Hey, i am Riba Ai! I write my opinions about some series and mangas. If you love reading theories or analysis, please check on my archive. The ideas of 'They hurt people so they should take responbilities for their actions' and 'They are abuse victims so they deserves to be happy/heal in safe, healthy environment' can and should coexist at the same time. Justice for all abuse victims. Protect Shigaraki & Akito.
I just finished Phainon's story. Besides the all tragedies (him having to kill all his loved ones), I would like to mention his humming. In his backstory, we repeatedly hear Phainon's sad and gentle voice, as if he is singing to himself, to world. As if he is humming to express his pain and maintain his sanity. And his gentle humming slowly becomes more faint. His voice is heard less, and sounded more twisted.
It reminded me of another character. Six from Little Nightmares. Six is a child who tries to survive in nightmarish world. During the game, you can faintly hear Six's voice. Just like Phainon, she is humming and later, she too slowly loses her voice. It is like they are losing childhood innocence. Voice is becoming more distorted each time. And their origin songs have child-like melody in the background.
Its very interesting and tragic detail i wanted to share.
Humming songs: Six's theme. Coronal radiance.
(Bonus: During the quest, i couldnt help but think about how Chyre heroes would love the paradise Sunday offered lol. Not in a them losing control but Sunday would offer the 'paradise' they needed.)
We need to talk about how significant this panel is in The Morose Mononokean.
First of all, Hanae works in a floriculture and is very familiar with the flower language and their meanings. Secondly, after some analysis I came to the conclusion that the flowers in this panel and the following are jasmines;
They have the same petals shape, the same core and the same amount of petals.
So as one does, I went to search for their meaning and-
I wanted to do it for a really long time tbh. Especially after couple of latest chapters. So, let me put it straight:
Ashiya Sakae slowly takes over his son’s body.
First time we seen Hanae not being himself is when Fuzzy was hurt and Capybara was threatening to slice his arm off. Of course boy was scared, but what exactly triggered this was Fuzzy’s blood.
That was the actual moment that triggered Sakae’s appearance in Hanae. But you may ask: “Why it was Fuzzy’s blood and not actual threat from Capybara that was the start point?”. And this question is logical, especially after we saw that Sakae have no sympathy towards any youkai - he killed them, erased their existence, sealed them. So, let me answer:
It was shock that awakened Sakae.
There was many emotions in Hanae at that moment: fear, anger but strongest of it was actual shock of seeing such cruelty in this peaceful place. Realization that if youkai hurts other youkai that easily, he also can hurt human.
Shock was starting point - pure human anger and fear just made it stronger.
And it definitely awaken Sakae from his “sleep” inside Hanae - but not completely. Actually, it was small part. Because Hanae knew what he was saying but not realizing how he actually doing it. I don’t think Sakae would say something like this - so, it absolutely was Hanae, but with flow of Sakae’s power. After Abeno threw at Ashiya bottle with medicine, he remembered what was happening - I’m not telling that he remembered everything but he was aware of what was happening at this exact moment.
And I just can’t continue without mentioning Chapter 35. The moment when Hanae was suffocating because of Executive’s aura.
It was both strong emotional and physical shock - at this moment Hanae realized that he can actually die here. There was huge possibility that Sakae would’ve taken control or used his Influence. But he didn’t.
At this moment Sakae was fully aware of his surroundings and knew that there is two branches of power right here.
He probably was fully aware of risks showing himself. It was dangerous both for him and his son. But leaving things as they were is also dangerous.
Sakae knew that Abeno will save Ashiya.
He probably was “awake” and witnessed their strong bound to this moment. He knew that Abeno won’t allow death of Ashiya - not now, not here. Newer, actually, because they were close after all their jobs. He also probably knew about the fact that other branches have nothing to do with Mononokean, their Master and his employees (huge possibility Aoi told him).
There is also huge possibility that if Abeno didn’t done anything he would’ve done something himself - because he can’t allow death of his son or his body.
Next time was accident with Yahiko and his transformation due summer trip.
And there we can see that Sakae fully took control over Hanae’s body - his behavior completely changed, unlike first time with Capybara he’s more calm and threatening. More like from latest chapters.
Even his manner of speech - more mature, and it’s sounds like he means more than he actually says. He was still weak and “slept” when Hanae also slept. Absolute fear brought up Sakae - at this moment he saw exactly what Hanae saw. And speech about “killing” is probably about that accident with Executive and later about Yahiko himself.
It was the first moment Ashiya Sakae fully took control.
Remember his glare - not actually surprised, but there was something threatening in it. He definitely was not pleased that Abeno interrupted them. He was examining Abeno. And after that Hanae didn’t remember what exactly happened.
And about Influence. Abeno also used it on Yahiko, but it had different consequences on youkai. There was no intention of killing. But with Sakae’s Influence Yahiko pleaded not to kill him. So, Sakae probably wanted to do what he always done - killing.
Let’s move to the case with Sasa and possession. Sakae didn’t took over Hanae because Abeno was there so he assumed that he can save Hanae like he did with Executive. But when everything gone wrong and Hanae in order to save Abeno pushed beyond his limits, Sakae decided to enter in game of spider.
“If you continue doing this, you may kill yourself”.
It was the final point of Sakae’s full awakening. He was fully aware of his actions, he talked with Abeno, he hold control longer than any previous time.
After that Hanae doesn’t remember what happened: his memory ends at the moment of Abeno’s “death”.
He starts to having dreams from Sakae’s perspective - he was seeing his memories and was not aware of them at first and the fact of using Influence until Abeno told him.
And final moment.
When Abeno’s hand went through Ashiya’s in last chapter. He was surprised by it - so it obviously not usual for Influence itself. Probably it’s effect of Sakae’s Influence. Probably Sakae slowly changes Hanae’s body to himself.
Actually that’s all and this theory sucks. But anyway, after all these moments I see Sakae as antagonistic figure in this story. Times when he appears is mostly life threatening to Hanae. And his actions cause more damage, actually. I think his primal goal is to keep his son alive as long as possible. Because Hanae is probably “the vessel” for Sakae. He died after birth of Hanae and continues exist only in him even after “death” of his body. Not in his sister, that was born first. In his son. I think that he wanted Hanae only for that he can continue to live and take control one day. Because technically “Hanae” is “him”. Sakae doesn’t care about anyone - youkai or human. He was rude with Abeno and threatening to other youkai. I also think that he actually doesn’t care about his son.
I am sure most people are familiar with Iguin and Qifrey connection. Whether twin, clone or something else. But i think i found something that closer to be called 'evidence' or 'important detail' for this connection, this mytology and Qifreys origin. Its long but stick with me, anyway.
Lets start:
Part 1: Name Connection
All this search started with one youtube video, made by 'Anime Balls Deep'. They talked about Qifrey and Iguin's possible connection so i had to dig in harder.
Freá, Fro, Yngvi, Ing, Ingui, *Fraujaz Ingwaz
The Old Norse name for the god of fertility, peace, and prosperity is Freyr. However, in Old Norse texts (such as Snorri Sturluson's Ynglinga saga in the Prose Edda), he is frequently referred to as Yngvi-Freyr.
When you look at the name on Google, you will see the name has several different readings or pronounces. Yngvi can be read as Ing, Ingui, Igui etc. It is very close to 'Iguin'. And Frey is very (Q-frey) similar to Qifrey.
Yngvi is the old ancient name and Frey means 'lord' so it is more like a title, in norse mytology. Basically, Yngvi and Frey are actually same person. Its name just changed later. Sometimes, he is called Frey, and other times Ing-Frey or Yngvi-Frey. It is like, Iguin and Qifrey combined.
Of course, this immediately brought up the idea of 'clon theory' but this is just the beginning. And I kinda found it interesting that Ing name is more like origin name, ancestor name while Frey is more like dehumanized 'nickname. Maybe, Iguin was the name of 'origin body' and Qifrey was clone.
Bonus detail: And since we dig into this name topic, i have to mention how every wha character has repeatition in their name (whether its how they are read as japanese or more), including Iguin. Everyone except Qifrey. Interesting, isnt it? As if story is already hinting us that Qifrey is the outsider to everyone. As if he isnt part of this world or maybe someone who wasnt supposed to exist or live.
This lead me to think: If clon theory is true, i believe Qifrey is Iguin's clone. Another detail, Iguin have no interest for Qifrey. Usually, 'abandonded children' would resent 'golden child' but instead, we see opposite. Iguin doesnt seem to care much for Qifrey. Because he isnt 'important' for them/him. It fits the narrative of 'failed experiment'.
Part 2: General knowledge about Ing-Frey
Now who is this Ing-Frey in norse mythology?
Freyr was the Norse god of fertility, peace, and good weather. He was worshipped widely to bring personal virility and good weather for crops.
Frey is god-like existence. God of fertility, harvest. Interesting, isnt it? Kinda similar to silverwood story and how its used to serve witches. This connection might be symbolic or literally since it is a fantasy world with mysterious creatures.
Freyr was one of the most widely and passionately venerated divinities amongst the heathen Norse and other Germanic peoples. One Old Norse poem calls him “the foremost of the gods” and “hated by none.”[1] The reasons for this aren’t hard to understand.
