#also i think they changed sampo's expressions

[tiny-chubby-bird]

I love the shy and gentle expressions the most.

[shortcake-stuffs]

Sampo in an outfit I found on Pinterest!

(I think I’m getting better at drawing his body type, which makes me really happy!)

[starbop]

How SMELLY all the Honkai Boys are...

Here's my ranking of HSR boys based on how much I think they smell. Explanations + headcanons below the cut!

The Top Stinkers

Caelus literally digs through garbage for fun. I don't think I need to defend their spot as the #1 stinkiest mf in this whole game. 11/10 on the stink scale.

Sampo also has the energy of someone who enjoys garbage. I, for one, have no idea where that thing has been and I don't think I want to know. He is also known to hide in piles of snow when need be, meaning he's just out there rolling around on the ground sometimes. 10/10 would not sniff again.

Luka is the sweatiest man alive. But he looks SO good doing it. The sparks and smoke his arm produces, while very cool to look at, do not help his smelliness rating. 8/10 because he at least has good reasons for smelling funky.

I do not think Blade has ever taken a shower. You could fry a whole chicken with the oil from his hair. 9/10.

Boothill smells like a mixture of motor oil, grease, and sweat. Not a smell I would personally hate, but objectively not a good one. Yeehaw/10.

The Smelly

I feel like, in theory, you could smell like anything in the Dreamscape. I just also feel like Gallagher would not choose to smell good. 7/10.

I really want to believe that he'd smell good, but the second he finishes his magical girl transformation sequence, Imbibitor Lunae reeks with the smell of seaweed. I will deduct a stinky point from my initial rating because some people may think this smells good. They are wrong. 7/10.

Neutral Smelling

Yanqing should reek from all the time he spends fighting and training, but Jing Yuan is not letting that boy leave the house without taking a bath. 6/10.

Arlan bathes regularly, but I can't imagine him having a particularly strong smell. Asta will occasionally gift him some lightly scented soaps, though. If anything, he smells vaguely like Peppy. 5/10.

Gepard might get a little sweaty under all those layers, but he doesn't have a strong scent one way or the other. 4/10.

I Am Sniffing Respectfully

I just KNOW that the Astral Express has the nicest bathrooms in the universe. Dan Heng and Welt stay smelling FRESH. 3/10.

(Though Dan Heng has ended up smelling like bubblegum on a few occasions after borrowing March's shampoo...)

Misha smells like a sweet dream. I don't know what dreams smell like, but that's the only way to describe Misha's scent. Vaguely like cotton candy, perhaps. Ethereal/10.

Jing Yuan takes bubble baths with Mimi and you can NOT change my mind. I can totally picture him dozing off peacefully after a nice, warm bath. I-can-overlook-the-cat-hair/10.

We've seen Ratio take SO many baths at this point that I don't think you could find a single speck of dirt on that man's perfect body if you tried. How are his fingers not just permanently pruney? I hate him so much. 1/10.

I AM SNIFFING DISRESPECTFULLY

Argenti smells like roses and sunshine. 0/10 smelliness can I please bottle your sweat sir

Luocha has to smell great with all those flowers he summons. I would grind him down to make potpourri. Not sure about the coffin, though. -2/10.

And as for Aventurine? Cologne. SO much cologne. Whether this is a good or bad thing is up to you, but he certainly has A Smell. Subjective/10.

[genshin-obsessed]

May I request HSR boys receiving a bouquet of flowers as a gift from their s/o?

✩ Ooh yesss! This sounds so cute plus I need to do some writing for hsr ^w^ I hope you like it, friend <3 ✩ Characters: Caelus, Dan Heng, Welt, Sampo, Gepard, Jing Yuan, Luocha, and Blade.

You hid the bouquet of flowers behind your back and knocked on your boyfriend's dor. You heard a voice tell you to come in, which made you open the door and walk inside.

"Oh, (y/n)." He said with surprise, "what do you need?"

"I brought you something!" You said with a smile, walking over to him and revealing the bouquet of flowers. They were arranged beautifully and the sweet aroma was intense.

✩⭒ Caelus ⭒✩

You got him flowers?! For real?! He is melting, bestie.

Honestly, his eyes are wide and his cheeks are bright red.

"They're beautiful, (n/n)." He said as he took the bouquet from you, his fingers brushing against yours as he brought the bouquet to his nose and smelled them. "Oh, they smell so good."

Caelus has *never* gotten flowers before, not that he could even remember but he's sure he hasn't. He doesn't even know what to say except 'thank you'.

It makes him feel so good. Every single time he sees the flowers in their cute little vase, his heart pounds in his chest and he just gets this overwhelming feeling of happiness.

Caelus takes such good care of the flowers. The saddest part was when they wilted, like he literally was so sad all day.

You bought him another bouquet very soon after.

✩⭒ Dan Heng ⭒✩

His eyes widen and he just freezes. The flowers were bright green and they were just so... beautiful.

"F-for me...? Are you sure?"

"Of course I'm sure! Why wouldn't I be?" You asked with a smile.

"Well..." He'd never gotten flowers before. He slowly reached out and took them, inhaling the sweet scent before hugging them a little. "They're beautiful, thank you."

Dan Heng takes really good care of them. He'll make sure to get a little sun lamp thing since there's no sun on the train. He also keeps them in his sights and waters them every single day.

He'll even talk to them, but he'll never tell you that.

Honestly, even after the flowers wilt and are gone, he still thinks about them. He'd never gotten flowers before. Of course, you picked up on it and bought him some more!

✩⭒ Welt ⭒✩

He was shocked when he saw the flowers. Honestly, Welt was a little embarrassed because he should've been getting you flowers, not the other way around.

He gracefully takes the flowers, leaning down and giving you a kiss on the cheek. "Thank you, my love. They're absolutely beautiful."

Welt finds the most beautiful vase for them and makes sure they're well taken care of. He even gets those little powder packets that help flower longevity and changes the water often.

When he gets a chance, he actually get you a bouquet of flowers too. He tries to get one that matches his- not exactly, but complimentary.

Honestly, it just turns into a bouquet war. You two try to one up each other giving each other even fancier bouquets.

The entire astral express just swoons. You two are so freaking cute sometimes.

Welt was actually really sad when that first bouquet wilted and had to be tossed out. He felt like a teeny piece of him died.

✩⭒ Sampo ⭒✩

First of all, Sampo was super shocked because he's usually the one showering you in gifts. Like he froze up.

His brain short-circuited right then and there. You almost thought he disliked your gift, but before you knew it, he snatched the flowers out of your hand and hugged them.

"This is the most beautiful gift ever! I love them, thank you so much (n/n)!" He leaned in and kissed you without missing a beat.

You stiffened but happily returned it, feeling relief that he actually liked the flowers.

Honestly, Sampo stares at them all day and tells every person he knows. He took pictures with them and just shows them off. "My s/o got me these, aren't they beautiful."

Sampo has to outdo you. Sorry, but he's the simp- not you. So, he buys the best, the biggest, the most fabulous bouquet of flowers in the entirety of... well his abilities.

Of course, you just bought him another bouquet which honestly just took him out. Like how can you spoil him like that?

✩⭒ Gepard ⭒✩

"F-for me? Why?" Gepard's face is bright red and he can barely look at you for a moment. No one's every gotten him flowers before.

Honestly, he's a little embarrassed but he's quite happy and the flowers are absolutely beautiful.

"Are you sure you like them? They're a little-"

"No! They're beautiful."

He takes extremely good care of them, but the entire time, he's trying to get a fancy bouquet for you too.

He tells anyone and everyone. Honestly, there are silvermane guards talking about "did you see the bouquet of flowers our captain got from his partner?"

He went through the 5 stages of grief when the flowers died. Buried them and all, honestly.

✩⭒ Jing Yuan ⭒✩

You had gotten him the fanciest bouquet you could. It was so big that you could barely hide it behind your back. So, of course, he easily noticed.

It was probably one of the few times you've seen him so flustered. Flowers? For him? Really?

Jing Yuan had them in his office and stared at them pretty much all day. Anyone who even looked toward them, he was explaining how you got them for him.

Of course, Jing Yuan can't take this gift laying down, he's gotta hit back with something even fancier!

However, you getting him flowers means the world to him. Why? No one's ever done it before. He's one of the seven Arbiter-Generals and so people don't get him flowers. They get him expensive gifts like relics, vases, paintings- things like that. Simple flowers, though? Never.

He cherishes the flowers you got them, long after they wilt and are thrown away. He still remembers what they look like and it still warms his heart.

Say what you will, but nothing you ever give him could possibly outdo the flowers. That's how much he loves them. No offense-

✩⭒ Luocha ⭒✩

This man- he's tearing up in private. Sadly, men aren't gifted flowers because they're a "feminine" gift for some damn reason? Like? Maybe he wanted some flowers. Tulips, roses, freakin chrysanthemums- don't matter.

He adores the flowers. Honestly, like he took a picture and put it in his favorites. He wasn't even embarrassed. You weren't sure if he'd like them, but he showed them off so much.

Since that day, you bought him a flower as much as you could. Not a whole bouquet, but every few days, you'd gift Luocha a flower.

He often kept it on his person, like in his pocket or something. He did want to put it in a vase, but the thing is... he wanted it with him.

Anyway, he came up with good solution. The first day, he carries the flower with him. Then, he keeps it in a teeny single flower vase.

Ever since that day, if you ever ask Luocha what he wants as a gift (just to know what to get him), he'll always say flowers. Even though you get him flowers every few days, he still wants more.

At this point, you can just stick a flower in his hair and he'll melt.

✩⭒ Blade ⭒✩

Blade... likes them.

He's a man of few words, so all he really did was take the flowers and smell them. But he stared for a few moments, before the tiniest hint of a smile crossed his face.

"Thank you. They're beautiful." He leaned in and gave you a kiss on the cheek before going to find a vase to put them in.

