#one of the biggest Henges in the world

[benjaminsblog]

Stones & Saviors

This weekend’s activities were sponsored by the letter ‘S’, and I spent it doing some seriously super stuff!

On Friday, I ticked another item off my ‘100 things to do in the UK’ list by visiting Stonehenge. I drove to Salisbury armed with a small picnic (strawberries included) and after a quick wander around the modest visitors centre, I walked a mile-and-a-bit up to the famous site, around it, and back again. Truth be told, it wasn’t as awe-inspiring as I’d hoped – it was certainly cool to see, but it’s definitely a ‘one and done’ kind of activity.

I carried on my way to Southampton to meet Sophie – an ex-Legoland buddy of mine – for a ten-year catch up! When Sophie suggested the renowned Hobbit Pub, I didn’t need any convincing; the place made headlines a while back when it was threatened with legal action unless it changed its name, though evidently some sort of truce was reached as it still stands today. Disappointingly, while the name remains, there isn’t much else of a Middle-Earthy variety – perhaps a result of said lawsuits. Nevertheless, a happy few hours were spent there (and in another nearby pub) before I finally headed back home.

On Saturday, I teamed up with my sister for a long-expected outing – Green Day were in town for their ‘Saviors’ tour! They are God’s my favourite band and although I’ve been lucky enough to see them twice before, both occasions were in 2013 so it was another decade-long reunion of sorts! Green Day were celebrating anniversaries of their own, as their two biggest albums Dookie & American Idiot hit big milestones this year (30 and 20 years old respectively). During their 2013 tour, they made a big to-do of Dookie’s impending 20th and often played the entire album front-to-back; the prospect of this happening for American Idiot had me very excited, as it was the first album I ever bought myself and something of a musical awakening for me.

I got my wish – Dookie and A.I. were played in their entirety, bookended by some of their other hits. They were as polished as ever, and despite being a self-described punk rock band, the overriding vibe of the show was one of love and togetherness; Billie Joe often took the time to thank the sellout crowd for their support, and there was a couple of cool cameos: Billie Joe’s son came onstage to play alongside them for one song, and later on he picked out a pink-haired girl from the crowd who got to sing along and nab a quick selfie before leaping off the front of the stage into the arms of her fellow fans!

I will admit that as the show went on, I struggled a bit with the sound – or rather, the balance of it; I was in no danger of failing to hear them, but it wasn’t always the clearest sound, meaning that sometimes I couldn’t pick out the various sources too well. Certainly, if I didn’t know their music catalogue inside out, I might have gotten lost at certain moments, and any time Billie Joe proclaimed something to the crowd I often couldn’t make it out. But, knowing them for the seasoned professionals they are, I chose not to let it colour my opinion of them and blame it on some poor unnamed sound engineer. Blame the ops!

I stayed over at Hannah’s for a bit more bro-sis time on Sunday; the original plan had been to go to the end-of-the-month pub quiz that she often attends, but thanks to bloody England playing at bloody 5pm, they postponed it ‘til next bloody Sunday! On the bright side, it meant bonus time with Padrig, Hannah’s current house guest. Isn’t he a stunner?!

[captivemuses]

"I did not think I'd ever come across someone as loud as March, and yet here I am...."

[sh1-n0bu]

✿ 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙤𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙧𝙛𝙪𝙡 𝙩𝙞𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙡𝙞𝙛𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙖 𝙘𝙖𝙩 𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙩 ✿

characters: jing yuan, blade, dan heng, welt yang, yanqing, sampo, gepard, luocha x nb!reader

warnings: tooth rutting fluff, advised for u to read while sitting down or in private bc u might have a heart attack from how cute and chaotic this shit is, some angst might be sprinkled in just bc✨✨

notes: that moment when you have a super bad baby fever except the fever is towards cat rather than babies. genshin impact ver can be read here! part 2 with penacony men!

art credit to Toma超想吃番茄 on yt!

oh fuck

look at that floof

that absolute big soft floofball peacefully sleeping on top of your favorite black shirt. your shirt is ruined, massive amount of white fur stuck to the fabric and you’re late for work but at least you have a happily napping away cat

a siberian cat, me thinks. with that amount of fur and that large body, he’s gotta be a siberian cat

spoiled, smug peace of shit and he knows it. revels in that title even

dubbed as ‘the handsome cat’ by your friends, co-workers and neighbors alike, meow yuan is surprisingly and not so surprisingly incredibly popular amongst the ladies. whether it be because of his fur, his adorable meows, the red ribbon you tied around his neck as a makeshift collar or his way of charming the ladies with a gentle pawing to their hand and a smug “meowww”, you will never know

the biggest out of the cats. but is it his body that’s big or is it the rapunzel like long fur that he has. the world will sadly never know and neither will you

surprisingly chatty at times. but worryingly very eepy. an adult cat should sleep about 12-16 hours a day and yet you’re pretty sure meow yuan spends 25 hours of the day sleeping away under the sunlight

closest to little nyanqing. seems to think of the youngest kitten as his own as he’s seen grooming or simply looking out for the young kitten at times. also seems to be a bit closer to nyan heng and meowade but the latter tends to spend his time alone

an absolute smug spoiled prince and he owns to it. whether it be feigning hurt, crying out for your attention or downright plopping himself down on your keyboard, deleting your entire progress of work, the little shit knows how to be a headache

but it’s okay, you always forgive him because he allows you to smush your face into the fur of his belly when you’re stressed or squish his soft toe beans. meow yuan is let off the hook yet again…

occasionally, meow yuan reminds you of a lion. it maybe weird and completely out of the blue but with the way he grooms others, his fur, the absolute motor like loud purrs he emits or the sheer massive size and weight of him — yeah, you get the point

one time, you decided to spoil him by carrying him around in your arms like how you do with the other cats. the loud crack! noise and the fact that you couldn’t get up the next day should prove just how damn big he is

meow yuan was a worry wart the whole day. constantly meowing in your ears, purring softly, nuzzling your side. it almost seemed like he was trying to apologize for being this big. to which you easily let him off the hook of course. how could anyone ever say no to that big adorable yellow eyes?

art credit to cocoink🍁 on twt

a bit of a worrying case, meowade is

he doesn’t like socializing, the other cats nor does he get along with you either. the only ones he seem to at least tolerate were meow yuan and nyan heng alongside you

likes to spend his time all alone, cooped up inside some small confined space, above the cupboard or inside his own small room in the cat tree. also enjoys spending time in your room as well but only if the other cats aren’t there

flinches or freezes up whenever you touch him which is incredibly worrying and gut-wrenching. makes you hate however was his previous owner to have caused meowade to despise touches and affections

the first time you found him, bleeding and wet on the side of the road and tried to wrap your coat around him to take him to the vet, the little scraggly cat hissed and clawed and bit at you with great amount of hate despite literally bleeding out. thankfully, he seemed to understand you were no threat as he went limp in your coat, allowing you to get him to the vet

due to whatever his past experiences were, meowade hates being close to anyone. but at least he was slowly but surely opening up to the others and you

the first time the poor scraggly cat decided to bump his head to your hand, asking for pets, you cried tears of joy and relief. at least, you can offer him healing and comfort as you and the other cats stay there for him on his journey

the second biggest cat, bested by meow yuan himself. not as big as him but damn can this cat scare others. whether it be other cats, your friends who decided to visit or some random dog that you passed by as you take meowade out for a walk

seriously, the amount of times this cat wrestled against dogs bigger than himself gives you heart attacks. it’s a real wonder and a miracle you aren’t dead yet

british shorthair, me thinks. but the ones that grow to be a bit bigger than the others

has a bad habit of just… staring off into space, unblinking with those big round eyes at times. literally no thoughts in his brain. head empty, as he just… stares off into space

“oh, having another existential crisis again? mind if i join you today, meowade?”

“…”

“… meow”

and so, this weird ritual of the two of you sitting side by side, staring off into the distance, unblinking as the cup of coffee in your hand goes cold has become something special in you two’s bonding moment. oneself that meowade looks forward to each day

sometimes, he tends to chase after nyan heng around the house for whatever the reason. it leaves poor nyan heng shaking and hissing as the small black cat comes to you for help

not the chattiest of cats nor is he the most pickiest. quite docile despite his killer stare at times and you would even daresay, shy when it comes to affection

overall, a cute cat. the cute pathetic ones that you just can’t help but adore and love

art credit to Toma超想吃番茄 on yt!

another docile cat!! perhaps even the most docile one!!!

at first, you were worried when taking him in because holy shit, where is his tail?! only after taking him to the vets did you finally managed to breathe a sigh of relief because nyan heng was a black manx breed of cat

lean, on the smaller side, an amazing hunter and a dutiful bug hunter in the house, nyan heng is a cute black manx who has a pretty green/grey eyes

an absolute sweetheart, always hoping to please you or help you out around the house as he helps to keep the other cats in line. except for meowade. he always finds himself having a hissing match with the black british shorthair or getting teased by the eepy meow yuan

closest to nyelt, as you had found the two cats together when you decided to take him in. almost seem to see nyelt as some sort of a father figure with how the little black manx constantly goes to the older one for advice or simply some help in grooming

has a cute simple, thread like thin black tie with a few charms around himself as a makeshift collar. he seems to like it despite the thread being a little bit too thin for cats’ comfort

seriously, what’s up with your cats and their desire to wear makeshift collars? makes you really consider if they are cats…

that aside, nyen heng also tends to be more active during nighttime. not the type that would take down things, destroy objects or cause ruckus and cause you jump out of the warm comfort of your bed. no, he just simply quietly trudges around the house, searching if he had truly hunted down every bugs and insects in the house

especially that spider

nyen heng hates to see you so scared over that cursed spider. so he makes it his life mission to rid the house of insects, more specifically, spiders!!

and damn is he absolutely devoted to his job because ever since you cried to your friend over the phone about the spider that you saw in your room, you never saw another spider ever again!

not the most chattiest nor is the most affectionate. he’s a mix of both but only when in privacy of you two or when he’s feeling particularly lonely

don’t get him wrong, the other cats are an amazing company but he just tends to seek out your attention and affection more y’know? there’s just something soothing about being by your side

seems to have some history with meow yuan and meowade. whether that be good with how friendly meow yuan is with nyan heng. or bad, with how meowade seems to want to take their play fighting to a whole next level

surprisingly, doesn’t like sunlight that much

most of the cats would follow the sunlight and it’s warmth and spend some time outside or on the window sill. but you can find the little black minx just chilling in one of the rooms of the cat tree of beside you, observing the other cats

nyen heng is an absolute sweetheart. the quiet type of sweetheart

the type of sweetheart that follows you around, hoping to help you out or simply offer a comforting presence. it’s the least he can do for you

art credit to Toma超想吃番茄 on yt!

another sweetheart of a cat except nyelt makes himself and his presence known unlike nyan heng

possibly a havana brown breed with just how damn calm, peaceful, loving and loyal he is. especially with you. havana browns tend to attach themselves to only one person during their span of life, which sometimes can feel like nyelt is just a biiitttt clingy with you

was there with nyan heng when you took the two cats in and often times acts like a father figure to the cats of the house which is a huge help to your mental state. except for nyanqing. nyanqing only has one father figure and that’s meow yuan

but that was completely fine since nyelt still looks after the little energetic kitten. often times looking after the cream munchkin as he carries nyanqing around by his scruff

to which, nyan heng comes to you for affection and attention. if his father figure won’t give it, then you surely will!

likes to wear the black mini scarf like collar around his neck. often times seen curled up inside the mini scarf as he sleeps the day away like most cats do

can come of as quite chatty at times with how attentive and helpful nyelt is

oh your back feels stiff? he can sit on it and make biscuits (that cute moment when cats knead their paws?). meow yuan is out of option since he’s way too big and heavy and could potentially be the sole reason you break your back. literally

oh nyanqing is missing again? what do you mean he’s missing? he’s right there, hiding inside one of the rooms of the cat tree

nyan heng is being bullied by meowade again? you know nothing of the weight behind this powe—

yeah, you get it. kinda reminds you of a grandpa with how attentive he is and how he has a single streak of grey atop his head fur. which is absolutely adorable and one place that you adore smothering with kisses

nyelt doesn’t seem to mind the affection too as he simply sits there, purring away and basking in your affection. a very pliant cat

sometimes, something seems to weigh heavily on his and nyan heng’s minds with how they curl up together or look out the window, seemingly searching for something

at first when they did that, you thought some bird or a squirrel passed by the window. but if that was the case then every cats should by by the windowsill

yet only nyelt and nyan heng are

at first it worried you because what if they were having cat depression?! are you absolutely sure that you’re being a good cat owner, [name]?!

