#⌞ ༄ cosmic.wind: hsr ⌝

[sunderingstars]

thinking about sparkle’s performance line. thinking about how she says “this performance” and sampo says “my performance.” thinking about how she says “elation” and he says “joy.” even, perhaps, thinking about sampo’s familiarity with elation yet his simultaneous deconstruction of it, viewing his performance as his life yet ultimately steering that performance towards genuine love, care, and respect. thinking about elation not as hedonism but as dignity. anyways

[sunderingstars]

[sunderingstars]

not an aeon or a mortal but a secret third thing (sampo koski)

[sunderingstars]

i need to squinch him like a pea

[sunderingstars]

[sunderingstars]

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✩ ‧₊˚ ⌞ INTRODUCTION ⌝

sampo analysis m.list

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— hello & welcome to my dark twisted mind (full of sampo theories)

— this is the first major analysis project i’ve taken on, so i’m very excited to lay out all the evidence i’ve found — i’m trying to keep it as open-ended & -minded as possible, even though i’m biased out of sheer interest towards the aha!sampo theory.

— i’m sure there are things in here that are common knowledge, but since i tracked down every single sampo reference and voice line (literally) on the wiki during an obsession-induced state for the better part of two months, i’m hoping there’s some information here that may be new or less-discussed as well!

— i’ll be uploading each sub-topic as a separate post (because i have a lot to say about so many things), but depending on your preferences you can always follow/block the ⌞ 🎭 ⌝ tag, which is going to be the tag i use for anything relating to this project.

— here’s a brief outline of the topics i’ll be covering:

visual cues + art (aha splash art, kit, body language & confidence, performance & performative emotion, eidolons, etc.)

vocal cues + voicelines (third person references, voicelines, worldview, self-awareness, gender, etc.)

scene analysis (intro scene, belobog, sampo & sparkle’s conversation, fourth wall breaking, mr. cold feet, dream bubbles, etc.)

specific topics (placement in the narrative, jokes & situational comedy, the astral express, etc.)

specific theories (“retirement,” playing the long game, risk vs. reward, man or muppet?, “committed to the bit,” aha is not exempt from The Rules, etc.)

extra info on the masked fools as an organization, aeonic consciousness, and sampo character details outside of elation!sampo theories

as well as counterarguments and a conclusion + anything i feel like adding along the way!

— the next few posts i’ll be uploading will be my masterlists (yes, plural, i am insane 😔💔) so i can get ahead of the curve, then it’s onto the real meat of things. this is a passion project for me, so i am very grateful for everyone’s support thus far (seriously, y'all are so sweet) !!

— as always, feel free to send me asks if you want elaboration on one thing or another, or just want to talk about your own thoughts/theories. hope you enjoy!

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© analysis by sunderingstars. do not copy, repost, translate, modify, or claim my work as your own.

[sunderingstars]

guys…. i fear this may be sampo’s backstory

[sunderingstars]

obsession

& compulsion

[sunderingstars]

↓ detailed outline below cut ↓

[sunderingstars]

hm. interesting

(official version info)

[sunderingstars]

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✩ ‧₊˚ ⌞ EIDOLON NAMES AS NARRATIVES ⌝

analysis masterlist

— fandom: honkai star rail

— type: analysis, general

— word count: 1.1k

— overview: (as of 2.3) a look into the potential narrative meaning of eidolons and their various titles. meant to be a companion piece to my eidolon art analysis & sampo eidolon analysis (as well as any other characters i do down the line!)

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As of now, I have four main ideas as to what eidolons mean:

— Linear Development: Tracking from a character's past (or backstory) through the present and sometimes into the future.

— Birth and Rebirth: Following linear development until a "rebirth" moment at E6.

— Cycles of Day/Night: Progressing through different time frames as the character goes about their day.

— Least Vulnerable to Most Vulnerable: Showing the character at their least vulnerable (E1) before bringing them through eidolons where they get progressively "weaker," eventually ending up at their E6 where they are the most vulnerable.

Side Note: While there are characters whose eidolons seem to center around specific fighting styles or moves (i.e. Seele, Yanqing, etc.), there can still be a narrative interpreted from them — i.e. following the linear moves of their weapon as they fight.

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First, I’ll start with the most straightforward — linear development.

When looking through different eidolon sets, I noticed that many of them contained references that lined up with the character’s backstory and development, usually tracking from the “beginning” of their story to the “future,” where they are now, or where they might be going.

