Cozy Corner

Something about the way Nimona makes it clear there is no way to appeal to people who already refuse to see you any other way, but Ballister continues to try anyway. Something about the way Nimona says they wouldn’t literally die if they didn’t shapeshift, but they wouldn’t really be living.

Something about the way Nimona responds genuinely when Ballister asks what shapeshifting feels like out of genuine curiosity after a vulnerable moment where he’s patched up their leg and has shown he actually cares. Unlike the time when he insists not everyone is as understanding as him after imposing his own ideas of what would be ‘easier,’ and Nimona asks, “Easier for who?” Something about the way Nimona describes the feeling of not shapeshifting as a continuous physical discomfort similar to the moment before a sneeze when you’d be holding your breath, where the relief would only come when they shapeshift.

Something about the way Nimona says, “You changed the way you see me,” to Ballister.

Something about the way Gloreth didn’t see Nimona as a monster until the adults made it clear Nimona is “different.” Something about the way Nimona is a “monster” since defending themself is what spreads the fire, but the villagers consider themselves righteous for starting the flame.

Something about the way Nimona says that they don’t know what’s worse. That everyone in the kingdom wants to drive a sword through their heart, or that sometimes they just want to let them.

Something about the way that Ballister saying, “I’m sorry. I see you, Nimona. You’re not alone,” is what eases the fear in the expression and stance of the little girl who raised a sword at Nimona and called them a monster earlier. Something about the way the director’s hatred for Nimona is the tipping point to her being willing to target everyone else.

One of the things that’s always stood out to me while playing Honkai: Star Rail is the characterization of the trailblazer (TB) and how vastly different the dialogue options can be. And, how the journey influences the TB in cutscenes as the story carries on. This part specifically is on ‘choice.’ Part 1 was on the TB’s characterization, and contains further context.

From the very beginning of HSR, there are numerous quests where your choices directly influence the decisions the NPCs in game make with vastly different outcomes. You can tell Rocky the truth about Lesley’s ‘yes’ response to his confession in which he’ll decide to chase after her, or you can lie and tell him she said ‘no’ so he’ll give up on her. When faced with the truth, Rocky chooses optimism. When faced with the lie, he rips up all of his poems. You can tell Sheila Nova the true nature of her existence–that she’s an android–and her cognition module will burn out due to information overload but she’s for a period able to form her own sentences, you can let Gunn fix and factory reset her and she’ll remain in an endless cycle of repetitive responses, or you can destroy her and erase all records of her from existence. But no matter what you choose, the quest ends with Joanne saying “Just let everything go back to the way it was.” In Penacony you can convince Cocona not to give up on life and take her hand, or you can let go of her hand and someone will later tell you Cocona has resigned from the store and will likely not return to the Dreamscape. In Amphoreus you can engage in a debate and decide for yourself whether a city that’s been destroyed still exists if people live to tell its tale, or you can argue that it only exists if it’s a physical location you can still go to. You can help an Okhema citizen who wants to feed and medicate refugees from other cities. And if you do help him, then you can decide whether to come to his defense in public court after he’s put on trial for theft.

One of the things that’s always stood out to me while playing Honkai: Star Rail is the characterization of the trailblazer (TB) and how vastly different the dialogue options can be. And, how the journey influences the TB in cutscenes as the story carries on. This part specifically is on the TB, part 2 will be on the ‘choice’ aspect.

I’ll start with the general characterization of the TB. The TB was found on Herta Space Station by March 7th and Dan Heng without any memories. Meaning, they start their journey without any regret or hardship to recall. Given their reactions to Kafka, only the absence of ‘memory’ seems to ruffle the TB at the start of their story. In a quest on Herta Space Station (“Sensitive Beings”) there’s this interaction,

Asta: “...Joanne completely wiped out her personal life, which is very unusual… how could we still call ourselves humans if we were to throw away our hobbies and emotions?”

TB: “But I don’t seem to have any hobbies…”

Asta: “...You still have a long way to go. You’ll eventually find… your own way of life.”

The TB’s responses are often joking/mimicking, optimistic/naive, or lack any hesitation in getting to the point. And the ones where there’s no hesitation are never out of malice, but because when the TB sees someone being threatened they don’t stop to think about what the context could be. They just do something about it. Their first action when evading death after Cocolia stabs them is to take up arms, and the first thing they do when speaking to the people of Amphoreus as Kephale is to encourage them to do the same. If the TB tried ice skating for the first time and fell flat on their back, they’d get right back up (maybe crack a joke) and keep going because that’s all there is to do. And one of the reasons they can be that way is because they’re travelling with people who all share a common goal for vastly different but authentic reasons. Everyone on the Astral Express has at one point, in some way, bitten off more than they could chew. As the journey continues, the dialogue options for the TB become more opinionated. Representing not just their journey, but the player’s part in experiencing it for themselves.