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nicxl333 · 8 months

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JADE ABACUS— JING YUAN X READER

what happens when you use the jade abacus for the wrong purpose? (contains spoilers from the 1.3 update)

tags: 18+ content, nsfw, reader is not the trailblazer, masturbation, voyeurism, oral sex (reader receiving), reader is described to have a vagina (afab), fluff, praise kink, breeding, unprotected sex

first hsr oneshot hope it’s good! (also it’s late so i haven’t proof read this very well)

word count: 2.3k

“the same is true of this jade abacus- it is a record of the luofu cloud knights’ promise to the crew of the astral express. it is also a beacon- grip it tightly, and it will send a message to the jade abacus here in my hand. no matter how astronomically distant you are, the luofu cloud knights will always come to the aid of the crew, whatever your need may be.”

after saying your goodbyes to everyone on the xianzhou, you, welt, dan heng, march 7th and stelle/caelus made your way back onto the astral express, ready to warp to penacony the next day. after conversing with himeko and bickering with pom pom you said your goodnights and turned in for the evening.

truth be told you were slightly disheartened that you’d be leaving the xianzhou, having made so many new friends.

some, more friendly than others.

while there were many very good looking individuals residing on the luofu, one particular individual caught your eye; the high and mighty general himself.

it was something about him that drew you to him, like a moth to a single flame. maybe his smug confidence, his ability to control a crowd, or his handsome looks with his piercing eyes that could make your cunt gush within seconds. who knows, it was probably all those factors combined. either way, the attraction was there and steadily growing.

as you undressed to don yourself in your nightwear, you emptied your pockets to place your clothing in the laundry. your contents contained some trinkets here and there, and the jade abacus, which you were entrusted to hold for some unknown reason. you placed the jade abacus on your bed, meaning to look at it in greater detail once you were fully clothed.

once finished you lay in your bed, picking up your phone from the side table to scroll through any missed messages. puzzling enough, the most recent message at the top was from none other than general jing yuan.

wondering what he could possibly need (considering he rarely texted) you opened the message.

“good evening y/n, i hope this message finds you well. i realised i didn’t have the chance to bid you in particular a proper farewell, my deepest apologies. in good reparational faith i would like to make it up to you with a meal the next time you’re on the ship, on me.”

fuck knows how, but knowing that he specifically had you on his mind made you honoured, and strangely enough, horny. your mind flooded with thoughts that were downright filthy of what he could do to you should you have the chance to be alone.

he would probably take his time with you, pulling orgasm after orgasm just from his fingers alone, before he would even grace you with his cock. it only took a few different conjured up scenarios for you to have your hands snaking down to pull off your shorts, your fingers immediately stuffing your cunt full, stifling a moan at the ecstasy.

overtaken by the urge to cum you plunged your fingers in and out, scissoring and curling your fingers up against that spongey spot that made you see stars. your eyes rolled back, your back arched and your voice stayed stuck in your throat, chained by your slipping rationality which warred with your spiralling composure. you could feel the heat inside your core as your fingers continued their attack, creating a resounding ‘shwick! shwick!’ which bounced off the walls. your eyes were scrunched, your mind revelling in the scene of jing yuan pounding into your sopping cunt.

you were far gone, way too far gone to notice the quiet pads of feet along your carpet, moving towards the armchair in the corner of your room which faced your bed, and your quickly dishevelling figure. the figure sat on the armchair, sinking into the soft material as he witnessed your sinful performance.

you, none the wiser, continued to guide yourself towards your high, your moans becoming more and more harder to stifle as you completely succumbed to the lust, delirious with pleasure.

“f-fuck! jing yuan, please!” whispered pleas tumbled out of your mouth, wafting in the air till they reached his ears. he parted his legs slightly to ease his oncoming erection, letting his hand prop up his head, as his elbow rested on the arm of the armchair.

you neared your peak, your fingers burning in pain as you furiously pumped to reach your end. your free hand left your mouth and gripped your tit, playing with the peaked nipple to ease the overwhelming feeling you were experiencing.

with a final call of his name, (which was slightly louder than you would’ve liked) your body jolted and shook as you reached an earth shattering orgasm. you convulsed as you came which was probably the hardest you ever had cum before, letting the aftershocks subside.

you suddenly became aware of something poking at your back. you retracted your fingers from your cunt and retrieved the item, seeing the jade abacus in your hand, having accidentally moved underneath your body during your…activities. you then recalled the words jing yuan told your group about gripping the abacus tightly, hoping and praying your recent actions had not triggered a call- still unbeknownst to the figure who had already been summoned, to your dismay.

“that was quite the show, y/n-”

you stiffened at the deep, powerful voice of jing yuan, perched in your armchair, staring at you with something distinguishable as lust.

“-however, i do recall warning that the abacus shouldn’t be used for inappropriate circumstances, no matter how amusing that circumstance may be.”

you were stunned into silence, riddled with shame and hushed with guilt. there was simply no rational explanation for this as you were half naked in front of him. and you had no knowledge of exactly what point he entered your room, therefore meaning you had no idea just how long he’d been watching, although evident that he had been in the room long enough to make himself comfortable on that damned armchair.

“cat got your tongue? seems like i’ll have to administer your punishment first.”

by this point he had risen, beginning to take off his boots and the numerous straps and harnesses that made up his uniform. he then took off his tight shirt, leaving him in his red pants, while crossing the short distance to your bed, raising your hand which was wet with arousal, lifting it to his mouth and giving your index and ring finger a long lick.

“i… uh-”

“hush. naughty minxes like you do not deserve to speak. lay back and spread your legs. i will not ask twice.”

although confused and befuddled you followed his command, not expecting events to turn out like this, not that you were complaining. he lowered his face so he was level with your dripping cunt, observing it as your cum dripped out.

you lifted your head slightly to see why he stalled, feeling a tad bit self conscious. all thoughts flew out of your head however once you felt him lick a long stripe from your cunt to your clit. you instantly mewled at the sensation, hands finding purchase in jing yuan’s hair, gripping lightly, to which he grunted at.

he rose to look at you, amber eyes boring into your own. “if you’re too loud, i’ll stop. we wouldn’t want to wake up your fellow crew now, would you?”

you shook your head vigorously, wanting anything but him to stop in this moment, knowing that this could potentially lead to you getting the fuck of your life. fat chance in hell you would cockblock yourself.

he hummed at your silence, lowering himself back down and resuming again. his tongue swirled around your clit, paying close attention to the bud. he then moved down to your pulsing hole, plunging his tongue in and out and slurping at the soaked flesh. one hand left his head and rose to your mouth to stifle any noises from leaving it. as if it weren’t enough, jing yuan let his mouth leave your cunt, his fingers immediately integrating into the mix, while his mouth moved back up to your clit, this time sucking on it. your eyes rolled back, hips grinding against his tongue to gain more of the sensation.

his fingers were thick and long, reaching further into your core than your own smaller fingers could ever hope to reach. as his assault on your slobbering cunt continued you started clenching down harder on him, signalling that you were about to cum again for the second time that night. your hips ground in circles, the heat inside you blazing hotter with each push of his fingers, the coil tightening until it could resist no longer, and snapped.

your body convulsed once more, even more so once you registered that jing yuan wasn’t letting up on his ministrations, and pulling you into a state of overstimulation.

“shit! jing yuan- oh my god!”

he groaned at the sound of your moans calling for him, using the bed sheets below him to grind against for some semblance of relief for his now raging hard-on.

once he had enough he rose once more, raising his soaked hand to your mouth.

“suck.”

you obliged, wrapping your tongue around his digits, sucking slowly while looking directly into his eyes, unaware of just how much you were affecting him.

“god you’re so sinful.” he groaned, moving his hands to his pants to unbutton them, hastily slipping them off, along with his boxers, leaving him bare, sporting a very large prominent erection. the mushroom tip was flushed with an angry pink, pre cum dripping at the tip. his length had two large main veins running down it before branching off into little tributary like veins.

you but your lip at the sheer size, hoping you could take him all. even with all the prep you had it still looked like a tight fit. he was insanely girthy with an impressive length to match.

this led to a quiet chuckle from jing yuan.

“don’t look so apprehensive, i’ll go slow.”

smug bastard.

he lifted your legs, bringing them down, down, down towards your shoulders. a mating press. your breath hitched at the realisation, knowing that he was about to fuck up your insides.

“take a deep breath, kitten.”

you took a slow inhale, feeling the tip breach your opening, pushing past and spreading your walls to all opposite ends. the stinging sensation was immediate, his dick stuffing you to the brim, more than his fingers managed to. you instantly gripped his shoulders, lifting your head to bite into his left, thus stifling a pain wrenching moan. many sensations flowed through your body, specifically pain at having never taken a size quite like jing yuan’s before. tears pricked the corners of your eyes before trailing down and staining your cheeks.

he hushed you, wiping the tears away before stroking the hair away from your face, looking at you with adoration and care, forgetting all about the ‘punishment’ he was supposed to give in that moment.

“are you okay? do you need me to pull out?”

you shook your head, lacing your fingers in his hair, and smiling softly.

“no, just give me a moment.”

he nodded, massaging your hips to help you get used to the feeling.

“you feel so good, you’re doing so well for me my treasure. i’ll take care of you soon.”

after a few minutes of adjustment, the pain faded and replaced itself with yearning and pleasure. you started grinding your hips against his, making him see the picture. he pulled out slowly till around halfway, then gently pushed back in.

you let out a small gasp, wrapping your arms around his shoulders, pulling him closer and whining, edging him to go faster.

he obliged, picking up the pace gradually until the room was filled with soft sounds of repeated ‘paps’. your lips connected with his, tongues dancing in a sloppy rhythm, saliva dripping down the sides of your mouth, doing little to muffle the moans and groans entangling in your mouths.

even at such a close proximity you felt incredibly needy, needing him closer and closer to you.

noticing you lose yourself, jing yuan laced his hand in yours, against the bedsheets.

“i’m right here, my love.”

truth be told even jing yuan was struggling to keep himself composed too. your fiery nature around protecting the ones you cared for gave him a sense of familiarity with his duties as general, forever protecting the people of the xianzhou luofu. not only that though, your sense of humour and your witty remarks really captivated him during the times you had together. in his hundreds of years of living, no one caught his attention quite like you did. especially with the way you got along so nicely with yanqing. considering the fact he was practically considered as his son, seeing the two of you bond warmed his heart in ways indecipherable. so, realising that you would be leaving to travel onwards really left a gape in his life that you had just started to piece together.

he gripped your hand tighter, moving with more vigour and urgency, wanting to hold you in his arms forever.

“j-jing yuan-”

“my love?”

“i’m gonna cum-!”

“so do it, cover me with your essence, i’ve got you, always.”

his words carried you to the end and you came all over him, legs tightening against his sides, trapping him inside your cunt. his hips instantly stuttered, losing rhythm and his groans became impossibly deeper, until he eventually spilled his cum all into you, complete with each other.

all was silent for a moment, as both parties recovered from the overwhelming orgasms. jing yuan pulled out and rolled off of you, pulling you into his chest and closing his eyes.

“y/n. stay with me. just for tonight.”

#jing yuan #jing yuan x gender neutral reader #jing yuan x y/n #jing yuan x reader #jing yuan x you #jing yuan x reader smut #honkai star rail #hsr jing yuan #hsr x reader #hsr smut #jing yuan star rail #jing yuan smut #jing yuan scenarios #honkai x reader #honkai star rail smut #nicxl333 #nicxl333writes #general jing yuan

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prettyboykatsuki · 9 months

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based on this post. i flipped a coin and it landed on dan heng. it was going to be dragon!dh but i thought this was better. top + gn!reader. major spoilers for the hsr main storyline. implicit nsfw 18+

wc ; 1.8k

There is no place for you in the Xianzhou Luofu.

You are a prisoner of war. A long life species. Once, long ago, you'd been taken in by Imbibitor Lunae for your unwavering strength. From a planet long destroyed, with no family nor honor - you'd pressed your forehead to the floor and begged for your life.

Your Master had laughed at the time. Head tilted and smiling, shining and brilliant. You can recall the image so well even now, so many years later.

In the prisons of the Xianzhou, a new lifeform was birthed. The splitting image of your master, but no more than their ghost. The reanimated being Imbibitor Lunae took the punishment of your Master - banished from the Xianzhou. And you, a soul with no ties, took it upon yourself to follow.

For starters, Dan Heng does not like when you call him with any honorifics like he is above you. Dan Heng prefers his name. If you are to speak to him at all, it must be with his name. He likes names, it seems. He gave you yours when you'd followed him far enough and realized you didn't have one.

Next, Dan Heng does not seem to like you very much. You don't think it's personal. As far as ghosts go, you are little more than a poltergeist of his past. The people on the Express regard you fondly, but Dan Heng always looks like he is in pain when his gaze touches you too long.

And last, Dan Heng is beautiful even when he is not in his other forms. Even when he is the Dan Heng of the Astral Express. Dan Heng without name or origin. When he is a little more like you, somehow - you think he is beautiful.

