#// got too lost in unbeatable squirrel girl

[shellheadtmark2]

    HE’S FIGHTIN’ AND SMITIN’ WITH REPULSOR RAYS !!

                                                    AMAZING ARMOR, THAT’S IRON MAN!                                                     A BLAZIN’ POWER, THAT’S IRON MAN!*

* 616-based tony stark / iron man.  avenging since may 2013.  assembled by amanda. some restrictions apply, please see rules for details.  

[wellhalesbells]

✨✨ TOP FIVES FOR 2020 ✨✨

2020 was, i think we can all agree, a massively chaotic year but i have never consumed as much media before in my life, so i thought others might benefit from my slothery uh, connoisseur.... ship?  yes, that.  below are the books, comics, shows, and movies that got me through!

B O O K S .

the starless sea, by erin morgenstern - i loooove this book because it loves me back.  it says: ‘oh, you’re a reader, well i have just the thing for you.’  it luxuriates in language and story and riddles and fairy tales and it feels like an entire library in a single tome.

they never learn, by layne fargo - oh fuuuuuck, this was satisfying.  i thought it might feel a little exploitative as it is very aware of the zeitgeist and likely would not exist without the #metoo movement but it never ever did.  this was a fucking ROMP, period.  reading about a woman getting away with murdering skeezy guy after rapey guy after shitty human just made me happier and happier.

moonflower murders, by anthony horowitz - this is the second in the susan ryeland series (and the first was hardcore good fun too) and really feels very classic mystery with the artful twist of catering to the literary community.  mainly because: susan isn’t a detective, she’s an editor and she gets drafted in this time because the clue to what happened to a missing woman is in a book she edited, if she can find it.  both of the books in this series have such an excellent coming together moment that is rare af to find.

the invisible life of addie larue, by v.e. schwab - the writing in this is just so good.  it has that feel to me where i just want to drop the book and open up my own page and let my fingers fly.  it’s that inspiring kind of writing that reminds you of all the things language can do.

crown of feathers/heart of flames, by nicki pau preto - aaahhh, this series is SO FREAKING GOOD!  why is there not more of a fandom for it, why???? it is so many of my favorite tropes all resting perfectly together to the point where you almost forget they’re tropes because they just so naturally evolved there.  ugh, it’s just.... it’s so heart-bursty good.

.... number 5, part 2?  raybearer, by jordan ifueko - this was just so original and i was invested af.  like, what a brilliant idea though and an even better execution??  i loved every character and am so looking forward to the next in the series so i can get to know them even better!!

honorable mentions (sh*t i still liked a whole heckuva lot): you/hidden bodies, by caroline kepnes // writers & lovers, by lily king // i’ll be gone in the dark, by michelle mcnamara // the faceless old woman who secretly lives in your home, by joseph fink & jeffrey cranor // girl, serpent, thorn, by melissa bashardoust // a little life, by hanya yanagihara // the guinevere deception, by kiersten white // obsidio (and the entire illuminae series), by amie kaufman & jay kristoff // the bone houses, by emily lloyd-jones // house of salt and sorrows, by erin a. craig // we hunt the flame, by hafsah faizal // savage legion, by matt wallace // blacktop wasteland, by s.a. cosby // crier’s war, by nina varela // the empress of salt and fortune/when the tiger came down the mountain, by nghi vo // upright women wanted, by sarah gailey // the monster of elendhaven, by jennifer giesbrecht // a deadly education, by naomi novik // you let me in, by camilla bruce // when you ask me where i’m going, by jasmin kaur // the lights go out in lychford/last stand in lychford (and the entire lychford series), by paul cornell // the devil and the dark water, by stuart turton // serpent & dove, by shelby mahurin // one by one, by ruth ware // ruthless gods (this was SUCH an upshot from the first book - it’s worth sticking with if you’re on the fence), by emily a. duncan // cemetery boys, by aiden thomas // the inheritance games, by jennifer lynn barnes // the fortunate ones (2021 release), by ed tarkington

C O M I C S .

cosmoknights, by hannah templer - the art was gorgeous, the gayness was glorious, and just.... hot HOOOOOOOOT lady knights in space?!  a princess winning her own hand?  find something not to love in there, i dare you.

don’t go without me, by rosemary valero-o’connell - wow. wow wow wow wow wow.  the writing was stunning, so lyrical and atmospheric and deep, and rosemary has to be one of my favorite artists but even that managed to come as a beautiful surprise because it was just so freaking bold.

through the woods, by emily carroll - i loooove emily carroll, the convergence of spine-tingling horror and art that feeds into it, that is both visually and aesthetically pleasing, is hard to beat!  p.s. i also read beneath the dead oak tree from her this year and it was also a BANGER.

the impending blindness of billie scott, by zoe thorogood - zoe is someone that i just want to follow.  she’s just starting and i want to be there for every single step.  i love her art style and her ability to tell a story with it.

above the clouds, by melissa pagluica - this was so unique, and such a baller concept, as nearly half the entire book is conveyed only through the art and yet you’re never once lost, never once confused as to what any character is thinking or feeling.  it’s a story within a story and only one of those gets words though they both are chock full of emotion!

um.... number 5, part 2? crowded, by christopher sebela - everything about this series is fun af.  crowd-funded assassination and a hirable bodyguard who’s rated like an uber driver???  and the chemistry between the two mains is so great and gay!!

honorable mentions: monster and the beast, by renji // long exposure, by kam ‘mars’ heyward // fence, by c.s. pacat // invisible kingdom, by g. willow wilson // ms. marvel, by g. willow wilson // heathen, by natasha alterici // not drunk enough, by tess stone // giant days, by john allison // die, by kieron gillen // be prepared, by vera brosgol // ascender (sequel to descender, which is also great), by jeff lemire // the unbeatable squirrel girl, by ryan north // bang! bang! boom!, by melanie schoen // gideon falls, by jeff lemire // life of melody, by mari costa // cry wolf girl, by ariel slamet ries // the tea dragon society, by katie o’neill // ptsd, by guillaume singelin // heartstopper, by alice oseman // solutions and other problems, by allie brosh // finding home, by hari conner // the magic fish, by trung le nguyen // something is killing the children, by james tynion iv // the weight of them, by noelle stevenson // spill zone, by scott westerfeld // skyward, by joe henderson // miles morales, by saladin ahmed

F I L M S.

parasite, dir. bong joon ho - oh it was satisfying, oh it was suspenseful, oh i had to watch some of it through my fingers but i loooooooved it.  such a good story and so well made.

knives out, dir. rian johnson - okay, everything about this movie was amazing.  every single character was fun as hell and i could’ve watched an entire movie about each of them.  what a great fucking mystery!

blindspotting, dir. carlos lopez estrada -  this made my heart hurt so damn much.  what glorious writing, acting, and story!

portrait of a lady on fire, dir. celine sciamma - gooooorgeous cinematography, amazing chemistry, and such a soft, atmospheric film.

the farewell, dir. lulu wang - i cried and my heart felt so full and i love it so so much.

um.... number 5, part 2? someone great, dir. jennifer kaytin robinson - no part of me expected to love a netflix movie this much but it’s a love story that doesn’t get told that often??  the end of a relationship and the true love of friendship and i love these girls and i love jenny and nate’s broken relationship.

honorable mentions: eighth grade, dir. bo burnham // booksmart, dir. olivia wilde // midsommar, dir. ari aster // the curse of la llorona, dir. michael chaves // the secret life of pets 2, dirs. chris renaud & jonathan del val // jojo rabbit, dir. taika waititi // the invisible man, dir. leigh whannell // the favourite, dir. yorgos lanthimos // can you ever forgive me?, dir. marielle heller // troop zero, dirs. bert & bertie // ready or not, dirs. matt bettinelli-olpin & tyler gillett // brave, dirs. mark andrews & brenda chapman & steve purcell // the half of it, dir. alice wu // palm springs, dir. max barbakow // doctor sleep, dir. mike flanaghan // uncut gems, dirs. benny sadfie & josh sadfie // birds of prey, dir. cathy van // bloodshot, dir. dave wilson // the old guard, dir. gina prince-bythewood // enola holmes, dir. harry bradbeer // hocus pocus, dir. kenny ortega // always be my maybe, dir. nahnatchka khan // finding dory, dirs. andrew stanton & angus maclane // die hard, dir. john mctiernan

S H O W S .

black sails (2014) - this show, this shooooooooow.  i cannot, it just makes me want to cry with how good it is.  the characters, the EMOTIONS, the story, the plaaaaaan.  like, the creators clearly had a plan for every single step of this show and it was a gOOD, GOOD PLAN.

