#loreflame

[hibernatingflame]

airing a hot take about this ena5 detail since it’s the season of Mizuki again (bit of a rant)

the blackout screen when Mizuki came out to niigo really doesn’t need to be criticised so hard. it’s ok to have subjective opinions but i’m sick of people calling it poor or dodgy writing. in fact, i think the blackout screen handled Mizuki’s situation very gracefully, especially following the outing incident in mizu5.

bc not every queer/trans character needs to “turn to the camera and come out”. from a story perspective, that is Mizuki’s vulnerable and personal moment with niigo. i would feel like i’m invading Mizuki’s privacy if the writers made her coming out as explicit as part of the fandom is demanding. imagine having to spectate that as a player, like how Ena was forced to witness Mizuki’s bullies out her.

the story had already been very clear with Mizuki’s identity and struggles. subtle ≠ unclear. just let my girls have their moment. Mizuki deserves her right to privacy and agency. i’m happy the blackout screen returned that agency to her, even if a little.

[hibernatingflame]

i’m sick of the DHPT discourse in the EN community so i’m starting a glaze post for him (if this gets out, feel free to rb with your love)

‼️ minor 3.5 spoilers ‼️

what i love a lot about Dan Heng • Permansor Terrae aka 丹恒·腾荒 aka Da Homie Forever: his name. symbolically it suits him a lot considering his core character development, backstory and current state of the story.

EDIT: PLEASE REFER TO THIS POST FOR BETTER INTERPRETATION

my interpretation:

恒 (héng) as in to last a long time, to persevere

腾 (téng) as in to run, jump, ascend (physically)

荒 (huāng) as in barren, vast

腾荒 as in to traverse (or rise up from) the vast or barren lands — contextually an indication of thriving despite the harsh conditions

our Dan Heng’s been through so much in the past. the fact he still stands here despite everything, the way he treasures his loved ones past & present (HCQ as DF, astral express crew as DH), the choice he made to forge his own path and refuses to be defined by his past (eventually reconciling with it); that’s his unwavering strong will (恒心).

after DH became a chrysos heir, his long wait for TB implies DH had more or less travelled Amphoreus on his own for a while (traversing vast lands). moreover it’s likely DH’s will that allowed him to stay sane all that time (perseverance). DHPT drip marketing also established that DHPT is connected to the permanence (ie never changing).

if the writers haven’t been planning all this since the beginning, i’d be pretty surprised.

and unlike what some EN speakers have said on the bird app about hoyo being disrespectful to DH’s character bc they chose a name that sounds similar to a vulgar phrase, NO omg that’s probably coincidental and it’s just a CN joke. EN speakers taking that joke as evidence of “disrespect” is just… learn the language before running your mouth omo

[hibernatingflame]

i have finally caught up with 3.4 main story quest and i have thoughts

i agree with the consensus that Phainon lacks self love especially in his adulthood. but i would like to propose a possibility: young Phainon (before he drew the deliverer card) was a selfless person who was deprived of the opportunity to develop self worth in his later youth. by temperament, young Phainon was the type to put others before himself. for the sake of this discussion, i would say that it was Phainon’s loving upbringing and environment that encouraged this temperament and motivated him to grow strong enough to protect his village — to reciprocate the love he was given. however, before he could learn to value himself like he values others, he was forced into a war and believed only he could save everyone. the deliverer card he drew on the same day also exacerbated his selflessness and turned it into a crippling saviour complex.

that was the first layer, looking at Phainon as a person/character. next, looking at him as NeiKos496, the code driven by anger and hatred.

question: why was Cyrene planted by Phainon’s side since cycle 0? my guess is 因爱生恨 (hatred is born from love).

PhiLia093 is a key factor to awaken NeiKos496’s hatred. as his kind childhood friend, it’s safe to say Cyrene was one of the first people in Phainon’s life that showed him love. the day Aedes Elysiae was destroyed was the day NeiKos496’s hatred was awakened. whether it’s a cycle Cyrene survived the destruction of Aedes Elysiae or not, PhiLia093 was a recurring existence that fuels NeiKos496’s hatred for the world. because while the world is lovable, it is equally unjust. the more you love something/someone, the more you’d resent the force(s) that stripped it/them away from you.

implication: Phainon’s hero journey started with anger and hatred. i believe this was the plan to begin with (Lygus you scheming bastard). if there had to be something to ensure the hatred code will work out, what’s better than a complementing code to feed it?

and like Hysilens’ As I Have Written suggests about journeys, Phainon would eventually return to where he started (hatred), in cycle 33550336, where he fights Nanook out of anger for all the injustices his world was put through. yes, that crashout was definitely fuelled by anger and hatred, but it was also because every incarnation of Phainon/Khaslana had once experienced a loving world (thanks Cyrene!)

additionally, i like to think sacrificing Cyrene in cycle 0 is symbolic for Khaslana choosing to put love behind him from that point on. as the saviour of the world, he cannot waver bc of emotions and he must not become too attached. as for when PhiLia093 is declared missing (bc Cyrene was hidden away), i interpret that as symbolic to Khaslana forgetting love and becoming emotionally numb after getting eroded by the coreflames. this also explains why FR shows up in later cycles as an empty husk that only remembers coreflame collection duty and waiting for someone.

