#etherealguard

[astrxlfinale]

is lighter the type to comment on all the edits people made of him

Y'see.

He actually goes by a very simple metric. If it's well done, organized, shows some solid highlights even he didn't imagine in the heat of the action?

Lighter proceeds to leave 🕶️ in the comments as a official seal of approval.

Now if you were to give him pictures that do more harm than good? (And it's not something genuine like someone just excited to snap a shot), he'll proceed to list off the issues as if he's some legit editor in the business.

Case and point?

He may be a little bit vain. Just a little bit.

[yingren]

"Why does your face look like that"

❝ it's the skincare routine of someone that didn't commit a terrible sin that got them locked up for half of their life. next question. ❞

[altarfates]

bites dan feng's hand

dragon to dragon communication ??? he's going to bite him back twice as hard.

[finalism]

the door is taking its sweet time opening. perhaps this is the gods telling him that seeking out @etherealguard will be a lesson in futility. however, the events within nikador's trial remain fresh in his mind, playing on repeat as if a taunt from the fallen god themself. dan heng's composure within the trial was not lost on him despite the coreflame shaping the trial around the foreigner's own fears. as the eve of a new god draws closer, mydei thinks learning from the fearless would be prudent.

these are the thoughts that plague his mind as the lock finally rotates with a click and the doors to the trailblazers' shared room open. sure enough, dan heng is present inside while his companion seeks counsel in the grove. " i don't mean to take up much of your time, " mydei announces as he steps inside, " but i have need of your insight for an important matter. "

[lordsilenced]

@etherealguard -- ;

"No point in masking who I am, is there? I doubt I'm the most infamous person the Nameless have met."

[shrineofprophecy]

@etherealguard wants to play a game

"I've hidden 10,000 tiny, glow-in-the-dark rubber ducks in the Express. Can you find them all? Oh, and naturally, you have to find them in the dark. Once the electricity gets fixed, your time is up and you'll be in for a grand surprise!"

[spaced-out-muses]

himeko from hsr-

What other characters could you see me Roleplay as?

((Ehehe~ While I hadn't thought about picking her up till now, I have really enjoyed her character and I'm sad I didn't muse her sooner. The fact the room decoration event essentially confirmed she's someone who'd double the oven temperature to make more cookies is extremely endearing to me. We love a capable woman who's also a bit of a disaster in this house.))

[astralcrew]

@etherealguard. / starter call.

❛ i must admit , i did not expect you to return so soon. ❜

in reality , it has likely been far longer than the general truly realizes since the astral express has disembarked from the luofu. the passage of time is not so easily felt at his age , but jing yuan offers a smile all the same. as always , his expression is bittersweet , but the general quickly brushes it aside.

❛ walk with me. it would not do for the master diviner nor the high elder to see me neglecting my recovery. ❜

truthfully , the general merely wishes for some company that won't nag at him , if only for a few moments.

[charmonys]

his  lungs  burn  from  a  degree  of  exertion  he  finds  himself  wholly  unaccustomed  to;  sunday's  heartbeat  thrums  loudly  in  his  ears,  even  as  the  sounds  of  combat  fizzle  out  into  eerie  silence.  the  ring  of  gold  shimmering  behind  dan  heng's  head  sparks and  fades  into  nothingness.   ❝  ...  are  you  unharmed?  ❞

@etherealguard &&.  liked  for  a  ONE  LINER.

[yingren]

He's approaching him from behind. Ren's trained ears probably hear him. Is he gonna strike a conversation? No. He will instead strike the back of Ren's head with his palm and continue walking

nevermind it is apparently not insane and crazy at all to chase vidyadharas across the cosmos ( if they are an old friend that owes you gas money or something equivalent to that ! and this totally is. totally. ) ren is putting his space nikes on. he's GOING for it.

[lykorises]

'round him and 'round him, death walks, a looming presence that stirs the lycoris from their dreams. petals whip past his frame even as wind lacks, brushing past their off - world visitor. like an omen, the islanders would say this man is marked for hades.

" - do you not fear exposure to the stellaron on this island?" that's what his people are after, isn't it? unwanted guests, the lot of them. they throw a wrench into his plans. but when is the last time an anomaly interrupted the timeloop this island is trapped in? he's been no less a pain : he'd refused to tell their elder anything about its location. "what if it shortens that lifespan of yours?"

