#since a very lovely reply

[reginrokkr]

𝐗𝐗𝐈𝐈𝐈. Sapphire, spiritual veins that connect souls of defunct and alive alike: on telepathy.

Amongst the many denominations and functions Irminsul has, its Ley Lines are also known as spiritual veins that carry the souls of the defunct in a physical manner, albeit their remain in this world in a spiritual way until a ritual is done to relieve the Ley Lines and with it, release the souls to the afterlife that corresponds them. These souls not only belong to those who have passed away, but to everyone who was registered by Irminsul as the way it has to reproduce memories via Ley Lines is to project something that matches with what they absorbed at the time, while at the same time they are no mere projections: they can interact with the environment within the memory in itself and with people from differing timespans.

While telepathy is reserved to the divine (two of which connected to Irminsul, one of them no longer in godhood) and it stands to reason that this couldn't be of any other way, there is a detail in the way that Wanderer uses telepathy that serves as key in order to make it happen: a connection. During 3.1 we see Haypasia excited over the fact that she thinks that she has achieved Paripurna Life, the epitome of true insight and allegedly the state of mind that can gather any knowledge, when in truth what she did was connect with Scaramouche at the time and she was able to see his memories and hear his thoughts and feelings.

This lets on the fact that there is a need for a link or a connection for individuals that weren't born divine while those who are can let their words be heard by those who they wish at will (Nahida and the mysterious female who talks to Traveler at the end of Wanderer's AQ), or communicate with others via dreams (once again, Nahida and Greater Lord Rhukkadevata before her, but also Zhongli). Back to Wanderer who achieved godhood earlier on in his life, one of the things that characterize him is his brief connection to Irminsul and the possibility to establish a telepathic connection with Traveler even by bypassing Nahida's supervision. It could be because of the manner his godhood was achieved, it could be because of his connection to Irminsul.

For Dain in specific, I want to focus on his connection to Irminsul to build a path to feasibility that he can establish telepathic communications too. Starting from the fact that Ley Lines permeate the entirety of the world, this would make for a good starter in order to find the soul of who he wants to communicate with. Nevertheless, it is not as simple given the fact that he is no god, thus while the possibility is there, it isn't without its restrictions. I want to stress on the importance of a connection. As in Scaramouche's case a good lead to connect with Traveler telepathically for the first time could've been Haypasia who connected to him first and was able to envision his memories and hear his thoughts and feelings, so does Dain need a lead in order to establish this communication.

This can happen via three methods: 1) to permeate beforehand the individual of desire in question with Ether, 2) to establish a thread of connection with someone who he gave an Inteyvat or 3) to make the individual imagine a specific landscape that Dain described to them previously.

In the first case, given how rare Ether as an element can be to find, were he feel something that isn't the Ley Lines or Irminsul that has Ether within them, it will make it easy for him to discern what that thing actually is, even more so if it is a living being.

The second case scenario can apply with the Inteyvat as they're rare flowers and only as many living people are in their possession— by connection to the Ley Lines of the very location said person is in, Dain will be able to know who is this person without reaching out to a different person by mistake, there will be no mistake in this.

In the last case, the landscape in question that has to be imagined is nothing less than the appearance of Dain's realm of consciousness: an enormous field of Inteyvats atop an ocean of stars, with the celestial dome cracked (like Fischl's dreamscape) and an infinite nocturne sky with glimmering stars and the moonlight shining through and, at the center, the Irminsul tree. The second method is more intimate, as it is not a mere telepathic communication but a communion of souls in Dain's realm of consciousness where they can see each other.

Suffice to say, in order for this to happen Dain must have a strong bond with the individual in question. When this happens his voice will suffer a distortion that makes it sound ethereal and otherworldly— seraphic, in tune with his roots as a celestial being. In the case of the latter case in which the individual is brought to his realm of consciousness, they may be sentient that something is amiss with Dain while it's still the same as he is, something amiss new to them or that they already felt from him before, but that this would serve as a confirmation. It will not be the same case scenario as Haypasia with Scaramouche when she was able to envision his memories and hear / feel his thoughts and feelings, but something far more muted yet still telling.

[sysig]

How far did you get? (Patreon)

[viperwhispered]

Too Hard

Woop part 2 of the trip inside Jamil's head. Part 1 here.