the untamed (2019) - truly, cheesy good fun with one of the best gay romances ever.  i love these characters and their relationships to each other and the way it glories in its own ridiculousness.

the righteous gemstones (2019) - one of the things that bothered me about my next choice (the ratio of female to male nudity) was so much more realistic in this one (i mean, we’ve all gotten five thousand dick pics and i know like three people?  so the fact that there is so rarely male nudity in shows when there are tits everywhere..... no, how does that even make a tiny bit of sense?).  this show was such great, wonderful, awful fun.  they’re not great people and the show is under no delusion about that and it’s GLORIOUS!

the witcher (2019) - this was just hella fun, i loved the characters and the fantasy elements.  i’m excited for the next season, it’s just entertaining swashbuckling through and through!

fargo (2014) - all of this was really very enjoyable with the through line being somebody fucks shit up and gets involved in something they really shouldn’t be involved in that’s going to swallow them whole.  season one and season three were my stand-out favorites but they were all so violent, clever, and vicious!

um.... number 5, part 2? central park (2020) - um..... so many of the hamilton actors in a muscial cartoon drawn and written by the bob’s burgers team? WHAT ABOUT THAT DOESN’T SOUND AMAZING?!  it was such a joy to hear daveed diggs and leslie odom jr.’s voices again!!

honorable mentions: schitt’s creek // the mandalorian // mr. robot // broadchurch // mindhunter // jack ryan // the good place // the end of the f***ing world // big little lies // elite // kidding // servant // letterkenny // curb your enthusiasm // i am not okay with this // ozark // buzzfeed unsolved: true crime/supernatural // you // runaways // dear white people // dickinson // brooklyn nine-nine // will & grace // 9-1-1 // dead to me // solar opposites // never have i ever // killing eve // what we do in the shadows // grace and frankie // avenue 5 // roswell, new mexico // the bold type // evil // tuca & bertie // impulse // the umbrella academy // watchmen // infinity train // corporate // search party // on becoming a god in central florida // a.p. bio // criminal: uk // the morning show // mythic quest // last week tonight // prodigal son // the great

[half-man-half-lime]

On why being dark makes Worm a good power fantasy

Okay I have a tendency to pointlessly and circuitously ramble so I’m just gonna leave a TL;DR up here: Worm shows that the most powerless people in the most hopeless situations can still make a difference through perseverance.

So here and there I’ve seen posts going around (not gonna search and link the various posts I’m referencing in this post, it’s 2 AM and I’m lazy) about why everyone should shut up about people liking lighter works, and how Steven Universe is a great work of escapism because it lets people experience a world where compassion can win wars and make the world a better place. I’m not gonna argue about whether lighter or darker stuff is better, the point of those posts is people can like what they want (also see that one comic I’m not gonna link where stories are balloons and someone makes a heavy iron balloon and drops it into a pit and someone stuck in the muck grabs a hold of it; you know the one).

But that stuff HAS been making me think about why Worm is a good escapist fantasy in a number of ways. My analysis of the Parahumans stories has been kind of sidetracked by the amazing analysis by the We’ve Got Worm/Ward podcast, all that stuff about characterization and themes and shit, it’s great, but all that stuff plus the YBUTTing (You’re Being Unfair To Taylor, basically dismantling her moral justifications and pointing out the negative effect her moral choices have on her and those around her) kind of make you forget the childish, sadistic appeal of a story about a girl who cuts people’s eyes out and is Completely Justified in doing so and also Extremely Clever like a seasoned D&D player. And that stuff is fun, even if it gets less so after too many rereads. (Seriously, I’ve listened to the audiobooks so many times now, I’ve lost count.)

But one thing Matt and Scott and the reddit commenters have discussed is the usefulness of horror story elements as a way of establishing stakes, which brings me to my point: It’s really fucking empowering to see a nerdy teenage girl take down invincible serial killers and bully god to death when she seems like she should have absolutely no way or right to do so.

Like, one of the reasons One Piece was always so appealing to me, something that sort of faded with the power creep and repetition of the same story beats over and over again, is how satisfying it is to see Luffy and pals take down warlords and tyrants a thousand times stronger than them through sheer force of will. What right does this punk-ass kid from the East Blue with stretchy powers have to take down a powerful Fish-Man, or a lightning-slinging self-proclaimed god, or a seasoned undercover assassin with a thirst for blood? But he does it anyway! He works out and trains and shit, and basically wrecks his body sometimes, and in the end, after a lot of screaming and punching, those guys are gone, and he’s still here! Because they had the audacity to hurt his friends, and he and his pals will fucking bully reality into doing what they want if it means stopping people who do those sort of things.

Now the thing about Taylor Hebert is she isn’t strong, not physically. This bullied kid never got super-strength or web-slingers to swing around on, nor the charisma to make quips and piss off the local mad scientists. She’s clever, but not enough to build a laser gun or a giant robot. She controls bugs. Wowee. Like the Stretchy Man, she should by all rights be underwhelming to deal with, but somehow she always seems to make it out alive, her enemies leaving without the eyeballs or prosthetic foreheads they came in with. (Don’t worry, they both got new ones, it just took a while. Well. Not Valefor.)

And that’s cool in a vacuum, but in the Parahumans universe? That’s an accomplishment. The Endbringers and the Slaughterhouse Nine, the horror as stakes, they’re like an uphill battle against a bigger, steeper uphill battle. And Taylor has bugs. She can’t chop Leviathan in half, and if she tries (which she does, to a degree), she risks drowning, being crushed and paralyzed, and being thrown headfirst into a concrete floor all at the same time. So she slinks around the Endbringers, too far away to be stepped on, giving CPR to the fighters wounded in battle; she plots against the Nine and probes for weaknesses, even if it means risking herself and her teammates. She beats the shit out of the genius killer mannequin man, not with fireballs or hundred-ton punches, but with spiderwebs and glue, and in the end, after being wounded and exhausted, tens of people are alive because of what she did.

To compare this to Steven Universe, or the opposite side of Skitter’s coin, the Unbeatable Squirrel Girl (though sadly SU is a better comparison because on top of the positivity it handles things like abuse and trauma) (woe is me that I’m too lazy to write crossover or toneswap fanfic, between Worm and USG by the way, if you want to do that for me, be my guest (Also a Freaks and Geeks mashup, Worms and Germs)), it’s enormously encouraging that Steven is ultimately able to stop the onslaught of genocidal space empresses, not by punching them, but by appealing to their humanity, a task that his upbringing and challenges completely prepared him for. Doreen Green, in a world of angsty heroes and villains and murder and trauma, can befriend her enemies and stop them by suggesting more fulfilling career goals, or end centuries of interstellar war with a chalk board and a day or two of diplomatic negotiations.

And that’s appealing especially today because a lot of people feel tired of fighting and knowing that no amount of talking or empathy will stop transphobes and Trump supporters from making the world a waking nightmare. And plenty of people are tired of stories of Hopeless Bleak Despair, and want a little compassion in their lives. I get that, I truly do. I enjoy those stories for the same reasons.

BUT, Worm means a lot to me right now too. And it wouldn’t be the same without the pain and suffering. Scaring the Slaughterhouse Nine out of Brockton Bay wouldn’t seem like such an achievement if we didn’t see Brian cut to pieces, doomed to permanent PTSD, while the Undersiders lie paralyzed on the floor, subject to Bonesaw’s torturous whims. The defeat of Behemoth would seem a little more predictable and boring if the Avengers pulled it off in an hour, without hundreds of dead heroes (and thousands more who died in past fights), infighting, and the threat of an ally destroying all of India in a misguided attempt to stop the beast. Mannequin running away from a super-puncher or a fireball-shooter wouldn’t feel like the accomplishment it does coming from the scared teenage girl whose only weapons are some squishy bugs, a knife and baton, and some craft supplies.

Worm presents a world where suffering is everywhere, where the where traumatized, hopeless people can fight and fight and endure endless pain, lose loved ones and body parts, be given just little enough power by those that seek to exploit and hurt them that they shouldn’t be able to fight back, to leverage nothing but pepperspray and spiders against dragons, and, after all that struggling and fighting and pain, actually make the bad guys stop hurting people. (it’s like that Chesterton quote in Coraline that people misattribute to Neil Gaiman, about how fantasy shows us how dragons can be beaten.)

And it’s an upsetting and exhausting story to read, especially binge reading or listening, and it ends in genuine heartbreaking tragedy, yet somehow the victory seems like one of the most earned wins in all of fiction. Nobody should be able to defeat Grieving Golden Jesus or Superdense Hurricane Godzilla, and that’s why it’s so empowering when Taylor Hebert fucking does.

Isn’t that just as reassuring, in a world that seems so hopeless right now, when we all feel so powerless, so tired of struggling? I think so.

