#hsr trailblazers treasure

[invizz]

idk either

[obsession-obsession]

Thinking about aggressive soft yanderes. (Intended to be platonic but can definitely be read as romantic.) They won't threaten you or punish you (unless being used as a teddy bear counts but they'd do that anyways), and they don't take much pleasure in hurting you. But they will use force on you. It's as if they think of you as a ragdoll, but also a treasure that they must cherish whenever given the chance.

Imagine the first time you saw their true self. You had seen something you weren't supposed to, and now they were just smiling gently at you. You tried backing away, but they just stepped closer and closer. Your mind was filled with all sorts of horrible scenarios. Would they kill you? Torture you? Something worse? When they grabbed you by the shoulders, you almost screamed. But angering them seemed dangerous, so you kept as quiet as you could. They held you still like that for a while, observing you with a smile that felt out of place. When they suddenly moved, you closed your eyes, waiting for some kind of pain. But instead, you were being held tightly against their chest.

"Shhh... That's it..." They took a deep, shuddering breath that turned into a light laugh. "It's okay, sweetie... Hehe... This feels so nice..."

They placed a kiss on the top of your head. You could hear their racing heart as they kept you pinned to them. You stayed alert, waiting for their next move. They just chuckled and shook their head, though, before basically shoving you to the ground. They held a hand behind your head so you wouldn't bump it, then knelt over you with a smile.

"I told you, silly. Everything's okay. You have nothing to be afraid of. I don't want you to be nervous. Although it's really fucking cute...!" They let out an unhinged laugh as they entwined your fingers with theirs. "God, I could just admire you for hours... Sorry for being a little rough, cutie. Seeing you so confused was just a bit too much for me. I want to savor your adorable expression more~"

Overtime, you learned they have serious cuteness aggression. Except, it was mainly for you, and they found everything you did cute. You could be yawning or even just staring off into space, and they'd suddenly grab your face and squish your cheeks. You started getting accustomed to being squeezed by them at random. As long as you just let them get their hug in, they'd let you go back to whatever you were doing eventually.

I think this would change a bit depending on their personality. On one hand, they wouldn't shut up while hugging you, taking about how cute you are, how precious you are, how much they love you. On the other hand, they could do everything I mentioned before, just with zero explanation. You've probably been frightened a few times when they suddenly stop what they're doing to yank you into their arms or topple you over. Don't let their silence fool you, they love doing it even if they don't say anything.

Characters I was thinking of for this: Childe, Traveler, Kaeya, Floyd Leech, Kafka, the Trailblazer, Sparkle, Rook Hunt, Kalim al Asim, Kaedehara Kazuha, HSR Seele, Changli, Jingyuan, March 7th, Amber, Hu Tao

Silent characters: Shenhe, Blade, Leona Kingscholar, Rover, Abyss Twin, Dainsleif, Xiao

Other characters I kept thinking of for some reason?: Topaz, Aventurine, Malleus Draconia, Mayoi Ayase or Arashi Narukami (I haven't played enstars in forever)

[wise-innocence]

"No no, don't go towards any lights!"

There was no way to paint this scene that didn't look like an attempted murder.

While his slurred words weren't a great sign, at least he was still breathing. Between the force of that swing and the metal her balance was forged from – Caelus should have been sent into the void within seconds.

Yet here he stood- well, laid in nearly perfect condition.

If he were to survive this without any substantial brain damage, she had quite a few questions she needed answered about the abilities of the Preservation.

"What do you even do for concussions? Ice compress? No, that doesn't seem right..."

There's nothing that says ~devoted companionship~ than putting your lover in a near coma. That was the scale of strength that could shoot through two planets in a single shot.

Look at that. Got clocked so good that he's deluding himself in imagining that he's resting in the elysian fields.

It's actually just Yanfei's lap.

....

Y'know. That's a whole lot better then said sacred fields.

"Light... Nice..."

@wise-innocence

[cloud-player]

Kiss Kiss Kiss (ft. HSR men)

gender neutral!reader as the trailblazer (caelus OR stelle) sfw, fluff, ~500 words each blade, dan heng, gepard landau, jing yuan

