#and for Dan Heng to finally jump into the story

[samudrarthaa]

i adore that Dan Heng loves his found family SO MUCH that he wanted to call in the literal cavalry to protect them/rescue them.

[rationaliity]

found family | astral express

self indulgent found family astral express story literally no plot its just them all being silly as they welcome you, the newcomer, onto the astral express and you realize that maybe they're more like a family than you expected originally

the astral express was a family. this was something that you weren't expecting when you joined them. they each have their own agendas, their own lives, why would they worry about each other ? they just traveled with each other, which didn't constitute a family in your eyes.

you were scared when you first came to the astral express, and you needed a place to stay. " just until you could get back on your feet " you told gray haired woman in front of you, although your voice had been shaky because you were crying so much. she didn't say much, just told you that she would talk to the others on the express, and that they would talk about it.

a few hours later, you're boarding the astral express, with many unfamiliar faces staring back at you. as they introduce themselves to you, you try to remember everyone there, but there's so many names and so much information about each of them, you honestly have a hard time remembering the details.

there's the two older members on the express, himeko and welt yang. himeko has a calm but commanding voice, much like a fierce protective mother would have, and you can't help but feel calm in her presence. welt yang is softer around his edges, with a gentler tone of voice, but everyone on the express clearly respects him and his opinions, like his words held weight to him.

the other four were younger than welt and himeko and had been trailblazing for a shorter amount of time. there was march 7th, a chatty but easily irritated girl with plenty of opinions that she wasn't afraid to say, something you deeply admired from her. dan heng, who's silence was born not out of contempt or dislike, but because of what he has witnessed in the world. you understood him maybe a little better than you wanted to let on.

then there was the siblings, stelle and caelus, though they seemed perfectly content just to be called anything else, too. they both seemed perfectly fine with the nickname ' intergalactic baseballer ' which earned a little chuckle from you. they were both quiet, with stelle giving off a more cool and deadpan personality to caelus' naturally silly one, although they were both incredibly funny. they'd been travelling with the express for a lot less than everyone else, meaning they were the last two trailblazers that had been picked up from the express before you.

and now, there was you. no matter what your story was, they let you on the express so willingly, bringing you into their arms like you had always been there. it unnerved you.

" make yourself comfortable, please, " himeko's voice tore through your thoughts, and you realized you'd just been standing there at the entrance staring at everyone trying to decipher what they wanted from you.

" oh, uh, yeah, " you stuttered out finally, moving in between dan heng and march 7th to sit down on the parlor chairs, folding your legs underneath you to sit crisscrossed. almost immediately as your butt hit the plushness, did march 7th bound up to you, sitting right next to you.

" we're gonna be warp jumping to another world soon ! it's a little hard to get a hang of it at first, so make sure to brace yourself whenever the conductor gives you the warning ! " she explained, her cheerfulness breaching through your defenses, especially when she tacked on afterwards, " i'm going to see if i can stand up during the jump ! you know, balance ! "

" march, have you considered that your unwanted advances towards friendship may just be that ? unwanted ? " dan heng criticized, but you couldn't stop yourself from letting out a little giggle, covering your face with your hands at the two of them.

" she gottem, " caelus pointed out, earning a brief little nod from stelle.

" gotta try harder at being friendless than that, " stelle agreed in a dry voice despite her silly words, and you really noticed how the twins bounced off each other, like they were one full person together and only half when they were apart.

mr. yang's voice was gentle as he spoke to the five of you, warm and gentle as he regarded you. " i have a feeling that you're going to enjoy the astral express. "

" have you seen the express so full ? " himeko asked, as if she were finally taking in that there were a crew of nameless now, and not just a bunch of ragtag adventurers that had made their home the express together.

" oh, do you wanna hear stories about the astral express crew ? you know, to get an idea of what we're like ? " march asked, her intense gaze boring into yours, as if willing you to just nod a little bit so she could show off her pictures and tell you stories from each one.

" sure, " you agreed, finding yourself almost excited to learn more than just the basics from each of these people. march jumped up immediately, running towards her room and grabbing stacks of photos before plopping down right next to you again. by the time she came back, dan heng had taken a seat on your other side, albeit a bit farther away.

caelus and stelle were still standing side by side, while mr. yang and himeko decided to sit in front of you all on the other side of the parlor, likely giving you space but ready to chime in when it came to their own stories.

march sat a picture on your lap of a man with blue dragon horns and glowing eyes, separating the waters of a world that you didn't recognize. " march, " dan heng's voice sounded like he was ready to complain. " why is this the first one that you showed ? "

" because it was the first in the stack ! i don't know what to tell you, dan heng ! " march shrugged animatedly, before turning back to the picture on your lap, " that's dan heng ! apparently he's the descendant of a dragon race of the xianzhou luofu, or something like that ! "

" oh.. wow ! " you exclaimed, doing a double take at dan heng now versus what he looked like in the picture. longer hair, different clothing, but still the same piercing gaze that he had now, determination etched onto his features like it was a part of him.

" it's a little more complicated than that, " dan heng shook his head, reaching over and taking the picture from your lap. " and now, this picture is mine. "

" what ?! that's not fair at all, dan heng ! "

" he just wants to admire himself, " caelus quipped, chuckling to himself. stelle's face broke into a small smile, but she didn't say anything back.

" fine, you can keep it, dan heng, " march sighed in resignation, " besides, these are just copies. all of my photos are still stored on my actual camera. " she shuffled through the pictures one by one, absentmindedly telling you about them as she sat them on your lap, but she was clearly looking for something.

" this is the big boss we fought in the xianzhou luofu, this is a picture of the general, this is a teacher that stelle met in her journey, this is a bunch of herta's puppets from the space station in the same area and it looked really freaky so i just had to take a picture ! here's a picture of mr. yang subduing the stellaron inside of caelus' body, and i remember being very confused because once caelus was knocked out, stelle passed out at the same time, too. weird. oh ! there's a bunch of pictures of how the dreamscape looked in penacony. oh, here ! "

with a little over twenty pictures already sat in your lap as she shuffled through the stack she had, you were finally given one picture of the four trailblazers, excluding welt and himeko. " we need to have one with mr. yang and himeko, but this is the four of us when we went on our first trailblazing expedition with stelle and caelus to jarilo-xi ! " she explained.

" why don't we take a picture of all of us now ? " himeko suggested on the other side of the parlor.

" i believe we can have pompom take the picture for us, if the conductor is willing, " welt looked over to the conductor. no one had told you yet what the conductor actually was, but you had a feeling that you shouldn't really ask such a question out loud, so you left your curiosity for another day.

" what ?! pompom has to take the picture ? fine, but pompom wants a picture with everyone, too ! " they grabbed the camera that march was extending out to them, and backed up towards the end of the parlor car. " everyone, get together now ! "

you stood up, practically ushered by march as you found yourself in the middle of the picture, squished in between caelus and stelle on your right, with stelle being a little forward so there was enough room, and dan heng on your left. march stood sort of in between you and dan heng but just in front of you, since she was shorter than dan heng, and welt and himeko stood behind the five of you. you felt a hand gently resting on your shoulder, and you looked up behind you to see welt giving you a small smile.

" you're doing great, " he praised softly, under his breath so only you could hear. " welcome to the astral express. "

as the picture was snapped, you couldn't help but think that you really would enjoy this time with your new family. it was an odd experience, sure, but not one unwelcome. the astral express really was like a family, and they were embracing you with open arms.

[ceruark]

hold my hand & don't be scared

What would the HSR characters be like when navigating a haunted house/scary maze with their crush?

Completely unflinching. You wonder if there’s anything on this planet that could startle them or catch them off guard. They just kind of raise an eyebrow at the scare actors or give them an unimpressed look every time one pops up. 

Because of their impassivity, they’re able to focus most of their attention on you. They’ll sigh and act like they’re being inconvenienced when you cling to them, but secretly, they’re reveling in it. Haunted houses have never amused them much, but your surprised screams and the way you bury your face in their arm after someone jumps out at you certainly adds a factor of entertainment for them.

Acheron, Blade, Dan Heng, Dr. Ratio, Jingliu, Moze, Silver Wolf

Also unflinching, but in a “cool guy” way. Doesn’t jump or scream when a scare actor pops out at them, but will at least try to humor them by saying something like, “Oh, that was a good one!” before moving along, completely unaffected.

Of course, they so valiantly place themselves at your side when your friends push you to the front of the group, knowing you’ll get the most scared. Don’t worry, you can hold onto them, they’ll make sure you get out just fine. They’ll place a gentle hand on your back when you bury your face into them out of fear, steering you through the maze. When you make it out, they’ll hold you until the adrenaline leaves you, and praise you on how brave you were. No, of course there wasn’t an ulterior motive for going in the front with you. Your friends don’t know what they’re talking about.

Aventurine, Black Swan, Feixiao, Himeko, Jade, Jiaoqiu, Jing Yuan, Kafka, Luocha, Sunday, Topaz

You’re two peas in a pod, and your friend group makes you both lead the way because they know you’ll both get the most scared. As you stand in front of the entrance, heart pounding as you wait for the attendant to allow you to go in, they extend a hand out to you and offer a nervous but encouraging smile. You take it, and they squeeze your hand as you both enter.

