clown noises (laby app)

[sunbearer]

OOC INFORMATION
Player Name: Novas
Pronoun Preferences: They/Them
Contact: soukokus
Are you over the age of 18?: Yes
Invitation Link: Existing player!
Current Characters: Ryoji Mochizuki
Link to Permissions: Permissions.

IC INFORMATION
Character Name: Phainon
Species: Data Signal
Canon: Honkai: Star Rail
Canon Point: Hero, Return to Dawn in Mortality: before the breaking of the seals.
Character Age: mid-20s
CRAU: No
Character Appearance: This is he usually looks like, and this is his magical girl transformation (divine vessel).
Powers and Abilities:

Phainon is a Chrysos Heir, which means he bleeds gold instead of red. His Path is that of the Destruction - an explosive DPS-oriented fighting style that focuses on attacking three enemies at a time. He is also very fit, befitting of his role as a frontline fighter, and possesses enough strength to pull down a giant bird-god from the sky. Despite his sun-themed attacks, all of his blows count as physical damage.

SWORDSMANSHIP. Phainon is an accomplished swordsman, with the greatsword Dawnmaker as his weapon of choice. He is skilled enough that only one of his allies is his equal in combat, and that they both once engaged in a duel that lasted for ten days and ten nights. Also all HSR characters can summon/dismiss their weapons at will, and Phainon is of no exception. You won't be catching him off guard without it.

TELEPORTATION. He is capable of summoning portals that let him traverse through both time and space - even trapping him in the past didn't stop him from following his pursuit back to the present. It is implied that he is incapable of teleporting towards venues he has yet to visit, however.

LONG-SHATTERED VESSEL. Phainon is capable of summoning clones of himself, up to four copies. They are very fast, but also fragile, and injuring them could also injure Phainon in turn.

BEGINNING OF THE END. By temporarily summoning his divinity, Phainon can compress and therefore obliterate all weak or lesser enemies within sight. This would only work against mobs, and not named characters. If the enemy isn’t defeated by this skill, it deals physical damage instead.

DIVINE VESSEL. Gathering the strength from the cycles and the coreflames, he assumes the form of a Divine Vessel - he becomes Destruction itself, with the memories, hopes and wishes of all those before him. In this form he is immune to crowd control debuffs, and his attack and health are further increased. Furthermore, his attacks can restore his health. Finally, he is capable of flight as he has wings in this form.

RUINOUS IRONTOMB. An ability known as a Territory, essentially a pocket space where Phainon can unleash his full power without worrying about collateral damage. It evokes an apocalyptic view - the representation of the true meaning of Era Nova. This responsibility is his to bear alone, which is why none of his allies can enter this zone: this is a battleground between him and his enemies only, those who shall bare witness to Destruction. Every enemy inside this Territory is now weak to his attacks.

This state lasts for eight turns, as this Territory slowly collapses - and in the final turn, he shall decompile and destroy this Territory, resetting everything to how it was before. This deals massive physical damage to all enemies inside the Territory.

The following abilities are available to him only inside this Territory:

CREATION: BLOODTHORN FERRY. A swing from his blade renders the space around everything it strikes. In this simulated Territory, it practically tears reality apart into lines of code. Phainon can target one enemy and two adjacent ones to deal massive physical damage.

CALAMITY: SOULSCORCH EDICT. With his sword poised to the ground, Phainon taunts his enemies into attacking him immediately. Each strike received builds the fury within - the more enemies he faces, the more powerful his counterattack becomes. Once all enemies have exhausted their options, he swings a giant version of his blade - one big enough to rend the very earth itself. Physical damage is dealt in retaliation.

FOUNDATION: STARDEATH VERDICT. His greatest weapon, one that tears upon the sky and sends the stars falling down to the earth. Any debuffs on him are dispelled, ensuring he can deal the most damage that he is able to muster.

PROPOSED NERFS:

• His teleportation ability will not let him travel to the past or future, and he cannot teleport into the Labyrinth, other area-restricted locations, and inside player housing (unless given permission).
• His insta-kill attack (Beginning of the End) will never work against other players and their pets/companions. They probably won't work against the townsfolk as well? Its use will be limited to quests and combat-oriented events.
• As discussed with the mods, Ruinous Irontomb cannot be used inside Labyrinthum. However, his three abilities (Creation, Calamity and Foundation) can now be used outside of this Territory, provided that they are downscaled to affect only a small clearing.

