#he'd go to war for them

[dirtytransmasc]

them I fear 😔

[wildflowercryptid]

Your Kieran is at perfect snuggle height for your Florian it drives me insane thinking about it 🥹

damn, my real reason behind making florian that tall has been found out. ( /j )

same, though. i imagine florian to be pretty physically affectionate with people he loves so i could totally see him resting his head on top of kieran's and leaning on them whenever he can.

[kb-jank]

so I've been rewatching Static Shock because of @bearsspace 's Duke and Virgil art, and I'm not even a season in and its already so clear how good they'd get along.

Like Virgil's story focuses on not only actual racism and systemic issues, but the allegory of race within the bang babies/metahumans. Duke's story also does this with We Are Robin and Robin War; the robins are a group of mostly disenfranchised kids who rise up to protect themselves and their communities while being targeted by cops. WAR also makes direct comparisons to racism/systemic issues.

Besides their stories having some similar themes, they're also similar in the way they interact with their communities directly. (Let me mention here that Duke's mom and Virgil's dad are both social workers). Both Duke and Virgil are able to talk and connect with the people they're saving, and this includes the "villains" they encounter who really just need help (ohoho! another part of their stories connected to systemic issues).

Of course a lot of heroes do this but it's special for Virgil and Duke. Virgil's able to connect and help his foes not only because he's a bang baby, but because the standing he already has in his community. Like he spends a lot of time at the community centre and it means a lot to him. One of the things I really love about Virgil is that if he wants to get info on someone he starts knocking on doors and talking to people. It's special for Duke because not only does a big part of his story centre around bringing a community together to protect itself, but in contrast to the rest of the bats, his whole thing is LITERALLY being in the daylight. Like the whole premise of his character is being a beacon, Duke will always have a connection with the public the rest of the bats can't.

I also think it's really funny how both of them almost immediately become superheroes the first chance they got. Like Virgil's bestfriend is like, "You could be a superhero!" and he agrees instantaneously and does it. Duke's kinda just like, "Ugh, I GUESS I'll join this group of vigilantes if you REALLY want me to!" and "What? You want ME to lead this vigilante group? Aw shucks well SOMEONES gotta do it!" and "Not like being a vigilante is important to me or anything but I will literally let nothing including Batman's trained sidekicks stop me." then he jumps out of a moving cop car off a bridge.

[americankimchi]

wish i knew what to do with this helpless frustration i feel every time i see people vilify the jedi for their way of life when the person doing the vilification doesn't even understand them properly. it's one thing to criticize and dislike them if you have an accurate picture of who they were and what they're trying to do vs. hating them because you straight up don't understand them at all 😭

[lady-quen]

...I was joking about Mael being mildly below average height (in gw2 at least) but @missbadafker blessed me with the height calculation post and it turns out he's 5'10", everyone else is just a tree I guess.

*audience laughter sfx at yet another bad pun*

I was also testing another thing because despite what the post says, it really seemed to me that fem! Sylvari are taller by default (taller at each respective tick) but this must be a camera zoom trick in the character creator, then. Anyway, have this cursed thing that happened when I previewed Mael as a woman.

I don't know where the random pink comes from, of all races I'd think sylvari wouldn't be big on "she's a girl! QUICK, SLAP PINK ON HER" but I guess Anet and their various bugs were feeling trollish. Also, they sheared his leaves. All his leaves. His glorious emo haircut!! That he spent so long maintaining for personal flair, symbolism and all the "being a plant version of Essek Crit Role" allegations!

So, I guess now we have the one and definite reason Mael will not transition: hair loss issues.

[ikram1909]

Balde about Gavi: "in the end people talk a lot but anyone who knows Gavi knows he's an amazing kid and a 10/10 teammate and that he never causes problems"

The question was stupid as fuck and it's sad that people still want to run the narrative that Gavi is a bad teammate but he handled it so well we love you Ale 💙❤️

[acourtofquestions]

“He'd deceived her, had lied to her. This man who she'd believed held no secrets between them. She didn't know why it made her want to shred everything within sight.”

