#supports: leif

[livingrief]

“ Finn, ”  Leif calls out to his father's knight. The past couple times they have interacted have been rocky. Well, that's been true for all their lives, hasn't it been? But still, despite the rocky cliff face, Leif still makes the effort to climb again and again. It could be foolishness. It could be stupidity. But no matter what it is, Leif still feels the desire to try.

“ Before you started taking care of me, how did you want to spend the Winter Festival? ”  It's today, after all. When he was younger, he hadn't thought to ask, there being hardly any room to celebrate during the years they were merely fending for their lives whilst on the run.  “ Festivals like these remind me of Fiana. They didn't have much, but they festivals they put on... I still liked them. I liked Fiana. ”

He's probably stating the obvious. He knows that. Yet still he does it.

“ Fish makes me think of Fiana since we had it. I hardly know how you felt about that place but... I liked that place because you were there with me, Finn, and we both got to live normally. So I caught you some fish to make it feel like we're there again! ”

But they're not. It's been quite some time since they last have been. But he still tries. Unlike the big feast he had tried to make of his dish at the banquet, the dish Leif holds out for Finn to celebrate the Winter Festival today is much more humble, much easier to carry in how it's been prepared.

“ Won't you eat with me and Nanna today?? ”

It is perhaps foolish to ask for them to be a family, hardly fitting it before, but still Leif selfishly asks so anyway, even though he had had a feeling that what Finn might want could be something else entirely. In a world where there was no Leif Faris Claus, where would Sir Finn go? Leif asks, but he knows he doesn't really want to know.

There is a part of him that is still a child, and that child clings to the metaphorical sleeve of his knight, asking him to not go, asking to emulate the tales of warm dinner tables and warmer smiles on a festive holiday night.

It's the winter festival. Today should bring happier times but such things are beyond him. The bright white of the sky begets a culling that perhaps, if he should close his eyes, all else would fade out....

But it does not. Even with eyes closed, he soon notices the approach of someone else along with a voice. Lord Leif. Had he done something to bother him?

Eyes open and Finn turns around to face his liege. It could very well be a serious matter. But Lord Leif does not have the look of a stern ruler on his face, but rather the young boy from all those years past. Finn's curiosity piques, yet he also hopes not to ruin things. He is not stupid. Finn knows that with his damp and dark expression, little would seek him out. "Lord Leif- "

But Lord Leif is all innocent questions. How did he spend the winter festival before? The question takes him by surprise. He had hardly thought about such things in years. Of course, by Lord Quan's side.....

Finn nearly blanks out. It is too much to recall too soon. But Lord Leif responds with more words. Of Fiana.  "Ah, Fiana, yes..."

Yes, Fiana. Finn did like that place. He felt safe, safer than he ever did on the run all those years, never sure if he could actually do his duty. He found capable comrades - those he could entrust his back to. In truth, the time in Fiana did really seem like a dream compared to all the rest. The few times in between when he could live and die like a man.

But fish? The idea is interesting. Finn never gave it much thought as to what he ate. He was grateful if he had the ability to even eat, after all. Then again, he did suppose Fiana was a fisherman's village. But he had no preference for any substance. Perhaps this is something that meant more to Lord Leif?

Most likely. He still struggles to understand, to really know the young man he called his liege, but perhaps if Lord Leif was trying so hard... He may as well listen.  Though strange of him to bring up Nanna as well. Was he trying to invoke the time of them all together back then? Finn thought that they were all past it. He certainly was not, a ghost stuck in the past,but... For some reason unbeknownst to the knight, a small, nostalgic smile breaks through his ice-cold and stern features. "Very well," he acquiesces. "Let us eat the fish and remember Fiana...." How strange, that Lord Leif and him would want the same thing. Though Finn's heart would always yearn to be at Lord Quan's side, he could not deny the love he had for that tiny village. The warmth and security he developed for Fiana, it was something only someone else from there could understand. But what he does not understand is why Lord Leif wishes to spend the winter festival with him. Why seek that out at all. If he merely missed Fiana, he could have spoken to Nanna instead....

