sinfulscream

[sinfulscream]

Penacony Could Not Stop My Heart From Breaking | 2.0 Thoughts (Spoilers!)

A correct depiction of me after Penacony itself.

Penacony is a very large place, and a large story to begin with. It explores the themes of escapism and its luxury, where those who were always chained could find their freedom and those who have always had the luxury can cage others in an illusion of freedom.

There are themes of legacy and time as well, which I think I have yet to explore a bit more - but escapism is a large part of it, while an Ender looms over this entire story.

Due to the nature of Penacony itself, there are layers to its lack of safety and that its foundation crumbles under some crisis. There are many players taking part in this story now, delving into deeply grey/amoral characters: namely Aventurine, Black Swan and Sparkle.

There are characters that play for the "good" roles, yet have very much acted upon tasks that are not necessarily moral, namely Acheron and Dr. Ratio. To question the status quo, and deliver an end unto what should be gone - are very difficult roles to play.

But with the involvement of Rememberance now being more prevalent, I cannot wait to see how that plays a role in the Trailblazer's journey. We have always known that Rememberance holds onto what was, and can recreate history, so I want to see how well it holds up especially in a world that is not "real".

A few lives have also been cut short in the story, which does break one's heart (lol). However, I do believe one of the lives will return, although in a different form and not quite as sickly, or innocent.

I am very satisfied with Himeko's showcase of negotiation and deduction skills. As a Navigator, it seems she is tasked with the connections and networking that pertains to the Astral Express. I do hope to see more of that, and for her to continue to do so because if anyone gets to do it - it is her, and i don't think a lot of the Astral Express members can otherwise connect with her set of connections.

Either way, Penacony left a huge mark on me - even if the story did not catch me at first. It really took its time, and it was worth the wait. i cannot wait to see the 2.0 patch cycle tell more of its story, laden with mystery.

[sinfulscream]

character essay: topaz from honkai star rail

strap your seat belt in, we're going for a ride.

topaz is a debt collector.

now you may start thinking: did belobog commit a tax fraud? if so, how? i thought this was a very interesting thought process. because have you ever considered interplanar debt or financial settlements in sci-fi media? unless if they were sky pirates or very simple transactions of sale and purchase - it is often not explored and perhaps, most might even consider it not interesting.

for those who played the game and dedicated their time to the events, you'll find and agree that the influence of the interastral peace corporation (ipc) is wide - considering they hold a stake in an underused freight vehicle for the aurum alley business event. the ipc was also painted as calculating, for wanting to take back not only the freight vehicle, but any semblance of a bustling city. the ipc is a capitalist loaning body, driven by its "philanthropy", until it's time to reap the benefits."

when topaz walked into the story, that painting proves to have more details - more than just freight vehicles, the ipc could do more than just assistance in business, but repairing an entire planet.

topaz's exterior personality leaves readers with quite literally no hint to who she is or where is she from, aside from her love for animals, but playing the story leaves you to find out that she came from a heavily polluted planet that the only choice left was to leave everything to the ipc. however, it was also because of this upbringing and story that topaz would prioritise survival, more than its people's freedom. after all, protection from natural disaster as well resource allocation for a planet's rebuilding is a tempting deal - especially for belobog, that had only recently been cleared from its stellaron crisis.

not only that, belobog had also borrowed funds from the ipc prior to the planet's isolation from the rest of the world due to its extreme weather. the contract topaz offered to rebuild belobog and employ its citizens under the ipc would clear the arrears owed for over seven centuries.

despite the ipc's opportunistic nature as a body, topaz came to belobog and spoke to bronya with unmatched sincerity. topaz was a character that did not come from a privileged place, yet took the steps to dance alongside the work opportunity she was provided with. even if the contract offered by the ipc was tempting, even she was amazed by the thriving spirit of belobogians, looking toward a future with their intelligence and enduring the coldest blizzards. she could no longer compare the environment between jarilo-vi and her home planet.

despite having objectively failed her mission, she was humble, and did not assert her task more than necessary. if this was what the people of belobog wanted, then she would not force it upon them.

which comes at the cost of her current position, and she was demoted by one rank. even so, she still found beauty on this planet.

as a character, one would assume that her position meant she was always out for money, but she herself said that she was past working for the money, and thus did not mind the pay cut that came with her demotion. but more than that, she maintains a headstrong personality through it all - a marketing expert who knew how to use her story to resonate with potential clients, yet endearing for her love of animals.

she is also noted to be very capable and places the interest of the planet's ahead of work - the probability of success among her planet projects stood at 80%, higher than the ipc's average of 60%.

topaz is a multifaceted businesswoman: friendly with her network, assertive with her staff, a marketing expert and most of all, good-natured. as an experienced businesswoman, her story clashes at the differences in culture and ideals against bronya, a fresh-faced leader trusted by her subjects.

this blog entry was originally posted on stormofblood.

[sinfulscream]

intro: this silence is mine.

Hi!

I consider this blog as depository for observations related to video games and pop culture. I have spent my entire life internalising my thoughts about the media I consume and know that I cannot summarise it all into a microblog entry.

I will be storing all sorts of content here, including my thoughts on a patch of an ongoing video game such as Honkai Star Rail and Final Fantasy XIV. I will also include character analysis, even if the character is considered as trivial as a gacha unit.

I hope that you find my insights useful or entertaining to read!

this blog entry was originally posted on stormofblood.