#vidyadhara

[royxart]

vidyadhara kokomi ✨🐟

[vonlycsnn]

Hello, author! Can I request Wise/ Licaon with reader-Vidyadhara (from honkai start real)? Reader shows love in an unusual way. Their dragon tail wags happily when Wise /Lycaon is around. Reader protects them even if reader are weaker. They give out ancient jewels and can also purr softly. Dragons are hard to trust, but the reader lets them touch their tail. The reader's actions scream "I LOVE YOU. I AM DEVOTED TO YOU FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE."

If you don't like the idea, then feel free to skip it. Anyway, I wish you all the best~

❈ — A DRAGON'S WAY OF AFFECTION

~ WISE AND VON LYCAON WITH (GN) VIDYADHARA! READER.

SUMMARY: AU - You're a Vidyadhara from the Xianzhou Loufu, travelling across the galaxy and visiting numerous planets just for the fun of it. One planet in particular is your absolute favorite to visit: Eridu-47. | You narrowly escape Thanatos with Wise (in Eous' body). Lycaon is surprised to see you at midnight.

cw/tw: mentions of (minor) injuries on Wise's part, other than that it's all fluff.

A/N: Crossover prompt! How exciting!! We need more playable Vidyadhara characters on hsr...they're such an interesting species. :0 Very sorry for taking so long with your request, and very sorry for not putting some of the actions you've said. :') Thank you for your request and for the kind words! Hope you enjoy reading this.

Breathing. All you could hear was your intense breathing.

You didn't know how long you were running for, but that didn't matter. What matters is getting out of this hollow ASAP. The only problem being that you were being chased by a highly dangerous ethereal.

 

You recall the moment Wise warned you about the beast. A very fast ethereal capable of slashing its prey in seconds—putting your guard down even for a single second could lead to your demise.

 

The two of you were terrified, but compared to the small bangboo tightly locked in your arms, deep down—you were the most terrified.

Never have you dealt with this kind of situation before. Sure, Yaoshi's abominations are tough to deal with, but they were more annoying than anything.

 

This? This was out of your league. You've only fought Ethereals once or twice since you've been here, so you basically had little experience on how to fight them.

 

But as you were overthinking about the situation, you heard Wise talking from Eous' little body.

 

"There it is! It's the exit!" It's a small hand/arm pointed forward. 

 

You looked towards the direction it was pointing at; sure enough, the exit of the hollow was in front of you.

You picked up the pace, hoping that Thanatos would give up chasing you. Out of pure instinct, you threw the poor bangboo towards the exit before you could make it there yourself. Unbeknownst to you, Thanatos had created a scar on the back of your neck the second you got out of the hollow.

 

You trip and fall to the ground beneath you; your body slides against the pavement, creating some minor scratches on your body. But it was nothing you couldn't handle.

You tightly closed your eyes, now feeling the scar that the Ethereal created on the back of your neck.

 

You heard someone rushing towards you; soon after, you felt as if two people were looming over you.

 

"Belle, take them to the staff room. I'll recharge Eous in my room."

 

You heard a familiar voice, and you smiled gently when you realized who it was. You felt your tail wagging, sweeping dirt from the ground.

It was embarrassing to show this type of behavior in public, but you were too tired to care.

 

You sat up to see Belle in front of you, trying her best to help you. She took your arm and wrapped it around her shoulder, lifting you up to help you stand. But as you tried to listen to what she was saying, your vision became blurry, and then you passed out.

—

 

Your fingers played with your horns as you stared at the television in front of you. A blanket was moved aside to give you some space on the couch you were sitting on.

 

You've woken up 10 minutes prior, confused about what happened. Fortunately, Belle was here when you woke up and explained everything to you. She was always nice to talk to; she's optimistic and cheerful no matter the situation—its great.

 

But after a few minutes, she stood up from the couch and told you that she's going on a girls night out with Nicole and Anby. As she approached the door to leave the room, she looked at you and winked.

 

"Wise's making you some tea upstairs. Good luck with him, you hear?~" You heard her whisper.

 

And here you are now, sitting nervously as you overthink about Belle's words. Other than the bangboos inhabiting the store, it was only you and wise. You and wise. Your heart started to beat rapidly, and you looked to your side to see that your tail was wagging ever so slightly.

 

You tried to calm down, inhaling and exhaling slowly. Just as you were calming down though, you heard footsteps from upstairs...then they walked down the stairs.

 

Calm down, calm down. You can't let wise see you like this. It'll be embarr—

 

"Oh, hey, you're awake."

 

You jumped and snapped your head towards the door to see wisely at the doorway. He became concerned as he saw you breathing heavily, putting the two glass cups on the table behind the couch, and rushed to you.