But Finn chooses not to broach the subject. Not for today at least. Lord Leif seemed so happy, after all. He was tired. Tired of doing everything wrong and being everything wrong. "Well, you should go fetch Nanna, then. Let us sit together and eat, like old times." He knows not why his heart aches but it does. For an older time when Leif and Nanna were still little and he could protect them under his wing.  Why would he miss such a thing? Well, it's not like they needed him anymore.....

[duusheen]

The January edition of Simstar features the new famous face in the Bay on the cover! 🕵🏽‍♀️

[mouse-drawings]

Surprise! It's a wanted criminal!

A silly thing that came to me in a dream.

[dantes-number-1-fanboy]

I also like My inner demons :)

[valeriefauxnom]

The Only Tierlist that Matters(tm)

'Best in Element' this, 'Best character that'...

Here's the only thing that you need to know about Dragalia and its lore: who's the best at Alberian Chess.

A fair portion of this is both evidenced and guesswork. Evidenced guesswork? I'll just walk through my analysis for anyone going ??.

In short, I think Leonidas is the best chess player shown. Leif outright states him to be a 'particularly cunning opponent' in comparison to Chelle and Phares, whom he both considers very skilled. Leonidas is the only one to have beaten Leif.

So if 1st and 2nd are locked, I'd say it's a more blurry picture between Phares and Chelle. Chelle I put lower just for the fact she explicitly finds Alberian chess a bit 'too restrictive' in rules and thus might not be quite as studious or caring of its games, and with Phares seemingly capable of getting Leonidas heated while appearing calm himself in "A Royal Tea Party", I think he might be better by at least a little bit. We know the current Chelle vs. Leif meta is a Leif win (though starting to tax/surprise him), but alas, we've no Phares-Chelle or Phares-Leif matchup to settle the big dog league for good.

A tier brings in Regina, who is only A just because I don't have any evidence to suggest how she might stack up against our formidable S-tiers. She's also native in a different variety of Alberian Chess, which further complicates how she could adapt against the southern rules most other players use here. In her own league, who knows? She could be S.

Discount Deku-looking-creature- er, Eugene, is shown to be a very skilled player, and yet his record is 0-2 vs. Leif, Leif not feeling incredibly threatened both times, and so A he goes.

Valyx here is mostly from a lack of evidence, as we never really see him play chess to my knowledge, but Leif at least will endorse him to be a skilled player. For Leif, no.2, that counts for something, and so into A he goes. We would need more sibling match-ups to see how he stacks up against his elders.

Ilia is similarly fuzzy in exact placement but we do know that Leonidas does not feel threatened by her, implying at least some tangible gulf in talent that I think bumps her down at least one tier. That being said, he also compliments her as skilled in reading his intent in chess, which, since Leo is no.1, having good reads on him is likely a very strong point to succeeding in Alberian chess. Besides, if it's 'Alberian' chess to begin with, she very well might have only recently learned the game, as Alberia as a state only started to exist 700 years after her time. That she's this good already is impressive!

Aurien provides some distinguishment between himself and Eugene by losing against him. He's still high up because Euden is very surprised he lost, and had made it in the chess tournament far. He seems to be pretty keen on the strategic understanding of the game, as well.

Falling all the way to D, we've Pinon, who understands some of the principles of strategy, etc, but still is inclined to making big mistakes for players like Regina to exploit. Even when she tries to bring back and challenge Regina with the southern rules she's learned from her travels there, Regina can still beat her comfortably.

Euden just wanted to be in 'E' tier because of his name No, it's mostly because he only just started learning at Gala Leif time in canon. And Euden... doesn't exactly seem to have a natural gift, as, per him when learning:

Or, more eloquently,

In short, he's not quite 'moving pieces at random' F tier for a complete novice, but we just have no evidence he's grown since. He's simply too busy fighting a war and having identity crises and stopping the Halidom from being blown up for the 3rd time today to have much time to practice, either. That being said, since Leif was the one to first start instructing him, he might very well have an edge when it comes to getting better over time!

[amatsuken]

“ Hey, are you alright? You were pretty loud in that game over there. ”  The announcer had already attracted attention, and Leif had considered spectating, but it was when one person from that side of the beach had been shouting curses left and right that it had really pulled him from his thoughts elsewhere. Thinking to investigate it, he comes in at the tail-end when the woman in question had already been eliminated, hobbling away.

He still doesn't know what happened in the game but... 

