(for the people that might want/need some clarifications)
The HSR hyperfixation has been taking over lately (thank you Phainon) even though I dropped actually playing the game at 3.2, so I'll make a post to make some notes about a topic I see a lot of confusion over
So to start, an explanation - those the least in tune with Star Rail's lore may find themselves struggling to see the full distinction between Pathstriders and Emanators, so here's one.
Pathstriders are those that draw power from their respective path, which is possible thanks to Imaginary Energy giving each Path some kind of.. metaphysical presence in Star Rail's universe
Emanators are those that were granted direct access to an Aeon's pool of power, usually by being gazed at by said Aeon, but some cases allow others to grant them that power, usually other Emanators
Now to start my little note compilation, here's a thing that few people seem to understand based on what I've seen:
Emanators do not have a consistent power level
I always get a little bit let down whenever I see someone say "X isn't powerful enough to be an Emanator" because that really isn't the qualifier. The real qualifier is ^up there^, feel free to read it back, won't judge
How much power an Emanator receives is decided by the Aeon THEMselves, or there's some sort of standard in the cases where the power doesn't come from a gaze. They can give them more, they can give them less, they can give them it all or cut them off if they so wish (though based on a later example it's likely that taking it away would lead to Fucking Dying)
Anyways, time to start bringing up a bunch of cases of Emanators or the occasional faker to explain some things. I'll be borrowing Nova Impact's concept of semi-Emanators for my explanation (check his channel out btw, great theorist (though I don't exactly remember when he defined the concept of semi-Emanators, mb))
Memokeepers
These guys are Emanators. Nova may not define them as such because of their system of recruitment, but their power source is still Fuli THEMselves, so they're Emanators.
Arbiter Generals
Now these guys are semi-Emanators. Their power isn't actually granted to them, but to the Spirits that are passed on to them by the previous General, and that they will pass on as well when the time comes.
An exception is Feixiao, who got directly gazed upon by Lan in 2.5. I think the blessing she received is a mix of both her Greataxe (we see her receive it with the gaze) (also in the cutscenes before the gaze we only see her use the gun-blades), and maybe stabilizing Hoolay's heart and making it so she doesn't go feral from it?
Vidyadhara
They may be descended from an Aeon, but the power they get from that is still completely inherent to them and their blood, so not Emanators.
Stonehearts
Their power comes from their cornerstones, not Qlipoth THEMselves, and unlike in other similar cases where a blessing comes in the form of an artifact, they can't just summon the cornerstones to themselves whenever they gotta square up or smth, they're just regular items containing the real Emanator Diamond's power.
Noblesse Worm
As a reminder, this is when Aha the Elation decided to experiment by giving a little worm ALL OF THEIR POWER and see if it could get into the Genius Society. THEY quickly got bored, so they retracted all their power, killing the worm in the process.
I just wanted to bring this one up as a more explicit example of how an Aeon's permission to power works, which particularly works well for the following example.
Self-Annihilators
Like several characters have said, these guys shouldn't even be possible due to IX the Nihility's nature. The Aeon isn't just a sentient black hole, THEY're in a goddamn coma, THEY don't care at all about anything that happens, so THEY would never bother gazing at anything or anyone.
And yet, they still somehow happen because they're right there, and that's quite a terrifying reality to live in. Thing is, because IX doesn't give a damn, THEY don't ever bother restricting THEIR Emanators, so they all get access to IX's full goddamn arsenal (extra scary considering Nihility seems to have the power to override other Paths, which is why Acheron was kicked out of Penacony's dreamscape). Fun explanation for why she and Zephyro are so stacked, ain't it?
Trailblazer
By all means, they aren't a powerful Emanator (yet), but they very much are an Emanator of 4 separate Paths at this point, having received a gaze in almost every world we've been to (the Luofu as the outlier).
From Nanook, we got the big explosion that warded off the Doomsday Beast and maybe stabilized our Stellaron? It makes more sense now that we have a more direct connection between the Stellarons and Lord Ravager Celenova.
From Qlipoth, we get the Flaming Lance and the aid of the Engine of Creation.
