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user-kanra · 4 months

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Penacony as a Theme Park

I just finished watching Jenny Nicholson's video on the Star Wars Hotel (Galactic Starcruiser, if we're being fancy) and the last section put into words a lot of concerns I've had about the current state of theme parks and the entertainment industry in general. It's a very worthwhile watch, and it's honestly got me thinking about Penacony, so I'm going to ramble for a bit.

I don't know if I'm off-base thinking this, but I've always perceived the Golden Hour to be very theme park-esque. If memory serves, it's where we first meet Clockie, who's voice actor did what I consider an amazing Mickey Mouse impression. It's design is very much giving theme park trying to look like a city (main street in magic kingdom, I'm even reminded of Hollywood Studios just a tad), and the statue of Clockie reminds me of Walt with Mickey in Magic Kingdom.

Also, that little bit of Robin POV felt like a character actor moving around the parks LMAO

(Spoilers under the cut)

I'm going to make a bit of a leap here and call Mikhail/Misha Walt Disney. I promise, I love that kid, I only want to use Walt as an example.

Misha, as the remnants of the Watchmaker, played a heavy role in designing the dreamscape. From what I can tell, the dreamscape was only ever really intended to be an attraction, a place of entertainment you're not meant to live in.

So Misha built the dreamscape. Mikhail is dead, Misha didn't even know he was Mikhail, so all we have left are people acting in the Watchmaker's name. This, to me, resembles Disney in the aftermath of Walt's death. EPCOT was named not for what it stood for, but because it was the name of one of Walt's projects that never got to see its creation.

I think Penacony is actually a great representation of what's going wrong with entertainment right now. Sunday's anger make sense in the context of the unequal, poor treatment a lot of guests get nowadays. This place should be magic for everyone. It should be everyone's most memorable moment. But for one reason or another that's not happening. (Why do people barf in the dreamscape? Evil trash cans and performers? I'd also be pissed if I was promised a luxury experience and got that instead).

But part of what was so important was that Misha's story ended in that chair. He can rest now. Penacony is no longer tied to the Watchmaker.

That's, you know, both good and bad. It leaves room for greed and bastardizing what the dreamscape was supposed to be. If you know anything about the current state of theme parks, you know that the quality's gone down and the prices have gone up. Jenny Nicholson said it the best when she said that Disney is looking for a way to charge the most and do the least. They're "cashing in on the good will they've built," they can get away with this stuff.

But it's also important. Walt wasn't always right (actually, he was usually wrong), and staying in the past (or a dream) is never a good idea in the first place. At some point, you have to face the core of the problem. For Disney, it's that capitalistic greed is the entirety of their current business model. For Penacony, it's that everyone being equal in a dream isn't the same as everyone being equal in real life. You need to look critically at Disney, just as the dreamscape shouldn't be your entire life.

Of course, there's more important lenses to look at Penacony with, but theme parks strike a special cord with me, so I thought I'd try to reason it out here. Hope this made sense!

#honkai star rail #hsr robin #hsr sunday #hsr clockie #star wars hotel #theme parks #penacony #i promise guys penacony is a theme park #trust me #hsr #hsr misha #hsr watchmaker

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sleepy-aletheas · 4 months

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Clockie: Dreamjoy Memoir Event and what the special endings reveal

It's ridiculous how much info is packed and hidden in the Clockie event. I wrote down the special endings, because that probably is the true history of Penacony than whatever we are told.

This also makes me think that the person that intercepts the text messages when we finish Hanu's minigames, is Hanu himself, because there is no definite conclusion of what happened with him, so I think it's reasonable to put him as a stand-in until the plot advances and tells us the truth.

Anyway, below the cut I transcribed the hand-written retelling of what the event reveals. Not everything is word-for-word, but that's to keep it at least a little bit shorter than the original text (my hand would actually fall off otherwise).

In short, the story is about: Penacony has a harsh history of waring for freedom, lies, backstabbing, manipulation, corruption. it's one big tragedy hidden as a cutesy cartoon, veiled in a golden dream and sticky SoulGlad.

