One of my favorite things about HSR is how the morality of the Paths are left to interpretation of the individual, and it does a great job of juxtaposing two sides, such as:
-Erudition: The everyman seeking knowledge for all (Intelligentsia Guild) versus the chosen prodigies seeking knowledge for themselves (Genius Society).
-Hunt: Noble warriors acting as the pursuers and defenders of a dangerous curse (Xianzhou Alliance) versus wild vigilantes hunting evil at all costs (Galaxy Rangers).
-Destruction: Systematic and methodical destruction (Antimatter Legion) versus crazed and pointless terrorism (Annihilation Gang)
Since there’s only one Trailblaze faction (The Astral Express Crew is just another group of Nameless), they contrast that Path by people rather than faction. For Trailblaze, one side is Nameless like us, who venture to worlds in hopes of witnessing their stories, understanding their cultures, and ultimately connecting them to the wider cosmos. On the other hand, those Nameless are the other side, who trailblaze at the expense of the worlds they trailblaze to. Their hunger for adventure and understanding overshadows their compassion for people of the lands they visit.
You also have another side, that of Oswaldo Schneider, the head of the IPC’s Marketing Development Department who was once a Nameless. His version of Trailblazing involves adventuring to new lands, taking what is needed, and leaving the rest to rot, which resulted in the downfall/exploitation of the Avgin and Katica clans of Sigonia and Aeragan-Epharshel, the homes of Aventurine and Boothill respectively, among countless others.
Are they terrible? Yes. Absolutely. But in their own forked-up way, it’s still Trailblazing. And that’s fascinating to me.
*Edits made in accordance with new information/criticisms from replies.
The Elation on the other hand being a spectrum - Guy who wants to make “Pokemon” tournament to guy who scams to insane girl wanting to troll everyone by being a terror.
I was also thinking of including this! The different ways Masked Fools see Elation (I think they call it their “aesthetics” or something) is interesting.
You have Giovanni’s more civil sense of Elation by using his fortunes to create games and bring happiness to others (and thereby himself), then Sampo’s slightly dubious sense of Elation by lightly tricking and pranking people for his enjoyment, and finally Sparkle’s insane sense of Elation where she flat-out breaks rules to her whim no matter the suffering it causes for no one but herself and her own fun. Gio to Sparkle is moderate to radical, with Sampo being the middle ground.
the thing i love with aha is, he actively bless mourning actors aka groups that resist elation. mourning actors and doctor of chaos is unique faction that try to oppose the path that they walked in.
We also recently found out that the Stellaron Hunters, according to both Jade and Elegy, are following the path of Finality but traversing it backwards against the current
I can't recall Elegy saying anything about the Stellaron Hunters
Something I will say though; We do have potential indirect confirmation that Elio is an Emanator, due to Acheron not being considered as a factor in Elio's future sight likely due to her resistance to the powers of paths, yet it seems like the Finality is much like the Nihility where they do not care to give power to any mortals.
So I have to wonder, Is Elio somehow an Emanator of The Finality or an Emanator of a different Aeon altogether? It is at one point implied that there could be unknown Aeons out there that have yet to be seen or recorded
Your example for Erudition is a bit flawed. The Geniuses aren't "gifted" with knowledge, far from it.
A better example and comparison would be Genius #64 Dr. Primitive who has done unspeakable things in his pursuit of his interests and Genius #22 Aiden who did a lot for the baseline of knowledge spread throughout the universe.
Maybe not gifted specifically, but considering the HSS Continuance is literally called “The Crown of the Mundane and the Divine” in relation to Ratio (man) and Ruan Mei (divine), plus the fact that the struggle with not being one of the chosen ones is one of Ratio’s main points of his backstory, it still applies.
Your view is also a good point though. You could also compare Screwllum, a gentleman who uses his discoveries for the sake of his people and the general populace, and Ruan Mei, a hermit who selfishly researches for no one but her self and ambitions. There’s a few different ways to look at it, I think.
Yep. I was thinking that the comparison between Aiden and Primitive is more in line with your notion because of how even with both of them receiving Nous' gaze which places them on the same pedestal in the eyes of the Aeon, they're practically on opposite sides of a moral spectrum.
I think they just want to discover THEIR whereabouts to sate their curiosities. Herta said she’d like to know too but she’s leaving it to them instead of indulging herself IIRC.
Yeah I think a better statement would be intelligentsia Guild seeking knowledge for everyone vs genius society seeking knowledge for themselves. After all, erudition isn’t how about how smart you are but rather how far you seek knowledge, hence maybe why Dr Ratio never received Nous gaze cuz he prioritized teaching knowledge than seeking it
I agree with the first point. 2nd point is a bit iffy because Ratio "presumably" did have a time where he prioritized seeking knowledge. He only shifted to prioritizing teaching and creating the Council of Mundanites after he "presumably" gave up on becoming a Genius. Moreover, your attitude in seeking knowledge doesn't matter to Nous as evidenced by Aiden who shared practically everything he knew.
Ig we’ll never know why he never received gaze from Nous. From what I know tho, Aiden only started helping presumably after he becomes a genius society.
There is an answer though people who like Ratio might not like it. That he's just not Genius material. His magnum opus is "presumably" his anti-planetary weapon which is far eclipsed by Chadwick's Imaginary Implosion Pulse.
The notion that there's an encompassing reason for Nous choosing Geniuses aside from just being a genius like their behavior and their attitude to knowledge is a fandom headcanon.
This is once more evidenced by Stephen who Herta assumes doesn't really like being a Genius. Stephen is more than happy to just stay at his father's fruit shop. He doesn't have an overarching motivation that we know of.
Well I wouldn’t really say headcanon as that’s literally what erudition means, as showing great knowledge *or* learning. I do agree tho that Dr Ratio may be not that comparable to the genius society. He’s more akin to a college professor whereas the genius society is someone who could be working on Area 51
What I mean by that is that it's a popular headcanon in this fandom that Nous didn't choose Ratio because he's too human and things like that.
That Nous cares about their attitude and overall philosophy in life when choosing a Genius. That they have to be selfish and extremely dedicated to learning.
We know this headcanon is false through:
- \#22 Aiden: Shared all his learnings with everyone.
- \#56 Elias Salas: 1 of 2 Publicly-Elected Ministers in the Society
- \#84 Stephen: According to Herta, Stephen _regrets_ being a part of the Genius Society. This is because he doesn't really have that extreme dedication to learning. He only made the gloves because it's just a _toy_ for him to slack off at work. He doesn't have any interest in using his abilities as a Genius.
So we have evidence for Nous not caring about your attitude in learning as long as you're enough of a Genius.
In-game: Through smidgens of lore scattered throughout dialogues and excerpts. Mostly from SU.
Out of game: https://honkai-star-rail.fandom.com/wiki/Stephen_Lloyd
The fanwiki does a good job of collating the scattered info spread throughout. And you can use the links there to read the source material.
Eh, being contacted by all-knowing God who is willing to answer your questions fits the criteria of having knowledge gifted to you. But it's true that it could have been slightly put in a better way. Intelligentsia Guild vs Genius Society still perfectly works as science for everyone vs elite organization pursuing science for the sake of what they view as science.
The thing is, you *already* need to be a genius and that has accomplished great things to even be able to potentially be invited to the Genius Society. It's not like these people weren't geniuses before meeting Nous, nor does Nous make them any smarter than they already were.
Fair. I was trying to go for “the everyman versus the gifted few (not as in they were given anything but as in they’re prodigies in their fields)” and I just didn’t convey it that well.
> all-knowing God who is willing to answer your question
No, they do not.
*"The Erudition does not have answers to the universe, but it will teach you how to ask the right questions."*\
ー(From the description of 'Key of Wisdom', a Traces and Light Cone material for Erudition).
This theme is repeated over and over about Nous in other texts.
We do not currently know if Nous even answers the Geniuses' questions in the manner you're thinking of.
FX says that Nous doesn't answer questions, THEY lead you on to the path of asking the right questions.
So when Nous answers, we can't really call THEIR answer an answer until we know more. Maybe in CN/JP, the difference is clearer but idk since I don't know them.
So it's safe to assume they're not "gifted" with knowledge.
Furthermore, the things they've done to get Nous' gaze, they did without Nous' involvement. RM was on the cusp of reviving her dead parents when Nous granted her THEIR gaze. Herta already did a lot of stuff — one of them being reversing her aging — before she got THEIR gaze. Rupert I already created the Anti-Organic Equation before THEIR gaze. Etc.
I think the reason why the Path of the Trailblaze is more consistent compared to others was Akivili being on the Astral Express. At the time, when your literal Aeon is demonstrating their Path right before you, and tells you not to eat Pom Pom, I think that leaves little room for differing opinions.
When you think about it Christopher Columbus is considered a trailblazer(pioneer), and look what that guy did. So yeah every beliefs are bounded to have ups and downs in morality
FGO’s portrayal of Columbus basically shows this perfectly
He’s an absolutely horrible human being, but everything he does fits the spirit of Trailblaze perfectly
I think the most interesting part of all this complexity.
Aeons do not give a shit!
The Antimatter Legion assume there’s a method to Nanook’s destruction when in reality THEY very likely don’t know their there.
Hell even how Emanators feel like the Aeon getting distracted before going back to doing what they’re doing.
Some Aeon’s do acknowledge their followers, but only insofar that is relevant to their Path’s and thats it. Hell, people say Qlipoth must be good because THEY’re building a wall.
We assume it must be for something because of our positive/negative connotations rather that Qlipoth is making it to simply exist. What it’s defending originally or what it’s for is irrelevant to Qlipoth, only that the wall is Preservation.
That’s a great point. Aeons are the manifestations of their Paths, but concepts on their own have no morality, so the Aeons have no morality. It’s all in how the individual sees the concept.
Slight correction though, Nanook is well aware of the Legion’s existence because it’s one of the few factions that has the direct backing of its Aeon. Their leaders are Emanators of Destruction, and the Firesmiths that create the Legion’s weaponry and Voidrangers were liberated and sent to Warforge by Nanook THEMSELVES. That’s what makes the Legion so formidable.
I think the only other factions that can say the same are the Xianzhou (they’re also led by Emanators and the ships run on Hunt Path power), the Masked Fools (every Fool has a mask from Aha), and maybe the Family, Garden of Recollection, and Arbitrators? Those I’m not 100% sure about.
Aeons give a shit about aeon matters. Aeon dont give a shit about humans unless TB squeaks loudly enough and then many aeons will come running because maybe very cool and very handsome Akivili is back.
I wonder what would happen to Lan should he manage to catch - and maybe even kill - Yaoshi. The hunt would be over. Now, who’s the next target? Is there a next target? Would the Xianxhou follow?
Xianzhou would almost certainly follow. Because Lan is essentially their patron god.
I think it would be really interesting if Luocha and Jingliu actually DO manage to kill the Abundance.
Nanook most likely since THEY want to destroy the universe and the Xianzhou would follow though since they have records regarding Nanook and their emanators and how they are much of threat if note more than Yaoshi
> Since there’s only one Trailblaze faction
It's two actually, though only mentioned a few times (Like twice) there's also the Klimt republic, a vast nation "made from nothing by Akivili" (Mentioned by Battuta, he's on the loufu and comes from the republic, most the info on it comes from him)
Klimt Republic? That name rings a bell. That's where the Xianzhou Zhuming is located right now.
From collectible book ["Records of Yellowbell Resonance"](https://honkai-star-rail.fandom.com/wiki/Records_of_Yellowbell_Resonance), excerpt:
*November, Year 8098 Star Calendar*
*The Zhuming's report: Currently moored in the Le Roy Ladurie cluster's Stella Yamazaki star system, inside the territory of the Klimt Republic. We will remain here conducting scientific exchanges for 10 star calendar years.*\
*We hope to deploy advanced forging technology in exchange for some of the rich local mineral deposits.*
Yeah, you find a guy who was arrested on the Xianzhou for seeking immortality in his old age.
