[2.2] Death of the Sweet Dream: The Complete Story of Penacony - Honkai: Star Rail Lore

[@Ashikai]

**POST VIDEO NOTES & CORRECTIONS** - Gallagher probably isn't an Emanator of Enigmata (as far as we know) but he was suggested to be one (and the data bank entries kinda suggest it, but they're unreliable), and I neglected to correct that later in the recap. - I made a similar mistake with the power of clockwork. Clockwork's power stems from the Trailblaze but behaves similarly to Robin + Sunday's Harmony tuning power. It was portrayed as a Harmony power until Dreamflux Reef, and I neglected to correct the statement at that point in the recap. Sorry about that! - I did say that Aventurine was aware of Acheron being an Emanator of Nihility, but he was only aware of her being an Emanator. WE knew she belonged to Nihility and I merged the statements together incorrectly. - If anyone has a good idea about how to timestamp this, hit me with it. I reordered so much stuff, I dunno where to start. Enjoy?

[@dblclapper5057]

Watching the video so far and noticed some incorrect info you might want to add to this comment. You said Aventurine is aware of Acheron being an Emanator of Nihility. That is only partially true. He and Black Swan knows she is an Emanator, but is unsure of the path. My memory is hazy of the exact events, but I believe Aventurine doesn't realize she is an Emanator of Nihility until after she slashes him with Naught and they converse. I could also be wrong though, so take what I say with a grain of salt

[@andytujapofav]

@@dblclapper5057 That's correct

[@andytujapofav]

Also, I'm lost... In what part says that Gallagher is an Emanator of the Enigmata?

[@zinabalasfoor2545]

@@andytujapofav all history fictionologists are inherently emenators of the Enigmata.

[@anaplaysstuff]

You mentioned that Argenti went off and 'saved' Aventurine after running into us but that's not the case. Argenti tells us about finding Aventurine (I don't think he said by name but the description is obviously him) and a bunch of other people (~30) people he saved before we run into him during the competition.

[@johnabyss8566]

I now realise that the whole reason for the fall of Ena's Dream is basically that a confused child got lost and stumbled into a place he wasn't supposed to be in

[@larsbohmer6319]

Not only Misha was in the "Reality", but Dr. Blues as well, before we enter the VIP Lobby

[@CurseOxuin]

It wasn't a fall per say since Elio said (or someone else, i forgot) that Ena died with Dignity, suggesting that Ena realised that their path aka Order is not needed anymore with the act of us defeating Sunday. So the whole Penacony story can be interpreted as Ena asking humanity one last time if they still need the path of Order and humanity simply said no and thus Ena leaving with "Dignity".

[@riodaweirdo3062]

@@CurseOxuinthis interpretation makes me feel so much better about Ena, however I think Ena’s dignity being preserved this time is just kinda wishful thinking. Ena as described in Sunday’s Diary created definitions and rules and laws that govern the world and make it tick, and afterward all their contributions they are cast aside by humanity and presumably as a result was absorbed by Xipe, dying after it was used by humanity and then used to empower another. Ena in Penacony’s story sees it being revived only to create a dream prison using its power, and not even made with any input from it, actually it is explicitly stated that the “paradise” created will be free of the influence of Aeons. Only for the plan to fall through and Ena died again once more, after being used and once again fell with no dignity. Dignity is described by the story to be when you are not beneath anyone and can choose your own path and destiny, and Ena was offered none of it, perhaps by the designs of Ena’s own path, or perhaps by the machinations of others, Ena never had dignity.

[@braddl9442]

@@CurseOxuin She could finally accept her end. Remember the betrayal of AHA when she was trying to stop the swarm disaster that weakened her and lead to Xipe absorbing her. Her remaining followers could also not accept that outcome stepped in betrayal. SO they came up with a plan to revive Ena and make her the dominate side of Harmony once again.

[@sadgesomuch]

@@braddl9442 from searching, i don't know if this is true, but three of them actually betrayed Ena. "From datas reveal by simulate universe. The death of Ena seem to be complicate plan make by 3 Aeons. HooH, the equlibrium, because their influence of order grown too much that it disrupt the natural balance of the universe. Aha, who want Ena gone so they can have more entertainments, they assist Xipe of absorbing Ena. And Terminus, who start the Swarm disaster by wisper to a one person to find his lost self by conquer multiple planet which lead to genocide of Tayzzyronth race and make them ascend to Aeonhood to save their race. The conquerer was later find his lost self from memory bubble to be self-anihilator and erase themself from existence. All for their grand plan of reaching "Finality"."

[@Moeflyer6213]

HSR's story in nutshell: 1. Belobog: No matter how indestrictable the fortress is, it would be crumble from within. 2. Xianzhou: Longevity is a curse, it means eternal suffering. 3. Penacony: People have to wake up from the dream and face the reality.

[@OrphanCrow]

when the world needed her most.. she returned!

[@yharnamiyhill787]

Kiana?

[@reginaprobationum4505]

@@OrphanCrow the avatar 😇😇😇

[@dianablackthorn4146]

I feel the need to mention that Oswaldo Schneider, the IPC guy mentioned at the very end is, a former Nameless, the guy responsible for the Katica-Avgin Extinction Event (why Aventurine is the only Avgin left) and the reason why Boothill's adoptive daughter is dead. Oswaldo Schneider was responsible for the IPC 'takeover' of both of their homeworlds and killed both of their families in the process. I wouldn't be surprised if Aventurine actually ended up teaming up with Boothill to get subtly get revenge on Oswaldo Schneider.

[@ironheadedDoF]

Would make a good Companion Quest for upcoming Boothill banner, with Aventurine as buddy-buddy duo for the quest.

[@pudoy2767]

Boothill has a daughter!??

