#ichor of two dragons

[avnasace]

interesting detail i just noticed about the animated short:

at the start it places emphasis on yingxing wearing the bracer, however every scene with dan feng has the opposite hand (with the matching bracer) behind his back.

he only fights with his right hand.

interesting when you consider that the dan feng in the animated short isnt actually dan feng/his memories, its the Perception of dan feng that dan heng got from the preceptors and misinformation from his deeds...

[creampiece]

Immortality made his boobs grow bigger, that's the only thing Blade will thank Dan Feng for.

[hsrlorefreak]

i am. not normal for dan heng. (or dan feng, as i’ve realized)

but ichor of the two dragons. god????? honestly i had ignored a lot of the animations from hoyo before because i just wasn’t that invested.

but i could talk so much about this one animation.

dan feng

(because i say “he” a lot and uh. it is kind of hard to tell)

general story

the animation basically states that dan heng, after the xianzhou luofu trailblaze mission, he visits places of significance to dan feng.

the whole thing, i think, is meant to convey dan heng trying to accept the fact that he was dan feng once, but reaffirming that he is not him. he remembers, feels, maybe, but that was not his life.

maybe it’s trying to put his (negative, complicated) feelings towards his previous incarnation to rest. because he finally had to confront it after constantly running from it, from sins he doesn’t understand.

i think dan heng believes he has put his past behind him. that’s why he goes (other than no longer being exiled)

i find it really interesting that the sky doesn’t turn dark until he starts to walk away. that it comes from behind him, and dan heng doesn’t notice until it overwhelms his world entirely and he can’t run anymore.

then the water comes.

water, cloudhymm, a power that comes specifically the man he doesn’t clearly remember being, a person that was denied the chance to live his full life, a person of a ‘home’ dan heng never had the chance to see and they both were locked away from.

he is drowning in memories of a past he wanted to deny so badly.

dan feng’s (i’m going to have a whole second on him so his dialogue isn’t the point) entrance is from behind dan heng. a constant shadow on his present life, a dark that follows him even as he can be happy, maybe especially because of that (light creates shadows).

the fact that dan heng and dan feng (in any language i checked the credits) do not share the same voice actor despite the fact that blade and yingxing do and that people keep seeing them as the same person. i’m 90% sure that was done on purpose because voice actors are great and i’m sure anyone who voices dan heng could go regal and proper and voice dan feng as well, and yet they chose not to.

the petals that fall down are the mara petals that the soldiers have. the red petals on the statue i can maybe excuse as a drink thing? but out of any color, they chose the gold of those consumed by mara.

and when dan heng ‘sees’ (i don’t think this portrayal is accurate to how he was in life?) dan feng, his immediate reaction, despite having a weapon to his throat, is “I have to leave.” he is frozen and can’t do anything against him (dead)

this establishes the theme: he still isn’t over dan feng’s place as his past. he still doesn’t want to face it.

he doesn’t look him in the eye—he can’t, he shakes and closes his eyes and avoids it—doesn’t turn completely, doesn’t defend himself. his first instinct—as it had been for blade when he had that nightmare right before the xianzhou luofu mission—was avoidance. but like the lightcone—there was “nowhere to run”.

kudos to the voice actors, because dan heng’s voice is shaky and quiet and dan feng is calm and constant. it matches the animation— dan heng is constantly moving his eyes and being taken off guard, but dan feng barely moves at all.

i’ve seen people talk about the next scene. but really. the symbolism? there is nobody but the two of them in that world, both have shadows, and yet there is a larger one vaguely resembling another person casting over the both of them.

and the next! the difference in their fighting styles is really apparent here, i think. dan heng is still in his human form, legs wide. dan feng isn’t using the spear (cloud piercer?) anymore. he’s preparing to use cloudhymm, something dan heng cannot (won’t?) do in his current form. something he never wanted to, because that meant confronting his past as dan feng.

the fight itself is so cool but i’m not very good at that but. dan heng keeps trying to move forward, is actively getting closer, but he does not land a hit on dan feng at all. he misses, is not enough, is pushed back. he cannot change the past, and dan feng is that past.

there’s no reason for dan feng to raise himself up— dan heng wasn’t managing to hit him at all. a symbolism, i think. the luofu does not see dan heng. they see dan feng, put him on a darkened pedestal, because despite if they think he was wrong or right in whatever sin he committed, there was no denying that he was one of (if not the, if i can remember the shade’s words correctly) strongest vidyadhara high elders ever.

okay i’ll say more about it later but dan feng now says “You have nowhere to run.”

