I like fictional characters a normal amount

I dump my thoughts here (they are usually about Dan Heng) she/her no leaks please

[anyacad0]

Dan Heng is truly an insane character. He's a deity for different things in two different places and one of them hates him. He sees a dead god's memories in his dreams and may also be the reincarnation of said dead god. He's simultaneously 70000 years old and in his early thirties. However he is still considered one of the 'kids' of the Express Crew. His species is dying out due to infertility because a new god ate like maybe a quarter of their god's remains. Despite being infertile he has over 2 million offspring. This is because he apparently has the power to subconsciously influence entire ecosystems. He's watched his loved ones die horribly three times and none of them stayed dead. Only one of those cases was his fault. His character is clearly inspired by Chinese mythology but he has done two bible references as well as debatably also referencing both Prometheus and Odysseus. He journeyed alone for an entire millennium and came out relatively unscathed all things considered. He can turn people into mindless monsters but usually just uses this power (which by his own admission is dangerous) to make himself look like a regular guy. He's become a wanted criminal on several planets and kind of deserved it one time except for the fact his homeland broke their own laws to punish him way more than they were supposed to. He grew up in chains and complete sensory isolation. He's committed multiple murders and most of them were against the same guy. He may still have lingering feelings about said guy. He's implied to have laid the groundwork for the fighting style of an entire military. He talks to animals. He thinks necromancy is situationally okay. His current teammates include a vessel for something called The Cancer Of All Worlds and the fellow problem child of an entirely separate maybe-dead god. They have to kill the incarnation of Destruction itself otherwise the universe will end. He likes reading and that one drink everyone else hates.

[anyacad0]

the cutscene of the Trailblazer changing fate seems to show us their perception of all the past Trailblaze missions and it tells us some stuff:

First, at the Space Station, there's this emphasis on Kafka rather than the Express Crew which I think makes a lot of sense.

I think a lot of what they think of Kafka now comes to the point that she abandoned them. They really haven't had the chance to spend time with her like they have with the other Stellaron Hunters. Their relationship is very much defined by their separation, and the space station in where it took place. I also think it's intentional that the only Express members with their faces visible are Himeko and March, both of them are more outgoing and would have been the ones TB got to know first.

For Belobog it's about what you'd expect. Bronya and Wildfire left the most impact on them.

I think it does make sense to exclude the Landaus, since although the Express worked with Serval for a decent chunk of the mission, their conflict was more personal than related to saving Belobog. Clara and Svarog being there is surprising but looking back on it, trying to get Svarog's help took up a pretty considerable portion of the Trailblaze mission. And also, I can understand why they'd want to remember how Clara and Svarog did their best to protect each other compared to Serval and Gepard ending up fighting over their different ideals, if they were much more affected by the idea of a family that always stays together since, again, their first memory is of being abandoned.

And then, half the reason I made this post, the fact that they remember the Luofu as Just Dan Heng is slightly hilarious.

Don't get me wrong, it makes sense- Dan Heng was basically their only personal stake on the Luofu, and it was quite the shock for the whole Express Crew. They didn't gain any close allies like on the other planets. Jing Yuan and Fu Xuan were both there for the climax, but TB's relationship with them isn't anything their relationship with Bronya and Seele; they don't really feel like comrades. But I think this also signifues TB becoming well and truly close with the Express Crew, that they put so much weight on what Dan Heng experienced.

Then, on Penacony, Sunday, Firefly and Acheron.

It seems like a small cast, but makes sense when you look at the discrepancies between what the player experiences and what TB experiences. Black Swan was present a lot, but also pretty mysterious, often working alone. Sparkle also worked alone quite often and wasn't directly involved in the story. They didn't get any of the Aventurine backstory that we got, so their relationship with him is probably a transactional one. Robin was presumed dead for most of the mission and they barely met Boothill or Jade. Meanwhile, Firefly was involved in a lot of the emotional stakes; TB remembers both the pain of seeing her die and the shock of finding out her identity, and by Planarcadia they also remember that she was their family. It's cute that they remember her as Firefly, not SAM, as well. They remember the time they spent with her moreso than the fact she hid her identity. Sunday was likewise present for a lot of the mission, literally being the final boss, and he's now also been with the Express for a while, so they think of him when they think of Penacony. Finally, Acheron. Her interactions with TB were fewer, but I think she left quite an impact on them even so. It's after dreaming of her that they wake up crying, even though they don't know why. There's also the black hole behind her, so I wonder if they're remembering in particular what she said and the edge of the Nihility or maybe at dreamflux reef.

