#yaoshi first. obviously

[rainswept]

mythus is the second hottest aeon. to me. personally

[shalomniscient]

BAD ROMANCE || acheron x reader [NSFT][MDNI]

I WANT YOUR LOVE AND ALL YOUR LOVER'S REVENGE, YOU AND ME COULD WRITE A BAD ROMANCE !

cw. DEAD DOVE DO NOT EAT, snuff (but not permanently), graphic descriptions of violence, gore, violent sex, masochism on part of reader, reader is honestly just fucking crazy, no lube, creampie

notes. hyv was insane for that animated short frfr also the song for this fic is obviously bad romance but the cover by halestorm specifically. check it out, it slaps !!

VERY IMPORTANT AUTHOR'S NOTE, PLEASE READ !! ↳ This work contains dark content, to the point where I must tag this as DEAD DOVE: DO NOT EAT. I cannot stress this enough. ↳ There will be graphic depictions of gore and violence, and violence during sex. Please check and heed the content warnings. ↳ You are responsible for the content you consume.

Acheron first encounters you on a desolate planet bereft of life. You stand alone amidst withered trees and lifeless stumps, your feet bare upon grey, scorched earth. You don't react when the embers land upon your skin. Your gaze is cast to the melancholy sky as you hum to yourself, rocking back and forth on your heels. You don't even turn to her when you speak.

"We finally meet, oh harbinger of death," you hum, your tone light and airy, unbefitting this dead space. "I've been waiting for a while."

Acheron blinks, slowly, taking you in. There's something about you that's distinctly... similar, in a way. You are more than you seem. Something blessed—or perhaps, cursed—by a higher being.

"You know me?" she asks, taking a step towards you, and you finally turn to face her. Your eyes give her pause—fathomlessly deep and dark. Your sclera are pitch black, and your irises the colour of blood. An enigmatic smile stretches across your features as she stares.

"Of course," you say. "How could I not, when the voices of those you have slaughtered cry out so desperately for salvation?"

Acheron's eyes narrow. "What are you?"

Her question pulls a giggle from you. What are you, not who are you. She has a suspicion already, but she wants to hear it from you, first. You reach out towards her, caressing her pale cheek with your hand—were this any other situation, Acheron might even consider it lovely, free from scars or blemishes.

"The same as you," you whisper, your eyes half-lidded in a way that has Acheron's grip curling around the hilt of her sword. "My fellow Emanator."

Her hand shoots out to grip your wrist, pulling your hand away from her face. She squeezes, muscles in her arm flexing, and she swears she hears your bones creak. But you remain unfazed, smiling almost dreamily at her.

"Are you here to stop me?" she growls. Just a little more pressure, and she'd snap your pretty wrist like a twig.

"No," you say simply. "I care not for your mission."

"Then why have you sought me out?"

You hum, and with your free hand, trail a finger down her chest. The arm caught in Acheron's grip is starting to bruise. "Because there is something I want from you."

"And what might that be?"

You beam at her, and lean in, close enough to brush your lips against hers. It makes Acheron jolt, and distantly she can hear your wrist shatter, but the intensity of you so close demands all her attention. You speak your desire against her lips like a kiss.

"Death."

After that incident, you follow her around, much like a lost cat. Your mangled wrist righted itself within seconds, and Acheron pieced together whose Emanator you are.

Yaoshi, the Abundance.

She has heard about the favored of the Abundance, but has never encountered one—until you, of course. As she braces herself over you, your hands pinned to the floor of a dead duke's mansion, she wonders if your other Emanators are as odd as you are. Or as hungry for death.

She doesn't remember how many times she's killed you by now. How many times she's unsheathed that blade of hers and carved it through your soft flesh until all that remains of you are mangled pieces on the ground. But she does remember sitting by your side, or what's left of it, and watching as your flesh knits back together, cells multiplying and dividing and sowing sinew and muscle until you finally come back from whatever end you experienced ever so briefly, your chest jerking up as it floods with air. And despite herself, she's starting to enjoy it. Such a pretty little plaything you make, one she hasn't been able to break no matter how much she's tried.

You always look for her first when you return. And you always ask her for more.

Like now, as she has you flat on the floor, and you look up at her with the hungriest eyes she's ever seen. You had watched, delighted, as she ripped and tore apart that infernal duke, giggling all the while as his 'children' scattered to the winds. And once she was done you had pounced on her, wild and almost feral, throwing your arms around her neck and whispering into her ear, "me next."

