I'd like to add that Sparkle's trailer was, in hindsight, heavily hinting at the way to Dreamflux Reef, with all the shooting herself with a toy gun. And also telling Aventurine to go be "under a manhole cover" might have been hinting at the way to Dream's Edge, since the path Firefly took there was through a manhole cover.
and yet, it still hasn't been answered who Sparkle really is. She appears to be the most powerful character we have met in game, not in the sense of creating the biggest blast (that honour goes to Acheron) but in the sense of just "knowing", of taking on and displacing emanators at will, moving freely through dreams, changing dreams and possibly reality. The only real hint we got: "What is Elation? Me. I am Elation". Is this an aha moment?
I think the point isn't knowing who sparkle is. In all of penacony end credits sparkle is listed as "sparkle as sparkle". That's the answer, sparkle is sparkle. Nothing more. In one of her lines she says "An abandoned orphan, a cursed little girl, the last descendant of the puppet clan... I can tailor it to the tastes of the individual⁓" In fact in her character story there are some of these mentioned backstories. Sparkle is a masked fool, they often play prank people, she wants to make us think she has some hidden backstory but at the end we are just overthinking it and the answer we need is just that this is Sparkle and she does stuff for the sake of elation. The end.
If I'm right eletion got power from Thier desire to have fun, the NPC, giovanni who is also a masked fools spread happiness through games, so he's spread them to the whole world, sparkle likes theatre, not being the main protagonist, but the one who set up the stage and watch it all played up.
13:31 The facts that Sparkle actually sung the HSR Astral Ricky version in the captain’s room with yet another fake bomb says it all *(For those who didn’t get the chance to find it)*
Watching her trailer after playing 2.2 made my head mildly explode when I realized it had to be taking place in the grand theater or some other location central to the family. Since the trailer came out in 2.0 this led me to conclude that she had arrived on Penacony ahead of time and infiltrated quite deeply; deep enough to enact a plan, so we know she has leverage but is still playing a side role (animated short). All of which made 2.3 hit that much better. At the time I also wondered if she wasn't also acting on behalf of the Masked Fools (besides her contract with SW/SH which we didn't know the identity of yet) since the Family's machinations are probably not looked upon kindly by Aha, an Aeon I cannot imagine having a lot of patience for Order and Ena's brand of forkery 😂
Yeah, it's safe to say that Sparkle infiltrated Penacony for quite some time already. Apart from the Gallagher connectionI mentioned, Elio already prepared the script for Penacony before the Jepella Rebellion happened (Jepella already crumbled during the time we met Ruan Mei). Plus, I think this is a bit overlooked, but Sparkle did ask Sampo's help for something in Penacony.
@@Datbombboodythats also why the mourning actors get their power from the elation since aha thought it would be funny if the people who actively hate him got their powers from him
About #1: sending the music boxes would be pretty easy tbh. One of Penacony's schticks is that items from the dream can be brought into reality (pretty much everything except for the fancy cars), and the delicacy event had us sending Penaconian dishes to our friends on HSS/Jarilo/Xianzhou, right there on the spot, without leaving the Dreamscape. And if even we, a tourist, could do it, then Gallagher, who knows Penacony well enough, would have an even easier time finding a way to send the invitations, and he wouldn't need to leave the dream if he happened to be tied to it.
Something I noticed during the sequence where the main cast realizes they're in a dream fabricated by Sunday, leading to Boothill contacting his fellow Galaxy Rangers and Acheron destroying a layer of the dream -- Sparkle is seen newly waking up. BS implied that only those with a strong sense of self/willpower, are able to remove themselves from the allure of their individual dreams. This would concretize the fact that Sparkle is very easily swayed by her own desires and her hold on her own identify is quite flimsy. Not sure if that was what they were going for though, BUT I am certained that there is an unexplored tragedy hidden underneath her many facades.
I dunno if anyone’s pointed this out but in Sparkle’s trailer, there are hints to Firefly’s three deaths. It happens when Sparkle is shooting herself at the beginning, there are three Sparkles. And while she’s fighting Sunday’s minions, she conveniently shoots herself three times. (The latter might be a stretch tho)
One correction Elio wasn't the one hired her, it was SW, cause after 2.3 story she will text you asking if you liked the show she gave, then she mentioned a gamer friend who told her about the script.
You really read between the lines!! Thank you so much for putting in the effort to analyze the situation and compile it all here, I'm also really glad somrone else noticed that the Past, Present and Future show were referenced in her demo (6:26)! Sparkle really did have a ton of foreshadowing, it's really intriguing to think of. Thank you, you truly never gave us up, never let us down, never ran around and deserted us, never made us cry, never said goodbye, never told a lie or hurt us.