[honestsycrets]

Soiled III: New Shores

❛ pairing | oc x reader, hvitserk x reader (implied)

❛ type | multi

❛ summary | reader encounters the swedes.

❛  warnings | kidnapping, forced marriage, general assholery

❛ sy’s notes | this chapter mostly has interaction with my oc. it fills in the gaps of last chapter.

Your steps stagger toward your age-old friend, the pier. Every day you would finish preparing the náttmál for Thyri and Harald, when he was in Kattegat, and carry on toward your pier with the booze you took great pride in brewing. Your clothes begin to fray at the edges despite the fine craftsmanship sewn by your hands alone. In preference for booze or clothes, you prefer booze. It is not as if you had not heard the women call you names.

She’s the prince’s whore, they said. They have their point. You spread your legs for Hvitserk, clung onto his shoulders, and enjoyed him while he was yours. Now, he wasn’t. He was Thora’s man and you doubt she has the willingness to share.

“He loves me,” Thora told you one day. “And I love him.”

Fair enough. She won. You lost.

You lift the bronze bottle to your lips and enjoy the sear down your throat. In these days, you look over the waves lapsing in and out of Kattegat’s busy harbour. Soon the happy couple would come after their night of happy feasting and fucking to come to cheer you up. Perhaps, if you didn’t have to see his face, it would be that much easier. The moon glitters up across sky beside the twinkling stars, her lovely face light and glistening out over the waves that tickle your feet, deep in the waves.

The plates of the wood bow underneath a stranger’s feet. They bounce, reverberating to where you lay with your skirts splayed open. You’re minimally concerned with it. Hvitserk. Thora. They come for you soon.

“Go away.” You groan. The steps slow to a stop.

Here was the part where Hvitserk would kneel before you and tell you how beautiful you were. Except in its absence, a pair of hands drag you across the floorboards, yanking you upon your feet. You almost undoubtedly expect Hvitserk’s playful green eyes trying to coerce you into his small cabin. Instead, the crinkling of a man’s conspiring eye meets you. His hands palm their way around your hips, causing you to shriek in your surprise.

“Who-- Who are you?” You slur in your shock, your leather clad feet kicking as he lifts you up against his broad chest. He’s a large man, with features slightly pretty, if you could tear your eyes away from the empty hole of his eye socket. The man tilts his head, the one remaining eye cold like steel.

“I’ve got her, brother!”

He turns, securing you against his chest as he pounds down the pier toward an older man. The second has hair just as wild and furious as the shapeshifter Loki.

“Put me down,” you say even in tone.

“Then let’s go!” He turns in a shift of the warm furs and wool cloak, kicking up grainy sand on the flat beach. They beat down another pier and the sheer shock settles low in your stomach. Your scarred hand grips the man’s cloak, thrashing in his arms in your abortive attempt. He’s a strong man with well-corded arms that keep you restrained, almost as if he’s done this before. Your nails dig into his face, digging skin on top of dirt that you’ve not cleaned that night. It doesn’t phase him.

“Put me down!”

“She’s a feisty one,” the other man reaches for the long plank that is set out from their strange ship across the empty space of land onto their ship.

“She’ll calm down, yeah? Won’t you (Y/N)? Be a good girl!” The man gives a squeeze of your ass, scoffing into a warm laugh.  Your hips jerk away from him, not at all understanding how he might know your name. You notice a few younger men pounding down the pier, throwing women young and old into the boat beside you. Women. It’s only women. They’re hunting women.

“Hvit…” you sob. It settles low in your stomach when the man boards the boat. “Hvitserk, please!”

The man throws you down upon the boat. Your exhaustive eyes bore up at the man when he ties the pale rope around your wrists with one, two, and three loops before he knots the rope tight. It dips into your wrists, bound there. Your prince’s name dabbles pathetically on your lips, your lower lip straining and rolling in.

“He isn’t coming,” the man leans in, his ruddy beard tickling your sun-cracked lips. “But don’t worry my little wife, I’ll take good care of you for him.”

After all, why would he come? Your tears stop streaming.

Being on a boat was a miserable existence. Ran’s powerful waves like to sweep in, moisten the hands of the rowers. You pray to her to take you too. One powerful wave and it could be done and over with. You would not have to worry about anything at all. The woman next to you chokes on her cough and inevitably, she’s thrown over. Swedes, as you learned, were as savage as you always heard from Harald.

“We’ve spotted home,” your captor slunk over to you, placing a fur over your shoulders. As opposed to the cold and damp women, he often brought his furs to warm you. He’s taking care of his stolen goods, you lament.

“Good for you,” your voice scratches. You wipe your misty face over the sleeve of your dress. He balances on the balls of his feet as he looks you over, his eye tracing your jaw and then down lower, across your chest.

“My father will want to marry us as soon as we land,” he states.

“I do not even know your name,” you respond.

“Jonakr.” He rubs his reddish beard. “Son of…”

“Siggeir.”

“The same,” he assures, reaching out so that he might stroke his large hand over your cheek. “We will marry and you may rest a good night. The trip has been long and tedious upon a woman of heartache.”

You turn away from his hand and look out toward the rocking waves. Miles off you spot what land he speaks of. The shore is flat as home, but it’s different. It’s not home. You turn back to look at your betrothed, the bags under your eyes puffy and thick.

“You’ve been watching me.” You state.

“A good time.” Jonakr raises, his large arms settling upon his pasty barrel of a chest behind plates of armour. “Unlike Thora and Hvitserk, you are a hard worker. You will bring me many sons.”

If that was the legacy that you wanted, you might have thought of it as flattery. Maybe one time you dreamed of having many children with Hvitserk and giving him a legacy to be proud of. Now, you thought, there was no escaping this lest you throw yourself upon a sword.

It wasn’t unappealing.

The shore was beautiful. You thought that Jonakr would rush you into the hall to marry straight away. He untied your hands based upon your unwillingness to run. No matter where you went, there was no escape from one fate or another. If the gods led you here, you decided that you would stay. For what was there at home other than a man who did not love you?

“The shore is lovely,” you say. Behind you, thralls arrange your wedding. Soon you would be whisked away and prepared for a wedding that you never imagined having.

“Birka is the same as Kattegat. Busy.” He states, his scarred hand lazy upon your shoulder.

“I see,” you whisper. Jonakr leads you toward the tent where you were to be married. You glance behind you to fiery, barefoot haired women that stand just outside of the tent. You look to one and then the other.

“These are my sisters. They will prepare you.”

You exhale a long breath, looking down to your scarred hands. Jonakr grasps them, bringing them back up for a kiss to your knuckles. It almost soothes you when he clears his throat, almost in his own anxiety. Is he nervous, you wonder.

“I will see you soon.”

Somewhere upon the distant horizon, there was no way you could see the boats flying a black and red raven. 

@igetcarriedawaywithyou, @kylobien, @titty-teetee, @breathlessouls, @nejijjeoroo, @bcat1291, @readsalot73, @mslothbrok, @captstefanbrandt, @ailucascen, @michaeliskindahot, @cbouvier23, @naaladareia, @cbouvier23, @the-geeky-engineer, @lisinfleur,  @tephi101, @akamaiden, @ethereallysimple, @venusloviing, @happylittlepuppydog, @beyond-the-ashes, @slutforrpg, @sparklemichele, @alicedopey, @lif3snotouttogetyou, @noregretsandyeteveryregret, @dangerous-like-a-loaded-pistol, @deathbyarabbit, @unacceptabletatertots, @beyond-the-ashes (no sig), @babypink224221, @ivarandersen, @queen-see-ya-in-valhalla, @moose-squirrel-asstiel, @icarus-fell-in-spring, @end-of-night, @gruffle1, @lol-haha-joke @arses21434,  @smileyparrots, @miss-artemis-wild, @two-unbeatable-beaters, @wonderwoman292, @wish-i-was-a-mermaid, @killerb00sdeath, @heartbeats-wildly, @boo20017, @acacheofstrange, @shaelyn102,  @smokealone, @shaelyn102 @laketaj24, @peaceisadirtyword, @ly--canthrope @cris101071 @daughterofthenight117 @unassumingviking @ladyofsoa, @inforapound @winchesterwife27 @two-unbeatable-beaters, @igetcarriedawaywithyou, @kylobien, @titty-teetee, @breathlessouls, @nejijjeoroo, @bcat1291, @readsalot73, @mslothbrok (no mix), @romanchronicles, @captstefanbrandt, @ailucascen, @michaeliskindahot, @naaladareia, @cbouvier23, @the-geeky-engineer, @dorned, @lisinfleur, @tephi101, @akamaiden, @ethereallysimple, @venusloviing, @happylittlepuppydog, @beyond-the-ashes, @slutforrpg, @hipsternoionlylikeunicorns, @mixedwiththemoon, @sparklemichele, @alicedopey, @lif3snotouttogetyou, @rubyquartzshades, @noregretsandyeteveryregret, @dangerous-like-a-loaded-pistol, @deathbyarabbit, @unacceptabletatertots, @beyond-the-ashes (no sig), @babypink224221, @titty-teetee, @ivarandersen, @queen-see-ya-in-valhalla, @moose-squirrel-asstiel, @icarus-fell-in-spring, @piebytheocean, @strangunddurm, @atequilahead, @rekdreams247, @justacrush, @ivarswonderlust, @peachesnpisces, @elenawrit, @equalstrashflavoredtrash, @roxxck, @dylanowhyyien, @ilvebeenabad, @vikingsmania, @huntingbears, @my-little-wolfe, @seize-the-droid, @moondustmemories, @colourmeinblue, @ilvebeenabad, @queenmissfit,  @hallowed-heathen, @neeadinghugs, @mblaqgi, , @triumphantreturnofpies, @dmv49, @attorneyl, @iconicvaleria-blog, @lovelynerdytraveler, @tierneygonzalez, @zabee113, @meganjudee, @sdcyumyum, @ms-allenbrown, @pancake-blonde, @ivarswickedqueen, @starkiddreamer, @austenkingmylady, @pinkrockstar19, @jeowjungkook, @end-of-night, @yaminax-kuss-a , @gruffle1, @arses21434@natalie-rdr, @tempt-ress, @thevikingsheaux, @poisonedjoinery, @smokealone, @chewythecatus, @laughinglikenialler,, @mybarnesmyhero, @vengefulflange, @imcreepininyourheartbabe, @therealmrshale, @that-goodgirl, @supernaturalvikingwhore, @athroatfullofglass

