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another-goblin · 3 months

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I've seen a lot of interesting opinions about Dr. Ratio. Some of them I disagree with. So I decided to compile a little list of why I disagree with them. The first part will be about things that seem factually incorrect, and the second part is about things that are rather a matter of interpretation and context.

As always, I might be wrong, so feel free to correct me.

1. Things that seem factually incorrect.

"Ratio is an egoist and does everything for attention and recognition" - I don't remember him ever saying or doing anything that would indicate that. He saved these researchers secretly and made our TB take all the credit. He later even calls himself a "supporting character". He gets angry if we ask him for an autograph.

"He doesn't care about people" - yes, if you skipped his passionate speech to Screwllum about how much he cares about people. But also, everything he does in the game is helping people (saving these researchers on Herta station, offering us his help later in the express dialogues and messages - offering us to enroll in university, participate in devates, turn the express into a weapon, later helping Aventurine with his plan, helping him to find information, and so on).

"He hasn't achieved anything in science" - the list of his scientific achievements is easily available, I wouldn't say it's nothing. But I'll also leave this here:

Even his dedicated hater disagrees with this.

"Ratio's note did nothing to convince Aventurine to stay alive, it was all Acheron" - from how I see it, he was fully determined to end his life up until he read that note. Otherwise, why would they introduce the note at all? Why did Acheron feel the need to remind him of it?

"He never wanted to draw the gaze of Nous" and "He still wants it" - we can deduce that it isn't true from different parts of the game (he actually wanted it in the past but doesn't anymore), but that is a direct confirmation:

(I trust Screwllum's opinion.)

"Everybody hates him in-universe" - this is interesting because I even heard this from his fans. And it might sort of feel intuitive, but I don't remember any evidence of that. He literally has an in-universe fan club. People who knew him closely talk about him warmly in his character stories. The only person I remember ever expressing any negativity towards him was some shcolar in the Simulatred Universe, but I don't think it counts. I'll talk more about his students in particular later, but short version: I don't think they hate him either.

"I hate it when he tells me 'Zero points, get out' and throws chalk at me, that's mean" - that's so weirdly specific, but I've seen it a dozen times already. And, like, why??? He tells it to his enemies, not to us. I mean, nobody's angry at Serval for electrocuting her fans with her guitar just because that's what she does in her fighting animation.

Speaking of combat voice lines, if we wait too long, most characters get irritated and try to hurry us up. Meanwhile Ratio:

'That's okay, take your time, it's a turn-based game after all.'

"He's physically abusive to his students, he throws chalk at them" - similar to the previous point. I don't remember any mention of him doing that. The only case of him using physical force against a (potential) student was when, as a TA, he threw away a rich asshole who tried to buy a degree. And yes, in the boring real world, I wouldn't approve of that, but in the world of the game - well done, good ridance!

"He doesn't tolerate people disagreeing with him, he thinks he's always right"

"He's responsible for the crisis at Herta Station" - how though? I saw this opinion several times, and I'm really curious what people mean by that. Did he himself endanger these researchers by teleporting them who knows where, then faked the video from Duke Inferno, and so on? But why stop here while we're at it , maybe he also impersonated Ruan Mei, left the bug on the station, abandoned the poor cat-creatrures and drugged us with a cake?…

"He's worse than Dottore from Genshin" - technically it's a matter of opinion, but I think nobody will mind if I put it in the 'just wrong' category. But yeah, that's an opinion I've heard. I've got no idea what they meant, but it made me think, how many people did he help and save, both in the game and in his past? Probably more than most of the characters we've met so far. And he doesn't seem to discriminate, it's not 'I'll save my people'. He cured that disease for everybody's benefit, he saved Herta's researchers, he helped TB unravel the events on the station and then proceeded to pester them offering his help, he cosideres some troubled IPC executive 'his responsibility' and so on.

"He actually betrayed Aventurine" - no comments. Come on, play the game, read the dialogues.

1.5. A little intermission.

The thing that's hard to deny is that he definitely doesn't mince his words. Whether you see it as him being a rude asshole, being justifiably angry, brutally honest, sarcastic, or snarky, or showing tough love, or just being incapable of expressing himself in an adequate and socially acceptable way, it's up to you. I can understand how some people might be uncomfortable with that. I personally find it an interesting character trait. (I mean, he isn't even capable of expressing positive feelings in a normal way, what did you expect of him?):

There is also a very interesting (but rather confusing) thing that can be missed if you are unwilling to see further than the initial shallow impression, but it is impossible to unsee once you've noticed it. He sees himself as a teacher in two very different ways. It can be missed at first because both ways are described in very similar words. These ways are:

a teacher in a traditional sense (let's call it 'academic teacher');

and as something akin to a 'life coach', just helping people and making them realize that they shloud (and can) rely on themselves.

The thing is, we never see him in his 'academic teacher' role. As far as we know, he only acts this way with his university students. We never see him teaching anybody any scientific stuff, or berating people for their lack of knowledge and education. Yet he says that he considers everybody his students. But what does he mean if it's not about knowledge? He means it in the second 'life coach' meaning. Therefore, he sees literally everybody as worthy of his help and support.

BTW, I feel like his main problem as a character is that people tend to settle on the first impression they get of him and are unwilling to see further than that. Meanwhile, the game continues to explore his personality, revealing that most things about him are actually the opposite of what they might seem at first. That's why so many people think that he calls everybody idiots for being less smart than him, that he's egoistic and unfeeling, that he values knowledge above all, and so on. So if you actually have interest in him as a character, I'd encourage you to look at him more closely.

