artheresy

[artheresy]

Really hope 3.3 doesn't disappoint me because as of now, any lingering interest I had in Amphoreus' story kinda died in 3.2 with Anaxa

Excited for Dan Heng! I love Dan Heng! But Im on the fence about his parts because his writing has certainly been interesting this time around. And as for the rest of the Heirs, I like all of them to varying degrees but genuinely I'm not emotionally invested in any of their stories or outcomes. The extra time just,, wasn't enough to get me to really connect

And I hope 3.3 starts leaving some answers for us instead of purely more questions, bc I have a fuck ton of questions left about a lot of stuff but especially Anaxa and now Im just living with the question of if anything is even gonna end up being answered?

Like why tf does Flame Reaver act so strangely around Anaxa specifically? We see him in the trailer going HAM on the rest of the chrysos heirs easily taking them out, but he only gave two tiny tugs when Anaxa was snatching Oronyx's coreflame? On top of the fact that when he stabbed Anaxa, the HSR animations distinctly added the detail that Flame Reaver wasn't looking at Anaxa when he did it??

During the rest of that fight scene in 3.2, he was all for attacking without mercy the rest of them, but wouldn't even send a clone Anaxa's way on the sidelines despite him holding onto two coreflames? On top of his weirdly hesitant behavior at the Grove where hes just staring at him, and the info we get from the lil world quest about when he even arrived at the Grove but I doubt we'll get answers to that yknow since Anaxa's dead and it seems theyre speed running getting us to the next cycle with how many heirs are going bye bye this patch

I just feel plain confused honestly, unpredictability isn't awful but I have no idea where Amphoreus is going and instead of being fun to anticipate, it feels like I'm on a rollercoaster blindfolded and about to puke my guts out

I dunno, I dunno how I feel about this place and about this story overall, I like certain aspects even love some but it drains me as well, it really does

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anaxa redesign

it bothers me how out of context most amphoreus' designs are, they don't look like they belong to their land 😭

[artheresy]

Forever thinking about how Phainon (in terms of his connection to Anaxa at the very least, idk about beyond that) is probably meant to reference/be a mirror to Pericles hm

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Extremely obsessed with the sayings that the Chinese fandom has been associating with Anaxa.

吾爱吾师，但吾更爱真理 is a translation of the Aristotle quote Truth, "Plato is dear to me, but dearer still is truth", although the Chinese quote is more "My teacher is dear to me, but dearer still is truth".

谋士以身入局，举棋胜天半子

The strategist places himself on the board, and wins over heaven/fate by half a stone (referring to Go aka weiqi scoring).

朝闻道，夕死可矣

[If] at dawn [I] understand the way (the Truth of the world), then at dusk I can die (with no regrets).

[artheresy]

Not one, not two, but THREE anaxa-centric bingo cards for 3.2 story!

take your pick, or choose all three !

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An extremely impulsive Anaxagoras

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Insane facecard even with just half his face showing

[artheresy]

a collection of potential symbols and references that could be used for anaxa

what hours of research does to a person...this list is mainly laying out some of the potential symbols and references ive both noticed and would like to see connected to anaxa. a lot of these are based in either alchemy or his design. a lot of these are also kind of based on vibes but hey! what works works

Kabbalah, the Tree of Life

okay this is an Intense one to start with but it's the one taking space in my brain the most because. okay kabbalah is heavily associated with alchemy and the likes and anaxa has So Many references to how Kabbalah is visualized on his design

like. you look at this and yeah sure maybe it's just a general reference to alchemy but some of the circles have. text ? on them? and the fact kabbalah is called the tree of life and i guarantee you trees will be important to anaxa trust me on this

the grove also seems to be architecturally use the same shapes im just gonna note that

1b. this specific planetary style arrangement

okay yes it does bear resemblance to how kabbalah is arranged but it's different enough for me so thats why im separating the two but i want to point out how this is a graphic not seen often within the game and the only other times we see anything similar are with fu xuan's kit OR in the vortex of genesis (and fu xuan has ties to erudition)

the planetary array style of the hsr map resembles the pattern on the cracked glass behind anaxa. it also bears resemblance to some other hoyo games

in this video ashikai shows the symbols for a skill badge from hg2 and the alchemy table in genshin. alchemy table. specifically look at the vortex of genesis map actually. the similarities are so close it's driving me insane

even without the similarities to other games the fact fu xuan's kit is one of the only other places i can think of where this kind of symbolism is seen within the game is very interesting to me

