Ujled

I wish this cosmos to be full of life, and not full of death. Bsky | AO3

[goldom]

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

Hi I love StelleFly too much and this is my goddang magnum opus.

Latest updates:

Parts 1-8 summary post

Part 9: Fragments of Recollection – Finale

Part 10: Letters from Beyond the Sky – Chapter 3

[thestellarjade]

Castorice and Hyacine

It's time for some HSR rambles from jade again. Going under the cut since I imagine it'll be long

To be honest, I love most of the Chrysos Heirs. I don't keep it a secret that Amphoreus was my favourite arc in HSR's story, and part of that is the strength of its characters. I want to focus on these two tho

Castorice

Castorice is such an odd character to me. Specifically, because I think her best character writing actually occurs outside of her dedicated patch.

A gentle, bordering on pacifist death (demi-)god is a fascinating concept. It's written into the foundations of her character: she's outright traumatised by the concept of death, because she's never been able to escape it.

She's touch-starved beyond belief, she's a writer, she loves to create things. She's constantly looking for inspiration in the world around her, which is very relatable. As much as 'death', she's tied to the concept of 'legacy'. She doesn't just hate death, she hates the emptiness that comes after.

So it felt pretty hollow when, in 3.2, she just kinda accepted her place in things. A millenium-long defining personality trait just kinda tossed aside. To make it clear, I'm not opposed to her 'acceptance' of death conceptually, just how quickly it came about.

I say 'acceptance' because I don't think she ever did accept death, she just accepted her place in the cycle of life and death. Some things she says later makes it sound a lot like she still rejects the concept of death?

By my understanding of things, threading these things together, she accepts that life and death are a balance, but rejects that death has to be cruel. Lives should be long, afterlives calm and beautiful, people remembered fondly and for a long time.

And while I think that is in the text... I just think they misplaced when she has her revelation a little. It still felt sudden.

But, there's no way I can talk about 3.2 without talking about Castelle (I think cas/caelus (Caestorice?) technically exists but I've never seen it lmao). Especially as someone who ships it.

I'm in an odd place with it. I actually didn't like the ship until .2. I thought people were jumping the gun before then. Then there was the marketing, which I'd be lying if I said didn't make me worried that she was going to get the Firefly treatment, and water down part of what I love about Stellefly.

So, when the patch rolled out and I played through, I found myself kinda laughing. You know what actually sold me on the ship? The fact it could easily be platonic. It turns out, it was just marketing. Sure, kinda weird and close friends, but it's Stelle she's like that.

I think it's doing Castorice a disservice to say she wouldn't move heaven and earth like that to save a friend. There's a very nice touch where it's canon that she leaves difficult tasks until a deadline looms (I thought her Autism/ADHD/AuDHD coding was pretty strong, bonus points to her), which makes it scan even better how much she's spurred into action by having someone only she can save, and only if she acts right away.

That gave me the freedom to choose whether to ship it or not. And ship it I did, because the tragedy was too delicious to not.

I made it clear in Memories, but I keep coming back to how lonely Stelle must have felt in Amphoreus. Even ignoring ships: she's missing most of the Astral Express, save for the least talkative. Stelle has friends all over the cosmos by that point, and she can talk to none of them.

So that leaves Dan Heng, and the Chrysos Heirs. She gets closer with Dannie, and she makes friends among the Chrysos Heirs. Castorice, I think, probably being one of her closest friends among them.

So, a lonely Stelle forms a close bond with someone, only to have said person sacrifice herself to save her? A Stelle already canonically traumatised by watching Firefly die in front of her?

it's a capital-T Tragedy.

Throw in a romantic spin on it? It twists the knife just a little harder.

Combine it with Starchfly. Firefly's not present, March is very sick. If you think about it, Morning Glories is kind of a cruel ship to inflict on Stelle.

Right up until the payoff, of course.

It was pretty obvious narratively that Cas would come back. And the ways they did that was very nice. They nodded to Stelle still thinking about Cas, and vice versa. The message-in-a-bottle sorta deal Cas left for Stelle in the doomed loop sent me feral. A big part of Castelle is the Yearning, and that was pure undiluted yearning. Her appearing at the tree in the next patch? gold.

When Stelle gets to build her own cycle of Amphoreus, she gives Cas the ability to touch others without killing them. That was the greatest gift she gave any of the Chrysos Heirs if you ask me. It was not just grand and mythological, it was also personal.

It's all a big ramble, but the sum that part up? Part of what I love about Castelle is that you could make them just friends, but if you make it a romance, there's some fantastic depth there.

I can't really talk about 3.2 though without mentioning two things:

The Endwalk. I seem to be the only ffxiv player I've spoken to who thought that the Endwalk out of the nether realm was actually well executed. Mostly, because I think people were expecting it to be identical to Endwalker's Endwalk. I disagree. While Endwalker was showing the road the WoL took to get to where they were, HSR was showing what Stelle had to live for. March and Dannie, Firefly, her new Chrysos Heir friends.

Oh hey look more nuance for a Stellefly + Castelle multishipper - the agony of leaving one lover behind to return to another.