BLADE

It wasn't your first time seeing Blade, the feared sword of the Stellaron Hunters. You had already met before, at the Xianzhou Luofu's Divination Commission fight. You remembered his glowing red eyes, the burning gaze that seemed to have imprinted itself on the inside your eyelids. You just can't… stop thinking of him. With the situation in Xianzhou Luofo somehow dissipating into an uneasy calmness after the fight with the Ambrosial Arbor's huge deer thing, you had resorted to going around the giant flagship and looking for treasures in the remote corners of the streets. You never expected to see Blade on one of those treasure-hunting expeditions. "Hello, little mouse. Lost?" His smile is sinister and you felt your heart drop to your stomach. You were frozen, though what really scared you wasn't Blade himself-- it was more of your morbid fascination with this supposed enemy of yours and the Astral Express. "Seems like cat got your tongue, hm?" Blade left his shadowy spot and stepped into the light, ignoring the fact that his face is literally plastered on wanted signs everywhere in the Xianzhou Alliance. He neared you, head tilted just a little bit, seemingly sizing you up with interest and zero fear. "What do we have here?" Your throat actually closed up, no words forming even as your mouth parted slightly. You should be pulling out your weapon, or even just call for someone to help… but no, you just continued to stand there as if Blade had you in a trance. "D-don't come any closer!" You hated how you sounded so weak, but you hated how your body fell into his arms almost like a limp doll as he closed the distance between your bodies. Blade's eyes were trained on your lips, and when his tongue darted out over his own upper lip, you already know you've lost whatever battle it was. "Wait--!" You managed to squeak out as Blade surged forward and your lips clashed. There was no hesitation, no other thoughts, just the feel of his lips and his hands almost bruising your skin with how tight he was holding onto you. His kiss was as passionate as the fire you remembered burning in his eyes. Captivating. Dangerous. Just as you started to reciprocate, Blade decided it was enough. He pulled away with an evil smirk to look at your haze-dulled eyes, tucking a strand of stray hair from your face to behind your ear. "We'll see each other around, won't we, Y/N?" And just like that, Blade disappeared back into the shadows. The only thing that remained and proved that he was really was there was the lingering warmth left on your lips that you surely won't be forgetting anytime soon.

DAN HENG

Dan Heng has been holing himself up in his room at the Express the entire day. He didn't show up to eat with the entire crew that morning, lunch, or snacks. He even missed Pom-pom's coveted cupcakes with strawberry frosting! Worried, you decided to check up on him. You knocked on his cabin door, though you were already expecting to not hear a reply anyway so you started banging on the metal. Dan Heng could not just ignore a ruckus right outside his door, right? Whatever. Before you could intensify the noise, you heard Pom-pom yelling for you from the next hallway and felt fear strike you at what the terrifying conductor would do to you. You've heard from March 7th that Pom-pom does not take lightly to annoyances in the Express. Suddenly, the door opens and Dan Heng yanks you in. You let out a surprised shriek, but Dan Heng quickly covered your mouth with his hand. He then put a finger to his own lips to silence you as you both heard Pom-pom's tiny paws stomp down the hallway looking for you. "Y/N!" Pom-pom sounded really miffed, and you could hear your heart pounding. Not out of fear of Pom-pom, no-- Dan Heng's body was flush against yours as he had pressed your back onto the closed door of the Archives room. He wasn't looking at you, instead peeking at the stained glass window to check if Pom-pom had any idea of where you went. "Dan Heng--" You whispered, muffled by his hand, feeling hot and embarrassed. He shushed you quickly and quietly, still watching Pom-pom's movements. "Can't breathe!" You add, and he looked away from the window to glance at you. He blinked slowly, as if realizing what he's doing, then lowered his hand away from your mouth. He might have released you, but you were still squished between the door and Dan Heng. His hot breathing burned the tip of your ear, and you can feel his own rapid heartbeats against your shoulder. Pom-pom was still audibly stomping around on the other side of the door, but all that mattered to you was Dan Heng in front of you-- and could the Aeons really blame you for what you did next? Your arms ended up looping around Dan Heng's neck, suprising him enough to pull away slightly, but your hold had already secured him in place. In a split second, your lips were on him, and the surprised noise from him almost made you stop; until his own hands settled on your waist. Dan Heng kissed back with all the gentleness he rarely displayed. "Oh." You murmured when the kiss ended, a bit dazed. "I- I was just checking up on you." Dan Heng snorted at your embarrassment, and you hit his arm. "Are you sure it wasn't just to do that?" Dan Heng raised an eyebrow. You ended up whining, hitting his arm again, but you both shared a smile. Maybe a few kisses after as well.

