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Ship haters on Hoyolab:

Hoyo themselves:

now why is the official tiktok posting this.

#ratiorine #aventio #honkai star rail #I'm just dying #this is soooo funny #they really freaking said #'People are still claiming we're not teasing this ship?' #'HOLD MY BEER THEN' #it's like the more the haters try to claim it's not canon #the further the marketing team pushes the boundaries #Aventurine and Ratio are going to be making out in the background of the next Star Rail ad #and people will STILL be claiming there's no ship tease in Hoyo marketing

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I think my favorite breed of RenHeng is definitely:

Even in the Shackling Prison, Dan Heng had just enough memories of Yingxing to be hopelessly, achingly in love with the man despite never meeting him in his current life, spending years agonizing over the cognitive dissonance of wanting to leave every single shred of his previous incarnation behind but being unable and unwilling to let go of the exquisite gentleness and warmth of that one person--

Only to be told that Blade is Yingxing. That his greatest source of horror and anger is the same person whose calloused fingers nightly trace the line of his cheek in his favorite dream, the one that used to make Dan Heng feel like a treasure, like something worth keeping--

And how, how is it fair that he's still being punished? How deep are the sins of his past that he isn't even allowed to keep the illusion of being wanted? How could Dan Feng take every fleeting glimmer of Yingxing's love and leave Dan Heng with only his hate?

How is he supposed to live, having all these broken, beautiful memories--and still having nothing at all?

#dan heng #blade #renheng #honkai star rail #I'M JUST SAYIN' #that is a very very good flavor #I think the 'Dan Heng has always had at least some memory of Yingxing' #is so severely under-rated in Renheng fics #like just IMAGINE #knowing that someone once loved you with all their being #and then finding out that that's GONE #that there's nothing left but misery agony rage #and no one to blame but the version of you that had it all #and took every minute of it from YOU #that tiny frightened voice in the back of your head #daring you think it: #what if #what if you could fix it #what if you could win back what was lost #you're both monsters now #nothing more than shades of what once was #but... do you dare to imagine it? #that irresistible “maybe”...

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Someone in my discord server said I needed to explain the exact circumstances that would lead to this scenario, so here I am to confirm that this is how it happens:

Ratio: Why are that damned gambler's powers of perception so selective? It should be obvious how I feel toward--no, it's as I've said before: "If another day has passed and your problem persists, perhaps the problem is you." At this point, I need to accept the facts of the situation and take matters into my own hands. I'll simply pull him aside and express my intentions in a rational but respectful manner.

Ratio: "Aventurine, there is something I've been meaning to tell you. I--"

Ratio: Be clear. Be courteous. Be CALM.

Aventurine: "Oh?"

Ratio: *dial up internet noises*

Ratio: "I... REALLYWANTTOSEEYOUNAKED!"

Aventurine, who has no idea why they're screaming but was born knowing how to match the vibe: "I'MUNDRESSINGASWESPEAK!"

(It's true for sure. I was Ratio's hairpin.)

Please someone redraw this with Dr. Ratio and Aventurine because this is the exact vibe they have in my head post-Penacony.

#ratiorine #aventio #aventurine #dr. ratio #honkai star rail #absolutely shitposting

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I think my very least favorite type of mihoyo fan to interact with is the rabid "There's no ships implied or teased because in Hoyo games no ships are canon!! These characters are just friends!!"

Like, do you just enjoy being bland as untoasted bread? Do you not have a single romantic bone in your body? Are you completely incapable of just letting other people have fun?

Normally I am happy to let people cook, but actually, for this group? Please shut up. Literally no one who is shipping in these fandoms actually expects their ships to be 100% confirmed as canon in-game. We know there aren't many confirmed relationships in Hoyo games. We've got it, thanks!

But denying that there's any deliberate ship tease or fan bait, especially in Hoyo's marketing, just makes you look media illiterate. Of course there's ship tease in Hoyo marketing and games! That shit sells just as well as the waifu/husbando fantasy! Hoyo knows how to make money; they're not stupid!

