#dr. mei

[farcicalhelix]

she said ‘no’

(later on she says yes to one up MEI’s relationship by marrying before her and pulls the same stunt on Vill-V with the divorce papers)

[edelgard-more-like-baedelgard]

I love that the Raidens are (nearly) all women in STEM:

Mei - uses her intimate familiarity with EM and quantum from being a herrscher to become a physics teacher,

MEI - renowned paper on quantum mechanics that attracted Mobius’ attention, creator of Prommy, artificial stigmata, has a PhD,

Ei - progenitor of Inazuma’s blacksmithing traditions, used Khaenri’ahn mechanical engineering techniques to make the Shogun puppet, and also made the maguu kenki dotted around Inazuma.

TRRRUUUUUUUUEEEEEE They're so smart I love them, we need more lesbians in STEM

[eggymints]

[anominous-user]

Things To Definitely Say To Kevin (Who Just Came Out) (x)

[herrscherofmagic]

Maybe it's just me, but the parallels between Dr. MEI and Ruan Mei are getting to be quite concerning at this point...

so I decided to write up an essay talking about Dr. MEI and making some comparisons between her and Dr. MEI!

There are some spoilers for the new Myriad Celestia trailer featuring Ruan Mei, as well as some spoilers for some basic HI3rd Previous Era backstory, and especially spoilers for Chapter 31 EX of HI3rd.

TL;DR:

Dr. MEI and Ruan Mei both have similar origins in their interest for biology and understanding life, but it also seems that just like Dr. MEI, Ruan Mei seem to have shifted her interest towards understanding fundamental principles of the universe. In that sense, the two of them are both geniuses whose ambitions seem to include challenging the very idea of the "divine" itself.

...

Life is so colorful, but... it has nothing to do with me.

-Ruan Mei, Myriad Celestia trailer "Transcendent Ruan Tunes, Blushing Mei Blooms"

First off, I just want to be clear that I'm not going to be talking about whether or not Ruan Mei is a "Dr. MEI expy" or anything like that. I'm not trying to equate the two, but talk about their thematic/story parallels, because even if they were from different franchises, or Ruan Mei's name was totally different (heck even if her name was "John Smith" or something like that), I'd still make this post.

With that aside, there's the obvious similarity in that both are scientists, in particular both are associated with biology to an extent. The myriad trailer shows Ruan Mei being interested in biology when she was younger, and Dr. MEI also started off studying genetics and medicine.

But what interests me is that it seems like Ruan Mei is going down a similar path that Dr. MEI did, where she began curious about life and the cosmos but eventually grew to have different ambitions... including ambitions of what amounts to essentially challenging the divine.

There will be some Honkai Impact 3rd spoilers, including spoilers on the topic of Project Stigma, but I won't discuss specific events as they relate to the protagonists nor will I be covering any major story beats. Most of this will be backstory stuff, with there only being one particular spoiler towards the end regarding the true nature of Project Stigma. So consider this a blanket "spoiler warning" for the whole post, because a lot of the stuff I'll describe isn't so much specific moments in the story nor plot twists, but a lot of general background that can't really be easily blocked off into sections of spoiler-tagged content.

Slightly longer TL;DR:

Dr. MEI's character is that she's basically the Previous Era's version of the Current Era's "Raiden Mei". Similar appearance, and the name is a bit similar as well although there is a difference in the Chinese pronunciation, with Mei being "Yayi" (Chinese reading of her Japanese name, Mei) while Dr. MEI is pronounced just as "Mei". That's why MEI is spelled with all-caps in the English localization, since the difference is obvious in both pronunciation and text in Chinese but completely nonexistent in English.

Dr. MEI was a scientist and became involved with a lot of incredibly important projects in the organization Fire MOTH, but while most people pretty much adored her... she was also a very questionable figure which easily could've been one of Humanity's greatest threats if it weren't for the more pressing threat of Honkai.

The biggest parallels I see between her and Ruan Mei are the way that both of them seem to have their roots in biology, but just as the Myriad Celestia trailer hints at Ruan Mei having bigger ambitions, so too did Dr. MEI move on from a focus on biology and genetics, expanding her research to cover phenomena in physics but especially research on Honkai.