— cause um… as you just said Miss Manon YOU CARE (& it’s even giving Chaolaena vibes in the I CARE way)… so like all I’m saying is you love him duh?

[silusvesuius]

g*lmar rly has to be the best skajrim character on the real like even if you don't like him he just is . literally The best one i think......... on dat note i also imagine that he and ulfr*c despite being fairydust BFFs for lyfe genuinely have the worst communication skills ever seen

[seventh-district]

not even gonna tag this properly bc i don't wanna get Involved but i do have some Thoughts i need to get out into the void so here we go

(aaa quick edit: CW for mention/discussion of Boothill leaks)

[dirtytransmasc]

Stop cause the image of Criston helping Alicent with soothing Aegon down because he’s crying. She’s so young and she’s already pregnant with Helaena and its just all so much. So Criston picks up Aegon and rocks Aegon back and forth until he falls asleep

Oh my god…

Criston always be the father that her children needed. He’s there for it all. When they’re born and when they have their first day of school and are nervous. He’s THEIR dad!

Got carried away lol!!!

he would have this kind, soft voice, no malice or ill held in it, no sickly sweet pity, just a clear want to help, and she's just so tired that she hands over her firstborn without thinking twice about it.

he takes the little thing in his arms with such care and delicacy, the boys head gently cradled in one hand, making it look oh so tiny, his body tucked carefully to his chest. he's smiling and cooing at him the instant they touch, gently rocking him, making him soothe a bit.

he looks at Alicent like a dad reacting to meeting their baby for the first time, his eyes full of pride and love and adoration. he's met the baby before, but this is the first time he's held him, the first time he's truly understood just how perfect he is. Alicent made this little thing, and he loves her for it, for being so strong for so long. he's worried all this time, wanted to help her, to take on the little tike and give her a much needed break, and now he has to make her understand the very honor it is to even hold the babe.

he'll use a gentle hand to wipe away Aegon's tears, the soft touch soothing his crying until it stops completely. only then does he sit down, not too close but not too far from Alicent, knowing she needs a break and some space to calm herself, but that moving the babe too far away would only stress her more. he rock's the wee thing back and forth, back and forth, smoothing his hair and tracing over his teeny tiny little features with his thumb. just as the baby starts to fall asleep, he wraps him in his white cloak, his heart nearly melting when Aegon nuzzles his face into his armor, huffing softly at the warmth that radiates from it.

he'd spend hours holding the little thing, watching over his queen as she too slept, pulling her down against his shoulder, an arm around her to spare her from the rooms chill. both of his loves would be safe and well rested if he had any say in it.

he had sworn his heart to his queen the second she spared his life, a debt he could never repay, but now? now he swore himself to her and her children, he just had to, something in her heart decided it, and no amount of logic could sway it. he would always protect these two, from anything and everything.

just before he too could start to doze into that familiar space any warrior would know, resting but alert and on guard, he felt Alicent take his hand, pressing it to her belly, letting him feel the kick of the little babe inside. make that three, he would protect all three of them, and any more kids that would follow.

[valiant-portabella-pirkko]

this guy just made a mentor proud of him for the first time in his life and he is trying SO HARD to be normal about it

(guess who's been playing personal story on a tiny rat lately...)

[dutybcrne]

Kaeya is definitely the sort of parent who prefers to sleep in the same bed as his baby.

[dimiclaudeblaigan]

Honestly though, this (what Ashe is pointing out) is exactly why I don't think GW could possibly end well. There's no "talking it over" after all the bloodshed (especially bloodshed started by them, and especially bloodshed started by them that didn't have to happen).

The way the narration leaves it "open" too at the end of GW just comes across as "it failed". It feels like... a kind of pointless story?

And I know some people might think that since Dimitri personally isn't as deeply affected by losing Matthias and so might be willing, that's still no good if his people and closest allies aren't. Rodrigue and Sylvain wouldn't be so forgiving, and I do think Dimitri would follow suit because that's his father (Rodrigue)'s closest friend and one of his own closest friends' father.