[@stardust9470]

@@pudoy2767 had,past tense

[@idontspeakjapanese6289]

@@pudoy2767 Boothill and his family were a victim of the bomb that Chadwick created

[@gracequeeney3399]

​@@pudoy2767where did you find that information? I'm curious about his backstory

[@smooflarkin]

Penacony got the attention of the Aeon of Lore, Ashikai. I feel so blessed.

[@aienjell]

This is the perfect title for Ashikai! Penacony caught the attention of the highest of the high.

[@pizzavert4020]

Theoretically speaking, wouldn’t an Aeon of Lore be absorbed by the Erudition or the Remembrance?

[@robertoalexandermendezmore408]

​​​@@pizzavert4020remembrence, Ashikai could be a fantastical memokeeper

[@TheJH1015]

@@pizzavert4020 I think they could weirdly co-exist because it would kind be inbetween Erudition, Remembrance and Enigmata? Kinda? Like, Yes you're constantly doing research and the end goal is complete understanding like Erudition, you often use memories etc like Remembrance, but because it's lore you're also always slightly having uncertainties because of things getting lost through time, and the issue with lore is that if everything is just given to you and you can't speculate about it, it kinda ruins the fun like the Enigmata... idk I'm rambling lol

[@ironheadedDoF]

I think she's just an Emanator :) If she was an Aeon, the videos and scripts would be instantaneous

[@marstic]

penacony. was LITERALLY a fever dream

[@jeffulloa218]

I love how you touched on the siblings' wings. And it goes beyond the Harmony Trailblazer's splash art. Robin has her wings full on top of her dress, and is capable of opening them with no problems (as we see in her skill). But Sunday only has one full wing, the other is clipped and as such he keeps both under his coat, meaning he couldn't open them even if he wanted to do so. Also, with their head wings is similar. Robin's are intact, but one of Sunday's is pierced. I also adore how Robin's colors are of the Harmony, while Sunday's are of the Order. They ate with those designs.

[@dominaiscna]

Eyooo--- the way I didn't even realize that the wings on Robin's dress are her actual wings! I didn't make the connection between those and the ones she unfurls during her ult. As for Sunday... I also didn't notice wings on his character, until you brought it up now. Are his wings those dark blue things under his coat?

[@jeffulloa218]

@@dominaiscna yes. If you look closely to his model it shows they're his wings (they look like clothing because they're deep blue instead of white), and also that one of them is significantly shorter than the other, since it's clipped.

[@onlyespeon643]

Yes the designs are amazing! One other detail I love is that how the actual symmetry between their designs eludes to Sunday being a follower of the Order as his design is perfectly symmetrical aside from his clipped wing, whereas absolutely nothing in Robin's design is the same of either side of her, yet it still all comes together, showing how you don't have to be perfect to be accepted under the Harmony.

[@prtib]

I pulled Robin and I literally never noticed this. Updoot for genuinely blowing my mind 😂 Thanks!

[@boothefrogert]

I’m sorry what? You’re telling me those are ACTUAL wings and not just a weird design choice for the family in Penecony and that when I use my skill as Robin she’s using ACTUAL wings, how am I just learning this

[@Quantumsaber]

Its so funny that firefly is the one that overpowered blade and forced him to listen to elios proposition

[@ironheadedDoF]

Sam can fly ... she had the highground!!

[@rafirakapradana1077]

Sauce for this information brother ?

[@uclamphan1212]

@@rafirakapradana1077 nah seriously though this is just spreading information. Firefly herself even ignores some parts of the script as far as we know from the driving scene. Firefly fans just can't praise her without downgrading other characters

[@idontspeakjapanese6289]

@@uclamphan1212 It's lore accurate, many people in the HSR community became Masked Fools and History Ficitionologist themselves

[@Random-person-on-the-internet]

@@rafirakapradana1077 Blade's Character story in-game. It says that "The imposing armor stayed quiet. He was grappled and imprisoned within those pair of arms." The "imposing armor" refers to SAM.

[@SuperSpanner]

Another hint about the true nature of the dream also exists all the way back in 2.0. By finding all the Origami Birds you receive a message from Dr. Blues, one of the main Origami Birds. The important part is that he asks you to meet him in the hotel in reality. If you were observant you would have noticed the same thing Black Swan noticed about Misha, a dream entity in reality. This is rather cool because if you went out of your way you’d have a major piece of the puzzle early all for exploring around, a really cool reward when you really think about it.

[@ObscureFox103]

Yep!!! I kept finding Dr. Blue in reality before I found the birds and thought it was odd, but didn't realize it meant things were a dream until well after the quest was over

[@jamesscurryiii193]

Dr. Blues explains that as being due to Gallagher's powers as a follower of Enigmata. It's from his dialogue options in Dreamflux Reef.

[@oldstories29]

Thank you for the recap. Penacony's plot is so ridiculously complex I needed a summary to double check that I'm not crazy and that I did actually understand everything lol

[@RazeluxeMeitzen7]

The plot is so complex that we doubt ourself for undersanding it, like is not what im thinking is it? 😂

[@Chaffee738]

I'm pretty certain that Gopher Wood was cool with Sunday changing the plan, because that was his plan from the start. He "groomed" Sunday into the role, so to speak, after the discussion about the Charmony dove that showed Sunday as the more suitable candidate for the role of the person keeping everyone dreaming.

[@Jack_Ss]

It’s such a bummer that Sundays downfall could’ve been prevented by the support of his sister. She left him alone. I get that she wanted to “fly freely” across the cosmos and spread Harmony in her own way. But she left her brother never realizing that he was in trouble. It’s a VERY younger sister thing to do

[@dustytoyknife2343]

​@@Jack_Ssit was sundays idea,he wanted she to be a star so she can be a harmony emenater

[@Jack_Ss]

@@dustytoyknife2343 back when they came up with that idea clearly things were wildly different and he still followed the path of Harmony. Her leaving and him being alone is what caused him to lose faith in the Harmony

[@Anegor]

@@Jack_Ss eh, she had her own life to live. She couldn't always sit by his side when he never expressed his 'difficulties' nor asked for help. Blaming her in this in any capacity is silly. Sunday made his bed by himself.