And despite the similarities, Dan Heng is nothing like your master. There are many ghosts in the Xianzhou, but the ghost of Dan Feng does not linger in Dan Heng. Dan Heng is colder. Smoother. At times gentler, too. You know little of reincarnation, but of this much you can be sure. And though your Master saved your life, by now you've spent more time with Dan Heng than you ever did with them.

You do not know much of love. There was someone once. Long, long ago.

And yet, this much you know - you think your heart flutters whenever you think of Dan Heng.

Often, you are forced to reconcile with the differences between your master and Dan Heng. Their tastes, from food to clothing, always stand out to you. It is their taste in adornments that you usually pay most attention to. It's not that Dan Feng was particular.

But Dan Heng often wears jewelry so thin you can hardly see it. It's hard to describe how much it effects you, other than saying that it does. Other than saying you're always the first to notice the changes. He wears the connected tassel and ribbon only when he's leaving the ship. If someone is to gift him jewelry for any reason, he will always wear at least once.

You are forced to recognize the little details of Dan Heng when you notice these adornments. Forced to picture them in your fantasies in which you are able to put him to bed. Often on the floor of the archives, you wonder about the thin swishes of silver.

He wears a necklace underneath the high collar of his shirt. It's a gift from March 7th. A blue moon on a thin silver chain that sits perfectly in the middle of his sternum, trapped against his chest. Sometimes, when he puts on the clothes he has for sleep - you catch a glimpse of it. The starlight pouring through the windows make it shine.

His neck is thin, you think. Something about it is fragile. What would happen to such a material if you were to reach out and touch it.

(What would happen to Dan Heng if your hand tightened around it. Would his skin finally feel flush? Warm to your fingers, contrasting to the cool tones? )

There are bracelets too. Several. Some less formal, more gifts from March. One from Mr. Yang - this time it is gold. Gold, a braided chain - but delicate all the same. This one he takes off often. Only for special events. The curve of his wrist bewitches you. You think the bend of it must be pretty as a picture.

(You think of the indentation it might leave on your spine, had he let you have his way with him, The sound of his voice in your ear, pitchy and high - enough that the pain of being imprinted wouldn't faze you at all.

How good he would feel with his arms around your shoulders and your hands on his hips, bracing for dear life.)

Dan Heng says he doesn't wear rings often.

"They'll tear the pages in the archives if I'm not careful."

But he does own them. He buys them for himself usually, at the market. They're all of the same type. Bands of fine metals that are practical. Silver with aquamarine and amethyst. Gold with quartz and opal. He's not the type to spend so heavily on excess - so there are few. Accumulated after years and years, but untouched by time.

You wonder, if there's any particular reason he keeps them. You aren't sure there is. But he likes them, all the same. Rings are important in your culture. Different ones for different occasion. You think it is too much of a pipedream to hope he thinks of you as he buys them.

(You think of him wearing rings more often than not. It fills you with homesickness. The slender of his fingers with the jewels you've given him. A tradition from your homeland. Something about Dan Heng incites the desire to spoil, adoration bloomed from something much more potent than subservience.

He's beautiful always, but how beautiful would he be underneath you? Black hair and thin features. Delicate and ethereal, otherworldly. His hands covering his expression, painted in pink. Pink cheeks and hot pink mouth, bitten and swollen to hell.

The shine of the things you've given him, all over. You are dying to know lately, if it's possible to make a perfect thing more beautiful)

Last, there is your favorite thing to gift him. Anklets. From the beginning, you're unsure of where the compulsion came from. Even before you ended up in this state - you thought it would suit him. A chain around the ankle, with trinkets. Something more playful than elegant, but suited to Dan Heng all the same.

Recently, Dan Heng parades around the express in his dragon form often enough. The secret is out, so it's pointless in more ways than one to always maintain it. Though he prefers his other form, it is less energy to maintain this one. So he does.

Imbibitor Lunae is seated on the edge of your bed wearing your anklet, and you think the part of you that tries not to get too close might die soon.

You blink once, then again to assure you've not got mad.

"You're wearing it,"

Dan Heng gives you a momentary blank stare before flushing down to his neck.

"You noticed." Comes his reply, curt and deflective. Normally, you'd meet him tit for tat. Match his sarcasm to yours, but the words die as you inch closer to the edge of the bed. He doesn't back away.

"You're...wearing it. Why?"

He doesn't say anything to this. Just flushes and sighs like he's somehow above answering. You think it's endearing. You stand, sit on the edge of the bed and stare. You feel something in you start to crack.

Yes, lately - it is harder and harder to pretend that you do not look at Dan Heng and long.

"Dan Heng," You say, slowly and clearly "I want to touch you."

This makes him look like he'll keel over. There's some words forming in his mouth, something meant to scold you. When your eyes meet the words seem to die. Maybe he can tell you're serious. They're blue and wide and ethereal, stunned into shocked silence.

Your hand rests on his ankle. He doesn't move as you turn to look at it, pressing it against your thumb. You think a single hand around the bend of it, from thumb to ring finger could fit it. A being so powerful not much thicker than grass blades. Pale like milk pouring over honey.

"Since when?" Is his next question. He looks troubled.

"Since as long as we've been aboard the express."

You move towards the end of the bed and Dan Heng makes room for where you sit. You place your hand against clothed calf, planing up until his knee and resting there. He frowns.

"Did you not long for your Master?"

"No," You say firm, getting on your knees and leaning up. Dan Heng stumbles back against the pillows that hold him up. He falls to them as you hover over them and suddenly you're so close. "Only you,"

You take a piece of his hair, long and silky, kissing it as tenderly as you can. From this angle he flushes. Adorned and beautiful, with the same necklace and dainty hooped earrings. The little details that make up all of his idiosyncrasies.

"Only me." He repeats, soft and low and cute. Yes, there is only Dan Heng. You're sure your master could never make a face like this. He looks up at you a little stunned, into quiet silence that doesn't reach you.

"Why did you wear it?" You lean in his. His breath is warm with mint.

"I'm sure you're clever enough to figure that out."

You put your hands on his waist, inching up against the fabric. Your noses touch.

"I want to hear you say it," You reply to him, a little closer - brushing against his lips. He makes a face at you "Or else it will feel too much like a dream."

Your knee presses against the place between his legs but Dan Heng makes no moves to stop you.

"I wore it for you to notice. I didn't think you really would."

You laugh softly.

"I always notice. I'm always looking at you. Just you. It has been that way for a long time now."

He closes his eyes and laughs with you.

"I suppose it has."

You kiss him like this. Slow and tender and gentle, a soft sensation that builds itself to one of lust. You try not to devour Dan Heng, but it grows impossible. How could you turn away from him like this? Ripe like something waiting to be plucked, eaten whole even when taken apart slowly. You dip your tongue into Dan Hengs mouth, licking the fangs but never cutting yourself on their sharp edges.

Something stirs in you, something hard pressed against your stomach. You laugh a little.

"Dan Heng," You say again, teeth scrapping his jaw "I want to look at you a little closer."

He breathes you in. His hand reaches for yours, feeling for your ring finger.

"Nothing is stopping you."

#dan heng x reader #hsr x reader #honkai star rail x reader #writing tag #i dont rlly wanna tag this smut cause nothing Happens #but ill add it anyway #dan heng smut

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hana-no-seiiki · 11 months

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I saw that you need ideas, so how about a yandere from the Neons? I mean, I would like to see more content from them since they represent the elements in Honkai star rail, by the way, sorry if you don't understand, my English is bad... I leave you a little drawing of a masculine makima (it has nothing to do with it, but as a gift ) xd Also, I don't know if I'm the only one, but Nanook makes me handsome >///<

(Sorry, I had already finished it but the work was stained hahaha and I did it again)

Yus the Aeons are so cool looking!! You really feel like they’re actual gods of the universe, especially since you don’t see them first hand (at least for now). Also Masculine Makima reminds me of Karma Akabane lol. I’ll draw it in my style, and add it here as an extra for you ♥️

Hb we mash those two topics up together actually?

warnings: mild yandere themes. mild spoilers for csm. major canon divergence. reader takes the shape of a masc/amab character but it isnt their original form.

status: unedited. updated art.

YANDERE! AEONS + VARIOUS! HSR x AEON OF FEAR/CONTROL! READER

You have no memory of your conception, only that you started existing for what felt like an eternity.

You represented fear and despair, but unlike IX whose mere presence drove humanity into insanity, or the rest of your fellow aeon’s godlike status amongst the world,

you walked around as a normal, ordinary human being.

As normal as an Aeon can get anyways.

In your current lifetime, you took the shape of Himeko’s “brother”, planting fake memories into her mind and being the one that urged her to travel the stars. While she was the navigator, you took the role of conductor before creating Pompom to supplant you.

Welt always knew you weren’t just a regular person. Your eyes always felt distant, so far off that not even a century’s worth of trail blazing would allow him to come close. As such he mostly kept cordial relations with you.

The youngsters of the bunch on the other hand, never seemed to realize the sheer magnanimity of the danger you held and always hung around you.

Particularly that Caelus. The newest addition to the crew. The stellaron within him always pulsed in some sort of giddiness and excitement whenever you were around. The boy couldn’t help but be a nervous wreck when he was around you. Stuttering and stumbling was a common occurrence whenever you so decide as to just breathe at his direction.

You knew what those Stellarons are, their nature, their purpose, the way they were created. In fact if you wanted to, you could have taken the Astral Express straight to the source of it all, your partner: Nanook.

However that would have ruined the fun of it all. So you chose to let them have their little adventures before the final confrontation.

Also because you signed a contract to not meddle with Nanook’s business in exchange for your freedom. But that was another story to tell.

“Why . . . why do you continue this farce? This utterly worthless play?”

IX’s voice rang within your ears and no one else’s. You were the only being it ever gave the time of day to. You imagine it to be the reason why insanity slowly built itself within the recesses of your head.

“You may see the entire universe as worthless . . . but I,” You breath hitched. You looked around your room. Time was frozen. Everything turned grey. You weren’t afraid of the others in the express hearing you, just that the following words you were about to spout out felt like bile on your mouth. “I suppose I’m still a bit like them in a way. I wish to see the world without its evils.”

“And destroying them. That is my first step.” You summon an orb of golden light. Stellarons. The creation of the very thing that made you loath all evil. Including yourself. You will eradicate these and then Nanook yourself. One day.

“Is that why you send those hunters out?”

“Perhaps.” The orb within your hands get covered in chains, quickly getting crushed within the metal like substance as it soon disappeared.

“Do as you wish. Just do not bother me like that imbecile.”

“I promise. I will be much worse than Yaoshi.”

IX remained silent for several seconds, no doubt regretting its decision of associating with you before adding, “. . . And do not die.”

“That one I cannot guarantee.”

Your room’s color returns, time continues. Signaling the end of two Aeons’ encounter.

Nanook, the Aeon that threatened to eradicate all that you love. All so they could have your soul once more. Within your gilded cage. Within your original body that lied dormant.

The Destruction will no longer be a path. That is a guarantee you write upon the stars when your Trail Blazing lifetime eventually comes to a close.

The stage is set, your actors ready.

All you needed was the cue.

Your gloved hand arose, pointing towards the express’s windows in the shape of a gun.

“Bang.”

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carulenes · 6 months

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I have so many scattered thoughts re: Blade, Jingliu, and Dan Heng and the entirety of the HCQ after Clouds Leave No Trace

This is gonna probably be long as hell since I haven’t stopped thinking abt it for two days straight and will contain spoilers for the new HCQ quest in 1.4 as well as references to other leaks, this is mostly just a jumble of a bunch of theories and ramblings to get my thoughts out, some of which I already had and others that started to jump out during the quest. obv other ppl may have come up with similar conclusions and i obv might not be right myself but based on the narrative presented to us up until now, these are what I feel make the most sense. TLDR at the end.

Dan Heng vs “running away”

I find it fascinating, and frankly disingenuous, that that both Jingliu and Blade consistently frame DH’s explanations of no longer being Dan Feng and only containing fragments of his memories as "trying to run from his past". I’ve also seen some in the fandom claim that DH’s position on the matter shouldn’t be trusted as he’s an “unreliable narrator”, which could be true, but it’s a stance I disagree with as it goes against the structure of DH’s narrative as it’s been set up since the beginning of the game.

From day one until the present, Dan Heng is shown to be fully willing to atone for the sins of his past:

The moment he was allowed to move freely aboard the Luofu after having quietly accepted exile for crimes he shouldn’t have had to pay for, he decided of his own volition to seek out the current high elder and make amends with both the Xianzhou and his past in general, even when doing so made him a target for even more suffering:

Narratively speaking, he never once backs away from the punishment considered owed to Dan Feng's actions.

