#this is basically my power fantasy

[radioactive-earthshine]

Relationships: Bart Allen & Kon El | Conner Kent, Bart Allen & Iris West

Summary

Bart goes on his solo trip to find Kon and save his friends from a cruel destiny at great cost to the time stream and contends with the Linear Men who desperately want to keep him locked up - at least he thinks he is alone until Time Trapper reveals themselves as an unlikely ally, with an even more unlikely identity.

Excerpt

“You’ve broken the rules Bartholomew Henry Allen II,” said a different officer, he was dressed in clothing more bright than the fluorescent lights and Bart had a hard time looking at him even through his blue translucent prison cell walls. Unlike the woman from before, his older lined face was drawn in sympathy for his prisoner. 

Bart snorted in contempt from his cell, a cube of jelly-like material that cut him off from his speed. “What rules? Dontcha have t’ make the rules known before enforcing them? Y’know. Stop! Speed Limit only 45 times the speed of light! That sort of stuff.”

“You always were a funny one at this age. But history never recorded anything about you doing this though,” mused the old officer, worry hovering in his hazel eyes. 

“Oops? I guess if history has been changed then there’s no point in keeping me here because what are you trying to preserve?” Bart quipped as he poked the jelly and it zapped him, hard, and he yelped rubbing his hand. 

“That’s the point! You changed history and altered reality! Do you have any idea of how delicate the threads of reality are? Changing just one tiny detail can have drastically cataclysmic consequences! No one should have that right or power! You know this!” 

Bart’s eyes smoldered, pupils set and direct like the line of an event horizon as he glared at his sympathetic jailer. “I mean this most disrespectfully to your made-up rules of Reality - go fuck yourself.” 

[veatomis]

The seventh talon, Andarateia Cantori

[jonsnowunemploymentera]

I personally don’t mind the reveal that Aegon the Conqueror was motivated by dragon dreams about tptwp/war for the dawn; I actually like it quite a lot. Mostly because I like how Aegon’s legacy basically becomes: the unification of the realm and its peoples (a wholly positive thing) AND the iron throne (which has become a symbol of war and destruction). Aegon brought the realm together, but he also created that stupid pointy chair. The irony is that this chair, made of swords from all over the realm thus being a representation of all the different peoples in Aegon’s new kingdom, is meant to be the symbol of peace and unity. But in the current story, it’s become the driving force of disunity. And now hundreds of years later, now that the real threat that Aegon dreamed of has actually arrived, the realm is much too focused on who gets to sit on the silly chair more than anything else. Which imo would fall in quite nicely with GRRM’s deconstruction of prophecy, how people interpret it, and the ripple effects from those actions.

[blackkatmagic]

Kat you’re planning on writing/publishing a book!?! Could we perhaps have a hint about the genre …👀? Either way I’m so excited and hope to hear more about it in the future.

:3

There's water dripping somewhere close, echoing off the broken stone, and Grey’s breath rasps in his throat, too loud, too harsh, too noticeable. Jagged edges of stone dig deep into his spine where he’s pressed up tight against a fallen column, and the world swims like a heat haze.

At the edge of the cracked column, sprawled out and twisted, still twitching, is the commander’s hand. Grey knows it is because he saw the man fall there, but—

It hardly looks like a hand at all anymore, and fear beats harsh and bloody in the back of Grey’s throat as he strains his ears, tries to quiet his breathing. Nothing is moving but the dripping water, and somehow, that’s a thousand times more frightening than the screams that rose a moment ago.

In the echoing darkness, something shifts. It drags, scraping and crunching and liquid all at once, and blind panic rises, almost drives Grey to his feet to make a run for the distant dot of light that is the entrance. The limp, twisted forms of those who tried are scattered across the temple’s floor, though, and at the last moment Grey forces himself back down, digging his fingers hard into the stone as he tries desperately not to move.

The dragging slide of something too large and misshapen pauses, and then there's a high, thready, terrified moan. Armor scrapes across the stone, a desperate attempt to crawl to safety, but a bare second later there’s a hiss, too deep and multifaceted to come from any mortal throat. It rises and falls like a tide, and the paladin screams, bare and weak and full of nothing but terror—

The cry cuts off so sharply it makes Grey’s stomach turn, and something wet and meaty cracks, cracks again, thumps back to stone and metal and drags like a flayed corpse rolled across the floor.