yeah, you had a lot of self doubt and depressive episodes due to the two cats

however you finally figured out the case when one day, one of your co-workers suggested a play date with her own cats. saying that sometimes, cats need to see new faces to experience some relief from their everyday tasks or ways of living

the date was agreed upon and your co-worker decided to bring over a few of her cats

the immediate second the pretty red furred maine coon, pink-ish scottish fold and the grey striped scottish fold stepped out of the cat bag, nyelt and nyan heng seem to brighten immediately as they fucking dash towards the three cats

turns out the five of them seemed to have been close before they got separated and the two male cats found their way in your home

at least your cats were happy yet again. which made you happy in turn too

art credit to Toma超想吃番茄 on yt!

awwwwwww

everyone's reactions when you first introduce them to nyanqing. and honestly, you can't blame them because look at that cute little cream munchkin pitter pattering his way over here!!!

as stated above, a cute little cream colored munchkin

super adorable

tiny

a tiny baby

"hang on, i'm gonna have an abnormal increase in my sugar intake simply because nyanqing is just too damn adorable to not to do that" - you on a daily basis while calling your best friend and honestly? your bestie's starting to get a bit sick of your constant fawning over your cats

that is until you bestie decides to come over for a visit to drop off some meds for you (during the infamous 'trying to lift meow yuan and almost breaking your spinal cord' day), your bestie dropped down to the floor, unresponsive the moment you called over nyanqing to introduce him to your bestie

yeah... since then the two of you constantly fawn over the little munchkin while trying not to die of a cuteness overload

but it's completely fine and understandable even as you two get the nth heart attack this day simply because nyanqing was... well, nyanqing himself!

an adorable little pliant baby who loves nothing more than sleeping, playing around with meow yuan, you and sprinkles of mischief sometimes

is the closest to meow yuan and can be found with the large siberian cat whenever you can't find him. often times, you would have to move meow yuan over to check each and every nook and cranny around the large siberian cat just so you can get a glimpse of the small munchkin and let out a sigh of relief

at times, the eepy meow yuan tends to curl up with the tiny nyanqing buttttt due to how much of a heavy sleeper the larger cat is, nyanqing almost gets crushed under the much larger cat

yet he somehow is still alive and well and completely okay???? like what????????

still doesn't relieve your heart no matter how many times you find the tiny munchkin under the large siberian cat

is a little bit mischievous at times with how he lovingly bothers nyan heng. trailing after the black minx all the while meowing his ears off about something. the same can be applied to nyelt as well but nyelt tends to patiently converse with the small munchkin unlike nyan heng who wishes to avoid him at most times, preferring his lone and private time

seem to have some sort of an ongoing hidden agenda against meowade and luonya. the former black can cat be found bullying the small munchkin until either the other cats step in or you. as for the latter? no one knows. somehow, nyanqing always ends up getting into a defensive position whenever luonya comes into his field of vision

one time you even found nyanqing hisses at meowade with meow yuan behind the tiny kitten's back. you had to put the three of them into time out and give meowade a scolding

what about scolding nyanqing you say? well

“this is the last time i’ll let you off the hook, nyan-nyan. if i find you stirring up trouble again”

yeah… when are you ever going to stop letting your cats off of the hook [name]?

art credit to Toma超想吃番茄 on yt!

…

“you sure this is a cat and not a fox or a vixen undercover?”

“yes, it is indeed a cat and not a fox or a vixen undercover. i’m guessing it’s a somali cat though it could be mixed breed with another different cat breed as well”

“you sure…?”

“please get out, and allow the others to show their pets”

yeah… the local vet is familiar with you and your many different cats. not to mention the amount of times you asked if meowpo was truly a cat and not a fox undercover because damn, is this cat fucking mischievous

an absolute fucking menace and i cannot stress this enough, god

the type of cat who would keep a straight eye contact with you as his soft squishy paw slowly pushes a cup full of your coffee towards the edge of the surface all the while keeping the :3 face

oh you thought meow yuan was bad and mischievous? you immediately took back your words the second you adopted meowpo

that’s how damn bad this little cat is

you know those moments that you have like,,, a cute aggression? but instead of smothering the cat with kisses and hugs and cuddles, you end up lovingly bullying the cat? yeah. that’s your eternal cycle with meowpo

“you stupid—“ kiss “—fucking” kiss “—cat!” kiss “when the fuck—“ kiss “—and where the fuck” kiss “—did you came from” kiss “—to make me suffer, huh?”

a never ending cycle and meowpo fucking revels in the sheer amount of times he can make you have lovingly bullying cute aggression moments

seems to have some sort of a rivalry with nyepard and surprisingly meow yuan

nyepard was completely understood and truthfully, you saw it coming. nyepard is a rule follower and an enforcer through and through meanwhile meowpo is a rule breaker

so imagine your surprise when you come back home one day to see meow yuan glaring at meowpo from his windowsill

“meow yuan, what’s gotten into you? why are you bullying meowpo?”

“mrreow!” oh meow yuan sounded a bit angry. which only served to double your shock since meow yuan is a very gentle cat despite his large size. gentle, affectionate, chatty, friendly and a bit mischievous at times but never hostile or mean

“mrreeeooww!” meowpo seems to complain as he makes his way over to hide behind your leg. he seems to be shaking or even afraid of the larger cat

to which, you immediately coddled and soothed meowpo over and scolded meow yuan afterwards. all the while meowpo gives meow yuan a knowing smug look

yeaaahhh… these idiots are fighting for your attention and affection

if meowpo isn’t somewhere inside the house, creating chaos and getting scolded by the other cats then you can definitely find him by asking a help from nyepard. nyeppie would dutifully carry out his duties and rat meowpo out in record time

but he isn’t always so mean or mischievous. the times where you fall sick and is having a hard time trying to breathe through your nostrils, meowpo is the one who takes care of the other cats’ bowls of food and water

it was a way of him hoping to help you out the tiniest bit as you lay bedridden

art credit to Toma超想吃番茄 on yt!

nyepard, the most… dog-like cat you would ever meet. but also a cheetah-like as well????

it’s hard to explain since nyeppie has spotted fur and the black smokey eye that cheetahs have and not to mention his large yet lean physique as well

the second largest. whereas meowade is also the second biggest due to his length, neppie is the second biggest due to being a bit on the… buffer? side

seriously, you were worried for a few days when nyepard kept growing and growing, showing absolutely no sign of stopping his growth spurt

thankfully, he isn’t as big as meow yuan

you don’t wanna live with the embarrassment of getting dragged down the street by another big ass cat chasing after a random pretty leaf they saw. nope. you can’t deal with the embarrassment and shame

and yes, you did dragged down the street when taking meow yuan out on a walk before but that is a story and second hand embarrassment for another time

another sweetheart despite his size

very doting, gentle, very shy when it comes to affections but still asks for them anyways because it’s you

the first time you took nyepard for his vet vaccinations, the veterinarian looked at you dead in the eyes as if saying “bestie, what the fuck?”

of course you would get weird stares whenever you take the big cat out for a walk. he’s as big as a doberman dog and the dotted furs of his doesn’t exactly help to direct attention away from yourself

but the sheer amount of power you feel when walking down the street with both meow yuan and nyepard by your two sides is fucking addicting

one cat that closely resembles a lion and another that looks like a cheetah. at least you sleep peacefully at night knowing that you have two scary cats privilege

scary dog privilege? [name] only knows and experiences scary cats privilege. at times it's adorable but also threatening as well because your bestie and some close co-workers know just how devoted and loyal your cats are towards you

nyeppie is the most loyal of them all. or at least, one who is willing to show it at each minute of the day with how dutifully he chases after insects with nyan heng, scolds meowpo or just is there to be your emotional support

by being your emotional support, nyeppie meant being there sitting beside your computer as you diligently types away at a work report and not to be your cuddle victim!!!! no, no no no, no no, you're not squishing his paws as you take him away in your arms to cuddle on the bed!! you always end up falling asleep!!!! what do you mean by it's completely fine that you have saved up the progress and the deadline isn't close yet?! the deadline is before midnight!!!

sigh...

if only cats could sigh heavily and smack his face with his palm as he watches you scamper about, trying to wake yourself up as you realize that you did ended up napping the day away with nyeppie in your arms

well, at least you managed to send the report in at time. by 'at time' you and him both meant at least 2 minutes before the deadline closed up

nyepard guesses you can cuddle with him this time since you managed to finish the report within a record time of 47 minutes

art credit to mm_mako22 on danbooru!

luonya is probably the most weirdest cat you ever had the pleasure of adopting. and that was saying something because you're pretty sure you live with a long lost lion and a cheetah and a fox cats!!!!

and he's just a simple, silly, lovely cream colored turkish angora!!!!!

ah, whatever. you guess its just life's way of dealing you karma by making you live with a bit quirky 8 cats

jokes and a lot of conspiracy theories pushed aside for now, time to focus on the present AKA 'the pretty cat'

oh yes, while meow yuan was getting dubbed as 'the handsome cat' by almost everyone who meets him, luonya was rightfully dubbed as 'the pretty cat'

at this point, you're damn sure that your friends and co-workers come around only to coo over your cats and to spoil them rather than spending time with you... understandable, because you too would do the same without a single ounce of shame and you absolutely mean every damn word

one time, just for shits and giggles and a bunch of pictures to take of your latest cat, you signed him up for a cat beauty pageant

it was only for shits and giggles and a reason to snap pictures of luonya in a pretty cat costumes and stuff, you swear!! so imagine your surprise and how far down your jaw went slack when the host announced your cat, luonya as the cat beauty pageant winner!!!

yeah...

it was a chaotic thing to happen truly and the small glares and backhanded compliments the other cat parents were giving you was making you break out in cold sweat. at least, you have your pretty cat with you to soothe yourself a bit

and a nice whopping 300K dollars as the victor money!!!! damn, you're rich as shit now

not for too long since that money is gonna fly away in the wind due to the fact that you adopted a literal 7 cats and a kitten

worth it, you cry internally as you pay for the 50 kilograms of cat food all the while luonya gently meows at you as in a way of saying "hurry up, dear. we still have to pick up the wet food and the snacks too"

hhhh yeah

this cream colored turkish angora of yours is absolutely drop dead gorgeous yet at the same time he also has a very large secretive look on his face. there's just something about the way that luonya just acts, always sitting atop a high place in the house, as he just stares into the souls of everyone within the room

weirdly smells like either flowers or of medicine and pills and there's absolutely no in between. it's either giving lilies or pills but either way, your cat is a girlboss and he seems to know it as well

not entirely affectionate like meow yuan or meowpo but he is also not too talkative either. a bit of something in between along the lines

is affectionate and talkative at times but prefer it if you would be asleep or when its just you two when he finally decides to curl up on your lap

overall, luonya is a very gentle yet also a very suspicious cat but is oki, he girlboss and he knows what he wants and needs with how he sometimes fakes choking noises to make you get up in light speed

[yanderehsr]

Hope you have a wonderful day and remember to take breaks every now and then! 😴

Unto the request, can I please request yandere high cloud quintet (Jingliu, Jing Yuan,Blade and Imbibitor Lunae) finding out that Baiheng had a descendant before she perished, that descended being the reader who bears a striking resemblance to her. I can just see the 4 of them being obsessed and overprotective of the reader.

-I just recently watched the cutscene for Jingliu’s companion quest and its so top tier

3 hours is plenty of sleep, sometimes I even get 4🥴

And I knoooow, that cutscene was truly top tier😆

Hope you'll enjoy😁

Trigger Warning: Yandere, Obsessive behaviour, Possessive behaviour, Kidnapping

Jingliu: Baiheng was her biggest regret, and now that she sees you who not only is her descendant but also look just like her, how could she help herself but to feel protective against you, and not only that but to possess you as well.

Jingliu's Mara-Struck mind makes her even more possessive over you, she can't help but fall into instincts around you even with her high resistance against the mara. She knows it's wrong, horrible of her even, but she has to admit, you look so pretty when you cry for her.