You’re holding onto each other the entire time. Your screams echo each other, and you’re practically jumping into each other’s arms each time a scare actor jumps out at you. At some point, you’ve both got your faces turned toward each other, shuffling aimlessly through the maze in an attempt to not look at the terrifying things waiting to get you. Once you finally manage to make out, you both laugh hysterically as you try to calm down, their hand lingering in your own.

Bronya, Firefly, Gepard, March, Robin

Puts on a brave act and talks a big game, but is even worse than you. They’ll slither their way to the front of the group and put an arm around you, promising you nothing will happen to you as long as they’re by your side. They’ll make sure of it.

Once you’re inside the maze, it’s an entirely different story. You don’t even have the opportunity to be scared because you’re too busy being tossed around. If a scare actor jumps out in front of them, they’re immediately throwing you in front of them or pulling you toward them to use as a human shield, screaming in horror and leaving your ears ringing. You’re too busy laughing at their reactions and antics to give the scare actors a proper reaction. 

In the end, they did prevent you from getting scared, and they got to hold you (well, hold onto you). It’s the thought that counts.

Boothill, Caelus, Sampo, Seele, Stelle

[skyfullofcelestia]

The Storm on the Horizon

Story: Everyday misunderstandings and how would they handle them.

Characters: Dan Heng, Jing Yuan, Gepard

Dan Heng

Deep down in his soul, he knew it must be just a misunderstanding. But the absence of your smile every time you see him, no more random touches on public places from you even though you knew he prefers to keep them private… He loved being loved without any shame, but never told you. And now he regrets it. You were his biggest cheerleader and now you felt like a stranger. Dan Heng spent much time wondering if the two of you are a good match. He preferred his silent solitude while you were always the loud one, cheering him up for every small accomplishment. Without your presence, his life felt quiet. Too quiet.

“Y/N?” Dan Heng jumped up when you finally came by his cabin.

“Hiii.” You smile without the usual spark in your eyes. “I just stopped by for… this.” You point at a small bag you left behind.

“Yes, of course.” He mumbled, “Why… why do you want to take it?” Dan Heng asked, not able to resist questioning you anymore. 

“Ummm...” You frowned confused. “I just want to take my cosmetics bag. I need it. Is there a problem?”

“No. You just kept it here since we began dating and now you are taking it away.” His small wrinkle in between the brows deepened.

“March organized a last-minute sleepover. I thought that you would not mind…” You stopped yourself and let out a deep sigh. “What is this all about?”

“I have wanted to ask you.” Dan Heng looked at you with a hesitation written all over his face. “You have been so distant lately, I was wondering if…”

“You would be too.” You cut him off. “Asking Mr. Yang if there is a point to stay in a relationship with me.”

“I-I did not mean it like that!” Dan Heng raised his voice with realization. “I trust him and I needed to ask him…” 

“If you should be in a relationship with me? Like he knows us more than we do?” You smiled with disbelief.

“No, of course not. There is just this feeling that I cannot get rid of. You are so bubbly, always excited for every new day and adventure ahead of us. I prefer my own company, being able to work in peace. We are so different.”

“And maybe that was the beauty of our relationship. We were able to give each other what we lacked. I brought you spontaneity while you anchored me when I flew too high.” 

“I agree.” He smiled a little. “But you are talking in the past time.”

“Maybe you were right to doubt us.”

“You do not love me anymore?” Dan Heng pierced you with a painful stare. 

“You opened the room full of doubts for me. But you should ask that yourself first.”

Dan Heng studied your face for a moment trying to find the right words.

“I love you.” He finally interrupted the silence. “I have loved you since the day I met you. When you are next to me, I feel like I am home. Home where I can feel… safe, comfortable, and loved.” He tried to stop himself from saying more, but the words kept pouring. “I should not doubt you, your love, my love, us… I imagined my future without you and it felt… empty. I do not want to be without you. Life like that feels not worth living.”

You wrapped your hands around his neck, caressing the back of his head. Your heart felt full, but light at the same time. The heaviness that was dragging you down for days was suddenly gone. You grabbed your phone, quickly excusing yourself from today’s plans because you were not planning to leave Dan Hengs's cabin anytime soon.

Jing Yuan 

His days were always busy, usually gone without even realizing it. But today was dragging like never before. Jing Yuan checked the time for the hundredth time. It is past your lunch break but for some reason, you did not stop by like you usually did every Friday. Now it was the third time without your pastries and even though he loved them very much, he knew that your absence was making him sad more than his sweet tooth and growling stomach.

“General! Where are you going? We have an important meeting with…” Yanqing protested, confused.

“I will be right back!” He said right before a loud slap of his office door.

….

“What is going on?” A tall shadow appeared out of nowhere. 

Jing Yuan was standing right in front of you with his arms crossed on his chest.

“Why?” You almost chuckled.

“Why? I should be the one asking you why you left your man hungry again.”

“Honey, I already told you that pastries and sweets are not real meals. You need to eat a proper lunch.”

“I Know.” He frowned. “But you always bake for me. You were the one who said that it is one of your ways of showing your love.”

“I am just busy. I will bake you your favorites tomorrow, ok?” 

“That does not count.”

You rolled your eyes without a word and turned your back to him trying to get back to work when a big hand grabbed your arm and turned you back to him.

“Talk to me.” He whispered gently. “What is going on?”

You looked him deeply in his eyes, wondering if you should tell him or not. He should be the one to find out by himself, but there is a possibility that he would not.

“I had a birthday. We were supposed to visit my parents. We just had our anniversary…”

His face almost darkened. How could he forget?

“So many occasions and you forgot about all of them. I do not care about the gifts or big celebrations, but I would love to be able to go to sleep with you next to me at least twice a year. Is that so much to ask?”

“It is the bare minimum that I promised you.” He looked down at his hands. “And I was not able to keep my promise.”

“I know you are a busy man, Mr. General. But I need you too.” You sighed. “Maybe we should take a break.”

“What?!” Jing Yuan almost growled. “And what is the point of that? You are upset that I do not have time for you, so you propose to separate so we can spend even less time together?”

“It does not make sense, I know. But I need some space to think things through.”

“I will give you any corner of the space. Just pick one and I will bring it to you on the silver plate.”

“That is not what I meant.”

Before you can protest any further Jing Yuan pulled you to him and tightly wrapped you into his embrace.

“If you love me, I will not let you go anywhere. We do not need space from each other. We need the exact opposite.” He whispered into your hair. “Pack your stuff, we are leaving.”

“What? I am in the middle of work.” You tried to pull away from him, but he did not let you.

“General's order.” He smiled.

“But, but… My boss will not like it.” 

“I will deal with him, darling.” He smiled sheepishly. “Now let me make it all up to you in a really special place.”

To say that Jing Yuan had not left you alone for even an hour that weekend would be an understatement.

Gepard

Another long and exhausting day at work has not stopped him from waiting for you until late at night. When the jingle of the keys finally filled the quiet hallway of your home, Gepard straightened himself on the sofa.

“Hello, baby.” You smiled. “Why are you up so late?”

“I was waiting for you.” 

“Ok? Have I done something wrong and you want to arrest me now?” You grinned at him as you made yourself comfortable right next to him.

But he pulled away, making your carefree smile disappear.

“We need to talk.” 

“Obviously.” You frowned. “Can you just tell me what is going on?”

“Your behavior is confusing me. You keep telling me how much you love me, but you act oppositely.”

“How? Why do you think that? I am even more confused than before.”

Gepard´s puppy eyes locked with yours and you realize that he truly meant every word he said.

“Oh, baby.” You cupped his face with both of your hands. “Just tell me what is bothering you. I am sure we can work it out.”

“I love you, I want to spend my whole life with you. You are the most important person in my life. But so do my sisters. I was disappointed when you could not make it to our family dinner. For the third time.”

“It was just really bad timing.” You almost chuckled relieved. 

“I want you all to at least know each other. I would love you all to be friends after some time.”

Without a word, you sat down on his lap showering him with dozens of kisses all over his face.

“Please, answer me.” Gepard tried to fight you off unsuccessfully.

“Do you know why I was out so late?”

“You were out with your friends.” He frowned, confused.

“Yes. And one of them is called Serval.” You smiled.

“Mine Serval?”

“I only know one.” You shrugged.

“Oh,” Gepard scratched his head. “So you two are friends? You do not hate her or anything like that?”

“No, my silly baby. I do not hate any of your sisters. I was just busy so I could not meet them all at once.”

“Now my turn!” Gepard laid you down on the sofa and positioned himself over you as he drowned you with kisses all over your body. “I am so happy.” He murmured into your skin.

[keroppimelon0]

๑ -- ‘ʜᴇ ʟᴏᴏᴋꜱ ᴊᴜꜱᴛ ʟɪᴋᴇ ᴀ ᴅʀᴇᴀᴍ’

ᴛʜᴇ ᴘʀᴇᴛᴛɪᴇꜱᴛ ʙᴏʏ ɪ’ᴠᴇ ᴇᴠᴇʀ ꜱᴇᴇɴ <3

๑ – synopsis : you can’t help it. seeing dan heng sitting next to you so peacefully reminds you of why you’ve fallen so hard for the guard of the astral express.