The next time Jamil caught sight of you on campus, his first instinct was to turn around on his heel.

What a stupid thought to have because of you.

Besides, that would only make him more conspicuous, not less.

So, when your eyes met his, Jamil gave you a short nod in greeting. He would’ve left it at that and kept on his way, had you not walked up to him.

“Hi Jamil! How’s it going?” you said with that impossibly disarming smile of yours.

Why was it so difficult to look at you like he normally would? You had no right to make him feel so stiff, so unnatural.

On autopilot, Jamil exchanged a few pleasantries with you - those lessons from his parents had been instilled too deep in him for him to falter too badly in a simple exchange such as this. Still, Jamil quickly excused himself by telling you he still had to find Kalim before his next class.

Jamil didn’t miss the way your smile faltered. Had you hoped to get something out of him?

“Oh, okay. I’ll see you two later, then.”

Something about that irked him, though Jamil did not allow himself to dwell on it further.

His heart really had no business still racing as it did when he walked away, unaware of the frown on his face.

Just act normal. That’s all he needed to do.

After all, he had no time for dwelling in silly fancies.

If Jamil had been acutely aware of you before, it only seemed to worsen now that he was making a conscious effort to not act any differently with you. In fact, the harder he tried to keep you out, the more you invaded his thoughts, unsettling him.

The most innocuous words from you looped in his mind, and even the simplest actions caught his eye. For goodness's sake, he’d found himself staring at you while you were queueing up in the cafeteria the other day, not even doing anything other than standing around and looking bored!

For once, Jamil found himself grateful for all his duties. At least they provided him with something else to occupy himself with.

After all, if he was busy enough, it was difficult to think about those bright eyes of yours, your sweet laugh, or the way you bit your lip while thinking.

Still, sometimes it felt like no matter which way he turned, you were there, ready to throw him off-kilter. Not like it was his fault that often the most convenient route to class intersected with your daily routines. Or that your face seemed to jump out from any crowd, catching his attention.

Which certainly did not help his basketball performance. Jamil certainly did not recall you having such an interest in sports before, yet suddenly you were always there, distracting him. What had changed?

Could you possibly-

Jamil scoffed to himself, forcing his thoughts back on track for the nth time that day.

He picked up the tray of food and started taking it to Kalim. After dinner, he’d need to help Kalim with his homework, there were some housewarden tasks that would need dealing with, not to mention the preparations for the next-

Jamil froze in his tracks.

The voice he heard was quiet, but it was unmistakably you.

Really, it should not have come as such a surprise to him. You had become a rather frequent visitor to Scarabia, and Kalim often invited you to stay for meals. In fact, Jamil had started planning the dorm’s meal prep with your tastes and dietary restrictions in mind, just in case.

Jamil rounded the corner with strange exhilaration, his heart fluttering needlessly.

Yet, his mood evaporated when he saw you.

Why did you stop talking and look so guilty as soon as you caught sight of Jamil?

Jamil knew that look you gave to Kalim, had used it himself a thousand times. The one telling Kalim to keep quiet about something.

What could there possibly be that you would be comfortable sharing with Kalim, but not with him? That would give Kalim reason to sit so close to you, a comforting hand on your shoulder?

Jamil's mind raced with possibilities, yet could not settle for any single explanation.

He’d have to ask Kalim about it later.

Jamil gave you a short, polite greeting, his eyes lingering on you in an attempt to read what you were hiding.

“If I’d known you were coming over, I would’ve prepared something for you to eat as well,” Jamil said, already thinking about which parts of the dorm’s dinner to spruce up for you.

“Oh, no need, just figured I’d pop by. I’ll get out of your hair soon enough,” you said, something sheepish about your expression.

As expected, Kalim asked you to stay and dine with them, and with just a bit more persuasion you agreed - though not before telling Jamil that he should join you too and have himself a breather.

And since Kalim agreed with you, Jamil soon found himself sharing a meal with you and Kalim. Yet, even as he sat down with the food, his mind raced.

Had you been getting particularly close to Kalim lately? But surely Jamil would’ve noticed such a thing. Maybe someone from the dorm had been giving you trouble? But if that was the case, then surely you could let Jamil know about it, too. Unless for some reason you did not want to? But if it was something that concerned Kalim, then sooner or later it was bound to concern Jamil, too.

