#I live on the only continent that is ruled by one country

[corkinavoid]

DPxDC Fae!Danny But Make It Fantasy

I've already made a whole Changeling AU with fae!Danny, but guess what, I have decided not to achieve any level of chill with fae ideas.

We all know Danny is Ghost Kind. Now, what if he is a Fae Prince? A Prince of Winter, to be exact. Imagine all the ice castles (Elsa, I'm looking at you), the snowy lands, northern lights in his crown, a cape made of tiny ornate snowflakes. Crystalline ice swords, skin so white he doesn't even look alive, eyes clear and blue like a frozen lake. Formal gowns, ballrooms, duels and carriages pulled by horses made of snowstorms.

He used to be a changeling, put in place of Dan. Grew up in a village with his parents being witch hunters, or maybe just hunters in general. Meanwhile Dan, a human child whose place he took, grew up in a fae realm, surrounded by magic creatures and miracles.

But Danny couldn't hide he was a fae his whole life. He used to look human when he was a baby, but as the time went by, he started to look more and more fae-like. Jazz was the first to notice it, of course, but this was Danny, a child she practically raised, so she dealt with it. Their parents, though, did not.

Sam and Tucker are in the know, for sure. Sam used this opportunity to learn witchcraft - who is better to learn from than an actual fae? Tucker is a blacksmith, as is his family. The first thing he asked Danny when he discovered he is a fae, was "how in the seven kingdoms are you a fae, and you decided a blacksmith is your best friend?" because, honestly, not even Fentons have so much iron around them as Tucker does.

Now, you may be thinking of where the DC part comes in here.

Well, the Waynes are actually the royal family. Bruce is the King of Gotham, and his children are princes, princesses, and heirs. They are also protecting the country not only by the word of the law, but also from the other, more shady side. I think they should go by Shadows, not Bats, though, since I doubt a name like 'Batman' would fly in the fantasy world.

Constantine is a mage, the strongest one alive, and yet he couldn't care less for his uniqueness if he tried for a week. Diana is the Queen of Themyskira, of course. I think Krypton should be its own country or a continent, ruled by the family of El. Although Jon is the first heir to a throne, due to Kon being, well, a bastard in terms of medieval customs.

After Danny's race is found out by his parents, he leaves for the fae realm, and he offers his friends and his sister to join him. Tucker refuses, Sam and Jazz take him up on that, but Sam leaves shortly after - she mostly used it to get away from her overbearing parents. She is now a witch who lives in the woods all alone, and no one can find her. She keeps contact with Danny, though. Jazz is traveling both the fae and the human realms, just having fun with it.

Jason is part-fae. After he died, a cult has abducted his body - the cult leader being Ra's, of course - and used it for an experiment. They used some fae magic to bring him back, or, maybe, they have tried to merge a fae and a human, creating a chimera. This was the first option of Ra's trying to get closer to Bruce in order to take power. It was not a very successful option since both Jason and whatever was left of the fae inside him decided not to obey the madman.

Damian was... slightly more successful. He was not merged with anything, but his development was magically enhanced.

And now, while Danny is back in the fae realm and he is a crowned Prince of Winter, Clockwork has a problem. He knows humans are afraid of fae, but this is not a very productive way to go. And there is a timeline somewhere there that can fix it.

Of course, Danny is right in the middle of that timeline. Now, Clockwork just needs to find a way to help Danny make an alliance with humans.

[styllwaters]

KNIGHT ETHNIC GROUPS, ORDERS AND CULTURES: A GUIDE

MAP OF ETTERA (Knight Homeplanet)

Standard map [continents shown]

Regional map [territories shown]

✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦

I have here a weeks worth of writing and art because I for some reason enjoy torturing myself! I've been slaving away at this for so long but it's finally done and polished. So! As promised, I'm gonna talk a bit about the different Knight cultures/ethnicities, territories and general social structure.

Knights are one of my alien sophont civilisations from my Vivere 44 headworld. Here are more links from my previous posts:

Introductory post

Knight deities

Knight languages and names

With that being said, worldbuilding textwalls below the cut!

____

First, an explanation of the maps.

CONTINENTS

There are three main continents on Ettera. The two polar landmasses are Thannoeh in the northern end and Nahrui in the southern end. Thannoeh is divided by east and west, and is home to the two major Polar Knight nations. Nahrui is not occupied by any, aside from explorers or scientists. For many Knights, it is a strange, enigmatic land and a topic of great curiosity. In the middle is Val-srat; the central continent inhabited by Mountain and Plains Knights. The landmass is named as such because it is often represented in folklore as a Knight, with Valazear (the ‘Host’) being the southern Plains territories and Srati (the ‘Helmet’) being the northern Mountain territories. The Ihmna Stretch is the section of land connecting the two countries - ‘Ihmna’ is the Ferhahti word for the Integrator organ which joins the host and helmet’s consciousness.

Plant life on Ettera takes on hues of red and orange.

____

Before I get into the different ethnicities, I should elaborate more on how Knight Orders are structured and the different titles; some of the clothing articles are specific to status.

SOCIAL STRUCTURE

Most Knights live in groups called ‘Orders’, which I talked more about in this ask.

The standard roles for an Order are as follows:

Commander - Makes decisions, protects and supports the group. Commanders lead the Order across difficult terrain, plan out hunts, and take care of their members. A Commander might be chosen based on generational succession, experience, or strength. Depending on the rules of the Order, a Commander might be challenged by a Knight who desires their position, although only an elite or lieutenant would be permitted to do this. In more traditional and conservative orders Commanders are always Pike-forts.

Lieutenant - Second in command. The Lieutenant is the Commander’s primary advisor and runs the Order when they are unable to. A Commander may train their lieutenant to one day take their place as leader, or a lieutenant might serve multiple generations of Commanders without ever challenging them.

Elites - A selection of Knight soldiers who are exceptionally experienced, strong and fast. Highly respected by the rest of the Order and carry out important duties such as organisation. They have the highest chance of being the next lieutenant or Commander. 

Soldiers - The main body of the Order, fully grown Knights who are proficient in all the skills necessary for survival. Soldiers are tasked with a variety of jobs to keep the Order healthy and running: they are also farmers, medics, entertainers, strategists, builders, etc. 

Scouts - Scouts are Knights who make reconnaissance trips for the Order. Their job is to gather information about a potential area to settle or travel through. Scouts also have a range of other responsibilities, such as acting as lookouts, messengers, and taking care of Pages.

There are two types of Scouts - temporary and permanent. Temporary scouts are Squires (16-17 years) who have completed their training and are performing Expeditions, which they are required to do before becoming a full soldier. On Expeditions two or three Scouts will travel a certain distance away from the Order, sometimes miles away, to deliver goods to other Orders or to simply evaluate an area/route. Permanent scouts are lower-ranked Knights who are unable to become Soldiers, prefer a caretaker role, or have been relegated to the position.

Squires - Knights in training. Squires learn from a Soldier assigned to teach them. They may be tutored one-on-one, or taught in a group. They learn the ways of the Order and the world around them. Squires will often be assigned small hunting trips with their tutor, or cleaning jobs. Typically aged 7-15 years.

Pages - The youth of the Order, Knights aged 0-6 years. The pages are fiercely protected by every member of the Order. A newborn Helmet or Host will stay with their birth parent/s until they have assimilated, in which care duty is passed on to a permanent Scout. The Scout raises the Pages alongside several others until they are ready to become Squires.

This structure originated from Mountain Orders and spread to Plains and Polar regions a long time ago. Of course, not every Order follows this plan exactly, and there are countless variations. Some Knights don't live in Orders at all, and may live in pairs (which is common for travelling merchants and explorers) or small groups. Very rarely, a Knight may travel alone. This is the case for exiles.

____

You may already be familiar with the Mountain, Plains and Polar Knight regional varieties, but within these subspecies are various ethnic groups.

THE ETHNICITIES

✦ MOUNTAIN ✦

✦ Ferhahti [Ferhaht]

The Ferhahti Knights are an ethnic group located in the Ferhaht territory of Srati. Their thick fur is of various shades of grey and grey-blue. Their clothing styles are typically beige and tan, often complete with rectangular tassels and red accents. The Ferhahti have a ‘New Years’ festival called Khulaam in which they call upon Etteran spirits to bless them with good harvests, hunting and rain. During these festivals there is music, food, dancing and socialising with others. Allied Orders, usually 2-5, will come together to celebrate. Celebrations last five days. Alliances may be temporary or long-lasting, but the Orders will go on a hunt on the final day to bring down a large quarry. Oftentimes there will be a ‘Herald’ dancer who bears a flag on their horn, depicting glyphs of good fortune. 

Since the Ferhahti and Kaata territories are neighbouring, and have no physical borders, Orders from both lands will often meet to trade goods and information. Many Plains-Mountain hybrids are of Ferhahti and Kaata descent due to the close proximity of the nations. 

NOTE: Plains and Mountain Knights are capable of producing hybrid offspring, although they will be infertile. Neither Plains nor Mountain Knights can produce viable hybrids with Polar Knights.

✦ Fejga [Fejg]

Fejga Knights (pronounced Fej-ya) make their home in the Fejg archipelago. They are generally of a bulkier physique than other Mountain Knights, have a coat of thick fur and are well adjusted to chillier climates. They also sport a ‘saddle’ marking on their backs and are likely to have mottled/freckled patterns and blue eyes. Their Orders are partially seafaring, with many sailing from island to island in magnificent ships. Fishing is a large part of their lifestyles as the sea provides a stable source of food. 

Their clothes are frequently made from leather and wool from domesticated animals. It is deceptively thin, as their pelts already provide natural insulation from the cold. Fejga Commanders wear three silver piercings on their Helmets.

✦ Svunacht [Svun]

Svunacht Knights live within the mountain-bordered territory of Svun and the island of Naahek. Orders have a special ceremony for choosing their Commander. The next in line, usually a chosen Host and Helmet born of the previous Commander and their partner, must journey across the Asall mountain range which borders Svun. It is a treacherous, long passage, and requires the Knight to wear a mask to block out the searing winds. They must also wear a spiked collar as a traditional accessory and safety measure to deter larger predators which roam the mountains. They are forbidden from carrying firearms, only armed with a knife, their wits, and natural defences. Ceremonial garments are required, passed down through generations, and three slips of fabric are worn on their horn for good luck: representing strength, wisdom and tenacity. The journey, called the Meha, is the final step in a long series of rigorous training for future successors. 

The painting of Helmets is also a large part of Svunacht culture. It is typically only reserved for Commanders, Lieutenants or Elites. 

★ PLAINS ★

★ Kaata [Kaat]

Kaata Knight Orders inhabit the deserts of Kaat. They are perfectly suited to desert life, their tan coats reducing heat absorbed from the sun. Kaata Knights make their clothing from woven fibres of plants that are garnished with gold pigments derived from a natural mineral found in the sands. They are especially known for their proficiency in fine crafts, and often trade jewellery to Ferhahti Orders across the Ihmna Stretch connecting Kaat and Ferhaht. Kaata clothing tends to be highly detailed and ornamental, with shiny beads adorning arm cuffs, necklaces, mandible rings and horn sleeves. The many gemstone and fossil deposits in Kaat are also incorporated into their styles. Like the Svunacht Knights, Kaata also paint their Helmets, although the practice is not restricted to any particular titles.

★ Saisala [Saisal]

Saisala Knights live in and around the deltas and rivers of Saisal, the southernmost territory of Val-srat. The area is filled with marshlands and everglades, and the weather is more wet and humid than the dry plains of Kaat. Saisala forts sport a dark reddish mane that grows right down their backs and bears some resemblance to maned wolves. Their pikes have hooked horns and sloping spines, as well as more ‘splotchy’ red stripes. Their Helmet eyes also have a pale ring around their pupils.

Saisala clothing styles are characterised by draping, ovular shapes and translucent sections of fabric. The green and gold drapes in the drawing are traditional wedding garments, complete with rounded tassels and a horn extension for pikes. The hanging ‘coins’ have engravings which tell a short but sweet poem.

★ Yaemioui [Yaemiou]

Yaemioui Orders live in a similar environment to Saisala Knights, in the wetland territories of Yaemiou. Their coats are pale like Kaata, but come in a greater combination of hues such as orange, grey and vermilion. Fun fact: all Plains Host pups are born with faint spots to help them camouflage, like lion cubs. Most lose these markings as they grow older, but Yaemioui hosts retain them even in adulthood. Their patterns are similar to painted dogs. The Yaemioui have a rich storytelling culture and have records dating back thousands of years.

Their clothing styles utilise dusky, non-bright colours that are usually two-piece. The outfit in the picture is worn by an elder Pike-fort who has carried and sired many offspring. The spine extensions are an indicator of age and experience, and a mark of high respect. The scarf around their neck depicts circles symbolising their Helmet children, and the circles on the larger cloth represent their Host progeny. 

★ Balkzaiinu [Balkzaii]

On the island of Balkzaii reside the Balkzaiinu Knights, who have dark stripes on both their Hosts and Helmets and short curly fur. Unlike other Orders, Balkzaiinu communities rarely ever hunt - they were one of the first countries to develop farming and agriculture, and import a lot of domesticated animals to Saisal and Yaemiou. They are also the only country that has no Commanders in their Orders, and decisions are made by a council of higher-ups. They live in a tropical climate which receives lots of rainfall and cyclones. They are also masters in boat making and sailing, and contacted the mainland several centuries ago. Balkzaiinu have different decency standards than other Plains Knights, and in their culture it is considered proper to cover the neck area. Their clothing is generally layered and contains colourful, square designs.

✧ POLAR ✧

✧ Aikka [Ehtte Thannoeh]

Aikka Knights have domain over the Eastern section of Thannoeh. The polar word for East is Ehtte, and West Uesse. Since the country is so close to the Fegj archipelago, the two have been in contact for a long time.

