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Finally done with the Amphoreus quest.

It's really a classic epic/hero's journey so far. I'm so curious about Phainon's fate, knowing now that his current monicker is just an alias, and he's actually nameless. The girl talking to him at the cutscene about his fate I think is Mem. Or Cyrene (the one shown in the trailer - will have to check again).

I've read theories online that Amphoreus is a Simulated Universe - I feel like it would be more apt if it's an experimental world or a world touched by the three Aeons Black Swan mentioned, for their own entertainment reasons. Not simulated or artificial reality because Dan Heng and Caelus were able to physically reach the world using the Express coach. Would explain also why Dan Heng and Caelus can understand the locals, if they don't have synesthesia beacons - perhaps because the locals are already using the galactic language, they're just stuck in a timeloop thanks to said Aeons. 🤔 Would also make sense why the locals are forbidden to know the secrets beyond the skies. And I feel like the world Kephale is holding has a Stellaron - and that maybe the Express crew and the people need to slay him in order to you know, end the undending day cycle in Okhema (and save Amphoreus as well). I have suspicions about that world-bearing Titan (and the globe with the golden thing on it's back).😂 If Amphoreus is indeed a Simulated Universe though - that would mean the Express coach interfaced with whatever tech there is in that world and only Dan Heng and Caelus' consciousness are stuck down there. I would love an explanation for that, but I doubt we'll fully get it at the end of this world/series of quests.🤷‍♀️😂

Hoping some of the Amphoreus characters (*cough* actually I'll be happy with just Phainon *cough*) will join the crew in the Express. Phainon seems like the best candidate as he has the title of The Nameless Hero. I'm just thinking about what role Caelus/Stelle will have to play here, if Phainon is supposed to be the "Deliverer"...so Caelus/Stelle would be the witness? It's certainly looking like that. Perhaps at the end, Amphoreus will be destroyed and all that will be left would be the memories. That's kinda sad, but I also see that as a possibility. Goes well with the saying that to live forever, you only need to be remembered (or something like that). Would be bittersweet if Hoyo went that route and decided to just reveal And They All Die In The End.

I can't wait for the next patch!!! Decided not to pull even if I badly want The Herta and Robin, because I lost my 50-50. Will just save it for Mydei so I can also get his light cone.😭 Also I got the chimera and I squealed like a baby when I got pink because they match Mem and the tuskpir. My Caelus has now an army (ok, just three) of cute pink animal-like companions.😂

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Life is still kicking my ass, writing is put on hold until after only the first quarter, I hope.

Anyway.

Squeezing in this game and HSR when I have time, and although his reindroduction isn't perfect and I'm hoping they release the next story chapters soon because I still have a lot of questions left unanswered, I'm just really happy that he's back!

I have a semi-generic MC, did not really customized her much and she doesn't really look like me (I prefer to play this like I do other rpgs and otome games to be honest - like someone reading a book, detaching myself from the main character. I don't treat her like an extension of me but as just another character.)

He's pretty much a mentally unsound but functioning member of society and I love him for it.😂

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Started the Amphoreus quest last night. Mild spoilers for HSR patch 3.0.

I hope Hoyo won't replace some of the EN VAs, I'll wait as long as I have too. Hope they can give us the option to replay the main quest once the other characters are voiced, otherwise I may have to start an alt account. Really wished Dan Heng was voiced, but just really happy he seems to be really involved in this quest and making up for all the Trailblazing he missed out on some of the earlier patches. Would be awesome if Caelus was voiced too, but them not doesn't really bother me much (as someone used to playing old, silent RPGs).

I like Phainon, he's amusing and I like some of his quips. His banter with Caelus if you choose some of the wittier lines is great! Mydei too - I feel like he's the type to take everything literally, with comical results.😂 Phainon and Mydei also has really good tension with each other - I feel like they're polar opposites. So far I'm getting more of a sibling vibe between Phainon and Caelus (I think there were rumors or leaks that Phainon is like Firefly in the sense that they obviously have a thing for the Trailblazer, but I'm not getting that vibe yet), and Caelus and the other characters. Probably also because I'm just thrilled about more DanCae moments in-game and blind to other possible ships (except Phainon-Mydei).😂

Every Chrysos Heir introduced so far has been fantastic imho, I don't have any complaints about them yet. Though I feel like all of them are suspicious, what with that request Aglaea makes from the Trailblazer too. I had to stop at the part where Caelus is exploring the market with Dan Heng and just. I'm just so happy they get some bonding time.🥹

Also I'm curious about the Express coach - will they ever go back for it and salvage it? It was supposed to be DanCae's homebase too, and it will be very uncharacteristic of them if they just leave the wreckage behind, because other people may stumble upon it. Especially as the Heirs seem to not want the Trailblazers to reveal their true origins. And I don't think Pom-Pom would take kindly to just leaving a part of the Express behind in Amphoreus. Maybe the Express coach is a Chekhov's Gun, and will be used in a future plotline as evidence of Dan Heng and Caelus being from beyond the sky? 🤔 And then some epic shit will go down at that point.😂

I'm curious about where the main story is headed to. I have theories about the plot and the new world in general, as well as Kephale - we'll see if some of them pans out.