All the while, Kalim was talking to you about this and that, the latest topic being the animals kept on the Asim estate.

“I’ve got some pictures, let me show you!” Kalim said with an excited grin.

Only, a thorough patting of his pockets and a look around confirmed that Kalim’s phone was nowhere to be seen.

Jamil pinched the bridge of his nose. Where had Kalim left it this time?

Before Jamil even had the chance to say that he would handle it, Kalim sprinted off. Jamil hesitated for a moment, automatically halfway up from his seat, before he decided that leaving a guest unattended would be a worse offense than not helping out his master.

Jamil slumped back down with a sigh, mentally tracing the path Kalim took today, trying to recall the last time he saw Kalim handle his phone.

“Breathe. He’ll manage,” you said. There was the faintest of smiles on your lips, and Jamil could not decide if it was knowing or amused. Perhaps both.

Somehow, despite his frustration, Jamil’s own lips wanted to curl up too.

“Hmm. Maybe he will.”

Sure, Jamil could’ve called Kalim’s phone, to make it easier to find, but it was not that urgent, was it?

Jamil took another bite of his food, keeping an eye on you from the corner of his eye.

How was his mind so empty and so buzzing at the same time?

“You know-”

“So-”

You looked at each other, both just as surprised that the other had spoken up at the same time.

Even your surprised look was so-

“You first,” Jamil said. The way you bit your lip... Jamil had to raise a cup to his lips, slowly sipping his drink.

“Just… Feels like it’s been quite a while since I’ve seen you be still, you know. Or exchanged more than two words with you,” you said. You were attempting a light, joking tone, yet it was quite clear there was more to it.

“You say that like it would be unusual for me to be busy.”

He was not prepared for the way your soft sigh tugged at his heartstrings.

“No. It is not.”

You were both quiet after, poking at your meals. Normally, Jamil would’ve cherished such a moment of peace, yet this particular silence between you two was decidedly awkward.

Where was your usual chatter? Why weren’t you looking at him like you usually did?

“If you’re worried about me, don’t. I’m fine,” Jamil said, some softness creeping into his tone despite his best intentions.

“That's what Kalim said too,” you said. Yet the way you looked at Jamil made it clear you were still skeptical.

Wait.

Had you clammed up earlier because it had been Jamil you had been talking about with Kalim? That Kalim had comforted you about?

The thought twisted his stomach into knots.

Eta: you can find part 3 here, part 4 here, and finally part 5 here. Hasdhfsdf the way I fought with that last scene I swear. I don't even want to know how many versions I went through, trying to figure out how to say what I wanted without rubbing it into your face or making it too veiled. The joys of trying to convey things through a limited pov. Hopefully it came out reasonably balanced in the end. Rip to all those sentences that were lovely on their own but didn’t work for the whole. Hopefully I can rehome y’all one day. I do have thoughts for part 3 and part x (might be some chapters between those two as well, who knows at this point), so maybe we'll see those at some point, too. Tag list: @colliope @crystallizsch @diodellet @jamilsimpno69 @jamilvapologist @twstgo If you'd like to be tagged for future works, let me know! (Just be aware that sometimes I do also write nsfw, though you can certainly ask to be tagged only for particular kinds of works.)

[total-drama-brainrot]

father ophelia. i need ur multi paragraph analysis on how camning date would happen. who would ask who out

Camning is such a weird pair to consider as an actual couple instead of two mutually pining idiots because I can't in good faith say that either of them would ever admit to having feelings for the other.

Don't get me wrong, Cameron isn't the type to suppress or deny his feeings or anything - in fact he'd be ecstatic at the prospect of having a crush on someone, because it's yet another wordly experience he's been deprived of his whole life that he's living for the first time. And that's exactly the issue; Cameron has no idea how to go about expressing these things, save for whatever romance based literature/tv shows he was exposed to growing up and, knowing Cameron, he'd be more than aware that they doesn't exactly portray a realistic perspective on real-life relationships. So he's back to square one when it comes to knowledge on how to deal with his feelings.