Aikka have pristine white fur and a slightly bluish tinge to their Helmets. As with all Polar Knights, they are much smaller than their Plains or Mountain relatives, but are incredibly tough and hardy as a result of surviving in one of the harshest biomes. Ehtte Thannoeh is associated with scientific prowess, discovery and knowledge, and many famous Knight explorers are from Thannoeh. There are several research stations on Nahrui that are run and managed by Aikka; they have no difficulty working in the icy environment. Aikka Knights are also experts in carving, sculpting figurines and charms from the ivory tusks of marine animals. The outfit depicted in the drawing shows an Aikka Scout wearing a pendant with a carved basilosaurus-like animal for spiritual protection. These pendants are often given by parents to children. Their coat has six pockets for navigational instruments, goggles, knives, a spyglass, medical equipment and more. 

✧ Myet [Uesse Thannoeh]

Myet Orders have less contact with other regions than Aikka. Residing in Uesse Thannoeh, Many of them live further inland. Myet Hosts have a more yellowish tinge to their fur and their Pike Helmets have a tan stripe. The Helmets also have a more rounded 'snout'. They have managed to domesticate a large predator which defends their camps and is used as a mount/companion. Like the Balkzaiinu, Myet Orders have a different structure than most, having two Commanders, usually a mated pair, and no lieutenants or elites.

Myet clothing is more minimal than Aikka styles. They usually cover the back with a ‘saddle’ and manipulators with gloves. The outfit drawn is of a Commander, distinguished by the ring of fabric around their horn and eye makeup. In their backpack they carry hunting weapons, and wear a knife sheathed at their side.

_________________

And that's a wrap! Thank you for reading, this project is truly a delight to work on. I leave you with some messy concept art I did a while ago for Mountain Knight clothing styles.

[jinbugs]

VIVERE

“Do you think you deserve it? To be punished?” “I think so, yes.”

A Pathfinder 2e Campaign Introduction Post!

MEET THE PARTY:

REVUN (@dovelydraws)

26 years old

he/they/she

A duel-wielding tiefling fighter. Easy-going freelance mercenary from Alephia, looking for a job that pays well and a little company.

FERRA (@artpepkin)

87 years old

she/her

A beastkin elven rogue from Chiei Thya. Playful vagabond who finds herself wherever the wind takes her. She's maybe gotten herself in a little over her head.

POLITES (@mossy-garden)

17 years old

he/him

A tiefling champion. Proud kingdom guard of Crimyria under the goddess Vildeas, who is willing and anxious to prove himself.

KWAN (@jinbugs)

39 years old

he/they/she

A human investigator. Cunning Po Lian scholar-official informant who is in pursuit of a dangerous secret, the centurion pearl. At any cost.

Glitch (@eternalglitch), our game master, weaves all our loose threads into one coherent story.

One fun rule we’ve incorporated into this campaign: players CANNOT share their character backstories with each other outside of gameplay.

It gives more mystery fun! It’s also driving us insane. Pray for us.

(Map created by @dovelydraws, summary also written by Dove)

A lot has gone into the cultures and politics of each of the countries our characters come from. Enough so that it doesn't make sense to get into all of it on an introductory post! But perhaps later in a reblog.

THE STORY SO FAR…

As of the writing of this post, we have now played 5 sessions of the campaign.

Our party all met each other in the small seaside town of Plumeport, Crimyria. We were all brought together in pursuit of the same thing: a legendary man-eating boar, said to hold the power of immortality.

It is believed that consuming the flesh of this boar would grant eternal life, and even just a bit of its fur or blood can extend a person's life, for a time. The King of Crimyria himself has offered whoever can take down this boar a large sum of wealth and a small offering of its blood for personal consumption. He wants the job to be done in time for the Crimyrian Festival of Flight, in a couple months time.

The bounty on the boar's head has drawn adventurers from all over the continent, but none so far have been able to take it down. Many have lost their lives. While each of our party members have their own reasons for wanting to take on this job, Kwan has a very personal stake in their success.

He has, reluctantly, revealed that he once knew the boar before it obtained the power it has today. He has reason to believe it has swallowed something once known as a centurion pearl: a powerful artifact that caused the fall of a once great kingdom, and threw the continent into tumultuous conflict. Kwan is adamant that this power should not be handed over to any king. Once it is killed, they want to extract the pearl from its body to make sure it can never fall into the wrong hands.

So far, Kwan has only revealed this to Revun. Polites, meanwhile, works directly under the king and wants to succeed on this mission to make him proud. Ferra seems to only be interested in the money and adventure. Revun has also said they were in this for the money, but vaguely admitted to Kwan that they also had their own personal reasons to go after the boar, and if he truly believes its power is too dangerous, they will follow his lead.

Once faced with the boar, however, the party was unprepared and outmatched. It was massive, its eyes as large as their heads, emanating a golden glow. It moved unlike a normal animal, and seemingly bore a higher level of intelligence than it should.

After a deceptively strong start, Polites went down in battle, and they were all forced to run to ensure everyone's survival. Before retreating though, Kwan shot the boar with a strange arrow, claiming they would be able to track it again later.

The party camped outside of the marsh, unable to sleep while waiting for Polites to wake up. They discussed next steps- going back to the city to regroup, get proper healing, and perhaps find a sponsor to help them in their next try. They still have a few weeks to get things figured out.

And that's all, so far! We're all pretty stoked and making tons of art and written works, so keep a look out, we might publish a zine when the sessions start wrapping up. Bye-bye, for now!

[weirdly-specific-but-ok]

south africa but i've never been there also i'm drinking

HELLO MAGGOTS this is the good omens mascot here hello hello. my psychiatrist just spent today telling me how I won't be able to be out in college when it starts in May and I'll be misgendered etc etc it's all a good time. So my solution:

My darling cousin @imchronicallyonlinesowhat (the one who thought Sir Terry Pratchett looked like Sudha Murthy, was a kindly old woman and was married to Neil Gaiman because their book cover fonts were similar, OG maggots know the PAIN) who lives in South Africa asked me to make a South Africa post. FYI, she's moving to Australia for college, so you can be assured I shared my Australia posts with her she is SO prepared she won't say marmite instead of vegemite and she knows the Wibbles are inherently sexual. SOUTH AFRICA (I've only had a teeny weeny bit of cheap ass wine so far):

There a lot of white people there it's ineffable. There are enough of them there that my cousin regularly talks about not ever marrying someone who doesn't have some masala.

Afrikaans is a gorgeous language. I thought my cousin was showing me her Afrikaans notes once. She wasn't. It was her English notes, she just has the most illegible yet neat handwriting in the world.

They don't say yo but they say YOH and it sounds very much like a bass drum.

People at my cousin's school pump their hands in the air while saying jesus-jesus.

There's a trio of white boys that rule the school kind of like a genderswapped mean girls. They all look the same haircut-wise, they're Catholic and they're called the Triumvirate.

I'm realising here that my knowledge of South Africa is limited to cuzzy's school. But the wine is shit and I promised my blood-relative so I am continuing.

The books are fucking expensive and so everyone has to pirate shit. This sounds like the US.

Everyone is TALL. Like VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY TALL. The standard of height is insanely different from India. TALL.

If you don't have a last name you're going to get into legal trouble.

The no hat no play rule applies here as well as Australia apparently.

The wine cost like 2.5 dollars in USD if my conversion rates are correct, it smells like battery acid and tastes of rotted grapes. Nothing to do with South Africa, it's just that I cannot remember a single other thing about South Africa other than it's a country in Africa that's presumably in the South.

My braincells are already frying. For my cousin's sake, I'm going to compile all my Australia posts here so that she knows what to expect! Australian maggots your continent is about to be graced with the Good Omens Mascot bloodline. Notably the one with the Sudha Murthy fuck up so that's doubly fun. @howmanyholesinswisscheese, @im-a-sentient-magic-carpet, @madfangirlontheloose @obsessed-sketches @drconstellation and any other Aussie maggots be prepared and welcome her.

Toot Toot Chugga Chugga by the Wiggles is an Ineffable Husbands Song

Deaths in Australia in 2015, an ask

VEGEMITE IS NOT MARMITE, another passionate ask

Pt I Australia but I've never been there

Pt II Australia but I've never been there

Oh I hate cheap wine. @imchronicallyonlinesowhat I hope you appreciate this, blood of mine. I'm such a great cousin.

[adore-laur]

GOLD RUSH: PART ONE

— harry is your ex-husband and the father of your child, and the both of you are just trying to make it work 💛 (loosely inspired by taylor swift’s “gold rush”)

——

For you, Nashville used to be a place where family and love resided. When Harry realized he found fulfillment in writing songs there, he suggested buying a house in the eastern part of the city, where the historical streets and electric nightlife lent him endless inspiration.

That was during the honeymoon phase, when you two were bound by a thread of intense desire. Shortly after, the newlywed phase came with spontaneous decisions you couldn't help but ride along with. Even the marriage itself was on a whim. Harry bent down on one knee after only one year of long-distance dating, never sounding more confident than when he asked you to be eternally his. Again, you agreed. But why? 

Let's just say he has a contrarian way of thinking paired with strong persuasion skills. 

Two months after getting married, you fell pregnant and welcomed a baby before the first wedding anniversary could even pass. To put it truthfully, it was unexpected. There was no plan to become parents so soon, especially since Harry was at the height of his career. Nonetheless, both of you adapted to his busy lifestyle for the family's sake. Everything was arranged around his schedule, yet you never thought twice about it. 

There's no doubt that Harry is a wanted man. Everyone needs something from him, whether an interview across the country or a tour on another continent. He accepted the business calls and flights with no hesitation, and you couldn't necessarily blame him since it's all he's known for over a decade. However, after a while, it reached a point where you weren't seeing him in person for several weeks at a time. 

When you were his girlfriend, it was tolerable. As a mother, it was unbearably desolate. 

He's a yes-man who shies under authoritative rule, and it affected every crevice of your private life with him. All you needed was for him to be present. That's not to say he was disconnected or couldn't bond with his baby during the instances he was around; it was quite the opposite. You had never seen him so enamored with another human before. Unfortunately, the limited time he was home without obligations tying him down was too much for you. 

Those exhausting nights spent alone trying to calm a crying baby, wads of dwindling cash being slapped in the babysitter's hand, keeping up with time zones just to call your husband for a short and meager conversation about nothing—it was miserable upon reflection. 

Harry had attempted to convince you to join him on tour with the baby, but you could clearly see in his eyes that he was hesitant. All the traveling, sleepless nights, and potential invasion of privacy would have been too risky for such a delicate part of your lives. 

Eventually, the bomb dropped. You had a nagging thought in your brain that wondered why Harry couldn't just trim the length of his tour so he could stay with you more often. Or at least try to visit every once in a while on his days off. It shouldn't be considered selfish to ask for such things, right? 

Well, you were terribly mistaken. Those dreaded questions you asked him over a late-night phone call turned into a screaming match. Words like weapons were thrown around—ones you still regret today. Harry had cowered while putting his guard up, claiming it was his job and that he couldn't always be home. Something along the hurtful lines of "I can't do two things at once" sealed the deal. 

So, while sobbing on your bedroom floor as your baby cried in the other room, you suggested a divorce. It was later finalized with paperwork signed by both parties. One signature took substantially longer to get, but dwelling on that fact eats you alive. 

A lot has changed in the year since you've separated from Harry. You don't hate him anymore, for one. You never expected to fall out of love with him since his presence is too comfy and his efforts to mend things are too admirable. Vulnerable conversations with him elicited a mutual agreement that you shouldn't shut each other out, especially with a child involved. 

Now, you successfully co-parent with him during the periods he's not touring. The child custody lawyer recommended the 3-4-4-3 schedule: Harry gets your daughter for the first three days of the week, while you get her for the last four. The fourth day is swapped every other week to maintain an equal parental balance.

You would say it's going well so far. It's a little trickier now, considering this is the first time he's been on tour since the divorce, so the scheduling is constantly being rearranged. You've discussed the possibility of flying out to a few shows every month and then Harry flying out to Nashville on his days off. 

It's Friday, your day with your daughter, and Harry just so happens to be playing a second sold-out show in Nashville tonight. You couldn't attend the first one because of work, but you're here now, standing in front of his dressing room at the Bridgestone Arena. As you wait for him to finish getting ready, your daughter rambles about what she wants Harry to wear tonight. Wishes for princess dresses and tiaras are sprinkled throughout her incoherent toddler speech.

"Is that who I think it is?" Outside the closed door, Harry's deep voice makes your face heat, as you anticipate it to do whenever he's around. 

Your daughter's head snaps toward the sound of her father, her expression immediately lighting up. "Me!" she shouts excitedly, trying to wiggle her way out of your arms. 

"Uh-oh. Sounds like trouble over there," he says teasingly.

She giggles and reaches over to try and turn the doorknob, but Harry beats her to it. The door swings open, revealing your ex-husband in a tight-fitting silk vest with matching trousers the color of ivory. He looks like an actual angel sent down from heaven. You sometimes wonder what it must be like to be as beautiful as him.

Harry gasps dramatically when he sees who you're holding and scoops her into his tattooed arms, kissing her cheek repeatedly. "I haven't seen you in forever," he murmurs against her head. "I missed you so, so much." 

It's been almost two weeks since he flew out to visit when he had a few days free from performing. Rehearsals and meetings have been bogging up his time, so you know it's been killing him to go so long without seeing her. 

You silently admire their indescribable bond through a lens of what could have been. Your mind occasionally creates scenarios about him that you'd like to be true. In moments of weakness, you pretend there's still a wedding ring on your finger, and you even shamefully put it on sometimes. You pretend Harry is sleeping next to you at night by laying a pillow on the other side of the bed and letting your body naturally drift over to hold it. You pretend the songs he wrote about you aren't about the heartbreak and loneliness you caused, instead choosing to believe they're about someone else. 

"Picture," says your daughter, lightly hitting the phone in your hand and pulling you from your wandering thoughts. 

"Do you want to take a picture of him?" you ask her, placing the phone in her grasp.

She nods and fidgets with the side buttons. You take her from Harry's arms and help her hold the phone, telling her where to click while Harry sets down his mic pack and readjusts his outfit. 

"Ready? Tell Dad to pose." 

Harry puts one hand on his hip and sticks his leg out, his back's reflection visible in the mirror behind him. He tries to keep a neutral expression, but a smile grows as the camera flash goes off. 