The door, Grey thinks, that unbearable fear clawing at his insides. He needs to get to the door. They came to fight a god and failed, and now there’s no one left standing but him. If he can just get to the door while it’s distracted by the bodies—

“Please,” a thin, reedy voice calls, cracking in the middle of the word, falling away in fear. “Please, Ylthos, please—”

The fear doesn’t abate. Nothing changes. Ylthos doesn’t answer her paladin’s cries, even though Grey holds his breath, waiting. There's another hiss, another dragging, scraping slide as the thing moves, and nothing happens.

That paladin, or maybe another, is crying, and the thin sobs echo in the hidden temple, drowned out a moment later by the sound of a body twisting, breaking, reforming into something horrific. A wash of blood slides across the floor, stained black in thick ripples as it moves, and Grey squeezes his eyes closed, then forces them open again.

His sword fell into the water, back when the thing first hit them. It vanished into the deep pool, and if Grey turns his head, he can just see the edge of the water, still perfectly clear in the guttering light. All the other weapons the paladins bore in here were twisted, or changed, or broken, but—his sword wasn’t. If he can just get to it, there might be a chance.

Ylthos isn't answering their prayers, but the light of that last blessing is still there. Grey can feel her kiss against his forehead, can see the lights of the Sun Temple if he closes his eyes. Ylthos isn't answering, but maybe she can't. Maybe Grey is the only one who can do anything.

And then, dragging, slick and wet and heavy, something moves on the other side of the broken column.

This isn't how it’s supposed to go. This isn't how it happened.

Grey wrenches to his feet, but instead of bolting for the pool, he turns. In the same moment, a hand closes over cracked stone, and the thing that they came to contain hauls itself up, a dark, twisted shape that only shares the vaguest similarities with a human form. It drags itself along with its hands, long nails scoring deep into the stone as it hauls itself up and over the column, keening, reaching. Grey recoils with a shout, reaching for the blessing, the flame inside him—

Even as light kindles, pure white and blazing, the creature cries, the sound scraping Grey’s flesh raw, sinking barbs into his mind. He stumbles, goes down, sprawled out on the wet stone, and the creatures surges up, grabbing, pinning him even as he struggles. It’s like struggling against a tree, though, or a mountain, and his fingers slip on raw flesh that oozes black blood. With a surge of terror, Grey grabs for that light, throws it up between them like a barrier, and the thing wails. Ichor splatters Grey’s face, drips into his mouth as flesh singes, and he looks up into burning red eyes that are fixed solely on him.

Dark, limp, stringy hanks of hair tumble around them as the thing lowers its head, those long, broken spidery fingers clamping down tight around his arms. A mouth opens, too many teeth, another splatter of ichor that burns sharp enough to make Grey scream, and then—

A voice, wavering, broken, as sharp as needles and knives. It keens, right next to Grey’s ears, so loud it burns. None of the sounds it’s made have ever had words before, but now there are. Now there’s something in the midst of the rage and hatred and fear, and it inscribes itself into Grey’s bones like a vast hand is writing it with a red-hot quill.

Save me, the god says, and Grey stares up into red eyes, the perfect mirror of his own, as it leans in, claws digging in all the way to the bone. Save me save me save me save me—

[randomnameless]

Why do we still have in 2024 stupid takes like Rhea created and enforces the crest system?

Bcs Rhea BaD anon.

More seriously,

FE Fodlan is one of one of the most divorced FE verses from its fantasy elements (see : Nabateans being as important as Ignatz's leather shoes) : Tellius has the Laguz existing, Archanea/Ylisse has manaketes hanging around and being a core point in FE Archanea, Elibe has its entire history involving dragons and the best ending finally be about acceptance between the two races, Magvel has zombies, Valentia has terrors and in SoV we have dragons and magic dragon blood, Fates has dragons (and laguz-like!) and even Jugdral have people with magic dragon blood.

(i ranted and ranted and ranted under the cut, so it's a bit long)

Unlike Fodlan, Jugdral's "people with magic dragon blood" are a key element to the story told at large, and it bleeds through the mechanics used to tell that story. FE4 wise, toddler!Seliph has a S rank in swords when Beowulf, even if he trains his entire life, will never achieve A rank in swords. Base!Julia with her holy weapon can smack Loptyr, when max!invested (at least lore wise) Forseti!Ced will never be able to kill him.

It's unfair for Beo and Ced, but that is how the verse works because, in that verse, some people are mc guffins or "the only ones" who are able to do something, or even, straight out, stronger/have more talent than others.

In traditional fantasy settings we have the "same" sort of rules, you have elves who do X and Y, humans won't can't, dwarves who can't either but they can do W, orc who can do J, etc etc.