Which would mean he'd be the type to go completely non-verbal in front of Lightning, or otherwise be a stuttering mess. A pathetic puddle of a boy who has no idea how to deal with these new, weird feelings save for whispering "oh no he's hot" to himself.

On the other hand, Lightning is extremely prideful. Extremely prideful. He'd be completely in denial about having a crush on Cameron of all people because he's the antithesis of everything Lightning holds in high regard; Cameron isn't athletic or strong, he's not outwardly headstrong or competitive (at first glance, though Cameron does have a spine hidden somewhere in that red hoodie) and Lightning wouldn't see Cameron as someone who could relate to him in any way. Keep in mind, Lightning's a bit of an egotist, so he'd be under the assumption that his ideal partner would be a reflection of himself.

And Lightning isn't very bright, despite his namesake, so he wouldn't realise that's exactly why he likes Cameron so much. He's impressed by Cameron's fountain of knowledge and keen intellect. He's astounded by how Cameron can use his wit and his determination to win challenges without having to brute forcing his way to victory. He thinks Cameron is adorable and experiences cuteness aggression every time they lock eyes. So on so forth.

So with Cameron's Cameronness and Lightning's staunch denial, there's only one way these two would ever get together.

Lightning accidentally confesses.

Be it through an insult gone wrong during the competition, or maybe a freudian slip in a conversation post-RotI, or even him just plain denying any feelings for Cameron unprompted and inadvertantly outing himself as a Cameron Liker through his defensiveness. Either way, Cameron hears this confirmation of returned feelings and all of the knowledge he's accrued from his mother's books/shows comes in swinging - he asks Lightning to have dinner with him. And surprisingly, Lightning accepts.

...Because it's free food, not because he likes the wimp. That's his excuse.

And the two hit it off. Cameron spends the whole first date sweating profusely but miraculously not putting his foot in his mouth. Though he does oftentimes get too technical and booksmart for Lightning to understand what he's saying, but Lightning nods along politely anyway because he finds the enthusiasm on Cameron's face endearing.

In turn, Lightning's initial jibing insults (which, subconciously, he's only really using to keep up appearences) peter off into genuine compliments as he realises that wow, he actually really enjoys spending time with Cameron, and Cameron is really smart but not condecending in the slightest when he asks for elaboration on things he doesn't understand, and Cameron's got a lot of interesting thoughts that he's never considered, and...

Lightning realises that he might be very, very gay for Cameron.

In turn, Cameron's almost vibrating with excitement because he's talking to Lightning, and Lightning is talking back, and there's this natural chemistry between them that even he in all of his inexperience can feel sparking in the air now that Lightning's walls of superiority have finally crumbled somewhat. He's on a date with the boy he likes and it's going really well.

(None of his research could've prepared him for the actual experience of a first date - and oddly enough, Cameron is thankful that he didn't have any preconceived expectations for the night.)

The night goes well, they eat food at some fancy restaurant that Cameron pays for with his winnings, and as they go to leave Lightning - because he's not one to be outshone in the competitive context of being a "good date haver" - gives Cameron a peck at the corner of his mouth. It's brief, a ghost of an action really, but it's enough to have Cameron visibly light up as he returns the favour.

-

At some point after they've been going on these dates for a while (Lightning more often than not taking Cameron to various sports games "for the experience", and Cameron indulging Lightning by taking him on hikes whilst he studies the wildlife they come across, ect ect) they breach the topic of being boyfriends in an awkward but sweet conversation that Lightning spends the next few months poking fun at Cameron for.

[ganondoodle]

a wild assortement of comic wip screenshots and a random doodle that i posted to twitter but not here

(this doodle here is of Raal (aka demise before he became a deity) but whatever happens here isnt anything 'canon', i just randomly doodled him to try a loosen up my painting style bc when i work on the comic i tend to concentrate too much of rendering it perfectly and i dont like that)

[book-of-legends]

(@ask-the-shiny-pokemons) Noelle: she approaches two as she sees the observatory with excitement.

“Wow, this place is lookin’ good… Oh, hey! How’s it going? Wow, you kinda remind me of Edin, haha. Okay, forget what I said, what are you guys doin’? It seems ya have been researching something…”

Sirius quickly shoved the Hoopa to the side, he appeared to be distressed at the sight of Noelle in the Observatory.