[lisinfleur]

Lady of the Lake - Epilogue: All the small things

Author's notes: Here it is, one more work finished! Thank you @dangerousvikings for the inspiration, sweet @honestsycrets for the help with the biggest decisions and all of you for the presence in one more of my series!

Warnings: None. Just sweetness!

Words: 1437

“Is not the same, Sigs. I’ll need some more training to adapt to this new situation”, Siv said, letting go of the sword and sitting near the water jar, pouring some for them both to refresh a little.

Six months after the event, her face was permanently marked by a scar and her eyes were now different from each other: the left eye was grey, almost white; while the right one remained the wild green Sigurd always thought was so beautiful.

“It’s not fair!” he complained, sitting by her side and accepting the cup of water she offered “You can’t fight anymore and this is my…”

Before he could finish his sentence, Siv placed her hand in his mouth, shutting him up.

“Stop,” she said, softly “You would have done the same for me and you know this, Sigurd”.

“I also know how much you trained to become a shieldmaiden and how much you loved it,” he said, sighing frustratedly.

“I’m not retired, silly one,” she smiled, taking a sip from her cup “I’ll be fine, Sigs. I just have to train my sight camp again. I won’t be able to go in the next raids, but I think in one season or two I’ll be kicking your ass once again” she joked, smiling bigger.

“I think we should… Nah. Let it go. Stupid idea,” Sigurd cut his own thought getting up to gather their things.

But Siv held him by the hand, looking straight into his eyes.

“Say it,” she said, and Sigurd noticed she knew how his sentence would end.

“I know you feel uncomfortable with it because of your father’s words, Siv…” he started, feeling her grip in his hand become a little tighter.

Some agony in her eyes when she started speaking.

“I held myself and swallowed my feelings about you for all this time because of my father’s words. I almost lost you because of my fear to become what he said. I could have told you about my love and you wouldn’t be alone to allow that damn monster to mesmerize you that way, Sigs,” Siv said, holding the glare deeply into his eyes “I lived my entire life running away from my father’s words, trying to prove he was wrong about me. I didn’t play when I was a kid, I didn’t date anyone, my life was entirely dedicated to the frustrations of a dead man. I don’t wanna lose any more time of my life because of him. Please, Sigurd… Say it,” she asked.

Sigurd could see she was fighting herself, her own fears, for them.

Fighting for him once again.

But in this fight, he could help her. He could be strong for them and borrow his strength for her to win her monsters.

He softly took Siv’s hands into his and caressed her fingers with his thumbs. There was no other woman for him but the one who risked her own life for his, for loving him. She was the one and he knew this.

“I know you want to keep training and going into raids… But since you’ll be a time away from this…” he took a breath and with it, the courage to say the words until the end “I think we should get married”.

Siv smiled.

Through her entire life, she fought that name and her father’s words like a curse. But it wasn’t a curse beside him… To be Sigurd’s bride, his soon-to-be wife… It sounded like a dream. A dream she kept into herself as a secret for too long to keep pretending it wasn’t there.

“I agree with you,” she said, trying not to sound so emotional, “I think I already did enough to deserve a bigger title than ‘Sigurd’s girlfriend’” she tried to joke.

But Sigurd didn’t laugh this time. Since that day, when she almost died for him, he was constantly thinking about this.

About how many years they lost or how happy they could have made each other.

Sigurd knew Siv since when? He couldn’t even remember how long or how was his life before he knew that girl. She knew him better than anyone else. She was always by his side. He didn’t want to lose any more time and his seriousness caused Siv’s breath to fail and her heart to skip a beat.

Would he…

“Siv…” he started.

And so, she knew he would.

“I want you to be my wife,” he stated, with all the letters this time.

No open breaches for questioning.

“I don’t wanna lose any more time. I want to seal what we both know is the fate the Gods blessed me with. At the end of this moon, we’ll have the spring festivals and I want to celebrate them with our marriage this year. Do you…” he started the question, but Siv went in her tiptoes and kissed him deeply, embracing his neck and mumbling against his lips when the kiss was over.

“I do,” she said, smiling at him when he embraced her waist, smiling back “I do, Sigs. I want to be your wife!”

They exchanged a passionate kiss, long and deep, full of all that love they had locked into themselves for so long. The kiss only parted when Ivar’s voice sounded, warning the younger brother was coming into the training camp, kinda surprising the couple.

“I will be offended if you choose any of our brothers other than me to offer your wife a way to you, Sigurd.”

Sigurd frowned, looking at his brother with a confused expression.

“Why would you want to do anything for me, Ivar?” the bardic prince questioned, keeping Siv’s waist embraced, despite his younger brother’s presence.

Ivar chuckled.

“Not for you. For her,” he said, smiling at Siv.

And Siv smiled back looking at Ivar and surprising the cocky brother with her tender words.

“I wouldn’t want anyone else,” she said “I’ll always remember you helped me, Ivar. You gave me a way to Sigurd once and I wouldn’t want this to be different now”.

They smiled to each other and Sigurd relaxed, lowering his guard. Maybe it would be a good way to calm down things between them both, after all…

   ---

“In the spring festival of that year, your father and I were married in a beautiful ceremony we made in the woods, near that lake where everything happened”, Siv said, smiling at the couple of kids she had attentively listening to her words – a boy, around five years old, conceived at the year she got married to Sigurd as a sign of the Gods satisfaction with the union; and a girl around three years old; both of them blonde like their father who leaned himself at the door, looking at the three of them.

The kids sat on their beds. The boy – Asmund, which name means “divine protection” – spoke first.

“Now I wanna hear that one about your raid with fadir to England!”

His sister – Skuld, as a gift to the goddess who wrote their good fate – came right after him.

“NO! I wanna hear this one again!” she complained.

However, Sigurd’s voice sounded before the arguing could start in between the little ones.

“Not one, nor the other. It’s time for the two of you to sleep” he said, sitting in Skuld’s bed, while Siv was covering Asmund “Your mother needs to rest so she can properly cook your brother or sister right here,” he said, softly touching Siv’s swollen belly, caressing it sweetly. “Don’t you two want to see him or her?”

“Yes!” they answered unison, and Siv smiled.

“So, let us all go to bed now. The faster we sleep, the faster the day will come and soon your new brother or sister will be here,” she completed, kissing Asmund’s forehead before doing the same to Skuld.

“Good night,” Sigurd said, receiving a double answer from the children before leaving the room with the door half open.

His stained eyes landed on Siv slowly walking back to their room. The time was approaching for them to know his third child, but she was always so beautiful, full of his seed…

“What? Admiring your giant-swollen-round-fat duck?” she asked, playfully.

Sigurd smiled, coming near, embracing her from behind and caressing her belly while kissing the crook of her neck.

“Just thinking about how happy and lucky I am for being married to you, red-head,” he joked with an old nickname and Siv turned around to kiss him softly.

