#hsr theory

[mityaliker]

This took me way too long soooo… for my Amphoreus Lore Lovers…

Crossposted off my TikTok! Read left to right!

Also feel free to repost this on other platforms (I don’t even care that much if you credit me or not) I didn’t spend 8+ hours making this for nobody to see it 😭

I fucking ran out of image space SO HOP TO MY REBLOG YEAHHH (there’s only three left so)

[snowystarguardian]

Of all the hsr yaoi ships currently, I believe that phainon and mydei would have the greatest chance at making mpreg happen within the current canon universe.

And tbh i think it could be either of them really, the key factor here is Phainon.

So like yes, Phainon is called “the Deliverer” and he’s supposed to be the “Worldbearing” demigod. But like on their own thats not like really enough evidence for anything.

Mpreg was not something that was even remotely on my radar until 3.7 trailblaze mission when we are going to confront irontomb and save phainon. Because why are we using terms like “Womb of Destruction” and “Lord Ravager’s Placenta”? LIKE HELLO???? Like we are going into the depths of the world Khaslana created to keep Irontomb at bay.

And then on top of that, for most the story they were lines of code so like, really anything could happen. And there were 33,550,336 cycles where stuff could have happened. And even after the story, Amphoreus is starting to become real. ANYTHING COULD HAPPEN. And like, a huge part of it becoming real is that people are reading As I’ve Written, and YOU KNOW that people are writing fanfiction and making fan art of it. Like, objectively thats happening. ANYTHING COULD HAPPEN

ALSO GARMENTMAKER SHARES THAT THE NYMPHS CAME INTO EXISTENCE THROUGH PHAINON

I do genuinely think either one of them could be the one who got mpregged, all that matters is that Phainon is involved here as he is the one with all the weird pregnancy adjacent titles, either giving or receiving. Lowkey let them both get each other pregnant at the same time, I think it would be funny, they’d turn pregnancy into a competition somehow.

Anyway I didn’t mean to actually go that in depth into it, but I needed to get the thoughts out there.

[nihiluxelation]

ok, nerd moment.

So, Sunday's boss fight, specifically 2nd phase, does give some information about how Aeons ascend — or at least the process of Ascension. In particular, the idea of "The Embryo" where Sunday was actually close to Ascension and like with every Aeon that ascended recently, caused a major event with his ascension. We know that most ascensions if not all have an event accompanying it — Xipe's caused mass assimilation and Nanook's caused planetary destruction and Sunday's would have brought the SweetDream Paradise (Eternal Slumber)

so that's neat. We just stopped an Aeon from ascending and the worst part is — Sunday had no clue he was ascending, it wasn't his intention to.

[rohariel]

About the "Elio is a Kevin expy" Theory

I've been seeing a lot of people theorizing that Elio is a Kevin expy, because of the Worldbearing Coreflame symbol appearing in his eyes, similar color themes, and the resemblance to the Flame Reaver, but I haven't seen anyone mention that the name Elio is derived from the name Helios, the Greek god of the Sun.

Guess who else has a whole theme that revolves around the Sun (and godhood too technically I guess)? Phainon, it's Phainon.

Also, with the entirety of Amphoreus being code - therefore not technically being real - Elio being the real Kevin expy of the HSR universe is entirely plausible.

Not saying I'm all in on the idea, but I am saying that Hoyo games are big on symbolism, so I don't believe themes lining up are for no reason.

[creetch]

I believe Nanook doesn't recognise the likes of the Annihilation Gang as they create mindless pain and destruction for the sake of it. Nanook, and likely their Lord Ravagers, are born of suffering and grief, having faced decimation of their home planet or themselves, and Nanook gazes at those who fight in opposition to that Destruction, but who ultimately become slaves to it regardless just as Nanook perhaps had too when the horror of losing their homeland triggered their ascension.

When Phainon showed up, ready to attempt to take down an Aeon due to his hunger for vengeance, Nanook's face was framed with Phainon's younger self falling looking like a tear. To me, Nanook recognises those who have suffered loss and feel nothing but the desire to destroy as a result, and therefore the Annihilation Gang will never be accepted by them because to them it's like what do you know about loss? What do YOU know about suffering? What do YOU know about DESTRUCTION?

