#//A faction of the IPC; or if it can be their own thing

[dutybcrne]

HSR verse Kaeya ideas:

Path of Nihility, Element Ice

Fell in stride with that path due to his depression after his conflict with Diluc and belief his fate due to his family's ties to the Abyss Order may be to bring his new homeworld's doom ( in part because of his Father's final words to him ), maintained in growing to find amusement in the impossible and working towards it regardless of the fact

Has every intention to try and defy his so-called fate even still, even knowing all that effort may be for naught in the end. But at least he would like to say he tried

Tends to help people on a whim, without desiring credit for his actions or if it may help them in the long run

His abilities sap the vitality of his enemies, but consume his own when he uses his strongest ability

Due to his family's contract with the Abyss Order, his lifespan is longer than most humanoids, spanning centuries. Though not quite that of a Xianzhou native, like them, his people do still face a terrible curse to become monsters after a time, like many of the Abyss Order.

He is glad his loved ones will never live to see him succumb to it. One way or another.

Though he also secretly harbors the strongest desire to force the Abyss's immortality on them to ensure they can stay with him, and face the same fate. He has to wonder if the slumbering monster in him is to blame for that, or his own attachments

[justatinycatgirl]

Oaths & Loyalties

link to ao3 version

(direct fan content of @havanillas' roleswap au)

“No.”  A terse and firm rejection.  Lapis Lazuli had expected this from Sapphire, his coworker known for his unwavering dedication to his oaths.  The oath to treasure his cornerstone like his own life is no different.

“Oh come on Sapphire, it’s not that terrible of a plan, is it?” Lapis groaned.  It wasn’t such a terrible plan to himself, deceiving The Family with two cornerstones that are not his own.  It was a gamble whether they would take the bait, but that’s what Lapis specializes in.

“It’s a horrible plan!  Not only do you intend to put I and Miss Topaz’s cornerstones at risk for your scheme, but also risk your own life at the end of it all.  Are you even sure any of this will work?”

“Well of course not, no scheme is ever one hundred percent certain to go through as planned.” Lapis shrugs.

“Mine always are.” Sapphire retorts, causing Lapis’ face to twist into a sneer.

“Well, aren't you a genius.  Perhaps I could make some ends meet and get you hooked up with the Genius Society?” Lapis derided, leaning forward with his hands on his hips.

Sapphire’s eyebrows raised at Lapis’ contemptuous mocking, before letting out a derisive huff of his own.  He leans back in his seat, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Did I mistakenly probe at an old wound, Lapis Lazuli?  As far as I knew, you had cut ties with any and all factions related to Nous.” Sapphire quirked an eyebrow at the man before him, who’s shoulders now tensed at his pointed statement.

Lapis’ gaze leaves the slender man in front of him, now resting on his shoes. “Yes, I did.  I was only being sarcastic.” His gaze shifts to the side now, brows furrowed in irritation.

“While we’re on the topic, your loyalty is…concerning, to say the least.” Sapphire begins, rising from his seat and slowly making his way to the broader shouldered man. “You gave up on Erudition after the Genius Society rejected you, you couldn’t fully dedicate yourself to The Hunt, I do wonder how long it will take until you break your oath to Preservation as well.” He was now standing directly in front of Lapis, looking down his nose at him with a contemptuous glare.

Lapis grit his teeth, clenching his fists at his sides.  He wanted to say many things to this man, things he knew he couldn’t if he wanted his plan to work out correctly.  They need to at least tolerate each other for things to work out.  But this proud bastard is making that really difficult right now.

He takes a deep breath, steadying himself before speaking again. “I can assure you, my loyalty to the IPC is unwavering.  This corporation has done a lot for me, I have no reason to be so fickle.”

“Now,” A swift topic change, lest he blow a gasket. “As for my plan for Penacony.  I can assure you that your and Topaz’s cornerstone’s will be safe.  Even if The Family despises the IPC, they should know better than to mess with our property.”

“I suppose you do have a point…” Sapphire reluctantly admits. “But what of yourself?”

“Well,” Lapis smirks, shrugging his shoulders. “We will just have to see on that.  If all goes well, both the cornerstones and myself will return unscathed.  At worst, only the cornerstones will, and Penacony will still be back in the IPC’s grasp.  Either way, it will be a success.”

Sapphire narrows his eyes at the man, lips pressed together tightly, until he sighs.  He hangs his head and his shoulders slack, and he uncrosses his arms to hold out a hand to his coworker. “Fine then.  Against my better judgment, you shall have my cornerstone.”

Lapis could almost jump for joy at Sapphire’s delayed acceptance, but he knew better than that.  He had to keep his poker face.

He takes his hand in his own, and gives it a firm shake. “You won’t regret it.”

“I hope you won’t give me reason to.”

[la2yn0va]

Hey there, it's a bit of sudden but I have an idea, it's about Self Aware HSR react to Illusion Curse User!Male Reader. So basically it's like he's having and power of a magician but on whole different level, like he can trap people (or even the most advanced AIs and Machines) into an endless cycle of illusion which they can't escape unless he wants them to, 'temporarily' revive someone even though some of them can't be revived normally, advanced memories manipulation (erase, restore, control, or even rewrite/overwrite someone's memories). A good question is, is he really a dangerous individual to face with that kind of power he possessed? Even though he's very friendly towards anyone... Since he just using it for entertainment and out of boredom...yeah.

Your powers never fail to leave them in awe. But they shouldn’t except anything less from you. All of them are of course very impressed and interested in your powers. While some bring up worries on your casual usage of such immense power, they immediately get shut down by others or you just nonchalantly dismissing it.

They would always ask you for things that has to do with your power. The intelligentsia guild and genius society would ask you if they can run some test with your power. The IPC would love to use your power for their own business (pretty sure you can guess what they want)

Belabog would love for you to put them in a world where the eternal freeze disappears, the xianzhou alliance would love for you to use your powers to make all their enemies vegetables.

Penacony? They’d see your power as the upgrade to their whole dream bullshit. They’ll ask you to assist them in making penacony a better place—a more PERFECT dream. Then there’s others who have more.. ‘personal’ requests.

Jingliu would ask for Baiheng to be revived so she could get closure. She’d be on her knees practically kissing your feet—BEGGING for you to accept her request. Blade asks for Dan Feng to be revived just to kill him again—this happens daily btw.

Luocha would ask for Yaoshi death. Hanya would want some time in an illusion where Xyuei didn’t become a robot and still had her human form. Firefly wants an illusion where her friends/planet weren’t invaded by the swarm yet still existed.

Eventually, it’s inevitable that the factions would have battles or even wars for you. They want YOU and your power for themselves, but before it could escalate into anything major, you put a stop to it, threatening to leave the universe. So they stop, they wouldn’t want such an outcome.

And just as a safeguard, you put the IPC’s scheming asses in an illusion where they believe you did help them with their bullshit, while your REAL self would help the actual people, because FUCK the government.



[chrimsss]

Why is Aventurine a perfect Actor.

Spoilers for 2.1 - Read at your own risk.

