yukihime242

[yukihime242]

While waiting for my turn in the clinic, I chanced upon this TikTok video which covered the Triquetra theory, what I believed is something some of you are familiar with. But what got me thinking was actually a comment to the video.

I tried searching for the video again but to no avail, nor do I remember the TikToker's name. All I remember is the TikToker commenting that he was very tired in making the video as he was more used to making slides instead.

Anyway, for the sake of everyone being on the same page, I will briefly go through the Triquetra theory, the comment and my thoughts on this entire thing.

Also, as a precaution, some minor 🚨 spoilers🚨 may be expected.

(Picture Source: Wikipedia thru' Google Image Search)

First of all, what is the triquetra?

The triquetra is an ancient Celtic symbol which is always associated with the power of three. Each pointy part of the triquetra would always represent something. A very common reference is the Holy Trinity of Christianity.

(Reference: https://www.causewaycoast.holiday/culture/exploring-the-triquetra)

Now that we have a brief understanding of what the triquetra is, what does it got to do with Genshin?

Well, the symbol is everywhere in the game. From on the face of the mora, the domain doors to the walls of the domains. It is believed that this symbol holds some significant meaning in the world of Teyvat.

(Picture Source: Genshin Impact Wiki Fandom thru' Google Image Search)

What the TikToker discovered is that the triquetra symbol seems to be associated with Celestia. However, he also discovered that when the triquetra symbol is flipped upside down, it seems to be associated with the abyss.

Doesn't that sound familiar?

Okay, I am not saying that the Abyss Order is the devil or anything but the meaning of an upright triquetra and a flipped triquetra seems to be associated with the general concept of "good" and "evil" respectively.

(Picture Source: Genshin Impact Wiki Fandom thru' Google Image Search)

And it does kind of make sense in some way because while six out of the seven nations always have some beef with the Fatui, their common enemy is always the Abyss Order.

That is the brief concept of the triquetra theory in Genshin and what was covered in the TikTok video. If you are interested, you can search up the triquetra theory. Surprisingly, quite a number of people covers this theory.

Anyway, moving on to the comment. The comment suggested the idea of Paimon being sent by the Abyss to look after the Traveler. The reason being? Because of the Celtic symbol on her body.

(Picture Source: Wikipedia thru' Google Image Search)

Remember what I said about the upright and flipped triquetra? Because the triquetra is flipped on Paimon, I can understand why the commentor suggested that idea.

But to me, while it does serves as an interesting theory, it does not feel like a complete one at all...

And this is where I have a theory of my own.

Paimon could be one of the most powerful entities in Teyvat.

(Picture Source: Quora thru' Google Image Search)

No, I am not associating her nor am I saying that she is the unknown god. I highly doubt it.

Why I am suggesting that Paimon is a powerful entity herself is because of the triquetra. Remember what I said about the triquetra associating with the power of three?

So far, we know Celestia and the Abyss Order are likely to make up two of the three parts of the triquetra, but who/what is the third part? My guess would be Paimon.

One "evidence" is because of the symbol on her body. Another "evidence" would be her overall design. Her sleeves and boots matches the design of the pillars that came down from Celestia.

(Picture Source: Genshin Outlanders - Quora thru' Google Image Search)

Moreover, the floating tiara on her head also closely resembles those "chandeliers" in the domains above the petrified tree.

(Picture Source: HoyoWiki! thru' Google Image Search)

Another "evidence" I would provide is that Paimon is the one and only type of, for the lack of better word, species of her kind. So far, throughout our journey in the game, many of the non-human species will always have another of their kind.

Itto, the oni, actually has another oni present in his story quest.

(Picture Source: HoYoLAB thru' Google Image Search)

Klee and Layla, along with Klee's mother Alice, are proof that elves do exist in Teyvat.

(Picture Source: TheGamer thru' Google Image Search)

Wanderer, who is a puppet, isn't the only puppet.

(Picture Source: Game Rant thru' Google Image Search)

And, if that is not enough, Albedo, who is a homunculus, isn't exactly the first of his kind with Durin being his sibling (though dead).

(Picture Source: Gameranx thru' Google Image Search)

I guess you get my point.

Paimon, so far, is the only one that doesn't have another like her. And we also know very little about her background.

And for argumentative sake, the Paimon we see now may not be her "true" form. The evidence of this stems from two other characters we know of, Guoba and Rukkhadevata.

(Picture Source: Genshin Impact WIki Fandom thru' Google Image Search)

Both of them have one thing in common, and that is they both shrank in size after exhausting their powers. The only difference is that Guoba lost his memories which is why he couldn't remember that he was a god before it was addressed.

It could be that Paimon is experiencing a similar thing. She could have likely shrunk and lost her memories of being one of the powerful the entities of Teyvat, and is unaware that she suffering from this.

Or that she is just one very good actor...

Overall, this are my thoughts about the triquetra theory and the alleged identity of Paimon.

Or that we are all just overthinking things...

[yukihime242]

Is Cyno's second story quest going to be the new future?

(Picture Source: Genshin Impact Wiki Fandom thru' Google Image Search)

I know you guys may be confused to what I am speculating but before I explain, allow me to warn those who has yet to come this far that there will be some minor 🤏 spoilers.

The thing with Cyno's second story quest is that there were a couple of hidden cut scenes.

Yes, H I D D E N C U T S C E N E S.

Those cutscenes will only trigger when you reach the specific location mentioned in the dialogue.

And no, it will not appear on your map.

So far, there were two hidden cutscenes in Cyno's second story quest. One was Collei asking for assistance from the Third Corps (or whatever their name is), and the second was Kaveh and Al Hathiam at the Akademiya library.

And to emphasize again, no, it did not appear as a quest icon on the maps.

For some time, this was huge news for the Genshin community. Not many people were aware that there were hidden cutscenes. While it is interesting to keep players engaged in the story dialogue, it begs the question whether future stories in the game will have similar feature.

This has definitely open doors to new possibilities in approaching the future story quests. But will it be for all story quests, or limited to event-based stories?

At this time, it is evident that this new little gimmick is a testing phase. Lore enthusiast probably would enjoy this a lot more; but for the rest, it means needing to pay attention to the details in the dialogue to know the possible locations to go to in hopes of a hidden cutscene.

(GIF Source: GetYarn.io thru' Google Image Search)

Personally, I think it could be fun to try and locate the hidden cutscene after paying attention to the keywords in the dialogue. Think of it as hunting chests but it's hidden cutscenes (with no primos as reward...).

[yukihime242]

It's been a while since I updated anything. Some reasons were due to unmotivation, busy, and family vacation.

In the span of four months, there were some significant changes made to my gaming progress. I may or may not share in greater details in a separate post, but in this post, I will be sharing about what are the updates that has been going on in my gaming journey.

Sit back, relax, and enjoy the post.

1️⃣ Genshin Impact

(Picture Source: Eurogamer thru' Google Image Search)

Genshin Impact, by far, is the most active game in my list. I guess what motivates me to constantly play Genshin was the progress I am making in my character building progress.

Moreover, patch 4.7 just dropped two days ago and there was also a huge lore drop regarding the Abyss. As I had expected, we finally meet our Abyss sibling face-to-face one more time. Well, I am not going to dive into the details because firstly, I have yet to play the story myself, just saw some clips on TikTok, and secondly, spoilers.

There are many things I want to talk about regarding this new story, but it will have to wait until I am done with the story myself to confirm my pre-hypothesis to the future of the game and such.

2️⃣ Honkai Star Rail

(Picture Source: PlayStation.blog thru' Google Image Search)

It saddens me to say that I will be quitting Honkai Star Rail. While I like the turn-based-battle style, the game itself just isn't it for me.

I like the story, I like the characters, but I just don't feel the urge to log in and play the game as frequently as I wish I would be as I did with Genshin. I don't know is it because I like Genshin more, but whenever I thought of logging into HSR, I just prefer to do other things.

I think part of the reason of not feeling motivated to log in and play the game could be because the game doesn't support open-world exploration given how it is build. I feel like this is a shame because given how beautiful the world is, we are restricted by many things, such as jumping and climbing.

Anyway, I am not here to dive into details (which I am not sure of myself) but just to give an update that I am no longer playing HSR. I guess the silver lining would be that I have yet to remove the game from my other mobile devices so possibly I may return in the future?

3️⃣ Sky Children of the Light

(Picture Source: ThatSkyGame thru' Google Image Search)

I know I said I quit the game. But the reason I keep going back is because I have this bucket list I want to fulfill in this game. And that is to accumulate 1000 candles.

In case some of you are not sure what candles I am talking about, candles are basically the in-game currency of Sky, similar to your mora in Genshin.

I shared this wish list of mine on the Facebook community, and some very kind souls started calculating for me how long it would take for me to gather 1000 candles. Surprisingly it is not that long (think within a couple of months), but the issue is I don't play it every day.

