#luofu readable

[voiceoutofstars]

Readability Revision: An Unsuitable Job for a Puppet

Part of a series of readability revisions for Honkai Star Rail text.

Reminder that I cannot read or speak Mandarin. This is a fan revision for readability, not a re-translation. For a lengthy explanation of this pet project and repeated disclaimers, check here.

Notes:

The user “Snowy Coat” who comments on this web novel is Xueyi, who also is the judge upon whom the web novel itself is based.

Per the Star Rail wiki, the depicted Foxian assistant is likely based on Huohuo.

This readable appears to be inspired by the 1972 detective novel An Unsuitable Job for a Woman, one of the first (if not the first) novels in the genre to have a female private detective protagonist.

An Unsuitable Job for a Puppet

A grimdark serialized web novel adapted from urban legends and featuring the Judges of the Ten-Lords Commission as the protagonists. It’s not very popular.

Become a Novelist

Not everything that happens here deserves to be believed —Urban Legend

[Supernova Serial] An Unsuitable Job for a Puppet

Part 1

Chess Master Fay

Posted on August 10

…

Above the Elixir Research Terrace, where tinctures and potions are brewed under the auspices of the Alchemy Commission, a man storms wildly across the pointed beams of the rooftop.

In but a moment, the man is at the edge of the eaves with nothing but air beneath his feet. He leaps off the roof, grabbing hold of a Heron Express cycrane. The birdlike automaton twitters out a few prerecorded warnings, then tries to shake him off. Eventually, it stabilizes and carries him off safely to a starskiff parked in the distance.

When the Alchemy Commission guards finally reaches the rooftop, the man has disappeared—leaving behind only steadily fading, cricket-sized shadow.

A guard stares after the shrinking figure for a moment before falling to the ground, tears in his eyes. He trembles, muttering, “It’s over. It’s all over.”

“Ninsa, it’s not our fault.” The officer beside him sighs aloud and then speaks again, self-deprecatingly. “Notify the Ten-Lords Commission. They can fix this.”

“Fix?” shouts Ninsa. “Tell me how anyone could fix this, Hede. He got away with a jade abacus that holds Theophany Era prescriptions! The Xiānzhōu's been hiding those secrets for centuries. The consequences of revealed them will be unimaginable…”

Ninsa pauses for breath and, seeing his partner lost for words and his own subordinates even more petrified, stands up to shout. “We didn’t even get a look at his face! Not even the Ten-Lords Commission can help us now.”

Before his rant can continue, a cold female voice rings out behind them. “I saw his face. Rest assured—I have it memorized.”

Everyone automatically moves aside to make space, and the speaker reveals herself—a young girl with short black hair, holding a chain and scepter. Her face sends thrills of unease down the spines of the gathered troops; it is delicate, lovely, and completely emotionless.

“All ingenium creations are prohibited around the Elixir Research Terrace. Excluding me, of course.” The young lady speaks as she walks to the edge of the roof, her voice bone-chillingly cold. “All cycranes responsible for deliveries are registered with the Realm-Keeping Commission. If any were modded, that will be detected very shortly.”

“How do you explain that particular one?” asks Ninsa. “You saw it, right?”

“It may have been hijacked via some kind of bioelectric signal. That Outworlder’s abilities are rather unique. Are you worried?”

That response finally seems to stun Ninsa into silence. He nearly drops to the ground once more. Hede asks, with instinctive caution, “May I ask who your Excellency is?”

“A Judge of the Ten-Lords Commission.”

And with that, the girl flips down off the top of the roof, and instantly disappears from sight.

Xiānzhōu Smartie Posted on August 10

Sir! I’ve been waiting forever for this. I’ll read every single update. Thank you!

MyNameIsMartha! Posted on August 10

The Ten-Lords Commission? Good subject matter, but this is far from the Ten Lords of my imagination. It just reads like a rough repackaging of those spy novels set outside Xiānzhōu. I recommend the author check out Social Principles of Love and Restraint. It’s far better than this opener here.

Six-Eyed Flying Fish Posted on August 10

The writer’s description of technical details is fantastic! Such veracity, and so shocking. Maybe the writer actually works for the Ten-Lords Commission?

Chess Master Fay Replied to: Six-Eyed Flying Fish, August 10

You overstate things. I’m just diligent in my research.

Snowy Coat Posted on August 12

Interesting.

Moon Moon Moon Moon Posted on August 12

Holy cow, it’s Fay’s new work! #confetti#applause#hugs~ I’ve been waiting for this for 827 years! #confetti#applause#hugs~ I hope you read this post. I’ve liked, commented, and shared every post you’ve ever done.

Existential Teahouse Posted on August 12

“Grade A top quality.” Master Fay’s deductive skills are absolutely the best aboard Xiānzhōu. From the change in perspectives to the character-building, so much dramatic tension is built up before the climactic release. Master Fay accentuates their central themes with picturesque word choice. The penetrating descriptions are astonishing, like they’ve sprouted their own hands, feet, and senses. Characters blossom before the readers’ eager eyes.

Judge’s Dog Posted on September 7

I wanna be the judge’s dog. I wanna be whipped with the judge’s chain!!! O judge, step on me! How can I live without you!? My judge!!!

Snowy Coat Replied to: Judge’s Dog, September 7

That’s kinda gross.

Become a Novelist

Not everything that happens here deserves to be believed —Urban Legend

[Supernova Serial] An Unsuitable Job for a Puppet

Part 2

Chess Master Fay

Posted on August 15

The Story So Far: A prescription from ages past containing the secrets to longevity has been stolen. A judge from the Ten-Lords Commission—a girl who looks like a porcelain doll—gives chase. She must catch the culprit before the secret is leaked…

“Madam,” a short Foxian female judge calls out cautiously, “Not even the Ten-Lords Commission can confidently identify bioelectric signals without evidence. This judgment seems a little arbitrary…”

“The point is not the signal itself,” interrupts the ‘Madam’ in question—a black-haired, expressionless girl. “A secret Theophany Era prescription in the keeping of the Elixir Research Terrace has been stolen by an Outworld thief.”

“You mean…?” asks the Foxian tentatively, clearly afraid of being chastised by her boss for her ignorance.

“Have the items stored in the Elixir Research Terrace been advertised so widely that even Outworlders know about it? Has that become common knowledge?” demands the girl. She adds, “Go and look into things there, including any previous doctors who’ve been fired or quit.”

“Miss, wait, please—this is the men’s restroom…” Before the Vidyadhara man guarding the men’s room entrance can finish his protest, he feels something shockingly cold on his neck. Looking down, he sees a scepter, its tip as sharp as a spear’s.

This is a fellow who has survived his first 300 years by relying on just three words: read the room. So, he smiles down at the girl pressing her scepter to his throat and says, “It’s urgent, is it? Then I won’t stop you, haha.” And then, keeping his apologetic smile in place, he flees down the dark alleyway.

The dark-haired girl uses her scepter to part the filthy curtain over the restroom’s doorway and walks inside.

Inside, a strong stench stimulates her olfactory center. A quick analysis is completed within a nanosecond; this isn’t the smell of ammonia, but a pungent odor of sodium hypochlorite. Few law-abiding Xiānzhōu citizens would guess a poorly maintained public restroom like this would harbor an unsanctioned apothecary.

In the farthest, darkest corner, a man dressed like a physician is lost in thought. Before he can even notice her, the girl ghosts up to him. A chain, animated by a life of its own, coils around him, binding him tightly, while the sharp tip of a scepter presses against his throat.