Blade is not shy about telling the others who gave him those flowers. They're beautiful, you gave them to him, and he loves them.

Blade actually learned about the flowers you got him; they were hibiscus flowers. Honestly, they're so beautiful, he can't stop staring. He keeps equating them to you- like... flowers = his (y/n).

The way his heart fluttered when you gave him those flowers makes him wonder if you'll feel the same way. So, the next time, he buys you a bouquet.

Then it just turns into a bouquet gifting war between you two and honestly... it's the cutest ever.

[feroluce]

SO LIKE. As much as I roll with the Emanator of Elation Sampo theory, I do have. Some doubts about this specific instance of it. Not that I think Boothill is lying, or that I think Sampo isn't an Emanator, but I wonder if the person Boothill actually met was Sampo.

Just! Sampo is so careful. The only reason we even knew he wasn't of Belobog was due to a dialogue-dependent fourth wall-breaking dream sequence that no other character could have seen. It took a missable dream bubble in an out-of-the-way spot that was seemingly left only for the trailblazer at the very end of a side mission just to confirm him as a Masked Fool. Like it's not just the fact that Boothill mentions this person being an Emanator. It's that he knows they're also a Masked Fool, which is also something Sampo is incredibly dodgy about. Sparkle even seems to call him out on this in her party join line fjkdjaskldj

((But also, Boothill, baby. WHY were you trying to get them drunk????))

And regardless of if you believe him when he calls himself an old timer, he obviously has a lot of experience in doing what he does. He knows what he's doing, he's good at it, and he is viciously capable and competent, unfortunately for his victims smhznskdn

So it just. Feels very unlike him, for him to let his guard down enough to not only let himself get drunk in front of Boothill-

a total stranger btw whom Sampo has absolutely no reason to trust, and a dangerous Galaxy Ranger to boot who has plenty of blood on his hands and a significant bounty on his head

-but to get SO drunk that he lets loose the secret that he's an Emanator.

When Boothill brings this up, he mentions that if Emanators were obvious and known at a glance, it would lead to atrocities. And for as much as Sampo is disliked by his victims (there's an entire anti-Sampo organization in Belobog JFDKLASJFDL), it's all for fraud. He's wanted by the IPC as an intergalactic thief. He scams people out of their money, and only rich people at that. That's mostly all that he's known for. Nothing he does is violent, even though Sampo surely has the capacity to inflict a lot of harm.

And I don't mean that he's exactly a pacifist or anything; Firefly comments that Sampo seems like a highly skilled covert fighter. His voicelines make it sound like he enjoys combat- hell, his ult line makes him sound like a hitman. I like to hc him as being a pretty high ranker in the fighting rings at the World's End Tavern, like we see in the Simulated Universe occurrences.

But I don't think he would enjoy being the cause of uncontrollable violence and bloodshed.

Like yeah he's a dick who scams people on the regs for funsies, but he has lines he refuses to cross, which we see a lot of in how he interacts with Sparkle. More than just not enjoying it, I think he would hate it if he were found out and it caused an incident, especially since he seems so endeared to Belobog and her people now and it looks like he plans to return there. He wouldn't want to bring any of that back to them.

So I just can't imagine him carelessly fucking up bad enough to out himself to a random stranger that could easily put a bullet right through his head.

Sparkle maybe could, though.

Because as we find out later the dreamscape had expanded FAR beyond what it seemed, far enough that the trailblazer had been dreaming since the warp jump in. Most people enter it unknowingly, and don't realize they're already dreaming when they think they're still awake. Boothill and Dan Heng should have already been dreaming during their exchange on the Express that started all this.

And as long as someone knows they're dreaming, completely changing their appearance is easy, even for the common layman. We see this with a couple of NPCs and also Sparkle herself, with her (in)famous impression of Sampo.

Thank youuuuu Sparkle

And yeah, the trailblazer and almost all of the other characters wouldn't know about the expansion until near the very end. None of them realized they were dreaming even outside of their dream pools, and surely none of them would think to be suspicious of another person's appearance outside of the dreamscape like that.

But Sparkle has a script from Silver Wolf.

She knew all the secrets of the dreamscape, and she knew them from the very beginning. There would have been nothing stopping her from appearing as Sampo in front of Boothill and spilling all his secrets.

And she apparently has a long-standing history with Sampo, including trying to get him in on her own much more fiery and aggressive version of Elation.

Maybe all Sampo needs is to be outed as an Emanator, and then when all the violence and bloodshed catches up to him, then he'll finally understand! ദ്��ി(｡•̀ ,<)~✩

[sunderingstars]

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✩ ‧₊˚ ⌞ NOTABLE TOPICS ⌝

sampo analysis m.list

— what the stars reveal: interpretative analysis, elation!sampo, theory, general observations, somewhat list format

— word count: 4.8k

— overview: (as of 2.6) a compilation of notable topics surrounding sampo koski that do not fit into the other analysis sections i’ve covered so far!

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✩ ‧₊˚ ⌞ INTRODUCTION ⌝

Includes: Mr. Cold Feet, Dream Bubbles & Tatalov, Astral Express, Boothill’s Emanator Talk, Trashcan Event, Rating Pistol, Moze’s Splash Art & “Prey,” Photo Event, By Any Means Necessary Curio, Master Thief’s Tentacle, Versatile Joker, Wardance Event, and more!

In the interest of not wanting to burn out talking about my beloved blue-haired man, I have compiled the rest of my findings into a list of notable topics — I may or may not elaborate on these in the future, but I at least wanted to point them out in their own dedicated post!

✩ ‧₊˚ ⌞ MR. COLD FEET ⌝

I mainly just wanted to mention how I think the alias of “Mr. Cold Feet” may be a reference to Sampo’s feelings about his “job” within the Masked Fools and his status within the Elation. 

As seen below, the phrase “cold feet” often refers to a loss of confidence — or rather, the presence of uncertainty (“doubt,” even, if we want to bring up Clown’s Items). Additionally, “cold feet” is often a colloquial way of saying someone is backing out or leaving.

These definitions make Sampo’s alias all the more intriguing, especially te fact he is known not just for having cold feet, but for doing it so much he is literally known as “Mr. Cold Feet.” Whether this was a name he ascribed to himself or a name originating from others, it doesn’t change the association. Here, Star Rail is making a direct connection between who Sampo is as a character — his name, his identity — and the practice of losing courage to the point of backing out. 

I believe this is not meant to be a one-time occurrence (seeing as the “Mr. Cold Feet Pop-Up Shop” event is rolling around now using the name once again), but rather an insight into Sampo’s character and potential situation surrounding his occupation and identity.

On a surface level, this seems to be about Sampo’s general slippery nature. He not only bribes us to keep quiet, which works in some cases, but even in the timeline where we don’t take the bribe, he still manages to get away. Clearly, he’s an expert on “backing out” of situations when they get too hairy.

Going deeper, though, I think this also has to do with the Masked Fools and his discontentment with his “job”. As seen on Penacony, he doesn’t think highly of the Fools (or at least their jokes) and has specific ideas of Elation that don’t line up with theirs. Being part of such a group that is at odds with his worldview would likely cause him to waver in his commitment to said group. I wouldn’t be surprised if he wanted to back out or get “cold feet” towards them, whether that means particular jobs they need him to do or just the organization as a whole. 

I also think “cold feet” may refer to some bigger plan, perhaps put in motion by Aha, other Aeons, or other Emanators that Sampo, potentially as an Emanator himself, no longer wants to be a part of. These “cold feet” may even be what’s causing Sampo to help us instead of harm us, deviating from some other plan once he began to have doubts about it for one reason or another. (Also, as a Doll!Sampo truther this could also be him becoming fed up with being a literal punching bag.)

Either way, I believe “Mr. Cold Feet” isn’t just a moniker, but something that is as much a part of Sampo as his blue hair. Although he doesn’t seem like the grand wavering type day-to-day, I think it’s possible that some greater machinations or discontentment with his position in life have led him to, well, lose some nerve due to backstory, psychological, or circumstantial reasons.

✩ ‧₊˚ ⌞ DREAM BUBBLES & TATALOV ⌝

Astral Express Dream Bubble:

(Update: The item description says this bubble is said to contain the “dreams of Akivili,” meaning it’s likely from Their perspective. I’ve revised a bit of this section to reflect that!)

(There is also the chance Aha isn’t involved at all here, but given the references to Elation and Pom-Pom mentioning “that guy who blew up the train into two pieces” at the end, I don’t think it’s off the table!)

I wanted to quickly give this its own shoutout, since it directly shows a discussion about several impulsive and joke-like actions Akivili makes on the Express. Not only is this whole incident really interesting for me as an Elation enjoyer, but I also like the details of the jokes, especially since they don’t seem to be… well… very harmful in nature. Compared to “blowing up the Express,” watering plants with soda and stealing snacks seem so, just, mundane. It’s kind of endearing, to be honest. It almost seems like They’re trying to take a page out of Aha’s book, albeit in a more mundane, everyday-life kind of way. (They just wanted to have a little fun. They were feeling silly, Your Honor.)

Now to be serious: While going through the dream bubble, I realized Aha is referenced, but we never get any indication of Their appearance, or who They were masquerading as at the time, simply being referred to as “that guy.” Not only are we, the player, placed in a faceless role as the viewer of the bubble, but many details are kept vague about this past event. Not even Pom-Pom gives any hints as to what Aha looks or sounds like.

While this small mention might be the natural course of the conversation, it cuts off at a very specific point right after Pom-Pom brings the “incident” up. This might be a side effect of the dream bubble being incomplete or only from a certain perspective, but I also think it’s just as likely that this is intentional. That someone, perhaps even Aha Themself, gave us access to a dream bubble depicting only a small, specific part of the conversation — one with no hints or identifying features. Someone who may want to steer us in a certain direction but not want us to know what Aha looked like at the time. Which is interesting, because… why not? If They can change Their appearance at will, why not? If we haven’t seen Them before, why not? I believe the reason we may not be given these details is because we would recognize Them, or at least Their identifying features.

