#path of fire sure is a...

[valiaint]

Stained Glass (Chap 5, Path of Fire)

When a stray fireball from Balthazar takes out half of the wooden stairway, Teraphany summons wings of light to bring her up instead, just barely making it onto the next ledge. “You’re fucking dead when I get back!” Her hands dig straight into the rotting wood, and she pulls herself up before continuing her reckless sprint. “I’ll never forgive you! I’ll--!” The whole world shakes around Teraphany, nearly knocking her back off the edge. Balthazar lets out a loud, rippling laugh, and it’s enough to set Teraphany on fire alone. “I’m the one who gets to decide if I want to fight,” she rasps, and even as the desert itself quakes under Balthazar’s wrath, she continues to drag herself up the steps, then the rocks, carelessly cutting her palms on the jagged cliff face. “I’m the one who decides if I want to put my life on the line! NO ONE tells me what to do! I’m not under anyone’s control but myself! I’m doing this duty with you because there’s nowhere else in this stupid, godforsaken world that I’d choose to be!” She leaps across a final gap in the bridge, and finally, she pulls herself up onto the top of the spire. “Do you hear me, Erin?! I’m--” There’s nothing left on the peak except clear desert skies and a burnt corpse. Teraphany doesn’t say anything. She doesn’t even realise what she’s doing until a bird perches onto Erin’s broken body, landing as gracefully as snowfall. Her hands fly to her greatbow to shoot it out of the sky, because she can’t-- no fucking desert scavenger is going to pick at Erin when she’s-- "What are you doing?” When Raven speaks to her, voice as cold as the snowstorm where Erin found him, Teraphany knows that there is no more playing pretend. “She’s already dead.”

Path of Fire, huh.

AO3 link

[maggie-candy999]

Reyson, please move out of the way so that Seteth can see Flayn.

[jerrom]

my teacher, my brother, not quite my mother

[middle-earth-marauder]

Blue Blur

Streetrat!AU, Sonic reference -------------------------------------- Sonic in Streetrat/Oliver Twist AU. No-powers AU. troubled guy with a complicated past and enough regrets in the rearview to bury him six feet under. Self-harm scars are due to overstimulation, he doesn't even realize he's done it until he feels the blood and realizes he's cut himself with his claws again. Ratty clothes because he'd rather buy food or other necessities for the rest of the crew than bother looking decent, himself. Earns his keep through pick-pocket schemes and cons, enough to charm to get away with just about anything. Lives at the docks with Knuckles, Rouge, and Amy. Hedgehog, orphaned, raised in a group foster home with typically absent fosters. Learned how to sleep light and quick and to always have one eye open, how to eat fast because if you don't someone's gonna take it from you, and how to use being naturally quick and light on his feet to his advantage to take care of himself and others. Finally back in the city after a long absence and occasionally seeing his longterm situationship Shadow, despite the obvious toxicity between them. Just doing what he can to support his friends and keep everyone's heads above water a little while longer, no matter the cost to himself- he's got too many regrets weighing him down, after all, to be worth anything more than a self-sacrifice.

Link to the Masterpost

[wereoz]

i think declan touching doyle’s hand and saying ‘i remember you…’ and doyle responding ‘i’m sorry’ was the perfect way to end the emily & doyle & declan arc. it’s the perfect way to show that in a horrible, dysfunctional way they were a family (forced to be!!) and even though emily and doyle wanted each other dead and declan lives without both of them, a little bit of each other will live in all of them forever. honestly including this in the same ep where it’s revealed declan was born through doyle keeping his mother captive to force her to give birth, and emily’s disgust at that really makes this arc more powerful and tragic. like - she had to live with that man and make loving him believable. she had to believe 100% she was in love for him for this to work, not to mention she was further trapped by actually caring for declan and wanting to know he was okay. it’s a painful, confusing situation with no good outcome. if it’s not believable, you die and compromise the operation. if you believe it, you compromise your morality and identity and when everything ends you feel as though you’ve destroyed your home, your family. emily was left feeling so empty. god <//3

[deliciouskeys]

I find it simultaneously endearing and mildly harrowing how readily Homelander cries when someone he considers close betrays/abandons him. Even though he’d laser most of the betrayers in the face, given the chance. Madelyn end of s1. Ryan end of s2. Maeve and Noir in s3. Ryan visiting Butcher in s4. ATrain in s4. Highly likely Ryan again in s4e8.

[kinokoshoujoart]

the coolest kids in forgotten valley!!☆

(…it seems there may have been a stretch of time where rock and lumina were the only kids in forgotten valley…🥲)

poseref

[silvermeww]

12. An unpopular character you like? (and why more people should like them)

asdfghjk THANKS FOR THE ASK I'M GIVING YOU SO MUCH <33 RN

Ooh, hmm, this'll be fun. there are so many examples in pokeani and honestly some are a little eh, but then I remembered how almost every comment I see about 'worse' characters seem to include Max and I just don't get it?? How can anyone hate him??