Another delay to my journey was a particular Traveling Spirit (Past seasonal spirits that will allow you to purchase their cosmetics from them) appeared. This spirit, I call him Cheese Coat, did not make any appearance for the past 3 years, according to some of the senior veterans. When Cheese Coat appeared, I decided to spend all of my candles to get my very own Cheese Coat.

I finally managed to get my candles back up, past the 100 candles threshold. But ever since then, I have yet to log in...

4️⃣ Wuthering Waves

(Picture Source: IGN thru' Google Image Search)

Wuthering Waves was released very recently and many Genshin players went over to play it. The feedback was extremely positive. I have caught wind of this game long ago and it has been on my list of games to try ever since.

I manage to download the game but I have yet to actually play it. I am excited to go play it as I have been seeing many of the popular Genshin Streamers playing the game as well.

Let's hope I have the time to juggle between Genshin and Wuthering.

5️⃣ Hogwarts Legacy

(Picture Source: TechRadar thru' Google Image Search)

I... kinda forgot about this game... So while I did play the game, it was technically only in the beginning...

I guess now I have to restart the entire game because firstly, I chose the wrong house... Secondly, I need to get use to the controls again.

Anyway, the game is extremely fun to play and I hope I would be active enough to see myself near to the end of the game before Hogwarts Legacy 2 comes out.

[yukihime242]

There are a few reasons that I love about Genshin patches, but these two takes the cake:

I get to see if my previous theories about certain parts of the stories are true; and

More speculations to come!

So, yep, in this post, I am gonna list down all, if not most, of the speculations I have that has yet to come to pass. It is going to be a long ride, so buckle up!

I also must declare that speculations are speculations, meaning they are just unconfirmed theories.

1️⃣ Hutao and her mysterious Sesame Oil

(Picture Source: Game Crater thru' Google Image Search)

It has been mentioned in the previous Lantern Rite and this year's Lantern Rite that Hutao sent Zhongli out to purchase some Sesame Oil. This errand also had Xiao stumped. Like, why would a Director of a Funeral Parlor need Sesame Oil every Lantern Rite?

Even Zhongli is not sure of why Hutao wanted Sesame Oil. While it has been "cleared up" that she uses it for the mixed vegetables, there could be another reason for it. I mean, it could be purely just Xiangling suggesting it but even Zhongli is speculating about this.

I think we will get our answer in next year's Lantern Rite.

2️⃣ Mondstadt's Port

(Picture Source: Yahoo News Singapore thru' Google Image Search)

Once again, it has been mentioned in last year's Lantern Rite and in this year's Lantern Rite that Mondstadt has a port of its own, called Dornman Port. If you are wondering if this port exist, you can count on the Sumeru characters to confirm that it surely does exist in the latest cooking event.

However, Dornman Port is currently not located anywhere on the map. And after about 3 years, we hardly had any further region expansions in Mondstadt.

Although I said that speculations are speculations, this particular one is definitely going to come true, though I am not sure when it will happen. That is, Mondstadt will have its deserved region expansion to include Dornman Port.

The first reason why this will definitely happen is in the point above, that Dornman Port exist and the developers need to put it somewhere on the map. Second reason is because Fontaine is said to be in the middle of Teyvat. In other words, it is surrounded by other nations (more or less).

(Picture Source: Screenshot from Hoyoverse's Teyvat Interactive Map)

As you can see in the screenshot above, Mondstadt is not "touching" Fontaine. If Fontaine is to be in the middle of Teyvat, then it makes sense to have another regional expansion for Mondstadt. That expansion probably will include more areas that has yet to be mentioned in any of Mondstadt's lore (or the Dandelion Sea).

It could also be the new expansion for this year's Summer Event.

3️⃣ Inazuma's Regional Expansion

(Picture Source: Screenshot from Hoyoverse's Teyvat Interactive Map)

Admittedly, this was speculated by my sister. Her reason as to why there will be an Inazuma expansion is because of Itto. According to her, Itto mentioned his hometown and there is a likelihood of an expansion featuring Itto's home island.

(Picture Source: PCGamesN thru' Google Image Search)

While I'd say that her speculation is not a bad one, I think the stronger reason would be the passage between Sumeru's Port Ormos and Inazuma.

Granted, anybody trying to get in or out of Inazuma need to sail by boat. It has been mentioned before that in order for the people of Inazuma to reach Sumeru is by sail. However, there has been no clear passage between Port Ormos and Inazuma on the map.

Another possible reason as to why Hoyoverse may want to expand Inazuma's region could be because the land of eternity has finally opened its doors to other nations. Ritou is the only port working for Inazuma but I think it would be too overwhelming that they may need to open another port, possibly to cater to Sumeru and other nations towards the west.

4️⃣ Traveler meeting their Twin

(Picture Source: TheGamer thru' Google Image Search)

We definitely had our wild ride about our Abyssal Twin. The last time we met them physically face-to-face was in the second Abyss Order/Dainsleif Story Quest. That's... quite a long time ago...

I also did a theory on the Fontaine Twins to support my notion of the Traveler meeting their Twin again. While it's obvious that that theory of mine did not come to pass, it did come true in some sense. For instance, I speculated that we may have a "five-member" party, due to Lyney and Lynette being twins. That is that they would be introduced as one package, taking up only one slot in the party list, and we can exchange between Lyney and Lynette during the game without compromising the other three members of the party.

I also admitted that it was a ridiculous theory but hey, Hoyoverse actually did do something similar with my ridiculous theory. And that something (or someone) is Furina.

Anyway, that's not the point of this pointer. I speculated that we will meet our Abyssal Twin again face-to-face before the final showdown. I mean, the story has been pointing towards battling against our Twin at the end, which is what I meant as the final showdown. I have a feeling that we will meet our Abyssal Twin again before that.

It has been a very long time since we last saw them physically, and I think it is time for Hoyoverse to bring that Twin in as a little "change" to the mundane story outline. So far, all we have been doing is bump into Dainsleif, investigate some ruins, Traveler getting perspective on the history of the Abyss, and that's it. Dainsleif being like "we will meet again" and just whooshes off to who-knows-where.

(GIF Source: Anime Screencaps and Gifs Dumps - Tumblr thru' Google Image Search)

The Abyss storyline is getting kind of boring, in my opinion, and we have like two more regions to go? That would mean two more Abyssal story quests with the same story outline.

I think Hoyoverse needs to give us something interesting from the Abyssal storyline, such as MEETING OUR TWIN PHYSICALLY AGAIN. I think it would also give our poor Traveler some form of "closure" and have some time to talk things out with what little time they have before the Twin disappears again.

5️⃣ Wanderer travelling to Inazuma and meeting a few notable people

(Picture Source: Pinterest thru' Google Image Search)

The fact that Hoyoverse threw out this wallpaper seems to be indicating that Wanderer will be visiting Inazuma some time in the future. While I am optimistic about that, I am also wondering if this wallpaper is just another decorative piece of art.

Still, it doesn't hurt to hope that Wanderer will visit Inazuma again. Although he keeps claiming to be a prisoner of Sumeru, Nahida does not really see him as that and actually tries to integrate him back to society. Heck, she even forced him to have a birthday party with his classmates.

(Picture Source: battleonthebigbridge on Tumblr thru' Google Image Search)

If Wanderer ever returned to Inazuma, it could be one of the two things. Either he was forced by Nahida to go visit his hometown, or he was forced by Nahida to tag along for some cultural exchange program.

Regardless of how he would be forced to go to Inazuma, I think the one thing I am hoping for is for his interaction with a few notable people. The first being Yae Miko and Ei. I mean, although he technically erased his existence from Irminsul, it does not change the fact that Yae Miko and Ei is aware of his existence. Ei definitely created a puppet, and Yae Miko is aware of this fact, but what changed in the history is something that is unclear.

(Picture Source: Rock Paper Shotgun thru' Google Image Search)

Another reason why I am hoping that there would be an interaction for Wanderer is because of Kazuha.

Now, a little history lesson. Kazuha is the descendant of Niwa, the man who was very close to Wanderer back when he was still Kunikuzushi. Despite Wanderer's change in demeanor and attitude, it was obvious that he still holds Niwa close to his heart, given how he constantly spares the lives of Niwa's descendants and even keeps track of what they are doing.

However, after changing history, the story of the Raiden Gokuden had also changed drastically. Kazuha is only aware of the fact that some bloke (not Wanderer) went crazy and killed almost every blacksmith in Inazuma. Wanderer explicitly requested us to give the Raiden Gokuden the true version, but even having met Kazuha after, there was no indication of us doing that.

I believe there is going to be an interaction between Kazuha and Wanderer, and possibly the revelation of the true events of what actually happened to the Raiden Gokuden.

6️⃣ Zhongli visiting Mondstadt

(Picture Source: MaxLevel on YouTube thru' Google Image Search)

I think we can all agree on one thing. WE WANT MORE INTERACTION BETWEEN ZHONGLI AND VENTI!