It shouldn’t be surprising, then, that Freyr was a frequent recipient of sacrifices at various occasions, such as the blessing of a wedding[4] or the celebration of a harvest. During harvest festivals, the sacrifice traditionally took the form of his favored animal, the boar.
Harvest, sacrifice, rituals...Remember the graveyard Iguin was standing on. There were hundreds of graves as if they were sacrificed to gain magic ink. We know how 'blood' makes forbidden magic and Qifrey was literally found in the cabin. As if he was one of the source of harvest or something to be experimented on.
Freyr’s residence is Alfheim, the homeland of the elves.[8] This could mean that Freyr is the ruler of the elves, but since this is never stated explicitly in the surviving sources, it must remain a fascinating conjecture. The relationship between the gods and the elves is sufficiently ambiguous to allow for a number of possible connections between Freyr and the elves.
Another one of Freyr’s signature possessions is his ship, Skíðblaðnir, which always has a favorable wind and can be folded up and carried in a small bag.[9] Its name, which means “Assembled from Pieces of Thin Wood,” suggests that it served as the mythological archetype of ships that were constructed for particular ritual purposes and were never meant to be seaworthy.
This is where Frey's connection to elves starts. While Frey was known to be 'good god who brings peace', elves are mentioned as more opposite way. Even though, Frey was described as 'the lord of elves'.
(There is also a detail of his death. Being burnt to death by big fire creature. But i hope not--)
Before we get to the elves, i would like to mention the famous 'missing eye' from norse mythology.
Part 3: Story of Odin:
This story is and might be connected to two different character story.
Odin is god of sea. Just like the certain king, king of island, Dean who is ready to do anything to discover the secrets. And he has a very one eye bandach on his head. His similarity to Odin is basically this. Odin talked with Mimiri, the wise one (or Beldaruit). He wanted wisdom to know it all and to achieve that he had to sacrifice one of his eyes. Story symbolize how big things have big sacrifices. (Also later in story, Odin beheades wise one but i really hope this doesnt happen to Beldaruit).
And this is where this story connected to Iguin and Qifrey. There is a picture of Odin with one eye inside of tree. Its like he was trapped there. Maybe he died or he became the tree. Maybe he is the mysterious person Thristas tried to revive.
Then here comes the Qifrey and Iguin. Iguin define himself as the eye of the world. As if he is the Odin who gained wisdom but then, why Qifrey is the one missing eye? Why he is the main trial? Why they need his eye for their main plan? Maybe that is the 'eye that gave them what they needed about forbidden magic'. Maybe they try to revive some dark magician by using his eye so they can learn about ancient magic and maybe its a cult thing. And just like in mythology, eye is inside of tree maybe. Its hidden in there. Story is about Odin's journey to the well of wisdom or power.
And there are some pictures drawn as a man is inside of the tree. Maybe thats someone who gave Odin the power. It looks familar, isnt it? Just like the hosts of silverwood.
What are Iguin and Qifrey? Clones of some dead man? Or maybe, Iguin is that dead man who got what he wanted. Then what is Qifrey. Maybe Qifrey was some empty dead body. Remember the twin bottle magic? Same essence, everything inside the same and if you add something to one, the other one would get that something too. (This also kind of explain why Qifrey is so strong despite having very slim body).
This also remind of me changler story in norse mytology. Its about how elves would kidnap babies and replace them with wood.
And this kidnapping baby story also gave me another theory. There is a child Thristas carried, similar to Qifreys clothing or maybe that child was Iguin or someone else. But this happenned in ancient time, centuries ago so what if they put child in coffin for them to time travel to future? It is magic world, it makes sense.
Then why is that child? Is that child important to that witch or maybe something else. Then it reminded me of the theory that 'Qifrey is coming from royal origin'. He has a lot of similarities to the dead king in legends and current king Dean. Yes, it would mean 'Qifrey is king Dean's grand-grand-grand father/relative, his ancient. Or if Iguin is the original missing prince or king, then it means Qifrey is like their grand-...grand-grand-fathers clone.
I think this would explain Qifrey and Iguin story. And interestingly, it would mean that Dean was just like his grand-...-father who would do anything to gain wisdom. Or maybe they are written to be parallels. And remember, brimhats were trying to reach the king.
Coming back to elves;
Part 4: Elves
The earliest preserved description of elves comes from Norse mythology. In Old Norse they are called álfr, plural álfar. Although the concept itself is not entirely clear in surviving texts and records, elves appear to have been understood as powerful and beautiful human-sized beings. They are commonly referred to collectively as semi-divine beings associated with fertility as well as the cult of the ancestors. As such, elves appear similar to the animistic belief in spirits of nature and of the deceased, common to nearly all human religions; something that is true also for the Old Norse belief in fylgjur and vörðar ("follower" and "warden" spirits, respectively).
God of elves, aka the Freyr. Whether its Frey or elves, this reminds me of wise one's reaction.
This also remind me of wise one's talking about-hinting at 'someone up there', 'something up there' that controls the way magic of world works. This also lead me to believe that maybe there is some kind of entity or supernatural being out there. Though, silverwood itself is supernatural creature that feeds on other living beings and we saw many fantasy monsters. Even if that isnt the case, this would mean 'Qifrey might be 'human-ish being', unnatural being. So meaning can be symbolic too but in any way, its worth to pay attention to details.
In European folklore, elf circles (or "fairy rings") are naturally occurring mushroom circles believed to be caused by elves, fairies, or pixies dancing. In Norse and Celtic traditions, these rings were highly respected and feared; stepping inside was said to trap mortals in an elven trance or transport them to the fairy realm.
And there is the elves rings. Kinda similar to magic rings. It is circle, just like its origin. In mythology, they are desribed as dangerous. They use those 'magical circles' to lure other humans to their world. The tree or circle can be considered as a gate between two different worlds. Elves world, and humans world.
Part 5: The Mythology of Elf Circles
Fairy rings were seen as sacred or magical spots with distinct lore surrounding them:
The Elven Dance: The most common legend suggests that the circles are formed by elves or fairies holding hands and dancing in a ring under the moonlight.
Portals and Dinner Tables: In Celtic and Scottish mythology, the rings act as portals to other realms, or places where fae folk gather to hold feasts, using the mushrooms as tables.
Shakespearean Magic: William Shakespeare frequently referenced these circles in his plays (such as A Midsummer Night's Dream), painting them as places where sprites and fairies gather to bless the land.
Perils of the Circle
Folklore strongly warns mere mortals against interacting with elf circles due to heavy consequences:
Eternal Dancing: If a human steps inside, they risk angering the spirits and being forced to dance alongside them until they pass out from exhaustion or perish.
Time Slipping: Many tales describe mortals who stepped into the circle and emerged decades later, unaware that only minutes had passed for them in the fae realm.
If elves or some unknown supernatural entity exists, does it makes sense more why Wise ones were afraid? And doesnt this explain how whoever kid Tristas buried traveled through times. While 'elves' may not be involved later in this story, the role of silverwood plays this role well.
It is luring people with magic and it needs other living things to exist as if it is hunting them. It is very dangerous and the source of all magic. It is the mystical creature that is the bridge between magical world and ordinary world. Whether it is symbolic or literatelly, silverwood is a gate to magical worlds.
And then i found another detail about elves.
In folk stories, Scandinavian elves often play the role of disease spirits. The most common, though the also most harmless case was various irritating skin rashes, which were called älvablåst (elven puff) and could be cured by a forceful counter-blow (a handy pair of bellows was most useful for this purpose). Skålgropar, a particular kind of petroglyph (pictogram on a rock) found in Scandinavia, were known in older times as älvkvarnar (elven mills), because it was believed elves had used them. One could appease the elves by offering a treat (preferably butter) placed into an elven mill.
In order to protect themselves and their livestock against malevolent elves, Scandinavians could use a so-called Elf cross (Alfkors, Älvkors or Ellakors), which was carved into buildings or other objects. It existed in two shapes, one was a pentagram, and it was still frequently used in early 20th-century Sweden as painted or carved onto doors, walls, and household utensils to protect against elves.The second form was an ordinary cross carved onto a round or oblong silver plate. This second kind of elf cross was worn as a pendant in a necklace, and to have sufficient magic, it had to be forged during three evenings with silver, from nine different sources of inherited silver. In some locations it also had to be on the altar of a church for three consecutive Sundays.
Since elves were considered dangerous, they made 'pentagram' for protection. As if it is meant to be protection spell. Does this pentagram looks familiar?
Isnt this just like map Qifrey showed to his students. The 5 tests that every witch has to take, the so-called adventure is also drawn as pentagram in map. I hardly find this concidence. The librarians probably know this and made that pentagram to protect people from 'elves' or 'some mystical creatures. And 'silver' is one of the things used for protection against them.
The idea of elves can be grouped in different types, they might be strong creatures, monstrous or human-ish like creatures. Maybe they exist in this story or this will stay as the symbolism for magic, forbidden magic. Because i dont think brimhats are elves or supernatural beings. But they use that mysterous power. Its also interesting that Coco is 'hope' for them. What if the world itself is already in danger and while wise ones try to avoid fight, brimhats trying to be saved from whatever that is?