 

"Sorry...did I scare you? Here. I made you tea."

 

He carefully picked up the cup and gave it to you. Still stunned by his presence, you shakingly accepted it. The cup felt warm; it wasn't too hot to the point where it could burn you. You smiled, and your tail wagged once more.

 

"It's nothing fancy. I don't know if the tea they serve on the Loufu is any different, but I hope you like it." Wise said.

 

You nodded, taking a sip of the tea he made. Your eyes closed as your taste buds danced with how good it was. Wise giggled at your reaction.

 

"I'm guessing that you enjoy it?"

 

"Mhm. It tastes slightly different than the ones from the Loufu...but still as delicious as any tea I've tried so far."

You held the cup up, inspecting it as if it were some piece of treasure. Wise laughed, but his attention was quickly stolen by your tail wagging constantly beside you. He smiled.

 

"Are you that happy to see me? Every time we meet in person, your tail always wags."

 

You paused your drinking, suddenly feeling embarrassed at your own behavior. You avert your gaze, trying to hide your red face from wise. He moved closer to you upon seeing your reaction.

 

"Hey, it's okay! I'm happy to see you as well; you shouldn't be risking your life in that hollow though..." He reminded you. You looked at him straight in the eyes, opening and closing your mouth as you struggled to get a word out.

 

"I-i just wanted to keep you safe...and Eous. Yeah." You awkwardly explained to him. Wise sighed, grabbing the blanket behind him and throwing it over your shoulders.

 

"Get some rest before you leave. You deserve it." Wise said. His voice was so comforting to you; it was soft and pleasant to your ears. You quietly purred.

"Oh right. Forgot to ask; did you bring back the videotape you rented a while back?" Wise asked. You froze in place.

You've completely forgotten that you rented a videotape from here a few weeks ago. And today was the deadline.

"I...may have forgotten it back in the Loufu. Haha."

You paced back and forth. Completely deep in your thoughts. You looked absolutely ridiculous in public, but people were too busy minding their own business to look at you weird.

 

In your hands was a box that looked like nothing from this world.

 

Of course it wasn't; it's a box containing the finest souvenirs from the Xianzhou Loufu. You held it close to your chest, preventing anyone from potentially stealing it. Or even worse, breaking the precious and fragile souvenirs inside. That would be a disaster. You'd have to pay a good amount of money to the seller you bought these from.

 

Sitting on the bench behind you, you quickly pulled out your phone. Looking at your contacts to find a specific person, he was the reason you came here in the first place.

 

A smile formed on your face when you saw his name; your scaled tail wagged simultaneously. But as you hovered your finger on the screen to click on his profile, you hesitated.

 

It was already late at night by the time you were here, so contacting him now wouldn't be ideal. You sighed, putting your phone back in your pocket, and stood up. Simply accepting that tomorrow morning would be a more appropriate time to give him the box.

 

You turned around to pick up the box, only to realize that it was gone. Your eyes widen at the sight, and your heart beats fast as you panic. You frantically looked around to see if anyone had taken it purposely or mistakenly.

 

That's when you heard it. From your pointy ears, you heard the echoes of rapid footsteps coming from your left. You snapped your head in the direction of the sound; sure enough, you saw a figure running towards the gross alleyways of lumina square.

 

"STOP. STOP IT. YOU THIEF."

 

You quickly chased him down as confused bystanders backed away in fear. The hooded man with your box created all sorts of obstacles to slow you down, from kicking down stacks of empty boxes to straight up pushing down a dumpster.

 

Unfortunately for him, this was nothing to you. Like any of the other Vidyadhara from the Loufu, you were athletic. Easily dodging the obstacles the man created.

 

He looked over his shoulder to see that you were almost caught up to him. He whimpered in fear, but just as he was about to pick up the pace to lose you, he tripped on something heavy and metallic. The impact nearly broke his foot in the process.

 

The box flung upwards, but thankfully someone effortlessly caught it with one hand. As you ran closer to the scene, you frozen. Tail wagging once more as you saw a tall, well-dressed wolf thiren standing in front of you. One of his prosthetic legs was stepping on the thief's back as a way to restrain him.

 

"Oh?" The man said. It was a familiar voice—the voice that makes you fall to your knees mentally every time you hear it.

 

"L-lycaon! I didn't expect you to be here at this hour." You expressed your shock to him.

 

"The same would apply to you. I wouldn't have expected to see you here in Eridu-47." 

 

As Lycaon said that, he felt the man below him wiggling himself to try and escape. The thiren's eye glowed as a warning, and the hooded man squealed in fear as he finally pleaded guilty for his actions.

 

"I-i-im sorry! It won't happen again! I promise! I swear! I-i—" 

 

The hooded man begged. Lycaon crouched and leaned towards the side of the man's face, whispering something directly to his ear.