๑ – notes : first time posting on tumblr + writing for dan heng!! i’m a massive simp for him so this is just a teensy bit indulgent but i can’t help it, he’s just so gorjuss i am WHIPPED for this man

๑ – relationship : dan heng x reader

๑ – w/c : 1526

DAN HENG was not a confrontational man.

that’s why, when you just so happened to stumble across the faint light peeking out from under the archive room door, he didn’t mind when you let yourself inside. nor did he mind when you sat yourself down beside him after plucking a random book off the ground - a fairytale, one you weren’t really interested in.

instead, your eyes scan the frame of the man sitting beside you, his soft breathing mixed with yours the only noise in the room, minus the gentle rumble of machinery as the astral express moved through the galaxy. you’re so lost in thought, your voice bubbles past your lips before you have the chance to even think about what you’re going to, and have just said.

"you're gorgeous."

the words tumble past your lips before you can properly comprehend them. he didn't even seem to notice, if not for the gentle dust of pink across his cheeks and tips of his ears. dan heng was quietly reading beside you before you decided to suddenly compliment him.

"hm?" was his nonchalant response, misty blue-green eyes flickering to your face for a second. the moment your eyes meet, there's a quick jolt of electricity that sparks between you both, dispelled as quickly as it came as his eyes return to the words across the script he quietly read.

"i'm what?" His clear crisp voice rings out in your head. you half acknowledged his sound of curiosity beforehand, still reeling from the embarrassment of admitting that dan heng was gorgeous in your eyes.

you couldn't help it - who could, really. just looking at dan heng, the way his onyx hair fell across his forehead as his head tilted down towards his book, the silken strands framing his gentle jawline. within the bathe of the milkyway shining down upon his skin from the window of the archives room, dan heng looks like he was taken out of the fairytale book that's nestled comfortably in your lap. a prince charming of his own design.

"..will you not elaborate? hm, very well." and just like that, he's dropped the topic. you don't know whether to sigh in relief or be a little disappointed that he didn't push it further, but you know that dan heng wasn't usually one for confrontation. at least, that's what he made it seem to you.

for now, though, all it seems you can do is continue to read the story you had lost interest in a long time ago. it was easy to lose interest in anything when the most gorgeous man you've ever laid eyes upon is sitting right beside you, reading as if he's unaware of this fact. probably because he is.

you wonder if dan heng is actually aware of all the times he's caught your eye, if he's aware of how he makes your heart seize so violently in your chest when he casts a soft glance in your direction. half the time, you're praying you don't die of a heart attack because that's just what he does to your heart - he has his hand wrapped around it and he doesn't even realize.

the soft sigh that leaves your lips afterwards makes you realize, finally come to terms with it. 'dan heng will never be yours,' because how can a man of such intelligence and grace ever like you?

just before your self-deprecating thoughts can swallow you whole, the gentlest brush of fingers against your own cheek makes you jump. you snap out of your reverie with little fanfare, lips slightly parted as you make eye contact with dan heng. this time, neither of you look away.

"you seem troubled tonight," his warm breath gently fans your face, and you're now acutely aware of how close he is to you. "is everything alright?"

you pause before you give your answer, wondering what you can say to him. you're distracted, because with his face so up close, you can see every inch of his stoic yet gentle expression. "y-yeah." you curse yourself for stuttering - can you really not control yourself around him?

but dan heng finds it amusing, as the corner of his lip quirks upwards before it settles back into a line. "very well," he pauses, his eyes scanning your face a little more intently, "if there is anything bothering you.."

"no, no! really, i'm fine." you manage to force out, giving him a half-hearted smile to go along with it. "i'm just.. thinking." that should do it, you think to yourself. he wouldn't pry, because dan heng is not a confrontational man. at least, that's what you would think...

"thinking.. and that requires you to stare holes into my face whenever i'm not looking?"

"ghK-" the noise that you make sounds like you've just choked on a bone, eyes widening to the size of planets as your face flushes crimson in seconds. "of course not! what makes you think.. w-what makes you.."

the words you were crafting meticulously in your head dies on your tongue as dan heng inches closer. he's no longer holding his book. rather, his arm has made its way over your lap, effectively trapping you in place.

"what makes me think..?" your jaw clicks shut as you dry gulp hard, bottom lip trembling as his face inches closer once again, close enough to smell his scent, the faintest hint of maple and newly opened books. a strange combination, but one that makes your heart practically leap out of your chest.

"i think.. that you have something to confess to me." your breath hitches in your throat as his nose touches yours. his lips, they're right there. inches away from yours. you let out a soft exhale, squeezing your eyes shut as you carefully lean in.

just as the gap barely shortens between you both, the sound of the archive room door slamming open makes you both jolt. in the midst of your panic, dan heng's head moves backwards, but yours moves forwards with the momentum, and your lips collide with his nose instead.

a familiar pink haired girl stands at the doorway, her blue eyes sparkling as she excitedly calls out for the male that had you held in his arms at that exact moment. "dan heng, have you seen-"

march's grin drops a little at the sight of the both of you. dan heng is clutching his nose, propped up against one arm as you frantically apologize over and over, hands flailing as you basically landed on top of him in the struggle.

"uhh.. you guys just.. finish up in here, okay?" march smiles, her hand flying to her mouth to suppress her giggles as she slowly slides the door shut.

"i'm so sorry- oh my god!" you feel tears pricking your eyes out of embarrassment as dan heng hisses, slowly moving his hand away from his nose, where a small, almost minuscule bruise has begun to form.

"it's fine.. leave it to march to never knock before entering.." dan heng grumbles, his cheeks tinted a soft pink as you bury your head into your hands. "i'm so sorry.." you apologize again, feeling the heat radiating off of you as a gentle gloved hand touches your shoulder.

"really, it's okay.." you peek through the cracks of your fingers, and you see his eyebrows are scrunched in concern. the guilt weighs on you along with the embarrassment, and you sigh miserably at the failed chance to kiss the man of your dreams.

rather, you feel a warmth brush your cheek, like a maple leaf falling against your skin. you barely have time to react before dan heng has leaned in, pressing the warmest of kisses against your soft skin. "there. now we're even."

your mouth opens and closes like a fish gasping for breath, and you can see his almost teasing smile before a dumb grin spreads across your own face. his position shifting slightly, enough to give you space to properly sit on his lap, was all the invitation you needed.

your lips collided with each other again and again until you both could hear nothing but the mechanical whirring of the archive room fading into nothingness around you.

⋆ 𓏲 𓂅 ๑ 𓍼 𓏲 ⋆

bonus:

the next morning, march peeked into the archives room to check on you both. your room was empty, so she definitely knew you never returned for the night. but seeing you and dan heng peacefully curled up together on his (honestly, uncomfortable looking) makeshift bed, she couldn't help but grin widely as she fumbled with her camera to snap a quick picture for later on.

"march, why are you spying on dan heng?" himeko raised a brow behind the girl who quickly made a shushing motion, sliding the door open a little wider so she could peek at the spectacle of the two of you happily cuddled up with each other. "ah, i see." himeko smiled mirthfully, shaking her head as she waved her hand. "just don't embarrass them too much, march."

march 7th snickered as she snapped another picture, knowing once you both woke up, the teasing you would get from her would be unimaginable.

hope you enjoyed!! i'm actually so scared to post this haha,, but i love dan heng he's my fav he's so babygirl

[antimatterz]

sunset glow

dan heng x gn!reader moments like these were a rarity when you lived on a space station. content under the cut | masterlist

living on a space station was pretty cool, that much was true. it was massive, and even though it's been a while since you got there, you still found new corners and places and rooms full of surprises. there was so much to see, so much to experience. not a day was dull and boring, for there was always a way of entertainment present. most of the people were pretty friendly, apart from a few whom you avidly avoided. when yiu felt like it, you could help out researchers or other staff, or you could just hang out with your friends. gazing out of the windows presented you a magnificent view upon the vast galaxy, which never failed to take your breath away. long story short, you loved your life aboard herta's space station.

but sometimes, just sometimes, you yearned for more.

on those days, you went down to the platforms, hoping to find the astral express there. the train that rode the stars was known for its interstellar travels, thus making it possible to venture beyond the limitations of a space station. yes, you were talking about planets. the train jumped back and forth between stations everywhere across the galaxy, and wherever you landed, new adventures that enhanced your life even more awaited.

you currently were on such a so-called adventure. you were basking in the sunlight on a planet a few jumps away from herta's space station. sunlight wasn't something you often saw, and your spirits were lifted massively.

even more so because you had your boyfriend with you.

dan heng had managed to find a gap between his trailblazer missions and took you to a planet he was sure you'd love. and oh, he was right. the moment you left the astral express and felt the warm rays of sunshine kiss your skin, your heart swelled with delight and you offered the male a smile that outshone the very sun.

your boyfriend was often busy, and though you were perfectly fine with that – knowing how important it was what he did – you often missed him like crazy. that's why this little expedition brought you so much joy. not only did you get to spend time in the sun, dan heng was with you and that made it a hundred times better.

now, after spending a couple of days on this sunlit planet, it was the final evening there. in a while, you had to go back and board the train again, and it would safely take you to herta's space station. the male next to you was someone who liked being on time, and you were expecting him to guide you towards the platform any minute now. sundown was nearing, and the express would depart when the stars littered the sky.