Story pacing-wise, I like Amphoreus better than Penacony. The introduction of some of the new gameplay and exploration mechanics doesn't feel forced, although I feel they could have put another section or two involving "in-plot" exploration in between going from the Abyss to Okhema. Or maybe I'm just too excited to advance the story, so I felt like everything was going a little bit too fast.😂 Really happy I finished building Sunday though, because him with Jing Yuan make short work of the new enemies. Will try to explore more with my Dan Heng IL team, but so far my Sunday-Jing Yuan team works the best.

I just had to stop playing, other wise I won't get any sleep. 🤣 My favorite part so far? The baths, and the rooftops.🥹

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Dan Heng x Caelus

Inspired by one of their text exchanges.

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He’s falling.

Dan Heng feels his breath catch before he realizes he’s running.

I won’t make it.

I won’t make it.

I won’t make it.

He doesn’t know where he finds the strength. He’s leaping, the wind carrying him further than he would have thought and reaches out.

He catches Caelus and holds on.

They land with a harsh thud. The wind dispels and the smoke clears. His hands are warm. Too warm in this frozen death of a planet.

“Dan Heng?” Gold eyes meet dark blues. He places a hand on that cheek. There’s a cut there, sluggishly bleeding and his thumb wipes it away.

“Don’t talk. Just… hang in there.” There’s a thunderous clap as he hears the titanic mechanism start to move. He wonders if Himeko could get in another shot. He doesn’t know how they’ll get out of this. They’ve dealt with stellarons before, but nothing quite like this.

“Dan Heng.” The gold’s starting to dull and there’s something cracking inside of Dan Heng.

“No. Stop it. Don’t push yourself. We’ll—” he chokes, he’s soaking in the warmth. It’s pooling beneath them and Dan Heng feels like drowning. “You’ll be fine. Just hang in there, Caelus.”

It’s a lie. Caelus knows this. Dan Heng knows this.

There’s so much red surrounding them. It’s stark against the snow. A flower blooming into a grotesque beauty. There’s no fixing this.

The world around them crashes and Dan Heng sits there with Caelus in his arms.

“Dan Heng!”

He jolts awake. The world is blurry and his mind tries to catch up with what’s happened. It takes time for his vision to focus and realizes he’s in the Astral Express’s archives. He’s in his room and he’s buried under files. It takes another second to realize he had been dreaming.

“Dan Heng, I’m coming in.”

“Wha— Wait, don’t!” Too late. With a whoosh the door opens, revealing Caelus. He’s only in his tank top and a pair of sweats that are riding low on his hips. His feet are bare. His hair is a little tousled. He had obviously been sleeping himself, but for some reason he’s here.

His eyes take in the mess and the concern in his eyes warm clear alive doubles. “Are you okay?” he asks as he makes his way towards him.

“I am. You didn’t have to check up on me. I was just sorting some records.”

Caelus hums as he takes some of them off of him and places them to the side. “I can see that,” he says. In his motion, one of the straps slides off his shoulders and Dan Heng catches sight of the discoloration.

“It doesn’t hurt,” the other tells him and it dawns on him that he had actually moved his hand to touch it. Caelus places his own hand on top of Dan Heng’s. He presses it closer and there’s the thud-thud-thud of a steadily beating heart.

Caelus' skin is warm against his fingertips.

He remembers seeing the scar the first time. The steam in the bath obscured most of it but that didn't cover how large the scar had been. Like starburst painted on Caelus' front and back.

“I’m okay,” the soft smile on Caelus’ lips draws him back into the present. Guiding him away from the dark hallways his thoughts tend to wander.

Liar, he wants to say, but swallows it down.

“Now,” he starts and pulls Dan Heng to his feet. “You should really stop staying up so late.” He tugs him to where his futon lies. It’s messy and still surrounded by books but Caelus says nothing about it. He clears a spot for himself and gets comfortable. Dan Heng just watches him. When he makes no move, Caelus shoots him a look. He pointedly pats the space next to him.

Sighing, Dan Heng starts toeing off his shoes. He takes off his coat and carefully folds it.

Caelus lets out a pleased sound and settles onto the futon. It’s a tight fit even if Pom-pom had changed it out once he’d learned Caelus sleeps in here sometimes.

He doesn't miss the irony of the situation. Not when he'd been adamant about reminding Caelus. And how everyone else had said one thing or another about how territorial he gets about the archives.

(There's a running joke about dragons and their hoards but Dan Heng pays no mind to it.)

He settles into sleep. When he's lying down, Caelus turns to his side facing him.

“Hi,” he greets him, a sleepy smile etched on the corner of his lips.