 

You couldn't hear it, but you know Lycaon said something terrible when the man screamed in fear and quickly ran away the second Lycaon removed his leg from his back.

 

You were kind of scared, of course, but it was Lycaon. You trusted him dearly, and he has proved his sincerity many times before. So, you didn't question anything. Lycaon looked at you in relief, now holding the box full of goods with both of his hands.

 

"Apologies for my unbefitting behavior just now. I believe this belongs to you."

 

He handed you the box; he looked at you so softly that you couldn't help but stare at his face for a few seconds.

 

But you snapped out of your thoughts and declined. Lightly pushing the box back towards him. Of course, he was confused. Then you explained to him.

 

"It's for you, silly! No need to give it back to me." You giggled; you could see his one eye widen in surprise.

 

"My...you're too kind. I don't deserve such treatment from the likes of you." He said. You saw his ears twitching and his tail ever so slightly wagging from this; you smiled. Holding back a laugh.

 

He looked down at the box, now noticing that it's tightly sealed. Preventing anything from falling out.

 

"And what awaits me inside this box, may I ask?" He asked you.

 

One hand was gently placed on top of the box while the other held the bottom part so as not to let it fall to the break.

You walked closer to him, looking upwards to his face as you smiled widely.

 

"Inside are exclusive items from the Xianzhou Loufu. How about you open it and see for yourself? W-well, maybe not in this dirty alleyway at least." You awkwardly laughed. The thiren merely chuckled, gently taking your hand.

 

"Then I know just the place. If I may?" Your eyes widen when he offers you this; your horns glowed brightly as you felt your tail wagging. You smiled, nodding at his offer.

 

"Lead the way, dear attendant." You playful said. He laughed.

 

"Please. Just call me Lycaon."

 

Then the two of you walked out of the alleyway, admiring the nightly scenes of lumina square as Lycaon guided you to the rooftop of a building.

 

You smiled widely; tonight turned out better than you expected it to be. You couldn't wait to see his reaction to the items inside the box, and quite frankly, you were just very happy to be by his side.

Oh, what a happy little dragon you are right now.

[megwillart]

Jing Yuan outfit swap + him as a vidyadhara ☀️ (From a follower milestone request on twitter)

[sleepingelvhen]

Chains and Leashes

Vidyadhara!Dan Heng/Reader NSFW Drabble

Minors DO NOT interact

Masterlist

Just one tug on the chain leash was enough to have you crawling towards your lover. Dan Heng had a lazy smile on his face, eyes soft and shadowed with lust.

All you wore was the tight collar he had bought for you, blue and gold scales printed onto the skillfully crafted leather. Soft against your skin and it was all he wanted you to wear tonight.

You crawled towards him, eyes up to look at him, only slightly embarrassed from being completely naked before him. It was easy to ignore the feeling in favor of feeling your heart surge from the praise Dan Heng held in his eyes.

“You look beautiful,” he murmured, spreading his thighs to allow you to sit between them. “Are you comfortable?” His fingers hooked beneath the collar.

 “It’s not too tight, is it?” Concern laced his words, every part of him desiring to focus on you and how you were feeling. Even if this was about exploring his own hidden desires.

You shook your head, smiling up at him, excitement making you wiggle your body in place. You had been shocked when Dan Heng had admitted to you that he wanted to see you in a collar. Even more so when he said that he was a pretty possessive person deep down, desires and urges that he kept hidden due to the dangerous nature of them. But it had also been an exciting discovery that you were ready to help him explore. 

Dan Heng gave a small tug at the leash, guiding you up and onto his lap, curling the chain leash around his other fist. He was blushing wildly, hesitant as he guided you. He held his breath, worried he would hurt you but enchanted by your body and how that collar looked on you. It was like he completely owned you, it was a symbol that you belonged to him and only him. His nostrils flared at that thought, eyes darkening even further.

You swore you saw his suppressed Vidyadhara powers emerging, pupils thinned into slits, glowing blue as they roved over your entire body. But he was still holding back. His hands tightened around the chain, his jaw clenched, breath shuddering with each exhale. 

Determination drove you to climb into his lap, straddling him, your bare body pressed against his body and his bulge. His sharp eyes followed your every movement, deep, heavy breaths causing him to tug tighter on your leash, causing you to cough out a little bit.

Maybe if he was in his right mind, he would’ve been more worried, but seeing you like this, completely at his mercy, Dan Heng simply found himself finding it harder to hold back. His hardness made it hard to focus on his body’s reaction. Antlers shimmered on the crown of his head, teal colors shimmering beneath his now longer hair. You could feel a long appendage wrap around your waist, a glowing scaled tail holding you against him.