     "y/n, there is one last thing i want to do before we head back to the astral express," dan heng broke the comfortable silence, grabbing your hand to draw you to a halt.

     "hm?" you responded, surprised by his sudden gesture – dan heng wasn't big on public display of affection, and doing something last minute before the train would depart was also very unlike him. you gazed at him curiously, and a faint smile crossed his features.

     "let's go," he said, getting you to walk again with a gentle tug on your arm.

it was quite a walk, but your boyfriend seemed to know exactly where he was going. you just followed him, curiosity growing and growing within you. the streets of this town were unfamiliar to you, and you had no idea where he could possibly be taking you. but the soft smile om dan heng's face gave away that it was something he was elated about, and you could not help but wonder. he didn't smile often – though more often, ever since you came into his life – so this had to be something special.

it wouldn't be long until the fall of twilight, and you started to worry. how was he planning to show you something and head back to the astral express in time? you had no idea, but decided to trust him on it.

your hand was still securely in his and he didn't seem to plan on letting go anytime soon.

     "you're excited about something," you pointed out, and the small smile on dam heng's face grew a little wider as he nodded. it was such a rare sight that your heart skipped a beat. you brought out his smile more often but you would never get used to how pretty and special it was.

     "you'll see, my dear y/n," he said mysteriously. "i caught wind of a very popular phenomenom as i overheard some locals speak, and i just knew i had to take you there on our final evening here."

you blushed as the affectionate name reached your ears. rarely did he call you such things, and tour heart swelled with happiness. you gave his hand a gentle squeeze, one that he instantly returned. you were about to say something, but after rounding a corner, your words were stolen away from you.

afore you was a vast lake, the gentle evening breeze stirring the water and setting it to shimmer underneath the light of the setting sun. in all its liveliness, it caught and reflected the colors of the canvas above, and it was absolutely breathtaking. hues of oranges and purples painted the sky, engulfing the yellow sphere that sank lower towards the horizon. it soon would disappear behind that line, but before it would, it bid its goodbye with a scenery so beautiful. your eyes were full of wonder as you gazed out over the lake, the mountains far beyond and the sky far above, and the sun that brought it all together.

     "woah," you breathed out, and you heard dan heng chuckle before he softly wrapped his arms around you from behind, engulfing you in a cozy backhug.

     "it's beautiful, isn't it?" he said, resting his chin on top of your head.

     "it really is," you agreed, leaning into his embrace.

you stood like that for a while, listening to the rustling of the water in the wind, the same breeze that played with your hair friskily. it was so serene that you nearly forgot that you had a train to catch, but in that very moment you couldn't care less. it was just too pretty, and dan heng seemed so at peace. you rarely saw him in such a state, and wanted it to last as long as possible.

the moment seemed frozen in time, and it was just you and dan heng and the setting sun. everything else seemed to have lost its significance and you liked it that way. nothing else mattered, and you relished in the soft breeze and the fading light and your boyfriend's tender embrace.

way too soon for your liking, dan heng let go of you, pressing a chaste kiss against your cheek before taking a gentle hold of your hand.

     "i think we should head back to the astral express, before it departs without us," he remarked, casting one last look at the sun – that had almost completely lowered itself beyond the horizon at this point.

     "i wouldn't mind," you joked. "i like the sun."

     "i'll take you here more often, y/n," dan heng promised you with a soft smile, before he gave a soft tug on your arm to get you to walk with him.

     "deal," you grinned, following behind your boyfriend. he was right; you really had to catch the train before it departed. what would the trailblazers do without your beloved dan heng? they wouldn't last a day.

twilight had fallen upon the small town as you traversed the streets, hands tightly linked together as you headed towards the platform. wistfully, you gazed over your shoulder one last time, eyeing the lake that sparkled underneath the fading sunlight.

yeah, living on a space station was cool and all. but in the end, it didn't really matter where you lived. as long as you had your boyfriend with you, you had all you needed.

[the-courtsjester]

Greetings ladies and gentlemen... and things, life if hard and trying to actually make a story with my own characters that's being mixed in with a show's own lore and balancing life is draining, I have two other stories I'm trying to work on in Tumbler so hopefully soon enough I can get one of them out. But anyway now enjoy these headcanons

Stelle x Male Reader headcanons

Stelle is basically a dog let's say that she'll follow you everywhere even break open the door to the bathroom to just... watch you, her brain dosen't even register your pants are down or that you're naked if you're showering, she just stares into your eyes not blinking until you pat her.

Stelle is easily gets bored why do you think she jumps in trash all the time? But if a conversation doesn't directly require her but you don't need to go through the process of cleaning her later, she has her own built in leash on the back of her jacket, and as pouty as she gets your stare of disappoint is super affective against her.

You ever see someone in a cartoon or show sleep in the weirdest position? Well when you don't get in bed with her fast enough and she falls asleep she'll manage to get in some weird positions, like half her body hanging off the bed, you fix this obviously but in the morning she'll somehow look like she's trying to hit a dance move while sleeping.

She definitely doesn't spend money wisely, I mean she knows how to not spend all of it and have some in reserve, but if she has some extra money and sees something stupid she knows you'll enjoy she'll buy it so long as she has enough money, one time she once bought you a large plushie that now takes over a corner of your room but hey it's to see your smile so worth it.

Oh you some super hyper fixation on something? Well don't keep it from her she wants to know so you both can share a brain cell and enjoy it together while snuggling on a couch or something, in short term it's now our hyper fixation.

Stelle definitely stares off into space thinking of you in many different scenarios, when she's eventually brought back into the conversation she'll look at you before covering her face in embarrassment from what she just imagined.

That baseball bat of hers is really good for bonking her and stopping her from taking a trashcan from the worlds you visit, only once have you let her bring one onto the Express after decontaminating it several times over, she sits in it like a cat in a cup it's cute.

When you have to leave the Express for awhile she'll be much more bored then usual, which means it's the perfect time to join March on some mischief, one time they set up the Express to be full of traps like Home Alone... Dan Heng was not happy to be their victim.

Your late night talks get weird, like talking about what animal you could one v one with just fists, how much food you could consume in an hour, how amazing it would be to rest your head on Himeko's chest for even a second, you both agreed it would be one of the top things you'd kill someone for.

She's kinda in the middle when it comes to be jealous, she'll definitely feel like you could be paying attention to her more if it's someone you both don't know that much, but if it someone you at least know she doesn't particularly care as much thanks to you being a great boyfriend that shows all the love in the world for your weird dog raccoon girlfriend.

Ah finally I've finished something hopefully my lovely audience enjoyed the show, again I'll try and focus on finishing the stories but no promises but I hope you all have a great rest of your night or day

And scene...

[revserrayyu]

2.2 Penacony thoughts [part 4]

**Spoiler warning** as we are nearing the very end of the story. Discussing on everything that happens once we wake up after the first boss fight until right before we enter the Horizon of Existence with Acheron. Do look away if you haven’t reached that place yet.

Ma’am, what do you mean by this??

Here I am, wandering around reality all confused, and yet the game still has the audacity to make jokes!

I thought Boothill was just being silly, but if Dan Heng also forgot, then it must be serious. Then I remembered there was one occasion last patch where we also forgot about Acheron’s name when talking to Welt. Or Himeko. I don’t recall which parent it was but we were near Clockie’s statue at the time.

So I saw Ratio, Topaz and Aventurine chatting with each other from afar and thought nothing of it, only to finally realize after our beloved gambler greeted us that YES it has indeed been a while because he was SUPPOSEDLY DEAD and he CLEARLY ISN’T ANYMORE, THANK GOD! I believed he was gonna be fine, thanks to Ratio’s advice and the fact Aventurine stated he wasn’t going to join his family yet, but then hearing Topaz’s call with Jade and how the Aventurine Cornerstone lost its light made me doubt his status just a little bit, but overall I’m so happy to see our man alive and well. I just wish.. it happened differently? I was expecting this grand reunion cutscene after his death-defying performance and he just.. shows up in the hotel with a completely normal interaction.

That is a whole lotta words, honey, but good for you I guess?

Screwllum jump-scare, also accompanied by lots of words that my mind can’t focus on right now.

… Pardon me? No. Surely not. We still have a whole other patch to get through after this, Welt! Needless to say, at this point in the story, confusion was at an all time high and Penacony’s story was beginning to lose its luster for me because the “ending” didn’t feel like a true conclusion.

Despite the unsatisfying feeling, we indeed arrive back on the Express. It has been a long while since we had a good adventure with our fellow Nameless. I hope he can join us fully in the next planet. Surely he would keep us from getting in trouble.

I feel like this comment isn’t only because we’re the main character, but also because as the player, we were able to view different people’s perspectives aside from the Trailblazer’s.

Is this a date? Sounds like a date. Regardless, I accept!

I can’t believe they actually had credits rolling. It’s giving Argenti trailer flashbacks and they’re really making it seem like this is the end of Penacony. Worth noting that March and Acheron’s real names aren’t listed while Welt and Aventurine’s are.

What the fuck do you mean?? For real though, hearing this after having one of the easiest boss fights of my life is a bit reassuring because I just knew something wasn’t quite right about all this!