Dan Heng, the result of a forced rebirth process that was then manipulated to leave him with combat prowess and broken memories he neither wanted or should have possessed to begin with, was escorted away from the only homeland he knew, after being held in prison for crimes he legally should not have been judged by from the moment of his birth, with only the few possessions his previous incarnation had possessed, forced to jump from spaceship to spaceship without even recognizing the destination. The only reason he ever ran at all is due to the ages spent fighting for his life against an enemy he didn't recognize and never truly recognized him, one that refused to die no matter how many times they fought. One who caused unmatched destruction in his hunt for Dan Heng, fully willing to destroy anyone and anything in the way of his goal— a shadow of his past:

This is why personally (emphasis on personally) I believe that the longing in question from the leak regarding Dan Heng polishing his spear is in reference to the Luofu, as to me, it makes sense that he would long for and think of the homeland he never got to witness thoroughly with his own eyes and could only experience in books while caring for the weapon he uses to keep himself and others safe from the force of destruction that trails him:

In fact, it isn't until after Dan Heng joins the Astral Express that he begins to fight back against the assertion that he must eternally suffer for the past; this is because this is when he finally has something other than himself to protect. We are directly shown this in his animated short, when the memory of the other members of the Express crew serve as the motivation to spur Dan Heng out of the internal conflict he was drowning in, and also as his prime reason for going to meet with the others in the HCQ aboard the Luofu:

This is likely possible largely due both to the fact that Vidyadhara cannot succumb to mara, as well as the fact that he doesn't have the same specific memories as the others, and so he is not shackled to the same chains that now bind Blade and Jingliu.

———

Blade and Jingliu

In Blade’s youth, Jingliu describes him as someone who was “defiant” in a way she claimed not to like. I find this fascinating given that the two are so incredibly similar at present, which I feel is due in part to Blade’s unwavering respect for her even after the pain she caused him, both because of who she is as the former Sword Champion and the amount of Abundance abominations she alone had been able to slay, as well as the pain she inflicted giving him new purpose, a choice to give him a “second chance” despite at one point having wished to leave him to his misery as a fate worse than death, as described in her character story.

Both Blade and Jingliu experienced great suffering in their childhoods

Blade's swordsmanship ability comes directly from Jingliu’s tutelage

His personal oath comes directly from Jingliu, as she forced it into his psyche over and over through death and rebirth in order to force him to remember:

They both took on deals through which they are able to have access to suppression for their mara:

And both are fighting towards goals that are implied to, at least currently, be impossible (following who I believe to be extremely suspicious individuals):

Also, both are equally stubborn, seen both through their refusal to take no as an answer to Dan Heng's wishes to no longer associate with them and through their refusal to listen to anything that may trigger or directly refute their perceptions of reality:

But most importantly:

Blade and Jingliu both became mara-struck very quickly after Baiheng’s death.

It's repeatedly mentioned that mara is linked to to the artificially stretched lifespans of Xianzhou natives, but also that a fundamental aspect of the affliction is tied to the accumulation of painful memories. Given that vast scope of the destruction that occurred during this bane, and the extreme closeness both Jingliu and Blade had to the deceased and beloved Baiheng (in addition to the trauma of being transmuted into another species entirely, in Blade's case), it's no surprise that both of them are affected so deeply. Additionally, a common treatment for mara is avoiding accessing painful memories or suppressing/removing them entirely.

As Blade himself states that the effects of mara affliction are unique to the individual, I can't make a sweeping judgement of the symptoms all the mara-struck; the specific manifestations of Jingliu and Blade's afflictions, however, can be related to the concept of complicated grief:

We see these symptoms heavily within Jingliu, who literally wears a blindfold to avoid seeing anything that can trigger painful memories, has a voiceline describing how she can't remember many details of the time she and Baiheng spent together, speaks how she's plagued with nightmares about Baiheng, and she refuses to not only prohibit herself from forgetting the pain of what happened to her that day, but also the remaining members of the HCQ.

Similar observations can be made for Blade; he notably speaks very little and withdraws from most social situations, not wanting to take part in “annoying conversations.” His particular form of mara affliction is, by his own admission, unusual and devoid of any real emotion. The few moments of reprieve are spent either thinking too much or not thinking of anything at all. When his mara strikes, though, he shuts down, going completely numb and lashing out at whatever's in his way- not unlike certain displays of trauma responses in real life. He asks directly, “Why does someone like her have to be buried, burned to ash, and eventually forgotten...? Why!?” And given Yingxing being quoted saying directly during this quest that he doesn't wish for an overly long life, and Blade's intense suicidal ideations in the present, it's not a far reach to suggest that he also wishes that he died with her or in her stead.

And both are unable to find purpose in a life without her:

Blade and Jingliu both accuse Dan Heng of being unwilling to accept the past, but both of them are quite literally and physically unable to do so themselves— Dan Heng was even the only one to have spent extended time in the Shackling Prison, even though he should not have had to due to his rebirth, while both Blade and Jingliu were both wanted criminals who managed to escape. They both walk carrying the pain of the past through the present because they feel empty without it. And, unlike Dan Heng, neither one of them have a future that they feel can look forward to.

On that note, Jing Yuan, the only member of the HCQ who is capable of succumbing to mara and yet hasn't, is also the only member to directly acknowledge Dan Heng's autonomy and existence. This extends to Dan Feng as well, as both Blade and Jingliu most often refer to both Dan Heng and Dan Feng interchangeably with the title of Imbibitor Lunae, rather than their names.

The only ones to continue to deny Dan Heng's existence and rebirth are those who are unable to leave the past behind, such as the mirage echoes forever tied to Scalegorge Waterscape, as well as Blade and Jingliu, forever tied to their own suffering.

[Side note: This is exactly why I believe HYV decided to have 1.3 end with an entire questline based around the showing the process of accepting death and healthy grieving: to act as a direct juxtaposition to Blade and Jingliu, who both are unable to engage in the process themselves.] ————

Yingxing and Dan Feng/Blade and Dan Heng

Yingxing the Furnace Master and High Elder Dan Feng were very close. They were good friends, yes, but they were also bad for each other, according to Kafka:

Which would be easy enough on its to write off as her own interpretation of a story she’s heard but doesn’t know enough to understand. But Jingliu, the living member of the HCQ most affected by their actions, shows agreement with her assessment, pointing out that she’d found it strange “to see someone so arrogant get along with someone so proud.”

These specific traits are mentioned and attributed to them multiple times— the arrogant craftsman and the proud high elder. The reason for this is also stated by Kafka: “Together, they did something bad— something terrible. It led to horrific consequences.”

The emphasis that they did it together, almost directly after stating that the pair were bad for one another (which was a conscious choice to have her say, as her statements of their shared mistake and Blade's memory loss would have sufficed on their own), is important not simply because they both made and adhered to the plan; it’s important because it implies that it was directly because it took the two of them specifically to create the chaos and unrest that took place and not anyone else. This isn’t a condemnation of either of them as individuals, but Jingliu herself points out that even the smartest people can make extremely ill-advised decisions in the heat of the moment.

If Yingxing hadn’t arrogantly believed himself alone capable of handling and utilizing the remains of the very Emanator it took a plethora of combatants including the entire HCQ to take down (likely leading to the loss in the usability of his hands as a result):

If Dan Feng hadn’t proudly believed his “salvation” more righteous than the autonomy of those mortals he sought to save, "letting" them continue living as though the right to withhold the honor of dying for a cause they believed in was his alone, while also seeming to blindly believe himself incapable of being deceived or misunderstanding something:

None of the resulting fallout would have happened.

Only one with powers like those of the High Elder of the Vidyadhara could have attempted what Dan Feng did, and only an outworlder who has experienced the allure of immortality and experienced the fear of not having enough time would be willing to assist, given the Xianzhou’s stance on acts regarding immortality.

Furnace Master and High Elder, filled with blind confidence in themselves, blind confidence in each other, enabling each other (Yingxing calling out to Dan Feng and implying that they had to be the ones to make a choice, Dan Feng being moved by his human heart’s words and his own exhaustion with watching the deaths of those around him) to make a dangerous choice at a critical moment when their close companion is in mortal peril (more accurately already dead but they couldn’t accept that), and make the decision to ignore the autonomy of everyone involved. They had no contingency plan because they were sure that, with each other, that it would work. Because of this, they both share the blame, their noble intentions not enough to outweigh their unforgivable sin.

Jing Yuan is noted to have “always understood the price better than any of [the HCQ], yet he never spoke up, never did anything”, but anyone who has had the experience of trying to tell an arrogant or prideful person that they’re wrong or making a mistake knows that that’s an uphill battle on its own. Add in that it would be two against one (one of whom he already canonically bickered with constantly throughout their companionship), asking two of the most stubborn people he knew to give up on their desire to save the beloved (for Yingxing, Baiheng; for Dan Feng, his people), the two that were closer to each other than he was with either of them (not to imply that the HCQ weren’t all very close to each other because they definitely were but in obv differing ways) right in the middle of a high stress situation where there’s no time for arguing, and what remains is Jing Yuan with no options but to watch as disaster unfolded before him and everyone else, knowing that their minds were already made up.

Yingxing never wanted to be immortal or to see Baiheng suffering, but his own hubris helped lead to both.

Dan Feng never wanted to endure the sight of meaningless death, and yet directly caused it due to his pride, believing he had the right to play god and interfere with the natural process of death, or to consider that he may be wrong.

They were good friends who were bad for each other, and good people who made an exceedingly bad decision.

In the present, it’s been over 700 years since the last meeting of the High-Cloud Quintet, meaning Yingxing and Dan Feng have been essentially dead for roughly 7x the length of the HCQ’s entire existence. Their new identities, Blade and Dan Heng are clearly meant to parallel each other, but as opposing forces going in different directions, given Blade’s unwavering desire to die, and Dan Heng’s unwavering desire to live and to protect those he cares for. Both were put through immense suffering that, in the same vein, provided the means of “freedom” for them— Blade, through the sword; Dan Heng, through banishment. And both have found new colleagues to consider allies, though even the two groups are opposed to one another.

At this point in time, they’re enemies in all respects, and the chances of any reconciliation between them in my opinion is VERY slim for multiple reasons not limited to how much time has already passed at this point:

1) Dan Heng does not trust Blade at all and actively considers him one of the biggest threats to both his own and his companions’ safety, with good reason. The only way this could feasibly change is if Blade were to stop hunting him, which likely would not happen because

2) Blade is wholly devoted to Elio’s predictions for him, which Dan Heng’s existence would be paradoxical to. One of Blade’s wishes is to kill Imbibitor Lunae specifically in revenge, and he doesn’t (or can't) accept Dan Heng’s existence; if what Dan Heng claims about his identity is true, then that could only mean the future Elio promised must be false, which would strip him of the only purpose he has left in this world, leaving him as an empty, undying husk. This matter is also complicated by the fact that

3) There is still no cure for the mara that afflicts Blade, which would be the only avenue through which Blade could even begin to consider accepting Dan Heng and potentially reconciling. Both he and Jingliu were able to discover methods of having it suppressed, but both were temporary fixes: Jingliu notes that her time is beginning to run out, and Kafka had to use alternate means to reduce the potency of the mara within Blade after it violently flared up after merely being on the Xianzhou, which is likely the only reason the meeting between the HCQ could even take place with his attendance. On top of this, there’s also the fact that

4) Blade’s feelings for Dan Feng are likely very complex as well. Deep down, there’s clearly still some fondness there in the way Blade looks back on the time spent with Dan Feng, but he’s also one of the people he deeply resents and wants to see dead, which I believe could be due to his belief that it’s Dan Feng’s fault that Baiheng died. There is a choice-dependent voiceline from Baiheng deep within Dan Heng's memories that calls out to him to save them from the starskiff, but we know that it crashed. He tried to invoke the Transmutation Arcaneum, but it failed, instead turning Baiheng into a half-dragon monstrosity whose wails of pain echoed all around them. And then, though he wasn’t the one to deal the final blow, he might as well have by giving the location of the dragon’s weak spot to Jingliu. To top everything off, everything ended with Blade within an immortal body, one that leaves him in constant pain, particularly during the healing process after “death”.

From his perspective, it’s easy to see just why Blade could place the blame of Baiheng’s burial and the near destruction of the Luofu solely on Dan Feng, accusing Dan Feng alone of being the one to stubbornly adhere to the plan; it’s also easy to point out Blade’s hypocrisy given his role as Dan Feng’s accomplice. There are multiple potential reasons for this in my opinion: his brain, afflicted by both mara and prior memory loss (though he never forgets Dan Feng’s eyes or “how cruelty burst out from beneath the mirror-like emerald calmness”); his arrogance, leading him to absolve himself of any guilt or wrongdoing because he believes himself incapable of failing; the current youth-like quality of his mind, reduced to immaturely (by which I purely mean the dictionary definition of having/showing emotional development of someone younger) craving nothing but revenge while simultaneously absolving responsibility by saying “He did it! Not me!”. Also, considering Jingliu’s dialogue to Dan Feng where she says to him “If your death can return everything to how it was, I would do it,” and the many ways Blade already emulates Jingliu, it isn’t too difficult to consider that he may have taken that duty on himself out of grief and longing.

