#I haven't played Penacony yet.

[blazingblorbos]

What is up with them

Genuinely what is wrong with them. You have to understand how much power this holds over me.

What is it with the recent Hoyo women who can just... command horrors, the likes of which no one has ever seen?!?

[sleeps-au-bag]

yanqing didn't expect to wake up in a box in all honesty. he hadn't expected to fall asleep at all. the last thing he remembered was practicing his forms in his room as he waited for the general to call him for breakfast. there was no way he could have fallen asleep, not when he was training. unless...

a groan was heard right next to him. suddenly, he was hyperaware of the two other people stuck in the box with him. he couldn't move that much considering how little space there was but he did catch a glimpse of white and blue hair respectively. thankfully the box was big enough where they wouldn't be smushed together but it was still tight enough that they were forced to lean against each other.

one of the people snuggled into him, presumably still asleep. whoever says his face felt hot is a liar. the other person (who apparently had their arms around him) adjusted their grip around him. now he was effectively trapped.

the other two were mostly likely still asleep. yanqing started to think about their situation. most likely, they've all been drugged and kidnapped. but by who? it couldn't have been the disciples of sanctus medicus, their numbers have been dwindling by the day and it's impossible to sneak into the general's house without being noticed. that is unless they have someone insane enough in their ranks to do so. another option could be ransom or assassins but neither make sense. why not just kidnap him? why take these two others? why not take on the general directly like all the others?

"huh? where are we?"

yanqing didn't jump. "i don't know myself. i've been awake for a few minutes now." the one with white hair just hummed. she must've noticed they were touching because she suddenly tried to give him space. "oh my gosh, i'm so sorry! i didn't mean to-"

"hey, it's okay! there's not enough room to move in here and you were asleep."

"nnnnngh, my head hurts... huh?! wha-?!" it seems like the other person is awake now. they immediately tried to let go of him but he heard a thump. not big enough to let them move around. noted.

"well, now that we're all awake and stuck here with absolutely no explanation, we should probably introduce ourselves." yup. absolutely a great idea. great job yanqing. totally didn't make things awkward.

"um, i'm clara! i, uh, live in the underground of belobog with mr. svarog." belobog sounded somewhat familiar. isn't that the only city left on that one planet? he'll focus on that later.

"i'm lieutenant yanqing of the cloud knights. i live on the xianzhou luofu which is part of the xianzhou alliance." he could practically feel the person holding him vibrate with excitement.

"greeting, my name is misha. i serve as a bellboy at the reverie hotel on penacony." three different people from three different planets and factions. unless the other two were also important on their own planets, yanqing couldn't see why clara and misha would be taken as well. unless... no. he doesn't want to think about it.

the other two conversed as he thought about reasons as to why they would have been taken. doesn't mean he didn't notice the sudden rise in heat. misha must have noticed as well. could he also use ice or are bellboys just like that? no time to think as the box suddenly opened and they all tumbled out.

he could hear someone talking but he could only focus on clara and misha. no he didn't focus on their faces because he found them kind of pretty! he was just concerned that they were hurt! that's all. yeah.

he heard more groans coming from the room. it seems like they weren't the only ones taken. he looked over and froze. no way. maybe it's just the blue fire making him see things because there was no way.

but there was some way.

"QING-GE?"

"XIAO-BAI?"

not only did they take clara, misha, and him, but whoever kidnapped them also took lady bailu, future ten lord huohuo, and another little girl who clara seemed to know.

just who took them?

[kimeoshi]

the way I'd devour a fic of aven and ratio with your buckshot crossover, that thing has EATEN my brain

if anyone writes one 🙏🙏🙏🙏

YES!! I WAS THINKING THE SAME THING

If nobody does it I will do it myself HOWEVER that doesn't mean I wouldn't like any additions heheh

(in that case I MUST be sent a link to that fic before getting admitted to emergency care)

If anyone has the tiniest urge to write too, I implore them to join me!! Even if it's just one particular dialogue or sentiment that comes to mind, one small idea can surge much more once you end up starting it.

I really love this crossover particularly because the game's undertone themes (not saying what due to potential spoilers) deals with the exact same things Aventurine struggles with, oh, the angst potential.

[honorary-fool]

whoever wrote Boothill in the new 2.5 quest, why did you fuck him up *that* badly..