“Yeah… You’re lucky, Sigs,” she joked back, smiling and nuzzling her nose to his “And so am I.”

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[heathenarmyimagines]

Title: Find Us

Summary: (Y/N) has another episode, and she thinks she knows what triggers them.

Pairing: Ivar x Reader

Taglist: @ubbesgirl, @shewolf2000, @tis-itheapplepie, @atequila, @demoncrypt1066, @greennightspider, @badbitsh13, @fireismysaftey, @minarawr, @laketaj24, @hvitserksgirl, @blahblahcookiesdoma, @fabulous-peasent, @sforsammmmmi, @minmiin1d, @courtrae89, @letsloveimagines, @tomarisela, @titty-teetee, @beyond-the-ashes@elenawrit, @mblaqgi, @whenimaunicorn, @chuflisworld, @mystruggledlife, @moose-squirrel-asstiel, @syreni-dea, @trashqueenbitch, @alykatv, @mbaku-babygirl, @perfectus-in-morte, @beyond-the-ashes, @neeadinghugs, @readsalot73, @triumphantreturnofpies, @anarchy-is-coming, @tephi101, @alicedopey, @ivarslittlebadgirl, @jtrstp, @nejijjeoroo, @charlylama, @ivartheblessed, @captstefanbrandt, @fabulouschrissi, @ivarsrideordie, @3x5gurl, @the-writer-appreciation-blog, @lolabee9, @captainfoxy22, @young-ugly-god, @im5ftbutmythroat66, @bribyyy, @irishhiggins, @cadetomlinson, @keclleon101, @slutforragnarssons, @ltkeke, @meeeeeeeeeps, @lille-kanin, @opalscarab, @ssraven7, @ivarandersen, @concretewaywardangel, @funmadnessandbadassvikings, @sharon-is-tired, @cadetomlinson, @mystruggledlife, @chuflisworld, @justmarissa97, @lol-haha-joke, @weirdly-randomly-awesome, @inlovewithmakeupcomicsanim, @idonthavehusbandsihavelovers, @alexa040004, @buckythetinman , @burntmythroatskullingmytea,@jorunnravenslayer, @two-unbeatable-beaters, @buffy-the-vampire-blogger

Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four, Part Five

Now that Ivar and his brothers knew that you knew they were disgustingly rich you had expected them to change. You were thinking being dragged on luxurious trips like in the movies, but you were wrong.

They were the same guys you sat with at lunch; they talked about classes and girls, not name brands and celebrity friends.

Honestly you were kind of relieved, you weren’t sure if you would be comfortable with it. Sure everyone likes nice things but if someone offered you something worth more money than you’d ever make it’d feel strange.

The only thing that had changed since your little health scare was that now Ivar was a total Mom.

He was constantly checking up on you, asking if you slept at least five hours, he’d have you a lunch tray ready so you wouldn’t have to wait in line and he made sure to get something quick and would try to make you sleep at the table after.

Today was no different, you walked into the cafeteria and went straight upstairs to your usual table and took the BLT and Gatorade Ivar slid to you.

‘Did you sleep?’ he asked.

‘Four hours, the pills Doctor Finehair gave me are damn good.’ you answered.

‘Not strong enough for eight hours.’ Ivar said.

‘Come on Ivar, he can’t give the girl a stronger dose without killing her.’ Ubbe added in.

‘Honestly it’s not the pills fault, I just can’t crash.’ you said.

‘Because of those dreams you refused to tell me about?’ Ivar grumbled.

‘Ivar.’ you groaned.

‘Dreams?’ Hvitserk asked.

‘She told Herald she has dreams so problematic that they keep her form sleeping.’ 

‘Oh, like night terrors?’ Sigurd asked.

‘Or is it wet dreams?’ Hvitserk asked with a grin.

‘No you pervy bastard, and no not night terrors either and I’m still not telling you Ivar.’ you explained.

Ivar rolled his eyes and went back to his salad, he was clearly angry and unsatisfied.

‘It’s nothing personal, I don’t ask you about your dreams.’ you tried.

‘I dream of taking this world over, and not in the business or wealthy way; I mean the bloody and destructive kind of way. I have no problem sharing my dreams with you.’ he said.

The table was dead silent, because what do you say after someone says something like that.

‘Dude...that got way too dark.’ Sigurd said.

‘It really did, and in any case your dreams don’t keep from sleeping or wake you up when you actually do go to sleep.’ you reasoned.

‘If they did I would tell my friends; see if they can help, or to have someone to talk to at the very least.’ Ivar argued.

‘Ivar...I know you are trying to help, but I just can’t.’ 

He sighed and grabbed his bag and his half finished tray before he stood up.

‘I think I’ll leave first today.’ he said before leaving the table.

‘Ivar!’ you called after him and stood to follow him, but Hvitserk pulled you back down.

‘Trust me (Y/N), he needed to walk away. Let him cool off in his library for an hour or two. He’s a very calm guy...until he’s not, and you don’t want to see that bastard angry.’ he warned.

You looked over and saw the crowd separate as Ivar exited the cafeteria, and all you wanted was to follow and apologize.

But you knew Hvitserk was probably right, so you sat and finished your food while the others continued to talk about things you weren’t listening to.

When lunch was over you went to class and for the first time you couldn’t sleep, because you just wanted to find Ivar and make things right.

‘MISS (Y/L/N)!’ you jumped as you looked up and saw the teacher glaring at you.

‘So if you aren’t sleeping through my lesson then you just aren’t paying any attention.’ she fired off.

‘I uh I’m sorry.’ you apologized.

‘If you are not going to listen why are you in here? Out, out of my classroom, if this happens again I will have you in the principal’s office and not the hallways.’ she said.

With your head hung low you stood up and grabbed your things and left the class with mixed emotion.

You wished you hadn’t been publicly scolded but now you could go to the library and see Ivar.

So off you went to the library, and you would never be over how big it was. It was about the size of the cafeteria but bigger, full of massive book shelves on the first floor and and all the tables and desks on the second floor.

You headed straight up the stairs to find Ivar sitting at the first table, he was looking through a history book and hadn’t even looked up to see you.

‘I hope you know you got me in trouble.’ you said as you sat down beside him.

‘And how did I do that?’ he asked, still not looking up.

‘I was so busy thinking up a good apology that I wasn’t paying attention and I got put out.’ you said.

‘Well I hope the apology is damn good.’ he said.

‘I’m sorry for not telling you about my dreams, you are just trying to help and I appreciate it.’ you said.

‘I don’t know if you notice this (Y/N) so I’ll explain it; I don’t have friends, because no one is genuine. So you are the only one I have and I want to take care of you, but it is hard to do that when you do not talk to me.’ he explained.

‘I would tell you anything because I trust you with the information, I mean the stuff you couldn’t find on Google. I’d spill it all if you asked, hell I’d spill it without out you asking if I felt the need to talk about it.’ Ivar finished.

‘Ivar...’ you said putting a hand on his shoulder.

The second your hand touched him a familiar and unwelcome feeling of ice cold chill rushing over your body. The library began to be filled with white bright light but you kept your eyes open somehow, and when the light faded and you were back in that strange place.

The place you were the last time you seized; that weird hut with the long fire pit in the middle.

You spun and looked around and jumped back in fright when you were met with the tall scary eyeless man right behind.

‘I have been waiting a long time to talk with you, and yet not long at all.’ he said with his deep and scary voice.

‘Who are you? What is this? And why am I here?’ you asked frantically.

Finally a person you could speak to without having an ax thrown at your head; finally you could get some type of answer.

‘You ask the wrong questions, you ask why and what when you should ask how.  We do not have long before you return to your world.’ he said.

‘Fine, then tell me how. How do I help Ivar and his brothers?’ you asked.

‘The Sons of Ragnar have been lost, abandoned and cursed by the Gods. They have lost themselves, you must help them.’ he said.

‘But what does that mean? What do I have to do to help them?’

‘Ivar became ungrateful, and stopped thanking the Gods. They have denied him access into Valhalla and cursed him and his family to live on this horrid earth for all eternity.’

‘That’s not telling me how to help.’ you whined.

‘Tell them who they are.’ he said, finally answering one of your questions at least halfway.

‘(Y/N)! SNAP OUT OF IT!!!’

You jump and look around o see you were back in the library and Ivar looked ready to call an ambulance.

‘W-what?How long was I out?’ you asked in confusion as you backed away.

You were happy to say you weren’t on the ground but still in your chair and no one had seemed to noticed your episode.

‘Like ten seconds, I was about to yell for help. Come on we’re taking to to the nurse.’ Ivar said before reaching for you.

You quickly jumped away from, right out of your chair, a motion that left you light headed and panting.