So, Aventurine is my favourite character for a long time. [I saw his model back in September and fell in love, lol]. This is just an excuse for me to rant about him, his character and my love for him.

For starters, my theory about Elation's factions: Masked Fools and Mourning Actors.

They both represent Theater, more specifically drama, Comedy and Tragedy, respectively.

"Fools" - A person who acts in silly ways, similar to a Jester; Masked Fools have fun, enjoy the Elation's actions; The Comedy.

"Mourning" - Great Sadness; Mourning Actors are always crying, going against Elation; The Tragedy.

Now, Where does this applies to Aventurine?

As we know, Aventurine was invited to join the Masked Fools but denied, continuing to be in the IPC, which is good. And it's good because of one thing.

Aventurine, or better saying, Kakavasha is an Actor.

However, he is a Tragedy Actor, he is not like Sampo or Sparkle who have a Comedy persona, he can be described as pure Tragedy, which means, he is Not fit for Masked Fools, The Comedy.

Kakavasha is tragedy, he was born in a dying planet, lost both parents before losing his own sister late, and then after losing his sister, he became a slave for a sick man's fun. He was born and "died" in pure Tragedia.

The Aventurine persona is a facade, Kakavasha is a scared, afraid, pure and innocent soul who was corrupted by the situation around him. He thinks of himself as selfish and he is indeed selfish, because he was and still is the only one who was always there for him, he never had a real friend and lost his whole family at young age, he only has himself, which makes sense for him to be selfish.

He also calls himself a loser, and pointless, who can never escape the past, he is stuck there, constantly thinking about it.

Kakavasha is Tragedy itself, he could never be a Fool, because his acting is not comedy.

He is scared, he is afraid his gambling could fail, and the only thing he has is his luck and he knows it, using that at his advantage.

He is insecure of his actions and everything that could happen.

He wanted to die against the Astral Express and Acheron, but even at his last moment, for the action he chose to do, he was Afraid, and understandably.

That's why I think he is the most Perfect Actor, a Tragedy Actor, because even in his last moments, before his personal talk with Acheron and his youngerself, he kept acting, he was afraid but the Show must go on.

[another-goblin]

Chaos vs. Order in the world of HSR: an incoherent rambling.

Spoilers for the Unknowable Domain.

Speaking of Aventurine and Dr. Ratio, if you asked me before which side of the dichotomy of Order and Chaos they represent, I wouldn't hesitate. Of course a reasonable and methodical scientist represents Order, and an unpredictable gambler represents Chaos (Ratio even called him "a system of chaos devoid of logic"). Until I saw this.

It got me thinking. Yes, gambling is all about chance. Unless you are supernaturally lucky and you always know that the coin will land to your benefit, following the predetermioned Order.

Compare Aventurine's "No reason to choose otherwise, and no other choice" (everthing's predetermined; you can't change it; don't even try) to Ratio's "Chose your own path" (I think this phrase might be more important for Ratio as a character than we think. He said it twice. It's not just about choosing a playable path, like our Traleblazer does, but ultimately about Free Will. The chaotic unpredictability of an individual freely choosing their actions. Can it be one of the reasons why he wasn't chosen by Nous? Nous who's all about predicting and calculating the future, which is the opposite of the notion of free will?)

It seems like Aventurine long gave up the idea of having agency; he sees himself as "a cog in the machine known as the IPC's Strategic Investment Department". With his "Good luck makes one powerful, but destiny? Inherently unjust" and "Go ahead, use me as you wish". He basically sees himself as a slave to his supernatural gift and his predetermined destiny. Compare to Ratio's "about Aventurine" voiceline: "we can't chalk it all up to "good luck". Meaning, it's not just your luck; give yourself some credit for your achievements; you can change things.

Even their banner's names show the difference of their worldviews in terms of free will and determinism: Aventurine's "Gilded Imprisonment" vs. Ratio's "Panta Rhei" (which can be translated as "everything changes").

Aventurine considers his supernatural luck a gift from Gaiathra Triclops, who's theorized to actually be Ena the Order, which makes even more sense from this order/chaos point of view.

Aventurine probably knew that his path on Penacony led him towards inevitable death. "No reason to choose otherwise, and no other choice." What saved him in the end? It was two people: Mr. Chaotic himself, Veritas "Choose your own path" Ratio, and Acheron. I don't know where IX stands in this dichotomy of Chaos and Order. Probably nowhere. But if I were to choose, I'd say they lean towards Order. Or rather against the free will of Chaos. "Yes, you can do whatever you want, but why would you if it all is unlimately meaningless". But IX's factions are kind of opposed to them, so I'm curious what Acheron's personal opinion is on this.

Speaking of IX's factions opposing them, the "Dr. Ratio is a Doctor of Chaos" theory has never been so strong!

And what was our major encounter with the Order as an ingame Path? It was the Perfect Dream created by Sunday, where everybody's living their perfect lives, unwilling and unable to change it. Btw, who was one of the first people who woke up from this Dream?

Sunday and Robin also represent the opposites. Unlike her brother, devoted to Order, Robin, representing "Chaos", respects the diverse individuals as a part of a harmonious choir.

BTW, off topic but where else could I have seen a short message containing both good luck wishes and "Death" in quotation marks? Coiucidence? (yes)

Moreover *inhales*

It's interesting to look at Aeons and their major factions through the lens of the confrontation between Chaos and Order (not Ena the Order but Order in an abstact way).

Which can be understood in different ways. Free will vs. prophecy. Choosing your own path vs. calculating the future. Destruction vs. Finality. Personal strife vs. organized Preservation. Individuality vs. Harmony.

Speaking of which, we can kind of sort some of the Aeons and major factions into two opposing camps.

Who would be on the "Order" side?

Nous who can predict (and thus predetermine) the future through their calculation.

Preservation, who's main faction, the IPC, calculates planets' chances of survival in percents and who opposes Nanook (who else does that? Svarog, a super intelligent machine himself, who's later thwarted by the "unknown variable" - our Trailblazer, who only possessed the power of Destrustion at the time).

Stellaron Hunters, led by a person who's known as Destiny's Slave and can predict the future, also oppose Nanook.

Hunt, who's main faction, Xianzhou, is led by people like Jing Yuan, "The Divine Foresight" (who's so smart that it seems like he can predict the future), or Fu Xuan, whose actual ability to predict the future comes from Nous. They also oppose Nanook.

And of course Terminus the Finality, who travels backwards in time and is all about predicting the future, symbolizes the inavitable end of all things. 

And on the side, representing Chaos, we have, for example:

Nanook, whose path, the Destruction, seems kind of similar to Finality but actually somehow the opposite of it.

Mythos, who "strives to challenge the certainty of Nous the Erudition".

And of course, Akivili the Trailblaze, representing the ultimate freedom to go wherever you want, to "choose your own path", if you will.

So it all kind of boils down to Destrucion vs Finality at the end. It's interesting that at the moment we are expected to see Nanook as a "bad guy", as we ally with more factions opposed to them. Although I'm sure actually it's more complicated and messy than that. 