[aromanticasterisms]

my god okay when jing yuan gave us the abacus i thought that would see use in like an endgame sort of nanook fight situation not THE NEXT ARC. are you kidding me. okay post canceled i finished penacony

[moonofmercury]

and there's something something there about Aventurine's skill, that he's a shielder, that the way he does this is by lavish, thoughtless spending, by literally throwing money at things, that according to what little lore I know, he's lost everything that should have mattered, but while he's willing to lose again, he won't, he can't, he'll use the one thing he's good at to throw himself at the odds over and over again, but that he doesn't want to people in front of him to die

[gachaparadise]

god I'm so so so SO glad they didn't take the IPC deal in the new interlude chapter. Forgive me for the marvel quote here but "I'd rather die on my feet then live on my knees" and all that. Condemning everyone on Belebog to being the IPC's dogs until basically the end of time would've been the worst possible outcome.

They did just enough for me to be able to tolerate Topaz herself. I still don't love her or anything but maybe we're okay. I'm still the IPC's number one hater though. I saw what you fuckers did to Aurum Alley. Especially if they're going to be messing with Penacony next.

Also!!! didn't see Sampo :( why?? we're on Belebog does he not live there anymore? I miss my silly rabbit.

Double Also! the event is extremely fun and i have to like, restrain myself from sitting down and playing the whole thing in one day. no need for that when i've got an entire month to enjoy it.

edit: ARGH! I forgot to mention Marchies new outfit! super fucking cute! hoping we follow the GI model of skins and 4* skins are free events skins (not this event but, later down the line?), I don't use her enough to justify dropping $40, pretty as it is aha...

[v01dless]

I just finished Penacony's storyquest... I cried..

[stcries]

mainly just vibing this morning, but before i went to bed last night, i witnessed a small amount of the new hsr storyline and oh my god, my brain is flooded with ideas now.

[starcurtain]

2.1 Penacony Spoilers!

I know the scene after Ratio's "betrayal" can be read a lot of ways but I am shocked I haven't seen more people interpret it as Ratio being so worried about Aventurine that he couldn't stay away even though he was supposed to.

We know:

1) Ratio absolutely knew Aventurine's plan from start to finish, both his gamble to create "death" in the dream and with the three cornerstones. (Wish people would stop underselling Ratio in their analyses; "Three chips are enough" is a direct enough clue that, genius as he is, Ratio would never miss.)

2) In his own words, Ratio was acting according to Aventurine's instructions while in Dewlight Pavilion and with Sunday and felt that he did a good job not giving them away.

I think most people are on the same page up to there, but then I've seen a lot of people interpreting this scene after Aventurine leaves Sunday's mansion as Aventurine being genuinely angry at Ratio (possibly after having gaslit himself into thinking Ratio was actually betraying him).

But this doesn't make much sense to me because:

1) Ratio actually has nothing to gain by selling Aventurine out to Sunday. They're on the same side in this mission. Information about a Stelleron on Penacony wouldn't be news anyone with a brain like Ratio's and why would he need someone else's research on Stellerons when he already has ties to the Genius Society through Screwllum and Herta, as well as the Astral Express where the Trailblazer is actively housing a Stelleron?

2) One of Aventurine's most notable lines of dialogue is how it's perfectly fine and expected for "friends" to use each other and backstab. This is his default understanding of partners--why would he suddenly be mad about something he expected from the start?

3) If the betrayal wasn't already planned and was just a possibility based on Aventurine's understanding of Ratio, why would he ever have revealed there were "three chips" (aka three cornerstones) in play? If even the betrayal over Topaz's stone wasn't planned, just assumed, why would Aventurine reveal the existence of the third stone? He would gain nothing from doing so.

Instead, I think it makes a lot more sense to interpret Aventurine's frustration with Ratio in this later scene as annoyance over Ratio taking an "unnecessary" risk:

1) As far as Sunday knows, Ratio had just very seriously betrayed Aventurine, completely selling him out and essentially sending him to his execution.

2) In the scene afterward, Aventurine is out in public in the middle of Penacony where The Family's eyes are always watching, yet Ratio walks right up to him to check on him. Why would someone who just sold you out come up to you immediately afterward to check on your health?!

3) It's only natural that Aventurine would pump the brakes and go "Wow, didn't think you'd show yourself after you just betrayed me, remember?" Because that's the act they are supposed to be keeping up! They're still being monitored; it's not safe to break character!