In particular, while the Myriad Celestia trailer hints that Ruan Mei may wish to become an Aeon, Dr. MEI's most ambitious project had the goal of uniting all of humanity into a singular dream, a process that would effectively destroy any sense of individuality and turn the collective human civilization of Earth into a being of pure Imaginary/Honkai energy and thought. Whilst this entity might not have been quite as powerful or universal in scale as an Aeon, relative to the scope of Dr. MEI's research (Dr. MEI being isolated to Earth, vs. Ruan Mei who can travel between worlds courtesy of the Star Rail) I think it's a fair comparison with Ruan Mei's apparent goal. If Dr. MEI were in Ruan Mei's place, I think it's very plausible she'd continue to walk down the same path. This doesn't mean that Ruan Mei will do everything that Dr. MEI did, far from it; but I do imagine there are going to be some serious parallels in what they seek to achieve and the extent to which they're willing to do questionable things to achieve it.

Now that the 4-paragraph TL;DR is done, it's time for the rest of the post; because anyone who's read one of my Honkai/Genshin essays before should know by now that I'm very much a "0 or 100" writer with no inbetween, and this is definitely the latter, lol

Also apologies for the various long texts I'm citing here; unfortunately we don't have a pretty animation with cool music to give us an overview of Dr. MEI, so I'm gonna have to go the old-school route of poring over text-based archive entries and manga pages, since that's most of what we have >.>

My goal is to provide background on Dr. MEI, as well as her relation to Dr. Mobius. The two of them are very alike and yet very different in important ways, and I think the parallels between those two as well as the potential parallels between Dr. MEI and Ruan Mei can tell us a lot about what Ruan Mei could be capable of, and just how far her ambitions may stretch. After all the background on those two HI3rd doctors, I'll describe their relation to "Project Stigma", which should serve as a good transition to talking about Ruan Mei's apparent goal of "becoming an Aeon", or something along those lines.

Kevin and MEI

MEI was a human just like anyone else; she went to high school, she was a smart student, had some friends, etc. She was particularly passionate about science, often talking about the stars or physics, though biology was the interest that she seemed to follow most closely. In particular there was a scientist by the name of Dr. Mobius who she idolized, and was fortunate enough to meet at a convention.

Dr. Mobius was a leading geneticist who was famous for various groundbreaking discoveries, so naturally MEI was shocked when Mobius met her and showed interest in her, even having read one of MEI's papers. Some time after their brief and curious exchange, MEI would be invited to become part of an organization by the name of Fire MOTH, and it was at this time when she discovered the true nature of Dr. Mobius' work, as well as the existence of Honkai.

Dr. Mobius was famous for her academic research on the global stage, but within the organization of Fire MOTH she was rather infamous. She had seemingly no boundaries and she was often perceived as being unethical or immoral. Mobius was far from sociable, and despite her important contributions to Fire MOTH there were certainly many people who would prefer if they never had to meet her. And of course, she was no stranger to disciplinary notices and threats from the higher-ups. Someone too valuable to dispose of, but too "dangerous" to leave to her own devices. It was this Dr. Mobius that took in MEI and worked as her superior.

One of Dr. Mobius' most notable projects was Project Stigma. The very first version of Project Stigma was initiated by her, and MEI was chosen as one of her assistants. The goal of the Project was to experiment with "stigmata", genetic modifications to humans which can grant them the power to wield Honkai energy. But if a person's body is unable to control that power, they become entirely corrupted and lose their sanity (so in comparison with HSR, kinda like being marastruck, but as a result of an experiment instead of mara). As you can imagine, this didn't exactly help Dr. Mobius' image.

At first it seems that Dr. Mobius is the suspicious one here. Mobius is cunning and deceptive, while MEI is a rather kind and timid person, so while people would fear Mobius most weren't afraid of MEI at all. But Mobius herself became suspicious of MEI, noticing things about MEI that others would look past; like MEI's focus on her work and seeming impartiality towards the condition of the test subject in the above excerpt. This wouldn't be the only time we see this sort of suspicion as well, with Mobius confronting Kevin about MEI at another time:

It's about time you drop the good guy act, Kevin. I'm well aware that I've crossed the line. But what about your dear MEI? Is she any different from me? Oh, there's a difference. She's far crueler and colder than me - because she only makes rational choices. ... Pure rationality... is the real monster. You know that, don't you?