‘What are you doing?’ Ivar asked.

Your mind went back to your first seizure/flashback thing, it was after you had hugged Ivar. It happened the second you touched him, then just now it happened when you touched his shoulder.

A quick glance and you saw he was in fact wearing a sleeveless shirt. 

‘You.’ 

‘What about me? We don’t have time for this, you need to see the nurse.’ Ivar pushed as he stood and again reached for you.

‘Stop!’ you said quickly.

Ivar stopped and looked at you.

‘Just don’t move, sit still.’ you ordered as you got closer to him and nervously poked his chest, that was covered by his shirt.

Nothing.

Then you went to touch his arm and...nothing.

‘What the hell?’ you asked.

‘I should be asking you that, whatever.’ he sighed in frustration before he threw you over his shoulder.

‘Whew!’ you squeaked in panic.

‘Shut up I’m taking you to the damn nurse, then I’m calling Herald to tell him you need to be evaluated.’ Ivar said as he walked away from the stairs and toward an elevator.

‘I can walk.’ you complain.

‘I said hush, you can withhold your dreams but not a damn seizure you idiot, now just be quiet, other people are in class.’ he ordered.

All you could do was follow his instruction as he carried you through the halls and cooperate with the nurse once you were there.

You had to tell her about how you were waiting on test results to see if you had insomnia and about your first little seizure.

The nurse made you lay down while she stepped out to call your mom.

‘Now that’s done, wanna explain your little moment?’ Ivar asked.

You looked up and you bit your lip, he deserved to know, it wasn’t like you could avoid touching him forever.

‘It was...another dream, like the one in my kitchen.’ you answered partially.

‘And you poked me because...?’ 

‘...I think you triggered it.’ you mumbled.

‘What?’ he asked.

‘When we were in my kitchen we hugged goodbye and I seized, then just now I touched you and I seized again. And my dreams-’ 

‘What about your dreams?’

‘They’re about you.’ you said quickly before you could stop yourself.

For about twenty seconds there was complete silence; you didn’t know what to say and Ivar seemed too shook to speak.

‘Me?’

‘At first I didn’t know it was you, it was always just a voice calling me. Then I bumped into you in the hall and you called me that name and I knew it was you. At first I thought that seeing you would stop the dreams, but I was wrong, they got more detailed and harder and harder to ignore. Then the seizure...it wasn’t a seizure at all I think.’ you explained.

‘If it wasn’t a seizure what was it?’ Ivar asked.

‘I think it was kind of like...a vision, same in the library. I don’t know why I have these dreams or why its about you, but I know not talking to you about it is not helping me at all.’

Ivar went to speak but he was interrupted by the nurse coming back.

‘Your mother is on her way, she might be a minute since she was at work across town.’ 

‘Oh yeah, she told me they had great find she couldn’t wait to get her hands on.’ you noted as you sat up. 

‘You can wait here or in the office.’

‘I’ll take the office, feels weird taking up a nurse bed when I don’t really feel like I need it.’ you said as you stood up.

You looked around for your bag, then you saw Ivar was holding it, he must have grabbed it when he picked you up.

‘Come on I’ll wait with you.’ Ivar said, but you knew he just wanted to continue the conversation.

Not that you blamed him.

Once you two were in the hall, he wasted no time.

‘Your dreams, what happens in them?’ he asked.

‘I think its too early to tell you that, at least I’m not ready to. All I have to say is that I need to find you.’ you answered.

‘Find me? I’m right here.’ he pointed out.

‘If only it was that easy.’ you said.

‘You don’t have to tell me the specifics, just tell me...am I hurting you?’

For a second you thought back to how older dream Ivar threw his ax at you.

‘Not really, there was a bit of a threat one time but mostly its just your voice or you didn’t notice me there at all.’ you assured.

‘And you have been having these dreams since you met me?’

‘No, from the day we landed here, before I had even met you.’

Ivar went silent and the two of you kept walking until you were at the office.

‘I can wait by myself.’ you said.

‘Like hell I’m going anywhere, I’m gonna tell your mom to make you go the fuck to sleep when you get home. Then I’m coming over after school and we are going to talk about this more.’ Ivar said with no room for negotiation in his voice.

You nodded in understanding as he opened the office door.

Ivar spoke with the lady at the desk and told he was going to wait with you until your mother to show up. She didn’t have an issue with it and told you both to take a seat.

Once Ivar was sure the administrator wasn’t listening he leaned over to whisper to you.

‘Are they bad? Your dreams?’

‘No, they are frustrating but nothing bad has happened.’ you answered.

He nodded silently.

‘Well in any case I am sorry.’ he apologized.

‘It’s not your fault, there is something going on here. I don’t know what it is or what it has to do with you or even me, but I know one thing.’ you said as you looked ahead.

‘What?’ 

‘I’m gonna get to the bottom of this, and you are going to help me.’

[writterings]

hey fam you got any comic recs for my dying soul tapastic doesnt sate my webseries needs

*crackles knuckles* oh boy do i. (though the majority of them aren’t webcomics, my bad). also sorry for how long this got lmfaooo. 

Marvel

Literally Any Thor Comic

Here’s my 80 Slide powerpoint I did on his character if you want some ideas: X

The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl!

Description: Part girl, part squirrel, full time hero and also computer science student! And she’s unbeatable!

My Review: Literally one of the best Marvel comics I have ever read. Genuinely funny, heartwarming, and clever. It even makes you care about characters you’d never even consider thinking about before. It also has a subtle way of incorporating social commentary without it being overbearing. The art is a bit off-putting at first, but you learn to love it. I love this series so much. 10/10.

Iceman

Description: Bobby Drake AKA the X-man Iceman is a gay mutant and he just can’t catch a break. He struggles with his homophobic parents, the fact that he literally just realized he was gay due to a younger version of himself from the past coming out to him, and also Wolverine’s evil son stealing one of his students. Oh, and also he’s trying to enter in a relationship with a guy who seems perfect in every way. Typical X-men solo-series story. Or not. 

My Review: The series was cancelled early due to how it was “unpopular” so the ending is kinda rushed and a lot of the loose ends aren’t tied up, but otherwise it’s a really good story. It deals with a lot of serious topics such as what it’s actually like being gay, realizing you’re gay later in life, and dealing with less-than-supportive parents. Basically, it’s kinda a story that only gay people would get (though anyone could enjoy it). I also met the writer, Sina Grace, too, at the Philly Comic Con and he was so nice! Anyways, the series is a solid 7/10 but had the potential to be 10/10 if it had been allowed to continue. 

Exiles

Description: Blink from X-men, an older and jaded Ms Marvel, Valkyrie from Thor Ragnarok, Iron Lad from Young Avengers (who is also the younger version of Kang the Conqueror), and a chibi-fied version of Wolverine team up to save the multiverse. ‘Nuff said. Also features Peggy Carter as Captain America.

My Review: It’s only three issues but so far this is one of the most fun series I’ve ever read! I can’t wait to see where it goes, and I’m loving how they’re developing the team’s relationships with one another. 10/10.

Boom! Studios

Loki: Ragnarok and Roll

Description: When the god Loki is wrongly banished to earth…what’s he supposed to do? Start a rock band, of course. 

My Review: I literally just finished reading this series and I’m totally in love! It has no relation to Marvel’s Loki at all, but follows similar ideas about his character and somewhat feels like a disgruntled Loki fan’s fix-it fic about his treatment in the comics. 8/10, my only complaints are how short it is and how I wished certain aspects were more fleshed out. 

Judas

Description: The story of Jesus Christ and his crucifixion through Judas’ point of view. 

My Review: Beautifully written, with beautiful artwork. I think I actually cried the first time I read it. 10/10, and again my only complaint is that I wish it was longer. 

Image

Nailbiter

Description: Sixteen of the world’s worst serial killers all came from the same town. When a rag-tag group of “friends”, including an FBI agent, local cop, a serial killer, and the local goth teen, try to investigate why this town produces killers….the answers aren’t pretty. WARNING: This comic is intended for mature audiences only. 

My Review: Honestly, intriguing and scratches the mind-itch Netflix’s Mindhunter leaves in your brain. The ending was really rushed and the ultimate reveal at the end fell pretty flat but otherwise it’s a gorey, gross, horrifying, and fun comic. 7/10.

Vertigo

Sweet Tooth

Description: A pandemic wiped out most of the world’s population ten years ago. Also around ten years ago, children started being born with animal-like features. Gus, a boy with deer antlers, must now try to survive both the post-apocalyptic environment he’s been thrust into while simultaneously avoid the government who thinks kids like him are the cause of the disease. WARNING: This comic is intended for older audiences. Much blood and cursing. 