For example, from Data Bank on Akivili: "There are three directions on the compass of destiny — the Unknown, the Known, and the Unknowable. THEY can tolerate the Unknown, but will never bow to the Unknowable". How does it factor into all this Knowable/Unknowable Domain stuff and reaching outside the Circle of Knowladge? 

BTW I actually have only a very vague idea of the game's deep lore at best, and I also understood like maybe 20% of what happened in the Unknowable Domain, to take it all with a grain of salt.

But what I actually wanted to say is: continue, HSR, I'm listening.

[thatringboy]

A Body Built for an Undeserving Soul, A Boothill Theory

My definitely sober thoughts while grinding for the eventual Ruan Mei rerun and writing some robinhill have led me to a startling train of thought. I’ll do my best to sound sane as I say this, but the 18 minute discord voice memo I originally made is definitely anything but. Spoilers for Boothill’s backstory, character stories, and other lore, and no I’m not really gonna be citing things because it’s 3 in the morning and I’m high. If at any point I say something that isn’t really supported by canon, please be nice i’m a little silly boy

Anyways

I don’t think Boothill is a Pathstrider.

Let me cook, please. Here’s my reasons why:

The way he talks about Aeons and Paths

The way his body is designed

And 3.

Enjoy the madness below the cut

So, there’s not really a proper way to word any of this without it being an ADHD word vomit. Bear with me. Please.

Penacony has been a fantastic update for those of us waiting for worldbuilding. We’ve learned a LOT about the many factions in the cosmos, the true nature of the IPC, the powers of the Aeons, and that the Paths are tangible things in the universe. The Luofu arc opened up a bit about this, but since it was so focused on The Hunt and The Abundance and The Permanence, we sort of fell back into the same story beats as the Herta Station arc. Either way, Penacony has been amazing for little lore bugs like me.

So what does this have to do with the wild claim that Boothill somehow isn’t a Pathstrider?

Let’s touch some grass for a minute and consider our places in the irl universe. Hi, I’m Perseus, a young transmasculine white adult guy from South Texas who grew up reading too many Rick Riordan books and now has a complicated relationship with both the christian god and the greek gods. It’s an autism special interest of mine to learn about the greek pantheon and while I don’t know everything about it, I’m a silly little guy and can recite fun facts about dozens of gods. I can also recite fun facts about the christian bible and christian mythology because I was forced to study christianity when I was younger. Nice to meet y’all. Now, when I, Perseus, talk to people about the various religions I know a thing or two about, I infodump. A lot. I think I once ranted about Dionysus for 20 minutes before my sister told me to shut up. It happens.

Now focus back in on the important topic: the fictional cyborg with jiggle physics. I’m working purely on memory, but I’m pretty sure when he first meets Dan Heng and Pom-Pom, he does go on a spiel about the Aeons and Paths as he tries to prove his identity as a Galaxy Ranger and Acheron’s identity as Not a Galaxy Ranger. The way he describes The Hunt, The Nihility, Emanators, and Paths, it all just sounded… i don’t know, canned? It came across as very emotionally disconnected, even as he talked about The Hunt, but he was saying all the right words. Like someone who studied a religion but isn’t actually a part of the religion. 

On its own, this means absolutely nothing besides just reminding us of his home planet’s hostile takeover by Qlipoth-worshiping IPC workers. If you haven’t seen the post yet, I really recommend reading the So, Honkai: Star Rail made a cyborg cowboy... an INDIGENOUS cyborg cowboy. post by @ahworm I’ll link it here, please check it out because it recontextualized a lot of how I viewed Boothill’s actions and mannerisms

So the way Boothill talks about the Path he should be a Pathstrider of sounds more like an encyclopedia than a follower. Now, maybe this can be explained by the fact that Galaxy Rangers aren’t the most zealous bunch, especially when standing next to the Xianzhou Alliance who worship Lan as a deity more than The Hunt itself. The Galaxy rangers are the opposite, they are hunters first and last regardless of what Lan in THEIR “greatness” does.

But if Boothill is just a normal Galaxy ranger (whatever that means), then how does he recognize the Jade Abacus of Allying Oath instantaneously? Dan Heng’s barely put the damn thing on the table and Boothill’s already jaw on the floor amazed. One could make the argument that, well, Boothill’s a well-traveled guy, of course he’d know the most valuable artifact to his Path. To that, I say: there’s more to it.

Boothill’s main accusation against Acheron in the beginning is, what? “An Emanator that shouldn’t exist.” He talks about The Nihility and Device IX the same way he talks about The Hunt; learned and detached in an agnostic way. He’s aware these are real concepts and beings, he’s crossed paths with an Emanator of Elation before so he can’t deny the existence of literal gods in the universe

We also know that it’s canon in the star rail universe that there are planets who haven’t heard of the Aeons before, like Sigonia - Aventurine’s planet. Instead of Aeons, we know the Avgins worshiped the goddess Giathra Triclops. I’ve seen the argument that Giathra is just another name for Xipe since THEY have three faces, but Aventurine’s flashbacks are very clear in showing that the worship of Giathra was very different from the worship of Aeons. We don’t know much about Aeragan-Epharshel, but from how the IPC described the indigenous people as needing civilization and other disgusting things (not to mention how they forced a synesthesia beacon into boothill when he was maybe like a teenager? And then his brain nearly broke from the influx of information?), I think it’s safe to say that the tribes of Aeragan-Epharshel also didn’t follow any specific Aeon.

But Aventurine is now a Pathstrider of Preservation, so why can’t Boothill be a Hunter Pathstrider too? Well, dear reader, allow me to bash my head against the wall trying to form words. Aventurine doesn’t believe anything about the sovereignty of The Preservation, just like the rest of the Stonehearts. He has his agenda, and if he has to play Preservation to do so, then he will. I think Boothill is the same, which is also why I can’t wait to see what happens in the upcoming quests with the two of them in the same room. That being said, Aventurine’s Preservation powers only come from his Cornerstone, crafted by an Emanator of Preservation. It’s how he and Topaz and Jade can all be such different people but all be classified as Pathstriders of Preservation, the sheer proximity to an Emanator’s powers canonically give them powers equivalent to actual Pathstriders.

So… what about Boothil? This leads me into my next point: Boothill’s cyborg body. By looking at his Character Story Part 3, we learn that Boothill VOLUNTARILY became a cyborg to become stronger. He literally shed the skin and name from an ancient, dead tongue to become a real loaded gun. His voice lines in combat talk about death a lot, his name literally is in reference to a graveyard - this man cannot wait to finally die in some sort of blaze of glory and vengeance. I say that with a little bit of sarcasm, but Boothill designed his body to be a weapon. 

In a lot of parts of the USA, it’s illegal to even insinuate that you have a firearm as that constitutes as the crime of  “armed robbery”, even if you don’t even have a gun. The threat alone is enough to warrant a higher penalty. But Boothill is already a great shot with a gun, why does he also need augmented teeth and crosshair eyes and hips that can fold his body into any sinful shape he needs? Because the threat alone is enough to give him power over his prey. Almost as if he’s compensating for a lack of magic godly powers. He needs to be able to keep up with even the strongest IPC goons, to pierce their Preservation shields with his bullets so that he can get closer and closer to Oswaldo Schneider.