(fun fact, when I was first watching him - in dub mind you - I also really didn't like him much. but I was coming off from the end of the OG, which was pretty sad considering who we lost, and tbh especially in 4kids early seasons dub EVERYONE was pretty unlikeable. I think I hated almost everyone back in the early gens at some point lol; I can be real vindicative but I think watching the whole thing taught me to take my time before judging stuff :v)

But yeah!! I really don't get the hate. Oh, so he said that Ash sucked for getting 8th place in the Silver Conference - can we all remember that a) legit kid and b) he's seeing this guy lose to an evolved starter from his own region of the SAME type as Ash's. It's like watching a Venasaur lose to Meganium if you're from Kanto; you'll be feeling pretty patriotic and stuff too ngl, especially if you don't have any battle experience yet.

But he acts so smart - Yes, and?? I don't see anyone talk about how Gary was coming up in the first season spouting random facts only to lose in the prelims and get a lower place than Ash. Again, I wish that people remember that Max is the kid of a Gym Leader, who reads and watches Leagues to make up for not being able to watc the Gym Battles taking place under the same roof, who dreams of becoming as strong if not stronger than his father. He's going to have high expectations. He's going to think that knowledge is everything. He's going to show off as much as he can, to make up for the fact that he's the only one in the group who isn't a Trainer. And I love how he learns that you have to actually interact with Pokemon to learn what it's all about, that you can't replace experience, that you can still experience things now even if you are too young to start. There isn't a limit to going out and interacting with the world. He doesn't have to wait. He's allowed to make mistakes and own up and not know stuff and grow, now and in the future. In a way, he's learning the same things as May, and I think that's wonderful.

And while I wish that he could've gotten a Pokemon while on the journey (one that he could keep à la XY with Bonnie), I'm fine with what he had in Advanced. He got to see Gym Battles. He got to travel two (2) regions. He got to see different aspects of being a Trainer, as a Coordinator and as a Breeder/Doctor. He got the recognition of his father in the end and was able to get into the Gym business. He got to play and learn with so many Pokemon and just act his age for once, instead of having to grow up to make up the percieved difference (wrongly percieved, might I add). Dang it, he brefriended two Mythical Pokemon (Jirachi and that other Deoxys). I dunno, he's doing pretty well for himself. Sure he's snappish and remarks on a bunch of stuff, but AG is full of that (ugh Ash was on another level, especially in Hoenn) (we don't talk about flat Brock) and S1 Kanto was way worse.

Anyways everyone go out and appreciate this goober. He did not bond with this Ralts for nothing and I swear I did not cry in this ep just for everyone to hate him. His character growth was awesome and if we ever get a Chronicles 2.0 I need to see his journey (the kids that go with Ash legit get such powerful Pokemon I fear for the competition lol).

[rainswept]

is that. is that an alnst theme. how about you just plan my funeral for me at this point 😞 (it's looks so good though) also. luka as imaginary was a diabolical move why did you have to do that

IT IS!! thank you :) also. 1. imaginary man curse. 2. luka = piss yellow = imaginary. i wish i had a more lore-based reason for picking it but that was actually just my first thought. & in the early stages of making the graphic, when i was trying to make the colors cohesive (which i gave up on in favor of Matching Hoyo ™️), i figured that the color wouldn’t clash with him. but it also stuck because i felt like none of the other types fit

[arcade-confetti]

Talia saying Jason with 24 hours and a survival kit, fresh from the pit, couldn't be tracked by Ra's is interesting

And oopsies I liveblogged all of lost days in the tags of this post

[randomnameless]

FE 25 :

Uwu:(...) I question the way in which our society is designed. No matter what strength a person has, it is the station he is born into that controls his destiny. And you cannot control where you will be born. Do you believe that a person of low birth should simply endure the curse of his station? I think not. If you are stronger than those around you, you should benefit from your strength. This is why I will use my strength to remake this world. Class and rank will not matter. Human and sub-human will not matter. The strong will possess everything. The weak will submit to their will. Is this not the meaning of peace? A subhuman: Are you saying that the lives of those without strength have no value?

Uwu : If after all of this you believe the weak will still be weak, that is only because they are too used to relying on others instead of on themselves. A barbarian and potential subhuman lover : There are those who cannot live without their faith... and those who cannot go on once they have lost their reason for living. Your path will not be able to save them. It is the path of the strong, and so, it could only benefit the strong.

Uwu: That is the natural order. The only way for the weak to survive is to cling to the strong. Our discussion is over. Tell me, frail little bird who cannot fight; which do you choose? Submission? Or death? A subhuman: …Life proffered to me by your hand is something I would never accept! A barbarian and potential subhuman lover : (...) I finally understand…what you believe is right.