This can go multiple ways — it’s possible we’re dealing with an Aha!Sampo who simply doesn’t want us spoiling the fun, an Emanator!Sampo who was sent to mess with the Express on Aha’s behalf and potentially even impersonate Them, a former Aha!Sampo long since displaced by a usurper, or even my favorite idea, that Doll!Sampo having the appearance and voice of Aha’s form (even just at the time) would cause a whole lot of complicated confusion that no one, especially the players of the game, can handle right now.

There is also a reference to Elation — “this trailblazing expedition of yours is indeed an ‘Elating’ one” — and Dr. Edward seems strangely insistent on not providing additional details. That, paired with “Akivili?” having a quite noticeable question mark, throws me for a bit of a loop. Elation seems to be very much at play here, but to what extent I’m not sure.

At the very least, I feel this bubble was left for us for a a reason, perhaps even something having to do with the Elation itself.

Tatalov:

Oh Tatalov dream bubble, what can I say about you that hasn’t already been said? A lot, I think, actually.

One, this is Sampo’s dreamscape. While this could mean nothing, it’s also his dreamscape, meaning anything is fair game to connect to him. I wouldn’t be surprised if he was trying to tell us something through his own mind.

Two, Belobog is the setting, not only implying his predisposition for the place but potentially implying something big will go down there.

Three, when we ask where everyone is, he says “this is a surprise that will be revealed later” — very Elation-coded, very cryptic. Once again implying some big plot development we haven’t yet reached. 

Four, he encourages us to take our time and acclimate. Very sweet. Very wholesome.

Five, Sampo’s advice (?). Interesting to-do list — become Garbage King. Makes me wonder what the Garbage King is meant to represent; perhaps Aha, a Masked Fool, leading a revolution, taking control of Belobog, reuniting with lost power? Seems like he’s gunning for the top either way. “Though the trash bags have long been broken” is also intriguing. Implies rising in a sort of fight or revolution — perhaps the trash bags are meant to symbolize Belobog’s people, or perhaps even the other creations/toys when considering Doll!Sampo theory. Maybe both. 

(I’m more inclined towards the Belobog angle here, since the dream both takes place there and features the trash bags well-known for being there. Update: Taking the “Ace Trash Digger” occurrence into account, it may be that Sampo aims to become some sort of patron for “discarded” items, perhaps seeing Belobog as something abandoned and forgotten much like himself. In that sense, “become the Garbage King” may mean something similar to him becoming a leader or guide to Belobog — and by extension, other places or people seen as “garbage” — since he feels a sort of kinship with them.)

Six, the dream feels familiar to us. Sampo is once again being cryptic with the whole “anything can feel familiar” bit, but this may be meant to show us the future, in a way. Perhaps it’s so familiar because we will go through it or somehow have gone through it in the past. This could also be something to do with Sampo’s backstory, which feels so familiar because we’re in his dreamscape.

Seven, after the dream is interrupted, he mentions how he was looking forward to seeing how we would overthrow the Garbage King. He mentions the King specifically, which makes me almost think the King is synonymous with a person or single entity in the real universe. Again, this could be Aha, some powerful figure who will threaten Belobog, or even Sampo himself. It’s possible that Sampo, just wanting to settle down for once in his life, is looking for someone to “dethrone” him in a way, so he can either be free or finally get what he wants.

Eight, despite trying to play the fool (haha) during the dream and acting a bit nonchalant, he clearly says it was a “meaningful” dream when Firefly interrupts it. Additionally, he mentions he was looking forward to “seeing your face when the truth dawned on you.” Clearly, this isn’t just a one-off fun side quest, it means something. Once again, I believe there may be something Sampo is trying to tell us that he literally can’t say out loud — either that or he’s just toying around with us.

There definitely a big “secret” implied here, as he clearly thinks the “truth” he mentions will be enough to seriously shock us. This is further emphasized by him insisting he’s not “trying to say” anything, just “reveal the truth”. That’s a very specific distinction that doesn’t make a whole lot of sense unless he’s under some kind or prerogative to make that distinction, such as not being able to talk about certain things.

The question of the hour, though, is: What truth? What could he have been trying to reveal? Could it be Emanator status, Doll status, Aha Themself? I’m not entirely sure. So much of his character is still shrouded in mystery that even trying to analyze some of these scenes feels like fighting an uphill battle since we don’t have the proper context yet to view them in hindsight. I know this is foreshadowing, I’m just not sure for what. I at least believe the truth to not be directly Belobog-related, as I think whatever “truth” is there to be found likely has to do with Sampo’s identity itself. Beyond that, things get murky.

Ideally, I’d love it to be a mix of everything. A little bit of Emanator!Sampo via Boothill’s run-in, a little bit of Doll!Sampo via those Simulated Universe occurrences, and a little bit of toxic fucked-up Elation speech curse from Aha sprinkled with a creation’s rage against its creator — that’s my favorite soup for sure.

I also wanted to bring up how in the Tatalov cutscene, we see Sampo at a similar large size as Phantylia once she shed her mortal form, which could be foreshadowing Emanator status.

✩ ‧₊˚ ⌞ ASTRAL EXPRESS ⌝

I find it very interesting how, out of the numerous characters who visit the Express, Sampo is nowhere to be seen. 

At first, I thought it was a Masked Fools thing, but then Sparkle started visiting the Express so it’s definitely not that. Additionally, every single Belobog character can visit the Express except for him.

This makes Sampo all the more conspicuous to me, since it raises a clear question: Why?

There must be some reason he won’t board the Express even when others from both Belobog and the Masked Fools do. My current theory is that he shares a similar appearance to Aha or Their human form (either through being a part of Them, created in Their image, or some other complicated backstory shenanigans) and the reason he won’t board is because he’s worried Pom-Pom will recognize him from the time Aha infiltrated the Express.

One thing’s for sure, though — the more time passes and the more characters visit, the more suspicious this whole situation becomes.

✩ ‧₊˚ ⌞ BOOTHILL'S EMANATOR TALK ⌝

Not much to say except I think the “Elation Emanator” Boothill refers to is Sampo. Not only does the Emanator look “no different than that of those clowns,” implying a status within the Masked Fools that we know Sampo has, but Boothill even talks about the reasons Emanators may hide their identity at a different point in the conversation. It seems to me that Sampo may be hiding his status for self-preservation or the protection of others, which seems to be working quite well!

I do find it funny that the Emanator got drunk, though, because that means one of two things: 1. Sampo played Boothill like a fiddle and is trying to drop us some kind of hint, meaning he pretended to be drunk in a likely exaggerated and hilarious way (and Boothill completely bought it), or 2. Sampo “Midlife-Crisis” Koski, an Emanator of Elation, actually got drunk and revealed his status to Boothill in a stupor while probably complaining about his job or means of existence. I’m not sure which idea is funnier to think about!

✩ ‧₊˚ ⌞ TRASHCAN EVENT ⌝

This gives us more insight into how Sampo views “friendship” and potentially by extension “love.” He condenses it down very nicely — “mutual benefit.” As I’ve mentioned in other analyses, Sampo seems to view friendship from a business perspective, something to be gained or lost like currency. Although he is loyal to places like Belobog and likely has deeper feelings of affection hidden in there, he only shows the con-man to others. The only thing he’ll be caught talking about is business, which goes for friendship too. 

He also mentions the dichotomy of “paying with money” versus “paying with effort,” implying that there is an extremely give-and-take nature to relationships. He isn’t wrong, but it belies the assumption that love must include a payment or a price. It cannot, will not, be freely given. This may come from a genuine, natural belief, but I find it more likely that this comes from whatever his backstory is. Whatever betrayal he has experienced, whatever “hate” he has allowed to fester in his chest, it has caused him to adopt a rather cynical view of friendship. While I do think he isn’t entirely wrong, that doesn’t mean the way he sees things is necessarily healthy.

(Litter Pony also notes a “bittersweet friendship” from him, which further connects to Sampo’s cocktail of love, hate, betrayal, and enthusiasm.)

Additionally, I believe this interaction points towards how ingrained cruelty towards Sampo is in the universe. Trailblazer has to focus and think very hard to remember something Sampo has done to help us, even though he’s done quite a few notable things (including literally saving our life in the Hook daily) that I think should come to mind much faster.

To me, it almost seems like the Trailblazer is having to fight against some natural current guiding them to be mean or cruel, to think the worst of Sampo at all times and express those extreme emotions to his face, just to find a bright spot of affection. It could be the Trailblazer’s character, or it could be some deeper byproduct of Sampo’s existence. I don’t entirely know, I just find it interesting.

The name “Hazardous Waste” trash can is very interesting to me, particularly because of certain character dialogue and Simulated Universe occurrences that imply themes of creation, abandonment, and festering hatred surrounding Sampo’s character. “Hazardous Waste” could mean many things, but I tend to see it as aligned with a Sampo who was created by Aha (potentially in the pursuit of “perfection”) only to then be discarded or abandoned once he served his purpose.

In this sense, “Hazardous” would refer to the hatred and betrayal in Sampo that makes him so dangerous, and “Waste” would refer to the way he was essentially discarded as trash once Aha was done playing with him. Alternatively, this could be a reference to the Masked Fools and him no longer being as powerful as he once was, since the betrayal aspects could also stem from some sort of incident within the Fools while he was still in this prime.

The abilities of both Sampo (the magician) and the trashcan focus on planting “Hazardous Waste” on the enemy’s side of the field and inflicting impediments. Here are a a few things I noted:

— Each Waste increases DoT taken by enemies. Implies strength in numbers.