Along with these reasons, the narrative emphasizes that even almost a millennium after Yingxing and Dan Feng’s deaths, destruction follows in their wake whenever their new lives cross paths. Dan Heng learned this quickly, hence his fervent desire to keep distance and his relative uncertainty of anywhere that could possibly be safe for him, though he also learned rather quickly that this was futile. Blade was always able to find him, entire spaceships destroyed in his unshakable desire to kill him. On the Xianzhou, not only was Dan Heng dragged into a fight with Blade, but so too was Yanqing. This cycle of destruction is implied to have been so constant for Dan Heng that it’s likely the entire reason he never feels safe or feels unable to confide in anyone so as to not risk putting them in danger.

----

The Destruction Trio

Imbibitor Lunae, Blade, and Jingliu all being on the path of destruction is no coincidence given their histories. The three “sinners” all shared a key trait: being able to cope with death and painful losses. Both Yingxing and Dan Feng viewed her as arrogant and proud, respectfully, which was another commonality between them. This leads all three of them to not only become the orchestrators of their own self-destruction, but the destruction of those around them as well: Dan Feng witnessing countless deaths and being forced to be reborn as another; Yingxing’s loss of his gift and creative abilities as well as the transformation into the immortal Blade who only sees himself as a weapon; Jingliu’s abandonment of her sacred oath and everyone she killed during her time under the influence of the mara poisoning her mind. Only Dan Heng walks a different path, as he is the only one to have directly stated that he accepts the past that happened but refuses to let it stain his bright future.

The three of them are also intrinsically linked in their pain. Dan Feng and Yingxing's mistake led directly to Jingliu's suffering; Jingliu's treatment of Blade led to his becoming a living weapon and catching the eye of the Stellaron Hunters, and also to him being able to inflict similar suffering to Dan Heng by hunting him constantly. Blade and Jingliu both are of the mind that this is inevitable and inescapable, but only Dan Heng is in a position to be able and willing to question whether he really does have to continue feeling that pain.

While it's still very early on in HSR's lifespan making it difficult to make any real concrete theories, for now I predict that Jingliu will die in her attempt to kill the Abundance, and I also believe her to be aware of this deep down, as she likely sees this as a way for her to atone and find her peace. It also makes most sense for Blade to die at some point as well, considering his parallels to Jingliu, his current character and the fact that while Yingxing used to fear not having enough time in life when he was young, he came to accept his mortality in his elder years after the full life he lived with the HCQ; it could even possibly be in defense of Dan Heng, which could provide a full-circle end to their cycle and their story, a form of closure that no other broken pair has seemed to get so far. Their respective character stories, while directly representing their current struggles, can also be viewed as allusions to their fates as well, with Blade's referring to his death and Dan Heng's highlighting him seeing the dawn of a new day. I also think it could be feasible for the discovery of a method to remove Blade's mara and for him to grow content with the Blade of today, even with powers he doesn't want, similar to Dan Heng accepting that Imbibitor Lunae's powers will always be a part of him; a "miraculous cure" sort of ending could be very clunky if not handled well in my opinion, though.

----

The Reunion

Though it's phrased in a metaphorical way, I feel pretty sure that not only did we just see the reunion alluded to by the PoWC bracer, but also that this is another remnant of Jingliu’s influence that some part of Blade’s subconscious must have clung to:

Note the usage of “should”, a term with many meanings but the most applicable being “expressing a conjecture or hope,” rather than something like “will”, which would indicate future tense or an inevitable event.

Jingliu’s splash art alone shows her pouring out a cup of alcohol

In Jingliu’s character story, Baiheng is said to have brought Jingliu “divine nectar from the other side of the universe”

At the beginning of the companion quest, in the Seat of Divine Foresight, she mentions wanting to have a glass of wine and reminisce with old friends

She is the one to bring the jade flask that Blade handcrafted himself for her when she releases the starskiff in her memory

When the remaining quartet reach Scalegorge Waterscape, she directly mentions that she never believed the 4 of them, with their many grudges and all friendship lost, would gather again and specifically quantifies the hundreds of years that have passed

She does this twice more, mentioning the seven centuries and how they all did this 700 hundred years ago

She is the one to point out that, in the past, they all promised to meet together again for a drink no matter what happened

She says that she believed “those joyful days would flow indefinitely before us” which also fits within the imagery of drinking

There are multiple visual nods to drinking in her flashbacks as well: there’s the quintet having a toast, as well as Jingliu pouring out the alcohol once again while Yingxing sips off to the side, which symbolically is a good representation of the way she poured so much of herself into Blade (whether intentionally or unintentionally) that so much of him resembles her now, down to the bow on the back of his clothes (and even their similar splash arts). There’s also a glimpse of Yingxing and Jing Yuan drinking together. Because both of them were children when they each met Jingliu for the first time, it makes sense that Jingliu and the others were likely the ones to teach the pair to drink once they each came of age.

Jingliu mentions that they will likely never all meet again, and bids farewell to the HCQ.

Finally, at the very end of the quest, she directly says:

Blade mentions alcohol only once, when he says, "The miraculous thing is that in my brief moment of death... all the pain went away... like when we drank to drown our sorrows." In Jingliu's case, we know that she was affected in much the same way as Blade, becoming more confident and boastful under the effects of drinking, mentioning that the nightmares and pain from her childhood memories were no longer so terrifying. For both of them, alcohol is another form of suppression of pain, not unlike substance abuse seen in real life, which grieving individuals are at higher risk of falling victim to.

While it’s possible this wasn’t the reunion that alluded to and they could technically all reunite once more in the future, the sheer number of references to the contents of the backstory mentioned in the bracer lead me to believe that this isn’t the case, as well as Jingliu stating herself that this would likely be their final meeting before she pays her own ultimate price. Not to mention the fact that very specific circumstances had to be in play for Jingliu/Luocha, the Stellaron Hunters, and the Astral Express to all end up on Jing Yuan’s doorstep at the same time. Specificity like that is rarely duplicated, particularly in HSR’s canon, which features many characters with formerly close bonds being separated for whatever reason with no closure to their relationship. The four of them even getting one reunion was a blessing in itself, even though none of them felt particularly happy about it afterwards.

TLDR: Dan Heng is accused of running from his past, but he is the only one of the three "sinners" capable and willing to do so; Jingliu and Blade are heavy parallels of each other and share the same pains of complicated grief; Yingxing and Dan Feng together (and Blade and Dan Heng by association) bring out the worst in each other and represent a cycle of destruction that neither of them are currently able to escape from; the reunion mentioned by the bracer was likely Jingliu's idea that Blade also began to internalize and we likely just watched it occur; Dan Feng, Blade, and Jingliu were all incapable of handling death and loss and this inability is what lead to the three of them causing so much pain and destruction for themselves, each other, and everyone around them.

#honkai star rail #hsr #hsr thoughts #hsr analysis #hsr 1.4 #hsr blade #yingxing #dan heng #dan feng #imbibitor lunae #jing yuan #jingliu #baiheng #high cloud quintet

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utilitycaster · 6 months

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Level Up Post: Mighty Nein: Echoes of the Solstice: The Speculation Version

DO NOT POST SPOILERS ON THIS IF YOU ARE AT THE LIVE SHOW IN PERSON. YOU WILL BE BLOCKED.

So here's the deal: I don't know what level they'll be (18-20), I am frankly assuming they level up in the first place (but like. why wouldn't they) and I'm going to have to make a bunch of assumptions, but here is a manageable-ish, I hope, summary, to be refined once we know more. Also: I'm assuming we've got Caduceus rather than Kingsley (I DO NOT KNOW THIS FOR SURE DO NOT RELY ON THIS BEING THE TRUTH) but I will make a Kingsley post if that is not the case (short answer - I'd recommend solely leveling up in blood hunter). As always with level-ups: if there is a significant omission or an error, please let me know. If I simply did not choose the same spell or feat you did, feel free to reply with "ooh nice, what about [spell]" but do not send me asks or get weird and sanctimonious about having different thoughts on subjective assessments. Anyway, here's the pre-show version; I'll make a new post Friday if appropriate.

Fjord: Let's get Mr. Complicated Tusktooth Stone Lavorre out of the way. He is currently Warlock 12/Paladin 5. Warlocks get a mystic arcanum at level 13 (7th level spell once per day) as well as another known spell for regular casting, a subclass feature at 14 (Master of Hexes for Fjord, which allows him to move his hexblade's curse from creature to creature if the first dies), and a mystic arcanum (8th level) and another invocation and another spell at 15. Paladins, meanwhile, get Aura of Protection (+CHA mod, so 5, to all saving throws to himself and all allies within 10 feet) at level 6, a subclass feature at 7 (Aura of Liberation - he and allies within 10 feet cannot be grappled or restrained, can use 5 feet of movement to get out of prior restraints [THIS WOULD HELP BEAU IF SHE SHOWS UP CHAINED BTW], and ignore penalties to underwater attacks) as well as another L2 spell slot, and an ASI at 8; his lay on hands pool also scales up by 5 HP per level. My personal feeling is: for the next level, take paladin level 6, which gives him and anyone within the aura +5 to all saves so long as he is not incapacitated; paladin auras are ridiculously good and every day I wish someone would play paladin straight through in CR, for me, much as I adore Fjord and Vax's dips into it. For his 19th level, I'd either take paladin 7 for the aura of liberation, or take warlock 13, which grants the mystic arcanum of which I'd take Etherealness, probably, or possibly Forcecage; the clerics can handle Plane Shift, and Finger of Death seems off-brand. He also gets another regular spell of which there are many; Contact Other Plane might not work under these conditions so I'm leaning towards Dream, which is just a great weird spell few people take, but also he could take a low level spell given he has paladin spell slots. And for 20th, take the one he didn't take for 19, for a final 13 Warlock/7 Paladin split.

Beau: Much more straightforward in comparison...but let's talk about the leveling up process. Level 18 grants Empty Body, in which she can spend 4 ki to be invisible for 1 minute and resistant to all damage other than force damage, or she can spend 8 ki to cast astral projection on herself alone, which is just hilarious and great and I would like to see it. She also increases her speed to 60 feet. Level 19 is an ASI/Feat; her stats are great so I say take Mobile because it's funny to make her normal speed 70 feet/round, or mage slayer for obvious narrative and "Beau, don't you want to pull a Cerrit on Ludinus" reasons. The capstone monk level kind of sucks (4 ki points back if she's tapped when rolling for initiative) but I don't have a good multiclass for her in mind so may as well ride it out. And of course she gets a ki point per level.

Caleb: Perhaps the only person for whom level 18 is actually fun (other than the multiclassed characters), at level 18 he gets to pick a 1st and 2nd level wizard spell in his spell book that he can cast at will. He can exchange these, but it requires 8 hours of study, so probably what he has going in to this show is what he has for the show. 19 is again a Feat/ASI, and honestly a con or dex boost never hurts a wizard. Level 20 gives him two 3rd level spells in his spellbook that he can cast once per rest (long or short) without using a spell slot. Might I suggest counterspell as one of them? And both he and the clerics gain extra high level spell slots at each level (5th, 6th, and 7th at levels 18, 19, and 20 respectively).

Veth: So she is actually trickier than Fjord, as the multiclassed character, in that I'm less sure how to split it out, but we'll go through the options: Level 17 in rogue grants her the ability to temporarily steal spells from another spellcaster who attacks her (Spell Thief) which is GREAT and she should definitely take it. Level 18 is Elusive; as long as she is not incapacitated, attack rolls cannot have advantage on her. And Level 19 is an ASI/Feat and an increase in sneak attack dice and also grants her a fourth level spell slot and new spell to go with it, which must be enchantment or illusion; Greater Invisibility seems like the obvious choice. I'd take the ASI to INT. On the other hand, if she pursues more wizard levels, Level 2 would give her a subclass and its features and another 1st level spell slot (and 2 more spells), Level 3 would give her 2nd level wizard spells and corresponding spell slots (and again, 2 more spells in her spellbook), and Level 4 is an ASI/Feat, a cantrip, and another 2nd level spell slot. I say take L17 in rogue first, then get a wizard subclass (transmutation does seem obvious for a number of reasons though abjuration, illusion, and divination have better L2 features and illusion makes narrative sense - divination would simply be hilarious), then take her final level in rogue for Elusive; but with both Veth and Fjord I think there's an obvious level to take (L17 rogue for Veth, L6 paladin for Fjord) and after that I respect Sam and Travis to pick what feels right.

Jester and Caduceus: At level 18, they can channel divinity 3 times per rest rather than 2. At level 19, they take ASIs, which honestly are up in the air for me - I'm excited to see what they pick, though @captainofthetidesbreath suggested Eldritch Adept for Jester which I would enjoy, and we haven't seen Caduceus's feat from the final episode yet which means I'm not sure about what he might take as a new one, though I'm personally always a fan of Chef. And at L20 divine intervention is guaranteed (though you can only use it once per week)...but to be honest if they are level 20, I am expecting this to be nerfed for solstice reasons because it is kind of game-breaking.

