's again similar in outline to the ones mara-struck soldiers have.

compared to the regular Cloud Knight helmet, the mara-struck has jagged spikes around the sides. The taller spikes are also placed similarly to horns, while the shorter ones resemble pointed ears (though admittedly the latter is a trait of several of Star Rail's more fantasy-aligned humanoids).

There are also gold 'veins' in several places on the mara-struck's body:

Which with this particular colour scheme are very reminiscent of DHPT.

It also doesn't help Dan Heng's case that a lot of his visual elements seem intended to resemble roots and branches. Heck, his idle animation and E6 art are more Abundance-coded than anything the actual Abundance users do:

In Amphoreus, there is no equivalent to the Abundance. None of the Primum mobiles ever resulted in a demigod following that Path, maybe due to how sacrifice came to be seen as an ideal for the Chrysos Heirs. Abundance originates from fear of pain leading into outright denial of it. It that sense, Hysilens suits the Abundance better than Dan Heng does, but even she only sees indulgence as a reprieve, not something that will last forever.

Either way, it seems like any Abundance-like traits in Amphoreus are mostly contained within the Permanence. The Earth has an association with nature that we haven't really seen with Permanence outside Amphoreus, only the Abundance. The other missing Paths are Propagation, Voracity and Enigmata. Trailblaze and Finality are technically not included but they're heavily implied to be Phainon and Cyrene's Paths.

So in terms of the missing Paths:

Propagation is known to overlap with the Permanence

Voracity is also connected to the Permanence somehow

Enigmata is born from either the Remembrance or the Erudition

So it would make sense that the Abundance is also derived from another Paths, that being the Permanence, since they share both concepts and cultural inspirations.

The Trailblazer has been stated to be a Pathstrider of Trailblaze, Destruction, and Remembrance. But not Harmony or Preservation- but the gaze wasnt a like, one time power up. I dont think we canonically see the Trailblazer using Harmony after Penacony’s finale- but we do see them using the lance a fair amount.

Specifically, they always use it after a certain event. In Penacony, they switched to using the lance after Firefly ‘died’ (and I think after they found Robin’s ‘body’ too? Its been awhile). In Amphoreus, they used the lance during the fight with Aquila, after a slew of losses but specifically Aglaea’s death. They always start using it after they’ve lost someone. Not before, though.

It seems to imply that with at least the powers of Preservation and Harmony, they need to be in a specific mindset to use those powers- which makes a lot of sense imo. They unlocked both during a moment where they very specifically aligned with that Path in a way they hadnt thus far. They arent ever described as being a Pathstrider of either Harmony or Preservation, and they arent. They are Blessed by Qlipoth and Xipe, and can access those paths if they are in a mindset where they once again align with the Path, but not before. Which explains why they dont use the Lance until they’ve already lost someone- their ideology isnt one of preservation as a default, but after they’ve already lost someone it makes sense that they would be focused on making sure they dont lose anyone else.

So that explains why they arent called a Pathstrider of Preservation or Harmony, because they arent. But they are called a Pathstrider of Remembrance and Destruction.

You could say Lygus was just saying it bc he could tell TB has been gazed on by Nanook, but the Trailblazer didnt refute it. And like, why would they? They are a Pathstrider of Destruction. They were before Nanook gazed at them, they were before they became a Pathstrider of Trailblaze. It’s their default, you can see that with the bat- it’s always what they default to, because it represents their alignment with Destruction.

And it makes sense! The Trailblazer’s ideology is based around basically breaking fate, and forging your own path. Destruction and Trailblaze. ‘Rules are meant to be broken’ ‘Make a choice you wont regret’ etc etc. You could say that thats just a Trailblaze thing, but you dont exactly see that with the other Nameless? Yes, they also have similar ideologies, but the Trailblazer’s is very much different in the way they go about it. You can see it early as Belobog, where the Trailblazer is alot more disturbed about just leaving Belobog to their fate with the IPC than the other Nameless. (And you can see the Trailblazer’s influence on them all throughout the story as well)