[@Jack_Ss]

@@Anegor she also hid her difficulties from him. The way it seemed was that his real breaking point was when he had to hear second hand that Robin had gotten shot in the throat and nearly died. Which she hid from him. He realized the universe was too dangerous for them to ever achieve their dream. At least with the Harmony. And that Robin could die on her current path

[@kylesteen]

One little detail about Gopher Woods name, that I find cute and albeit a little on the nose for him, is that the material he’s named after was used to construct Noah’s Ark. I’m sure Ashikai, and others, know this, just felt like sharing that little tidbit, in case there’s anyone that didn’t.

[@anyichibuogwu9086]

That’s actually really neat and I didn’t know that! Thanks for sharing it really helps add to Gopher/the dream masters personality

[@sanddornblute78]

And to add to this, the first animals to be let out of the ark after the flood was a raven and a dove

[@longps9528]

@@sanddornblute78 I thought it was just a dove. There was a raven in the story, too?

[@amandaslough125]

​@@longps9528maybe it's one of the variants based on different translations.

[@fallingcrane1986]

⁠@@longps9528 Yes, when Noah begins to first notice the floodwater going down, he first sends a raven to check, but the raven doesn’t return to Noah; so he sends a dove instead, three times. The first time, the dove doesn’t find land and returns to Noah, the second is where the dove comes back with an olive branch in its mouth, and the third time Noah sends the dove, it doesn’t come back either. When Noah realizes the dove won’t come back, it’s only then that he opens the ark and lets everyone out.

[@ohno8686]

I love how this eldritch abomanation of a monster is actually just a weirdly shaped dog named sleepie

[@Chaffee738]

About Death a.k.a. Sleepie: the exact condition to summoning it is less trying to sleep but keeping your eyes closed. Firefly asks the MC to close their eyes and summons Sleepie, and after they're transported to Dreamflux Reef she says that's the secret. If we slow down the video of Firefly right before she was stabbed, we can see that she was standing with her eyes closed. When we meet Sleepie for the first time, we catch its attention because the MC (and presumably Firefly) closed their eyes due to a blinding flash of light from a TV screen. Going through the list of death victims seen in 2.1, most of the deaths are situations where the victim would have closed their eyes. Sunbathing, feeling fear due to situations such as being inside a turbulent ride, fixing makeup, dozing off, etc. Now obviously Sleepie won't appear as soon as someone so much as blinks, but when it thinks the person is trying to sleep, which it's not exactly good at judging.

[@CapriciousRhapsody]

They way I see sleepie after 2.2: A bit stupid, but god is he trying. He's just a good boy with a walnut brain.

[@renflare2570]

​@@CapriciousRhapsodyno thoughts Only Stab

[@Phantom_Zone]

​@@renflare2570stab first question later.

[@bicillenium4019]

When Gallagher sicced Sleepie upon Sunday, his eyes were closed.

[@N1GHTSTRIKER-45]

Sleepie In 2.1: *HARBINGER OF SOULS AND DEATH* Sleepie In 2.2: Confused Pitbull

[@NoitNoit-ef2yq]

About the buttons, Sparkle mentions that would explode, and when people in the dream receive fatal damage they are immediately woken up from the dream, so I think this was just a counter measure she had for leaving the dream in case the nameless couldnt deal with Chicken Wing boy

[@mozuchisato]

Isn't Penacony unfinished? There's still a lot of unanswered questions.

[@chiffocado7783]

3:30 From what I understand, Acheron is asking these questions to gauge if the Trailblazer is anywhere close to "waking up" and realizing that they're in the dream that Sunday created. Acheron's role in the "borderland" dreamscape is to guide people who finished a dream loop back into it, giving them clues and asking questions in the hopes that someone might wake up. This is also why she says "Another one..." when we meet her for the first time in the borderland, because she has to guide someone again. It's pretty neat considering that she's also the one who guides lost souls as an Emanator of Nihility, and a reference to the Acheron in Greek mythology. On that note, I also believe that whenever Acheron (in Sunday's dream) speaks in red text, it's the borderland Acheron taking a bit of control over the dream Acheron to speak to the Trailblazer, to make them see the "red" in the dreamscape (the key to waking up) and also to make sure that Trailblazer (or us, the player) stays on track of the story (hence why certain dialogue options just lead you to a red text option).

[@shutup1037]

This is pretty good

[@eryptina]

That's pretty neat. I had completely forgot that in the borderland memories weren't chronologically ordered, so that first Acheron thta guided us would be the same as the "last" Acheron (when we discover we are in a dream and go to the borderland again)

[@blancka4200]

Wait, so we were in a "dream" from the very beginning? And, we already experienced it once, then woke up due to something, met Acheron in Borderland (for 1st time), went to dream again? And then the events take place as shown from 2.0 to 2.2, till we fight Sunday in Grand Theatre. Also, when was Ena's dream activated, then? After we meet Sunday in the Grand Theatre for the 1st time?

[@chiffocado7783]

@@blancka4200 You're mostly on the right track, I think The timeline is: - Everything up until the first fight with Sunday are real events that happened (except Misha in the hotel) - Sunday becomes Dominicus in the real events, Ena's Dream is created - Ena's Dream takes a snippet of the real events connects it with fake events such as the Luofu arriving, the IPC relinquishing their control, etc. These fake events were too good to have happened, and were never real. - Everyone on Penacony (except Acheron) is then trapped in this dream loop of connected real and fake events, while the real Acheron stays in the borderland - The real Acheron in the borderland guides all people who somehow stir from the dream, but brings them back into it because they haven't truly woken up yet of their own free will - Robin fully wakes up from Ena's Dream, then follows the rest of the events after Trailblazer wakes up from the dream with Black Swan's help Also as for Acheron and the Trailblazer, I'd assume that in that scene, the Trailblazer hasn't met Acheron for the first time in the borderlands. Rather, they've met her a lot of times already after several dream loops (they just don't remember), hence why Acheron says she felt like different versions of the Trailblazer were giving different answers. I don't really know how to explain all of these in a simpler manner so if this sounds too complicated I understand 😅 Penacony is so fascinating yet so complex...