Anyway, we have seen Venti coming to Liyue to celebrate last year's Lantern Rite, and host a poetry event between Liyue and Mondstadt. Zhongli made his appearance in both events and the interactions between them is ever hilarious.

I think what many would want to see is Zhongli visiting Mondstadt in return for one of the events and Venti having to host him instead. That would be so awesome!

Now, I know that Zhongli had visited Mondstadt before, such as the time we were preparing for the Rite of Descension, and the time we were bartenders for the day. And even so, he had visited Mondstadt on a few more occasions where, according to Venti, "he ordered a cup of hot tea with most complex name".

But I think it would be best to have him visit Mondstadt during one of its festive periods, like Windblume, or Wine-something-fest. I think it would be great to see both Zhongli and Venti interacting in Mondstadt setting.

7️⃣ Neuvillette meeting the other archons

(Picture Source: Destructoid thru' Google Image Search)

Neuvillette has a very hostile opinion about the archons, though I am not sure what he truly felt towards the hydro archon. I mean, towards the end, he was actually mourning for the death of the hydro archon. He also seems to care for Furina a lot prior to her dethrone.

It makes more sense that he cares for Furina now since she is no longer the hydro archon and has never been one after learning the truth, and that he retains his hostile opinion towards the other archons.

I think I need to do his story quest to understand what the heck is going on...

Anyway, Neuvillette and Zhongli almost met during the Lantern Rite festival and many were wondering what would happen if they actually met. Possibly a tsunami and earthquake will occur...

But given that he is now the ruling leader of Fontaine, I think it is inevitable that he would need to meet up with the other currently ruling archons, such as Ei and Nahida. There is possibly one in planning now due to Neuvillette and Ayato striking a deal to have some cultural exchange between their two nations.

I think at that time, a tsunami and a thunderstorm will occur...

=================

Okay, I think that's all I can think of for now. I may have missed some but I think the post is very long to the point that I think I lost some of you guys already.

Hooray if you made it this far!

[yukihime242]

Would there ever be a chance of Fischl, Mona and Wanderer meeting again?

(Picture Source: Inverse thru' Google Image Search)

Players who played the 1.1 event, Unreconciled Stars, would know that that was the trio's official first meeting. There were some changes to the storyline afterwards as the event was "literally" time-limited.

(Picture Source: Forbes thru' Google Image Search)

When meeting Mona outside of Liyue in her story quest, 1.1 players would witness Mona and the Traveler exchanged greetings warmly as that was not their first time meeting each other. On the other hand, players who did not play the 1.1 event would see the two characters exchanging salutations politely as that would be their first time meeting each other.

The only plot hole in this is that Fischl and Mona grew close to each other throughout the series.

(Picture Source: lkcatcher on Reddit thru' Google Image Source)

The "plot hole" I meant was there was no explanation as to why they grew closer. For 1.1 players, they know the reason why, but for non-1.1 players, it could be an eyebrow raising question, though I'd admit it is not very concerning.

This minor change made players appreciate the company for paying attention to the little details. However, such changes was not seen again until fairly recently.

After Hoyoverse release a new sub-region in Liyue ahead of Lantern Rite, some players jumped at the opportunity to explore and experience the new region.

(Picture Source: Reno Gazette Journal thru' Google Image Search)

It was only during the Lantern Rite quest that players saw the same changes again. This time, if players had played the Chenyu Vale world quest prior to Lantern Rite, players would observe that the Traveler would not disappear in front of Gaming. On the other hand, if players did not activate the world quest prior to Lantern Rite, the Traveler would disappear in front of Gaming.

With this new discovery of the subtle changes, it begs the question again.

Will Mona, Fischl, and Wanderer meet each other again?

Of course, both Mona and Fischl would likely have forgotten ever meeting Wanderer, but since Wanderer chose to receive his own memories, then he definitely remembers meeting them in the 1.1 event.

(Picture Source: Trashy-Kun on YouTube thru' Google Image Search)

Moreover, the subtle change in the Lantern Rite quest regarding entering Chenyu Vale has shown that Hoyoverse is capable of creating a storyline that differs depending on your past deeds (i.e., played the 1.1 event, or did not play the 1.1 event).

In my opinion, that would be a great storyline to follow if the trio were to ever meet again.

[yukihime242]

I am quite surprise that nobody talks about this. I don't see anything on the other social media platforms I am on and it is actually worth considering...

Well, probably in my opinion, it is worth talking about it.

Up to now, we know that the Traveler is the only person in the game that is able to wield two elements NATURALLY.

I have to strongly emphasize on the word "naturally" because I know the Fatui wield two elements as well, but one of them is a delusion, so, no, those aren't counted.

(Picture Source: Genshin Impact Wiki - Fandom thru' Google Image Search)

Back to the point, the Traveler is able to wield more than one element. But there is a certain someone that most likely is able to do that.

(Picture Source: Genshin Impact on X thru' Google Image Search)

Yes, Scara, or Wanderer, or Hat Guy, or whatever name you call him by. THIS person has the possibility of wielding two elements at the same time.

Now, I must preface that I may have missed an important note or dialogue but the human brain is not capable of storing every single detail... But just hear me out.

We know Scara from his rampaging days as The Balladeer. We also know that he wielded the element Electro then. I mean, though he practically never showed it, it was only in a particular scene in the Sumeru Archon quest that we finally saw a glimpse of Scara's powers. No, I'm not talking about the robot.

(Picture Source: Acesheep on YouTube thru' Google Image Search)

Afterwards, we defeated him in his Gundam form and we never saw him wielding his electro powers again. The next time we saw him use his powers, he was already using the anemo.

So, here begs the question.

Scara was granted the anemo vision and is able to wield the anemo element. However, his electro powers came from his mother I suppose? It's not like he could flip the switch and his electro powers are totally gone.

(Picture Source: MaxLevel on YouTube thru' Google Image Search)

Does it mean that while he is now using the anemo element, he's suppressing his electro powers? If so, then that means he is the second character we know that is actually wielding two elements.

I don't know... I think this is a question that Hoyoverse needs to answer. I don't mind having a Wanderer Story Quest to answer this question but Hoyoverse, this is something that we need to know...

[yukihime242]

If you have been following the Genshin Impact (Genshin) news lately, you would have more or less heard about the Chinese players instantly unfollowing Genshin in all of their socials, including the companies that has collaborated with Hoyoverse.

I know there are a lot of people talking about it and you'd be wondering, "is this going to be another one of those posts?"

Truthfully, I don't know because I don't really plan what I write here... The most I do is just go back and read from the top to make sure I am making sense, not unintentionally offending anybody, and editing parts that needs to be edited.

So, just humour me and join me on this wild ride, yeah?

(GIF Source: Pinterest thru' Google Image Search)

First off, for the benefit of those who are blissfully unaware of what is going on, Hoyoverse announced in their 4.4 Special Programme that they are giving away three intertwined fates and some other stuff to players for all of their support for the past three years.

I know that line is going to piss some people off already like, three? THREE? HONKAI STAR RAIL GETS A F***ING 5 STAR CHARACTER FOR FREE AND WE ONLY GET 3 INTERTWINED FATES??

(GIF Source: Giphy thru' Google Image Search)

Okay, CHILL PEOPLE CHILL!

You chose to open the "Keep Reading" so give me a chance to write something, yeah?

(GIF Source: Tenor thru' Google Image Search)

So, yeah, that is technically what people were mad about because the rewards, in Hoyoverse fashion, were stingy.

Honestly, I can understand why they decided to give three intertwined fates because, as they said, it is for the past THREE years players have been supporting the game. Seeing the link?

But of course, it is also considered injustice to, not only the players, but also the game itself.

Like I mentioned earlier, Honkai Star Rail (HSR) has a free 5-star character... not just any 5-star character, a FEATURED 5-star character... being sent out to all HSR players through the in-game mail system.

In case some of you are not HSR players and are also blissfully unaware of the significance of this terrible news, it is just like Hoyoverse giving out a free Zhongli to all Genshin players on the first year of the game's release.

Many Genshin veterans here can tell you that Genshin has never received a free featured 5-star character in the first two years of the game's release. The free characters that we keep getting are all 4-stars, and most of the time, we already have them at C6 from our attempts to get the featured 5-star banners.

Before I go any further, what I just mentioned is only part of the reason why players are so mad at Hoyoverse.

The other reason to why all of this big hoohaa is simply because of the way the message was conveyed.

I missed the Special Programme and wasn't aware of how bad it was until a Content Creator in TikTok covered this. I was aware of players unfollowing Genshin on the socials but not what the TikToker covered.

Basically, it was the way the appreciation message was delivered. At first, I thought people were just exaggerating. Just before I started writing this post, I went to search for the Special Programme and watched it.

I stand corrected.