She won't remember doing this, but right now it's difficult to think beyond the drumbeat of her pulse in her ears. She can hear yours, too. It's so fucking loud. She wonders what your heart looks like, pulsing away in your chest. She wonders what it'll do when she rips it from your ribcage and holds it in her hand.

She crashes her lips against yours like she wants to devour you. You groan into the kiss, if that's even what it can be called. Acheron's teeth scrape your lower lip then bite, drawing blood, and the taste of your blood on her tongue makes a shiver course down her spine. Your blood has a unique taste—metallic, certainly, but with a hint of sweetness kind of like peaches. She fucking loves it. You wrap your legs around her waist and grind up into her pelvis, against the growing bulge there. Acheron growls, manhandling your wrists above your head to grip them with one hand so the other can hold your hips still.

She trails her kisses lower, down your jaw and to your neck. She drags the edges of her canines against your jugular and you shiver in anticipation. She can feel your pulse against her lips, against her tongue, thump-thump-thump, and she resists the urge to sink her teeth into the artery and let the crimson liquid spill into her mouth. Instead she keeps going, lower and lower, until she reaches the collar of your clothing.

With one swift movement she tears the fabric apart, and it falls into tattered pieces around you. You jerk as the warmth of the surroundings settles on your bare skin, though Acheron offers you no reprieve. She scratches her free hand down the side of your ribs, drawing red lines as she goes. Her lips descend on your nipples, already stiff as she licks and sucks one before moving to the next. Everywhere her lips touch, dark marks bloom like brutal flowers on your skin.

You whine out her name softly, arching your back, and Acheron looks up the length of your body with electric, half-lidded eyes. Your expression is twisted into one of pure pleasure—the pain had always been something you loved, something you craved. And Acheron is all too eager to give it to you.

She moves back up, and uses her free hand to undo the buckles of her shorts. They’re almost constrictingly tight now, and she fumbles with the zipper until it comes loose and her aching cock springs free. She hears you make a pretty, breathy noise, and sneers down at you. Her hand slips down your body to your core, and her cock twitches when she finds that you’re fucking dripping.

“Getting off being used like this?” she hisses, dragging her finger through your drenched folds. “Dirty girl.”

“Please,” you moan, canting your hips into her touch. Acheron withdraws her fingers at that, then slaps your still-clothed pussy. You jolt and whine in surprise, those unnatural eyes of yours widening. “Wh—“

“I’ll do what I want to you,” she snarls, gripping your calves and manhandling your thighs open. She pulls you forward until her cock brushes along the soaked fabric of your panties. Her tip catches on your clit and you moan despite the dulled sensation. Then, her fingers hook into your underwear and tug them to the side, exposing your pretty pussy to her.

“So shut up and just take it,” she growls, before shoving her entire length into you with one smooth thrust.

You scream in both pain and pleasure as Acheron splits you open on her thick cock. She has both her hands beneath your knees, holding your legs wide open as she ruts into your clenching cunt, hardly giving you time to adjust. She’s vicious with it, each snap of her hips making the sound of flesh against flesh ring throughout the abandoned mansion alongside your shrill cries of ecstasy. Your fingers claw at the floor until they bleed, drawing red lines on the black marble.

Acheron grunts as she feels your pussy squeeze her—even here, balls-deep in your tight pussy she can feel your incessant heartbeat pulsing away. She feels like she can drown in it, in that rhythmic pitter-patter of your heart as it races like some sort of prey animal.

Yes, that’s what this all feels like—a hunt. She as the wolf, you as the rabbit. She the hunter, you the hunted.

It’s a god damn fucking frenzy. Lust and bloodlust fog her mind. Her hair is turning white. She fucks you into the floor, shifting her position so that gravity helps with each thrust she makes. She practically folds your lower half in ways that would snap a regular human, but only serves to deliriously excite you. Aeons, you’re fucking crazy, but she’d be lying if she said she didn’t feel it too.

But the end of the hunt approaches. She feels you tightening around her, and you scream out her name with each downward drive of her hips. Your heartbeat thunders in her ears now, and she matches her thrusts with each beat, sending slick flying from your gushing cunt and her own leaking cock. She leans up, nosing beneath your jaw, right where your pulse thrums.