But how can I prove that Boothill doesn’t have any Path magic? Well, let’s take a spin around his character model. What’s that thing sitting snugly against his exposed asscheek? His pistol? But that’s not weird, Perseus, most cowboys hold their guns there!

But what other playable character has their weapon on their actual model like him?

There are so many in-game cutscenes showing that, canonically, the Pathstriders summon their weapon from some sort of unseen storage or hammerspace. I like the term hammerspace, let’s use that. The playable Pathstriders all use hammerspace to easily summon their weapons. None of them actually carry their weapons on their model. Even Welt Yang has scenes of him summoning his herrscher cane (I’ve never played hi3 please forgive me for using incorrect terms) from his hammerspace. But not Boothill. He has his arm gun and he has his trusty 9 millimeter pistol on his little slutty hip. His idle animations involve reloading his weapons and putting them back on his person. No particle effects, no vanishing tricks, just a man sticking his tongue out to catch a bullet for a snack.

So what have we learned?

Boothill doesn’t have an emotional connection to his Path, it most likely is just the Path he figured met his needs and decided the philosophy was good enough

Boothill’s body is designed to perform specifically to kill Pathstriders, especially sturdier Pathstriders of The Preservation

Boothill either can’t or won’t use the same hammerspace the other canonical Pathstriders use

Each point by themself means nothing, or can be chalked up to unique character designs. But together? My intoxicated mind theorizes that Boothill is not a Pathstrider, merely a broken man trying to play the game according to the rules of the oppressors that colonized his planet and bombed his tribe into reservations and the dirt. Thank you for your time.

[milksnake-tea]

him being a stelleron hunter would go against everything he stands for, genuinly why would he join a group of terrorist when his ideals were order and peace.

even though the ipc is terrible, the stelleron hunters are as bad in terms of damage and destruction.

because it is fiction, ppl forget that they commited crimes that also can be, and has been done in real life. my home is being attacked by one while i write this, k and seeing ppl praise someone because they didn't join one is ridiculous.

hi, first of all, i want to express my condolences for your situation. it's a terrible thing that is happening and i hope things get better for you. however, i do think you have some misconceptions about the stellaron hunters and their goal, and i want to use this to explain how stellaron hunter sunday would work, and if you want to debate with me further, i am open to that, as long as we are respectful :) explanation/essay utc.

okay, so the first thing here is that we need to remember that sunday technically is also considered a terrorist, and on a much larger scale on the stellaron hunters as well. he may have had good intentions, but it still stands that he plunged an entire star system into an eternal dream, without their consent, and would essentially trap them in this dream where he controlled all of their decisions. he may have wanted to do it out of the goodness of his heart and so that people wouldn't suffer, but it's still unlawful imprisonment and/or kidnapping.

sunday and the stellaron hunters are similar in this regard; they do morally questionable things (to put it lightly) for the greater good. remember that the stellaron hunters are following elio's script in order to save the universe from nanook, they are not doing it just because they want to. also, it should be noted that while you can consider them terrorists (and certainly to a lot planets/factions they are, for example the ipc), there are other factions that don't consider them as such - example: the luofu. in the end, while we don't understand why the stellaron hunters do what they do

also, i would say that it's inaccurate to say that the ipc and the stellaron hunters are equal in terms of damage and destruction. the stellaron hunters don't commit genocide, they don't colonize planets, in the end, their goal is simple: follow the script, capture the stellaron, aid the astral express in eventually defeating nanook. a lot of what happens after can be considered collateral damage, and i'm not defending them on that - but what is important to consider is that they take stellarons, which are cancers of all worlds and drive said worlds towards destruction, so in a weird way, they are saving those worlds, while it may not look like it at first. the astral express does the same thing, although they're a lot nicer about it and they actually follow the law.

the game repeatedly says that the astral express and the stellaron hunters are two sides of the same coin. theoretically, sunday fits in both, and i (begrudgingly) am fine with whichever faction he joins (and rn it seems to be astral express). however, when i see his character, with how morally grey he is and how far he's willing to go (i am never forgetting him executing aventurine), the stellaron hunters seem like a better fit for him (IN MY OPINION).

another thing i've seen is that the stellaron hunters wouldn't be a good fit for sunday because his arc is about freedom and learning to allow people to thrive on their own, without the need to control them. or something like that. and a common point that's brought up is that the stellaron hunters, with their adherence to the script, wouldn't be good for sunday because the last thing he needs is to be trapped by the script.

i see what people are saying with this, HOWEVER. if i were to point out something about the stellaron hunters, it's that they are not completely bound by the script. firefly actively defies it whenever she can, and blade is said to not become one of destiny's slaves. kafka abides by the script vaguely; she'll do what she needs to do but as for what's not in the script, she has complete and total freedom because in her words, "why would it matter?" and silver wolf has twisted/reinterpreted the script in order to keep firefly safe by hiring sparkle. the script is not absolute, even in kafka's character stories elio says that there are possibilities that things may not go as planned, and the trailblazer has defied fate before.

the script is not as much as a shackle like people think it is. remember, elio gets his seer abilities from terminus, who is a time traveler who tells the future. it doesn't matter if you know about it or if you don't, and elio doesn't force anyone to follow the script. he just gives it to you, and you're free to do whatever you want with it. it's strongly encouraged to follow it, but you don't have to. firefly sure tries not to. heck, if she wanted, she could burn it and the only consequence would be elio being sad because he spent an all-nighter typing that up and ink is expensive.

additionally, going back to sunday and elio's goal, they align a lot more than you think they would. sunday, evident from his drip marketing, has not given up on his goal of order and achieving a paradise, and i don't think he'd be opposed to elio's goal of saving the universe. nor would i think he'd be too opposed to getting his hands dirty in order to achieve it - again, he tried to kill aventurine (and almost succeeded) in order to protect penacony. he is not as soft as a lot of people make him out to be.

we also have to remember sunday's obsession with control. is it a good thing? nope, not at all! but the script would be more comfortable for him, because he knows what will happen, he has a safety net and he has the freedom to make plans based on this information. compared to his whole powerpoint presentation about his past trauma, where a lot of his decisions ended up badly due to him not knowing for certain what would happen, this safety net wouldn't be unwelcome. and it isn't like it limits sunday entirely either; elio is known to be vague and leaves out information he doesn't think people need to know, so sunday can still have his character growth of learning to become comfortable with uncertainty.

and before anyone comes at me, i am not saying that astral express sunday is bad. i'm actually all for it (contrary to what i might say on my blog, but listen. IM DRAMATIC OKAY) and i think it'd be interesting to see how a character that we aren't on good terms with joining the express. also i get to see pookie more so I WIN EITHER WAY. i just also want to explain the potential stellaron hunter sunday has and why it isn't such a far-fetched idea like some might make it out to be.

thanks for listening to my ted talk. or smth. IDK. i did this instead of my phil essay so imma go do that now. bye bye pookies

[mismefancy]

Just a kinda unfortunate but funny thought about Sunday:

Ever since the end of 2.3, there had been speculation on which faction Sunday would end up joining in. Two common factions were the Stellaron hunters and the Astral Express, in addition to IPC as another possible faction that kept getting mentioned from time to time.