As of the time of writing this (2.1), Aventurine is the latest character, so let’s use him as an example:

Here is my interpretation of E1-E6:

— “Prisoner’s Dilemma” (E1) signals his time in slavery as he tried to figure out how to escape.

— “Bounded Rationality” (E2) describes him operating in these confines to achieve a goal.

— “Droprate Maxing” (E3) refers to his deal with the IPC and him trying to max out his success in joining them.

— “Unexpected Hanging Paradox” (E4) has to do with the new paradox he finds himself in which is how the IPC is yet another cage.

— “Ambiguity Aversion” (E5) leads us into Penacony and his inner self-reflection on why he seems so confident in gambling everything he has.

— “Stag Hunt Game” (E6) describes Aventurine going forward with his mission deeper into Penacony’s depths (with Stag Hunt Game referencing a conflict between safety and social cooperation). For me, this tracks fairly neatly through the stages of his life, eventually ending up at where we know him today.

Similarly, eidolon sets like Welt’s and Clara’s speak to a narrative development as well. Himeko’s is the most obvious, I think, as it literally starts with “Childhood” and ends with “Trailblaze!”:

This is one of the main features I’ve seen within eidolon sets, with some tracking more neatly than others.

Additionally, I’ve seen a few that continue this development but seem to hit a “rebirth” moment at E6, like with Lynx (which also ties into the idea of a day/night cycle):

Here, we can see different times of day progressing normally, except instead of ending at “night” it ends at “dawn."

Similarly, Blade’s E6 literally has the word “reborn” in it after progressing linearly from E1-E5:

My conclusion from this is that this is specific to certain characters like Blade where “rebirth” is technically a part of his linear progression, or Lynx who spends lots of time in the wilderness.

As for the day/night cycle, Lynx and Guinaifen are the best examples I’ve found.

Guinaifen especially seems to have her eidolons as a microcosm of her typical day, tracking from eating breakfast to brushing her teeth to performing various acts for entertainment:

However, I also believe this to be dependent on Lynx and Guinaifen’s specific character traits, like Lynx operating off of a wilderness survival timeframe and Guinaifen having a regimented life because of social media.

Lastly, it is possible that eidolons are also meant to show a character’s progression from least to most vulnerable (with E6 literally being the most vulnerable physically as there are no clothes on the character).

I find Pela and Herta to be the most interesting in this regard, as they both have E6s that very much remind me of “vulnerability” for different reasons.

For Pela, her E1 starts with “Victory Report,” an act that often shows strength and confidence, yet her E6 ends with “Feeble Pursuit,” something much more vulnerable. Additionally, her eidolons track from “adamant” to “suppressive” to “analysis” to “jeopardy,” which seems to hint at a slow loss of control before reaching “feeble pursuit:"

On the other side, Herta’s eidolons start with her in a position of authority and security — being able to kick someone while they’re down — but end in the idea that “No One Can Betray Me."

Her eidolons seem to go from a genuine position of safety to a delusional self-confidence, the kind that often leaves people extremely vulnerable; when you assume no one can betray you, that ego can blind you and make you more susceptible to the thing you don’t believe will happen.

We can also see this confidence build from objective strength to hyperbolic self-confidence through the transition from action “Keep the Ball Rolling” and “Hit Where It Hurts” to cussing big (which can often be seen as a cover-up for inadequacies):

Again, I find these highly dependent on the characters’ personalities, but it is an interesting trend regardless.

Overall, most eidolon sets seem to follow some sort of narrative, whether that be one interspersed with day/night cycles, vulnerability cycles, birth and rebirth, or just plain backstory-to-present references.

I’m sure there can be more interpretations sourced from these (especially the sets in other languages like Ratio’s and Kafka’s) but these are the personal conclusions I’ve reached!

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જ⁀➴ if you’ve read to the end, thank you for listening to my nerdy rambling! i’ll be posting an in-depth analysis of sampo’s eidolons soon, so if anyone is interested please keep a look out for that!

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© analysis by sunderingstars. do not copy, repost, translate, modify, or claim my work as your own.