With the Remembrance, they also dont bother refuting it. Which again, makes sense. At the point they are referred to as such, they are. They’ve been quite literally going around with the goal of exploring Amphoreus and committing it to memory (For Marchhhh </33 Trailblaze Trio my babies). That grows into recording the stories of Amphoreus for Amphoreus and the Heirs. After Fuli’s gaze, I dont think we see the Trailblazer switch paths except for the Lance again Aquila… and then once again the bat in the Vortex against Lygus and the Flame Reaver. They are a Pathstrider of Remembrance just as much as they are the Trailblaze and Destruction. They were already walking the path before Fuli’s gaze even, just not entirely. It’s probably why they first saw Mem after the crash, past just being recognized as a Variable in Amphoreus that Memrene could latch onto.

All of this is also without even touching on the fact they were formerly a Pathstrider of Finality as well! They were a Stellaron Hunter, who all follow Finality. Tbh you can kinda see it sometimes, or at least the Stellaron Hunter influence. Subtly ofc, and it can be hard to distinguish it from the Destruction ideals they have but eh. The Stellaron Hunters also seem to follow Finality in the same way the Doctors of Chaos follow Ix? Kindaaa

One half seems to actively defy their fate, while the other half seems to kinda just, personally not really care. They follow fate with the intent of defying it, seems to be the general vibe. It also reflects in the game paths of all the Hunters!

Blade, Firefly and Trailblazer are all Destruction, and they all seem to actively fight their fate- Blade, an immortal intent to die, Firefly hilariously the opposite as someone doomed to die intent to live. Trailblazer i already yapped about. Kafka and Silver Wolf are both Nihility, and those two dont really seem to care about their own fates, they both first joined outta like boredom/curiosity yk? They dont seem to care about defying fate.. at least until you look closer.

First of all, Kafka canonically doesnt deem fate as pre-determined. (Unless she cheated at the game ig??) But also, we see both of them messing around with fate multiple times! Silver Wolf literally manipulated the script to ensure Firefly’s safety with the three deaths thing. It would be really interesting if Elio is also nihilty game play wise (if we dont get a finality path by then) Elio would match up with the influencing fate rather than defying it Nihility/Destruction thing, since his thing is that he sees multiple futures (implied?? I think??) and makes a script based on what would be the most favorable future- the scripts being malleable as well! Honestly i feel like he will be Finality, probably the first Finality character if not Finality TB, but it would be really fun for the Nihility/Destruction duality of the Stellaron Hunters continued. (All of this is if he isnt the cat lmao)

This started as me yapping about the Trailblazer and i made it to the Hunters lmaoo, anyways back to my fave.

they're all concepts, and as such exist within the imaginary space. if that space/realm is made of imaginary energy, then paths are just that, converged into singularities.

vast amounts of imaginary energy converge and eventually explode, creating these singularities (aeons). whoever/whatever the aeon was pre-ascension created or resonated with a concept so strongly that they became the embodiment of it. the energy that orbits them is that path's energy.

Okay, starting off with Venti, honestly, I think the Harmony fits him the best. Yes, the Trailblaze has so many connections to freedom. But Venti himself has always been one who wants to avoid conflict. He will not hesitate to fight for freedom, but ultimately, he wants freedom to be peaceful. 'Make music not war'. With all of his connections to music as well, Harmony makes sense. Venti will always be one to fight for freedom and for the freedom of his people, but if given the chance, he will always choose peace first.

Zhongli, well. Theres always the obvious choice of Permanence or Preservation, right? Personally, I'd say Remembrance though. Past Zhongli, I'd say Hunt or Destruction, but Zhongli as he stands I believe does genuinely fit Remembrance the best. He is a remnant of an era past, and he is one of the few who remembers. He passes history onto the Traveler to keep it alive, and onto the people so it lives on in current history beyond himself alone. "Where are those who share the memories" Lmao. Seriously though, Zhongli has many ties to Permanence as well, but those ties dont have to define him as a permanence pathstrider. And Permanence is more tied to life, honestly. Zhongli is tied to history in many ways, alongside much of Liyue. Remembrance fits well for him.