But Ratio is a genius, right, so why would he break character here? From the standpoint of the ploy itself, revealing to the Family that he and Aventurine were still on the same side would only jeopardize the plan, not help it.

The logical explanation, then, is that Ratio went to Aventurine here because he felt like he had to.

He had to check in and make sure the situation was still under Aventurine's control.

(In fact, the entire exchange through the middle of this scene is Aventurine and Ratio confirming the rest of their plot in a veiled manner: Ratio brings up the plan and mentions what's concealed in the gift money bag, Aventurine confirms the cornerstone is good to go; Ratio asks what his next step will be; Aventurine says he's going to do the insane thing of handing out cash while looking pathetic [aka fishing for Sparkle]. Ratio essentially asks if he's crazy enough to take the final gamble with his own life, which Aventurine confirms, and then Ratio sets them up for the finale by gifting him the doctor's note.)

Ratio was willing to risk ruining their entire plan--something Aventurine does seem to be frustrated about at first--just to ensure Aventurine still felt all right about the situation.

He needed to deliver his note demanding Aventurine stay alive.

He needed to tell Aventurine to come to him if the situation got too painful to bear.

In short, Ratio was worried enough that he could not stay away even though, for the sake of their plot, it would have made significantly more sense for him not to appear. The gain of breaking character was worth more to him than the risk of being caught.

You honestly don't even have to take this in a shipping context. The real point here is that Ratio is an incredibly good person who wasn't okay with Aventurine's self-sacrificial plan and who felt morally compelled to check on a person in pain. He's a healer through and through, and ignoring Aventurine in this condition--ignoring someone who was taking so much risk on themselves--simply wasn't possible for him, no matter the danger it posed to the plan.

But for those who do ship Ratio and Aventurine... I hope more people will come to see this scene as another example of Ratio's genuine concern for his mission partner! He did not have to appear here at all; it would have made much more sense for him to leave Aventurine to his own devices to uphold the illusion of their "betrayal." He showed up in this scene--very likely against Aventurine's expectations--because he was concerned for Aventurine's situation and wanted to ensure Aventurine knew he could fall back on Ratio's support at any time if the plan went awry.

tl;dr: I wish people would stop interpreting this scene as the aftermath of a betrayal. Aventurine wasn't ticked off with Ratio in this scene because he felt like he'd genuinely been backstabbed; he was ticked off because Ratio was literally breaking their pre-established "betrayer" character just to be fussy over Aventurine's safety and well-being. (Okay, and to double check on the plan, but let's be real, the first part was definitely more important. 👌)

[stellar-skyy]

hello!! could i order an iced honey and vanilla tea for aventurine?

“order up! i have a drink here for aventurine, an iced honey and vanilla tea!”

☆ — if you're craving a drink, make sure to stop by the teashop!

i. SUMMARY: sometimes, all you need is to feel loved. and, as his closest friend, he will make sure you know you are. ii. CWS & NOTES: reader is insecure. platonic aventurine x gn!reader. hurt/comfort & fluff. 0.8k words. iii. A/N: i was so excited to see someone rq the platonic version of this prompt! also. please know this is my first time writing aventurine and i haven't played most of the penacony questline (i have been spoiled for the entire thing though-) so if the characterization is off i am sorry.

“Why are you friends with me?”

It caught Aventurine off guard, truth be told. For a moment he could only blink, staring at them dumbly while the question fully registered in his head. After a few seconds of processing, he managed a single word: “What?”

“Why are you friends with me?” They repeated, a tinge of frustration coating their words. The question settled in his mind, but still, he was at a loss for words.

How could he possibly answer that, when the two of them had been acquainted for so long that his life and theirs seemed fully intertwined? The question only planted the seed for more to sprout in his mind as he pondered it; whys melting into hows and what ifs. He struggled to imagine a life where he’d never met them all those years ago, a life where he never found someone to dull his sharpened edges and fill some fraction of the emptiness he felt inside.

They were a match that fit too perfectly; two lonely people, who’d tasted a life without solitude and couldn’t quite bring themselves to leave it behind again.

Yet, their friendship was a double-edged sword, one seemed to cut Aventurine from both sides. It took every ounce of self-control in his body to stop himself from digging his claws in and clinging tightly enough to them to make sure they wouldn’t leave. Simultaneously, another part yearned to push them so far away that he would never be able break them like he did with every other bright thing in his life. The thought of being alone again felt suffocating, even if the back of his mind still whispered that it was only his deserved fate.