Anyway, sorry for the rant. There just seems to be a particular breed of really intolerable fan in the Hoyo fandoms that is exhausting to have to see and respond to and that last video has brought them out in force... 😮‍💨

#ship tease so blatant the ship haters gotta pull out the #'no ships are canon' card #SHIP SO GOOD THEY GOTTA REMIND YOU #THAT NOTHING IS 100% CONFIRMED #sorry if anyone following me is this kind of fan #but if you are this kind of fan #please go elsewhere #I have no time for people who can't scroll past things they don't like #and need to try to ruin the fun for everyone on every ship post they see #if you don't think there's any hints for this ship #why are you scrolling the ship tag to try to frantically negative comment on every post you see #genshin impact #honkai star rail #and yes #this is about that Ratiorine video #hoyolab is cancerous #but I'm addicted to collecting avatar frames #it's a character flaw

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I suspect it was actually a little bit purposeful, as the English version of the animation in the last minute of the video has some noticeable differences from the Chinese (and Korean) versions.

It's easier to avoid the discussion of why there are differences in the video if most people don't see as many of those differences thanks to convenient Youtube card. 😂

(By the way, this is no hate on Hoyo; if things needed to be changed to get the video to fly with a different audience, I think tailoring by country is a good idea.)

Oh, so when IIIII make the "mutual" joke it's delusional, but when Hoyo makes it--

(Actually, since that Youtube end card tried to gatekeep it, here's Ratio's tsuntsun sweatdrop as he tries to think up a good excuse for going on TV to talk about some guy he's definitely not "friends" with:)

#dr. ratio #aventurine #ratiorine #aventio #holderof-cats #his Chinese expression is more in character #not gonna lie #but I'm not giving up our cutesy sweatdrop #never

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Oh, so when IIIII make the "mutual" joke it's delusional, but when Hoyo makes it--

(Actually, since that Youtube end card tried to gatekeep it, here's Ratio's tsuntsun sweatdrop as he tries to think up a good excuse for going on TV to talk about some guy he's definitely not "friends" with:)

#honkai star rail #aventurine #dr. ratio #ratiorine #aventio #raturine #guys I think #I think we just got served actual ship tease #like very #very #very intentional #ship tease #HOYO PERCEIVES US #I'm kind of shocked #this was significantly more blatant *wink wink nudge nudge* than I ever thought this ship would get #I don't know what to do with all this power we've been given... #I'm telling you guys #they're going to be married before Bronya and Seele can even get that first date #HSR devs out here like “And they were gay” #the Genshin writer responsible for Alhaitham and Kaveh is quaking with anger #Youtube

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#aventurine #honkai star rail #TOMORROW #ahhhhhhhhhhhhhg

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Okay I was joking about him being 5'5" but, based on that one advertisement today, it appears that he is actually 5'5".

Hamster-sized.

Adorable.

I understand this is supposed to be Very Cool(™) but I'm laughing because it's just serving this vibe for me:

I can't take it seriously. The man's like 5'5", and the hand that is off-screen is probably shaking.

Has Aventurine killed people and is he perfectly capable of killing again? Yes.

Is his personality in my head the fictional equivalent of a red panda rearing up on its back legs to try to look big and scary? Also yes.

#honkai star rail #aventurine #official art

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Please someone redraw this with Dr. Ratio and Aventurine because this is the exact vibe they have in my head post-Penacony.

#oh my god #this is the best thing I've ever seen #I will love you forever #I'm crying #the expressions #THE VISION IN MY HEAD WAS MADE INTO REALITY #thank you #oh my gooddddddddd #ratiorine #aventurine #dr. ratio #honkai star rail

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I understand this is supposed to be Very Cool(™) but I'm laughing because it's just serving this vibe for me:

I can't take it seriously. The man's like 5'5", and the hand that is off-screen is probably shaking.

Has Aventurine killed people and is he perfectly capable of killing again? Yes.

Is his personality in my head the fictional equivalent of a red panda rearing up on its back legs to try to look big and scary? Also yes.

#honkai star rail #aventurine #official art #never thought I'd ever label a character #NYC rat-coded #but here we are #I say this with love #you have to laugh at the HSR marketing #selling Acheron as an edge-queen #and Aventurine as a devil #when the actual vibes are #Acheron: Women want me; Fish fear me #and #Aventurine: It's time for Aventurine's Existential Kids' Corner!