If you would like to see that part of the Special Programme in case you, too, did not watch it or do not recall there was such an incident, I have posted the link below and it should direct you to the moment where they announced the rewards.

(Video Source: Genshin Impact on YouTube, Version 4.4 Special Program Video)

It is just like the TIkToker said in his video. There is a difference when saying "😭❤️I appreciate you guys❤️😭" and "😐I appreciate you guys😐".

Of course, we all would like to have the first one, but unfortunately, the young announcer was more towards the second one.

For the record, I don't blame him. He could have been tired, or had a bad day, and it is totally fine. I think what really pisses players off is, truthfully, the timing of everything.

This is where I get back to my previous point earlier. HSR gave out a free featured 5-star character within its first year release, and Genshin is giving out only three intertwined fates, along with some other things, as an appreciation gift for the three years support.

It is time to make a statement here, people.

Hoyoverse, it is not about the way the message was delivered. It is about the blatant favoritism you are showing through your games. We all get that Honkai Impact 3rd was the game that pulled you guys to the top and it is perfectly fine if that game has a special place in everybody's hearts in the Hoyoverse company. But it is not right to do things like this.

I'd rather Hoyoverse take back the 5-star character in HSR to make it fair across all games. To be honest, if Hoyoverse doesn't start to treat Genshin with more respect it deserves, the game is essentially going to lose a lot of players.

I have said my piece. I know Hoyoverse is never going to look at this but I really hope that they realise that what they are doing to the non-Honkai games is really creating animosity between themselves and the player-base.

Alright, so, congrats to those of you making it this far down here. I honestly think that I may have lost some of you guys half-way through the posts because it's technically the same as what everybody else is saying.

I am not going to prevent you guys from commenting or giving your opinions on the matter, but, just keep it civil, okay? 😉 Even if you don't want to, it's fine as well. I am just glad you read through the whole thing.

(GIF Source: Pinterest thru' Google Image Search)

[yukihime242]

It is that time of the year where I review my games played for 2023. However, this post is meant for Anticipating games for 2024. As such, if you wish to see my games played for 2023, you can go to either my Completed or Currently Playing post.

Without further ado, let's get into it!

1️⃣ Animal Crossing New Horizons

(Picture Source: GameSpot thru' Google Image Search)

Yes, I know, I played it before but I am attempting to restart the game progress. I had a major overhaul of my gaming progress because I realised that I wasn't really getting anywhere when multi-tasking some of my games.

I had planned to pick up the game after I am done with my Pokemon Scarlet gameplay. I already had a theme in mind for my island but it is kind of down to luck on the colour of my airport and such. Unlike before, i am going to take my time with the gameplay and decorating my island. I mean, there's only so much I can do in one day...

2️⃣ Hogwarts Legacy

(Picture Source: Fanatical thru' Google Image Search)

Hogwarts Legacy is one of my most anticipated games. While I have the means to buy it and play it anytime, I wasn't willing to fork out a huge sum of money... I gotta eat too, you know. Hence, the big discount finally came though it was strangely not part of the Black Friday sale.

While I am eager to start on this game soon, I am also quite concern about my memory space in my laptop. Anyway, I have every intention to play through all four houses. I know the story is the same but there are differences to some of the other quests too.

The only quest that I am not looking forward to, which I saw on TikTok months ago, is the one with the mannequins in a dark room. I think I most likely will be playing happy songs just so that I can sleep peacefully at night after that quest...

3️⃣ Palia

(Picture Source: Nintendo thru' Google Image Search)

From what I have seen so far, Palia is like a mix between Pokemon, Animal Crossing, and Stardew Valley. Pokemon mainly because you get to catch animals, I guess? And for Animal Crossing is because you get to decorate your own piece of land, and Stardew Valley because there's farming.

It's really your typical slice-of-life game except it threw in the fantasy genre too. I am quite eager to start playing it but my memory space isn't cutting it. However, it is still quite high up on my list of games to play.

That's probably it for now. I do have other games I want to play but probably not at this moment. The list above is just a glimpse of the games that i highly wish to play. I may or may not post regular updates about them since it is quite tiring to keep up with both Genshin and Honkai Star Rail.

[yukihime242]

It is at that time of the year where I review my games played and is still currently playing for the year. This is the post for the Currently Playing games, so if you are wanting to see my opinions for other games, you can visit either my Completed or Anticipating posts.

Now, on to the Currently Playing games!

1️⃣ Genshin Impact

(Picture Source: Pocket Tactics thru' Google Image Search)

I will keep this short because it is one of the games that I constantly update about on.

Yes, it's also no surprise that this game is still in my currently playing list. The story of the game is getting more and more interesting as we are very deep into the lore at this point. Many players are now finding out whether or not their age old theories are coming true. And because we are deep into the lore, many of the questions we have from the beginning of the game are also being answered in some aspect.

There isn't much for me to say at this point because I am working very hard on my characters and trying to build them up. The other thing about the game I need to catch up on is the event story and my exploration of the regions. I also have other world quests that I have yet to complete so that is quite a pile for me to take on.

2️⃣ Honkai Star Rail

(Picture Source: IGN thru' Google Image Search)

I know I hardly talk about this game but it is also in the same basket as Genshin. So while I have not caught up to the current events, I am quite grateful that the game has set aside the events I have yet to play in a separate folder and I can visit it whenever I am free to do so.

Anyway, just like Genshin, I am focused on building up my characters in the game. The great thing about it is, due to the battle mechanics, it is easy for me to know what to focus on. But it can also get quite boring because there isn't really a "picking at your brains" to determine what is the best build for your characters.

Moreover, unlike Genshin where you can explore the vast open world to get your materials, solve puzzles and such, Star Rail is more of like within a sandbox and the puzzles are just... like that.

(Picture Source: Honkai Star Rail Wiki Fandom thru' Google Image Search)

It's probably mean of me to say this as the game is still in its 1.0 patches. I mean, Genshin was kind of in the similar vein back then. Well, it's not like I will abandon the game, but I just hope that there is more to it than the sandbox style we are experiencing.

3️⃣ My Tribe

(Picture Source: Steam thru' Google Image Search)

You all probably have read my one tiny post about this game, I think... I cannot remember if I ever wrote a post about this. But, just for refreshers' sake.

This game is technically the same as Virtual Villagers, or any other survival game that you may have picked up. However, it has better graphics and the villagers at least look nicer.

(Picture Source: MacGameStore thru' Google Image Search)

The game is about this prospering tribe where a selected group of villagers went out to explore and inhabit another island (think of Disney's Moana). Unfortunately, they encountered a storm and got shipwrecked onto an unknown island. It is your job, as the "guidance from heaven", to help your villagers prosper once more and become Moana again.

To start the game off, you get to choose the island you want your villagers to be shipwrecked on. Each island has three different mysteries that your villagers need to solve (with your guidance). My suggestion here is to pick an island that has the Moondust pillar. It looks like that Stardust Pillar in the picture above but it is blue and has a crescent-shaped moon instead.

Allow me to explain quickly. In the game, you will have two dust falling onto your island: Stardust and Moondust. Stardust are more common than Moondust. For the mystery pillar you see in the picture above, once you solve it, it acts as a beacon for its respective dust to fall more often onto your island. It makes more sense to take the island with the Moondust pillar instead, doesn't it?

After you have selected your island, that's when you start the game proper. There is a crate near the shore where you can drop a villager onto to acquire the tools needed to farm stuff (wood and rock pile).

(Picture Source: Linda G. Hill thru' Google Image Search)

For the record, that is not my tribe. Anyway, my next advice is to go into the details page of each of your villagers. Just select one villager and you can click on the Details tab on the right.

(Picture Source: Steam Community thru' Google Image Search)

Okay, this is a poor example but it's the only picture I can find. In the details page, you will see your villagers' attributes, such as physical and mental strength. 60 and above is considered great as you can see in the picture above.

This is very important. Assign one task (Fishing, Wood Gathering, Rock Gathering, Construction) to your villager. ONLY one task. The reason being is because you are just starting out and you need to quickly gather supplies. If you select multiple, your villager will multi-task. It seems great, but they may not get things done which could be the demise of your village.

The next advice is to quickly build a hut and a science station. To help speed up the construction progress, use the stardust on the hut first. That's because your villagers need to sleep. In order to get a proper rest, the hut is an essential. However, I won't recommend you building multiple level 1 huts at the go because once your science station is up, you can very quickly get a level 2 hut after you gain enough science points.

(Picture Source: My Tribe for PC Wiki Fandom thru' Google Image Search)

In order to gain science points, you will need to assign a villager to do research. However, do that only after the science station is up. Also, the hut is essential to help your village reproduce. You don't really expect them to do it out in the open, right?

A last piece of advice I have, which is quite optional, is that you can add a letter to the back of your villager's name to create a "couple system". You can also do the same for any babies you have produced from the couples. This is completely up to your own decision and not a big necessity.