Even for all of the "deconstruction of the genre!" gimmick ASOIAF has, according to some people, Dany is fire-proof and Jon most likely survives after being assassinated because he is a Stark and can use his doggo as a back up save, both things Edmure Tully will never be able to achieve.

Tolkien has Numenoreans being straight up blessed by the Valar/stronger/longer lived/etc etc than middle-earth humans, on top of also having elves, dwarves and ents.

Ergo : power inbalance is baked in the fantasy genre.

And yet, the writers often manage to tell some version of "the ones who have less power are no less important", like with Tolkien, it's a bunch of hobbits who manage to take down the greatest "evil" of their era, or some message like "having more power/being more important means you are bound to help the ones who have none" thingie.

In Fodlan, the "beings who have more power" than humans are the Nabateans (+ Sothis herself!). Sothis can create life, her daughter - through unknown means - can create artifical beings, one her children can control weather (the one who was turned in a milkshake for Charon!), one of them has monstruous strength (the one turned in a milkshake for Blaiddyd), one of them could communicate with animals (Timotheos iirc - if we assume he was a Nabatean or got his powers from his crest), her granddaughter can set up an AOE to heal what would otherwise be fatal wounds (it's heavily implied this is what Flayn did when she overused her power and went comatose) etc etc.

This is the original power inbalance in Fodlan.

Then some humans "stole" this power from Nabateans, and got a share of it themselves, which is what is later called "crest" : aka, some humans got a part of the super/magic powers that Nabateans originally had and thus, because, for all intents and purposes, "super-humans".

Now, Fodlan discourse started with FE16 being released in 2019, not that long after GoT's ending - which was trash - and in an era where fandom turned from "harmless fun" to "something that looks like activism and earns you point if you manage to use it to express your real life opinions".

In 2019, after Dumb and Dumber tanked GoT and removed most of ASOIAF fantasy parts to deliver "sex that sells" with a moldy plot, some part of the fandom started to conflate and harass people over what they like, and how it, apparently, reflected on their real life opinions ("if you hate this female character it means you hate women!"/"if you think X becoming king is a good ending, you don't value democracy!").

So, we have this fantasy setting with its inherent power inbalance... that quickly became something that is/was unacceptable, because IRL, power inbalance is based on bullshit and something everyone decries - so if your beloved media reflects on what you like IRL, you can't like a setting with an objective power inbalance, even if is justified by magic which doesn't exist irl like shooting eyebeams or some people being more "special than others" who can live up to 1500 years old.

Fodlan's power inbalance, for some parts of the fandom 2019, cannot be justified by traditional fantasy settings so, those settings/fantasy elements are straight out ignored.

Thus the "crests"' magic effects/powers are ignored, and dumbed down to, roughly, what a middle school student would think "nobility" is/was in the Middle Ages/Renaissance.

Jean-François Marie Pierre de Bourbon isn't inherently better at smashing things with a sword than Bob, or at healing than Roger, any "advantage" Jean-François Marie Pierre de Bourbon has over them is, maybe, that he started training earlier.

In Fodlan?

If Jean-François Marie Pierre de Charon has a major Charon crest, he can dance and clap in his hands to summon rain. Bob and Roger, no matter how hard they train, will never be able to do that. Jean-François Marie Pierre de Charon will thus be seen as having higher "value" or being straight up "better" than Bob or Roger, because as long as he is here, your crops will never suffer from drought.

But... we can't have that, because if you confuse fandom and real life opinions and aspirations, you cannot admit that some people in Fodlan are inherently "better" at something, only because of their blood, otherwise, what would it translate to IRL?

This is why, imo, part of the fandom (and the game sure doesn't help! Fodlan is no Jugdral and its gameplay lacks coherence regarding the in-game lore! Remember how Raphael can use a relic and only loses 10HP, when Miklan, plot wise, was turned in a demonic beast?) that loves this take, arguably, reduces crests to a title and family name.

Why should the Bourbon family rule over us, when they're no better than Roger or Bob? Isn't it unfair the Bourbons are still valued nowadays when the only thing to their fame is their name, and not what they are actually doing?

The game plays coy about crests - we know each of them has a specific power - but it never reveals what are those powers (lore wise!) save for 2 of them. So are crests superpowers, or just a family name with a particle, or both? Is the "system" (a friend made a post debunking any idea of "systemic" application of this notion in the three countries) based on bullshit, or on, objective superpowers?