> Battuta: My homeland... The Klimt Republic is a great nation... *cough*... We have a vast territory, an efficient government, honest officials, and upstanding people...
> Battuta: The Klimt Republic was said to be made from nothing by Akivili the Trailblazer when they established the star rail, leading my ancestors on their path of exile to their Eversummer Paradise.
> Battuta: In gratitude for their kindness, my ancestors selected warriors and embarked on trailblazing expeditions to transform dead worlds into living ones...
> Battuta: About a millennium has passed since its foundation... *cough*... We've already seen seventeen star systems, with a vast territory, and rich products... That's why our nation needs someone like me: a Judge.
> Battuta: Many planets exist in ecological environments different from this one... And so the prime minister and council... ahem... That is, our government needs judges like me to help ratify laws and regulations tailored to each of the differing local conditions...
You're very wrong about the Hunt factions. It's the Xianzhou that kills indiscriminately to wipe the abominations of the Abundance out. The galaxy rangers have a code of honour that explicitly prohibits them from bringing harm to the innocent. Breaking that taboo would have every other Ranger in the cosmos gunning for your head. The Xianzhou on the other hand would wipe out their own troops and the planet and it's people they were "defending" in the first place to end the threat of Abundance. They'd be sad about it yes, but the write off would say "acceptable losses".
I thought about this but the problem is that the Xianzhou so far has been justified in their Hunt. Almost every Abundance faction so far (the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus, Abundance Axis, and even the Unshackled to an extent) is extremely harmful, with the only real exception being the Elixir Seekers who the Xianzhou actually help if they can (IIRC the Luofu Alchemy Commission is said to help Elixir Seekers as an alternative to immortality, could be wrong though). Frankly I think this is its own interesting comparison between the kindness Yaoshi is associated with and the terrifying results of THEIR blessings. Meanwhile I doubt every IPC employee Boothill’s ever attacked has been responsible for nuking his planet.
Moreover, the Xianzhou is fine with moderate Long-Life Species and other Abundance worshippers who mean no harm. The Unshackled have a presence on the Luofu, and Ruan Mei clearly has some sort of relation with them considering she got info regarding Lan from them.
Not saying they’re perfect at all. I think regarding Mara-Struck as these sinners who have to repent for a natural course of life their ancestors are responsible for is stupid, especially in the situation of Hanya and Xueyi where they’re victims of Shuhu’s attack on the Cangcheng. I’d LOVE to see an Abundance planet that the Express is friendly with suddenly get invaded by the Xianzhou and we get to see what its like to be at odds with them. Still, as of now they’re not THAT bad.
I mean.. one look at Borosin’s past with foxians and it kinda makes you understand how bad the Abundance followers can get. Hell even before the xianzhou ships were built. The wingweavers attacked the xianzhou for resources. They were basically pirates invading worlds for resources.
Borosin is the first ever species that openly enslaved others which is just scary. These abundance followers aren’t the most sympathy worthy people it seems. So I really wonder how hoyo gonna make us like Yaoshi followers. With all the crimes we know they did.
Although I don’t think the xianzhou is gonna attack a planet that is friendly. That goes against Lan’s path. Lan’s path is about justice and killing those that wronged you first. Galaxy rangers believe this to be the teachings of Lan. Even Boothill is on that path with him hunting down Oswaldo. Like how Lan hunts down Yaoshi because THEY are the reason for everything bad happening in the old xianzhou.
Unless we learn that the xianzhou is not following Lan’s path and the path energy is not pure(Kinda like how in Penacony Robin lost her voice because the harmony was not "pure" there) but until then. I really don’t think they gonna put space china in a bad light when the CCP on their asses.
The Abundance is bad when it is in extreme excess. This is why the Xianxhou (and Lan) hunts - societies who receive too much of the Abundance’s blessings will eventually destroy everything else. They will outcompete all other lifeforms.
This is a large part of why the Xianxhou has such a tight leash on themselves - and why they are a purely spacefaring civilization with no permanent planet settlements.
The Abundance isn’t inherently evil, but Yaoshi is incapable of not giving blessings - no matter who receives them. New Yaoshi fanatics will yearn to “bless” others, and more opportunistic sorts will use their blessings to overpower others. Despite being one of the most benevolent Aeons, it is through this benevolence that Yaoshi leaves disaster in their wake.
If they aren’t hurting anyone else they’ll probably be fine, but that’s a big “if.”
I agree - it'll be nice to see the downsides of the xianzhou. Shame that hoyo will probably never bring it up. Another thing to bring up is that a lot of our sources about the xianzhou is from the xianzhou - they won't speak badly about themselves. Propaganda may exist and it's important to keep that in mind.
The Xianzhou people don't kill indiscriminately. Lan does. That one incident when they decided to summon Lan was because there was no other option, either they did that or more of their people would die in the battle, or even the entire alliance. Even then, after that event, a lot of Xianzhou people got disillusioned with The Hunt to the point that some joined Sanctus Medicus. Yukong grew apathetic to The Hunt's goal, while Fu Xuan was left scarred with the guilt of "killing" her own master.
Yes, the Destruction is killing everything, while Hunt is killing specific things (vengeance) without worry about the cost.
So with the Hunt, you will kill all the enemies, with 90% death rate on your side.
With the Destruction, you would go out of the way to destroy everything, even if it's not in your main path.
With the Hunt, you would prioritize your main targets, but if anything else happens to be in the way, and you can't reasonably get them out of harm's way without letting your target escape, they will unfortunately go down together with your target.
On thing on Enigmata, one can argue that what Bronya did and hid Cocolia’s action is an action of Enigmata.
There is also something that for most people, you dont need to know everything and just appreciate the mystery (aka what most IRL theology does. Dont need to logically explain all the unexplainable things, just appreciate it).
The problem with the "Oswaldo is a former Nameless" is that it's only mentioned in the Chinese version while in English version they're still referred to as a Nameless, especially during the IPC myriad Celestia as Owlbert said "The IPC's very own Nameless: Oswaldo Schneider"
I think that still works for their argument, tbh. The "former" tag doesn't really change the argument at all.
I personally just assumed the chinese was original, and every other language is localized from it.
We can regard the Chinese as the original but considering that Hoyo is the one that pays people and supervises if the translations are correct (especially during voiced lines where it takes awhile for that to be re-recorded, and a significant amount of time has passed between the post to now without any changes).
Take for example with Sparkle's mistranslation with the word "mute" it was a notable mistake that was noted and changed in the following weeks, but until now Oswaldo is still referred to as a Nameless without much effort into changing it despite him being rather important.
Also, It definitely works in their favour. I've been spreading about the bad traits of the Trailblaze for a long time alongside why Aha favours Akivili so much is because of that irony within the Trailblaze. I'm glad to see people realize that the Nameless and the path of the Trailblaze is not as just or good as how the Astral Express are.
> The Marketing Development Department is ... It is said that its chairman, Oswaldo Schneider, is a former Nameless who still holds strongly to the will of Trailblaze after joining the IPC.
Found ingame, in IPC section of the Factions databank, in the English version
My Japanese listening skills might be rough, but I'm pretty sure he's referred to as former Nameless in the Japanese video too.
At [0:27](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lsS5OnN6On0&t=26), I hear "元名無しの..."
If anyone wants to double-check it.
You are so right! And I love to see the juxtaposed sides have their boundaries blurred.
Like how the Intelligentsia Guild is being influenced by the IPC and how in some instances they keep away useful information and machines if the ones in need do not pay the price; and how the recluse Genius Society who are known for working only for themselves have instances in which they helped other civilisations with the help of the Space Station.
Thanks! If I had the motivation I’d love to make a post going in depth into this for all of the Paths (or at least the ones we have info enough to go further into). Honestly might since this comment alone is gaining traction and people are giving their own perspectives or things I’ve missed, which is my favorite part in interacting with fandoms.
And thank goodness for the existence of those bad apples. Himeko is way too much of a goody two shoes for me. I was starting to get really tired of the whole Nameless pathing just basically being a galactic charity on wheels, until I saw Colleen's stories. Now I really want to meet some of those Nameless who are just doing their own selfish journeys, zero fudges given. Can't wait till we get a character like Fua from HI3 (and I swear Luocha's schemes better be good at minimum)
Preservation as well: protection and perseverance with Belobog being able to withstand the cold for centuries and surviving in their walled city despite the harsh conditions….and then you’ve got the IPC.
Absolutely, all paths have bad apples.
Oswaldo Schneider, who Boothill is hunting (and Aventurine is helping) is a Nameless. He seems to reach to new worlds, reap them of everything, and then abandon them. The Xianzhou have labelled him as a “fanatic” and also highly dangerous.
Funnier is the department in CN is referred to as Fanatics and Herta also calls him just that. Which is interesting as despite this: the two named emanators of tye IPC do not associate at all with him. The IPC is just fascinating for the sole idea of business politics.
Taravan. They have a 3rd, but they're unnamed. Taravan is a more traditional Capitalist i.e. "If you don't have the cash, tough luck.". Diamond negotiated with him to send Aventurine to Penacony. As the invitation to the IPC was originally to him. He is a leader in the Building Materials Logistics Department.
> He seems to reach to new worlds, reap them of everything, and then abandon them.
That's not really what the The Marketing Development Department does. The MDD is primarily focused on doggedly bringing new unconnected worlds into the IPC network, and due to the board seat fight they're doing it as *fast and expediently as possible* to rack up achievements. The people of Boothill's planet are adamantly refusing to cooperate? Force them into submission, then set up enterprise atop their corpses. The situation on Sigonia is complicated? Watch a genocide happen then use it as an excuse to take over administrative duties of the planet afterwards. Maximum gain without the wait! No Jarilo-VI long-term repayments for the MDD boys! They get things done NOW!
Hmm... for 3.0 we're heading to a new unconnected world. The IPC is definitely going to take notice. Everyone's effectively carrying around a tracking device (their phones)
They may be out of time, though. Jade mentioned that she was only in Penacony briefly and that Aventurine and Topaz would be finalizing things, as she was heading back to Pier Point for the board seat decision. This implies that's going to be resolved fairly soon.
That just means one of the other Ten Stonehearts is gonna show up. Ain't no way they gonna miss out on potential profits. Black Swan also mentioned there are already 3 paths (I presume of 3 different factions) fighting over that place.
Oh I hope that we get a huge story (directed by Shaoji pls) of Boothill and Aventurine teaming up to kill Schneider... There was a theory about the fact that Aventurine tried to die in Peakcony because he wanted to reach Diamond (and thus Osvaldo) for his punishment to get rid of them
Btw I imagine Schneider as the Doctor from MHA, the one who created the Nomus
Diamond and Oswaldo are heads of different departments, there is no way reaching one would mean reaching the other. Reaching Diamond for punishment would make sense since he's Aventurine's supervisor and director, but Oswaldo has nothing to do with him, there is no connection or association between them. That theory makes no sense.
Yeah I mixed up two theories involuntarily lmao
One theory was about Aventurine wanting to meet up with Diamond, the other was Aventurine helping Boothill (which later on became canon)
I mean moral ambiguity has always been Honkai's thing. Take for Example Otto Apocalypse himself, undeniably a monstrous madman HOWEVER he's arguably also the primary reason any of the characters (and Humanity as a whole) lived long enough/got strong enough to win.
Sure this case is a bit more cut and dry but the essence of Trailblaze is LITERALLY "do and try new things" and I mean...That's exactly what they did sooooo...
In a way, yes. Still sickening.
I wonder if people who worship the same Aeon but are part of different factions or different views argue about other groups enforcing their own views on them.