3. philosopher's stone (magnum opus)

the philosopher's stone is described as red so the red crystals and accents in anaxa's design could very well be a reference to that (also the symbol on his left sleeve reminds me of the symbol that represents the philosopher's stone. the symbol that represents him in his as ive written. or it could be a reference to the relic screen bg but. not going down that rabbit hole just yet)

4. tarot cards

his card in the as i've written book is very obviously a reference to the hanged man tarot card but he potentially could have references to at least two other tarot cards (i'll further elaborate odin and the hanged man next just wait)

he is referred to both as the fool (mostly in promotional content) and as a magician (by mem) and those corresponding cards (esp the magician) fit him very well

5. odin and yggdrasil

one interpretation of the hanged man tarot card is that it depicts odin hanging from the world tree irminsul. odin, very famously, is missing an eye (and a hand but anaxa currently still holds all four limbs for now) because he sacrificed it for knowledge of the runes

anaxa, very notably, is missing an eye. and anaxa seems to have a history of constant willingness to sacrifice his own soul

honorable mention to the real life anaxagoras (because if i added everything from all that i would be here all day) and his ideas of nous (oh how i sincerely believe anaxa knows of the aeon nous) because i want to wait just a little bit longer before i start breaking down the fragments in relation to anaxa

[artheresy]

Someone on twitter (twinzie07, the whole lil thread is 🙏) pointed out how Aglaea and Garmentmaker's relationship is a parallel to Mnestia and Cerces' relationship, particularly in the fact that it is a creation that ends up in a companion role (Mnestia originally made for it, Garmentmaker at first for Servitude but also fulfilling such a role) falling into a sense of unrequited love with its creator, and I haven't been able to stop thinking about it since

Esp with other factors like Mnestia dying in Cerces' arms and Garmentmaker in Aglaea's, Mnestia embodying a field Cerces couldn't quite get and Garmentmaker embodying an image of Aglaea's ideal self

Like that's so insane, Aglaea truly was serious with that RGU reference in her ult with Garmentmaker

[artheresy]

I'll eventually put out all my thoughts after 3.1 once I digest (I need to scream about Anaxa so much it isn't funny) but fic brainworms are already consuming me, I have a fic I really want to write now raaahh

[artheresy]

okay. hm. small prediction but i feel like anaxa's personal themes will center a lot around personhood and autonomy. theres ofc the whole thing abt his body as the vessel for coreflame (tho im not sure if he let that happen willingly), but there's also that little comment he made after returning to okhema w us for the first time ("that titan made a myrriad of adjustments on their own")

if you think about it too much it starts entering body horror territory but. a god modifying your body for their gains...to anaxa creces' prosence probably feels like a virus or a parasite

also just. the general disconnect that is present when he talks about himself (or at least his body ig) ? "this sick body" and not "my sick body"...there ought more examples im missing but i cannot recall them atm

and dont get me Started on the whole "silent, cold corpse" thing because either he has died before Or he is not "human" or it could be something else entirely

his whole schtick of "disregarding fate" plays into this as well i just cant articulate it well atm

[artheresy]

I do love Mnestia and Cerces, titan yuri, seeing their Heirs really dislike each other and have this really stark ideological stand off

Very excited to see their future interactions! And just more of Anaxa's character in general because he has easily become my favorite Amohoreus character

[artheresy]

Just heard... that Stormbringer is getting a manga...

The Chuuya stan in me is clawing to get out through the thick layer of Blade obsession rn

[artheresy]

OOPS!! XD

So, not gonna lie, I do have a few gripes with how the writers handled Taoran. (Image below taken from the fan wiki.)

NOTE: IF YOU HAVEN’T PLAYED/ARE STILL PLAYING 2.5, BEWARE THE SPOILERS!

His first “appearance” (just his voice) was in the Myriad Celestia Trailer: “History of the Xianzhou: Exodus of the Five Dragons.” Anything else so far (because there might be things that I personally missed) comes from the “Preceptor Assembly Chronicle Fragment” readable, which has him and Preceptor Fenghuan accusing Preceptor Xuepu of attempting to replace the High Elder system with the council of Preceptors (basically accusing her of being power-hungry, which is rather hypocritical as some of us will have undoubtedly noted come version 2.5).

The problem with Taoran’s introduction is that, unless players have tried to dig into the lore, this is probably their first time ever seeing, hearing and/or reading about him; so, what small amount of time he has on screen is most likely going to be somewhat lukewarm and have players asking, “Who the fork is this handsome muddlefudger?????” (Not even gonna hide this under a strikethrough: his design is 🔥 but it’s wasted on this lame old man. 🙂‍↕️ No one even points out his horns, unless that turns out to be common among the Preceptors rather than just the High Elders. <- It’s been a while, I can’t remember this part more accurately.)