This somehow feels… normal. 

You set her down so she can dawdle around the dressing room, then place your phone in your pocket. "Where is everyone?" you ask, accepting Harry's hug. 

He inhales deeply and tightens his arms around your shoulders. "I told them I wanted some alone time with you guys." 

When you swallow, it feels like there are thorns lining your throat. "That's sweet. I can imagine it gets pretty chaotic back here." 

"Mm-hmm," he hums, beginning to sway you side to side. "I'm happy you came." 

"So am I," you say, painfully aware of his warm skin against yours. "Sorry we couldn't visit sooner. Work has been really busy." 

Harry leaves a kiss so faint on your head that you almost don't register it. "Hey, don't apologize. You work hard enough. It means the world that you both came to watch me tonight." 

"Of course. You have no idea how proud I am of you." 

He still doesn't let you go, his big, comforting hands splaying across the expanse of your back. "The feeling is mutual," he replies, his gentle voice seeping into your senses. "Proud doesn't even come close to what I feel about you. You know that, right?" 

You can't help but brush the dust off his statement and dig for a deeper possible meaning. You still have love for him; you know that for sure, but is it too far-fetched to think he still has some for you? You already know the answer if the songs he wrote are any indication. 

In another life, you see yourself happily married and raising a child with him in the comfort of your home in Nashville. Waking up next to him every morning and padding across the wooden floor to the kitchen, where you'd make tea and breakfast together. Finding a steady rhythm in terms of balancing work schedules and parenthood and eventually falling into a perfect domestic routine.

Yet deep down, you know it could never be. Harry's lifestyle wasn't made to clash with yours as much as you might have believed it all those years ago. The highs couldn't outweigh the lows. His life moved too fast, while yours ran out of stamina trying to keep up. You carelessly jumped into his inviting waters too soon and didn't think of the devastating fate that would come crashing down on you. 

You would still die for his love, just like everyone else, but you suppose it will fade over time. 

——

[vamp-bites]

Happy Icelandic day of independence🇮🇸🇮🇸🇮🇸🇮🇸🇮🇸🇮🇸🇮🇸🇮🇸🇮🇸🇮🇸🇮🇸🇮🇸 fuck you denmark♡

Fun iceland facts of the day:

The 17th of June is celebrated as our day of independence but we actually fully officially got independence on the 1st of december

We celebrate the 17th because its the birthday of the guy who was out in Denmark in 1944 and was like "hey guys, hear me out, what if you let iceland rule itself? We've kinda been asking for years and you're kinda under nazi occupation right now so they're doing their own stuff over there anyway cause you can't really intervene cause of the. The nazis."

I dont know why we celebrate his birthday. He didn't even fucking live here, he moved to Denmark when he was young and never came back, false idol that he is (Jón Sigurðsson)

Iceland was originally under Norway (thats where we came from, mostly) but then Denmark claimed us in the divorce (they invaded Norway in 1537 and turned it into a Danish puppet-state)

Iceland is bigger than Denmark in land mass but wayyy smaller in population and no one is happy about this

Why is our population so low? Why do we all live around the shores and not in the middle of the land? Well, you see, like 90% of this country is uninhabitable. It is just mountains and glaciers and ravines and black sands and fields of nothing out there. Only 2% of the country is forested, and most of it is imported

We do not have an army. And yet we have been in a war. The Cod Wars. A small Icelandic fishing boat rammed itself into the side of a huge British ship fishing in our waters. The brits got really offended because the giant hole we made in their ship knocked over a picture of the queen. America had to intervene so we wouldn't keep sending our tiny but fast fishing boats headfirst into British ships fit for war. In our defense, our pride and our fish were on the line

Pretty much all Icelanders are at least bilingual, tho they try to make us trilingual but very few of us actually retain any of the Danish they try to teach us at school, Icelandic preteens notoriously hate Danish (or maybe that was just me)

We make ourselves out to have descended from great vikings, its basically our whole brand besides puffins who aren't even our national bird we just love to show off our puffin population, but we actually weren't really vikings, we came mostly from farmers

Half of the country is located in the American continent, and the other half is in Europe, there's a mall out in the country that has a line down the middle of it because that's where the line between the continents splits and u can walk between America and Europe

We had the worlds first female president (Vigdís Finnbogadóttir🇮🇸🇮🇸🇮🇸🇮🇸)

Despite our low crime rates, we have an unusually high crime fiction writer rate

I'll leave the fun facts about the phallus museum and the likes for next time, gleðilegan 17. júní góða fólk!

[vigilskeep]

Do you think the victory of the HOF and crew will change Grey Warden strategic doctrine somewhat? The idea of 'oh shit we can nip it right in the bud if we go hard immediately' seems a lot more pleasant than letting half the continent burn down over the course of a few decades

it’s super hard to say. i mean, for one thing it’s impossible to know what thedas will look like by the time another blight comes around. for another, i think the reactions amongst the order to what the warden did, especially if the warden did the dark ritual, are going to be super mixed. fiona talks about how ostracized she was for “cheating death”. not to mention how the warden abandoned extremely fundamental and necessary rules of the order to get things done.

the wardens aren’t politically neutral because they just don’t feel like getting involved! there’s a reason! now, judging by awakening and the last flight, weisshaupt is cautiously taking advantage of that example, because it suits the first warden’s interests. but to me, that’s even scarier. the blackwall debacle with the inquisition using the treaties is bad enough; a grey warden holding lands and title and harbouring the apostate who would go on to destroy the kirkwall chantry is bad enough; a potential grey warden ruling king who gives sanctuary to mages is bad enough. if that boundary gets pushed any further, there’s reason to be really worried for the grey wardens. they can literally get exiled from orlais in inquisition, right? remember how the last time they were exiled from a country for getting politically involved, it meant there was a mere handful to deal with the blight, starting the entire conflict of dao? if the first warden pushes his luck in the anderfels and they lose weisshaupt, or lose their welcome elsewhere for fear of similar takeovers... if divine victoria can be anywhere from the HOF’s lover, associating them indelibly with her world-changing reforms, to someone who truly thought a grey warden conspiracy was involved with the start of the mage rebellion... if ferelden with its tight connections to the HOF and alistair comes into conflict with the rest of thedas (gaspard can literally canonically be on the throne of orlais)... they’re in a really dangerous position right now if anything goes south, and arguably, the warden and alistair kicked it off with what they were willing to do to stop the fifth blight before it properly started. and beyond the danger that in itself poses to the wardens, my point is there’s going to be many sections of the order whose very last thought is “yeah let’s do more of that”

during a theoretical sixth blight, i can definitely see some parts of the order desperate to match the hero of ferelden’s achievements. and i can also see risks like that getting a lot of people killed. in the opening of the last flight, the royal family of antiva refuse to abandon antiva city as the darkspawn approach, destroying the last hope of organising an evacuation and throwing away their citizens’ lives. the HOF had an exceptional chance and was exceptional enough to succeed in it. maybe that example will save the world from centuries of suffering a second time; maybe it will destroy the grey wardens at the very moment they’re next most needed; maybe by then any grey wardens left will be quicker to join the side of the darkspawn than associate themselves further with the HOF’s legacy. only time will tell!

[rayroseu]

💚 Mallevan/Levanoa Headcanons (Part 3/3)

PART 01 PART 02 PART 03⬇️

the last one from these series of doodlesss ✨✨✨ I cant wait for malleus mama reveal JSJAJJA 😭💖💖💖 we're going to see where that draconia rizz originated from 😂

• • • Headcanon 3

Levan was interested in Architecture so that he could build a castle which would never crumble under his wife's "little tantrums." 

Its said by Lilia that Malenoa when angered would really destroy her own castle. (i fear for this woman's period mood swings😂 (if female dragon faes have that))

So, I like to believe that for Malenoa to be "herself" (or not containing her emotions just so she wouldn't be harming anything), Levan aspired to build a strong castle that would withstand his wife's strength.

Its also a nice gift for Malenoa since he wanted to build their home as well— Since he's the husband and father of the strongest fairies, its just sensible to gift them something crafted and durable, could be with them their whole long lifespan, and can shelter his family. 

Its also nice to have an unbreakable castle so that the servants wouldnt live in anxiety about having to repair half their castle for the 60th time this century.

For Malleus, his tantrum can summon an instant storm. For Malenoa, her tantrums can summon a super typhoon. That's why there's an enormous amount of gargoyles around Briar Castle because it strengthens the drainage system so that it wouldn't flood because of the excessive rainstorm. 

(From someone who lives in a typhoon-prone/flooding-prone country (philippines yo), I can't stress enough how valuable it is to have good drainage system😭)

Also, I imagine that the current Briar Valley Castle (named as Black Scale Castle according to Silver) was the castle he designed for Malenoa and Malleus.

The original name of the kingdom that the Draconia rules is Land of Briar and they used to manage the entire continent (Baul protested that no land is owned by Silver Owls, the entire continent is of Land of Briar) but now they're just situated in a portion/valley of it, presumeably because Silver Owls keeps claiming their land and also because Land of Briar seemingly lost to the war.🥲

That's why I believe Briar Valley's Castle is like a lesser version of the Wild Rose/Briar Castle (Malenoa's castle). They're kind of near from each other as well??? I think this "castle that Levan designed" acted as a refuge for the Land of Briar when Silver Owls ambushed Malenoa's castle.

(source)

———————

Speaking of servants fearing Princess Malenoa....

I think its only the regular folks or servants that has an anxious time approaching Malenoa. For other soldiers, they don't fear her like that since they encounter her frequently as the military strategist of their kingdom.

So, most often......

The servants particularly always approach Levan as much as they could in matters of pacifying the princess or delivering a message that they would assume she wouldn't take well. 

Because Levan looks more approachable and knowledgable with dealing with the Princess given that his job is to literally talk to people based on politics.

Also, headcanon that at one point, Malenoa and Levan paralled that scene from Malleus Dorm card where Malleus was upset his smile was terrifying that's why people don't approach him, but Lilia just says "No such thing! You have such a lovely smile you know!" but Malleus actually smiles terrifyingly XD but Lilia doesn't fear it because he knows Malleus... 🥲💖💖

Like, how no matter how terrifying Malenoa is to others, Levan will never be afraid of her.

actually going to die if malleus' parents are not narrated as sickenly inlove with each other 😂

plus!! it just makes sense for them to be expressive in their devotion yk since their dynamic literally revolves around "dragons only love one person" and "they can't mate with another if there's no love".

... Plus its another factor why Lilia seems tired of these two, theyre like lovebirds and you know how Lilia hates all those domestic sappy stuff like family... children... and love... aha 🥲💔

[genericpuff]

Hi from Australia!! Honestly I was trying to think of a cultural thing I could properly talk about (Given, I am both white and a dual citizen who moved here from another country as a child which I will admit skewed alot of my perceptions of things) and I settled for just a variety of things!! (I have only NOW noticed you asked for just 1 fact. Uh. Sorry D:) We mock our prime ministers (and other public officials to be fair). I don't think I'll ever be able to forget the fact someone started a rumour about our at the time PM Scott Morrison shitting himself in a McDonald's and he had to actually address it. SEVERAL TIMES. Wish we could have the claim that we threw a dildo at a politician, but that fame goes to Aotearoa, but we have thrown alot of boots and shoes.

(A very tangential note, but I must include it since we're talking about PM's, We had Harold Holt just completely vanish after going swimming in 1967- which came with alot of conspiracy theories with one of the more bizarre being that he apparently was a spy for the PRC and was whisked away in a submarine)

Outside of politics we do use an insane amount of slang terms (which. I think is at least widely known). Things are shortened, you add 'o' to things, words can get slung together- but also incredibly regional!! Bottlo- Bottle Shop, Maccas- McDonalds, 'Skanon- Going on, Thongs- Flip Flops, Togs- Swimsuit but was primarily used in primary school (Contentious!! I'm from Queensland but most states have wild names for swimsuits, I have heard someone call them Cozzies though??)! We also pull the 'Yeah, nah' and 'Nah, Yeah' thing

I grew up around Gumtrees, Eucalyptus and Paperbarks, which growing up my Ma always referred to widow makers. Have no idea if the tale she told me about them were anything outside of her, but its a good point to talk about folktales (if its even the right term for it asdfad).

With widow makers apparently a man fell asleep beneath one, the wind was blowing and a branch came down on him- leaving him with a widow. There's a focus on the bush, bush rangers, swagmen- the ones i were exposed to the most was Waltzing Matilda (a folk song telling the life and death of a swagman, ending the song with his ghost) and Ned Kelly (A real man whose become a legend, he was an outlaw and bank robber)

I say this all this genuine love for my country, but also that everything is incredibly white. The area I grew up in was not diverse, so the stories I've heard and what I've learned and seen IS coloured by that.

(For an added tidbit, I present a few cute birds for you to check out native to Australia, Crimson Rosella, Blue-Eyed/Faced Honeyeaters and Willie Wagtails my personal favourite)

more than one fact is absolutely allowed!! y'all understood the assignment and then some 😘

i stg y'all down there in Australia have some of the craziest shit going on, you got me wheezing at nearly 2 am in the morning reading about Scott Morrison, jfc LOL

also yesss I've heard SOME of these slang terms but not all, 'thongs' always makes people laugh in NA because as I'm sure you know that's a word that's typically used to describe sexy underwear LOL also not shocked at all that you also do the 'no yeah' 'yeah no' thing, iirc there are a lot of similarities to be found between Canada and Australia simply by virtue of "we both became independent from British rule and are now part of the commonwealth". But there are also a lot of massive differences because we're living in entirely different continents LOL

ALSO HELL YEAH MORE BIRDS AJAJFDKSLAFJASDKL <3

[riizebabie444]

𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩’𝙨 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙞𝙣 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝟸𝟶𝟸𝟹 🌸

🌸 ─── hello lovelies and welcome to today's reading. as we are entering the last third of 𝟸𝟶𝟸𝟹, some of you (myself included) may be wondering what love is coming your way before the year ends, so this reading will cover romantic, platonic and self love messages for you for the last four months of 𝟸𝟶𝟸𝟹. hope you enjoy!