“Who did you tell about the secret prescriptions kept in the Elixir Research Terrace?” The girl asks, then slightly decreases the pressure of her scepter so that he can speak.

“Prescription… I don’t know about any prescription… Ugh…” He only manages a short denial before the girl presses harder again, choking off his words.

“Who is he?” she demands, again relaxing her right hand slightly.

“Ack… I don’t know… Ugh…”

“How many of the Ten Lords’ interrogation methods are you familiar with? I’ll ask you one last time: who is he?" She retracts the spear-like scepter and, in a display of strength disproportionate to her size, easily lifts him up off the ground.

“Ahh… Coventry! Argh… Albert Coventry! There, I said it! I told you. Please spare me!”

Abruptly, all the man’s strength leaves his body. Both his legs give way as he collapses to the ground. When he comes to, looking blearily for the face of assailant, it’s as though the entire nightmarish interrogation never happened—only the rustling sound from the alley outside remains.

Xiānzhōu Smartie Posted on August 15

Sir! I’ve been waiting forever for this. I’ll read every single update. Thank you!

Snowy Coat Posted on August 15

This chapter is good.

Six-Eyed Flying Fish Posted on August 16

Fay really is the Xiānzhōu King of Hardboiled Fiction. Every chapter weaves back and forth, revealing shocking surprises! It’s unbeatable!

Chess Master Fay Replied to: Six-Eyed Flying Fish, August 16

You overstate things. I don’t deserve such praise. In my opinion, there are many hardboiled novelists who are better than me.

Six-Eyed Flying Fish Replied to: Chess Master Fay, August 16

No way! You’re so humble — you definitely deserve the title of the Xiānzhōu King of Hardboiled Fiction. There’s no one better than you out there!

Philosophy-Crazed One Posted on September 15

From a psychoanalytic perspective, the author comes off as a big Other. They need to learn to halt the sliding of the signifier through the awakening of the ego.

Chess Master Fay Replied to: Philosophy Mad One, September 16

What’s all this you’re on about?

Judge’s Dog Posted on October 28

Judge, ahhh! Why are you rewarding him, arghhh!!! Don’t hit him, hit me instead!!! Hit me! Aaaaaah let me be your dog, arf arf!

Snowy Coat Replied to: Judge’s Dog, October 28

Where do you live? Let’s talk offline.

Judge’s Dog Posted on October 29

I have deeply reflected on my inappropriate words and now understand their consequences for society. From now on, I will be considerate in word and deed and will be an upstanding pillar of the Xiānzhōu community. Please stay safe on web novel review sites. The long arm of the law can still reach you there.

Become a Novelist

Not everything that happens here deserves to be believed —Urban Legend

[Supernova Serial] An Unsuitable Job for a Puppet

Part 3

Chess Master Fay

Posted on August 20

The Story So Far: When a crime is committed, the judge must bring down the gavel. Results are all that matter; a secret nobody knows has no value at all. As long as a secret stays a secret, its true self is meaningless…

The girl opens the scroll she is carrying and watches thoughtfully as the map’s real-time data refreshes.

“The intel Coventry obtained isn’t the prescription—is that what you’re saying?” the Foxian judge asks timidly.

“The prescription is just a front,” says the girl, without looking up.

“So… the way I see it, Coventry is just being used. Some people in the Elixir Research Terrace wanted to stir up chaos and muddle the news of their research. The report of theft is just a ploy to redirect attention.” The Foxian sends several notes to the scroll in the girl’s hand. “I’ve already contacted a diviner who can recover the data presumed to be lost.”

“Well done.” The girl nods, but her tone remains ice-cold.

When the Foxian judge hears this frigid praise, she tries her best to maintain a serious expression, but her ears wiggle despite herself.

About three hours later, after confirming that nobody is following him, Coventry opens the door, calling out, “I’m back.”

As soon as the door swings open, he senses that something is off. The room is completely dark. That crazed Xiānzhōu hacker Mishang usually welcomes him with a strange ditty, but this time the room is dead silent.

"Something’s wrong," he says quietly to himself, pulling out his weapon. He pushes on into the darkness.

Behind the screen sectioning the room, a white figure slowly emerges. Coventry pulls the trigger of his hand crossbow on reflex.

A thin, cyan bolt two inches long thrums in place, hovering about a foot in front of the delicate face of the young girl. The bolthead crackles with sparks, as if it’s straining against the invisible barrier.

“H–How did you find me?”

“Cycrane.” The response is a cold and emotionless female voice.

“That drone? I released it as soon as I landed!” retorts the man, trying to keep his voice nonchalant.

“The cycrane in question has been retrieved by the Realm-Keeping Commission. Its flight path was enough for the Divination Commission to triangulate your whereabouts.” The girl touches the quivering bolthead hanging in the air in front of her, half-curious, as if she’s teasing a butterfly.

This is the moment Coventry has been waiting for, the split-second window of opportunity for his escape.

He bends his knees and pushes off with the soles of his feet. A purple electrical arc snaps into sight between his palms. Coventry has roamed many worlds and has always fluttered just outside the grasp of the Interastral Peace Corporation. He is perpetually on their wanted list, not just because of his well-planned schemes, but also because he knows what to do when he’s cornered.

Implanted below his artificial skin is a network of electrical pulse generators. Coventry rarely shows this particular trick to anyone. Whether his target is a long-lived species of the Xiānzhōu or one the Artisanship Commission’s ingenium creations… a fully powered strike would likely turn any of them to ashes.

“Electromagnetic field, activate!”

Coventry feels his enemy in his palm. If not for the concentration needed to maintain this electrical output, he might have laughed out loud. "Gotcha!"

Smoke rises and sparks flow as the acrid smell of burning fills the area.

Coventry trembles, almost seizing, as he struggles to control himself. In his foggy sight, the pitch-black room spins into a blob of shadow—and the silhouette of his unimaginable defeat.

“You move too slowly.” From with that shadow, the girl materializes.

Too… slowly? Coventry stares at his wrist. It’s bent at an unnatural angle. At some point—he’s not sure when—the hand attached to that wrist has become pressed hard against his lower jaw.

“And discharging electricity without insulating yourself? What a foolish maneuver.” The face of the judge in white shows no emotion.

“Involuntary Immortalization and Immortality Theft. Of the Ten Unpardonable Sins, these two are the gravest. Do you admit your guilt?”

The man can’t control his shaking. Partially because of the electric shock—but mostly because of the fear.

With all his remaining sanity, he begs, “Please… Please forgive me.” His voice grates across the words. “I haven’t looked at the prescription. I’ll leave it. I’ll get off the Luófú and never come back. Please… You’ll never see me again.”

Coventry steels himself, waiting for the judge’s verdict—but the darkness is silent. As the seconds creep by, that darkness seems to sneer at him.

And then that same cold voice rings out again, and each word is heavy as iron, weighted with sacred, unquestionable authority:

“Ten Lords’ Verdict.”

Xiānzhōu Smartie Posted on August 20

Sir! I’ve been waiting forever for this. I’ll read every single update. Thank you!

MyNameIsMartha! Posted on August 20

Are we sure mister Smartie here isn’t a bot account?

Snowy Coat Posted on August 20

It’s a bit exaggerated, but I love it.

Six-Eyed Flying Fish Posted on August 20

The Xiānzhōu King of Hardboiled Fiction has a new chapter out! Let’s go give it our support now! All the so-called "masterpieces of fiction" have nothing on this, so don’t waste your time and money on those! Master Fay is a blessing for all of us lucky Xiānzhōu readers!