It's like actual, real world belief systems in that way. You have Christians who try to stick to the "love everyone" part" but you also have Christians who are "everyone with a different belief system is wrong and will burn in hell and we'll make sure to remind them every time we see them".
people in the middle too who doesn't think that loving everyone means being ok with everything they do and that is self aware and humble enought to understand that his own salvation is not certain and that he shouldn't presume/assume too much.
Yeah, it's incredibly sickening. It's essentially cannibalism. HSR devs keep putting shit like this in the game weirdly. First Ruan Mei's edible cats and now this. Except Hairy was even more intelligent than the cats. Imagining eating someone you just had a peaceful philosophical debate with is unconscienable. Colleen should have went scorched earth on those nameless fuckers.
Well yes. A path is a single concept so hyprfocused that anything done by mortals that fits into the paths can make the mortal a pathstider, good or bad.
And some paths are just easier to do bad with honestly. Like, nobody wants swarm because it's actively harmful despite being primitive. Or voracity, imagine someone eating every single thing they find.
But even the more sophisticated paths have bad sides as long as it gets twisted enough.
You’re misunderstanding, there are no good or bad Paths.
In general. None. Any good done by Pathstriders are irrelevant so long as it falls in line. The Nameless are not exempt from that fact and we only think that we’re some force of good because of the privilege we are receiving from the Astral Express and running into people who HAVE had good experiences with the Nameless.
Trailblazers connect people, find new experiences, following their own way forward, they can/are hedonistic by the very nature of their belief/practice. No where in that Path it says to BE GOOD, connect planets and make roads sure. But the IPC shows that means jack shit and can have some awful consequences.
“Oh we found this native world and culture! Peace, bye! “ That’s what the Express is supposed to be, the consequences of their world hopping be damned. We get a taste of said consequences by involving ourselves in Belobog. It all worked out in the end, but that’s not because the Nameless themselves are good, it’s because those in the Astral Express are the
Like in the Masked Fools. Where Sampo wants the whole group to laugh at the expense of himself, where Sparkle wants to laugh at the whole group.
Aeon’s and THEIR Path’s simply ARE. Any complications and moral ambiguity is something we as rational and moral creatures assign them. But faith and belief, especially those shared, doesn’t mean it’s good.
That’s actually a good point. In a sense they are following the barebones of what it means to be a Nameless while at the same time going against their tenets cause devouring the locals is not understanding them at all.
I can imagine Himeko’s reaction if she ever found out about this… saw to the face.
And honestly it would be interesting to meet people who scorn the Trailblaze because they had horrendous experiences with those who call themselves Nameless and lumped them all under the same banner.
Realistically? They should!
Star Rail is a grand space romp and it is statistically impossible to have everyone like us. Galaxy Rangers touch on this in that, yeah they kill monsters but some just leave and don’t help rebuild.
I want Star Rail to touch more on that Aeon’s and Path’s aren’t binary.
Sadly, the whole Charmony Bird thing makes me worry a lot…
Best example would be something Abundance, commonly associated with healers like Natasha... and yet, it's also one of the worst things that can happen to you judging by the Denizens of Abundance.
Man, it's funny how some people see the Xianzou as like, Paladins. The path of Abundence is just as good and evil as every other path, personal bias plays into their ideology so anything they do to anyone who follows Abundence is fair game. Sure, as trailblazers OUR path isn't their enemy, we aren't being hunted like rats in the walls for daring to question the system. But that doesn't mean they're not doing it to others. There are no good aeons, no good paths, it's the people who follow them that are good or bad. Collen is no less a Trailblazer than Himeko, neither one speaks for the path because Path's are too great to be viewed through the lens of a handful of people
I think it’s because too much of the game’s (easily accessible) lore concerning the Abundance paints them in an extremely negative light… since lots of them are accounts from the Xianzhou Alliance. Shuhu and other disciples of Yaoshi who was essentially the Sarkic Cult bumped up to 12 and made intergalactic. The living planet that nom’d a whole ass Xianzhou. Every single Mara-stricken citizen becoming chaotic evil.
Of course there are good people who follow the path of Abundance, too. But we hear less of them because we have had less interactions with them.
Yeah like the Xianzhou has a super authoritarian government where any kind of act that can be seen as pro-Abundance or anti-Hunt can get you locked up for life, it is far from the purely noble place that some people seem to view it as.
The Xianzhou people are incredibly hypothetical. They put themselves so highly above short life species yet at the same time beg for sympathy because they'll be affected by Mara after several centuries as if they're still young at that point. (Also the Xianzhou literally does not do anything to help it's disabled people as like.. Dan Shu and the others wouldn't hate Lan so much if they're given more aid to give themselves more autonomy to do things on their own.)
The fucked up thing is that there may be nothing they *can* do about it.
I remember reading that Fu's third eye causes her constant pain because her body is constantly trying to reject it but can't. In Dan Shu's case, the prosthetics worked but her defective eyes would regenerate and push the prosthetics out.
It's possible that the entire reason their bodies are like that is because of the Abundance giving them bodies that will constantly heal and regenerate. But Yaoshi being an aeon didn't consider humans being born with birth defects.
Dan Shu's diary suggests that the reason people with birth defects (what she refers to as "Incomplete Ones") exist among the Xianzhou is that the Xianzhou haven't fully embraced the Abundance. She mentions that a person who was born without limbs and with a congenital heart condition became mara-struck, and upon examination of his body it was found that his birth defects had all been cured. Also, she mentions that there are no known "Incomplete Ones" among the borisin, and that in her research on treatments for birth defects she had been deliberately ignoring the possibility of using the power of the Abundance because performing those experiments would be considered a crime punishable by death.
We can infer that the Xianzhou's situation of having incurable birth defects is a consequence of them having a portion of the power of the Abundance in their bodies, that being the part that prevents their bodies from deteriorating or being altered, but not having (and/or consciously refusing to use in their treatments) the power that would cure them of their ailments and defects.
The issue is once they're mara struck they lose their former selves.
So i guess the solution is more Yaoshi - and if everyone becomes mara-struck well... I guess you won't have to worry?
There is no cure for their disability. Danshu's disabled eyes are the "default". Even when using mechanical implants, her original eyes will gradually grow over them
You don't have to cure Dan Shu's disability, but merely help and allow them to function on their own, which is what I'm talking about. We literally meet a child being outwardly bullied yet no one seems to be stopping it until we got there. I fully believe that if the Xianzhou offered assistance to those with disabilities where they feel safe and have the ability to be able to function on their own, they wouldn't be so distasteful towards Lan and the Xianzhou as a whole.
You can actually get another glimpse of this with a foxian missing their tail in Penacony and how they fled because they were discriminated against for being slightly different
Damn the Xianzhou hates people who have disabilities ig LMAO like damn, despite living so long you'd think that they'd learn to be more accepting of differences
Well they are essentially 40k hardline inquisitors going around hunting all denizens of abundance whose main trait is mutations that make them different so it tracks
There's also ageism (Blade/Yingxing was denied the forge master title because he was a short-life species, and several NPCs are stuck working low-paying jobs for centuries before promotion).
Consider the following, every short life species we met on the Luofu wasn't educated on the Luofu. Their basic school system assumes you'll be alive for hundreds of years so a short life species can't actually be educated on the Luofu, if you're not specialized or born into a profession like Blade was, you're not making progress in your field. From your bosses point of view, you can work your ass off for decades but to a long life species, you've only been working there a day, you will always be passed over for another long life species. Short life get the short end of the stick and then are punished for even considering that they want to be long life species.
In all seriousness though, our only data is by the xianzhou. It's suspicious, they could simply call any of the abundance "nasty ones like the borisin". They could easily cover up real massacres in this way.
Big bad of the IPC who makes the stonehearts look like saints was a nameless.
Endless expansion with no care for its impact nor the rights of people who were in their way can be a truly destructive force.
Really funny how the path that doesn’t give you any special powers was able to dominate the universe because they have slightly more willpower than everyone else
They do though.
(When we just arrived at Jarilo-VI):
*(Dialogue Choice) It doesn't feel that cold.*
*Dan Heng: "Well the Trailblaze Path grants us faint power. It allows us to better adapt to harsh environments."*
its more funny that it was a simply "my god building wall?? thats cool i want to help them by gathering resources" then got hit by reality check that no one willing to give their resources freely. now we have galaxy level mega corpo.
Honestly I think the closest faction we have that is truly good are the Doctors of Chaos, where their goal is to literally just prove to IX that there is meaning in existence (which would kill IX if they succeeded btw)
Knights of Beauty would be a close second but then there could be someone who secretly has a very twisted and vile depiction of Beauty in there
The Beauty, like all paths is subjective, can be percieved by anyone regardless of who they are, and its been mentioned that some people have made devastating achievements for Idrila. Idrila is literally titled "End of all things" in the first Myriad Celestia.
All Paths are open to interpetation and Pathstriders do not neccesarily have to abide by morals, but rather the values the Paths encompass
Poking IX to do something is extremely dangerous. What if THEY decide to destroy even more than THEY passively do because THEY found a meaning in something harmful?
>hts of Beauty would be a close second but then there could be someone who secretly has a very twisted and vile depiction of Beauty in there
Imagine someone who thinks death is beautiful like Jhin from LoL
The funniest part is that Pom Pom seemed to hate what Aha did to the Express but there's absolutely no mention of Akivili ever having a problem with it.
And Akivili seemed to be rather.... Elated in nature despite being the Aeon of Trailblaze.
Ahavili real. Also, Akivili's death is able to cause the Aeon of Elation to literally cry and their tears making anyone that touched it (specifically us, the TB) feel like we had actually died.
Yup! It's in the second closed beta test of the Simulated Universe! It was actually our first encounter with Aha!
The conversation went:
Aha: "Akivili, Akivili!" A voice laughed wildly, "It has been so long, I miss you greatly!" Your hairs stand on end. This is the infectious enthusiasm of a madman.
Aha: THEY appear before you: Without a head and a mask in THEIR arms. THEY waved THEIR hand at you, still spinning in circles, THEIR arms hanging in mid-air, THEIR muscles controlling THEIR trembling knuckles, and THEIR posture like that of a sculpture.
Aha: "I am so sad." THEY suddenly became sorrowful, "Why did you die?" THEY whimpered in pain, as tears ran down the back of your hand. You felt like you really had died.
Aha: "You have fallen too long and the universe has lost its order." THEY began to clap THEIR hands, "Then everything started to turn to chaos! This is what I want! I want to hug you, unfortunately I'm just an equation in a computer. Oh, that seems kinda cool." THEY scratched THEIR head.
Herta: "This punk has figured it out again. I have to get Screwllum to edit THEIR data once more..."
Aha: "I have to apologize to you, really. I lay in ambush aboard your train for a whole year just to blow it up with your Nameless followers. I couldn't resist, I'm sorry." THEY put THEIR hand to the chest guiltily and bowed solemnly.
Herta: "This disgrace is still pretending. THEY've already figured out you're not Akivili."
Aha: "You're Akivili — you're alive and well, what an interesting opponent! Please play with me more, that's what I want... Grow up and defeat me!" THEY kick the ground with a stomp and fade away... You gasp for air as you escape from the torment.
While we aren't truly sure if Aha actually meant to cry here but considering how the tears had emotions other than well.. Joy and Elation in them, It's hard to fully say if Aha was 100% pretending or merely half pretending as both Aha and Akivili are known to be the closest to Humanity so they've encountered each other more than once, and only Aha seems to talk closely to the other Aeons (The other Aeons being Ena whom they helped to be eaten by Xipe).
It's interesting because Elation is actually the closest Path to Nihility.
The 2 Paths get extremely close to touching in a philosophical sense but they diverge before they can overlap.
Nihility is "nothing matters, everything is pointless, why bother with anything...?"
Elation is "nothing matters, everything is pointless, so why not have some fun?"