[hibernatingflame]

[Localisation comparison & lore discussion] Phainon’s trailer and impressions of trailer tones across languages

first of all, THE CN TITLE & CAPTION ‼️

localised as “coronal radiance” (likely for stylistic reasons; perfectly valid), the CN title “日冕” translates to “solar corona”

日 (rì): sun

冕 (miǎn): crown (royalty’s)

the EN caption, however, seems to left out the sun references altogether. there was a mention of corona, but less specifically the solar corona. some facts about coronas: source 1; source 2; source 3

stellar corona: the outermost layer of a star’s atmosphere—the sun’s corona is the solar corona

the corona is made up of plasma (hot ionised gas); the temperature is around 2 million kelvins

the solar corona is only visible to the naked eye during solar eclipses or through coronagraphs (a type of specialised telescope)

also notice that pronoun change in the 3rd line: 它/it → 他/he

它 (tā): pronoun for objects and non-humans (excluding deities)

他 (tā): masculine & general pronoun for humans

implications

the pronoun change confirms the sun is a metaphor for Phainon; the corona is probably a reference to Phainon’s halo in his ult form. the “pitch darkness” could refer to the fallen dark Okhema/Amphoreus and Phainon’s crashout (sinking into darkness). moreover, Phainon’s ult animation has a darkened sky.

since Phainon is the sun, Flame Reaver is likely the moon. and guess what’s involved in a solar eclipse? in other words, FR shall have to get in Phainon’s way (solar eclipse) for Phainon to awaken his ult form. based on the trailer, my guess is FR will clash with Phainon and they will merge in the process, and Phainon will absorb/obtain FR’s power. this results in Phainon transforming to ult form, where his solar corona (halo) will now be visible in the darkness.

so Phainon’s basically getting crowned in sun/darkness. one upping Mydei in getting crowned in blood huh? /j

second, Anaxa’s question to Phainon:

CN: 理想 (lǐ xiǎng) = JP: 理想 (りそう risou) = EN: dream

both CN and JP used a word “理想” that more commonly translates to “aspiration” or “ideal” (noun), while EN chose “dream”. contextually, “dream” is a valid translation, but the pragmatics across the languages are making me think hard.

in EN, “dream” often carries a connotation of hopeful or wistful thinking of wanting something that’s unlikely to happen or impossible. in CN and JP, the more common word that carries the aforementioned sentiment is 梦想 (mèng xiǎng) or 夢 (ゆめ yume). however:

梦想 is technically synonymous with 理想 (context dependent) but most of the time, they aren’t used interchangeably

理想 tends to be rooted more in reality / realistic considerations than 梦想

similar for 夢 and 理想 [JP]

implications

honestly, i can’t tell the reason why they chose “dream” for EN. the messages come across slightly different but they certainly work.

with the prefacing of “dream” in the EN trailer, it gave me the impression of a more melancholic and emotional progression: Phainon yearns for a better life with his friends in a better world, but painfully acknowledges it’s impossible.

on the other hand, the prefacing of “ideal” or “aspiration” in CN and JP made the trailers come off more neutral or logical in tone. Phainon visualising Anaxa asking him the question, acknowledging he (Phainon) indeed dreams of a better life in a better world, but accepting of the fact that those ideals may not be fulfilled in the cycle he’s in.

the way it’s Anaxa posing the question also makes the line sound like something an irl teacher may ask you in college or high school—“what is your aspiration?” while i can’t figure out Anaxa’s role in the next patch yet, this line definitely shows how significant Anaxa is as a mentor figure in Phainon’s life.

[hibernatingflame]

3.6 main story spoilers next related posts: Evernight's character stories | Evernight design analysis

CW: dissociative identity disorder (DID)

disclaimer: i am not a DID system, psychologist or professional on DID in any way. my observations are made based on my own reading and consumption of DID awareness content. if i made a mistake anywhere, please correct me. if there are any systems or professionals that have worked with DID can offer more qualified opinions, that’d be really cool.

back on topic, i believe Evernight/March is one of the most sensitive allegories or portrayals of DID among media i’ve personally been exposed to. it was heartening that Evernight was not written from a “pure evil” angle — as a protector/persecutor alter who likely holds traumatic memories, Evernight was destructive not because she just wanted to, but because it was her (morally dubious) way of protecting the system and namely March (host). i thought it was also nice to see March (host) displaying system accountability by disapproving of Evernight’s methods and confronting her.

the part where Evernight and March talk it out in Aedes Elysiae also resemble the breaking down of amnesiac barriers within a system’s mind. it’s hard for me to say whether it’s an allegory for fusion/integration (March + Evernight) or simply an alter (Evernight) going dormant. that being said, judging from Evernight saying she can be awakened again when March is in need, Evernight alter is still implied to exist. Evernight withholding the memory of “Pure Child of Anāśrava” from March before integrating or going dormant also seems to reference the irl selective nature of memory sharing between alters, in which some information can be stowed away from certain alters until they are ready to handle it. admittedly, i’m not qualified enough to analyse amnesiac barriers in depth so i’m all ears if any irl systems or psychology professionals are willing to share their knowledge.