—and then dan heng can’t even push back the water at all, unlike when he could at least deflect them earlier in the fight.

and he hasn’t gotten up. he’s not trying to catch up to dan feng and defeat him anymore. he’s just staring, until the very last scene before he’s hit by the water dragon and is dragged into the water, loses his grip on his weapon.

the resulting scenes of the past, of dan feng’s memories (jing yuan, yingxing, jingliu, the preceptors (?) not caring even for dan feng, just the knowledge only he holds)

darkness. for, not that long, but quite a while.

his eyes opening, bubbles, breathe, his life coming back to him.

the astral express. basically insignificant dialogue, but to dan heng, at that moment, they are the words he needed to hear.

himeko’s “you’re one of the express crew” he, dan heng, not dan feng, belonged. dan feng never was and so he cannot taint that. march, calling out his name, doing something simple and mundane with stelle having zero reason to be there but is anyway, just to see him.

pom pom’s doesn’t have much, but the fact that he remembers it means that one time, before stelle/trailblazer came abroad the express, he was in the main train cart with the rest of the crew. that sense of belonging.

his eyes, almost lifeless, blinking, instead of to avoid his last, to clear his head and to wake him up, to continue forward, upwards, to not be dragged down by a shadow of who he cannot be, even if he wanted to (he doesn’t, mostly)

acknowledgement. at last. “You are my past.” him finally understand that it doesn’t define who he is as dan heng. that he “won’t follow [him] into [his] future!”

explosion, breaking away from it all, light, genuine, bright yellow light, for the first time since the sun was out in the beginning of the animation.

aaaa i wanna talk about the line he says, but i’ll save that because it has to do with dan feng.

standing opposite sides of the statue of both of their past life as yubie. facing away, facing downward. mirrors, at last and always, and yet.

(the rain, washing everything away.)

dan feng, a constant, and yet a small shift. a willingness to let dan heng live, now.

“and don’t look back”

for once, it isn’t fear. it is advice, closes his eyes, and disappears into gold.

and he is at peace. doesn’t deny he was reminiscing at the statue. that (some of) his memories are dan feng, without having to reaffirm that “he still is dan heng” or that “i’m not him”

final shot, the astral express.

dan heng’s present, and his future.

(god i loved this animation.)

———

dan feng + dialogue

his entrance, to dan heng, came out of nowhere. he (it) crept up behind him until he couldn’t ignore it and it was threatening him.

my take on this animation is: it is not set in the real world. maybe, probably, some shenanigans happened with the sedition of imbibitor lunae that means blade is somewhat right in his insistence that dan heng is still dan feng in some ways more than just being his reincarnation.

but even if that’s not the case, i think the fight is all in dan heng’s head/conscious, in an attempt to reconcile his past in front of an area that shouldn’t be significant to him, a statue of his way past life, while he was trying to leave for his present.

note: i don’t think dan feng’s particular ‘punishment’ had ever been used as a punishment before because of the severity of the crime he committed and so there could’ve been unforeseen consequences of that. especially since the molting rebirth was messed with by the preceptors(?) to try to keep the transmutation arcanum alive.

his words, in particular i think, are dan heng’s subconscious listing all of his fears.

“how long will you keep running?” (that’s all he’s been doing since he was banished)

“you’ll find no refuge among the stars.” this line makes it clear to me (i think) that this isn’t dan feng. why would he know of what happened after his death? why would he be bitter(?) when he seemed so calm and at peace in “myriad celestial trailer — “history of the xianzhou: exodus of the five dragons””?

baiheng is confirmed to be the foxian of the high cloud quintet. baiheng was a nameless, someone who goes from world to world, among the stars. “dan heng’s” guilt of bailu’s existence (implied to have been baiheng because of her dreams starting after getting on the astral express + dan heng’s companion mission)

he doesn’t even say “escape, peace” he specifically says refuge.