GEPARD

You were just helping Serval around the shop that day, having nothing else to do and lured in by the promise of Serval treating you to some sweet Osmanthus tea after finishing the job. It was more of you just sitting on a stool and listening to Serval talk while she fixes the circuits on some gadgets, but it was free snacks nevertheless. Gepard arrived not long after, hair a wild blonde mess from the wind outside. He froze at the doorway, seemingly surprised to see you there. "H- hi, Y/N." He then cleared his throat. "I didn't think you'd have some free time. I heard from Oleg that you're on an expedition--" Serval cut her brother off with a wave. "They're here to help me, Geppie." You only just smiled as Gepard nodded and occupied the stool next to you. "And you're here because..?" Serval trailed off as a loud ringing went off from the other room. With a sigh, she excused herself from the main room of the workshop, muttering about the new invention. "Is my sister being too much? You can always tell me if so, I'll be the one to tell her to stop bothering you." Gepard offered, looking for anything to distract him on the desk. His large hands fiddled with a loose coin-sized gear. "I know you're busy, Y/N." "It's alright; Serval's just lonely. She misses her little brother." You chide, elbowing him slightly. Your elbow was met with a wall of toughened muscles and you wondered if Gepard even felt it. "Anyway, what are you doing here? I thought the captain of the Silvermane Guards never takes a day off?" "I…" Gepard suddenly reddened, pursing his lips. You furrowed your eyebrows in concern, leaning closer to ask if he was okay or if he needed anything. He finished his sentence, though it was barely audible to you: "…wanted to ask Serval for advice on how to ask you for dinner or lunch…" "Why ask Serval when I'm already here?" You laughed, still fully in Gepard's space. He timidly scratched his neck, burning in embarrassment. "Well, to make things easier for you, captain… I do want to try that newly-opened restaurant in front of Goethe Hotel. I heard they make amazing Trotter steaks!" "Wait-- you're saying yes? You'll have dinner with me?" Gepard's demeanor changed immediately, brightening and his eyes shining with excitement. He almost looked like a puppy. He then caught himself, coughing fakely to regain his composure. You laughed at his efforts, unnoticing the way he stared at you, transfixed. So it was a surprise when Gepard suddenly cupped your face and kissed you. A surprised gasp bubbled out of you, but he kissed it away, easing you both slowly into a deep, passionate exchange.

As you pulled away for air, Gepard's eyes were still on you. Before any of you could say something, Serval started clapping from the doorway and wiping her tears away. Gepard groaned in embarrassment as Serval started singing about how she was so proud of her baby brother finally growing up. You tried to laugh the awkwardness off, though you only started to actually relax when Gepard found your hand under the desk and squeezed it.

JING YUAN

You've been helping out around the Xianzhou Luofu in your free time, running errands and some side quests with the Divination Commission. In fact, you've spent the last few days reading through endless scrolls detailing prophecies and battle plans. The General Jing Yuan was the last thing on your mind as you filtered through the task. "Y/N." a sudden voice jolted you out of concentration. You look up to see Jing Yuan standing with a smile in front of the table you've been hunched over. "Is this a bad time? You look absolutely taken by the manuscript." "Oh." You quickly straighten up, putting the scroll down. "Not at all, general! Can I help you with anything?" Jing Yuan hummed happily, plopping down on the plush zabuton beside you. He took a deep breath, quickly feeling at peace in your presence. "Yes, actually. I would very much like your assistance on something." Jing Yuan then turned to you. "Do you have any advice on how to spend the time in relaxation? I have so many paperworks to sift through, what with the recent troubles with the Stellaron. I was wondering if you would have any wise words for me, what with your interstellar knowledge." Admittedly, you haven't been paying attention to what Jing Yuan was saying. Your eyes were transfixed on his handsome face, with everything blurring out into static noise. His lips were looking soft and just too inviting to be ignored as well, curving into a beautiful crescent moon with all the brightness of the stars. "Y/N? Is there something on my face?" Jing Yuan's concerned voice shook you out of your stupor. He looked worried. "Are Fu Xuan and her divinators overworking you? That won't do. I'll talk to them right away--" "No, no--" You fought the urge to scream in embarrassment. "I'm… I'm sorry, General. I got distracted." "By my face?" Jing Yuan raised an eyebrow, seemingly amused by then. "Which part especially, if I may so inquire?" His tone was teasing and lighthearted, leaning closer to you. "I'd like to know what of my face makes Y/N so distracted so as to not listen to me." That counted as permission, right? You take a shuddering breath as you willed the distance between you and Jing Yuan away, smashing your lips together. He let out a pleased noise at your initiative, hands reaching out to settle on your waist and jaw as the kiss deepened. You were the first to pull away to catch your breath, and the look Jing Yuan fixed you with had you melting. He hummed, content, and pushed a stray lock of hair away from your face. "I think this is a good way to relax indeed."

please don't repost without permission!

send asks/requests too~ what should i write next?