"Don't move, don't make me repeat myself... Baiheng would be disgusted with what I'm doing to you, but I can't find myself to care right now, you're mine and you will need to accept this"

Jing Yuan: He knows about you, he always had known about you as well, you are his secret, something he wouldn't even share with the rest of High-Cloud Quintet, you look so much like Baiheng that it's ridiculous. He has known you for so long that he doesn't even see Baiheng when he looks at you, he instead thinks Baiheng looks like you instead.

Jing Yuan hides you away from the world, what happened to Baiheng will not happen to you as well, you are locked away at his home, he treats you like you're above him, probably due to his guilt about Baiheng, he will guard you, you are safe with him and nothing will ever befall you, least of all death.

"It's almost uncanny how much you look like her... *sigh* Anyways, what do you want for dinner today, I'm cooking"

Blade: He doesn't see you as a descendant, no he thinks you are Baiheng, nothing can convince him otherwise. He never adresses you by your name, he always calls you Baiheng cus that's who you are, he thinks you have just lost your memories but that's okay, he will always be around to remind you of who you are.

Blade calls you that so many times that you may believe him yourself, I mean how can you know about what you have forgotten, and reincarnation is a thing that happens so maybe you really are Baiheng. Blade doesn't care what you think you are, all that is important is that Baiheng is back and you are all his.

"I am so sorry Baiheng for the past... but you are here now... yo-you make me feel whole and alive again, never leave my side ever again, okay"

Imbibitor Lunae: When Dan Heng is like this he starts to remember his past life a bit more clearly but there is one thing he can remember a bit clearer then others, he can remember Baiheng's face, and in turn he recognizes your face as soon as he sees you. Imbibitor Lunae knows that this isn't Baiheng but he still went to talk with you, you looked just like her, he couldn't help himself.

Imbibitor Lunae finds you to be a joy to talk to, not only that but he finds you beautiful as well, a look he has only caught in his dreams now stood before him, he can't help but fall, and he falls deep and hard... he wonders if he can convince you to join the express, otherwise he might need to use... unpleasant ways to get you onboard.

"You look heavenly, like a deity... isn't the view from the express lovely, I hope you'll get used to it, you will be seeing it a lot in the future"

[luvscnarios]

Muse ༊*·˚

Pairing :: Welt Yang x gn!reader. Word Count :: 2k. Warnings :: smut, best way I can describe it as an explicit description of porn. Notes :: Every time I try to write smut, it sounds so goofy 😭. But besides that, this is for @mini-ism since she's the biggest Welt fan I know :D. And pls look past an spelling/grammar mistakes since this was written in one go.

“Here, Mr Yang. I got your phone.” You handed Welt’s phone to him and offered him a little smile. An easy and shy smile like always, one that concealed your frayed nerves. He took it from your hand, fingers brushing against yours, and gave his thanks that you can’t even pay mind to. You can barely hear yourself asking to be excused from his company over the loud buzz in your head, a little too quick as you turned back and scrambled off to your room. 

You’ve always been too curious for your own good. Joining the Nameless to explore, becoming a part of the Astral Express crew to learn about the different worlds out there. Your timid personality did nothing to curb that insatiable desire to know everything, no matter what. So when Welt asked you to fish his phone out of his room, of course, you took the liberty to explore every inch of his cabin like your life depended on it. 

Maybe yes, it was wrong of you to snoop off and look through his belongings. But you and Welt were close! The rate at which you made yourself attached to him after joining the Express was embarrassing but there was nothing you loved more than trying to figure a person out. Not to mention, you had the tiniest crush on him because who doesn’t love mysterious old men? And the best part is that Welt didn’t seem to resent your insistent company, probably because you were too reserved to be too obnoxious. You made for a great listener, even if he mainly talked about the Express or his love for animation. Silently seated side by side as he drew, eating snacks together, and even talking strolls. In the blink of an eye, you two were happily joined at the hip, the closest of good friends. 

He wasn’t like Himeko or March, who wore their hearts on their sleeves. Neither were they like the Trailblazer or Dan Heng, who literally couldn’t remember much of their past. Just from his elusive answers to your questions made you decide that you wanted to untangle this enigma Welt had created for himself. But when you did search his room while trying to find his phone, disappointment didn’t even begin to describe how you felt. 

His room was so plain. Like unseasoned chicken, but worse. A bed, some shelves with boring-looking books, a single closet with clothes, and a desk with the most basic lamp known to mankind. At least his phone was on that desk but that wasn’t what interested you. No, it was a little black sketchbook that you’d never seen before. There wasn’t a single scuff mark or title on it, a mystery among its bland environment. You guessed that the sketchbook would be filled with mechs or maybe even drawings of the Express members. Something very Welt-like. But just taking a peek at the first page had you slamming the notebook shut, eyes wide and face beginning to flush. Unless your mind was playing games with you, what you saw was a drawing of yourself. Not you and other Express members. Not even you and Welt. Just you, lying down on a bed with your shirt hitched up to show some of your skin. 

Frankly, your first reaction should have been repulsion. Not once did it cross your mind that Welt could see you as anything but platonic and this sketchbook should have disturbed you. But of course, all you could feel was a sense of curiosity and giddy excitement. Maybe the drawings were simply harmless doodles and not to mention, that would make you Welt’s muse. That was a bit flattering. There was no way you planned to go through that sketchbook in his own room, plus you had his phone to return. So like the genius you were, you took the notebook and tossed it in your room to go through later, not even thinking about the fact that the only person Welt could blame if it went missing is yourself. You casually walked back into the parlor car where you and Welt were chatting, handed him his phone, and here you now. Speeding walking to your cabin like your pants were on fire. Shy, curious, and a little dense. You really needed to pick a struggle. 

Once in the supposed safety of your room, you snatched the little black book off the floor and sat in the middle of your bed. As childish as you felt, you pulled the covers over your head for some privacy and started to smile as you held the sketchbook. It felt nerve-racking and rousing to have such a personal possession in your hand, all for your exploration. So what if you were a little noisy, your fatal flaw could be a lot worse. Taking a deep breath to quiet your nerves, you slowly opened Welt’s sketchbook to see what was inside. 

It started innocently enough. After the first sketch, you saw doodles of you doing random oddities like eating, yawning, drawing, and even dancing. They were cute, shocking you since you wouldn’t peg yourself as a cutesy person. There are also a handful of detailed portraits of your front and side profile. It was honestly stunning how he captured your essence with a mere pencil and paper. How you always smiled with a coy expression. How your brows never seemed to relax or even how you’d cover your mouth when you laughed. Every little detail that some of you didn’t even realize about yourself he drew, making your cheeks warm. If you liked Welt a little bit before, you definitely were into him now. Because the fact he had a whole sketchbook dedicated to you was- in simple words- really attractive.

But as you kept turning the pages, so did the vibe of the drawings. The first of the suggestive drawings was you wearing Welt’s clothes and glasses. The shirt was too big and unbuttoned, exposing most of your collarbone and chest. His glasses were askew on your face and you seemed to be giggling with your flushed face and uncharacteristically wide grin. At least he had the decency to make such fanservice of you tasteful since you didn’t look dumb. But you were quick to eat your own words because with each page turn the sketches only got more perverted.  

Many had you bent over pieces of furniture, like couches or even his bed. And you knew it was his bed in particular because of how dastardly bare it looked. In every drawing, you looked back with half-lidded eyes and parted lips, as if beckoning for some more action. Seeing yourself in such a raunchy position made you blush like a virgin, a shiver running down your spine. There were also some very detailed pages filled with upskirt doodles of your underwear and you in pervy outfits in general. Lacey lingerie, ruffled skirts with no tops, and even naked with nothing but frilly stockings on. Never have you ever worn something of bright color, but now you looked like a pinup doll in these pages. Welt Yang, with all his mystifying demeanor and intimidating knowledge, was just an old awkward guy who was nerdy for animation and had a kink for people in over-the-top cutesy outfits. Before you felt flattered to be his muse before all of this but now you felt flustered, morally conflicted, and a little aroused. It felt wrong to not hate his objectifying art but also to like it as well. But since curiosity can kill a cat, you kept inspecting the sketchbook to see how you’d feel with the end of it. 

There was no other way to describe it. The last few pages were nothing short of porn. Straight up. At least he spared you since most were quickly scrawled drawings, but that didn’t change the fact that Welt had drawn porn of you. And damn him, it was good too. One was you gagging around his gloved fingers, gazing up at him with eyes clouded over with lust as drool ebbed down the corners of your lips. Another was you on your hands and knees while completely bare, the end of Welt’s cane tilting your face up to him. It was clear there was a recurring theme among these final sketches: you’d always look up at him with a docile look of submission, always seeming to seek out his guidance and control. So he had an authority kink or something? Totally didn’t make you all hot and flustered under your covers and totally didn’t make you squirm against the mattress of your bed. 

On the last page in the very back, there was one detailed drawing that you marveled at for a good minute because it was surprisingly tender compared to what you’ve seen before. This time, the setting was your better-adored bed, the sheets pulled over the lower halves of your bodies as Welt had you in missionary. While the most explicit parts weren’t actually drawn, your faces said enough. Your arms curled around his neck, your mouth wide open in a moan, and tears of ecstasy falling down your cheeks. There were hickeys and bite marks all over your own neck and collarbone, but despite all that you still looked… good. If anything, you thought you appeared a bit beautiful with your face keened in pleasure. Your eyes stared into Welt’s as one of his hands cupped your face, the other firmly holding your head in place by the hair. To put it lightly, this was the most tame drawing out of all the pornographic ones. But as you focused on it even more, you found it painfully romantic. 

While you did have a crush on Welt, you were perfectly content keeping your feelings locked away. It would be less than ideal if someone like yourself dated someone like him. Oh, but how these drawings wretched your heart. Was there any romantic sentiment behind these sketches? Or was it all just the lustful fantasies of an old touched-starved man? Was it even right to stay close to Welt if he viewed you like this? And most importantly, how in the universe were you going to sneak this little black sketchbook back into his room? 

None of those questions ever got answered because the sudden sound of your cabin door sliding open and the familiar tap of a can against the floor made you freeze, pure terror flooding your chest. At least you were under the covers but you didn’t need to see who entered your room, you already knew. Maybe this was your punishment for being so sneaky under the guise of a mousy person. 

“Listen,” Welt’s voice rang out with a sigh. “I’ve called your name a hundred times thinking something’s wrong with you. Just to find you under your blanket? What are you up to?” And before you could cry out an excuse and hide the notebook, he pulled the blanket away from you in one swift movement. Since when was he so agile!? This was bad. And utterly humiliating. You looked like a total pervert as you sat there with his notebook in hand, face flushed and your head turned sideways to avoid his critical gaze. But there was no point in avoiding him since you had no defense against the sorry sight of your state. 

You closed your eyes and expected him to start berating you, shouting at your disrespect, and snatching the notebook. But all you heard were his awkward stammers as he tried to explain himself and when you opened your eyes, he was as flushed and red as you were. While you have seen Welt’s awkward side, this look on his face was entirely something else. While he did look flustered from this predicament, the ever-so-subtle hope in his eyes was clear to you. Although you were the one who started the friendship, Welt was always the more extroverted one between you both. Would it be so wrong to step out of your comfort zone and make a move? 

“Hey,” you held up the notebook to Welt, keeping your voice as level as possible and praying that you didn’t look like the blushing mess you are. You’ve always been too curious for your own good. And yet, you dared to think that you could sway this moment in your favor.

“Mr Yang, can we try recreating these drawings? They look so…tempting to try out.”

[yurinaa-world]

Platonic Dan heng, jing Yuan, welt yang with a teen reader that's like lyney :3

Characters: Dan Heng, Jing Yuan, and welt yang platonic! x Gender-neutral Reader

Synopsis: with reader that's like Lyney

Warnings: Fluff, spelling mistakes,

𝒟𝒶𝓃 𝐻𝑒𝓃𝑔

Honestly, he’s blank about how he feels, but if you're happy, he’s chill; he’s read a lot of books about magic tricks, and they are just deceptions to his mind, but March and you insist on making an entire show about it. literally making a talent show with curtains and everything and taking everyone the express has to sit down and let curtains unveiled to see the new magic tricks that you've been working on for a couple of months (no wonder you’ve been stuck in your room for a while).

Only one to drag away because it’s getting dark. He knows you like to entertain kids and all, but since you’re a kid yourself (a technically teen), you should worry about your own bedtime (which is 10:30 PM, buddy).