— When Sampo uses his ultimate, enemies are inflicted with “Deep Blue Curse” — this not only ties to his character being known for his blue hair (much like in Curio Hacker as well), but ties that moniker with the idea of a “curse.” I believe this may mean Sampo is either cursed himself, has the ability to curse others, or both. The in-universe counterpart may literally be a curse, or may be something only adjacent like bad luck, falling from grace, or the aforementioned betrayal.

— “Deep Blue Curse” inflicts Lightning DoT. Interesting, since Sampo is a Wind character. This might be an easter egg for a future Lightning Sampo unit or a tie to Moze who shares a few similarities with Sampo, or it might literally be nothing.

— “Hazardous Waste” triggers random effects, much like certain Elation occurrences and Path equations in Simulated Universe.

— A part of these random effects is, I kid you not please listen to my insane rambling, to beat up Sampo which then regenerates energy and attack for him. I will say it again he gets beat up for a reward. Much like… an occurrence that rhymes with Baja Bluffed Boy……… Anyways, Doll!Sampo theorists rise!

Here are two of Sampo’s cans on each side of the battlefield. It feels symbolic of something but I’m not sure what. Maybe there are others like Sampo by virtue of existence who may find themselves in conflict? Maybe this is supposed to mirror the chaotic nature and betrayal of the Masked Fools? Perhaps this is supposed to represent an inner conflict where Sampo finds himself in a double agent situation between Paths, needing to determine what route to take? I don’t know, but it’s damn fascinating.

Sampo after he gets hit… much like a doll…. to vent extreme emotions on……

Potentially an implication that Sampo is a mole — the only questions are For who? and Towards who? (I feel like both the Trailblaze and Elation are involved, but for the life of me I’m not sure if it’s a straightforward “Hello Trailblazer, I am betraying you” deal or a “I have been sent to harm you by the Elation but jokes on Them! I hate Them and will actually help you instead” double agent situation. Or a secret third option. My brain is breaking trying to comprehend this.)

This sheds a little light on my confusion, but only a little. He says he’ll rush to help a friend in trouble even if it means “infiltrating the enemy and taking them down from the inside” which implies to me that we, the Trailblazer, (or even the Astral Express) are that friend with how much he refers to us as one, but there’s also the chance that he considers someone else, perhaps even the Elation in general, to be the “friend” he’s helping.

I want to believe that we’re the friend and he’s infiltrating, for example, maybe the Masked Fools or something else to help us, but then again who knows with this man. For all I know, “Belobog” could be the friend and we could be the threat and he’s trying to protect Belobog at all costs from us. Who knows! I’m tired! I love this man but I wish he would communicate better!

✩ ‧₊˚ ⌞ RATING PISTOL ⌝

Ah yes, the infamous rating pistol. I won’t be getting into too much speculation here since everything I could say has probably already been said, but I do want to note how Sampo’s rating is “invalid,” along with other extremely powerful characters including several confirmed Emanators or “part of an Emanator” characters like Acheron and Jing Yuan.

Personally, I think the pistol’s reaction of widening its eye then closing it wearily indicates being confronted with some kind of high power level — the kind that may cause it to feel threatened — whether that power is of an Emanator or otherwise. 

✩ ‧₊˚ ⌞ MOZE'S SPLASH ART & "PREY" ⌝

Just a note on Moze’s similar color scheme to Sampo (with red switched inside instead of outside), his abilities of marking “Prey” paralleling Sampo’s light cone “Eyes of the Prey,” and the splash art including a suspiciously Sampo-like figure fighting with a fist raised.

I’m not entirely sure what the splash art means yet or if that’s even Sampo (or someone related to him), but if we are operating under the assumption that it’s him, my mind would go immediately to mass-produced creations of Elation (much like the Aha Stuffed Toy or The *Perfect* Grand Challenge’s clay dolls, given the sheer amount of people in chains in the art) rising against whatever system they find themselves in, which could include Sampo as the driving force of rebellion. Moze may even be one of these toys, who knows.

Or I could be wrong about all of this — I just don’t think we have enough to go on yet to make any solid conjectures.

✩ ‧₊˚ ⌞ PHOTO EVENT ⌝

He’s just kinda cute here, that’s all :)

He wants to boast about being a bit of a model and I for one am not going to stop him!

Although, once again, the Trailblazer’s meanness and the absence of a “nice” dialogue option is another connection to the idea that the conditions of Sampo’s existence may push others around him to act in emotionally extreme (usually mean or violent or frustrated) ways :(

✩ ‧₊˚ ⌞ BY ANY MEANS NECESSARY ⌝

I’m mostly drawn to this Curio because it mirrors Sampo’s “dead bones” motif, plus the phrase “By Any Means Necessary” feels like it could slot into his character quite nicely. With certain parts of his dialogue, it’s implied he may be paying a “cost” or “risk” for the benefit of a reward later on, which would match with the idea of accomplishing something by doing whatever he needed to do, including weakening himself or his powers.

The Curio also rewards the player Cosmic Fragments depending on how many Curios they have, and I always look out for Cosmic Fragment-related items when thinking about Sampo since they’re the Simulated Universe’s equivalent to currency (or money). This one is further amplified by the scaling of Curio rarity, which could be seen as comparable to the relics or artifacts Sampo deals with in-universe.

✩ ‧₊˚ ⌞ MASTER THIEF'S TENTACLE ⌝

Not that I necessarily think this item refers to Sampo specifically, but he is technically a master thief so I thought I would be remiss to not bring it up. Although it has to do with the Xianzhou’s Shackling Prison, who’s to say Sampo never ended up there at one time or another — clearly he gets around the universe quite easily!

However, now that I think about it, the “extra surprise” obtained when winning against an enemy is very… “Surprise Present” Sampo-coded… and “plenty of other tentacles” could refer to his multiple identities…. (Addition: the “tentacles” could also be referring to mass-produced dolls sent to do Aha’s bidding, with the “Master Thief” being Aha themself.)

✩ ‧₊˚ ⌞ VERSATILE JOKER⌝

I just wanted to note this for being in the “Moment of Joy” category, which has very Elation-coded masks as its cover. The achievement name itself — “Versatile Joker” — points not only towards Sampo’s versatility and ability to blend in with almost anyone due to his charisma, but “joker” puts him even more in orbit with the Masked Fools than he already is. Also, the achievement is “hidden.” Very interesting!

✩ ‧₊˚ ⌞ WARDANCE EVENT ⌝

First, I just want to point out how Hook appears at the Wardance as a special correspondent for the “Crystal Daily,” which is the same organization Madam Poisson says she is reporting for in Sampo’s Character Story Part 1. I feel like this could go one of two ways: either the Crystal Daily is an actual, legitimate publication that Poisson only pretended to be a part of and that Hook somehow managed to report for, or Sampo sent Hook to report on the Wardance himself on behalf of his fake and entirely made-up news station.

Personally, I’m inclined to believe the latter given Hook’s response saying, “No one hired me. This is my summer assignment.” To me, this really sounds like Sampo wanted to let her loose for some Learning & Enrichment Time, and so gave her a “cool important assignment” to go and learn about life outside Belobog, kind of like hiding medicine in a food your kid likes. This also might be Sampo’s way of “spying” on how the events play out, given that he cares about Belobog and its progress so much.

I also am not sure I believe that Hook wrote the entire article herself — some of the parts sound like her for sure, like saying people got “really mad” and said “mean things about the judges, but words like “understandably” and “compliant” are used in a way that sounds a bit too mature for her age. Maybe the writer’s didn’t get her voice down 100%, maybe she’s actually learning from her assignment, or maybe, just maybe, Sampo looked over her writing before she sent it in and helped her edit it.

I dunno, the whole situation seems really sweet to me. I just like thinking about Sampo as this mentor-like figure slowly trying to push Hook out of the nest like a baby bird while still watching over her. 

Not entirely Sampo-related, but I wanted to note the narrator’s fourth-wall break here. This was a super interesting little dialogue section on the Skysplitter, and I have half a mind to think it’s Elation-related (if not Aha Themself) speaking to us directly. I wouldn’t go so far as to say it’s Sampo, but again, it definitely reminds me of Elation fourth-wall breaks and other moments of a self-aware narrator. (Although it would be cool if it was somehow him.)

Lines like “please don’t ask such vibe-killing questions!” really seem suspect to me. Like I know you’re there Mx. Aha. And I love you ♡

Very heartbreaking line I associate with Doll!Sampo. I don’t think the game intentionally put this here to be a link to him, but I am making the connection anyway and also crying. “… Would it have felt like it was being manipulated and toyed with?” JUST RIP MY HEART OUT WHY DON’T YOU!

✩ ‧₊˚ ⌞ MISCELLANEOUS ⌝

— Sampo’s light cone is featured in the Lucent Afterglow art, probably just because it was one of the first light cones in the game. It still doesn’t get past me that Lucent Afterglow is a more meta-currency of higher origin. Probably doesn’t mean anything, but I figured I’d point it out!

— The Ship of Fools Unknowable Domain occurrence heavily implies Sampo to be a “broken mask” — here’s a link to my post discussing it.

— Sampo has a companion text where he talks about being burnt out at his job and asks us if he should quit. Given the idea he may be sent by the Elation to mess with us but is having second thoughts and Protective Instincts, I say, “Yes, Sampo! Please quit your job!”. He could also be talking about the Masked Fools in general or being in a position of power within them, which, again, I would say, “Please quit your job and come enjoy a nice relaxing vacation with me!”

— An Intellitron NPC in Dreamflux Reef named Kirk has dialogue about Asmon Rim, an Elation planet whose extreme path led them to destroy “any remaining vestiges of their morality” and treat “other lives as toys of entertainment.” As one of those toys, Kirk was deeply unhappy with his life and escaped. While I’m not sure if this has anything to do with Sampo, the methodology of Elation followers treating others as toys does tie in to things I’ve talked about like Aha Stuffed Toy and The *Perfect* Grand Challenge, albeit in a somewhat less Aha-centric way.