I think Iguin was /is normal human. Qifrey isnt human. That also fits the conflict of the story and Coco's dilemma perfectly. Because it would mean that his existence is the forbidden magic.
Remember how Coco is drawn as Alice and Qifrey as white rabbit. Coco will always be curious and chase after mysterious rabbit into magical world and white rabbit will lead her to worlds of magic, to the rabbithole. When she fell, world will fall apart. (Also, every time i saw Coco with tree in official art, i think of she looks like some sacrifice to ritual or something. Her and Qifrey.
Anyway, Norse mythology and elves hae very detailed storyline so i tried to summarize and show its connection the best way possible. Those are the sources i used for research.
I am sure most people are familiar with Iguin and Qifrey connection. Whether twin, clone or something else. But i think i found something that closer to be called 'evidence' or 'important detail' for this connection, this mytology and Qifreys origin. Its long but stick with me, anyway.
Lets start:
Part 1: Name Connection
All this search started with one youtube video, made by 'Anime Balls Deep'. They talked about Qifrey and Iguin's possible connection so i had to dig in harder.
Freá, Fro, Yngvi, Ing, Ingui, *Fraujaz Ingwaz
The Old Norse name for the god of fertility, peace, and prosperity is Freyr. However, in Old Norse texts (such as Snorri Sturluson's Ynglinga saga in the Prose Edda), he is frequently referred to as Yngvi-Freyr.
When you look at the name on Google, you will see the name has several different readings or pronounces. Yngvi can be read as Ing, Ingui, Igui etc. It is very close to 'Iguin'. And Frey is very (Q-frey) similar to Qifrey.
Yngvi is the old ancient name and Frey means 'lord' so it is more like a title, in norse mytology. Basically, Yngvi and Frey are actually same person. Its name just changed later. Sometimes, he is called Frey, and other times Ing-Frey or Yngvi-Frey. It is like, Iguin and Qifrey combined.
Of course, this immediately brought up the idea of 'clon theory' but this is just the beginning. And I kinda found it interesting that Ing name is more like origin name, ancestor name while Frey is more like dehumanized 'nickname. Maybe, Iguin was the name of 'origin body' and Qifrey was clone.
Bonus detail: And since we dig into this name topic, i have to mention how every wha character has repeatition in their name (whether its how they are read as japanese or more), including Iguin. Everyone except Qifrey. Interesting, isnt it? As if story is already hinting us that Qifrey is the outsider to everyone. As if he isnt part of this world or maybe someone who wasnt supposed to exist or live.
This lead me to think: If clon theory is true, i believe Qifrey is Iguin's clone. Another detail, Iguin have no interest for Qifrey. Usually, 'abandonded children' would resent 'golden child' but instead, we see opposite. Iguin doesnt seem to care much for Qifrey. Because he isnt 'important' for them/him. It fits the narrative of 'failed experiment'.
Part 2: General knowledge about Ing-Frey
Now who is this Ing-Frey in norse mythology?
Freyr was the Norse god of fertility, peace, and good weather. He was worshipped widely to bring personal virility and good weather for crops.
Frey is god-like existence. God of fertility, harvest. Interesting, isnt it? Kinda similar to silverwood story and how its used to serve witches. This connection might be symbolic or literally since it is a fantasy world with mysterious creatures.
Freyr was one of the most widely and passionately venerated divinities amongst the heathen Norse and other Germanic peoples. One Old Norse poem calls him “the foremost of the gods” and “hated by none.”[1] The reasons for this aren’t hard to understand.
It shouldn’t be surprising, then, that Freyr was a frequent recipient of sacrifices at various occasions, such as the blessing of a wedding[4] or the celebration of a harvest. During harvest festivals, the sacrifice traditionally took the form of his favored animal, the boar.
Harvest, sacrifice, rituals...Remember the graveyard Iguin was standing on. There were hundreds of graves as if they were sacrificed to gain magic ink. We know how 'blood' makes forbidden magic and Qifrey was literally found in the cabin. As if he was one of the source of harvest or something to be experimented on.
Freyr’s residence is Alfheim, the homeland of the elves.[8] This could mean that Freyr is the ruler of the elves, but since this is never stated explicitly in the surviving sources, it must remain a fascinating conjecture. The relationship between the gods and the elves is sufficiently ambiguous to allow for a number of possible connections between Freyr and the elves.
Another one of Freyr’s signature possessions is his ship, Skíðblaðnir, which always has a favorable wind and can be folded up and carried in a small bag.[9] Its name, which means “Assembled from Pieces of Thin Wood,” suggests that it served as the mythological archetype of ships that were constructed for particular ritual purposes and were never meant to be seaworthy.
This is where Frey's connection to elves starts. While Frey was known to be 'good god who brings peace', elves are mentioned as more opposite way. Even though, Frey was described as 'the lord of elves'.
(There is also a detail of his death. Being burnt to death by big fire creature. But i hope not--)
Before we get to the elves, i would like to mention the famous 'missing eye' from norse mythology.
Part 3: Story of Odin:
This story is and might be connected to two different character story.
Odin is god of sea. Just like the certain king, king of island, Dean who is ready to do anything to discover the secrets. And he has a very one eye bandach on his head. His similarity to Odin is basically this. Odin talked with Mimiri, the wise one (or Beldaruit). He wanted wisdom to know it all and to achieve that he had to sacrifice one of his eyes. Story symbolize how big things have big sacrifices. (Also later in story, Odin beheades wise one but i really hope this doesnt happen to Beldaruit).
And this is where this story connected to Iguin and Qifrey. There is a picture of Odin with one eye inside of tree. Its like he was trapped there. Maybe he died or he became the tree. Maybe he is the mysterious person Thristas tried to revive.
Then here comes the Qifrey and Iguin. Iguin define himself as the eye of the world. As if he is the Odin who gained wisdom but then, why Qifrey is the one missing eye? Why he is the main trial? Why they need his eye for their main plan? Maybe that is the 'eye that gave them what they needed about forbidden magic'. Maybe they try to revive some dark magician by using his eye so they can learn about ancient magic and maybe its a cult thing. And just like in mythology, eye is inside of tree maybe. Its hidden in there. Story is about Odin's journey to the well of wisdom or power.
And there are some pictures drawn as a man is inside of the tree. Maybe thats someone who gave Odin the power. It looks familar, isnt it? Just like the hosts of silverwood.
What are Iguin and Qifrey? Clones of some dead man? Or maybe, Iguin is that dead man who got what he wanted. Then what is Qifrey. Maybe Qifrey was some empty dead body. Remember the twin bottle magic? Same essence, everything inside the same and if you add something to one, the other one would get that something too. (This also kind of explain why Qifrey is so strong despite having very slim body).
This also remind of me changler story in norse mytology. Its about how elves would kidnap babies and replace them with wood.
And this kidnapping baby story also gave me another theory. There is a child Thristas carried, similar to Qifreys clothing or maybe that child was Iguin or someone else. But this happenned in ancient time, centuries ago so what if they put child in coffin for them to time travel to future? It is magic world, it makes sense.
Then why is that child? Is that child important to that witch or maybe something else. Then it reminded me of the theory that 'Qifrey is coming from royal origin'. He has a lot of similarities to the dead king in legends and current king Dean. Yes, it would mean 'Qifrey is king Dean's grand-grand-grand father/relative, his ancient. Or if Iguin is the original missing prince or king, then it means Qifrey is like their grand-...grand-grand-fathers clone.
I think this would explain Qifrey and Iguin story. And interestingly, it would mean that Dean was just like his grand-...-father who would do anything to gain wisdom. Or maybe they are written to be parallels. And remember, brimhats were trying to reach the king.
Coming back to elves;
Part 4: Elves
The earliest preserved description of elves comes from Norse mythology. In Old Norse they are called álfr, plural álfar. Although the concept itself is not entirely clear in surviving texts and records, elves appear to have been understood as powerful and beautiful human-sized beings. They are commonly referred to collectively as semi-divine beings associated with fertility as well as the cult of the ancestors. As such, elves appear similar to the animistic belief in spirits of nature and of the deceased, common to nearly all human religions; something that is true also for the Old Norse belief in fylgjur and vörðar ("follower" and "warden" spirits, respectively).
God of elves, aka the Freyr. Whether its Frey or elves, this reminds me of wise one's reaction.
This also remind me of wise one's talking about-hinting at 'someone up there', 'something up there' that controls the way magic of world works. This also lead me to believe that maybe there is some kind of entity or supernatural being out there. Though, silverwood itself is supernatural creature that feeds on other living beings and we saw many fantasy monsters. Even if that isnt the case, this would mean 'Qifrey might be 'human-ish being', unnatural being. So meaning can be symbolic too but in any way, its worth to pay attention to details.
In European folklore, elf circles (or "fairy rings") are naturally occurring mushroom circles believed to be caused by elves, fairies, or pixies dancing. In Norse and Celtic traditions, these rings were highly respected and feared; stepping inside was said to trap mortals in an elven trance or transport them to the fairy realm.
And there is the elves rings. Kinda similar to magic rings. It is circle, just like its origin. In mythology, they are desribed as dangerous. They use those 'magical circles' to lure other humans to their world. The tree or circle can be considered as a gate between two different worlds. Elves world, and humans world.