My Review: One of my all-time favorites. Not much to say, really. I hated the ending, for the same reasons I hated the ending of Harry Potter but otherwise it was amazing. 9/10.

Skybound

Birthright

Description: When the Rhodes’ family loses their 10-year-old son, their lives fall apart. And then when he returns a year later, as a 20-something-year-old monster-fighting warrior from a Lord of the Rings fantasy land, that’s when their lives really go to shit. 

My Review: GOD, this is also one of my all-time favorite comics. It is a bit predictable at times and I wished a few things were played out differently, but all that is made up for with the interesting plot, the amazing artwork, and the characters themselves. 9/10.

Kill the Minotaur

Description: The story of the Greek hero Theseus, but with a few very drastic twists. WARNING: This comic is intend for older audiences. There is sex, blood, and much cursing. 

My Review: Honestly, you need to read this comic in one sitting otherwise the magic is lost. The ending isn’t surprising, but the way it’s dropped on you make it feel like it is. 9/10.

Webcomics

Evan Dahm Comics

Description/Review: I honestly don’t know how to describe this. Let’s just say this is nearly some Tolkien-level of world building, mixed with an ATLA-type of vibe in regards to the in-universe politics and interweaving stories. Start with Rice Boy, then Order of Tales, then Vattu. Solid 7/10, but that’s just due to a lot of little things and nitpicks that’ll become obvious if you read it.

[reader44ever]

Argh! I had a nice comment almost all completed and then LOST IT! 😭😭😭 . . . . Anyway, a few minutes ago when I was outside with my Max, he settled down by me while I was reading and filling his swimming pool with fresh water. I judged this photo opportunity too good to pass up. 😊😍❤ . . . . I am still reading The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl: 2 Fuzzy, 2 Furious. I only read to page 50 yesterday. I got through page 101 after midnight this morning. Why so little read? Well, yesterday was fairly full of excellent distractions! 🎉❤ . . . . Early in the day, I helped my Mom secure our new buildings against pack rats and other critters. Later in the day, not only did we get our next set of three meals from HelloFresh, but I made one of them! (It was yummy! I posted about it yesterday.) 😄❤ . . . . The above two things meant it took me longer than expected to finish The Tapper Twins Go Viral by Geoff Rodkey. But since I did finish it, I decided not to stress over finishing 2 Fuzzy, 2 Furious. I'm still on track in my goal to read a #bookadayinMay for #MiddleGradeMay, after all. 😊 . . . . But leaving it unfinished meant I didn't read a book for the #buzzwordathon #BuzzwordReadathon yesterday! 😣 So instead, today I hope to read 2 Fuzzy, 2 Furious AND one of the more adult books I have with "GIRL" in the title. I'm thinking Not a Girl Detective by Susan Kandel might be my next read! 😄❤ . . . . Oh, I forgot to tell you about the BEST distraction I had yesterday. After I started 2 Fuzzy, 2 Furious at about 8:15p last night, I got involved in a [longer] Messenger conversation with a very good friend of mine from my school days (she and I were best friends in first grade! And that was over 35 years ago!). 😊 We didn't stop talking until nearly midnight for me, which was nearly 2a for her! 😱😨❤❤❤ . . . . #DogsofInstagram #ReadingWithDogs #bookstagram #ShannonHale @squeetus #DeanHale #books #2Fuzzy2Furious #series #TheUnbeatableSquirrelGirl

[readordiebyemilyt]

Captain Marvel #2: So there’s an alien ship with the Hala star emblazoned on stuff...what’s going on? Carol’s adventures with Alpha Flight continue, and I like her new team. They seem like a fun bunch, but now they’ve got a mystery they need to solve ASAP!

Deadpool #14: Okay, so Deadpool’s Mercs are finally ready to go off on their own, but...we all know that this isn’t gonna end without some serious bloodshed. Next issue, I guess they’ll try to fire Deadpool, and Cable definitely doesn’t want to get involved, so we’ll see. Sorry Wade, but you’ve had too many irons in too many fires for too long, and now the excrement is starting to hit the fan. 

Gwenpool #8: I love Gurihiru’s art, Christopher Hastings is an author that I really enjoy, and this arc continues to be fun as Gwen flees her alien foes and tries to get her team a paying job. 

All-New Guardians of the Galaxy #2: In this issue, everyone gets captured, because that’s what happens when one elder of the universe asks you to steal from another elder of the universe. I really like Kuder’s art--it’s wonderfully unique, and the dialogue fits the characters perfectly. Now I’m looking forward to the alternating character-focused issues.

Hawkeye #6: Kate and Jessica Jones finally solve their case! And Buddy the dog returns! So that’s pretty great. But he just...gets off the plane? Kate meets him at the airport and he’s not in a carrier...are pets allowed to fly solo in the Marvel Universe? I hope so. I hope that, in a universe where superheroes exist, Buddy the dog got to fly first class and nap in a comfy seat all the way to California. :)

Jughead #7: Jughead and Archie try to have some summer fun...try being the operative word. What will they do when they get lost in the woods?! Oh well, they’ll probably survive...

Lumberjanes #25: Barney visits the Lumberjanes because the Scouting Lads are having a bit of a magical kitten problem. Okay, so obviously magical kittens are an amazing problem to have, but still, their powers can make them a bit unruly. Also, Barney has something he wants to ask the Lumberjan elders...who are carried off by a giant bird the moment they arrive at camp. Jen at least is not terribly surprised by this turn of events.

Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur #14: “Boys will be boys and that means dummies and fools.” YES. I love this series, and watching the Hulk fight the Thing (and Lunella figuring out how to stop them) was pretty great. I’m glad that Devil Dinosaur has the Thing to play with, but seriously, superheroes do need to be smarter about minimizing property damage during their battles.

Rocket Raccoon and Groot #3-4: Okay, I’m getting into this series now. See above for Rocket insisting he’s not a murderer and Groot calling him on it, plus this amazing explanation for something weird happening in a comic:  “Look, it’s all very scientifically accurate. We’ve read a lot of books on science and we’re very smart.” Also, Rocket and Tony should...not be allowed to play fantasy football, probably. Or that could be the premise of a really sweet comic...

The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl #19: Doreen’s still fighting her mentor-turned-villain Melissa Morbeck, and now it’s revealed that any animal could be under her control! Howard the Duck returns, and Doreen is able to deduce from his usual surliness that he is still himself. But when, where, and how will the animal-mind-controlling villain finally strike?! Eww, and why does her evil plan have to involve mosquitoes? 

The Unworthy Thor #1: I love Olivier Coipel’s art. That’s the whole reason I’m reading this, plus I’m excited for Thor: Ragnarok. Hey, Beta Ray Bill! Long time no see! Good luck helping Odinson with this doozy of a problem. (Also, are we ever going to find out what was whispered to Thor that made him unworthy way back when? Has this already come up in a comic? I’m so far behind on The Mighty Thor at the moment that it’s possible I just need to catch up...)

[ramvanfam]

Cyclocross Season

What started as a foray into a new ramvan weekend activity, quickly turned into a full blown obsession. I have many fond memories of traveling with Cody all over the Northeast during his bike racing days. One of the best parts is the new places it takes you. It has been so fun stepping back into that world and turning these races into family adventures, ramvan style.

Cape Cross

Our first race was Cape Cross. Our friends from Aquidneck Cyclocross told us about it, and Huxley could not have been more excited. The kids, who had no idea what they were getting into, did a full lap of the adult course, and it was intimidating!

Willa, who loves riding her bike but hates competition, got to the race convinced she didn’t want to participate. With some encouragement from her friend Elena, she decided to give it a try. She went way out of her comfort zone and took a wrong turn, but still finished (a huge accomplishment for her) and got third place in the 7-9 age group.

Huxley, who we pretended was 7, had been training and looking forward to his first race for weeks. He had a pretty bad crash at the very beginning and almost gave up. But he got up, got his bike fixed, and joined back in for the older kids’ second lap. He flew through the course, bombed up every hill, sprinted across the finish, and wished he could do it all again. He didn’t get a podium spot but didn’t even pout about it (a huge accomplishment for him!)

One of the best parts of the day was watching the kids ride all around and cheer the other racers on. They get to have a certain degree of freedom that doesn’t exist when you’re riding on roads. 

The ramvan did great for its trial run bike race trip - for both hauling bikes, and more importantly a pizza party in the back to watch the end of the races.

KMC Crossfest

KMC Crossfest was at a racetrack in Thompson, CT. One of the cool things that differentiates cyclocross from other forms of bike racing is how varied the courses are. You have no idea if the racers are going to be riding through sand, on grass, on a racetrack, running with their bikes up stairs, or a little of everything. 