But here’s a thing about hunts—there’s only one way they end. So her teeth sink into your neck, the taste of iron and peaches spills onto her tongue, and the world goes white as she reaches her peak.

She’s always never felt more alive than during the moment of the kill.

When she comes to again, she’s kneeling on the floor and there’s blood on her lips and chin, spilling down her neck and onto her chest. She clicks her tongue and wipes her lips with the back of her hand. Beyond that, her clothes are in fine condition, as if nothing ever happened. And maybe she might have believed so, were it not for one thing:

It’s quiet.

That pounding drumbeat is gone, replaced by calm silence. And that’s when she remembers—you’re still here. She looks down, and there you lie, motionless in a pool of crimson liquid, the flesh of your neck torn asunder, exposing the white of your bones and the attaching tendons and sinew.

Your face is frozen in an expression of bliss, eyes half-lidded and lips curled into a half-smile. Idly, Acheron thinks it’s a rather pretty look on you.

(You come back a few minutes later, chest heaving and eyes shooting open. The scarlet halo of blood surrounding your head on the floor makes you look like a bleeding saint.

And then you smile at her, sickly sweet, and your heart starts up again, slowly restarting the cycle once more.

Acheron can’t fucking wait.)

[hawkinasock]

haiii pls spill abt ur chimera yq ideas... i have my own (https://www.tumblr.com/waterfrontcomplex/758520749229277184/dunmeshi-chapter-37ep-17-spoilers-look?source=share)

i also drew my own idea of him (swallow + abundant deer)

Yes ofc!! I'm so happy that someone else has had this idea too, it has so much potential. I want to see all the chimera Yanqings.

Mine looks like this. I actually didn't have a design drawn out for him initially, so I had to whip something up quickly. That's why it took me so long to answer </3

Originally, he had a more swallow-based design.

I still really like it, but I changed the lore a lot, so I made the new one, the current au, which goes something like this:

(CW for blatant body horror, descriptions of digestion, as well as brief details regarding real world animal death)

Here's my idea. Like most aeons, Lan The Hunt has emanators that carry out their will. One of these emanator's is currently unnamed and without a solid design yet. It has an animalistic appearance in my head. Imagine Feixiao's inner beast, or the Mourning Aix from WuWa. That'll give you the best reference.

It travels the cosmos, tracking down and eliminating the Abundance. it does this with the use of extremely powerful olfactory cells. Even with galaxies separating them, the emanator can detect abominations through smell alone, and when it finds one, it will consume it to ensure it cannot possibly regenerate.

Suffice to say, it's very good at its job, and Yanqing, unfortunately, is not an exception to their heightened senses. Surprisingly to no one, Abundance Yanqing coexists with this au, and he is immediately recognized as an abomination when the emanator is in proximity of the Luofu. Yanqing is unaware of his status as an spawn of Yaoshi, so when the devourer of monsters (working title) visits the Luofu, he never would have expected it to turn its eyes onto him.

To say the Luofu is thrown into chaos when one of Lan's emanator's eats a Liuetenant of The Hunt is an understatement. The emanator insists no mistake has been made and it is justified through Lan's divine will. It actually shifts the blame onto Jing Yuan for assigning an abomination as his Lieutenant in the first place, citing incompetence on his part. Kind of a shitty thing to do after eating the man's son but okay...

Not long after, the emanator starts to... change. It begins experiencing sudden and visible signs of mara: bouts of aggression, delirium, and eventually flora and fungus sprouting from its flesh. It's incorrectly concluded that Yanqing's death was a result of early unset mara in the emanator, and Jing Yuan decides the emanator has to be killed via decapitation, such is their duty as followers of The Hunt.

You can probably guess where this is going.

So, you know how bones are capable of fusing together or into other objects during the healing process? Like that deer that was shot by an arrow and the ribcage actually fused itself with the arrow? That's essentially how chimera Yanqing is born.

As an abomination, Yanqing is capable of postmortem regeneration, and as an abomination that is particularly favored by Yaoshi (in my delusional mind) his regeneration capabilities far exceed that of the average denizen, and one this emanator's digestive system was not capable of overriding.

Much like how that deer bone fused with the arrow, Yanqing's body begins the process of fusing back together after partial consumption, and during that process, he inadvertently fuses with the emanator's body, which triggered those mara symptoms. Additionally, because there had also been remains of other denizens in the emanator's stomach, they were unintentionally included in the revitalization process. This, in the end, gave the chimera's body the claws of a Borisin, the wings of a Wingweaver, and the head of a human (his body structure is also the same as the Houyhnhnm, but that's obviously a coincidence on my part lol).