2. Now to the things that are more open to interpretation.

"He uses mean words" -to be honest, I'm not a big fan of writers making him use these words (idiots, fools, stupidity, and so on) because, first, they are usually used as just empty insults. (I'm curious whether he uses similar words in Chinese or something more nuanced). So I can understand how it can put some people off. And the second problem is that it feels like he means different things every time he uses these words. It's quite confusing. Here is a post where people helped me find different cases of him using these words; you can check it out yourself.

Let's look closer at some of these cases:

-'While geniuses wander among the stars, the ordinary can't even trace their footsteps. Those less gifted have no choice but to walk alone, enduring a lifetime of tumbles and triumphs. But even a life marked by failure is a life worth living — it is only in moments of solitude and despair, when help is absent, that fools grasp how to pick themselves up' He seems to contrast geniuses with fools here, so fools are everybody who's not a genius. So if you are inclined to see him this way, if you squint, you can technically see it as him insulting people based on their intellectual abilities, right?… Except, he includes himself among these fools, so no:

So it's basically 'all who are not geniuses are fools, including me'. Which is an interesting way to put it, but it definitely doesn't mean ''you are all fools for not being as smart as me''.

But he mostly uses these words when he talks about his fellow scholars:

-'First, with the headpiece on, isolated from my five senses, I can think without interference. And second, I don't have to set eyes on stupid people' - we only see him wearing the plaster head on Herta's Station, a place full of the most brilliant minds in the universe. We never see him using it again with normal people, so the word 'stupid' here can't be about people's intelligence.

There is also an interesting little detail:

He admires her intelligence (although in a sarcastic manner) in his 'about Herta' voiceline. He doesn't wear his 'anti-stupid' mask when he's with TB or Aventurine, but he always wears it with Herta. Which is very telling, and indicates again what he means by 'stupid'.

Some other examples:

-'(…)the fools from the Guild with ambitions beyond stars should be banished from my sight and thereby mind' -'Don't invert priorities like these dolts from the guild' -'I cannot stand fools, idiots, or imbeciles. Seeing them fills me with dread. Regrettably, this space station is just like the Intelligentsia Guild — devoid of geniuses and filled with mediocrity' -'Ah, the Technology Department. Charming little place, isn't it? Madam Yabuli does possess some semblance of competence, but her subordinates? Oh, they're a riot — brimming with enthusiasm yet utterly devoid of intellect. It's as if evolution halted prematurely for them'

He is absolutely RUTHLESS when he talks about scientists, because he expects a lot from them.

So no, I don't think he'd call you an idiot for not being an A student, or having learning difficulties, or just lacking an interest in learning. He absolutely would though if you were a brilliant scientist, priveledged with great education, resources, and a personal lab, squandering your talents and funds on a useless vanity project, or hoarding potentially life-saving knowledge for yourself, to use as a commodity.

"But he does call people idiots!" - I've noticed that most of the time he uses these 'insults' he talks about some groups of people.

I could only think of 3 times when he called an individual an idiot. He calls Aventurine an idiot because he 'lost' the stones (but it doesn't count because he plays a role and pretends that he hates Aven). A scholar in an event in SU complains of Ratio calling him an idiot (I'm not sure it actually happened, it's just a story in SU).

But there is one case of him calling somebody an idiot and actually meaning it. And who is this poor victim of his terrible verbal abuse? It's himself. Whoops. (speaking of how he's supposedly full of himself and thinks that he's better than the others.)

"He would call me an idiot because of my supposed lack of knowledge/education/intelligence" - I showed in the previous point why I think he wouldn't (he never seems to use these words to mean that).

But also consider this. During his interactions with Aventurine on Penacony Ratio mostly plays a role for Sunday, pretending that he despises Aventurine. That's why we can't draw any conclusions about his personality from most of their dialogues. But the moments when he breaks the role are extremely telling.

Let's look at one of them from the beginning. They argue; Ratio calls Aventurine an idiot for 'ruining their plan'. And then Aventurine mentions that he didn't go to school and lacks formal education. If there ever was a good time to call someone an idiot for being uneducated, that's it! That's what Sunday expects to hear (because his plan hinges on Ratio valuing knowledge above all else).

And what does he do? He fucking apologizes! Even for the role and for the sake of their plan, he can't bring himself to insult someone for being uneducated.

"He's mean to TB" - it's a matter of interpretation, but his behavior with us didn't strike me as mean or demeaning. He was just being sarcastic and snarky as always (and I understand that it's not everybody's cup of tea).

The situation was time-sensitive and precarious. We don't know how much control he had over it. He tried to make us realize what's going on as fast as possible, pretending that he himself is clueless. Because his goal was to show the recearchers that despite the presence of 2-3 geniuses on board, none of them were able to save them. If he just publicly saved everybody, it would be just another genius appearing out of nowhere and saving the day, which would go against his goals and his philosophy.

And later, our TB seems to regard him with a mix of respect and amusement (calling him Professor, asking for an autograph), no resentment here. So TB didn't think he was mean either.

"He values knowledge above all, he's obsessed with teaching people stuff, and he doesn't understand/accept that other people might have other priorities" - I'd argue that literally the opposite is true. He doesn't impose his knowledge on anybody against their will, and we never see him berate anybody for their lack of knowledge or education.

Sunday isn't the first person to misunderstand him that badly, and he's not having it. Even though at this point in the story, his and Aventurine's plan hinges on Sunday's misunderstanding. But I think his position is very clear: pursuit of knowledge above all is a matter of petty pride.

He says it when we ask him why he doesn't nag us about getting our act together, before a party. So basically "if learning makes you feel bad (doesn't enhance your living) then you are doing it wrong, go and have fun".