"There is no possible way you could have gotten in here without help!" He frantically waved his arms about as he began to ramble. "And why in God's name are you walking on two legs! You are a Houndoom, you are most definitely NOT from this universe looking like that!" He groaned as he gestured at her, "Houndooms are strictly a quadrupedal species here, to be bipedal your skeletal structure would have to evolve in a completely different manner! You are not from this universe, you are an anomaly, possibly some kind of anthropomorphic fallacy? How did you get in here!?" "And, Please do not lie, I should be calling security right now. Wezen is going to have my head on a spike!"

"Then how else did this Bipedal Houndoom get in?" They waved a paw at Noelle before turning their attention back to the Hoopa. "Did you really not learn from the Yungoos incident? That was barely a week ago, so don't tell me you don't remember. Good god, Have you not stopped to consider I might LIKE my job, Journey, hm?" He huffed, crossing his arms annoyed. "Hey! That was a one-time thing!" They squealed out, "It's not my fault they were from one of those funny feral universes! I just wanted to play with some mortals, you all are sooo borrriingg!" "Annnd? What kind of excuse is that! Journey for the love of Lunala you cannot just PORTAL-IN unapproved Pokemon just because you're BORED!! GET RID OF THEM, Put this poor Houndoom back into their proper universe!" "Mmmmmmm." Journey hummed in thought, they appeared completely unphased by the Meowstic's panicked rant. "NO. Plus I didn't do it!! SOoooo!" They gave a shrug, "Guess they're my new toy! Seer, I wanna play with the Mortal! Come onnnn, come on, Pleaseee!! Lunala said I can't play with you, so it's only fair!"

[scorndotexe]

gave up on dnd. one day i'll get to dm.......

btw this WHOLE thing was about 3 sessions at the most. this is not fucking curse of strahd

[amethystina]

There is a specific song that reminds me a lot of Yohan x Gaon for some reason that is very cloudy for me, sometimes I have theories but I don't know. I always hear it when I read WHTD, so you can imagine how many times it was repeated while I was reading, right? Maybe you know it, but I'll leave it here anyway.

especially in the part where she starts to say: “when you wake up next to him in the middle of the night…”

Maybe you know why it reminds me of them so much better than me. 💜

I don't know if I can say for sure since music is a very subjective thing, as is how we interpret lyrics. And I tend to be pretty literal tbh, which isn't everyone's favourite way of interpreting music. So I can honestly only guess based on what I can read in the lyrics, especially since I'm not very familiar with the artist xD

But, with that in mind, I guess it might remind you of them (and Who Holds the Devil in particular) because it seems to be a song from one woman to another woman and the second woman is pretending she's straight even if the two of them clearly has some lesbian tension going on. And I guess that's more or less the situation Yo Han is in with Ga On right now? Like, just switch "girl" to "boy," "boys" to "girls," and "next to him" to "next to her," and "his wife" to "her husband" etc. and a lot of it might as well be Yo Han speaking to Ga On.

The future wife mentioned could be Soo Hyun or just some unnamed woman that Yo Han assumes Ga On will end up with in the future, since Ga On is clearly determined to pretend that he's still straight, which means he'll probably marry at some point.

And I do think that Yo Han would be pretty petty about that, yes. I actually got an ask a while back, asking me what I thought would happen if Soo Hyun and K didn't die, but the majority of the drama played out pretty much the same afterwards. And I think we'd probably end up with a scenario quite similar to this song. Where Ga On ends up in a relationship with Soo Hyun and pretends that he's straight, but slowly but surely it becomes clear that he's really not.

He wouldn't have much luck, in other words.

Anyhow! When it comes to the lyrics, I especially like the part "You'd have to stop the world just to stop the feeling," which I think could have several meanings, depending on what angle you want to take. One is that "if you want to stop being gay, your only choice is to stand still and stop evolving" or "the only way to stop yourself from wanting me is for the world itself to stop spinning." And whichever interpretation you choose is pretty suitable for them, I'd say. Especially the latter is a pretty good summary of what their relationship — and the connection they share — is like if you ask me.

The only thing that could guarantee that Ga On can let go of Yo Han (and Yo Han of Ga On) is if they both ceased to exist. Nothing else would actually work.