The flowers and mushrooms don't really serve any other purpose besides looking pretty and emphasizing his connection to the abundance - his power is so palpable that life is literally sprouting through his skin. I just think it's kinda neat.

Anyways, in terms of psychological aftereffects, Yanqing himself is still there. However, his sense of self is muddied and most of his memories suppressed. Because he's at the head, he's in control of his own movements and actions. Usually, he's completely docile, but in the face of people currently trying to kill him, he becomes confused and scared, and fights back in self-defense. He's also experiencing prolonged dysmorphia from his new form, which causes him greater confusion and even pain.

For Jing Yuan? I think everyone would agree he wouldn't want to kill Yanqing. He believes there's still a way to reverse Yanqing's affliction, even if the Ten Lords insist otherwise.

Currently I don't have an detailed outline of what happens next. My current ideas are similar to yours actually, where the disciples take an interest in Yanqing for whatever reason, be it desperation to stop the Luofu from killing him and seeing him as blessed by Yaoshi, what have you. It could honestly go a similar route as Dvalin's manipulation by the hands of the Abyss. If I were to give this au a happy ending, I could incorporate the Viscorpus' ability to shapeshift and have Yanqing hone that ability, allowing him to regain his human form.

That's all I have for what was meant to be a short, detailed summary </3 All these asks always end with me yapping, forgive me. I've had this au cooking in my head for so long now, and I'm glad I have an excuse to spurge about it now.

(p.s. pls make more of your chimera au, I would eat it up)

[victorckk]

Sorry for uhh.. not really posting much art, I have NOT had the energy to really do anything because of some things. And I’ve been more fixated on HSR recently.

BUT!! I did redesign my HSR OC while procrastinating to finish the recent mission, so that’s a bonus I think.

Downside is I never want to see another banana or monkey ever again after that. I don’t want to even eat a banana ever again.

—————————

Faris’ updated information:

Element: Ice

Path: Abundance

Pronouns: He/Him

Voice Claim: Bryce Papenbrook (hehe Eren Yeager jokes I’m running out of voice claim options man)

Faris isn’t sure of his origins other than being created by the Aeon of Beauty according to legends that have spread throughout the universe for centuries.

The Knights of Beauty hold Faris in high regards, and a few members have always tried to track him down to serve him. This is due to the rumors that have spread throughout the cosmos; although modern Knights have no lasting proof that he was created by the Aeon of Beauty, they blindly believe it to keep their faith in Idrila alive.

Unbeknownst to most, he is an Emanator of the Aeon of Abundance. He isn’t sure of Yaoshi’s reasoning for gazing upon him, but he likes to believe that it’s so he can see Idrila again, if THEY are even still alive in the first place. Although, it’s led to him feeling trapped between the Abundance and the Beauty; an experience he jokingly describes as “being stuck in a cosmic custody battle”.

Diamond, the highest ranking member of the Ten Stonehearts, offered Faris “protection and more” if he joined the IPC. Faris agreed to the deal, but only because he was unaware that the organization intended to use his Emanator abilities to their advantage.

—————————

Being a well known director across the cosmos constantly searching for inspiration, it’s no shock that Faris and Mr. Reca have crossed paths a few times. The legends surrounding Faris have intrigued the man greatly, so much to the point that he keeps requesting for Faris to be the star in one of his films.

But unbeknownst to Faris, the Memokeeper is more interested in him than in his memories. That doesn’t mean Mr. Reca isn’t interested in those as well, though. The Director’s secondary goal is to search Faris’ memories for any that capture his attention.

—————————

While the main purpose of his journey is to find the Aeon of Beauty, Argenti is also on a quest to track down Faris after hearing the rumors about his supposed identity and origins.

However, Argenti isn’t tracking down Faris to serve him like the rest of the Knights; he believes Faris to be Idrila’s reincarnation instead of creation, so he desires nothing more than to receive Blessings and Recognition from Faris. He is unaware of the man being an Emanator of the Abundance.

—————————

TRVIA

He is immune to Mara, due to being an artificial creation. The only symptom he shows is having memory problems, but not as severe as normal Mara-struck.

He refers to Idrila as his Mother and Father. He refers to Yaoshi as these things too, and he obviously favors The Abundance when using them.