Yasha: So here's the thing. Barbarian 18-19 is kind of eh and 20 is good but not amazing. She could take it; she'd get indomitable might at 18 (treat any strength check as her strength score, 18, if she rolls lower than that), an ASI/Feat at 19, and her strength and con jump up by 4 each (and can exceed 20) - this would put her at 18 CON and 22 STR, assuming she doesn't increase either with the ASI (and to be fair I would take the ASI to strength). This is solid and entirely valid as a choice. HOWEVER, might I suggest the Grog move of taking her final three levels in fighter, which would give her a fighting style and second wind at L1, action surge at L2, and an archetype and its 3rd level features at L3. I like how Battle Master feels for Yasha but really it's that action surge that makes this great; Rune Knight or Champion are also decent options.

#mighty nein #critical role #echoes of the solstice

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fluentmoviequoter · 8 months

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Don't Believe Everyone You See (Is Too Good to Be True)

Summary: After seeing Dalton in the Further and meeting him in the real world, (astral-projecting) reader joins the fight to close the Red Door.

Read Part 1 Here!

Warnings: spoilers for The Red Door (divulges from the events of the movie, but spoilers are still present!), canon-typical violence and descriptions of the Further, Josh calls reader 'kid', angst, fluff. 2.3k+ words

A/N: Thank you for all the feedback and support on part 1! I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it, and as always, please let me know what you think. :)

Flipping the page, you continue taking notes on The Further We Go. You and Dalton had ventured into the Further last night but still aren't sure how to close the door. Unfortunately, you think, the only way to do it seems to be from the other side. As you finish the chapter, Chris sends an SOS text, and you know that can only mean one thing, Dalton.

You leave everything behind and run toward Dalton's dorm, taking as many shortcuts as possible. The closer you get to him, the more you feel the tug of the Further. Though you can't see them in this realm, you know spirits are following you. Finding an abandoned spot outside his dorm building, you stand still and close your eyes as the sun sets, walking out of your body and running up the stairs to his dorm. Chris is in his room with his body, plugging lights in and warding off the spirits. While you're watching her, someone else comes into his room. You recognize Mr. Lambert from Dalton's picture of the door.

"Mr. Lambert? I'm a friend of Dalton's. Can you get us into his mind?" you introduce yourself before asking for help.

"Call me Josh. Yeah, I think I know exactly where it took him," Josh answers.

You follow him into the Further and soon enter a house filled with toys and memories that obviously make Mr. Lambert – Josh – uncomfortable. He leads you to the attic, or more accurately, Dalton's mind, where his memories are playing on repeat. A large dome of chairs is built up in the middle of the room, and a chain extends underneath them.

"Hand me that hammer, kid," Josh asks.

You hesitate for a moment, but you can see that he wants to save Dalton, and whatever caused him to act the way he did in the past is long gone.

"Is it the same demon? That made you…" you trail off as you pass him the hammer.

"No. But it's close enough," Josh answers quietly.

He grabs the chain and pulls, Dalton screaming on the other end as he gets dragged from under the chairs. Josh raises the hammer, and Dalton yells for him to stop, panting as the hammer knocks the cuff off his ankle.

"You tried to kill me! I saw you!" Dalton accuses.

"These things get in our mind, Dalton. One controlled me, and there is one coming back for you. We have to get out of here."

Josh helps Dalton stand, and Dalton sees you over his shoulder. He hugs you tightly before lowering his hand into yours and running behind his dad.

"What are you doing here?" Dalton asks.

"Chris texted. You needed help," you answer.

As you pass through the door, Josh slams it closed and leans against it, asking Dalton to help him keep it closed.

"There's nothing we can do," Dalton argues, his hand still holding yours.

Josh looks into Dalton's eyes and smiles as he says, "Go."

Dalton begins to argue again, but his dad shakes his head.

An idea pops into Dalton's mind, and he looks away from his dad, his eyes finding yours.

"Let's go," he says to you.

"Dalton, I don't think I can leave," you admit, loosening your grip on his hand.

"What? What are you talking about?"

"When I came in, I was surrounded. There's no way that they didn't, you know. My body was unguarded."

"Don't. Don't do this. We have to try."

"Dalton," you whisper, touching his cheek as a tear rolls down yours.

"Go live. I'll make sure your dad gets out."

"I can't leave you. This can't be goodbye."

"We'll always have the Further. Go."

He pulls you in for one last breathless kiss before turning and running, leaving you in the Further, where you always knew you'd end up.

"Mr. Lambert!" You call as you run back to the door and lean against it.

"What are you doing, kid? Why didn't you go with Dalton?"

Something splatters on the door, and Josh frantically looks up.

"Paint? Paint! It's Dalton!"

The red-faced demon punches the door, his fist breaking through between your face and Josh's.

"Mr. Lambert, move! Dalton almost has it covered, get out of here!" You yell over the sounds of the demon.

"No, you're coming too."

"I can't."

He sees the tears in your eyes and shakes his head slowly.

"Go check on Dalton. Tell him I love him?"

Josh nods, looking at the paint covering the hole and traveling downward before he pushes off the door and runs toward the real world. The last of the paint drips to the floor, the now black door shining as the light flickers out. You slump against the door, sliding down it to sit. It feels like a lifetime ago that you ran into Dalton in this darkness, and now it's the only place you'll ever have him.

"I love you, Dalton Lambert," you whisper. You see that your hand has been in a puddle of paint and raise it to your chest, holding it as you pull your knees up, trying to convince yourself that you're holding Dalton instead.

The Further gets darker, and soon you can't tell where you end or the Further begins.

"Mom, is Dad back?" Dalton asks breathlessly as his mom answers the phone.

"Yeah, he's back," his mom answers.

"Dalton, where are you?" Josh asks, taking the phone.

"My dorm."

"Is she with you?"

"Chris is with me."

"No, Dalton, the girl that was in there. The one that told me to tell you she loves you. Where is she?"

"I don't know," Dalton confesses, standing and running his hand through his hair. "Dad, I don't know what to do." He starts crying as he continues, "She said her body was unguarded, but I don't know where she was or if I could-"

"Bud, slow down. I'm leaving right now, and I'll be there as soon as I can. If you find anything before, call me."

Dalton leaves his dorm room and begins circling campus, looking for you. He stops by a tree, pushing his fist against it and wondering if punching it would take any of his pain away. He regrets leaving without trying to help you and wishes he had stopped to ask more questions or convince you to come with him.

"Dalton, we've looked everywhere. I don't know where else we could check," Chris says quietly. "I'm going to give you some space before your dad gets here, but call if you need anything, ok?"

Dalton nods, and Chris pats his shoulder before walking away. Approaching the corner where he started searching, Dalton sits against the side of his dorm building. Tilting his head slightly, a gap in the fence reveals itself in the moonlight. Dalton stands and sees several loose boards a few feet away. Perfectly shaped, as though someone has used it to pass through numerous times, Dalton pushes one board and steps through, feeling his heart drop to his stomach as he sees a figure slumped in the middle of the abandoned courtyard.

You groan as you force your eyes open, nearly crying at the sight of your dorm room, the copy of The Further We Go, and your notes sitting on your desk in the same place as before you ran out to help Dalton. Hoping not to see Dalton and make the pain worse, you leave your dorm to explore the campus one last time.

Dalton knows he should call his dad, but he can't. Instead, he cries as he cradles your body in his arms. Dalton whispers apologies into the night, too scared to project and try to find you again. Eventually, he texts his dad where he is, then throws his phone in the grass beside him, holding you tighter as the last of the ambient light fades to darkness, not unlike the night you met.

The closer you get to Dalton's dorm building, the darker it gets. You try to convince yourself not to go to the last place you remember, but the morbid curiosity of if anyone's found your body and what happened after you started projecting leads you on. Climbing through the bushes on the far side of the field, the moment your foot touches the grass, you lose consciousness again.

"Dalton? I'm so sorry," Josh says as he pulls the fence boards closed again. He kneels behind Dalton and rubs a hand on his back.

"It's my fault," Dalton confesses, his voice cracking.

"What can I do for you, bud?"

"There's a book we were reading together in the building across the quad, room 707. Can you go get that?"

"Yeah, bud. I'll be right back."

Your hearing is the first thing to return, but you feel so heavy that you don't want to open your eyes. Despite the heaviness, you feel hands on you, like someone is holding you in their arms. You hope it's not a malicious spirit and continue to delay opening your eyes.

"I'm so sorry. My dad told me what you said. I wish I could've heard you say it because I love you too. Please just say it one more time," Dalton begs somewhere above you.

Your heart breaks at the desperation in his voice.

"I love you, Dalton," you say, surprised to feel the words.

You snap your eyes open at the sensation, and Dalton lifts his face; wide-eyed as he looks at you. His hand flies to your neck, pressing against your pulse point before his tears increase as he begins laughing.

You join him in the wet laughter, wrapping your arms around his neck as he shifts you upright to sit in his lap. Dalton buries his face in your neck as you press your nose into his hair.

"I thought you were dead," he says, pulling back from your shoulder to look at your face.

"That seems to be a theme with you."

"Are you ok?" Dalton brushes his fingers down your face as his eyes scan you, looking for any sign of injury.

"I'm fine. You saved my life, Dalton. You saved everyone in this realm."

"I left you."

"I asked you to because I thought it was the only way. But I'm back, so it doesn't matter."

Dalton hugs you again, smiling into your neck and pressing occasional kisses into your skin. Your hand travels to his hair, fingers gently scraping his scalp.

"You know what does matter? That I love you," you say into his ear.

Dalton jerks back quickly, nearly pulling you to the ground with him.

"I love you. So much. I've loved you since I first saw you in the Further."

"When you thought I was dead?"

"It's our theme," Dalton teases before gently grasping your face and bringing your lips to his.

His kiss is one of love, relief, and absolute devotion. Your hands settle on either side of his neck as he tilts his head back to deepen the kiss.

"Ahem."

You pull back just enough to look over his shoulder, then stand out of his lap when you see who it is. Dalton rises beside you, his arm wrapping around your shoulders and bringing you to his side.

"You see that little device in the grass? You can use that to call people and tell them pertinent information. Such as, say, 'Hey, Dad, you know my dead girlfriend isn't actually dead so you can head back now,'" Josh says as he passes the book to Dalton.

"Thanks, Dad. And I'd say I'll call next time but this isn't happening again," Dalton responds.

"Jokes aside, I'm glad you're alright, kid," Josh tells you. "What you did back there was commendable, and I'm glad you're willing to settle for someone like my son."

"Thank you. And I'm not settling, I love him."

"Chapter 7: What to Do When the Girl You Love Tries to Sacrifice Herself but Miraculously Comes Back to Life," Dalton reads.

"I'm going to go back to Dalton's dorm and order pizza. Enjoy that chapter," Josh says, winking at you before exiting through the fence.

"It does not say that," you exclaim, trying to wrestle into Dalton's arms to see the page.

"Step 1: Kiss her until you can't remember your own name. Done!"

Dalton drops the book and grabs your wrist, where it's trying to pry his hand off the book.

"That's a library book," you complain, but your worry quickly evaporates as he kisses you again.

You pull yourself closer and lean against Dalton, losing yourself in him until you have to take a breath. Dalton leans his forehead against yours as he attempts to catch his breath.

"Do you remember your name?" You ask teasingly.

"Nope. But the only one that matters is yours," Dalton answers. He leans over and picks up the book before taking your hand and leading you toward the fence.

Dalton's hand squeezes yours as he says, "Thank you for coming back."

"Thank you for giving me something to come back to. Something to love."

"Chapter 18: Love and the Further."

"Shut up."

"It literally says that."

Dalton lets you into his room, ignoring his dad and opening the book. He points to the chapter on the table of contents page. Then he flips to the actual chapter and reads the first line.

"'It can be tempting to try to mix love and the Further. Don't. One of you may end up stuck in the Further, especially if you are both projectors and encounter danger.'"

"Been there, done that," you say as you sit on Dalton's bed.

"How did you two meet, anyway?" Josh asks.

"Well, we were both in the Further," Dalton begins.

He says, "I thought she was a trapped soul," as you say, "I thought he was a trapped soul."

"It's our theme," Dalton adds quickly, winking at you before continuing the story.

Just a few weeks ago, you tried to convince yourself Dalton was a spirit; now you're sitting in his dorm room laughing with his dad over pizza after saving the realm and coming back from the depths of the Further. Maybe everything, and everyone, isn't too good to be true.