“(Name)… What are you doing hanging the roof of my room..it’s 3 am?” “Pick a card~” “Get out.” Why are you so weird? he asks himself. If you want him to see your magic tricks, just ask like a normal person (no one is normal on the express).

He does your make-up for you since you don’t have a stable hand to do your magician look (have you seen his red eye makeup? He knows what he’s doing) and also tells you to stop moving around so much just because he might poke your eye out with the eyeliner.

𝒥𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝒴𝓊𝒶𝓃

Ha… Aren’t you such a trickster, playing the audience with suspense and making their hearts drop in a moment with your tricks? “Magic,” you say, but it’s just tricks; nothing can fool him, so go ahead and trick Yanqing; he’ll tease him about falling for it.

“The great magician is here to wow your world!” You smirk, appearing at the restaurant stage (where the band would be on), making this whole scene while he’s meeting people; he can’t get mad at you or anything since the restaurant owner asked you to be there!! “Keep your eyes on me since I’m the greatest magician, and no one else.” Well, you got to work on that personality, but good performance.

He gives you a little gift on your birthday that's magic-related, especially a new outfit for you to wear. He can’t have you looking shabby on the stage you've been waiting for so long (he’ll also get you on stage to perform).

Are you a dirty lair playing innocent, like he doesn’t see you cheating while playing chess together? You could fool anyone with those glitter magic tricks or birds coming out of your hat, but did you forget who you were against? Maybe you should’ve thought about it more thoroughly, hmm, don’t you think? A child is nothing against an adult in strength or brain.

𝒲𝑒𝓁𝓉 𝓎𝒶𝓃𝑔

Your biggest support, he always claps the hardest whenever one of your little magic shows is over, and! I’ll give you advice on what to change, like real advice to make your audience feel better suspense. No matter what you're doing, keeping the audience on the edge of their seats is something every magician should do.

“Mr. Yang! How do you do it? Would you like to see it??” You smile, dragging him away to your room (with magic trick tools all over the room), hyping up your show until it fails and you mess up, which makes you sulk. “How could it not work?!” He comforts you, telling you you could get to work next!

if you liked this, consider tipping me on ko-fi! it'd mean a lot!

[akutasoda]

Noticed ur requested are open so I gonna the idea I had so got inspired by Genshin archon quest and I was in love furina charcter and sm wondering if u can like crossover type request if ok with u

So I was wondering if I may request a Dan heng / IL X fem Reader

Where reader is basically similar to furina maybe Reader

was tasked by hydro archon focalor maintaining the guise of an Archon; as a new "human", she had difficulty taking the role but eventually mastered it. Additionally, a curse was placed upon her, rendering her unable to die so long as Focalors lived, but also preventing her from pursuing her own happiness. Reader is Aware of the prophecy that would doom Fontaine so reader has to play the e role of Hydro Archon for 500 years . maybe the astral express landed like in new universe tevat Fontaine and trying to figure out the new world maybe Dan heng Mets Reader noticed her and like feels connect to her due to him having experience past burdens and he can tell something up with can see right through reader act. Wants to get to know her maybe reader and how to help her and

Maybe reader like has momment alone to herself crying carrying this burden not be able to show it until Dan heng shows up but reader is stubborn to show or to tell her burdens maybe she goes to trial for being fraud and the express and Dan Genf have to help reader if this makes sense

(This idea I had in mine but I hoping romantic fluff comfort fic but also lore wise I hope this makes sense again if this too difficult of request I can change it I just like hope this is ok

Aslo furina supremacy love her

a preferred outcome for a doomed prophecy

synopsis - maybe the prophecy wouldn't turn out all that bad

includes - dan heng ft express crew + neuvillette

warnings - fem!reader (no pronouns mentioned howeve), reader is based on furina, fluff, angst with some comfort, maybe ooc?, wc - 1.5k

a/n: ahhh im so sorry this took so long!

the express had experienced all sorts of worlds within the galaxy, some not even taking form of planets but rather ships and such. each and every one housing a variety of colourful characters and deep history that spurred the current state it resided in. but they all had one thing in common, they all had a page in the expresses data bank.

the memories however, travelled with the trailblazer that experienced them. and after trailblazing for so long nothing seemed out of the ordinary when the express had an unexpected malfunction and needed to dock at the nearest planet - it wouldn't be the first time. however one would only need to take a step outside to realise that something indeed was different.

you were aimlessly wandering around the vast halls behind the court, looking for something to satiate your boredom. recently the lack of trials had bored you half to death and more annoyingly gave you less things to think about so, more often your mind would drift the the prophecy.

but you wanted to shake these horrid thoughts and push them to the back of your mind. and your wish was soon granted when you heard the voice of fontaine's ludex call your name from behind you. your initial reaction was to turn around with the biggest grin and address the man in front of you but he looked more somber, more serious than usual.

he kept his words short and brief and urged you to follow him to help with a situation that he claimed 'shouldn't get out of hand' or 'into public news'. and while you did follow immediately, your mind resurfaced the ideas of the prophecy and assumed the worst - maybe today was the day?

and as much as you tried to force yourself to not assume the worst, you couldn't stop the rapid pit of dread forming in your stomach.

you were your nations archon. and so it seemed only appropriate that you were the first person to greet the newcomers from beyond your world. all your boredom soon dissipated as you became rather eager and intrigued about your nations new visitors - but all questions would have to wait until you got the express members into your proper office.

and you had managed to get them there with minimum stares and whispering from your nations residents. you felt as though this issue was definitely better tackled within the confines of your private office. and based on what the lady named himeko had briefly told you, it seems you made the right call.

you had been introduced to all the members, seeing they would be staying here for quite a bit it'd only be polite - you may have additionally asked alot of questions as it wasn't everyday you met people that travelled through space. you also told them a tad about yourself and offered some background information about your lovely nation.

you welcomed them to look around and told them to not hesitate to ask for any help. in turn, himeko told you about the expresses data bank and gestured toward dan heng who you had been told compiles most of it. you expressed how you would be honoured you nation would be included.

over the next few days the express came to learn that they would not be leaving for a few weeks, but out of all the express members the one you had encountered the most was dan heng. he had gotten himself quite well acquainted with neuvillette and so you saw him often - mostly on his quest to fill out the data bank. and from your very first interaction it seemwd as though you both were doomed to get along.

over the first week, you and dan heng often conversed to the point ehere it seemed as though you had known him your entire life. neither of you could explain it but there was something there, something that made it easy for the two of you to converse - much to the expresses shock.

dan heng was quite surprised himself but he had grown accustomed to your presence in an alarmingingly short period of time, but there must've been a reason for this right?

he had a very strong, natural sense of perception - so much so that he could tell something was bothering you. no amount of happy go lucky attitude could fool him into thinking something didn't plague your mind constantly and because he had barely known you, he didn't say anything. it wasn't his place, he would tell himself.

but he could hardly ignore it when he walked in to your sobbing form. it had only been two weeks and the express was near ready to depart, so dan heng wanted to collect some final information. he had wanted to know more about the residents and who better to ask than you. he found neuvillette and asked where you were, he was told your office. when he arrived at your office he knocked, knocked again and knocked again. but each time was met with silence, normally he would've turned around and assumed he went the wrong way but he had heard sniffling on the other side of the door, so he opened it.

your head immediately whipped around upon hearing your office door creak open and you were left shocked at the sight of dan heng. you immediately swiped your eyes of any lingering tears and asked him in a meek voice that he should 'come back at a better time' and how he should 'seek out the ludex for anything at the moment'. dan heng wanted to protest, sure he wasn't the best at comforting people but it was clear that you needed some support. but he left.

and that wasn't the last time. only a few days later did he re-emerge in your office just to catch you crying as you stared aimlessly at the mirror that, for a brief moment, he swore had another reflection in eerily similar to you. now more than ever did he want to help. he had briefly heard you mumbling about some prophecy and he could immediately gather that this was some sort of burden you carried.

now, he knew a thing or two about carrying burdens, he knew how tormenting and stressful they could be - he did have frequent nightmares afterall. and even though he had know you for a mere few weeks, he wanted to help. afterall, wasn't it the trailblazers mission to help those across the galaxy?

unfortunately himeko and welt helped remind him of a painful reminder. once the express was up and running, they would leave and the likelihood of him ever seeing you would be close to none. and no matter how much he would talk about atleast trying to help now, if you didn't let anyone know what was your burden, no-one could help.

it was the last day in your nation, for the express and for you. the express were set to part and dan heng wanted to bid you farewell but only neuvillette showed to bid them farewell. neuvillette expressed how you had told him to relay your goodbye message. but even so, neuvillette also knew some of the prophecy and he encouraged them to go despite their joint insistence on thanking you - if they didn't leave soon, they too would be washed away in fontaine waters.

but the express crew knew something was up by now. and very reluctantly neuvillette told them of the prophecy after their insistence that they travelled worlds to help people and so if they could do anything they would. neuvillette expressed how nothing could be done. but dan heng wasn't so deterred.

however, it seemed as though the celestia herself had taken a form of pity. the prophecy didn't come true. and despite your trial going ahead and you being found guilty, you weren't to be executed. neuvillette still gained full control of hydro and sovereignty and forgave the sins of the residents of your nation but in turn he found a way to forgive yours aswell.

due to dan heng's insistence of helping you, it spurred the rest of the express to want to try just as much. and so neuvillette was offered with the idea of you joining the express. this way you could be free from the curse and still live out the rest of your days, and neuvillette allowed it. it was still your final decision however but you gladly accepted.

you still felt sorrow of having to leave some people behind, namely neuvillette, but he encouraged you to go - he would've of been in much pain to see you die. and your connection with dan heng seemed to pull through once more. as the instant you saw him you ran to give him the biggest hug anyone could offer in thanks for everything he did and he gladly reciprocated the action.

[artheresy]

Dan Heng, Dan Feng, and Unreliable Narrators

WARNING: Some Leaks Discussion, don’t read if you don’t want to know any leaks

A bit of a rant regarding Dan Feng and Dan Heng and where I think their story might go if Hoyoverse doesn’t contradict in their lore hopefully ?

No because let me tell you how this recent animation is all setting up to an eventual reveal of how Dan Heng is an immensely unreliable narrator and the story then at that point will want the players (at least those who havent yet read every little bit of lore) to come to question the Vidyadhara Preceptors and the Ten Lords Commission because THINK, THINK WITH ME GUYS

First off, the whole image we see of Dan Feng is absolutely not the real Dan Feng, but people who aren’t looking into lore leaks and story leaks and looking in every single crevice won’t have that point clear to them. Think of the description of the literal animation:

“Never a person with love, hatred, sorrow, or joy like everyone else in this world.”

The view Dan Heng has of Dan Feng has only ever been shaped by the consequences of the sin he committed that condemned Dan Heng as well despite being a different incarnation of him. That sin was the reason for his imprisonment for much of his childhood until he was eventually banished once again due to that sin. Even once he had left the Luofu, the reason behind being pursued and hunted down by Blade IS their shared sin. All that he knows of Dan Feng is a curated by the Higher Powers of the Xianzhou Luofu, he does not truly understand the man who came before him. (Something he has admitted to by the way, but let’s also look beyond just his own admittance.)

Fundamentally, the biggest evidence of such comes from how Dan Feng appears in his mind in the Animated Short that was just released. In it, Dan Feng haunts him, and specifically when he speaks, he talks of the High Elder succession. He speaks of it as something that cannot be broken, something that he cannot run from. That death is the only redemption for those who defy it.

But the thing is, this doesn’t sound like Dan Feng AT ALL. (Specific warning for Jingliu voiceline and character story leaks)

If you have kept up with leaks, you’ll see that Dan Feng would never EVER say such things as he did in the animated short to his next incarnation. And why you may ask? Because it is evident from the VLs and CSs that… Dan Feng himself seems to have longed to escape his role as High Elder. There is not any firm confirmation of either what the sin he and Yingxing committed nor what his motivations exactly were. However, there is a strong case to be made that the sin committed could be related his attempt to create a new high elder with the possible motive of wishing to escape his role of High Elder and the loss of identity he had to experience due to that role.

But of course… Dan Heng doesn’t know this, he is unaware of whatever gripe or distain Dan Feng may have had for the role he carried out, the one he couldn’t escape. He only knows the words of the Preceptors and anyone else he was allowed to have contact with while imprisoned after his rebirth. And y’know… when you listen to what Dan Feng says in the animated short, it sounds more like something the Preceptors would say instead. Those words read more as Dan Heng’s projection of them instead placed upon Dan Feng who he has always been taught to view as a traitor, a sinner, rather than a person.