Black Swan then retells the whole journey to us, from start to finish while asking us to pick out the one flaw in the whole story, which just so happens to be us running into Misha in the hotel’s lobby. He’s a major flaw that contradicts all other information in the story because that moment shouldn’t have been real. As for much recent occurrences, they don’t appear to be reality either because.. we have yet to actually wake up.

Still within the dream, we experience some deja vu because isn’t this exactly what Acheron says to us the very first time we meet her in 2.0?

Well aren’t you just a splendid little cheat code. No wonder the “Dreammaster” wanted to kick you out of Penacony.

So because we able to realize that seeing Misha in reality was an illusion, we were spared from being trapped like so many other residents of Penacony. I’m honestly surprised how many twists and turns this story can keep introducing to us when we’re so close to the story’s ending, but it’s impressive.

Robin realized there was a flaw in her dream too, which just so happened to be the flashback of her and Sunday finding the injury bird. Apparently that illusion was too blissful to be true? Wild.

We then found out that this fancy little bullet is the relic that Acheron had to return to its rightful owner.

Posing as a Galaxy Ranger to get a real one’s attention so they (Boothill) can properly use the relic in the next stage of the plan is a surprising move from Acheron. Who knew she could play 3d chess.

Firefly deserves some credit too, naturally, since it’s due to her that everyone was able to find us and understand the key to breaking free of this endless dream. By following Elio’s script, one is bound to have a knack of planning ahead and carrying out perfectly timed moves.

The end of Penacony is near but the fact it might actually come at the cost of that precious girl’s life ain’t bringing me much joy!

Last part coming up next and yet there’s still so much to chat about aaahh..

[ceruleanvermillion]

AU Where Zhongli and Dan Heng are brothers

This is just a very messy brainstorm session. Also some star rail and genshin spoilers. there might be leaks? I dont really know but just in case, be warned.

Anyway

It has to be an AU, since these two already have super complicated lore on their own lmao. Anyway the gist is that a long time ago these two are like super powerful immortals, but then they are separated because of *mysterious reasons*. Now, they can sense each other being alive, but like that's it. They don't know how the other is doing, or the state of one another. They're much older than they seem. There's also a backstory I'm building for their pre-canon brotherhood story and lore but that's a whole other can of worms. For another post, maybe.

Regardless. That is obviously not how the story should end. So, they'll have to meet. Some technicalities: It's hard to compare honkai and genshin power levels, because they're essentially different kinds of games. Fischl and Keqing got major power boosts in honkai in that one crossover event a while ago.

BUT. Meeting is possible. Thank you, Welt. Thank you, Sumeru lore drop about descenders. Lumine and Aether are Travelers, come on, it should be possible.

So. How should they meet? Should it be in Zhongli's Universe? Dan Heng's universe? Or a third part Universe? Well. One Interesting thing I have noticed, is their relationship with "Memory". Zhongli has really good, near-perfect memory. Dan Heng is running away from his past- he is implied to not remember most of his past memories.

So I established this: At the present moment, Zhongli remembers almost everything. Dan Heng does not. With this we can conclude that for the story to move, Zhongli must be the first to take action, despite the fact that Dan Heng is currently in a magic space train. So, most likely it will be in the world of Star Rail. New question: How does Zhongli arrive?

We're getting into speculative fanfic lore here. I'm better with Genshin Lore than I am with Honkai Lore, so don't hesitate to correct me if I make mistakes. I'll italicize it.

Zhongli is a deity. He is still divinity and a gnosis does not affect that, unlike how a herrscher no longer is a herrscher when the don't have the core. So if Welt can, theoretically Zhongli can too. We can interpret the gnosis as his last remaining tie to Teyvat- without it, now he can multiverse hop easier.

Side Note: At this point we don't know anything abt Zhongli's actual origins or what he's capable of.

So maybe he can open a vortex portal thing. Zhongli is really good with space magic- and him rescuing xiao also proves that he can do that for someone else. Venti can make vortexes and stuff. So maybe he enlists Venti's help. Venti is equally sus, so its only fair he gets a part lmao. So they do a lot of research- and when he's ready, he can finally jump.

Again, this is still tentative, but i do want to explore some possibilities.

Oh- but. There has to be a sort of event catalyst, right? Why? Why is this story unfolding this way? Why is it that one remembers and the other forgets?

The intention had always been for Zhongli to remember and for Dan Heng to forget but...there needs to be a midpoint. one can't do all the heavy lifting, it won't be a fun story if that's the case. So. Dan Heng's arc centers around him trying to remember- because he realizes these dreams that he has recently that are actually his memories are very different than the regular ones about Jing Yuan and Blade and the Luofu. Zhongli's arc centers around him trying to get to Dan Heng.

So. What is the goal of this story? What does it want to achieve?

Reuniting, that's the main main goal. This is the consistent point in the story- the plot is currently still tentatively being brainstormed, but changes aside-

They Have To Meet. These two must meet. preferably in an emotional way.

A bit of fanfic made-up lore details that I may want to include (as of now):

The world of Teyvat is an outlier universe. It is strange, it stands out, it remains in it's own little corner. Basically, Teyvat is just Really Really Weird. Partly inspired but how Genshin impact is kind of an outlier amongst the current Hoyoverse games. Like even Tears of Themis is set on earth.

The separation can be said to be because of Zhongli. Of course, the true events is far more complex, and me personally, I don't think it really is his fault- but Zhongli is the catalyst for this to happen. His brother doesn't blame him, and again, real events far more complex- but he blames himself, kind of. He does not regret it, but it also provides motivation for his character- and of course, the lore goes deep. Zhongli is objectively my favourite genshin character- and I have theorized many things about him.

The story is partly kind of loosely inspired by chinese drama love between fairy and devil. There is no intended romance to be included in the story, but certain themes I intend to include.

Honkai Star Rail spoilers/leaks(?) idk if this is actually a leak but Dan Heng has gone through several incarnations since the separation. Zhongli is Zhongli. Dan Heng and Zhongli are at their core magical and powerful, although at present, both are weaker than how they had been. However, maybe they can still access some of what they used to be able to do? idk

They're close brothers and they're wholesome and I love them (Not Tentative/Definitely Confirmed)

But yeah tldr so much of this brainstorm is still tentative and might be changed accordingly to what works best, but I did enjoy exploring several possibilities in the plot.

[gachagon]

"The Astral Express crew warp to Teyvat, only to find it in ruins. All that remains is a single Celestial nail..."

The Astral Express charts a course for a new planet, one that's very old and has a long history of war according to Welt. However, when they arrive, there is nothing left. The world is totally decimated, as if something has ripped it apart. Chunks of it float off into space, and the worlds core is just a blackened pit. There is something left though:

A strange nail that's embedded in the core, which lets off a mysterious blue aura. It is all that is left of this destroyed world.

Genre: Crossover AU(Honkai Star Rail & Genshin Impact), Horror, Science fiction, mystery

Words: 1.8k

All parts available on AO3 now!

CELESTIAL CURIO mini-series

Read the first part below!

tags: @echarie @truegoist @lizzieonka @swoland @blonde-batgirl @go-rocksquadsfan @oo-mi-ru-oo @reomikagekin @venusbby @ventivente @rinqoumaa @katasstrophy @kazurha

Himeko sat idly by on the plush, leather red coach seats of the Express and watched Pompom idle their way down the line to make sure everyone was seated properly this time. She chuckled as Pompom tried, and failed yet again, to convince March to sit with the rest of them. Welt leaned back in his seat, and closed his eyes, a nap close at hand any moment now. Dan Heng had busied himself elsewhere, Himeko and the others never saw him when the Express jumped worlds. And the Trailblazer they’d picked up not long ago was entertaining March’s antics. 

“Ah, they’ve all certainly gotten along now, haven’t they?” She commented to Welt, who just nodded. 

Pompom gave one final warning for the Express’s take off. “ Attention all passengers, please hold on! The Astral Express is about to warp!” They called out loud. Himeko decided to lean back into the seat, mimicking Welt. The jumps never took long, though they could be disorienting for those still new to it. She glanced at the Trailblazer with slight amusement, they had a sick look on their face as the Express jumped to the next world. They’ll get used to it…with time, she thought with a smirk. 

“This next world is quite an old one, though I’ve heard many amazing stories about it.” Himeko explained as everyone had gathered once more in the main hall. Dan Heng materialized from his room the moment the Express had stopped. He was the more serious out of the trio, and proved it as he asked the most questions about this new world they’d approached. 

“What’s it called? I…can’t seem to see it outside any of the windows.” He said as he craned his head a little. March leaned against one of the large windows, her face almost pressed to it. 

“Oh! Dan’s right, there’s…just space? Are you guys sure we’re at the right spot?” March roved all over the window in various places as if she could better see the planet from a different angle. The Trailblazer casually turned their head to look behind them as well, and just shrugged with a raised eyebrow at Himeko. 

“I don’t see anything either…” they commented. Himeko wasn’t too alarmed at this, sometimes it was common for Pompom to dock farther from the planet than was necessary. 

“This world is known as Teyvat. Or at least that’s the oldest name the records had kept.” Welt said. “It’s an ancient world that has a long, long history of war and ruin. But in later years, all that quieted down…at least, it should have.” He worriedly stood up just then. “I…feel as if something is wrong. Perhaps I shall find Pompom, and they can explain.” 