Another way you can help yourself to the "couple system" is after you have build the craftworks station. You get to make new clothes for your tribesmen. Because I am more of a visual person, I create clothes of the same colour for my couples. The downside of it is that there is a colour limit. While shades do exist in the game, you can easily mistaken it for another colour.

Another huge tip I would give for this game is that it has a pause feature in the game settings. Meaning that unlike most of such games, the game will pause the progress of your villagers if you will be away from your gaming device for a long period of time. This will prevent your villagers from dying unnecessarily because of your lack of supervision.

Overall, it is quite a relaxing game to play.

[yukihime242]

It is that time of the year where I start to do my annual review of the games I have played for the year. I made it sound like I have tons of annual reviews but in truth, I only did one which was last year...

(GIF Source: Imgur thru' Google Image Search)

Ahem, anyway, unlike last year where I categorised my games according to the platform which I played them on, I am going to categorise them as Completed, Currently Playing, and Anticipating. It makes more sense this way, doesn't it?

Obviously, I won't be putting all into one post because that would make it too long. I have also linked the two other posts to the respective titles above so you can just hop over to the other posts if you don't wish to read this one.

Now that's settled, on to the Completed list of games for 2023!

1️⃣ A Little to the Left

(Picture Source: Nintendo thru' Google Image Search)

A Little to the Left is one of the top cozy and organising games during the Covid period and it has excellent reviews on Steam. The only complain many players had with the game is the "unjustified" price tag for the game.

The game revolves around a couple attempting to organise and keep their house tidy but their cat, being a cat, would mess things up. Each level in the game will give you some form of satisfaction after re-organising or solving the puzzles. Of course, you will have their cat coming to mess things up occasionally.

The levels are doable but there are some that are really tricky. Many of you who may wish to play it would definitely want to solve the levels yourselves, but trust me, there are some that are so tricky that I had to google the answer.

But if you are insistent on trying to solve it yourself without any help, then here are a couple of tips. First, you can skip the level you are stuck at and go back to it at the end. I am not sure what is the control function on Switch, but if you are playing on PC, you can open the menu by pressing the ESC key and select the "Let It Be" option to move on to the next level. There is no time limit, so you can take your time to try and solve those puzzles at your own time.

Second, observe every single feature in the level, especially for those which has multiple solutions. Some are easy to solve, such as arranging it into ascending or descending order, or by colours and the like. But it is usually starting from the second solution that is tricky. The tip here is to observe every single feature in the level. Take for example, the leaves at the bottom picture below.

(Picture Source: A Little to the Left Wiki Fandom thru' Google Image Search)

At first glance, you would have guessed that the solution is by the colours. Congrats, you got your first solution, but there are more solutions to discover in this level. You will need to observe every thing in this level. Since the first solution is by colour, what else can you do to solve it? Is it by the leaf shape? Or by the length of the stems?

This is just one of the many levels that is designed as such. It may be liberating for some but there are those who may rage at not being able to figure out solution. My suggestion is to not be afraid to google the answer.

If you like to watch the gameplay of A Little to the Left, I have uploaded some videos onto my YouTube channel. The link will direct you to the playlist of the gameplay I have recorded and uploaded.

2️⃣ Death's Door

(Picture Source: Nintendo thru' Google Image Search)

Death's Door took me almost half a year to complete though the game system said that I only spent slightly over 20 hours to complete...

Anyway, this game talks about this crow that just got a job at the Reaper's Commission, and was assigned his first job. He successfully completed it but got his assigned soul stolen by another crow who has been trapped for years. Our crow chased after the older crow only to witness him sending our assigned soul to a long and large black door, to which the older crow explained that he had to do it in order for him to get his own assigned soul back. Unfortunately, the door did not budge and the older crow asked our crow for help to reap three other large souls to be used to open the door. Our crow reluctantly agreed to help.

The story of Death's Door is simple to follow as long as you pay attention to the dialogue. If not, you can just go google the story. Otherwise, the game mechanics, the UI and controls are all very simple. The only thing that may have you pulling your hair roots out is the battle.

Now, I am more of a casual player but am willing to try such games. I thought it was probably because my dodging skills was horrible but the online guide which I follow has a disclaimer at the homepage of the game guide that said you will die in battle a few times before achieving victory. Alas, it wasn't because of my dodging skills (it still sucks) but that the game was created in such a way.

Of course, it is not impossible to win the battle on the first try, but that the chances of it is quite low; I guess you could say it is a once in a blue moon effort.

If you are interested in trying the game, here are a few advice, not exactly tips, that if you allow me to give.

Firstly, don't be afraid to experiment. The thing about this game is that although the game mechanics and controls are the same for all, there are different playstyles that each player is accustomed to. Some probably swing their weapon like a maniac while some do it with a strategic calculation. Apart from that, there are also weapons you can collect throughout the gameplay, each with varying degrees of damage output. I have seen a player on YouTube use an umbrella to battle. That umbrella's damage output is only 0.5 (the sword assigned to you at the start of the game is 1). However, it seems to work for him, which kinda emphasizes my point here.

Secondly, and those most important advice here, is that surviving is more important than attacking. The boss battles, be it mini bosses or final bosses, including the Avarice, can be frustrating. It is at those points in the game where you will die countless times. Often times you may see an opportunity to attack but it could also be your demise. My suggestion is to dodge more and attack less. Sure, the battle will be dragged longer but it will increase your chances of survival better.

(Picture Source: EIP Gaming thru' Google Image Search)

Thirdly, you don't need necessarily need to achieve 100% completion rate to complete the game. The 100% completion rate is by levelling up your spells, visiting every shrine, and making sure that all pots are planted with a life seed.

While power ups and having a handy potted life seed is good, it is not necessarily needed to complete the game experience. It is possible to complete the game without any of those. Even so, I would still suggest trying to go for it because it will make your battle a tad bit easier to deal with, especially the fire spell (levelling up your fire spell will make your enemies experience continued burning damage after you throw a fire ball at them).

Final advice is to explore every nook and cranny of the map. There aren't any treasure chest with loads of goodies for you to collect, but because there may be some mass souls that you can pick up and exchange it at the vault in the Reaper's Commission for levelled up attack power.

While Death's Door was fun, I don't think I would go back to play it again because of the battle mechanics. It is really very frustrating which could prompt you to lose your interest in the game. However, it is also quite worth losing a few hairs.

3️⃣ Pokemon Scarlet

(Picture Source: Nintendo thru' Google Image Search)

I'd be honest here. At the time of writing, I have yet to complete the game. I am very confident that I could get past the Area Zero with ease but it is the Pokemon League that has me worried. My sister who completed the Violet version a long time ago advised me to level up as many different types of Pokemon as possible before I tackle the Pokemon League.

I have a feeling that this game would very well run over into 2024, but I am not willing to put this game under the 2024 annual review since I am currently near to the end of the story. Moreover, I won't be able to play DLC because my country strangely does not support the e-shop.

Anyway, just like any other Pokemon game (to my knowledge because this is the first of such for me), you are an aspiring trainer ready to take your first big step into the world of Pokemon like Ash Ketchum, except in the Scarlet and Violet version, you got to attend the Pokemon Academy. But, of course, the whole purpose of a Pokemon game is to go out, explore, and catch Pokemon, which will be given to you after a few semesters in the Academy (time skip).

There are three quests for you to take (not optional). The first is the usual Pokemon League quest where you need to tackle the gyms located throughout Paldea. The second quest is helping Arven with his Mabosstiff by battling Titan Pokemon and acquiring some mystical herb. The third quest is to help Cassiopeia take down Team Star. All three are important quests to take on because they are located all over the Paldea region. If you are unsure of the order to go with, you can refer to this guide.

However, if you don't wish to tackle all at once, that my suggestion is to go for the Titan Pokemon quest first. The reason being is because after defeating each Titan Pokemon, your Koraidon, or Miraidon in Violet version, will acquire important skills beneficial to exploring Paldea. Afterwords, you can tackle both the Gym and Team Star together if you wish.

One thing I did to make my game experience smoother is to level up my Pokemon as high as I could. That's because I needed stronger Pokemon to battle the tougher Titan Pokemon. In order to do so, I went Tera Raiding, but that can also prove to get boring very easily.

(Picture Source: IGN thru' Google Image Search)

The big headache for this game is trying to find which Pokemon is best to keep and which is best to release. Of course, the usual strong Pokemon like Garchomp, Dragonite, Tyranitar and the like, are the top choices. But you will still need a wide selection of different types of Pokemon. The easiest way is to get hybrid types, such as Dragonite being a Dragon and Flying type.

Another way is to get the tera types. So, for example, you may encounter a Vaporeon (water type) with an electric tera version. However, the disadvantage of it is that in order to utilise the tera version, you will need to terastalize your Pokemon which has a long cool down between battles.