“Hi,” Dan Heng finds himself greeting back. For whatever reason, this makes Caelus giggle. He muffles it against Dan Heng’s pillow, but this close, Dan Heng hears it clearly. He wants to bottle it up. He huffs instead, and flicks the other’s forehead. “Sleep.”

Caelus scrunches his nose. “I should be the one telling you that,” his words taper off into a yawn, softening his grousing. He stares at Dan Heng, eyes slowly blinking until they finally close. “Night, Dan Heng.”

It doesn’t take long for Caelus to fall asleep.

It doesn’t take long for Dan Heng to follow.

If Caelus feels Dan Heng pull him close, he doesn’t say anything. If he feels a hand tracing the scar burnt on him, he holds it. And if Dan Heng wakes up with Caelus’ face tucked into his neck, chests flush against each other, their hearts beating in tandem, he counts their breaths and holds on to the moment.

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if i had a nickel for every time a beloved childhood friend you grew up with "died" and became a villain with a metal arm i'd have two nickels. which isn't a lot, but it's weird that it happened twice

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original poem by Robert Rozhdestvensky and my maybe-imperfect-but-still-made-with-love translation 🥺

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The flower language of the one Choso's holding is not just 'devotion' but also 'eternal love' 🥹

The PR says the theme of this new GG's illustration is 「託す 」 "Entrust" which is what he entrusts to Yuji

Choso is entrusting Yuji with his eternal love and devotion 😭

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Last day of the year where I'm from, so here are some writing resolutions for 2025.

Finish the WIPs languishing in my hard drive and phone notes app (since 2022: 1 JJK fic, since 2023: 1 DanCae AU, 2 JJK fics, tail end of 2024: 2 HSR fics).

Write one thing for every month of 2025, be it just a drabble, a chapter, or a snippet.

Just write more.

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Feathers sure are ticklish🪶

◇ SirKingston77

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It's time to let him go

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Goddamnit Hoyo.

Why would you do this to me, why would you actually make me now ship Sunday/Caelus also?😭😂 I have ideas. Ideas, plural. Both for Sunday/Caelus fics and a Dancae fic. What is their ship name, Suncae? Caesun for the reverse dynamic? I actually really like Sundae personally. 😂

The main quest for 2.7 was a little predictable to be honest, I knew what was happening the moment Sunday's companion was mentioned to be Wonweek because, come on Hoyo. It was funny though, especially the part where they called Sunday Mr. Workday.😂 I love the moment we get after we defeat Wonweek too, I thought it was nice and well-executed. The Catholic iconography is also *chef's kiss*.😂 Truly a tragicomedy, Sunday's story. I love his character development, ok. I love it. I love him. 😭❤️

I like how they handled Tingyun too to be honest, and the way they made the try not to laugh challenge connected to the plot. It was absurd, but it worked. Love that the main quests for the last two patches are exactly the crack treated seriously trope. Bana Bana is still stuck in my head.😂

On the gacha side of things, my god, but this is luckiest patch for me I think. Sunday blessed me.🥹Robin made me suffer (150+ pulls, never got her but at least she guaranteed me Acheron), Sunday was like, "Dearest, I reward thee for thy love of me" and like, went home in my 28th pull, in my 50/50. Then I got his light cone at 20 pulls, and won the 50/50 too. Why can't my luck be like this every patch?😭 Because Hoyo is gunning for my wallet, that's why.

Ah, but I wanna write again. Don't know if I need additional brainrot, but man. Sundae is just. They are living rent free in my head right now. And Dan Heng's mad. It's like that guy with his girlfriend meme (I'm going to call it Sundae ok because it's a pun and I personally like it 😂):

P.S.

Lol. Nah, still love my Dancae but man. I gotta write the Sundae ideas down.🙃

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Just gacha gaming stuff.

Hoyo really gunning for my wallet with the Amphoreus characters.😭🪦

Before the Amphoreus release, I also want to get Sunday and THE Herta. And oh, Jing Yuan's light cone (I've been using the dude General king since his release, I've actually farmed several relic sets for him, in the middle of farming another one right now fml, at this point, I should probably just get his LC).

Just let me win at least Sunday, Hoyo. 😭

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MIA

Caelus doesn't show up for a tour of the Luofu, and Dan Heng gets worried—rightfully so. Caelus just happens to get himself kidnapped somehow.

Rating: M

Pairing: M/M

Relationship: Dan Heng/Caelus

Main Tags: Light Whump, Light Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Kidnapping, Non-consensual touching/groping, Implied Sexual Content, Established Relationship

Trigger Warnings: Non-consensual touching/groping (not explicit)

Spoilers For: The Dragon Returns Home, Ebb of Past Sins

Notes: Set in between patches 2.5 and 2.6

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[2023] DH needs to chill out, he's still you bro😔

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huevember day 3 ⭐️

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kissy

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apparently I forgot to write Dan HENG at latest bubble but I'm too lazy to fix it, so deal with it. Also it was one of my firs pics in HSR fandom