For you dilf likers or whatever. He raised a young Knight at one point shortly after becoming an Emanator. He outlived her, though. He cherishes the memories of her more than anything. Faris even has a huge soft spot for children. He’s 100% a good dad

He is BISEXUAL !! He deserves to be an immortal bicon.

—————————

And because I’m gay and cringe, I WILL find some way to ship him with Reca. I don’t care. Just gotta come up with a cringe ass ship name and everything

[ohmeadows]

Been having thoughts on that scene with Tingyun from patch 1.2, and some of the fandom’s dooming over it. Obviously, spoilers. But no leaks.

The ambiguous “is she dead? is she alive?” is interesting to me from a narrative standpoint, it’s fun to not know for me, but I feel like people are writing off Tingyun too easily: I’ve seen some people dismiss her being alive with “she’s a random fox girl with no combat prowess”. Here’s some arguments I have for why she might actually be alive. (Barring 1.x patches proving me wrong! Yay conclusions to character arcs!)

First of all, we know that the one who died in front of us was not Tingyun. It’s stated several times, and for argument’s sake, let’s take it at face value for what they say: that was not Tingyun. The body was “borrowed”. We further know that Phantylia was not always in possession of Tingyun’s body, suggesting at some point in her life (perhaps very recently, perhaps years ago) this borrowing began.

Working with these assumptions of of truth, I’d argue there are some factors that could point to Tingyun being alive.

The first thing we know about her, and what is shown in her personal stories dating back decades, is that she is an amicassador (amicable + ambassador), and holds a potential and powerful diplomatic sway as well as silver tongue. I think this alone suggests if she got herself in a dire position, she could have been in possession of information vital enough to be a valuable trade. Everyone needs information, even the Antimatter Legion. Maybe this trade of information has left her disinclined to come back to the Xianzhou as well.

Further, Tingyun has a very vested interest in the future of the Xianzhou, as expressed in her personal stories as well as Yukong pinning her hopes on her. Tingyun aims to achieve this through trade, something Yukong encourages, seeing no future in the Xianzhou fleet continuing chasing wars. Trading information, perhaps trading her body, if the gain was big or vital enough? I could see that happening. Panthylia is able to mimic Tingyun so precisely that it’s also an interesting factor to consider — perhaps Tingyun was consistently feeding information to her, either by choice or force.

It’s still unclear if real Tingyun was on the Luofu or not while all of this went down, and searching for a person on the Luofu is hard enough, consider the vastness of the universe — what diplomatic mission might this have happened during? How many years back? Tingyun’s personal stories imply she might sometimes be gone for years at a time.

(Her name is interesting in context, 停云, or ��Lingering Clouds”, referencing a poem, but 停 carrying the meaning of “halt, stop” as well, implying stopping the clouds. There are a lot of cloud motifs associated with the Luofu in particular.)

A final option could be that yes, she has gone “”evil”” and aligned with the Antimatter Legion or perhaps the Yaoshi. That’s fun in its own ways, though I personally lean more towards her amicassador and heading up a trade guild as potential ways for her to survive in dire situations others might fail to navigate.

So. Even if she does end up dead, knock on wood, if nothing else, there’s some fodder for AU thoughts. We might get more clarity whenever the safe in her shop is opened and we get to read the letter she leaves there in case she never returns. (Probably the strongest hint for a death flag, but… Also a hint towards her having something more going on than what we see on the surface.)

End of the day, Tingyun is an important crux of the Xianzhou's future: war, or peace? Continue with the dual-edged deal they have made with Lan against the Yaoshi, or find another path entirely? A lot of important characters hint towards a general exhaustion with warmongering and the cost it has taken on them. Tingyun surviving could be an important future. Tingyun dying could be a galvanizing moment for Yukong. Whichever way it falls, it's bound to have important rippling effects beyond "boring weak fox girl".

[krawlernyannyan]

We're almost definitely getting Harmony!Stelle by the end of the Penacony plot and obviously I'm excited for that but lately I've been thinking about the four Paths we have to get to after this and all of them are fascinating for entirely separate reasons:

The Hunt is almost definitely the result of us going back to the Xianzhou. While I'm loudly not a fan of the Luofu plotline, there's a lot of varied locales in the ships we haven't been to yet and, frankly, any of them would be good background dressing for new stories. It's probably the Yuque since that's where Luocha and Jingliu are right now but I'd personally love to see the Yaoqing.