Chess Master Fay Replied To: Six-Eyed Flying Fish, August 20

You’re really too kind! The lucky one is me—to have such discerning readers as you all!

JingYuan_IS_MyHusbando Replied to: Six-Eyed Flying Fish, August 21

Is Six-Eyed Flying Fish a Chess Master Fay’s sock puppet account!

Chess Master Fay Replied to: JingYuan_IS_MyHusbando, August 21

Venomous slander. How could I be the Chess Master Fay? There’s no way I could imitate the magnificence of his written word.

JingYuan_IS_MyHusbando Replied to: Chess Master Fay, August 21

…You forgot to switch accounts.

Judge’s Dog Posted on November 2

Judge, please arrest me!!! I surrender. I have sinned!!! The sin of infatuation—with you!!! O Judge, I wanna be your dog!!!

Snowy Coat Replied to: Judge’s Dog, November 2

That’s quite enough.

[msbluebell]

Alright, time to pull out my lore specialty to answer questions.

The answer is…it's complicated.

See, the "sin" is called the "Sedition" of Imbibitor Lunae. A Sedition is defined as specifically an act of rebellion against a local governance. Meaning that the big propaganda is that Dan Feng betrayed the Xianzhou Alliance and incited a rebellion, attacking them with a dragon abomination.

This is propaganda and wild misinterpretation of his intentions that was fed to everyone thanks to the political machinations of the Preceptors and the lack of proper investigation by the 10 Lords Commission.

Now, Dan Feng refused to open his damn mouth about it. Once he was arrested he never spoke again until the day he was forced into Molting Rebirth. This is suggested to be because he was betrayed. If one looks at the readables surrounding the incident and interacts with the world interactables in the Scalegorge Waterscape you start piecing together that this was NOT his intentions and that the situation was so much more than we currently know. So Dan Feng was probably right to keep his damn mouth shut.

Anyway, Dan Heng. Dan Heng is not entirely a full reincarnation of Dan Feng. His rebirth was botched so he's basically Dan Feng deaged. Yes, they made the fanfic trope "character temporarily becomes a baby again" real but made it tragic and made him have to regrow up.

Anyway, Dan Heng grew up in prison and was fed this misinformation all his life by both bad faith and genuinely misinformed parties. And he lived with this misinformation well into the start of the game.

This is until the quest "Clouds Leave No Trace", Jingliu's Companion quest, where he gets some perspective and learns that the situation was...not that. See, Dan Heng was part of the High Cloud Quintent, a group of legendary outcasts in Xianzhou Luofu that formed a deep friendship and became an elite team of specialists that was basically their version of the A Team or the Avengers. One day this Emanator of Abundance named Shuhu showed up. Shuhu is an immortal, regenerating, body snatching tree that was as large as a dragon and once brought a planet to life that then ate one of the Xianzho ships. Oh, also when he body snatches you your face becomes part of his bark. He's based on a Jinmenju and that's terrifying.

Shuhu was so massive and so regenerating that he could take on whole Xianzhou armies by himself. One day he attacked the Luofu, and it was...bad.

We don't know too much about the fight, but we know somehow Jingliu was critically wounded. Dan Feng had physically transformed himself into HIS TRUE FUCK YOU DRAGON FORM. BECAUSE HAVE I MENTIONED THAT DAN HENG'S TRUE FORM IS ACTUAL DRAGON? YEAH, HE'S WEARING HUMAN SKIN BUT THE HIGH ELDERS ARE REAL DEAL DRAGONS. Anyway, Dan Feng had turned into his giant fuck you dragon form and was fighting this tree tooth and nail. It was a brutal, bloodied, fight. Rain and storms everywhere. And Dan Feng was ripping this thing apart. Note that Dan Feng in NORMAL form is so terrifying that he could take out armies and the General cleared the field when he arrived.

Unfortunately, I wasn't kidding about Shuhu massively regenerating. Imagine Blade and Mydei's immortality on 100 shots of espresso and also this thing is a giant tree with too many parts. Like Zetsu from Naruto meets Poison Ivy meets Koh from Avatar.

Anyway, no matter how good Dan Feng is, he can't keep going against an opponent that just WON'T DIE. The fight goes on so long that supposedly Dan Feng started to enter Dragon's Delirium, which is a state of feral disassociation where the vidyadhara start to lose themselves to their own draconic natures. In other words? He was going feral on aggressive dragon instincts and was thus rapidly becoming a danger to himself and everyone around him.

Enter Baiheng.

Now, Baiheng is a foxian pilot that was part of the Quintet. She was their driver, and specialized in crashing her ships into things and also she was a Nameless that came into contact with the Flint Emperor and was forever touched my Terminus because of it. So she would sometimes have flashes of visions and used that to avoid disasters. Anyway, she saw this wasn't going well, and she'd previously had a vision about this not going well. So she prepped for this. How?

She somehow stole a Primordial Sun from the Furnace of Creation. Not sure how, assume she used her friendship with Yingxing (Blade's old identity before his amnesia to brainwashing pipeline) to do this somehow since he's the only one that would have access to this. Anyway, Baiheng had a Primordial Sun and she held onto that thing and RAMMED a Starskiff into Shuhu, activating the sun and creating a black hole that ate them both.

All that was left of her was a lock of hair and three drops of blood.

This devastated the Quintent. You know, since they just lost one of their friends. I cannot emphasis this enough, these people were FRIENDS. And while some were closer than others (Jing Yuan never felt close to Jingliu, Dan Feng and Yingxing were said to be the closest, Baiheng was the only one that could open Jingliu's heart, Jing Yuan and Yingxing had some sort of teasing ribbing friendship going on, and Baiheng knew Yingxing since he was a child) nevertheless they were a GROUP and they just lost someone. Think if March 7th died suddenly, tragically, and didn't leave a body behind. Sure, she was never the sole thing holding them together. She's not the heart of the group. They're still friends despite her. But her death would traumatize the Astral Express and change everything. That's what happened to the Quintet, and thus how they fell apart.

Anyway, with Baiheng's death grief happened. Dan Feng was still recovering from Dragon's Delirium. Jingliu put herself in isolation because she was rapidly in danger of becoming marastruck, and Jing Yuan and Yingxing were left to pick up the pieces...except they were also in grief with survivor's guilt and weren't handling it well.

Back to "Cloud's Leave No Trace".

Jingliu states what she believes happened. That Dan Feng, in his grief and inability to let go, tried to revive Baiheng from the dead. Recruiting Yingxing to steal the flesh of Shuhu (somehow) to aid in a ritual to bring Baiheng back, thus creating the draconic abomination that attacked the Luofu. Leading to the tragic events of the Sedition.

She tells all this to Dan Heng, who listens attentively. Then she fights Blade, and gets arrested. And we finally have the whole story, right? Bailu looks like Baiheng so she's probably reincarnated from the dragon parts somehow, and we understand how and why thanks to Jingliu.

Well...

Jing Yuan warns us that she's a manipulative liar. She's also marastruck, and it's important to remember that she was actively hallucinating Baiheng's voice at the time and that her memory of the events are swiss cheese. Thus, she's an unreliable narrator.

So, currently, her narrative is what the fandom accepts as the truth of Sedition for the most part since no currently playable narrative contradicts this. However, there are several readables that suggest this narrative is not exactly the truth either. As well as interactables that contradict this narrative.