— I know Kalevala also exists as a planet in the HSR universe, and if I were to speculate where Sampo is from I feel like this is the obvious answer, but with how Asmon Rim lines up with some of my theories I’m tempted to say perhaps he found his way to one place or the other along the way.

Overall, this man has a lot going for him! He’s very mysterious which makes theorizing all the more difficult, but that’s what I find so fun about it — the journey not the destination and all that. Even if most of this ends up being completely wrong, there are a lot of things that still tie into parts of his character we know for sure to be canon, like his con-man occupation and Masked Fool identity. I’m happy to talk about any of these short topic blurbs more, by the way, I just wanted to include them all together here so I wasn’t posting ten billion separate analyses as part of the project!

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.𖥔 ݁ ˖ જ⁀➴ thanks for reading to the end, and thanks for all the love and support on this project. the official main course may be almost over, but i will likely continue to expand on my theories and thoughts as more sampo content releases! :)

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

[purple-plum-petals]

⊱ Star Rail Men and What They Smell Like ⊰ || Multiple Character Headcanons

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Character(s): Argenti, Aventurine, Blade, Boothill, Caelus, Dan Heng, Veritas Ratio, Gallagher, Gepard Landau, Jing Yuan, Luocha, Sampo Koski, Sunday, Welt Yang (Honkai Star Rail)         Warning(s): Nothing!        Genre: Headcanons        Word Count: ~560 words        Author’s Note: I’ve been really into Honkai Star Rail lately and, since I will be writing for the fandom from here on out, I thought my first post for it would just be some simple headcanons on what some of the characters smell like! I tried to keep what I think the characters would smell like as canon-compliant as possible; I also wanted to do this since it may be helpful for me to reference in the future when I write for them haha. It’s nothing too complex as I haven’t had the time for that as of late, but I hope you enjoy it nevertheless! Also, this was written pre-release of Aventurine, Boothill, and Sunday, but I don’t think their releases will change these headcanons.

→ If you enjoyed my work, please reblog it if you can! Exposure on Tumblr is based on reblogging content rather than liking it, so your support would be much appreciated!  ♡

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Argenti: He smells like a freshly plucked bouquet of roses and honey with an underlying scent of iron because of his armor. Everywhere he goes, he leaves behind a floral scent with a tinge of sweetness.

Aventurine: Aventurine smells like a very expensive and very strong cologne – a cologne that is almost a bit too overpowering with how much of it he puts on.

Blade: Sorry Blade lovers, but this man probably smells like a mixture of sweat and blood. However, I’ll be nice and say he has the soft and somewhat sweet scent of spider lilies on his clothing and in his hair.

Boothill: Metal, oil, and gunpowder – I imagine him smelling very much like a mechanic’s workshop. He smells like how a lot of men’s bodywashes are advertised to be.

Caelus: Trash… Honestly, though, I can’t really see (or rather smell) Caelus having any kind of specific scent to him. He probably just smells like a natural musk or perhaps even a mixture of the rest of the Astral Express Crew’s scents, all of them intermingling in a very faint and very all-over-the-place cocktail of smells.

Dan Heng: Dan Heng smells kind of like the pages of an old book and a crisp, refreshing ocean breeze. He smells very relaxing and somewhat nostalgic, and his scent is very calming to be surrounded by.

Veritas Ratio: Ratio smells like unscented soap, so he has a very clean and fresh scent to him at all times considering how much he bathes. I also like to think he smells a bit like chalk with how much of it he carries around.  

Gallagher: Smells like a mixture of alcohol and natural musk with a tinge of smokiness. He works at a bar and, considering he carries around a lighter, I imagine him to be a smoker as well.

Gepard: Gepard wears a very light and very basic cologne, so nothing too overpowering or statement-making; it does smell a bit generic, though. I also think he would have a slight scent of iron to him as well due to his armor.

Jing Yuan: Smells like a fresh cup of fruity green tea with a weak node of mint. Jing Yuan is a fairly lazy man who doesn’t put in much effort where it isn’t needed, but I think he would enjoy aromatherapy so he likes wearing perfumes and colognes that he thoroughly enjoys.

Luocha: I think Luocha would smell somewhat earthy with nodes of floral and wood-like scents. I also think he would carry around the smell of death, but not necessarily a bad one; he smells more akin to a funeral home.  

Sampo: Much like Caelus, I don’t think Sampo would smell like much of anything. He sneaks around quite a bit and probably wouldn’t want his scent alerting anyone, so he has a natural smell to him with a light underlying node of pine.

Sunday: Has a very faint scent of lavender to him that could be easily missed if not around him for long. I imagine he isn’t fond of strong scents, so he usually picks something that makes him smell pleasing without being too overwhelming for himself or others.

Welt: I imagine Welt smelling like a strong, freshly brewed cup of coffee with nodes of citrus or vanilla. The underlying scent is never enough to overpower the smell of coffee he has on him, though.

[ohmeadows]

The joker of the deck: Aha the Elation (and some Swarm Disaster lore)

While reading through swarm disaster lore (again), Herta popped up during a moment discussing the disappearance of Oroboros the Voracity, noting that some entity was interfering with the simulation. Which got me thinking about Aha. Again.

Having played through Swarm Disaster’s entire story twice now, I can’t help but think that whatever role Aha the Elation has to play, is going to be incredibly important. Or at least entertaining.

Aha is the only self-aware Aeon in the Simulated Universe. Despite the team’s efforts to tamper down on it, Aha continues to be self-aware, toying with you and the creators each time they appear. It’s heavily implied that simulated Aha is actively interfering with Herta, Screwllum and Ruan Mei’s work to understand the Aeons, being present each time the Aeons schemed to destroy Tayzzyronth the Propagation.

Aha freely admits to infiltrating the Astral Express for a year just to find the perfect moment to blow the train up. Why? To mess with Akivili and their followers.

Aha is the Aeon closest involved with the ways of mortals, and while it lacks the magnitude of directly devastating powers such as the Destruction or the Hunt, it doesn’t lack for ability to turn fate on a whim — Aha has directly influenced or been involved in rebellions, government coups, deaths of Aeons and is one of the only (so far) Aeons confirmed to shapeshift to a human when it suits their needs.

In fact, it’s heavily implied Sampo is a follower of Aha (if not more?) and when you think about Sampo’s involvement in Belobog’s storyline, he shows up at precise moments, barely does anything, and yet alters some extremely pivotal details that changes everything, above all dragging Bronya down to see the truth of Belobog. At the end of the Belobog arc, Sampo reports to someone, nearly breaking the fourth wall. He did it for fun. Just a little gigglejoke. Why not change the course of Belobog if it makes for a spectacle?

Also: during the Phantylia fight, you can hear Aha laughing. At who? Us, or Phantylia? Something is in motion aboard the Luofu, involving the Destruction, the Abundance and the Hunt. It won’t be the first time Aha has brought together different Aeons for their own amusement.

In Swarm Disaster, it’s made clear Aha had some level of knowledge or perhaps even involvement in Ena the Order becoming Xipe the Harmony. You-as-Akivili, the role the Trailblazer inhabits while in Simulated Universe, feel uneasy watching Aha suck up to Xipe, which is interesting to note. Ena is the one who demands Qlipoth to act on the problem the Tayzzyronth poses, and yet they are absorbed by Xipe.

I’ll also note that in Swarm Disaster, it’s implied it was “chance” that caused the rise of the Propagation path and their ascension to Aeonhood. Now, I’m not saying Aha did it, but…

At the end of Swarm Disaster, Herta takes you through the simulation once more, pointing out three big details that bug her after having witnessed all they could divine from the past:

The destruction of the system the Propagation (once a mortal) originated from was not a natural occurrence. Something or someone instigated it. Herta isn’t sure who did it, suggesting Voracity, Order or Elation, but landing on not knowing. For now.

During the Propagation path wrecking havoc across the universe, Oroboros the Voracity and Ena the Order disappeared. How and why are not entirely clear, though we know Ena was absorbed into Xipe. Oroboros is interesting since the Voracity is an enemy of Qlipoth — perhaps even an Aeon Qliopth fears, to a degree. Herta’s exact quote is: “Oroboros and Ena vanished in the middle of this tale! Completely, silently, as if there was another story progressing along in the shadows underneath the main stage…”

The Aeons that came together — Equilibrium, Preservation, Trailblaze, Elation and Harmony — may have brought down the Propagation, but the path itself isn’t dead. There’s endless Swarm offsprings still alive in the universe. Herta suggests that the Propagation isn’t actually truly dead, and will rise again. And soon.

Leaving Swarm Disaster, it's hard not to feel a sense of unease about Aha. Herta herself states that the universe has gotten worse since Aha's laugh rang out across the universe for the first time. Whatever hand Aha is intending to play in the future will be very interesting.

[mojomcm-fandom]

Edit: Now that it's not late at night and I have my laptop out, I'm editing this so it sounds less like the ramblings of a madwoman (tho there's a limited amount I can do seeing as it is, in fact, the ramblings of a madwoman lol). Also formatting and clarity and any additional theories/headcanons/whatever I think of while editing this.

Partly crack, partly copium, but I've got some theories/crossover/au thing going on that I wanted to write down so here goes:

Crack/Copium/Theories:

All 3 of the trailblazer kids are actually "dead" aeons.

Stelle/Caelus: Akivili (Herta makes us LARP as Akivili in Hertian Realm and we're known as the Trailblazer while Akivili is known as the Trailblaze so idk I know the player character looks like Nanook but they ain't dead soooo...)

Dan Heng: Long (maybe the High Elder Vidyadhara is actually Long's own reincarnation but they have no idea bc memory wipe. TBH makes no sense for the Permanence to be dead)

March 7th: Idrila (this one's a bit of a stretch so bear with me. The Aeon of Beauty could be HoHe Elysia expy and March is also kinda Elysia expy so ??? And March was froze in ice without memory so it's totally possible that's Idrila's mysterious disappearance)

Also:

Sampo is Aha. He gives strong vibes of being a Masked Fool in canon, but I think it'd be funny if he's actually the Elation.