🌸 ─── picking your pile: take a deep breath and allow your soul to centre itself. when you feel your mind balanced and cleared, allow yourself to be drawn to an image. your eyes may gravitate to one, or you may close your eyes and feel which image is calling out.

🌸 ─── be sure to check out my other readings and don’t forget to share and give feedback. disclaimer: all readings done are for entertainment only. please do not use my tarot readings as a replacement for legitimate advice.

🌸 ─── masterlist. paid readings. exchange rules.

donations. games/events. feedback.

🌸 𝙥𝙞𝙡𝙚 𝙤𝙣𝙚 — 𝙥𝙞𝙣𝙠 𝙗𝙪𝙣𝙣𝙮 𝙢𝙪𝙜

i think for my lovies who chose pile one, in the last four months you will experience the beginning of a love connection and/or the end of a love connection. but for most, i think it will be something new, like you are heading down a new path for love. there is a message which tells you to remain faithful! but also embrace new opportunities, especially when it comes to creativity. for example, in a current connection you may be feeling bored and tempted to find love from a different connection. but you're being called upon to not search for it elsewhere unless absolutely necessary. instead, find fun and creative ways to liven up the current connection. this message in particular is for those who are in a romantic relationship.

for a number of you, the change you need to make is a lot deeper than spicing things up. for example, if you have a connection with someone that doesn't feel right, in these four months you need to peel off the mask of the situation and find the truth. it may be chaotic and force you our of your comfort zone, but change is needed for such connections. for a number of you, i think there will be a loss of love or cutting someone off and you will feel neglected, like you receive no love from the world but the truth is, you do. look around you and you will see that you have love in abundance and even if you can't see it, always affirm it. a number of you will receive lots of love from family members, especially towards the end of the year and it may surprise you, like you weren't expecting so much love from them.

despite some upheaval and discomfort in regards to love, you will fight through it and be brave and will not let it keep you down for long. you are a fighter, my lovey. i can see it. and i also see that you'll be heading into the new year with a whole new perspective on love, and your attitudes toward finding love will be refreshing and new. always keep your faith in the world and you will find happiness and abundance in love. don't push away any new connections and ensure to cherish and nurture the love you already have. family will play a huge role in love for the last part of the year, and for some it may also be a romantic love that surprises you. and for a very small number of you, you'll receive something so beautiful in love, such as a ring or a baby, which each bear their own weight.

🌸 𝙥𝙞𝙡𝙚 𝙩𝙬𝙤 — 𝙥𝙞𝙣𝙠 𝙨𝙚𝙡𝙛𝙞𝙚

this is quite the mixed pile for my lovies who chose pile two, but for the most part it is positive! however, for a number of you there will be heartbreak. if you resonate with the signs gemini, libra or aquarius, or have a connection with someone who does, i believe this message is for you. also for those who live in the north (of your continent, country, city, region etc.) there will be some form of rejection. for example, your crush will deny you when you ask them out. or you are dating someone you wanted for a long time only for them to say you are not the one for them. i don't see a heavy breakup but you will feel some grief despite the small connection breaking down. however, you will get over it surprisingly quickly.

but like i said, for the most part these messages are positive or neutral at least so even if you deal with the above, you will still receive some positives in love. for some, there may be a union. if you were also attracted to pile one, i think an engagement, marriage or starting a family are definitely on the card in the following four months but this is only for a small number of you. but for the rest of you, i sense that the following four months in regards to love will be stable and prosperous. friends, family, lovers. i see you receiving love from them all. there also may be new beginnings for you guys which could stem from a love connection. for example, you meet with a family member or friend after so long and the connection feels so passionate which could birth something new, such as a business venture or any kind of experience. i'm seeing a concert for some. you've been wanting to go to a place for so long and the new (or old but reignited) connection will take you there. it could also be a holiday for some.

for those who are younger, i see some immaturity and ignorance coming from a love connection and it will make you feel confused and frustrated. it could be a difficult family member. for example, the holidays mean you will meet family members who "love" you but we all know there are certain family members who aren't the best to spend holidays with. and for a number of you, especially the younger readers who are in a relationship or situationship or have a crush on someone, be careful of love bombing! your person being immature and ignorant in your connection cannot simply be forgiven because they say or show that they love you. don't be a fool and demand respect in this connection. be mature and don't fall for fake love. lastly, you'll find some clarity in regards to a love connection. you may be feeling restless or curious about someone right now. don't worry. you will know how they really feel by the end of the year. this could also be clarification of your own feelings if you are the one feeling confused.

🌸 𝙥𝙞𝙡𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙧𝙚𝙚 — 𝙥𝙞𝙣𝙠 𝙖𝙣𝙞𝙢𝙚 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙙𝙪𝙘𝙩𝙨

pile three, my lovelies, please do not be disheartened by this reading. although it is easier said than done, however, these messages are quite meh energy. i firstly want to mention that there is a strong representation of disconnection and for some there may be unfaithfulness. overall, i see this as "break up" energy. you could lose someone you love and for most who this resonates with, it seems to be a romantic partner. there may be over-indulgence on one of your parts but it seems as though the disconnection is already in progress. if you feel like you are losing connection with a partner or a friend, this is likely for you. i think your love for them has been weighing you down because you are not receiving it back. in the end, it will not last and i think a break up will happen in the next four months. this is not all bad though because you will have more love for your self.

in the mean time however, you will struggle to show yourself that love. it's like you put everything into this connection and you feel so depressed, like all of your love has gone to waste and you have none left for yourself or anyone else in your life. but the sun will shine again! the sun will also shine it's light on those who really do love you and don't take your love for granted. kind of like you'll see who your true friends are, the ones who are there for you at your lowest and you will find it to be a most admirable display of love. you will have time to rest and relax, ease your mind and heartache and you may even get into mediation or yoga. self care will become of importance to you if it is not already and little by little, you will show yourself love and learn that giving love freely is not a bad thing. you'll feel brave to love again. i also want to say that this does not necessarily mean a relationship breakup although that is the main message. but it could also be losing someone or something you love in another way. for example, losing a friend or cutting off a family member, or losing a job you loved so much. again, i don't want to scare or dishearten you, my lovies because in the end, things will work out.

for some of you, i think financial stress will put pressure on your love connections. you will feel heavily burdened but be patient because the world will eventually turn in your favour. there are certain decisions that are in your hand and you can either let you and your loved ones be affected by the obstacles of life or you can work to fight your way through it and come out stronger in the end alongside your loved ones. and i think the last message for this pile is saying that the year will end with you taking the first steps in your journey of showing true love to yourself and beginning the healing of your soul's burdens.

🌸 𝙥𝙞𝙡𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙪𝙧 — 𝙥𝙞𝙣𝙠 𝙗𝙤𝙬𝙡𝙨

i see for pile four, my lovies, those who chose this reading will have a very introspective experience with love in the last part of this year. some of you are in a relationship but i think the majority are not. and if you are in a relationship or taking part in an important connection, it will still be a personal end to the year. i see travel for some of you, in a self-love sort of way. like you will finally treat yourself to that holiday you wanted. perhaps it could be gifted to you by someone else but it will be a personal experience, catered for you exactly. you will learn to be enlightened by your own company if you have not already. you will really enjoy time to yourself for the rest of the year. perhaps the year so far has been bustling with all sorts of events and connections and you need some time to yourself to regain all of your energy. this is your sign that it's going to happen.

i do see that you could be feeling powerless, that you've been procrastinating a lot. is there something you want to avoid, my lovies? whatever or whoever it is, take time to yourself to understand your thoughts and feelings and deal with it before the year ends because you do not want to enter the new year with lingering energy because you procrastinated confrontation for too long. it could possibly turn your life upside down, but it could also make your life so much better. don't focus too much on the worst case scenario and realise that it will be a no case scenario until you confront the person or issue. you're only hurting yourself the longer you avoid it and it could be blocking any love the universe is planning to send your way. to welcome new love and new things in general into your life, you should never allow your life to become clogged with old stuff. if you want to manifest love pile four, deal with the situations at hand and clear the energy.

if you've been meaning to start a self love or self discovery journey, this pile is definitely for you. the last part of the year seems to be filled with self exploration and learning what you love and don't love, from yourself and others. you may also be doing some shadow work to heal which may feel chaotic, but in the end it will give you a more calm and peaceful approach to life. you'll learn to love everything around you and in return, love will find it's way to you. for some, i see a romantic interest coming your way, or someone sending a love token or offering to you. for some i see family and a relationship. may be welcoming something or someone new into your life, someone you can love and who will love you too. you may also meet a foreigner or someone from abroad who will end up as a strong presence of love in your life, maybe as a friend or a partner. and if you are going on that treat yourself trip, make sure to plan thoroughly!

© riizebabie444 — all rights reserved. please do not copy, steal, repost or translate my readings on any site. any act of which will be classed as plagiarism.

[novakaiserart]

FE Awakening AU; Verdant Pegasi House

I finished these like 2 weeks ago but I've just been procrastinating lmao Last house‼️ Last three houses can be found here, here and here To the west lies the continent of Valm, home to the ancient gods Mila and Duma. Long ago, King Albein Alm Rudolph II and Queen Anthiese von Lima united the kingdoms to form Valentia. Union wouldn't last after their reign and as such, the continent was divided once again. Small countries throughout the land popped up, each with their unique cultures. 15 years ago, King Walhart Alm Rudolph I sought out to reunite the continent of Valm under one empire, thus crowning him Emperor. Though Valm pledged allegiance to no Gods, Tiki became a symbol of divinity and was embraced. As such, she allowed them one house in her Academy. The Verdant Pegasi gain their names from their vast and beautiful green plains and the abundance of wild Pegasi in many of their regions. They value honor, hardship, determination and kindness. Walhart II: Eldest son of the Emperor, he's determined to continue his father's rule over the continent and keep the empire afloat. Stern and headstrong, he's not afraid of a challenge. He enrolled in the Academy to strengthen his skills and hopefully make new allies. Yuu'ya: Only son of Say'ri, he embodies the image of a warrior of Chon'sin. Opposed to the united Valm, he's secretly amassing a rebel army to go against the foreign occupation of his land. Usually quiet and reserved, he rarely lets his presence be known. Kazu'sa: Oldest son of Yen'fay, he openly rejects his father's submission to Valm. He's growing to detest his father and his actions and strives to free his country. Despite having the same goals as his cousin, he's the polar opposite. Loud, brash and vulgar; he doesn't care for tradition and prefers to express himself freely. Nah: Nowi and Donnel's youngest daughter, she's pretty composed and reserved for her age. Growing up amongst so many other manaketes in the Church has allowed her to understand her culture and come to terms with her human half. Naga's descendants never usually take up any last names, but Nah insisted in taking her father's as a way to combine her two backgrounds. Aurelia: General Pheros's only daughter, she's hopes to become a Knight of Naga after graduation. She dedicates her life to her faith and holds Tiki in extremely high esteem. While she should usually inherit her house, she has stepped away from her noble lineage to pursue her dreams. Benedict: Youngest son of The Great Ignatius of Valm, his father's war prowess inspired him to follow in his footsteps. With great honor, he's taught himself all ways of magic to assist Walhart II in his future endeavors. Rumor has it, though, that he's terrified of boats. Hildegard: Daughter of Commander Farber, she's delicate as a flower. Shy, reserved and unassuming; she enrolled in the Academy to become a great healer to save lives. She fully expects to be married off for political gain, since she's a noble; but her only hope is to help those in need. Gerome: Heir to the Head of House Rosanne, Gerome focuses on his strength above all else. His father surrendering his homeland so easily to Valm has left him estranged from him over the years. He enrolled in the Academy for 2 reasons; to learn from his Mother, who's an instructor and to reunite with Lucina and the others in hopes of gaining their strength to drive back Valm. Crest of Duma: May half damage of an attack. Crest of Mila: Heals 20% of HP at the start of every turn. Crest of Chon'sin: Increases Crit chance by 20% Crest of Naga: Allows wielder to transform into a Manakete. Crest of Rosanne: May nullify effective damage

[agirlandherquill]

the first "official" snippet

it has been a whirlwind for the last few days, so much has happened, so much needs to be done, and working on the next stage of Ruin's Reprisal is so nerve-racking and so, so exciting that i thought - why not share the very first ten pages, in what i am fairly certain is their final form?

at this stage i'm gradually doing a read through of my draft as an ePub on my kindle (it is insane to be reading this as though it's an actual book) and chapter by chapter, after reading it, i go back through and make any finer adjustments, such as grammatical changes etc - and since i've just done that for the prologue (almost 30 something pages, counting off the top of my head- whew!) i can share these first ten pages with you all!

so, without further ado, here they are!

At first, the world was ours.

Created by the truest being of all, the mother of everything sacred, Mutja-Har, my people were divine blessings upon the land, people bestowed with gifts unlike any other. But we grew idle - over time, we became greedy. Every story that I have read tells of a great voyage to a vast continent - I believe it was no voyage, but a retreat, after Mutja-Har’s scorn blighted the land and forced us out in shame for an act history has long since forgotten. But it turns out that this continent was not for the taking. The land was already inhabited by non-blessed folk, who have had many names over the years, but in my lifetime, they were Alirians.

And because of this strange newfound need to coexist, the Haelish had to learn to share. They had to change their ways, their language. They were forced to adapt, they were forced to change, almost completely.

The blessed became humble - well, humbler. They established themselves, due to their riches, as an aristocracy, founded themselves a Noble Court and claimed territory, even if the country was not their own. 

The Haelish were rulers once more. And so they remained, for many years. Preserving their ways, their lives, their bloodlines, everything was sacred. Everything was perfect.

Until one day, a day meant for the union of powerful families set to rule Aliria forevermore. But instead of unity, there was calamity. There was murder.

And for the first time in history, the Haelish found themselves bidding farewell to peace. In its place, they welcomed the title of Exilza.

Exile.

Me.

I believed I was the first. To break the rules. To go against tradition - Even if I was innocent of my crime - But it turns out that I was wrong. Instead of one, there were three.

But for now, for the start of this tale, let us focus on me.

The morning of my doom, and the eve of who I used to be. 