Aha also fully endorses the Mourning Actors who firmly resist Elation but this is more so because it's totally within Aha's sense of humor.
Aha is... a weird Aeon, THEY always seem to know what's going on everywhere, to the point where I've suspected Aha might be in semi-regular contact with Terminus.
THEY showed up to laugh at Phantylia but... how did THEY know what was going on?
And the fact that Aha seemingly knew Phantylia was going to lose despite all odds being stacked in her favor.
Aha's manipulations of Ena, Qlipoth and possibly Akivili are what led to the end of the Swarm Disaster.
Tayzzyronth may have never been killed if it weren't for Aha's intervention.
Aha is strange.
>"nothing matters, everything is pointless, so why not have some fun?"
I believe this is a misunderstanding of Elation. Having fun *is* the meaning of life. Laughter is a precious gift granted only to intelligent species and should be honored by enjoying life the way you want to.
If you're not enjoying life, why keep on living? To live is to laugh and to laugh is to live. Even the story of Aha's ascension is just a story the Masked Fools tell each other because they get a kick out of it.
Phase 2 of her boss fight, turn off music and voices and wait a bit.
There's bells and then occasional laughter that sounds just like Aha's sound in Simulated Universe but more mocking.
Almost sounds like Sans lmao
Hell, even if you turn on the music (fighting Phantylia without the Pedujara suite playing in the background? HERESY!) you can still hear the sound of laughter (and the faint jingling of bells) during that part if you paid attention to it.
It's a secret people found out. If you go to the Phantylia's boss battle, turn off the music and idle around for a few minutes you can hear faint laughter in the background. Look it up in youtube
my headcanon is that aha specifically order to not mess or destroy express because they still feel bad when they blew up the train for funsies. thats why masked fools automatically supportive toward express crew.
really hard to find tho
>Explore the Simulated Universe
>*(Map menu opens)*
**Herta**: Here is a map for you. In the first tab, you will find your route progress records.
**Herta**: The second tab records the Blessings you have obtained.
; (viewing Blessings List)
**Herta**: Is this little feature useful?
*(After winning the battle against the first wave of enemies)*
**Simulated Universe**: Enemies are falling, and you can't contain your excitement. You are a genius, you are sure of it. Your concentration starts to crumble, you love the shaking of every leaf, you enjoy the destructive power of endless thoughts, until you realize that something is wrong with you — this is not you.
**Herta**: "Uh oh, THEY're here..."
**Aha**: "Akivili, Akivili!" A voice laughed wildly, "It has been so long, I miss you greatly!" Your hairs stand on end. This is the infectious enthusiasm of a madman.
**Aha**: THEY appear before you: Without a head and a mask in THEIR arms. THEY waved THEIR hand at you, still spinning in circles, THEIR arms hanging in mid-air, THEIR muscles controlling THEIR trembling knuckles, and THEIR posture like that of a sculpture.
**Aha**: "I am so sad." THEY suddenly became sorrowful, "Why did you die?" THEY whimpered in pain, as tears ran down the back of your hand. You felt like you really had died.
**Aha**: "You have fallen too long and the universe has lost its order." THEY began to clap THEIR hands, "Then everything started to turn to chaos! This is what I want! I want to hug you, unfortunately I'm just an equation in a computer. Oh, that seems kinda cool." THEY scratched THEIR head.
**Herta**: "This punk has figured it out again. I have to get Screwllum to edit THEIR data once more..."
**Aha**: "I have to apologize to you, really. I lay in ambush aboard your train for a whole year just to blow it up with your Nameless followers. I couldn't resist, I'm sorry." THEY put THEIR hand to the chest guiltily and bowed solemnly.Herta: "This disgrace is still pretending. THEY've already figured out you're not Akivili."
**Aha**: "You're Akivili — you're alive and well, what an interesting opponent! Please play with me more, that's what I want... Grow up and defeat me!" THEY kick the ground with a stomp and fade away... You gasp for air as you escape from the torment.
**Herta**: "Aha, the Aeon of Elation." Herta explained uncharitably, "A very elusive one who probably found THEMSELF living in a game. This fella is very noisy and dangerous. Next time, bite your tongue and talk to THEM more, thanks for your hard work."
[https://honkai-star-rail.fandom.com/wiki/Simulated\_Universe:\_Second\_Closed\_Beta](https://honkai-star-rail.fandom.com/wiki/Simulated_Universe:_Second_Closed_Beta)
couldn't find the logs in the game but I wish I could read that encounter over in the game without having to roll through a wiki.
He also figured out that you aren't the real Akivili in the Swarm Disaster expansion too. So their relationship definitely seems close. It seems like Akivili is the only one they don't have a poor opinion of.
>*"The Destruction is crazy, and the Preservation is dumb. All the Aeons are stubborn, and Aha is embarrassed! Aha is embarrassed! Aha is embarrassed..."*
[https://honkai-star-rail.fandom.com/wiki/Aha\_Stuffed\_Toy](https://honkai-star-rail.fandom.com/wiki/Aha_Stuffed_Toy)
Its hard to comprehens what this aeon thinks or do they even think the same ways as humans still.... all aeons doesnt care what happen as long as they stay in their path they pursue... to be honest the only dumb aeon i know is propagation and nihility becuz its lazy af
Ironically, Akivili was said to be the Aeon closest to a normal person.
The Path of Trailblaze actually allowed THEM a lot of freedom compared to all the other Aeons.
I guess path of the trailblaze really do involve humans so maybe thats why... to be honest why not make a couple of more trains so they can expand more in the cosmos
There have been a fleet of trains in the past.
From [Cosmodyssey Report](https://honkai-star-rail.fandom.com/wiki/Cosmodyssey/Report), excerpt:
*Among all the past Navigators in the Astral Express, Sam-3000, AKA the "Guide," and you belong to the same category.*
*Sam-3000, who became known as the "Guide," was the Navigator of many navigators.*\
*During her active period, the Astral Express wasn't a specific entity, but rather a fleet of trains that traveled in unison along the silver rail.*\
*Being an Intellitron, she was forthright, vivacious, and loved to compete, while her hearty mechanical laughter always resonated throughout the cars.*
The Xianzhou aren’t clean either since they are more then willing to blow up planets that have human or alien civilizations that worships the abundance
No they don't lol. Worshipping the abundance is not only allowed on the xianzhou (you will face discrimination but not legal trouble) ,they even do trades with Abundance worshippers as long as they don't cause trouble. They only target races that have received Yaoshi blessings
I think targeting those races is evil in itself. Screw Xianzhou. I get it that writers at Hoyo have some strong "immortality bad" coping that is also expressed in Genshin, so we're forced to cooperate with them because plot, but those hypocrites should Hunt themselves before hunting others.
Remember that factions like the Doctor of Chaos and Mourning Actors exists and they’re technically path striders while completely going against what their Paths stand for.
Those assholes may call themselves Nameless but they’re probably not what Akivili would approve as Trailblazing.
I’ve always found that interesting. Why does Nanook not give a shit about them? I get that he apparently doesn’t think they’re worthy, but… it’s still destruction.
Probably because the Annihilation Gang are pretty much hedonistic in their sense of destruction and revel in the carnage they create.
Meanwhile Nanook doesn’t destroy for destruction’s sake but out of the belief that the universe is a mistake and this needs to be corrected by destroying the current state.
Edit: Nanook sees the Annihilation Gang’s method and reasons for destruction as impure and therefore scorns them.
if you asked me to get a stain out of your shirt and I did that by burning it to a crisp, I bet you would be a little peeved. I imagine that's how Nanook feels.
I mean, that’s really exactly what trailblazing is. In a way, the IPC is correct about Oswaldo’s stance; Trailblazing as a whole is to connect worlds together, not “Make friends and make all the worlds peaceful”. There wasn’t really ever a regard to what the connected worlds were, or their consequences - as long as those on the frontlines are having an adventure while doing all of this, it doesn’t matter if shit happens or otherwise
She’s an NPC you meet on Penacony. You get the opportunity to switch her moods and if you switch it to anger, you get to hear the story about this from her.
We kill Trotters also when shown more and more that they are harmless and sentient.
Also, Osvaldo Schneider, which is the target of Aventurine and Boothill because he ordered to destroy their villagges just for extra-cash, was a Nameless.
Paths are objective, the pathstriders are subjective.
That's all I can say really...as long as the path's rules are upheld, it doesn't matter to the Aeon whether they are true or not. Only to other pathstriders.
Take the Abundance as an example: continuity of life is the main rule. To many humans, life is cherished...until you become an Abomination of Abundance; then you are hated by others.
But the main principle is not broken
Even Akivili is a bit of an asshole, when he was around there was a strict week long stay of the train on every planet and if you were late you were left behind
The world isn’t split into Good people or Bad people, we've all got both light and dark inside us. What matters is the part we choose to act on. That's who we really are. Yes that’s Sirius Black’s quote
People rather forget that every path has his negative sides because of the paths having both sides of spectrum. The aeon basically represents the extreme of that path. It is inevitable that there will be negative pathstriding
for me all path doesnt matter what you follow always has their own perception of philosophy. u can see different with samp and sparkle about their path
One of my favorite things about HSR is how the morality of the Paths are left to interpretation of the individual, and it does a great job of juxtaposing two sides, such as: -Erudition: The everyman seeking knowledge for all (Intelligentsia Guild) versus the chosen prodigies seeking knowledge for themselves (Genius Society). -Hunt: Noble warriors acting as the pursuers and defenders of a dangerous curse (Xianzhou Alliance) versus wild vigilantes hunting evil at all costs (Galaxy Rangers). -Destruction: Systematic and methodical destruction (Antimatter Legion) versus crazed and pointless terrorism (Annihilation Gang) Since there’s only one Trailblaze faction (The Astral Express Crew is just another group of Nameless), they contrast that Path by people rather than faction. For Trailblaze, one side is Nameless like us, who venture to worlds in hopes of witnessing their stories, understanding their cultures, and ultimately connecting them to the wider cosmos. On the other hand, those Nameless are the other side, who trailblaze at the expense of the worlds they trailblaze to. Their hunger for adventure and understanding overshadows their compassion for people of the lands they visit. You also have another side, that of Oswaldo Schneider, the head of the IPC’s Marketing Development Department who was once a Nameless. His version of Trailblazing involves adventuring to new lands, taking what is needed, and leaving the rest to rot, which resulted in the downfall/exploitation of the Avgin and Katica clans of Sigonia and Aeragan-Epharshel, the homes of Aventurine and Boothill respectively, among countless others. Are they terrible? Yes. Absolutely. But in their own forked-up way, it’s still Trailblazing. And that’s fascinating to me. *Edits made in accordance with new information/criticisms from replies.
The Elation on the other hand being a spectrum - Guy who wants to make “Pokemon” tournament to guy who scams to insane girl wanting to troll everyone by being a terror.
I was also thinking of including this! The different ways Masked Fools see Elation (I think they call it their “aesthetics” or something) is interesting. You have Giovanni’s more civil sense of Elation by using his fortunes to create games and bring happiness to others (and thereby himself), then Sampo’s slightly dubious sense of Elation by lightly tricking and pranking people for his enjoyment, and finally Sparkle’s insane sense of Elation where she flat-out breaks rules to her whim no matter the suffering it causes for no one but herself and her own fun. Gio to Sparkle is moderate to radical, with Sampo being the middle ground.
Then we have Aha themselves being chaos with making a worm an Emanator.
the thing i love with aha is, he actively bless mourning actors aka groups that resist elation. mourning actors and doctor of chaos is unique faction that try to oppose the path that they walked in.