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Please someone redraw this with Dr. Ratio and Aventurine because this is the exact vibe they have in my head post-Penacony.

#ratiorine #aventio #aventurine #dr. ratio #honkai star rail #hsr #not exactly #2.1 spoilers #but the vibe isn't present until then #this is canon I'm Hoyo #just trust me #I think my favorite thing about this ship #is that I went in expecting slap slap kiss #but came out of 2.1 convinced that these two could #in fact #get their shit together faster than virtually any other Hoyoverse pair #they're gonna be two years into their relationship before Seele manages to ask Bronya on a date #they're gonna be married before Renheng get their next ship tease #I just think they deserve to be those two guys who show up together #in the background of every promotion and event #and Hoyo never confirms anything #but you never see the one without the other #so everybody just KNOWS #LISTEN HOYO #I'm available for hire #you can pay me to print the money for you

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Interpreting Aventurine's Situation

(HSR 2.1 spoilers, watch out!) I think one of my favorite things to come out of Penacony is that the plot has left us with two completely opposite but equally valid interpretations of Aventurine's character. Is he a chosen child or just a "lucky" dog? The story leaves the door wide open for both possibilities.

Under a read more for space:

One Interpretation: Unfortunately for Him, Aventurine is Actually Blessed by an Aeon

If you work from the assumption that the Avgin mythology is correct, and Gaiathra Triclops is actually real (possibly a minor aeon of an unknown path or Ena, if you're on that train), then it's entirely possible, in game, that Aventurine has been blessed by a goddess to the point that he functionally cannot lose any gamble he makes. The odds are, literally, ever in his favor. In this interpretation, it doesn't matter how many gambles he takes with his life as the chip because he will always succeed. Despite how risky his behavior looks to everyone else, he's actually been perfectly safe all along.

But this is especially tragic because it means that, despite his mother's and sister's belief that his blessing will help everyone in their tribe, Aventurine's blessing has only ever extended to himself. He's not an omen of good fortune for his people. His luck was never going to protect his parents, sister, or friends. The goddess of the Avgin chose just one person and left the rest of her people to die.

This is where Aventurine's doubts stem from. He asks repeatedly: If the goddess can bless people, then why is life so miserable for the Avgin? Why do they have to live in pain, suffering, fear, and abject poverty if she could make them lucky enough to thrive? Why do people live if it's just going to be horrible?

(To be honest, I don't think this is out of line for the behavior we've seen of aeons so far. Even with aeons like Yaoshi, described as gentle and benevolent, with no intention to cause harm, their gifts often create horror in the human world.)

Aventurine's hands still tremble when he bets. He doesn't really believe he's blessed and still expects his own downfall at every turn--but it's never going to come because he is one of the few human beings in the entire universe with the direct favor of an aeon. Even Ratio, a skeptical, evidence-based genius, seems to think this might be the case.

(Choosing the Chinese because the text is a little clearer than the English, but basically: "This guy always has a way of dragging himself up out of the abyss, which can't be explained by just 'good luck.' Everyone is waiting to see him fail... Maybe even he's waiting too. But as time passed, I couldn't help but wonder: Will that day really come?")

This means Aventurine has lived a life of fear and uncertainty for nothing. He's spent his entire life awaiting a failure and painful death that will never come. He can't recognize the love of his own goddess nor trust in the faith of his own family.

The central question of this interpretation becomes "What does it mean for a single human to be favored by an aeon?" Can Aventurine really be called lucky after losing every single thing that has meaning in his life--all because an aeon chose him and only him? Should that be called a blessing or a curse?

The Opposite Interpretation: Aventurine Isn't Lucky At All, He's Just Skilled

On the other hand, the story leaves the door open to interpret Aventurine's situation in the complete opposite manner too. If, as the IPC seems to think, Gaiathra Triclops isn't real and Aventurine isn't blessed at all, then that means every single risk Aventurine has taken has actually been life-threatening--and that every single achievement he's reached has been by his own merits alone.

If Gaiathra's blessing isn't real, then Aventurine's life becomes one long self-run psyop: Everyone tells him he's blessed, he's lucky, he's favored--so young Kakavasha starts gambling early. Banking on this idea that he's favored, that he's chosen, he starts paying attention, he learns the tricks of the trade, figures out how to slip cards up his sleeves, how to word things just right so people will take his bait--he practices, practices, practices, until he can spot winning odds a mile away, until he can predict every possible outcome, until he's seen it all before.