“ Your foot looks pretty bad. ”  Her sandals make it a bit easier to discern than otherwise. He kneels, offering,  “ I'm a healer. I can heal this for you. I can't imagine you'd want to keep it like this... Is that alright?? ”

Though her foot is wounded, nothing has taken more damage than her pride has. To be defeated so swiftly in this game-- by a CRUSTACEAN, no less. A tiny creature who was no bigger than even a fraction of her foot! Yet that lifeform held more bloodlust than some massive beasts she's seen, judging by how readily and quickly it decided to latch on. Say'ri almost wishes it pinched Darios, too. So another may share in her pain, yet she does realize it's a petty thought. An unfamiliar voice calls to her, and she feels her face heating up upon recalling that LITERALLY EVERYONE just watched her freak out because of a crab. A clearing of her throat follows as she steels herself for the conversation to come, hoping desperately it's not one made to poke fun at the situation. And it's not. The boy shows genuine concern, and she blinks for a few moments before offering him a smile. She's no stranger to various cuts and bruises, and this is nothing compared to what she went through alongside Chrom... "That's very kind of you, sir," She opts for taking a seat on a nearby bench, sighing as she tilts her head back slightly. " 'Tis not as bad as it seems. I believe I am more anguished over my pathetic reasoning for a loss..." Speaking of which. Where is that crab?

There's a split second where Say'ri feels her blood run cold, because in the moments that Leif kneels before her... she sees the little bastard, set free by Darios's hand as it skitters towards her newfound ally.

It's at his-- his butt. She stares it down, mortified, opening her mouth to speak with sweat beading at her forehead and a shaky hand pointing. It's already raising its deadly little claw, reaching out for an innocent man's hind end. "Sir, wait-- Behind you--"

[xerith-42]

My Inner Demons Stoner Headcanons

Part 3 in my Stoner Headcanons series!

Fuck you I love this show and think it's the perfect setting for stupid shenanigans like this

Leif learns what weed is from TV (mainly cop shows) and knows Ava won't answer if he asks so he just asks Mrs Oats when Ava isn't around and she gives him some because she just has a medical card.

Leif fucking loves it. My man has such a hard time relaxing because he is always ready for a threat, always ready to kill, that he's honestly forgot what real relaxation feels like until this funny little plant turns his brain off.

He shows it to Asch first, who quite enjoys the ability to actually lower his guard. That and they don't have to use the lighter that still doesn't make sense. They can just have Asch light the blunt.

Rhys catches them smoking one time, but Leif is so chilled out he just passes the joint to Rhys and badly explains how to use it. Rhys does not have a good time initially, but he eventually settles into it. He decides he likes second hand smoke more than ingesting it directly

Noi is scared of smoking because his body is already considerably weaker due to his lack of magic. He's too scared to bring this up because he doesn't think there's an alternative, but Mrs. Oats leaves them a goody basket one day, saying she made too many sweets to eat on her own. There's a bag of "special" gummy bears for Noi.

Now I'm imaging Noi eating like 20 of them and not realizing they were edibles and going straight to god. Like he's just lying in his bed thinking about Ava, he blinks and then he just sees the portal of truth.

Pierce is the last to discover it, and he never voices an opinion on it. If he happens to walk into the room where it's being smoked, he'll join the rotation for a hit or two, but then he just leaves. He lies to lie on the floor of Ava's apartment with Johnny on his lap and just relax. Ava's caught him, but he's usually asleep, so she doesn't realize he's baked as fuck in his dreams.

The plot twist is that Ava has a medical card she just has to keep it hella on the down low for her dad's campaign. He wants to make it legal recreational, but until then, she has to be fuckin chill about it. One time Leif walks into her room without knocking to ask her something and despite everything seeming normal, he stops and then sniffs the air. And then he sees Ava's slightly bloodshot eyes.

I feel like Lorelei isn't an active stoner, she's the kind of person who only smokes around her friends who smoke. She never smoked it with Ava (because Ava's actually really good about hiding it), but one time she visits Ava's apartment and catches Leif about to duck into the portal to their place and he has a fresh joint in his hand. Instead of just smoking it on his own, Leif actually smokes it with her and hotboxes Ava's bathroom.

Oh god Ava getting sick at the festival because she took a hit off a vape before going on a roller coaster the fuckin dumb ass.