And hmm, who could stand to benefit the most from Dan Heng viewing Dan Feng as a villain…

HMM I DUNNO, PERHAPS THE PEOPLE WHO LIED TO DAN FENG AND PURPOSEFULLY SET HIM UP!!! The same people that Dan Heng has confirmed were his primary source of information regarding who Dan Feng was just as I said before.

Additionally, I’m tryin to find screenshots of it, but there are memories that come from certain Vidyadhara eggs when you interact with them that further suggest that the Preceptors sabotaged Dan Feng likely for the goal of wishing to maintain control over him/fear of the fact that he was becoming to powerful, that he was wavering from his role. So of course again, who else could benefit quite as much as them from Dan Heng hating Dan Feng? It is a way they still exercise control over his next incarnation. They control the narrative of his past self, they control what he knows about him to paint a specific picture that they want him to see. And once he is old enough, they further take care of him and exorcise a last bit of control by banishing him from ever returning. Sending him out into the universe having shaped his views and behaviors and of course what not to be like through their propaganda.

I just want to emphasize here how deeply important Dan Heng’s view of Dan Feng is for shaping his character as well as through the insight into him from that angle, we gain information on the Judges and the Preceptors.

With all of this known, I want to talk about where I think their story could be heading! Of course, please note this is strongly speculation and I don’t think my interpretation and prediction of what could happen is the objective truth or only way to view things. I could be very wrong honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised lol! But I think, at some point, we will in fact get an event where Dan Heng will realize the truth of who Dan Feng was. What he wanted, what he truly did, and why he did it. With the continued emphasis on what he was taught and how his perception is based upon what he learned in his imprisonment, I think it would simply make sense to have a turning point where he learns the truth.

A turning point that shines suspicion upon the Preceptors and Ten Lords Commission. However, I don’t think such a thing will happen for a LONG while given a few different reasons that I will outline here! So I don’t think this realization will be anytime soon due to the following:

1) We like literally just helped the Luofu. Its the beginning of the Xianzhou story as a whole given us being in the beginning of HSR, there are other ships to look into as well. Highly doubt they would cast suspicion upon the higher powers of the Luofu through Dan Heng’s lens so soon. It wouldn’t make much sense when there’s a lot left to work with

2) We know for Kafka that we will definitely come back or be back in contact with the Xianzhou Luofu given the whole reason she had us come to the ship in the first place being that she needs them in debt to the Astral Express for a future plan. Of course, they might not coincide, but in the cast that they do, I think it gives more justification to push back such an occurrence since the order would likely be Kafka’s thing first and then the realization? Of course again, I could be wildly wrong, time will tell in the end

3) and lastly, I think that Dan Heng having a realization of the truth of Dan Feng, his motivation and most of all his sin, especially if that would include finally having a true reveal and confirmation of what his sin exactly was, could very well relate to the relic lore line, “Pairs of objects are destined for an eventual reunion. The long years of grudges and hatred between them should be savored, like ice-cold aged liquor, one slow sip after another until the bottle of resentment is finally empty.” involving Blade. I mean think about it, Dan Heng finally having the full picture could very well lean into the event that the line is foreshadowing. And paired with the finality of that line, plus Dan Heng and Blade’s importance each individually as a Nameless and Stellaron Hunter respectively… yeah no way in hell would they get a conclusion so soon.

So yeah, I’m convinced Hoyoverse will absolutely stretch out and drag out the story, keep up waiting keep us on the edge of our seats, but I think eventually Dan Heng will be given the chance to realize the truth and not only will his view of Dan Feng change, but the view of those who had taught him and punished him as well. Or at least, I severely hope he will get the chance. To end his character so soon would be a true shame.

And for anyone struggling to understand my rant because I tend to go on tangents and become incoherent (I get it and I’m sorry!), here’s a tl:dr! From officially posted sources as well as some leaks, it can already be seen that Dan Heng is a unreliable narrator regarding Dan Feng. His perception of him in the animation directly contradicts the desire Dan Feng is shown to have to escape his role. I think at some point in the story, he will be given the chance to find out the truth given the continued emphasis of his lack of understanding regarding who Dan Feng truly is as well as the fact that he learned who Dan Feng was from the very people that punished him. Given the fact that different sources directly hint to the fact that Dan Feng was set up by the Preceptors to fail for the sake of maintaining control, Dan Heng’s realization about Dan Feng would likely be utilized to cast suspicion upon the Ten Lords Commission and the Preceptors.

Even that was still long but, I tried to condense as much as I could. Please forgive me if I make any spelling mistakes in this post or if the whole post itself seems completely weird or smth. Im writing this at 3 am after hours of brainrot. I am unwell to be true, anyways! Night night!

[verxsyon]

·:*¨༺ ❝ 𝐈'𝐋𝐋 𝐂𝐀𝐑𝐑𝐘 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐔𝐍 𝐈𝐍 𝐌𝐘 𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐓 ❞

it’s summer: the season of thrills and bittersweetness.

✧ 𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠. bronya, dan heng, gepard, jing yuan, sampo, seele, & serval x gn!reader

✧ 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐭. headcanon (written) ; 0.6k

✧ 𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞. modern au, summer romance au ; angst, fluff, hurt/comfort

✧ 𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬. one night stand (sampo), unrequited love (gepard)

✧ 𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐚. omg vera comeback! i’m finally free from classes and i’m off from work for three weeks so yay proper summer break! oh yeah, i finally got bronya! my seele’s no longer gf-less. so this is supposed to be bittersweet with ambiguous endings throughout but uh, my mind went elsewhere with most of them lmao. hopefully this makes sense; my writing’s pretty rusty. special thanks to pigeon from the teahouse server who came up with the title!

𝐛𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐲𝐚. a sheltered heiress who is secretly a thrill seeker. at night, she sneaks into an underground club where she hangs out with the only person who doesn’t treat her any differently despite her status. on very last visit, she reveals she’ll be married soon and her mother discovered her escapades, forbidding her from such activities. that doesn’t stop you from crashing the wedding and presenting a (fake) ring to object to the marriage, having you as her spouse instead.

𝐝𝐚𝐧 𝐡𝐞𝐧𝐠. a tenant under your grandparents as well as an assistant of their small business. his aloof personality is intimidating at first, not saying much as he accompanies you around your grandparents’ residence, but there’s more to him in his eyes. his nightmares catch up with him the moment he falls for you, and now he has to repress it to keep you safe. the more he pushes away, the more he wants to yell for help, and you hate to come home with a guilty conscience.

𝐠𝐞𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐝. an estranged friend who has been serving the military, and is spending his off-duty at home. you haven’t seen him in years, so it is expected to start off awkwardly, but the two of you are glad to see each other again. besides reconnecting with friends and family, he wishes to resolve his biggest regret, being unable to confess his love for you. but maybe it should stay that way when he meets your fiancé, and all he can say is congratulations.

𝐣𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐮𝐚𝐧. a playful businessman who visits the bar just for his new favorite bartender. your coworker is gone for the entire summer, so you become the target of his flirting. at this point you’ve known the guy for a while, except he has a son who you’ve met at the bar, both terrible in acting and flirting. soon his infamous father arrives, not surprised that his son is there and is happy that he finally met you, his “partner”. perhaps you’ll await an explanation on your date.

𝐬𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐨. a notorious thief who stole your precious belongings along with your dignity one fateful night. within this season, you’re set to finish your bucket list, however, thanks to a certain someone, there aren’t enough funds. speaking of which, he sees the nearest person and pulls you into an alleyway to hide from the police. recognizing each other, he offers to help you with your bucket list as a deal. not only did he steal your things, he stole your heart as well.

𝐬𝐞𝐞𝐥𝐞. a free spirit with a rebellious streak. she’s invited to the road trip, viewing it as an opportunity to assess her strength and explore more of the world. the beginning starts off rocky, her clashing with you about meticulous things and the others are trying their best to diffuse the situation. if the arguments teach you one thing, the girl is honest. the one thing she isn’t is when it has to do with her crush on you, hoping the arguments will come in handy.

𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐚𝐥. a fairly popular musician whose name you’ve never heard of until your friend drags you to attend her concert. forced to listen to her setlist before the big day, you slowly become a fan and are able to memorize some of the lyrics. while outside one day, you’re so in the moment that a stylish woman excitedly says she recognizes the music. the brief friendship results in her contact info and gratitude for your support. then you realize, you know who she is now.

✧ 𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐬. if your url is in bold, it means i can’t tag you!

@kamiyatos​​

[teaberrii]

Chapter 12: What Haunts Us

You and Dan Heng are a match made in heaven until fate takes him away from you too soon. Years later, you think you moved on with a mutual friend who shared your grief and stuck with you during tough times until you meet a mysterious man with a striking resemblance to your past lover and a hidden motive. You’re determined to get rid of him, but how are you going to get rid of a god?

Dan Feng/You

Notes:

Cross-posted on Ao3

Genshin Impact and Honkai: Star Rail crossover

Female reader

Chapter index at the end of chapter one

Support my writing

After taking him up on his offer to get a bite to eat, Dan Feng suggests a nearby restaurant that recently opened. So, here you are, walking next to Dan Feng with your hands in your coat pocket.

“It’s a little late for dinner,” you say, breaking the silence. Then, jokingly, “Did no one want to cook?”

“Bailu did, but I wanted to take you out.”

You almost stop at the unexpected boldness. You open your mouth but can’t find the words, so you make a joke instead. “Is this some sort of mind game where you treat your victim to a meal before you kill them?” Dan Feng glances at you without turning his head, and you awkwardly face forward and quietly say, “Well, you did say you want to kill me.”

“And here I thought we were on the same page. You’re my friend unless proven otherwise.”

You clear your throat. “So… Bailu cooked, but you still wanted to go out and eat?”

Dan Feng was staring at his phone, the conversation between you and him was open on the screen. Finally, he sighed, turned around, and Bailiu and Zhongli stood upright.

“You might want to give him some space,” Neuvilette said, quietly sipping his tea from the sofa.

Bailu pointed to Dan Feng’s phone. “You didn’t ask her!”

“Are you nervous?” Zhongli asked.

Dan Feng scoffed. “I’ll ask her once you two stop breathing down my neck.”

Bailu and Zhongli looked at each other, and it was Bailu who said, “Yeah, he’s nervous.”

“Why don’t we invite her over for dinner?” Neuvilette asked. He looked at Bailu. “I thought you out of all people would want her to taste your cooking that’s”—he raised his hands to make air quotations—”'out of this world'.”

“We can always invite her over,” Bailu said. “But, Brother Moon needs to make his move!”

Dan Feng rubbed the space between his brows. “You have way too much time on your hands.”

Zhongli chuckled. “You like her, though, don’t you?”

Dan Feng looked off to the side, and Bailu and Zhongli smiled at each other. “She’s human,” Dan Feng finally said. “A human with a strange connection to the woman from my past.”

“You know what your biggest flaw has always been?” Bailu sighed. “You never live in the moment. You’re always thinking about”—she changed her voice so it sounded like she was mimicking him—”what’s going to happen next? What about the future?” She looked at him like an older sister chiding a younger brother. “Yeah, she’s a human. But, you like being with her, don’t you? Just enjoy the time you have with her.”

“As much as I’d like to agree with that sentiment”—Neuvilette looked at Dan Feng—”it might be you who gets hurt in the end.”

“Don’t forget about her,” Zhongli added. “Who knows? She might take a liking to you too, if not already.”

“And... Do you really want to keep her at a distance?” Bailu asked. “Besides, if she does like you or whatnot, it should be her choice whether she wants to stay away or not, right? She knows what you are now! I’d say just focus on what you want. For anything to happen, it’s a two-way street.”

The silence eventually grew too much for Bailu to bear.

“What? Why’s everyone all quiet?”

Neuvilette took another sip of his tea. “Would you like to grace us with more wisdom, Master Bailu?”

She threw a pillow in his direction, which he swiftly dodged without putting down his cup.

“She wants us to spend time together,” Dan Feng finally answers. He’s expecting you to be surprised. Maybe blush a little.

But instead, you say, “Yeah… I hope it’ll get us closer to figuring out why I’m having these dreams.” When you see him slightly frown, you raise a brow. “What? Aren’t you curious too?”