“I–” He blushed and looked away for a moment, embarrassed by the changes he was unable to control. “I’m sorry, this is…”

You bit your lip, arching your back to press your chest against him.

“It’s okay…I like it,” your mouth curved up, your heart warm when you saw his eyes soften to look upon you. It seemed to relax him to know you enjoyed his own excitement. 

“You do?”

You nodded, and lifted your chin, allowing him a better glance at the collar that looked perfect around your throat. The decorations upon it are of a Vidyadharan theme, colors related to his own colors. It made it even more perfect, made him even more possessive of it and you.

“There’s no need to hold back. We have a safe word, I will be fine,” you said, eyes kind while you stroked his face. Dan Heng pressed his cheek into your touch, comforted by your love.

He straightened up, tugging on the chain to pull you against his chest, breathing shallow as he stared at your naked form. A shadow passed over his teal eyes, sharp and possessive.

“Then I will show you what I want,” he said sternly, one of his hands going to the back of your head, fingers digging into your hair. “I cannot wait to see your face contorted in all the pleasure only I can give you.”

He tugged you into a rough kiss, his tongue gentle but commanding as he took control of you. It was addicting, he was addicting. Allowing yourself to let go and be controlled by your Vidyadharan lover felt freeing. And you could tell he liked it too, his own body willing to take control of everything you did, his fingers quick to keep upon your collar.

When he pulled away, a string of saliva connecting your mouths, he looked down on you, even more domineering than you thought he was capable of.

“Get on your knees, my pet.”

[b1adie]

have you guys ever thought abt how long vidyadhara hatching rebirths take? if you check some of the eggs at scalegorge, one is a vidyadhara that is still regenerating after being killed in the sedition like 700 years ago.

and, as far as we know, there was no other incarnation between dan feng and dan heng, so dan heng was probably in that egg for several centuries too. they kept the fucking egg in jail for 600 years, waited for it to hatch, and immediately chained up the dude who hatched from it and left him in a dark room for who knows how long.

And pierced his fucking ears at some point.

anyways some vidyadhara definitely take way less time to respawn, there’s that one guy Cong that’s undergone hatching rebirth like 4 times and fallen in love with the same xianzhou woman every time

and only 20% of xianzhou natives reach over 800 years old without becoming mara in struck, so she cant be THAT old

maybe it depends on the injury that ended their life? if he just died naturally he got to respawn quick, but the vidyadhara that got obliterated by jingliu in the sedition is still working on regenerating because that was scary.

oh hm i dont like the implications that has for the end of dan feng’s life

[harmorii]

vidyadhara design :]] based on the 3d printed dragon i got recently

fidget toy so good u make an oc out of it

[minart-was-taken]

Do YOU like Dan Heng? Do YOU like fanfiction? If yes, please consider checking out my fanfic series with 3 complete multichapter fics!! 🙌

Each fic explores Dan Heng's identity as a member of the Astral Express and a Vidyadhara, as well as his platonic relationships with the crew and others. Including fantasy biology, disability metaphors and found family!! Yeehaw!!

Thanks 💛

[linkemon]

You're in the wind, I'm in the water (Dan Heng x Reader)

Friendly reminder that English is not my first language. You can check my Masterlists both in English and Polish here. Consider supporting me on Ko-fi. You can also check out my commissions if you're interested.

Other oneshots can be found here.

ᴅᴀɴ ꜰᴇɴɢ ᴡᴀꜱ ᴡᴀᴛᴇʀ, ᴅᴀɴ ʜᴇɴɢ ɪꜱ ᴡɪɴᴅ. ᴛʜᴇ ɢᴜꜱᴛ ᴏꜰ ᴡɪɴᴅ ꜱᴏᴍᴇᴛɪᴍᴇꜱ ᴛᴏᴜᴄʜᴇꜱ ᴛʜᴇ ʟᴀᴋᴇ ꜱᴜʀꜰᴀᴄᴇ, ʟᴏᴏᴋɪɴɢ ꜰᴏʀ ɪᴛꜱ ᴏᴡɴ ʀᴇꜰʟᴇᴄᴛɪᴏɴ. ᴊᴜꜱᴛ ʟɪᴋᴇ ᴅᴀɴ ʜᴇɴɢ ᴡʜᴏ ʀᴇᴀʟɪᴢᴇᴅ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴀʟᴛʜᴏᴜɢʜ ʜᴇ ᴡᴀɴᴛᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ʀᴇᴊᴇᴄᴛ ʜɪꜱ ᴘʀᴇᴠɪᴏᴜꜱ ɪɴᴄᴀʀɴᴀᴛɪᴏɴ, ʜᴇ ʜᴀᴅ ꜱᴏᴍᴇᴛʜɪɴɢ ɪɴ ᴄᴏᴍᴍᴏɴ ᴡɪᴛʜ ʜɪᴍ. ᴛʜᴀᴛ ꜱᴏᴍᴇᴛʜɪɴɢ ᴡᴀꜱ [ʀᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ].