“No need to go anywhere, Pompom’s right here!” Pompom entered the hall with a clouded expression on their face. They waddled excitedly, before stopping in front of the group. Anxiety seemed to waft off of them in waves. “There’s a big, big problem! Pompom doesn’t think anyone will be disembarking today…The whole world is gone!” 

Himeko shook her head in disbelief as the others voiced their confusion. “What? That’s impossible, I made sure we were tracking the planet’s core. It can’t just be… gone.” Otherwise…what was the Express using to find its way here? She looked up at Welt, “Are the records on Teyvat still available? I was certain they were up to date to at least 50 years prior…an entire world can’t just disappear…are we perhaps, lost? ” 

“B-but it’s true! Pompom wouldn’t lie about anything, especially not this!” the tiny conductor exclaimed. “Come see for yourselves!” They waddled away, and the group got up as they were led to the front of the Express. There, at the head of the train, in plain view was…not exactly a world, but clearly the remnants of one long gone. Chunks of what was weathered down rock floated idly in space. They weren’t normal rocks, but planetary sized. Big enough for the shape of what was once a planet to be seen if you pieced them all together in your mind. 

Himeko gasped in horror, her voice lost completely. This was the first time they’d ever truly come across a world that was destroyed beyond all recognition. It was worse than when they’d landed on Jarilo VI and found it covered in ice instead of lush fauna. At least then there was still land to stand on…people who lived in such a harsh environment. She couldn’t fathom anyone living on debris. She struggled to find words to speak, and noticed with clarity that nobody else in the group knew what to say either. 

“What did this…?” March asked in a hushed tone. 

Welt had gone startlingly pale as he looked out the front of the train, “This is impossible…this doesn’t match what the data reports-” He stopped then, and took a deep breath. “Could something so terrible as to cause this really.. happen in such a short amount of time?” It was unheard of in this day and age. What was before them was a story that only existed in the past, when Aeons would dwarf and snuff out the light of worlds in an instant. This certainly didn’t look like the destruction of an Aeon. 

“Could a Stellaron have caused this?” Dan Heng suggested. Himeko shook her head. 

“While Stellarons are known for being harmful to worlds all over…I’ve never known one to be capable of this.” She shuddered. “Stellarons aren’t able to… rend a world apart, and make it into debris. Whatever happened here, happened because of violent brute force.” 

“Well…Welt did say this place was rife with war and violence. Maybe this is the cause of a war?” The Trailblazer spoke up with a blanched face. Clearly seeing a destroyed planet hadn’t done anything good for their already sickly disposition from the warp. “In any case…are we going to stick around?” 

“I would say no…but I am a bit curious about this destroyed world.” Himeko said. “The Express usually tracks large universal bodies from their core, since they produce enough energy to show up on the radar. It’s also how we’re able to receive accurate geographical data on the planet without having to be on it, and millions of light years away. However…the Express still led us here, despite Teyvat being gone.” 

Welt placed a hand on his chin, “There’s no way the core could still be intact, it would be rubble along with the rest of the world…meaning, there’s something that’s still there, drawing the Express towards it. Something without power that it registers as a universal body.” He looked down at the conductor. “Pompom, can you send anything down there to get a closer look, maybe?” 

Pompom nodded eagerly, “Of course, of course! The Astral Express is always prepared even for moments like this! Pompom will prepare the Star rovers immediately.”

“Star Rovers?” The Trailblazer asked. 

“Star Rovers are bots built to handle harsh exploration among the stars. I’ve seen them before, though I had no idea the Express had their own…” Dan Heng answered. “They usually come equipped with a camera that’s able to handle all sorts of environments. I don’t know about getting close to an exposed core, though.” He watched skeptically as Pompom headed for the control terminal. 

They waited with bated breath as time passed. It seemed the Star Rovers were only able to cover a certain amount of ground before it had to report back. It took about a day and a half for them to return with photographic information.

However, the photos did nothing to alleviate the crew’s worries. It just added onto their confusion. The Star Rovers had gotten as close as they could to the middle of the debris, before having to return due to a high amount of adverse energy that was corroding away its circuitry. It did manage to snap a few photos despite the danger. 

“Is that some kind of… nail?” March squinted at the picture. In the very middle, floating pristinely amongst the debris and rubble, was a large elongated sharp object that had elegant curves and decorative work etched into its side. It ended in a point, and had a flat head much like that of a nail. It radiated a faint blue aura that was unusual for the very, gray and dull looking rocks that were next to it. 

“I think this is what the Express was tracking…it’s even radiating some strange aura.” Welt pushed his glasses up as he studied the photos closely. “I’m not sure what this is…we should tell Madame Herta about what we found, at least.” 

Himeko nodded, “You’re right. She’ll be interested in this. And maybe she’ll even know what it is.” And so, Himeko gathered the photos and quickly sent them over to the Herta Space Station. Pompom left for the control terminal to warp away, they seemed anxious about having to stay any longer around the destroyed world. Himeko didn’t like the look of the strange object, and the other crew members quickly busied themselves with other chores to get their mind off of what they had seen. 

Welt even retired to the archives for the night, and Himeko could tell his mind was still racing with the image of Teyvat in ruins. She sighed, and decided she’d also head to bed for the night. Herta would be a buzz with questions for her tomorrow about the destroyed world, and the strange nail in its core. As she got up to leave the main hall, she decided she’d refrain from thinking about it for the rest of the night.

“Well it’s certainly an astrological marvel, that’s for certain…” Herta murmured as she looked over the photos that Himeko had sent her. She had never seen anything like it in all her years of travel, and she was even less familiar with the world “Teyvat”. When she got the message from Himeko, and she set her eyes upon the nail, she almost couldn’t believe what she was seeing. Asta studied the photos next to her, her eyes widened as she fully took them in. 

“Oh my stars…how could something so tiny cause such…such destruction?” Asta asked. 

Herta shrugged, placing the photos down on her desk. “Not sure…but I do know one thing, and that’s that I want it in my collection.” her face split into a slow smirk. “I just have to figure out how to get it over here, what I need to contain it…something of this caliber can’t just be left to drift forever, certainly not after I’ve laid my eyes on it for the first time. I want to run many experiments on it, for sure!” 

Asta looked at Herta incredulously. “But Madame Herta, this thing is huge! I don’t think it could possibly fit in the space station…” She said warily. 

“I have my ways, don’t worry Miss Asta. The Space Station is the perfect place to keep such an artifact.” Herta said smugly. “Now, if you’ll excuse me…I have plans to make an excursion out towards that part of space. I’ll ask Himeko for directions.” 

[asrar-likes-chickenpotpie]

Things We Do For Love

Caelus remembers feeling alone. Sure, March and Dan Heng were besides him when he first woke up. They were beside him when fighting against the monsters in the space station. But he never felt like being a part of the group. 

When he joined the Astral Express, everyone was accepting. They were all happy to see him join. Heck, they even threw him a welcome party. He still remembers the cake. It was... tasteful. But it's the thought that counts. But he never truly felt as a part of the group. They all had experiences that they joked and told stories about. But him? He's a blank slate. The only memory he has is of Kafka talking to him.

He always thought that he would always feel this way. A loner, never part of something. Yet, something has changed. A change that he never expected. A change that started at his very first trailblaze mission. Jarilo-VI, a planet that at first look is devoid of life. Yet it is on this planet that he finally became a part of something. Something great.

It all started when they first stepped inside Belobog. The city was full of life, despite their current situation. They were offered by the Supreme Guardian, Cocolia, a room in a hotel(he didn't really listen). And as they reached their destination, he found them. The love of his life. The solution to his loneliness. The most beautiful being in the whole universe. He could feel his whole world shift around as he stood there and stared. And before he could stop himself, he took a step. And another. Until he was standing there, face to face with them. 

He could faintly hear March's shouting in the background. But he will not listen. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity. He must not lose this. He braced himself and jumped.

"Eww, get out of the dumpster Caelus" March scowled as she watched Caelus hug the trash bags in the dumpster. She tried to reach for him but stopped. Oh the smell, how can Caelus stand that?

She whined and looked expectantly at Dan Heng, hoping he could read her mind. He sighed and covered his nose.

"Come on Caelus, lets get you out of there" March smiled triumphantly as Dan Heng proceeded to carry Caelus to the hotel. Finally, she just wants to rest her feet and play.

(They get arrested the next day. Caelus could hear March scream that it's his dumpster diving that got them there. He thinks they're just against true love).

So yeah I wrote a thing. Its also on AO3 here

[kulaiyin]

(content: xenohydro side quest, world 1 finale, world 2 beginning, simulated universe world 3)

(picture unrelated) wrapping up world 1 and heading towards world 2! 

excited to jump into a new world! ╰(*°▽°*)╯

mitosis... 

GETTEM LAMINA!!!!! DON’T LET THIS GUY BOSS U AROUND

XENOHYDRO REAL?! this quest chain (?) was fun... i ended up letting both lamina and the xenohydro go, because i can understand the urge of a living curio to be free... lamina’s story also made me emo. i didn’t manage to find her again after this quest, but i hope she’s living her best life! 

after the quest, i smugly ran straight for where capote and lamina used to stand around and found capote in one of those coffee rooms

to my surprise, he was very humbled by the experience?! i’m glad that he’s reflecting on himself! usually i kinda feel bad for my choice in these side quests, but i like this ending! 👍 

BACK TO BELOBOG... SO WE CAN GET OUT OF BELOBOG!

i took these screenshots weeks ago but... happy pride (❤´艸｀❤)

OH?! THIS IS SO ANCIENT CHINESE DRAMA... 