Overall, Pokemon Scarlet and Violet can be quite addicting, but it can also get boring soon. I'd say that it's a double-edge sword. Still, being my very first RPG Pokemon game, it is quite an experience to behold. I do look forward to other similar games like this.

[yukihime242]

After some shocking events of the latest archon quest in Genshin, it is now a wonder whether or not we will get Skirk as a playable character.

(Picture Source: The Nerd Stash thru' Google Image Search)

So far, Genshin has been consistent in one thing whenever there are playable characters involved, and that is, that the characters with an obviously unique design would undoubtedly become a playable character.

However, there were three exceptions to that consistency. First was Signora.

(Picture Source: Pocket Tactics thru' Google Image Search)

Signora was introduced in the very early stages of the game and has been appearing in almost every region until Inazuma where she perished.

It is undeniable that she has a unique design to her which makes her supposedly playable. Unfortunately, after she was killed by the Raiden Shogun in Inazuma, that did not seem possible anymore.

However, there are also rumours about Signora being resurrected in the future. If this claim were to be true, then, there is no doubt that she will become a playable character.

Next character is Scaramouche.

(Picture Source: Dexerto thru' Google Image Search)

For players who have been playing since 1.1 would know that Scaramouche made his first appearance in a time-limited event, Unreconciled Stars. The next time we saw him was in Inazuma and subsequently in Sumeru.

Scaramouche then was definitely a uniquely designed character but Hoyoverse was not bringing out a banner for him for us to pull. Instead, it was just purely meeting him during the various archon quests and hearing of his stories in several other events and world quests.

There was a question mark whether or not he would become playable and whether he was going to meet the same fate as Signora. Eventually, we managed to get him but as Wanderer instead.

Finally, the third exception is none other than Dainsleif.

(Picture Source: Game Rant thru' Google Image Search)

Again, like the other two characters mentioned previously, he has a unique design. We have met him for four times throughout our course of the gameplay and yet he has no banner allowing us to pull for him.

He is the real question mark whether he will become playable. He could probably the one exception Hoyoverse is making since he is not dead and possibly won't be turning over a new leaf like Wanderer did.

Again, like Signora, there rumours about him being allegedly playable but it is matter of when. It is obvious that we will meet him in Fontaine for the next upcoming Abyss Order story quest, but will he have a banner then?

So far, Genshin has been meeting its consistency of playable characters. Now that they have introduced Skirk, it is now a question of whether or not she would become a playable character.

(Picture Source: Pocket Tactics thru' Google Image Search)

Skirk is way too powerful that it is unlikely she would meet her demise before we see her again (and possibly in the future). So, the thought of her not becoming playable seems to be thrown out of the window.

Also, I highly doubt she will experience the same situation as Scaramouche unless she experience some sort of harsh betrayal (probably from her master?) but yet at the same time, she seemed to not care about anything as long as she complete her task.

Another possibility for her is that she becomes another uniquely designed non-playable character like Dainsleif. Maybe she would become like another Dainsleif where we occasionally bump into her in this "out-of-the-world" space and do some story quests there.

So far, everything seems to be pointing at Skirk being playable but there is no confirmation on such speculation. Dainsleif is a prime example of this case.

[yukihime242]

I did tell myself that I should be more discipline and not post and concentrate on my exams... but I'm so bored! Why does the exam got to be next week?!

(GIF Source: arzamasfok.ru thru Google Image Search)

Anyway, let's get onto the topic of this post.

So, recently, I saw a post on the FB Community for Genshin regarding players disliking Paimon.

(GIF Source: Tenor thru' Google Image Search)

The post was basically asking players to not hate her "for no reason" and to be accepting towards her... generally...

The only thing that came to my mind after reading that long post was that this guy must be a new player...

Well, I am not saying that it is wrong of people to dislike a character and I am also not saying that that original poster was correct entirely. There were also some valid points in the comments section. So, I thought, we should just clear the air about Paimon.

1️⃣ Paimon talks too much. LITERALLY TOO MUCH

(GIF Source: Tenor thru' Google Image Search)

Paimon, for one, talks too much. Like even when we are fishing, she makes noises.... And here I thought fishing was meant to be peaceful and relaxing...

I mean, it was even addressed in the game by Paimon herself, asking why the Traveler doesn't talk, to which the Traveler replied that Paimon was already saying everything that they wanted to say...

I highly doubt so...

(GIF Source: Giphy thru' Google Image Search)

Anyway, as much as Paimon can be annoying, there is a good reason why she does all the talking.

First, we need to remember that the Traveler is not from this world, hence, the common tongue of Teyvat is not the Traveler's native language.

And I know you people will argue "but the Traveler speaks to the people of Teyvat!"

Yes, I know, but that does not mean that the Traveler understands everything. I mean, by now in Fontaine, the Traveler's grasp of Teyvat's common language should have improved significantly but it's still possible for the Traveler to have difficulty understanding certain terms.

Which brings me to my second point, that although the Traveler seems to be coping well in conversing with the people of Teyvat, it does not mean that the Traveler fully understands every single word. This is possibly the reason why Paimon always does a recap with the Traveler after learning some new things.

To explain about that point would require me to write an entire research paper, so, short answer is so that the Traveler is on the same page as everybody.

2️⃣ Paimon is dumb!

(GIF Source: Tenor thru' Google Image Search)

I really have no idea how to put it in a much nicer way but it is one of the reasons why players dislike Paimon.

Truth to be told, one of the reasons I dislike her is because her intellect seems to be going downhill as the game progress... it could possibly be just me.

The reason I say this... compare it with the beginning of the game. For some reason, I just feel that Paimon at the start of the game seems to be smarter than the Paimon in the current patches. I don't expect her to be a genius, but to have some level of decent smartness. I... really don't know how to explain this but it's just what I felt...

But to counteract this "dumbness" of hers, she is a literal child... I believe 🤔... Still 😤

You'd notice that most of her interactions and reactions are like a child. You could say, to some extent, she has a mind of a child. Minus away the exceptions, you would never expect a child to know the Pythagorean Theorem, or that almost everything in this universe is made out of atoms, break it down and you have protons, electrons, and neutrons.

While I do have my personal opinion about her intellect, and also with whatever I have written, Paimon is still a child in some sense. So, no, she's not "dumb".

3️⃣ Her voice is annoying

(Picture Source: darxilver on Reddit thru' Google Image Search)

I have to agree to a certain extent...

Many players may have gotten used to her voice being extremely high pitched, but she was actually much lower at the beginning of the game.

You can refer to the links below to compare Paimon's old and new voices.

Old voice: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=efqQMNFysdc&t=6s

New voice: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AFct8477oOM

I don't expect you guys to be watching the entire video but just the first few seconds to compare her voices 😅

Anyway, her now high-pitched voice combined with her personality could be the reason why she annoys many players in the community. While I am not sure if it is true, there is intel that the reason why Paimon's voice is so high-pitched now is because the company in-charge of doing the voice-overs for Genshin are betting to see how high can Corina (Paimon's VA) go for Paimon.

And speaking of Corina, this also brings me to my final point of Paimon...

4️⃣ People disliking Paimon because of her VA

(Picture Source: VICE thru' Google Image Search)

It's no surprise that there will be people not liking Paimon's VA, Corina, for whatever unknown reasons... Not everyone will like a celebrity even though they are famous and popular, right? To emphasize the point, some of you may not like Adele, or Ed Sheeran, or Taylor Swift, or Charlie Puth, or Sam Smith.... It's all down to personal preference, yeah?

It is the same with Corina here. While there is no one openly claiming to dislike her (and share their reasons), my only guess, and based on the FB post, was due to her latest antics.

Some of you guys may remember that Corina claimed to not be getting paid for her voice acting work for Paimon. Whether it was true or not (sorry, I didn't follow up on that news), it was very skeptical because no other VAs were speaking up about it. Just based on this alone, I surmised that it was most likely a disagreement between just her and the company in-charge.

While it was incorrect of her to give the wrong impression that all of the voice actors were not getting paid, it is also kind of like the whole hating Tighnari character thing again... I am not going to elaborate it because it is a very sensitive issue, but the point I am trying to make here is that while we may have our own personal reasons for disliking a character, we should not "hate" on a character simply because of their respective VAs or representative.

Well, it's quite a tough topic to touch on so I am just going to leave it at that...

(GIF Source: Imgur thru' Google Image Search)

So, there we have it. While this doesn't change my opinion of Paimon, that is being a super annoying and irritating emergency food, it also points out that Paimon is just being Paimon with good reasons. May not be the best reasons, but it is legitimate. In some sense, i guess.

[yukihime242]

I can't remember when was the last time I did a general update of my gaming progress but let's not fret about that, yeah? So, here comes a new update and to be honest, it's not going to be a good one.

(GIF Source: Tenor thru' Google Image Search)

My exams are coming. In TWO WEEKS. And I am fretting over the lack of studying because honestly, my parents just does not get that I need to study. Funny thing is that they keep nagging at me to do well and pass my exams so that I can graduate faster but yet they are the ones pulling me away from my studies.