[lunecadet]

about nanook and the destruction

warning this is kind of a mess because this is just a copy pasted rant from discord but i felt like i should post this

so. dan feng's lines about the destruction in the new trailblaze quest got me thinking.

amphoreus in general has me thinking a lot about what we think destruction is vs what it actually is

because i feel like the writers have been putting a lot of emphasis on one thing with the garden of recollection: just because pathstriders devote themselves to an aeon, doesn't mean that an aeon agrees with what they're doing

they made it clear this last patch that fuli supports what's going in amphoreus

but we don't know that nanook does

and then i got thinking: when are the times that nanook actually shows up

before i get to that, i wanna talk about destruction characters

when you think about it, destruction characters don't make sense when you look at it from the stance of a lord ravager or the annihilation gang

trailblazer, mydei, firefly, saber, fucking clara, phainon is the emanator but then dan feng said that line and it all made sense

so back to moments when nanook actually shows up: he saves the trailblazer after they just gave up their memories to start their new path. he shows up to witness phainon sacrifice everything to give amphoreus one more chance

and when you think about it, this makes the characters make sense: destruction characters are sacrificing something or doing something to bring in new life or are striving for a new life or rebirth, firefly was looking for a brighter future and different life. dan heng joined the astral express after going through molting rebirth. mydei fought for a place in the world for kremnoans. trailblazer gave up all of their memories to set out on their trailblazing journey, of course that would draw nanook's attention. tldr; destruction isnt just about destruction, its about destruction and reinvention

[sunderingstars]

sampo joker card theorizing

if big sampo = red joker, and little sampo = black joker, it intrigues me that aha’s splash art masks are red/orange, and aha’s silhouette is black/gray. if the black joker mask revealed in the teaser is meant to be “little sampo,” then what does that make “big sampo”? (it feels like a nice bit of design language in my opinion.) whether emanator or aeon he is not beating the allegations 😭 (source: sparkle hi3 collab ⬇️)

more theorizing because i am elation-pilled:

the black joker has a similar expression to the most prominent mask in aha’s splash art as well; the only one with a solid spark of light in it. i’m torn on “that’s aha’s consciousness / authority” versus “that’s aha’s specialest mask / emanator / part of the collection”

⬇️ more below ⬇️

to clarify, i am of the mind that “black joker” and “red joker” are two sides of the same coin, much like “little sampo” and “big sampo” — possibly black joker entailing sampo’s diminished or mortal form and, taking this to its natural endpoint, red joker (or the red version of the same mask) entailing a higher, more powerful form, as seen in the splash art. in a way, this could indicate an exchange of aeonic power and a quite interesting way for aha or their emanator to function: both as the mortal silhouette (black joker) and the lit mask (red joker) that holds the authority. a chicken or egg situation, really, but that makes it all the more interesting! i wouldn’t be surprised if the masked fools function the way they do because aha encouraged them to treat their powers the same way they treat theirs. just as a little teeheehee.

it is possible that the black joker card is among aha’s splash art items, not as the mask itself but as an actual card, with the red joker also being the same — this would point towards a “lesser” sampo, either as a masked fool or not having that much to do with aha in comparison. (but where’s the fun in that?) the silhouette could also be the “real” aha, meanwhile the mask with the light symbolizes their emanator or “prized possession” among the collection, which could be sampo. (i am also partial to “aha is pretending to be asat pramad” theories, which means aha-in-disguise is very aware of and might even have plans for “black joker” sampo.)

update: i just noticed that aha’s mask was depicted as the one with the spark of light in nihilux’s aha fanfic teaser. aha, in a singular mask, that closely resembles the expression on sampo’s black joker card. one of the frames even showcases the mask prominently next to red roses, although that could just be part of the romance simulator. (sampo’s burst “surprise present” specifically features red roses and petals.) plus the dark blue color when aha is acting menacingly. this opens up a whole other can of worms, such as an aha that is themself a masked fool or wears a singular / specific mask, mingling among their followers. (i will concede that this could fall in line with red herring sampo / a sampo that is meant to have a resemblance to aha for the purposes of misdirection.)

