The idea of drawing Sylus in the style of "Peaky Blinders" has not let me go for a long time, plus his card with a reference to the movie "Casablanca" (1942)
To be honest, I knew that this style would suit him, but that so much...oh my ๐ซฃ๐ฅ
P.s.
The poster shows his Chinese name โ Qin Che (surname + first name). In Britain in the 1920s, police protocols required surnames, so for the international search, I added a bold "Also known as Sylus" โ that's how he is known in the criminal world and the English localization. This is how the canon is preserved, both fandoms are respected, and the atmosphere of the era is respected. (Yes, even such nuances are very important to me)
โฆ SUN, MOON AND ASHES: THE EVOLUTION OF PHAINON โฆ
We are excited to share our research artbook analysing the costume design of Phainon from Honkai: Star Rail.
This artbook explores three forms of Phainon:
Phainon
The Flame Reaver
Khaslana
Through semiotic analysis, mythological parallels, and an empirical study, we examine how costume becomes a visual text of fate.
Read the full artbook for free:
This artbook is an attempt to read costume as a visual text of fate โ from hero-saviour through shadow-destroyer to sacred martyr.\n\nThe re
โจ What's inside:
โข Full costume analysis
โข Historical and mythological references
โข Empirical study with 10 respondents
โข 90+ pages
Authors: Zozulya P.V., Mazurova V.N.
Tomsk State University, 2026
Non-commercial research project. Characters and game content ยฉHoYoverse.
P.s. Initially, this artbook was not conceived as a book at all.
It all started as a simple learning task โ we only had to make 3-4 turns to demonstrate. A small project. A few pages. Nothing else.
But when we started studying Phainon's designโhis cape, shoulder pads, and the symbols hidden in every detailโsomething clicked. We realized that 3-4 reversals would not be enough. There was too much to say.
And then I just... I couldn't stop myself ๐
What started as a cool project turned into months of research, semiotic analysis, historical background, empirical research, and more than 90 pages of layout. I found myself staying up until 3 a.m., correcting kerning, checking translations, and rereading sources for the tenth time to make sure I understood the difference between paludamentum and paenula correctly.
This book is proof that sometimes a small idea, if given free rein, can turn into something you never expected.
We hope that you will feel the love that we have put into every page! โค๏ธโจ
They wanted to burn him out of memory, but they got a rebellious smoke. Valko deserves to live, and we will not allow him to be erased!
I donโt want to blame anyone or stir up hatred, but I simply canโt stay silent. It breaks my heart to see the entire development team, who poured so much of their soul into this character and this project, now crying over this decision.
I understand that fandoms have their internal conflicts, but erasing a character doesnโt make anyone truly happy. If a character doesnโt resonate with you, you can simply skip them โ donโt take them away from those who love them. Every one of us deserves the right to our own journey in the game, and diversity is what keeps it alive.
They wanted to burn him out of memory, but instead, they only ignited rebellious smoke. Valko deserves the right to exist, and we will not let him be erased in silence.
I present to you the first of my large and complex projects. โ a pennant dedicated to Phainon
This is a textile object that I collected by hand, from the cyanotype on a lightโcolored jeans to the last stitch on a ripstop.
Pennant 57x28 cm, based on cyanotype. On top is an applique of jeans, gold acrylic and red floss threads.
This is a prototype of a limited edition series. I'll show you how it was done soon: chemistry, the sun, seams, doubts, and discoveries.
As you already understood, the project turned out to be very ambitious within the framework of my studies, but I decided to develop it further. But that's just part of how fulfilled I am.
I decided to do something ambitious during my studies. And she came up with the idea to combine the technique of cyanotype and application. Also, use gold and red floss threads as a decoration
I will post videos and photos with the stages of work
Who knows. If everything works out, then maybe I'll make a series of pennants for all the demigods ๐