But thinking about it now....those 3 factions have some problem or conflict with Sunday. Lol

The Astral Express had to deal with his plans throughout the whole Penacony quests and got nearly destroyed by his boss fights. I know that the Astral Express has teamed up with enemies or questionable strangers from time to time (Stellaron Hunters, Memokeepers, etc.) but those were temporary. Sunday's becoming A MEMBER who will travel with them for who knows how long. Basically he has to slowly gain their trust after the trouble he caused for them. (Especially since it said that he might canonically become a Nameless so... he's got a lot ahead of him)

The Stellaron Hunters don't really have any problems with him that affect their plans/scripts, but I do have to remind you that he called Firefly a person who is "weak, helpless and has no chance of improving her situation without the strong helping out" and cue all his ideologies about life without human suffering. Even with his somewhat selfless belief, he did just insult Firefly's whole point of her character. (So despite Stellaron Hunter Sunday being a very popular headcanon, we are not ignoring the possible conflict and awkwardness with Firefly, whether it is considered minor or not)

The IPC and their whole controversy with Penacony for losing ownership of their own faction, Sunday being a big obstacle and problem for their plans. And even if the company doesn't take that personally as a whole, he has another personal conflict with one individual. That is Aventurine, who he placed on a death timer, dug up some of his past and used it against him during the interrogation, then proceeded to put him through a torturous drug trip with hallucinations of his past self and doubts. Heck, I don't even know if that last part can be blamed on Sunday or the heightened up memoria in Penacony. Either way, that unpleasant experience will have Sunday's face associated with it. (Same thing with Firefly. Even if it was technically part of Aventurine's plan to go through that, it will still be the most conflicting and awkward experience to have Sunday for a colleague).

In conclusion: Sunday's got issues with a lot of the factions mentioned and it will not be the most pleasant experience trying to make it work. Lol

[rationaliity]

CALICO — VOICELINES

interactive voices

first meeting : hi ! i’m calico, and this is tabby, we’re members of the planetary protection division. if ever you need us, feel free to shoot either one of us a text, we’ll do our best to help out !

greeting : is something wrong ? you look like you’re deep in thought. if something’s troubling you, you can tell me. i’ll listen, i promise.

parting : oh, hey ! i’m glad you look less stressed out now. did you figure it out ? ah, i’m happy for you ! busy days are even better when they’re finally done and you get to take a nap. 

about self: tabby : tabby : just because i’m a new addition to the cosmos, doesn’t mean that you, or anyone else, can try to pull one over on me. i’m a lot smarter than people give me credit for ! i have all of calico’s brains and none of her fear of confrontation. i say what i want when i want it. 

about self: memory loss : there’s a lot of things that i’m supposed to remember, but a lot of it eludes me to this day. a lot of doctors have given their two cents about it, including people that i’m sure  you know, but in the end, no one can truly know why so much is missing within me. unless they were on that dead planet with me, of course.

chat: planetary protection division : the ipc sends us out when a world has gone through a crisis and may not have the ability to pick itself back up. we collaborate with a lot of the ipc, including the strategic investment department and the intelligentsia guild. whatever we need to help a world, if we don’t have it, the other factions do.

chat: ipc : the ipc is filled with interesting members ! topaz and i are relatively close, and i’ve met aventurine a few times. now, that doctor.. i’ve met him more times than i can count, and every time has been… enlightening, to say the least.

tabby: enlightening ? you’re too busy ogling him to pay attention to what he’s saying.

hobbies : getting a cat nap in when i can is the only way i can keep up my strength, after all, i wanna be at peak performance in case anything happens. sleeping is so nice, you can go anywhere and be anyone in your dreams ~ 

tabby : i like collecting keychains ! i have a dozen probably from different planets that we’ve visted. i don’t have anything ot even put them on, i just have a bunch of them. 

annoyances : those times where you swear you have an hour left to nap but then your alarm rings.. the worst ever. 

something to share : the easiest way of taking care of yourself is to go about everything one step at a time. can’t get out of bed ? just wiggle your toes, or stretch. you’ll get there.

knowledge : the human body is beautifully resilient. you can go through hell and return still standing on your own feet. there’s nothing you can’t do if you put your mind to it. 

about dr. ratio : ah, the doctor within the intelligentsia guild, a man of knowledge.. as elusive as he is, uhm, interesting.

tabby : and by ‘interesting’ you mean ‘handsome’. you can just say what you mean, calico.

about aventurine : i’ve never been in his shoes, so i don’t know what he’s gone through personally. i feel as though my amnesia makes me lucky comparatively. i don’t have to remember what i’ve been through.

about topaz : her love for anything cute and fluffy is adorable. one time, i bought her a fuzzy keychain from a planet i visited, and i swear i saw her tear up.

about raun mei : she is.. beautiful, from a distance. i can’t bring myself to approach her. life.. is more than an experiment. 

eidolon activation : the parts of me that i’ll never understand, why do you slumber ? 

character ascension : move forward, even if you can’t feel your feet. 

max level reached : we’re here because of the tireless work of other people. my accomplishments are not my own.

trace activation : a new skill ! perhaps i have earned a well deserve nap. what do you say, tabby ? 

added to team with dr. ratio : ah, d-doctor..! you’re here too ?

tabby : leave this to us, doctor. you can just stand there and look pretty. 

added to team with aventurine : we’ve gone through harder trials than this, i’m sure. i will protect you.

added to team with topaz : what a pleasant surprise, topaz ~ once we’re done here, i’ll take you out to eat.

added to team with raun mei : tabby : we’re here, miss, a testament to life itself. 

combat voices

battle begins : weakness break : i’m a tough cookie..!

battle begins : danger alert : stand behind me ! 

turn begins : i can take a punch or two.

turn idling : decisions…are hard..

basic atk : calico and tabby do not have any basic atk voiceovers

enhanced basic atk:  calico and tabby do not have any enhanced basic atk voiceovers.

skill 1 : we will not let you get hurt.

skill 2 : tabby : focus ! we can take this ! 

hit by light attack : i couldn’t even feel it !

hit by heavy attack : ow.. that’s going to bruise..

ultimate: activate : i will not fail you !

ultimate: unleash : my scars.. i carry them with the strength inside of me..!

talent 1 : hah, try again !

talent 2 : tabby : you’re weak !

downed : everything.. has lead me to this point.. 

return to battle : thank you, i will never forget this kindness. 

health recovery : i feel much better now !

technique : let me lead the way. 

battle won : another win, we’re on a roll today ! 

treasure opening 1 : we got lucky this time !

treasure opening 2 : tabby : does this count as stealing ? 

precious treasure opening : what nice stuff ! do you want to split ?

successful puzzle-solving 1 : hah ! i knew i was smart ! 

successful puzzle-solving 2 : tabby : are you going to go tell him ?

enemy target found : we’re stronger, i can tell. 

returning to town : can we go take a nap now ? i’m sleepy..