“the high elder succession is as eternal and unyielding has the ancient sea” (he does not want the title)

“you are my reincarnation. a mirror image. a past life’s sin must be repaid in this one”

this line. dan heng struggles, so much, with his identity. half the reason i think he stayed on the astral express other than genuine fondness is the fact that they had no connection to dan feng (other than being nameless, but that was not dan feng’s title. it was not something exclusive to the luofu, that belonged to people unrelated to him. it belonged to someone dan feng cared for so much that he was willing to commit crimes that it probably subconsciously leaked into dan heng.)

he could protect (while he believes(?) that all dan feng did was destroy (doesn’t have his healing powers)) while not having to face his past because they did not make him.

and the part about past life repaying sins— i don’t think that is something dan feng of the high cloud quintet, when he was alive, would say. we only have one (what i consider) accurate scene of him chained in the prison, and he is calm, unlike dan heng’s light cone “brighter than the sun”. dan feng’s punishment was unique to him— usually, any sins were washed away after being reborn, because the vidyadhara believe that the reincarnation does not equal what came before them.

i think that idea got kind of muddled, after dan feng’s punishment. especially since in dan heng’s companion mission, all they see is dan feng. maybe it’s because of what the preceptors did, that made him so similar looking to dan feng, but that’s just a theory.

anyway.

dan heng responds to that, “I’m not you!”

dan feng is mostly. stationary. he moves his arms a little, dodges, but he is like a wall, that dan heng can’t cross, can’t break, until he does.

“i will blaze a path of my own.” his will, he wants to continue trailblazing with everyone, wants to be his own self, and he’s willing to fight for it instead of running and hoping for his last to never catch up.

“it is futile.” again, these are dan heng’s fears spoken through his greatest one: dan feng.

(well, blade scares him, yes, but because he is trying to murder him, and the fact that his existence screams to him that he is dan feng, that dan heng doesn’t and won’t exist towards others, that he cannot have things of his own because he (both dan feng and blade) will take them from him)

his transformation. he uses everything at his disposal to win.

(also, switch from left to right hand— is that something he consciously did? or is that one difference of dan heng to dan feng?)

[catalinemorosetheblog]

So about the new animated short for Honkai Star rail….

(Inhale)

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

[arataki-neato]

Important canon facts

Dan Feng is several centimeters taller than Dan Heng but his horns are smaller

[artheresy]

An argument over whether or not Dan Heng is Dan Feng seems to have begun getting sparked again in certain parts of the Fandom and it does nothing but hurt my head to no end

Both sides cherrypicking or treating it like a strange situation, making false equivalents. "Yknow governments don't consider people who've lost their memories to be separate people" that's a flawed argument to use in favorite of DH = DF because it's not just he lost his memories. He literally grew up, experienced his own childhood, had a whole identity cultivated based on those experiences and that life and continues to live his own life. To treat the situation like it's just him getting a bit of amnesia is wild to me

But also I hate when people continue to insist he's running from Dan Feng and his past and how he's miserable and shouldn't ever confront the past and deal with it as if his and Blade's whole stories aren't centered around rebirth and karma, paying for your past life's karma. He needed to confront the past to ensure a freer future! He literally has!! And he will continue to do so because he realizes this, DH isn't dumb and he's grown since we first saw him. He understands

But yeah uh I'm so tired

This whole thing feels very Ship of Theseus. What makes the ship what it is, the physical aspects of its planks, its sailing history, or both?

For him, the question is what makes someone who they are? Is it the body that makes them up and any inherent genetic factors (like traits)? Is it their experiences, how they've grown up, and the identity they've developed in that time? Or is it both factors mixed together?

Personally in the case of Dan Heng, I think it's both! Yeah he has a lot of traits from Dan Feng. There's a lot inherently there. But we can't disregard his own experiences and the identity that has formed based on his history and what he's seen.