Part 5: The Mythology of Elf Circles
Fairy rings were seen as sacred or magical spots with distinct lore surrounding them:
The Elven Dance: The most common legend suggests that the circles are formed by elves or fairies holding hands and dancing in a ring under the moonlight.
Portals and Dinner Tables: In Celtic and Scottish mythology, the rings act as portals to other realms, or places where fae folk gather to hold feasts, using the mushrooms as tables.
Shakespearean Magic: William Shakespeare frequently referenced these circles in his plays (such as A Midsummer Night's Dream), painting them as places where sprites and fairies gather to bless the land.
Perils of the Circle
Folklore strongly warns mere mortals against interacting with elf circles due to heavy consequences:
Eternal Dancing: If a human steps inside, they risk angering the spirits and being forced to dance alongside them until they pass out from exhaustion or perish.
Time Slipping: Many tales describe mortals who stepped into the circle and emerged decades later, unaware that only minutes had passed for them in the fae realm.
If elves or some unknown supernatural entity exists, does it makes sense more why Wise ones were afraid? And doesnt this explain how whoever kid Tristas buried traveled through times. While 'elves' may not be involved later in this story, the role of silverwood plays this role well.
It is luring people with magic and it needs other living things to exist as if it is hunting them. It is very dangerous and the source of all magic. It is the mystical creature that is the bridge between magical world and ordinary world. Whether it is symbolic or literatelly, silverwood is a gate to magical worlds.
And then i found another detail about elves.
In folk stories, Scandinavian elves often play the role of disease spirits. The most common, though the also most harmless case was various irritating skin rashes, which were called älvablåst (elven puff) and could be cured by a forceful counter-blow (a handy pair of bellows was most useful for this purpose). Skålgropar, a particular kind of petroglyph (pictogram on a rock) found in Scandinavia, were known in older times as älvkvarnar (elven mills), because it was believed elves had used them. One could appease the elves by offering a treat (preferably butter) placed into an elven mill.
In order to protect themselves and their livestock against malevolent elves, Scandinavians could use a so-called Elf cross (Alfkors, Älvkors or Ellakors), which was carved into buildings or other objects. It existed in two shapes, one was a pentagram, and it was still frequently used in early 20th-century Sweden as painted or carved onto doors, walls, and household utensils to protect against elves.The second form was an ordinary cross carved onto a round or oblong silver plate. This second kind of elf cross was worn as a pendant in a necklace, and to have sufficient magic, it had to be forged during three evenings with silver, from nine different sources of inherited silver. In some locations it also had to be on the altar of a church for three consecutive Sundays.
Since elves were considered dangerous, they made 'pentagram' for protection. As if it is meant to be protection spell. Does this pentagram looks familiar?
Isnt this just like map Qifrey showed to his students. The 5 tests that every witch has to take, the so-called adventure is also drawn as pentagram in map. I hardly find this concidence. The librarians probably know this and made that pentagram to protect people from 'elves' or 'some mystical creatures. And 'silver' is one of the things used for protection against them.
The idea of elves can be grouped in different types, they might be strong creatures, monstrous or human-ish like creatures. Maybe they exist in this story or this will stay as the symbolism for magic, forbidden magic. Because i dont think brimhats are elves or supernatural beings. But they use that mysterous power. Its also interesting that Coco is 'hope' for them. What if the world itself is already in danger and while wise ones try to avoid fight, brimhats trying to be saved from whatever that is?
I think Iguin was /is normal human. Qifrey isnt human. That also fits the conflict of the story and Coco's dilemma perfectly. Because it would mean that his existence is the forbidden magic.
Remember how Coco is drawn as Alice and Qifrey as white rabbit. Coco will always be curious and chase after mysterious rabbit into magical world and white rabbit will lead her to worlds of magic, to the rabbithole. When she fell, world will fall apart. (Also, every time i saw Coco with tree in official art, i think of she looks like some sacrifice to ritual or something. Her and Qifrey.
Anyway, Norse mythology and elves hae very detailed storyline so i tried to summarize and show its connection the best way possible. Those are the sources i used for research.
The boy who came from Slistas: in which I theorise that Qifrey is a tree
So I have read Witch Hat Atelier, I have connected way too many dots, and I have concluded that Qifrey is a silver tree who was turned human and experimented upon to allow the Brimhats to perform blood magic. And he is a little freaked out about the whole situation.
Please come dive down that rabbit hole with me (detailed spoilers up to Chapter 40 under the cut):
@labarch you are not crazy op. I have been thinking about this since long time. Something sbout Qifreys character and origin is different than other hosts of silver tree. And whole blood thing as if tree is originally comes from some human-ish creature like maybe elves or some kind of deity (the one that knight of moralis scared of), Qifrey is definitely related to that deity. And i found theory about Iguin and Qifrey. Iguin is originally that deity's son and Qifrey is 'the clone'. Aka Yngwi and Frey (norse and germanic mitology), the son of sea god. Same existence in a way but they have different identities for some reason which would fit the twin bottle theory of qifrey and iguin. (I knew that i shouldve look at mitology stuff. A lot of authors take inspiration from those kind of interesting storiesm.)
I would like to mention a few things from novel. I said this but i think i wrote longer than i planned. Its a little small analysis of things going on in novel. So be aware of novel spoilers.
1st story aka glassfox's escape:
First story starts with Qifreys disapperance and Ollugrio worries about him. (Besides the caring part, you cant blame him because Qifrey disappear like a ghost. Boy leave trace behind, you johan liebert wannabe).
Anyway, it seems that Qifrey just happenned to help people in village. Olly finds him in snowy mountain and they later decide to help a girl who has colour blind-like Tartah and they help her to get out of abusive step-father and find job at jewelry because she is very good with details. Its cute. And one of a few things i would like to focus on is that Qifrey lead this 'we will help you' situation.
We always focus on Ollugrio's kindness which he is but so is Qifrey. He doesnt help people for favor. He help anyone he could. This is why Dagda went his house to ask for help because he heard 'theres a witch who help people'. Qifrey has a reputation regarding helping people. He is also very gentle with the child as he was always. He always takes the lead to helping people and of course, Ollugrio supports him. Another example would be when they helped Richeh. Qifrey, again takes the lead to help the child. Ollugrio looks at Qifrey with a proud face, maybe impressed by how far he came.
And the other stuff would be orufrey moments in first story. Ollugrio looks for the only person he considered him friend. I think its very interesting detail, that Ollugrio doesnt really consider other people close, despite the fact that he is very very popular. And maybe thats the reason. From all the child Olly scenes, we know he is 'genius, golden child' and some idolized him for it and some resent him for it. And Ollugrio doesnt seem to enjoy that kind of attention, 'high expectations, pressure' probably exhaust him. His childhood trauma of unable to save others. That 'he is witch so he has to save everyone'. This also shows how the secret of magic put pressure on witches while making outsiders defendless.
Anyway, why Qifrey? One would be Qifreys resemblance with snow (Ollys home), mysterious aura and glassfox beauty. We have official art of glassfox and Qifrey side by side. Its really similar and glassfoxes are also good at erasing their traces, like certain person. And very sacrifical creatures when it comes to protecting their young ones. And very beautiful, as also confirmed by Ollugrio himself. Second reason would be that Qifrey doesnt really treat Olly the way 'most' treats him. That kind of 'normal treatment' mustve been very refreshing for Ollugrio. And of course, Qifrey's victimhood makes him wanna project "his savoury complex' on him. He cares and worries about Qifrey so much and cant blame him, considering how Qifrey left like that.
And the line 'i would go to snow mountain for important person'. I am not sure that this is Qifrey or Ollugrio is talking but it was very sweet.
And if anyone wondering when this all happenned, it seems that they graduated and live together because Olly looked for Qifreys bedroom and wait at his home like a week. And this is before Qifrey took 5th test. The last one that makes you qualified enough to take students.
2nd story:
Second story was focusing on more current time. Qifrey and Ollugrio were busy and kids were home alone.
It was so cute that Tetia and Richeh missed Qifrey. And this story was about children taking care of dragon. Qifrey decided that it would be fun for them. (Agott was against at first but girls sabotaged her to shut her down lol.)
And four of them one by one taking care of little dragon in their own unique way was so cute. Its sake their personality. Coco cooking, Richeh giving rubbons, Agott educating, Tetia bathing. And all of them sleeping together at the end.
I am not sure that this will be foreshadowing for the future but Coco talked about dragon story, what she heard from her mom. Its about lonely dragon in village. This reminded me of current dragon arc when Tetia thought about loneliness in dragon death. Maybe its related to her story, or in general. It reminded of me so i wanted to share.
At the end, dragon owner came to take her. Apperantly, they had to stay for the night so they got Ollugrios room so Olly has no choice but to borrow Qifreys bedroom lol.
And i found last scene with Qifrey very emotional. He looked at them and thought they will leave one day but he wants them to feel that they are at home until then--pain. I hope, those four even when they became grown-up, they never leave Qifrey's side.
3rd story:
Last story focused on Knights of Moralis. I am not really sure about the timeline here.
It was mainly about them covering themselves for the operation. A few cute details. Easthies and Luluci were so pretty. They were pretending to be couple. In one scene, Luluci was sorry for one animal and Easthies immediately tried to buy that animal for its safety. (I think its worth to mention Luluci and Easthies's connection. They seem to pay attention and care for each others worries).