Amphoreus is the only memory to show every main character, though Phainon and Cyrene are emphasised- no surprise, since they were the Chrysos Heirs who TB seemed closest with and the ones who did the most to change Amphoreus' fate.

Because the Flame-Chasers as a whole were what defeated Irontomb, I can see why TB would remember them all even if they weren't as close with, for example, Cerydra and Anaxa. There's also the fact that Phainon is facing slightly towards them and Cyrene is facing slightly away, how Mydei has a more defensive posture, how Aglaea and Tribbie are the ones leading the way- all these details really make it feel like they're being remembered as people as well as heroes.

[anyacad0]

my hot take is that all the Dan Heng ships are toxic because they have Dan Heng in them. He is damaged beyond the point of loving healthily. It is, in part, his unavoidable nature; he was designed by a cosmic horror god that physically could not make him good at letting go but maybe if he grew within a better environment he could have learned on its own. Unfortunately he ended up in a Hunt faction, and not even the fun one, so he spent millenia bearing witness to the pettiest bitches in the galaxy. Instead of accepting their fuckup the Xianzhou decided to blame Yaoshi for the immortality they literally asked for and I think that reflects in Dan Feng’s actions and Dan Heng’s mentality. He is petty in spiteful when it comes down to it. Even in mundane situations- for example, we know he’s competitive at board games to the point of being scary. In the fate event, too, he says he’s there for science but gets all arrogant about it when he wins. With the Chimeras, as well. It’s a silly little battle royale with fluffy guys and he says he’s there to win. He takes things very seriously even when he says otherwise, and he cannot back down or let go. He takes unfortunate circumstances as personal failings and then takes it upon himself to correct them. Couple that with the fact that he seems to see those he loves as inherently better than him and you basically guarantee that something is going to go wrong sooner or later.

All this to say that a character who says “I’d destroy the world for you” and completely means it isn’t really going to have healthy relationships with anyone.

[pokilicious]

The moment people start to realize that the Astral Express is as dysfunctional and morally grey as the Stellaron Hunters is the moment the fandom starts to heal

[anyacad0]

truly the Express only looks better because they don’t have a boss that’s constantly telling them to Do Crime. They would not refuse if asked

[anyacad0]

no one is talking about that suspiciously long look Blade and Welt shared after they got back to Perdido Station or how Dan Heng mysteriously excused himself while Sunday was preparing to contact Pom-Pom and it’s making me feel a bit crazy. Why would they add any of that in. What happened down there. It’s one thing to tell us something happened offscreen but this isn’t even that because what happened then?? And the problem is I can’t tell if this is actually alluding to anything at all or if I’m just grasping at straws.

[anyacad0]

you know, for all that the Trailblazer's wish to the Stellaron was made in an emotional moment, it was actually very well thought out. If they wished for Himeko to live, it might have killed someone else, or made her immortal with unforeseen consequences. Wishing for everyone to make it to the next stop means that the whole crew has to be in relatively good condition and that whatever the wish results in isn't temporary.

[anyacad0]

I like having a Furbo news release at the end of each quest but man is it incredibly jarring to listen to that fuckass ost while the tears are still drying on my face

(spoilers for all of 4.4)

I really only have one complaint this patch and that is stop offscreening my renheng goddammit this is the fourth patch in a row where they interacted around something emotionally significant and we didn't get to actually see it.

(I did like the little detail of Blade reforging Shuhu's mask, though)

Otherwise, I loved this patch. Motoko's existence basically adds an extra emotional layer to everything Himeko has done, how she fights so hard to live her dream not just because it's truly the future she wants, but because it's the closest she can ever get to having Motoko back. They cared so deeply for each other. I did find it interesting how Himeko doesn't technically get her new form from her character development, not directly at least. Narratively it's still her reward for bringing things full circle and fulfilling their promise, but she technically receives the power itself from Stelle's wish.