This probably isn't considered canon, but it illustrates how he sees knowledge. Here is an analogy. If I had an apple orchard, and I thought my apples were awesome and they'd make a great gift, and you should feel free to ask me if you want some. It doesn't mean that I shove my apples into people's mouths against their will and then call them idiots and spit on them when they don't like it.

"He's a bad person because he didn't help us fight the big bug" - he knew who we are. It's not in his habit to directly involve himself where he's not needed, it would go against his philosophy ('you should count on yourself; you can do it'). It's not like he left us to die; he must have known how capable our TB is. BTW, he was still looking after us, seemingly ready to come to our help:

Besides, currently nothing indicates that (outside of the turn-based gameplay) he's anything more than a normal human being. He would be a hindrance in a fight.

"He's a bad teacher" - (first, here is an interesting post about this from the point of view of an actual teacher)

So yeah, it's about the 3% passing rate. Yes, it can mean that only 3% of his students end up learning something. It's possible that he's such a bumbling idiot of a teacher that he doesn't even understand how bad he is. It's possible that he's somehow still allowed to teach despite being THAT bad.

But I think it's much more possible (and consistent with his philosophy) that he just has very high standards. A 3% rate doesn't mean that only 3% know anything. Students might benefit enormously from his classes, even without passing. They still have all their valuable skills and knowledge.

But also, let's not forget that he doesn't teach children. He teaches at the university. And I don't think it's some 101 basics; it's likely something related to his research and discoveries, some extremely advanced cutting-edge stuff. So his students are already extremely well educated adults, who want to achieve more. He would probably see lowering his standards as a betrayal of his students.

"His students hate him" - I didn't get that impression. On the contrary, they seem quite interested in him (some times in really creepy ways):

The only indication that they might have something against him is this:

It's either a literal roll-call of actual adults who shed literal tears during his classes, or it's just students being their normal cheeky selves, being overdramatic about a strict teacher.

An example that came to mind: I can whine about how ruthless my gym trainer is and how I couldn't walk for a week after the last leg day. And his other clients would agree. But everybody understands that it's an expression of approval, not contempt. And maybe a bit of a humble brag.

Besides, if we decide to take that post at face value, then we'll have to take this literally too, meaning that his students consider him an actual God. And I don't think it's true:

-------------------

There are still a lot of hot takes I disagree with that I haven't mentioned, but I'm too tired. This took WAY too long. Other cases are mostly quote-mining and deliberatly taking what he says out of context, which isn't very interesting to argue against (just read the full dialogue and consider the context). And also different variations on 'he's an asshole, he hates people, he thinks he's better than others, he'd call you an idiot for this or that, he's elitist, he only values knowledge and intelligence' and so on, but I think I addressed it sufficiently.

So yeah, that was my little character research. This wasn't written for his haters (I dislike some characters myself, and I wouldn't probably read 3K words about how I should change my mind). It was rather for the people who kind of like him, but who feel sad thinking how he'd probably call them idiots or something. I hope I was able to help you see him in a different way. He wouldn't call you an idiot, he'd support you.

#honkai star rail #my stuff #dr ratio #hsr 2.3

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tylermileslockett · 10 months

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The Greek underworld, or House of Hades, is generally described in Homer’s Iliad as a gloomy place of “the mists and the darkness” (Lattimore) where the spirits heroes and villains alike come to rest. Hermes as Psychopomp (Spirit guide), would lead the new spirits down into the land of the dead. Souls would first drink at the River Acheron (river of sorrow) or sometimes mentioned as the River Styx (to specifically forget their past pains), then they would be ferried across by the boatman Charon for a coin placed within their mouths or upon their eyes. Souls would drink from the River Lethe (river of forgetfulness) to forget all memories of their previous lives, then pass through the gates guarded by Cerberus, the hound of Hades before being presented before Hades, and his wife Persephone. The other two rivers of the underworld are the River Phlegethon (river of fire) and the River Cocytus (river of wailing) both associated with punishment.

The Souls would then be judged by three demi gods: Minos (son of Zeus and Europa), Rhadamanthus, (son of Zeus and Europa), and Aeacus, (son of Zeus and Aegina.) and would choose a final place for each soul amongst the following locations:

the Asphodal meadows, (asphodal is a white lily associated with death), is where ordinary souls were forgotten, wandering in monotony amongst misty darkness. The Elysian fields, also known as Elysium, is described as a paradise where the honored heroes go to live in white houses amongst fields of gold, ripe fruit, and temperate weather. Tartarus is a realm residing a vast distance below Hades, and is a place of cruel, eternal punishment that, according to Hesiod, even Zeus feared. Here the defeated Titans were held, imprisoned in chains, as well as mortals who committed crimes against the gods, like Sisyphus, Tantalus, and Ixion. In addition, the Erinyes, (or Furies), the three goddess of blood retribution and punishers of criminals were said to inhabit this dreaded realm.

If you share this image I'll pass you a golden ticket to the Elysian fields! Xoxo

Support my book kickstarter "Lockett Illustrated: Greek Gods and Heroes" coming in early 2024.

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axiian19-art · 4 months

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The more I think about it the more I realize that if this guys had met under different circumstances, they would have gotten along super well.

PENACONY SPOILERS UP TO 2.2 + CHARACTER LORE / STORIES

All 4 of them have lost their entire family, 3 of them have lost their entire race / homeworld (Boothill, Aventurine, Acheron), 2 of them lost these things because they were victims of the IPC (Boothill and Aventurine), and 2 of them have either lost a sibling or are afraid of losing a sibling (Aventurine and Sunday).

More specifically:

As far as I know, Sunday and Robin's parents were killed somehow, and they were taken in by the Family. Then as Sunday said Robin ended up getting shot in the neck due to trying to help others, and I think he got some kind of trauma from that and his fear of losing Robin, his sister and only remaining family, was amplified, leading to his desire to protect "the weak" no matter the cost—because to him, keeping Robin's wings "clipped" and her alive would be less painful than her being gone, and him being alone forever.