And the other scene was some random woman's flirting with Easthies and him freaking out and assuming that 'they must be brimhats', lol.
Anyway, they later learnt that this operation was unrelated to forbidden magic. It were 'non-magic crime' so they stopped involving. Because apperantly, outsiders and witches cant get involve??? Fortunately, Easthies gave hints to other 'outsider' knights so that they could arrest them. And at the end, we found out that knights of moralis didnt get Credit for their hardwork and that they apperantly dont mind because 'protecting order is their job'.
All these outsider-witch stuff was far more extreme than we thought. Eoleo wasnt assuming when he said to Tetia, that 'outsider and witch cant be friends'. They officialy arent allowed to be involved romantically. I get it but this is insane.
I found interesting detail about Utowin. He looked like he was more empathic towards the criminal who was treated as useless by his big brother. He probably saw himself in him. Maybe because he felt similar ways when his father compared him with Ollugrio as child. Or maybe more.
And another scene is found interesting with Easthies. I found this scene a little too specific and personal. The way Easthies viewed that white Wolf as if it is something he wasnt supposed to exist. I Wonder what did he see in it. Magic or himself or maybe someone he cared for. His idea of gentleness is also very tragic and cruel in a way because that wolf deserved to live.
I know the picture frame is recurring motif through the whole series, but I've always found these two chapter covers side by side to be particularly striking. The many many layers of Qifrey versus Olruggio remaining the same through every slice of time.
I know it might not be 'that deep' or it can be unintentional in terms of writing but sometimes, i really think March has mental retardation. Not even compared to Danheng, but just in general. She isnt just being 'dumb'. She really seems confused at many times, that its worrying. She is very impulsive, has very simple child-like world perspective, she is a very slow learner, often confused by a little complicated problems. Her room pretty much reflects her personality. Light Pink, toys. It's like she is a little girl. She can also be easiely decieved by TB or others when facts are pretty much obvious. Yes, she might be dissociating herself to protect from painful memories but that doesnt explain many very 'slow and confused' reactions.
It's funny how canon idea of character is different from 'fanon'. When i first saw Sunday and Phainon, i immediately knew that i will love them and they became my faves. But of course hearing random comments about them gave me misideas.
For example:
Fanon Phainon: Where is Mydei?! Let's compete woof woof.
Fanon Mydei: Hmph who cares about you, b-baka.
Canon Mydei: Here you are, delivererrrr. (This guy always finds Phainon)
Canon Phainon: Oh hey, my closest friend. Lets compete!!
Fanon made me think 'Phainon is one of those puppy top type.' And that 'he is obsessively follow Mydei'. And i am really glad that he isnt one of those creepy stalkers. He is very kind and precious, gets along with everyone. And unlike cliche tsundere trope, Mydei is really honorable character. You can tell he really cares for Phainon. I ship them btw. I really enjoyed their canon connection.
Phainon's inferior complex with Mydei tells a lot about his hero complex but he also can be more himself around him. While his kind presence is softening Mydei's heart. Aglaea literally used Phainon to make Mydei join the team, its so funny.
Mydei: So what makes you think things will happen that way?
*Kind village boy puts his hand to his heart and closes his eyes*
Phainon: Because i know in my heart.
Mydei:..........hmph. Very well. Lets do that. Delivererrrrr.
On other hand, there is Sunday and Robin.
Fanon Sunday: Siscon,obsessed with his sister.
Fanon Robin: Stop it, brother.
Canon Sunday: Caring for sister and everyone, very respectful and elegant.
Canon Robin: Oh brother. (I love she literally sold their world for her brother.)
They both equally care for each other. Sunday is a lot softer than people make him out to be. He is just like Phainon, 'everyone's hero' type of person. While Robin is just like Mydei in a way. They prioritize 'their people'. How Mydei is more protective of his people and how Robin can be very scary and protective when it comes to her brother. Anyway again, i really loved canon Robin Sunday relationship. They are like twins, part of each other.
It was surprising for me enjoy this much from those relationships because fanon kinda gave misconcept about characters. And i am really glad the find out that its not and they are more.
What do you think about Sunday and Aventurine? and their interaction in 2.1, I know Sunday did what he had to do but I just have a strong dislike for him ever since. He is an interesting character though.
I mentioned on a previous ask that I wanted to talk about narrative foils/character parallels, and that ask mentioned Aventurine being similar to Robin and a little to Sunday. But I thought I'd combine that character foils idea with this post about Sunday because...
Aventurine and Sunday are Near Perfect Character Parallels
(Also sorry to Youtuber Fayato who I screencapped this image from; I literally couldn't find a single other good image of Aventurine and Sunday in the same frame!)
In media, the concept of the narrative foil refers to a character who contrasts another character; by setting the two characters and their plots side by side, the audience is better able to understand the traits of the central character.
And by setting two surprisingly similar characters in opposition to each other, it becomes very clear how even those facing similar circumstances can take diametrically opposed paths in life.
First, let's start with the basics:
Aventurine and Sunday are both characters whose real fathers were never in the picture, and who lost their mothers right in front of their eyes to traumatizing events.
They both experienced the violent deaths ("death" in Sunday's case) of their sisters.
They both were "rescued" by people who intended to use them by growing them ("grooming them" in Sunday's case) into a figure of authority.
They were both told they were "chosen ones" growing up. And yet ultimately this status as the chosen one is in doubt: Aventurine isn't sure if his family's faith is real, while Gopher Wood tells Sunday that Penacony's chosen should have been Robin all along.
They both became self-sacrificial, Aventurine through his obvious willingness to throw his life away, and Sunday through his plan to remain outside the sweet dream to be its keeper while everyone else got to live in "paradise."
They both are trapped by their situations, Sunday by his inability to leave the cage, Aventurine by his inability to accept the life he isn't able to throw away.
They both became the "villain" of their respective patches and both faced "death."
Personality-wise, they both strongly favor being in control, to the point that their scene together is an aggressive power struggle over each other.
This is how the "future" Aventurine describes himself:
Does it sound familiar? It should, since that's exactly how people describe Sunday.
But they also both prioritize their families, and they are equally altruistic at the core while seemingly self-centered on the exterior.
They both, of course, have the blessing of an aeon.
And here's where I'm going to take a massive tangent, but it's important: I do tend to be among those who think there is at least some connection between Ena, the Order, and Gaiathra.
I've heard all sorts of reasons that they can't be two different concepts for the same being, from the whole "Gaiathra is a goddess of trickery and that's not related to order" to the whole "the Order's followers worship with song while Gaiathra's followers specifically don't," but I think something that has been missing from the discussion of Ena and Gaiathra's possible connection is that "Order" as a concept has entirely different definitions depending on which cultural context you approach it from.
The most mainstream modern concept of "Order" is something that is imposed: A power from on high descends to quell the chaos of the mortal world, to "bring order" through guidance to humanity. This is very Abrahamic, very modern Christian, and that is reflected in the imagery surrounding Sunday. Sunday, as a manifestation of the Order's power, believes he will be able to uplift Penacony from the mire, free people from their unfulfilled desires and confusion, and bring about perpetual peace by enforcing his understanding of harmony on the populace trapped in the dream.
Sunday's Order is not the natural state of the world but something that must be carefully cultivated and maintained, a constant battle against the chaotic forces of life and its temptations. This type of "Order" promises an idyllic future, but at the cost of the present freedom of everyone who submits to the law, who must surrender their original fate for a structured sweet dream.
We understand this concept of "Order" because at its core, it's the one that modern societies largely embrace--ruling authorities establish laws that must be followed at all costs, even when they risk the freedoms of individuals, because they ultimately (supposedly) support a greater good. A majority of society adheres to the laws handed down from on-high, and life functions relatively stably.
Yet this conception of "Order" is predicated on the idea that the course of people's lives is decided first and foremost by the people themselves--which is why they can make mistakes, go astray, and need to be shepherded in the first place.
Without imposing structure through authoritarian power, this type of "Order" will crumble away in an instant, because this view assumes that rightness can only created by humanity, and that chaos--not order--is the natural state of existence.
Ena, who holds worlds tidily contained in her hands, who is tangled in puppet strings, who wears a hood like a nun or the Virgin Mary, and who is haloed like a Christian angel, clearly represents this definition of "Order" to a T.
But... this is not how humanity has always defined "Order."
It was not always taken for granted that people had the power of self-determination, and in fact, for many centuries and across many cultures, the concept of "the order of the world" was tied directly to the concept of destiny. Whether a volcano would explode and destroy your entire civilization, whether floods would swallow your city, whether the crops would grow or fail all depended on the pre-made decisions of supernatural powers, who were in turn often personified concepts of the natural world itself. What happened to any given individual, what twists and turns their life would take, whether they would achieve their dreams or not--all these aspects were also predetermined, decided not by the actions of the individual but by fate itself.
Thus, the world and everything in it has a natural order. Things may seem chaotic, they may even seem unbelievably horrible, but all events in existence unfold as they should. We may not understand why, but everything occurs in due course, woven into an endlessly repeating pattern on the fates' loom--spring becomes summer, life becomes death, disasters happen and are healed from, children are born and grow old. If it is your fate to die, you will. If it is your fate to fight and live, you will. To reject this natural order would be as futile as telling the sun not to rise.