After all, who doesn’t enjoy a wedding?

~ ~ ~

How far would it take for me to fall to my death? To escape? All I want is for things to be different. For things to change.

Change. Now that is something I have never understood at all.

What does it take for a life to change? A moment? A day? A choice? Or perhaps, does it come down to having no choice at all?

This wedding was to usher in a new era for the country, for the people. Both Alirian and Haelish. But choice had never factored into it, not for her at least. She did not decide the path her life would take. She did not choose to wake up before the dawn. She had not chosen to be shuttered away in her room, biding her time. Her only saving grace was the window.

And she had it wide open.

Sunlight flickered through, bathing the room in warm light. Pale blue drapes floated in the wind, wrapping around her as she leaned against the window frame, deep in thought. In the light, visible specks of dust floated without a care, moving freely - they were free. 

Free, the word sounded like nothing more than a listless dream, it was a concept utterly unknown to her. Edeva stretched out her hand to touch a speck, driven by curiosity. Once it brushed past her fingers she grew bored, breathed out a tired sigh and returned her attention to the open window, a faint smile on her face. 

At least if this morning is my final one of normality, it’s a pretty one. 

The rising sun painted the Palace in a flattering light. The walls glistened, the perfectly carved stone reflected the sunlight whilst towering over the landscape. Down below, she could see the silhouettes of servants rushing to and from the courtyard, resembling very lost children. A sweet-smelling gust of wind drifted in through the window. Taking a delicate sniff, her body relaxed. Lavender. Its pleasantly distinct scent in the air comforted her. As the start of the day drew on, she found herself savouring every small comfort possible, even if it was something so simple as a scent. I have to enjoy what I can before I’m too busy to do otherwise. Life’ll be unbearable without my memories, as Mama always tells me. 

“Conteis Edeva?” A small voice echoed at the door, making her jump. Edeva decided to delay answering, wanting to savour her moment by the window once more. Her back was to the door, favouring the view of the window’s panorama to that of the furniture indoors, so she was unable to see the face of the speaker as they opened the door. “Conteis?” The voice spoke a second time, along with a few gentle knocks. Giving up protecting her peaceful daydream, Edeva tore herself from the window, tilting her body to the door. Is it time already? It feels too soon. Far, far too soon. She let out a slow exhale to steady her mind before answering. “Come in.” Do not. Stay away. Let me have these last few moments to myself. But it was too late. The words had been said.

Weddings. The word rotted in her mouth. Pompous events acknowledging what? A transaction? An exchange of words? They have nothing to do with love. Nothing to do with me. And here I am, the bride to be. She grimaced. High-Mother, Mutja-Har, give me strength. Praying in Alirian was not enough, she needed the High-Mother, the Haelish faithful touch, to give her the strength to get through the day.

The door opened further, granting the person access to the room. A petite maid entered, brandishing a joyful smile on her face - one Edeva wished to bottle up and express herself because she lacked the energy to form one of her own - she recognised the girl as one of her mother’s personal servants. Maidens, I believe she calls them. Though I fail to recall this one’s name, it’s a pity. She could not even bring herself to try to remember. No sense in making any friends that I’ll have to leave behind. 

The girl was soon followed by five others, of varying ages and appearances, each carrying an extravagant bundle or box of something she did not care to see. “It’s time my lady.” The first girl offered her a kind smile, holding out a hand as she gestured to the chair at the nearby vanity. With a slightly exaggerated sigh, Edeva took a seat. Time for what? The last moments of my freedom? Or to fulfil my duty? She struggled to find the courage to make polite conversation, settling on smiling occasionally as the women hurried around the room. Through the mirror’s reflection, she watched them curiously, taking in their excited smiles as they looked at her every so often. They’re far more excited about this than I will ever be. It’s a shame, really. 

She settled into the chair, deciding to let them get to work.

A short while later, she was covered in fine powder, the dust cloud made her cringe. Are they trying to offer me the small mercy of death by choking me beforehand? She laughed silently to herself. As a Maiden brushed her hair through, Edeva wondered over what the day would bring. She continued to wonder, squirming involuntarily as her locks were twisted and tugged into order, secured by a few glistening pins. 

She tilted her chin up, taking a second to examine their handiwork. She had expected more but the powder was all that sat on her face. The fine dusting had hidden the sickly pallor of her cheeks, but in her mind, it was nothing more than a clever trick to hide her unease and enhance the one thing people always adored the most: beauty. Not that the powder contained any magical properties as she had expected, no cheating ways to alter her appearance. It doesn’t matter, she thought dryly, What I think doesn’t mean a thing. She forced a smile onto her face, testing the legitimacy of its appearance in her reflection. She had to hide her horror at seeing the smile appear all too natural. Edeva glanced over her shoulder to the women who were occupied with smoothing out a dress on her bed. 

“May I have a moment to myself?”

The Maidens looked at her, flashing encouraging and knowing smiles before they scattered.

They think I’m nervous. That’s ridiculous, She sighed heavily at the thought, I’ve never been nervous a day in my life. I’m just exhausted with all of this, and the main part of the day hasn’t even begun. High-Mother give me strength, I need time to get my head together. 

She turned back to the vanity, raising a lazy hand to her temple as she studied herself in the mirror. If this is my last day as myself, I want to look my best. Besides, Mama wouldn’t reprimand me, she reminded herself, I do need to take some pride in my appearance, even today. She reached for an old friend, a case of brushes, paints, and powders set by purposefully on the side of the vanity. With careful concentration, she got to work.

Once she was done, she gave herself a final once-over in the mirror. The lids of her eyes were now slightly smudged in silver, a nod to her family’s colours. Her cheeks were slightly pinker, giving a more dramatic effect against her skin. She let her gaze abandon the blueness of her eyes, moving up to see the work her hair had undergone.

The stark, unmissable whiteness of her hair contrasted everything in the room, as it always did. Most of her hair had been braided into a bun, while other stray strands hung loosely by her face. It looks nice, she thought. She smiled again, though it failed to quite reach her eyes. Today has to happen. I have to go through with this, for everyone’s sake. The words felt like a lie even as she thought them. She slumped back in her chair with a sigh. If Mama walked in now… She pinched the bridge of her nose.

Why am I here? Really? Simply because I have no other choice? The thought pained her. She struggled to answer her own questions. Edeva stood, dragging herself to the bed where her outfit for the ceremony had been draped out. The Maidens would still be absent for a few more minutes, which relieved her, because she enjoyed changing in peace. She discarded her robe on the floor and slipped into the dress, not forgetting to slip her feet into the shoes waiting at the foot of the bed.

Without a second thought, she moved herself over to the full-length mirror that stood proudly beside the window. I might as well take a look at the monstrosity I’m being forced to wear as I seal my fate, she thought bitterly, taking in her outfit. The dress was made of white silk, the finest that money could buy, covered in blue ruffles, lace bows and long skirts, ones that weighed down her body in an uncomfortable manner. The accents of the dress bothered her. They’re blue, not silver. 

The dress honoured a family, but not hers. 

Blue was the Alirian Court’s signature colour - those of the royal family. 

The gown was a stranger, and certainly not the one she had dreamt of. It was not the one she had chosen. But then again, every choice she had made about the wedding so far had been ignored, why should her own attire be any different? She sighed at herself, the smile she wore matched the dress. Lies. Masks. All to please everyone but her.

She buried her hands in her skirts, lifting them enough to catch a glimpse of the shoes that threatened to cut off her circulation. She could not help but grimace. Her slippers were made of glass. If I’m lucky, they’ll shatter and stop me from walking.As much as she fancied the idea, something else broke instead. Her peaceful isolation. The Maidens returned. They strained to see over one another, hovering in the doorway. A chorus of “Oohs” and “Aahs” gave her a strong urge to rip out her hair. She did not feel like herself, but deep down she already knew she would never feel like that again. Not if she went through with the wedding.

The Maidens’ attention broke away from her, looking down the corridor as though they were being summoned, and Edeva did not doubt it. It’s a busy day for everyone. With a chorus of gasps, they rushed off, leaving the door to close on its own. 

She studied her face once more in the mirror. The blue of her eyes seemed different, she suspected that they were darker because of the clouded turmoil stirring in her veins with each passing moment. This day was not her dream, it was a nightmare.

Briefly, the turmoil was surpassed by relief. 

If the Maidens were rushing off, it meant she still had time. Time to see Mama, she will know what to do about all of this, about me. Edeva hesitated, glaring at her slippers. The moment that she returned, she planned to get rid of them, but for now, she had to go.

She hovered in front of the door, thinking of a plan.

Two guards would be stationed outside, as usual. She needed to get past them without a fuss. It was only a matter of how. Edeva opened the door, sticking her head out to smile at the two gentlemen assigned to her protection. They wore embroidered blue suits, a much more regal look than that of a typical Guardsman uniform. They’re going to be front and centre at the ceremony, it seems I’m not the only one who needs to look my best.

“Good day gentlemen, I’m just going to visit my mother,” She pressed a hand to her throat, laughing nervously, “It’s bridal nerves you see. I won’t be long.” She put on a girlish giggle as she stepped out of her room, even if doing so made her internally retch.

“My lady, you really should stay inside until it’s time.” The guard to her left sounded uncertain, looking at his counterpart with caution. The other guard remained silent, the only sign of his annoyance remained in the narrowing of his eyes as he looked her over, almost as if he was searching for an ulterior motive. Edeva held the sweet smile on her face, engaging in further conversation with the more social of the two. “I won’t leave the Palace, don’t worry. But I think I’d like to see my mother now, and as I said, I won’t be long.”

She moved past them, hitching up her dress to give herself further room to walk, whilst ensuring that she kept her strides quick and steady, hastening along the corridor. Behind her, the guards spluttered their objections, all of which she ignored. They can’t follow me. They’ve been ordered to remain right there. No-one else needs to know that I ever left my room. It seems getting past them wasn’t so difficult after all. She sighed in relief as she rounded the corner from her room’s more private corridor, moving into a longer one adjoining the rest of the Palace. Now, Mama ought to be in the West Wing, which isn’t far away, thank the High-Mother. Edeva set off, determined to have a talk with her before the time came for her life to change, and for her opinions to die alongside it.

* * * * *

The Palace staircases were as grand as they were tall. A chandelier watched over the stairs, coating each step with a slither of light that made the marble appear less straining on the eyes, and almost welcoming. The gentle feel very nearly tricked her body into thinking the Palace was just as warm, but the sharp pain in her feet made her know better. Each step sent minuscule daggers of pain tearing at her skin. The first chance I get, I am shattering these blasted things.She found a moment of respite on a landing. 

“Who in their right mind would create something like these?” Edeva spoke aloud, mumbling to herself. She had had enough. The slippers came off with ease, to her relief, as she freed her feet from the confines of the glass cage. The coldness of the floor numbed her soles, rendering them immune to further pain as she continued her trek to the upper floor of the Palace’s Western Wing.

The stairs seemed to melt into the carpeted floor, giving way to a familiar corridor. Edeva approached the first door on the right, letting herself in. 

Mama’s quarters feel larger than I remember. She noted, taking in the rooms. The parlour was a respectable size, furnished with the typical necessities - the only thing that stuck out to Edeva was the blue chaise that took up the centre of everything. And lounging upon it was the woman Edeva had come to see.

Mama. 

The smell of lavender greeted her. Aldora Vitaire held a powerful and yet gentle countenance about her, and it made Edeva wonder, How did a woman like her manage to ensnare the great Conteir Cordell, who lowers himself to no-one? He’s fearless. Except when he’s around her. You would think the titles were the other way around - she has none by birthright and he does. As do I. 

The thought of titles saddened her with the reminder of her ancestral home. I wish I was back there again, but I can’t be. I’m here, She cleared her head of nostalgic thoughts and returned her attention to her mother. She looked lost in a dream, gazing at the ceiling with a distant smile on her face. Edeva could see so much of herself in her, the eyes, the posture, many parts of her and her father made up who she was. Except for the hair. Neither her mother or father had hair quite like it. No-one had ever been able to explain it, but Edeva accepted her hair just as she did every other part of herself.

 Studying her mother’s dreamy gaze, sadness tugged at her heartstrings. The dreamily distant gaze had grown more visible with the passing weeks. As powerful as she is, it isn’t enough. Her mind’s slipping away, slowly. And lately, it’s been getting worse. None of the healers have been able to help.

“Mama?” Edeva spoke softly, kneeling down by the chaise. 

“Is it time already?” Aldora slowly turned her head, letting out a sigh. 

Edeva placed a hand on her mother’s arm, smiling. “Not quite yet, I just needed to see you.”

“Edeva, is that you?” Her blue eyes examined every inch of her face, gently questioning with a single look.

“Yes, it’s me, Mama.” She stared at her mother’s eyes patiently, watching recognition gradually lighten her irises. Her eyes crinkled at the edges as she smiled. “Edeva. My sweet, sweet girl.” Aldora reached for an item resting in her lap, a necklace, one Edeva recognised. White chain, silver jewels adorning a crystal pendant - this is her most treasured piece of jewellery. She glanced at her mother, brows furrowed in confusion. “Mama?”

“This will look lovely on you my dear.” Aldora patted her hand, sitting up on the chaise. Edeva held still as she clasped the necklace around her neck. She reached up to touch the pendant, clutching it gently. “Mama, I couldn’t, this is yours.”

Aldora tutted, giving her shoulder a fond pat. “And now it is yours. It suits you.” She could see the small twinkle in her mother’s blue eyes. She had inherited them from her, and the crystal pendant very nearly presented an identical colour when it caught the light just right, sitting at the base of her throat. She stared at the crystal, inhaling slowly to gather herself.

The time has come. I can’t put this off any longer. “I need to ask you something.”

Her mother’s gaze had changed, subtly, but Edeva knew enough by now to notice the difference. She’s gone again. 

“It’s not just a necklace, you know. Crystals know things.” Her words were so quiet that Edeva only just caught them.

“Not just a necklace?” She repeated carefully, lifting the necklace from her neck. She rubbed her thumb over the crystal. “It’s only a crystal Mama, nothing more, though it is lovely.” Aldora’s hand suddenly touched her cheek, cupping it with gentle fingers. “Edeva. Everything will be all right, this is for the best my dear. For you. For everyone.”