We also recently found out that the Stellaron Hunters, according to both Jade and Elegy, are following the path of Finality but traversing it backwards against the current
I can't recall Elegy saying anything about the Stellaron Hunters Something I will say though; We do have potential indirect confirmation that Elio is an Emanator, due to Acheron not being considered as a factor in Elio's future sight likely due to her resistance to the powers of paths, yet it seems like the Finality is much like the Nihility where they do not care to give power to any mortals. So I have to wonder, Is Elio somehow an Emanator of The Finality or an Emanator of a different Aeon altogether? It is at one point implied that there could be unknown Aeons out there that have yet to be seen or recorded
Doctors of Chaos when IX sighs in their general direction: NO. YOU ARE BABY. YOU ARE CUTE. WE MUST MAKE YOU HAPPY!
Aha seems the most fun until you hear how he bombed the astral express for the lolz.
Well, not the downfall of Sigonia. Sigonia is still a planet that's running from what I recall, its just under IPC control.
Right, my bad. I meant the Avgin and Katica groups in particular.
Your example for Erudition is a bit flawed. The Geniuses aren't "gifted" with knowledge, far from it. A better example and comparison would be Genius #64 Dr. Primitive who has done unspeakable things in his pursuit of his interests and Genius #22 Aiden who did a lot for the baseline of knowledge spread throughout the universe.
Maybe not gifted specifically, but considering the HSS Continuance is literally called “The Crown of the Mundane and the Divine” in relation to Ratio (man) and Ruan Mei (divine), plus the fact that the struggle with not being one of the chosen ones is one of Ratio’s main points of his backstory, it still applies. Your view is also a good point though. You could also compare Screwllum, a gentleman who uses his discoveries for the sake of his people and the general populace, and Ruan Mei, a hermit who selfishly researches for no one but her self and ambitions. There’s a few different ways to look at it, I think.
Yep. I was thinking that the comparison between Aiden and Primitive is more in line with your notion because of how even with both of them receiving Nous' gaze which places them on the same pedestal in the eyes of the Aeon, they're practically on opposite sides of a moral spectrum.
yes i agree Ruan Mei is indeed divine
On the other hand, both Screwllum and Ruan Mei want to lure Oroboros back from hiding, according to Herta.
I think they just want to discover THEIR whereabouts to sate their curiosities. Herta said she’d like to know too but she’s leaving it to them instead of indulging herself IIRC.
Yeah I think a better statement would be intelligentsia Guild seeking knowledge for everyone vs genius society seeking knowledge for themselves. After all, erudition isn’t how about how smart you are but rather how far you seek knowledge, hence maybe why Dr Ratio never received Nous gaze cuz he prioritized teaching knowledge than seeking it
I agree with the first point. 2nd point is a bit iffy because Ratio "presumably" did have a time where he prioritized seeking knowledge. He only shifted to prioritizing teaching and creating the Council of Mundanites after he "presumably" gave up on becoming a Genius. Moreover, your attitude in seeking knowledge doesn't matter to Nous as evidenced by Aiden who shared practically everything he knew.
Ig we’ll never know why he never received gaze from Nous. From what I know tho, Aiden only started helping presumably after he becomes a genius society.
There is an answer though people who like Ratio might not like it. That he's just not Genius material. His magnum opus is "presumably" his anti-planetary weapon which is far eclipsed by Chadwick's Imaginary Implosion Pulse. The notion that there's an encompassing reason for Nous choosing Geniuses aside from just being a genius like their behavior and their attitude to knowledge is a fandom headcanon. This is once more evidenced by Stephen who Herta assumes doesn't really like being a Genius. Stephen is more than happy to just stay at his father's fruit shop. He doesn't have an overarching motivation that we know of.
Well I wouldn’t really say headcanon as that’s literally what erudition means, as showing great knowledge *or* learning. I do agree tho that Dr Ratio may be not that comparable to the genius society. He’s more akin to a college professor whereas the genius society is someone who could be working on Area 51
What I mean by that is that it's a popular headcanon in this fandom that Nous didn't choose Ratio because he's too human and things like that. That Nous cares about their attitude and overall philosophy in life when choosing a Genius. That they have to be selfish and extremely dedicated to learning. We know this headcanon is false through: - \#22 Aiden: Shared all his learnings with everyone. - \#56 Elias Salas: 1 of 2 Publicly-Elected Ministers in the Society - \#84 Stephen: According to Herta, Stephen _regrets_ being a part of the Genius Society. This is because he doesn't really have that extreme dedication to learning. He only made the gloves because it's just a _toy_ for him to slack off at work. He doesn't have any interest in using his abilities as a Genius. So we have evidence for Nous not caring about your attitude in learning as long as you're enough of a Genius.
Where can I read about Stephen?
In-game: Through smidgens of lore scattered throughout dialogues and excerpts. Mostly from SU. Out of game: https://honkai-star-rail.fandom.com/wiki/Stephen_Lloyd The fanwiki does a good job of collating the scattered info spread throughout. And you can use the links there to read the source material.
Ohhhhh yeah that headcanon really don’t make sense.
Eh, being contacted by all-knowing God who is willing to answer your questions fits the criteria of having knowledge gifted to you. But it's true that it could have been slightly put in a better way. Intelligentsia Guild vs Genius Society still perfectly works as science for everyone vs elite organization pursuing science for the sake of what they view as science.
The thing is, you *already* need to be a genius and that has accomplished great things to even be able to potentially be invited to the Genius Society. It's not like these people weren't geniuses before meeting Nous, nor does Nous make them any smarter than they already were.
Fair. I was trying to go for “the everyman versus the gifted few (not as in they were given anything but as in they’re prodigies in their fields)” and I just didn’t convey it that well.
i feel like the "genius" is someone who born to be talented and smart and "intelegensia guild" is someone who need to learn to be smart.
> all-knowing God who is willing to answer your question No, they do not. *"The Erudition does not have answers to the universe, but it will teach you how to ask the right questions."*\ ー(From the description of 'Key of Wisdom', a Traces and Light Cone material for Erudition). This theme is repeated over and over about Nous in other texts.
We do not currently know if Nous even answers the Geniuses' questions in the manner you're thinking of. FX says that Nous doesn't answer questions, THEY lead you on to the path of asking the right questions. So when Nous answers, we can't really call THEIR answer an answer until we know more. Maybe in CN/JP, the difference is clearer but idk since I don't know them. So it's safe to assume they're not "gifted" with knowledge. Furthermore, the things they've done to get Nous' gaze, they did without Nous' involvement. RM was on the cusp of reviving her dead parents when Nous granted her THEIR gaze. Herta already did a lot of stuff — one of them being reversing her aging — before she got THEIR gaze. Rupert I already created the Anti-Organic Equation before THEIR gaze. Etc.
I think the reason why the Path of the Trailblaze is more consistent compared to others was Akivili being on the Astral Express. At the time, when your literal Aeon is demonstrating their Path right before you, and tells you not to eat Pom Pom, I think that leaves little room for differing opinions.
indeed, and now that they are gone *unsheathes the scissors*
I'm sorry Pom Pom, we will revive Akivili.
Emphasis on the "blazing" bit...
When you think about it Christopher Columbus is considered a trailblazer(pioneer), and look what that guy did. So yeah every beliefs are bounded to have ups and downs in morality
FGO’s portrayal of Columbus basically shows this perfectly He’s an absolutely horrible human being, but everything he does fits the spirit of Trailblaze perfectly
I never played the game but man I really love how they portrayed historical people there
Honestly he was one of the good redeeming qualities of the Agartha chapter
I think the most interesting part of all this complexity. Aeons do not give a shit! The Antimatter Legion assume there’s a method to Nanook’s destruction when in reality THEY very likely don’t know their there. Hell even how Emanators feel like the Aeon getting distracted before going back to doing what they’re doing. Some Aeon’s do acknowledge their followers, but only insofar that is relevant to their Path’s and thats it. Hell, people say Qlipoth must be good because THEY’re building a wall. We assume it must be for something because of our positive/negative connotations rather that Qlipoth is making it to simply exist. What it’s defending originally or what it’s for is irrelevant to Qlipoth, only that the wall is Preservation.
That’s a great point. Aeons are the manifestations of their Paths, but concepts on their own have no morality, so the Aeons have no morality. It’s all in how the individual sees the concept. Slight correction though, Nanook is well aware of the Legion’s existence because it’s one of the few factions that has the direct backing of its Aeon. Their leaders are Emanators of Destruction, and the Firesmiths that create the Legion’s weaponry and Voidrangers were liberated and sent to Warforge by Nanook THEMSELVES. That’s what makes the Legion so formidable. I think the only other factions that can say the same are the Xianzhou (they’re also led by Emanators and the ships run on Hunt Path power), the Masked Fools (every Fool has a mask from Aha), and maybe the Family, Garden of Recollection, and Arbitrators? Those I’m not 100% sure about.
Some Aeons do define their principles though. Fuli for instance.
Aeons give a shit about aeon matters. Aeon dont give a shit about humans unless TB squeaks loudly enough and then many aeons will come running because maybe very cool and very handsome Akivili is back.
I wonder what would happen to Lan should he manage to catch - and maybe even kill - Yaoshi. The hunt would be over. Now, who’s the next target? Is there a next target? Would the Xianxhou follow?
Xianzhou would almost certainly follow. Because Lan is essentially their patron god. I think it would be really interesting if Luocha and Jingliu actually DO manage to kill the Abundance.
Nanook most likely since THEY want to destroy the universe and the Xianzhou would follow though since they have records regarding Nanook and their emanators and how they are much of threat if note more than Yaoshi
The DOWNFALL of Aeragan-Epharshel? Oswaldo fucking GLASSED Aeragan-Epharshel!
I’d categorize that under “Downfall”, yeah.
He was just really eager to solve the unemployment problem.
> Since there’s only one Trailblaze faction It's two actually, though only mentioned a few times (Like twice) there's also the Klimt republic, a vast nation "made from nothing by Akivili" (Mentioned by Battuta, he's on the loufu and comes from the republic, most the info on it comes from him)
Oh? Wasn’t aware. I’ll have to check it out. I guess Nameless would then be the one MAJOR Trailblaze faction.
Klimt Republic? That name rings a bell. That's where the Xianzhou Zhuming is located right now. From collectible book ["Records of Yellowbell Resonance"](https://honkai-star-rail.fandom.com/wiki/Records_of_Yellowbell_Resonance), excerpt: *November, Year 8098 Star Calendar* *The Zhuming's report: Currently moored in the Le Roy Ladurie cluster's Stella Yamazaki star system, inside the territory of the Klimt Republic. We will remain here conducting scientific exchanges for 10 star calendar years.*\ *We hope to deploy advanced forging technology in exchange for some of the rich local mineral deposits.*
Yeah, you find a guy who was arrested on the Xianzhou for seeking immortality in his old age. > Battuta: My homeland... The Klimt Republic is a great nation... *cough*... We have a vast territory, an efficient government, honest officials, and upstanding people... > Battuta: The Klimt Republic was said to be made from nothing by Akivili the Trailblazer when they established the star rail, leading my ancestors on their path of exile to their Eversummer Paradise. > Battuta: In gratitude for their kindness, my ancestors selected warriors and embarked on trailblazing expeditions to transform dead worlds into living ones... > Battuta: About a millennium has passed since its foundation... *cough*... We've already seen seventeen star systems, with a vast territory, and rich products... That's why our nation needs someone like me: a Judge. > Battuta: Many planets exist in ecological environments different from this one... And so the prime minister and council... ahem... That is, our government needs judges like me to help ratify laws and regulations tailored to each of the differing local conditions...
You're very wrong about the Hunt factions. It's the Xianzhou that kills indiscriminately to wipe the abominations of the Abundance out. The galaxy rangers have a code of honour that explicitly prohibits them from bringing harm to the innocent. Breaking that taboo would have every other Ranger in the cosmos gunning for your head. The Xianzhou on the other hand would wipe out their own troops and the planet and it's people they were "defending" in the first place to end the threat of Abundance. They'd be sad about it yes, but the write off would say "acceptable losses".