What irony.

(GIF Source: Tenor thru' Google Image Search)

Because I need to study, it also means that lesser time for my games.

(GIF Source: Gifer thru' Google Image Search)

Anyway, let's get down to it.

Firstly, it's finally the time to say GOOD RIDDANCE to the one game that has been very frustrating.

(Picture Source: Switch Player thru' Google Image Search)

That's right, I have completed Death's Door and I have never been any happier to place that little cartridge into the box of completed games.

I will do a game review of it for my end of year games, though I may have done it last year. But, this time, it's going to be a proper one since I have already completed the game.

(GIF Source: DukeEngage thru' Google Image Search)

I am now onto my next Switch game which is Pokemon Scarlet. Yep, I did not complete it and have restarted the game. I kinda forgot some of the mechanics and had the need to go through from scratch again.

My sis, on the other hand, completed hers a long time ago and I am following her advice to raise my Pokemon to be as high level as possible so that the battling would be a breeze.

(Picture Source: Polygon thru' Google Image Search)

The current plan is to go for as many raids as I could to get those Exp materials and I could plonk everything to the one pokemon in my party which is a lower level. So far, I have managed to get a variety so battling should be no problem.

I also intend to go for the Titans first so that my Koraidon would have all of the abilities and that would make the exploring so much easier. I have managed to defeat up to the Sky Titan. Thus, no more worries about scrambling out of water scenario.

(Picture Source: COGconnected thru' Google Image Search)

The next game in the list is Sky: Children of the Light. To be honest, I feel as though my relationship with this game is hot and cold. There are times when I just had enough of the game, and there are times when I just want more of the game...

(Picture Source: X.com thru' Google Image Search)

In one of my older post, I did mention about the Aviary project which the developers were doing and planning to bring into the current game. It is now the location of the current season known as the Season of Revival.

Not much is happening because the season started not too long ago but players get to see the village in a much clearer setting after completing the third seasonal quest. I am looking forward to seeing more of what the village has to offer.

(Picture Source: Sky Children of the Light Wiki Fandom thru' Google Image Search)

I have also not record any videos from Sky for a long time, mostly due to lack of any inspiration. I do have one video idea in mind but I could not find the time to record, much less edit, the necessary clip. Guess all of these has to wait until after my exam.

The third game in the list is Honkai Star Rail (HSR). I feel as though I have not touch this game for ages 🥴

(Picture Source: PlayStation.Blog thru' Google Image Search)

It goes without saying that although I have been recording and uploading the stories of HSR, I may have missed some previous events... that is, I am not sure if I even missed any past events because they seem to be kept at a separate folder in the game which allows you to visit it even after the event is over...

(GIF Source: Tenor thru' Google Image Search)

Anyway, I have more or less edited most of my HSR videos so all that's left is to upload them and create the thumbnails for the videos. But, as I said earlier, I am going to be busy studying for my exam, so all of these will have to wait until after my exam... For now, it's more of grinding, farming, and building up my characters in the game.

Finally, it is down to my Genshin Impact. A lot of things are happening in the game and I have to find new ways to increase the levels of my characters.

(Picture Source: Game Rant thru' Google Image Search)

First off, I have finally managed to finish building a few of the characters: Tighnari, Ganyu, Xiangling, and Albedo. What is really motivating me to continue is Raiden. When I first got her, I was kinda coerced to level her up to a decent level because some bloke wanted me to use her and test out her skill. But I have thank that player because my Raiden is so good that I can technically use her to do domains despite her talent levels still at level 4 (the rest contributing to her damage are maxed out).

Excuse my humble bragging... 😳

Second, I am now struggling to get materials to level up both the character levels and their weapon levels. Not the ascension materials but the exp materials. While it is easy to get for the character by just running around and doing ley line farming, it is not so for the weapon. I am quite worried about the weapon because honestly, I don't want to resort to pulling on the weapon banner just so that I can feed the pulled weapons to the ones I am building. Also, I know I can just explore and try and get the ores, but those are gatekeep by the time. I really need to figure out how to get some weapon exp materials...

(Picture Source: Polygon thru' Google Image Search)

That's it for now for games I am currently playing. For upcoming ones, I am technically waiting for the Black Friday sale to see if Hogwarts Legacy will have a major discount.

Anyway, I will post another blog talking about my goals for each of the games and hopefully that will help me to smoothen the process of each of the games I am playing (and possibly manage the time well).

Wish me all the best for my exams... 🥲

[yukihime242]

The Waterborne Poetry event has answered a question, and also sprung up a new question.... Actually, two questions, in my most humble opinion...

Anyway, before I move on, do note that there may be 🚨SPOILERS🚨 for those of you who have, for some reason, not done the event during this period... and also for those of you who may have missed it... best if you go watch the gameplay for this event to know what's going on first...

As we all know, the Waterborne Poetry was a follow-up from the Lantern Rite 2023 event where Venti and Hu Tao planned to have a poetry event together. So, here you go, the Waterborne Poetry was born.

(Picture Source: Genshin Impact thru' Google Image Search)

But, the story doesn't actually only follow up from there, it also follow up from the Endora event back in... 2021, I think? Players who played the event were granted a little Endora Oceanid as their pet.

(Picture Source: Genshin Impact Wiki Fandom thru' Google Image Search)

Just a quick recap, the little Oceanid Endora... actually, I forgot how the Traveler found her... but what I do remember was, like Callirhoe, Endora grew very weak while traveling, and had to latch herself onto some moveable water source... think if memory serves me right, it was a hydro slime.

In order to help little Endora, the Traveler travelled between Mondstadt and Liyue to capture some rogue Oceanid and letting Endora absorb them. By doing so, Endora would be able to regain her strength and her speech should improve a lot.

Part of the event was us finding out that another Oceanid was actually living in the waters of Springvale. At that time, players weren't really sure what to make of the Oceanid existing in Springvale since there was no appearance of this particular Oceanid. Eventually, I think many forgot about it.

Fast forward to the Waterborne event, it was only in this event that it jogged our memory that there was indeed an Oceanid living in Springvale. And that was none other than Callirhoe.

(Picture Source: GoldenBow @ YouTube thru' Google Image Search)

Apart from her main romance with Finch, she did make some friends while living in the waters of Springvale. One of them was our beloved feline, Diona.

(Picture Source: Rock Paper Shotgun thru' Google Image Search)

Because she was touched by their friendship, Callirhoe gave Diona a special ability, that is, to make any drink into a delicious drink no matter what she puts inside.

So... that kinda answers our question about her mixing ability. It's not because she is Mondstadt's version of Xiangling, but because she was blessed by Callirhoe.

But now, that also gives rise to another question which was also addressed by the character himself.

Is Chongyun's pure yang energy a blessing from someone else as well?

(Picture Source: PC Invasion thru' Google Image Search)

I believe we will get a story that is Chongyun-focused to answer that question... if Hoyoverse remembers...

That was the first question. The second question is whether or not Xiao is truly having romantic feelings for the Traveler.

I have covered this in my other post of the list of characters having possible romantic feelings for the Traveler. Not going to details again, there seem to be a hint that Xiao does have some romantic feelings to the Traveler.

It was speculation at first, but a little note on the noticeboard at Wangshu Inn has caused this question to be raised.

Posting only this screenshot so you can go see the rest yourselves :3

Anyway, I hope Hoyoverse will give us the proper closure to all of the romance blossoming in the air... I mean, first, they confirmed that the Lumine X Childe ship is cannon, then they dropped a Lyney having a crush on the Traveler, and now this...

Regardless of who has romantic feelings for the Traveler, I think many players are wanting to see if the Traveler will reciprocate one of them. Who knows? May be we will have an all out war of the various ships involving the Traveler.

[yukihime242]

Ever since Lyney has been confirmed to have a crush on the Traveler, I began looking back at other characters who may or may not have similar feelings to the Traveler.

First off, I am basing on the interactions that the characters has with the Traveler. Those ships which are mostly fan-made are excluded from the list.

Also, there may be some spoilers since we need to dig into some parts of the stories to see how the characters were expressing romantic interest to the Traveler. And we are going by region.

Lastly, the chosen characters in the list are solely based on my opinion. Of course, I try to be very neutral but I am just one person.

Now, on to it!

1️⃣ Mondstadt Region - Barbara

(Picture Source: PCGamesN thru' Google Image Search)

To be honest, Barbara is very debatable.

As we all know, she is the Deaconess of the Favonius Church, and the shining idol in Mondstadt. Apart from that, she is also the younger sister of Jean. Although they are kind of separated, Barbara has shown to be extremely concerned for her older sister.

(Picture Source: FreeMMOStation thru' Google Image Search)

Hence, most of the time when she seems to be flustered or shy was always about her older sister. Her behaviour towards the Traveler seems to be a friendly sort. Yet, at the same time, she has shown some sort of attraction towards the Traveler at certain points in the Genshin story.