The words "order" and "ordained" have the same origin.
Enter Gaiathra. First of all, she is the Star Rail equivalent of a pagan goddess--her worship exists separate of the confirmed existence of aeons, by an uncontacted and non-space-faring race. Even her description, being triple-eyed, evokes other "triple goddess" figures across history, both in modern interpretations (the triple goddess of Neopaganism) and in ancient mythologies (the three fates of Greece, the Tridevi of Hindu culture, etc.).
She is strongly associated with the natural world: The planet of Sigonia is said to be a manifestation of her very body, the rain is her blessing and acknowledgment, and she goes through a yearly cycle of death and rebirth (calling the cycle of the seasons to mind). She is said to be a goddess of both fertility and travel (likely in the sense of nomadic wandering by the time Aventurine was born). Avgin worship of the goddess manifests in the form of sacrificial cyclic knots.
Which might call to mind another pagan culture well-known for their cyclic knots: the Celts, whose famous Celtic knots represent cycles of eternity, unity, and the interconnected nature of life itself.
The Avgin prayer to Gaiathra focuses on elements of a person's life that all might be determined by "fate"--will your blood keep flowing, will your journey be peaceful, will your schemes stay hidden? It hopes that things will be as they should, that the future ahead of you is predetermined to be a good one, and that the cycle of life decided by the goddess will be in one's favor.
But while the Avgin hope for good things, they also strongly espouse embracing the reality of one's life, with suffering and hardships seen as manifestations of fate that should be accepted as facts of life. It is said that any society blessed by the Order ultimately falls--is it not the natural fate of all societies to one day fall? For mankind to return to the dust and be reborn anew?
Whatever will be, will be.
There is a reason--a logic--an order--to everything that happens.
I hope you can see where I'm going with this: While Sunday and Ena represent the concept of "Order" as a result of self-determination, a power "the strong" can wield to overcome the inherent chaos of reality, Aventurine and Gaiathra represent a different, older concept of "Order" (I can't help but see the entirely separate eye lurking behind Ena?): existence is not inherently chaotic but instead is foreordained, following endless orderly cycles life and death, weal and woe, rise and fall.
PHEW! Okay, so all of that to say Aventurine and Sunday make perfect parallels through a mirror darkly, even when it comes to the blessings they've been granted: One imposes order from on high; one continually rolls the dice despite knowing the inevitable outcome.
Both of their stories are entirely intertwined with the concept of fate, whether by opposing it...
Or accepting it.
And even at the end of Penacony, we leave both Sunday and Aventurine in precarious positions. Aventurine, while ostensibly "victorious," faces another roll of the dice immediately after Penacony, when his future as a Stoneheart is called into question. Yet "fate" comes through for him again--his bet, as always, comes true. His future isn't in question--it is the question itself. What's next? He finally wants to live to find out.
Sunday, meanwhile, ends Penacony's arc in a truly difficult place. He's virtually exiled from the only home he's ever known, a flightless bird tossed out of his cage into cold hard reality. He has to find an entirely new way forward and may even be forced to reckon with an entirely new definition of "Order" itself.
The parallels between these two characters are entirely intentional and very, very blatant, and I am exceedingly interested in seeing whether their paths diverge or continue to reflect similar fates moving forward.
They both were sooo ready to kill themselves was the biggest proof lol. I really felt bad for Aventurine while i admire Sunday's dreams. Its a shame that they arent friends.
A Look at Ratio and Aventurine... and Ratio/Aventurine
I was morally obligated to use this picture.
Anyway, I got an ask about my understanding of Ratio and Aventurine's relationship both in canon and as a ship that I have been holding on to for a while now because... phew, there's like... a lot to talk about there... But I felt I should at least give it a try, so here is my attempt to comment on the intersection of two of Star Rail's most complicated personalities. Long post is longgggg; you have been warned.
First, Aventurine's canon relationship to Ratio:
In the interest of not hitting tumblr's image limit, let's just throw out some of the information we have in one go:
It's pretty complimentary. (Yet somehow...)
The implication of the infamous "Keeping Up with Star Rail" video is that Ratio understands Aventurine better than anyone else, and Aventurine knows this. At the very least, putting all shipping aside, Ratio is the person who can explain Aventurine's behaviors best. He's the person Aventurine chooses do so. This suggests significantly more knowledge of each other's lives than the game first led us to believe.
Other people (read as: my GOAT Owlbert) perceive respect from Aventurine to Ratio, and although I read them as a bit sarcastic, the 2.1 mission logs not only repeatedly confirm that Aventurine views Ratio as smart and reliable, but that Ratio is reliable "as always," again indicating a longer and closer history of collaboration than we get to actively see in game. The devs were working hard to tell us "Penacony isn't Ratiorine's first rodeo," which is interesting--given Topaz's voiceline recommending the Trailblazer avoid working with Aventurine whenever possible, we're led to believe through 2.0 and 2.1 that not many people will willingly work with Aventurine more than once, let alone many times.
While going through psychological scrutiny from the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come his Harmony-infused self, the "Future" Aventurine suggests that Ratio and Aventurine are quite similar, and that Aventurine puts a surprising amount of trust in Ratio, to be willing to hinge such a dangerous plan on something as untested as Ratio's ability to act. At the very least, Aventurine's own psyche is pondering on Ratio and whether or not their connection has any emotional meaning.
But despite all this evidence suggesting Ratio and Aventurine spend significantly more time with each other than we get to see in game, Aventurine's own thoughts cast strong doubt on whether he and Ratio are actually close.
Aventurine's "About Dr. Ratio" voice line suggests that Aventurine believes Ratio does not particularly like him. He seems to think that Ratio would prefer to stay away from IPC operations where possible, and it's "unfortunate" for Ratio to be stuck with Aventurine as a conversation partner. He's tolerated, rather than enjoyed. His overall impression seems to be that Ratio mostly views them as distant coworkers.
When the "Future" Aventurine suggests Ratio did not betray Aventurine willingly, actual Aventurine immediately pushes back:
(Personally I'm on the fence about whether this was real doubt or just a ploy to continue sussing out Sunday; see my other post about this scene for some more thoughts.)
But if we take this statement to be played straight, it implies that Aventurine doesn't fully believe Ratio will side with him, even (maybe especially) in dire circumstances. If this statement is real doubt, then despite considering Ratio the person who best understands him, despite building an entire life or death gamble around Ratio's loyalty... Aventurine still doesn't think Ratio even likes him.
Aventurine's not stupid or blind, so theoretically he should be able to read the situation better than that. But actually, there's plenty of evidence both in the game and outside it to suggest that Aventurine is not the most accurate judge of his own relationships to others and is a down-right terrible judge of his own worth as a person.
"Future" Aventurine suggests that one of Aventurine's deep inner flaws--the truths that he rejects about himself--is a massive inferiority complex. This is backed up well by the mission text, where Aventurine's thoughts about himself spiral into self-harm, and the scene in the maze, where "Future" Aventurine taunts our Aventurine with the unforgettable fact that his entire life was only worth pennies:
There's also pretty consistent self-deprecation, with both "Future" and real Aventurine noting several times that he's a pathetic mess of a person that other people don't trust or like.
The overall impression 2.0-2.1 left me with is that Aventurine is perfectly capable of respecting and caring for others, but virtually incapable of accepting other people genuinely respecting and caring for him.
Part of this seems to stem from the directly-stated sense that he's a failure whose only worth is in transactional exchanges, using and being used by others (there's so many layers to this--internalized racism even), but I also suspect that much of his inability to accept genuine connection from others is defensive behavior.
Aventurine's true self, Kakavasha, is deeply hidden away, like the ghost of the child that manifests from his Harmony delusion in the Dreamscape. Although Aventurine clings to that person, claiming that he has "never changed," he actively coats over his beliefs, his kindness, and his authenticity with the mask of a "cavalier gambler," with glitz and glamor and showy distractions. No one gets to see Kakavasha. No one gets to know him, because being buried deep in the dirt is the only way to remain untouchable, and fiercely keeping one's distance is the only safe bet. (For both Kakavasha and any fools who would doom themselves by daring to care for him.)
So: Canon is telling us that Ratio is one of, if not the, closest people in the world to Aventurine. But canon is also telling us that that still means absolutely nothing at all, because Aventurine won't let himself be close to anyone living.
Aventurine's senses of self-worth, trust, attachment, and safety have been warped so badly by ongoing and untreated trauma and mental health issues that, at least until the end of 2.1, I just don't think he was capable of even accepting genuine friendship from Ratio, let alone anything more.
(Interesting side note here: Ratio is actually one of the people Aventurine calls "my friend" the least. He only says it directly to Ratio a single time in all of their lines of dialogue across 2.0 and 2.1, and even then, does so only when right outside Sunday's door, while almost certainly being spied upon by the Family. Anyone who knows how often "my friend" is peppered into Aventurine's dialogue otherwise should know that the absence of the phrase is actually pretty telling. It almost feels like canon Aventurine's not even sure he can call Ratio his friend, at least to Ratio's face.)