ᴀᴅᴅɪᴛɪᴏɴᴀʟ ɪɴꜰᴏʀᴍᴀᴛɪᴏɴ: 1. ᴏɴᴇꜱʜᴏᴛ ᴄᴏɴᴛᴀɪɴꜱ ꜱᴘᴏɪʟᴇʀꜱ ꜰᴏʀ ᴛʜᴇ ꜱᴛᴏʀʏ ᴇᴠᴇɴᴛꜱ ɪɴ xɪᴀɴᴢʜᴏᴜ ʟᴜᴏꜰᴜ.

Dan Heng felt as if the last few days had passed like a kaleidoscope. A colourful mirage of emotions he didn't want to feel. Events that took all his strength out of him. Memories that weren't his and yet they haunted him like the ghosts of the elders in the Scalegorge Waterscape. 

Only now, sitting by one of the waterfalls, did he get the impression that he finally had a moment of peace, torn away by the clawed claws of an evil fate. The quiet sound of the water was nothing like the voices of the soldiers who had encountered the mara a few days ago. 

It took him a long time to realize a simple fact — he chose a place where HE would come. A typical source of water from which he could draw strength. He smiled bitterly and turned his back. There was no point in running away from here. Even if the beauty surrounding him suddenly turned ugly, leaving an unpleasant aftertaste. 

His stay in Xianzhou Luofu turned his life upside down. The past had long legs. He ran as hard as he could but in the end it was faster. It caught him in a place he didn't want to return to. He wished that the wind playing in the branches of the twisted trees would blow away all thoughts from his head. Especially the one he had doubts about. 

[Reader]. She flooded his mind like a wave. He rejected his past. He drew a line between himself and Dan Feng. The title of Imbibitor Lunae was no longer his. He was sure Bailu would do just fine. She kept Luofu safe. He left all the residents in good hands. He told everyone his name was Dan Heng. Many still saw him as a previous incarnation. And even though it hurt like old wounds, he rejected their opinions. The express crew were his family and they didn't care about the sins of who he once was. Only their opinion mattered. At least that's what he thought.

Jing Yuan, although he wasn't like Blade, stuck to his previous name quite stubbornly. At least he was aware that the general was doing it out of habit, not out of pure hatred. Something he couldn't say about the old Yingxing. [Reader] was neither of them. She called him Dan Heng from the very beginning. Sometimes he wondered if they met after all of this, if she would still hold on to it. If she hadn't stood next to Sushang that day and met him first as an archivist, would she still have had reservations? Although he wasn't Dan Feng in her mouth, he was Dan Feng in her eyes. He had seen it in every conversation they had ever had since the truth came out and she managed to recognize him. 

Her eyes traced the pointy ears and followed the emerald horns even when they weren't there. She involuntarily talked about the things that Dan Feng loved. She recalled the times when he was still next to her, becoming embarrassed rather quickly when she realized what she was doing. He would interrupt anyone else who was doing it. This double standard only existed with her and it was eating him from the inside. 

Dan Heng bit his lip. He was like a gust that sometimes met the water. He rushed over the surface and saw his reflection but he was not a lake. What a strange feeling it was to be and not be loved at the same time. [Reader] loved his reflection. He could show it for a short while for her but no matter what he did, he couldn't become water because he was wind. 

It wasn't that he wanted to become Dan Feng. He hated his previous incarnation. Who he was and what he did. His predecessor followed him step by step, reminding him of himself and not letting him be who he wanted. But why did [Reader] have to be in love with him? In that hidden part of himself that he never wanted to become. 

This love was like a sea current. The swift current seemed to carry him away without any hope. And maybe because it resembled water, he wondered if it was his feelings, or maybe the remnants of the attachment of a former self that he had tried so hard to let go of. After all, they had known each other for such a short time, and he, as he deeply wanted to believe, was not a man who would give his feelings to anyone he came across. On the other hand, March immediately noticed that he was in love and said it was obvious. So maybe it was him after all? 

Dan Heng from [Reader] didn't sound like Dan Feng. Even if it was hiding behind it. Maybe he could pretend to be like him? He turned back towards the waterfall and looked at his reflection. Ripples in the water obscured his vision.

He wouldn't. He didn't want to be him. Never. Even for her. 

So maybe she could pretend? After all, he looked similar and had a fraction of his former power... 

He shook his head. Not at this price. Neither of them would be happy. 