ALSO please ignore typos/errors, this isn't proofread and i was stuck on this for a week (ᗒᗣᗕ) + tumblr text editor kept closing what did i dooooo

[hyomaluvr]

// HSR LEAKS

can we talk about what it’s like fucking dragon dan heng? scratch that, PLEASE talk to me about this i’m begging

cw: hsr spoilers / hsr leaks, breeding kink, size kink, minor tummy bulge mention, reader could be read as stelle/trailblazer, reader is afab

dan heng going from a calm, collected nerd to an unraveled, horny monster? CHEFS KISS

he’s so headstrong that it isn’t you he likes. he will not let this facade slip, always teasing you with the irritation he has towards march, but you grind his gears in a different way.

that’s why it’s so embarrassing when his cock is tenting very obviously and you’ve just brushed up against him, he’s losing it

it’s not like he’s surprised either, he’s noticed that the scent you’ve been putting off is just delectable— noticed it since he first met you, actually. he’s fighting himself even as he’s in this embarrassing situation not to hump against your ass and mark your neck

“get out of here. it isn’t safe.” even if you’ve shown you want this, he’s still worried because he knows once he gets you he won’t be able to stop <3

it’s crazy someone so quiet can still say all the right things to push your buttons and flirt with you

“you’re so much smaller than me, i’m afraid you’ll break in half.” “is that supposed to turn me off?” “i suppose reckless behavior is to be expected of you. i’ll make sure to warn natalia.” he’s so cold even though he’s holding his dick through his pants all for you <333 he’s dripping if you start whining

his words contradict his actions, his protests of how you need to think this through better don’t match up at all with how he’s going feral on your dripping cunt. your scent is so strong that he’s love drunk and he’s soooo loud eating you out.

if you touch his horns he moans

animalistic urge to breed you. needs to cream pie you or he swears he’ll die!!

his actions are very stream of consciousness. yanking your hair but sloppily kissing you like you’re the greatest treasure in the world and then abruptly sucking on your nipples— if he wants it, he’s going to get it

“does a classless thing like you know what it’s like to get your womb filled to the brim?”

he fucks you so hard, he doesn’t want you to know your name. he can’t help it! he warned you earlier that you were in trouble and he wasn’t going to stop until he bred your poor, drooling pussy til he was satisfied. something about this season made you irresistible and the perfect candidate to release his lust into since you were the main subject of it anyway.

the second he sees his bulge in your tummy, he’s cumming ropes in you!

don’t even get me started on how possessive he is. ordinarily if anyone saw you two he’d be stopped in his tracks in utter humiliation but right now? he’s biting you all over, sucking wherever he can to leave fang marks and hickies while staring angry daggers into any poor intruder’s eyes. they’d probably feel uncomfortable if it wasn’t for the complete terror they were in while being faced with a dragon who visibly wanted to tear them to shreds for interrupting his mating session.

he NEEDS your eye contact he has to watch how pitiful and sweet you look underneath him and it’s such a guilty pleasure

in his fantasies about you, you were usually on your knees looking up at him with your lips prodding at his cock, so even though he usually struggles with eye contact, it’s become a downright kink for you to be just as captured by him as he is by you

“you’re not looking at me when your eyes are rolling back like that, are you? perhaps i’ll have to train you better.”

can go for hours but if it’s not mating season he’ll tease/degrade you for being a whore <3

your womb filled to the brim with cum = happy dan heng ^w^

[fictionfixations]

thats nice aventurine

i just had like the shittest sleep a few hours ago (maybe ill actually have a nice dream when i go back to sleep in a few hours. ..in the meanwhile i was experiencing in stars and time story for the entire day before this so i didnt end up doing my hsr dailies)

Aventurine: I'm heading to the checkout now, so I'll pick up your stuff and pay together Trailblazer: I'll choose one then The "Horizon" pajamas then Aventurine: Done I'll have them deliver it to you In the long cosmic nights, may your every dream be sweet and fancy

context:

Aventurine: First, let's see if there's something that tickles your fancy Cosmic Star houses treasures from all over the universe. Every item is crafted by top-notch designers Most importantly, the items are of excellent quality and made of fine materials. They are nothing like the luxury goods that are all show and no substance For example, this "Horizon" series pajama is made with a material so light it feels like nothing, warm in winter, cool in summer, and extremely comfortable Wearing it to sleep should considerably lessen the fatigue from travel

there was an option to choose them all and i was tempted especially with the gloves cause they seemed cool but i also really like comfy pajamas. but the gloves were like limited quantity from a guy whose dead now and it didnt feel right to be greedy when someone else could be wanting it while i couldnt really do justice to appreciating its value

am i taking this too seriously when its just a game? maybe. but also i dont wanna seem like a bad person in front of aventurine 😭😭😭

edit: I KNEW I WAS FORGETTING SOMETHING i just forgot to color and italicize the second text. and i know its not that important but i like it doing it so

[aurorialwolf]

HI THIS WAS INSPIRED BY ASTER’S ( @porters-fangs ) REDACTED CHARACTERS GENSHIN MAINS LIST GO CHECK THAT OUT

now onto my post about; REDACTED CHARACTERS AND THEIR HONKAI STAR RAIL MAINS !!! (Unfortunately HSR doesn’t have as many characters yet so I had to remove some characters from the list)

David - Gepard

Angel - March 7th

Asher - Guinafen / Luka

Baaabe - Xueyi

Milo - Arlan

Sweetheart - Herta

Christian - Moze

Vincent - Sushang

Lovely - Tingyun

Sam - Gallagher

Darlin - Acheron

Porter - Aventurine

Treasure - Yunli?