Boothill, as I understand it, was taken in by 2 people who found him as a child, and grew up in the countryside of his planet. He later found and adopted a young girl and raised her as her own, until his entire planet was destroyed by the IPC, causing him to set out to get revenge.

Aventurine also lost his sister and his entire home planet due to the IPC + his planet's own problems, and has been forced to work for the IPC ever since. It also seems like he's trying to destroy it from the inside out or at least obtain his own freedom.

As for Acheron, her entire world, as well as her memories of it, were destroyed—she's almost certainly lost people that were important to her, like the other three.

Like honestly if they all sat down and traded backstories I feel like they'd get along super well, they're all victims of circumstance and that's why they experienced so much conflict during the story

#hsr #honkai star rail #honkai starrail #rambles #aventurine #aventurine hsr #hsr aventurine #boothill #hsr boothill #boothill hsr #sunday #sunday hsr #hsr sunday #robin #robin hsr #hsr robin #acheron #hsr acheron #acheron hsr

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chilled-ice-cubes · 6 months

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why did Sunday asked If aventurine wanted to destroy the world it's kinda random

sunday uses the interrogation scene to feel out aventurine's motivations; but he also uses it to take out his own anger on someone he can punch down on. aventurine was opportunistic enough to capitalise on robin's death, and use it as a tool to further the ipc's agenda—but he is not the murderer, which is something sunday knows as well. the interrogation scene is sunday toying with aventurine as well as confirming his plans.

why then does sunday specifically ask aventurine if he wants to destroy the world? it's because the armour-piercing questions sunday asks aventurine are actually very much applicable to sunday himself, the interrogation scene is a study in how sunturine mirror each other. (this is one of the reasons behind the question, but there's another as well that i lay out under the cut)

(1) do you love your family more than you love yourself & (2) do you hate and wish to destroy this world; are questions sunday has probably asked himself now that he's in a situation where robin, the one Family member he really loves, is apparently dead. the double meaning of this world: encompassing the universe in general and penacony in specific.

MAJOR SPOILERS FOR 2.1 UNDERNEATH;

finally, when sunday confronts gallagher at the very end of the quest, he specifies that he already knew what aventurine wanted to do as soon as he "walked out of the doors of the mansion" [the line below is a mistranslation]. basically, the objective reason as to why sunday asked the "destroy the world?" question was as a way to feel out what aventurine's underlying plan was: to use acheron to break the dreamscape and fall into the true penacony himself.

thank you for the ask, i love this update so much and welcome any chance to ramble about it <3

#honkai star rail #hsr spoilers #honkai star rail spoilers #anya.txt #anya replies #aventurine #sunday hsr

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bigskydreaming · 2 months

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Like yes merpeople but ALSO what about merpeople who are specifically half-shark, or the underwater equivalent of giants, half-human/half-whale? We've got the occasional half-human/half-octopus but also yes to half human jellyfish and half human manta rays and not naiads specifically so much as the underwater equivalent of dryads, having the same connection to coral gardens and reefs that dryads do to trees and forests.

Gimme underwater lamias who are actually more accurately half human/half electric eel, with all the associated zapping ability, that lends them insight into electricity and related phenomena they use to build high-tech wonderlands deep beneath the waves.....and far from any shore, underwater travelers fear crossing paths with 'ghosts' which are actually like a supernatural form of jellyfish who wrap their translucent selves around their victims to "possess them."

I want selkies who don't just come ashore to have angsty love affairs with beguiling humans, but who also live in communities deep in arctic regions far away from any human civilization where they carve entire villages and cities into the undersides of icebergs.

Underwater vampiric creatures, maybe lamprey or shark themed, who specifically drink blood for the oxygen in it, as that's what enables them to go 'top side' for awhile before having to retreat back to the depths they're more naturally adapted to live in. Krakens but also a Fae-like version of angler fish who use their lights as an undersea version of will'o'wisps, leading denizens of the deep astray.

Multiple types of undersea shapeshifters, going to and from the surface and the deep, with entirely different branches of the same shapeshifter family trees.....the dolphin shapeshifters of the Mediterranean being descendants of the sailors cursed by Dionysus and having very little in common with the encantado who live in the waters of South America, but often lumped in with each other and sharing similar issues and interactions with other civilizations due to the fact that so many others just assume all dolphin shapeshifters are connected or alike even though they have completely different natures, parameters for their shapeshifting, and an entire spectrum of supernatural abilities with very little actual overlap between the different 'types.'

Not just one god of the sea, but multiple gods of the deep, all associated with their own regions, from Poseidon to Sedna to Tangaroa to Manannán mac Lir and Kimbazi. The deep sea equivalent of druids, cultivating kelp forests and coral groves and gardens warmed and nourished by the undersea volcanoes they're planted in the shadows of. Sorcerers as fixated on trying to control and harness and direct the power and positioning of underwater currents as above-the-sea counterparts are with trying to control the weather.

Narwhales often mistaken for the unicorns of the deep, but only because there actually ARE an undersea version of unicorns for them to get mixed up WITH. Protective amulets and talismans and charms made of sea shells, alchemical potions mixed from octopus ink and kraken blood and marine sinkholes like the Great Blue Hole off the coast of Belize being the undersea equivalent of fairy rings, serving as entrances to a subaquatic Otherworld or Underworld.

The rivers of various pantheons' Underworlds having exit points at multiple places around the world, so there are entire regions considered haunted or places of wild magic because they're where the waters of the Styx or Acheron slip out and get mixed into the ocean, altering the properties of the water in those regions in strange and unpredictable ways.