2. The scene at the Vortex of Genesis. An image of Castorice appears, Stelle goes to touch her, and she fades. HOW FUCKING CRUEL? Are we just not gonna dwell on that (I say a year late)??? I genuinely think that must haunt Stelle's nightmare too cos OUCH. Oh yeah then Anaxa goes and dies in front of her, to top it off.

I don't really have a conclusion there, beyond, I guess, what I've already written in my fics lmao.

[thestellarjade]

Hyacine time!

So I'll start with this: if I had a gun to my head and someone demanded I name my favourite Chrysos Heir, I'd probably say Hyacine.

I'm not one to care about favourites like that though. I think stories are not about 'which character is best', but about the narrative. Also, why would I ever limit myself to one favourite?

I actually, genuinely think HSR 3.3 was my favourite patch (again, if I had to pick a favourite). Hyacine isn't solely responsible for that, but she's a big part of it.

Hyacine, I think, is one of the best takes on the 'gentle healer' archetype I've seen. I think it's very meaningful that we see the fierce warrior women in her ancestry, showing that her kind, gentle demeanour is not just expected of her through gender roles, but it's specifically who she is.

But to cut to why I find her character so intoxicating: it does not make light of how hard it is to be kind. She's exhausted from how hard she works to save people, she smiles constantly and genuinely even (especially?) when she herself is suffering.

Her love for people, all people, not just the 'heroes' is so important. She's arguably the most human of all the Chrysos Heirs because of it. That makes it hurt all the more when she has to give up her humanity.

But isn't that just another reflection of who she is? Her taking on impossible burdens in the name of kindness?

And to top it all off, the game lets her have her extreme badass moments just like everyone else. Hell, the fact that she, a gentle healer, walks into combat with world-ending monstrosities, where even hardened warriors are in danger, speaks of how brave she is.

I feel healer characters are rarely allowed to show such a range of emotions and personality. Especially not women, and definitely not those with a gentler disposition. Hyacine, meanwhile, is a fully-realised person.

And part of what makes that possible is how much she masks. She hides so much of how she feels, and it still peeks through in little ways.

So, inevitably we get to the Dancine part. Definitely feel like this ship has put some people off my writing, but I can't help it, I love them!

I started off shipping them as a joke, or as something Stelle would tease Dannie even if there was nothing. But, their interactions in 3.3 were so good!

They're both people who put their own feelings aside for the sake of others. The contrast, however, says a lot. Dannie kills his feelings entirely, coming across cold and stoic. Hyacine puts on a smile to put everyone at ease.

So that final conversation between them in 3.3? So much of what was said was actually hidden in what wasn't said. The sadness in Hyacine's voice as she subtly suggests Dannie should stay. The obvious yearning at the idea of spending to time with the nameless.

The way she drops Dannie's nickname and calls him Dan Heng when he suggests she's allowed to show her real feelings? I think that's the only time she doesn't call him Dannie. It feels like a warning, or a gentle demand to watch himself.

Again, this is a ship I think can easily be a friendship. But if you make it a romance, it's two people in love with each other, but unable to act like it. Not because they're idiots about it, but because they're being mature about it.

After Irontomb is defeated though? it's becomes two people used to hiding their truly feelings finally getting to show them.

Enough about him though. I'm going to end this on something that's not technically Hyacine but let's be real it's part of her.

Proi Proi is a fucking banger. I didn't think they could pull off the Wildfire trick twice, but holy shit did they pull it off with Proi Proi.

I do have a conclusion here actually: they knocked Hyacine's writing out of the park. What a woman.

[rovermeow]

[thesnailtail]

;; "first person speech" this "third person speech that" you think second person speech is better. you enjoy sounding like a choose your own adventure game

[dailystelledoodles]

DAY 285

[dailystelledoodles]

i feel like i peaked with this one last year

[cerastes]

People don’t even say w00t anymore.

[cerastes]

This sux00rz…

[frog43]

wha t if oregon trail was called wagon age: oregons

[naamahdarling]

This made me so angry the first time I saw it I’m reblogging it again.

[luxiethefool]

happy 10 years to wagon age oregons

[vulvalini]

[goldom]

I've been looking so long for this Touhou comic I reference all the time to no avail.

It has (I think) Aya saying to (I think) Aunn "why can't you dig up scoops instead of digging holes?"

Anyone out there who knows, please. My scoops.

[yourfavaschips]

please do satori komeiji from the touhou project i beg of you 🙏🙏🙏

Satori Komeiji from Touhou would be Tostitos Simply Organic Scoops Tortilla Chips!

[beesmygod]

@starhalation insane swag spotted in this comic im reading

[tainaronian]

my bacteria….

[im-mender]

[marcypuppycore]

Lesser stag beetle; male!

Look at this little fella! Didn't want to leave my hand after I picked him up from the pavement to save him from inevitable death.

[goldom]

[nuramsvveth]

Ohhh help help! I'm hurt need help...

FUCK BRIAN GET LOST...