But in the longer version, the story goes along these lines:

The Compass sets foot on the streets of Nightmareville, only seeing a wasteland. Flames licked the wooden houses, and hungry crocodiles roamed the ruins. ("What on earth is going on here?")

The Crew comes across an intoxicated Mr. Soda who wants to share the bubbly potion with them. ("I'm Mr. Soda. Would you new friends like to buy a few bottles of SoulGlad?")

Clockie doesn't want any, but the Crew take quite few. It's hard to refuse.

The Crew find an abandoned mine stacked with sparkling gems which seems to be the town's treasure vault. Clockie thinks it got to be worth good money. The Crew warn him, but Clockie takes many gems anyway. ("You don't really think about whose stuff you're taking when you usually open up chests, do you!")

Brother Hanu stumbles across the Crew in the mine, ready to fight these strangers. Clockie tries to beg for mercy, but Hanu arrests everyone. ("We were dancing to the jailhouse clock.")

Mr. Soda is a friend of Hanu and wants to resolve the conflict with the Crew. Hanu reluctantly agrees to ceasefire. Mr. Soda tells the story of how the crocodiles attack the Townfolk of Nightmareville all year round, and it wasn't until a shooting star fell that Hanu started to lead everyone to rise up. This makes Clockie admire Hanu.

The Crocs attack them. ("Brother Hanu, taste the wrath of Boss Stone!") They barely make it out the bloody battle. ("I- I feel like I'm about to stop ticking.")

Mirror Princess was seriously injured, her mirror scratched up, and she fell into deep sleep. Hanu disregards personal safety and plucks herbal medicine out of the croc's jaws and heals the princess.

At night, Boss Stone ambushes Hanu's stronghold. The Crew and Townfolk must fight. Hanu is confident, and everyone feels more at ease.

Clockie and Hanu temporarily defeat Boss Stone, but if the crocs don't leave, Nightmareville will always be locked in nightmares. The Crew would never turn a blind eye to this. They decide to help Hanu and the Townfolk to take back their happiness. ("The Crew of The Compass is truly loyal!")

Hanu and Clockie come across Sister Wildflower, who is currently being hunted by Lieutenant Chitters. ("If you want my help, hurry up and save me!") Hanu rescues Sister Wildflower. ("Here's a gossip: Hanu was totally blushing.")

Clockie comes across a Crybaby who is also a captured Townfolk. ("If you want my help, then you're gonna have to tell me a sob story!") Clockie tells about Master Hat. ("That's a real tearjerker. I hope you'll be even sadder in the future.")

Clockie meets Shopkeeper Leaf, who used to be one of Boss Stone's lackeys. ("If you want my help, tell me what's in it for me!") Clockie takes out a piece of treasure from The Compass, and Shopkeeper Leaf instantly joins the squad. ("Shouldn't we sign a service contract first?")

The squad grows and Boss Stone launches an ambush at Hanu's panic room. Many Townfolk are injured. ("They don't have any respect!") Hanu and the Crew team up to defend against the surprise attack. ("Friendship bounds, uh.. the future!")

Even if they won, the casualties are tragic. To commemorate those Townfolk and Crew members who gave their lives, Hanu hosts a funeral. Sister Wildflower sings a funeral dirge, and Hanu is sad during the song. Hanu gathers everyone to soon launch a counterattack. People are ready to give up their lives for freedom. ("This is for the dream to eat, drink, and be merry every day!")

The night before the battle, the Crew and Townfolk stage a grand party. This might be the start of a long and grand event or the final feast for everyone.. At the party everyone feels down. ("I'll settle down back in Watch City and get married after this fight.")

In the battle, Nightmareville pays a heavy price defeating Boss Stone, but he is able to stage a comeback. The Townfolk are anxious and all propose to Hanu to conduct peace talks. He agrees to the proposal, and Boss Stone shakes hands with the Townfolk to make peace. ("He really offered too much there.")

Boss Stone signs an agreement with Hanu to not let the Townfolk dig for gemstones again. He also gives Hanu a large financial stipend. Clockie convinces Hanu to take it to rebuild Nightmareville with Boss Stone. ("I guess that was all just a big misunderstanding before!")