At least he had memories. Even if they weren't his. Glimmers of light amidst the dark void of forgotten days. Sometimes they came back involuntarily. He hated the echo of Dan Feng's laughter, even though he felt like the joy was his own, but he loved [Reader's] laughter. Her silhouette looming somewhere under his eyelids. The same one that came back to him when they sat on the stairs after sunset after a hard day's work. The warmth of her lips, once so close, now within reach but at the same time eons away. How easy it was to lose himself in this old reality that was not his own. In that which interspersed his nightmares with sweet peace.

But these were stories of bygone days from several hundred years ago and he had to constantly remind himself that they did not belong to him. 

The sound of familiar footsteps sounded on the path. The wind brought the sound of trampled leaves. He didn't need to turn around to know who was standing there. Of course she figured out where to look for him. This was the place HE would came to. 

— Dan Feng. 

This was the first time something like this had happened. Until now, she had always been careful not to use his pre-reincarnation name. 

Maybe it was the sight of him surrounded by a familiar waterfall. Or one of the memories gnawed by the teeth of time, which now came to life in her eyes. He couldn't find it among the dark depths of his memory. If it existed, it belonged only to her. It was probably even better that way. This made "Dan Heng, not Dan Feng " easier to leave his mouth.

He wasn't ready for the regret that appeared on [Reader's] face. Nor for a tear that gathered in the corner of the eye, only to quickly disappear under a hard-blinking eyelid in confusion. However, he did not expect the feelings that spread around his heart even more. Jealousy, sadness and nostalgia of days gone by. He never found out if they really belonged to him. They were floating somewhere on the transparent surface of water, touched by the gust of wind.

[viktorxsheep]

DAN HENG X READER 🐉 sfw | gn reader

SPOILERS FOR HSR (dan hengs past)

Dan Heng’s true form was definitely something to behold. From his arms now showing small scales, to glorious shining horns, to his tail. His tail was definitely something interesting, because whenever you entered the room, it started to wag.

Every single time you said hi to Dan Heng, just passing by the archives to get something, his tail would start wagging at the mere entrance of you.

Every time your hands would brush when he passes you a book he thinks you would like, his breath hitched and his tail wags. He has to stop it from curling around your waist and hugging you to his chest and kissing you senseless.

This is a man who has had the biggest crush on you since before he revealed his true form. He wanted to be sure that he could be the best self for you.

Now? he can only ever let you touch his horns and his tail. The only one he would let close at the darkest of nights. His confession was a little messy but it was confident. He loved you more than anyone, he would put you above all. How could he leave?

“i would give my everything to you. I would rip off my horns and scrape every scale i have if it means you will be happy, because you are my treasure. i believe i am born again and again just for you”

authors note ; i might start a movie/show reviewing blog 🏃 also honkai star rail requests open

[aurastacia]

(Late) Art for DanMarch Week 2024 on twitter!

Day 6: PowerSwap

Vidyadhara March 7th and Six Phased Ice Dan Heng!

[astrobreaks]

a Very Late birthday gift dan feng for my love 🐉🌺

[egg-witch]

Alright I promised I'd do a proper theory post so here it is

~ On The Lifespan And Development Of Long-Life Species ~

☆ Xianzhou native humans:

Can live for thousands of years and do not die of old age, rather eventually succumb to mara.

My theory is that their physical development is not directly proportional to a regular human's but slows exponentially: as young children they grow at a typical human rate, then progressively more slowly over time.

Yanqing in the new event estimates himself to be the same age as Luka, who appears as a late teen or young adult, so from this we can gather that by around 18-20 a Xianzhou long-life human has equivalent physical maturity to a young teen. We also know thanks to Huaiyan that they do (or at least, can) continue to age past physical maturity. While we don't really know for sure what's going on with Huaiyan specifically we have been told that he is the oldest of the Arbiter-Generals, and potentially many times older than everyone else we've seen, so it's not a huge leap to assume Xianzhou natives just age extremely slowly past adulthood and most become mara-struck long before they show signs of advanced age.

Culturally, it seems the age of adulthood for Xianzhou humans is variously considered to be 100-200 years old, which also supports this. I do see that as predominantly a social consequence of their longevity and lifestyle, and indeed we know they tend to appear as adults well before the age of 100, though there are suggestions that continuing to grow taller beyond that age is plausible. My impression is that it's typical to spend up to a century or maybe even longer hovering in that late adolescent almost-fully-grown state, by which point physical development has slowed to a crawl.

Adding Xianzhou cultural notions of what constitutes cognitive and emotional maturity (the mental hallmarks of having existed for hundreds of years) = they spend a long time functionally adults but not quite regarded as such by their society.