To give an example of why someone like Mobius would be suspicious of Dr. MEI, there's an excerpt of a conversation I'd like to share. The same MEI was once an assistant to Dr. Mobius would eventually rise to become one of the leading authorities of Fire MOTH, and this was not by chance, as this conversation between "X" (left unnamed to avoid spoilers) and Sakura indicates:

X: If I remember correctly, you crossed paths with the MOTHs when you were on a mission to assassinate Dr. MEI. Sakura: Yes. I wasn't holding out on it - you should be able to tell I'm no good at figuring out internal power struggles. Neither was Dr. MEI. She was awake to the tragic coming of Honkai, but she was a scientist. X: So... she wanted to pay them back in the same way with your help? Sakura: No. Dr. MEI was an unmatched genius... she's never fought that kind of battle, yet she was thinking far ahead of others. Her goal was to use me to expand her internal influence. X: I know this is usually done by force, but if she's all alone... Sakura: She had more helpers, of course. My first mission was to rebuild the covert forces. She wanted the darkest powers of the MOTHs for her own. ...To rebuild through destruction. I was officially invited after completing this mission.

This is the part where spoilers begin; the following two dialogues are from Chapter 31 EX of HI3rd.

There's a lot more I could say about Dr. MEI, but for the sake of whatever brevity is left to achieve, I'd like to go back to talking about Project Stigma. I emphasize this not just because of its importance in the story but also how inextricably linked it is with Dr. MEI. Though it was Mobius who first proposed it, Dr. MEI is the one who transformed it into something incredibly complex and world-changing beyond even what Mobius had envisioned for it:

Mobius: Fine, bickering is a waste of time. It's rare for us to get together. So this is a good time to discuss this Project Stigma that's been revised fifteen times. Seriously, MEI... ...Which side are you on? "Vill-V": Huh? Isn't she standing next to me? Mobius: Vill-V. "Vill-V": Come on, that was a joke! I know your question is serious- -That's why we need to ease up on it more than ever! ... MEI: Mobius, I only stand with civilization. Mobius: Hmph, a cliché to shut those old farts up? I'd hate to stress something as stupid as "I'm your senior"... But now that we're touching this topic... Dr. MEI, you're obliged to explain what you want to achieve with this plan. MEI: ...I see. In your opinion, I'm obsessed with Project Stigma. Mobius: Listen to yourself! You've forced me to revise this plan fifteen times! Fifteen times! MEI: As the solution with the highest success rate, it deserves to be taken seriously. We can never have too many entry points in the future, either. Mobius: Oh, really? That popular Project Ember hasn't even been written into a one-page plan. MEI: You know the attributes of that plan dictate that we implement it more specially. Mobius: Perhaps. But how can I not suspect that the other projects are only a foil to Project Stigma when they are treated so differently? "Vill-V": Um. There's one thing I don't understand. Even if that's true... isn't it you who proposed Project Stigma, Mobius? Mobius: I didn't imagine someone would see it as our only hope. MEI: It does sound ridiculous to you. I completely understand that. After all, there are many ways to redefine humanity. But Dr. Mobius... Humanity is only the cornerstone of civilization. I don't think you'll deny that humans are essentially more intelligent survival machines. We aren't fundamentally different from plants, animals, or microbes. Mobius: Heh. To be more precise, our mortal bodies are but vessels that our genes built for ourselves. So what? Whether its genetics or samsara, everyone has the potential to defy the Creator. Civilization? Compared to the miracles created by specific humans, is that thing even important? "Vill-V": But objectively speaking... the vast majority of humans can realize their potential. It'd be arrogant to measure all humans by a special case such as yourself, Dr. Mobius... MEI: Dr. Mobius. As members of the MOTHs, you and I are ultimately responsible for the whole of civilization. In that sense, compared to the life of an individual, the truth brought forth by life is a more essential existence. "Vill-V": In other words... Vill-V's talent is more important than Vill-V's identity? Ah. You can say that. Mobius: That's you. I don't plan on making another Mobius to replace myself. MEI: ...That's not important. Think about the relationship between children and parents, Dr. Mobius. Regardless of whether the inner worlds of two generations collide, human civilization is continued by the next generation. Regardless of whether their parents like it.