Add that to the fact that they have Sreng to deal with still (and I imagine sooner or Sylvain would figure out that Leicester had a hand in provoking Sreng to attack Faerghus) on top of losing Matthias and I imagine all the stress and aggravation wouldn't bode well for Leicester as far as Claude's thinking of things working out goes.

I just really can't see where GW goes afterward that would be "good" or works in Claude's favor at all. Maybe that was the intention and it was meant to be a route with a completely tragic ending, but apparently there are players who think it would end well and whatnot and I just can't see that happening (both from Faerghus' end and from Adrestia's end, the latter of which Claude discussed within GW itself).

If their intention was for a totally tragic ending, like yeah, I can see that... but as always the writing muddies the waters to make it sound good while something bad is happening. It keeps trying to have a positive spin on bad things as if they're just afraid to commit to a fully bad ending.

[batsarebetterthanpeople]

Full offense but every time I see "Biden pardons a bunch of people locked up on pot charges" I'm like "and why were they locked up on pot charges, Joe? DID YOU MAYBE HAVE SOMETHING TO DO WITH THAT, JOE?"

[the-blazing-light]

With SotO upcoming, thought it would be fun to make a little post about the cast of characters I'm planning to give the leading roles in the new expansion, as given the end of the Elder Dragons storyline and the new story seeming to be heavily focused on the arcane magics and demons the things are gonna be shaken up a bit with my characters! So here we have, as follows: Alistair Shredsteel, Flame Legion runaway, pact diplomat, spy, and a mesmer of considerable talent. Charming, street-smart and... Creative in finding solutions to whatever problems arise.

Fenrar, a Priory researcher interested in all things Mists related. The living definition of the phrase "curiosity killed the cat" he's got an insatiable interest in obscure magic, one that brought him many a problem in the past.

Razorsong, a mysterious Whispers Preceptor with a hobby in collecting all sorts of dangerous magical artifacts and researching demons and other mists beings. An enigma even for his fellow whispers, he is regardless respected for his high status and knowledge, be it no one could quite tell what his goals are.

And Axel Mindcrusher, Whispers Assassin and Razorsong's protege. An incredibly skilled chronomancer with a destructive power to rend time and space itself, seemingly only ever trusting and listening to Razorsong who's been his mentor and benefactor for many years.

[acourtofquestions]

Hearth to hearth, the Flame of War went.

Over snow-blasted mountains and amongst the trees of tangled forests, hiding from the enemies that prowled the skies. Through long, bitterly cold nights where the wind howled as it tried to wipe out any trace of that flame.

But the wind did not succeed, not against the flame of the queen.

So hearth to hearth, it went.

To remote villages where people screamed and scattered as a young-faced woman descended from the skies on a broom, waving her torch high.

Not to signal them, but the few women who did not run. Who walked toward the flame, the rider, as she called out, "Your queen summons you to war. Will you fly?"

Trunks hidden in attics were thrown open. Folded swaths of red cloth pulled from within. Brooms left in closets, beside doorways, tucked under beds, were brought out, bound in gold or silver or twine. And swords-ancient and beautiful—were drawn from beneath floorboards, or hauled down from haylofts, their metal shining as bright and fresh as the day they had been forged in a city now lying in ruin.

Witches, the townsfolk whispered, husbands wide-eyed and disbelieving as the women took to the skies, red cloaks billowing. Witches amongst us all this time.

Village to village, where hearths that had never once gone fully dark blazed in answer.

Always one rider going out, to find the next hearth, the next bastion of their people.

Witches, here amongst us. Witches, now going to war.

A rising tide of witches, who took to the skies in their red cloaks, swords strapped to their backs, brooms shedding years of dust with each mile northward.

Witches who bade their families farewell, offering no explanation before they kissed their sleeping babes and vanished into the starry night.

Mile after mile, across the darkening world, the call went out, ceaseless and unending as the eternal flame that passed from hearth to hearth.

"Fly, fly, fly!" they shouted. "To the queen! To war!"

Far and wide, through snow and storm and peril, the Crochans flew.