“Let’s… not talk about that right now.”

“Then, what do you want to talk about?”

“You.”

The unexpected response stuns you into silence, and you almost stop. It doesn’t help that he’s still looking at you, too.

“M-Me?” you ask with a small chuckle. “Well, you know plenty. I should be asking about you.”

“You can ask anytime. But tonight…” He smiles at you, and your face unexpectedly warms. “It’s about you.”

Upon reaching the small, cozy restaurant, Dan Feng opens the door for you. Once you and Dan Feng are seated at a table near the back of the restaurant, you open the menu. After ordering, Dan Feng looks at you and asks:

“You said your father was a language professor… What about your mother?”

“She was an academic researcher,” you say. Then, with a little smile, “They went through undergrad and grad school at the same university but didn’t meet until they started working there.”

“Funny how life works sometimes.”

“Yes,” you say, looking down, and Dan Feng instantly senses something is wrong. “That’s... where they also died. It was an accident… in one of the labs my mother was working at.” You quickly look up. “Ah, sorry. I didn’t mean to bring down the mood.”

“No.” His gaze softens. “I’m sorry for your loss.”

“But… that was how Dan Heng and I got closer.”

It had been nearly two weeks since you were back at school. Anyone who’d seen you would say you looked like a zombie: dark circles under your eyes, and your hair was frizzy and messy like it hadn't been combed or washed in days.

You were folding your parents’ clothes in their room when your grandmother softly knocked on the door. You turned and saw her faint smile.

“Your friend’s here to see you.”

“Friend?” you asked, turning back. “I wasn’t expecting anyone.”

“He said you hadn't been answering your phone. He sounded like he was worried.”

“He…?”

“Dan Heng?" Your grandmother gestured for you to come out, but you didn’t. "Do you know him? He said he’s a friend of yours.”

“Ah… Yeah." Then, quietly, "We're not that close."

“But he still came all this way.” Your grandmother walked in and sat next to you. “You haven’t been out of the house for a while. Why don’t you go and get some fresh air? It’ll be good for you.” You sighed and stood, knowing there wasn’t a point in arguing with your grandmother. You walked out of the door and heard your grandmother say, “He should be right outside.”

And she was right.

“Hi,” he said, as soon as you opened the door.

You still weren’t smiling.

“I… got your address from Stelle,” Dan Heng quietly admitted. “I hope you don’t mind.”

You stepped out and closed the door. “I’m fine,” you said. But, your tone screamed that you weren’t. “You didn’t have to come all this way.”

Dan Heng reached into his bag and pulled out a folder. “You missed quite a few classes, so I photocopied my notes for you.”

You took it and slightly smiled upon seeing the cover decorated with stickers and doodles of what you liked. Then, when you opened it, you were pleasantly surprised to see the organized, color-coded notes.

“W-Wow,” you finally said, flipping through the pages. You also noticed a little cartoon at the bottom corner that seemed to move as you continued going through the notes. You chuckled. “What’s this?”

“It’s… something I thought you’d like,” he said, awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck. “I understand school is probably the last thing on your mind.” You looked at him, but he was looking off to the side. “And… I know nothing I can say can make things better. But…” His eyes meet yours. “If there’s anything I can do, please ask.”

Your sad smile doesn’t go unnoticed.

“It sounded like he made you feel better," Dan Feng says. "And it sounds like he came prepared.”

A waiter comes with your food and sets them on the table.

“Prepared?” you ask, after the waiter leaves.

“The notes. The little cartoon. I applaud him for his efforts.”

You look up at him with a smile without lifting your head.

You and Dan Feng eat in silence before you stop. You wipe your mouth with a napkin and scoot slightly closer to the table.

“Hey…” Dan Feng looks up from his food, and you ask, “What was it like back then? There was magic, right? What… What happened to all of it since, well, there’s obviously none now.”

“And here I thought you would be curious about Dan Heng in the past.”

“I am,” you admit. “But, considering what you told me… I don’t think it’d be appropriate for me to ask.”

“Based on what you told me about him”—Dan Feng quietly scoffs—”he sounds like the brother I used to know. But, the one I knew was a military general."

You almost spit out your water. “Military general? And, um, what about you?”

“I was in academia.”

“Ah… So you didn’t lie to me back then.”

“I didn’t lie about everything."

You point your fork at him. “Did you know you can get in trouble for posing as a police officer in this world, Mister?”

“Oh, so does that mean you’re going to tattle on me?”

You chuckle. “If you tell me what I want to know… I won’t.”

Dan Feng smiles. “Guess I don’t have much of a choice.”

You take a bite of your food. “I’ve been curious… If magic existed back then, why isn’t there any mention of it now? We have so much information about our history, but nothing mentions magic or is even taught in schools.”

“It’s because of The Great Purge.”

You blink once. “I’m sorry. The Great… What?”

“The Great Purge,” Dan Feng repeats. “It was when we used magic… to get rid of itself.”

“But… Why? And we…?” You put down your fork. “Did you cause it?”

“I was against it,” Dan Feng says, “but for the wrong reasons.” He put down his chopsticks. “I wanted to bring my family back to life.” The look on your face tells Dan Feng what’s on your mind. “The woman I’m looking for… She didn't just kill Dan Heng. She also killed my parents." A small pause. "She destroyed my home.”

The attack came out of nowhere.

Dan Feng was in his bed, eyes wide, and his muscles taut as he stopped the blade from slitting his throat. An armed man, someone whom he’d never seen before, was on top of him, desperate to make the final, lethal blow to his throat. But Dan Feng was stronger. He pulled the covers and took his chance when the man stumbled to the ground. With one swift kick to the head, Dan Feng knocked him unconscious and took his blade. He was about to kill him when he heard a blood-curdling scream outside.

He rushed out and saw a maid stabbed in the throat. His blood ran cold as she lifelessly fell to the ground, and his gaze hardened when the armed soldier charged at him. Dan Feng swiftly dodged his attacks and impaled him with the blade. As he ran to his parents' room, he heard screams, metal clashing against metal, and smelled the strong stench of blood.

His body trembled, and his heart raced as he ran past the dead maids he talked with just yesterday night. What in the world was going on? Why was this happening? Where did this attack come from? His mind was a blur. But as he neared his destination, he pushed his questions aside. The important thing was—

His heart instantly dropped to the pit of his stomach when he saw, what looked like, bloody handprints on the door of his parents’ chamber. He immediately slid the door open, and despite being prepared for the worst, his world still came crashing down when he saw the bed full of blood.

Dan Feng ran over. His father was already dead, his throat so badly cut that it almost looked like he was decapitated. His mother lay next to him, hanging onto her life by a thread.

“M-Mother…!” Dan Feng tightly gripped his mother’s hand, his own hand trembling, eyes wide in disbelief at the gruesome scene.

Blood continued dripping from the bed to the floor. Upon noticing the gaping wound on her stomach, he sprang into action, but his mother’s hand stopped him.

“It’s… It’s too late.”

“What are you talking about?” he asked desperately. He chose to ignore the blood from her throat. “I can fix this! I—”

“Find your brother,” her mother said weakly. Then, she slowly lifted her other hand, revealing a familiar necklace of pure gold and white jade. His heart shattered into a million pieces. “It was her… She…” A cough and Dan Feng held his mother’s hand tighter. “Your brother’s in danger. Please… Dan Feng… Find him. Save him.”

“It still bothers me to this day how the attack happened," Dan Feng says, looking at his food. "It was just… It was so sudden.”

“I’m so sorry,” you say quietly. “But… how did you know it was because of that woman?”

Dan Feng closes his eyes for a brief moment. “The necklace my mother was holding belonged to her. I gave it to her as a gift. And… She admitted it herself when she died.”

Red clouds. Orange sun. Dark blue skies. It was as if the massacre on the ground had painted its way to the heavens. The strong stench of blood was everywhere one went, and even in demolished buildings, one could still see and hear flames licking away at the debris. The screams had stopped, and what was left was a silence devoid of life.

Dan Feng walked toward a dead man and a woman in a forest on the outskirts of the palace. The man, his brother, lay face up and was impaled with a weapon known as the Cloud-Piercer. It was his brother’s favourite. The woman was holding him in her arms and sobbing into his chest. She was once  the woman both of them loved. But now…

“I’m sorry, Dan Heng.” Her voice was barely above a whisper. She coughed, and her blood landed on Dan Heng’s hand. As soon as she saw Dan Feng, she quietly said his name. 

"Get away from him."

"I—"

"I said get away from him."

She slowly stood.

"Tell me you didn't do this," Dan Feng said, his voice low.

“I… This wasn’t supposed to happen. I tried to stop it." She began to sweat and her face quickly grew pale. "I… He was… He was supposed to…” A cough and blood landed on the forest floor while dripping from her lips. “I’m sorry. I—”

He grabbed her and pulled her closer. "Why?" His knuckles turned white. "Why would you do this?!"

“I wanted to protect you… and Dan Heng." Her voice was getting increasingly weak, and her lips turned a faint blue. “I’m sorry… This wouldn’t have happened if…”

“If what?!"

More blood fell onto her clothes. Before she could answer, her body suddenly went limp, and she would've collapsed if Dan Feng didn't catch her.

"You can't die," he said, his voice breaking. "You—"

She opened her mouth, but her voice was gone. Dan Feng said her name. Once. Twice. But, the life had left her eyes, and once her hand fell to her side, he looked down and screamed.

You can’t find the right words no matter how hard you try. You can’t even begin to imagine how frustrating that must’ve been. Dan Feng gives you a kind look and nods at your food.

“Your food’s getting cold.”

"That... That doesn't make any sense," you say quietly.

“Yeah, you're telling me,” Dan Feng mutters.

You’re about to finish the rest of your food when a thought suddenly hits you. “Hey…” Dan Feng looks up. “The man she supposedly mentioned… Do you think he’s the one who gave Lan that note?”

“I never would've thought the two were related, but since you said Lan's looking for a woman… It’s possible.”

You sigh as you go back to your food. “And the plot thickens…”

“If it’s true, this person would’ve been using Lan and Nanook. But, my question is why he would be looking for her.”

“Maybe… the same reason as you initially. To kill her?”

“But… Why? Assuming this man was manipulating her, it sounded like he achieved his goal."

You rub the space between your eyes. “I guess we don’t have enough information to go on. Maybe it's best to stop playing Sherlock.”

You’re about to go back to eating when Dan Feng says, “Whatever the reason… I won’t let him have you.” You look at him without tilting your head, and his eyes meet yours. “Did I say something wrong?”

“Um, well, it just…” Your face feels warm. “I appreciate you looking out for me even though, you know”—you quietly scoff—”it was just yesterday you wanted to kill me.”

“Guess you’re not going to let that go anytime soon.”

“Oh, definitely not,” you deadpan.

Dan Feng smiles, but it could’ve been a smirk. “What about I get you dessert to make up for it?”

You narrow your eyes and pick up the menu you’d asked the waiter to leave behind when you first ordered. “Not afraid I’ll pick the most expensive one?”

“If I was, I wouldn’t bring you here in the first place.”

You keep your eyes on him as you open the menu. Eventually, you order a chocolate strawberry sundae, but you feel a bit nice, so you say:

“We can share this… if you’re okay with that.”

Dan Feng slightly leans closer. “You sure?”

You also lean closer. “If I wasn’t, I wouldn’t ask.” He chuckles, and then you go back to your food. You and Dan Feng finish up and order dessert when you bring up The Great Purge. “So, who started it…? And… Why?”

“They were called the Stellaron Hunters, a group that people thought only existed in history and folklore.”

“Stellaron Hunters…?” You can’t hide back a little smile. “Off topic, but sounds like a guild from a video game or something.”

The waiter arrives with the dessert; it’s bigger than you imagined. You and Dan Feng pick up a spoon and start digging in.

“That’s not too far off,” Dan Feng says. “After the war ended, a new era began. New people had to be put into power and rebuild the nation. So, I was working with the Hunters who became the lawmakers of our time. The parliament, if you will.” It hits you now that you’re talking to an ex-prince or king. Dan Feng looks at you without lifting his head. “Something wrong?”

“No, it’s nothing,” you say. “Um, so… After what happened, they decided to get rid of magic?”