William - Jing Yuan / Welt Yang

Alexis - Kafka

Quinn - Blade

Gavin - Sampo / Argenti

Freelancer - Trailblazer (either gender)

Caelum - Bailu

Lasko - Huohuo

Dear - Ruan Mei

Huxley - Himeko

Damien - Topaz

Xavier - Misha

Camelopardalis - Bronya

Morgan - Luocha

Seer - Fu Xuan

And now I've also hit the image limit SO there'll be a part two (if you see this on a character tag and the character isnt here, check part two cuz i tagged this before i hit image limit lmao)

[bambooshootssoup]

-Dan Heng assorted Headcanons-

*this HCS contains a heavy spoiler from the game, you could skip if you are not Leak-free

.

.

.

.

Vidyadhara! Dan Heng (a.k.a Imbibitor Lunae) X Reader

TW : can be suggestive? Dan Heng being a softie, and maybe excessive amounts of sugar

- first of all, it's very shocking news when you find out that your boyfriend is actually a dragon

- but you find it pretty cute tho, pointy ears, Horns and beautiful tails, its kind of refreshing and image-changing

- and he is actually happy with the fact that he's much stronger now, so he could protect you and his fellow Astral Express Family

- and in this HCS, he decided to stay with the astral express (we don't know what will happen after he regains his dragon form, so it's purely HCS)

.

.

.

-First, let's talk about his new appearance

- when it's just the two of you, he is actually willing to show his tails and let you pet them if you insist

- he's become more expressive with those tails tho, if you both are cuddling, he'll wrap his tails around your body (such as waist, legs, etc)

- and you could see his tails twitch when you praise him or say something embarrassing

- please pet his Horns! If it's you or the Trailblazer or March being touchy touchy to his horns, he doesn't mind, but not too often, it's too much for his heart to handle

- it's calming down for him, he just feels very loved if you touch the Dragon parts of his body, its very intimate interaction for him, especially when you're his significant other

- but for his personality? It doesn't change that much, he's still a calm and rational person and he still locks himself in the Archive room

- except.... He became more protective, it's like a Dragon protecting its Precious Treasure

- when you are out for a date, he never lets go of your hand, even though no one dares to flirt with you due to his intimidating appearance

- if you happen to be attacked by enemies, protective go brrr brrr

- " (Name) stay behind me, I will take care of this" And then the rest is history

- overall 10000000/10 Vidyadhara Dan Heng for our soul

.

.

.

.

.

.

I'm now writing for HSR too, I hope it's not too OOC, and thank you for reading

Have a nice day and take care of yourself^^

[boyslit]

HSR Cooking Headcanons!

found a big document of these i never finished but i think they're fun. doesn't include everyone but a vast majority of Belobog+Luofu characters

Trailblazer - not so great with a stove. Pom-Pom has PTSD flashbacks when they offer to help prepare meals and the Trailblazer is thusly shooed from the premises. they're used to foraging snacks and treasures in the trash anyway

March 7th - ADHD disaster. she can whip up desserts mostly but the kitchen looks like a tornado happened afterwards and she'll rope someone into helping

Dan Heng - this boy grew up in a prison and then spent his adult life on the run from his murderous ex, when did he have time to learn to cook? naw, if he's not on the Express it's takeout and fast food for this poor meow meow

Pom-Pom - the esteemed head chef of the Astral Express. they are the ruler of their kitchen and no recipe is beyond their grasp. you might wonder how they can reach the counters and grip utensils when they are so small and bunny-like but Pom-Pom is very good at what they do, so you don't have to worry at all!

Welt Yang - he's an ok cook, like many dads, but he's got a tendency to lean on parental shortcuts like frozen French fries or chicken nuggets (not that anyone ever complains about this)

Himeko - she's best left to her coffee brewing, let's just put it that way.

Kafka - also a disaster, but she has little interest in cooking for herself. this is also the reason the trailblazer can't cook - she wasn't able to teach them

Silver Wolf - no interest in cooking beyond TV meals or reheating leftovers. takeout, gamer supps and snackies take priority 

Blade - somewhere in his muddied floodwaters of memory there's the capability to cook, but it comes and goes and the pain in his hands make it difficult to grip utensils and other implements with the fine motor movements required to chop and whisk and flip. He used to cook for his husband occasionally despite Dan Feng having a personal chef as high elder

Gepard - he does his best… things like breakfast eggs, toast, sausage, noodles, these are easy to accomplish. anything too fancy is a step too far. he's really too busy to practice.