@etherealguard ... ho is u a dragon

[altarfates]

you kill for a living, too. how do you sleep at night? // @ dan feng

The timbre of Dan Heng’s voice shapes itself into something sharp, its tapered end an accusation leveled at the vidyadhara whose resemblance he shares. Death and sacrifice became analogous with subjugating their enemies. And he had been bearing that weight for so long, with an impregnable dignity, that he no longer recognized the passage of time in its absence. Dan Heng loathes him, it’s etched into the severity of his expression; the corrugation of skin as his brows furrow, the fervent hostility glittering in his narrowed gaze. His own features do not yield to such an earnest expression, as if the reticence ingrained into him was as much a burden as a gift. Perhaps much of what they had inherited, the latent power, the potency of loss, all of it would eventually transform into a form of torment.

The proud breadth of his shoulders do not sink as he is perforated by those familiar eyes, their resentment churning as might the ocean’s mercurial tide. Instead, he raises his head, the lofty tilt of his chin preserves his taciturn countenance, even if his eyes reveal themselves to be solemn. ❝As all others who have killed out of necessity do.❞ he has contemplated this answer before, as he believes all who are driven to kill must. There is no satisfaction to be derived from that answer, no revelation that declares his actions just.  ❝ Do you believe I have killed to satisfy something within myself ? ❞ This time his eyes narrow a fraction, their slitted pupils may not reciprocate that hostility but they bore into his successor, utterly censorious. ❝ That is naive.❞

[lunaetis]

@ahogedetective KAYYYY !! THANK YOU SM AAAAAAAH !! my birthday was a lil uneventful bc work bUT ALL THE BIRTHDAY WISHES HAD MADE IT AWESOME !! CRIES THANK YOU FOR STAYING AROUND WITH MY CHAOTIC MUSES & SHENANIGANS !! hjklhjlhjkl i need to poke your muse with mine more one of these days !! THANK YOU SM FOR THE WISH !! I HOPE YOU HAVE A WONDERFUL DAY ON YOUR END AS WELL !!

@celesticlnstcrs HJKLHKHJKL it's more than okay !! waaah thank you for taking the time to drop me a birthday message ! ( also may i say how jingnyan as your dash icon makes me smile sm IT'S SO CUTE ! ) we haven't talked or written together in a while ( i should poke you more for that hjklhkl ) bUT I HOPE YOU KNOW SEEING YOU ON MY DASH MAKES ME SO HAPPY !! LOTS OF LOVE & HUGS FROM THE PUPPER !!

@etherealguard it was yesterday actually !! but LUNAAAA !! THANK YOU SM FOR THE MESSAGE !! cries you're right about that but hERE'S TO US CHANGING THAT SOON !! I'D TOTALLY LOVE TO INTERACT & TALK MORE WITH YOU !! & THE SAME SENTIMENT TBH !! i love seeing you on my dash or whenever i see you popping up in my notif from likes here & there ! ( pls let me throw my headache — i mean my muses at dan heng even tho he probably deserves peace & quiet HJKLJHKL ) BUT THANK YOU AGAIN I HOPE YOU'RE HAVING A GREAT DAY ON YOUR END TOO !! SENDING YOU ALL MY LOVE & SNACKS !!!

[astrxlfinale]

🤨 what is happening over there with Lingsha

"%@%*@$()^ I-- ERM.." Try as he might. Words were refusing to word in this moment of time.

His throat clogged up, rationale and sense found themselves melting down. Lingsha's time with Caelus had led him into the proverbial corner. Right now was an instance where he was simply paying for the sins imparted. It lead the Trailblazer's mouth to briefly hang as he tried to desperately hobble together some brand of thoughts.

Yet as he attempts this, what snaps like lightning within his head is none other then Lingsha's... Lingshas. Settled protectively in that ornate garb as one piercing question drilled back into his head. All of a sudden, it felt as if Caelus was on a one way warpath of getting too curious about some details about the new Cauldron master.

"SHEEEEEEEE--! Was just allowing me to be more privy about some Alchemical brews! A vitality potion is what I was looking for, and in that time, she was simply giving me her ample guidance through fountain of knowledge! I was just shocked at my own lack of knowing here."