[@ashy5808]

@@chiffocado7783 questions 1) When did everyone actually entered the dream? Was it when astral express entered the asdana star system or when astral crew entered the hotel reverie or when they lost the fight against sunday 2) Also i don't understand dan hengs perspective like when did he entered the dream. If the help from luofu was fake and made up by ena dream then what did actually happened with dan heng and boothil and how they entered the dream? They were supposed to be at astral express right? 3) how does acheron enters the dream? Dreamscape needs either dreampool or help from family to enter and family would never want acheron in their dream due to her being nihility so how did she enter? It's really complicated and confusing trying to understand the full picture with everyone perspective.

[@danielhakim9485]

Man, not many people really talk about the Clockie tales and its relevance behind the story of Penacony. The cartoon served as a media retelling the history of Watchmaker saving the Asdana citizens, as well as the internal strife between Watchmaker and The Family.

[@mice7872]

this and the hanu stories you get after completing each hanu morph thing! the way those stories contains sections that aren’t even metaphors or allegories but straight up texts that describe point blank the prison break as well as the war that followed 😭 they even have dialogue exchanged between the characters of that time (mikhail the watchmaker, hanunue, etc)… in fact there’s even a few series of texts you receive upon completion of every hanu mini-game that basically asks you if your stories have some… defects and errors in it (cough historical accuracy cough) and that you immediately return the stories if yes. insane imo

[@Natsu]

I personally believe Sparkle's buttons were supposed to be used just as she said - during the Charmony Festival. If the Festival were to take place, that would mean the Nameless couldn't stop Sunday, people would use the buttons and whole of Penacony would end up being blown up. But because we succeeded, Sparkle's help wasn't needed.

[@RaikaKoshiba650]

Lmao, Sparkle just ended up being a fool just like her title where her buttons were never made into a serious plot point 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@protagkun8859]

Orrrrrrrr.. they also weren't used cause everyone ended up waking up from the dream in the end, as was the plan.. I think?

[@scrappy_horns8139]

She’s supposed to be the follow up in case we failed…get it? Follow up? 😂😂😂

[@davestew5135]

@@scrappy_horns8139 sparkle's secret follow up attack

[@quietguyjosh4643]

They have to pay off or it will feel cheap and bad It would make sparkle feel like a unnecessary character in the story Chekhov's Gun This is a rule of writing you cant introduce a item in the story and not use it by the end it will hurt the story and the leave the reader unsatisfied with the outcome

[@StalePasta]

I think gopher wood groomed Robin and Sunday to diverge in mindsets to push Sunday into a corner. When he so easily decided to let Sunday merge with Ena, Sunday even comments that Gopher wood expected this outcome.

[@Kuballasepp]

ASHIKAI DOING HSR VIDS!?!?!?!? More please. MORRRREEEEEEEEEEEE

[@pokemonmaster1505]

A small correction: as far as i know, there is nothing that suggests Gallagher is expressly an Emanator, just that he is a follower of Enigmata. I know the Data Bank entry on History Fictionologists states that the factions is completely composed of Emanators, but that entry was also stated to have been tampered with and should thus not be viewed as a reliable source.

[@nicolas._.2294]

I think what it might be suggested is what was stated in the game. "I am the founder of Dreamflux Reef. "If you think about the Dream Flux as a sea, creating the land of the dreams is like filling that ocean with earth to make an island. To achieve this fit without the help of an Emanator of remembrance or enigmata, the only way is to use a stellaron" "At my wit's end, I had to use the power of the Enigmata and sought refugee in this chaotic realm." As you can see, he created a land into the sea(Dreamflux reef) and follows the path of enigmata becs he needed that, and only the Emanator of enjgmata and remembrance can create land into the sea, so in conclusion.....you got it right?

[@dndmtg299]

Gallagher also says it would take an emanator of enigmata or remembrance to make the dream scape as if he’s saying he can’t

[@SpydeR5K]

@@dndmtg299yeah maybe Gallagher himself or as the form we see him now isn’t an emanator, I have a feeling we might get his true form later, if ever.

[@pancakes4552]

I can't remember specifics but he did mention he would be erased soon cause he went against his path too long, then not long after we get his little speech with Mikhail

[@digojez]

or maybe, as the follower of the Enigmata, he purposefully gave us some inaccurate information.

[@Wanderer-th4tt]

I absolutely ADORE how u gave aventurine the validation he needs 😭

[@dishh]

also very cool how much of sunday's plan / ena's dream was pulled from The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas. One being shouldering the suffering of all so that so called "perfection" can be achieved. The short story asks "what is the right thing to do in such a situation?" If you were the one benefitting from another suffering (which is not uncommon in the real world). Great read. Thank you for the video maam!!

[@louvrr]

DISHHH!!!

[@Devth.9]

DISHHHH

[@genesisofthebetween]

omg dish in my ashikai video comments?

[@E1400-s3h]

39:12 That dude was the one responsible for Sigonia Project. You can see in the story of Sigonia Unclaimed Desalution Ornoment

[@Agix.]