Serval - generally competent. she had to learn to feed herself after getting kicked out of the architects and staying on her own. she's adventurous, always trying new flavor combinations and changing recipes for fun

Lynx - a true outdoorswoman, knows how to forage and trap game and cooks a mean stew. it's unconventional fare, though, and not to everyone's sensibilities. 

Pela - a good cook. sticks to the recipes religiously, and very good at baking because of her precision

Natasha - "knows" how to cook but while she's great at the chemistry behind making medicines, food takes a backseat. grin and bear it if she asks you to try something she made, you don't want to make her sad. she tried really hard for you after all.

Hook - isn't allowed to cook without supervision but she makes an enthusiastic sous chef! helps Dad make dinner and sets a lovely table

Seele - abysmal but I can see her being interested in improving in order to cook something nice for Bronya. when asked why she's suddenly interested in learning, however, the lady doth protest too much. you don't question it further though because you don't want her to make you a knuckle sandwich.

Sampo - unfortunately my own biases cloud my judgement here because I love a man that can cook. but Sampo does seem like the sort of guy who operates on comedy law and that's something I am familiar with. option 1: he closes the door to the kitchen and refuses anyone's help. there's an unholy racket, a cloud of black smoke, some coughing, a Wilhelm scream, and then a few bars of whistling. when he emerges, it's with a pristine plate of gorgeously prepared braised meat and carmelized vegetables with delicate garnish. option 2: he puts on a bit of a show. it's like that cooking porn anime, and onlookers find they have to look away periodically or loosen a tie to keep themselves in check. finally, when he lifts the lid over the plate… the censorship committee has ordered it pixelated so it can still air in the same time slot. (both of these scenarios happen within the same week)

Bronya - she's too busy! she's always working or training or sleeping. luckily, Seele is hard at work learning to cook for her wife hard-working friend

Qingque - Maybe instant noodles, maybe the Xianzhou equivalent of box Mac and cheese. Otherwise she's patronizing the food spots in Aurum Alley and getting takeout ordered to her desk so she can be seen working through lunch (she's not actually working tho)

Fu Xuan - she makes a mean pot of tea but she's so busy she has no time to cook. She subscribes to box meals (like Hello Fresh, etc) so she can feel like she's not surviving on takeout and restaurant meals. She definitely has Girl Breakfast and Girl Lunch though (her favorite bubble tea and two cups of extra sugary tea for that afternoon pick-me-up, respectively) which is not great. Watch out for gastritis, sis.

Jing Yuan - he's got dad grilling vibes but I can't see this man seriously cooking. at best there'll be weaponized incompetence before he's shooed out of the kitchen, chuckling. since he's the general however I have to assume he has a personal chef. 

Yanqing - tried to cut vegetables with his swords once and was summarily banned from every kitchen

Jingliu - I'm not even sure she eats anymore. Doesn't she just feed off of ambient malice or something

Luka - Mr. Meat Boy knows his way around a grill and a campfire, but try to sully it with vegetables and you're getting the biggest glare he can muster. A boxer can't live on meat alone, and considering you're nihility path, do we think a vegetable may cause less despair?

Guinaifen - does this girl live somewhere? Like in an apartment or something? She seems to be always out and about, busy streaming or performing or meeting friends to do either of the previous. She probably eats like Qingque does, grabbing something from the Alley whenever her tummy grumbles, but otherwise we are on 👏 the 👏 go !

Topaz - this girl is BUSY busy, she's ordering Grubhubs and Doordashes and having her order from the caf delivered by drone bot while she works through lunch. likes big meetings in the conference rooms though, because there's usually pastries and coffee

Aventurine - much like the other hardworking folks, he ends up with a lot of Space Doordashed lunches and late-work dinners. He attempts recipes from internet videos sometimes, for fun and the love of the trend. He doesn't super know what he's doing but it always turns out marvellously.

Ratio - Few things are outside Dr. Veritas Ratio's wheelhouse, and because a healthy diet is required to maintain a healthy body and mind, he's well versed in cooking techniques and healthy eating. Occasionally will stoop to making something less healthy like french toast to spoil Aventurine with.

Ruan Mei - In my head she's got the 'tism that makes her dislike all but like 2 or 3 textures, and those textures are generally desserts she's learned to make for herself - smooth puddings and pastes, soft dough. I suppose the Lifeform Oven isn't technically cooking, however…

Mme.  Herta - [Automatic Reply] I'm busy. The cafeteria is open for this purpose. [This user cannot be replied to.]