Dimitri tries to tackle the issue, but only around relic usage : the Gautiers are valued if they have a crest because they can use their superweapon to protect the border. But what about valuing House Charon's ability to bring rain and guarantee good harvests? What is the other superpower tied to the crest of Gautier that isn't "use a femur and wreck havoc with it"?

If Marianne's ability to talk to animals is tied to her crest, why isn't it more developed? Instead of having useless shit like talking and befriending horses like a Disney princess, we could have Maurice-blooded people be masters of counter-intelligence, imagine if they can talk to birds/rodents and ask them to scout various areas or spy/ask them what they saw ! Hell, we could have had a situation where in a fog of war map, where Marianne, if, idk, through Billy fed enough animals in the monastery, would have a better field of vision than anyone else, with some blurb/one-line about her relying on the animals around to know and see what is going on! Alas, it wasn't meant to be.

FE16 eludes the question, because the character who "questions" a world centered around "crests" is the marketable asset of the game, and cannot be challenged in any meaningful capacity v- she feels it's unfair that her crest seemingly dictate her life, and only in the gacha game with ery serious writing like the Heavy Plate Corps or Sniddies, does she get a modicum of self-reflection - or at least someone challenging her - where she is told that she could use the superpowers she has to help people instead of blaming the world for getting one.

In a traditional FE setting, where some Lords question why they were born with power/or are in powerful positions, the answer is always that no matter what they were born with (or without in Leif's case!) what is more important is what they decide to do with that power. Elincia never wanted to become Queen? She will still fight and protect Crimea and its people. Marth is the last hope of Altea, even if it means leaving Elice behind. Seliph doesn't want to fight in Thracia anymore or feels like he's a fraud? He can turn tail and return home, while the world around him falls apart. Leif also feels like a fraud because he doesn't have superpowers like his cousin? Does that mean he should turn his thumbs and watch as his people are being caught/enslaved/sacrificed?

In Fodlan you have no reflection like this : Linhardt is, imo, the best example.

Dude hates blood and has a crest (aka magic powers) geared towards healing, you could make a case that for someone who has hematophobia, being a healer is difficult and this would be the reason why he refuses to heal/use his powers to help people around him... but no. Lin's laziness is played for laughs, and his refusal to do anything not related to his topic of interest is never questioned/analysed under the angle of, say, a head nurse who has no crest and laments that she couldn't save everyone who was hurt during an assault, who snaps at him for having the "gift" he has and not using it for the sake of people around him.

"What Lin decides to do with his power?" : Well, nothing.

Instead we have a reflection on his bright mind going to waste if he lazes all day long, culminating in his Supreme support where an Imperial facility is created specifically to cater to his tastes, that will enable him to research crests as much as he wants...

But still, nothing about his innate "healing" power!

In the end, it's no surprise that part of the fandom latched on that "crest = nobility title" because the Fodlan verse refuses to develop anything about its fantasy elements (hell, iirc Nopes swaps "crests" for "blood" and "titles" in its Supreme route ?).

"Sure, but where does Rhea fit in this nonsense?"

Rhea is, in this vision, the ultimate target !

For all of the "I ignore fantasy elements", Rhea is always (in FE16 at least!) turning into a dragon : no matter how hard you want to ignore fantasy, she's here to remind you tht, in this verse, dragons exist.

But most importantly, as Fodlan must be analysed through an IRL lens otherwise modern fandom cannot engage with it, Rhea, by virtue of being the lady in charge of a religious organisation called "Church", is also seen through a lens : Rhea BaD bcs Religion BaD and Catholic Church BaD.

FWIW, thanks to the five years of discourse we had, I learnt more about cultural values and differences existings between, here and the rest of the world - especially a place that is overepresented on fandom spaces - on organised religions especially the catholic church. Of course this bled on fandom takes and analysis, which projected some users' irl bias against the Catholic Church on the fandom organisation and entity that is the Church of Seiros. Combine this with secularism being now weaponised and used to ridicule people in spaces like r/atheism and you have a perfect recipe for "Religion BaD = Catholic Church BaD = fictional organised religion with a catholic flair BaD".

Granted, given how a certain loLcalisation team also originates from this place, it's no surprise that some "creative liberties" they took tried to hammer even more, let it be in the script or the fucking "what is this game about?" page on their website, how this fictional organisation is basically a squenix trope of "evil cult manipulating everything in the shadows and sekritly controlling the world".