Pom-pom was created by Akivili to protect the Express after Aha blew it up. Pom-pom is also a proficient marksman. This is bc of some canon evidence alluding to Pom-pom actually being really powerful (Yanqing and Welt both make mention of it iirc) and the engine of the train looking like a revolver. (Also headcanon that the Astral Express itself was made from one of Akivili's twin revolver pistols. Perhaps the other has the ability to summon the train?)

Lan has not and will not kill Yaoshi bc yin-yang/life and death balance and also bc what is a hunter without prey. The Hunt had no issue killing the Propagation, so this seems like the most reasonable reason why the Hunt has been after the Abundance so long without killing them.

On aeons and the relations between paths (I might end up making a relationship chart?):

Death Aeons: Nanook is unnatural death (think murder, natural disaster, etc.), while IX is natural entropic death (like degradation from aging), Lan is controlled, balanced death (think like hunters/predators keeping ecosystem in balance), and Oroboros is the death caused by one's own greed (think pollution, overconsumption). Terminus is the end of time and final death of the universe.

Life Aeons: Tayzzyronth is overabundant life (think how invasive species population boom bc outcompeting native species for resources), Yaoshi is overabundant continuation of life (think unnaturally prolonged life), and Long is eternity (without change or growth, entropy comes for all).

Mythus and Nous are polar opposites in path direction. Akivili is midway between the two (to trailblaze is to turn the unknown into the known).

Some paths are directly at odds with each other (opposite directions), some paths have overlap (too much overlap leads to one path consuming the other like with Ena and Xipe), and some paths are neutral (running perpendicular to the others). Mostly this matters in relation to pathstriders who walk multiple paths, as it is extremely unlikely to find, for example, someone simultaneously walking both the path of the Hunt and the Abundance.

Hooh's is the ultimate neutral path. Akivili's is also a fairly neutral path, though slight odds with Mythus's (to seek to make the unknown known doesn't really work with the idea nothing can be known) and maybe Aha (just bc Aha is a jerk and like Herta said, surely Akivili would've taken offense to Aha blowing up the Express). Idrila, Xipe, Fuli, Aha, and Qlipoth also have relatively neutral paths, though Qlipoth and Fuli are at odds with Nanook and Mythus. Xipe sometimes does not get along with Aha, if Aha is being particularly antagonistic.

Crossover/AU (Genshin):

Traveler and twin are Akivili (one soul two bodies, don't think too hard about it). Akivili is presumed dead by HSR universe bc Sustainer of Heavenly Principles imprisoned Akivili on Teyvat (a world at the fringes of the known universe/Yggdrasil/Irmunsul/Imaginary Tree). Claiming that they are siblings is far easier to explain than that they are two halves of the same god.

Zhongli/Morax is a high elder (do non-high elders have the ability to turn fully into dragons? are there any high elders who are not Dan Heng? idk) vidyadhara who arrived on Teyvat shortly before rebirth. Idk weird Teyvat magic or something made his rebirth cycle this time 10x longer than normal (should only be 600-700 years between rebirth and he's canonically 6000 years old). He is unaware of anything HSR related bc memory wipe from rebirth and nobody around to explain things.

The Imaginary Tree in HI3 and HSR and Irminsul in Genshin are the same tree (Yggdrasil), but some may only be branches of the other

So yeah, stay tuned to see HoYo prove my theories and headcanons wrong in the upcoming years.

[boyslit]

HSR Cooking Headcanons!

found a big document of these i never finished but i think they're fun. doesn't include everyone but a vast majority of Belobog+Luofu characters

Trailblazer - not so great with a stove. Pom-Pom has PTSD flashbacks when they offer to help prepare meals and the Trailblazer is thusly shooed from the premises. they're used to foraging snacks and treasures in the trash anyway

March 7th - ADHD disaster. she can whip up desserts mostly but the kitchen looks like a tornado happened afterwards and she'll rope someone into helping

Dan Heng - this boy grew up in a prison and then spent his adult life on the run from his murderous ex, when did he have time to learn to cook? naw, if he's not on the Express it's takeout and fast food for this poor meow meow

Pom-Pom - the esteemed head chef of the Astral Express. they are the ruler of their kitchen and no recipe is beyond their grasp. you might wonder how they can reach the counters and grip utensils when they are so small and bunny-like but Pom-Pom is very good at what they do, so you don't have to worry at all!

Welt Yang - he's an ok cook, like many dads, but he's got a tendency to lean on parental shortcuts like frozen French fries or chicken nuggets (not that anyone ever complains about this)

Himeko - she's best left to her coffee brewing, let's just put it that way.

Kafka - also a disaster, but she has little interest in cooking for herself. this is also the reason the trailblazer can't cook - she wasn't able to teach them

Silver Wolf - no interest in cooking beyond TV meals or reheating leftovers. takeout, gamer supps and snackies take priority 

Blade - somewhere in his muddied floodwaters of memory there's the capability to cook, but it comes and goes and the pain in his hands make it difficult to grip utensils and other implements with the fine motor movements required to chop and whisk and flip. He used to cook for his husband occasionally despite Dan Feng having a personal chef as high elder

Gepard - he does his best… things like breakfast eggs, toast, sausage, noodles, these are easy to accomplish. anything too fancy is a step too far. he's really too busy to practice.

Serval - generally competent. she had to learn to feed herself after getting kicked out of the architects and staying on her own. she's adventurous, always trying new flavor combinations and changing recipes for fun

Lynx - a true outdoorswoman, knows how to forage and trap game and cooks a mean stew. it's unconventional fare, though, and not to everyone's sensibilities. 

Pela - a good cook. sticks to the recipes religiously, and very good at baking because of her precision

Natasha - "knows" how to cook but while she's great at the chemistry behind making medicines, food takes a backseat. grin and bear it if she asks you to try something she made, you don't want to make her sad. she tried really hard for you after all.

Hook - isn't allowed to cook without supervision but she makes an enthusiastic sous chef! helps Dad make dinner and sets a lovely table

Seele - abysmal but I can see her being interested in improving in order to cook something nice for Bronya. when asked why she's suddenly interested in learning, however, the lady doth protest too much. you don't question it further though because you don't want her to make you a knuckle sandwich.

Sampo - unfortunately my own biases cloud my judgement here because I love a man that can cook. but Sampo does seem like the sort of guy who operates on comedy law and that's something I am familiar with. option 1: he closes the door to the kitchen and refuses anyone's help. there's an unholy racket, a cloud of black smoke, some coughing, a Wilhelm scream, and then a few bars of whistling. when he emerges, it's with a pristine plate of gorgeously prepared braised meat and carmelized vegetables with delicate garnish. option 2: he puts on a bit of a show. it's like that cooking porn anime, and onlookers find they have to look away periodically or loosen a tie to keep themselves in check. finally, when he lifts the lid over the plate… the censorship committee has ordered it pixelated so it can still air in the same time slot. (both of these scenarios happen within the same week)

Bronya - she's too busy! she's always working or training or sleeping. luckily, Seele is hard at work learning to cook for her wife hard-working friend

Qingque - Maybe instant noodles, maybe the Xianzhou equivalent of box Mac and cheese. Otherwise she's patronizing the food spots in Aurum Alley and getting takeout ordered to her desk so she can be seen working through lunch (she's not actually working tho)

Fu Xuan - she makes a mean pot of tea but she's so busy she has no time to cook. She subscribes to box meals (like Hello Fresh, etc) so she can feel like she's not surviving on takeout and restaurant meals. She definitely has Girl Breakfast and Girl Lunch though (her favorite bubble tea and two cups of extra sugary tea for that afternoon pick-me-up, respectively) which is not great. Watch out for gastritis, sis.

Jing Yuan - he's got dad grilling vibes but I can't see this man seriously cooking. at best there'll be weaponized incompetence before he's shooed out of the kitchen, chuckling. since he's the general however I have to assume he has a personal chef. 

Yanqing - tried to cut vegetables with his swords once and was summarily banned from every kitchen

Jingliu - I'm not even sure she eats anymore. Doesn't she just feed off of ambient malice or something

Luka - Mr. Meat Boy knows his way around a grill and a campfire, but try to sully it with vegetables and you're getting the biggest glare he can muster. A boxer can't live on meat alone, and considering you're nihility path, do we think a vegetable may cause less despair?

Guinaifen - does this girl live somewhere? Like in an apartment or something? She seems to be always out and about, busy streaming or performing or meeting friends to do either of the previous. She probably eats like Qingque does, grabbing something from the Alley whenever her tummy grumbles, but otherwise we are on 👏 the 👏 go !

Topaz - this girl is BUSY busy, she's ordering Grubhubs and Doordashes and having her order from the caf delivered by drone bot while she works through lunch. likes big meetings in the conference rooms though, because there's usually pastries and coffee

Aventurine - much like the other hardworking folks, he ends up with a lot of Space Doordashed lunches and late-work dinners. He attempts recipes from internet videos sometimes, for fun and the love of the trend. He doesn't super know what he's doing but it always turns out marvellously.

Ratio - Few things are outside Dr. Veritas Ratio's wheelhouse, and because a healthy diet is required to maintain a healthy body and mind, he's well versed in cooking techniques and healthy eating. Occasionally will stoop to making something less healthy like french toast to spoil Aventurine with.

Ruan Mei - In my head she's got the 'tism that makes her dislike all but like 2 or 3 textures, and those textures are generally desserts she's learned to make for herself - smooth puddings and pastes, soft dough. I suppose the Lifeform Oven isn't technically cooking, however…

Mme.  Herta - [Automatic Reply] I'm busy. The cafeteria is open for this purpose. [This user cannot be replied to.]