“But what if I don’t…” Her weak protest trailed off, her throat choking up. I never wanted this day. I’ve been putting it off for so long, praying against it, and it’s here. All too soon. Edeva cleared her throat. “What if I don’t want to marry him?”

Aldora gave her a knowing smile, tipping her chin up with her index finger. “You are a Vitaire. You will know what to do when the time is right. You can do whatever you set your mind to. Vitaires do not fall. We stand. And we stay standing. As will you.” Edeva threw her arms around her mother, swallowing a sob. The older woman patted her back affectionately.  “Thank you.” She took a shaking deep breath. “I know I should want this… But I don’t.” She pulled away from her mother’s warm embrace. “I-I can’t do this.”

Aldora took Edeva’s hand, putting it against the pendant, her fingers making her hold it.“In all the eighteen years of your life, I knew there would never again be someone as strong as you. You need to use that strength now my child. You can do this. Let the High-Mother guide you.” Edeva’s fingers tightened around the pendant with such force a part of her feared it would break.

“Come along Edeva, it’s time now.” Her mother offered her a gentle smile, though Edeva did not miss the way it failed to reach her eyes, as her own so often did.

Reluctantly, Edeva pulled on her slippers, once more the glass threatened to crush her feet. Fearful of her legs buckling beneath her, she found herself taking her mother’s arm.

It’s time then, time for the ceremony, time to say goodbye to myself, and to life as I know it.

~ ~ ~

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[nightghoul381]

Clavis 3rd Anniversary Event

A Beast's Dream Realized by Beauty

Chapter 1

This a fan translation so it is definitely not 100% accurate. I do not own anything related to Ikemen Prince. Support Cybird by buying their amazing stories!

Part 1 | Part 2 | Premium End | Epilogue

In the Kingdom of Lelouch, ruled by Prince Clavis, in the corner of the country lies the only bookstore.

The bookshop, which was set up for me by the man himself after talking to the owner, continues to attract many people today.

However, due to the immigrants and the diverse population, many of the people cannot read.

In order to popularize books, it was first necessary to teach reading.

Boy: “… Someday, I want to learn to read and become a bureaucrat.”

One day, while teaching reading and writing to people gathered at the bookstore,

A young boy not yet old enough to read, spoke his dream with sparkling eyes.

Emma: “Wow, what a wonderful dream. Why do you want to be a bureaucrat?”

Boy: “It’s rewarding and well paid! Plus, I hear it’s really popular with girls.”

(Oh, it was a more sinister motive than I thought.)

Emma: “I see… Who did you ask, by the way?”

Boy: “Prince Clavis!”

???: “Haha, you’ve got potential don’t you?”

Emma: “…Gah!?”

A warm breath caresses my ear and makes me jump.

When I whipped around, there stood Prince Clavis, who was supposed to have left that morning.

Emma: “Please don’t surprise me like that! You almost made my heart stop.”

Clavis: “My God, that’s terrible! We must take care of it right away.”

Clavis: “Most fairytale princesses can be cured with a kiss, but—”

Emma: “No, thank you!”

Boy: “Why are you here Prince Clavis?”

Clavis: “Ah. Wherever my fiancée is, I will also be. Remember that.”

Clavis: “But there is quite a crowd.”

Prince Clavis knew that I was teaching the people in the bookstore how to read.

The rows of desks and the materials that everyone was using were all gifts from Prince Clavis.

(…You’re supporting me.)

His pouting lips didn’t last long.

Emma: “It’s all thanks to the great publicity you’ve given us, Prince Clavis.”

Emma: “Everyone seems to have something they want to do by learning to read.”

(It’s not just the boy who has a dream.)

By learning to read, there become more jobs to choose from.

Perhaps because so many people visit with that hope in their hearts, this place is full of dreams.

Boy: “I’ll definitely become a bureaucrat one day. Prince Clavis, hire me!”

Clavis: “Of course. If you become a man who’s funny enough to make me roar, I’ll have to consider it, won’t I?”

Clavis: “But if you’re satisfied with only one dream, then you’ve still got a long way to go.”

Boy: “What do you mean?”

Clavis: “The more dreams you have, the better.”

Clavis: “You only live once. It would be a waste if your only dream was “I want to be a bureaucrat.” wouldn’t it?”

(That’s one way of thinking.)

(It’s true that your not only allowed to have one dream, and it would be fun to have many.)

Emma: “Did you have any dreams, Prince Clavis?”

Clavis: “Oh, do you want to know? You want to know don’t you. Okay, I’ll tell you.”

(As usual the pressure is strong…)

Clavis: “As a child, I wanted to be the best gentleman on the continent. I also wanted to be an excellent butler.”

Clavis: “I wanted to set up a shot and sell what I liked, and I wanted to be a chef.”

Clavis: “Also, I wanted to be a doctor, and I aimed to become an unprecedented trapmaster.”

Boy: “…That’s too many.”

Clavis: “But I made it all happen in the end, didn’t I?”

Boy: “Really?”

Emma: “Yeah. Aside from the chef, the rest might be true…”

(He’s a tremendous gentleman, he organizes the servants, he runs the shop…)

(he’s as bright as a doctor in medicine, not to mention a trapmaster.)

He’s also become quite skilled at cooking these days, if only he focused on how it looked, his dreams would come true.

(It’s really amazing that you’ve been able to achieve these results while working behind the scenes.)

(…he’s cool, after all.)

Clavis: “What do you think? Isn’t it amazing? You’ve fallen in love with me all over again, haven’t you?”

Emma: “I’m in love, I’m in love, Prince Clavis is so cool.”

Clavis: “….”

Emma: “…I really respect you, you know?”

(I just can’t say it without making fun of it because I’m too embarrassed…)

As if running away from the questioning gaze, I turn my heated face away,

Clavis burst out laughing.

Clavis: “Well now, is it Miss Grumpy day today? My fiancée is as cute as ever.”

Boy: “Hey, how can I make so many dreams come true?”

Clavis: “Hahaha, that’s easy!”

Clavis laughed loudly and for some reason hugged my waist—

Clavis: “Do you want to know?”

Emma: “But first, move your hand!”

I tried to shake him off and run away, but I was no match for his strength.

Clavis: “If you won’t make eye contact with me, surely I can at least enjoy your body heat?”

Emma: “Not you can’t! Not in public—”

Boy: “Yeah, yeah I know you’re in love, so please tell me.”

(Hey, you look so unaffected…!)

I’m the only one who’s flustered,

The people gathered as an audience around us were reacting like “Here we go again.”

I was embarrassed to be the only one making a fuss, so I decided to obey and settle into his arms.

Clavis: “Look, take action now.”

Boy: “Right now?”

Clavis: “Mmhmm. From the moment you have a dream, think about what you need to do, and start doing it.”

Clavis: “I’ll do it tomorrow, I’ll do it when… The moment you think that, your dream will remain a dream.”

Clavis: “You don’t have to do anything spectacular. If you take action that leads to your dream, even if it’s trivial…”

Clavis: “It all adds up and naturally, your dreams will come true.”

(Clavis’s way of life is really cool.)

(…ah, I thought he was cool again.)

When I casually look up to see his expression…

Clavis: “…”

(Huh? Why does he look so sad…?)

Clavis’s expression clouded for just a moment, but was quicky replaced with a suspicious smile.

The other people didn’t seem to notice anything unusual, and the boy’s eyes lit up when he heard the story.

Boy: “Well I’ll start studying letters even more now. Miss Emma!”

Emma: “Ah… Yeah. Okay, looks like we’ll be hanging out a lot.”

Emma: “And look, Clavis is here to help too.”

Clavis: “Haha, temporary teacher? Fair enough.”

Clavis: “Emma will cover all of the tuition fees. Everyone, call me Professor Clavis.”

Boy: “Hooray!”

Clavis finally let me go and entered the applauding circle of people.

(I hope that was my imagination…)

That night—

Emma: “—So, this is how I cover the tuition fees?”

Clavis: “Ah, that’s right. My fiancée doesn’t take a bath with me very often.”

(I mean… Do all lovers in the world do this?)

(I feel like my heart is about to explode.)

Clavis, who sank into the bathtub in good spirits, embraces me from behind.

At first, I took refuge at the edge of the bathtub, but I half-heartedly accepted his invitation when I couldn’t stretch my legs.

Feeling restless and fidgety,

The fingers around my waist begin to trace the line of my breast.

Emma: “Ngh, watch where you’re touching!”

Clavis: “You don’t like it?”

Emma: “Don’t do that, it’s making me feel hot!”

Clavis: “Haha, that’s tough. But don’t worry, if you get hot, I’ll treat you well.”

Even though he was talking suggestively, he didn’t touch me any further, typical of Clavis’s gentlemanly behavior.

(…But, how that it’s quiet, it’s uncomfortable.)

(That’s it. Now’s the time to ask.)

Emma: “Clavis… Are you concerned about something?”

Clavis: “Are you concerned?”

Emma: “Earlier, during the day, I noticed that you looked sad for a moment…”

Clavis: “……”

Clavis: “Right, you’ll understand.”

Clavis took a long, drawn-out breath and tightened his grip on me.

Clavis: “I just remembered a lot of things.”

Clavis: “I’m a man who has made all my dreams come true—but there are still many dreams that haven’t come true.”

Part 1 | Part 2 | Premium End | Epilogue

[dailyanarchistposts]

Chapter 7: Mutual Aid Amongst Ourselves (Part 2)

As to the Continent, we find the communal institutions fully alive in many parts of France, Switzerland, Germany, Italy, the Scandinavian lands, and Spain, to say nothing of Eastern Europe; the village life in these countries is permeated with communal habits and customs; and almost every year the Continental literature is enriched by serious works dealing with this and connected subjects. I must, therefore, limit my illustrations to the most typical instances. Switzerland is undoubtedly one of them. Not only the five republics of Uri, Schwytz, Appenzell, Glarus, and Unterwalden hold their lands as undivided estates, and are governed by their popular folkmotes, but in all other cantons too the village communities remain in possession of a wide self-government, and own large parts of the Federal territory.[269] Two-thirds of all the Alpine meadows and two-thirds of all the forests of Switzerland are until now communal land; and a considerable number of fields, orchards, vineyards, peat bogs, quarries, and so on, are owned in common. In the Vaud, where all the householders continue to take part in the deliberations of their elected communal councils, the communal spirit is especially alive. Towards the end of the winter all the young men of each village go to stay a few days in the woods, to fell timber and to bring it down the steep slopes tobogganing way, the timber and the fuel wood being divided among all households or sold for their benefit. These excursions are real fêtes of manly labour. On the banks of Lake Leman part of the work required to keep up the terraces of the vineyards is still done in common; and in the spring, when the thermometer threatens to fall below zero before sunrise, the watchman wakes up all householders, who light fires of straw and dung and protect their vine-trees from the frost by an artificial cloud. In nearly all cantons the village communities possess so-called Bürgernutzen — that is, they hold in common a number of cows, in order to supply each family with butter; or they keep communal fields or vineyards, of which the produce is divided between the burghers, or they rent their land for the benefit of the community.[270]

It may be taken as a rule that where the communes have retained a wide sphere of functions, so as to be living parts of the national organism, and where they have not been reduced to sheer misery, they never fail to take good care of their lands. Accordingly the communal estates in Switzerland strikingly contrast with the miserable state of “commons” in this country. The communal forests in the Vaud and the Valais are admirably managed, in conformity with the rules of modern forestry. Elsewhere the “strips” of communal fields, which change owners under the system of re-allotment, are very well manured, especially as there is no lack of meadows and cattle. The high level meadows are well kept as a rule, and the rural roads are excellent.[271] And when we admire the Swiss châlet, the mountain road, the peasants’ cattle, the terraces of vineyards, or the school-house in Switzerland, we must keep in mind that without the timber for the châlet being taken from the communal woods and the stone from the communal quarries, without the cows being kept on the communal meadows, and the roads being made and the school-houses built by communal work, there would be little to admire.

It hardly need be said that a great number of mutual-aid habits and customs continue to persist in the Swiss villages. The evening gatherings for shelling walnuts, which take place in turns in each household; the evening parties for sewing the dowry of the girl who is going to marry; the calling of “aids” for building the houses and taking in the crops, as well as for all sorts of work which may be required by one of the commoners; the custom of exchanging children from one canton to the other, in order to make them learn two languages, French and German; and so on — all these are quite habitual;[272] while, on the other side, diverse modern requirements are met in the same spirit. Thus in Glarus most of the Alpine meadows have been sold during a time of calamity; but the communes still continue to buy field land, and after the newly-bought fields have been left in the possession of separate commoners for ten, twenty, or thirty years, as the case might be, they return to the common stock, which is re-allotted according to the needs of all. A great number of small associations are formed to produce some of the necessaries for life — bread, cheese, and wine — by common work, be it only on a limited scale; and agricultural co-operation altogether spreads in Switzerland with the greatest ease. Associations formed between ten to thirty peasants, who buy meadows and fields in common, and cultivate them as co-owners, are of common occurrence; while dairy associations for the sale of milk, butter, and cheese are organized everywhere. In fact, Switzerland was the birthplace of that form of co-operation. It offers, moreover, an immense field for the study of all sorts of small and large societies, formed for the satisfaction of all sorts of modern wants. In certain parts of Switzerland one finds in almost every village a number of associations — for protection from fire, for boating, for maintaining the quays on the shores of a lake, for the supply of water, and so on; and the country is covered with societies of archers, sharpshooters, topographers, footpath explorers, and the like, originated from modern militarism.