What Did Your Character Wish For? To fulfill everyone's wishes.
What Potion Did They Receive? Blue
Did They Drink It? No
If Yes, What Element/Animal? N/A

Character Questions:
1. Who is the person your character is most bonded with from their canon, or who is someone they miss the most and why?

Aedes Elysiae is the place Phainon was born, and its people were those that he missed the most. This place is his symbol of peace and idyllic days, and often he would talk about it with wistful nostalgia. Alas, the reason why he misses it the most is because it no longer exists: its wheat fields overtaken by the black tide, and its denizens corrupted into twisted monsters. Every hero needs an origin story, and Phainon's begins by being forced to cut down his parents and friends.

Phainon is a mosaic of the people he knows, and this is most apparent with his fellow Chrysos Heirs. Through their bonds and connections he has risen from the ashes of his doomed hometown, and with their guidance and support he has learned most of the virtues that he carries to this day. Aglaea took him in, the Tribios gave him his first peaceful sleep in years, Anaxa taught him wisdom and reason, Castorice was a close confidant and classmate, Hyacine sparked hope in his heart, Mydei became his equal and rival, and Cipher kept him on his toes. Not only do they help him become a person of good character, they have also given him a reason to smile and look forward to tomorrow. Without them, Phainon is nothing.

2. What are they most afraid of and why?

The Hero's Journey is a long and arduous road, and it is easy for one to lose sight of himself in the process. This is what Phainon fears, especially when his path has become as long as 33,550,336 recurrences. He is forced to commit despicable acts in these cycles, which is why it's important for him to remember the purpose of all these time loops — that this is all done to prevent a great evil from being born. It is suffering, yes, but the fact that he feels deep regret towards his sins is still proof that he is human. To forget this means turning into something no different than the very forces he is fighting against: their captors who would use their lives as fuel to grant the universe Destruction.

But it's okay! He is a hero, and that means there is nothing for him to fear. He has long lost who he is, after all.

3. What are their emotional, mental, and physical weaknesses and why?

Phainon's ability to compartmentalize everything is both an emotional strength and an emotional weakness. He lives in an environment that requires him to be capable of fighting and making sound decisions at any given moment, but his tendency to always put others over his own means that he is always prioritizing action. He has long buried his own needs and feelings, to the extent that he would clinically recognize his negative thoughts but never properly address them.

It's a wonder how he has managed to live this long with such a mentality. One could say that he has a strong will, but in truth it is a mental weakness that takes the form of an obsessive personality. Once Phainon latches onto an idea, he will never let that idea go, even if it comes to his own detriment. It's why he has decided to continue the time loops for so long: because he genuinely could not think of an alternative solution. His friends have even tried to steer him away from his self-inflicted torment, but still he moved forward. Because he must. Because he's the hero of the story.

One day his actions would burn him down to ash.

Finally, while he is a being in a simulation, he possesses a constitution no different from that of a regular human. He requires regular needs like sustenance and sleep, have the same weak points as one, and can definitely be killed in a similar way as one.

But perhaps his greatest weakness of all is his terrible fashion sense. For all the skills he is capable of his inability to coordinate clothes has stubbornly stuck with him throughout the years.

4. What discrepancies are there between their inner self (who they feel they are) and their outer self (how they present themselves to others)?

Phainon is The Deliverer, the prophesized chosen one who will save the world and usher in the new world of Era Nova. His destiny is a sole survivor: not only of his hometown, but amongst the Chrysos Heirs. Therefore, he must also carry everyone's hopes and dreams. He must become an inspiration to others. He is friendly and amicable, but also fearless and wise. He can maneuver the political responsibilities of his station, he can be a friend to children, and he can perform well in battle. His demeanor is bright and approachable, and he uses his skill of reading others to give you what you need. He is a hero. He is everything you need him to be.

Phainon is a blank slate, because he has long lost sight of who he truly is. And why would he care, when he has never loved himself in the first place? His only worries stem from not being enough, from failing to uphold the high expectations others have for him. The Chrysos Heirs truly believe him to be their savior, but Phainon thinks that they all possess strengths better than his. He therefore must dedicate all of himself to his grand task. Because Phainon is a hero, not a person.

But what has been forgotten has not been truly discarded. Phainon's code, his innermost self and primary driving force, can be described with a single word: hatred. Hatred towards this unjust world, hatred towards the gods that would use them as prisoners and puppets, and hatred towards himself. Phainon is ultimately the perfect vessel for Destruction, even as he directs his fury and anger towards Destruction itself. And he could never be rid of it, no matter how hard he tries.