So, as of now, Dan Heng is running under the belief that this narrative, though not with complete information, is true. Though we as players, separate from him, have reason to doubt. And, considering the 2.6 update revealed that Dan Heng was given the herb to revive his memories as Dan Feng, and Sampo's shop event revealed that Dan Heng is purchasing items to revive past memories, I believe he may also harbor some doubts. Edit: I forgot to answer the last question. Yes, assuming that the Baiheng narrative is the correct one, I do believe Dan Heng would do the same thing. Why? Because during Penacony he immediately, first plan, was going to use the Jade Abacus Jing Yuan gave us to summon the Xianzhou Alliance ships to nuke Penacony and save his friends. And now on Amphoreous his immediate reaction to learning Stelle died is "okay, we can fix this".

The dragon boy won't leave my brain so I have a few dan heng questions for anyone willing to answer

1. Does dan heng actually know what dan fengs sin was I might have missed something but as far as im aware all he knows was that it was terrible and involved bailu.

2. If he dosent do you think he will still resent dan feng for it when he eventually finds out speciffically when he finds out the reasoning behind it as at its core wasnt dan feng just doing evrything in his power to protect a friend. I feel like if dan heng new this he would be alot more understanding of the crime especially as (correct me if im wrong) dan heng has stated he will do anything in his power to protect the crew.

3. Regardless of weather he finds out about the crime do you think dan heng would be capable of committing the same sin in order to save a member of the express crew.

Hopefully now i can get on with what im actually supposed to be doing

[starcurtain]

I'm so curious about oswaldo schneider

But also he was described as young and inexperienced in a xianzhou curio or readable and then in 2.1 he was partially responsible for aventurine which is so weird

I think the biggest tip off that we're in for some kind of major payout from the Oswaldo Schneider plotline is that Oswaldo is apparently a former Nameless who still strongly believes in the will of Trailblazing.

Up to this point in the story, "the will of the Trailblaze" has always been painted as a good thing, with the Trailblazers as helpful allies descending from the sky to aid the planets they visit.

We've saved Belobog (twice), prevented a Stellaron disaster and a Borisin invasion on the Luofu, and prevented the hostile take over of the Order in Penacony. We think we're on the good side and fighting the good fight in Amphoreus (time will tell whether that's true or not).

Trailblazer--the Astral Express--Akivili--they're all good guys.

But trailblazing itself isn't always a force for good. Colonizers and invaders are "trailblazers" in their own minds. Meddling in the status of other worlds without full understanding of the consequences could wipe out entire planets. Just because you can travel the universe and insert yourself into the affairs of others doesn't always mean you should.

I think, with Oswaldo Schneider, we're headed for an inevitable clash between differing interpretations of "Trailblaze," with the Trailblazer (and consequently the players) ultimately going to be forced to confront their own behavior--when we happily insert our main character in the politics and lives of the people from all these planets we're visiting, are we doing so with care or just imposing our own definitions of "doing what's right"? Do we, the players, really care about the consequences of our dialogue and action choices on the worlds we're visiting?

Especially if Oswaldo is "inexperienced" and "young," I think this would set him up well as a foil for our Trailblazer main character. Are we also exploring new worlds for personal rewards, just the same as Oswaldo Schneider?

That's where I think they may be headed with Schneider's plot line, and I think it might be done in a very interesting way, so I am too and looking forward to more of the IPC internal (and external) conflict plot lines.

[fictionfixations]

MAJOR SPOILERS FOR 2.5 (i talk about a readable item that pertains to post-2.5)

i cant believe i missed this what the fuck

this is why i should read readables. and like actually go out of my way to try to find them if i can gfjdoigsif

this is. holy fuck. like okay i know it was bad because of the scene depicting him after the poison started affecting hoolay but hdfsiufhuds

theres just like a degree of description in writing that makes it feel so much more horrifying in comparison to art? like. like dont get me wrong both mediums have things they're better at depicting and both are good at depicting gore or horror. but like

for me, as a person who when i read i apply it to myself like oh im in this character's shoes and so i get a lot more emotional when reading so it especially feels worse reading this and imagining it like ohh fuck man

and also like. i know it said we found him while he was at death's door but with the description of the state he was in really makes you realize oh shit he really was at deaths door

like holy fuck jiaoqiu D:

(noticed ppl were reblogging so im gonna put this for future viewers. this wont show on the reblog but still. just want yall to know that thats not the only thing in the report, as it includes the treatment plan and current state + post-discharge advice, i just only showed the injury part in the screenshot so id recommend going to the link or finding it yourself, it can apparently be "Found in the Alchemy Commission, on the bench right where Lingsha is located.")

[bloodoathclan]

Sunday, the Stellaron Hunters, and the 2.4 main event theory

Hi everyone, since the 2.3 update is just around the corner; I think it’s time to share a possible theory regarding the contents of the next 2 updates, and even when Sunday may get released. Be warned this post mentions leaks, so if you don’t want to see any leaks, please don’t read further (under cut for more protection)

So in the dreamflux reef area that was added in 2.2, players can find a readable item that, (when researched a little closer), is a letter from Elio to Sunday. In this letter, Elio acknowledges Sunday’s talents and invites him to join the Stellaron Hunters… many people believe this theory to be true, and a recent leak that was confirmed by a credible leaker, suggested that Sunday would get a redesign before his release. (The leak originally said that his outfit would change from white to black)

So with this new information, I feel the “Sunday joining the Stellaron Hunters” theory is going to be true. Moreover, we may see a cliffhanger cutscene at the end of the 2.3 trailblaze mission; a similar thing to how we saw Sampo breaking the forth wall (sprouting theories that he’s a masked fool that turned out to be true) at the end of the Belebog trailblaze mission, or how at the end of the Xianzhou Luofu trailblaze mission when it was revealed that Jingliu and Luocha were working together to bring down the Abundance. So we could see something similar where we witness Sunday getting indoctrinated into the Stellaron Hunters.

Now, what about the 2.4 main event? Well, in 2.4, we’re getting two more characters from two of the other Xianzhou ships, (Yunli is from the Xianzhou Zhuming and Jiaoqiu is from the Xianzhou Yaoqing) it could mean that we’ll be going back to the Xianzhou Luofu for the Wardance. (Perhaps we get invited to the event by Jing Yuan or Yanqing, perhaps March invites us)?

If Hoyoverse wanted to reveal Sunday in his new Stellaron Hunter - sona soon, they could show him off here. In some teasers for future Xianzhou characters that revealed while I've been writing this, they show someone called 'the legendary new swordmaster'; this has recently been confirmed to be March 7th, and she'll be the new 4* coming in 2.4. I feel they would want to show her new form off, showing it alongside a massive lorebomb like Sunday joining the Stellaron Hunters would be perfect.

If they do show Stellaron Hunter Sunday in 2.4, it could set everything into place for a 2.5, 2.6 or 2.7 release. (And if you’re a Sunday fan like me, you may have seen leaks that show Sunday’s character ID 1313 in placeholder assets, indicating his official playable status)

If he does come in 2.7 like speculations say, (more specifically 2nd phase), Sunday would release on Christmas day. Having a character that has angel vibes release on Christmas is quite ironic. (Plus he'd be our Christmas present from hoyo, if you celebrate it). In other words, hoyo NEEDS to release Sunday soon.

Thank you for coming to my TED talk.