On good nights, when they were at the tables with him, he insisted they were seated right beside him—his “good luck charm,” as he put it. He chased every moment, the flash of a smile on their lips when the dice roll just right, a barely stifled laugh at his jokes. No victory could outshine the few moments of pure, untainted contentment he felt when they were by his side.

It was almost laughable that they were questioning why he’d chosen them, when he was the one who didn’t deserve someone half as incredible as they were. He should be asking why they had settled for someone cracked and missing as many pieces as he did, not the other way around.

“What about you?” He asked, in lieu of an answer. “Why are you friends with me?”

“I already asked you.” They protested. Aventurine, being the good friend he was, ignored them.

“You’ve known me long enough to be acutely aware of my flaws, and yet you still stick around. Why is that?”

“Uh…” They hesitated for a beat. “You’re not—”

“Don’t deny it. Just answer the question.”

“Well, I guess…” They draw out the first few words, thinking. Aventurine kept his face neutral, despite the pounding of his heart. “Flaws are just flaws, aren’t they? I don’t think you could find a single one here that’s without their fair share. You’re still a good person despite them, and I enjoy your company regardless.”

The back of his throat had grown dry. He bit down on the inside of his cheek to quell the wave of emotions that almost swept him off his feet, forcing them back into the furthest reaches of his mind to unpack later.

“See!” He said, throwing his hands up in the air. “Exactly my point, why would you be any different?”

“That’s not what I was saying.” They murmured, shaking their head.

“What is it then?”

“It’s just… I’m not that important, am I?” They asked, not meeting his eyes. “I mean—You have other friends, don’t you? And if you had the choice, I’m sure you’d rather hang out with them than me, wouldn’t you?”

“You want to make that a bet?” Aventurine raised an eyebrow. “Because, my dear friend, that is a gamble you will lose. For starters, who I find important isn’t up to you; it’s up to me. And me has decided you are an incredibly important friend that I value very deeply. You can stew in your self-pity as much as you want, but that won’t change how much I care about you.”

“You really mean that?” They asked, in an almost inaudible whisper.

“Of course. Can I?” He asked, opening his arms out. They looked up briefly, and gave him a small nod, so he pulled them forward against his chest. He hugged them tightly, as if they would vanish into nothing if he let go. Their hand clutched the back of his jacket, their cheek pressing against his shirt.

Neither of them were without their cracks, it seemed, but maybe that was why they had connected in the first place.

“I’m friends with you because I want to be friends with you,” Aventurine said softly. “You mean the world to me, and it kills me that you don’t realize it.”

He knew he was little more than a hollow shell, but with them, he almost felt whole. It was almost enough for him; he could only hope it would be enough for them too.

reblogs and comments are appreciated! ♡

[theguyinthemathexamples]

Opportunity Awaits None

— sahsrau/sahsr fic based on my pookie aventurine for good luck (⁠＠⁠°⁠▽⁠°⁠＠⁠)⁠ᕗ ♡

— C/W : 2.1 trailblazer quest spoilers, sillies stealing the show first, ooc pookies, VERY self indulgent, new fic style?, slight aventio/raturine??, a lil angsty in some parts?? (tell me if i missed anything 💝)

Claiming oneself to be adored by an Aeon would be a bold, and otherwise egotistical way of getting attention. But with his friend even being heard mumbling to himself for being discarded as of late, not to mention the light whispers he's been hearing lately... the Doctor might not blame Aventurine for describing himself as going nuts.

While he was investigating things about that Emanator, and a few strings pulled later... he accidentally came across a lovely piece of information that she felt her own strings being pulled long before he made his grandest performance yet in Penacony.

It was taught, then loosened, and then forcefully yanked in a never ending cycle, she said. There were long periods of time that she began to wonder whether or not this feeling finally disappeared, only to be hit by another harsh pull. As of late, however, these harsh tugs haven't been felt after she finally remembered to pen a letter to the Astral Express's Conductor that both refused their offer to arrive at the Express, as well as making someone else bite the bullet.

As for who this was was insignificant to him— he'll find it out himself eventually. But the whispers? The tugging? The feeling of being watched? That letter? Aventurine knew all too well what these meant. The Aeon of Creation's manifestations in the mortal realm.

This wasn't all new news, though, as such a phenomenon had already happened to others before. But for him to hear them? That was certainly a surprise.