Deep sea mages using and manipulating pressure in ways there's no above-water equivalent for because on land its not really a natural phenomenon of note or a force of nature all its own, not in the same ways it would be for those who live their entire lives and build cities at depths where the water around them has a weight and power that the air just does not possess for those who do the same at sea level.

A spectrum of sirens, different types and different cultures all with their own unique distinctions....as much as some are associated with seduction, there are other clans with reputations as scavengers, known for sending hunting parties to the surface where they sing down storms to scuttle ships and drag them and their contents down to the depths.

An entire world where there's always a lower depth, a darker chasm, a further mystery just below.....the deepest abysses an uncharted badlands populated by eldritch creatures older than anything else in the world, a pitch dark landscape dotted with the ruins of empires so old nobody remembers they ever existed, let alone what they were called.

Idk, idk, I just think there's so much more to be mined from the sheer wealth of sea creatures and concepts and phenomena and traditional mermaids and selkies and sirens, cool as they are, are really just the tip of the iceberg. And we have gotten a couple cool glimpses of undersea civilizations and how wild and colorful they can be in the last decade or so in cinema, but again....tip of the iceberg. There's soooooo much more that can be done, I'm just like. *vibrates in place wanting it all*

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magicalgirlsirin · 5 months

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it was rly funny when welt was trying to tell acheron how great kevin was and how it was thanks to him humanity survived. acheron responded no he died alone and it was other people who did that

Oh g-d actually I'm so esited because I get to powerlevel further

So like, the thing is that if you only have context with hi3 (summaries or otherwise), you're actually missing out on which version of Mei that Acheron is based on.

It's not hi3 Mei, it's ggz* Mei.

*Specifically before they rebooted ggz canon like 5 separate times to try and beat it into submission to align with hi3 canon more which I still don't agree with but that's not the point of this post.

And like, yes Acheron's trailer is functionally a hi3 recap, but in terms of emotion and meaning it's way closer to her ggz counterpart and what finality means there.

In hi3, the reveal is that finality is "time". In ggz, the reveal is that finality is the "end". In hi3, Kiana, Mei, and Bronya band together to overcome finality, which ultimately allows humanity more time to exist. In ggz, it's revealed that the future doesn't, will not, and has never once existed. Every action taken will always be preserved in the past, and the present is just a repeat of all those actions right back up to meeting finality.

In ggz, Kiana becomes finality, and kills Mei and Bronya.

In hi3, Kiana becomes finality, and overcomes the end with Mei and Bronya.

In hsr, Kevin becomes finality, but is defeated by Mei alone.

Because she hasn't actually overcome finality, Mei probably realized how futile her efforts were. Finality in hsr is Terminus, the aeon who is eternally moving backwards from the end that THEY have already witnessed... Similar to ggz's concepts about finality as the end.

(As a sidebar, Welt Yang didn't exist in ggz, it was just Welt Joyce who is wayyyy less noble as an AE leader.)

So like... neither Welt nor Acheron are wrong in their conversation. Kevin was a hero, but he was also the culmination of humanity's greatest threat. Acheron could not reach the other side, and she lost everything she cared about sacrificing her comforts to try and delay their ends just a little bit longer. She can't even doubt herself or even think to be stronger next time, because she knows she's the strongest (and loneliest) that she'll ever be. There is no next time, so there is no point in doing better.

That is the path of Nihility, succumbing to the pointlessness of existence. And there is no Kiana there to tell her to fight for all that's beautiful in the world, because she's forgotten how to see.

edit: to be clear, when I say that acheron is "based on" ggz mei, it's in regards to her relationship with finality, in case it wasn't clear enough from my post okay thanks bye

#dazzling nova #honkai star rail #welt yang #hsr acheron #ggz #houkai gakuen 2 #raiden mei #sorry u were probably expecting me to laugh along its true it was funny i just have a lot of thoughts

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bithermal · 1 year

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Q!BBH AND RELIGIOUS ICONOGRAPHY

Ok I said I’d make a longer post about it, so here it is. I just find it so incredible fascinating how Badboyhalo has chosen to incorporate religious symbols in his base, specifically the ones he has chosen to include. All of the symbols he has chosen are associated with death in some way. Unsurprising, considering he has heavily alluded to being the grim reaper. But, what I really want to focus on is the fact that the chosen symbols have a much heavier focus on the transition into death rather than death itself.

Let’s start with the easiest and most obviously one: the halo chandeliers and the wings sprouting from behind the throne. Angels in Christianity have served a large variety of roles, but the two I want to focus on is them being heralds of death/disaster and escorts of souls to heaven. I’m sure the herald angels relate back to BBH alluding that he caused great historical disasters such as the Black Death, but because there’s so many instances of herald angels I’m not gonna focus on any specific one.

Who I do want to focus on; however, is the angel of death Azrael. He’s sort of your classic biblically accurate angel with the many eyes and wings and all that, but his main job is to separate the soul from the body. He is unaware of when a human will die and only acts when he has been told (something about a leaf with that person’s name on it falling from the tree under God’s throne blah blah). The interesting note, though, is that Azrael stands on the bridge between paradise and hell. I point at the bridge leading from what will be the warp room to BBH’s base into the rest of his home. Now it’s your choice how you interpret which side is supposedly paradise and which is hell. Personally I could see an interpretation for either. Now back to angels. After Azrael pays you a visit to grab your soul, he hands you off to some guardian angels. Who those angels are varies based on what sect of Christianity you look at; some say Archangel Michael escorts you, others say it’s your personal guardian angels. Nonetheless, they act as escorts for the soul to the afterlife. Sound familiar? BBH has stated or implied (it’s been awhile I can’t remember if it was outright stated) that he helped guide the eggs who had died to the afterlife.