Some Townfolk don't let go of old grudges and refuse to team up with Boss Stone. They sow chaos everywhere and raise resistance against Boss Stone. They're no longer ordinary Townfolk, so Hanu throws all the rebels into prison.

Many Townfolk were injured in the war, so Boss Stone hires the best doctor from the sea to offer free treatment. They get patched up and are gifted a large supply of health supplements. ("The first dosage is free for the initial cycle, and if you feel the effects are good, you can purchase more. Townfolk get a 20% discount.")

Hanu doesn't know how to develop the town, and the Townfolk blow through the money from Boss Stone. The Townfolk turn and complain about Hanu's incompetence. ("Boss Stone, he's an idiot who can barely string a sentence together.") ("Yeah, that's what I love about him.")

A Nightmareville faction grows against Hanu with riots and skirmishes out in the streets. Hanu calls for his mates for help. Shopkeeper Leaf comes up with a plan: ("Whoever causes any trouble, just take away their stipend! They've just had it too good for too long. Once they start to suffer a little, they'll behave!")

The town fell into despair, and Boss Stone offered a hand to Hanu's brothers, and told them that the most valuable thing in Nightmareville was its gems. He proposed that if they collaborated with him to develop the mines, the town could thrive once again.

Hanu and Boss Stone partner up to develop a large-scale gem extraction project to earn stacks of money for the town.

Boss Stone grows really popular and decides to publish an autobiography. However, Hanu realizes that Boss Stone erased all his wrongdoings from the book. Hanu doesn't care for the lies and lets the book go viral. ("Boss Stone, enslaving us? There's such thing as being too unhinged!")

The time is ripe for hammering out negotiations. Boss Stone thinks he deserves to enjoy more power as the hero who brought happiness to Nightmareville. Hanu refuses and Boss Stone takes away all previous funding. ("Brother, unlabeled gifts are the most expensive ones of all.")

Boss Stone is posturing for war; down with Hanu. He picks out two special dark secrets to reveal to the Townfolk.

Hanu secretly executed his partner, Sister Haru, to consolidate his power. ("Who is Sister Haru?")

Hanu seized the compass from The Compass and forced the Crew to serve him. ("Why don't I know about this!?")

Boss Stone lets the Townfolk decide what to do with Hanu; attack, or be under his tyranny. Boss Stone announces the Townfolk choosing war, even if never releasing any evidence, and people buy into it. ("Nobody disputes it, which means it's perfectly reasonable.")

Boss Stone lays out his dream for the town before the Crew; Nightmareville should turn into the richest town in the world. To do that, the Crew has to help subdue Hanu. Clockie chooses to help Boss Stone defeat Hanu, hoping it will be a wakeup call for Hanu. ("Boss Stone is doing his best for everyone. I'm sorry, Brother Hanu.")

Boss Stone exhausts Hanu and wins the war. Hanu is imprisoned, and the Townfolk once more becomes Nightmareville's staff. Of course, it's all legal. Seeing Hanu turn into a prisoner, Clockie feels uneasy. But he understood that it was the best outcome for the Townfolk. Or was it really?

The crocs kept digging for memoria, while they made people build a wall against an upcoming storm. To buy their protection, the people had to give their valuable gems as protection money. They must do so at a ceremony. ("I'll provide the services and you pay. That's the law of this world.")

The contract, if signed, would trap the Townfolk forever inside voluntarily. ("Even so, it's better than dying out there in the storm, right?")

Clockie and Captain Revolver sneak into the construction site and embed a bomb inside the already laid out bricks. It detonates, and the debris splashes right into the nearby Boss Stone.

The people still have to submit, because it's better to lose their freedom than be outside in the storm.

The walls get higher, blocking out wind, sand, and even sunshine. Dreamville turns back to Nightmareville under Boss Stone's 'protection'.

Clockie vanishes. Then he returns, and people see him as their leader, and hope he can persuade Old Man Wood to give up his position.

Clockie gallops into the wilderness, remembering his days on The Compass and firmly believes that Dreamville should bring comfort and freedom.