The Erudition is going to be interesting because I can already see a few reasons that would get Stelle pursuing knowledge for the sake of knowing, but my fascination is entirely on the back of the entire extant Genius Society looking at this girl after Nous glances at her and having to collectively ask "So do we let the human raccoon into the Society or do we pretend this never happened?"

The Nihility is going to be a ride to see play out because, like...IX doesn't even pay attention to other Aeons. How absolutely hopeless does a person have to get for that living black hole to even notice you in the first place, let alone grant you powers? How absolutely ruined is this girl going to get to start fighting on the side of existential malaise??

The Abundance is the Path I'm the most anxious about, because the Path of Abundance is nurturing and kind and all that but then you look at the factions of Abundance and it's almost entirely body horror monstrosities and living nightmares. Aside from Nanook, Yaoshi is the only Aeon whose factions are universally shown in antagonistic lights, and the idea of Stelle having to fight on the same side as armies with living warships and entire living (carnivorous) planets is so intriguing.

[shining-gem34]

Dan Feng/Dan Heng and the Aeons (1)

Note: This is all HC of what I think their opinions regarding the Aeons of Long, Lan, and Yaoshi until otherwise revealed.

"The Vidydhara, as a whole, do not forget our origins. The hatchlings of the present are not as devout as their seniors, but we cannot forget. Long existence is like a code etched deeply into our souls- A cycle we cannot escape from. Their gift...is both a blessing and a curse." -Dan Feng.

In general, Dan Feng respects Long and understands their importance to the Vidyadhara as a whole. As High Elder, he is required to partake in committees discussing his clan celebrations and give the final word where the planning is directed. In any important rituals, the leading role naturally falls to the High Elder to make sure it goes off without a hitch. Otherwise, in private, Dan Feng very little practices his faith. He holds Long, their Creator close to his heart. But, not so close he considers himself a devout worshipper compared to the other Vidyadhara. However, with the ongoing problem of the Vidyadhara species in slow decline and his personal issues- Dan Feng can't help resent Long just a little bit. After all, their blessing is starting to become more of a curse at this point. But how can he, a mortal, judge an Aeon? Not just any Aeon, but the Aeon of Permanence who given birth to the Vidyadhara. To reject Long, even deceased, is considered blasphemy.

"I do not share the Vidyadhara faith in Long. The reason...Well, I'm sure you understand why by now. Unfortunately, I am that man reincarnation. As long as I hold this power, my encounters with the Vidyadhara will not end here." -Dan Heng

Dan Heng has no love or hate towards Long. He acknowledges their existence, their importance to the Vidyadhara, and their relevance to him. He does not love Long, because he does not worship them- respect them, yes. He does not hate Long, because the ones who hurt him are their children. Besides, what reason does he have to hate an Aeon who ihas long passed away? Despite the Preceptors best efforts to educate him, Dan Heng obviously does not practice their faith in Long. If he must, it will be after the events in Xianzhou Luofu where he's learning more about their culture including the Vidyadhara. Something he never got to do during his imprisonment. Everything he learns and research will go into the databank. But also, it's helping Dan Heng understand more about a place he never saw as a home. Slowly, it may also help him gain a deeper understanding of his past incarnations knowledge and Long.

"The Reignbow Arbiter, unless summoned, has no reason to appear before us. We are their warriors, raising our weapons, and vowed to eliminate every last one of Yaoshi abominations. Yet, what honor can be gained for losing your life in this eternal war?" -Dan Feng

While Dan Feng is closer to Long than Lan, he respects them no less. The Reignbow Arbiter eternal pursuit against Yaoshi inspired the Xianzhou to take arms and follow them. Their beliefs aligned with Lan determination to eliminate the Abominations of Yaoshi and that hasn't changed even in the present.

Dan Feng is the High Elder of the Vidyadhara. Naturally, his first priority are his clan and the Xianzhou natives second. There are times when it is difficult to make a decision: to find a compromise. Because he is not only Vidyadhara, but he is also a soldier who spoke his vows to the Hunt as many others had done. The war he joins and fight is for the sake of his people AND the Xianzhou.

Is it conflicting when he follows Long and Lan? The simple answer is no, because there is no point in trying to understand what the Aeons are thinking (especially since Long has long passed.)