Besides, the main heroine of the game (even if that comes with a twist!) opposes this faction (CoS and especially its leader!) and, by the way those games are built, as seen earlier, they cannot disavow her too much, else the entire gut-punch the devs were gunning for (you are betrayed by your beloved character! But unlike what happens in Baten Kaitos, you only are attached to her because she is your avatar's simp) will fall apart. So she must be, somehow, right and not motivated by more personal and heinous reasons, like not accepting "non-humans" to have powers over humans, or thinking the world is not a place for them (this was carefully scrubbed out in Nopes, btw!).

If Supreme Leader, who we are supposed to root for and whom the game ultimately rewards because "reforms" happen in the endings, says that the CoS is the reason why humans value superpowers, she must be right, or at least, not completely wrong???

Which raises the final point on this topic : FE16 came in 2019, which was election year in the US, and we all know that election time in the US means the rest of the world is also affected, even if the rest of the world, well, isn't the US. As I mentionned, the US is over-represented in fandom spaces, and fandom is far from being a safehaven from all the mayhem and passion that always boil during election time and its immediate following.

Coupled with the "my fandom faves define my real life opinions" thingie I already wrote about, and we had an explosive cocktail for bad takes, needless aggressivity, ridiculing people with dissident opinions because they are seen as "wrong", etc etc. And let it be something trendy or not, especially when (young?) people are arguing about "politics" in online spaces, but it always boils down to gross simplification of various complex issues and/or using catchphrases or "shock-value" words to win over whoever is reading/listening.

(et je ne dis pas ça parce que certains de nos politiques font des "immigrés clandestins ou pas" la source de tous les maux, ou le fait que nos députés font la même chose en ce moment, Jonluk et Marine main dans la main, pour paralyser l'Etat afin de pousser Manu à la démission et éviter la case prison pour Marine)

I always thought the "CEO of racism" was a meme, but through Fodlan discourse, I started to wonder if it was something started seriously by someone who really thought that "racism" is caused by one person.

And we finally get to the point : somehow, somewhat, Rhea is supposed to be responsible for people/humans valuing superpowers.

Forget that the same "quest to obtain those superpowers" led to the extermination of her kin, or how the devs themselves explained that people - at least in their setting - always want more power :

As a result, what would happen to humans who gained power... they would want even more power, and find a dragon much stronger to beat in order to collect materials forcefully, in order to make even more powerful weapons... and so that was the cycle that was born. And that was the birth of Fodlan's Ten Elites

Wait, kill that, those superpowers don't exist since the game and the characters (bar Catherine, but I agree with @9thwither here, Cat is one of the most overlooked characters in this fandom!) never talk about them, so they don't exist...

Rhea is thus the reason why people value bloodlines - especially since those bloodlines don't come out with superpowers.

It sounds better and closer to what you could "hear" irl, from someone who's discoursing on the internet to explain "why" some people are more valued than other, it's because of religion and the Pope! It cannot be because of, well, human greed or just the need to have more power (for good or wrong reasons), no.

"But random, the Church most likely promotes a "divine right to rule" doctrine and let the 10 Elites' families rule over their clans in Faerghus thus gain nobility!"

Sure, but everything is moot if you consider this : to make this take viable, we ignore the game and consider that crests are just bloodlines, and not, objective sources of superpowers.

So why are we, discussing about this hypothesis/theory, even arguing about what the game says and/or does?

Bob Blaiddyd can kill a giant lion/wolf with his fists at base level, is it because of a supposed doctrine that people rally and want to be in Bob's graces, or because Bob has the power to protect them all? Karen Charon can summon rain, are people siding with her because Rhea told them to, or because Karen can make crops grow?

In conclusion : why people are still, in 2024, sprouting those takes?

1- Because they refuse to engage with the game and realise that it is a fantasy game belonging to a very specific genre

2- Because fandom opinions reflect on your real life opinions and likes : so they must find a reason to oppose what their perceive as an unacceptable power inbalance otherwise it means that they support the various inequalities that exist IRL

3- Because Religion BaD and bar the "projected takes from transposing feelings about an IRL church on a fantasy one" more and more people tend to prefer an "easy to proceed" solution than think about multi-causal issues and find solutions that might not.

Of course, I can already guess that some people might argue that they don't "refuse to engage with the game" since this take is more a less a condensed version of the Supreme spiel, and as developed above, the game does - willingly - a shit job at demonstrating that her spiel is nonsense (they had to add the "greed" part in an interview released after the game and its only and final DLC!), just like her sockpuppet who supposedly learns how misguided he was in certain routes... only to end with the same ice cream, albeit with a different topping.