[dewdrip]

#DEWDRIP: an affiliated bailu rp blog, healing with mik (20, they/them, gmt +8). living a life in shallow waters, yearning to breach the surface. rules and portrayal notes may be found under the cut!

RULES

ON AFFILIATION: this blog is affiliated with gnostic hymns. as such, personal blogs and rp blogs not affiliated with gh will be softblocked or blocked.

ON OOC: i make a lot of jokes ooc, as well as post shitposts (tagged appropriately on this blog) please don't take them seriously!!! none of what i say ooc is canon here in gh. i try to be very clear about what i include in-character. that said, i understand that the line can get quite blurry at times, so don't be afraid to ask me to clarify stuff or to tell me to stop doing a bit. i'll also be doing the same.

ON SHIPPING: as of the moment, i am not interested in any romantic ships for bailu.

ON JOKES: please for the love of god do not call her a dragon loli or make any suggestive jokes about her. i trust that the people of this community aren't into that sort of humor but i still want to make it clear regardless.

ON FORMATTING: i use small text with icons in my writing. if you have any issues with readability or would like me to change my format, please let me know! as for my personal preference: i would prefer it if my partners could use small text in their replies so i can read it more easily <3

ON CONTACT: as tumblr’s IMs have been acting up recently (for me at least) i prefer discord dms. my username is emblian! i am part of gh’s discord server so you may also ping me there.

ON REPLIES: my schedule has gotten considerably less free since i’m starting my semester so expect me to take anywhere from a week to a month to reply. i’ll do my best to avoid having my partners wait for too long, of course, but i just want to be clear just in case you think i might be ghosting you or forgetting our thread. though that’s not out of the question—i’m also a pretty forgetful person, so feel free to ping me if you feel that may be the case!

ON TRIGGER WARNINGS: i will use general trigger warnings for things such as gore, extreme violence, suicide, and other topics that i deem sensitive enough to warrant it. i will be using “tw // (word)” as a tag. if you have any triggers you’d like me to tag, please feel free to let me know through a dm. i also tag spoilers under “hsr spoilers”

ON HYV GAMES: i am not as familiar with genshin or honkai impact 3rd as i am with honkai star rail. i will defer to my partners for information but please be patient with me if i have lapses in the lore! i would also appreciate it if you could gently correct me on whatever i may get wrong. 

PORTRAYAL NOTES (SPOILER FREE)

updated as of the current patch of hsr, that being 2.5. everything is also based on the english localization of hsr. i am not familiar with any mistranslations, but i know there must be some—let me know if there's something important i've missed!

i portray bailu as being the human equivalent of 12 years old despite her many years of age. may be subject to change if she gets an older form (sp bailu, anyone?)

bailu is a character whose freedom is very restrained, so for threads that take place outside of the luofu, always assume that she's escaped somehow and is evading capture. she's very eager to see the world—if there's a will, there's a way!

bailu's healing is based off of the systems of traditional chinese medicine, which i will reference often. do note that i'm still doing my research about it and while i have been exposed to the culture and to tcm itself, i still come from a different cultural context and may understand things wrong. please do let me know if this is the case, i would hate to misrepresent.

[yupuffin]

Unnecessarily specific questions I have about Dan Heng and the Vidyadhara that may or may not be answered by the readable material in the game that I haven't checked yet

- Who named Dan Heng? Did he choose his own name, or did someone else assign it to him upon his rebirth? Does the resemblance of his name to his predecessor's follow Vidyadhara naming conventions, or was it a deliberate choice by whoever named him?

- Did Dan Heng hatch in an adult form, or smaller like the kid-shaped Vidyadhara you see running around the Xianzhou Luofu? Where was his egg kept, and who watched over it, if different from other Vidyadhara? Is there a special place for prisoners' eggs? Why did they torture and punish him after hatching if, indeed it was his predecessor who committed the crime and not him? (I'm guessing some degree of political and/or moral corruption bc I don't know why anyone thinks that would solve anything)

- What are the details of the mechanisms by which Vidyadhara change into dragons? (Dan Heng claims only certain Vidyadhara can attain this ability, after completing certain trials.) For that matter, how did Dan Heng attain his human form? (It doesn't seem that other Vidyadhara can shapeshift between more human-like and more dragon-like forms like he can; no other Vidyadhara that we know of have short, rounded ears. When he speaks of Vidyadhara changing into dragons, is he referring to a manner of transformation similar to his, which is afforded by his relation to the High Elder, or something else entirely?)

[underratedbananawerewolf]

Fictober Day 24

Prompt 24: "Is it over? Is it really over?"

Fandom: Honkai Star Rail

Rating: G

Warnings: None

Jing Yuan sighed as he stared at the heavyset door engraved with numerous symbols designed to contain the power of the occupant. Honestly he thought the Vidyadhara elders were caging something entirely unnecessary. There was, of course, very little he could do about it as close as he was to the prisoner.

Or who the prisoner used to be.

Drawing in a deep breath, the general unlocked the cell, passing through to the bare cell beyond. Hardly a comforting home, isolated from everyone and hardly lit. The little light provided was a lamp that only illuminated the immediate area around it but it was all he could manage. At least it gave off enough to read by and the occupant was a voracious reader. As if he had much else to do.

One visible eye settled on the young man on the floor, shackles clasped around wrists and ankles. "Can you stand?"

"Why." The gleaming eyes showed nothing as to what he was feeling. Given the long time isolation with no other visitors but himself when he could take the time, Jing Yuan had to wonder if the Vidyadhara knew how to express himself at all.

"Because I'm taking you out." Jing Yuan explained patiently. "You're no longer required to remain chained here." He had to fight long years for that and even then he wondered if the punishment that replaced the imprisonment was even more cruel.

Dan Heng blinked in surprise, the slightest shift in his expression far more than any of his jailors had ever seen in him. "Out?"

"Yes." Jing Yuan offered a hand to him, willing to help if he needed it. After a moment of hesitation a shaky hand was placed in his allowing him to pull Dan Heng to his feet. He steadied the younger man as one of the escorting Cloud Knights entered to remove the bindings.

Jing Yuan noted the wariness in the Vidyadhara's gaze. No surprise considering how he had been treated since his rebirth but these two had served their general well when it came to dealing with things best not publicly known. This wasn't the first time they had accompanied him to this cell for all that it was the first time Dan Heng had seen them. "Your time in the Shackling Prison is finished."

Those vibrant eyes flickered back to his face, mirror bright and just as readable. "Is my punishment over? Really."

Slowly Jing Yuan led Dan Heng out of the cell with the two other knights flanking. His hands clasped behind his back as he led the way. It wasn't particularly fair to keep punishing one who had no memory of the sin, but the laws of the Xianzhou were just as enduring as the stars. "Yes and no." He finally answered. "You won't be kept in the Shackling Prison but you won't be staying on the Luofu either. Your permanent exile starts now."

He gave another sigh, almost unheard. He really was far too old for this level of emotion. "It is the best I could do for you, I am afraid."

"...I see."

The walk through the streets was a nervous one. There was no hiding the former high elder of the Vidyadhara Luofu. He was too much of a presence here so Jing Yuan didn't try. All he did was make the show of escorting a prisoner to Cloudford. There he could take an outsider ship to hopefully be able to make his own choices on how to live his life.

And when Dan Heng left he never looked back. The farewell, or lack of one, hurt more than Jing Yuan thought it would. The very last of his friends, the High Cloud Quintet, was now beyond his reach. He was happy for Dan Heng's freedom but that didn't mean that it also was painless.