In this situation, every single gamble he's ever made or will make carries a very, very real risk of failure--but Aventurine continues to succeed because he's just that quick-witted, just that aware, just that good at reading people. (He's been doing it for so much longer than everyone else he meets, after all.) He is the gambler extraordinaire, the archetypal charming rogue who can squirm his way out of any tight spot he gets into, time and time again.

He fears every gamble he makes because he has good reason to--there's literally never any guarantee that he will succeed, and he's constantly just flipping a coin to see what outcome he'll get. His personal skill and quick wit continue to turn things in his favor, but it's inevitable that one day he'll meet a situation that outwits him, a gamble where only a supernatural force could have saved him. And if you take this second interpretation, Gaiathra isn't real, so there won't be one.

This story choice would be interesting because it implies a greater degree of responsibility for everything that happens. If it's Aventurine's own quick wit and skill that continually save him, shouldn't he be able to help others with that skill? Shouldn't he have been able to help himself? How was he able to save himself from death but not from slavery? If it was skill, not luck, all along, then who do you blame for all the misery he still experienced?

This interpretation leads to greater questions of self-doubt and anxiety: Is it actual skill or just sheer dumb luck? Does Aventurine have what it takes mentally, psychologically, emotionally, and even physically to always come out on top by his own merits, or is he just the benefit of the wheel of fortune--statistically speaking, a one in a million chance still has to come through for that one, right? And when it all comes crumbling down eventually, will he have only himself to blame?

A Life of Uncertainty

The story doesn't actually give us any firm indication whether Gaiathra is real or not, or--even if she is real--if Aventurine is actually genuinely blessed. We just don't know, as players.

And Aventurine doesn't know either.

His faith in the goddess of the Avgin is shaky. He seems to want to believe and hold on to his people's mythology, but he has valid doubts that a goddess would choose to bless one person while leaving everyone else to suffer.

Is he the chosen of an aeon? And if he isn't chosen, then what meaning does any of it have? Is he just unbelievably skilled? Has he merely been lucky up to now? When will this blessing or luck or skill finally fail him?

Aventurine's most defining character trait is the extreme uncertainty that has plagued his whole life. What is true? What should he believe? Is he blessed or cursed? Does he have the talent to back up his massive boasts? Should others put any faith in him--should he put any faith in himself? Should he cling to his people's beliefs or reject the goddess that left him the sole survivor of a cultural extinction?

He can't trust anything. He can't trust his family's faith; he can't trust that he's actually a "chosen one" (because how could he chosen and his family be left to die?). He can't even trust that he's lucky because maybe it was just the years of suffering practice he put in. Then again, he can't trust in his own skill because maybe he's just blessed?

Which is it? Which is it? Which is it?

Nothing is certain. Nothing can be taken for granted. Nothing can be proven empirically true or false. There are no guarantees for Aventurine.

Every single thing in his life is a gamble, and none of that is his fault.

What an amazing character. What a great story. Thank you for the treat, Hoyo!

#aventurine #honkai star rail #hsr meta #aventurine meta #alternate character interpretations #gaiathra #damned if you do #damned if you don't #2.1 spoilers #penacony spoilers

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2.1 Penacony Spoilers!

I know the scene after Ratio's "betrayal" can be read a lot of ways but I am shocked I haven't seen more people interpret it as Ratio being so worried about Aventurine that he couldn't stay away even though he was supposed to.

We know:

1) Ratio absolutely knew Aventurine's plan from start to finish, both his gamble to create "death" in the dream and with the three cornerstones. (Wish people would stop underselling Ratio in their analyses; "Three chips are enough" is a direct enough clue that, genius as he is, Ratio would never miss.)

2) In his own words, Ratio was acting according to Aventurine's instructions while in Dewlight Pavilion and with Sunday and felt that he did a good job not giving them away.

I think most people are on the same page up to there, but then I've seen a lot of people interpreting this scene after Aventurine leaves Sunday's mansion as Aventurine being genuinely angry at Ratio (possibly after having gaslit himself into thinking Ratio was actually betraying him).