When they're forced to go back home Leif is pissed for a lot of reasons, but partially because he doesn't have his stash on him :(

[failnaughted]

[ TOWEL ]

“ Whoa, you must've been one of the people still caught out in the storm! ”  Leif exclaims upon seeing Claude still drenched when most people had already been dried off.  “ I can grab you something. Wait right here!! ”

And true to Leif's word, he bolts, but not too long after, he's sliding down the railing of the Viscount's staircase, towel in hand as he leaps off of said railing and somersaults right in front of the house leader once more. Once both feet are safely on the ground, he stands up straight and properly offers the towel now.  “ Here. ”  

As Claude dries off, Leif muses,  “ That's the second time you've been caught in a bad situation while I've known you. First the Knight's Hall... ”

One time with fire, the next with water. Go figure.

“ Damn. Tough luck. ”  A nod of sad sympathy. 

By Cichol's beard, that storm came outta nowhere. One minute, everyone was dancing and chattering away, and the next, the whole group was bolting to the estate, trying to preserve at least one dry spot on their bodies. For Claude's part, he doesn't think he managed that objective.

It's good therefore that he quickly bumps into Leif once inside, and the young man seems ever eager to offer assistance. Most eager indeed, Claude thinks, holding back laughter as the brunet pulls off a performance he would expect in a circus.

"Agile, aren't you?" He points out, nodding as he accepts the towel with a smile. "Thanks for the help."

He doesn't say more on the matter, for two reasons. One, he knows that those, too, are skills that pay off on a battlefield, and even from what little he's seen of Leif, he's gotten the impression that the guy has more experience with that than someone his age has any right to be.

Two, who is he to talk after that one time he flew his wyvern upside down?

"Heh. Guess that's how the god of fate has their fun," Claude chuckles at the comment, utterly unbothered. "Well, I prefer to think about it this way: I've gotten out of both of these because of your help, haven't I? So thanks for that," he nods with a light wink, before reaching into his pocket and producing the string of small pearls he had been given on entrance.

"Can I offer one of those as gratitude?"

[displaced-tactician]

[ CRUISE ]

Not too long after Morgan has met with Nanna, fate puts her en route to cross paths with another one of the people she read in that same battle report, albeit on a completely different part of the ship entirely. Leif is looking out at the sea when he turns to see the tactician alone, a specific bracelet charm on her wrist.

“ Oh, you're one of the other guests then, right? ”  he calls out to her, gesturing to her bracelet.  “ If you have one of those, are you willing to trade? I'm looking for a lot of those pearls. ”

He thinks for a moment before he settles on the strategy:

“ I'll show you a trick with magic and the ocean if my own pearl isn't enough for yours. ”

Morgan had left Nanna after trading charms and went to another part of the ship to just… decompress. That was such a confusing… oh no someone else greeted her. She turned around to see… again someone vaguely familiar. Someone probably in the battle reports again.

Thank Naga he didn’t just start monologuing at her. That would have been… annoying? Yeah annoying. Maybe too much to deal with at least at this current moment.

He was straight forward and was about to just say yes to the trade, but then he offered to show her a magic trick. She couldn’t resist that!

“Ooooo a magic trick? Since you offered I’ll take you up on it!” Morgan replied, obviously a bit excited. “If it has to do with the ocean I don’t imagine I’ll need to take a card from your hand… right?”

@diadic

[klisilk]

Ok yall, so MY INNER DEMONS SEASON 2??????? I GET LEIF BACK, MY BOOYYYYYYYYYYYY

[machiot]

“ Oh, Marni! ”  Leif calls out after doing a double-take.  “ That IS you, isn't it? ”

He jogs ahead to catch up to her on the beach, more certain of it the closer he gets.

“ I almost didn't recognize you without your armor. It was very distinctive. But... up close, it really is definitely you. ”  He nods.  “ You even have the same hearts and ribbons and colors... Do you make your armor yourself then?? ”

Or, man, it must be an expensive commission job. He can't imagine it *not* being custom-made when he remembers its details and silhouette.

“ I don't know your plans for tonight, but how about we trade bracelet charms? Consider it thanks for helping me back then with the guards in the mine. ”

Leif is greeted by Marni waving excitedly at him as he jogs over to her, ribbons on her sleeves flapping wildly with the motion.