Ei is more complex. In the past, when Makoto lived, I would say she'd also be a Hunt Pathstrider. After Makoto's death, and up until the Inazuma AQ, I say Nihility. (No not because of Acheron.) Part of why she sequestered herself within Euthymia was because she was basically depressed. Her actions were out of a desire to preserve Inazuma, but the way she went about them were more Nhility than Preservation. Her view on herself is also rather.. sad at times. She views Makoto's death a shortcoming, and does genuinely believe that had it been the Traveler over her there, Makoto, and everyone she failed to save would have lived. The puppet was created as an attempt to avoid erosion. After Inazuma AQ, i'd say Finality, tbh. Her perspective shifts, and she comes to accept that Eternity is not truly reachable, at least not for her. "Just like I cherish the memories of everything in Inazuma, if you remember me, I'll live forever." She wishes to cherish what she has of Inazuma, but not in the same way as Zhongli. She wants to remember, because Eternity is not reachable for most, including her, and she has to accept that, though she will not yet stop striving for it. But she can pass her wishes onto the Traveler, for whom Eternity is reachable. While she has come to accept the inevitability of an ending, she will not stop striving to a tomorrow where Eternity is something she can share, not unlike how certain Finality pathstriders fight against the Finality.

Nahida is lowk the most obvious. She is Erudition. Beyond the wisdom stuff, she also has hella connections to technology like most of Erudition followers. But Nahida also strives for new knowledge, and is endlessly curious too. She doesnt know everything, and is always eager to learn more.  "With every moment that goes by, they're creating brand-new knowledge, so I never want to take my eyes off them." Not unlike Nous, or Herta, who is constantly asking more questions, not even for the answers, but more for the questions themself.

Furina pre Fontaine AQ is Enigmata to me. She played her role for so long, hid so much, and lied to so many, even herself. She hid the truth of who and what she was, and acted as Fontaines Archon, for the sake of Fontaine. She had little sense of self beyond that up until she was free from her role. "But I knew very well my person wouldn't be enough, and that putting on the act of a god would be able the only way to satisfy their adoration... And at the end of the day, all I ever experienced was loneliness. " And well... post AQ, im really unsure. Theres arguments to be made for Elation, Trailblaze, Harmony.. but honestly? I feel like she wouldnt be a pathstrider anymore. Out of the three though, I want to say Trailblaze. She wants to make her own path, and she does want it to be intertwined with that of the Traveler, who is undeniably a pathstrider of the Trailblaze.

Neuvillete has ties to Permanence arguably moreso than Zhongli, considering the whole, aquatic, life giving dragon thing. But as for pathstriding, I'd say either Order or Equilibrium. Im honestly unsure which would fit better, though im leaning more towards Order. Less so because of justice, but moreso because he intends on restoring balance to Teyvat by ridding it of the HP. "Though we live in a world of disarray, I shall undertake to restore all that has been broken." Which.. can absolutely also be a Equilibrium thing.. but with how absolute Neuvillete is in his view..? It really does feel more akin to Order than Equilibrium, especially with the knowledge that the Archons did only come about because it was required to keep balance in the world. Removing the Authorities of the Archons and attempting to return them to the Sovereigns.. arguably isnt the best thing for Teyvat. Especially because as it stands, we only know of two other confirmed Sovereigns. I dont think Apep would be a good option for the Dendro authority, and Xiuhcoatl is legit dead. Not to mention the whole Pyro Authority thing is much more complex than a simple usurping, which, while Neuvillete acknowledges, he doesnt seem swayed to leave the Pyro Authority in the Archons hands. Again, as it stands, putting the Archons on Trial, isnt for the Teyvats best interest, dragons nor humans. Not to mention, Neuvillete seems to have fundamentally incorrect information on the past.. ohhh do i have opinions on this guy...