---

A news report flashed across Jing Yuan's phone screen, prompting the dozing general to wake up enough to read it. These were updates of a more personal nature, ones that he would likely be in severe trouble for if any of the other Arbiter-Generals or the Ten-Lord Commission found out.

He blinked at the message. Years had gone by since he had received word of Dan Heng but those were little more than a blink for a man his age. His network of information had finally located the Vidyadhara.

Rising to his feet he sauntered lazily into his garden. There, no one could sneak up on him and overhear anything he was about to say.

"Would this be Miss Himeko of the Astral Express?"

The redheaded woman blinked in surprise at her caller but never lost her poise. "It is. I'm afraid you have the advantage over me."

"I am Jing Yuan, General of the Xianzhou Luofu."

"I'm honored, General. What can I help you with?"

"I understand that you have recently gained a new passenger." He pushed on before she could get suspicious. "He and I were...old friends. Circumstances have it so that is no longer the case but I still care enough to try and keep an eye on him as much as I am able to."

"So why contact me, General? Surely you would prefer to talk with Dan Heng instead..." Himeko trailed off as he shook his head.

"I fear talking to me would only cause more distress for him." And for me if I'm honest with myself. "I call only to ask that you watch out for him for as long as he is on the Astral Express."

Something of understanding crossed Himeko's pretty face. Her reputation was well earned as Jing Yuan counted on. "As long as he is among us, he'll be taken care of. I promise that to you, General."

His usual smile curled his lips as he inclined his head in grateful acknowledgement. "You have my eternal thanks, Miss Himeko. Take care."

[voiceoutofstars]

Readability Revision: The Startaro Bubble Tea Tastes Horrible

Part of a series of readability revisions for Honkai Star Rail text.

Reminder that I cannot read or speak Mandarin. This is a fan revision for readability, not a re-translation. For a lengthy explanation of this pet project and repeated disclaimers, check here.

The Startaro Bubble Tea Tastes Horrible

A review of a Starskiff Haven tea. It was posted to a forum.

Just Chatting — Starwatcher Station

It is vitally important to know both how to view a thing, and how to view everything.

—Commander of the Starwatcher Station

An Afternoon Tea Break — The Startaro Bubble Tea Tastes Horrible

[ACCOUNT DELETED]User_93246353

Posted on: September 21

I can't be the only one who thinks this startaro bubble tea tastes terrible. None of this year’s new Immortal’s Delight products are even palatable! @ImmortalsDelight_LeisureTeas I seriously need to call out the staff at your Starstiff Haven outlet. The ingredients they put in are insane. Can they suck up fist-sized taro chunks? And the tea tastes as bland as water. Did they forget to add the actual tea concentrate?

Special Stargazer

Posted on: September 22

They use tea concentrate!? Then what am I drinking it for, the overboiled common beans and unwashed taro? There are 26 teahouses on Starwatcher Avenue and they're the only one with this level of audacity.

Pie doctor of night

Posted on: September 23

The Sleepless Earl is the only good place left on Luófú. At least they’re still brewing tea the old way. It’s way better than the streetside shops and their mass-production machines / Forward this message to join a draw for a Sleepless Earl loyalty card

So long, and thanks for all the jade abaci. Replied to: Pie doctor of night, September 23

Ermmmm can't say I didn't guess that ending. Never imagined someone would still be tooting the horn for the Sleepless Earl in this day and age. Can't you tell the owner herself is clueless about tea? That shop was just propped up by all the Outworlders who don’t know the first thing about tea culture. How many Luófú locals do you see drinking their stuff?

Granny Chen's Tofu with bownana Replied to: Pie doctor of night, September 23

I can immediately tell that you're one of those worthless people who patronize the Sleepless Earl. You think their tea tastes better just because it's in a clay pot instead of a normal cup? Seriously, has anyone been to Royal Tea? They've recently put a big teapot in front of the store, and it even says "Luófú relic. Please do not touch." That's real class, if you ask me. Anyone who still goes to the Sleepless Earl is losing face in the eyes of us older Luófú citizens.

Pie doctor of night Replied to: So long, and thanks for all the jade abaci, September 23

Blabbing about "old Luófú" and "locals" ... this is what makes Xiānzhōu citizens lose face! Why do we still have old geezer traditionalists like you? "All who arrive from the endless starry seas are our honored guests" — didn't you learn this from your teachers in the lyceum? @StarwatcherStation_StartledDeer Can the mod of the day please delete this post!?

Let the Trials Come

Posted on: September 29

Woe is me, for the Xiānzhōu art of tea has perished! In days of yore 'twas so much more: a balance of various distilled scents, a frugality blended from practicality and simplicity, a world order where filial respect and table manners were equally observed, and the modest joy of sipping tea as life's meaning revealed itself. Now, cast your gaze upon Luófú, and despair at how all such loveliness has dissipated! No billows of clouds, no tumbling creeks—the heavens have forsaken us, and the noble houses are lost. All life is interchanged with works of blunt metal; O the very ugliness of it! Be it so that the tea sets have retired and the art of tea lost to this world. Yet, how unsightly that we now drink tea by the roadside, and inhale its aromas as we carelessly walk! Xiānzhōu has constructed an interconnected web through thousands of dimensions so friends from all corners of the universe can converse, yet now we misconstrue words and spread wide slander and false discourse! 'Tis a time when the very foundations of Xiānzhōu are in danger!

Granny Chen's Tofu with bownana

Posted on: October 2

Woah, a real Luófú resident is here! Scamper, everybody! Actually, are they in the wrong section of the station? lol

A portrait burning at Starwatcher Replied to: Let the Trials Come, October 7

What you say is correct; however, the Xiānzhōu is nowhere near as unsightly as you make it out to be. I am but a humble citizen who has worked for some time in Luófú's tea industry, and it is my opinion that the new metallic tea machines have lowered the barrier for entry for people who want to try tea for the first time. Classic methods such as "Vegetations in the Alchemy Cauldron" require significant time and equipment, so fewer and fewer people were drinking tea that way. I think it's a good thing that more Outworlders can now experience the unique essence of Xiānzhōu's art of tea.

Granny Chen's Tofu with bownana

Posted on: October 10

Oh great, now an ‘earnest’ fellow! Everyone, get out of here!

[elegyofthemoon]

Hsr for the ask game thing! Or if it's been asked then hi3 :)

YAAAAAAAAAAAY RAMBLINGGGGGGG

the first character i ever fell in love with:

sampo :) i actually started playing hsr because of sampo! he just seemed like a silly little dude and i do tend to like the "goof but has some big lore potential going on". it took like a day of resisting to actually download the game lmao

a character that i used to love/like, but now do not:

Himeko..... I was actually really excited to get to know Himeko more when I had first started off. I mean come on: she's so beautiful! But laksjdfh I think overtime she eventually stopped standing out for me that I lost interest. That plus now that I've played HI3, the reason why I like HSR! Himeko feels like it's only because of HI3 Himeko and the importance of Himeko in the HI3 plot and for many characters' developments 😭 Sorry Himeko

a ship that i used to love/like, but now do not:

I guess KafHime tbh? I think aesthetically they're a very very pretty couple, but I just can't get behind it at all. Or I just have no reasons to get behind it since I'm not exactly invested in either characters. Though Kafka is definitely growing on me because I built her (accidental pull) and she's been doing such massive damage so like you know.