"Emblem Leif! Or I guess you're wearing different clothes, so that makes you regular ol' Leif." She leans forward and squints. "And you've got a new piercing, too. Huh. Neat!"

It's such a simple yet strange thing to remember that he's a real person who can also change his appearance. He's not just a silent phantom, but a real boy who can wear his hair differently than usual and run around on a beach.

"Haha, I was one of Lord Sombron's favorites, y'know? Anything I wanted, I could have—armor, axes, shields, all custom made in my favorite style! Cool, right?"

Tying a ribbon on an axe could hardly be considered truly custom compared to the metal details on her armor or shield, but eh. Details.

Was, though. There's that pesky past tense again. She was one of his favorites. She was a lot of things that she isn't anymore.

Shaking off the clouds threatening to cloud her heart, Marni accepts the offer, "I'll trade with you! Just imagine how people will be jealous when they hear I got to trade charms with Emblem Leif as thanks! Oh, but if you want to thank me more by telling everyone that the charm you got from me is the best one, that's fine, too."

[anruraiocht]

[ CARRIAGE LINE ]

Awkward though it might be on the surface for the two to interact again, given the nature of their last encounter and what their shared nation required of them, when Leif sees Miranda, he finds himself with a burden lifted off his shoulders.

After all, she was the one who reminded him to look forward— of his lingering dissatisfactions and how he could not compromise no matter if it felt easier to do so. She herself wouldn't accept his attempts to do so even if he tried, and knowing that, in one way, he really did feel like he needed to catch up to her.

Oh, how the tables have turned since their days of youth.

So he had asked it of her casually enough to split the carriage fee to save on costs, promising none of that attitude from before. He exits and before he can run off too far, he helps her down out of the carriage too. Everything's smooth sailing to a degree, with the valet who stops them giving them both their respective bracelets and giving them basic instructions before sending them on their way.

“ Miranda, I thought of what you said earlier. I haven't accomplished everything I've set out to do yet. But I want to use this ball to set myself towards that path, ”  he declares to her.  “ To that end, might I count on you to support me? I would like to ask you for your bracelet charm and use it as a reminder of what I set out to do— your words will be my first steps towards my goal. I'll hand you mine too, of course. ”

The carriage ride had been quiet, one that Miranda had spent with her arms crossed and her gaze firmly fixed out of the window. She had shut down every attempt at conversation with clipped responses, resolving not to speak any more than strictly necessary of her. Even after Leif helps her down from the carriage, all he gets is a huffy thanks and a suspicious glare for his courteousness.

This is how things should be, one could argue. A prince escorting a princess to a ball; a classically romantic notion. But the truth is once Miranda sets foot on the ground, they will part. His escorting ends once the bracelets are fixed to both of their wrists and they will go their separate ways to enjoy the night in their own ways.

Just like last year, they arrive at the ball and are told to play a game of collection meant to encourage intermingling at this social event.

They're no longer children, but they keep coming back to these childish games like clockwork. The world demands maturity from them both and punishes them viciously for failing, but in these moments of peace, they always seem to return to to an echo of a time they can never return to. The days of their youth will never come back, but the only way to walk from here is forward.

Leif clad in the clothing of his beloved and Miranda clad in colors of her own.

"Very well, Prince Leif," Miranda sighs, unhooking the charm she had only just received from the valet. "I will give you my charm. However! If you do not accomplish your goal tonight, do not bother coming back to me! I will not suffer your bellyaching over... er, whatever it is you plan to do with all of these charms. I will not forgive you if you fail even after receiving my charm first! My pride is riding on your success, so do not dare betray me by failing!"

Both back then and now, she had always planned on supporting him regardless.

[laslow]

[ BIRTHDAY GIFT ] 

“ Inigo! You look like you fit right in here, ”  Leif calls out in greeting to the dancer, waving his hand as he moves his way on over.  “ Your clothing looks like a similar material to what I wore growing up too. You must be one of the most comfortable people here.

“ Did you come with flowers for your gift? I'd considered making a bouquet like you taught me, but I wasn't sure how to do it for someone I don't know very well... ”  he admits. 

"Ah, hel-lo, Leif!" Laslow returns the wave, then rests his hand atop his hip. "Oh, this? Why, thank you! Comfort is everything when dancing, you know."