So, what did this "Project Stigma" transform into? The short answer would be that it basically became a Hoyoverse version of NGE's Human Instrumentality Project. The complete unification of all souls within humanity, creating a new form of existence far beyond what civilization can accomplish in the physical realm alone.

On the Imaginary Tree, worlds are created from Imaginary energy, and all life emerges from these worlds. Different beings are capable of manipulating Imaginary energy in different ways, with the smallest example being the day-to-day interactions of humans with the physical world, a step up being the Pathstriders which gain traits or power by being aligned with a Path, while the most powerful beings would be Emanators and Aeons which can use vast amounts of power to cause change in the physical world. By unifying all the "dreams" of the people on a planet, this would effectively create an entirely new world that exists within Imaginary Space but which is not bound to a physical location.

If you gather all the dreams of humans, you'll get a giant resembling a planet. A desert sage named it Adam Ruhani- which means Spiritual Adam. Adam Ruhani is one of the gods, but it's extremely far away from the others... That distance is what mortals call time. It's the late eternity, and a rift that can't be crossed with logic. It can't die, think humanly, nor reproduce... It simply exists forever as the ladder leading to divine realm. ...That's the real aim of Project Stigma. Be it gory or psychedelic, physical or spiritual- they're only means, not ends. The plan is essentially a chain that ties people who can't help themselves together. We can let them go with the flow, or help them within our power. For them, joining this dream is being helped- in their dreams, they are Adams, they are gods. The real world will lose its meaning for them, while the eternal dream will become their only reality. They no longer think with time... Their dreams will be connected, which will create a true miracle that transcends finality.

This is obviously a TREMENDOUS leap from where Project Stigma began when Dr. Mobius first started experimenting with stigmata, and this is why I wanted to give the whole story about Dr. MEI's origins. Again, this is "only" on the scale of a single world. Dr. MEI was an unparalleled genius of her time, and her studies across genetics and physics allowed for the creation of what was essentially a plan to rewrite the very existence of humanity into something which can forever sustain civilization in a world threatened by the existence of Honkai.

This is why these parallels with Ruan Mei have me worried. I don't necessarily suspect that Ruan Mei will necessarily be evil, nor do I think she is going to somehow turn the entire population of the Imaginary Tree into sentient orange juice. But there are a lot of parallels between the Ruan Mei and Dr. MEI, and if Ruan Mei ends up even being remotely like Dr. MEI, that could make her a very dangerous person.

They both seem to have had a strong background in genetics and biology, with that being a major focus in Ruan Mei's design and in the Myriad Celestia trailer. But while a lot of people talk about Ruan Mei being a biologist, the trailer also hints that she has further ambitions- possibly at becoming an Aeon. It seems that Ruan Mei is moving beyond what one would achieve staying within the realm of Biology, and just like Dr. MEI, she seems to be focused on higher powers.

I think we're far from being able to determine what Ruan Mei's exact goal is so far, since "becoming an Aeon" is a pretty vague statement, but it still worries me greatly. The thought of Ruan Mei somehow becoming an Aeon isn't concerning by itself, but rather what actions she might take to achieve that goal.

I'm concerned about what the collateral damage would be, and to what extent she is willing to consider others a part of her "experiments" regardless of whether they want to participate or not. Especially because Dr. MEI was limited to what she could accomplish on Earth, while Ruan Mei appears to have access to far more resources and far more opportunities for research. As someone from the Luofu (afaik) she should also have a longer lifespan. Ruan Mei is in a good position to far exceed what Dr. MEI could accomplish... for better or for worse.

I would love to say more on this topic, but obviously we'll learn more about Ruan Mei once she releases, and throughout the story as it goes on. It took years for the full scale of Dr. MEI's plans to be revealed in HI3rd, and I don't doubt the same will be true for Ruan Mei. Perhaps Ruan Mei's ambitions will align neatly with those of the Astral Express and Stellaron Hunters, or perhaps they may become the greatest threat to sentient life across countless worlds, second only to even greater powers like Nanook. We might be forced to put an end to her experiments, or perhaps we might end up aiding her further- willingly or not.