But this doesn't make much sense to me because:

1) Ratio actually has nothing to gain by selling Aventurine out to Sunday. They're on the same side in this mission. Information about a Stelleron on Penacony wouldn't be news anyone with a brain like Ratio's and why would he need someone else's research on Stellerons when he already has ties to the Genius Society through Screwllum and Herta, as well as the Astral Express where the Trailblazer is actively housing a Stelleron?

2) One of Aventurine's most notable lines of dialogue is how it's perfectly fine and expected for "friends" to use each other and backstab. This is his default understanding of partners--why would he suddenly be mad about something he expected from the start?

3) If the betrayal wasn't already planned and was just a possibility based on Aventurine's understanding of Ratio, why would he ever have revealed there were "three chips" (aka three cornerstones) in play? If even the betrayal over Topaz's stone wasn't planned, just assumed, why would Aventurine reveal the existence of the third stone? He would gain nothing from doing so.

Instead, I think it makes a lot more sense to interpret Aventurine's frustration with Ratio in this later scene as annoyance over Ratio taking an "unnecessary" risk:

1) As far as Sunday knows, Ratio had just very seriously betrayed Aventurine, completely selling him out and essentially sending him to his execution.

2) In the scene afterward, Aventurine is out in public in the middle of Penacony where The Family's eyes are always watching, yet Ratio walks right up to him to check on him. Why would someone who just sold you out come up to you immediately afterward to check on your health?!

3) It's only natural that Aventurine would pump the brakes and go "Wow, didn't think you'd show yourself after you just betrayed me, remember?" Because that's the act they are supposed to be keeping up! They're still being monitored; it's not safe to break character!

But Ratio is a genius, right, so why would he break character here? From the standpoint of the ploy itself, revealing to the Family that he and Aventurine were still on the same side would only jeopardize the plan, not help it.

The logical explanation, then, is that Ratio went to Aventurine here because he felt like he had to.

He had to check in and make sure the situation was still under Aventurine's control.

(In fact, the entire exchange through the middle of this scene is Aventurine and Ratio confirming the rest of their plot in a veiled manner: Ratio brings up the plan and mentions what's concealed in the gift money bag, Aventurine confirms the cornerstone is good to go; Ratio asks what his next step will be; Aventurine says he's going to do the insane thing of handing out cash while looking pathetic [aka fishing for Sparkle]. Ratio essentially asks if he's crazy enough to take the final gamble with his own life, which Aventurine confirms, and then Ratio sets them up for the finale by gifting him the doctor's note.)

Ratio was willing to risk ruining their entire plan--something Aventurine does seem to be frustrated about at first--just to ensure Aventurine still felt all right about the situation.

He needed to deliver his note demanding Aventurine stay alive.

He needed to tell Aventurine to come to him if the situation got too painful to bear.

In short, Ratio was worried enough that he could not stay away even though, for the sake of their plot, it would have made significantly more sense for him not to appear. The gain of breaking character was worth more to him than the risk of being caught.

You honestly don't even have to take this in a shipping context. The real point here is that Ratio is an incredibly good person who wasn't okay with Aventurine's self-sacrificial plan and who felt morally compelled to check on a person in pain. He's a healer through and through, and ignoring Aventurine in this condition--ignoring someone who was taking so much risk on themselves--simply wasn't possible for him, no matter the danger it posed to the plan.

But for those who do ship Ratio and Aventurine... I hope more people will come to see this scene as another example of Ratio's genuine concern for his mission partner! He did not have to appear here at all; it would have made much more sense for him to leave Aventurine to his own devices to uphold the illusion of their "betrayal." He showed up in this scene--very likely against Aventurine's expectations--because he was concerned for Aventurine's situation and wanted to ensure Aventurine knew he could fall back on Ratio's support at any time if the plan went awry.

tl;dr: I wish people would stop interpreting this scene as the aftermath of a betrayal. Aventurine wasn't ticked off with Ratio in this scene because he felt like he'd genuinely been backstabbed; he was ticked off because Ratio was literally breaking their pre-established "betrayer" character just to be fussy over Aventurine's safety and well-being. (Okay, and to double check on the plan, but let's be real, the first part was definitely more important. 👌)