(Picture Source: Genshin Impact Wiki Fandom)

I even asked my sister about it and she agreed that Barbara is a very debatable character when it comes to having affectionate feelings for the Traveler. I guess it is up to Hoyoverse to give us a hint whether or not it is true.

2️⃣ Liyue Region - Xiao

(Picture Source: Siliconera thru' Google Image Search)

No, I am not putting Xiao in the list because I am a Xiao fan. There is definitely a reason why I placed him in this list.

It is a surprise that Xiao seemingly has a crush on the Traveler. But if you looked back at all of the stories that he is involved in, from the Archon Quests, to his Character Story/Event Story Quests, and even the cameos he made in some of the other stories, you will notice the way he acts around the Traveler.

When the Traveler first met Xiao, he was cold and distant and refuse to interact much with the Traveler. Subsequently, he started to be more open and friendly towards the Traveler. In The Chasm, Xiao kept urging the Traveler and the others to leave, but the moment he heard the Traveler almost got hurt, he relented and joined the group so that he could protect the Traveler.

(Picture Source: Icey Trashy on YouTube thru' Google Image Search)

Even after they have safely gotten out, he patiently waited for the Traveler to finish their goodbyes which is very unlikely of him. I mean, if you had seen his previous stories prior to the events in The Chasm, he just poofs instantly.

But what could be skeptical of Xiao is that he was attracted to the Traveler due to by being close to them, Xiao's karmic debt's effects lessened a lot.

3️⃣ Inazuma Region - Kamisato Ayaka

(Picture Source: Pro Game Guides thru' Google Image Search)

She is actually one of the more obvious ones, but not confirmed.

Kamisato Ayaka is the young lady of the Kamisato family who oversees one of Inazuma's Tri-Commission, the Yashiro Commission. Although her older brother is the face and head of the Yashiro Commission, Ayaka has taken on some workload.

During the Sakoku Decree, the Kamisato family secretly supported the Resistance and even aided the Traveler numerous times to help end the Decree. During that period, her older brother, Ayato, had yet to make his debut to the game. Hence, Ayaka was the face of the Yashiro Commission for that period.

Ayaka took it upon herself to provide the best service to the Traveler during their stay in Inazuma City before the Traveler had to flee as a wanted fugitive. In her own story quest, Ayaka had asked the Traveler to keep her accompanied and it was towards the end of her story where her feelings to the Traveler was shown.

(Picture Source: Game Rant thru' Google Image Search)

That's right, it was her famous dance in the river.

Although the purpose of her dance was to give the Traveler a farewell dance and something for them to remember in the future, it seemed to convey another meaning which many players are picking up on.

Despite it not being a confirmed crush, I would say that Ayaka most likely does have a crush on the Traveler.

4️⃣ Sumeru Region - ???

(Picture Source: Epic Games thru' Google Image Search)

So far, in each region, there has been one character which likely has some affectionate feelings for the Traveler. Yet, in Sumeru, I can't seem to find any. It seems like most of the characters in Sumeru are just happy to have the Traveler as a friend by their side.

I asked my sister about this, who did she think in Sumeru may have a crush on the Traveler? She wondered for a while before giving me the answer below.

(Picture Source: Pocket Tactics thru' Google Image Search)

Yeah, I am also quite surprised as you all reading this...

Her rationale is that he was like Xiao. Xiao did not open up to us and Scara is doing the same though he seems to be tolerating us. She said that perhaps in a few more stories where he would be involved, we may get to see Scara getting soft with us?

That aside, I really can't think of any potential characters who could have a crush on the Traveler in Sumeru.

5️⃣ Fontaine Region - Lyney

(Picture Source: Geek Culture thru' Google Image Search)

I mean, duh? I mentioned him in my intro.

Lyney, from the moment we met him at Fontaine's gates, we were constantly subjected to his pick-up lines. I honestly thought, at that moment, that he was just flirty as if it was his second nature.

That is UNTIL...

My friend told me that it is confirmed that Lyney has a crush on the Traveler. And he even wrote it down at Fontaine's Cafe Board. I missed the chance to go see it and could not find the message anymore. Guess I have to wait until my alt account has caught up to it.

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

Anyway, that's all for now!

As I mentioned earlier the list above is just my own interpretation and observation. I probably missed some but I won't take into consideration of those whose ships are purely fan-made without evidence from the Genshin story itself.

[yukihime242]

Will there ever be a Co-op in Honkai Star Rail (HSR)?

(Picture Source: Honkai Star Rail Wiki Fandom thru' Google Image Search)

The answer is... no idea...

(GIF Source: Giphy thru' Google Image Search)

But I do think that it is possible to have a co-op mode in HSR.

Firstly, the gameplay of HSR is similar to that of Genshin with world exploration and such. Hence, it is possible to have more than one player in the same world to explore together.

(Picture Source: Shipping Wiki Fandom thru' Google Image Search)

Secondly, HSR adopts a turn-based battle mechanic, which is understandably not multi-player friendly, but there is another game which has this function despite being a turn-based battle game.

That's right, it's Pokemon!

The mobile game version, Pokemon Go has this raid where up to 12 players could join in a single raid battle at a gym. The players work together to defeat the raid boss and reap rewards and a chance to capture the raid boss Pokemon.

Other Pokemon games, like the Scarlet and Violet version, does allow raid battles with other players. Although Scarlet and Violet has a smaller pool of players in a single raid (i.e., four players), that is still a co-op in this turn-based battle game.

(Picture Source: Polygon thru' Google Image Search)

In other words, it is still possible for HSR to have a co-op feature with players playing together in each other worlds. Since Hoyoverse has adopted some of Genshin's features over to HSR, they just need to tweak it a bit to make it HSR-unique.

The main issue that possibly prevented Hoyoverse from issuing out the Co-op feature is the battle mechanics. If Hoyoverse were to learn from the Pokemon games, it is possible to have more than one player fighting the same enemies in the same battle.

(Picture Source: Giphy thru' Google Image Search)

Of course, there has to be a "give-and-take" thing.

If Hoyoverse finally decided to have a co-op mode implemented into HSR, there is a possibility of the enemies having a higher HP.

But I believe that HSR players are capable of making the best out of it if this should ever come to pass. I mean, we have seen crazy damage numbers in Genshin, so HSR should be no problem-o.

(GIF Source: Tenor thru' Google Image Search)

[yukihime242]

Hoyoverse has made it known through Honkai Star Rail (HSR) that it is possible to have two same characters in a team. Yes, I am talking about Dan Heng.

(Picture Source: AFK Gaming thru' Google Image Search)

So, what does this mean for the future of Hoyoverse games?

For the record, I have never played Honkai Impact, so I am not sure if this was a thing. But from the looks of it in TikTok, it seems to be a surprise to many players.

Anyway, the thing about Dan Heng and his Imbibitor Lunae form is that they are both the same person, just that one was in his "human" form, and the other was his true form. The other difference is that the human Dan Heng controls the element wind, while the Imbibitor Lunae controls the element imaginary.

(Picture Source: Dexerto thru' Google Image Search)

I have to emphasize again that Imbibitor Lunae and Dan Heng are the one and same person. Hence, it came as a surprise when Hoyoverse decided to be like, "here is another version of Dan Heng for all of you players to gacha for".

And note that we are still kind of in the early stages of the game. Meaning that many more characters are going to come. This also means that we may have a whole lot of characters to pull, even if they are actually two characters being the same person.

But what about other games like Genshin Impact? Unlike Honkai Impact which has already reached the end of the story, from what I've heard (if it has not, I apologise), Genshin still has quite a ways to go with Nathlan, Snezhnaya, and possibly a few other regions which may appear in future patches.

(Picture Source: TechRaptor thru' Google Image Search)

Genshin does have characters who meets the criteria of Dan Heng and his Imbibitor Lunae form. That being, in Genshin terms, a character wielding two elements.

The Fatui Harbingers are the most obvious candidates, with Tartaglia (aka. Childe) wielding a hydro vision and an electro delusion, Signoria wielding cryo and pyro, and Scara, whom we only know to wield an anemo vision currently but could possibly be an electro user before.

It is also no secret that whatever new features HSR has, the developers are also implementing it into Genshin currently albeit a bit slow to many people's chagrin. So, I am not surprised if we may have another banner for possibly Tartaglia where we could get his delusion form instead.

(Picture Source: GameBanana thru' Google Image Search)

But even if it may be too late to introduce the Harbingers to that luxury, I am not surprised if we are introduced to a character wielding two visions. I mean, as I have mentioned in my previous posts, Kazuha has shown that it is possible though his was a temporary feat.

(Picture Source: rintaichou @ YouTube thru' Google Image Search)

All that remains is to see if Hoyoverse will introduce such character in the game.