He assesses Leif's outfit, noting the fine detailing on his shirt lapels and the rakish addition of an earring, of all things. "You look rather dashing yourself! Is the piercing new?"

Touched, Laslow shakes his head. "Alas, no flowers for me tonight. I worried they wouldn't survive the trip here, for one, and two...." he trails off with a shrug. "This young man strikes me as someone accustomed to more, ah, material gifts. Still! You don't need to know a person to brighten their day with a flower."

A brief pause. "Oh! How fares your lady love?"

[chryssaetos]

[ ADRESTIA ] 

The Ethereal Ball is no stranger to dances, and furthermore it is no stranger to pushing complete stranger together through the trading off of partners at specific musical cues. In the end, this places Leif in the path of a man he's never seen before with a distinct style of dress. That on its own piques his interest, but when he takes a closer look...

“ Did you make that other necklace yourself? The one without the pearls, ”  Leif asks.  “ It looks well-made. I'm not much for handicrafts myself, but I make my own fishing lures from feathers and scales or horsehair when I can. ”

The music starts up, however.

“ Oh, right! We're supposed to be dancing. I got so interested, I almost forgot. ”  Falling in line with social pressures, Leif extends his hand to join with the other man's.  “ While we dance, I'd like to learn more about your necklace. I can give you my own pearl charm if you need it too afterwards if you want something in exchange for it. ”

When someone compliments something you're wearing, your first instinct probably shouldn't be to hide it away, if not leave entirely.

But that's just the kind of person he's become, Sin supposes, someone who wants to stay away from peering eyes and the avarice of the settled. Let none say that Sin of the Kutolah is ashamed of his blood, but... Bern's war had changed things. Changed how he feels the gaze of others on his back.

It is only at his Lord's command that he had thought differently of his old way of living, letting himself be curious about the world outside Sacae instead of retreating back into that steppe his heart knows best, and it hasn't gone... Terribly, he supposes?

"...Thank you." Sin is always a bit terse, but tonight there's a devastating shyness somewhere deep in there, too — People don't tend to regard him like this; take him by the hand, tell him he's more than just a good soldier. "I did."

He remembers the feeling well, horsehair and wool coming together to make something stronger than both their parts... It makes Sin wonder: Is that what the point of these dances are? Even as he's cajoled into steps he doesn't know by a man he's never met, it's hard to feel nervous.

"...That's fine. Your favor for mine."

Above all, Sin finds himself magnetized by this man's eyes. What dreams he must have, to make them shine so... Perhaps, one day, he'll have a dream of his own to stare ahead towards, to guide him like his Lord has.

[reddragonprincess]

♡

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●●○○○ | ATTRACTION ●●○○○ | AFFECTION ●●●○○ | INTEREST ●●●○○ | LOYALTY ●●●●○ | TRUST

"Leif is a determined student—sharp, focused, and always ready to learn. We've spent a some time training together, lastly in the skies" she thought back about their ground training sessions too, but she was obviously more eager to teach him about the sky and the ride of a wyvern.

"He’s improving quickly, and I can see real promise in him. It’s… nice, actually. Guiding him feels rewarding. I trust him more with each flight"

[grxstnnefealltoir]

🎲 sword guys v2 ‼️

The training grounds were alive and well with the clash of metal against metal. The dance they weaved led the cacophony until they had been the only two left standing. Keeping up with someone was one thing, besting them was another entirely. Even as he attempted to slip up his opponent, all he could truly do was keep up. Until luck fell onto his side. A foot extended too far left plenty of room for him to take advantage of that shifted balance. His own leg used to lock it in place while his elbow came straight down onto Leif's thigh, sword held high just in case. As much as he considered it the correct move, it was not. His own balance was touch and go as was from fatigue well...the position of holding Leif off balance didn't really help him keep his own. The clatter of sword on the ground follows his fall forward into his opponent and he is left lying half atop the man. "Quite the way to end such a drawn out bout." He propped himself up on his arms. "It's not everyday I find myself so easily matched. You have my thanks." He spares a glance to the leg he'd so unceremoniously elbowed and placed a small kiss over it before smiling. "I've nary a healing staff nor vulnerary on me so that's all I can offer at the moment but we can spare a trip by the priests if it begins hurting in any way."