#dalton lambert x reader #dalton lambert fic #dalton lambert imagine #dalton lambert fluff #dalton lambert #insidious #insidious the red door #fem!reader

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hungnitan · 22 days

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Penacony TB 2.1 Impression

Contains heavy spoiler and mostly a rant so don't read it if you still not finish the story (lol)

Before unto the stories, I must say I kinda get the reasons why hoyo put Acheron in first banner and Aventurine in second half after read TB 2.1. For Acheron, I think her identity as emenator nihility is the key lore to expose before 2.1 began so there's need to expose it at trailer (despite her reasoning coming to Penacony still unknown somehow lol). While for Aventurine, this is kinda delulu on my side but there's possibility we might know the things happened to him after 2.1 from his daily message.

Onto stories, I only say one line... IT'S VERY HONKAI VIBE ! Telling one person stories from they born into the one we know now with angsty vibe of course lol. You know, the things I scare when hoyo release Acheron trailer and myriad celestial is how Aventurine past can beat that honkai queen and (un)fortunately I was wrong (lol)

IT'S FULL BLOW OF AVENTURINE DARK PAST and yeah hoyo score a full mark with it !

For composition I think it's 80% Aventurine PoV and 20% others which is unsuprisingly since I'm pretty sure he will not appear again for future Penacony chapter but what I'm suprise is so far Astral Express basically can't do anything much in Penacony so yeah Xianzhou Luofu TB back again.

Despite that, I'm very happy with TB 2.1 like this is what Honkai story should do ! Up until now, I always thought HSR still not show their full equipment and pretty weak with their story, Tingyun only snapping some head isn't near those previous Honkai heels you know (lol).

I'm going to talk a long rant on 80% since hoyo decided to love him with his so well written stories and I love him too (XD)

The things with Aventurine and Ratio, I guess this what we would called "same mind don't need talk much". They're bickering so well, even acted betray each others without any communication and smooth enough to fool Sunday

But sorry I'm not getting fool (I know they're soulmate lol), the reason is I found one hole in Sunday Ratio convo here

Ratio saying about cornerstone is so precious to ten stonehearts but the box contain can be opened by other than them ? If that's true, I can't believe someone like Aventurine would risk someone like that participate in his grand scheme without reasons... plus Ratio doesn't strike me as someone who sells his teammate or what he called him lol no matter how iritatting he is especially only for pursuing knowledge, since it sounds so idiocy.

Suprising fact, he even try kill himself few times at dreamscape ! Like is that something you can try out of fun even If knowing you can't die ? Well yeah, in first place he always searching a place to die but doing and talk are two different things you know...

two question I thought Aventurine never answer directly which is pretty related. First of all, different than Sunday which I think he's type of "I will kill everyone and then myself if they hurt my sister" but he's already at own limit to think for his own survival + he doesn't have anyone to get revenge for. Elation still have some excitement when saw someone in despair but I don't think Aventurine (at that time) could feels same, well we don't know things after 2.1 since his past chains severed by Acheron, maybe he will open a new leaf (I hope so, let him live happily ever after with Ratio or Elation or even Trailblazing with us sounds good too lol)

It stabilize the fact that Aventurine and Ratio are good friends despite their talk, voiceline, and teammate voiceline at least from Ratio side which is the vital point Aventurine still alive as now. I really skeptic on his dead or alive status at 2.1 livestream, well mostly I can't believe any Shaoji said that time (plus the fact Gallagher is just a normal bartender lol)

TB 2.1 conclude with opening a new terrain with dreamscape's secrets, the Family and Watchmaker aren't same side, IPC will added another ten stonehearts member to game, a mysterious voice will join the fray. Penacony story so far so good, even their newest branch stories execute nicely but I don't have any excitement anymore now knowing Aventurine not gonna show up anymore (XD).

Now with Aventurine closed his screentime, I think Acheron (her past and purpose coming to Penacony still not reveal much), Firefly Sam (SH motive and she need to pursuading TB), Jade and/or Topaz (replacing Aventurine role) will play a bigger parts for future version

Put aside that, my 220 pull still on waiting for Aven banner ! I kinda had bad feelings about his banner pull, even my relics planar farming still not done even after I started doing it from BlackSwan banner...

#honkai star rail #aventurine #acheron #dr ratio #hsr gallagher #hsr sunday #hsr robin #misha #now I have a problem to think #to appreciate Aven well written story #should I buy this version BP ? lol #I vow to become f2p for HSR until today #now Aven shaking my hollow mind (lol)#even without BP I vow to getting his E0S1

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starrytect · 1 year

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some post fusion azures

#astral chain #platinum games #astral chain spoilers #listen. listen. she got fucked up after fusion #i think having legion cells in her bloodstream would uh. have some permanent effects !#it was worse at first but then after a while it fades #because. i don't think she would be willing to fuse again after almost killing akira #the gameplay mechanic lies. canon lies. i make the rules around here #astral chain protagonist #azure #art tag

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legionfusion · 1 year

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it's missing max hours. he deserved so much better. god

like okay. i like to watch people play this game blind because sometimes they can offer new perspectives on the characters or the world and i just can't help but be really emotional about max, like i love the layers to his character and how you learn more about him even after he's gone.

but mostly i'm just emotional over how much he just, cares. about everyone. the twins especially. but also about jin and alicia, and even all those stray cats. you see how much he cares in his body language, his expressions, his dialogue... it's just so. ough. i am feeling things

i just think about that line where akira says max wanted to save the whole world, not just the humans, and it makes me go WAHHHH

this guy genuinely just wanted to create the perfect world for his kids, especially because they were born at the worst place at the worst time. they never knew a clean world before corruption, before the ark. but max did. he remembers it. and if he has a chance of giving that experience to them, you best believe he's going to take it. i just love how genuine he is, like a lot of the characters in this game are. it adds a lot of weight to the storytelling.

#sobs #i'm so emo #max............. ;w;#max howard #astral chain spoilers #spoilers #oh that? that's the autism

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tree-obsession · 6 months

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HSR and Scars+other physical trauma marks HCs

I haven't seen anyone do this yet, but lmk plz if someone has!

Minor spoilers for main plot

Arlan- scars in a lot of places, implied that he could fight as a child and was poor, canonically has a prosthetic arm (at least I think, but works as hc too) and scars on his arm and nose at least. likely has more, esp on arms since using a greatsword doesnt give great defensibility and his moveset involves cutting HP(judging by the animation, using electricity, so electricity scars too? are those called lichtenberg scars?). he's short, and again the childhood implications mean he was probably malnourished.

Asta- probably minor things from working with untested equipment, and has likely burned her hands with her own powers- but, since she's a noble, she's likely expected to be neat, so idk. I like the burn idea tho.

Bailu- she's a healer, so I think what she does get she can get rid of too. But maybe her dragon tail has unhealed bits from failed assassination attempts, or smth?

Blade- canonically has scars basically everywhere. literally got tortured for a really long time, had home planet destroyed as a child and likely didn't get out unscathed (we NEED to talk abt that more), was a forge worker (burns) and did fight on occasion as Yingxing, and then was on the run for about 1000 years or something, and canonically died even more during that time. also has a skillset that involves cutting his own hp. likely doesn't have to eat, but he's unhealthily skinny because of it anyway. chronic pain. somebody give this guy a hug please.

Bronya- she's a soldier, so callouses, blade scars, bullet scars, emergency first-aid scars, and probably desensitized to cold more than the average human bc belobog. really high disregard for pain that concerns seele on a regular basis.

Clara- her. her feet. are they ok. but also some scars from working with mechs and being in the cold, but svarog made sure nothing too major happened while she was in his care. before, though... likely got beat up for being a "pushover" (im crying plz).

dan heng-... chain scars. we NEED to talk about the fact he spent most of his life chained up in prison with guards and people who hated him (minus jing yuan). probably none of the guards would have stopped some of the more violent ones from getting physical- how else would he tear his clothes that much? probably wasn't fed enough or allowed to exercise much. and the chains- listen, i know we joke about the light cone a lot(honestly why was that specifically made into the light cone) but that was really how he lived for a long time. the desc even said he "writhed" and "gasped for breath". he definitely has huge scars from rubbing skin raw around his wrists, ankles, stomach, and maybe his neck? his arms are definitely majorly scarred over and stuff from this, and probably his ankles+legs too. also his eyesight is probably shit from the dark, unless Vidyadhara magic somehow helped that.

bonus: there is a fic on ao3 called "you're looking into their eyes (and find you're looking into your own)" by robyndoesntlikeyou that deals with dan heng having scars that i only found after drafting this post. plz rec any more fics you have on this...

Fu Xuan- i really don't know for her. probably small ones that wouldn't have scarred, but she saw them as unimportant and didn't treat them...

Gepard- similar to Bronya, but maybe not as many since he's a shielder, but more of the lack of cold sensitivity? he's on the front lines lots

Guinaifen- burn scars on forearm and hands. probably can't feel much on her hands too. idk her lore but she's a street performer, so probably not always enough money for food.

Herta- we basically know nothing about her! seriously, she's so mysterious, and her character stories are vague about her past. i can't think of anything, but maybe there were some more dangerous experiments?

Himeko- considering she rebuilt the Astral Express, there were probably dangerous components involved there somewhere... and her backstory still seems pretty mysterious

Hook- diggertron probs caused burns, and life in the underground is dangerous- plus, moles could apparently go to the fight club? which seems like an issue

Jing Yuan- he's a general- lots of war scars. and probs lighting burns because he summons that entire lightning lord/chronic pain.

Jingliu- she definitely has a lot- i'm pretty sure she's the oldest of the hcq, and also got mara-struck/ fought in wars and was on the run and exiled for a long while. canonically constantly in pain due to mara. also really, really needs a hug, except the only person she would probs let hug her is baiheng, who is dead! and also she isolated herself and tortured yingxing/blade. hcq enjoyers are in literally so much pain.

Kafka- would have a lot of callouses, but idk about where scars would be. she would probs cover them up to avoid drawing attention (as she is an assassin), but idrk where exactly. she seems really sneaky, and considering she has no fear there's no reason for her to hesitate in battle. maybe scars on arms from electricity or stray bullets?

Luka- canon that he has scars from wrestling and stuff.

luocha- again, he would probably just heal whatever scars he did get. i really don't know for him, sry ):.

lynx- most calloused hands ever and even more of a weird cold tolerance than others because she's an explorer. probably just doesn't have feeling in some places. and there are probs scars somewhere from when she ran into fragmentum beasts but she's also a healer so...

march 7th- from careless accidents, sure- dropping glasses and stuff, maybe from a few close fights. but her body was wiped like her memories, plus she's a shielder and archer, which is code for not in the thick of the fight and not taking much damage herself, although she has been careless a few times. also, bowstring burns.

natasha- again, she would heal it. but has chronic pain from lugging around that heavy gun and due to age- i think she's in 50s? she's a respected person, and raised seele in the orphanage, but i dont think there's an official age.

pela- cold resistance. maybe some scars from mechanical accidents? and also there were likely some attacks right after she was born since so many of her mother's coworkers were killed.

Qingque- she's clumsy, so accident scars- breaking glass, falling down too many stairs, etc.

sampo- cold res! and probably some close calls since he's such a rat and has enemies, so most scars are on his stomach.

seele- again, growing up in the underworld was tough, so fighting rings + orphanage scraps + street fights, plus some malnourishment since she often gave her food to smaller kids and ran all the errands. was always a fight-first person, but cares a lot and so would protect automatically. has scars all over- many knife ones, some bullet or burns, and electric ones from fixing up mechs.

serval- electric ones from when she was just starting to fight with the guitar. do i need to keep saying cold resistance for the Jarilo-vi ppl?

Silver Wolf- definitely got some, but can aether hacking erase them? either way i doubt she would actually care enough to try unless she was really bored. but also has terrible eyesight, even by punklorde standards. idrk where her scars would be, so spread out mby?

sushang- spent her entire life training and canonically is brawns over brains, so probs more than a few. also her sword is heavy so she probs had some accidents. mostly on her arms and stomach.

tingyun- probs some from people blowing up amicassador ships, since they want to interrupt peace talks and things- but she's fast and experienced.

topaz- had bad lungs, but had a surgery after getting promoted to fix them. some burns on her hands and her sense of smell is a bit screwed up, so numby is often her compass for that (i love numby SO MUCH)

trailblazer- massive scar from getting stabbed through. none from before game started, since apparently they're a puppet. i think they would heal faster, but messily because of that, so a bunch of smaller scars on their torso, face and forearms.

welt- lots and lots from soldier time, especially from debris and the honkai energy probably has some kind of physical drawback. hands are a bit screwed up too, and gets a lot of chronic pain.

yanqing- what the heck is his family history? will it become relevant later? kind of curious how that may affect these hcs, but hands are super calloused and while he often doesn't retain major injuries, he'll only care for them if jing yuan tells him to, so a bunch of smaller scars just from that. mostly on his arms and hands and neck (ppl probs try to stab there often...)

yukong- so many- was huge in the war, so lots of bullet scars and maybe even some that were previously mara-infected and made worse. hearing is shot, uses hearing aids in her fox ears. a bit irrelevant but she is totally awesome.