Asta - there's a reason Arlan makes fried rice so well 🙃

[ddarker-dreams]

Lock, your thoughts on penacony in hsr? Or just the last 1.6 with dr ratio and Ruan Mei (the love of my life)

2.0 SPOILERS BELOW !!! BEWARE BE CAREFUL BE SAFE!!! ⚠⚠⚠

.

.

.

i went in thinking penacony was a far superior former IPC prison planet to live on than eris (from nexus) and left going hm. perhaps the eternal night is preferable to biblically accurate flying killer worms. LOTUS-EATER > the reverie hotel

this update might be my favorite yet. i've always loved dazzling, noire veneers with seedy undercurrents. i'm not sure if i've mentioned it on this blog (i probably have bc i never shut up) but the game la noire is one of my all-time favorites. jazzy music, glamorous starlets, corrupt organizations; those set pieces just do something for me. the environments are gorgeous. the reverie hotel has this larger than life feel to it and its layout reminds me of a panopticon, then there's the dreamscape itself. a city that never sleeps which you can only access by falling unconscious. there's so much creativity in the puzzles and charm in the little interactions littered throughout. i especially loved playing matchmaker with a bunch of bottles.

alright, onto the story itself: the start and end were strong with the middle being a hit-or-miss. i am far more forgiving with this in star rail than i am in genshin, since in the former, i'm subjected to the cruel and unusual punishment of hearing paimon's banshee shrieks. i think they did a good job crafting a compelling mystery. anything involving the unconscious is a writer's treasure trove, there's so much you can explore with it. i'm curious to see the angle they take.

as for the moments that stood out to me the most:

the initial dream sequence ft acheron with her being weird. the seemingly eternal hallways, contorting in physic-defying ways were a personal favorite. it reminds me how in dreams, there isn't always an outright threat, yet uneasiness persists. what's familiar warps into something indifferent and unknowable. very neat. then the shot of her crying blood after cutting down the trailblazer... very iconic of her.

mr aventurine. what was he about to do to the trailblazer?? why must they have stopped him?? let him cook. i was game for anything. zero fear, zero hesitation. he's an interesting player. neoliberal girlboss topaz had some workable parameters, aventurine is a total wildcard. his ambitions are murky at best. i kinda wonder if he might stick it to the IPC by purposefully flunking his assignment, it'd make for great revenge.

sparkle is unapologetically awful which makes her fun. her cosplaying as sunday's recently deceased sister was so appalling that i actually stopped for a moment when i pieced together what was going on. i've always found aha and their absurdist philosophy one of the most interesting among the aeons. it seems like there's a real emphasis on characters that embody their aeon's ideals (black swan + fuli, sparkle + aha, sunday/robin + xipe, etc). i hope they lean into it more.

SAM.................................................. his encounter betrayed my expectations in the best way possible. i have so many questions about his involvement and motivations. the music for his fight had my heartrate ascending. i play with japanese voices so i'm not sure if it's limited to the JP dub, but i was surprised by how polite he speaks?? even as he's about to immolate the trailblazer + her two accompanying girlfriends. it wasn't the cadence i envisioned for him. the stellaron hunters never fail to capture my interest, wtf are they Doing........

[iniziare]

Kafka crossed my thoughts tonight at random, and so I wanted to re-post a little something here, with some minor edits thrown in. I just think it's often overlooked how... many human elements they've tied into her. A hungering sense of curiosity, the inherent sense of longing that clings to her being like a fever, and how she's caught (very humanly so) between the belief of we are tied to fate and thus it shall be, and the insistence on choice and how the Trailblazer seems to be inherently representative of its existence. And then I think of what being 'human' entails, and one could argue that it represents the experience of life, before one's end by the hand of destiny/fate. Is that... why she's so enthralled by all these human concepts? Because she's so firmly tied to fate? Yes, I still linger in the thought that she bears strong connections to fate, there are too many hints at the Moirai to me to ignore. But it's not even that, it's her Spirit Whisper, it's that her wanted poster made by the Devils that she used to hunt on her home of Pteruges-V, had to describe the ability and what it does— which tells ms that it's not native to there. But— I'm getting sidetracked, this isn't about any kind of potential nature that is far from humanity, it's about the evidence, even if she may turn out not to be inherently human at some point in the future of HSR, that she is drawn to, portrays and in some form, lives, very human concepts. And one of the ways I tried to make that clear before, was by talking about her in relation to her violin— or more specifically: the presence of its absence, the latter being which I will always firmly believe to be the eternal overarching narrative of Kafka's character. Any way, onto the babble:

I'll forever remember looking into the notes of someone's playthrough of HSR's first scenes, which is just something I like to do because you never know what kind of little treasures you might find. And there was a violinist tucked away in there, who I'd also seen in the notes of her main trailer, commenting on the intense accuracy of the movement of her fingers. And then on top of that, how they've usually been let down by the details when other games have tried to simulate it as well, but it was more so done to iterate how intentional this must've been for Hoyo to have focused on its accuracy so much.