-> introduction | gallery | lightcone

[chilled-ice-cubes]

been turning over 2.5 in my head more and more and it's quite uncomfortable how the borisin are written.. for one thing their name is directly derived from genghis khan's clan, the borjigin. in general i feel like portraying an enemy faction as ontologically evil is lazy writing. the writing was somewhat redeemed by the samatha quest in luminary wardance but i was still side-eyeing it a lil... the token 'good' borisin we meet is always in a foxian meatsuit? 🤔 idk... just lots of missed opportunities here. i wish there was more exploration of the hints that are given that feixiao at least does have some borisin heritage. the hoolay-feixiao confrontation of the shadow self stuff was fun, but if there could have just been small edits in how the borisin were framed...

look, feixiao literally became a general by using the borisin's tactics against them. clearly they do have some tactics and therefore intelligence and free will to speak of? sunday and gopher wood belong to an antagonistic faction and yet they're humanised via their quests. star rail portrays paths as something neutral; the meaning of the path is given by the people who walk on it. so we can get the ipc following preservation but still being exploitative and ruthless, and we can get the belobogians reforming under bronya and pursuing preservation in their own way. all im saying is, i would like to see more nuanced depictions of the denizens of abundance... the claretwheel monks are a start and i hope they get more exploration

[ccaptain]

I am being forced to cook against my own exhausted ass body, but my brain is telling me to connect the dots. So I have connected them.

By this point whoever has been following my headcanon journey to shape H:SR Kaeya knows about Astrid, Mortis and what happened with the headmaster of the Monastery. A tl;dr is that this man lured Kaeya into a trap by using these two kids and then essentially brutally tortured and unalived Astrid right in front of Kaeya before fleeing after she had outlived her usefulness, and all that Kaeya has of this experience are terrors and the blood-stained epoxy-ed bread piece always with him.

This man is the only person, up until now, that draws a very human, very angered response out of Kaeya- it makes him almost feral, grasping at every trace of him he can find and pursuing him like a bloodhound chases the trail of a wounded animal, muzzle stained with blood and teeth bared. Kaeya is not proud of this side of his, but it exists and will continue existing as long as he knows the ruthless, callous man who did something unspeakable just because he could continues to live.

This leads to one question: if it's important for him, why isn't H:SR Kaeya pursuing him more strictly?

Even if busy with his goal, nothing stops him from paying an investigator to find intel of this man's whereabouts- many individuals have good sources that they can mobilitate for him, if the price meets their standards. Kaeya doesn't have a shortage of money- nor his income will ever dry up in a substantial way. He would be realistically able to pay for these services.

There's even the possibility of hiring a mercenary- someone who will make his death either quick and swift, or drawn out, long and agonizingly painful- exactly like the one he inflicted upon Astrid. This would allow Kaeya to keep his hands clean while ridding the universe or someone dangerous- even if human, a skilled assassin would be able to come out of the conflict with minor, treatable injuries and with a job well done. Even a bounty hunter would do- surely, you'd think a man this dangerous has been talked about and slapped with, at least, a mildly high cash price for his head. What he did was and still is pretty serious. Even as Kaeya tore apart the Monastery, people managed to escape and spread words of what had transpired in here.

I pondered this question in my mind for a while. And then I happened to glance a bit more attentively at Boothill's stories and saw a thing:

Let me preface this with a theory: I don't think that a normal human would be able to ''erase himself completely from historical records''. Boothill himself had to visit and cause chaos in the Garden of Remembrance in order to find out who his target was: Oswaldo Schneider. Not only hiding oneself like how this piece of story tells us would have been difficult after doing something as massive as he did- his underlings would have heard his voice dishing out the command, too. Or received a message from a source they knew. At worst, he would have had to identify himself with a nickname, which could be traced back to him.

In no way a person can simply vanish from history after having done something so massive. There must have been a smidge of a trace to work on- a person who could have recognized his voice- apparently, he is the head director of the Marketing Development Department, so of course there could have been someone tampering with files and records to hide him. But as I said: nothing can be fully erased from history- expecially from human, clumsy hands who tend to overlook things. There'll always be a little hint left here and there to work with.

Unless...

We know only of a group of people who can alter any kind of history. And those are on the faction of the Enigmata- the History Fictionologists.

Boothill had to resort into breaking in the Garden of Recollection to find Oswaldo Schneider- despite him having a role inside the IPC.

Kaeya can't find the Monastery headmaster because he hasn't hired the right sources, or because he isn't putting enough effort into it- all of these statements are false.

Kaeya cannot track this man down because the man is hiding himself while actively tampering with history.

He can confuse his own identity to avoid a bounty on his head- so hiring an hunter is useless. The intel on this man would be non-existant, since he has tampered with his own informations- and, obviously, mercenaries wouldn't know who he is and wouldn't know who to target- either the Monastery headmaster is an avatar belonging to someone from the Enigmata, just like Gallagher was, or a Fictionologist themselves, which further complicates things.

Kaeya isn't lazying around, nor avoiding the final confrontation: this is a matter of Enigmata fellow and Enigmata fellow going against eachother, using the same weapons and techniques that they are equipped with, and still both under the same Aeon. Both of them, the pursuer of justice (Kaeya) and the villain (the headmaster) aren't willing to budge from their respective positions.

Kaeya will continue to chase. The headmaster will continue to hide. This battle could take millennias to have a final winner out of it. Nobody can help Kaeya with this, and this is a battle he must face alone.

TL;DR: how reading Boothill's lore made me realize that the man he's pursuing could be from the fucking Enigmata and this has slapped me across the face and made me cook up some more H:SR Kaeya lore. Thanks Boothill!

[loiyaltie]

“plots please”

ALL ABOARD. - Gepard being offered the chance to travel on the Astral Express for a time to see the world, and to gather some information about worlds beyond to help the advancement of Jarilo-VI. I think he'd gravitate towards Dan Heng more than the others, appreciating both the more reserved nature but also the access to the data banks. Let him talk about plants and ask to see other landscapes (I love the idea of him getting to see images of forests and expanses of water and deserts etc.) really interested in knowing the world (and what his planet is becoming a part of. I think he'd happily sit and listen to Dan Heng explain facts, or ask him questions and just them getting to know each other through a quest for knowledge. Later on perhaps becoming a teaching opportunity to ask about what the IPC are about so he can know for the next time.

NIGHT TIME COMPANIONS. - Dan Heng gets nightmares and Gepard has his own sleep struggles, so these two meeting in the night hours, on Jarilo-VI or on the Astral Express. Whether it's they both have had nightmares or there's an absence of sleep or a combination of both, but the two of them connecting within that space where they are both vulnerable but isolated from the waking world. Speaking around the things that bother them, and yet finding commonalities in their struggles, perhaps being honest with each other as time passes.

LEND A HAND? - Gepard inviting Dan Heng back to Belobog - along with the rest of the Nameless - to see how they have expanded and invite him to consult on some of the ideas. At the same time something happens, whether its light-hearted like volunteers going sick at the museum and is Gepard's turn to teach Dan Heng of their history, talking of his family's history, the history of the Guardians etc. which could lead into a chance over time to recognise similarities with each other in having this former legacy bearing upon their shoulders whether they wish it or not. Or it could be something more serious, Fragmentum effects getting worse, a surge in creatures out there, and an exhausted Gepard needing some capable reinforcements who can help him find the source of the problems.