To be fair, he's heard them a bit before. The whispers arrived just a bit after he stepped foot in the Planet of Festivities, and he initially mistook them for crowds outside being too loud as they were more quiet back then.

Though, these whispers have been getting louder and louder the past few days. He's almost embarrassed to confess that this was worrying him. They varied from promises vowing to make him "come home" to them, to absolute hysterical laughter akin to the Aeon of Elation's ones. Who knows what that Aeon was thinking. Not him, surely.

And a few too many deep dives into rabbit holes led him to a reasonable conclusion of that Aeon taking an interest in him. ... By the Amber Lord, no, Veritas, he swears he's not succumbing to insanity.

Aventurine had asked the Doctor about this, knowing he had a good amount of experience with this sort of thing for a good while now. Unfortunately for him all of the answers he got were "You'll know in due time." and "Perhaps if you willingly offered yourself to the Aeon maybe those whispers would disappear faster than you bothering me about them."

Rarely does he get more cryptic responses like, "A reach too far shall become an embrace at a moments notice for you, gambler," Veritas mumbles beside him, getting up not too long after saying such without so much as another word. Not before giving him water when he complained about getting too overwhelmed by them and sought someone more familiar, one who bore experience and knowledge of such things firsthand.

Sometimes, Aventurine wondered if it was all some sort of joke that even the highest of the divine beings of this universe were playing on him, but some of the voices were almost quick to reassure him. Often he heard of music playing, words he seemed to partially understand ringing in his ears as he signed one document after the other.

Maybe he'll finally get the freedom he's yearned for so long if he devoted his whole being to THEM instead of the Amber Lord. ... Maybe he'll consider such an act of heresy at a later date.

Note : Try Not To Froth At The Mouth Looking At Aventurine Challenge (IMPOSSIBLE ‼️‼️) (I BROKE MY KNEE‼️‼️‼️)

On a lighter note, tho: my interpretation will unfortunately be published later in the month and im just speedrunning this for good luck on my pookie wookie patootie gookie nookie bear aventurine pulls 🫶

Am i sane for this man? Have i been delulu about him for the past few days?? Mmm,,,, who knows :3

[ahaclownery]

(to the ppl who already saw this from leaks, you can ignore this <3)

GUYS THE BIRD IS BACK. I SAY THE BIRD IS BACKKKKKK. WE’RE EATING GOOD GUYS.

Anyways back to serious business, let’s analyze this lightcone. First we see Sparkle controlling two ppl, a puppet of herself and Sampo. (Sampo is so pretty oml him in suits is just…<3) My first thought was: Sparkle is making a play or a stage controlling both herself and Sampo to create an entertaining story for both herself and Aha. I thought Aha because of the several masks peeking behind her and the bird on the stage. But let’s look at the story. 

—Who witnessed his death?

—Me! I spied it with my little eyes!

—Who took his blood?

—Me! I used my little saucer!

—Who dug his grave?

—Me! Using my chisel and shovel!

The wise uses all techniques in their arsenal, the sovereign soothes their heart with power, the hero views themselves to be righteous, and the fool laughs ceaselessly—

"Now, let us welcome Ms. Sparkle to bring us the performance of the year—'Penacony's Night of Fright'!" 

I’ll be really honest, I’m utterly confused. But thank goodness the jp translation exists. The “Me!” dialogues all belong to Sparkle. It’s clear that the story refers to events that occurred on Penacony, probably during the party. The wise, the sovereign, the hero, and the fool all refer to presumably the playable characters attending the event. Fool is obviously Sparkle, the sovereign could be Sunday, the wise is probably Dr. Ratio (?) and the hero is most likely the MC. 

Now let me start talking abt crazy stuff:

The mask over Sampo makes me feel that it's actually not him but some kind of stand-in, another reason I feel this way is because there are only three strings on him contrary to Sparkle’s four strings. Just as NPCs have less movement, three strings to me indicate that Sampo is capable of fewer moves compared to Sparkle. Which just gives me the vibes this Sampo isn’t so real. Also, the fact he’s wearing a suit over his actual outfit is hot, but it makes him feel even more like a stand-in. (Also with the new trailer, the scene where Sampo knocks MC out, his red eyes makes me think it's Sparkle)

Also, does Sampo get “killed” by Sparkle here? I feel like he does, because I’m pretty sure they’re playing rock paper and scissors and Sparkle is winning here, and it ties back to the whole “someone dying on Penacony,” thing. Also the wording in “Who witnessed his death?” in JP, can also be loosely interpreted as being involved in his death. Besides, a murderer is also a witness to a death soo idk. 