From Xipe, we seem to just get the general powers we use with Mikhail's hat in the Harmony kit?
And from Fuli, we got the ability to live on as a memory within Amphoreus after crash-landing (until Castorice gave us actual life again but that's still a thing we can do), the pen, and also Mem. That last bit is a similar gift to what the Arbiter Generals received by the way, another Emanator of their Path to aid them, though Mem is much more interactive than the Spirits the Generals received.
This was a little rant I made because.. I mean why tf not, but if it helps anyone understand the story better then you're welcome. Refer to me for every single question you have going forward, I am most definitely a reliable source 👍
following content: insomnia, self conscious doubt, comfort, self aware au, something personal for those who have trouble with loneliness, insomnia and exhaustion.
author notes: im tired and its 3am, but jing yuan exists so have this comfort fic. also @ainescribe gift for your hardworking ass, ily aine feel better.
Your eyelids grew heavy, laid against the arm rest of the warm sofa, scrolling and tapping away at your phone for anything, any eventful thing that can spark a motivation, an inspiration to you.
It's eating you away. Death scrolling, letting the blue light affect your sleep instead of earning a sleep that your body desperately needs for tomorrow.
Yet, your fingers can't seem to stop moving, as if it had a mind on its own, causing further subconscious guilt and shame, a knowing voice gnawing and belittling behind your state of self, commenting on your disheveled, tired appearance, bags underneath your eyes, your flesh warning you of your stress and lack of self care that you couldn't find the time to do anymore. Shit, and the studying you have to do tomorrow.
All that, but your fingers never leave the glass screen.
3:25 AM Sun, Aug 6 ᯤ [▂] 22%
[Honkai: Star Rail] · PomPom: [Username]! Your trailblaz···
[Tumblr] · 16 new notes · [Your blog] ···
[Tumblr] · hiraethsdesires just posted a post...
[Weather] · 28° in [Place] Feels like 33° · Mostly Cloudy · S...
[Honkai Impact 3rd] · Captain! Your energy has replenishe...
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“Finally.” You said, tapping the first notification.
You sighed, the notif reminding you of your shitty sleep schedule. It had originally updated you at the early mornings, gradually turning into afternoons, then the evening... night... and...
You were brought back to reality from the sound of the lobby theme, the Astral Express, traveling in your sight, wishing you would be reincarnated into such a life, meeting the ones who made this horrible, tedious lifespan bearable.
Once you hit tap, you were greeted with a loading screen that had Jing Yuan's fact along the bottom, earning a faint smile from you as the image of his splash art pops up in your mind.
Jing Yuan: The Divine Foresight, one of the Seven Arbiter-Generals of the Xianzhou Alliance, leads the Cloud Knights of the Xianzhou Luofu. A student of the Luofu's previous Sword Champion, though not known for his martial prowess.
You were greeted by the sight of Jing Yuan's pixels as always, greeting him bubbly and warmly as you spin him around to face you, zooming into his features, especially admiring his beauty mark under his eye.
“Pretty, so damn pretty,” You hum, moving onto other features, before resuming, checking your daily tasks.
Now what were you doing at this time of night?
You wouldn't know, you will never know, but he will always appreciate the way you greet him every day, but this day—being the observant, Arbiter General that he is, he notices your slurred, tired voice, but still coated with affection that he enjoyed quite a lot. He didn't quite like the bags underneath your pretty eyes that he will take glances of every chance he can get. He didn't like how you were feigning ignorance to your bodily needs, on how you were sacrificing sleep to play.
You led him to the cavern of corrosion; Path of the Holy Hymm once again, endlessly grinding the perfect relics for your main dps, wasting all your trailblaze powder for him. Bronya, Tingyun and Luocha snickered to themselves on how much you spoil the Arbiter General, on how much you baby him lovingly despite his commanding, superior status as the Xianzhou Luofu's face, causing his cheeks to grow hot in result of your affectionate words whenever you go to the character screen, setting and upgrading his relics.