Asta - there's a reason Arlan makes fried rice so well 🙃

[kazoohaa]

Hello! May I request something platonic for Dan Heng:

What would it be like being his younger teen sibling, biologically? We know that Dan Heng isn't exactly expressive, but does that also include his younger sibling? If so, how does it affect the relationship?

𝐒𝐈𝐁𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐒. honkai star rail

— notes. i’ll be going with a sibling on the extroverted side of things, i think it’d be a good balance for dan heng’s more reserved personality !!

— details. [ written before patch 1.2 ] dan heng & gn sibling!reader.

dan heng had told you before, during the days that led up to the time that he finally made the decision to leave — he had told you many times that you didn’t have to follow him. following him would mean that you too would not be able to set foot in the place you grew up to see as home, and it meant that you’d get entangled in a mess of problems that weren’t yours to worry about; problems that were too heavy a burden that even dan heng was running away from it. problems that he could shield you from by being the only one to leave instead, which would mean that you’ll still have a chance to be offered a decent life if you choose to stay behind at the xianzhou luofu. but at your insistence, he finally relented and let you come along with him.

but now, he supposes, it might’ve actually been a good thing that you were so set on your decision. it gave him some sort of sense of security knowing that he could be able to look out for you himself rather than worrying if you’d be targeted if he just left you on your own back at the luofu. taking this path of escape surely wouldn’t be a smooth-sailing one, and the two of you had to change appearances and names, and move from place to place without a single solid one to settle down in. after all, you’d never know if the very thing dan heng was trying to run from would catch up again.

it was safer now, being with the astral express. there was a sense of stability that it brought you, knowing that this was a place you could stay and be treated like family by the other welcoming members.

in contrast to dan heng’s more reticent disposition, you were more relaxed and comfortable with carrying conversations with others, more open with things.

when you’re around people dan heng doesn’t trust or doesn’t know well enough — take sampo, for example, (sorry my guy) — you could notice that he’s a little bit more frigid than usual. it’s just that protective older sibling instinct, since he doesn’t want you to be getting yourself into any sort of trouble and that responsibility would fall onto him as your older brother — and you’re a teenager, too, so that sort of just raises the overall protectiveness. if he’s particularly inclined to ‘subtly’ stop the interaction, he’d cut in with some excuse like “i think it’s time for us to go back to the express to report back to mr. yang/miss himeko,” (a very frequently-used phrase from him, you realise. while you were no mind reader, as someone who’s known him for your whole life, seeing through his excuses definitely came easier to you than most.)

overall, your differing personalities seem to balance each other out in many ways. dan heng is the type of older sibling who would mostly let you explore as you like and do your own things without having to constantly watch you since he trusts that you’re responsible enough, but also doesn’t want to completely leave you alone in an unfamiliar area without him. he would prefer if he handles the combat himself — and if the situation gets to it, he will directly push you to the side and out of harm’s way so he could take the attack instead of you. he’s the type of sibling to occasionally buy random things for you that he thinks you’d like. for example, after finally resolving the belobog conflict and being allowed to walk through its streets without a bounty on all your heads, he would’ve definitely been ready to depart that planet and return to the express without further ado— ah, but on second thought... maybe after buying this book for you first.

[shoezuki]

"Honestly? I should've expected this."

Gepard sends Sampo a withering look from across the table; if the table wasn't stretching miles long, he'd probably kick Sampo, for good measure. Instead he just scowls at Sampo, anxiously tapping his fingers against the soft stone tabletop. "I don't know what you want me to have done differently, Sampo."

"Not wander off and get lost, for starters," Sampo hums, pointing what is probably this planet's version of a butter knife at Gepard. "I would've also preferred you not somehow someway accidentally dismantle the largest crime organization on this stupid rock in the few hours it took me to find you."

Gepard, for what it's worth, has the sense to look sheepish.

Sampo had definitely not expected any of this when he decided they should recoup on some planet barely the size of a moon. He'd docked their spaceship here so they could maybe figure out their weird situation of being kind of stranded in space, but mostly so him and Gepard could stop arguing about how they were absolutely not going to return their permanently borrowed space shuttle. Gepard had, in his anger, taken off into the bustling streets and left Sampo in the dust. In some series of events even Aha couldn't account for, Gepard had somehow managed to rescue a prestigious politician from a would-be mugging, find the dusty backalley tavern that a criminal group was using as a headquarters, infiltrate it with nothing but his fists, and promptly arrest the big figures of a powerful gang that had been destroying the local economy for decades. All before Sampo had even thought that, hey, maybe he should go find his headstrong boyfriend.

If Sampo hadn't been on the other end of Gepard's sense of justice many times before, he wouldn't have guessed that the other man in the room, sheepish and anxious and looking all too small in the massive regal seat the locals had shoved him in, was somehow capable of all this. But of course he knew him better than anyone. To him, deconstructing a major crime sphere? That was nothing. But getting labeled and celebrated as a hero and praised by the upper echelon? That had him blushing like nothing else.

"I-I don't know what you think I could've done. It just. Happened." Sampo sighs, leaning his chin heavy on his hand, elbow digging into the table. " I don't know either, Geppie. I thought planets with some good ol' political and criminal unrest would be fun. But maybe I should keep you away from any more. Wouldn't want to leave a path of statues raised in your honour all across the universe, right?"

Gepard looks horrified by the prospect of his inevitable worship. Sampo is glad for his distraction, using it to his advantage and pocketing another fancy, shiny piece of cutlery in his pocket. It was silver, probably. Maybe he could get some nice cash from the cutlery and small shiny goblets he's been filling his pockets with.

"I don't know why I'm here, though," he hums out, more to himself really, tapping his chin. "I mean, I'm just your handsome galactic travel guide! Of course I'm not going to turn down the opportunity to network, but..." He shrugs, meeting Gepard's eyes.

He gulps. "I, uh... I insisted." He bites his cheek, glancing away but always returning his blue gaze to Sampo. "It was... me. I asked them to find you. I just... wanted you here. Sorry?"

His smile is slight, an upturn of his lips and a small light in his eyes, but as genuine and honest as every part of Gepard is. It... well, Sampo expected he was fetched by the local police because of Gepard's insistence, and the reality of it didn't realistically change anything about Sampo's lingering annoyance with their previous arguments or the weird celebration he'd been dragged into.

But...

Gepard met his eyes, smile widening and some of that tension leaving his expression. "I missed you, Sampo." He was absolutely earnest, steadfast. Gepard's absolute honestly always threatened to drown him.

Sampo exhaled and grinned in turn. As always, his fondness heavily outweighed any exasperation.

"You're cute," Sampo cooed, "do you know that? No wonder these people wanna put up statues for you. I'd want to immortalize you too."

Gepard squeaks out Sampo's name and burns fire red, the intricate doors opening just at that moment and letting the entering politicians see Gepard melt.

[haovcrse-a]

ZHAOYI IS CANON TO ME <333

— ✍️, 🤪, 🌦️, ☕️ , 🪐, 🎞️

DKJFSHK AWW :DD <33 ALÉXIOS IS VV CANON TO ME AND I CURRENTLY HAVE 'EM E6 TRUST LIKE THAT'S MY MAIN WDYM???? WHO EVEN IS BLADE !!

✍️: overall, how does the fandom trait you? are you a beloved character, or hated? are you popular, or a minor side character? anything in between?

both fandoms would be split pretty evenly!! some can only see me as one or the other, while a majority understand the complexities of my character! i don't think i'd be hated per say. there will always be those few that say im overrated / trash or wtvr and that's ok! i think i'd be maybe just above average likability hah!

genshin wise, im a side character for both versions! in hsr, i play a little bit of a bigger part in the pencaony arc for both sunhao and gallahao. for zhade, i think id be popular among the angst lovers for the most part hah!

🤪: what is your trait that fanon would exaggerate?

genshin fandom: they'd probably boil me down to my "tsundere" look to the point where i start looking genuinely mean in the eyes of new fans. media literacy becomes dead when it comes to my character <//33 my unwillingness to help heizou despite the subtext between the lines... the occasional light-hearted insults i'd throw ayato's way... or the unsureness of how to express gratitude toward's thoma's actions... guys it's so bad

or making my past the defining factor of my character!! saying that change isn't possible for a long-term thief or merc (though the latter would be argued with dehya's release)

star rail fandom: ooh ok so the ones people would make depend on which universe we're talking about !

zhade — mean doctor who's hogging people's husband TwT LMFAO no bc. i just think "those" types of fans would probably see me as such for sure. blade and i have a very strange relationship to people on the outside; it makes sense for people to think im being excessively blunt.

the other side to this is that they infantilize me. like like those "uwahhhh he's so smol 🥺🥺 must protect" kind of scenarios but isn't just for jokes and is fully serious... 'n when it comes to shipping... it's usually based off a gay stereotype for that reason TwT

gallahao — that gallagher genuinely finds me annoying, and therefore the fandom does too. g!zhao is more sly, teasing, & definitely more outgoing than the other two vers. id get sampo treatment to a degree where people find my fakeness to get what i want annoying (for the plot!!)

sunhao — stoic to the point where i don't—can't—even talk apparently LMFAO. would also probably turn me into a soft boy kfdjghkl.