WE HAVE COMMON ACQUAINTANCES. - Stellaron Hunter AU, where Gepard who has been posing as a Silvermane Guard during the quest - always alone keeping himself obscured from any important figures - reveals himself at the end as aligned with the Stellaron Hunter faction. Could be a bit more of a cat and mouse, Dan Heng suspicious as time goes on because he has a bit too much knowledge for one on Belobog should have (given its isolation from the world) also mentioning his name around Serval has different effects. Then also the chance to interact through other events, Gepard's sent to the Luofu to ensure things are on track or that chance for honesty later.

→ send plots please for 3 - 5 interaction ideas. // @cloudhymn

[dutybcrne]

Random Hsr verse ideas:

Klee: Destruction/Fire. Is Kae’s sort of ‘partner in crime’ in the Masked Fools, though unlike his, her allegiance to them is very much known to anyone who meets her. But she doesn’t actually REALIZE the ramifications of being one, and that fact plus her young appearance tends to smooth things over for her in spite of the Fools’ reputations. until she destroys something and Kae has to step in and help her out. Kae saw her mask after the Knighta took her in (because she had sploded near half the Knights HQ and irreparably fucked up the landscape while playing), so took it upon himself to vouch for and watch over her. Tends to travel with Kae bc he’s the only available knight who can really babysit her without coming to grievous harm or getting fed up with her

Diluc: Hunt/Fire. Once proudly a part of the Knights of Favonius, several disasters, losses and a perceived betrayal had him losing faith in their cause and traveling the cosmos in pursuit of the monsters he deemed the cause of his father’s death. He walked the path of destruction during this time, and left ashes in his wake whenever an opponent he deemed subject of his wrath crossed his path. Currently, he is a Galaxy Ranger, coming back to his homeworld every now and then to check in on the Knights and what remains of his family

Alhaitham: Nihility/Quantum. An erudite scholar of the Intelligensia Guild, of the Candelagraphos faction, who has a job as a Transcriber for the IPC. He values his simple life and committing to his own academic achievements at his own leisure, though he is far more studious and eager to expand his horizons than a first glance at him lets on. He joined the Intelligensia Guild to follow in his grandmother’s footsteps. Regularly has to talk himself out of plotting to overthrow the IPC every time he gets scheduled back-to-back meetings

[franeridan]

ratio having once hoped to be recognised by nous and admitted in the genius society is only ever mentioned in his character story as far as I recall, and his character story is exclusively told from an external perspective and this specific fact is given as speculation from someone who's not particularly close to ratio and is just assuming based on his reaction to being invited to join the guild, which has me thinking that maybe it was never true to being with (even aven mentioning as much during his pov in the 2.1 quest could just be him repeating what he's heard through gossip, and therefore isn't definitive proof that ratio did wish, at some point, to join the society)

that said what I find especially interesting about the instance in which this is mentioned isn't as much the fact that ratio might or might have not hoped to be looked at by nous, but his reaction specifically to being invited to joining the intelligentsia guild independently from his feelings about the society - he gets the letter, he asks to be left alone, he laughs bitterly at it. It's speculated by the assistant that he realized in that moment that being invited to join the guild meant he'd never join the society, but that's honestly a weird conclusion to reach - herta is proof enough that you can both work for the ipc and be part of the genius society. Be an emanator of nous, even

the thing I rarely see brought up is that the guild isn't simply founded or marginally affiliated with the ipc, it is part of the ipc. just like the strategic investment department, the intelligentsia guild is a section of the ipc. aven working with ratio isn't the ipc working with the guild, it's just the ipc doing business as usual (the invitation to join the guild was sent to him by the ipc themselves, and if that's not proof enough, the first time we ever heard of the guild was in the ipc presentation trailer - a myriad celestia nonetheless - in which it's listed as one of the many cogs that makes up the ipc machine)

(this is off topic just slightly, but keeping this in mind makes it even more suspicious how both topaz and jade mentioned how aven was the only ipc member allowed inside the dreamscape - did they really not know ratio was with him? though topaz obviously saw him in sunday's dream and she didn't seem surprised, so who knows)

I'm bringing this up because I feel like ratio's reaction to receiving the letter of invitation was less about losing his chance to join the genius society (if he ever wished for it) and more about having done something that made the ipc interested in his work - the ipc specifically reached out to him after the completion of the anti-planetary weapon, and we know of at least one other instance in which the ipc got interested in the works of a genius specifically for its use in the building of mass destruction weapons. Ratio's a weird character, but I feel he's easily read as fundamentally a good guy - he seeks knowledge for his own sake as much as for everyone else's, and his main aim is always to help first and foremost. He never specifies why he worked on the weapon, but from his texts to the tb we can sorta figure that it was primarly meant as a mean of defence during interstellar travels (the star rail universe is an exceedingly dangerous place, after all. even if you don't count the stellarons and the anti-matter legion and any possible hostile faction, the express did get randomly swallowed by a leftover emanator of propagation - that ratio would worry about defence in a world like this isn't so far fetched). catching the eye of the ipc means that his weapon was noticed as something meant to attack first, though, and we don't have proof of anything as far as ratio's thoughts go, but for him to be disappointed in himself after something like this happened doesn't sound too weird

the question stands though as for why he decided to accept the invitation - he's not working on the weapon anymore, that's for sure as he's told us as much (he refers to it as something he used to work on in his messages, and mentions that the problem of actually finding the materials to build it isn't his to puzzle out). Actually, I personally don't see why someone as good and as selfless and as little interested in personal gain as ratio would join the ipc at all. founding? the freedom to travel to spread knowledge? access to more information? I don't think ratio is a huge fan of the ipc's modus operandi, but it's also true that we've rarely seen his thoughts or pov, so maybe I just misread him completely and he doesn't care either way so long as he can keep on doing his own thing

no, all of this is to say that I believe ratio has his own goal in mind and he doesn't care which means he uses as long as he reaches it, but he is, canonically, a man of integrity and care for others, so his presence in the guild and the ipc despite their putting themselves and their own gain above anything else must serve some form of plan or reason. Or he just likes the concept of knowledge-for-knowledge the guild is based upon (though, from what we can piece together reading about him, he was the founder of the council of mundanites himself - so he's probably, at least in part, trying to change the guild from the inside. Or gathering like-minded people around himself for whatever reason. Interesting also how the council isn't an official group but is regarded more as a rumour than something you can get easy data on - is he keeping the exact members and works of the council hidden from the ipc for a specific reason?)

this whole thing is mostly just stream of consciousness about ratio tbh, but I read someone earlier mention how they believe it's possible if aven is trying to tear down the ipc from the inside that ratio is giving him a hand, and that got me thinking. I can't 100% say I believe that's what the two of them are trying to do, but if they are...... ratio's presence inside the ipc is weird, is what it got me thinking. I'm not sure I understand what exactly he's doing in there, or how much he likes it. It is possible he would agree to a plan to take them (or a specific part of them) down, I guess

[defiedlife]

meta + dr. ratio cause im self-indulgent jenna

send  [ META ] + a word / phrase / person / etc for a headcanon.