Tiernan's story was the most compelling for me. And the loyalty of the Galaxy Rangers is magnificent

[@Jack_Ss]

That moment alone made me want to pull for him. But I’m holding out for Sunday

[@idontspeakjapanese6289]

You know what they say "RANGERS LEAD THE WAY"

[@owo4470]

Unironically sundays actions and the astral express' plan to disrupt the dream Is directly mirrored from hi3(kevins spiritual adam and kiana,mei,bronya, welt,etc sropping him) and one could conclude that welt had the experience to deal with this kekw

[@epicazeroth]

Yes we're saved! Glad you're (I assume) enjoying HSR lore again!

[@imnotreanalbertospynotatal6968]

I'm glad they improved in the lore after the Xianzhou which was...

[@bam7973]

⁠@@imnotreanalbertospynotatal6968 the lore was good, it had a lot of potential. It was just a matter of execution; a lot of details were not fleshed out.

[@SpydeR5K]

@@bam7973 yeah plus a lot of genuine good lore was hidden behind either long books, useless NPCs or just generally out of the way places. I think that would be fine if it was more like belobog where it was fun to explore since new lore was both interesting and plenty. Penacony is amazing though, they amped up the amusement and comedy aspects while having cases where it hit deep emotionaly and showed the true dreamscape. Luofu was fine but for me carried by the high cloud quintet lore, which bugs me because I look at Yukong and xueyi and see their interesting designs and little peaks at their lore and want to know more but in game it is difficult, no good videos online and no good summaries online.

[@scrappy_horns8139]

Well the story this time is really interesting and the questions raised in the story quest is very compelling… Sunday wants to create a biblical heaven in the truest sense…and this raises a lot of questions about how we perceive heaven…will we appreciate happiness in heaven if there is no more suffering and pain? Would we take heaven for granted if there are no more pain and suffering? Because isnt Sunday’s paradise the kind of heaven we expected it to be?

[@KatsuImagitian]

​@@scrappy_horns8139 Well think of it like this Heaven as far as the ideal biblical notion is concerned would be a true promised bliss. Where as Sunday's attempt is a false "reality" where he essentially stripped people of their free will and forces them into a sense of satisfied bliss. Tldr one is real the other legitimately is not.

[@pipedream2556]

10:57 hell yeah, Aventurine deserves the special attention!! He really is such a great character and this chunk of the Penacony quest was such a fantastic introduction to him even if the rest of it just sort of...forgot he existed

[@jacquelynthompson5346]

We need a video on each character’s personal philosophy

[@creativemind2942]

(2) as an incoming philosophy student, that would be a sweet dream - er, present I can't refuse! edit: I'm now a philosophy student 🤍

[@bronchito]

My favorite lore recapper making a guest appearance for HSR, now I get to listen through the story again yippee

[@bunlian9683]

I think it’s cool how Sunday is very much so like Icarus, both trapped and desiring freedom, but ultimately falling to their demise by flying too close to the sun (in this case the sun being Sunday’s unattainable ideals of a perfect world). It’s all I could think of during his boss fight

[@RonieTheddy03]

Story so good Ashikai made another HSR video after nearly a year later lol Seriously though, Shaoji cooked HARD with this one and hopefully he stays around in future storylines!

[@bbysiea]

i think he's been fully moved over to work on HSR, so i think he is! at least, he's influencing it for sure!

[@RonieTheddy03]

@@bbysiea That’s not exactly the case. He’s in a much higher position now I think. IIRC, Shaoji now oversees anything related to the Honkai series (Hi3 and HSR), but he seemingly mostly does work on HSR.

[@Aliveee24]

still, a big W​@@RonieTheddy03

[@Tiasung]

@@RonieTheddy03 Consider how bad part 2 story in HI3 is, I doubt he really has much input there.

[@Eflaene]

Saw you asked for timestamps so here is my attempt, I am bad with titles so use it mostly for the times x) 0:00 - Introduction 1:08 - Penacony's history / Initial setup 2:22 - Upon Arriving / beginning of the dream (2.0) 10:38 - Aventurine's gamble/ploy (2.1) [13:40 - Acheron and the Astral Express's investigation] [16:25 - Aventurine's end] 19:45 - The "true" dream (2.2) 28:11 - Sunday's dreams of Order 33:07 - Penacony's first ending 35:26 - Penacony's true ending / awakening 38:24 - Aftermath 39:24 - Outro / theories

[@ratman6754]

Something that I love about Sunday’s plan during 2.2 is how similar it is to Maruki’s in Persona 5 Royal. Both have good intentions, but their methods were immoral.

[@CrystalRubyMoon]

Omg you're doing this for Penacony thank you!! 😭 There were so many times when playing that I wished someone would make a recap video like you do for Genshin (bc I know you said previously that you werent feeling making videos for HSR) bc I felt so lost in some parts.during these 3 patches. So I'm really glad this video exists thank you!!

[@Cynicz13]

The White Night trailer becomes more and more amazing with each Penacony patch because now it represents Sunday and in the next patch it will probably represent Firefly (and change the meaning to White Knight instead of Night).

[@Josh-qt5zi]

Kafka Spash art foreshadow Firefly begin write off the script as the charther that is likey Firefly is completely outside the web that Kafka is holding,Blade is also outside the web but he is close to the cat that is representing Eilo so it likey he is going to be written out the script and dead at an later point of the story

[@Josh-qt5zi]

Kafka,the cat that represented Eilo and Sliver wolf are inside the web hold by Kafka along with three other unknown members that will be recruited at some point in the one of which is likey Sunday

[@penguindrummer252]

Just based on the premise alone this video is a necessary service to the HSR community. Quite tough to stay in the know about a tale this...let's call it layered with 6 weeks inbetween story patches

[@KallaTheYapper347]

I just finished fighting Sunday, and there's a line he said that made me think of how it parallels to genshin impact? "MY SOLE OBJECTIVE IS TO CREATE A PARADISE FREE FROM AEONS, WHERE ORDER ENSURES THE DIGNITY AND HAPPINESS OF ALL HUMANITY. A PARADISE EXCLUSIVE TO US HUMAN BEINGS." Does this not sound like something that the Primordial one did themselves when fighting the sovereigns to create humanity and the barrier around teyvat? I also would like to add that Neuvillette in a character story says the seat of the Heavenly father is now in possession of a foul with disgusting feathers and we know that the Primordial one is described as a being with wings and a halo similar to Sunday. I now genuinely believe that the Primordial one is an alternative universe version of Sunday who realized his plan of order.