☆ Vidyadhara:

By contrast, it seems the Vidyadhara typically age at a rate linearly comparable to short-life humans, just much slower, with physical maturity taking 100-200 years to reach and maximum lifespan being around 700 before they must reincarnate. Though we've seen few examples of this (actually I don't know if there have been any in the game itself, though Dan Heng alludes to it in the 2.5 story) the Vidyadhara do physically grow old as they approach this mark.

Complicating things, it's becoming more common over time for Vidyadhara to have stunted physical growth and spend centuries or even their whole lives with the appearance of children - this seems to be purely physical. Bailu is a special case here as it's hinted that her development is being intentionally blocked by the device on her tail.

High Elders are implied to perhaps also be a special case, though this should be taken with a grain of salt as the evidence here is a comment in the context of an exaggerated story as well as one of Dan Heng's Imbibitor Lunae eidolon pictures. It's possible that they are reborn already being mostly or fully physically mature and do not age normally as a result of inheriting the High Elder powers.

Interactions with the Vidyadhara eggs in Scalegorge Waterscape seem to imply that a Vidyadhara can potentially spend several centuries within an egg before being reborn, as some of the inhabitants of the eggs are suggested to have entered hatching rebirth shortly after the Sedition of Imbibitor Lunae and still have yet to hatch, though it's possible these memory impressions are from previous incarnations.

☆ Foxians:

Foxians are the shortest-lived of the "long-life" Xianzhou inhabitants, with a maximum lifespan between 250-450 years. Notably, they appear physically youthful until almost the end of their natural lives, aging rapidly in their final few years.

We don't have much direct evidence regarding how quickly they grow as children, though at a guess I would say the same as short-life humans given their mechanism of longevity is stated to be "an abundance of powerful stem cells" which doesn't sound like it would slow their development so much as just prevent them from age-related degeneration.

[astralexpressarchives]

Bird Symbolism on the Xianzhou

This all started with a question I asked my friend: "Well, have you ever seen a bird on the Xianzhou?"

Birds have played a major role in my very autistic investigations of Xianzhou lore. My intuition just knew that they were important so I started cataloguing every instance of birds appearing on the Xianzhou. I'll start with the more common appearances and then delve into the more obscure ones.

I would also like to preface this by saying I am not a bird scientist nor am I particularly interested in birds outside of the context of HSR. I simply noticed there were some repeating patterns and really wanted to make note of them.

So here's all the times I've seen a bird on the Xianzhou.

The Boring Ones

Sky-faring Commission/Starskiff Bird Symbol

This bird shows up all over the Xianzhou on buildings and signage. It is used on the signs indicating starskiffs but honestly can show up anywhere. Large associations with the sky-faring commission. Highly likely it is inspired by the white bird later in the post.

Jing Yuan's Finches

Another really obvious one as most people are familiar with his finches. As far as I know, they only appear in relation to Jing Yuan and don't seem to have any meaning outside of sheer vibes.

Before Dawn Lightcone:

"Do not make this decision lightly, general... Think about how you will be remembered in history..." The general of the Cloud Knights listens to his subordinates' words with eyes half-closed. "History will make its own judgment, but I have no interest in my legacy." "If I succeed, history will state that I am currently supremely confident in my masterful strategy." "But if I fail, then history will state that I am currently neglecting my duties in wanton pleasure, preferring finches over my people." A finch jumps down from his shoulder, and he extends his hand to catch the small creature. "I have simply made my own decision."

Yukong's Kestral

Similar to the bird that appears on Yanqing, Yukong's Kestral is a symbol that is connected to her beloved Caiyi.

Past and Future Lightcone:

The wings of the paper kite in her hands were broken, brutally reminding her of her beloved's tragic passing. She kneeled next to the fire of war, eyes full of sorrow. "If you are the only one left to do this, then our sacrifice would..." Gunfire raged on, painting the sky red without dampening its majesty. She looked up at the sky, eyes full of fury.

Edit: Qingque and Phoenix

These aren't related to anything as far as I can tell but there is also this bird that appears on Qingque's outfit.

There's also a phoenix that shows up in the Palace of Astrum and again in the Seven Arbiter Generals myriad. It may be something related to the history of the Xianzhou (the planet they came from in particular) because it appears on each of those panels outlining the backstory.

The Fun Ones

Yanqing's Swallow

Now starting to get into the territory of birds that are actually pretty interesting to the lore. The swallow is a bird that is literally everywhere on Yanqing. The painting is found near the Petrichor Inn. - this is significant because the Petrichor Inn has strong associations with the Vidyadhara. The also appear on the handle of his sword and in his splashart.

River Flows in Spring Lightcone:

The young boy took a short break from his sword practice. The sunlight was baking his already heated neck. He slowly got into the water, whose coldness touched his bare feet. When the bell chimes and birds tweet, even the people far away would know that springtime had arrived.