So in that sense, I think it's close to a given that she knows how to play it, similarly to how I believe that she is someone who also plays or has played the piano. Where I differ however, is that I don't believe that she actually owns a violin at present, nor is she seeking to obtain one by her own means. Moreover, what and where I think the 'mimicking' comes from, actually, is from her memories and the emotional attachment that she once held for these instruments in them. Kafka's character, to me, revolves around and thrives within two concepts, that of intimate longing and that of loss (the pearl earring, the broken winged butterfly pin, and Blade's character story to name some) which plays intricately into the former. Now for me, her connection to the violin and the piano (primarily the former) play wonderfully into representing both of these, and thus can be drawn into these prevalent topics across the board for her incredibly easily. In simple terms, I think that there is a sense of longing to play them. Now, I feel confident in noting that Kafka does not come across as one who, if she had access to (in this case) a violin of her own, that she would crave to play it so intensely all the time, that when drawn from it for even the briefest of time, that she would enact the part of playing one during her separation from it. No, I think she's actively choosing not to obtain one, for one reason or another. Perhaps it's a memory that plays into the loss that her character seems to stray towards, or perhaps it's a lack of something else; I don't quite yet dare say. But there's something oddly wistful about it, if you look past the surface. All in all, I think her little moments of mimicking and humming, makes for an incredibly interesting "little" tidbit to me. It reminds me of something I wrote in an older post last year:

(...) And yet, and yet, I actively think if she were to find herself in a hotel room, even on her own, and there would be a piano right there— I can see her fingers tracing over the keys so very clearly, even as if she were touching the keys to play and yet she would never press down.

I still stand by this to this day. It's the ache to do something again, and yet for one reason or another, you can't bring yourself to do it. Whether it feels wrong, or there's something missing, something or someone; it doesn't matter, it's a longing of some kind. It really is the overarching topic and/or concept that I see in her character, and the fact that she's tied to such an inherently fragile instrument, only further solidifies it in my brain. But in that, I also feel a deep sense of melancholy when I think of her and that violin. And it plays into all of this, of course, but also the fact that I genuinely see no evidence in canon at present that tells me that she has one, and we know she could obtain one if she so wanted to,but she doesn't. Which tells me, on some level, that she doesn't want one. Which then has me entertain the concept of... if one were gifted to her, would that be different? Would that offer the person who gifted it to her a glimpse that no one else could ever get? The answer is a very likely yes, but I can't see it being gifted by most by any means; it'd need to be by someone who could come to grasp the significance of one, put in the appropriate research, who would know where to go, who to speak to, where to find the significance. And that, isn't most people.

[milktian]

(long post ahead sorry gang)

i know the hip new thing is critquing honkai star rail after everyone had really liked it, but alot of them do have valid criticism.

this is mostly personal experience, but the grind is so much worse in hsr. I think this is mostly due to the fact that unlike in genshin - where certain ascension materials like treasure hoarder insignias can be found in open world and you don't need to 'pay' (use resin) to get them - hsr requires calyxs for almost everything.

this is fine if you're only committing to building one character, but you're not. you're building a team.

for example: in genshin i have at least 4 relatively fully built teams that can work well in both open world and domains (with the exception of spiral abyss cause there is DEFINTELY difficulty spike there and i won't hear any 'git gud' comments), and that's not including built characters that just haven't got a team

That's about 13 characters (cause i reuse koko, layla and mona in some teams) at the very least but i know there is more because i'm constantly testing stuff out

on the other hand: i have one built team in hsr + natasha, silver wolf and technically destruction mc (i have him on presevation rn), so that's 6/7. i haven't really built anyone else but i've been building one team.

hsr does have ALOT of QOL features that would be amazing in genshin (assignments for one), but the grind feels so much worse becuase of bad drop rates + i think i've already said but i don't think there was a need to have both relics and light cones? especially with no way to condense trailblaze powder.

it's still a fun game and i'm still going to play it, but it is wayy more exhausting even building just one character

[castaincognito]

hsr spoilers

I treasure Firefly, so I don't mind that much shipping with Trailblazer happening from the developers themselves (and the possible implications/headcanons that TB's interest in trashcans is partially due to their faint memories of SAM are kind of adorable)

However, I do have some mixed feelings too, specifically whether or not does it undermine importance MC's relationship with Kafka. I think so far, it played big role in the story, leading me to believe (and hope) it will be one of prominent themes. Firefly is welcomed, but unexpected, and I just hope it won't overshadow the former.