Anyways! Mavuika is another character who is both hard and easy to place. Hunt, Harmony, Preservation- theres multiple arguments to be made. But im gonna go with Trailblaze. I mean, she fits the motifs.. and she's not one to stop. She will always keep pressing forward. Giving up isnt something she's going to ever do, not before she dies. Also she enjoys exploring as well. Literally says it-  "Exploration and trials... Heh, adventuring is right up my alley." lol. Beyond that she's also the leader of Natlan, which is arguably the most interconnected nation, a large part of which is for her efforts. (and i do mean the npcs not just playable characters too.) Trailblaze just feels right for Mavuika.

Im really not sure about Tsaritsa, tbh. But honestly, considering what we do know, i'd say Order. But again, we really dont know. Maybe ill come back and change this when we do know her, lol.

Now, Scara i think is another really interesting character. Scaramouche, Im going to say Destruction. (Pre-Fatui, pathless.) Scaramouche is angry. He lashes out, hurts people uncaringly for his own goals, and hurts himself as well. He doesnt really care who he hurts at all. After he becomes Wanderer though, I'd say he's Hunt. He wants vengeance on Dottore, and thats it. "I'll never be one of the good guys. I'm just here to pay my dues after what you've done for me." But when he gets to Hat Guy..? Well, I'd still say Hunt. But Hat Guy has developed more than Wanderer has. And Hat Guy isnt one to just move onto the next target. Once Hat Guy gets his vengeance.. he goes back to Sumeru. Back to the Akademiya. He is at this point, a follower of Buer, willingly. As such, I think when he finally moves beyond his anger at Dottore, he would walk the path of Erudition instead. We already know that he does enjoy to learn, he's published multiple works already. The only thing stopping him from truly walking Erudtion at this point, is the chip on his shoulder about Dottore. Dottore is at this point, the only thing he hasnt moved on from. He's left his other betrayals behind him (though i hope one day we get a Hat Guy-Ei interaction but i doubt it..) the only thing left is Dottore. And we've already seen him begin to move beyond his thirst for vengeance as well. He sacrifices the chance to get back at Dottore personally, and instead aids Sandrone in her plan (based on the Traveler's trust in her.) Pathless Kabukimono and Kuni, Destruction Scaramouche, Hunt Wanderer, and Erudition Hat Guy. (Pick a name dude.. or just let anyone other than the Traveler call you by the name they picked out like jeez lmao??)

Alice is Trailblaze-Enigmata-Elation to me. Yes, i mean at the same time. If March, Dan Heng, And TB can pathstride multiple paths, so can she! Anyways, I think Trailblaze and Elation are both pretty self explanatory, right? Alice is lowk, fucking insane. SHe has the explosion stuff like other Elation related characters too. Pre nodkrai, all of her appearances were surrounding the Summer Events. Events which were often designed for the purpose of Klee or Traveler having fun. Beyond that, she literally has the Elation power to break the fourth wall. As for Trailblaze.. well, she's an adventurer. And a famous one at that. While adventure doesnt automatically mean Trailblaze, in this case it def does. Now, Enigmata.. I personally think that all the Hexenzirkle members have some semblance of Engimata to them. Why? Well, because of the way they record history. They write fairy tales. They obscure truth within fiction as a way to preserve it. (On a side note: Nicole - Erudtion/Enigmata, Barbeloth - Finality/Enigmata, Octavia - Trailblaze/Engimata, Anya - Remembrance/Enigmata, Rhinedottir - Propagation/Erudtion/Enigmata. Idk about J.)

Columbina fits Finality to me. Her connections to time, and walking backwards in time.. its very Finality to me. "The ending came first, and I was left searching for the whys and wherefores." Early Columbina though, was absolutely Nihility. She cared little about anything or anyone really, and was aimless, and without a name truly her own. But post meeting the Traveler.. she did end up finding herself. And Columbina Hyposelenia has many ties to Finality, especially with again, the literal fucking walking backwards through time bs. Not to mention, it works alongside the Traveler's Trailblaze in a manner that fits the relationship the two have.