DEEEEEEP BREATH!

"Didn't I ever tell ya I liked good potions!?"

@etherealguard

[evervita]

Watching the Ambrosial Arbor bloom back to life was a nightmare that Magnolia could only watch come to pass. After the hardships she and her friends had gone through in the past to rid the Luofu of that monstrous thing, it was looking more alive than ever. It was a heartbreaking sight to even comprehend. She cursed her frailty, for if she was someone equipped to fight, she would have tried to upend those roots personally.

Thankfully, the passengers of the Astral Express was here just in time to help quell the crisis, the Arbor being sealed once more and the threat of the Denizens of Abundance going back into the shadows. Magnolia was given special permission to tend to the injuries following the battle with the Lord Ravager, despite her close connection with the Abundance. She has remained firm throughout her many, many years that she would never side with the Abundance despite the affection THEY have given her.

Perhaps the most jarring thing was the appearance of Dan Heng, who the woman instantly recognized as Dan Feng's incarnation. Magnolia knew they were different people, but it was hard to ignore the aura of a friend long gone.

"Excuse me, are you injured?" Magnolia approached the Vidyadhara, trying to ignore the complex feelings in her heart. She never wanted to be back here, by the draconic roots of the Ambrosial Arbor, but her work took precedence. "My name is Magnolia. Are you feeling any fatigue, brain fog, sudden aggressiveness?"

@etherealguard

[yingren]

❛ i don’t know what’s the truth or what’s a lie anymore. ❜ 

&. 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐚𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐝. / @etherealguard

at the very least, this is something ren can relate to. despite the vast differences between them and everything that time has worn away, he’s come to accept that sharing certain similarities with dan heng isn’t the worst thing. not when he’s making an effort, however begrudgingly, to play the part of an occasional ally and an indifferent companion. in the beginning, he mostly failed. his attempts felt hollow, a flimsy façade meant to disguise or at least dull the animosity still simmering beneath the surface. it was like a dog straining against its own leash, only to end up choking itself, while dan heng remained unaffected, seemingly untouched by the sharp edges of ren’s anger. but over time, that fury eroded into something quieter. something less volatile, less consumed by resentment. now, all that lingers is exhaustion — deep, deep, bone-deep exhaustion. and surely, it must show.

ren sits on a bench carved into a slab of rock, gazing out at the empty plaza. it’s quiet, too quiet for his liking, but he doesn’t bother trying to recall the exact details of why they’re here. his arms remain crossed over his chest as he leans back against the unforgiving stone, unconcerned by its discomfort. dan heng’s question lingers in his mind, refusing to fade as quickly as he wishes. it spins in circles, as if he’s genuinely trying to grasp a good answer. but if such an answer exists, it eludes him. and if it doesn’t, why should he bother offering one to dan heng ? if there really was a good answer, maybe he wouldn’t be here at all.

❝ and it’s my job to tell you since when ? ❞ saying he’s in a bad mood would be an understatement. the grouchy edge in his voice leaves no room for misinterpretation, no one nearby could possibly mistake his words for anything kind. they aren’t exactly meant to be harsh either, but they land somewhere in that bitter in-between. his expression twists into a grimace, brows furrowed, a small wrinkle forming on the bridge of his nose. ❝ ... i don’t know either. ❞

when he finally speaks, his words carry more weight than he intended, no bitterness lacing his tone, no trace of another poorly timed jab. it’s steady, almost neutral, devoid of the sharp edges that usually accompany their exchanges. there’s no doubt in his mind that they will never be friendly again. the companionship they once shared in past lives did not carry over to this one — a truth he had come to accept long before he ever laid eyes on the young imbibitor lunae, the very same one standing just a short distance away now. ren used to never turn his back on him, always keeping dan heng within sight, as if watching him would ensure he never left, never turned away. but these days, it hardly seems to matter. ❝ i think there exists more than one truth to every issue, making it all more convoluted than it should be. ❞ one sharp inhale later he stretches out, leaning forward to rest with his elbows propped up on his knees. ❝ you do not have to be in agreement with everyone else for your truth to be real. that’s all. ❞