The context is different, Dimi has a special background with Supreme Leader and is her step-brother, so it makes sense trying to reach for her and at least try to understand what is going on in her mind, than Reyson, a frail and weak laguz by birth, trying to understand and reach out for Ashnard.

But are we really supposed to think Dimi's reply here is pretty different because he personally knew his Ashnard? Or because he isn't a weak and frail thing by birth, like Reyson, so he isn't as angry or as passionate in his replies?

I know this scene plays a role in Dimitri's arc - he tries to reach out for her (hand) when he earlier only wanted to end her life, because he isn't driven by revenge or vengeance anymore and wants to save people, even Supreme Leader.

So this convo is less about Supreme Leader and more about him.

And yet, imo, this always felt sort of wrong, because while Dimitri cannot do a thing for the people who are already dead (killing Supreme Leader won't bring them back, he has to think about the living now and not to avenge the dead) - Dimitri is still talking to someone who gave means and opportunities (and fodder!) to Izuka to create Feral Ones thus most likely knows there is a Gritnea Tower around, started a war and killed thousands, was involved (as far as he knows?) in the brutal killing of his family and has pretty biased views on Laguz.

Of course in the following scenes and maps, he resolves to put an end to the war thus defeat her, and we know Supreme Leader refuses his mercy and prefers to die - but the way this development is frailed is not a straight up rejection of her POV or her so called "IdEaLs", but it's framed as a tragedy because Dimitri couldn't "save" her.

No, kill that, it's even worse :

We have no choice but to destroy each other… Such is the destiny we were born to.

Now this fight - aka Dimitri wanting to put an end to Ashnard's war - is the result of fate, and not the will/choices both parties made to reach that point (which is, in a way, hilarious, because he mentions just after his line her "iron will", so pick your horse Dimitri, is this war the result of fate/destiny, or is it due to Ashnard's "iron will"?).

Ultimately, the themes and arcs of both games are different, so it's no wonder that the solution each Lord(s) offer is different - Elincia wants to avenge her parents and justice for her dead countrymen, Reyson wants to have the right to exist even if he is a weak thing by birth, Ike is out of the loop / Dimitri wants to accept Supreme Leader and "save" her because vengeance and justice drove him to a wall and got his close father figure killed, Dimitri now wants to protect the living, even Supreme Leader herself (or at least he tries).

So even if Ashnard and Supreme Leader share the same dubious ideals, keep a lizard in cage/captivity, used feral ones and started wars - the reaction to them is different, because the Lords have different character arcs and development.

That being said, even with all his character development, would a post-Rodrigue death Dimitri who, idk, is warped in FE9's Tellius, after befriending Laguz, witnessing racism, seeing Gritnea and the "wildlife experiments", witnessing Daein's army ruining civilians, learning about Lillia, Rajaion, etc etc, would that Dimitri still have reached his hand out to Ashnard upon his defeat?

If we want to stay in Fodlan, a Dimitri who befriends Nabateans (who reveals themselves to be Nabateans!), learns about the Relics, learns about Supreme Leader's goal to free the world from their existence because their race isn't allowed to have power over humans, seeing Gritnea or at least still giving fucks about the humans who were painfully transformed in Demonic Beasts (and maybe solving the question about who are they made from, random Adrestian civilians or war prisoners?), reacting to Ferdie's paralogue, learning about Rhea's zumba lessons in her 5 stars resort, etc etc, would this Dimitri still have reached his hand out to a Supreme Leader whose core belief (or least one of them) is Nabateans shouldn't be allowed to live in Fodlan, and Faerghus and Leicester should never have existed and should return to her?

Of course the game makes it so that we will never learn the answer to that second situation, because Hresvelg Tea and whatnot, but if we want to stay true to his character arc, then AM!Dimitri would still have reached out for her hand.

A Dimitri who becomes the kind of ruler Elincia is after her arc in FE10... wouldn't have at all.

[anaalnathrakhs]

i'm going to be honest i have no idea what i'm going to do. i messed up my choices for higher education and now i have barely a couple days to pick between a cursus way too difficult for me, a highly specialized cursus with shit outcomes, and a leap of faith into whatever kind of gap year alternative can get me out of my parents' hair for the time being. note how i have no fucking idea what that alternative could be, or what path i'd like to take ideally. fun.

[katfreaks-hidyhole]

The newest member to the +10 club, Marcia the Petulant Knight!

[aria0fgold]

Sudden urge to replace my Arcanine in my team as well. I just wanna try to use a slightly different team this time after countless times of using the Same Team over and over again during my pokemon black and white 2 insanity of a childhood.

[soupis4ever]

updated oc "family tree" because the last one sucked majorly and did not specify what the hell any of those creatures were. also now we have god lore. and a very long tag rant apparently

[katfreaks-hidyhole]