Which makes Ratio's canon relationship to Aventurine quite sad and ironic:
From start to finish, Ratio canonically esteems Aventurine more highly than almost any other character in the game. I'm not even talking about shipping when I say that there is no character Ratio is closer to in the entire game.
At present, Ratio has only four voice lines about other characters, and of those four, Aventurine's is the only one that isn't someone from the Genius Society. The only one. Ratio's voice lines are also notably, uh, not very complimentary. Herta is "talented but not helpful to others" and "sees no one as her equal" (read as: she's self-absorbed). Screwllum is a "monarch, rather than a genius" (with the vague implications of being a tyrant), and Ruan Mei is overly ambitious and "fooling everyone."
Meanwhile, Aventurine is "our man" (who is "our" Ratio? who?) whose success "can't all be chalked up to luck," implying that part of Aventurine's success must come from skill. Ratio notes that Aventurine questions his own ability... but as far as Ratio's evaluation goes, he seems to doubt that Aventurine will ever experience a downfall. For someone who thinks 99% of the people he meets are mediocre failures scrambling around in the filth of existence, to be recognized as skilled and unlikely to fail is quite obviously glowing praise.
Then, of course, there are numerous moments that echo Aventurine's hints, implying that Ratio spends significantly more time with Aventurine than we see on-screen, that he knows Aventurine extremely well, and, although he tries (vainly) to pretend he isn't, he's clearly quite concerned with what Aventurine thinks of him.
Especially this last one. "No wonder that gambler likes you so much" is pretty intentional on the devs' part, confirming that Ratio and Aventurine are having off-screen conversations we players are not privy to, which obviously would indicate a closer relationship than the in-game cutscenes could cover.
Then, Trailblazer has the option to flat out ask Ratio to "rate" Aventurine. (Star Rail ship bait is not even subtle.)
At first, this line might read as all over the place:
"The bosses say we're partners but I wouldn't say that" -> Read as: Ratio wants people to know how their relationship is classified but doesn't want to admit to being actually invested.
"I see myself as the teacher to everyone I meet" -> Read as: Ratio at least pretends that he doesn't view anyone as his equal; everyone is either above him--geniuses--or below him--students.
"Aventurine is not that bad of a student" -> High praise; even Ratio can't pretend Aventurine's untalented.
"Actually, Aventurine's probably in metaphysical danger" -> Read as: Ratio is aware of the "void" Aventurine is experiencing and his mental struggles.
The ultimate takeaway of Ratio's "rating" actually says more about Ratio than Aventurine. When it comes down to it, Ratio's choice to answer this question for the Trailblazer instead of dismiss it tells us that Ratio has spent time quantifying and trying to define his relationship with Aventurine, is willing to at least discuss that relationship with other people (when we have no evidence he ever discusses any other personal/non-academic matters with anyone), and that Ratio pays attention to Aventurine's mental states.
Canon Ratio is not beating the allegations, I'm afraid.
But actually, I think the biggest tell about Ratio's canon relationship to Aventurine is that Ratio's behavior completely changes the moment Aventurine appears in the game.
In every single one of Ratio's other appearances, two facts are hammered home again and again:
First, Ratio hates interacting with fools and "noisy" people. He wears his plaster bust so that he doesn't even have to see them. Canonically, we're informed by both March 7th and Argenti that Ratio brought and was wearing his headpiece in Penacony. Curiously though...
The players never see it throughout 2.X--probably because 90% of Ratio's scenes are with Aventurine, and Ratio is never shown wearing his bust on screen with Aventurine--even in their very first meeting in the Final Victor lightcone. Aventurine clearly knows of the bust, but despite Ratio verbally going on and on about how Aventurine is the most "flashy" and "devoid of logic" person Ratio knows... the devs deliberately send their message: Ratio has chosen not to cut himself off from Aventurine.
Aventurine can be more "clamorous" than a screaming peacock, but Ratio will still not put up walls against him. This isn't accidental. The devs had every opportunity in the world to go the opposite route and make jokes about Ratio refusing to take the bust off in Aventurine's obnoxious presence; instead they decided that Ratio apparently has a glaring, Aventurine-shaped exception to his "I don't want to perceive you fools or be perceived by you" life rule.
This "willing to tolerate shenanigans only if Aventurine is involved" behavior continues basically throughout all of Penacony's plot. In 2.3 for example, if you turn around and talk to Ratio again on the Radiant Feldspar, he flat out says:
But there's no actual explanation for why he's there in the first place. He mentions he was assigned to watch over "the IPC's ambassadors," which theoretically should apply to Jade and Topaz, yet we never see him interacting with them in any capacity. He's never even shown in the same room as Jade or Topaz, and he's not shown doing any other form of business for the IPC on the Feldspar either. Theoretically, he could have been on the Feldspar to meet regarding the Divergent Universe... except Screwllum wasn't there yet, and Ratio doesn't mention a single word about the Divergent Universe to the Trailblazer.
The only person Ratio talks about in his dialogue on the Feldspar is Aventurine, and the only non-Trailblazer he talks to in 2.3 at all is also Aventurine, replying to him and only him in the group chat.
He looked like he might give it a shot to try to befriend Boothill and Argenti at the end of 2.3... but immediately changes his mind and leaves without saying a word to them.
It's not really a stretch to suggest that the only reasonable excuse for Ratio to attend the party on the Feldspar was if he was there for Aventurine, a behavior that he himself notes is out of character. ("A waste of time" he says, as he stands there anyway.)
But, second and even more importantly: Ratio's single most defining character trait is that he believes people need to pick themselves up. The entire point of his debut appearance in the game was to present his philosophy that if the powerful or privileged intervene to continually "save" the mediocre, ordinary people will never learn for themselves or get the chance to grow. It is in times of desperation, he says, that fools exceed their limits and reach greatness.
This is why, in 1.6, he insisted on Asta and the Trailblazer being the ones to solve the attacks happening on the space station, without relying on Screwllum or the other geniuses. Although Ratio did actively intervene a little (using the phase flame to save the researchers from death), he did so only from behind the scenes, where his actual help would not be noticed by those affected and where it had no impact on their decision-making or their struggles to solve the mystery.
He let Asta and the Trailblazer panic. He let them flounder. He even deliberately misled them at points, claiming that Duke Inferno must have kidnapped the researchers (when it was actually Ratio himself who re-routed them).
Ultimately, Ratio let Asta and the Trailblazer grow from their experiences.
This is also why he lets the Trailblazer go blazing in to fight Ruan Mei's faux emanator of the propagation, despite knowing that Trailblazer was not actually strong enough to win. Ratio watched and was ready to intervene... but in the end he did not, because it was the Trailblazer's fight to lose.
Ratio's most defining character trait is that he believes standing back and observing is the true kindness, rather than inserting oneself and denying people their autonomy or opportunities to grow.
Buttttt... then there's Aventurine, and suddenly the story is completely different.
Suddenly, Ratio isn't an observer but becomes essential to the plan. He's even walking around making big claims about being the manager of the task, flexing all of his C+ acting ability to actively carry out their mutual ploy.
In 2.3, he claims he was just there to watch, and his Penacony sticker asserts he's only "a supporting character"--yet we have never seen Ratio take a more active role in the entire game. Unlike with the Trailblazer in 1.6, he's not primarily watching events unfold from shadowy corners. He's in Penacony as Aventurine's active partner in crime.
And, even more telling--he later jeopardizes their entire mission just to ask if Aventurine needs help.
What? Huh? The character who is famous for the voice line "You look distressed. Is something troubling you? If so, you can figure it out for yourself" is suddenly offering his assistance entirely unprompted?
The guy whose motto might as well be:
Is suddenly out here throwing his own core philosophy out the window to solve Penacony's mystery for Aventurine and save him from himself in Aventurine's hour of greatest need?
A lot of people get hung up on the second half of Ratio's letter, the part about staying alive, which of course is very sweet. But I think the second half causes people to forget that the first part of Ratio's letter is, quite literally, the answer to Penacony's mystery.
Ratio gave Aventurine the answer.
This is like if your professor just gave you and you alone the score key to the final exam and then turned around to insist he "doesn't play favorites."
Of course, Aventurine is brilliant and didn't need Ratio's answer about dormancy, which makes the fact that Ratio went out of the way to give it to him even more odd. Ratio despises unnecessary repetition. If he wasn't dead worried, he would never have given Aventurine an answer that Aventurine had the power to find on his own.
And, as far as canon tells us, Ratio has never done this for anyone else.
The difference is night and day. It's literally the Gordon Ramsay meme, with everyone else in the entire game being the "fucking donkeys" to Aventurine's "Oh dear. Gorgeous."
So: Even if we entirely put aside shipping, if we look strictly at what we're given in canon:
Ratio treats Aventurine with more respect than he treats most other characters in the game.
He involves himself in Aventurine's struggles in a way that he flat out refuses to do for anyone else.
He compromises his own beliefs purely out of concern for Aventurine.
So, at least as far as we've been shown in canon, it is accurate to state that Aventurine is the closest character to Ratio--and unlike Aventurine (king of self-gaslighting), Ratio isn't even good at acting like he doesn't care.
