[https://imgpile.com/images/93sCsh.png]
Q: I want to know how Elian got so strong.
A: Lots and lots of practice! When I was really little I didn't want to play, or do women's work inside. I wanted to go out into the fields and help there. Sparring with someone like Tal, who fights like he wants to kill you, helps a lot too.
Author's Addition, because I need more words and want to talk about worldbuilding: I don't think Elian would use the word 'transgender' for himself while living in Gresha, and as a god his perception of his own gender may have shifted somewhat over centuries. But yeah, 'trans' would be the best word for what Elian is, I think. Gresha is fairly accepting of trans-gendered individuals, so long as they properly transition. Gresha would, unfortunately, be much less accepting of non-binary and a-spec individuals.
Likewise I think they don't necessarily mind same-sex relationships kept within certain organizations (such as gay relationships in the army, lesbian relationships in the temple, gay lovers of the king), but it's generally understood that relationships that can't produce a blood child don't 'count'. So you can have these relationships, but the priority is to conform and produce a lot of kids. The 'ideals' of both men and women in Gresha probably both involve being very fertile.
The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.
[https://imgpile.com/images/93sD0E.png]
Q: I actually just came up with another question for Elian: I want to know from their perspective what ripping a leg off a giant bug was like.
A: I... don't really remember. I wanna say it felt good? But I was just really really angry, and scared for Nia, back then, and it's kinda hazy... I know I was really sore and tired afterwards.
[https://imgpile.com/images/9S0fJL.png]
Q: It's not fully clear to me yet, so I want to know if people in his village don't like Talon because he's a jerk, or if he's a jerk because people in his village don't like him. Put another way, do people really only dislike him because of the Flame arts?
A: They don't dislike me because of the Flame Arts. They dislike me because I won't be their dog.
Author's Addition: To clarify, because Talon gives a fairly biased answer here: Talon has his reasons to dislike them, but he's also certainly gone out of his way to provoke them.
Ultimately, I'd say it's because he perceives his village, and perhaps even his village's culture, as having wronged him. Something which I have hinted at happened when he was younger, and he's never been given the proper resources or support to deal with those emotions, so he just lashes out at all those around him, with certain innocents, such as Kite, getting caught up in the crossfire. Elian and Nania not being from his village, but also capable of proving themselves to be 'strong', is probably a big reason he was able to form healthy relationships with them at all. They've probably also given him much better ways of venting and slowly coming to terms with those relationships... but unfortunately in the case of Kite, as we've now seen, it seems to be too little, too late.