Dan Feng knows his priorities. It's in the present where his people rely on him for safety and guidance. It's where his friends/families, and his lovers (or fiances/spouse) matter the most to him.

He is the High Elder of the Vidyadhara Luofu, a member of the HCQ, a friend to a selected few, and...a lover to the most amazing people (Yingxing and Jing Yuan) in his life.

Dan Feng is never described as a person with feelings. But his heart, his human bleeds, seeing the loss in the endless war against the Abundance.

That's why he can never understand why so many see it as an honor to die fightning for their homeland. Not when they still have people waiting for them to return home.

And a part of him that he kept locked away resents Lan [Aeons] for this.

But again, Aeons are beyond mortal understanding. What does his opinion matter?

"Before I met Himeko, I was a wanderer. I followed the Hunt, because I felt like I was required to in order to redeem myself. Wherever I went, battles follow and I had to fight to survive. If an abomination of Abundance appeared...I felt compelled to fight and eliminate them. " -Dan Heng

Initially, Dan Heng believed if he followed the path of the The Hunt, then it would distance himself further away from Dan Feng. Not only that, but it would enforce his identity as "Dan Heng". The crimes of his past self had committed should've been absolved after he reincarnated. Yet, it didn't matter in the end as Dan Heng is punished for his past incarnation crimes. As for his opinion of Lan, Dan Heng will admit he is biased. He knows the consequences for seeking immortality; a monster. He agrees with Lan end goal- to kill Yaoshi. By extension, he also agrees with the Xianzhou cause as well. Dan Heng respects Lan and their ideals, but he does not walk the same path as their followers do. Because Dan Heng is an exile, marked as a criminal for a sin his past incarnation had done. But that's alright, because Dan Heng found his place in the universe as a Nameless on the Astral Express.

"Do not heed the words of Yaoshi worshippers. The Plague Authors mercy is a curse in disguise of a blessing. Their "love" is sweet on the tongue, but they're vile. A disease festering in your core. A parasite slowly eating away your life and sanity as your body rots." -Dan Feng

Dan Feng absolutely abhors Yaoshi, but more than that he hates himself for resorting to use a flesh of an Emanator of Abundance. But he believed at the time he was doing the right thing for the right cause. In the aftermath, within his prison, he feels only regrets and defeat...

"I do not agree with the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus. There's a reason why Yaoshi existence does more harm than good. They bring life, but they also sow discord and suffering. Dan Feng knew that, so why did he...?" -Dan Heng

Dan Heng is absolutely confused why his past incarnation committed one of the Unpardonable Sins. He abhors Yaoshi, any of their children are dead on sight.

[milksnake-tea]

First of all, I love your writing! Genuinely excited to read more of the Sunday series

Second of all, speaking of the Sunday series, I have So Many Questions about Reader. Are they a long-life species? Immortal, even?

Also, the healing abilities they've shown so far remind me way too much of the Abundance to just be a coincidence. Are they an Abundance Pathstrider, or have they received Yaoshi's blessing like Luocha did? Is that part of why they're the way they are?

Thanks for listening!

thank you so much??? that means a lot especially since i've been going on this inferiority complex spiral lately, so i'm really glad that you like the series <333

second, yes !! obviously i won't say much as to not give spoilers, but reader is a type of long-life species!! how they're connected to the abundance/yaoshi though, i'll leave for you to figure out ;D

[exoriiens]

brainworm about uri's star rail verse i'm literally just rambling do not perceive-

i brought this up to @memovia earlier because of her post on muyang and how it startled me at how similar some points were to a thought i had about why uri has her cursed rebirth cycles.

it was the craziest god damn coincidence and i was honestly living for it. we love when writers share the same braincell tbh.

definitely on the abundance path, or maybe an unwilling emanator?

i just have this image of uri unwittingly gaining audience with yaoshi, only to be stabbed through with the aeon's tail which in turn is what starts uri's awful cycles of rebirth in the way that they are.

she rebirths back to the state she was in when she first met the aeon.

i don't think it was a malicious reason that yaoshi did this really. i think it was more of a case of curiosity, like, "oh but how would this work??" the unfortunate circumstance for this though was, obviously, the horrific mara poisoning uri is subjected to due to living through so many cycles.

i'm still a little unclear as to who could've given her the hand chains that keep the mara in check for longer, maybe another aeon? maybe someone who wants to have their muse be a little more intrinsically linked with this verse *side eyes*