To Aventurine, Ratio is someone he cares for deeply whether it's platonic or romantic. They're colleagues and partners despite working in entirely different departments (and factions, technically) and he wouldn't have it any other way. As risky as his methodology was, one of his proudest achievements to date is forming that partnership. (Quick side note: this is canon; it's in the ANAN interview.)

He's seen many people put Ratio on a pedestal for outstanding academic achievements, and he agrees that those are admirable, to be sure. He's even a little envious, as Ratio clearly had an abundance of opportunity and privilege while growing up where Aventurine himself had little to none. He doesn't blame the good doctor, though; it's no one's fault that they were raised in very different circumstances. That's just fate toying with them both.

However, the value he sees in Ratio and what draws him to the scholar to such an extent is the sheer humanity that he can see with one glance. Ratio's primary philosophy is that knowledge should be shared by and accessible to all, and as someone who grew up without so much as a single book to read, Aventurine admires that desire and generosity immensely. It means a lot to him to know someone whom would readily help tutor and mentor another person in a situation similar to what his younger self experienced.

Ratio's blunt and abrasive personality doesn't matter to him. Sure, it stings at times, but he's heard far worse in the past. Plus, he's experienced first-hand that if Ratio truly crosses a line and gets called on it, a sincere apology will follow—a first, compared to what Aventurine has dealt with before. What really matters is that he looks at Ratio and sees a doctor who seeks to cure ignorance, injury, and illness alike, along with a strong moral code that most in the IPC would sooner scoff at than praise. He sees a man that he admires and trusts—even with his life.

Conversely, this also means that he would gladly protect Ratio with his life without a second thought. In his opinion, the world needs more people like Veritas Ratio.

Their work together on Penacony only served to reinforce his trust. Although Ratio "betrayed" him, that was the plan from the very beginning, which means that Ratio never really betrayed him at all. He counted on Ratio to play a role, and the doctor did so flawlessly. It was impressive—the finest performance Aventurine has ever seen besides his own, and he couldn't be more grateful.

All of the above applies whether platonic or romantic; shipping or not, and whether my Aventurine and any given Ratio muse have interacted before or not.

Now, to address the more romantic side of things with your Ratio specifically—

Aventurine just...wants him to open up more. That's it. That's all he wants. He knows Veritas loves him. He's heard the words said before, and he knows them to be true. The problem is that even though he knows it's true, he still has to stand by and watch Veritas struggle to reconcile with those feelings. It breaks his heart, but he's not going anywhere. If he did, he'd lose the most important person in his life.

He can't risk that for anything in the world, even if the alternative hurts too.

Instead, he just hopes he can get through to Veritas one day. He wants to hear a sincere "I love you" without the assistance of him forcibly (though with consent) lowering Veritas' inhibitions. He will always, always love Veritas to the end of the universe and back, and will always be grateful for everything Veritas has done for him from the first moment they met in the IPC infirmary. But it still hurts.

He can search for the "I love you"s in the little smiles he sees sometimes, or the rare moments that he manages to steal a kiss or hug. He sees it in the way Ratio worries over him and lectures him on being more careful. Such moments are sweet, but needing to search and always pay attention to the finer details every single time is tiring. Whenever he hits a low point mentally, it's enough to make him second-guess whether or not Veritas' feelings are even real.

The minimal affection (or denial of it entirely) and non-committal attitude are soul-crushing when he's so desperate to be loved, and he doesn't know what more he can do to change that. He knows they can trust each other, and his life will always be safe in Veritas' hands. He just wants his heart to feel safe too, and he keeps wondering if that's too much to ask.

[stellrn]

A possible solution to the universe's problems in the future:

Be your own Aeon.

Every Aeon has a theme of representing an aspect to the extreme. What if there was an Aeon that is nuanced?

To loosely summarise the war between the Hunt and the Abundance: they were incapable of nuance (being one of the factors). Either full immortality or mortality, and no take backsies. The lack of options, the dichotomy, made them think that the gift was the best thing there is.

Not to mention Elation and the lack of accountability, or the Destruction with every major war and genocide. Such extremism doesn't do anyone good. Look at the IPC, even the Preservation can be twisted to give an excuse for the excessively profit-driven corporation.

The war of all the Aeons against each other also means a lot of suffering is because of these higher beings, instead of humans doing it to themselves. It's redundant.

While the solution I am theorising probably isn't any better, putting you on top of existance with all the consequences, it should still remove a lot of unnecessary parts of Aeons.

A human can't represent just a single thing: they aren't only warmonging as the Destruction, uncaring like Nihility, intrusive as the Elation, devoted as the Hunt, protective like the Preservation or loving as the Harmony. They are a mix of everything, both good and bad.

Another thing is that Aeons can be dissolved into an Aeon with the bigger idea. So it might be possible to turn all the Aeons into a soup. (And drink it.)

A theory about the Stellarons is that they are created from the desires of people, or something along those lines. If that is the case, you may represent the will of the people.

Stelle, Aeon of Humanity, Stellaron Prime.

There may be a small problem with that...

It would also mean war againat the IPC, everything based on Aeons, and the universe at that... So eh? Oh well:

"Rules are made to be broken!"

P.S. Unveiling is a good read. Can be applied to Aeons as well.

[Stelle is mind-blown by this ask.]

“You must have a big brain, largechemicalreactor. Is it possible you’re a part of the Genius Society or the Intelligentsia Guild or any other factions of the Erudition?” [Stelle compliments you for this possible solution, which, of course, still has its consequences.]

“I definitely agree, every aeon…is a bit too extreme. As you said, aeons have lack of choices and are just…who they are.” [Stelle shrugs at the last part and then nods her head as she understands what you have to say.]

“Seriously, because most aeons are constantly in war with each other…the people that follow their path follow them too. It causes disharmony is the universe, and that’s when the Astral Express steps in and you know the deal after that.” [Stelle groans in annoyance, wondering why these aeons can’t just live peacefully with each other?]

“Me…as an Aeon? That would be sick! And that’s right too, humans can also have the qualities of two or more paths at the same time. This makes me wonder if there is anyone in the universe that follow two or more paths simultaneously.” [Stelle thinks for a moment before continuing.]

“Aeon soup? That’s a smart idea. I wonder if drinking the mixture of all aeons that could apparently turn into soup could turn us into some omnipotent, omnipresent and omniscient being or something. Just a thought.” [Stelle gives you a smug smile, hearing what you say next.]

“Ah yes…I will represent the people with the power of my stellaron. But honestly, that’s a good point. But, I have a doubt in this one…we all know that Stellarons are seeds of destruction, cancer of all words blah blah. But these…stellarons stem from the power of the destruction, so it’s very likely to be turned into soup by the destruction. I don’t personally like the idea of me being soup.” [Stelle feels a shiver run down her spine.]

“I personally think I should be the Aeon of Trashcans. The most underrated Aeon. And war against the IPC and…yeah okay, I’m not a coward. I bet I can beat their ass!” [Stelle gives a motivated grin.]