Dan Feng takes a bite of the sundae. “That’s right. Black magic was even more rampant at the time. People were using it to do all sorts of misdeeds. It was too widespread and too chaotic to control. There were theories and speculations that our enemies used magic to infiltrate undetected.” He sighs. “But, there was no evidence.”

“I bet many people were against it,” you say quietly. You finish one of the chocolate strawberries. “I wouldn’t be surprised if normal magic was integral to people’s lives.”

“You’re right. The convenience and just human habits… No one wanted to go back to an era without magic. It was a life people thought would be miserable.”

You’re about to take another scoop of the sundae when you say:

“Wait… Does that mean… You wiped their memories?”

“We wiped everyone’s but our own,” Dan Feng admits. “And our excuse was so we and those that came in the future wouldn’t make the same mistakes again.” You’re down to the last strawberry when Dan Feng looks at you. “It’s yours.”

“Well… Even without magic, wars still happened.” You eat the last strawberry. “And technology is the closest thing to magic, I’d say. So… people will always find a way.”

“A double-edged sword, I suppose.”

You chuckle. “You mean… People’s determination to innovate is great, but they don’t think about the consequences?”

“Humans are weak against their desires, so even though they’re thinking about the future, it’s often through rose-coloured lenses.”

"Hey, don't gods have desires, too?" You look at him skeptically. "It doesn't seem like you're too different from us."

"We're not too different except we can control our emotions at will."

"Seriously?" you ask, eyes wide. 

"But that requires magic."

"I guess I'll believe it when I see it."

You and Dan Feng leave the table and head towards the counter where he beats you to pay for everything. Once again, he opens the door for you, and soon, both of you are returning to the apartment, not noticing rain is on the horizon.

“I guess Furina wasn’t part of the Stellaron Hunters,” you say. “That would make things too easy.”

“No, she wasn’t. She also wasn’t mentioned during my time with them.”

You and Dan Feng are waiting to cross the road when you feel a drop on your head. And another… and another until…

A hand is above your head, the only cover against the pouring rain.

“Come on. We can take cover over there,” Dan Feng says.

And soon, you’re running across the street with your hand in his.

Both of you are standing underneath a building, watching the rain flood the streets, but you can hear your heart thumping in your chest. Does he know that he still hasn’t let go?

Suddenly, Dan Feng’s phone buzzes with a message, and you can’t ignore the disappointment when he finally lets you go.

R U OK?

And then a worried-looking, anime-like sticker.

Dan Feng quickly replies to Bailu and slips his phone back into his pocket.

“Looks like the rain isn’t going to let up…” you say. Then, jokingly, “Should we run back anyway?”

Dan Feng notices a nearby convenience store. “Let’s grab an umbrella.”

You and Dan Feng head inside just as a woman with a young child buys an umbrella at the counter. When you and Dan Feng head over to the stand, lo and behold there’s an umbrella.

Just one.

“Guess the rain took everyone by surprise,” you say.

Dan Feng picks it up and heads to the counter. After leaving the store, Dan Feng opens the umbrella, and you aren’t surprised to see that it’s only big enough for just one person. Regardless, he looks at you and says:

“Come on.”

So, that’s how you and Dan Feng end up walking a little too close together. But you notice that he keeps the umbrella more on your side despite you telling him it’s okay. So, by the time you’re at the front entrance, his shoulder is soaked.

He notices you looking at his shoulder and says:

“It's just rain. I'll be fine.”

As you’re waiting for the elevator, you glance at him. “Thanks for dinner today. Let me treat you next time.”

He smiles. “Looking forward to it.”

The elevator doors open, and you step inside. “Hopefully by then, this entire mystery will be solved.” You turn to him. “You said you were here for only a year… Was that the truth?”

“I have a year to get Lan and Nanook back to our realm. If I don’t, I’ll be stuck here.”

“Does that… Does that mean you’ll become human?” you ask.

Dan Feng turns to you. “It doesn’t work that way. Technically, I’m not supposed to exist. So…”

You stiffen. “So… You’ll what? Disappear?”

“Gradually.”

“Then… What about Lan and Nanook? They’re not supposed to be here either, right? Is it possible to wait until they just disappear?”

The elevator stops and the doors slide open. “They can still return. They’re supposed to. They wouldn’t be banished like I would be.”

“Sounds unfair to me,” you mutter, stepping out. "They killed people and still get to return?"

“Regardless”—Dan Feng faces you—”I intend on making the most of the time I have now.”

“You could’ve told me this sooner.”

“You mean after I found out we were friends?” Dan Feng quietly scoffs. “Yeah, that would really bring up the mood.” Then, he smiles. “Hey. Stop with the frowny face.”

You still don’t look happy. “I’m not.” Then, you quickly head to your flat. “I’ll see you tomorrow. And…” You look at him before heading inside. “Thanks for dinner again.”

As Dan Feng heads to the flat opposite of yours, he wonders if getting close to you is really the best thing to do.

Chapter 13

Tag list: @lunavixia @aerithsthingss @sunsethw4 @boomie-123

[journey-to-the-attic]

-> jtta 3rd anniversary request event - masterlist (complete!)

#3rd anni event tag / ao3 link

1. lucifer / night dagger scene from om s2 during lucifer's amnesia arc

2. [dragon au] mammon / first encounter dragon mammon finds runaway human ik, recently accused of witchcraft, in the forest

3. [hsr au] dan heng, bailu / vidyadhara family bailu and ik comfort dh in the aftermath of the luofu story

4. [rpg au] solomon / past life solomon remembers who he used to be

5. asmo, beel / photos after ik departs the devildom, asmo and beel discover something she left behind

6. belphie, astaroth / stellar confession belphie contemplates his feelings about the guy he can't stop thinking about

7. mammon / rain + hug mammon tries to help a catatonic ik in the aftermath of the attack in the underground tomb

8. [infernal friends] diavolo, barbatos / bullies little ik is dealing with some unpleasant peers at school

9. [dragon au] lucifer / bonding dragon lucifer begrudgingly cares for the human mammon brought home

10. luke, raphael / chocolate luke acts oddly (and raphael acts even odder) for a day

11. [nightbringer] belphie, lucifer / deep sleep scene from nb lesson 12 - except ik can still communicate from within the coma

12. [infernal friends] asmo, simeon, luke / trick-or-treat simeon takes luke on a trip to the human world and runs into a familiar face

13. satan, lucifer / sick some time after the exchange year, lucifer brings a poorly ik back home to the house of lamentation to recover

14. mammon, belphie / nap ik needs some sleep

15. levi / games ik and levi cause some mischief in among us

16. lucifer, dad, aunt / home visits lucifer shows up in the human world and finally meets aunt lisa

17. [dragon au] twins, newspaper club / rescuers ik and the twins save some unfortunate travellers from the royal huntsmen

18. [dad in the devildom] lucifer / lost child early in the exchange year, lucifer inadvertently rescues two-year-old ik and becomes her biggest hero

19. [infernal friends] barbatos / tea party barbatos gets summoned for the first time by diavolo's new human friend

20. [spiderkid] brothers / the exchange student's a spider! the brothers (except satan, who already knew) learn about the new human's decidedly not-human powers

21. [dad in the devildom] levi, satan, beel / babysitting lucifer and zhao are out, and these three are the only ones home to take care of little ik

22. [it takes two] diavolo, mammon / on fathers ik, diavolo and mammon sort-of vent to each other about their various issues with their fathers

23. [symbiote host] mephisto / unexpected meeting mephisto meets the mysterious fourth exchange student on her first day at the rad

24. luke / outing the kids have a little afternoon tea date!

25. [symbiote host] asmo / shopping trips asmo has difficulties trying to buy ik nice things

26. brothers / paws n' claws one of solomon's secret potion has given everyone animal features! extra long and extra cute, since it's the finale!

[26/26]

[justsomeoneintoomanyfandoms]

Matchup for @imjustabeanie.

Hi Star! Thank you for proposing a matchup exchange! It was good fun. I hope you like your matchups!

In Percy Jackson, I match you with...

Percy is a good match for you since he’s so understanding. Whether you’re being brutally honest or isolating yourself, he’ll always try to see things from your perspective.

Enjoys sparring with you during training. He’s pretty powerful and skilled at what he does so fighting against him will always be a good challenge.

Percy would love playing video games with you. He enjoys games that are fast paced and have a lot of things going on but he’s pretty easy with whatever you feel like playing.

Your biggest supporter when it comes to you being insecure about your body. He thinks you’re amazing, regardless of what you look like.

If you’re feeling particularly down, he’ll list off all of his favourite qualities about you, both physically and about your personality. It might take a while though, he’s got a lot of favourite things about you.

I think you’d also get along really well with Clarisse. You’re pretty similar in personality so I think you’d be able to relate to each other well.

In Honkai Star Rail, I match you with...

Dan Heng would love studying with you, especially if you’re interested in the same things. He enjoys being able to share his passions with people.

I see him as someone who would enjoy listening to true crime. He likes talking about the cases with you as the story progresses to see if you can figure out the plot twists before they’re revealed.

Dan Heng loves how complex you are as a person. Sure, parts of your personality annoy him sometimes but he wouldn't change it for the world. That’s just part of who you are.

He’s not great at words of affection either so I can see Dan Heng responding really well to acts of service. He likes being able to do things for people and will appreciate anything you do to help him.

I feel like Dan Heng has some trust issues as well so it might take the two of you a while to get to know each other but once you do, it’s a strong mutual bond.

In Genshin Impact, I match you with...

You and Alhaitham are very similar in more ways than one. You both find it hard to work with other people, you’re more logical than emotional, and you have a bit of an ego, whether you acknowledge it or not.

But despite all that, or maybe because of it, I think you’d get along very well. You can usually understand where the other’s coming from when others may be confused.

Alhaitham enjoys reading and studying with you. Even though he doesn’t read a lot of fiction, he’ll scour the library to try and find books you might enjoy.

He finds your laid back, “don’t take anything too seriously” attitude annoying at times but it’s more a case of he takes everything too seriously. The more time you spend around each other, the more you balance each other out.

Loves when you subtly insult people. He finds it funny and, if he’s in the right mood, might join in. He much prefers subtly insults to outright declarations.

[saunne]

You know what babe? M gon ask u about yingheng now cause they 💯💯 need the spotlight as well and i WANT the world to know how crazy u are about them. Go fuck shit up dear spouse

*looks at inbox* *looks at ask* *looks at date*

WELL GUESS WHO FORGOR TO ANSWER. I did the XingRen one here but I guess ADHDon't then got in the way and since I open my inbox like, once every three month I just. Forgor. We're kinning Acheron in this house baby.

So. Heart is big cause So Many Thoughts but I think indicating that it could have taken off like a rocket from the top right corner towards distant horizons was also a possibility.

So, YingHeng. YingHeng as "HCQ Era Furnace Master Yingxing" and "Dan Heng of the Astral Express" (and for once it's fixated dynamic). It is a rareship and even more, it is a crackship cause there is absolutely no way for them to ever fucking meet in canon.

Doesn't mean I won't try tho.

(Long babbling under the cut)

It doesn't make any sense because they do not belong to the same timeline at all (700 years apart more or less) and because the only way for them to meet (and do more than that) would actually break the space-time continuum OR involve some really strange and fucked up revival/reincarnation with the existing possibility of destroying/replacing Blade in the worst case scenario process.

BUT AEONS IT DOES COMPEL ME SO MUCH and you would know cause I shoved at least 4 WIPs about them right in your face lmao.

I like this ship because it compels me and scratches a itch in a way that classic RenHeng never really managed to do except for certain fics.

I will admit that I sometimes have troubles with the RenHeng ship and the way their dynamic can be/is portrayed despite loving the ship. RenHeng has a common past involving Yingxing and Dan Feng their past-self/incarnations (whether one agrees or not with the theory/system of thought that DH = DF for that matter) and their ship is based on acceptance/rejection/reflection around this common past, the idea of responsibility and above all an idea of healing of trauma (for BOTH OF THEM).

The main thing is that RenHeng often involves violence (canonical and/or added one) and more or less toxic relationship tropes that I don't always have the desire or energy to deal with, even if the writing of the fic is of exceptional quality (I have a lot of RenHeng fics like that in the waiting list fir when I'm in the mood for it tho) . Sometimes I just want something that's still as emotionally charged but a lot simpler and that's where YingHeng came in.

