The connection between Dolly & Cyrene, Phainon & Isee (+ Elio)
With all of the recent buzz over the past few weeks regarding the appearance of Elio in the MAPPA x HSR movie trailer, and with the inclusion of my own theories in the Isee = Elio debacle, I've recently stumbled upon some incredibly interesting connections that may add weight to this beyond what we already know.
Ultimately, this is intended as more weight to the Isee = Elio pile, but it genuinely goes beyond that. Regardless, the plausibility of this becoming possible seems to be increasing every day.
Without further ado, let me begin.
Understanding the Amphorean Experiment
Amphoreus and its ramifications on HSR's story are utterly undeniable. However, if you look a little deeper, a series of coincidences mount that make certain connections and parallels utterly conspicuous.
One of these centers on the timing of the beginning of the Amphorean experiment and its intentions.
The starting point of the Amphorean Experiment began in exactly the same era that two of the Astral Express' most notable but overlooked Navigators were in operation, equally as significant as the likes of former members like Mikhail, Tiernan, and Razalina. Yet, this coincidence goes beyond just that.
Within δ-me13.exe's Algorithmic Logic section, and also in Experiment Progress: Era Nova, an undeniable truth emerges: Amphoreus, from the beginning, was meant as a scale model of HSR's cosmos. While it doesn't encapsulate every single planet or faction, it's rather a slice of that cosmos with variables meant to mirror important aspects, such as Paths, Pathstriders, and even people. The most notable of these people are Cyrene and Phainon, the "heart/head" and "body" of Amphoreus, or Irontomb.
With that being said, I don't think I need to go into exacting detail about the Amphorean Experiment; for the sake of this meta, I want to draw attention to the fact that it composed Amphoreus based on a very specific segment of time within the cosmos, and that was during Dolly and Isee's active years.
Dolly & Cyrene
To begin, one of the topics that was a major source of controversy was the presumed identity of Cyrene. Most of this was founded on the then-misunderstanding that Cyrene was an actual person who had somehow wound up in Amphoreus, much like Dan Heng and the Trailblazer. As we will come to see, this is both true and not.
As 3.7 unfolded, this was later (mostly) debunked. Like Phainon, she was an intended creation of the Amphorean Experiment that ascended based on the Aeon she was gazed upon by. Both started out as simulated people that that became a Pure Child of Anasrava and a Lord Ravager, respectively, transcending the boundaries of the simulation. That doesn't negate their origins, however.
As noted in As I've Written, δ-me13.exe, Experiment Progress: Eternal Recurrence, Anomaly Log: Demiurge & Ripples of Past Reverie, the truth is undisguised and revealed: Cyrene was an intended creation of the simulation like Phainon, not an outside being that wound up in Amphoreus. But, there's two incredible coincidences to glean from these entries:
Cyrene didn't start out as a Pure Child of Anasrava, she became one.
Her simulated path was Trailblaze.
Now, this is where the parallels between Cyrene and Dolly become incredibly interesting. To those that need a refresher on Dolly, her profile as the Starry Cape Dancer tells us everything we need to know, with visual clues to connect the two further.
The visual resemblance alone is striking. If you truly compare the two, you'll notice the following despite the blocky, geometric appearance of Dolly:
Both possess pink -> violet -> blue/green ombre hair, a tri-tipped hair ornament tucked behind the ear, and similar gowns/palettes
Of course, it's not a perfect 1:1 between them, but that doesn't need to be the point. It's also what we learn about them as people that rings true:
Dolly is implicitly inferred to be a Pure Child of Anasrava with the title of "Crystal" and became crystallized at the end of her life, a phenomenon that only Pure Children like March and Cyrene endure (as seen above)
As the Express' Navigator, her Lore Path is naturally the Trailblaze, just like Cyrene's came to be
Just as Dolly was a famed musician, Cyrene also possesses an affinity for music, like in her Something to Share voiceline (below)
To put this all together, this isn't to say that Cyrene is Dolly, however, I think the evidence can at least support that Dolly was more or less the basis of Cyrene. The parallels are undeniable, and I think it's goes without saying that the potential for this to be true is incredibly high.