Switzerland is, however, by no means an exception in Europe, because the same institutions and habits are found in the villages of France, of Italy, of Germany, of Denmark, and so on. We have just seen what has been done by the rulers of France in order to destroy the village community and to get hold of its lands; but notwithstanding all that one-tenth part of the whole territory available for culture, i.e. 13,500,000 acres, including one-half of all the natural meadows and nearly a fifth part of all the forests of the country, remain in communal possession. The woods supply the communers with fuel, and the timber wood is cut, mostly by communal work, with all desirable regularity; the grazing lands are free for the commoners’ cattle; and what remains of communal fields is allotted and re-allotted in certain parts Ardennes — in the usual of France — namely, in the way.[273]

These additional sources of supply, which aid the poorer peasants to pass through a year of bad crops without parting with their small plots of land and without running into irredeemable debts, have certainly their importance for both the agricultural labourers and the nearly three millions of small peasant proprietors. It is even doubtful whether small peasant proprietorship could be maintained without these additional resources. But the ethical importance of the communal possessions, small as they are, is still greater than their economical value. They maintain in village life a nucleus of customs and habits of mutual aid which undoubtedly acts as a mighty check upon the development of reckless individualism and greediness, which small land-ownership is only too prone to develop. Mutual aid in all possible circumstances of village life is part of the routine life in all parts of the country. Everywhere we meet, under different names, with the charroi, i.e. the free aid of the neighbours for taking in a crop, for vintage, or for building a house; everywhere we find the same evening gatherings as have just been mentioned in Switzerland; and everywhere the commoners associate for all sorts of work. Such habits are mentioned by nearly all those who have written upon French village life. But it will perhaps be better to give in this place some abstracts from letters which I have just received from a friend of mine whom I have asked to communicate to me his observations on this subject. They come from an aged man who for years has been the mayor of his commune in South France (in Ariëge); the facts he mentions are known to him from long years of personal observation, and they have the advantage of coming from one neighbourhood instead of being skimmed from a large area. Some of them may seem trifling, but as a whole they depict quite a little world of village life.

“In several communes in our neighbourhood,” my friend writes, “the old custom of l’emprount is in vigour. When many hands are required in a métairie for rapidly making some work — dig out potatoes or mow the grass — the youth of the neighbourhood is convoked; young men and girls come in numbers, make it gaily and for nothing; and in the evening, after a gay meal, they dance.

“In the same communes, when a girl is going to marry, the girls of the neighbourhood come to aid in sewing the dowry. In several communes the women still continue to spin a good deal. When the winding off has to be done in a family it is done in one evening — all friends being convoked for that work. In many communes of the Ariège and other parts of the south-west the shelling of the Indian corn-sheaves is also done by all the neighbours. They are treated with chestnuts and wine, and the young people dance after the work has been done. The same custom is practised for making nut oil and crushing hemp. In the commune of L. the same is done for bringing in the corn crops. These days of hard work become fête days, as the owner stakes his honour on serving a good meal. No remuneration is given; all do it for each other.[274]

“In the commune of S. the common grazing-land is every year increased, so that nearly the whole of the land of the commune is now kept in common. The shepherds are elected by all owners of the cattle, including women. The bulls are communal.

“In the commune of M. the forty to fifty small sheep flocks of the commoners are brought together and divided into three or four flocks before being sent to the higher meadows. Each owner goes for a week to serve as shepherd.

“In the hamlet of C. a threshing machine has been bought in common by several households; the fifteen to twenty persons required to serve the machine being supplied by all the families. Three other threshing machines have been bought and are rented out by their owners, but the work is performed by outside helpers, invited in the usual way.

“In our commune of R. we had to raise the wall of the cemetery. Half of the money which was required for buying lime and for the wages of the skilled workers was supplied by the county council, and the other half by subscription. As to the work of carrying sand and water, making mortar, and serving the masons, it was done entirely by volunteers [just as in the Kabyle djemmâa]. The rural roads were repaired in the same way, by volunteer days of work given by the commoners. Other communes have built in the same way their fountains. The wine-press and other smaller appliances are frequently kept by the commune.”

Two residents of the same neighbourhood, questioned by my friend, add the following: —

“At O. a few years ago there was no mill. The commune has built one, levying a tax upon the commoners. As to the miller, they decided, in order to avoid frauds and partiality, that he should be paid two francs for each bread-eater, and the corn be ground free.

“At St. G. few peasants are insured against fire. When a conflagration has taken place — so it was lately — all give something to the family which has suffered from it — a chaldron, a bed-cloth, a chair, and so on — and a modest household is thus reconstituted. All the neighbours aid to build the house, and in the meantime the family is lodged free by the neighbours.”

Such habits of mutual support — of which many more examples could be given — undoubtedly account for the easiness with which the French peasants associate for using, in turn, the plough with its team of horses, the wine-press, and the threshing machine, when they are kept in the village by one of them only, as well as for the performance of all sorts of rural work in common. Canals were maintained, forests were cleared, trees were planted, and marshes were drained by the village communities from time immemorial; and the same continues still. Quite lately, in La Borne of Lozère barren hills were turned into rich gardens by communal work. “The soil was brought on men’s backs; terraces were made and planted with chestnut trees, peach trees, and orchards, and water was brought for irrigation in canals two or three miles long.” Just now they have dug a new canal, eleven miles in length.[275]

To the same spirit is also due the remarkable success lately obtained by the syndicats agricoles, or peasants’ and farmers’ associations. It was not until 1884 that associations of more than nineteen persons were permitted in France, and I need not say that when this “dangerous experiment” was ventured upon — so it was styled in the Chambers — all due “precautions” which functionaries can invent were taken. Notwithstanding all that, France begins to be covered with syndicates. At the outset they were only formed for buying manures and seeds, falsification having attained colossal proportions in these two branches;[276] but gradually they extended their functions in various directions, including the sale of agricultural produce and permanent improvements of the land. In South France the ravages of the phylloxera have called into existence a great number of wine-growers’ associations. Ten to thirty growers form a syndicate, buy a steam-engine for pumping water, and make the necessary arrangements for inundating their vineyards in turn.[277] New associations for protecting the land from inundations, for irrigation purposes, and for maintaining canals are continually formed, and the unanimity of all peasants of a neighbourhood, which is required by law, is no obstacle. Elsewhere we have the fruitières, or dairy associations, in some of which all butter and cheese is divided in equal parts, irrespective of the yield of each cow. In the Ariège we find an association of eight separate communes for the common culture of their lands, which they have put together; syndicates for free medical aid have been formed in 172 communes out of 337 in the same department; associations of consumers arise in connection with the syndicates; and so on.[278] “Quite a revolution is going on in our villages,” Alfred Baudrillart writes, “through these associations, which take in each region their own special characters.”

“Very much the same must be said of Germany. Wherever the peasants could resist the plunder of their lands, they have retained them in communal ownership, which largely prevails in Württemberg, Baden, Hohenzollern, and in the Hessian province of Starkenberg.[279] The communal forests are kept, as a rule, in an excellent state, and in thousands of communes timber and fuel wood are divided every year among all inhabitants; even the old custom of the Lesholztag is widely spread: at the ringing of the village bell all go to the forest to take as much fuel wood as they can carry.[280] In Westphalia one finds communes in which all the land is cultivated as one common estate, in accordance with all requirements of modern agronomy. As to the old communal customs and habits, they are in vigour in most parts of Germany. The calling in of aids, which are real fêtes of labour, is known to be quite habitual in Westphalia, Hesse, and Nassau. In well-timbered regions the timber for a new house is usually taken from the communal forest, and all the neighbours join in building the house. Even in the suburbs of Frankfort it is a regular custom among the gardeners that in case of one of them being ill all come on Sunday to cultivate his garden.[281]

In Germany, as in France, as soon as the rulers of the people repealed their laws against the peasant associations — that was only in 1884–1888 — these unions began to develop with a wonderful rapidity, notwithstanding all legal obstacles which were put in their way[282]. “It is a fact,” Buchenberger says, “that in thousands of village communities, in which no sort of chemical manure or rational fodder was ever known, both have become of everyday use, to a quite unforeseen extent, owing to these associations” (vol. ii. p. 507). All sorts of labour-saving implements and agricultural machinery, and better breeds of cattle, are bought through the associations, and various arrangements for improving the quality of the produce begin to be introduced. Unions for the sale of agricultural produce are also formed, as well as for permanent improvements of the land.[283]

From the point of view of social economics all these efforts of the peasants certainly are of little importance. They cannot substantially, and still less permanently, alleviate the misery to which the tillers of the soil are doomed all over Europe. But from the ethical point of view, which we are now considering, their importance cannot be overrated. They prove that even under the system of reckless individualism which now prevails the agricultural masses piously maintain their mutual-support inheritance; and as soon as the States relax the iron laws by means of which they have broken all bonds between men, these bonds are at once reconstituted, notwithstanding the difficulties, political, economical, and social, which are many, and in such forms as best answer to the modern requirements of production. They indicate in which direction and in which form further progress must be expected.

I might easily multiply such illustrations, taking them from Italy, Spain, Denmark, and so on, and pointing out some interesting features which are proper to each of these countries.[284] The Slavonian populations of Austria and the Balkan peninsula, among whom the “compound family,” or “undivided household,” is found in existence, ought also to be mentioned.[285] But I hasten to pass on to Russia, where the same mutual-support tendency takes certain new and unforeseen forms. Moreover, in dealing with the village community in Russia we have the advantage: of possessing an immense mass of materials, collected during the colossal house-to-house inquest which was lately made by several zemstvos (county councils), and which embraces a population of nearly 20,000,000 peasants in different parts of the country.[286]

Two important conclusions may be drawn from the bulk of evidence collected by the Russian inquests. In Middle Russia, where fully one-third of the peasants have been brought to utter ruin (by heavy taxation, small allotments of unproductive land, rack rents, and very severe tax-collecting after total failures of crops), there was, during the first five-and-twenty years after the emancipation of the serfs, a decided tendency towards the constitution of individual property in land within the village communities. Many impoverished “horseless” peasants abandoned their allotments, and this land often became the property of those richer peasants, who borrow additional incomes from trade, or of outside traders, who buy land chiefly for exacting rack rents from the peasants. It must also be added that a flaw in the land redemption law of 1861 offered great facilities for buying peasants’ lands at a very small expense,[287] and that the State officials mostly used their weighty influence in favour of individual as against communal ownership. However, for the last twenty years a strong wind of opposition to the individual appropriation of the land blows again through the Middle Russian villages, and strenuous efforts are being made by the bulk of those peasants who stand between the rich and the very poor to uphold the village community. As to the fertile steppes of the South, which are now the most populous and the richest part of European Russia, they were mostly colonized, during the present century, under the system of individual ownership or occupation, sanctioned in that form by the State. But since improved methods of agriculture with the aid of machinery have been introduced in the region, the peasant owners have gradually begun themselves to transform their individual ownership into communal possession, and one finds now, in that granary of Russia, a very great number of spontaneously formed village communities of recent origin.[288]

The Crimea and the part of the mainland which lies to the north of it (the province of Taurida), for which we have detailed data, offer an excellent illustration of that movement. This territory began to be colonized, after its annexation in 1783, by Great, Little, and White Russians — Cossacks, freemen, and runaway serfs — who came individually or in small groups from all corners of Russia. They took first to cattle-breeding, and when they began later on to till the soil, each one tilled as much as he could afford to. But when — immigration continuing, and perfected ploughs being introduced — land stood in great demand, bitter disputes arose among the settlers. They lasted for years, until these men, previously tied by no mutual bonds, gradually came to the idea that an end must be put to disputes by introducing village-community ownership. They passed decisions to the effect that the land which they owned individually should henceforward be their common property, and they began to allot and to re-allot it in accordance with the usual village-community rules. The movement gradually took a great extension, and on a small territory, the Taurida statisticians found 161 villages in which communal ownership had been introduced by the peasant proprietors themselves, chiefly in the years 1855–1885, in lieu of individual ownership. Quite a variety of village-community types has been freely worked out in this way by the settlers.[289]

What adds to the interest of this transformation is that it took place, not only among the Great Russians, who are used to village-community life, but also among Little Russians, who have long since forgotten it under Polish rule, among Greeks and Bulgarians, and even among Germans, who have long since worked out in their prosperous and half-industrial Volga colonies their own type of village community.[290] It is evident that the Mussulman Tartars of Taurida hold their land under the Mussulman customary law, which is limited personal occupation; but even with them the European village community has been introduced in a few cases. As to other nationalities in Taurida, individual ownership has been abolished in six Esthonian, two Greek, two Bulgarian, one Czech, and one German village. This movement is characteristic for the whole of the fertile steppe region of the south. But separate instances of it are also found in Little Russia. Thus in a number of villages of the province of Chernigov the peasants were formerly individual owners of their plots; they had separate legal documents for their plots and used to rent and to sell their land at will. But in the fifties of the nineteenth century a movement began among them in favour of communal possession, the chief argument being the growing number of pauper families. The initiative of the reform was taken in one village, and the others followed suit, the last case on record dating from 1882. Of course there were struggles between the poor, who usually claim for communal possession, and the rich, who usually prefer individual ownership; and the struggles often lasted for years. In certain places the unanimity required then by the law being impossible to obtain, the village divided into two villages, one under individual ownership and the other under communal possession; and so they remained until the two coalesced into one community, or else they remained divided still. As to Middle Russia, its a fact that in many villages which were drifting towards individual ownership there began since 1880 a mass movement in favour of re-establishing the village community. Even peasant proprietors who had lived for years under the individualist system returned en masse to the communal institutions. Thus, there is a considerable number of ex-serfs who have received one-fourth part only of the regulation allotments, but they have received them free of redemption and in individual ownership.

There was in 1890 a wide-spread movement among them (in Kursk, Ryazan, Tambov, Orel, etc.) towards putting their allotments together and introducing the village community. The “free agriculturists” (volnyie khlebopashtsy), who were liberated from serfdom under the law of 1803, and had bought their allotments — each family separately — are now nearly all under the village-community system, which they have introduced themselves. All these movements are of recent origin, and non-Russians too join them. Thus the Bulgares in the district of Tiraspol, after having remained for sixty years under the personal-property system, introduced the village community in the years 1876–1882. The German Mennonites of Berdyansk fought in 1890 for introducing the village community, and the small peasant proprietors (Kleinwirthschaftliche) among the German Baptists were agitating in their villages in the same direction. One instance more: In the province of Samara the Russian government created in the forties, by way of experiment, 103 villages on the system of individual ownership. Each household received a splendid property of 105 acres. In 1890, out of the 103 villages the peasants in 72 had already notified the desire of introducing the village community. I take all these facts from the excellent work of V.V., who simply gives, in a classified form, the facts recorded in the above-mentioned house-to-house inquest.