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yesjejunus · 7 months

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I only have one truly grave complaint with bg3, which all things considered is fantastic, and I can't fault the game too much if this is all I have to moan about

this post contains MASSIVE spoilers for every single part of the game, including the VERY END, so if you haven't fully completed it, don't read this!

or do, I'm a sign, not a cop. But don't say you weren't warned!

Lae'zel. Oh my perfect warrior queen, how I love you. What I do not love is that every, and I mean EVERY single step of the way through the game, I consistently worked against her. From the moment I met the Emperor and took the astral tadpole, and straight up told him, IN FRONT OF HER, that I was cool with keeping Orpheus chained up for our safety, she never had anything more to say than vague complaints and threats.

She gets ( justifiably) upset in the end game when the Emperor saves you and you don't even have the hammer. She's angry when you agree to undergo full ceremorphosis, but ultimately doesn't act against you. You literally change into a full blown illithid and CONSUME ORPHEUS'S BRAIN IN FRONT OF HER, as she's shouting at you that she's going to rend both you and the Emperor limb from limb... and then in the end tells you that she'll fight the Netherbrain with you, but after that she's done.

And she is. You destroy the Netherbrain, everyone is happy, Lae'zel comes up to tell you that she'll fondly remember your travels but that she must leave.

LARIAN STUDIOS, WHY. I felt such a tremendous amount of guilt (wonderful guilt!) throughout the entire game. Because I KNEW she must hate me so much for following the Emperor every step of the way, for never questioning him, for being as perfect a puppet as any master could wish to have. And it was so gratifying that in the end the Emperor really is on your side and quite thrilled to have an equal companion... but Lae'zel. You were done so unfathomably dirty that you never even once tried to behead me for so openly, and CRUELLY, throwing the foundations of your faith, your entire reason for BEING, in your face. It's my only true disappointment in an otherwise amazing character and game.

but hey on the other hand, love wins!

genuinely massive props to Larian Studios for letting me fall in love with a mindflayer and have a happily ever after with him. In a lifetime of consistently falling for unromanceable characters, this one was worth waiting for 😩

#bg3 #bg3 spoilers

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slothquisitor · 4 months

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We're Not All Dying Here

The brain is defeated and the world is saved, but it doesn't fix everything. Basically, I have a lot of feelings about how everyone is free of the tadpole, but Astarion is the one who loses everything. Major endgame spoilers. Astarion x Liv, 5k, hurt/comfort more than angst for once.

Also on AO3

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When Liv manages to pull herself out of the Chionthar, it is to a changed city shrouded in orange haze, the smell of battle still in the air. Buildings have crumbled, and there is smoke in the distance, but the bells are ringing in victory, and she swears she hears distant cheering. The Netherbrain is defeated, and she and all her friends still stand. She collapses on her back upon the wooden dock, sucking in deep breaths. Her mind is quiet at last, she can no longer feel the tadpole.

It is an immense relief to be alone in her mind once again. The Emperor is dead, the tadpole too, and she is entirely herself. She will not be turning into an illithid. The very thing she sought to do months ago has finally been achieved. It doesn’t feel real.

Astarion sits down heavily beside her, running a hand through his sopping-wet hair. “I…I can’t feel the tadpole. It’s gone - we’re free!” His voice cracks a little on the last word, excitement, exuberance, exhaustion, all wrapped up in one little word.

Liv wipes at her eyes, still wet from the river, and pretends there are not errant tears mixed in. “We did it.”

“On your feet, soldier,” Karlach stands over her, holding out her hand. Liv takes it and is pulled up and straight into a bone-crushing hug. “We take our victories standing up.”

Liv nods to hide the way she sways a little when Karlach lets her go. She feels a bit unsteady, her limbs weak. She can’t remember a time she’s felt this drained of all magic, but also this alive. It’s a heady feeling, full of adrenaline and relief.

“My powers…they’re draining,” Wyll says looking at his hands. “Just like Mizora said they would. A small price to pay, in the grand scheme of things.” His voice sounds a little lost, a little full of grief. They have all sacrificed so much to get here, to be truly free. Wyll’s father is alive, but for how much longer?

Liv isn’t sure what to say, so instead she turns to survey the city. Jaheira pats her shoulder. “Well, this is a bigger mess than any we made in the good old days. My congratulations.” Pride laces the joke, and Liv wishes she had the words to say just how much Jaheira’s unrelenting faith in her has meant.

There will be time for that later. There is nothing pressing at them on the horizon. No day to save or villain to take down. The adventure is over, but not everyone has been saved. Orpheus hovers nearby, a sense of accomplishment tinged with grief radiating off of him in waves. Even without the tadpole, she can feel the bright burst of his emotions. She hasn’t forgotten what was asked of her, what she promised.

Even when my time in the prism stretched out like eternity - when escape seemed impossible - I never lost hope. I knew that my destiny was to liberate my people. To return to them triumphant. I was wrong. It seems that I can only fulfill one part of my destiny. My people will be liberated, but I cannot return to them. Not like this. You helped me destroy that abomination. Now help me destroy myself. You must kill me. Orpheus kneels, draws out his sword and holds it out to her.

She doesn’t want to do this, even as she takes his blade. She grips the blade awkwardly. She is not a fighter.

Orpheus hasn’t noticed, is instead looking past her. But first, Lae’zel, I will have your promise. Carry my hope, carry my burden. Call my dragons, Quulos and Quuthos, and ride to the Astral Sea. Destroy Vlaakith, release our people. Be our future and our legacy.

Lae’zel bows her head solemnly. “It will be done. I will never be free while my people are still bound by Vlaakith’s chains.”

Orpheus nods, eyes falling shut as he squares his shoulders. Enough talk - give me my freedom. Freedom from this form.

She was the one who asked him to do this, who gave her word, but she wishes there was any other way. “Are you sure?” Orpheus still seems very much himself. Perhaps he could still live a life, still help his people in some way…but it is not what he wants.

Orpheus glares up at her. Release my soul to the Astral Seas while I still have one to call my own.

The tears threaten to fall, but she will not let them. Because they are not for him, not really. She barely knows this githyanki prince who sacrificed so much and saved them all. Still, she wishes things were different. She did not flinch away from his transformation and she will not flinch away from the consequences of her choices. She lines up the blade, resting it against his heart, and then plunges it into his chest. It’s strange, how easy it is to take a life. How little effort it takes. She has long since stopped counting the lives she has taken, the stories ended by her hand. Even though he asked for this death, and changed to an illithid willingly, Liv knows she won’t ever forget this moment where she had to look her own weakness in the eyes and kill it.

Gith’ka tavkim krash’ht, Orpheus whispers as he falls. She doesn’t know what it means. She hopes it is a comfort. There are many things she regrets, but she cannot seem to find it in herself to regret not being the one to turn. She’s not sure what that says about her, who it is exactly she has become.

She scarcely has time to think before Lae’zel steps forward, voice raised to the sky, calling the dragons. She turns to her as one lands beside the fallen prince. “I can never forget you. Your name will be etched in our slates. You will be called Mla’ghir - liberator.” And then Liv is pulled into another hug. It’s stiff, uncomfortable, even. Lae’zel has only one arm around her, as if she’s unsure about this display of care and affection. But as Lae’zel pulls away she’s smiling. “Live well.”

“Good luck, Lae’zel,” Liv manages.

And then Lae’zel is off. Riding up into the sky on the back of a red dragon all triumphant glory against the orange haze of the sky. Other dragons with their githyanki riders follow suit, portals opening within the sky above the city. It’s a strange sight, but then, what hasn’t been today?

“Well, the crown is in the depths of the Chionthar. Perhaps that’s where it should stay, or perhaps I will give it back to Mystra, as she asked,” Gale says, watching the rushing water of the river.

“And here I thought I’d have to talk another friend out of godlike power,” Liv says, attempting humor but only sounding tired.

Gale looks away from the river and gives her a smile. “If our time together has taught me anything, it’s that there are things in this world far more valuable than power. I’m sure Mystra will summon me soon enough, but until then, I propose we celebrate our victory the mortal way - with a drink in hand and reckless abandon in our hearts.”

“Oh…I could really go for a meal…and a drink,” Karlach agrees.

“We should see if the Elfsong is still standing,” Astarion suggests. He tosses a brilliant grin her way, and his eyes are bright with excitement. He’s beautiful, even waterlogged, it’s rather unfair.

She realizes then what he has likely been marveling at for several minutes: he is standing in full daylight on these docks. Perhaps…perhaps some of the parasite’s gifts were permanent after all. “You-” Words fail her.

He shrugs off her awe with a hand on his hip and a jut of his chin. “I honestly don’t care what we do, once we get….ow!”

Astarion raises a hand to his cheek, flinching as if he has been burned. “What the - oh gods. Oh no. Well, it was nice while it lasted…” his skin is blisters and cracks, and Liv’s heart breaks. For several horrifying seconds, he doesn’t move, doesn’t react, just watches the burning of his hands. “Argh! I’m sorry, I-I have to go!” He’s running then, stumbling up the dock in search of shadows.

Liv is already giving chase, cataloging any spells she might be able to use to help, and trying to figure out if she has any magic left for them at all anyway. But then, she hears Karlach cry out. The sound stops her short…because of course: her engine. Responsibilities to both her friends and their suffering war within her. She tells herself Astarion will be alright for the moment, but Karlach will not. So she stays.

Karlach is doubled over, clutching her chest. “Engine’s finally cooked. Held on just long enough.” Karlach is drenched in sweat, each breath is a labor, but somehow she is still smiling through gritted teeth. “So, how’d I do?”

Liv doesn’t want to accept this. Now that the brain is defeated she was supposed to have time to fix this. There’s got to be a way. She kneels down beside Karlach. “You were spectacular in every way. As always. But I need you to hang on, I can still cool you down, we can find Dammon. You’re going to be okay.”

Karlach reaches out, grasping Liv’s shoulder. “I adore you.” Before Liv can answer, flames emerge between them, the heat almost unbearable. “I never gave up. I did my best. I did my best.”

It sounds like she’s trying to convince herself. Liv leans forward. “Karlach, hang on just a little longer. Please.”

But it seems like Karlach hasn’t heard her. “It’s the one thing I can’t beat, isn't it? I wanted to live. In my city. With my friends. Gods…goodbye, sun. Goodbye, sea.” And then Karlach turns the full force of her orange eyes on Liv. “Goodbye.”

And there’s nothing Liv can do, nothing she can say.

“No! Stop,” Wyll calls. “I won’t allow this. Karlach, you’re coming with me - back to Avernus.”

Karlach’s face is twisted in pain. “You can’t…you…”

Liv seizes this moment. “Give me a year - just a year. See if I can make some headway. If I can’t…then you pick the time and place, and I’ll be there. I promise. You’re not alone anymore, Karlach. It’s not forever. Just to buy us time.”

“So? What do you say? Die here, now, or live on with the Blade of Avernus at your side. Zariel won’t touch you. I swear it, Karlach.”

Liv holds her breath, waiting. Hoping her friend chooses life.

Finally, Karlach nods. “Fine. I’ll go. Wyll. With you. But we have to go. Now. I can’t hang on much longer.”

“Thank the gods you’ve seen sense,” Wyll says as he rushes to her side. He smiles when he looks back at Liv, magic already swirling around their feet. “Our next adventure awaits!”

And then they too are gone, and Liv is alone.

Except…she isn’t, really. Shadowheart, Gale, Halsin, Jaheira, and Minsc remain. Perhaps they will all go their own way now too. She’s not sure she’s ready for that.

Their group is quiet for a long time, as they all look at the place Karlach and Wyll had stood. As they all consider their dwindling numbers.

Halsin is the first to speak. “Come, we should find Astarion.”

Oh gods, Astarion. So much has happened so quickly, that Liv has scarcely had time to catch her breath.

“I think he ran this way,” Liv gestures up the docks, already breaking into as much of a run as she can manage. She prays he made it somewhere safe. She has lost enough today, she can’t bear to lose him too.

***

Astarion pulls his knees closer into his chest as he leans into the shadow beside the crate he’s managed to find. The shadow is a slip of a thing, barely large enough to shield him from the sun’s rays. It’s been a very, very long time since he’s been burned by the sunlight this badly, but he can already feel the blisters and cracks in his skin knitting back together. His healing abilities are back at least, small comfort that. He has had far worse pain than this, but in this moment, those memories are distant things. The pain of the present, the pain of now, demands his full attention. No amount of telling himself he’s had worse seems to distract from the persistent, burning throb.

But it will pass.

And he will remain here until nightfall. Then he will go to find his friends and Liv and finally celebrate her victory. She did it, and he’s so fucking proud of her. The perfect heroic sacrifice had been placed before her as if it had been tailor fit to her and all her many insecurities. And she had done what she wanted instead. And the world was still saved. Gods, she better remember that.

He supposes this is his victory too, but it doesn’t feel like it. Not here. Alone. These docks are filthy, and they reek. And that was before a giant brain was destroyed over top of them. He’s going to need a very long, very thorough bath after this. And maybe a criminal he can drink dry on the way to the Elfsong. He’ll feel much better once he’s not cowering behind this bloody box, anyway.