However, Dimitri and Sylvain mention how crestless children are disowned in Faerghus... when Dimitri's own uncle is ruling over a domain himself, Ingrid's brothers exist in the background and Gustave is still Baron Dominic's brother, on top of having been the royal master at arms for at least, depending on the route, 3 generations of Faerghan kings.

In a game where Dorothea can blame the Goddess for fighting in a war her bestie started - without anyone pointing this out - it's obvious this verse has unreliable narrators, but after 5 years and having played all routes in both games + a DLC + a dev interview explaining how and why some humans acquired crests...

Tl;Dr :

Reason 1- is most likely the most prevalent why this take exists anon, "because some people refuse to engage with the game" with the added topping of "save for what Supreme Leader and her sockpuppet say that I can use to demonise the characters I don't like".

[partfae]

dreaming about a scene in the finale of season of s5 where galadriel, alone in lórien, sees a vision of herself sailing to valinor at last. a tendril of dark smoke follows her out over the water, and she looks at it once more, an unexplainable expression on her face. she turns her back on it, and elrond smiles softly at her.

when they land, elrond leaps from the boat and splashes through the water to greet celebrían, weeping, and galadriel follows him into the shores of morning.

when the shot pulls back to her in the present, she is standing at her mirror. she touches the water and exhales. when celeborn comes to join her, there are tears in her eyes—but she smiles, and it’s real.

[clownjacket]

Okay my crack theory for Lucy’s god situation:

What if instead of dying Lucy’s god became an archfey and fucked off, forsaking all of their followers. I could see that as justifiable for a minor god—maybe you don’t want your personality and existence to be dependent on a group of people small enough for a really big hurricane to wipe them out. Maybe you want to try your hand at self actualization, which you can’t really do as a god. Whatever.

But that would still mean Lucy’s grades would be screwed for the year, and the whole group would be switched to pass/fail.

Whatever god they’re trying to bring back seems like they want to stay a god, but would also only have a single living cleric so their nature would be heavily influenced by who that cleric is, and could still be controlled. Bringing back an established dead god with living followers probably reduces the risk of the god immediately dying or completely sucking ass/not being powerful like what happened with YES!(?), and we know the Ratgrinders LOVE minimizing risk. And choosing a dead god that represents something Lucy is actually passionate about preaching and proselytizing would make her work as a cleric much easier for her emotionally than, say, switching to Helio and just going through the motions, and bringing back a god would probably look good on college resumes.

Idk, that’s just an alternative theory to Lucy’s god dying based on what’s been established this season.

[in-asterism]

all the details in this didn't translate so well into a drawing, so I wound up just writing

you can probably figure it out, but this is set immediately after Luce's death

They steal into the Giglio Nero headquarters like a ghost, slipping through half-open doors and winding hallways. Giglio Nero is old, and each new Donna has built on the bones of the last, turning a once-modest estate into a sprawling compound. 

Viper knows every hallway, had spent their time in I Prescelti Sette mapping every secret path in their Sky’s house. 

They let their feet settle on the ground, choosing to walk the last stretch. With an infant’s body, every step only takes them an increment further, but today is significant, and they need the grounding. 

The heart of Giglio Nero was once the inner sanctum of the Arcobaleno- but embittered Elements tend not to stay long after being chained to the world. It was called the Nursery, which, in hindsight, was deeply morbid. 

They slip into the chambers of the Sky Arcobaleno, and settle on the dais where Luce lies. The indigo pacifier stays dim.

 Her neck is bare, her skin is cold, her eyes are empty. Viper doesn’t know how long they stare into those hollow eyes, but eventually they manage to reach out and close them. Luce deserved to turn her gaze away, even if only in death.

They can’t look away.

Her white dress, the uniform of the Sky Arcobaleno has become her funeral shroud. Cold impersonal white, a monument to the purity of her flame, to the duty of her death. Her blank face, orange marking garishly bright against death-pallor. 

It’s so, so wrong.

Luce is warm, and she smiles, and she is always moving, even just a little.

She hated to be still. She made a point to smile, always, even when she cried because there were things that the world could not take from her, and her reactions were one of those things.

For it to end this way-

It was always going to happen, really. The lot of them had lived their lives, exceptional but still sensical, and then somehow found their way into a fairytale. Even the Strongest Sky could not subvert the laws of her narrative.

But it hurts that she wouldn’t even try. That she laid down and waited for Him to come. That she walked up that mountain with the poise she brought to every other tragedy.