[@canaldecasta]

Ah, yes. The Primordial One. Also known as Monday.

[@maxhohn5570]

That, honestly, would be so fun. The firmament is just a mermonia dream.

[@colleennewholy9026]

​@@canaldecasta Monday 😂😂😂😂

[@anaplaysstuff]

I thought more Khaenri'ah when he said that instead of the Primordial One.

[@harmonialarts]

Next your gonna tell me Istaroth is robin

[@Mixtrelle]

thanks for chronologically rearranging the story. I think the whole penacony arc is the dev's way to let the players experience a glimpse of hi3. kevin's project stigma's similarity to sunday's utopia, acheron's home world, the balloon achievement easter eggs, even dr edward looks eerily similar to the cocoon. also the way you explained sweet dreams as bubble made me think maybe the memory zone is actually the sea of quanta in hsr and penacony is actually a bubble world.

[@cosmickaustav]

Since this is an recap of the story so everyone watching sure knows bout the story. So I wanted to share additional small info/summary detail... Penacony's "Important" Characters (Clockie Cartoon's Characters) :-- 1. Clockie - Mikhail Char Legwork, The Watchmaker 2. Hanu - Hanunue, a Prominent guy in the Prison who united people together for the rebellion. 3. Mirror Princess - Razalina Jane Estella, Nameless, Memoria Dynamics Scholar, Founder behind Land of the Dreams. 4. Captain Revolver - Breukelen Tiernan, Nameless, Gunslinger, General of Penacony, fought Swarm & Lord Ravager Zulo with Galaxy Rangers 5. Old Man Wood - Gopher Wood, The Dreammaster of Penacony 6. Mr. Soda - Mr Sousa, SoulGlad Creator 7. Hamster Ball Knight - Hamz, an intelligent Rodent. (We know nothing yet bout the actual guy) 8. Boss Stone - The IPC person who goverened the Asdana Prison 9. Professor Owl - Head/Leader of Nightingale Family Glaux, was an Zatzka scholar from Intelligentsia Guild with an Owl Head, Designer of 12 Dreamscapes, was also a Dreamwaver who taught the "Origami Birds" how to construct. 10. Origami Birds - The Dreamwavers of Penacony ; Orla, Joey, Vaughn, Barlow and Fischer. 11. Miss Note - Maeven, she was one of the Iris Family Head, involved with Glaux and others.

[@canaldecasta]

-Mihoyo makes middle aged man with facial hair. -He is not even real. What did they mean with this??

[@spreadhappiness3250]

Lmao we should have known

[@dustytoyknife2343]

You can only have dilfs in your dream

[@reenchanted]

Your note on Gopher Wood reminded me of where I’d heard it before… it was described as kind of wood used by Noah to create the floating Ark in the Bible. I’m almost sure that was an intentional reference, especially with all the allusions of water and seas and a sinking dreamscape. It seems likely that Mr. Wood sees himself as a Noah-like savior for Penacony.

[@stephanieworkman5110]

Oh thank goodness. I’ve been so confused about this arc and was hoping you would post a video.

[@fizzyjam]

my favorite theory is one that we probably won't see pan out for a bit, but the theory that march 7th was a memokeeper

[@marksmanmax1158]

This might actually be confirmed. Black Swan had a... "strange" line at the end of the new event about a Memokeeper that used a camera.

[@sovereign611]

I remember seeing a theory a while ago that March might be connected to Idrila but I dont know how well that holds up now

[@fizzyjam]

@@marksmanmax1158 i know, its very possible and that makes me even more excited!!

[@idontspeakjapanese6289]

@@sovereign611 the theory stems from the mirror in her room, it's exactly the same mirror that Mirror holders uses it does not show any reflections aside from March, that's March's connection with the Beauty

[@astronautilus7891]

You think you’re paying attention to the story and then Ashikai comes out with the recap😂 thanks for this babes, I had a grasp on what was going on but I was so confused this cleared up things!!!!

[@AlexBaluh]

There's a theory that came from the japanese side of the community that points to many signs of Swarm presence in Penacony, mostly related to a red glow. Like the one next to a blocked path to "Dreamscape Phantasmagoria", a living place that can chew and swallow people as they scream, like the "huge cave" Velite fell into in Argenti's quest.

[@werewolfwebsite]

i wasnt expecting you to make more hsr vids but im so glad u did!!!! another ashikai banger!!! also a note on the name gopher wood, its probably a reference to noah's ark being made of gopher wood (in modern literature its most often used to refer to this anyway). this could be in reference to the walls of penacony keeping it afloat in the ocean that is the dreamscape, or possibly the way the family controls penacony to the extent that it is the structure of the beautiful dream, inseparable from it. either way im not sure if the death symbolism is the main intent with the name, as death wasnt necessarily what gopher wood was seeking, but rather to have everything controlled and perfected within his metaphorical ark.

[@whiteburgundy6599]

Penacony’s lore was so crazy i’m not even surprised miss Ashikai wants to make a video about it >

[@kuya_mjedi]

Thank for this video! The entire Penacony arc was so confusing for me. I joked that I needed a "Cliff Notes version" to understand everything that happened. Your video helped me understand a lot of the story. I am still unsure about some parts of it, and I hope the next part explains some or most of it.