Whatever happens, Ruan Mei is Ruan Mei and Dr. MEI is Dr. MEI. These are two different individuals of different origins and who live different lives, and the story of Ruan Mei is sure to diverge greatly from the story of Dr. MEI. The parallels between them are equally fascinating and worrying to me, but it just makes me look forward even more to Ruan Mei's role in the story.

At first I was rather dismissive of Ruan Mei, especially because I haven't even started the Swarm Disaster stuff yet. I'm sure there are details I'm missing from there, and while that usually would make me hesitant to write such a long post about her, the Myriad Celestia trailer seems clear enough with its foreshadowing (I say now, only to be proven wrong later...) that I wanted to write this up anyways. I'm definitely looking forward to Ruan Mei now, and I would love to revisit this comparison between the two later on as we learn more about her!

[drachenlegend]

Reader is about 12 or 13 when he become HoV but he befriend the Herrscher persona ( like Mei with HoT ) and thus not succumb to the Will of Honkai. I read that Herrscher can feel the host emotions so being a child reader can help the Herrscher see the beauty of humanity

Young Herrscher Reader x Fire Moth Members

Part 2, Part 3

Author Note: Sorry this took so long and for any grammar error that you may find here. I’m been busy with college, among other things. Also, I do not know much about the other five flame-chasers [Global Player] and also apologize in advance if they’re a tad bit OOC...

Dr. Mei

When Dr. Mei heard that Fire Moth had somehow managed to detain a Herrscher without killing them, she was surprised and even a bit excited as nothing like this had ever happened in history.

However, she was not prepared to see a young kid in their cell, chained to the wall and treated no better than a wild animal. She was even more horrified to learn that the child (you) were the Herrscher that everyone in Fire Moth was talking about.

Although she did not agree with the violent and degrading methods they used on you, she knew that there was not much she could do alone. Thankfully, she had the immediate aid of Dr. Mobius on her side when the other scientist learned of the Herrscher Fire Moth was housing in a cell and she was able to get you out of the damp and dirty cell. Unfortunately, the compromise was that a bomb was to be implanted inside of your chest alongside a Honkai energy detector - something she was not comfortable with doing for a multitude of reasons...

Your time spent with Dr. Mei was almost always under the supervision of Kevin who did not trust you one bit, especially after the incidents with the 6th [Death], 7th [Fire], and 10th [Legion] Herrschers. During this time, she would ask you to simply help her around the lab in the same manner that Klein did for Mobius and not speak much with you. She was still coming to terms with the insanity of her whole situation: a Herrscher was helping her file papers and run errands.

When Kevin is not around due to missions, Dr. Mei tries to make small talk with you not just to lighten the mood up or to dispel the otherwise suffocating atmosphere, but because she was interested in what your hobbies and story was. The first couple of months mostly consisted of you giving vague answers that purposely did not spark much conversation and soft mumbles, afraid that you might say too much and drive her to tell you to shut up.

Over time, you slowly open up to the scientist, still insecure of over speaking but Dr. Mei was a patient woman and quietly listened to everything you said. She eventually understands what was making you so shy and would always tell you to continue whenever you pause mid-sentence with a small smile and pat on your head. Were these maternal instincts always a part of her or did they form when the purple lines on her neck sealed her fate?

"Hm? What's wrong? Why did you stop? What happened next?...Oh, I see. Don't worry about speaking too much, you aren't a bother. You never were.”

Kevin Kaslana [I] - Deliverance

Kevin remembers the day when he made the mistake of allowing the Herrscher of Death to roam free all too well. He vowed to himself to never repeat that mistake and you were no exception.

For the first time since they joined Fire Moth together, the hero of humanity and his significant other argued about letting you walk around the base without any supervision. Dr. Mei defended you under the guise of justifying her decision while Kevin reminded her of everything the Honkai has put them through. In the end, neither of them won but both of them lost.

Kevin shadows you from a distance, ready to put you down the exact moment you showed any signs of hostility towards anyone. But all this means is that he is slowly learning more about you without fully knowing it. He learns of what you like, dislike, and who in Fire Moth actually talks to you [just the other main MANTISes really]. He can see for himself just how human you truly were...