Frankly, the whole thing is a little sad. Ratio's behavior is so blatantly out of character that a smart person like Aventurine should easily be able to determine it is genuine, but Aventurine's personal hang-ups and ongoing trauma make it difficult for him to even see that authenticity, let alone put faith in it. Even in canon, Ratio is mostly unable to help himself when it comes to Aventurine, which is especially unfortunate given how badly skewed Aventurine's perception of himself and others is by the start of Penacony's story.
PHEW! I finally made it through canon content!
Now there's just... everything else... 🫠
Well, to be honest, I don't think I could ever manage to put all my thoughts about this ship into one post. Probably not even fifty posts.
So rather than trying to say everything there is to say about Ratiorine, what I want to focus on is how fantastically these two characters just fit together. Like puzzle pieces that need to be mirror opposites in order to link, these two characters parallel each other while also perfectly filling in each other's voids. It's some of the best character pair writing I've seen in a long time (though I'm still sort of convinced it was at least 50% sheer luck on Hoyo's part), and my perspective on their ship can really be tied to my underlying perception of Ratio and Aventurine's characters as remarkably similar individuals:
It's obvious that Aventurine is not a healthy or well-adjusted adult man, but like... neither is Ratio.
Both of these characters are "not quite right" marginalized people who, at least in my interpretation, have essentially given up on even faking normality and are now just vaguely play acting their way through being functioning members of a universe that is entirely unequipped to accept them for who they are. In a world full of cyborg cowboys and people with wings growing from their heads, the game still manages to somehow convince us that Aventurine and Ratio are odd ones out.
Kakavasha can't even exist in the dystopian capitalist hellscape of the IPC's machinations. "Aventurine" isn't even a real person, just a never-ending performance, a slick, devil-may-care persona without a single ounce of substance.
Ratio, meanwhile, is a world of one, rejected from the only place he thought he could find validation and acceptance but unable to lower himself to fit in anywhere else.
Aventurine is so bad at making genuine connections that he turns everyday conversations into gambles because he doesn't believe people will care enough to keep talking to him without tangible incentive.
Ratio's insistence on treating everyone as students, not as equals, also means he has an excuse to never emotionally engage with anyone he meets. (This is not at all a textbook method of intentional avoidance to prevent any chance of social rejection. Not at all.)
At the end of the day, Aventurine and Ratio both come across as desperately lonely, and so caught up in their own situations that they really don't have the ability to climb out of that hole on their own.
Preventing them from even being able to maintain any form of relationship is also the fact that neither one of them can even find justification. Neither one of them has a reasonable answer to the question "Why am I alive?" anymore, because Aventurine's reason died on Sigonia and Ratio's reason died with an IPC invitation instead of a Genius Society letter. Though their differing perspectives have led them on opposite paths pursuing their own answers to that ultimate question of "Why should I keep living?" (Aventurine was headed toward giving up before the end of Penacony, while Ratio has invented an immeasurable, impossible goal to distract himself from feeling purposeless), both of them are pretty much miserably unfulfilled in their current lives.
They're also both violently allergic to emotional vulnerability and to having any of their flaws or true desires actually be perceived. Both of them put up insanely high walls. Aventurine pushes boundaries with everyone he meets to provoke their hatred in advance, before they can come to disdain him for his "real" flaws. He acts out harmful racist stereotypes to use others' preconceptions for advantage, manipulating every situation he's in--incidentally affirming the stereotypes against his people by doing so.
Ratio puts a physical wall of plaster between himself and others, but the plaster bust actually doesn't have anything on the mental and emotional gymnastics he's engaged in to justify his isolation from the world, doing everything in his power to convince himself that he's isolated by choice, that it's perfectly logical for Veritas Ratio to have nowhere to truly belong, no one to truly belong with. He's so mundane after all. Of course the geniuses don't want him, that's just commonsense. But everyone else is so... different, so foolish, so illogical... It just wouldn't be reasonable of him to try to become one of them either, to be their friend instead of their distant educator. (You know, if you never try to integrate with others, then they can't reject you. Ratio has learned his lesson.)
Somehow, Aventurine and Ratio are two of the most competent and successful people in Star Rail's entire universe and simultaneously also two of the most misfit, reject, dysfunctional messes in the game. Like... Blade has a better support network than Aventurine and Ratio combined. The 7000-pound murderous mech with a disabled, genetically-modified war veteran who never got to live a normal human life hiding inside it is more capable of making friends than Aventurine and Dr. Ratio.
Which is why I love that the devs decided to make their canon backstory: "Some absolute treasures in the IPC and the Intelligentsia Guild had the galaxy-brained idea of pairing Ratio and Aventurine as strategic partners." The game's writing really said: "These two characters are so socially stunted, they have to be assigned a relationship like it's homework."
They may not have it all figured out yet, but the fans see the design: Now that Ratio and Aventurine have each other, they're not alone anymore. I have never seen two characters better fit the "Is anyone going to match my freak?" meme only for the actual answer to be "Yes."
Ratio is "plays chess with himself" levels of loner weird? No problem--Aventurine is "Wanna take bets on who's going to die today?" weirder. Ratio wears a plaster bust to ward off idiots? Aventurine transforms into a monster on command, which is pretty much guaranteed to achieve the same effect.
Ratio wasn't chosen by Nous? That's fine, Aventurine's one job as a "chosen one" was to save his people and now they're all dead. Nobody can keep up with Ratio in conversation? Watch a single comment from Aventurine turn him into a fumbling mess on live television.
Ratio's inability to relate to the experiences and development of any peers his own age have left him extremely isolated and with a permanently scarred sense of self-worth? Wow, I wonder if Aventurine knows exactly what that feels like.
They just... fit.
And, changing focus a little here at the end: While I personally think that recovery from trauma requires internal motivation and self-kindness foremost, I also think that Ratio and Aventurine's relationship should be considered from the perspective of how they help to fill each other's gaps.
Unlike any connection at the Genius Society who will always evoke unpleasant memories of Nous's rejection, Aventurine isn't going to make Ratio feel intellectually inferior. Aventurine has nothing but good things to say about Ratio's intelligence, and it's even apparent that Ratio felt comfortable enough to at least mention his Genius Society woes to Aventurine, something he explicitly does not do with anyone else.
Even when it comes to social interactions, Aventurine isn't going to make Ratio feel inadequate, because honestly? Aventurine's almost as bad at them as Ratio. Aventurine is much better at faking it socially, but when it actually counts? When he's trying to be real with others? A solid 70% of the people who meet Aventurine still end up wanting to strangle him. The guy tried to apologize for threatening to detonate the Trailblazer like a bomb by buying them a model train...
Then there's this:
Aventurine is the only character explicitly called Ratio's equal in game, and more than just treating him respectfully as an equal, Aventurine also exhibits one extreme appeal that no one else in game has ever shown to Ratio: Aventurine makes Ratio feel needed. For Aventurine, Ratio is not a forgettable after-thought as he is to Herta and most of the other geniuses. He's not just "some weird guy who scolds me about school" like he is to the Trailblazer. Ratio's intellect and skill were integral to Aventurine's plan from step one to the very end. Ratio has a place in Aventurine's plots. For a character who directly assesses worth by how beneficial a person can be to others, the fact that Aventurine can make Ratio feel wanted and valued probably produced some of the strongest personal fulfillment Ratio has had in years.
On the opposite side, Ratio's in a unique position. Out of every relevant character in Aventurine's story, Ratio is the only one who has nothing to lose by choosing Kakavasha over "Aventurine." Ratio doesn't profit off Aventurine or take any expensive gifts from him, like the Trailblazer does. He doesn't need Aventurine's luck for anything at all. He'd be able to work for the IPC even if Aventurine wasn't in it. Ratio certainly doesn't want the glitz and glamour of a shallow gambling hustler persona. His work doesn't require Aventurine's continued involvement like Topaz's and Jade's does. He'd probably prefer not to know any Stonehearts at all, thank you for asking.
Outside of deliberate-acting insults about Sigonians for Sunday's sake, we're not told that Ratio has any connections to--and therefore has no preconceived biases against--Sigonians. Being a person who values self-determination and a refusal to live in mediocrity above all else, he would have nothing but esteem for how far Aventurine has managed to come despite the harsh circumstances of his life. Ratio probably wouldn't even think Aventurine's belief in Gaiathra is that strange; one of Ratio's doctorates is actually in theology.
Unlike literally everyone else in the universe who needs "Aventurine," we have every indication that Ratio's respect and admiration will only grow when he finally gets to meet "Kakavasha."
Loneliness, rejection, betrayal, a lack of understanding from others--all of these can leave wounds that only genuine, deep bonds with others can heal.
On death's doorway, in the darkest shadow, when Aventurine had to make the choice between passing on to be with the family that loved him and choosing to return to a reality without them... Ratio's letter was there, telling Aventurine the exact thing he needed to hear to choose life: Someone is waiting for you to come home.
If the resounding rejection of Star Rail's Nihility is belief in humanity's power to make meaning in our own lives through our connections to others, then the ultimate message of Ratio and Aventurine's arc in Penacony is that no one needs to be alone. The world is not as empty as you fear.
And that is a message that Ratio and Aventurine can learn best through each other.
I was so annoyed by them in different ways that i end up feeling bad for them and rooting for them lol. I love these type of well written relationships but i need moreeee in canon.