The biggest problem for YingHeng is to "bring" Yingxing back into the picture and there are several solutions for that :

time travel (him coming or Dan Heng going)

dimensional travel (Curios are very practical for this kind of stupid plot)

Yingxing's memory having survived in one way or another (in an object, in Dan Heng's memories inherited from Dan Feng, sealed outside or inside of Blade)

Alternate Universe (it's easier to make him appear in a modern AU settings than in sorta-canon HSR settings lmao)

I like the third option the best, because it allows me to be able to keep Blade in the picture if I want (whether to do a YingHengRen or just an opposition/comparison study between Yingxing and Blade) or not ( by "killing" Blade by retransforming him/rewinding him back to Yingxing).

My two mains thoughts paths about YingHeng are “longing for something you never had” and “mourning for something you never thought you would have to mourn”.

"Longing for something you never had" is mostly Dan Heng centered. I like to start from the idea that Dan Feng's surviving memories can be a curse because they blur the separation line between their respective identities, but that it can also be a blessing. I like the idea that fuzzy and imprecise surviving memories of XingYue's passionate love could have been one of Dan Heng's greatest comforts during his imprisonment in the Shackling Prison. I like the idea that Dan Heng fell in love with the idea of Yingxing or at least fell in love with the idea of Love and Being Loved because of these memories of Yingxing.

All of this while being intimately aware that they were never intended for him.

I like the idea of Dan Heng longing for something that doesn't belong to him. Of being unable to let go of this feeling of "wanting/desiring/missing" Yingxing's love he felt in Dan Feng's memories despite wanting to separate as much as possible from Dan Feng and the burden of his unintended inheritance. Which can lead to a feeling of shame/embarrassment due to being sorta "voyeuristic" and yet attracted to it. Or on the contrary, a sort of defiance with a "these memories have been imposed on me against my consent so I don't have to feel guilty about anything, let alone my feelings about them".

For Yingxing, it was the idea of how he would deal with grief that interested me. Firstly the mourning of his life/friends (and what they became) if it's a time/dimensional travel scenario. Secondly, if his memory is forced back into Blade's body or stuffed in a newly created body to "re-alive him", the mourning of his past death and having to continue / start living again (whether or not he is immortal after said resurrection). If Blade remains alive it adds yet another level of mourning/philosophical reflection on identity, on what makes someone unique and all the tropes around "what would you ask/would say to your past/future self if given the opportunity". I like the idea of exploring the grievance of the one who died/should have died first ending up mourning the one who should have lived/who was supposed to live.

I like the idea of how Yingxing and Blade might treat differently the whole "is Dan Heng = Dan Feng ?" and "does Dan Heng has to pay for Dan Feng's mistakes/errors/crimes ?". I like the idea of Yingxing being "excuse me I was married to/in love with Dan Feng and I can tell you that Dan Heng is definitely not him" compared to Jingliu and Blade's "Dan Heng is Dan Feng" motto. I like the idea of exploring the theme of the difference between Dan Heng and Dan Feng through Yingxing's eyes rather than Blade's.

I like the idea of Yingxing bringing emotional and identity stability to Dan Heng by falling in love with Dan Heng not for his similarities with Dan Feng but for his differences with him. Because Dan Feng was irreplaceable and nothing could take his place in Yingxing's heart, especially not what would appear as a poor copy of his former lover. I want Dan Heng to feel comfortable asking Yingxing about Dan Feng, because Yingxing never compared them as a before/after or past/present but always kept talking about Dan Feng as if he was Dan Heng's deceased brother or distant relative.

Also, I'm sorry but I find Yingxing more aesthetically pleasing to the eyes than Blade, even more when you put him in the Artisanship Commission uniform and next to short-haired no Vidyadhara features 4-Stars Dan Heng. Also, Yingxing should have wrinkles like crow feets and smile lines. And not completely white hair, but more like a salt and pepper hair with mostly grey/white hair but some surviving black hair.

I think they should hold hands and cuddle in the Archives Room while Dan Heng updates Yingxing on what happened while he was dead and asks him about crafting and Zhuming to add to the Express Database.

*gestures* I'm nowhere near the term "sanity" when it comes to them.

[watchmakermori]

I've been playing more of honkai star rail and getting quite into the story since getting to the xianzhou luofu. and while I think people tend to exaggerate how much better HSR's writing is compared to genshin's, I do think it's interesting to compare them and analyse why HSR's core character dynamics are so much more compelling

I don't think it's that HSR has an inherently more intriguing plot than genshin's. Genshin's central hook, with traveller of uncertain origin searching for their sibling, works pretty well, and I think most of the archon quests have pretty interesting concepts too. I struggled to get into HSR at first and don't think that the Belabog storyline was that well paced. both games have problems embedding exposition cleanly into their narratives, so the plots are kind of overwhelming and dense at first

there are obviously a lot of flaws in genshin's storytelling, much as it still intrigues me. But the most glaring problem, in my opinion, is Paimon

people dunk on paimon all the time, but the biggest issue with her isn't that she's annoying, and it isn't even that she does all the talking while the traveller stays silent. HSR has a similar dynamic, after all - March 7th and Dan Heng kind of fulfil that role for the trailblazer. but the key difference is that march and dan heng are both characters in their own right, with their own motivations and reasons to help the trailblazer. paimon doesn't have this

think about paimon as an actual character. what do we know about her? the traveller literally fished her out of the ocean, and she just stuck with them after that. she wants to be a guide, but she doesn't have an actual stake in the traveller's goals at all. We know nothing about her past, and there's no sense of there being a mystery to uncover there. If paimon were actually a developed character, who had her own reasons for wanting to track down the archons and find out the truth about the traveller's sibling, then it would make all the difference in the world.

Because that's what march and dan heng offer. they both have mysterious backstories to uncover, and they're both on the express for their own reasons, so their goals align with the trailblazer's but aren't exactly the same. Because there are two of them, they can bounce off each other and clash a bit more, in a way that you just don't get with the traveller and paimon duo.

it's deeply frustrating, because dainsleif is such a plot-relevant character who clearly has his own motivations, and he was literally the equivalent to paimon for the traveller's sibling. it's a bizarre oversight to not make anything of paimon's history and personal goals. if she had her own stake in the plot, she wouldn't just feel like a mouthpiece for the traveller. she'd still get to be the main expositor who does most of the talking, but she'd have her own reasons for asking questions and pursuing information, which might overlap with the traveller's reasons but would still be distinct.

it is absolutely possible to pull off a silent protagonist well, and it also is totally fine if that protagonist isn't even really the main character. We saw it in botw and totk - link is the protagonist, but zelda is the one that's really at the heart of the narrative. and likewise, the trailblazer in HSR feels like more of a narrative device than a proper character, but the supporting cast around them are interesting and driven towards a similar goal, so we have a reason to care about them all as a unit.

tl;dr: if you are going to make the protagonist's companion(s) the real main character(s) of the story, you need to give them character motivations. honkai star rail understands this. genshin fumbled it, which is why paimon is such a dead weight in the narrative

[zhongrin]

my biggest advice when it comes to hsr, from someone who’s been playing since launch, is to not be afraid to use character guides. once you get the hang of building them, you don’t need them as much, but for beginners i recommend going on youtube or reddit. the characters rely a lot on one another and having a more “structured” team is more important than in genshin. my biggest recommendation is probably to have a healer, idk which ones you have but for early game i think bailu and natasha are pretty good, and then building a team with perseverance tb! and a dps + sub. i mainly got through the first world by having bailu + trailblazer and altering between characters (mostly welt + seele since i got her early but if you have bronya then i rec her>>)

yep i noticed it's pretty strict on teams, which is my main gripe about the combat… and i did look at some guides (i use them for genshin all the time too), altho i usually don't go to youtube or reddit! i just google "genshin/hsr [char] build" and usually gamerant/game8 pops up, but even so… ok, here's a real experience from me yesterday.

so, i built dan heng-bronya-natasha-march team, right. while for robin, i just switch bronya-dan heng with robin-herta (these 2 are my only 5* characters so i try to center my teams around them)... but you know what? none of these elements can break cocolia (especially the echo boss because at that point you don't get the fire trailblazer yet)!!! so i had to suddenly grind for leveling up asta and research again about what team is good for her. so it's like… "uh…. ok…. well fuck….."

and then!!!! at the boss fight, i discover the trailblazer turns into fire element.

………. :D

truly, i felt like a total clown.

(no like seriously that was so annoying to me. it felt like a slap in the face. i would have rage-quitted if the boss fight was hard and i died)

but then again, i mean, what am i supposed to do then, spoil myself for the next boss and do my research to prep for that fight? even if i didn't major in game dev, that doesn't sound like a good game design...

anyway. yeah. i'm building the fire trailblazer... we'll see how it goes....

having more 5 star characters in your account, especially a healer/shielder in the beginning, helps a lot, i think? atp i don't mind buying the monthly pass, but i'm going strictly f2p on my account because my priority is just to get through xianzhou arc. i'm most probably going to switch account starting penacony because my brother abandoned his, and he has jing yuan 2 built teams and he already grinded lots. i just have to either exchange for bailu once we collect enough passes to reach that 300th pull, or wait for a luocha rerun… and blade heheheheheheheheh- /smacked. granted, his dps-es can't really clear all the content these days because they're not meta anymore, but i don't really care about that at the moment!

[kurotm]

@lunaetis writes: eden was feeling particularly playful. if she had a tail, it would be swishing about mischievously when she approached the other. silent were her footsteps, as she ambushed him from behind, locking him in place with her arms and hands — only for her to tilt her head and parted her lips, sinking her fangs right into the part of skin that was visible for her. crimson insignias in form of her teethmark immediately appeared following the bite. she grinned, looking like a proud puppy catching a rabbit.

despite being with his sister, the raven kept mostly to himself. but one thing was clear to everyone in the ASTRAL EXPRESS.

kiyoshi did not like being touched.

NOT AT ALL.

even light contact was enough to make him flinch, one of the rare times that he ever expressed emotion. one that of shock, then came one that of irate, but right after being a quiet “sorry” before heading off to anyone’s guess. in a way, he was like DAN HENG, but more closed off from the others … and possibly the world. just a man of few words that gave off a COLD feeling towards others he interacted with.

but that facade of his was an EXCUSE to hide away his true self.

just like what he was hiding underneath his clothing: scars from a past he dared not to remember.

parts of humanity stolen from him, in favor of seeing what a normal body could handle with their … experimental peripherals. horrific enough for him to try anything to BLOCK those memories out, enough for him to be unable to look at his own reflection without showing a hint of disgust. regardless, he had to accept the harsh reality he was part of now. 

it was part of his flesh now, and forever it will be.

and he believed no one outside the EXPRESS would accept him.

at least, that’s what he thought … until he met EDEN. 

she was different from the others … way different than he expected. besides those golden hues of her that had him in awe, there was more of her that he heard about. having a STELLARON inside her, to draw power from other PATHS, her supposed connection with KAFKA of all people, she was truly a mysterious, yet POWERFUL individual.

then he saw her hidden side.

there are many ways he can describe her, and any assumption he had of her when they first met went flying out the window. eden was somewhat like march 7th, except way more OUTGOING and MISCHIEVIOUS. even though she had the CANCER OF ALL WORLDS, it never really stopped her from interacting with others.

and for some reason, the raven felt drawn to her. 

he didn’t know when or how, but it was just like that.

she was a little annoying when they first met, then time passed as he began to feel more COMFORTABLE around her. from small talks to leisurely hang outs, her presence alone was enough to warm his heart. but doubt still plagued after all that. the BIGGEST one being how she’ll react when he shows what he really looked like underneath. to be rejected by her would just be an absolute nightmare for him.

but then again, was having metallic prosthetics worse than a literal seed of disaster?

to make a long story short, as their relationship grew, all was revealed. their secrets, their insecurities, their … feelings towards one another. awkward at first, yet progress was made the CLOSER they got. to fully describe what their intimate bond is, think of a brooding man in black handling his raccoon dog with so much tenderness and care.

so what could’ve been the raven usually rejecting physical contact was instead WELCOMED in open arms as he allowed eden to sneak up on him. he didn’t even need to turn his back to see who it was the moment he felt her teeth slightly nibbling through his exposed skin. all he could do was respond to that puppy-like smile with a smile of his own, bringing her close to him with a firm but warm embrace.  

❛ missed you, eden… ❜

she was an ANOMALY in this ever-expanding universe, but that’s what he loved about her.

UNPROMPTED!