Again I can't stress this enough... It is a false equivalent to compare him to people who lose their memories or get amnesia, he didn't just lose those memories. He started life from the beginning, a whole different kind of life. And even then, the amnesia topic comes with its own debates. Isn't there a whole other thought experiment regarding someone put to trial who ends up with amnesia and what their verdict should be?

I guess in the end, it's all up to people's own philosophical beliefs after what constitutes a person. My personal belief that DH and DF will always be connect but the separation between them is also meaningful is something based on my own ideas of what consisitutes a person and their individual identity, similar situation with how I see Rukkhadevata and Nahida as connected but still not the same person exactly. At the end of the day again, it's personal beliefs

But what I can't stand and can't stand by, is someone acting all high and mighty like they're perfectly right and everyone else is wrong, especially when they're cherrypicking or not holding all their evidence to the same standard. According to some ppl, apparently it's better in the CN fandom where instead of treating it like "I'm right you're wrong" people have divided themselves into "DF and DH one person" and "DF and DH two people" groups and most importantly of all, they treat both like theories and just keep to their space and tag which they believe when it's relevant. Why can't we just do that? Why can't we follow in their footsteps instead of bringing up this argument every so often with the same tired flaws from both sides?

[hoyotunes]

Ichor of Two Dragons from Experience the Paths Vol. 1 Vinchi, Fan, HOYO-MiX

[shining-gem34]

A "Friendly" Spar

A single swing of the swordmaster's blade slices through the air leaving a trail of frost.

When her sword clashes against another, the sparks fly between them. Jingliu's rose-pink eyes meet the arrogant craftsman's steel-purple eyes looking down at her. Neither side is giving in, they hold their swords firmly and their determination to win this match is unyielding. A bead of sweat drips down Yingxing's forehead from the exertion yet he grins. 

“I’m honored to be taken seriously by the Sword Champion,” Yingxing said sincerely, but anyone outside of their circle would interpret his tone as taunting. 

“You’ve improved. Did you finally find time to practice your swordplay between crafting Curios? Or...” Jingliu praises, her gaze shifting to the presence behind her. She can imagine it now: a single leap charging toward her like a deluge. 

She overwhelms Yingxing's strength with a hard shove forward. The blade skids along the edge of his sword, gathering the momentum to push him back and make him falter. A gasp escapes the craftsman's mouth, stumbling backward but Jingliu gives him no time to recover. She raises her leg high to deliver a swift kick to his abdomen and push him back even farther away. 

Jingliu pays no heed to him, turning around to dodge the incoming spear aiming for her. Briefly, she meets the glowing teal eyes of her second opponent before she swings her sword. Bringing forth a heavy strike, he perfectly blocks her attack with his spear. 

“...Did you offer to be his helper, Yinyue Jun? I never knew you had some experience with swords.” Jingliu questions, properly facing the stoic face of the High Elder of the Vidyadhara. “Silent, are we?” 

“You know the answer to that, Jinglilu.” Yinyue Jun says instead. 

They pull their weapons back. 

A pause hangs between them, never looking away from each other as they slip back into position. Yinyue Jun raises his spear, body tensed compared to Jingliu's lax posture and her sword resting behind her. Then the High Elder leaps off his feet and thrusts his spear forward only for Jingliu to parry his attack. 

She responds with a swing of her sword, bringing forth a heavy strike at him. Yinyue Jun perfectly blocks her attack again, but his opponent doesn’t give him any rest. A single strike becomes many, forcing the High Elder to take the defense and search for an opening under Jingliu's relentless assault.

“Impressive as usual.” Jing Yuan observes, watching the “friendly” sparring match unfold. He glances at Yingxing sitting up and teases, “How are you feeling, old man?”

“Quiet, Jing Yuan.” Yingxing hisses, rubbing his aching back. He groans and winces, “She really doesn’t hold back.” 

“What did you expect, Yingxing?” Baiheng chirps, taking a seat next to Jing Yuan. She places her gourd next to her and reminds him, “Jingliu knows what you’re capable of. That’s why she didn’t go easy on you.”

“Hi, Baiheng. How was your day? Mine was great, thank you for asking.” Yingxing said sarcastically, earning a giggle from Baiheng and a chuckle from Jing Yuan. He looks at the ongoing match.