Now the next religious symbol is probably the most closely tied to the transition into death. BBH’s river of souls is heavily inspired by the River Styx and its ferryman Charon. Charon’s job was to ferry souls who had received burial rites across the rivers Acheron and Styx. There is some debate about the mythos of each river but for the purpose of this post I’m just going to refer to them both as what separated the world of the dead from the living. The main point here is that Charon ferried souls from the land of the living to that of the dead, where they will be judged and sent to whatever part of the underworld Hades would deem fit. Again, we are not quite seeing a symbol of death itself, but more of that transition period. What happens as the soul leaves the body and is on its way to the afterlife. And again, I point to BBH implying he guided the dead eggs. The interesting part here, though, is that Charon did not work for free like angels. When one received burial rites, they had a coin placed in their mouth that would serve as payment for the ferry. What I’m curious about is what BBH would consider payment if he’s considering it at all. It could possibly explain why he’s gotten away with so much without a serious step in from the Federation? But then again I could be looking too far into it lol.

The last symbol I want to talk about is interesting because it represents both life and death. The Ankh that BBH designed his rooms to form can been seen with a lot of important Egyptian figures. Pharaohs and kings were often depicted with them to preserve immortality. Egyptian gods such as Osiris, Iris, and Ra are all seen depicted with it. Important leaders were often buried with them to take to the afterlife to live a sort of life after death. The thing of note to me, though, is that it commonly represents the ability of gods to revive souls in the afterlife. This symbol isn’t so much a symbol of transition, but one of defiance of death. I included it in here because I find it appropriate that BBH, the one to consistently care for the eggs when no one else can, the one who has probably done the most to set up every safety measure he could to protect them, the one who feels most responsible for their disappearance, would be the one to adopt this symbol. Ngl the part about reviving souls gives me hope he can find a way to bring the dead eggs back, but that’s largely me coping and I doubt that will actually be possible.

Lastly, I just find it interesting that BBH adopted the Grim Reaper specifically as part of his lore. It’s a very vague concept not cemented in any one religion. Often, it’s never really associated with any one afterlife, just the act of dying itself. Idk I find it extremely noteworthy that BBH has not quite adopted the death aesthetic, but has instead integrated his lore in that transitional period. Not necessarily the afterlife, but the act of dying itself and that journey one takes to the afterlife.

Anyways if you read all this thanks for indulging my rambling lol. I just love love love symbolism in media especially religious symbolism. If I got anything wrong or I missed something please lmk and I’ll fix it!

#qsmp #badboyhalo #qsmp badboyhalo #qsmp bbh #qsmp meta

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strwbmei · 4 months

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If HYV doesn't stop with the parallels between Acheron and Kiamei, I will actually explode and die.

The way Acheron tries desperately to hold onto whatever she has left of her memories of the past and her version of Kiana?? The way Mei once said that the world doesn't matter to her if Kiana isn't in it, and now Acheron is an Emanator of Nihility?? Take note, Nihility's whole thing is about believing that everything is worthless because everyone and everything will meet the same end.

ALSO how Acheron has sort of lost her sense of taste, specifically with spiciness. When Kiana first became the HoV, she also lost her sense of taste. Of course, she didn't let Mei know because Mei was already very concerned, so she still ate Mei's cooking like always. Kiana complimented Mei's curry for having the perfect amount of spiciness, and then Mei had this inner monologue saying, "You liar. Paprika curry isn't spicy at all..." which by the way huge props to her VA for delivering that line SO WELL but also what the fuck Hoyoverse why would you do this to me

Both Acheron and Mei were raised to be really proper maidens, but it's canon that Mei only really learned to cook because of Kiana and Acheron probably did too...

#strwb rambles #honkai impact #ignore the weird phrasing #i was gonna talk about Acheron initially but i just ended up rambling about kiamei

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finisnihil · 7 months

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So. I think. I may have figured out the significance of the red text in Penacony’s quest line and it’s relation to Acheron. Spoilers ahead for Penacony

First, let’s establish the connections and contexts in which red text is used in Penacony. The first time we experience it is when we meet Acheron.

During this initial conversation, Acheron tells us something extremely important.

Acheron easily forgets things UNLESS they are tied to emotional response.

When we see the red text used going forward it’s typically through emotional recollection.

Acheron asks if we have met before because it feels like we have. When she talks about her interactions Black Swan and her old friend she never recalls details like their facial features, their names, nothing like that, she only remembers the atmosphere of the interaction and how it made her feel.

When we see the red text pop up again it’s during exploration of the Dreamscape Reverie

In both these instances the red text is denoting emotion, experience.

This tape we find, it's extremely important.

When you turn it in to a member of the Bloodhound Family he informs you that the tapes are associated withe the assault of Sweet Dreams Troupe and a corruption of their "consciousness". He then gives an interesting description of their effect

The use of the term "tapes" is not a coincidence and I think I have the anwser.

It's the Stone Tapes Theory.

For those unaware, the Stone Tapes Theory is the belief that "ghosts" as we know them are actually recorded memories. During traumatic or emotional events, the mental impression seeps into objects like the stones of a house and the memories of the events get "recorded" in the object like a tape, and it's believed it can be "replayed" if interacted with in a certain way (it's the premise of a movie called Last Night in Soho which is an excellent watch if you want to look into the concept more).

The objects attacked were ones typically in a state of being inanimate and the attacks disrupted the impressions they already carried. They disrupt the mental state and emotions of the living because the living get sucked into the "replay" of the event. The term "phantasmagoria" in relation to the Dreamscape is used in the letter with the tape, which is a term for dream-like visions or illusions, typically seen in a half-concious or sleeping state.