Tired of this cat and mouse chase, however, Kevin finally decides to confront you when you were alone in Eden's Golden Courtyard: a private area where gorgeous flowers were abundant and near extinct plants/fruits grew. That alone should have been more than enough for Kevin to realize that you were still human if Eden allowed you in her garden.

When he approaches you while you were kneeling in the middle of field of flowers, working on something, he has his guns at the ready to be upholstered and fired if needed. Fear and horror were expressions he was expecting to see on your face but instead you looked up at him with surprise at first before it turned to happiness.

Gesturing for him to crouch down, he refuses to but begrudgingly does so in the end, reasoning to himself that you were no threat and believing that he was quick enough to pull the trigger of Shamash. His readiness and alertness were not enough for him when you placed a crown of flowers that could grow in extreme cold on his head. It takes him a few minutes to process what just happened and by the time he came around, you had turned your back to him, working on your gift to the others.

You were vulnerable. You were powerless. Your blood could have soaked the flowers if he wanted to commit such a crime. Yet, he couldn't bring himself to do it anymore...

"Hey, Mr. Kevin. Can you help me? I don't know what flowers Ms. Mei likes..."

"...Of course." Kevin slowly nods and sits down in the field of flowers, the pistols of Shamash dissipating from their holsters.

Elysia [II] - Enigma

Elysia was a walking phenomenon. She could befriend just about anyone if she really tried. Kevin. Aponia. Kalpas. Mobius. Perhaps, the four most troublesome out of everyone you were acquainted with.

Naturally, of course, her gaze was locked on you when she heard the rumors of a captive Herrscher. Unlike Mobius who watches you from the shadows, Elysia will most definitely be making her presence known to you as much as possible.

She has an interest towards things that are cute, pretty, and beautiful. You happened to fill all three criteria with you being so young and a Herrscher, respectively, with the third being checked off since you were a combination of the previous two. What could be more beautiful than someone as young as you were managing to suppress the Will of the Honkai?

Elysia's intelligence gathering network was scarily efficient and sooner or later, she knew everything there could be known about you. Terrifying was not enough to describe her knowing your routines and exact location, was it?...

Whenever she was around, your internal warning system known as the lingering Herrscher "persona" would alert you of her whereabouts. You didn't understand what was so dangerous about this odd but sweet woman that could scare a Herrscher, though, you knew better than to argue with them.

It takes a lot of time until the Herrscher lets you interact with Elysia and soon regrets their decision when they see the pink-haired fawning over you with her overbearing older sister instincts - pinching your cheeks, patting your head, and hugging you when you least expect it.

"Big Sis Elysia is here with presents, (Your/Name)! Hey, you want to know something cool? ... Cool, right? Now you have more of a reason to call me Big Sis!”

Eden [IV] - Gold

Eden is much like Elysia as in how you would most definitely be spoiled to death if she was your caretaker. Initially, she may have had her worries when she heard of Fire Moth capturing a Herrscher that was to remain under Kevin’s gaze, but when she sees you locked in a cage, all doubts were cast out the window.

Seeing the sad look on your face reminded her of her earlier days as a singer, when she made her debut by singing for a charity meant to raise money for orphans. From that point on, she strongly opposes the thought of killing you and made her stance on the matter clear to the others.

Eden consults Elysia when she wants to give you a present and there is no limit to her funds. Together with the latter, they’ll go on shopping sprees to find the best gifts and trinkets for you to keep as a reminder of their trust.

“If you need anything, then don’t hesitate to ask me, (Your/Name). I’ll give you whatever you want.”

Kalpas [VI] - Decimation

Kalpas wanted to kill you, not because you were a Herrscher, but because that was how he was and that was before he learned that you were just a kid, no older than Rin and Sakura shared his sentiment.

Contrary to what many believed, Kalpas didn’t want to fight you to the death, or, at least, not right now when you weren’t even at the age to drink. He could barely manage to keep his bloodlust and natural “charisma” in check when Rin was around, however now that you’re around the base 24/7, it’s been a struggle for him to keep it all in.

Eventually, he asks you to fight him so he could gauge your powers. Honestly, him asking you rather than attacking you outright like he sometimes does to others, speaks volumes of his behavior towards you. Of course, he wins but he doesn’t consider it as so since afterwards, he is scolded by Elysia and Kevin - the both of which only stop when you intervene. He would rather die than admit that he cares for you and silently prays that Elysia doesn’t mention it in her “Guide to understanding Kalpas.”