#honkai star rail #aventurine #dr. ratio #ratiorine #aventio #dr ratio x aventurine #I'M JUST SAYING #when you betray someone you don't check on them five minutes later!! #Dr. Ratio is a genius #he knows this #but he showed up anyway #Aventurine is over here sweating bullets like #'My dude WHY are you here GO AWAY we are acting like ENEMIES today' #and Ratio was just like 'Okay but do you NEED me?' #'Because I am here for you in case that needed to be clarified' #like 'Just want to make sure we're 100% clear' #'I AM HERE FOR YOU IDIOT' #Aventurine being shown a modicum of care: 'Disgusting.' #2.1 spoilers #penacony spoilers

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NEW AVENTURINE OFFICISL ART BRO 🙏🙏🙏‼️‼️‼️

#honkai star rail #hsr #aventurine #oh #oh my god #you ever see a company print money in real time #???? #WHO IS HE TALKING TO WHEN HE FIRST WAKES UP #inquiring minds need to KNOW

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2.1 spoilers but I think the funniest part about Aventurine and Ratio's scene was that every single thing that Aventurine said and Ratio dismissed ended up being 100% accurate.

"Those look more like torment eagles than nightingales."

"They're nightingales."

They were torment eagles.

"This little device reminds me of a story about a person who got shrunken--"

"Why are you talking nonsense?"

Aventurine immediately shrinks.

It was a perfect showcase for how Aventurine's practiced frivolity ensures that everyone will underestimate and dismiss him, all while his incredible observational skills and out-of-the-box thinking give him the best situational awareness of anyone in the room.

Ratio is literally the equal of those in the Genius Society and uses his extreme intelligence to figure out what's going on on Penacony--but Aventurine, even without that level of education, figured everything out on his own and was able to manipulate every variable at once to get exactly the outcome he wanted.

Aventurine is talented and incredibly resilient--despite the overwhelming amount of suffering he has experienced--and still manages to do it all with a levity and earnestness that the devs captured perfectly through contrast with Ratio's serious, no-nonsense approach.

Just fantastic writing. 2.1 was really a treat.

#honkai star rail #aventurine #dr. ratio #hsr #2.1 spoilers #penacony spoilers

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Post 2.1 Ratiorine Thought(s)

Under the read more because of 2.1 spoilers

Nothing really advanced or complicated to say; I did a lot of laughing and panicking and "Awww"ing during their moments in the story. (Tiny Aventurine, you will always be a legend.)

But the one thing I really, really hope fandom will latch on to is something that might represent a slight shift in Aventurine's characterization in fics... I was toying with this thought even before 2.1, but the patch definitely solidified it.

Rather than the one to jump straight into the (at least physical aspects of the) relationship, I definitely think Aventurine is much more likely to be the kind of person to hold himself entirely aloof from anyone he develops any genuine interest in--because literally every single person he has ever truly cared about has violently died, in acts of horrific misfortune which are directly tied in Aventurine's mind with his own "luck."

I think that the moment he recognizes himself having even the slightest bit of genuine feeling for Ratio (or any character people might ship him with, really), he would fold his cards like wet tissue and run for the hills.

Nothing good has ever come from him caring for someone, and every golden glimmer of his otherworldly fortune has been bought at his loved ones' blood price.

Aventurine doesn't take deals that aren't beneficial for him.

And there's no way he can survive another loss.

The more he actually cares about someone, the further and further a relationship gets from ever being in the cards.

#honkai star rail #aventurine #dr. ratio #dr. ratio x aventurine #ratiorine #aventio #aventurine was literally created to be angst incarnate #someone on that dev team said #how can we make the most wooby little man possible #and they really did it #I just think Aventurine sees himself as cursed #while everyone else sees that he only ever wins #what do those wins matter when everything he cares about is gone? #I can't see him wanting to risk that suffering ever again #it would be a FIGHT to get him to ever admit to having a single real feeling for someone again #I want to see that fight though...

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Just saw Boothill's leaked animations.

Oh. Oh.

They are going to be doing unspeakable things to this man on twitter.

#boothill #honkai star rail #honkai star rail leaks #the devs said we want so much NSFW fanart of this one