🌦️: would you be accompanied by mostly fluff or angst fanfics? both? explain why.

hmm a healthy dose of both. genshin would probably have more fluff for sure—most of the angst would be hurt/comfort stuff based on the whole thomayato kidnapping plot. but my genshin s/i's aren't as sad as my hsr ones LMFAO.

hsr... is a toss up. gallahao would have the most fluff, while zhade would have the most angst. sunhao would be a good mix. ooh in general, there would be a bunch of sweet platonic found family stuff too !! angst for zhade for the sole reason of ppl playing around with how we both get possessed often lol. him the mara, me my own powers... also the whole. scared to get close in fear of hurting the other plot ive got going on for my character story!

gallahao would be treated as the sweet side couple. some occasional angst here and there of a case gone wrong, but a majority of it is just flirting and how people image we got together.

sunhao <33 hurt/comfort is the most common. the whole bodyguard x his assignment + childhood friends to lovers?? people go ballistic. lots of sweet moments, and also ofc ones where one of us has to be bleeding out 💀

☕️: what are the most common plots of shipping fics between you and your f/o?

thomayahao — always something to do with miscommunication of some sort.

yizou — they don’t tend to stray away from the whole thief x detective thing much; usually the setting is different (modern aus, cyberpunk, etc.)

kazuscarahao — amnesia. which is admittedly my least favourite trope. usually more canon compliant with things and the whole sumeru plot

sunhao — anything to do with the whole “protector x protected” trope!! doesn’t matter the au, that usually ends up being the plot.

zhade — one of us is injured or possessed and the other is trying to save or disarm the former without killing them. all. the. time. most of the fandom fixate on this point.

🪐: what would be your most popular au and why?

hmm i think modern aus in general would be a fan favourite. they’re versatile and have many sub-aus to fit with them!! those or royalty aus where many make me out to be the knight :DD

🎞️: what ‘canon’ scenes would the fandom point to as evidence for the validity of your ship?

i don’t remember a lot about genshin stuff so i’ll do my hsr ships for now TwT

zhade — hmm i don’t know about actual scenes, but our voice lines are what people point to!! at first glance, it looks like we don’t enjoy each other’s presence. he’s annoyed with my meddling and heals, while i grumble about him always getting excessively hurt. but when you take in the actual voice acting, people realize our words aren’t as sharp!!

there’s also ig a scene after the xianzhou arc. after karka and blade make their escape, at the very end of the last act, there’s a dark screen where it’s just the tow of us having a hushed conversation. it’s just me asking him about the mission and also tending to his injuries while he says my actions aren’t need.

sunhao — literally every scene LMFAO we’re almost always together and he always glances back in my direction throughout the story. ooh also the scene where him and robin are falling through the air… i’m standing on the platform looking at him worriedly, looking as if i’m about to jump to make it to him, before my eyes soften as robin cradles him. obv most people argue that i’m just in awe at the sibling bonds heh but why can’t it be both??

[steorrans]

❛   ▌┊𝐑𝐄𝐐𝐔𝐄𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐃 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐄𝐑 :   sampo  ( @huijarii ) .

            ❝   You've  changed,  Sampo.   ❞ 

            𝐒𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐊𝐋𝐄'𝐒  𝐓𝐎𝐍𝐄  𝐈𝐒  𝐀𝐂𝐂𝐔𝐒𝐀𝐓𝐎𝐑𝐘,  if  not  wholly  disappointed.  Change  is  an  inevitable  part  of  life's  cycle,  and  it  is  also  expected  for  Masked  Fools  like  them.  They  must  continually  perfect  the  Masks  they  wear,  taking  on  different  personalities,  appearances,  occupations,  and  avenues  of  Elation.  No  single  Mask  is  the  same.  But,  at  least  to  Sparkle,  Sampo's  change  bodes  of  something  entirely  different.  Something,  at  best,  she  cannot  quite  put  her  finger  on  and,  at  worst,  something  she  cannot  comprehend.

            ❝   I  don't  think  I  care  for  it.   ❞

            The  flat  heel  of  her  sandal  meets  his  shin  under  the  table  in  a  swift  but  harmless  kick.  Her  expression,  pointed  and  almost  petulant,  gauges  his  reaction  through  the  dim  candlelight.  It  isn't  quite  the  Tavern,  but  it'll  do  in  a  pinch.

            ❝   Did  that  horrible,  frozen  wasteland  of  a  planet  ice  you  out  of  your  sense  of  humour?  You  used  to  like  painting  the  town  red  with  me.   ❞

[twstgarden]

✦ ❝ 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐂𝐀𝐑𝐍𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 𝐏𝐄𝐓𝐀𝐋'𝐒 𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓 ❞

match-up bundle commission for yang

— a purchase of one carnation petal has arrived from our dearest customer. your romantic match has now been determined by the red carnation’s petals.

➻ a romance match-up bundle commission for honkai: star rail. bundle includes the main romantic match, voice lines with the main match and 4 other randomly picked characters, and a paths match. ➻ commissions are open, you may refer to this info post.

— HONKAI: STAR RAIL — 

℘ your romantic match is…

━ 𝙟𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙮𝙪𝙖𝙣 / 景元 ━

➻ the carnation petals have revealed the charming and wise general of the luofu to be your best match. his rather laid-back and kind demeanour would pair well with yours.

➻ he isn't repulsed by the different changes in your personality and can adjust to your moods. one minute, you'll have the coldest demeanour and the next, you're as sweet and gentle as a cloud. he likes that. keeps him on his toes in a good way.

➻ your "resting glare" does not bother him in the slightest. though at first, he would tease you about it, saying "why the angered expression?" followed by a pet name that you prefer to be called by him. other times, he'd ruffle your hair and tell you not to frown too much.

➻ your tendency to wear masculine and/or feminine styles that you claim to confuse people most of the time also includes him - not often, though. at first glance, he wouldn't realise it was you. however, as time passes and he has gotten used to your fashion sense, he'll be able to tell who you are. bonus: he thinks your jirai kei fashion style is adorable.

➻ he appreciates your "no-beating-around-the-bush" / straightforward personality as it saves a lot of time.

➻ your tendency to downplay your feelings and upsetting situations is not missed by the general. he noticed. he knows. and he makes a point to make sure you feel that you are validated and acknowledged. if you feel uncomfortable talking about it, he'll be there to give you support or comfort - whichever you prefer.

➻ overall, you'd have a great relationship with jing yuan. there may be some similarities here and there, but that only makes him feel even more connected with you.

✦•······················•✦•······················•✦

━ possible matches: ➻ sunday (protective over his loved ones and will make you feel safe and contented) ➻ argenti (romantic and a gentleman ; would treat you wonderfully, perhaps) ➻ dr. veritas ratio (intelligent partner ; might be a great match romantically)

✦•······················•✦•······················•✦✦•······················•✦•······················•✦

℘ you follow the path of…

❝ preservation ❞

— ❝ the philosopher gazes upon the stars trying to find the ultimate goal of civilization — 'build a wall.' a majestic voice echoed in his head. 'build a wall.' ❞ —

➻ those who follow the path of preservation admire patience, sacrifice, and defensive behaviour. your drive to live a life filled with safety and security of not only yourself but also your family and friends makes you a great follower of this path.

➻ an individual who finds beauty and admiration in patience and understanding such as yourself is well suited for the path of preservation. even qlipoth, the aeon of preservation, would cast their gaze on you.

✦•······················•✦•······················•✦✦•······················•✦•······················•✦

℘ voice lines

【 jing yuan / 景元 】

❚❚ || about yang

↪ “yang is the kind of person with a lot of secrets and past events to keep. their personality also tends to show just how they were raised under high expectations. well, i always make sure they feel comfortable and safe enough to eventually show their true self...”

【 sampo 】

❚❚ || about yang

↪ “ah, yes! yang! i know them. i have tried to befriend them - no, no, not because i wanted to make dealings with them, not at all. hehe, my friend, they are quite difficult to comprehend, you know?”

【 yanqing / 彦卿 】

❚❚ || about yang

↪ “i've seen them visiting from time to time and at first, i thought they were quite scary since they seem so angry all the time. well, i can say that is not the case now, though.”

【 blade / yingxing / 应星 】

❚❚ || about yang

↪ “i've known yang for a long while. no, they are not one of the three people if that's what you are about to ask. they're far more tolerable to be with. i can say that much. still having the same fashion sense... quite admirable.”

【 argenti 】

❚❚ || about yang

↪ “oh, yes! the one with an interesting closet choice! i have often seen them wear masculine or feminine clothing, and they all look beautiful. it suits them perfectly. what a charming person they are.”

© twstgarden 2024 || please do not steal, translate without my permission, or use this to train a.i.

[forbelobog]

@dupliciti || cont.

he;s not holding his breath, but there is that same sense of hesitation as he waits for sampo to open his gift, and understand what it is. will he? it's not like sampo needed dog tags of his own - but mercenary is well traveled and a smart man, he would certainly connect the dots. and he does, gepard notes as sampo's expression changes some. even blushes a little, something he doesn't often see on the coy and cocky man. it makes his stomach flip a little, and he nods in agreement, "i'm sure," he insists, "i have a copy for myself, they print two when issued," one was to be worn by the soldier at all times, one was to be kept within the family, or next of kin, to match up identities if it ever came to that. as much as he knows serval would treasure this item, too, she also doesn't like to be constantly reminded of his time away. and his father? well, the man probably couldn't care less, finding use in his son only when he was alive. he and sampo were apart from each other more than he'd like, but this would assure captain he was in the man's thoughts. 

a shiver runs down his spine as sampo speaks against his cheek. his throat feels a little tight for some reason, and when he swallows, there's an audible gulp sound with it. yes, it wasn't the same, gepard finds little that can comfort him quite like sampo himself does. when he beds down for a night, with sampo, nightmares were easier to navigate (if he had them at all), and just being near him made gepard feel like he could try anything. confidence in himself he didn't know he lacked. 

"you're welcom-mm," his words lost in sampo's kiss, gepard leans in to it without hesitation, practically melting where he sits on the couch. there's a childlike need for approval that wants to ask outright do you like it? but if this kiss is anything to go by, that little blush from before, he thinks the gift is appreciated. maybe not flashy or stunning, but personal. important. 

when they part, gepard is a little flushed, dazed, but he looks pleased, "happy birthday. do you...want to see the rest of the place?" he glances around the living room they're sat in. so far, it was the kitchen and now here. captain has another little plan up his sleeve, but there is some merit to it - this is the first time sampo has actually been in his home, and while gepard is away more often than he isn't, it's stil where he hangs his coats, so to speak.