“Herrscher. Let’s go. It’s time for your training. You’ll need it to survive... You don’t want to train?... You wish to make dolls with me? Why ask me this?... Who told you about that...?”

Su [VII] - Bodhi

After his MANTIS surgery, Su gained the powers to read the minds of the people around him which he could have done to an extent beforehand. Although, he didn’t need this mystic power to sense the unrest of his fellow flame-chasers when they found out the identity of the next Herrscher was someone so young.

Even those who didn’t know Su on a personal level knew that he was a gentle man with a kind heart, much like Eden. Due to his light-hearted nature, he was almost always the one who watched over you, though, Eden was still the number one choice since he sometimes lost you because of his habit of keeping his eyes closed and the latter wouldn’t dare to drink with you around.

The one edge Su had over Eden was he was able to read your mind and understand what was troubling you if you were ever upset. And, through this, he was able to communicate with the Herrscher persona, getting to know them as well. When it was simply the three of you, he would also ask for their opinion, which they appreciated and accepted as one of the few that they trusted to be alone with you.

As the one rumored to have “transcended this world.” Su has much wisdom to impose upon you so you do not grow up to be a problem like Mobius or Kalpas, especially since you were a Herrscher - a incredibly young one at that. When you were a bit younger, Su had little to no trouble keeping you interested with his lessons. But, as time ran its course, you were beginning to leave him behind more often than not. 

“(Your/Name). Nothing will stay the same forever, that goes for you too. Please, relax and enjoy the wonderful life ahead of you.”

Sakura [VIII] - Setsuna and Rin

Sakura always believed that showing mercy to her enemies was the greatest harm she could have imposed onto herself. However, she began to have second thoughts after meeting you for the first time. To see someone around the same age as Rin was an uncomfortable sight and made it difficult for her to envision you as anything else, certainly not as a civilization-wiping Herrscher.

As antisocial as Sakura was, she still felt obliged to put you at ease, her older sister instincts taking over. Though, she knew when to back off if you were to ever feel overwhelmed by your current situation and waits for you to calm down. This patient and passive approach to befriending you proved to be effective as you went out of your way to initiate the conversation instead of her, in most cases.

Sakura was particularly glad to learn that you and Rin were able to hit it off almost immediately and become quick friends only several hours after meeting each other. Even though she knew that it would be difficult, she made it her mission to one day set you free from that prison and perhaps to live in peace with Rin and her.

“Rin, eat slower or I’ll have to separate the two of you. I don’t want (Your/Name) to pick up that bad trait from you.”

“What? Big Sis! (Your/Name) and I are inseparable! You can’t have one without the other!”

Mobius [X] - Infinity and Klein

Mobius...is a fascinating case, alongside Aponia, since no one could predict what plans she had in mind for you - if she had any, that is. The Herrscher inside of you as well as your own instincts ensured that there was never a situation in which it was only you and Mobius in the same room, together and alone. However, that was still that childlike fascination that pushed you to find her after a while.

Sneaking past the normal non-MANTIS soldiers was more than easy and it was even more easy to leave Su while he had his eyes closed. At first, Mobius was surprised to see that the “little specimen” had managed to make it to her laboratory without being caught by their friends. Then, in the next moment, she was back to her normal dangerous-looking self and asked you a wide variety of questions while you answered each one with that innocent naivety that she found cute. By the time the others realized that you were missing, Mobius was already taking the lift up with you in her arms, well aware that Dr. Mei and Elysia would be interrogating her throughout the day to figure out what she may have done to you.

Someone like Klein was a first for you since you had never saw an ELF before and you returned the favor by asking her a multitude of inquiries, much to Klein’s annoyance and Mobius’s amusement. It didn’t take long for Klein to warm up to you with how accepting you were towards her and, although she would never admit it, Mobius was secretly glad that Klein had someone around her “age” to be friends with.