THEM... this whole sequence was so menacing...

i honestly didn’t expect blade to be “evil,” i thought he was just an edgy emo guy... wait, no, i guess the thing that surprised me the most was the fact that he could smile like that 😱

not the coffee cups 

my phone graphics are CRYONG

during the dan heng nightmare cutscene, i also got a texture error with the sword. after rewatching it online, i realized it was supposed to have a shattered effect, but for me it had some pink stripes just like above! ∑( 口 || 

h-hang in there, phone...

WELT IS COMING ?!!?!?!?!?!? 😳😳😳

MY PHONE POOPED AT THIS PART, THE HOLOGRAMS KEPT GLITCHING BUT KAFKA YOOOOOOOO

the moms are FIGHTING

i'm so curious to see what our destination would have been... but it’s ok, the docking location for xianzhou luofu looks REALLY COOL! 

REALLY DIDN’T EXPECT THE XIANZHOU LUOFU FIRST LOCATION TO BE A BARGE

COOOOOOOOOL!!!!!! COLORFUL

march 7th’s Droppings

KYAAAAAAAA SPACE CHINA LOOKS COOL!!!!

at this point, i hit trailblazer level 35 and got my 10 standard warp passes! (bites nails) WE’RE HITTING PITY, LET’S SEE THE GOODS...!

sampo goes for a 散步

HAPPY TO HAVE HIM! regrettably i haven’t had much opportunity to build/use him since i got him, but it’s nice to fill out the 4-star roster! 💪 only missing sushang and tingyun!

(definitely thinking of throwing pulls on the luocha banner... WANT SUSHANG)

... AND I GOT BRONYA’S E1 YOOOOOOOOO!!!

after reviewing what it does, it seems really good?! now using her skill doesn’t hurt that much anymore! 👀

... REALLY WANT TO GET SEELE TO MATCH WITH HER GF but maybe i will get her on a rerun _(:з)∠)_ i have guaranteed after losing 50/50 to E0 bronya, but i don’t have enough to hit pity... 

march u are so funny (genuine)

XIANZHOU LUOFU IS SOOOOO BEAUTIFUL i love how distinct the architecture is and how there are colorful ribbons in the sky as clouds... ✨ 

(but also please excuse my poop graphics...)

bro has two tails

my phone HATES THIS AREA LOOOOL BUT OMG YUKONG 😳

the holograms and screens glitch like crazy so i regrettably was a bit distracted during this scene... later on i found out that it’s purposefully like that o(￣┰￣*)ゞ

i didn’t expect yukong to have such a high position! ... and to outright reject us akjdlawjl luckily jing yuan is here to our rescue...

(by the way, i genuinely thought yukong was tingyun’s mom or something when i saw the initial character lineup... maybe i’m a fool... THERE ARE A LOT OF FOXIANS HERE) 

oh she lesbiab... i appreciate this npc... 🙏🥺

SIMULATED UNIVERSE WORLD 3... DEFEATED!!!!! i was using preservation buffs and basically it was a cockroach fight with gepard ALKJDALW i can’t even tell you how long it the boss battle took...

yeah... 

i don’t think this is my first time i attempted SU3 (i’m pretty sure nanook sabatoged my first run lol) but i love the fact that we get to use CURIOS...! with curios and blessings, there’s a lot of potential for silly builds...

[revserrayyu]

2.2 Penacony thoughts [part 1]

**Mild spoiler warning** in place as I didn’t reach that far into the new update as of yet. Stopped right after seeing Sunday being a holy man listening to the troubles of others, so if that scene doesn’t ring any bells, then please refrain from reading further. As always, don’t spoil anything that happens afterwards, not only for myself, but for anyone else who hasn’t finished the new story yet.

First things first, I’m so pleased that we start off with Boothill. It feels like it’s been forever since he was first drip-marketed and when we heard that phone call of his with Black Swan, so finally seeing him in game is pretty nice. Still love that design in his eye too.

I’m also happy that the jade abacus was brought up again. Once we saw DHIL & Jing Yuan team up in the 2.2 livestream trailer I figured that Dan Heng was gonna call upon our beloved general with this item. At present, I don’t know if it’s actually used or if we head to the Xianzhou instead and request for help. Either way, I’m a bit surprised the general lends a hand. Of course he’s an ally and promised to help us with any troubles, but.. last time we saw him, he had just encountered Luocha and Jingliu, right? Could Jing Yuan really have left that confrontation behind so easily? Are we ever going to learn about what happened during that conversation? Who knows, but I hope we find out one day if this story doesn’t mention the matter further.

Anyways, who do you think the Elation Emanator that Boothill is? Naturally, I first thought of Sparkle solely because of her “I AM Elation!” declaration during her character trailer and her being a Masked Fool, but seeing how Boothill is having issues accessing Penacony in the first place, I doubt the two have officially met. They could’ve met elsewhere, sure, but I still doubt it’s Sparkle. Still haven’t a clue on who else it could be though but whomever it is certainly can’t hold their liquor.

Then we cut to Acheron being cornered by a bunch of npcs who are apparently all part of the “Dreammaster,” but let me just say that I love how literal Acheron can be, like correcting how many slashes she actually used. It’s also a bit scary for her to mention, as I don’t even remember a second blade either.

She’s just.. ironically funny to me. Acting all threatening but being completely serious with her grammar.

It was humorous when we switched to Robin for the first time. I didn’t manage to get a screenshot of it but how the screen even questioned it like “switching to Robin’s POV?” was hilarious. And rightfully so because this certainly isn’t our beloved idol. Sparkle, please, stop handing out bombs to everyone!

It was a short switch, but we finally jump back to where we personally left off. I know the journey Firefly is referring to might be our time hanging out together in Penacony, but somewhere deep down I imagine it could also be about our possible time with the Stellaron Hunters before the entire story even happened. I’m sure we have some sort of past with them but who knows if and when we’ll touch upon that.

Firefly goes into detail about her actions, about how she informed Silver Wolf to contact us and the plan she wanted to share with us before “Death” acted out. I guess it makes the lies and secrets a bit more bearable? All according to the script and at least she originally intended to tell us everything before the monster lashed out.

Then we get scene with her and Blade and oh my god, they both look so good?? Learning that Blade actually owns a driver’s license is comical too. Who would’ve thought our edgy man could be so reliable.

I’m so thankful for this scene as it gives us a taste about how Firefly acts around the other Stellaron Hunters. Since the rumors about her being Sam started, I couldn’t imagine how this sweet girl could’ve been one of them, but it seems she gets along just fine, even teasing Blade a bit.

Now correct me if I’m wrong but this is actually a flashback that happens right before Kafka destroys the Jepella Brotherhood during that one Myriad Celestia trailer, yeah? That’s pretty cool. Confirms that Firefly has been here the entire time and Bladie is even wearing the same suit.

I never thought of a decent acronym for what Sam could really mean, but we finally got our answer: Strategic Assault Mech. Makes me wonder if Firefly is even her true name, since that also seems to be part of the suit’s name.

Rejoice, someone other than ourselves can actually see Misha and Clockie. Would’ve never guessed that person to be Welt though. I guess he really is a child at heart. I know he gets excited whenever mechs are involved, such as the Engine of Creation, but this also reminds me of how his E6 depicts him as a child.

It’s unsettling that Misha calls “Death” something so innocent as “Sleepie.” Also claims that the monster isn’t aggressive and sometimes fetches the wrong guests to bring here.. uh huh, right. Sure. But of course Gallagher controls it! I know we learn more about him during this patch but I still don’t trust him.

So it’s clear that Misha is still a giant mystery. It’s good that us and Welt can see him, but the kid still isn’t perceived by everyone here. That one pepeshi we found alongside March thought we were talking to someone invisible and it appears Micah and Himeko can’t see Misha either.

During that flashback with the siblings as kids, I sorta feel like Sunday is also talking about Robin here. I know we’re chatting about the injured bird they found, but all the caged bird metaphors that Robin has, from her splash art and trailers, is hard to ignore.

Then we learn Gallagher is a History Fictionologist that’s in charge of this new place, which is all fine and well I suppose? Great to know who he really is but chalk it up as yet another person who lied to us. Of course I don’t believe much of anything any non-Express family says but whatever. He’s using fancy words that went over my head.

And now it’s all started to make sense in my head. Inviting different parties that have experience handling stellarons or at least have capable means of preventing a disaster. The Express and the Stellaron Hunters themselves are an obvious and reliable choices when it comes to stellarons, the IPC certainly has impressive power if Aventurine is anything to go off of, and I don’t doubt the real Galaxy Rangers are strong fighters too. I’m sire Black Swan and Sparkle have some tricks up their sleeves too, as would Ever-Flame Mansion.. if they’re alive. Also, the fact that the meme is named “Dormancy”.. Ratio stated in his note to Aventurine that “Dormancy” was the impossible in the dreamscape instead of “Death,” but I figured he just meant it as the word’s true meaning, not referring to the monster itself. That’s clever.