[sunderingstars]

sampo: i’m gepard’s right hand arm… man. i’m gepard’s everything. i’m his confidante, his best friend, his silly rabbit—

natasha: —his what?

sampo: his silly rabbit :)

natasha: his silly rabbit?

sampo: yes

natasha: … is that what he calls you?

sampo: no

[sunderingstars]

⟡ hsr 2.1 spoilers ⟡

if anyone asks why i’m crying just tell them this frame broke into my house, stole all my earthly possessions, and left me sobbing on the floor

[sunderingstars]

i hope we get to see welt go to the little entertainment planet and have a fun little entertainment time. maybe ride a rollercoaster. drink some sparkly juice. lord knows that man needs a break

[sunderingstars]

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✩ ‧₊˚ ⌞ EIDOLON ART AS FACETS OF CHARACTER ⌝

analysis masterlist

— fandom: honkai star rail

— type: analysis, general

— word count: 1.7k

— overview: (as of 2.3) an analysis of eidolons, their art, and what they convey in terms of character. goes pretty deep into march 7th as an example, so it can partially function as a march eidolon analysis as well. meant to be a companion piece to my eidolon name analysis & sampo eidolon analysis (as well as any other characters i do down the line!)

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Honkai: Star Rail's eidolon art can be broken down into six sections:

— E1: A frame of the character facing away, often focused on their hair and back with facial features obscured.

— E2: A close-up frame of the character's left eye, often focused on their eye color and front-facing hair with the rest of their face obscured.

— E3: A frame of the character interacting with an important object to them, often focused on what their hands are doing (can also include parts of the face).

— E4: A frame of the character's upper body, often focused on their shoulders, neck, and face. No part of the face is obscured.

— E5: A frame focused on the character's chest, often obscuring the upper half of their face.

— E6: A frame of the character without clothes, head tilting down, usually showing the upper chest area or other body parts if curled.

The progression of clarity shown in the character's body language and revealing of facial features creates a visual effect of "coming closer" to them.

E1 shows none of their face, yet by the time we reach E6 we see not only their face, but their bare skin. We are quite literally seeing them at their most vulnerable, closing the distance physically, emotionally, and mentally between the player and the character.

What I find most striking about each eidolon is that they are consistent across every character; every E1 is the same pose, and so on and so forth. This leads me to believe that the poses and placement of eidolons serve a deeper meaning than just staying at a level of visual distance — namely, that they are meant to also convey similar facets of each character. As such, we can think of them as a baseline going forward, a constant benchmark structure we can use to compare characters to one another.

Let's take March 7th as an example:

— Her E1 (Memory of You) starts with her the furthest from us, facing away to create that narrative distance. The movement of her hair signals that she may be walking away; this is her at her most closed off. Taking from my "eidolon names as narratives" post, if we assume eidolons follow a narrative structure, then this would be reminiscent of her backstory, perhaps even her appearance to strangers or even her view of her past self as a stranger to her present. Either way, this is the "wall," the outer shell of her character. Conclusions: outer shell, backstory, appearance to strangers.

— Her E2 (Memory of It) immediately establishes her bubbly nature. The bright pinks and blues from her eye pop and create a burst of energy in the picture, while the large, white shine indicates a bright and youthful personality. We also get a better look at her vivid pink hair, which adds to the "bubbly girl" persona. This is our next look in, coming closer and getting a first impression of her true personality. I believe this may also be meant to represent the moment she woke up from the ice, as the "it" in "memory of it" may be referring to the ice itself. Conclusions: first impression, inciting incident, appearance to newcomers.

— Her E3 (Memory of Everything) further cements her cheerful disposition, as her smile and tilting head indicate an open and friendly figure. The important object she is fiddling with is an earring. While I have not been able to find any canonical significance for this earring in her lore or character details, my assumption would be that this is an item given to her by the Astral Express crew after awakening from the ice. As such, it not only implicates her interest in fashion, but a cherishing of the crew that is helping her build a new life for herself. I would say this also signals the point in her story where she is accepted by the crew; her memories are becoming filled with a new "everything" as the world opens up before her. Conclusions: important object, new life, appearance to acquaintances.

— Her E4 (Never Forfeit Again) shows her looking over her back while flashing a peace sign. (This is absolutely my favorite eidolon of hers, it's so cute and friendly!) As we (the viewer) are getting closer to her in space and time, she is accepting us in by smiling and making a gesture often associated with fun and excitement. Through this, she is showing us that not only is she excited to know us, but excited to see the world in general. "Never forfeit again" hints that this excitement may be because she doesn't want to give up or lose another life, so she is trying her best to make this new one vibrant and enjoyable. However, this is still not the core of her being; it is more authentic than before, but there is more to go. Conclusions: balance between both sides of vulnerability, present events, appearance to friends.