*obligatory disclaimer that yes, i am aware this is fanfiction on the part of nihilux and not necessarily meant to fully resemble canon. however, nanook was physically depicted very closely to how they appear in-game, so i would like to assume the same is true for aha / aha’s mask.*

this, of course, leads to the idea of a consolidated aha, with a singular body, mask, and silhouette similar to other aeons like nanook, rather than the entire collection of objects in their splash art — à la silhouette and light-mask. not to ramble, but i feel like this implies that many of the objects in their splash art are simply for show or misdirection, while the mask with the light (the one depicted by nihilux and the one that most closely resembles the black joker card) inhabits aha’s true consciousness or part of their power.

essentially, i am positing: black joker sampo is in alignment with aha’s silhouette, which is why that silhouette is present in general splash art but absent in planarcadia’s teaser (with the idea that aha is absent or “vacant”); and red joker sampo likely resembles the mask with the light from aha’s splash art, which is the same mask shown depicting aha directly in nihilux’s fanfiction (basically, mask off versus mask on). this likely implies that the mask holds some sort of special power such as divine authority that can be taken on and off by the silhouette — hence the ability to change from “little sampo” (mortal) to “big sampo” (divine entity).

this aligns with dual-sides aha theories, aha as both a humanoid form and a mask, similar to zagreus and the spirithief (different, yet the same). the power exchange between the two is yet unclear, but i would like to think this means both the silhouette and the mask(s) can be considered aha, while technically physically separate objects. sampo might even make a distinction between the two, between the him he is now and the consciousness he changes into once he puts on the mask — in a way, it would remind me of severance, if anyone reading this has seen that show. this could pit “little sampo” (silhouette) and “big sampo” (mask) against each other, each vying for space within the same body. also, to be clear, this can still work on an emanator level, as the mask with the light could also symbolize aha giving a large amount of path power to a particular emanator. (this works particularly well with consciousness-melding, as it’s possible emanators also share a bit of aha’s form or mindspace, infectious enthusiasm and all.)

it is also possible that — getting into the weeds here — aha has intended to make people think the mask with the light is them, when actually it is not. (this would point to sampo being the misdirection himself; actually quite sad when you think about it, especially in context of a sad or grieving “aha”. sampo would essentially be thrust into this position of having to pretend to be aha, even if it is emotionally draining or distressing.)

not a super formal discussion here, but i wanted to put my thoughts out before planarcadia kicks into action!

obligatory thank you meme for reading to the end :3

[stxrblazer]

Okay so while writing my last post I had a thought.

So. We all know that Aha is legit a fucking obsessed with Akivili. We dont exactly know why ofc; though theres a fairly reasonable theory that its because like them, Akivili was also an aeon close to humanity, and could understand them better than the other Aeons. This theory makes sense ofc ofc.

But i had another idea.

What if Aha was a Astral Express Nameless?

“Well yeah Stxr, they pretended to be apart of the Crew to mess with Akivili for a year”

No no. Not that. I mean what if Aha was apart of the Nameless before they ascended?

Cause, we know both Aha and Akivili are some of the oldest known Aeons. Id say they’re both apart of the ‘second generation’ aeons lol.

But we dont exactly know WHEN Aha ascended. We kinda know when Akivili did. Its not impossible for Aha to have traveled with the Express before they ascended.

And climbing to the top of the imaginary tree? Idk man, sounds pretty Trailblaze-y to me..

It makes alot of sense as to why Aha adores Akivili so much. Akivili was formerly their Aeon. Of course Aha adores them! They’re much more fun that the rest, and Aha was their friend!

Akivili is an Aeon who is known to havr loved their followers. Why would that change when one became an Aeon? If anything it allowed them to be closer.

Also it paints Pom-Poms line about Aha being ‘the worst Nameless’ in a different light. Yes, Aha at the time was genuinely a member of the crew, but also they were a genuine member of the Crew once.

Honestly, I dont have much evidence, but I feel like it makes sense. Aha does genuinely seem to like the Nameless, (two of the previous winners of the Phantasmoon Games seem to be Nameless as well, Isee a former navigator iirc, and Oswaldo) so maybe beyond them just being extensions of Akivili, they also like the Nameless as their ‘juniors’.

Aha being a former Nameless is also interesting in the context of their relationship with Nanook as well. Nanook is implied to be someone who was offered to join the Express, but refused, leading to their ascension as Nanook. And then Aha did join, and it lead to their ascension as Aha.. Destruction & Elation being wildly different paths, and both ascensions being butterfly effects of their choice on whether or not they took the ticket.

I hope we find out more about Aha in 4.x lol.