When sparkle said something about finding a rock or smth I immediately thought which rock. Since they obv talk in riddles and aventurine is waiting for that.
@@goodguyamr6996yeah. The original hint was “find a mute” relating to how Robin wasn’t able to speak well during this time. But EN localizers probably thought that was too offensive, or that it didn’t sound as great. And changed it, not realizing it was plot relevant. I can kinda accept them making a mistake on that. But the fact that they completely excluded the thing about Gallagher being a follower of the Enigmatica in his confrontation with Sunday hurt me.
I used to not like her much but realising her role in penacony story it changed my mind, especially when I thought that masked fools are superficial or that’s how they seem in truth sparkle role was crucial to penacony
Wow, a giant miss in the very beginning. No, Gallagher and Misha are not the same. Gallagher is a "character" created with powers of path of Enigmata, while Misha is a memory being. Gallagher can exist outside of Dreamscape. Misha can't, not because he's fiction, but because he was a memory bubble content. Enigmata meanwhile can very well mess with reality outside, deeds of path of Enigmata aren't contained to Penacony.
Hmm, yeah, using Misha as a point is prob a bad example there. Though, it is curious how despite said possiblity Gallagher never actually appeared once in reality (perhaps if you want to count the dog statues ?) There's also his remark where he implied he don't know how much longer he can last since his fiction is exposed. These were what got me into thinking up the speculation.
@@pianime94 May I add to this theory. After you finish the latest Penacony quest, there is a bar on the ship located right behind the Divergent Universe. A newbie Bartender just started his work there, and his story is that he was unemployed most of the time before getting hired to do the bartending there. Sound weird for a newbie to hit a jackpot for a slot on the VIP ship in Penacony? The bartender sell a very particular drink: Gallagher's farewell cockail (or sth i forgor the name). That is the only place you can find the drink and since it sell a very important drink with a very specific character that we no longer able to see, is it that Gallagher's Fictionologist (the one made Gallagher in the first place) returned, or at least leave hint for us?
Where was it stated Galllagher can exist outside the dream? He was definately created as a fictional being and never shows up outside the dream to the point where at the end of the pennacony story he has a sort funeral.
@@GhostEmblem gallagher was a History Fictionologist - A Enigmata being that can distort reality. There was no instances that they deloberately state that Gallagher was a being created by dream (or Memory Meme). His funeral is different: Gallagher said that when a History Fictionologist identity is seen through, they will no longer a myth, and therefore ending their existence. It was either mean that the physical body of Gallagher was completely vanished after Penacony story, or the History Fictionologist - An Emanator of Enigmata, creator of Gallagher - vanished. The later opinion seem harder to be true since it was extreme, and it not like everything that related to Gallagher's power was vanished with himself after the quest.
@@Ionic_GlaceTbh those cocktail were tailored to MC choosing since the 2nd option is Boothil's requested beverage so theres a chance its just a coincidence
the mecha wolf in fireflies trailer might just be the wolf that trailblazers fight in the newest area, The Shackling Prison. it looks definitely the same, who knew that a Xianzhou enemy would find itself in Firefly's trailer, maybe Sparkle had been to the Xianzhou Hexafleet?
The only detail that significantly understates her character and all this moments - script from Elio. Could she pull off something like that without that "advantage"? (knowledge of how, when and what exactly each "actor" will or possibly can do) Most of her hints can be ignored, as they lead to nothing - only encourage the actors to look beyond the stage, while she herself can no longer draw clear line. And many events could be made much more effective, but she can't do it without side theatrical drama and gloss. And yes, don’t forget about our MC, who can choose a different path, for real (stay at Hertha station, refuse to help Kafka, ignore Aventurine) - but there is some kind of block that prevents crucial choices from being made. Maybe this is special trait of our artificial "rebirth" body, Elio can limit these critical moments... But again, without such theoretical feature, all of Sparkle’s efforts can be thrown into the trash: She couldn’t create a situation, with script in her hands, where our MC would undoubtedly go with Aventurine to find out truth - naively believed, from own experience, that such offer was impossible to refuse (that "precaution" trait is unknown to her, otherwise she wouldn't waste time talking about the identity of the Firefly with us)
For a faction named the Masked "Fools", they sure are quite the smarts. Sampo, Sparkle.. both are undeniably suspicious yet not necessarily evil characters. For someone named the fool, they sure know alot about things majority don't know. I love the irony.