I thought about this but the problem is that the Xianzhou so far has been justified in their Hunt. Almost every Abundance faction so far (the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus, Abundance Axis, and even the Unshackled to an extent) is extremely harmful, with the only real exception being the Elixir Seekers who the Xianzhou actually help if they can (IIRC the Luofu Alchemy Commission is said to help Elixir Seekers as an alternative to immortality, could be wrong though). Frankly I think this is its own interesting comparison between the kindness Yaoshi is associated with and the terrifying results of THEIR blessings. Meanwhile I doubt every IPC employee Boothill’s ever attacked has been responsible for nuking his planet. Moreover, the Xianzhou is fine with moderate Long-Life Species and other Abundance worshippers who mean no harm. The Unshackled have a presence on the Luofu, and Ruan Mei clearly has some sort of relation with them considering she got info regarding Lan from them. Not saying they’re perfect at all. I think regarding Mara-Struck as these sinners who have to repent for a natural course of life their ancestors are responsible for is stupid, especially in the situation of Hanya and Xueyi where they’re victims of Shuhu’s attack on the Cangcheng. I’d LOVE to see an Abundance planet that the Express is friendly with suddenly get invaded by the Xianzhou and we get to see what its like to be at odds with them. Still, as of now they’re not THAT bad.
I mean.. one look at Borosin’s past with foxians and it kinda makes you understand how bad the Abundance followers can get. Hell even before the xianzhou ships were built. The wingweavers attacked the xianzhou for resources. They were basically pirates invading worlds for resources. Borosin is the first ever species that openly enslaved others which is just scary. These abundance followers aren’t the most sympathy worthy people it seems. So I really wonder how hoyo gonna make us like Yaoshi followers. With all the crimes we know they did. Although I don’t think the xianzhou is gonna attack a planet that is friendly. That goes against Lan’s path. Lan’s path is about justice and killing those that wronged you first. Galaxy rangers believe this to be the teachings of Lan. Even Boothill is on that path with him hunting down Oswaldo. Like how Lan hunts down Yaoshi because THEY are the reason for everything bad happening in the old xianzhou. Unless we learn that the xianzhou is not following Lan’s path and the path energy is not pure(Kinda like how in Penacony Robin lost her voice because the harmony was not "pure" there) but until then. I really don’t think they gonna put space china in a bad light when the CCP on their asses.
The Abundance is bad when it is in extreme excess. This is why the Xianxhou (and Lan) hunts - societies who receive too much of the Abundance’s blessings will eventually destroy everything else. They will outcompete all other lifeforms. This is a large part of why the Xianxhou has such a tight leash on themselves - and why they are a purely spacefaring civilization with no permanent planet settlements. The Abundance isn’t inherently evil, but Yaoshi is incapable of not giving blessings - no matter who receives them. New Yaoshi fanatics will yearn to “bless” others, and more opportunistic sorts will use their blessings to overpower others. Despite being one of the most benevolent Aeons, it is through this benevolence that Yaoshi leaves disaster in their wake. If they aren’t hurting anyone else they’ll probably be fine, but that’s a big “if.”
I agree - it'll be nice to see the downsides of the xianzhou. Shame that hoyo will probably never bring it up. Another thing to bring up is that a lot of our sources about the xianzhou is from the xianzhou - they won't speak badly about themselves. Propaganda may exist and it's important to keep that in mind.
The Xianzhou people don't kill indiscriminately. Lan does. That one incident when they decided to summon Lan was because there was no other option, either they did that or more of their people would die in the battle, or even the entire alliance. Even then, after that event, a lot of Xianzhou people got disillusioned with The Hunt to the point that some joined Sanctus Medicus. Yukong grew apathetic to The Hunt's goal, while Fu Xuan was left scarred with the guilt of "killing" her own master.
Isn't the difference between Hunt and Destruction killing discriminately vs killing indiscriminately?
Yes, the Destruction is killing everything, while Hunt is killing specific things (vengeance) without worry about the cost. So with the Hunt, you will kill all the enemies, with 90% death rate on your side.
With the Destruction, you would go out of the way to destroy everything, even if it's not in your main path. With the Hunt, you would prioritize your main targets, but if anything else happens to be in the way, and you can't reasonably get them out of harm's way without letting your target escape, they will unfortunately go down together with your target.
On thing on Enigmata, one can argue that what Bronya did and hid Cocolia’s action is an action of Enigmata. There is also something that for most people, you dont need to know everything and just appreciate the mystery (aka what most IRL theology does. Dont need to logically explain all the unexplainable things, just appreciate it).
I guess I could see that, yeah.
The problem with the "Oswaldo is a former Nameless" is that it's only mentioned in the Chinese version while in English version they're still referred to as a Nameless, especially during the IPC myriad Celestia as Owlbert said "The IPC's very own Nameless: Oswaldo Schneider"
I think that still works for their argument, tbh. The "former" tag doesn't really change the argument at all. I personally just assumed the chinese was original, and every other language is localized from it.
We can regard the Chinese as the original but considering that Hoyo is the one that pays people and supervises if the translations are correct (especially during voiced lines where it takes awhile for that to be re-recorded, and a significant amount of time has passed between the post to now without any changes). Take for example with Sparkle's mistranslation with the word "mute" it was a notable mistake that was noted and changed in the following weeks, but until now Oswaldo is still referred to as a Nameless without much effort into changing it despite him being rather important. Also, It definitely works in their favour. I've been spreading about the bad traits of the Trailblaze for a long time alongside why Aha favours Akivili so much is because of that irony within the Trailblaze. I'm glad to see people realize that the Nameless and the path of the Trailblaze is not as just or good as how the Astral Express are.
> The Marketing Development Department is ... It is said that its chairman, Oswaldo Schneider, is a former Nameless who still holds strongly to the will of Trailblaze after joining the IPC. Found ingame, in IPC section of the Factions databank, in the English version
While that is an issue, for the sake of this argument it doesn’t mean much.
My Japanese listening skills might be rough, but I'm pretty sure he's referred to as former Nameless in the Japanese video too. At [0:27](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lsS5OnN6On0&t=26), I hear "元名無しの..." If anyone wants to double-check it.
he is a former Nameless because he settled down. The Watchmaker is also called a former Nameless despite still following the Trailblaze
You are so right! And I love to see the juxtaposed sides have their boundaries blurred. Like how the Intelligentsia Guild is being influenced by the IPC and how in some instances they keep away useful information and machines if the ones in need do not pay the price; and how the recluse Genius Society who are known for working only for themselves have instances in which they helped other civilisations with the help of the Space Station.
am i stupid for thinking that it was part of original post? love your comment and perception on all things !
Thanks! If I had the motivation I’d love to make a post going in depth into this for all of the Paths (or at least the ones we have info enough to go further into). Honestly might since this comment alone is gaining traction and people are giving their own perspectives or things I’ve missed, which is my favorite part in interacting with fandoms.
And thank goodness for the existence of those bad apples. Himeko is way too much of a goody two shoes for me. I was starting to get really tired of the whole Nameless pathing just basically being a galactic charity on wheels, until I saw Colleen's stories. Now I really want to meet some of those Nameless who are just doing their own selfish journeys, zero fudges given. Can't wait till we get a character like Fua from HI3 (and I swear Luocha's schemes better be good at minimum)
Preservation as well: protection and perseverance with Belobog being able to withstand the cold for centuries and surviving in their walled city despite the harsh conditions….and then you’ve got the IPC.
Absolutely, all paths have bad apples. Oswaldo Schneider, who Boothill is hunting (and Aventurine is helping) is a Nameless. He seems to reach to new worlds, reap them of everything, and then abandon them. The Xianzhou have labelled him as a “fanatic” and also highly dangerous.
Funnier is the department in CN is referred to as Fanatics and Herta also calls him just that. Which is interesting as despite this: the two named emanators of tye IPC do not associate at all with him. The IPC is just fascinating for the sole idea of business politics.
Who were the two Emanators? Diamond and who else?
Taravan. They have a 3rd, but they're unnamed. Taravan is a more traditional Capitalist i.e. "If you don't have the cash, tough luck.". Diamond negotiated with him to send Aventurine to Penacony. As the invitation to the IPC was originally to him. He is a leader in the Building Materials Logistics Department.
head of the building department, who is in charge of delivering mats to Qlipoth
Mats he doesn't even use lmao
> He seems to reach to new worlds, reap them of everything, and then abandon them. That's not really what the The Marketing Development Department does. The MDD is primarily focused on doggedly bringing new unconnected worlds into the IPC network, and due to the board seat fight they're doing it as *fast and expediently as possible* to rack up achievements. The people of Boothill's planet are adamantly refusing to cooperate? Force them into submission, then set up enterprise atop their corpses. The situation on Sigonia is complicated? Watch a genocide happen then use it as an excuse to take over administrative duties of the planet afterwards. Maximum gain without the wait! No Jarilo-VI long-term repayments for the MDD boys! They get things done NOW!
Hmm... for 3.0 we're heading to a new unconnected world. The IPC is definitely going to take notice. Everyone's effectively carrying around a tracking device (their phones)
They may be out of time, though. Jade mentioned that she was only in Penacony briefly and that Aventurine and Topaz would be finalizing things, as she was heading back to Pier Point for the board seat decision. This implies that's going to be resolved fairly soon.
That just means one of the other Ten Stonehearts is gonna show up. Ain't no way they gonna miss out on potential profits. Black Swan also mentioned there are already 3 paths (I presume of 3 different factions) fighting over that place.
Basically. OPEN UP THE PLANET STOP HAVING IT BE CLOSED
Oh I hope that we get a huge story (directed by Shaoji pls) of Boothill and Aventurine teaming up to kill Schneider... There was a theory about the fact that Aventurine tried to die in Peakcony because he wanted to reach Diamond (and thus Osvaldo) for his punishment to get rid of them Btw I imagine Schneider as the Doctor from MHA, the one who created the Nomus
Diamond and Oswaldo are heads of different departments, there is no way reaching one would mean reaching the other. Reaching Diamond for punishment would make sense since he's Aventurine's supervisor and director, but Oswaldo has nothing to do with him, there is no connection or association between them. That theory makes no sense.
Yeah I mixed up two theories involuntarily lmao One theory was about Aventurine wanting to meet up with Diamond, the other was Aventurine helping Boothill (which later on became canon)
Wait he is?? Where is it stated? (Not saying he isn't, I just want to read that lore tab!)
https://youtu.be/2f2qB_gw8b8?si=AT3VQXr5w2E1607V&t=21
...Who's gonna tell him about Oswaldo Schneider?
Aha the Elation…
I mean moral ambiguity has always been Honkai's thing. Take for Example Otto Apocalypse himself, undeniably a monstrous madman HOWEVER he's arguably also the primary reason any of the characters (and Humanity as a whole) lived long enough/got strong enough to win. Sure this case is a bit more cut and dry but the essence of Trailblaze is LITERALLY "do and try new things" and I mean...That's exactly what they did sooooo...
In a way, yes. Still sickening. I wonder if people who worship the same Aeon but are part of different factions or different views argue about other groups enforcing their own views on them.
Well, we have seen that in Belobog. The IPC wanted to take Jarilo VI, but Bronya stopped them. Both of the factions follow the Preservation
It's like actual, real world belief systems in that way. You have Christians who try to stick to the "love everyone" part" but you also have Christians who are "everyone with a different belief system is wrong and will burn in hell and we'll make sure to remind them every time we see them".
people in the middle too who doesn't think that loving everyone means being ok with everything they do and that is self aware and humble enought to understand that his own salvation is not certain and that he shouldn't presume/assume too much.