And while I greatly enjoyed watching Dan Heng get as close to making this guy some kinda piscine-reptile kebab as he might be willing to…Taoran’s first physical introduction is otherwise slightly lukewarm. What little buildup we have comes from Lingsha, Jing Yuan and Dan Heng carrying out their investigations in the Shackling Prison. After that, he’s only given one scene confessing right out of the gate to colluding with Sanctus Medicus and aiding the borisin in freeing Hoolay, throwing out excuses that it’s all to preserve the Vidyadhara from extinction, and trying to hide behind Bailu and the oath between the Vidyadhara with the Xianzhou Alliance to not harm any Vidyadhara on their territory (which should honestly be rendered null in the event where the Vidyadhara in question is a criminal, and could potentially be evading arrest, like what the fudge).

I think it would have gone better if Taoran was introduced much earlier when we first arrived at the Luofu during or after version 1.0, like during the main trailblaze mission when we visit the Alchemy Commission and Scalegorge Waterscape, or during Dan Heng, Bailu or Jingliu’s companion missions. Either set him up as an ally at first, and then have us finding clues and be warned by a few people (Qingzu, Fu Xuan, or Jing Yuan himself <- just tossing Jing Yuan in here as just an example) to not trust Taoran and the Preceptors. Or, have him try to stop us from reaching Scalegorge, and that’s unfortunately where that idea stops because I can’t think of anything else. Sorry. 😅

One thing I liked was the “boss fight” that followed, but that actually felt a bit worse than his introduction…? Like, again, lukewarm, but definitely more like tap-water-that-hasn’t-really-been-boiled-long-enough lukewarm. 😅 (Or maybe my team comp was just that strong enough to bring him and his mooks down in a few hits.) Even the confrontation with him before that fight didn’t feel threatening at all, just…pretty annoying, like having to sit in a really boring lecture in a classroom.

Even Skott’s mechs put up more of a fight, and Skott himself riled me up much more just by opening his mouth. (Note: I was listening to Skott’s English voice, and I think they did a great job of making him obnoxious.)

Taoran was just all pretentious “blah blah blah.”

I’m suddenly reminded of that one post comparing Taoran to the Abundant Ebon Deer, and some people might think I’m crazy for thinking this, but I just… *heavy sighs* I feel like the writers really wasted potential for an interesting villain and following up with a stronger boss fight (even if I hate fighting that darn deer). 😞

Oh well, at least we got to enjoy Dan Heng in the spotlight~ 🥰

@artheresy tagging you in this for funsies. 👀

I’ll also put screenshots of that readable I mentioned under here and the map location, in case anyone wants to read it immediately before searching for it on their own.

[artheresy]

*hands you the mic* thoughts on blade and firefly dynamic?

RAAAAHHH THIS IS ONE OF MY FAVORITE TOPICS!!

I greatly love their dynamic. On the surface, the way that Blade subtly looks out for her with his own archaic warnings. The way Firefly may struggle a little to communicate with him (as I believe was how the car scene was presented), but her still thinking very fondly of him, in general just the fond dynamics of the Stellaron Hunters is great and I hope we see more of them

On a deeper narrative level, I SCREAM!!! They are such well crafted foils for each other, and I adore them. They both serve similar purposes in Elio's scripts, functioning as plot devices for lack of a better term for the role they take in his plans. The ways that they react to this are so interesting. Blade, all too used to dehumanizing himself, takes it in stride and doesn't stray from instruction for the most part safe for any accidents regarding Mara, and Firefly, who we see valiantly trying to defy that aspect of the script and failing which in turn showcases how she doesn't want to be a weapon. When she passes, she wants her own name on her headstone, and that makes the dynamic between them all the more interesting. It's amazing to see, the man who wants nothing more than death but still lives and the girl who wants nothing more than life but is still dying.

There's so much more I could probably put here bc this is only scratching the very surface, but I'll leave it here for now

[artheresy]

👀

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WHO LET A DOG LOOSE IN MY INBOX!!!

[artheresy]

Now every relic is fully leveled and GOD BLESS!!!

I usually hate building characters but finally building him and prepping for Yunli are the most fulfilled I’ve felt in this game

At long last… my Blade is finally getting better relics than his 10k no crit anything !! Crit rate needs work but,, he gets up to 75 at least during battle bc of the 4pc for Disciple

I run him with Bronya and I plan to run him with Sparkle too once she’s around if I get her so maybe I can get away with switching the body in favor of crit rate? Maybe

I will achieve my e6s5 dreams, idgaf if he’s not meta anymore!! HP scaling meta will come back one day and I will be ready the moment it does