She earned a lot of respect from me after i finished main story quest, and this video increased it even more. Thanks for the explanation! I am still very afraid of her, though 😂😅
I think the buttons were also tricks too. We learned that the buttons name basically implies you'll blow up if you press them. But people can't die in dreams so there's no harm in actually pressing them. I believe the button was another way to get to true penacony, by summoning Sleepy. We learned the trigger to summoning him is believing you will die in the dream and he will appear and 'carry' them to the other side. And if you pressed the button either you doubt it will happen and thus nothing does. Or you believe it will kill you and thus Sleepy shows up. It just goes to show that so far the Masked Fools have always been there meddling in every main plot in the story and lore, always getting the last laugh
The best girl and the best wingman in penacony, since the beginning i believe in her and never gonna give you up, never let you down, never gonna round around and desert you.
Plus Sparkle now has the script that Silver Wolf has in exchange to ensure Firefly's 3rd death to occur in the most safest way, it was hinted that the Stellaron hunters all have specific scripts but they are aware of each others' scripts. So I wonder what she will do with this knowledge.
Why did they make penacony’s story such a headache Like I’m glad they took the time to make such a complex storyline But dear god there’s so many individual threads in this knot Like there’s Aventurine’s multi-layered gamble Misha’s identity Sparkle being sparkle Firefly “Death” Acheron And the fact that THEY SET UPTHE MASSIVE PLOT TWIST WITH SUNDAY FROM THE BEGINNING Also I hated the “oops that boss was fake” jumpscare I barely beat him the first time and round 2 was torture I legit ran triple imaginary and a healer Welt, Harmony TB, Dr. Ratio, and Natasha were legit my team for both phases cause Natasha is my only decent healer(she’s tanky and heals a lot, unlike lynx my only other healer, who gets sneezed on and fucking dies) Dr ratio cause I found out how good he is for breaking enemies And welt because my electric and fire lineups SUCK I have serval and tingyun for electric, one dies faster than she did in the cutscene the other deals a little damage as dies And as for fire, not counting Preservation MC …It’s just asta And she’s not exactly a dps, Yknow Why couldn’t he be weak to ice Or physical Imaginary, ice, and physical are basically all my decent characters I could have brought my half decent herta along if he was weak to ice
I actually loved this video. I never really had looking into theory crafting for HSR; however you made this really fun to watch! "WHO IS ELATION? ME, I AM ELATION!"
tbh im still confused what sparkle did in the new mission i knew that firefly had to d!e 3 times but the last death didnt rlly seem like a death like shouldnt firefly be dead ,dead? Another thing i dont get is how is she good to me she was like a not that bad villain but it seems like she saves everyone/us?? idk (also is blackswan bad? i didnt realize that we shouldnt trust her i felt like she actually was good😭)
Well it was supposed to be explosion but when firefly picked the TB after sparkle hit them with that hammer said “you see everything is possible in this land of dreams”, she is not bad or at least she was paid to do all these stuff by silver wolf, idk about blackswan but it is said that memokeepers tend to cause chaos sometimes to make memories so yeah
what I really like about Sparkle is how confusing she is. she’s morally dubious, yet sometimes does things that benefit other people (debatable?), or at the very least she progresses the story. she has all her cards out on the table and is probably the only person on Penacony with no pretenses or agendas, yet even so, trying to figure out her next moves is nigh impossible.
Well of course dream entities cant exist in reality but its stated fairly often that you can actually get a good amount of the physical stuff from penacony. THOSE things actually exist gal must have gotten one before sparkle bought them all and made arrangements in advance to have it given to us when we leave
First video I watched of you and you earned my subscribe. Love the video. :) I just finished Penacony and wanted to learn what I missed since I was actually fooled by the first ending where the General comes to our aid. Until I asked myself how could all those ships come into the dream space and how did they arrive so quickly and know exactly where to go. However, it kept going and I got fooled even with my misgivings since it really seemed like we were about to leave Penacony.
Not gonna lie, I immediately called that Sparkle wasn't really gonna do much more than a bunch of fake outs. My friends would really took me up in arms about it, because I also said that trolling isn't a personality. Hell, I even called the third death thing. As a result I really don't understand the hype behind her, even after the video.
doesn't at the end of penacony quest there will be a message from sparkle doll said that she get paid by silver wolf (in the message said 'someone she met online game') to lead firefly's script?
I'm not sure where you got the idea that chickens can't fly. They're just domesticated jungle fowl. They're not great a flying, because that's not what they were domesticated for, but they can absolutely do it.
okay i dont wanna sound stupid but my memory is rly bad.... Sampo still was on penacony, right? cuz we saw him talking to sparkle there abt his mask, as well as he appeared in the companion quest.