“Little specimen, come here for a second... Hm... I never experimented on a Herrscher before, would you like to try it? I’m just kidding, of course -... ‘I’ll do anything that big sis Mobius asks for?...’ Oh~? A very enticing offer, but, I’ll wait for when you get a little older. For now, run along, little specimen, and remember your promise~”

Hua [XII] - Vicissitude

Hua was the most shocked out of everyone to learn of a Herrscher that the Will of the Honkai had failed to corrupt, vividly remembering how sudden Himeko’s transformation was. Hesitantly, she agrees with the other’s decision to allow you to live, but did not trust you one bit, if at all. Her previous experience with Herrschers left a lot to be desired.

Despite the hostility she directs at you, you constantly follow her around with those wide and innocent (Eye/Color) eyes of yours that she is unable to find the same disdain towards humanity that many of your predecessors had. It takes some time, but eventually, even Hua feels compelled to watch over you from time to time.

For some reason, Hua finds herself a natural of having to deal with bratty Herrschers... Regardless, Hua is even more patient than Sakura and can put up with you even in your more difficult phases. And, if it gets too much, she would use Fenghuang Down to make you dream of a perfect utopia for yourself. But, the surprise is on her when she takes a quick peek to see that it hasn’t changed much from your current situation and feels warm seeing that she is also there in your perfect world.

“(Your/Name), here... It’s a jade necklace that my father gave me on my last birthday with him before... I wanted you to have it so you never forget me. Please, take care of it.”

<<< Extras >>>

Aponia [III]

In Aponia’s eyes, your soul was too pure for this world, much like Griseo’s, and she felt tempted to keep you in the Deep End with her, where no one would dare harm you. 

However, she will accept your decision nonetheless if you decide to decline her offer and is glad to hear your promise to come back every now and then. If you do choose to stay with Aponia, then she will provide you with the best accommodations she is capable of. Just make sure to not make the sweet lady angry...

“(Your/Name), sweet child... Please, make sure to always come back to me...”

Vii-V [V]

Vii-V’s many personalities was confusing to deal with since many of them had different opinions about your existence. Some thought it would be wiser to kill you while others thought the opposite and wanted to be friends with you, seeing the bigger picture and imagining the inventions that only a Herrscher could handle.

No matter the situation, the hostile personalities will warm up to you in due time, but in the mean time, you’re stuck wondering if Vii-V was in the mood to talk about her latest tinkers or to drive you away with a pitchfork.

“Yo, (Your/Name)! Got another gadget that I wanted you to try out!... Hm? Will this hurt you in any way? Hey! It was a one time thing and, even then, it was an accident! Have a little more trust in me, will ya!?”

Kosma [IX] and Griseo [XI]

Kosma already has trouble talking to other people and was wondering how he would talk to you if he was given the chance. Thankfully, around you, he didn’t feel nervous like he would around people like Kevin and Kalpas, and could feel at ease. Even if he was silent, you somehow managed to interpret his thoughts without taking a single glance at Elysia’s “guide to speaking with Kosma.”

Griseo believed that her palette could use some new colors, but wondered how she could find something new. Then, Aponia introduced you to her and Kosma, and she found the new colors she was searching for: the colors of a Herrscher. When she sees your interest in drawing, she offers you her paintbrush and teaches you. Although, you were not as good as her, the simple painting of you, Kosma, and Griseo together was more than enough to bring a small smile on both of their faces.

“...”

“Kosma says he likes it. I like it too, (Your/Name), simple can sometimes be better than complex.”

Pardofelis [XIII]

Pardofelis never actually realized that you were a Herrscher the first time you two met and didn’t even know until many months later when it was briefly mentioned like it was normal...which it was to an extent. At first, she wondered if she should treat you as a special customer, but she merely shrugged and shrugged the idea off. Her reaction was by far the calmest.

“Mmmhh~! That was a good nap... Eh? (Your/Name)!? Were you here the entire time?... You didn’t steal anything from my shop, did you?”

[shiiryon]

Kiamei -> both dead

Sakukallen -> Kallen dead, Sakura dead(?)

Wentori -> Wendy dead

Kevmei -> both dead

I'm scared...

[littlemisstrashcan]

im a professional kevin kaslana and dr.MEI hater. i just simply hate them for no solid reason. like they could be hanging on a cliff and I'd stand there and smile without making a move to help them. I HATE THEM SO MUCH FUCK K*VIN AND M*I