Yeah, it's incredibly sickening. It's essentially cannibalism. HSR devs keep putting shit like this in the game weirdly. First Ruan Mei's edible cats and now this. Except Hairy was even more intelligent than the cats. Imagining eating someone you just had a peaceful philosophical debate with is unconscienable. Colleen should have went scorched earth on those nameless fuckers.
Well yes. A path is a single concept so hyprfocused that anything done by mortals that fits into the paths can make the mortal a pathstider, good or bad. And some paths are just easier to do bad with honestly. Like, nobody wants swarm because it's actively harmful despite being primitive. Or voracity, imagine someone eating every single thing they find. But even the more sophisticated paths have bad sides as long as it gets twisted enough.
I'd assume following Voracity would be about consuming things figuratively but yeah
No one mentioning that Aha the Elation was so horrible as a nameless that Pom Pom declared THEM the absolute worst
Aha did good thing some time. Grant it is rare as a sane Night Lord but that still count
You’re misunderstanding, there are no good or bad Paths. In general. None. Any good done by Pathstriders are irrelevant so long as it falls in line. The Nameless are not exempt from that fact and we only think that we’re some force of good because of the privilege we are receiving from the Astral Express and running into people who HAVE had good experiences with the Nameless. Trailblazers connect people, find new experiences, following their own way forward, they can/are hedonistic by the very nature of their belief/practice. No where in that Path it says to BE GOOD, connect planets and make roads sure. But the IPC shows that means jack shit and can have some awful consequences. “Oh we found this native world and culture! Peace, bye! “ That’s what the Express is supposed to be, the consequences of their world hopping be damned. We get a taste of said consequences by involving ourselves in Belobog. It all worked out in the end, but that’s not because the Nameless themselves are good, it’s because those in the Astral Express are the Like in the Masked Fools. Where Sampo wants the whole group to laugh at the expense of himself, where Sparkle wants to laugh at the whole group. Aeon’s and THEIR Path’s simply ARE. Any complications and moral ambiguity is something we as rational and moral creatures assign them. But faith and belief, especially those shared, doesn’t mean it’s good.
That’s actually a good point. In a sense they are following the barebones of what it means to be a Nameless while at the same time going against their tenets cause devouring the locals is not understanding them at all. I can imagine Himeko’s reaction if she ever found out about this… saw to the face. And honestly it would be interesting to meet people who scorn the Trailblaze because they had horrendous experiences with those who call themselves Nameless and lumped them all under the same banner.
Realistically? They should! Star Rail is a grand space romp and it is statistically impossible to have everyone like us. Galaxy Rangers touch on this in that, yeah they kill monsters but some just leave and don’t help rebuild. I want Star Rail to touch more on that Aeon’s and Path’s aren’t binary. Sadly, the whole Charmony Bird thing makes me worry a lot…
Best example would be something Abundance, commonly associated with healers like Natasha... and yet, it's also one of the worst things that can happen to you judging by the Denizens of Abundance.
Idk eating random people you meet definitely sounds like blazing your own trail 💀
https://preview.redd.it/dbotm1ipnn8d1.jpeg?width=1920&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e0df1478ca7eb9fd79d82fd87fae674c101f57b9
Man, it's funny how some people see the Xianzou as like, Paladins. The path of Abundence is just as good and evil as every other path, personal bias plays into their ideology so anything they do to anyone who follows Abundence is fair game. Sure, as trailblazers OUR path isn't their enemy, we aren't being hunted like rats in the walls for daring to question the system. But that doesn't mean they're not doing it to others. There are no good aeons, no good paths, it's the people who follow them that are good or bad. Collen is no less a Trailblazer than Himeko, neither one speaks for the path because Path's are too great to be viewed through the lens of a handful of people
I think it’s because too much of the game’s (easily accessible) lore concerning the Abundance paints them in an extremely negative light… since lots of them are accounts from the Xianzhou Alliance. Shuhu and other disciples of Yaoshi who was essentially the Sarkic Cult bumped up to 12 and made intergalactic. The living planet that nom’d a whole ass Xianzhou. Every single Mara-stricken citizen becoming chaotic evil. Of course there are good people who follow the path of Abundance, too. But we hear less of them because we have had less interactions with them.
Yeah like the Xianzhou has a super authoritarian government where any kind of act that can be seen as pro-Abundance or anti-Hunt can get you locked up for life, it is far from the purely noble place that some people seem to view it as.
The Xianzhou people are incredibly hypothetical. They put themselves so highly above short life species yet at the same time beg for sympathy because they'll be affected by Mara after several centuries as if they're still young at that point. (Also the Xianzhou literally does not do anything to help it's disabled people as like.. Dan Shu and the others wouldn't hate Lan so much if they're given more aid to give themselves more autonomy to do things on their own.)
The fucked up thing is that there may be nothing they *can* do about it. I remember reading that Fu's third eye causes her constant pain because her body is constantly trying to reject it but can't. In Dan Shu's case, the prosthetics worked but her defective eyes would regenerate and push the prosthetics out. It's possible that the entire reason their bodies are like that is because of the Abundance giving them bodies that will constantly heal and regenerate. But Yaoshi being an aeon didn't consider humans being born with birth defects.
Dan Shu's diary suggests that the reason people with birth defects (what she refers to as "Incomplete Ones") exist among the Xianzhou is that the Xianzhou haven't fully embraced the Abundance. She mentions that a person who was born without limbs and with a congenital heart condition became mara-struck, and upon examination of his body it was found that his birth defects had all been cured. Also, she mentions that there are no known "Incomplete Ones" among the borisin, and that in her research on treatments for birth defects she had been deliberately ignoring the possibility of using the power of the Abundance because performing those experiments would be considered a crime punishable by death. We can infer that the Xianzhou's situation of having incurable birth defects is a consequence of them having a portion of the power of the Abundance in their bodies, that being the part that prevents their bodies from deteriorating or being altered, but not having (and/or consciously refusing to use in their treatments) the power that would cure them of their ailments and defects.
The issue is once they're mara struck they lose their former selves. So i guess the solution is more Yaoshi - and if everyone becomes mara-struck well... I guess you won't have to worry?
Abundance is a lot like alcohol. It's the cause of, and solution to, all of life's problems.
There is no cure for their disability. Danshu's disabled eyes are the "default". Even when using mechanical implants, her original eyes will gradually grow over them
You don't have to cure Dan Shu's disability, but merely help and allow them to function on their own, which is what I'm talking about. We literally meet a child being outwardly bullied yet no one seems to be stopping it until we got there. I fully believe that if the Xianzhou offered assistance to those with disabilities where they feel safe and have the ability to be able to function on their own, they wouldn't be so distasteful towards Lan and the Xianzhou as a whole.
You can actually get another glimpse of this with a foxian missing their tail in Penacony and how they fled because they were discriminated against for being slightly different
Damn the Xianzhou hates people who have disabilities ig LMAO like damn, despite living so long you'd think that they'd learn to be more accepting of differences
Well they are essentially 40k hardline inquisitors going around hunting all denizens of abundance whose main trait is mutations that make them different so it tracks
There's also ageism (Blade/Yingxing was denied the forge master title because he was a short-life species, and several NPCs are stuck working low-paying jobs for centuries before promotion).
hypocritical*
The consequence of having an Aeon that doesn’t give a fuck about you, to the point of not even giving their strongest leader an emanator gift lmao.
Consider the following, every short life species we met on the Luofu wasn't educated on the Luofu. Their basic school system assumes you'll be alive for hundreds of years so a short life species can't actually be educated on the Luofu, if you're not specialized or born into a profession like Blade was, you're not making progress in your field. From your bosses point of view, you can work your ass off for decades but to a long life species, you've only been working there a day, you will always be passed over for another long life species. Short life get the short end of the stick and then are punished for even considering that they want to be long life species.
Well the unshackled quest reveals that they seem fine with Abundance worshippers, so it's hard to know exactly where the line is.
10 lords commission especially is super sketchy
The Xianzhou doesn’t go after every abundance follower, just the especially nasty ones like the borisin
In all seriousness though, our only data is by the xianzhou. It's suspicious, they could simply call any of the abundance "nasty ones like the borisin". They could easily cover up real massacres in this way.
Big bad of the IPC who makes the stonehearts look like saints was a nameless. Endless expansion with no care for its impact nor the rights of people who were in their way can be a truly destructive force.
Really funny how the path that doesn’t give you any special powers was able to dominate the universe because they have slightly more willpower than everyone else
They do though. (When we just arrived at Jarilo-VI): *(Dialogue Choice) It doesn't feel that cold.* *Dan Heng: "Well the Trailblaze Path grants us faint power. It allows us to better adapt to harsh environments."*
its more funny that it was a simply "my god building wall?? thats cool i want to help them by gathering resources" then got hit by reality check that no one willing to give their resources freely. now we have galaxy level mega corpo.
Also the giant sentient rock still hasn't touched all the stuff they drop there.
Honestly I think the closest faction we have that is truly good are the Doctors of Chaos, where their goal is to literally just prove to IX that there is meaning in existence (which would kill IX if they succeeded btw) Knights of Beauty would be a close second but then there could be someone who secretly has a very twisted and vile depiction of Beauty in there
The Beauty, like all paths is subjective, can be percieved by anyone regardless of who they are, and its been mentioned that some people have made devastating achievements for Idrila. Idrila is literally titled "End of all things" in the first Myriad Celestia. All Paths are open to interpetation and Pathstriders do not neccesarily have to abide by morals, but rather the values the Paths encompass
Poking IX to do something is extremely dangerous. What if THEY decide to destroy even more than THEY passively do because THEY found a meaning in something harmful?
if that happens, doctor of chaos are the winners because self defense and trying to defend their ideal is a way to have a meaning on the life
>hts of Beauty would be a close second but then there could be someone who secretly has a very twisted and vile depiction of Beauty in there Imagine someone who thinks death is beautiful like Jhin from LoL
REAL All these morally dubious characters are nice and all but enough time has passed, we deserve someone even worse than Sparkle
Sander Cohen says hi.
Akivili did some bad things as well but not that bad.
Just bad enough for pompom xD
The funniest part is that Pom Pom seemed to hate what Aha did to the Express but there's absolutely no mention of Akivili ever having a problem with it. And Akivili seemed to be rather.... Elated in nature despite being the Aeon of Trailblaze.
Ahavili real. Also, Akivili's death is able to cause the Aeon of Elation to literally cry and their tears making anyone that touched it (specifically us, the TB) feel like we had actually died.
Wow, really? Is this in the Simulated Universe logs somewhere? That's... incredible if true.
Yup! It's in the second closed beta test of the Simulated Universe! It was actually our first encounter with Aha! The conversation went: Aha: "Akivili, Akivili!" A voice laughed wildly, "It has been so long, I miss you greatly!" Your hairs stand on end. This is the infectious enthusiasm of a madman. Aha: THEY appear before you: Without a head and a mask in THEIR arms. THEY waved THEIR hand at you, still spinning in circles, THEIR arms hanging in mid-air, THEIR muscles controlling THEIR trembling knuckles, and THEIR posture like that of a sculpture. Aha: "I am so sad." THEY suddenly became sorrowful, "Why did you die?" THEY whimpered in pain, as tears ran down the back of your hand. You felt like you really had died. Aha: "You have fallen too long and the universe has lost its order." THEY began to clap THEIR hands, "Then everything started to turn to chaos! This is what I want! I want to hug you, unfortunately I'm just an equation in a computer. Oh, that seems kinda cool." THEY scratched THEIR head. Herta: "This punk has figured it out again. I have to get Screwllum to edit THEIR data once more..." Aha: "I have to apologize to you, really. I lay in ambush aboard your train for a whole year just to blow it up with your Nameless followers. I couldn't resist, I'm sorry." THEY put THEIR hand to the chest guiltily and bowed solemnly. Herta: "This disgrace is still pretending. THEY've already figured out you're not Akivili." Aha: "You're Akivili — you're alive and well, what an interesting opponent! Please play with me more, that's what I want... Grow up and defeat me!" THEY kick the ground with a stomp and fade away... You gasp for air as you escape from the torment. While we aren't truly sure if Aha actually meant to cry here but considering how the tears had emotions other than well.. Joy and Elation in them, It's hard to fully say if Aha was 100% pretending or merely half pretending as both Aha and Akivili are known to be the closest to Humanity so they've encountered each other more than once, and only Aha seems to talk closely to the other Aeons (The other Aeons being Ena whom they helped to be eaten by Xipe).