How does Acheron connect to all of this?

In a previous analysis of mine, I talk about Acheron's connections to death and her possible role as a psychopomp. Death and Sleep are connected in many folklores across many cultures as Sleep is seen as a temporary stae of Death.

The Dreamscape has many allusions to being an afterlife or place of death beyond having the "Death" nightmare creature.

Souls are gathered in the Dreamscape and when you talk to many NPCs it's a shock to realize they're actually dead and their memory is being stored in the Dreamscape like the Stone Tape Theory. Chadwick, Lesley Dean, etc. And these are the quests that are shown in the Fate's Atlas. They're important. We access their memories connected to their fate using an inanimate object that holds significance to their specific situation.

Sparkle is used to reiterate that death isn't permanent in the Dreamscape but I don't think it's just because you can wake up, it's also because the "tape" can be rewound and replayed from the start.

Acheron was picked out from the start by Black Swan as interesting. She was her first dance. Acheron also shows to be able to navigate the Dreamscape very well on her own. The mingling of memory and death is significant because I think Acheron is serving as a psychopomp leading souls out of their Stone Tapes. Stopping them from being rewound. Her sword has a red eye and she sees the world in black, white, and red. The living, the dead, and Stone Tapes. This comes into conflict with Black Swan, who as a Memokeeper, would be striving to preserve those Stone Tapes. Sam burning entities in the Stone Tapes could be bad because he's destroying the tapes with those still inside them while Acheron is trying to guide the souls out.

Penacony has a big clock theme with an area of the Reverie even commenting that the clock doesn't work because time stands still in a dream. The different areas of the Dreamscape are called Moments. These "Moments" are just Stone Tapes.

Do you know what witness marks are? They've been symbolic in horror media like Mike Flanagan's adaptation of The Haunting of Hill House. They're scratches or dents in antique clocks left behind where pieces may have moved or been stationed and are used by clockmakers to help restore or wind antique clocks. The founder of Penacony as it is now is the Watchmaker. Acheron is a witness mark. All the special guests are. The Watchmaker's legacy is whoever can use the witness marks to fix the big clock of the Reverie and smooth out the disruptions in the harmony of life and death, these Stone Tapes.

Feel free to add your thoughts, mwah!

#honkai star rail #Acheron #hsr theory #Hsr analysis #acheron analysis #Penacony #Penacony spoilers #Finis Analyzes

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chiara-hotel · 5 months

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𝒟𝒶𝓉𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝒯𝒽𝑒𝓂

Characters: Aventurine, Acheron & Boothill

Part 1 Here: (w/ Blade, Dan Heng, Robin & Jingliu)

Part 3 Here: (w/ Sunday & Black Swan)

Warnings: Possibly penacony spoilers

- Aventurine as your boyfriend is a big treat

- Hes got a lot of money and loves spending it on you

- Every single week he spoils you with a shopping trip, getting all of your favourite items

- Even if you say its okay and he doesn’t need to but it he still does

- His specifically is gift giving

- Although he also loves cuddling and just holding you in general

- Whenever you’re in public together he always has his arm around your waist or around your shoulder

- Visits to the casino together <33

- Considers you his lucky charm whenever he goes with you

- Always kisses his chips to give them to you after hes done using them

- Aventurine also helps you out whenever you play against someone too, you both also occasionally gamble against eachother (if he wins though you owe him 10 kisses)

- Due to his status as a member of the IPC, often times he also must go on long missions

- If he can he always takes you with him, even if its just staying at a hotel for the night with you

- If he can’t he sends you handwritten letters with some gifts he gave you

- You also have met a few members of the IPC (etc.) including Dr Ratio and Topaz (Not Jade or Diamond though… He keeps you away from them)

- As a frequent traveller, you often travel along with her swapping locations every few weeks

- Acheron is a quiet lover, she loves listening to you ramble about things you enjoy as she just listens

- She forgets things often so you might need to repeat some things

- Even with her memory she always remembers you and your intrests, favourite flowers, chocolate, color, anything special relating to you

- Which yes shes a gift lover, gets you flowers whenever you meet up for a date

- Always protects you from danger, her sword is ready to fight off against any enemies that trouble you

- Shes also the type of person if you get extremely injured - she’ll ask for the name. As for what happens to them she’ll never tell you

- Teaches you a bit of self-defence after that just in case

- Boothill is a traveller, constantly moving locations

- He isn’t much of a sightseer but hes willing to stay an extra day if theres somewhere you really want to go

- On that note you follow him to whatever weird world he goes to next! Most of the time you are out of danger and you await in the hotel room while he kills things

- Unless you’re also strong and can hold up a fight then he invites you on the regular and you both challenge eachother to see who can kill the most enemies

- Enjoys duels too and you guys test your strength against eachother

- Besides its good practice for him if you’re as strong as him

- If you’re weaker its best for your sake and also will train you basic combat & self defence techniques

- Treasures you, always holding you even if he can’t feel it

- Loves putting his face by your neck/on your shoulder to feel you

- Boothill adores when you kiss all over his face, he says its even better if you have lipstick on to put all over him

- Steal his hat, he’ll enjoy it

- Of course when he can’t find it he’ll panic until he realizes that you stole it and immediately comments about how hot you are with his hat

- Or if you steal any of his clothing, really

Author Comment: I hope you enjoyed these headcannons! I plan on getting a lot of drafts done within the next few weeks hopefully!