Isee/Elio & Phainon
While I did make a meta on Elio possibly being a Kevin variant and connected to Phainon, this meta by Glouris explores the topic with fantastic detail. I highly, highly recommend reading it to understand where this aspect comes from to gain a better understanding of this section.
The bridge I'm hoping to connect, then, is the final angle to make this a closed shape. While Elio = Phainon is very thoroughly established, and Elio = Isee is another angle I've tackled, what I want to do is bridge the gap between Isee and Phainon.
To reiterate the first section, and in Cosmodyssey, Sentinel of Time in Isee's profile, the Amphorean Experiment began in 2147 AE, the same era that Dolly and Isee were active. Let's start with the similarities between Isee and Phainon.
The first item is a bit looser, but in Aha's Favorites: Phantasmoon Games Winners Compilation and "Hark! There's Revelry Atop the Divine Mountain", both Isee and Phainon are visually paralleled. While the former takes place when Isee was a "phantom of death" on Aldivun, the latter takes place in "Memortis Shore" Ruins of Time, One Tomb of Woeflame.
Now, this is significant. MHY is extremely intentional with visual cues and parallels, especially when they want to tell us that two characters may be related somehow. With Kevin variants, the partially turned pose has become infamously attributed to them, of which Isee may very well be.
Another aspect lays in the Paths both Isee and Phainon follow, which is the Trailblaze.
In both For The Sun Is Set to Die, Hero Shatter that Woeful Effigy and Back to Earth in Evernight, Blazing Sun, Illuminate the Path for the Lost, it was clear from the beginning that Phainon (and his past versions, like Khaos) were all meant to follow the Trailblaze.
Isee, of course--as a past Navigator of the Astral Express--is a given in following the Trailblaze. But, it goes a bit beyond that.
Following his departure from the Astral Express, it's implied that Isee founded the Omen Vanguards, followers of Finality that can see into the future. As the founder, Isee undoubtedly shared in the ability to see future possibilities; while this is mainly fodder for Elio = Isee, I believe where it bonds to Isee and Phainon shouldn't be neglected, either, as the symbol of Finality being the Throne of Worlds is no coincidence, let alone that symbol being present in both Phainon and Elio's eyes.
As revealed within the Doomsday Compound Eye — Early Access Version, a DU curio, Omen Vanguards receive "their clairvoyant eyes" as a gift from Terminus. And, again, while this does give more credence to Elio = Isee that both were prodigial clairvoyants, it also stands to reason that Isee had the same eyes as Phainon and Elio; eyes that bear the symbol of the Finality, the Throne of Worlds.
Of course, the obvious divergences cannot be discounted. Phainon was gazed upon by Nanook and became a Lord Ravager, an Emanator of Destruction; but, at the same time, Elio isn't a follower of Destruction, either, yet it doesn't diminish his ties to Phainon. Even if this remains true, the rest still reinforces my postulation that Isee was the basis of Phainon in the respect that Elio = Isee.
All in all, if this is true will all remain to be seen.
Cosmodyssey's given us a slew of the Astral Express' former Navigators and my first question was, naturally, if we can actually give them a distinct order outside of "Himeko is the current Navigator".
The good news: Two-thirds of them can be cleanly placed on a timeline because most of their backstories imply or directly mention specific universal events. The other third is...blurry, but in my attempt to construct a timeline here I'll be giving my rationale for why I'm placing them where they are.
This is going to be long so I'm putting it under a cut.
Capy Baba is the earliest of the Navigators given to us in Cosmodyssey, and it's very easy to discern why. Their backstory explicitly mentions they took the helm at the end of the Swarm Disaster and that their "predictive pathfinding" helped the Express avoid the Swarm. They also existed in a pre-Synesthesia Beacon period of history and needed a human translator to aid them. Their work helped revitalize the Express' star maps so well that they're still in use today, and eventually Capy Baba retired peacefully once they were done with their work.