But there had been a moment there…where he had believed that his ability to walk in the sun was permanent. The parasite was gone, but there he stood on the docks with his friends. It was…it was an impossibly perfect moment. It was gone just as quickly as it came, but for a moment, it had existed. And it had been beautiful.

He is free, and the world is saved, but he is still a vampire spawn. He leans his head against the rough wood of the crate and lets the disappointment wash over him. There was, as ever it seems, a tiny part of him that believed this ending would be just like all of those adventure stories he’s been consuming these last months. In those stories, everyone gets the happy ending they deserve: curses are removed, lovers ride off into sunsets, and friends are reunited.

It feels safe to admit it now, to admit it here at the end of all things, that he had hoped that if he was played the part of somewhat heroic adventurer well enough…that maybe he’d get a little something too. He’s fought side by side with heroes, killed monsters, solved murders, conversed with gods…and he had hoped for something in return. Nothing too much, no, just…this. But that is not the way of the world. That is not the way of his life. He really should know better by now. He curls deeper into the shadows to which he is once again chained, and tells himself that this isn’t a defeat.

“Astarion!”

He straightens upon hearing his name, is rewarded with a burn on his cheek for his trouble, and he resituates himself in the shadow. The voice sounded like Liv’s, but it was far away, so it’s hard to know for sure.

He waits a moment, wondering if he will hear it again. Perhaps he imagined it completely. It’s been a long day after all.

“Astarion!”

There it is again. Not imagined. Only this time it’s Gale’s voice calling, and he knows even his delusions aren’t that cruel. His friends - they’re looking for him.

He’s not sure why, but he never expected it at all. He should have, probably. Liv is far too good, too kind to leave him here on this dock. But he’s not sure that he wants her or their friends to see him like this: cowering beside a crate on a filthy dock that reeks of fish. He’s not sure he wants them to see what he’s become. The tadpole made him exceptional, still a spawn, but better. With it gone, he has been reduced to what he was before as if this little adventure of theirs hadn’t happened at all. He’s hardly in the mood for celebration, and he considers how easy it would be to stay here, to hide. He’s rather good at hiding, after all.

He could simply remain quietly here, and they will pass on by. He’ll rejoin them later, or at least find Liv - he’s not so sure about the rest. There’s a certain amount of shame rising up within him. He doesn’t want to sit here on this dock until nightfall, but something about needing a rescue now, after all they’ve done makes him feel unacceptably fragile.

“Astarion!” Liv’s voice calls, closer now. There’s a hint of panic in her voice.

He sighs. Now, that won’t do at all. He didn’t realize she’d be worried. And suddenly his plan to remain here and alone vanishes.

“Over here, darling!”

He hears her footsteps drawing nearer, and then she’s peering around the crates, green eyes wide with concern. She looks immediately relieved upon seeing him, and now he feels like an asshole for not immediately answering her. He sees her take in the scene, him scrunched up in this scrap of shadow, and her brows knit together in a different sort of worry.

“Astarion, I am so sorry,” she says before pulling a scroll out and casting darkness above the whole area. It’s a simple spell, but the fact she uses a scroll speaks to just how drained she is, just how much of her magic she poured into the fight today. She turns and yells, “I found him!”

“We knew this would happen,” he replies, waving her apology off with his hand. She is genuinely sorry, he can see that, but he doesn’t want it. He unfolds himself from the way he’d been sitting for the last half hour, stretching out sore limbs.

Liv shakes her head. “No, I…I was right behind you, but then…Karlach’s engine…” The words trail off.

Oh. “Is she…” Astarion asks, afraid of the answer.

“Wyll convinced her to go to Avernus with him while I look for a fix…but it was a near thing. And bad timing. I didn’t mean for you to be all alone… I meant to follow…”

Karlach in Avernus…with Wyll. How very interesting. Liv has been asking for time, for the opportunity to solve that particular problem for a while now. She finally has it. Good.

“I understand. It’s alright.” And he means it. He never expected anyone to come after him, and of course, she had to stay for Karlach. Liv had promised to be with her till the end, and Liv doesn’t break her promises.

“I-” Liv begins, only to be interrupted.

“There you are!” Gale says as he and Shadowheart round the corner of the crate.

Shadowheart is already approaching him, hands held out. “Let me take a look at you, I’m not entirely spent.”

He holds up a hand and leans away. “Thank you for the thought, dear, but I do think I’m fine.” It’s true, he can barely feel the burns now.

“Look Liv, it is just as Boo said! You shouldn’t have doubted we’d find Astarion,” Minsc booms.

He meets Liv’s gaze, and without a hint of irony shrugs. “You really shouldn’t have ever doubted the miniature giant space hamster.”

The joke earns him a tired smile, before she sighs and sits down. “When will I ever learn? You’ve always got to trust the miniature giant space hamster.”

The rest of their friends join them on the ground, seemingly content to wait until nightfall. Gale spends at least fifteen minutes overexplaining how if he wasn’t so drained from the fight with the Netherbrain he could adjust the darkness spell to follow Astarion around. Jaheira and Minsc bicker about old battles and the destruction left in their wake, Halsin and Shadowheart continue to insist that they can offer him healing, but he can’t seem to do much beyond looking around at all of them with a sort of disbelief. Eventually, Liv’s gaze meets his across the space, and while their friends talk and bicker around them, he knows she feels the same sort of disbelief. They are here, and they are not alone.

It’s not long before the sun sets, and what remains of their group limps their way through the quiet, rubble-strewn streets of Baldur’s Gate. It’s a long walk to the Elfsong, or perhaps it just feels that way after the day they’ve had. As they walk, Liv slips her hand in his, and he is reminded of another evening they walked these streets hand-in-hand, how they wished for simpler days.

They hear the Elfsong before they see it. Music pours out of doors and windows thrown open to the warm night. The block the tavern sits on looks relatively untouched, even the Baldur’s Mouth building, which really is a pity. The energy emitting from the Elfsong is a somber, desperate sort of celebration. The people of the city have survived something they don’t fully understand, but many seem determined to celebrate the victory anyway.

Astarion isn’t sure that he’s particularly interested in a celebration anymore, but he knows if he simply disappears, Liv will follow. So he resolves to put up with the celebration for at least an hour or until he can find a moment to sneak away without her noticing.

As their group enters the tavern, it is filled with many familiar faces. Harpers, Fist, and Guild members alike. At one point, a man jumps on a table and yells, “It’s the heroes of Baldur’s Gate!” Their group is immediately swarmed by people thanking them, handing them drinks, and pressing a touch too close for Astarion’s liking. Originally, Liv sticks close to him, seemingly trying to provide a buffer between him and the insistence of the crowd. When it becomes clear that most of the attention is focused on her, Jaheira, and Minsc, she pulls away with an apologetic glance.

“There’s a corner over there that looks rather unoccupied. I think we could claim it,” Gale says, voice tinged with exhaustion.

Astarion doesn’t need to be told twice, but he waits for Halsin to go first. The crowd parts easily for the gigantic druid, and Astarion follows in his wake, glad to not have to force his own way through the crowd. In two hundred years, he’s not sure he’s ever seen the Elfsong quite this crowded.

“Quite the party,” Shadowheart comments as she sits down at the table.

“Doesn’t seem so much a party as an excuse to get extremely inebriated,” Gale says, watching a group of swaying Fists who have decided to sing a rather bawdy tune very off-key.

“People’s friends and family members were turned into mind flayers before their eyes today. To witness such an act against nature, to have to kill someone you once knew…they deserve a little celebration,” Halsin says.

“And so do we,” Astarion says loudly, as a full tray of drinks arrives courtesy of very grateful citizens.

He finds entertainment for a while, as he sits in the corner watching his his companions awkwardly accept thanks and gratitude. People absolutely stumble over themselves, treating them like they’re some great heroes of the realm. Astarion supposes they sort of are. His best efforts to brush off anyone that seems too below his notice is met not with offense, but a joking sort of laughter, as if he must be kidding when he tries to be dismissive. The more empty words are heaped over to him, the more the party becomes tedious and decidedly unfun. He’s surprised by how little he wants to be here with all these people. It’s a chaotic revelry, shouldn’t this be exactly what he wants? Exactly what he enjoys?

But it’s doing nothing for him this evening. He’s annoyed by the empty praise and the genuine gratitude. Honestly, he doesn’t give a shit about any of these people. He might have helped save the city, but he hadn’t done it for them. Not really. But he can’t say any of that, even if he wants to.

So, he slips away at the first opportunity. Hugging the wall to avoid having to wade through the thick of the crowd. He catches sight of Liv on his way to the stairs. She is all smiles beside her brother, talking animatedly to some important-looking person he doesn’t recognize. Liv is finally getting the sort of recognition she deserves. He’s barely made it to the the second landing when he hears his name.

“Don’t tell me you’re sneaking up here and not taking me with you,” Liv says, rushing up the stairs behind him.

“I didn’t want to pull you away from your adoring public,” he says with a smile and an elaborate gesture back downstairs.

“I’ve been trying to find a good excuse to sneak away for the last twenty minutes,” she admits. “I thought this would be the sort of chaos you’d enjoy.”

He shrugs. “Just as surprised as you are, darling. But go, enjoy. I’ll be up here, cleaning up, resting, and generally trying to ignore the very loud party ongoing downstairs.”

“How would you feel about some company?”

He pauses, pretending to consider. “I could be persuaded. Don’t you think that two heroes of Baldur’s Gate have probably earned themselves a free private room though?”

Liv grins. “Even if they haven’t, I know where they keep the keys, and I will threaten to fireball anyone who tries to stop me. I need a night of sleep that doesn’t include Minsc’s snoring.”

“Can you even cast a fireball right now?”

Liv tilts her head. “Are you wanting to find out?”

He laughs. “Absolutely, but I’m rather more interested in the other things you can do…”

She shoves him playfully before heading back down the stairs. “I’ll be back,” she says over her shoulder, smile brilliant.

He can’t help the grin on his own face. It’s over. They’ve survived. While he waits, he slips into the large room they’ve been sharing with their companions and quickly grabs a few of their things before returning to the hall.

A moment later, she returns triumphant, key in hand. “No fireballs necessary?”

“Not at all.”

“How disappointing,” he replies with a grin.

“Saves energy for my other talents,” she winks as she unlocks the door, revealing a small, rather cramped room. There’s a bed and a tub and a desk, and not a lot else. But it is theirs for the night.

He shuts the door behind them and then reaches for her, pulling her into his arms. She fits against him easily, warm and steady. He breathes her in letting the familiarity, the sense of safety, wash over him. It’s over, and they’re here, and he’s grateful.

She pulls away first, and he restrains his disappointment, but she doesn’t go far, bringing a hand up to cup his cheek. He leans into the soft touch; her eyes are soft. “Are you alright?”

“But of course,” he replies automatically. “The brain is defeated, and we’re being hailed as heroes of the realm, why wouldn’t I be alright?”

She gives him a knowing look. “Because you can’t walk in the sun. Because we’re free, but you’re the only one who lost something.”

“I won’t lie, I had rather hoped that some of the protections would be permanent, but I wouldn’t change a thing. I’ve gained so much more than I’ve lost,” he says. He means it. “I’m free of the parasite - free of Cazador. I’ll never be in someone’s power again, and all it cost was my life in the sun. Now, I belong to the shadows.”

“We’re going to find a way for you to walk in the sun again,” she says the words, so earnestly, so sure. He wants to believe them.

“You - do you think it’s possible? I suppose there is a chance. And if there’s a chance, no matter how small, I’m going to take it,” he says. She is still full of surprises, even now. “I can’t help but notice that you said ‘we’...Is that what you want? Is this what you want? I would understand if you wanted to go your own way.”

He doesn’t expect her to walk away now, but there is something about offering a way out, about making sure this is her deliberate choice that is important to him. And despite feeling like he already knows her answer, a tiny bit of anxiety rises, as if he needs to hold his breath for her answer.

“I’m sure. I love you,” she says.

He laughs. “Good because selfless as I am, I really didn’t want to let you go. We’re rather excellent together, you know.”

She presses onto her tiptoes to kiss him, and he wraps his arms around her tightly, holding her to him, anchoring them both in this moment. He’s still not entirely sure he believes this moment is real, that the danger has really, finally passed. Sometimes he worries he will close his eyes and find himself back at in the kennels, in that wreck of a house, all of these adventures some waking dream. And yet…her lips are soft and gently insistent, pulling him back to here and now.

Liv pulls away with a wrinkle of her nose. “We are both in desperate need of a good bath.”

It’s true. “And then?”

Liv pauses, some emotion rising in her. Her eyes glisten a bit, but she’s smiling. “Whatever we want.”

And there it is: freedom.

#astarion #astarion x tav #baldur's gate 3 #bg3 #bg3 fanfiction #astarion x liv #bright lost things #slothquisitorwrites

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