[@oikawascursedplushie9912]

ashikai, i know you prefer to make videos solely on lore. but since you already find the characters and their philoshphies so interesting, can we pleaseeeeeee request a video on that ???😭😭😭😭 a video on aventurine, acheron, firefly, sunday and robin's character analysis. PLEASE, THE GOD OF LORE, DO US THIS FAVOUR. FEED OUR HUNGRY SOULS

[@unicornhorn1003]

YEA PLEAAAAAASEEE1!!!1!

[@Zooted1278]

One thing I’d like to mention is that during the Scorchsand part of the main story, Firefly can explicitly see Clockie, lending further credence to the fact that she could join the trailblazers

[@Anastasiapan-fi9vh]

Do u think that she'll join the Nameless?

[@Jack_Ss]

I like that theory. Though it makes me sad that Misha won’t. I was really hoping bellboy Misha would join the Nameless since it seemed to be pointing in that direction. But instead he turned back into Mikhael

[@llyexelxia3997]

I love how where Acheron looks when we first met Clockie She looked at Misha not Clockie suggesting that Misha was also the Entity that she cant see... And I dont think Gallagher is an Emanator but the History Fictionologist that created him is the Emanator

[@chalo3427]

I just want to say that I love you for doing these videos xD HSR is such a nice game and it's always nice to watch people who try and delve more into the story than I manage to

[@frozen_jellybean]

Thank you so darn much for posting this video. I absolutely loved the Penacony story but it left me scratching my head about quite a few things. Ashikai, I am so glad you made this video. Thank you once again.

[@kialcifer]

you kept saying stuff like "for the interest of time" but i honestly wouldn't mind if you make longer videos! you have an amazing way of retelling the stories, and i love hearing your theories and speculations

[@pipedream2556]

31:19 oh damn...i never noticed the wing clipping, thats...really dark when you think about how likely it is that the person who did the metaphorical clipping was Gopher aka the man who essentially raised Robin and Sunday...

[@pikach00]

Thank you so much for covering the lore! I truly do love the penacony storyline and have appreciation for all the backstory and lore, but it can be hard for me to follow esp for my low attention span😅 you truly are a savior!!🙌🙌

[@Nanaikkkkkk]

Amazing as always! I would love too see further vids explaining literature references for the characters present Penacony (as they're are a lot). My favs so far are Ratio's and Aventurine's nods to "Genius is on the left, mad is on the right" and movie "Double Indemnity" (1944). Shaoji's been cooking so good with Penacony, so I'm looking forward for what's in store for us in 2.3 epilogue

[@RoseZ7323]

27:45 Things like this is why i love your videos ❤ The little fun facts mixed with cute/funny reactions is something i enjoy from you a lot

[@basedarsonist]

28:06 “But, in my head, all I see is a silly little guy” lmao 🤣🤣

[@Edmonton-of2ec]

2:47 MOSTLY people we haven’t met yet. The Trailblazer had already met Dr. Ratio prior to the events of Penacony. In fact, as far as I can tell, they didn’t interact in Penacony at all, only during the events of Ruan Mei’s little science project on Herta’s Space Station

[@Mrcapo100]

I’m glad you’re doing another Star rail video. Panacony has really given the story what it needed.

[@Kriskos]

Ashikai is our favorite Memokeeper.

[@MrGshinobi]

It's crazy how much better penacony's story is than the rest of HSR's previous stories, the mysteries, the well written characters, the well paced and written plot, the exciting twists, it all ties together in the end in a really good way and it leaves you wanting more, it's a massive step up from the luofu and it makes me so excited to see what's next.

[@DangerScone]

Oh thank god. I came out of Penacony thinking it was good but that I really needed a recap of some sort to really wrap my head around it.

[@adampazera3170]

I have literally been waiting for this video. Love your lore recaps and I couldn't wait for your take on star rail!

[@Catspirit123]

happy to see you do more star rail content. I've had a hard time finding creators for its lore that I enjoy.

[@bbysiea]

i personally didnt struggle with the lore of penacony, (as a lore enjoyer myself i often keep little details in mind) but this was still so much fun to watch! i'm so glad you're doing HSR videos again, but remember to take a break sometimes! i know how tiring it can be to work on both genshin and star rail lore videos when they're both releasing so much at the same time!

[@gojoecubez]

u summarized everything very nicely! i was rlly confused as to what was happening and this rlly helped!

[@shirolee]

Holy cow, thank you so much for explaining this. I was so confused playing this story.

[@rainydaydrawingz8384]

I would absolutely LOVE to hear more of your HSR thoughts, there’s so much in Penacony that anything you put out is bound to be mindblowing!

[@Suelve20]

This was so good! I find HSR story pretty profound and interesting

[@Dev2n]

Had a feeling you’d cover this story in some way. I remember you said the game hadn’t interested you much early on but this was a pretty jam packed story. Like really dense and dialogue/lore heavy

[@kateouyang4401]

You did a video on Penacony🎉 what a nice surprise!

[@chiemorrison7117]

girl i love you please never stop doing star rail lore analysis videos

[@BrickFlairMMA]

Thank you for explaining this in simpler terms! I LOVED penacony but all the lore and jargon and everything was so hard to follow in some parts I was lost and literally didn’t know what they were talking about a lot of the time lol

[@Skew0443]

ty for explaining, i just finished the penacony story yesterday and i understood damn near zilch

[@late_prince8945]

SHE ANSWERED MY PRAYERS!!! Fr. I didn't expect her to do it, but I so needed it

[@amandaslough125]

So watching this because a friend is going through it finally and its been ages since I played it from release obviously, and its a lot of plot points to keep straight. I just want to say I really appreciate the Thousand Year Door music!

[@Rementine]

Wow lmao didn’t realize how much I missed till this video. Really have to pay better attention 😅 Thanks much for this recap ♡ 👍

[@Vegeta1423]

I appreciate your lore videos so much. I'm still very confused when it comes to a lot of star rail lore but you've helped with so much. This game is soooo convulted with information it's so hard to wrap my mind around it all and fully understand it. Especially as someone who came from genshin where it's nowhere near as confusing.