Also, also, I wonder why the Aha masks in the back look so..sad? The smiling masks are almost too close to Sparkle for comfort, and they look like they’re on the edge of their seats and want to see more. But the masks in the back seem so withdrawn from the drama and look like they’re only watching out of obligation. Maybe my theory abt Aha being an amalgamation of different personalities has a chance.  i haven't really played the story yet so I'm scared </3

[ohboy-herewegoagain]

Spoilers but here we go

Ok so. I want to say that I did not look at leaks or anything and I still knew immediately that the sampo in the main story was not Actually Sampo. I figured it was sparkle but that wasn't my own theory, I saw some people say it and it made sense. I knew immediately when "he" didn't introduce himself w his full name, and then I had to pause the game because that's a weird thing to be able to deduce I fear.

But the companion quest?? Oh boy

Because my first thought when Sampo showed up there was "he seems much more... real", and the more he talked in that first scene the more I started to get my hopes up. Props to his VA for being able to have his Sampo voice (which already switches up tonally a lot) and the Sparkle Sampo voice, which sounds very different (if you're insane like me and know what the guy's voice sounds like intimately). In the companion mission he's a lot similar tonally to the Sampo on Jarilo, and I got really excited that we were gonna get actual Penacony Sampo

I had heard that Sampo and Sparkle don't get along, and I didn't guess the 'twist' until right before the end, so I was viewing Sampo's participation in the whole detective thing as a "I am playing along but Aeons I hate that woman". Identity theft is not a joke kids, but the Masked Fools as a general rule seem to disagree

Unrelated, but was anyone else a little disappointed by Black Swan? I got hyped about a semi-omnipresent wise.... i dont know, but she's a lot less formal than I thought. I'll get over it tho

And the conversation at the end... I'm seeing a lot of people assume that this memory (and therefore the dream we go through as the companion mission) is from before the Express lands on Jarilo-IX, but I really don't think so. Watch me get proven wrong, but I really do think theyre setting up another major conflict in Belobog, and Sampo's preparing himself to help out Belobog's citizens. I'm hoping that might be a change for a Sampo 5star, and I desperately want that.

and yes, I think we're gonna get a sampo 5star before a march 5star. She's the logo of the game, her secrets will not be spilled so easily.

I think there's gonna be a huge thing on Jarilo after Penacony finishes up, we're gonna return to the planet to lend a hand, and the threat will be big enough that Sampo is changing his role - his mask - to do something about it. Hopefully, you know, helpfully, but I'll take anything at this point

AND WE STILL HAVEN'T GOTTEN A SAMPO TRAILER YET DAMNIT

[oh-my-may]

LET'S TALK GENSHIN AND REMURIA AND ARLECCHINO BEFORE I FORGET AND WE'RE ALREADY IN SECOND HALF OF THE PATCH WHY DOES TIME FLY WHEN YOU'RE AN ADULT

I'm gonna start the post with a few paragraphs I wrote just a few days after the patch went live:

So I finished the first Remuria world quest - it was beautiful. And really not as long as I first expected it to be. I probably could have finished it on the first day if I wouldn't have been as tired as I was

First of all the new map is beautiful. You'd think after 3? patches of map expansions where we already got underwater stuff it would feel repetetive but somehow it looks and feels different and refreshing. Maybe because majority of the map are caves where you can walk normally or they're ruins... idk.

I couldn't help but draw parallels between Remuria and HSR's Penacony tho, especially look-wise, the talk of a dreamscape and the theme of music. Especially now after finishing Penacony 2.2 I can't help but feel the two are very similar in certain aspects... the motive of Harmony and Song and Peace and saving a people and Gods? Also the way Remuria looks is so similar to certain things in Penacony? I already said rhis in my post on HSR, this is absolutely no hate whatsoever. I reckon there's only so much you can do with these motives? It's interesting how differently it looks in both games tho.

So yeah, Remuria is beautiful. The music is an out of body experience and encapsulates the whole thing perfectly. I haven't explored all of the map yet, but I like the new mechanisms a lot. The floating books look so cool and just generally the significance of music through it all... *sigh* it's so enjoyable.