5. What would make them happiest and why?

Yet hate can only exist in the presence of love, and Phainon is one who also loves fiercely. He bears no love for this world or for himself, but he bears all the love for his friends and companions. He may not care for his own personal happiness, but he will do anything to ensure their happiness. He will do everything in his power to fulfill their wishes, so much that he would burn himself for it. And perhaps, through this act of self-destruction, he would be able to find happiness himself.

(Surely there must be another way..?)

6. What characteristics does someone need to have to be your character's ideal significant other?

If one were to ask Phainon this question, these are the answers you would get: someone who could be his equal. Someone with a clear sense of justice and good virtue. Not necessarily someone with a good body, but that's a nice bonus, too. But that is not enough to be their ideal significant other, because Phainon is afraid of wanting something for himself. He's been selfless for so long that the possibility of being selfish for one single thing scares him, as if that "flaw" would destroy everything he has built.

Therefore, an ideal significant other must be someone who could teach him one simple thing: to be himself. That someone needs to be just as stubborn as him such that they could break down his walls, and let him really know that it's okay for him to be a person, too. That it's okay for him to admit that he doesn't want to be alone. Phainon carries a lot of weight on his shoulders, but what he needs isn't someone to carry that for him. Simply stand beside him, and that would be enough.

7. Would your character make a sacrifice to save someone else and why or why not?

Yes, and without hesitation. Phainon cares too little about himself to think of his own life to be worth more than any other's — if it's for the greater good, he would turn himself into kindling for the fire. What is more surprising, however, is the fact that he is also willing to sacrifice others for the greater good…and that includes his own companions.

At the beginning it's because he has no choice in the matter — because they would stand in his way, because they think that death is a kinder fate than the torture of living through thirty three million cycles, because his hatred would leave no room for anything else to grow. But everything gets easier through repetition, and killing them has become as easy as breathing. It's an act that pains him immensely, and it's a guilt that he would carry to the end of his days, but this is the sin he must bear.

Now that they are free from the cycles, however, he swears that he would not repeat this same regret ever again. Even if he has to sacrifice something else in the process.

8. What is one thing they would tell their younger self if they had the chance, or if your character is young, what is one thing they would want their older self to remember?

Time loops are a funny thing — your yesterday is the same as your tomorrow, your past becomes your future. In Phainon's case, this takes the form of the Flame Reaver: a cloaked entity that has been hunting down his companions one by one. It is the fate of every Phainon to become the Flame Reaver of the next cycle, a hero turned villain, and he must stand against the duty he once pursued in order to stabilize the time loop. If even a single Phainon would steer away from the script, he would attain completion of that duty…but instead of saving the world, he would doom it instead.

For the longest time Phainon has treated the Flame Reaver as his personal nemesis, being the one responsible for the destruction of his hometown and the death of his childhood friend. But is it really so surprising that the person he hates the most has turned out to be himself all along? Perhaps he has nothing good to say to himself. But perhaps to see "yourself" as a separate entity has given him insight on what he has truly gone through. Here as the final Phainon, at the end of all these time loops, he has nothing but empathy to the suffering he has experienced and the sacrifices he has made.

He forgives the Flame Reaver. He forgives himself.

9. When in dire circumstances does your character fight, flee, freeze or fawn and how does that look?

Fighting against his fate has been the reason why Phainon still stands today, and it is the only thing he has ever known to do. He has no other choice — he cannot escape a fate that's encoded in his very being, he cannot hesitate even for a second for it can cost the lives of others, and giving into the enemy's whims has never been an option. He has faced monsters and even gods for the sake of survival, and conflict does not scare him.

Destruction is in his blood, and when Phainon fights he does so until the very end, even if his fury would burn all stars to ash. Battle is also one of the avenues where he can empty his mind and forget the worries of his station. Phainon has lived through conflict for so long that it sustains him, gives him purpose, even if it ultimately hurts him.

10. Why did your character make the wish they did?

He has been asked what his wish was before, and his answer remains the same. Why use a wish for himself when he could use it for those he cares about? He is a selfless hero in the end, and he would rather give his wish to someone else who matters. He would rather have everyone else be happy, even at the expense of his own happiness. Even more so with the state of their world, at risk of certain destruction: he would do anything to make sure they would see tomorrow, where their wishes would be fulfilled.

But what he doesn't realize is that his companions also wish for Phainon's own happiness. Phainon is a hero, but he is also a person — he has merely forgotten how to be one. Perhaps his time here would help him figure out a wish for himself.