another thing i liked is the allegorical presentation of the inner world and alter interactions. as a non-system, i think it gave me a rather clear image on how alter appearance and interactions work. here are some:

when Evernight and March are interacting, either of them cannot be seen as themselves by the outside world — like how alters are in the same host body so people don’t always see them physically

Aedes Elysiae acting as an inner world for March to meet Evernight face to face and with Cyrene, because Amphoreus is made of memoria and March & Evernight are in spiritual form

Evernight looking different from March (host) — like many irl alters see themselves looking different from their host body and other alters

March’s appearance after meeting reuniting with the trio — like how after an integration or significant change in the inner world, the new host may also have a different appearance in the inner world and hence dress the host body differently

once again open to more qualified interpretations!

and that’s all i have for now~ i hope i’m approaching this topic appropriately enough orz

next related posts: Evernight's character stories | Evernight design analysis

[hibernatingflame]

Theory: Trailblazer is a Hercules reference

a bit of a ramble post but bear with me. 3.4 leaks briefly mentioned

based on my Flame Reaver is Prometheus theory

context: assuming FR is Prometheus and Phainon is a mix of Prometheus and Phaenon references

in the Greek legend, Hercules is the hero that frees Prometheus from punishment for stealing fire form the gods. so if FR/Phainon/their original entity's punishment is repeating the cycles in Amphoreus, would TB be the Hercules that breaks the cycle and frees FR/Phainon/their og entity from their punishment (fate)?

reasoning:

TB does not appear to have a "real" hero arc yet compared to the other demigod heirs

despite being an outside, TB's high involvement with the coreflames seem to be setting them up for some form of hero arc. having them play a role in breaking the Amphoreus cycles and freeing Phainon does seem like a suitable hero arc for them.

(plus Hercules is a convenient protagonist figure to reference in terms of writing)

if the path of destruction really has something to do with Amphoreus, TB's landing in Amphoreus also appears to parallel Akivili's visit to Nanook's home star system before Nanook ascended.

the demigod of worldbearing is said to be the one to usher in the era nova, but creating a new world has implications of destroying the previous world. given Phainon's imminent crashout + his eventual inheriting the worldbearing coreflame, world destruction to end the cycles does seem like something he'd be capable of doing.

if Phainon is truly connected to the path of destruction and/or Nanook, the path of trailblaze encountering path of destruction parallels certainly check out.

EXTRAS:

recently i have been talking myself out of the “Cyrene is March/Mem” theory. gut feeling: Cyrene increasingly feels like she was a catalyst planted beside Phainon to push him into whatever the higher powers (Nanook? someone else?) wanted him to do. i do think Mem and March are connected, but not necessarily to Cyrene. haven't thought too deep into these though.

[hibernatingflame]

[3.6 spoilers] back with Evernight yap again related posts: reading March/Evernight as a DID allegory | Evernight’s character stories

CW: dissociative identity disorder (DID)

theory: Evernight's appearance has visually disturbing or horror elements because she views herself as a monstrous, violent figure.

in DID systems, alters are created in the mind to help the person cope with trauma and maintain executive function. since Evernight was likely created as a protector/persecutor to hold traumatic memories, Evernight's awareness of her role may have shaped her self perception to be the opposite of March (host). while March is pure hearted, kind and blissfully unaware of her past, Evernight is aware of the horrors and wishes to protect March from being "tainted" like herself. for this reason, Evernight may also believe it is part of her duty to be capable of harshness and cruelty (which are difficult for March). thus, while Evernight's alter image is similar to March, it contains elements that may reflect how Evernight perceives herself.

my brief design analysis:

red & black colour palette: associated with violence, anger and darkness — direct contrast to March's blue & pink, which is more lighthearted and whimsical

saturated, high contrast colour palette: direct contrast to March's soft pastels — indicative of Evernight's harsh potential vs March's kind nature

lifeless eyes: eyes that have seen the horrors and lost their light

black goo element on dress: Evernight's "taintedness". notice how the black tide in Amphoreus is also black and associated with tainting.

mouth/teeth element on sleeve: horror element representing malice though words and actions — Evernight speaks what March would never (threats and convoluted ideals), and does that March would never (wipe out Amphoreus)

umbrella: symbolic of Evernight's will or duty to shield March from danger

related posts: reading March/Evernight as a DID allegory | Evernight’s character stories

[hibernatingflame]

a native Chinese user has explained the meaning and inspiration behind DHPT’s name so this source should be trustable at face value.

if you have come across my previous post with my superficial, dictionary level interpretation of DHPT’s name, i am terribly sorry if i have spread misinformation.

i am Chinese diaspora and thus not well read on ancient Chinese literature because i did not study that under my education system. moving forward, i will keep educating myself culturally.

my post in question will not be taken down for accountability, and bc my original intent was is for it to be a Dan Heng appreciation post amidst this discourse.

sorry and thank you Dan Heng community for engaging with my subpar content.