This movement in favour of communal possession runs badly against the current economical theories, according to which intensive culture is incompatible with the village community. But the most charitable thing that can be said of these theories is that they have never been submitted to the test of experiment: they belong to the domain of political metaphysics. The facts which we have before us show, on the contrary, that wherever the Russian peasants, owing to a concurrence of favourable circumstances, are less miserable than they are on the average, and wherever they find men of knowledge and initiative among their neighbours, the village community becomes the very means for introducing various improvements in agriculture and village life altogether. Here, as elsewhere, mutual aid is a better leader to progress than the war of each against all, as may be seen from the following facts.

Under Nicholas the First’s rule many Crown officials and serf-owners used to compel the peasants to introduce the communal culture of small plots of the village lands, in order to refill the communal storehouses after loans of grain had been granted to the poorest commoners. Such cultures, connected in the peasants’ minds with the worst reminiscences of serfdom, were abandoned as soon as serfdom was abolished but now the peasants begin to reintroduce them on their own account. In one district (Ostrogozhsk, in Kursk) the initiative of one person was sufficient to call them to life in four-fifths of all the villages. The same is met with in several other localities. On a given day the commoners come out, the richer ones with a plough or a cart and the poorer ones single-handed, and no attempt is made to discriminate one’s share in the work. The crop is afterwards used for loans to the poorer commoners, mostly free grants, or for the orphans and widows, or for the village church, or for the school, or for repaying a communal debt.[291]

That all sorts of work which enters, so to say, in the routine of village life (repair of roads and bridges, dams, drainage, supply of water for irrigation, cutting of wood, planting of trees, etc.) are made by whole communes, and that land is rented and meadows are mown by whole communes — the work being accomplished by old and young, men and women, in the way described by Tolstoi — is only what one may expect from people living under the village-community system.[292] They are of everyday occurrence all over the country. But the village community is also by no means averse to modern agricultural improvements, when it can stand the expense, and when knowledge, hitherto kept for the rich only, finds its way into the peasant’s house.

It has just been said that perfected ploughs rapidly spread in South Russia, and in many cases the village communities were instrumental in spreading their use. A plough was bought by the community, experimented upon on a portion of the communal land, and the necessary improvements were indicated to the makers, whom the communes often aided in starting the manufacture of cheap ploughs as a village industry. In the district of Moscow, where 1,560 ploughs were lately bought by the peasants during five years, the impulse came from those communes which rented lands as a body for the special purpose of improved culture.

In the north-east (Vyatka) small associations of peasants, who travel with their winnowing machines (manufactured as a village industry in one of the iron districts), have spread the use of such machines in the neighbouring governments. The very wide spread of threshing machines in Samara, Saratov, and Kherson is due to the peasant associations, which can afford to buy a costly engine, while the individual peasant cannot. And while we read in nearly all economical treatises that the village community was doomed to disappear when the three-fields system had to be substituted by the rotation of crops system, we see in Russia many village communities taking the initiative of introducing the rotation of crops. Before accepting it the peasants usually set apart a portion of the communal fields for an experiment in artificial meadows, and the commune buys the seeds.[293] If the experiment proves successful they find no difficulty whatever in re-dividing their fields, so as to suit the five or six fields system.

This system is now in use in hundreds of villages of Moscow, Tver, Smolensk, Vyatka, and Pskov.[294] And where land can be spared the communities give also a portion of their domain to allotments for fruit-growing. Finally, the sudden extension lately taken in Russia by the little model farms, orchards, kitchen gardens, and silkworm-culture grounds — which are started at the village school-houses, under the conduct of the school-master, or of a village volunteer — is also due to the support they found with the village communities.

Moreover, such permanent improvements as drainage and irrigation are of frequent occurrence. For instance, in three districts of the province of Moscow — industrial to a great extent — drainage works have been accomplished within the last ten years on a large scale in no less than 180 to 200 different villages — the commoners working themselves with the spade. At another extremity of Russia, in the dry Steppes of Novouzen, over a thousand dams for ponds were built and several hundreds of deep wells were sunk by the communes; while in a wealthy German colony of the south-east the commoners worked, men and women alike, for five weeks in succession, to erect a dam, two miles long, for irrigation purposes. What could isolated men do in that struggle against the dry climate? What could they obtain through individual effort when South Russia was struck with the marmot plague, and all people living on the land, rich and poor, commoners and individualists, had to work with their hands in order to conjure the plague? To call in the policeman would have been of no use; to associate was the only possible remedy.

And now, after having said so much about mutual aid and support which are practised by the tillers of the soil in “civilized” countries, I see that I might fill an octavo volume with illustrations taken from the life of the hundreds of millions of men who also live under the tutorship of more or less centralized States, but are out of touch with modern civilization and modern ideas. I might describe the inner life of a Turkish village and its network of admirable mutual-aid customs and habits. On turning over my leaflets covered with illustrations from peasant life in Caucasia, I come across touching facts of mutual support. I trace the same customs in the Arab djemmâa and the Afghan purra, in the villages of Persia, India, and Java, in the undivided family of the Chinese, in the encampments of the semi-nomads of Central Asia and the nomads of the far North. On consulting taken at random in the literature of Africa, I find them replete with similar facts — of aids convoked to take in the crops, of houses built by all inhabitants of the village — sometimes to repair the havoc done by civilized filibusters — of people aiding each other in case of accident, protecting the traveller, and so on. And when I peruse such works as Post’s compendium of African customary law I understand why, notwithstanding all tyranny, oppression, robberies and raids, tribal wars, glutton kings, deceiving witches and priests, slave-hunters, and the like, these populations have not gone astray in the woods; why they have maintained a certain civilization, and have remained men, instead of dropping to the level of straggling families of decaying orang-outans. The fact is, that the slave-hunters, the ivory robbers, the fighting kings, the Matabele and the Madagascar “heroes” pass away, leaving their traces marked with blood and fire; but the nucleus of mutual-aid institutions, habits, and customs, grown up in the tribe and the village community, remains; and it keeps men united in societies, open to the progress of civilization, and ready to receive it when the day comes that they shall receive civilization instead of bullets.

The same applies to our civilized world. The natural and social calamities pass away. Whole populations are periodically reduced to misery or starvation; the very springs of life are crushed out of millions of men, reduced to city pauperism; the understanding and the feelings of the millions are vitiated by teachings worked out in the interest of the few. All this is certainly a part of our existence. But the nucleus of mutual-support institutions, habits, and customs remains alive with the millions; it keeps them together; and they prefer to cling to their customs, beliefs, and traditions rather than to accept the teachings of a war of each against all, which are offered to them under the title of science, but are no science at all.

[mariacallous]

Climate law experts are already calling it one of the most impactful rulings on human rights and climate change ever made. Today’s judgment, from the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), was read out in front of an eclectic gathering of concerned plaintiffs from around the continent.

A group of older women from Switzerland, young people from Portugal, and a former French mayor—all had brought cases to the court alleging that their governments were not doing enough to battle the climate crisis now regularly ravaging Europe with heat waves, droughts, and other extreme weather.

While the ECHR, based in Strasbourg, France, chose not to admit two of the cases in question, it ruled that the Swiss women were right—their government had failed to do enough to meet the country’s responsibilities over climate change. What’s more, the women plaintiffs had also been denied their right to a fair trial in their country, the court found.

“It’s really a landmark judgement that was issued today, and it’s going to shape how all future climate change judgements are decided,” says human rights law researcher Corina Heri from the University of Zurich, who was present to hear the court’s decision for herself. “I was really relieved and very happy,” she adds, describing the moment when she heard the results of the judges’ deliberations.

Climate activist Greta Thunberg, who also attended the ruling, told reporters afterward that the world could expect more climate-change-related litigation.

The ECHR judges ruled 16 to 1 that the Swiss women—known as the KlimaSeniorinnen, or Senior Women for Climate Protection—had been subject to a violation of their human rights under the terms of the European Convention on Human Rights. The women had argued, for instance, that they were particularly vulnerable to the effects of heat waves.

Essentially, the ECHR has said it deems the Swiss government’s efforts on climate change mitigation to be insufficient. In the immediate aftermath of the ruling, Swiss president Viola Amherd told reporters that she would have to read the court’s judgement before commenting in detail.

“What Switzerland failed to do in the eyes of the court is, firstly, they don’t have a sufficient regulatory framework [for tackling climate change],” says Catherine Higham at the London School of Economics, who coordinates the Climate Change Laws of the World project. “They also felt there was evidence that Switzerland had inadequate 2020 targets and it failed to comply with those.” By 2020, the country had aimed to cut emissions by 20 percent from 1990 levels—however, emissions fell by only 14 percent.

The case brought by a former French mayor who said his town was at risk from rising sea levels was not admitted by the court because the man no longer lives in France. And the case by six Portuguese young people, penned in response to devastating wildfires in 2017, was also not admitted—partly because the plaintiffs did not bring their case in their own country before approaching the ECHR.

Despite this, the positive ruling for the KlimaSeniorinnen is being touted as hugely significant by legal experts. In this case, the court did not accept complaints from individuals within the group, but it did accept complaints made by the group itself as an organization—a distinction that could influence how people collectivize and approach European courts with similar cases in the future, says Heri.

She adds that there was a possibility the court could have ruled that the European Convention on Human Rights doesn’t actually require climate action. Had that happened, it could have undermined existing rulings made in European domestic courts that have demanded tougher climate policies from governments. For example, the Brussels Court of Appeal ruled last year that Belgium must cut its emissions by 55 percent from 1990 levels by 2030.

Today’s judgement comes following years of climate-change-related litigation gathering pace in courts around the world. In the US in 2023, for example, a judge ruled that the state of Montana was violating the right of 16 young people to a “clean and healthful environment.”

Higham says the ECHR’s ruling is “likely to have ramifications around the world.” She notes that, globally, there are around 100 similar cases in progress at various courts, also challenging governments over their climate change mitigation efforts. Heri agrees, noting that the ECHR is viewed globally as a highly influential international court.

Jorge Viñuales at the University of Cambridge, who specializes in law and environmental policy, says it is notable that Switzerland has been found to have fallen foul of human rights legislation, despite the fact that the country has relatively good climate policies. He criticizes the ECHR’s decision not to admit the case brought by the Portuguese young people, however. Part of the court’s reasoning was that their case was targeted not just at Portugal but every EU member state and five other countries. “The court seems to misunderstand that the climate system is everywhere and that effective control over the source of harm is what should count,” says Viñuales.

A big question around climate-change-related legal cases is over their impact—do they actually have enough clout to steer countries and large corporations toward reducing emissions faster than planned? Higham says there is evidence that this is already happening. In the Netherlands, the country’s Supreme Court ordered the government to slash emissions by 15 megatonnes in 2020, and a sharp drop in emissions followed. “We do see policy changes in the Netherlands that seem to be influenced by that judgement,” says Higham.

The ECHR ruling could also reignite cases that have struggled in some nations under the ECHR’s jurisdiction, such as the UK. This is “immensely significant,” says Tim Crosland, director of Plan B, a legal group that challenged the UK government over its climate policies but ultimately lost the case in 2021. “The High Court said, ‘Your fundamental problem is there is no precedent from Strasbourg to support your position that fundamental rights have been violated,’” says Crosland. “Well, now there is.”

Defendants in future cases may feel that their country’s own emissions are only a fraction of those responsible for climate change, and that therefore it is unfair to single one state out over many others. However, the ECHR ruling does not exaggerate nations’ individual duties, says Crosland. Each state has a share of the world’s carbon budget for keeping global warming to, for example, less than 1.5 degrees Celsius.

“Obviously, Switzerland isn’t responsible for emissions from the US or from China, but it’s responsible for its own emissions—and that’s what the judgement says,” he explains.

[randomnameless]

Speaking of unification, the end of FE3/12 was so disappointing. FE1 ended with each country still being independent, which was perfect. But no, the sequel had to do a 180 so that Marth could rule over all of Archanea.

Especially since it comes with a...disturbing trend of putting female rulers back in their place: Minerva, Nyna, Sheena...

Like you would seriously want me to believe that Minerva would be happy to settle in a convent? But guys, she wasn't competent T.T. She couldn't rule like Michalis and it ended in an internal crisis.

But Sheena didn't want to rule. She just wanted to live as an "ordinary happy girl" UwU. Yes, Archanea gave us the wonderful Shiida, but Kaga's sexism shines here.

The worst thing is Michalis' ending in FE12. They wanted to keep him alive, fine, they did the same with Camus/Sirius after all. But he either gets to rule over Macedon again (so it means that there were no consequences for his actions unlike in the original game) or conquer another continent.

Perhaps they wanted to show that it realistically made no sense that an ambitious man like Michalis would give up on his dream, but it leaves a bad taste in my mouth. You can kill your father, be a tyrannical ruler, but don't worry, you will get your throne back or you will either get to conquer a whole new land. Yeah!

I would have made more sense if Michalis was the one to give up on everything and perhaps become a monk if they wanted to show that he was trying to atone. After all, he dies in the original version. It could have shown that the old him was indeed dead and that he was now going on a different path, thanks to Maria.

Yeah :/

The sheer fact that Michalis wasn't kept dead in the remake sort of pisses me - why keeping him alive after kind of saving Maria ?

Was it to have a "good end" where no one dies, or because you'd feel uwu for poor Michalis who :

Murdered his dad, had his youngest sister kidnapped, fought against another sister etc...

And as you said, what kind of message this leaves that he gets to survive to conquer other lands, after the mess he did in Archanea? Was it a joke or just to piss on the original writers ?

So between Kaga's sexism and the "but earl grey" nonsense from the "modern" devs really did a number of FE3/12 to me lol

The only character I can "realistically" see abandoning her throne is Nyna, because of the guilt she must feel regarding Hardin's fall but then I'm always reminded at that person @crushednugget found that said Nyna is responsible for the war in FE3/12 and I'm just...