Ohhhh I am hurttttt heeelp... 🐦

[maidthings]

touhou baby names acceptable for white girls 2026

[atelier-tamamoland]

Sunny Milk

Goliath Doll

Eternity Larva

Wriggle

Unnamed Embodiment of Scarlet Devil Stage 4 Midboss

Orange

[yanguang]

BIG REIMU SHOPPING

[goldom]

pg 21

50. MagiRevo (anime) ⭐⭐⭐ 51. ZZZ 2.8 ⭐ 52. There Is No Antimemetics Division by qntm ⭐⭐⭐

50. MagiRevo ⭐⭐⭐

No I don't remember the full name and I'm not looking it up.

This is a weird one to rate, because I'd rate its two halves quite differently. And then also its two metaphorical halves quite differently.

What I'm saying is that the first half of the season was really, really dull (except for the cute yuri). Like cookie-cutter boring nothing generic fantasy dull. Also weirdly not relevant that it's an isekai at all, like you could just cut that out entirely without affecting anything.

Then in the second half, there was all-too-briefly an actual interesting plot with the brother (who I still think looks exactly like Tsukasa from Prsk. Incidentally, there's also a girl who could pass for HI3 Seele. It's weird). Because on one hand yeah he's clearly in the wrong and does bad things, but he has some legitimately good reasons that led him to that place, and he's not wrong about his assessment of the world.

But that only lasts two episodes, and then the remainder feel more like a teaser for a second season (that'll probably never happen) than a conclusion. And I'm left going "wait I was promised a revolution, why are we still continuing the monarchy?" I will say by the end I was a bit tempted to check out the LNs to see where it goes, but there are so many others I would rather read first if I ever made the time for it that honestly I probably never will.

So yeah, rated on plot, this would be a low 2/5, but it is carried hard by its yuri elements – and specifically on the fact that they commit to it fully, no subtext necessary. The fact that that's still pretty rare in anime makes me give this show a lot more credit than anything else. So in total I give it a 3 – I can't really go above that when considering the hypothetical "Would I like this show if it starred a guy in the same role?" and the answer being a hard no.

Also the show ends with one girl having to be ~cursed~ with immortality for (very stupid) plot reasons and the other goes "I'll just get immortal too, then you won't be alone," and YEAH THAT'S WHAT I'M ALWAYS SAYING.

51. ZZZ 2.8 ⭐

Previously on "Let's review ZZZ..."

It wasn't true.

This patch was just a prolonged advertisement for 3.0, down to adding a boss who's weak to the upcoming new element before it's even in the game and outright playing the 3.0 trailer video in game. And maaaaan it does not make me care about it one iota. It's just 1.5 hours of mysterious persons 1, 2 and 3 saying mysterious things and name-dropping undefined proper nouns over and over, counting entirely on "don't you want to know what this all means???" No, not really.

Billy is a fun guy. That's the only good part of the story.

I also liked the Bangboo adventure event, mostly because any time I'm playing as Eous I'm smiling because he runs like

In terms of gameplay, the event is straight ripped off of Wuwa's Honami area (or they're both ripped off from a third thing I don't know), which wasn't great to begin with, and is made even less interesting by how plain the Bangboo combat is. Still,

But yeah I don't care about the main plot, like at all.

3.0 is the last chance I'm giving ZZZ. If it doesn't wow me, I might be done with it. (Though I'll probably still come in to do the combat challenges, because they're fun even when the plot is ass.)

52. There Is No Antimemetics Division by qntm ⭐⭐⭐

I've always had mixed feelings about the SCP universe. On a metatextual level, I think it's incredible that a bunch of strangers can, solely for the love of writing, create a sprawling shared creative project and actually have it maintain any sense of cohesion.

But I've never really enjoyed reading any of it. On the whole, I feel it usually falls into either "too focused on being clever to have good writing" or "too focused on maintaining kayfabe to tell an interesting story."

I mention this because, as I correctly guessed the first time I saw the title, this is basically an SCP story that's gone through a couple rounds of find-replace to make it copyrightable. What I didn't realize until I looked it up just now is that it was literally an SCP story that was only later edited for publication. But that absolutely tracks. It has that exact same voice as they all do – for better or worse. Personally, my feelings fall on the 'worse' side about that.

Still, it's far from a bad book. Unfortunately, the parts of it that I did like were the parts it spent the least time focused on. There's an overarching story told in bits and pieces non-chronologically, and for the most part I found this pretty underwhelming. But there's also a handful of essentially separate short stories sprinkled throughout (with varying levels of relevance to the larger plot), and these were much more interesting to me.

The biggest issue with the main plot that I can pin down is how uninteresting the primary antagonist is. It's a thing that if you remember it exists, it kills you. And that's... kinda it. For a universe centered around "let's come up with the wildest monster designs we can think of," this ain't it. The few attempts to actually describe it at all only made it less compelling. (It's a... really tall pillar of spiders? I guess? Okay...?) Every other creature that's explored in passing was way more interesting to me than the one the book spent 75% of its focused on.

I didn't find the human protagonists particularly memorable (ha ha) either, but I don't suppose they're who you read a book like this for.

So, a mixed bag. Kinda felt like a 2 for a lot of it with brief moments of solid 4, so I'll call it an even 3.

[digitaldeathx-deactivated202605]

self-awareness check, list five things you like that aren't media pieces in the tags now ‼️