The Cowboys never wanted to be a part of Dreamville, wanting to live outside in the desert. They bullied the town until Clockie gave them a sense of justice, maintaining peace and order. (There is nothing wrong with this -wanting to live outside. Most importantly, everyone should be happy!")

The Cowboys make an alliance and want to comfort Old Man Wood. ("Old Man Wood seeks unity to enforce rules, but our unity is for freedom!")

Old Man Wood wants to get his hands on the desert no matter what: ("The land is the desert is the most important treasure in the town!"), refusing the amicable proposal of the Cowboys. He wants to allocate them to an autonomous area, and keep the rest.

Old Man Wood raises weapons to the Cowboys, and they flee back to the desert. Clockie apologizes to them and they throw a party to cheer him up. He guzzles up bottles of SoulGlad containing excessive stones, and drunkenly promises to fulfill the Cowboys' dreams. ("Are woods and trees inherently nobler than us...")

Old Man Wood raises a forest as a wind barrier, keeping the town and desert separated. A divide keeps growing between the people, marking their estrangement. But Clockie secretly opens a passage through which the Townfolk can leave to the desert. ("One day, we will tear down this forest!")

Less people in the town made Old Man Wood question why they would abandon their warm and beautiful town. ("It's because of novelty, that's all.")

The Cowboys and Townfolk are tired and decide to burn down the forest. In response, Old Man Wood launches a campaign to cut off resources to the desert, leaving them to starve in the wasteland; Clockie is disappointed in him. Old Man Wood expected people to turn on each other, instead they helped out. Clockie was also helping during that period, hoping it would teach Old Man Wood a lesson. ("It's better to overestimate than underestimate human nature!")

The Cowboys and Townfolk for a decentrilized force that tries to fight for their freedom. ("Our goal is freedom, not victory.") Old Man Wood takes the folk that sides with him to force them into submission. ("Chaos is not equivalent to freedom, Clockie.")

The Cowboys win and Old Man Wood despairs. He bids farewell to the town he cherished. the Cowboys celebrate and divide the town's territory into pieces, each representing a piece of their newfound land of freedom.

Clockie and Old Man Wood form a partnership again to do good for the future; a paradise.

Someone was penniless in Dreamville. ("What should we do, Old Man Wood?") Old Man Wood would take away the person's desires. No dissatisfaction should be in Dreamville. ("Buck up, and enjoy free SoulGlad on the Golden Street!")

Someone committed a crime in Dreamville. ("What should we do, Old Man Wood?") Old Man Wood would take away the criminal's evil thoughts. No baddies should be in Dreamville.

Someone is sick in Dreamville. Old Man Wood took their worries. No pain is allowed in Dreamville. ("You can't feel pain now. Cheer up!")

Hurting others? Old Man Wood inflicted the same mount of pain on the culprit. No hurting each other in Dreamville.

Permanently departing Dreamville? Old Man Wood made wood sculptures of the departed. No separation in Dreamville. ("Brother Hanu, Mirror Princess, and Captain Revolver are also back!")

Addicted to joy of games? Make them unable to feel the joy of playing games. No addiction in Dreamville. ("Bad games make people mad!")

Treason? No betrayal in Dreamville. ("Because everyone must be loyal to him.")

Reminiscing about the past Dreamville? No. ("Because there is only the present here.")

Meaning of life? Old Man Wood answered. There were no questions in Dreamville. ("Old Man Wood in the smartest tree!")

Questioning the ruling of Dreamville? No skepticism in Dreamville. ("Because he's right.")

Desire freedom in Dreamville? Give it to them, but leave them nothing else. ("That's the price of freedom.")

Over time Dreamville became united as one. Old Man Wood was nurtured into a towering tree that shelters all the Townfolk with its shade. There, Clockie also stopped thinking and immersed himself in joy.

("Old Man Wood can solve all the problems.")

...

The..end?

#penacony spoilers #hsr spoilers #hsr clockie #the event lives rent-free in my mind running circles as i try to figure out who is who #if there are any grammar mistakes then i blame the week long ongoing migraine and light sensitivity #i wanna take clockie by his face and shake him hard enough so the whole lore drops out of him without allegorical rewording

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