 The people they hate most are liars, and Luce was always a liar. All that sight, blessed gift of a dead goddess, and she could never even admit the truth to herself. Pathetic…

They twirl a strand of bluish hair around chubby fingers, but they can’t stay. Within Giglio Nero’s halls, there are always eyes on the ‘precious’ Arcobaleno- already the pacifier has been passed to little Aria, and soon her predecessor’s body will be discovered. 

Best to just go. Time is money after all, and Viper is wasting it here.

[starry-907]

minor flashing tw

alright all y'all with ghost victims out there need to imagine with me the concept of spooky ghost child vic

the idea can have merit (i'm just not the most skilled at drawing things spooky yet sjdlflsjskdk)

individual frames under the cut because csp wouldn't give me a nice looking gif export of this

[astrababyy]

Tamlin and Nesta for the character bingo!

tamlin and nesta in order :DDD

[demonsfate]

I'm trying to take a nap but I just GOTTA write this real quick 'cos due to the New DLC Character, there have been alotta discussions and I just feel like many ppl forgot the original points of the earlier games. ESPECIALLY the original trilogy.

Of course, there are many ppl who are saying Clive looks outta place and that he'd fit Soul Calibur more. And the many ppl arguing against this popular criticism just... don't understand? Like they're like "but he's Anime Boy! How does he not fit in?" or old tired "this game has bears and devils!! But HE doesn't fit in??? Lolwhut!! XD" Even though ppl are making jokes about how TK8 is the first time Clive will see a car or billboards (and uh... y'know. that already explains how he's outta place LMAOOOO)

Yes, the original Tek series has ALWAYS had some kind of supernatural or wild element. Notably Yoshi, Jack, the bears (and Roger) and devils / monsters. But like... REALLY THINK ABOUT IT. What were the context of these characters? The animals still fought rather traditionally than flashy or magical. And plus, they were joke characters. They weren't intended to take seriously. Jack, Yoshi (And Yoshi's counterpart, Kuni) and Mokujin are the only really fanatical serious characters in the whole cast. (Even Jack, you can still argue he has more of a "technological" aspect to him than magic or fantasy) Yes, there are demons like Ogre and Devil. But... they were literally final bosses and there's a reason why. Like it was supposed to be a GRAND THING for the mostly normal cast to be fighting fucking monsters in the end. Like that's why they saved it for last, it was something to build up to, and something to be shocking. I think a lotta modern players miss the point of that.

Also using characters from TK6+ instantly makes the argument invalid 'cos that's when ppl started criticizing the game for "getting too anime / far fetched"

Also another cool thing about the earliest games is that a lotta them had aesthetic themes. TK3, for example, had a very gritty aesthetic. Most of the characters looked like they belonged to the same game -- having a biker or sporty look (if not a martial arts look, which is obvious) You can see what the theme they were going with here. In TK8, we have characters of all kinds of different styles -- some clashing. (We got Jin and Xiao, who match with their black outfits. But then we got some military outfits, and then some in suits, and some that look like fairies like Alisa, and so on) Which just makes me feel like as the games go on, they just stopped caring about "style" as much, y'know? Like sorry but I can't picture TK8 Alisa (even if I do love her) or Clive in TK1-TK4.

Gon is another example they like to use of a third party feeling totally out of place. But... again, context matters! Both Gon and Dr. B. were secret characters that were meant to be taken as jokes. Like Gon literally has a move where he farts on the opponent. The difference is, we're meant to take Clive seriously. This totally out of place character isn't meant to be funny.

Like I'm glad some ppl are happy about Clive, of course. But like, I totally understand the criticism / concerns some people have. And like, I just feel like a lotta ppl talking about it just don't rly understand the issue.

[feliciadraws]

GUESS WHO'S FINALLY ACTUALLY PLAYING FINAL FANTASY XIV FOR HERSELF

ME BAYBEE HAAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAA

[passionpluto]

manifesting a magical girl series where an adult woman who's loved magical girls all her life and has given up on becoming one gets isekai'ed into a magical world to save it

dark themes allowed only if the writers are based enough to understand the specific retro rayearth vibes this concept gives off and use them to create mind-blowing twists like og rayearth did instead of just milking them for cheap drama

[aroaessidhe]

2024 reads / storygraph

Sea Of Broken Glass

fantasy

two sisters who live on a floating village in a shallow ocean are exiled when one develops magic and can’t hide it like her sister does

they travel to the land, trying to survive searching for their mother who was exiled 20 years ago, through the wilderness and magical caves

crystal/mineral magic, magical creatures, sister relationships

[laugtherhyena]

Lf new year celebrations 🎊

A few months back me and my friends brainstormed what new year celebrations would be like in the lf, i can't think of a better time to post these! Happy new year everyone :]

-Every year the Forest kingdom organizes a huge parade for the new year, starting at 10pm with a message from their current ruler, after that the members of the manticore guard will march through the streets of Greenbourn as many Dawn magic users will use their powers to launch countess of flowers in the night sky.