Now, finally, Skirk. She is 100% Destruction. Possibly with Finality influences. Nobody can really fight me on that one, can they? Skirk is undeniably self-destruction, and undeniably one of the strongest in Teyvat as a result of her self-destruction. She uses the Abyss, which isnt unlike other forces related to the Destruction, she cares little for the harm done to herself by herself. Along with that, she does have Finality influences. She knows what she believes to be her end (Surtalogi) and she trains herself in preparation for that day, doing nothing to stop or avoid it. She believes she will either kill her master, or more likely die trying, and that will be her fate. All things have their end..  "All things come to an end, even time itself." However. Honestly? I wouldnt be surprised if Traveler ended up fully pulling a trailblazer, and aided in shifting her path to the Trailblaze over Finality and Destruction. Already, the Traveler has begun to influence her in that way. Already, the Traveler's influence has begun to push her towards more Trailblaze influenced ideals. "I have to go a step beyond that, and show them that there really is a way we can get there." Skirk is, in a way, a reflection of the Traveler themself. Similar in many ways, unlike in many others. Their origins are similar, but not overly so, their powers alike but still distinct. They remind me vaguely of Phainon and Trailblazer too, tbh. Phainon and Skirk are both distinctly powerful characters, arguably some of the strongest that the respective mcs know. Yet, both do look to the MC to learn in a way. Not exactly in combat, though both pairs do canonically train together. But in a more.. emotional, idealogical way. Skirk begins to allow emotion to paint her view from the Traveler's influence, Phainon is fundamentally changed by the Trailblazers. The two are rather alike in some ways, and its fascinating.

And as ive said before, Trailblaze Traveler, and Hunt Abyss Twin.

Abyss Twin also works as Hunt-Destruction. They want vengeance for Khaenriah, and Khaenriahs revival, and will let absolutely nothing stand in the way of that.

I caught a wild case of late-night thoughts recently where I started contemplating about CRK and HSR and began wondering what paths would CRK characters be on if they were pathstriders in HSR ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ

This is purely based on vibes and sleep-deprived thoughts, but gameplay wise, I think Pure Vanilla Cookie would totally be an Abundance character (though if you held me at gunpoint and told me to choose something else, I would pick Harmony as a second choice). Lore-wise though, I could potentially see him as a Member of the Genius Society (alongside White Lily Cookie pre-truth). I can totally imagine Pure Vanilla having... like... an alternate path form (kinda like the Trailblazer or March 7th) that's Nihility and based on his Truthless Recluse form ヽ(°〇°)ﾉ

I can def see Hollyberry Cookie as a Preservation character gameplay-wise, tho I'm not sure what faction she would be a part of lore-wise. ¯\_(- > -)_/¯

Dark Cacao Cookie, however, I can imagine as a Hunt character and a part of the Xianzhou Alliance, I think...

Weirdly enough, I can sort of vaguely see Golden Cheese Cookie as either a Remembrance or Harmony character gameplay-wise under the same logic as Jing Yuan being Erudition. Lore-wise though, I guess Golden Cheese gives me the vibes of someone who'd be a part of Penacony. At first I thought the Land of Festivities didn't suit her vibes, but then I remembered the appearance of the Golden City, so lore-wise, she could be a part of Penacony, probably a Dreamweaver.

Although I can see White Lily Cookie's gameplay path being Erudition, I think it would be more interesting if she (for similar reasons as Jing Yuan and what I suggested for Golden Cheese) were a Destruction character. Though as I mentioned before, I do think she would be a member of the Genius Society pre-truth. Post-truth, I do think it would be interesting if she had become a part of the Antimatter Legion (maybe even as an Emanator) or the Annihilation Gang.

Shadow Milk Cookie gives me Nihility vibes, tho I do think that, narrative-wise, he too would have been a part of the Genius Society during his Sage/Fount of Truth days (or maybe a member of the Intelligentsia Guild). After becoming a beast tho, I can see him becoming a pathstrider of Enigmata (the opposite of Nous' Erudition) or a Masked Fool (giving in entirely to Aha's hedonism)

I think Cream Unicorn Cookie's gameplay path would either be Abundance, Harmony, or Remembrance. Don't know what they would be lore-wise tho. ᐠ( ᐛ )ᐟ

Tho I think Wedding Cake and Black Forest Cookie's gameplay paths would be Harmony and Destruction respectively

And that's all I got now lol (≧▽≦)