Even if they're separated, they'd still obsess over each other.

So yeah. I can see why you draw parallels, especially if one views it as something from Yo Han's POV, where he's snarkily criticising Ga On's increasingly clumsy attempts to pretend he's still straight. Because they both know he's not.

And Yo Han would definitely be the kind of person to say "I told you so" in that situation.

[humming-fly]

Oh yeah, one of those older doodles reminded me of something. Do you think Greed ever gets used to Ling's appetite? Does that start to rub off on him? And does whatever weird deficiency Ling has (probably going with hypoglycemia tbh) affect Greed too? I imagine he's way more annoying about it though. Even Ed is like, "At least Ling has the decency to pass out. All you do is whine." Lol

Semi-related but I have this really strong headcanon that of the two of them, Greed is the one with a sweet tooth~ 🧁 -Ace

Oh that's a fun headcanon - between the two of them greed having a sweet tooth is only a standout because ling has So Many Teeth that his food preference tends to file down to "edible" whereas greed is less of a raccoon and actually has Preferences

As to the first point I feel like if anything being with ling definitely gives greed an appreciation for food purely because ling loves it so much and greed likes having things that he thinks other people find valuable~ also I've def thought about the weird blood sugar problem ling has and while I personally don't Think it's anything greed would ever have to deal with canonically it is very funny to picture hahaha

[mitamicah]

Do a makeover of, slap, get stuck in an elevator with

Tommy Cash, Jere, Bojan

Oh thank god x'D hahaahah (I saw these going around and I was so scared I would get some impossible ones x'D thank you for being nice to me, Eryka :'3)

I would definitely give Jere a make over because he is so adorable everytime he puts on make up :'D I wouldn't promise it would be a good makeover but I feel like we would have fun x'D

I'll slap Tommy I think - seems like something he'd be into x'D

And then I'll be stuck in the elevator with Bojan - I feel like we might get along somewhat nicely - and if not we can be awkward little doggos together x'D

Thank you again, Eryka :3

[missmungoe]

just wondering if you're going to update "Put it on my tab"? its one of my favorites and I just hoe everyone flocks to makinos!!!! this is not me trying to pressure an update btw!! take all the time you want but im just wondering where on the update list it is if that makes sense? Have a lovely day and I love your work so much!!!❤❤❤❤

Hearing that it's one of your favourites made me so happy, I went and finished the draft for the next chapter, so it's actually next on my schedule! Hoping to update it this week if energy allows, but in the meantime, have a little snippet while I edit!

From chapter 2 of Put It on My Tab, aka the fic where a lot of people show up in Makino's bar. First up:

The bar was like he’d described it.

It’s not your usual watering hole, he’d said, his gaze drawn inwards, as though picturing it. They'd been drinking in the galley on Moby Dick, all of them gathered together; the noise level had almost drowned out his voice as he'd continued, It’s really tidy, and she keeps flowers in her windows. I used to think bars were supposed to be seedy, or at the very least a little dingy. All the ones I’d seen in Goa were, so I figured it was part of the gig, but hers was different.

He’d grinned; the one he reserved for the good things from his childhood, like his brothers, and the bandits who’d raised him, as Ace had told them, simply, She’s different.

I take it you’ve never dined and dashed from your tab there, Marco remembered saying.

He’d laughed at that. He could still recall the sound, and the way he’d throw his head back. Oyaji had once remarked that he’d never looked more like his father than when he laughed, but Marco had never told Ace that.

I’d like to meet the person who could, Ace had said.

Their whole crew had been listening now, Oyaji included, a focus that betrayed a curious amount of intrigue, given the topic of conversation, but it was Izo who'd asked, She's that scary?

Ace's grin had softened, something almost bashful in it, as though he was suddenly a much younger boy, even if Marco had often teased him that he was young. And he’d given them a clear picture of the island where he'd grown up, and its inhabitants, Dadan and her family, and the villagers, but here he’d shaken his head, as though this couldn’t be described. Instead, all he’d said was,

If you ever meet her, you’ll see what I mean.

[sysig]

So much experimenting to be done, where to even start (Patreon)

[reel-fear]

Hey guys, if we're gonna post hate on a character [not critique not analysis literally just you saying "I hate this character, and I don't care if u guys like her"] maybe don't put it in her character tags and say how much u wanna kill her.