So far for Remuria... i definitely missed a few things I wanted to say but it's been like 2 weeks since I played this and I definitely forgot something haha

AS FOR ARLECCHINO THO

First of all she's broken omg. It is kind lf annoying that it'll take weeks to max out her talents, rn for me she's sitting at crowned NA and skill and burst are level 7 each. But she still hits for like over 50k with each normal attack when she has a bond of life. Don't even get me started on her with Yelan MY GOD.

Okay with that out of the way let me talk about her story quest. First of all I find it very intriguing that hyv gave up on the usual pattern of having the second weekly boss for a nation be tied to the Archon and their respective second story quest (besides Mond ig)... i mean yeah Fontaine's archon situatipn is very peculiar but technically Neuvilette has taken over the role for now, right? Neither him nor Furina getting a second story quest makes me think Neuvi's probably gonna get his way later because it'll be HUGE. Again I wanna say that lore wise Neuvi is my fav character... HES JUST SO FNDNDBDN. And Furina is probably gonna get a pretty "random" one at one point kinda like Yoimiya did or Cyno... like its gonna be a good quest but it'a gonna be random. ANYWAY

I wonder how much different I would habe perceived the quest if I hadn't watched the Animated Short about Arlecchino that they put on Youtube... like it's her whole backstory? I could see where the quest was going right from the beginning because of it... that doesn't mean I didn't enjoy it, tho

Childe's little surprise cameo made me so happy c: MY BOY. He's alive snd well AND IN FONTAINE. Let me remind ypu we last officially saw him in the last Atchon quest gwtting yeeted into a black hole by Skirk. Then it was mentioned at the end that he was being treated and sent gome to Snezhnaya. Well...

The whole cryptic talk between Arle and Childe was quite interesting... so this project by the Fatui, right? (Forgot the name rn bc it's been a few days since I played the quest) Is it fonna be significant for Natlans story? What does it entail?? THE TEASE NNNNGNNGHH

I wonder if at some point in the game we're actually gonna see Lyney become the new head of House of the Hearth. Like... it's mentioned quite a lot in his story as well as in everything that has tp do with the House and Sröecchino herself... I wonder 🤔

Throughout the story I was reminded that one of the first things we heard about her (Childes voiceline that came out in like??? 3.0 or so???). It was that she would turn her back on and betray the Harbingers (AND THE TSARISTA) without second thought. She even says this herself in her voicelines. I just wonder what her ultimate goal is? To free herself from the curse? Which btw they tell us nothing about in the story. Story is all about the House and its inner workings and Arle's feelings about it and plans for the future (which I love btw but still not quite understand)... we also casually get told that Arle is not even that old??? Like the whole thing with Crucabena is so recent that Freminet remembers her???? Amd Arle was maybe a Teenager when she killed her so like??? She's only around 10 years older than the kids????

So how come she's a descendant from Khaenri'ah? I don't know if I read somewhere abput it or if its a rumor but not confirmed or if its said in her personal story which I haven't read yet but... she'a from the crimson moon dynasty? Or has some ties to it? And her curse is definitely related to it BUT WHAT IS HER CURSE EXACTLY. WHY DOES SHE HAVE IT. If she's only in maybe her late 20s she couldn't have been an actual Khaenriahn citizen (same as Kaeya and he still gives me the same headache thinking about this) so how does it all tie together in the end?? Does it have to do with the God of time maybe??? (Nevermind if this is talked about in her personal story in her profile I haven't read that yet)

So yeah... the fight woth her was so cool. The animation??? I saw people get upset about the fact that Traveler couldn't beat her but I actually love that?? Like... She'a #4 of the Harbingers and has some curse probably tied to Khaenriah and she KILLED A HARBINGER WHEN SHE WAS A TEENAGER??? Traveler nlt being this almighty MC makes them so much mlre likeable like yeah... they are obv far from having their actual power back? It took us ... how many times to fight Shuki No Kami before we could defeat it in the final try to learn all the patterns? The game wants to tell us that there's much more powerful enemies in Teyvat and rhis is only the beginning. Let me tell you yeah we beat Signora but it was Raiden who killed her... it was Zhongli who subdued Azhdaha. We only healed Apep with Nahidas help. Traveler has never been able to easily defeat these big enemies, they always had help. Yeah they have been getting stronger, they've been getting access to more elements but the bis enemies are just getting stronger and bigger too... I wonder where that will lead. Maybe the twins are only gonna get their true power bavk once they're united... ANYWAY

Her weekly boss fight is cool too. Using different mechanisms again, with the whole Bond of Life thing and all. She does this one attack in her second phase that I just... can't get behind tho. Someone always has to be the victim, THE SACRIFICE, to get me through haha. Idk how to dodge or avoid that attack. The one where she floats above the arena and then these bombs? Idk? Come down and basically crash down on the whole arena and I haven't found a spot where you can aboid getting hit and therefore killed immediately idk.