The tip of the spear rises under to meet the swing of Jingliu sword. Garnet eyes widened by a fraction when she’s pushed back, momentarily stunned by the recoil of their weapons. Then her eyes narrowed, recovering quickly as she propels herself forward. 

At the same time, Yinyue Jun twirls his spear and switches it to his dominant hand. Once more, he leaps off his feet with his spear poised and ready to settle the match. 

Jingliu, understanding this will be the final strike, tightens her grip on her sword. 

Their audience watches with bated breath as the two warriors meet again. A surge of ice and water clashes briefly, making clouds of dust rise around them. The clanging of metal can be heard for a moment until there is silence. The dust returns to the ground, and frozen droplets of water fall to the floor soon to be melted under the sun heat. 

What greeted them was the tip of Jingliu sword pressed against the High Elder's throat. Yinyue Jun's spear is inches away from stopping at her abdomen.

“Do you yield, High Elder?” Jingliu asks tauntingly, garnet eyes almost glowing an eerie red. 

Yinyue Jun contemplated his options before he sighs in annoyance and nods, “I yield, Jingliu.” 

“Match set! Lady Jingliu has won this round!” Baiheng announces cheerfully. She looks at Jing Yuan and holds her hand out expectantly, “Pay up. I won our little bet, Jing Yuan.” 

Jing Yuan's smile strains before he groans and hands her the money, “I believed Yinyue Jun would’ve won this round as he did before.” 

“Wait, you both made a bet on who won? And none of you betted on me?!” Yingxing exclaims, unsure if he should be offended or not.

“Well, about that…” Baiheng and Jing Yuan said at the same time, laughing as the craftsman's face turned red in indignation. 

Shaking her head at her companions' antics, Jingliu pulls her sword away from the High Elder. Once Yinyue Jun was freed, he twisted his spear once before putting it away. He gives a curt bow to her and says, “An excellent match, Jingliu. I believe this is your 999th win against me.” 

“Don’t be such a sore loser, Dan Feng. This is clearly my 1000th win.” Jingliu corrects him, sheathing her sword and gives a small bow in return.

“Hmph.” Yinyue Jun simply said, standing up straight and shoving his hand into his sleeves. He walks back to their companions, “Shall we join them? I believe Baiheng mentioned she would bring drinks this time around.” 

Jingliu, standing up as well, walks alongside him. A small smile on her face watching Yingxing trying to put Jing Yuan in a headlock while Baiheng cheers them on. 

“Yes, let’s.” 

Yet the simple days where she laughed and drank with her friends were no more. 

Instead, the memories have yellowed out with time and burnt along the edges. What was left of her was a cold husk of her former self living the centuries bordering between maddening light or the comforting darkness. 

Now, she burns what little embers she has left in order to deliver a strike that can take down the [Aeons] themselves.

[ukusreticence]

self comfort

related to artfight

[endermaans]

I JUST WAYCHHEF THE ANIMATED SHORT IM GONNA PASS OUT.

[homuras]

Honkai: Star Rail Animated Short ☆ Ichor of Two Dragons

[creampiece]

I can do the riding if his old man bones are too tired 😭🤭

[wentian]

A Flash x Ichor of Two Dragons | miHoYo Anime

[khaire-traveler]

Random Greek Deity Facts

- Artemis has been associated with horses in the past.

- Ares has associations with owls.

- There are ancient gravestones with reliefs on them that historians still cannot tell if the art is of Dionysus or Jesus.

- It is common for historians to struggle identifying if a statue is of Artemis or Apollo because they often look so much alike.

- Hephaestus is a god of fire.

- Maia, the Mother of Hermes, was thought to assist in raising both Dionysus and Hephaestus.

- Hypnos is said to live in a massive cave, sleeping with thousands of his sons.

- Rather than blood, Greek gods are said to have something called Ichor running through their veins; no one is quite sure what "Ichor" actually is.

- Both Apollo and Artemis are deities of light; it is not just Apollo. Along with this, it is believed Leto may also be a goddess of light.