[@Awienpwincess]

Thank you for this😭 I got so lost in everything and couldn’t keep up so you’re a god send🫶🏻

[@pipedream2556]

You are an absolute GODSEND! Theres SO MUCH of the early part that i didnt remember when it got called back and now i kind of feel like id have had a better experience playibg the whole thing in one go instead of spread across several months 😅 Not to mention theres exposition dumps that just left me confused instead of clarified, getting thise points laid out better makes such a difference, like what the "murder victims" were all about if the scary meme doing the killing was actually a glorified taxi 😅

[@pirojokes]

I LOVE your videos, even though English is not my first language I am able to clearly understanding everything you’re explaining. You are incredibly well spoken! Thank you for laying everything out.

[@Lukz243]

Great recap. Ashikai. Penacony's MSQ had *a lot of stuff* going on and was at times hard to track. My favorite moment from it was when Sunday made Penacony Grand Theater into his dungeon. Maybe the developers had a good time laughing at the player who was just waiting for an arena to fight the final boss.

[@harshit.53]

I was planning to watch the whole story again to clarify everything but Ashikai came to the rescue....you are the best 🔥🔥🔥

[@animefanrk2k]

I love these lore recaps because it helps me order all the information I have into a more concrete timeline~~~

[@Games-and-make-up]

I think penachony is such an amazing storyline. It really blew my mind. The theme song, the characters, like Aventurine and Sunday. The vibe and the idea of the dream realm. The theme of clocky and the town square. There has been put a lot of work into this and I have loved every moment of it. I have both sunday and robin. I have aventurine. Even more. Just amazing. ❤❤❤ incredible story writers, animators and just creators of the game. Plain beautiful and great story.

[@zeric1-d2s]

Glad to have you back, as someone who has little time to focus on lore, this saved me.

[@scrappy_horns8139]

That Sunday art you used in thumbnail is so good…and on the back of that art, poor Robin 😢

[@MidMoonStar]

27:16 wait… we could have talked down Argenti this whole time! I struggled for so long trying to beat him and we could have talked him down!

[@scrappy_horns8139]

YEAAAYYY ASHIKAIIII!!!!! I LOVE IT YOU’RE DOING HSR LORE AGAIN!! PLEASE DO MOREEE!! I LOVE YOUR LORE VIDEOS!! ALSO I KINDA GET THE VIBES THAT YOU’RE A SUNDAY STAN 😂❤

[@Palcii]

Yes, more Star Rail lore videos please! Sometimes it's hard to digest the story and such a recap helps a lot.

[@hekutaa7587]

Thank you for this, Ive been slacking off with hsr for about a month, so I went on a story speed run for penacony.

[@sarethdarva]

Given that there is an entire modified poem by Edgar Allen Poe, and that there's the entire idea of "a dream within a dream"--there's some lines from the Poe poem of that very title which I think are relevant: Yet if hope has flown away In a night, or in a day, In a vision, or in none, Is it therefore the less gone? All that we see or seem Is but a dream within a dream. If we tie this to the other poem the game explicitly references, Emily Dickinson's "'Hope' is the thing with feathers," as well as the caged bird allegory--this is Sunday's point of view that if the bird escapes (hope, or even Robin herself in the time she was injured on medical mission), then it is gone. Moreover, Sunday has in effect surrendered to the idea that the dream is all the "reality" that matters to most people, hence "all that we see or seem/is but a dream within a dream." Penacony is the dream he wishes to protect and to expand in his bid to ensure it never ends, at his expense in his martyr-complexed messianic mind. The poem even goes on to say something the anguished Sunday might think: I stand amid the roar Of a surf-tormented shore, And I hold within my hand Grains of the golden sand - How few! yet how they creep Through my fingers to the deep, While I weep - while I weep! O God! Can I not grasp Them with a tighter clasp? O God! can I not save One from the pitiless wave? He might as well have been quoting this directly all throughout the end of the story. This is the emotional heart of his messianism, that in his desire to not allow golden sand (people's lives) to slip through his fingers and sink into unhappiness. And yet, if we look at "Hope is the thing with feathers" it's as if Robin is responding to Sunday: “Hope” is the thing with feathers - That perches in the soul - And sings the tune without the words - And never stops - at all - And sweetest - in the Gale - is heard - And sore must be the storm - That could abash the little Bird That kept so many warm - Hope actually sings the sweetest when things are hard, like a storm; only the worst could even begin to shake it, but it "never stops--at all." Sunday is wrong to think that it can leak or disappear unless he controls it. It comes from and rises from within, and doesn't go away just because times are hard. Man this story is so impressively literary--it's obvious that the writers/Shaoji didn't just reference titles but actually read these poems and others. It really tickles my inner English major. (There's also the numerous novel/story titles that refer to various early 20th century literary works, like 'In Our Time,' 'The Sun Also Rises', 'The Sound and the Fury,' 'Everything That Rises must Converge,' etc., which I hope lead a few people to actually read them.) Great job calling attention to some of these in the video.

[@idyotako]

Now this is a surprise! And here I thought you were not doing star rail vids. In any case, thank you for making this! Always love it when you put out content. ❤

[@evapunk522]

I saw this posted today and LITERALLY made sure to finish the Penacony quest on stream so I could actually watch this video before I went to bed. 🤣🤣 I am sooo happy you decided to tackle an HSR theory again!

[@jiayuankoh493]

Thanks for the recap. Helps me understand the story better and your voice is amazing like a voice actor!

[@alexpancan3631]

I haven't taped faster on a notification in a while!

[@Wanderer-th4tt]

13:11 AAAA SCREAMING, HOW DID I NOTICE IT THAT'S SO AWESOME