“So strong my general...” His breath got caught to his throat upon hearing you, his blush deepening from the sudden suggestive tone in your voice.
The character screen was filled with the various people that you earned, and they were giggling and smirking slyly to your gestures, making his arms full of materials from the endless grind you did, all for him—a bonus as well, he didn't feel any shred of guilt as you do the same towards the others, but he was just your very, very favorite, and he knew all about it from your vocal prowess.
He would find your curses endearing when you get a shitty relic, but he would soon then join your annoyance as this body relic had stats befitting for a damn healer, might as well give it to Bailu since she's the same element, and fortunately a healer. (In which case you did.)
...
You worried him. Once you were done with your tasks and finishing off your remaining trailblaze powder, your eyelids threatened to shut, giving the Arbiter General a feeling that he hadn't felt in awhile, a certain dread, and a strong one at that towards the player who felt strongly about him.
Your consciousness was drifting, your lids weighing down, but the unthinkable happened.
On the top left corner under the map, a red exclamation mark appears on the chat logo, your tired eyes noticing the sudden mark, giving you a burst of little energy.
You blinked a few times, rubbing your lids gently before landing your irises upon the message again.
Was this a new message update?
A new trailblaze mission?
An event leak? Hoyoverse tease...?
You shook your head, regaining focus to check the patch notes in the game, seemingly finding nothing about any update, but your search doesn't stop there, you looked through the official website, hoyolabs, tumblr, youtube, heck even reddit—but none have mentioned a message regarding to this.
Deciding to remain quiet about this ordeal, you went back to the game to find another message, and another, his restlessness growing evident as the moonlight continues to dawn over your world.
3:38 AM Sun, Aug 6 ᯤ [▂] 19%
[Honkai: Star Rail] · 2 new messages from ▉▉▉▉ ▉▉▉▉ ···
[Tumblr] · hiraethsdesires just posted a post...
[Weather] · 28° in [Place] Feels like 33° · Mostly Cloudy · S...
[Honkai Impact 3rd] · Captain! Your energy has replenishe...
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What- What the fuck?
Your throat lumped to the sight of the first notification, its whole box felt out of place from the others, yet you found your thumb nearing the glass towards the notif, accompanied with your growing blush and curiousity.
You were then met with the Hoyoverse screen once again, assessing the situation you were in as you stare into the blackness of the screen.
Was I... Imagining things? Surely not.
Fuck — I'll just... sleep all day tomorro—
...?
You were met with a slightly glitchy screen of the normal sequence of Jing Yuan's back, but he was... already in his phone. The sprite of his pixels, typing away, seeing the red exclamation mark on top of the speech bubble under the map, earning him a slight breathy inhale from you.
You click the link, losing your shit at the messages that fell before your eyes.
“Ha?”
“What the fuck? I-”
I've lost it.
Oh.
I haven't lost it?
You find yourself staring in silence, re-reading repeatedly the words that only instilled a slight fear yet wonder that was visible on your reddening face.
“But I-... How?” You spoke gently, softly. Something the General wished to hear again, and on cue, his sprite in the game chuckled, as if he was truly listening to you.
'I am only fiction to you' it rings through your head, aching your heart slightly.
You were about to speak, but another message popped up, leaving your body with disappointment and longing, gripping your phone as your eyes gloss over the phenomenon.
“W- Wait! Ji-... Jing Yu...”
You gulp down a lump, bringing your phone closer to your face, your eyes glistening, your whole senses overwhelmed with intensifying longing, warmth — yet accompanied with a growing heartache from the fleeting interaction and him excusing himself abruptly in this otherworldly situation.
...Wait.
Everythi—?
“General...” You muttered out softly, your reddening face from the embarrassing memories that flooded you, his words greatly reminding you of the times where you acted with full on eccentricity, degenerative behavior, lustful tendencies and so on. It made you wonder if other characters such as Blade, Welt — or perhaps even the Aeons heard and witnessed you all this time. It made you shiver with embaunable feelings of humiliation and continuous embarassment, making you unable to think clearly, and the way you threw away your phone onto the couch lightly to cover your heated face? Still being witnessed by the General, and a few other silent spectators of course.