#honkai star rail x reader #honkai star rail #boothill x reader #aventurine x you #aventurine x reader #boothill x you #acheron x you #acheron x reader #hsr x reader #boothill #aventurine #acheron #boothill headcanons #aventurine headcanons #acheron headcannons

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t4tstarrailing · 2 months

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every once in a while, I look at my HSR tarot thoughts draft and think "hmm, I should post the whole thing"

.... the whole thing isn't ready, but I do wanna yap about how aventurine and acheron's dynamic symbolizes the death card so well. it's a bit scattered since I don't have specific quotes and scenes in it, but hopefully you'll get the gist of it.

when people hear about the death card, they immediately think like literal, physical death. i've seen lots of people call Gallagher "the death card" which I can see to some degree, especially with the whole "I'm Thirteen" statement... but really, if you were to have a penacony based tarot deck, he would be the Tower card.

but that isn't the death card. well, sometimes it can be about literal physical death, but most of the time it isn't. in tarot, death is the harbinger of winter. he is telling you "it is time to reap your crops and prepare for the season's change". it's all about change. it's about cutting loose from something that is holding you back, whether or not you are actively aware of it. it's about going into the new season, cutting yourself loose from the past. it can be a literal ego death, a death of a philosophy you've held on to for so long. this is further symbolized with the existence of the towers in the moon card being in the background, with the moon card being all about the hidden meanings. under the scythe of death, even the hidden will be dragged out and forced into the cycle of change.

and who has had the biggest change in their philosophy and had the literal chains of harmony cut away from him, forcing him into a new outlook on life while standing in the shadow of IX?

aventurine. aventurine, who stood in the shadow of IX with an emanator of nihility that shouldn't exist. who looked her in the eyes and asked her "why does life exist in the shadow of nihility if we must struggle against it?" who said good-bye to his younger self, coming to terms with him in order to move onto the next cycle of life. this is a textbook definition of the death card in tarot.

but this card isn't just about him. in fact, I would say that this card would be more acheron heavy since she's the initiator of this change. she is death himself. standing on the shore, guiding lost souls to their end. in her conversation with aventurine, she is literal death and metaphorical philosophical death. she is his executioner, but also the one that has freed him from the chains of the harmony.

when I imagine the death card in a HSR tarot deck, I imagine boss aventurine falling, his mask partially destroyed and acheron's slash across his chest, acheron's red flowers pouring out of the gash, with a simple white background. it's a bit gruesome, but my favorite interpretation of the death card has to come from the forager's daughter tarot deck—a small bird lies dead, flowers blooming out of its wounds. your new self flourishes in the corpse of your old self, your past giving your new self a healthy, nourished welcome to this world. it's a wonderful representation of aventurine coming to terms with his past and growing into something new, under the power of acheron

#—the snake rambles #hsr aventurine #aventurine hsr #hsr acheron #... can you tell i study and do tarot

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devilgem · 24 days

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In your hsr au there are Pomni and Jax (btw I love there design) and I was wondering how they both got like that (was it from the beginning or were they both cursed somehow)

i have taken this opportunity to ramble abt these 2 a teensyyy bit more than just designs asdfhkfd; heads up for some hsr lore terminology scattered about, ive left some links to the wiki just in case.

sooo pomni’s deal is less clear cut at the moment bc i keep jumping between ideas. her hornless, scaleless form couldve been a result of her repressing everything she experienced as xuanlie. she couldve also broken off her horns and pulled out her scales herself in a self-destructive fit. either way, pheenie hates any reminders of the person she once was.

xuanlie was an important figure leading one of the last standing cities of her home planet. something something, the last bastion of humanity fighting against world-ending calamity something something (something similar to bronya rand and belobog and the eternal freeze?)

she shared an intimate and codependent relationship with her closest friend, confidant, and entertainer: xinran. he’s like… the sole reason why she even continued to push to protect their city, because otherwise she was resentful of having to take up such a burdensome position and felt detached to her people. there’s some slight guilt on her end for feeling that way.

i’m not going to go into the details of how their Last City fell or how exactly she got separated from xinran, bc those are still in progress (as is their entire planet 😭) but to her, failing to protect it meant failing the most important person in her life. it’s why pheenie wants to bury xuanlie.

still unsure if she has issues with memory or not post-calamity. besides that, her behavior closely mirrors that of canon!pom

also she got her new name from caine, the conductor of this au’s astral express.

—-

the idea behind jax is straight up taken from acheron because i love raiden mei in every universe and i like jax and that’s where it spiraled into an entire au with slight tweaks to fit jax’s character better. like acheron, he is a self-annihilator and emanator of nihility; unlike acheron, he masquerades as a masked fool.

xinran in the past dabbled in mostly good natured teasing and various showmanship, all tailored specifically for a Certain Somebody. he had passion what for he did, passion for making xuanlie’s day a little brighter.

all of which was lost the moment xuanlie had presumably perished in the apocalypse that finished off their city, and he’d become casted in Nihility’s shadow.

having nothing else to live for, the jackrabbit is just as much of a menace as canon!jax, with an extra splash of theatrics and memory troubles. his memories do get temporarily restored upon activation of his emanator powers (the red/grey form). which, unless the situation is that Dire, he doesn’t do often, for two reasons.

1) he’d rather keep the memories that have given him nothing but endless grief buried; 2) it’s no fun to one-shot everything that gets in his way. just because he can doesn’t mean he will- he still likes to stir up shit and watch bloodshed unfold the good ol fashioned way yknow

—

to sum things up: their current appearances are like that bc they did not die when they should have (ok im half kidding) one wants to separate herself from her past failures and the other became an apathetic god’s accidental chosen.

#thank u for liking their designs! :3 #also jr and pheen weren’t aware the other survived until later. way later. like… possibly decades? centuries? who knows??#that reunion would be anything But heartfelt #also also sorry for leaving some bits purposefully vague😭😭😭#askies #magictacofairy #hsr au #hsr au: jax #hsr au: pomni

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