Even then I don't have anything to say about either characters aslkdjfa

my ultimate favorite character™:

surprise to no one it's Dan Heng ALKSJDFAKLSJH I can go on about why I like him, but tldr: I just got attached to him at a very very crucial point in my life and he's just a nice comfort character to me ^u^ I loved being able to get to know him further on the Luofu and all things about the High Cloud Quintet ! So... yeah :> also I miss him --

prettiest character:

IM STUCK BECAUSE I THINK DAN HENG IS SOOOOOO PRETTY BUT ALSO ARGENTIIIIIII ARGENTI IS SO BEAUTIFULLLL RADIANT KNIGHT WHO COMES WITH HIS OWN SPARKLES AND OURGHHHHHH

it's hard T _ T its very hard to tell T _ T

my most hated character:

I don't really have a character I hate. Just more disinterest towards. Dr. Ratio is definitely up there though (I ramble about him later lmao)

my OTP:

listen.... i know it has been a while.... but I still really love Serval/Cocolia. I rarely read fanfics aside from if its written by my friends but Servalia had me clawing through AO3 and Tumblr just to search for more fics for them. No one posts about them much anymore but I sure love them so much okay.

my NOTP:

i'm not going to say which ship but its one of the dan heng ships.

favorite episode:

I'll write this as "favorite update". Penacony has been suuuuch a fun ride honestly. So I'll say that entire section has been tons of fun. As of now I still haven't finished it in its entirety, but I can sense 2.2's story will probably be my favorite because I've been waiting to get to know Robin more and the Watchmaker!! But 2.1 has been fun because I just love seeing Acheron's section of it heheh :)

saddest death:

UHHH as of now, I think Aventurine's death in 2.1 was really sad :/ Hoyo did a really good job writing Aventurine and his story that once you get to the finale of the 2.1, I found myself kinda torn on how it ended. Aventurine who placed his bets on his own death because that is what his good luck is good for - winning against all odds. The epilogue scene with Aventurine walking off into the Nihility's shadow kinda got me too. And this is coming from someone who is like very.... meh on Aventurine? I can't really bring myself to get super invested in him but objectively, he is a really well thoughtout and well created character. I just have no feelings towards him.

favorite season:

I'll write this as "favorite area". It's still Penacony askldjfahlsk There's sooooo many things happening in Penacony and I loved being able to put the pieces together to figure out what's going on. It's also the first area that I had nearly read all the readables in because I'd make it my goal to finish reading every readable and 100% every area before the next update in Penacony :> I want to better understand the area I'm in and give myself ideas for where the story can go. The second area would have been Belobog because it's the only other area I was trying to 100% and read all the readables for (are the readables important in Belobog? no but some of them sure made me cry a bit LMAO)

least favorite season:

"Least favorite area" Honestly... Herta's Space Station. But that could also be because when I first started HSR, I was still orienting myself to the new world, so the space station is the least i remember. It's not that I hated it; it's trying to orient you into the new world and I was just confused for majority of it. I just don't remember enough about it nor about the people within it to care for it.

character that everyone else in the fandom loves, but i hate:

Objectively: I'll say he's interesting and I am interested to see his development. But Dr. Ratio. I don't get it. I've seen people talk about him wanting education to be accessible to ALL which is GREAT but personality? Can't stand him.

my ‘you’re piece of trash, but you’re still a fave’ fave:

Ruan Mei my most beloved. I want more of her and I feel like we didn't get enough of her. She's just so interesting as a character and while she may not be the most caring of characters - and reasons why people shit on her - I still feel like her view as a character is interesting. And even her motives of wanting to become an Aeon. I want to understand her better. Why? What drove her to want to become so? I WANT TO UNDERSTAND YOU MISS

my ‘beautiful cinnamon roll who deserves better than this’ fave:

not a beautiful cinnamon roll but she sure is beautiful but i love Jingliu 😭😭😭 one reason why i don't like interacting with majority of the fandom is because of their viewpoint on Jingliu's companion quest. I had way way clearer thoughts on the quest when it was fresh on my brain, but I actually liked it a lot more than the fandom let on about it, and I know that people were kinda shittalking about Jingliu afterwards and that made me Mad on her behalf because I think she's a really nicely thought out character. But then again, if you know me: white hair character who is defined by mourning and grief. you know the deal LKAJDHFALKJD

idk. I just feel like she deserves better than how the fandom treats her.

my ‘this ship is wrong, nasty, and makes me want to cleanse my soul, but i still love it’ ship:

I mean whatever the hell Rondo Across Countless Kalpas had going on, Black Swan/Acheron sure kinda has me feeling a way (in which i'd risk wanting a dance with Acheron. me too Black Swan LAKJDFALKS). Also in a way Servalia too I mean. You know.

my ‘they’re kind of cute, and i lowkey ship them, but i’m not too invested’ ship:

No one asked but I actually kinda lowkey ship Firefly/Robin. Like very very lowkey. My only reasoning is when 2.0 was fresh and i was in Mourning over Robin, I once sent a very giant and long essay to my friend N about me late night perusing and overanalyzing Firefly and Robin's deaths. like why specifically them ? Why did they have to die?

I took it in a very symbolic matter. I thought too much about Firefly's monologue about her answer to "Why do people slumber?" and her answer being "Because people are afraid to be awake" or something like that. And about how it was "If I can stop one heart from breaking" that played in the background of all this - a song that praises the comforts of a dream in the face of bleakness. In both cases, in my view, it felt like having both of them die at least in that update, the deaths also seemed to signal the idea of ceasing this concept of a dream and to face reality etc.

And that's something I'm super excited about based on where i am with HSR with arguing with Sunday over the concept of comfort vs freedom.

BUT BACK TO THE POINT OF THIS QUESTION: this concept and me fixating on their meanings, it gave me a reason to kinda put Firefly/Robin together. It's kinda nice parallel with each other in a way haha

[trashcanknight]

((Found a readable beside the Bud of Aether on the Luofu.

Interesting that it says the Knights of Beauty have disbanded. There is a hint in Argenti's stories that a lot of them had gone insane and died in battle and/or Argenti had to take care of them himself but I wonder just how many are even left. The Simulated Universe has an event where Argenti and two other Knights come to save you, but who knows if those two other Knights are even around anymore.

Poor guy might just be the last one, even.))

[odyssean-flower]

ok i played the new story update in hsr and here are my thoughts

warning: it's kinda negative

first things first: yeah i know this isn't the end of the xianzhou story, there are six ships after all and i guess luofu is supposed to be like the opening act to a bigger conflict with the aeons but m a n the execution was not good

the 1.3 story is more like an epilogue, which is fine, but it really should have been added to the previous patch. tbh the luofu story didn't need to be stretched over three patches with its overall length

i feel like everything went wrong when they decided to make the dan shu quests optional instead. i feel like they had to scrap a lot of stuff because of that? i agree that the dan shu quests felt out of place but they could have moved it around instead of just cutting them out of the main storyline. It's fully voiced after all and it has interesting lore

the problem is that the writers wanted to incorporate so many concepts but didn't want to (or can't) increase the length of the story. There are so much stuff going on like the conflict between Lan and Yaoshi, the bad side to immortality, the vidyadhara politics, the stellaron and the lord ravager, the sanctus medicus, dan heng & dan feng, dan heng and blade, the stellaron hunters, the high-cloud quintet, luocha, but all of these things only get brief moments of spotlight before we move on to something else. it makes everything feel kind of inconsequential and confusing