For one thing, if it's a female character that's not a unique opinion, but it's also rude and in rather poor taste.

[supurman]

guy's totally trustworthy, right? he's superman for god's sake. so spider-man had no issues in removing his mask around the guy... a usual pit of anxiety going unnoticed. superman just made him feel - if you wanted to be cheesy about it? - safe. so peter is hiking the mask up to his nose, hesitating a second before pulling it off completely, ruffling his already a mess hair. ugh, mask-hair " peter parker, by the way. believe it or not, my ID doesn't say spider-man. "

the day was saved [...] whatever it was coming out the sky of new york  was now headed back where it came from. clark's suit was peppered in tears - the edges of his cape fringed in burns. and his skin showed signs of scraping despite his famous imperviousness. these were all the tell-tale signs of a fighter.

together the day's heroes found a balcony to perch on. clark stood relaxed upon the edge. a far cry from the statuesque pose people think he always dons         like a pillar. (  it was great to fly, but there was no better place then his feet on the ground. )

his gaze panned to his left where spider-man was. while clark didn't notice the anxiety he did feel something was amiss        spider-man was less quippy than usual. especially  after such a big fight... his gaze remained still on him. soon, the reason came apparent. from a webbed mask identity, to his chin peeking. an intense pause where clark's eyes subtly widened. and then there he was. the spider-man himself. emotions were no stranger to superman and he allowed them to show when the cape was on.clark was surprised, but he was not bewildered as his humbleness allowed to see this as a show of trust more then a impending secret most people would be prying for. either way, whites contrasted with alien blues. this is not only what courage looks like but trust.

to be quite honest, clark never liked the masked look for anyone. trust came with a face even if the identity was secret ( much like how clark and superman operated ) , but he respected anyone's method of heroing. a new fondness came to his gaze at the reveal  and he was now shedding the shock that once pried his eyes so open.

his smile comes onto his face as natural as the morning sun clinging to east facing city walls. ❝ wow , look at you. ❞ superman couldn't help but float off the edge of the building to look at peter parker. so young, dark brown hair, and looks like any other young adult out there. but he really was the heart of this city this one man wasn’t he ? even if clark practiced his own secret identity double life there was no way to hide being shocked when another revealed themselves. he knew from personal experience how much it meant to do it. it meant showing your true self, revealing the loved knows you’re connected to, never being able to hide again into an identity unknown. it was no small matter   and it was a matter clark found himself honored to receive. ❝ is it peter - parker , or just peter parker. ❞ superman joked in a playful manner. no post battle bruises could hide his illuminated warmth - not with this big surprise revitalizing him back into his former self.

❝ clark kent, from the daily planet [ ... ] do i get an exclusive with spider-man on the space invasion situation now ? ❞ a smirk. there was trust here. just two hearts of different city's becoming more then comrade heroes on the field but friends.

[randomnameless]

What do you think about the Leicester Alliance? Despite the instability regarding the Riegan house and their heir it seems to me like it's the least fucked up of the three countries

Oh!

I wanted to make a more detailed reply but I don't think I'll have the time before forgetting it lol

But in general, the Alliance suffers from the FE franchise's lack of interest in what I previously called "merchant republics". Let it be Jugdral's Miletos or Magvel's Carcino, they just exist to be rolled over, sometimes they have "corrupt Nobles (tm)" and that's it.

Leicester seems to be in a similar position, even if, by virtue of being Claude's homeland it would be more developed, right?

Well, no, Claude talks more about Almyra and has stronger ties to that country, so whatever Leicester development or lore we could have is just, three supports here and there about "Corrupt Nobles (tm)", a land where wealth gains more and more importance (Marianne's dad became a member of the council bcs of this iirc?) and where old Houses keep on having an ancestral feud even if it dooms the Republic/Alliance (Gloucester wants to get rid of Riegan, and sacrifices Raph's parents in the process?).

So with the minimum world building we have about the Alliance, I wouldn't say it's the least fucked up, rather it's the less developed, so by extension they feel like they're in a better state than the Kingdom - heavily developed - and Adrestia - which is kind of in a similar boat as the Alliance, but since the content focuses on Enbarr and the War afterwards, it's swept up.