The Water Birds

Repeated appearance of birds made of water both in relation to Yanqing and found in cages in the Vidyadhara section of the Xianzhou. I believe these are some kind of spirit birds similar to the water creatures that swim through the Scalegorge Waterscape and Dan Heng's own azure dragon. These are probably similar to the Oceanids of Genshin Impact where they actually contain souls that take whatever shape they want in the water - probably the souls of dead Vidyadhara if I had to guess. Why are they being caged and sold around the Xianzhou in Vidyadhara areas? I have literally no idea at this point.

Yanqing has these ice swallows appear during his attacks. There's a recurring theme of swords containing souls in Xianxia stories which is also loosely connected to the concept of Blade's sword graveyard in the Hellscape. I think Yanqing's ice birds are somehow souls similar to the water birds caged around the Xianzhou.

The uber weird part about all of this is how at the end of Yanqing's ultimate you see this image. In the background of the image are the mountains associated strongly with the Vidyadhara and Dan Heng in particular.

I don't know what this means for Yanqing right now but he is an expy of a pre-existing character from Honkai Impact 3rd: Ma Yanqing. They probably have some plan for him that isn't immediately apparent right now but I would like to point out that his grandmaster, Jingliu, is also heavily associated with the mountain moon realm and can also summon a sword made of water/ice. This does not appear to be a technique known by anyone else and Jingliu herself needed to defeat the abomination in order to acquire her singular ice sword.

The Crane

Appearing initially only on Dan Feng's clothing, the crane has made a comeback in the new Cloud Knights Martial Doctrine, On Swords myriad trailer. They are significant because the also appear among the mountain realm and the moon. Notice the association Jingliu, Yanqing, and Dan Heng in particular.

The Black Bird

So not all the birds in this picture are distinctly black but their colour is ambiguous and they are similarly shaped so I'm lumping them together. They all appear in association with the mountain area - Blade's sword graveyard is also in the mountain area. The top right picture is from Dan Heng's first fansong.

The White Bird

Not sure what species of bird this is supposed to be but there's a white bird that appears repeatedly in association with the mountain realm. More specifically, it appears among the clouds and may freely travel from the Scalegorge to the Mountains through the hole in the clouds. Bottom left is from Blade's fansong. I think these birds may represent souls and the dead in the same way that Blade's spiderlilies and swords do.

There's also this bird above the realm-keeping commission that I'm unsure how to categorize because of it's unique shape but it's also among the mountains and moon.

Edit: Dan Shu's Bird

This one is actually important for the spirit bird concept. In the Longevous Disciple relic set she tells us of a story that inspires her:

According to the legend, a certain delvemaster saved her partner by placing their soul into a bird, granting them immortality. However, she eventually could not resist the call of the avian and also transformed into a bird, flying alongside them. Over time, the delvemaster became confused and lost her true form, becoming a half-feathered, half-human monster. When her subjects stormed the palace and pierced her with blazing spears and arrows, the two birds sang a final mournful song and turned to ashes together. She loved this story so much that she took the essence and marrow of birds and transformed them in the alchemical furnace, then had someone weave these materials into a luxurious feather coat. She could not see just how beautiful the coat was, but nonetheless enjoyed walking around the house while wearing it — it was meant to be seen by a person who no longer existed. As the garb fluttered, she always felt that a bird-like soul was flying and passing through her hands and shoulders, ever-present.

It's not clear how much of the legend is actually true but it could be inspired by the spirit birds.

I think I've said just about everything that I wanted to say. I'm curious if anyone else has any thoughts on the birds. I've listed most of them but there are one or two paintings I left out from fear of repetition.

I have a lot of additional Thoughts about the birds but I'll leave that for another post.

[grimlyveiled]

I don't care what anybody says this is the hottest npc in Honkai Star Rail. I don't care about your Screwllums. I don't care about your Duke Infernos or your Hoolays or your Skotts. Taoran is special to me and God am I so mad that Hoyoverse didn't push a little further and make him a playable character. His character design is so sick and incredibly unique for an hsr character. I mean the one abundance branch horn and the crazy abundance colored draconic arm? You're telling me that isn't sick af? I spent a good chunk of time learning Vidyadhara lore just so I could draw him (which I'm still working on). He's evil as fuck and I LOVE evil men. I love when they are so irredeemably evil! I'm so angry he's not playable. I would have pulled him without a shadow of a doubt. Sadly, because he's so incredibly unpopular there's little to no fanart and little to no fanfiction where he is the main focus. Everybody is sleeping on Taoran I tell you what.

[spoopyium]

Fuck you *gives your dragon like character sharp teeth and more scales*

[b1adie]

history of the xianzhou: exodus of the five dragons