Sir, don’t give me hope like this by saying you’ll fight with us. Do you know how many people are wishing for you to actually be playable?? I’d love it if he was, I’d even take him as a four-star at this point (even though he clearly has five-star energy) but something tells me he isn’t. He gives me Cocolia vibes a little, like he’s certainly an important figure but I would not be shocked if he turns on us somehow and ends up as a boss of some sort either.

Aventurine’s status is truly a mystery that I definitely need to know! Is our beloved gambler okay?? Preferably alive somehow?? It hasn’t been long but I miss seeing/hearing him in the story already! But I do love that the chip he gave is when we first entered our hotel room turned out to be a transmitter. I’m not sure if it’ll reach his place in that momochromatic world he’s in, but perhaps we can use it to call upon Topaz and the rest of the IPC chilling in the hotel lobby? After Topaz noticed one of the broken Aventurine stone pieces lost its shine, I can imagine that our gambler had several spare transmitter chips to hand out to those he can depend on.

Stuff happens in a quick cutscene and we climb up many stairs to encounter another Nameless who has certainly seen better days. He sorta looks like that one white-haired dude on that new light cone that they showed briefly during the 2.2 livestream. And since it isn’t much of a spoiler anymore considering the official HSR yt channel already put out a video on it.. yeah, harmony hat.

Pfftt there’s something so funny to me about hearing Himeko call that fierce monster who has already “killed” several people a mere pet. Show no fear mother!

I absolutely LOVE that this man canonically can’t swear! They can switch all the words they want but I know exactly what Boothill wishes to say and it is hilarious. This quirk alone makes me want to pull for him.

My memory isn’t the greatest, but this shot made it so clear for me to remember that the Forgotten Hall mirror is a sort of Garden of Recollection thing, so having Black Swan appear from it was simply perfect.

The girlies working together once again, oh my~

After the things you personally witnessed sweetie, I’m glad you think so. Gotta love strong women!

Whose?? The only relics that come to mind are the Ashblazing Grand Duke set which I’m fairly certain isn’t what Acheron is referring to. I only thought of it due to the memes about how she killed him and turned him into said relics.

There’s another cutscenes with Acheron and that old dude we heard last patch, but I don’t remember much aside from him reminiscing about his companions once being Galaxy Rangers and more chatter about Nihility. This scene however, with Sunday looking all handsome and holy.. OH BOY. He’s gorgeous with the light shinning on him like that. I feel blessed to have witnessed such beauty.

I never thought of him to actually listen to people’s sins, but it suits him rather well. Doesn’t seem like most people recognize him doing so either? Aside from this one pepeshi of course.. either that, or everyone clearly respects Sunday too much while this person could care less on how to act around him. I was gonna make fun of the merchant for having such trivial sins, but if you’re living a life where that’s all you have to worry about, then sign me up.

The confession isn’t all fun and games though as some disbelief about the Family is brought up. Yet another reason for me not to completely trust this holy hot handsome man yet. Looking forward to continuing more later tonight.

[antimatterz]

Hi there! I'm back after a few days of doing missions and farming and everyone is now level 50! Well, almost everyone, I still have three more that needs their ascension materials but I have to wait for a bit after I poured out all trailblaze power to get exp materials. How are you? Seems like self-aware au is becoming your new agenda. Once I saw your three updates, I couldn't be anymore excited and look forward to some more. There is so many things you can think about when it comes to self-aware au, based on experience alone. I would love to write them, if only I had much motivation to do so.

After reading the fic about logging in at ungodly hours, I felt bad of all those days that I did not bother to sleep just to finish the Belobog arc and jump to Xianzhou. Not to mention the number of times I had to repeat to defeat Bronya and the Ebon Deer. It was 10 times for Bronya and the Ebon Deer was around 15 or 16. The Doomsday Beast only took me 3 times. My frustration during those times were at peak that I ranted over my friends about it. They don't even play Star Rail. And those sleepless nights still continue until now and I bet Stelle would have already bonk me with her bat. So it's super relatable and not to mention, cute. Probably before Dan Heng passes out, he makes sure that you had log out completely. And whether it reaches or not, he mumbles some good night and rest well to you. If Blade were able to do it, he would give you a playful flick on the forehead while sternly telling you to sleep already. He watches you as you log out and then he breathes out as a sigh of relief now that you are resting finally. Gepard would want to get out the system just to take care of you. Mr.Cold Feet is Mr. Cold Feet, man has many things up his sleeve, of course, he'll be up with you. And please someone help sleeping beauty ╥⁠﹏⁠╥

Mr. Luocha just arrived yesterday, and I keep getting Qingque, help. Hopefully, I'll get him or maybe Miss Yukong on the next pull (I'm so into being delusion that I start giving honorifics to fictional characters). I also read your Blade fic and also the one with Dan Heng. I really would like it if Blade joins my team but I don't know about Dan Heng. What if he doesn't come home like I may have run out of time or ran out of stellar jades? Delusional—what if Dan Heng sabotages each pull or Blade would avoid joining my team at all cost by dodging my pulls? Manifesting that we could get them at the next pull and we could also get the upcoming characters too.

aaa i'm sorry for getting back to you so late, i really wanted to take a moment to sit down to form a proper reply instead of coming up with something rushed, but i was kinda busy ;_; also this is a super long post because i added your other asks as well in order not to clog up the dash so i added a cut!

ooh good job! that's pretty neat! i have to admit that i don't even bother to level up all my characters. i bring them to lvl 20 and ascend them for the free warp but that's about it lol. but i miiiight lvl them up at some point because i've been hearing pretty good things about some of them and i kinda want to try them out too, you know? for example i used qingque in a trail and she did some pretty amazing numbers? so i feel like she's worth it to lvl up and build her! so yeah i'm currently prefarming to lvl my most-used characters to lvl 80 because i'm about to reach equilibrium lvl 5, but after that i might start working on my other characters! okay that was a whole story i'm sorry shdhfh.

that aside, i'm doing pretty good! as i mentioned before, i'm kinda busy but i try to find moments to write and relax so i'm holding up hehe. and yeah apparently? self-aware au is super fun to write and brainrot about and now i'm getting a lot of requests on it too! come to think of it, you're kind of the one who started this all! so thank you for that hehe.

to be fair, i'm procrastinating the trailblaze missions so i haven't encountered the ebon deer yet, i'm still somewhere around the part where we interrogate kafka lol. i'm sooo behind i know >.< maybe i should catch up? but i have like, zero motivation to do so help. and ooh that's so relatable. none of my friends play hsr so i have no one to talk to : ( i guess that's why i always go all out replying to your asks because i'm so happy that i get to ramble about dan heng and the game in general fjshdhd.

oh yes i can imagine stelle doing that! and aaa dan heng, he's secretly so worried about our sleeping schedule and the relief when we log out to sleep is real lol. also i can perfectly hear his tired goodnight y/n and it makes me really soft :< and yes gepard!!! he would totally get so frustrated because he can't get out to actually see you off to sleep, he's such a doting sweetheart :3

ooh congrats on getting him! i'm still hesitating whether to get him or not because i really want blade, kafka AND dan heng il, and i'm not sure how to pull that off without spending my entire bank account shfhdh. and well as i said before, i think qingque is actually pretty good? i hope she will come in useful for you! i'm solely pulling for miss yukong (miss yukong sounds great, i'm gonna use that hehe). i mean i think she buffs imaginary damage and i don't have/use any other imaginary characters but i just love her (and tingyun!!) so much that i had to have her. i have her at e1 now and i'm just hhhh i love my foxian ladies >_<

let's just hope dan heng and bladie can put their rivalry aside for our sake, because i dearly love both (okay if i have to pick one it will always be my beloved dan heng but hhh). but yes indeed, manifesting getting both!!

realistically speaking, it would be best to prepare for the worst when it comes to dan heng il, but i'm so attached to my boy, i don't want him to leave the crew.. what if we never see him again?? don't even wanna think about that >.< let's just hope hope hope it won't be that bad and that he gets to stay with us :< if not i will riot shfhdh.

i've been building her a little and so far she's doing okay? i mainly started using her because i needed a physical dps but then i saw her ult where she summons a massive angry chicken and i laughed out loud let me tell you that lol. she's far from completed yet, though, she's still a work in progress but i keep getting distracted by other characters oops?

hehe yep! you just inspired me and besides, i really appreciate you stopping by in my ask box so i just wanted to do a little something! i'm glad it made you happy :D

and yes of course! welcome to my lil' anon family!

aaa smiling dan heng?! i couldn't find the artwork sadly but that sounds lovely, his smile melts my heart >_< especially since it's so rare because his face is always so stoic. and oh i'm guilty of doing that too hehe.

hoyo knows what they're doing and it's not ok. now i not only have to save for dan heng il but also for his signature light cone ;_;

i saw that on tiktok !!!! and the way i gasped !!!! it's so insanely cool they're treating dan heng il like some kind of deity and i'm loving it, our man deserves this (i'm just not sure if my heart is ready to love this man even more?!!)

that can only mean one thing, right? he's getting close aaaaa i'm not prepared and i'm not sorry for the person i will become when he officially drops 3:)