I'm not sold on the precise order of these next three, only that they're after Capy Baba due to the presence of the IPC in two of their backstories and the third being an Intellitron. For the former two, the IPC wasn't formally established until the Swarm Disaster was over (I've double-checked since originally posting and it did exist pre-Swarm Disaster, it just saw massive expansion and reforms after the Disaster), and I don't believe you start seeing independent Intellitrons until after the Emperor's War is finished.
Sometime after the IPC is formed and starts hiring bounty hunters, the crew and passengers of the Astral Express mysteriously disappear. A bounty hunter named Oakley is enlisted by Pom-Pom to act as Navigator in the wake of the disappearance, and they accept. They help the Express fight off "star beasts" while helping find the missing passengers and recruiting new ones. This takes place over the course of six months, and once the crew is suitably replenished Oakley quietly leaves the Express. They still hold the record for the shortest recorded stint as Navigator.
Bob, formerly of the IPC-wanted crime syndicate Tarantula, joins the Astral Express as a guard. Eventually, it's discovered that he's joined under a false identity and his exposure results in his assignment to the role of Navigator. It's mentioned he had a hatred of mechanical life but still invited them onboard "in times of war" (which I take as a sign his stint was either during the Emperor's War or right around the same time). It's unknown how he met his end, just that he died in a heroic defensive battle.
Sam-3000 is an Intellitron and her tenure is the most distinctive out of the whole bunch since she led an entire fleet of Astral Expresses. There's likely a long period before and after her time as Navigator where the trains are constructed and then fall to the wayside, but her backstory mentions her career was during "an era of enterprise". I feel that's supposed to point towards her leading the Express during the Second Prosperity (a 500-Era economic windfall for the IPC that gets more explicitly mentioned later). She only retires once she's unable to replace her own parts.
For the rest of the Navigators, the order is very linear and defined.
Dolly was a musician from Tiafoe whose music was able to attract many new passengers to the Express, and even brought Akivili back onboard. It is during her tenure that the fall of Akivili occurs, an event experienced by all Nameless, and the moment starts Dolly's anomalous crystallization. Before she is completely petrified she's able to assign a new Navigator.
It's explicitly noted that Isee's historical record has been tampered with repeatedly by History Fictionologists, but assuming the story we're given is correct: Isee oversaw an important period in the Express' history, covering the fall of Akivili and the subsequent birth of Nanook. Their career was defined by the chaotic schisms and diaspora caused by the loss of the Trailblaze, but they remained steadfast even when the Express was reduced to two passengers. They eventually stepped down from the position, and it's explicitly mentioned who succeeded them in the role. Notably, the Omen Vanguards begin to appear in the universe after they step down.
Falcon Amundsen is listed as coming into the Navigator role shortly after Isee, and it's under him that the Express regains the glory it lost in the wake of Akivili's fall. He's explicitly mentioned as taking the helm during "the early days of the Cancer of All Worlds", and was likely the first navigator that had to deal with Stellarons. Falcon's efforts to rebuild the Star Rail inspired a new generation of Nameless, but he passed on before he could see the ultimate fruits of his work.
Granholm eventually takes the mantle of Navigator at the age of 17. His career was in "a time marred by disasters and fractured worlds" (Stellarons), and the Nameless are transformed into cosmic heroes under his tenure. Granholm spends his life on the Express and passes on peacefully of old age.
It's shortly after Granholm's passing that the Express falls into disrepair due to the influence of Stellarons on the Star Rail and the universe. The train eventually crashes into an unknown planet and remains unfound for so long that its legacy begins fading into myth.
Eventually, a teenage Himeko finds the stranded Express and spends many years fixing the train. Once her work is complete the Express takes to the stars again, with Himeko becoming the new Navigator. She is the current Navigator and (we hope) she'll stay in that position for a long time to come.
We obviously haven't gotten an exhaustive list but this is a lot of Navigators and we can draw a pretty clean timeline of who was in charge in important moments in the Star Rail universe's history (or, at the least, where the gaps are for when certain events happened). Even if we don't know every single person to ever fill the role it's still very comforting to be able to place people and cosmic events in relation to others like this.