Forest kingdom

-Its a very hyped up event and many people from different towns go to Grenbourn on new years even just to see it.

-the other towns tend to have their own parades/street parties as well, while they're not as big as the one in Greenbourn, one thing is certain; on January 1st there will be flowers and petals scattered everywhere from the celebration of the past night.

Mountain kingdom

-During the new year an enormous aurora borealis can be seen in the night sky pretty much everywhere on the Mountain kingdom, it's a once a year event no one wants to miss. During it families tend to organize their supper on tables or picnic blankets outside their houses so that they can watch the aurora.

-Since everything is outside it ends up becoming a collective banquet, with people sharing food from each other's tables, kids running around playing and bards singing through the night as couples dance happily. Some people even challenge themselves to stay awake the whole night to not miss a second of the aurora.

-The festivities are a bit different at the Cult of the frozen guardian/Hidden salvation. While its members still watch the aurora outside their houses, this is done with everyone in a circle while they collectively pray for the frozen guardian to bless the year to come. This praying section lasts several hours and anyone who disturbs the celebration will be punished accordingly the next day.

Desert kingdom

-The Desert kingdom has the most diverse amount of new year celebrations. For the Phoenixes who are monarchy and members of the high society, an enormous gala is hosted by the queens in their castle followed by a banquet of the best food you can imagine. It's a very fancy celebration where the queens share their plans for the years to come and business deals can be made.

-Meanwhile, the rest of the population has the habit of setting off fireworks in the night sky and watching them from outside their houses, many day magic users also use their abilities to make pyrotechnic shows in the sky as well. Despite the kingdom's usual mean nature, it's one night where everyone can simply sit together and enjoy the festivities.

-The spider's in Rockyashes and rebellion members who cannot go outside due to their faces being known to the public also have a different celebration. They tend to host a party on their bases where they will talk with one another, eat and dance the night away.

Ocean kingdom

-Similar to the Desert kingdom, in the Ocean a big fancy party is hosted by the ruler for them, the monarchy and high society to enjoy. This party lasts the whole night and the Ocean kingdom royal guard has to stay guarding the perimeter through the whole event to make sure everything will go perfectly. Richer Middle class families and citizens from Shining reefs tend to host their own new year parties as well.

-For the low class citizens who live in the provinces, or anyone who used to live there but managed to rise in status, the new year's celebration is not one or partying loudly on the streets. It's a simple dinner at their houses with friends and family, a night to be thankful for getting the luxury of having your family not have been taken away from you.

-Many families tend to bake sweets and hand them to other peers and friends on new year's eve who have their own celebrations to attend as a way to show that they do care for them. Parents who've recently lost their children to the takers tend to take the night to mourn them on this date, praying that they're safe on the depths.

-Sea serpents don't really celebrate the new year, most of them see it as just another night as everything always looks and feels the same in Roaring depths. At most they will get a pat on the back from their peers or caretakers for making it to another year and that's about it. Sometimes a few serpents will sneak to the surface to look at the night sky.

Shore kingdom

-On new year's eve, Shore folk from all across the kingdom gather up on the kingdom's beaches and set up towels all across the sand where they will sit with friends and family to have their supper, watching the tides as they eat. When midnight hits multiple fireworks will be launched from behind the people and will explode over the ocean, creating a beating pyrotechnic display.

-Many people tend to go out swimming on the beach or just play in the shallow water after the firework show, some will try to jump up seven waves, as they believe this helps wash out everything bad from the previous year and bring luck for the one to come.

-Finding a serpent scale on a new year's celebration is considered a sign that something great will happen to you in the upcoming year.

Sanctuary of peace + Land of no rulers

-Sanctuary guardians don't really celebrate the new years as they can't leave their duty to go join the festivities, most used to just take it as a day ro rest easy, some would write to their families if they were still alive, and others would climb up to the highest place in the sanctuary to try and watch the festivities from afar.

-There is no official celebration at the Land of no rulers, the few people who live there tend to just go be a part of the celebration of a kingdom nearby.

[dennisboobs]

i wrote another rambly dennis analysis and deleted it <3 y'all don't need that