So yeah that's all for now. Very excited to play Cyno's second story quest. Heard only good things so far about it, which is good because I really didn't like his first one 💀 probably gonna get around to play it one of these days. Same as with the rest of Remuria exploration, gonna need mlre Clorinde funds :3

(Gonna add screenshots later, it's been so long that the ones I took aren't saved in the PS App anymore 💀)

[hemlockalope]

ok ok im curious. sunday wanderer comparison?? that sounds cool. free pass to talk abt it if you want :O

Hi hi yes!! Thank you for giving me the opportunity to talk about them!! Also spoilers for 2.2 Penacony quest and Genshin's Wanderer quest

Also under cut because it ended up a little long-

To start i want to say that while im comparing them their stories definitely aren’t one to one, i just love thinking about Wanderer’s story in every occasion since i’ve obsessed over him for too long(and sunday is quickly joining him in my obsessions) But basically the main thing is how they both tried sacrificing themselves to godhood for completely different reasons and both failed, falling (Sunday was caught, Scaramouche was not)

Yes, both were sacrifices Sundays is a obvious one as Robin was supposed to be the sacrifice but Sunday did it instead of her, not letting his sister get hurt on beliefs she doesn’t even believe in(The Dreammaster always knew he would be the one to be sacrificed anyways) His sacrifice was selfless, he would go through eternal loneliness if it means everybody else could be happy

Meanwhile Scaramouche was sacrificing himself for selfish reasons He wants to achieve godhood because he isn’t human, and while it isn’t explicitly said(i think?) i very much believe he was trying to one up Raiden Ei in becoming a god(If you play as Ei and die in his boss fight he mocks her) But it’s still a sacrifice of his body, as they explained in the quest that if the sages completed their quest in getting the wisdom capsules into Scaramouche’s god form he would no longer be able to move for himself, he would fully become a puppet god for the grand sage

I just couldn’t stop thinking about how both of them tried ascending to godhood for completely different reasons yet both failed and yknow, both almost did it if it wasn’t for a factor they didn’t account for (Nahida’s Samsara abilities and Acheron and Black Swan waking trailblazer up plus Robin waking herself up)

Also!!! comparing Gopher Wood to Dottore Dottore obvs was not a father to Scara AT ALL but he was indeed extremely manipulative (Before Sumeru came out i questioned if Scaramouche ever saw Dottore as a father figure or not, and with Wanderer we know now that he hates him and even when he was Scaramouche he never liked him but working with him was a necessity) But also did Sunday even ever see Gopher Wood as a father figure? we know he took Sunday and Robin in, but the two never calls Gopher “father” or anything from what i remember Also the fact Sunday’s second suspect for Robin’s murderer to be Gopher Wood??? how fucked up is that???

The main thing i think a lot about is the selfish vs selfless sacrificed they did, also the fact that people think Sunday will get a redesign before he releases and he's gonna be released a lot later then when he first showed up plus going from a villain to companion is all things Wanderer went through After realizing all that I jokingly thought why not just let him change his name too, and while it started as a crack theory i kinda just kept thinking about it I saw someone say that Sunday isn't his actual name? I haven't seen any in game evidence though, but maybe Sunday is the name he chose for the family, or maybe he didn't even choose it maybe Gopher Wood did, and after everything that happened in the final he doesn't want to continue going by that name, nor does he want to go back to his old name, so he chooses to use a new one and I can't stop thinking of how Robin probably doesn't like the name Sunday, the family being the one giving it to him, so instead she just called him brother because she knows he doesn't go by his old name anymore either and after Sunday's fall, she talks to him about it. Asking if he's still okay with the name, and when he doesn't respond she hugs him and reassures him he'll always be her brother no matter what

The last bit just ended up me talking about a crack theory/ headcanon lol sorry this just ended up me rambling! Hopefully i covered everythign i wanted? I've been thinking about this for the past few days without writing anything down and I also have awful memory, and with that I'm sorry if I forgot something or remembered a scene wrong!!