Especially the dan heng il thing which really should have been the main point of the story. his transformation is cool but it also feels random. the opening cutscene with blade also comes off as baffling in retrospect bc he didn't really do or explain anything??

i think they tried to rectify this by making the companion quests (like yanqing's and dhil's) basically main quests but they only raise more questions that may or may not get a definite answer. also these quests are optional

the ending is so abrupt, but they still try to tease continuations (see: jingliu and luocha cutscene at the end) even though we're leaving?? and who knows when these threads will get picked up again

Another problem i have: the vagueness of the lore and story. We finally know what dan feng's sin is...kind of. We maybe kind of know what happened to baiheng. tingyun's dead...or is she??? the writers love teasing resolutions instead of giving them, and it's honestly annoying. And im saying this as a genshin lore fan who loves finding random readables and trying to piece together what happened

The high-cloud quintet: ok this might be an unpopular opinion but i don't really care about them. maybe it's just my inherent dislike for the trope of "super elite group full of hot people who have a lot of history with each other and they feel sad about it :(" but they are just not doing anything for me right now. I like them all individually but as a group? meh. Part of the problem is that their lore is scattered all over the place and is very vague, so you really have to read between the lines and speculate in order to get their story, which requires a certain amount of investment from the start. i repeat that im a genshin lore player, but the thing about genshin lore is that it's not needed to understand the main story most of the time. Important stuff about the characters, on the other hand? tbh i care way more about spina di rosula trio or the narzissenkreuz people, and most of those people are npcs (faceless even)

honestly high-cloud quintet deserved a world quest chain or something instead of just (a very nice) animated short. as it is now i don't know why we would ever revisit them in the future considering dan heng doesn't want anything to do with them. maybe a rematch with blade?

tldr xianzhou had a lot of cool ideas but the execution was bad. oh well at least it had jing yuan

[artheresy]

Zhuming Family HCs

I have so many thoughts and headcanons for baby Yingxing, Huaiyan, Ardens Regia, and Baiheng and I can’t wait for myself to be finished writing the first chapter so here’s some headcanons that may or may not appear/get mentioned in the fanfiction I have planned going over Yingxing’s life

Huaiyan personally found Yingxing and took him in, think similar to Cloud Knights against the Borisin readable. While I don’t think it’s about them, I’m using it to inspire how they meet and why Huaiyan takes him in !

Sometimes Huaiyan needs to travel away from the Zhuming for different matters regarding his position and duty and wherever he goes, Yingxing is brought with him. He uses these trips as teaching opportunities whether for the methods and techniques the different ships use or where they stand in regards to their technological advancements in comparison to the Zhuming. This is how Yingxing ended up interested in the Luofu before he settled there.

Ardens Regia has made a point of going around the different workshops once night has fallen and the day has ended on nights when he isn’t too busy (which isn’t the most often but). This is because he had once caught Yingxing, around the time he first arrived on the Zhuming, working WAY past his bedtime and urged the boy to go back to his quarters.

Some nights when he is free to make his rounds of the workshops, Yingxing has already passed out at his work station. In those cases, Ardens Regia will find something to cover him with at least.

Ardens Regia used to be incredibly intimidating to Yingxing, like the boy would flinch and get stiff everytime he came into the room. Huaiyan finds it funny since he himself can’t see Ardens Regia as scary given how long they’ve spent together.

Huaiyan!! With beautiful rust colored hair, perhaps with lighter brown bits mixed in!! And Ardens Regia with long, curly black hair!!

Ardens Regia when he has free time likes to make little crafts, whether via small pieces of metal he welds together using his own flame or even some glassblowing which he only does on the rare nights he has some flexibility. Huaiyan has a few little trinkets from him, mostly older things he had crafted when he was first starting the hobby. Eventually both Yingxing and even Baiheng end up with small things from Ardens Regia.

Baiheng ends up coming to the Zhuming quite a few times over the years after her initial time, and she grows close not only with Yingxing but with Master Huaiyan quite a bit too. She isn’t very close to Ardens Regia as they don’t find themselves talking much, but she feels at ease when he is near rather than shift and scared like she had thought she would be in the presence of the Zhuming’s High Elder

The only possession Yingxing had with him from his home other than the clothes on his back was a small delicate music box from his mother that was a little beaten up and would play a lovely lullaby she used to sing to him and his older sister every night.

The music box doesn’t play as well anymore, but Yingxing can still sing it and remembers the lyrics. Baiheng hears him humming it one day and asks him to teach her the song. Later on the days she stays on the Zhuming from time to time, she would sing him to sleep with that same lullaby.

My headcanon for Yingxing’s family is that he had him, his mom, his father, and then an older sister. With both his mother and sister gone, this is why he becomes so attached to Baiheng, with her in a way filling both of those roles for him.

Both Huaiyan and Ardens Regia keep some form of contact with Yingxing and Baiheng even after the two of them have gone to the Luofu

I have much more headcanons and am thinking up more but this is what I have for now :D!!

Oh additionally, the three of them will be very annoying in-laws, not like omg toxic but very silly and teasing and absolutely annoying.

You may think Huaiyan would be like the teasing in-law, but nope! It’s Ardens Regia. That man giggles, HE GIGGLES, when he communicates with hologram with Yingxing one day and realizes the High Elder of the Luofu has become rather taken with Yingxing, makes a comment of Yingxing seeming to have a talent for charming those of the Vidyadhara. And he very seriously asks that Dan Feng keep an eye on that boy, lest he lose him too soon.

I love this found family I have created in my head, they mean so much to me. Once I finish doing some more writing and actually focusing, it’s all over. I will be so annoying about them trust me

[generalsmemories]

Do you know what age the people on the xianzhou luofu usually reach?

There's another anon who asked about Jing Yuan's age but I'll have to dig into some notes for that (or if you're the same anon please wait for that so that i can actually give an exact estimate based on the year certian events happened HAHA)

There's one readable we can obtain from an NPC at Exalting Sanctum that have a review from a Xianzhou native that's close to 2500 years old.

But, in the same book they do mention that the average age that the Luofu natives do reach are around 800-900 because of the influence of mara.

As said in this sentence:

"Did you know that over 80% of Xianzhou residents over the age of 800 will suffer from being mara-struck? Did you know that over 50% of Xianzhou residents fail to celebrate their 900th birthday in a conscious state?"

So while the Xianzhou people can live long (gift of immortality after all) most fail to actually live close to a thousand years old because of mara!

[vryivs]

I feel like the reason why people act like the luofu story was underwhelming is because so much of it is told through the set and not the dialogue because if you read the item descriptions, the readables, interactable items, its incredibly heartfelt and full

[surelynotshirley]

Hi, with your YX liking BH/JL fic, what’s the setting going to be like? I’m just curious because I just have a hard time seeing YX being interested in anyone but DF let alone BH in canon and in your works. Is it a dark fic?

I understand if you don’t want to spoil it now. Thanks have a nice day.

Hi!

I honestly haven't hammered out any of the details yet for the fic, but it would probably be set in canon. The vague idea was that it was going to be a more yingxing + dan feng focused retelling (?) of what we all thought was going to be canon based on relics and readables, and what ended up actually being the Luofu story (if we subscribe to the baiheng conspiracy theory, then the change happened later on in development and Baiheng really wasn't supposed to be such a central character in the HCQ story).

And yes, it wasn't going to have a happy ending. The main appeal for me for this idea wasn't necessarily the pairings. I just wanted to write a really messy fic for the HCQ where no one is happy and everything turns out worse for them.