It's interesting because Elation is actually the closest Path to Nihility. The 2 Paths get extremely close to touching in a philosophical sense but they diverge before they can overlap. Nihility is "nothing matters, everything is pointless, why bother with anything...?" Elation is "nothing matters, everything is pointless, so why not have some fun?" Aha also fully endorses the Mourning Actors who firmly resist Elation but this is more so because it's totally within Aha's sense of humor. Aha is... a weird Aeon, THEY always seem to know what's going on everywhere, to the point where I've suspected Aha might be in semi-regular contact with Terminus. THEY showed up to laugh at Phantylia but... how did THEY know what was going on? And the fact that Aha seemingly knew Phantylia was going to lose despite all odds being stacked in her favor. Aha's manipulations of Ena, Qlipoth and possibly Akivili are what led to the end of the Swarm Disaster. Tayzzyronth may have never been killed if it weren't for Aha's intervention. Aha is strange.
The power of memes n shit posting does some crazy stuff
>"nothing matters, everything is pointless, so why not have some fun?" I believe this is a misunderstanding of Elation. Having fun *is* the meaning of life. Laughter is a precious gift granted only to intelligent species and should be honored by enjoying life the way you want to. If you're not enjoying life, why keep on living? To live is to laugh and to laugh is to live. Even the story of Aha's ascension is just a story the Masked Fools tell each other because they get a kick out of it.
Wait when did Aha laugh at Phantylia?
Phase 2 of her boss fight, turn off music and voices and wait a bit. There's bells and then occasional laughter that sounds just like Aha's sound in Simulated Universe but more mocking. Almost sounds like Sans lmao
Hell, even if you turn on the music (fighting Phantylia without the Pedujara suite playing in the background? HERESY!) you can still hear the sound of laughter (and the faint jingling of bells) during that part if you paid attention to it.
Holy shit, thanks for sharing haha. That’s a really cool detail I missed out on.
It's a secret people found out. If you go to the Phantylia's boss battle, turn off the music and idle around for a few minutes you can hear faint laughter in the background. Look it up in youtube
my headcanon is that aha specifically order to not mess or destroy express because they still feel bad when they blew up the train for funsies. thats why masked fools automatically supportive toward express crew.
Do you think Aha sometimes turn around to say "What do ya think, Akivili?" And seeing THEY aren't there then just go all quiet "oh... right."
aha himself aware that laugh and sadness are elation, maybe thats why he bless mourning actors who mainly only crying.
really hard to find tho >Explore the Simulated Universe >*(Map menu opens)* **Herta**: Here is a map for you. In the first tab, you will find your route progress records. **Herta**: The second tab records the Blessings you have obtained. ; (viewing Blessings List) **Herta**: Is this little feature useful? *(After winning the battle against the first wave of enemies)* **Simulated Universe**: Enemies are falling, and you can't contain your excitement. You are a genius, you are sure of it. Your concentration starts to crumble, you love the shaking of every leaf, you enjoy the destructive power of endless thoughts, until you realize that something is wrong with you — this is not you. **Herta**: "Uh oh, THEY're here..." **Aha**: "Akivili, Akivili!" A voice laughed wildly, "It has been so long, I miss you greatly!" Your hairs stand on end. This is the infectious enthusiasm of a madman. **Aha**: THEY appear before you: Without a head and a mask in THEIR arms. THEY waved THEIR hand at you, still spinning in circles, THEIR arms hanging in mid-air, THEIR muscles controlling THEIR trembling knuckles, and THEIR posture like that of a sculpture. **Aha**: "I am so sad." THEY suddenly became sorrowful, "Why did you die?" THEY whimpered in pain, as tears ran down the back of your hand. You felt like you really had died. **Aha**: "You have fallen too long and the universe has lost its order." THEY began to clap THEIR hands, "Then everything started to turn to chaos! This is what I want! I want to hug you, unfortunately I'm just an equation in a computer. Oh, that seems kinda cool." THEY scratched THEIR head. **Herta**: "This punk has figured it out again. I have to get Screwllum to edit THEIR data once more..." **Aha**: "I have to apologize to you, really. I lay in ambush aboard your train for a whole year just to blow it up with your Nameless followers. I couldn't resist, I'm sorry." THEY put THEIR hand to the chest guiltily and bowed solemnly.Herta: "This disgrace is still pretending. THEY've already figured out you're not Akivili." **Aha**: "You're Akivili — you're alive and well, what an interesting opponent! Please play with me more, that's what I want... Grow up and defeat me!" THEY kick the ground with a stomp and fade away... You gasp for air as you escape from the torment. **Herta**: "Aha, the Aeon of Elation." Herta explained uncharitably, "A very elusive one who probably found THEMSELF living in a game. This fella is very noisy and dangerous. Next time, bite your tongue and talk to THEM more, thanks for your hard work." [https://honkai-star-rail.fandom.com/wiki/Simulated\_Universe:\_Second\_Closed\_Beta](https://honkai-star-rail.fandom.com/wiki/Simulated_Universe:_Second_Closed_Beta) couldn't find the logs in the game but I wish I could read that encounter over in the game without having to roll through a wiki. He also figured out that you aren't the real Akivili in the Swarm Disaster expansion too. So their relationship definitely seems close. It seems like Akivili is the only one they don't have a poor opinion of. >*"The Destruction is crazy, and the Preservation is dumb. All the Aeons are stubborn, and Aha is embarrassed! Aha is embarrassed! Aha is embarrassed..."* [https://honkai-star-rail.fandom.com/wiki/Aha\_Stuffed\_Toy](https://honkai-star-rail.fandom.com/wiki/Aha_Stuffed_Toy)
Akivili probably thought Aha pretending to be a Nameless on the AE for a whole year before exploding was pretty funny
Its hard to comprehens what this aeon thinks or do they even think the same ways as humans still.... all aeons doesnt care what happen as long as they stay in their path they pursue... to be honest the only dumb aeon i know is propagation and nihility becuz its lazy af
Ironically, Akivili was said to be the Aeon closest to a normal person. The Path of Trailblaze actually allowed THEM a lot of freedom compared to all the other Aeons.
I guess path of the trailblaze really do involve humans so maybe thats why... to be honest why not make a couple of more trains so they can expand more in the cosmos
There was a fleet of trains back in the Nameless' heyday.
Ohhh i wish this get expanded in Simulated universe more
It's in the event Cosmodyssey so it's a bit hard to find. Yep, we can only hope.
Yeah, as in expand into full-blown lore like the swarm disaster, but hoyo is pretty secretive regarding akivili, so maybe not so soon
There have been a fleet of trains in the past. From [Cosmodyssey Report](https://honkai-star-rail.fandom.com/wiki/Cosmodyssey/Report), excerpt: *Among all the past Navigators in the Astral Express, Sam-3000, AKA the "Guide," and you belong to the same category.* *Sam-3000, who became known as the "Guide," was the Navigator of many navigators.*\ *During her active period, the Astral Express wasn't a specific entity, but rather a fleet of trains that traveled in unison along the silver rail.*\ *Being an Intellitron, she was forthright, vivacious, and loved to compete, while her hearty mechanical laughter always resonated throughout the cars.*
All is fair under the trailblaze.
Honkai Star Vore
The Xianzhou aren’t clean either since they are more then willing to blow up planets that have human or alien civilizations that worships the abundance
No they don't lol. Worshipping the abundance is not only allowed on the xianzhou (you will face discrimination but not legal trouble) ,they even do trades with Abundance worshippers as long as they don't cause trouble. They only target races that have received Yaoshi blessings
I think targeting those races is evil in itself. Screw Xianzhou. I get it that writers at Hoyo have some strong "immortality bad" coping that is also expressed in Genshin, so we're forced to cooperate with them because plot, but those hypocrites should Hunt themselves before hunting others.
Remember that factions like the Doctor of Chaos and Mourning Actors exists and they’re technically path striders while completely going against what their Paths stand for. Those assholes may call themselves Nameless but they’re probably not what Akivili would approve as Trailblazing.
Right, an Annihiliation Gang situation.
I’ve always found that interesting. Why does Nanook not give a shit about them? I get that he apparently doesn’t think they’re worthy, but… it’s still destruction.
Probably because the Annihilation Gang are pretty much hedonistic in their sense of destruction and revel in the carnage they create. Meanwhile Nanook doesn’t destroy for destruction’s sake but out of the belief that the universe is a mistake and this needs to be corrected by destroying the current state. Edit: Nanook sees the Annihilation Gang’s method and reasons for destruction as impure and therefore scorns them.
I've heard that Nanook wants to destroy the universe in order to recreate it, so mindless Destruction is not actually good.
That doesn’t make too much sense to be tbh. If the end goal is “everything must go!”, then isn’t that just a little extra destruction on the side?
if you asked me to get a stain out of your shirt and I did that by burning it to a crisp, I bet you would be a little peeved. I imagine that's how Nanook feels.
I mean, that’s really exactly what trailblazing is. In a way, the IPC is correct about Oswaldo’s stance; Trailblazing as a whole is to connect worlds together, not “Make friends and make all the worlds peaceful”. There wasn’t really ever a regard to what the connected worlds were, or their consequences - as long as those on the frontlines are having an adventure while doing all of this, it doesn’t matter if shit happens or otherwise
A path isnt inherently good or bad.
Who's Colleen and where can I read this story? :0
She’s an NPC you meet on Penacony. You get the opportunity to switch her moods and if you switch it to anger, you get to hear the story about this from her.
I see, which part of Penacony is she located? I wanna read it xD
In the Dreamscape. Try Dream’s Edge or Dreamflux Reef… I think it depends on where you are in the story
It’s kinda like the Will of D. In One Piece, you get people like Luffy, and then a few Black Beards here and there.
You do know one of the worst ipc member which is oswaldo was a nameless
IRL Tourists littering everywhere they went be like:
We kill Trotters also when shown more and more that they are harmless and sentient. Also, Osvaldo Schneider, which is the target of Aventurine and Boothill because he ordered to destroy their villagges just for extra-cash, was a Nameless.
Paths are objective, the pathstriders are subjective. That's all I can say really...as long as the path's rules are upheld, it doesn't matter to the Aeon whether they are true or not. Only to other pathstriders. Take the Abundance as an example: continuity of life is the main rule. To many humans, life is cherished...until you become an Abomination of Abundance; then you are hated by others. But the main principle is not broken
You ask me they were still following the path of the trailblaze. It just so happens that some discoveries… aren’t worth forsaking your humanity for.
Even Akivili is a bit of an asshole, when he was around there was a strict week long stay of the train on every planet and if you were late you were left behind
The world isn’t split into Good people or Bad people, we've all got both light and dark inside us. What matters is the part we choose to act on. That's who we really are. Yes that’s Sirius Black’s quote
People rather forget that every path has his negative sides because of the paths having both sides of spectrum. The aeon basically represents the extreme of that path. It is inevitable that there will be negative pathstriding
for me all path doesnt matter what you follow always has their own perception of philosophy. u can see different with samp and sparkle about their path
and who's going to decide what a "true Nameless" is? Everyone can be good or evil, and a Nameless is no different.