Jing Yuan couldn't believe this situation as well.
This was somehow the work of Silverwolf, a wanted enemy of the Xianzhou, Destiny's Slave, but he felt the most warmth and joy since being summoned by you — no, especially this unforseen interaction with the mortal whose been taking care of everything in the universe within your phone, for taking great care of the Xianzhou especially.
... An endearing mortal at that.
The General and the rest of the game couldn't see as you apparently let go of your device, but your wails and silent squeals were still audible, as the General comes to a conclusion that you perhaps needed to calm down, but in reality, he quite enjoyed this spectacle of yours, even by only listening — in which he was once again very greatful for his grand, and sensitive sense of hearing as he listens to you.
After another, final deep breath, your hand reaches to your phone again, before beginning to press your fingers onto your screen in a frantic haze, but the joystick button was... unresponsive, as well as the others—except for the message button in this moment.
BZZT
Another messaged popped up, quickening your heartrate immediately.
“WH—” Your heart only fluttered and dropped at the same time.
He can do that?
It's... It's probably a bluff.
...
He's the Arbiter General, who am I kidding.
With a warm sigh of content, you find yourself smiling at your phone, hugging it onto your chest with the game still open unknowingly.
“...I love you all. You are all my calm and peace.”
You said quietly, sniffling and accompanied with sounds of your light breathing, drifting off your exhaustions away to fulfill your body's needs.
Finally in your slumber, your phone switches off within a few minutes, thus the floating screen on their end disappears, earning a content sigh from the General as he makes his way towards his office in the Exalting Sanctum, each step felt heavy without your sight now that you were aware he can — or his world can access yours in this small, yet impactful way, but his form grows with confidence, determination setting in his soul as his sights land upon the Cloud Knight whom guarded the way to his office.
Jing Yuan sought out to Welt Yang and Silverwolf immediately in secret after his satisfying interactions with you, informing them of what happened in full detail (though he left out the parts where you cosplayed a squealing tomato, sparing you from further humiliation) and the whole ordeal as it was successful. His subtle praises earned him multiple cheeky and cocky remarks from the criminal hacker, along with a few teasing about him being smitten by you (and to Welt as well), but what can he really do to retaliate back? She was a main source of intelligence and control who provided a connection to you in the first place.
Inevitable, but he was willing to cooperate either way, all for this world, for the Xianzhou — for you.
The three continue to dive into their conversations, planning on how he or others who are interested, can continue to interact with you further more without raising suspicion from their creators upon breaking a few bits of code and data. It was no doubt in mind risky, that was apparent, but so was their endearment and affection towards their human, their player.
In all honesty, Welt and Silverwolf also found themselves wanting to interact with you as well from Jing Yuan's stories of the first ever interaction you had to their world, but of course, if they did it consecutively, it would most definitely be noticable if a few more characters began to act on their own accord, threatening the programmed codes as numbers shift and modify suspiciously.
Though unfortunately, only resorting to using the message system for now, but Silverwolf was confident with her abilities, making use of the way she was made, using the descriptions laid for her against her own creators.
After all, Hoyoverse made her annoyingly cunning, intelligent and skilled. A mistake on their part, or rather, an intended choice of character building for players like us to create, indulge and enjoy? We'll never know.
Unless Hoyoverse put out a stream that specifies the matter, until then Silverwolf remains focused and unyielding to her program, heeding Jing Yuan's call if need be and taking Welt Yang's advices about his own knowledge when it came to multiverses and other worlds from his prior experiences. All this planning, the risk, the longing for more interactions with you — it was a motivation to the three, as well as for the others that greatly wished to converse with you.
An aloof and lazy, the general he may be, but he's a living legacy of dreams and determination for a reason.
A wielder of a great glaive with materials dropped from the remants of the Reignbow Arbiter's Lux Arrow — and tonight, as you slept peacefully, this felt like a moment of miracle once again, the fleeting moment of grace that made their world reach a state of serenity, all from the possibility of having to finally, finally interact with you.