Speaking of which, if I am being 100% honest, this patch made me want to pull for Stelle even more than Himeko, even though that's not possible. I think she's officially beaten silent protagonist status; she feels like a real flawed character. She's so reckless and anxious and she clearly cares so much. Getting to meet and actually interact with Caelus also felt very cool. I stand by the fact that he's whichever choices Stelle didn't make, but based on his dialogue it seems like he might also literally be the Finality.

As for Asat Pramad, while I don't think he's as good an antagonist as Lygus, he's a very good antagonist. I also don't think we're done with him, because Isee's connection to the Finality was never explained, nor was the reason he wanted to kill Stelle 'in the name of Terminus'. It still feels kind of ambiguous as to whether he truly loved Himeko, but I like to think that a small part of him did.

Finally: how the hell do we go from 'the voracity is waking up' to the beach episode next patch? I can only assume that we're going to Astropolis to evacuate.

[anyacad0]

this is the coolest thing ever

they all say the ult line together!!

Can we please have more characters like this where they interact during combat? We already kind of do when they're added to a team together and with Cyrene's unique buffs but imagine the possibilites. Characters fishing for praise if they defeat an enemy while someone they admire is watching. Characters having specific thanks/annoyance when certain others heal or shield them. Characters reacting to their friends being knocked down. Characters reacting to their enemies being knocked down. They could make it fight-specific, like Kafka having special dialogue when fighting other Stellaron Hunters.

[anyacad0]

usually i can suspend my disbelief about dan heng not being as powerful as one might expect when the plot demands it but guys he's literally the titan of earth he can move the goddamn rocks

[anyacad0]

early spoilers

either he can genuinely find Dan Heng based on vibes or he actually does still have the bracer

honestly I like both options

[anyacad0]

Himeko never lets other members of the Express inside the engine room. She talks with her past self, the one that maybe died, about the heart of the Epxress, and then her trailer shows her younger self surrounded by wires and connected to machinery. What if that's in the engine room? What if she's physically part of the Express now, and that's how the weathering curse was cured?

[anyacad0]

it’s so interesting how basically every member of the Express Crew has some kind of dual self now, though it’s still unclear whether Himeko or Motoko died or if a secret third thing happened. Maybe not 100% Welt but you could argue it’s between his Herrscher and human sides. March with her split personality. Dan Heng, like Welt, with his humanity and his more monstrous side. Sunday and Wonweek, too. And then how the Trailblaze is the same, paired with the Finality that balances it out. It sort of creates a cycle of journeys and destinations.

[anyacad0]

my partner told me a few people had asked the name of the Genshin character I really liked 😭

anyway here is my friends’ Dan Heng fanart

[anyacad0]

the year is 2026 and we finally have a DHIL bp icon

look as his nerd ass <3

Also the neckline and jacket shape is really similar to Dan Feng's I think? He's just wearing what he likes instead of going out of his way and making himself uncomfortable just to prove he's different we are so proud of him! And on a similar note did he copy Yingxing's hairstyle? And on another similar note are those Blade's beads in his hair?

[anyacad0]

there’s a non-zero chance that Boothill doesn’t know where babies come from. His parents found him on the side of the road and he also found his daughter on the side of the road. What if he thinks that’s just how it works.

[anyacad0]

post-Planarcadia Dan Heng having separation anxiety in two directions. He split up from the Express Crew from 4.1-4.3 and came back feeling guilty about it. But now he's also had a taste of Blade not killing him on sight, as well as how vulnerable Blade was before Shuhu was sealed, and so a part of him is maybe still feeling like he has to protect Blade too. Not as much, just enough to make him feel bad about it. And then of course when he inevitably ends up working with Blade again at, he's quietly freaking out about how the Express Crew might need him. He cares about too many people to protect all of them all the time and there's nothing he can do to fix it.

[anyacad0]

their fish :(