— Her E5 (Never Forget Again) shows her slightly looking past us, focused on her collar and shirt. She looks more dull here, muted, as if she is comfortable enough to look away while still facing us, putting her trust in the audience to be safe. The smile is still there, though it doesn't seem as exaggerated as before; instead it seems more casual, like we are having a day-to-day interaction. However, there is also something ominous about another part of her face being obscured — even though we are closer to her, there are still secrets she is keeping, some that not even she may be aware of. I believe this indicates the mystery of her character, that there are still things to be uncovered. After all, what does the other "half" of her look like? Conclusions: casual and comfortable, future mystery, appearance to close friends.

— Finally, her E6 (Just Like This, Always) shows her at her most physically, mentally, and emotionally vulnerable, curled around herself without any clothes on. My guess is that this is her core essence, meant to symbolize the pose of her body while trapped in ice. The way she hugs herself seems to indicate coldness (and therefore, an attempt to keep herself warm), while the curling of her legs conjures a feeling of trying to keep something in, to keep her memories from escaping. This is the "March" at the center of her, the pure, vulnerable soul of her being. Beyond the bubbly exterior is someone who is scared and freezing, trying desperately to make new memories and cling to them before they fade. "Just like this, always" is also a major indicator to this being her constant state, something that sticks with her from the past to the present to the future. Conclusions: pure vulnerability, core essence, appearance to only a select few special people.

So, here are my summarized conclusions for the "baseline" of eidolon art:

— E1: Outer shell, backstory, appearance to strangers.

— E2: First impression, inciting incident, appearance to newcomers.

— E3: Important object, new life, appearance to acquaintances.

— E4: Balance between both sides of vulnerability, present events, appearance to friends.

— E5: Casual and comfortable, future mystery, appearance to close friends.

— E6: Pure vulnerability, core essence, appearance to only a select few special people.

Before I give my final thoughts, let's do a quicker and shorter application of these concepts to another example, Gepard:

— E1 (Due Diligence): Symbolizes his backstory, the distance of working his way up through the ranks, and a strong, loyal silhouette for those who don't know him.

— E2 (Lingering Cold): Can be interpreted several ways, but I view the "inciting incident" to be several events in a trenchcoat, namely every past battle he fought under the Supreme Guardian, the "lingering cold" of war. Tired yet determined eyes at first glance. Most likely the view his soldiers have on the day-to-day.

— E3 (Never Surrender): The important object is the Silvermane Medal indicating his status as Captain (shows the importance he places on loyalty and leadership). His face is not shown; he values his service to Belobog more than his own feelings. New life as a Captain leading the charge, covers the span of time between the inciting incident and present. Despite losses and setbacks, he pushes forward.

— E4 (Faith Moves Mountains): Active and commanding, tracks events in the Belobog Trailblaze Mission where he has more interaction with his soldiers and the main cast. Faith in Cocolia is difficult to break down, then replaced by faith in Bronya. The Gepard his soldiers see up close on the battlefield; comrades-in-arms.

— E5 (Cold Iron Fist): Comfortable enough to look away, yet still on-guard. Even around close friends, his instincts lead him to always be alert. Eyes narrowed, scanning surroundings. Future uncertainty for the fate of Belobog.

— E6 (Unyielding Resolve): Almost hesitant body language; slight furrow to brow betraying difficulty being vulnerable. Only slightly turned away, as if still on guard; core essence is strength and loyalty.

Overall, while these are standard commonalities I've come across while looking at eidolons, I'm sure there are slight deviations between characters. After all, facets are bound to change slightly depending on the personality of the character. However, the common eidolon poses and analysis discussed here lead me to believe the facets shown in E1-E6 art have deeper meaning and connection to each character, tracking across time and space to reveal more and more about a character’s personality until finally arriving at the "core essence" of E6.

(Feel free to try applying this to other eidolons of your favorite characters — since I drew these conclusions from general commonalities across eidolon sets, they should be able to work with any given character (with slight deviations). I think it’s a fun brain exercise to get thinking about each character’s personality and story!)

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જ⁀➴ and that's the end of my analysis! if you’ve read to the end, thank you for listening to my nerdy rambling! i’ll be posting an in-depth analysis of sampo’s eidolons soon, so if anyone is interested please keep a look out for that!

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© analysis by sunderingstars. do not copy, repost, translate, modify, or claim my work as your own.

[sunderingstars]

sampo is so iconic in the tatalov preview. what is he doing where is he going? is that even him? why is he giant and also throwing bombs at trash cans why is he evil why did he knock us out? are we hallucinating? is he hijacking our dreams? i may never know and honestly i don’t think i want to. whatever the fuck is going on is way funnier