- It is commonly believed that the hyacinth flower is not actually the flower Hyacinthus was infamously transformed into; most sources seem to agree that it was likely either an iris or a larkspur.

- At one point in the Dionysiaca, Dionysus wages a war against India. The goddess Rhea is said to have gathered troops for him, and Zeus was said to have been the one to task Dionysus with going to war in order to allow him to join the gods on Mount Olympus.

- Demeter's chariot is pulled by two giant winged serpents; she has literal dragons pulling her around, and no one is talking about it.

- The Python was a child of Gaia, and before Apollo took up the Oracle in Delphi, there was actually an Oracle with Gaia in that location.

- The twins Castor and Pollux, who made up the Gemini constellation, were commonly worshipped throughout ancient Greece under the title of the "Dioscuri" or "Dioskouroi".

- Also regarding the Dioskouroi, the name "Castor" ("Kastor") may translate to "Beaver".

- The famous epithet "Paean" of Apollo was also listed on an ancient Mycenaean tablet that listed the names of separate deities. It is, therefore, possible that Paean was once a separate god who later became associated/merged with both Apollo and his son Ascelpius.

- Besides being an epithet, a Paean was also a type of devotional chant/song that was sung in honor of Apollo. Some ancient sources claim that the event of singing a Paean could actually be quite loud, involving clouds of stomping/banging and movement.

- The masculine version of Hekate's name, "Hekatos", was an epithet for the god Apollo; both names can be translated to "worker from afar".

- The first record of the more "traditional" view of a werewolf comes from the Greek myth about King Lycaon, when Zeus transformed into a wolf for ten years as punishment for tricking the gods into consuming human flesh (yes, you read that right).

- In the myths, Zeus and Hermes have a lovely Father-Son bonding trip of destroying an entire village (except for one home) for not showing either of the disguised gods hospitality as poor travellers.

- Both Apollo and Zeus were seen as gods who purified "blood-guilt" - a condition which was caused by the killing of another person and required immense purification.

- Cerberus is described as a fully sentient being who can communicate as other immensely powerful children of Gaia could, meaning he is akin to the gods in terms of intelligence rather than being like an overgrown dog.

- Hermes is said to be the inventor of offerings, specifically animal sacrifices.

- One origin of the Pegasus was Poseidon and Medusa doing the devil's tango.

- There is a tale that claims Hermes to be the one who granted Aesop his knowledge of fables.

- According to some ancient sources, Cerberus has as many as fifty heads, a mane of snakes, the claws of a lion, and a snake tail.

- Iris was not only the goddess of rainbows but was also the personal messenger of Hera and was prominently featured in The Iliad delivering many messages on behalf of the Olympian gods.

- Eros has been depicted as the child of Aphrodite and Ares, the child of Ouranos and Aphrodite, the child of solely Aphrodite, the child of Poros and Penia, the child of Ouranos and Gaia, the child of Zephyrus and Iris, and a primordial being who simply came into being. So, where did Eros actually come from? Your guess is as good as any.

----

That's all for now! Let me know if y'all enjoyed these and would like more. 🧡

----

|| Sources ||

- Theoi.com (of course)

- The Iliad by Homer

- Theogony by Hesiod

- The Dionysiaca by Nonnus

- Information from various museum trips in Athens and Delphi, Greece (sorry, I don't remember the exact sources 💀)

[b1adie]

He dreamed of shouldering his responsibilities, performing the ritual dance gracefully, and sealing the Ambrosial Arbor. He dreamed of stepping into a battlefield where sharp blades and arrows fell like rain, and meted out punishment from the sky. He dreamed of being chained between jade pillars, pierced by long nails, sealed in darkness. He dreamed of wandering aimlessly in the darkness, chased by lurking shadows. … In all the dreams, he was a dragon, a hero, a sinner, but never a person with love, hatred, sorrow, or joy like everyone else in this world.

—⟢ ICHOR OF TWO DRAGONS ✧ IMBIBITOR LUNAE ⟣—

[rainbowdonkee]

Ichor of Two Dragons | Honkai Star Rail

"You are my reincarnation. A mirror image. A past life's sin must be repaid in this one."

"You're right. You are my past but you won't follow me into my future!"