But for what we know,

The Roundtable, before Nopes, was made up of 5 great families and minor nobles, while not sitting, could have their voices heard or at least taken into consideration (as opposed to Clout's Federation).

The Alliance apparently heavily dislike having a central authority or a powerful person ruling over them all... But only 3 minor lords riot when "we bow to no Emperor and to no King" is farted upon by King Clout of the Federation...

Lorenz tells us faith is performative in the Alliance, but some people are devout believers, which leads to no one giving a fuck, in Nopes, about their country going for the kill against the Archbishop.

And more importantly...

In the Alliance, through Raphael and Ignatz, we learn there is a "bourgeoisie" class, people who aren't born nobles or anobled and yet who manage to thrive and, if not for Gloucester Sr's gambit, live quite well, despite the "Crust system!!!!" the scripts hammer.

Leonie is a commoner and is in debt (tfw rl catches up to you in a vg!). Her village pays taxes to their Lord (Gloucester) and in exchange this Lord offers them protection (by hiring Jerry) against poachers - which is both textbook Noblesse Oblige hardbaked in Lorenz's character, but also, some kind of weird example of a system based on feodality - vassal offers an "hommage" to his Lord (here taxes) and in return the Lord protects his vassal - with the twist that Leonie's dad isn't a knight or a feudal vassal (afaik?).

Also, from the unused trading post data, Riegan should have been famous for its factories?

In a way, it feels like Leicester's organisation could have been something very interesting to explore - it's completely at odds with the Empire and the Kingdom and much more fragmented - but as usual, the FE series don't really develop those "kingless" factions...

And of course, they couldn't develop the "merchant nation" more else the "Church BaD bcs IsOlAtIoNiSm" falls apart or the "Crust SyStEm" argument as to why Supreme Leader has to change the world falls too, Edmund sr is at the roundtable despite having no crest, the Ordelias never were at this roundtable despite having a crest (iirc?), Judith is a Hero of Leicester and has no Crust, Holst is beloved by the world and has no Crust, despite having no Crust Ignatz's parents are implied to be rich as fuck and living the best life, crustless!Leonie and her entire village are helped by the "nobility system" Supreme Leader vowed to erase, etc etc.

Acknowledging Leicester's existence as something more than "that place Clout and some people hail from" blows so many holes in the leitmotiv of the war - thus the twist "you should feel bad for fighting your former student" - that the writers, imo, prefered not to shed any light no it (+ the context with merchant republics!) that it's no surprising the few crumbs we have aren't developped.

And before Nopes, the Alliance was the only slither free place, so all the "bad stuff" that happened, like Raph's parents, can be blamed on regular people and not "they were brainwashed!!". Ordelia's a different situation, I know a lot of people support the "Lys got her present because crust system", but I always have doubts - Lys got her "present" because Adrestia (Ionius) believed they could infringe on Leicester's territory, and the Agarthans needed to test their "present making" before gifting one to the Hresvelgs.

With Nopes, the Alliance disappears under a King with no fanfare, some people follow Clout, they dgaf about the Church, and that's it. It's just a blank cardbox, removed of the few crumbs that made it different from the other cardboxes.

[micahthemoon]

I hope I am not overstepping, but if I am, totally feel free not to answer the ask, but I just saw your entry from yesterday and I just wanted to say that while I totally get(and relate) to feeling gender dysphoric while looking at Bojan and ither cis men, I think you pass really well! Like, genuinely. I also follow you on insta and you are sometimes an object of gender envy for me too, especially since you started taking T.

Regardless, I get that me saying this won't change your feelings, but I really think you are awesome and super brave for sharing your whole journey on here. It gives me hope that I might get there one day too. So, hang in there and I hope you feel better soon.

I know I tehnically used this gif to cheer up another mutual but. If you take nothing else for this ask, have my sister's doggo as a comfort until a better day comes along ❤️

Thank you so much for the nice words, Rio. While it is not really a goal of me to pass (at least not as cis het; if people could look at me and think “ masc but in the most queer way” I’d be happy), it’s wild and very honoring to me to know I can be a source of gender envy 🥹

I root for you – you will get there too some day 🤗

Awwwn what a cute dogoo, thank you 🥹