This race had a small designated kids course. It was pretty low stakes and more of a fun for all, everyone gets a medal kind of thing. They did a few laps, and then split into teams and did relay races.

It was a beautiful day, and we stayed for the rest of it to watch all the races. This time we were a little more prepared. We parked the ramvan right along the course, and cooked some hot dogs on the butane stove in the back. 

Biking is one area of life where Huxley takes the lead and Willa is happy to follow. It’s cool to watch the role reversal and see how their relationship stretches and changes.

Boss Cross

The whole AQCX crew was at Boss Cross. Niklas and Hanalei were old enough for the junior race. Willa, Elena, Pia, and Huxley all did the kids race, which was on a separate kids’ course.

This would turn out to be Willa’s last race. She was doing great until she wiped out in the mud right before the finish. She was pretty upset, but she got herself back up and walked across the finish line as people cheered. 

Hux was super psyched about the kids’ course having a real barrier and loved every minute. He even ended up on his first real podium. 

In the end, they had all the kids come up to get their pictures taken on the podium. Willa was still upset about her crash, until the hilarious announcer encouraged them to dance. That got everyone smiling.

Two of the Aquidneck Cyclocross dad’s also raced in the men’s race. Not sure if the kids had more fun in their race, or sprinting around the course cheering them on!

Grand Prix of Gloucester

The Gloucester race was one we had been talking about all season. Cody did this race when we were 18 and it’s the first cyclocross race I had ever seen. It was a big race and we knew there was a decent kids course, plus the setting was pretty unbeatable.

It was a beautiful day with a big crowd. The whole AQCX gang was there. Willa deemed herself the team photographer, a perfect role for her. 

There was a much bigger field for the kids’ race than at any other race. They didn’t do a podium, and all the kids got medals, but Hux crossed the finish line first in his age group, which was a big point of pride for him.

There were food trucks and a beer tent at this race, but we came prepared. Not pictured are the stromboli’s we cooked in the back of the ramvan for lunch, along with the cooler of beer from Newport Craft. 

Really Rad Festival of Cyclocross

This race really lived up to its name. It was another big race on another beautiful fall day with the whole gang.

Hux decided to try the 9-14 junior race for the first time. They did a couple laps of the full course, and he hung right in there. 

There was a professional photographer at this race, who got some amazing shots.

There was also a kids’ race that wound around a bouncy house, with a podium ceremony at the end. This race really was ideal for people of all ages!

Aquidneck Cyclocross had paid for a tent spot, so we had a great set up for the ramvan. 

This was probably my favorite race. The course was set up in a way that the kids could ride all around and have all sorts of independence without getting lost or getting in anyone’s way. As is usually the case at these races, everyone there was supportive of kids riding bikes. Even though Willa didn’t race, she rode her bike miles with her friends and had a blast.

Secret Squirrel

We had been hearing about the fabled Secret Squirrel race all season from our friends who had done it last year - about how challenging and muddy the course had been, and about the Donut Madison. It lived up to all the hype and more. But first, we had to make squirrel cookies.

There was no designated kids’ course - Hux raced in the 9-14 category. There was a decent sized pack, and they did two laps of the adult course. The course was mostly in the woods with two super steel hills, and it was freezing! 

There was a part of the course that went so steep uphill in the woods that even most of the adults had to get off their bikes. Hux was wearing sneakers without much traction and he kept slipping back down the hill. It would have been comical if not for the fact that he was losing it. He was so frustrated, and finally a guy standing at the top directed him to try a different side of the hill where there was a tree root he could use for grip. Huxley begged him for help. To his credit, he didn’t ever physically help - I’m sure this wouldn’t have mattered in a kids’ race, but it showed he was taking it seriously. He kept cheering, and by this time everyone else in the crowd was cheering too, including two of our friends who had made the drive to watch.

He finally made it. By the time he came down the other side, his face was full of tears and he was ready to quit. We all knew he had another lap, which meant he would have to face the hill again. After lots of encouraging cheering and a pep talk from Cody when he crashed again a little later, he kept going. His second lap was great, and he made it up the hill without a hitch. As he crossed the finish line, the announcer noticed how much smaller he was than everyone else, and was shocked to hear he was only six. She then announced it on the microphone, which effectively cancelled out any other negative feelings from the day. 

If there’s one thing I’ve learned about Huxley from watching him race, it’s his ability to turn a frustrating situation into a story of valor by the time the day is done. Gradually, a crash that was actually devastating to him at the time becomes a superhero story of courage when he relays it to others. This part of him always makes me smile.

Meanwhile, Willa spent most of the afternoon bombing down a hill on the other side of the course over and over.

They both made friends at this race. Willa met a girl her age who also had a brother Huxley’s age. Her ability to make friends anywhere awes me. The two girls were disappointed to learn they both lived an hour away from the race in opposite directions, and would likely not run into each other again. But that didn’t stop them from having fun for the day.

The last race of the day at Secret Squirrel is the Donut Madison. You find a partner, eat a donut, do a lap of the course, and then pass off to your partner to do the same. There was a guy who needed a partner and we convinced Cody to do it. He had to borrow a helmet and bike and ride in his work boots and jeans. It was a hilarious and gross way to end the day.

NBX Grand Prix of Cross

Cody took Huxley alone to the first day of NBX GP to do the 9-14 race. It was another hard course with sand and a full flight of stairs to run up. There was a professional photographer who got these great shots. 

The next day was the kids’ race. It was pouring and cold so only a few kids came out. Willa rode her bike, but didn’t do the race.

The announcer came over to commentate the kids’ race and he was hilarious. “Huxley Harple - with a name like that, they ought to name a library after you.”

Some friends braved the weather to watch this race too and got one of my favorite pictures of Huxley ever - it captures him so perfectly.

Ice Weasels Cometh

Ice Weasels was another legendary race. It’s always one of the last of the season, usually in the beginning of December, so almost guaranteed to be cold. This one was held at Medfield State Hospital, an abandoned mental hospital, which gave it an even more mystical vibe.

This was one of Huxley’s best races. He did the 9-14 race, and for the first time he actually beat a couple kids. It was a freezing but beautiful day. The kids did two full laps of the adult course. It was the perfect course for him - other than the barriers up to his thighs, it was mostly grass and hills, just like our yard course. 

Hux is starting to see the same group of 8/9 year old boys at most races, and they are finally becoming friends.

One of the most fun parts of this race is the absolute silliness. People wear crazy costumes, and at the last race of the day they stop to chug beers or take shots being passed to them. Willa totally embraced the vibe with her Wonder Woman onesie. 

What a fun way to end the 2018 cyclocross season! Next year we will be back better than ever, this time with a bike rack for the ramvan.

[heathenarmyimagines]

Title: Cheater

Summary: Hvitserk finds (Y/N) but she is not the same as before.

Pairing: Hvitserk x Reader

Taglist: @ubbesgirl, @shewolf2000, @tis-itheapplepie, @atequila, @demoncrypt1066, @greennightspider, @badbitsh13, @fireismysaftey, @minarawr, @laketaj24, @hvitserksgirl, @blahblahcookiesdoma, @fabulous-peasent, @sforsammmmmi, @minmiin1d, @courtrae89, @letsloveimagines, @tomarisela, @titty-teetee, @beyond-the-ashes@elenawrit, @mblaqgi, @whenimaunicorn, @chuflisworld, @mystruggledlife, @moose-squirrel-asstiel, @syreni-dea, @trashqueenbitch, @alykatv, @mbaku-babygirl, @perfectus-in-morte, @beyond-the-ashes, @neeadinghugs, @readsalot73, @triumphantreturnofpies, @anarchy-is-coming, @tephi101, @alicedopey, @ivarslittlebadgirl, @jtrstp, @nejijjeoroo, @charlylama, @ivartheblessed, @captstefanbrandt, @fabulouschrissi, @ivarsrideordie, @3x5gurl, @the-writer-appreciation-blog, @lolabee9, @captainfoxy22, @young-ugly-god, @im5ftbutmythroat66, @bribyyy, @irishhiggins, @cadetomlinson, @keclleon101, @slutforragnarssons, @ltkeke, @meeeeeeeeeps, @lille-kanin, @opalscarab, @ssraven7, @ivarandersen, @concretewaywardangel, @funmadnessandbadassvikings, @sharon-is-tired, @cadetomlinson, @mystruggledlife, @chuflisworld, @justmarissa97, @lol-haha-joke, @weirdly-randomly-awesome, @inlovewithmakeupcomicsanim, @idonthavehusbandsihavelovers, @alexa040004, @buckythetinman , @burntmythroatskullingmytea,@jorunnravenslayer, @two-unbeatable-beaters, @buffy-the-vampire-blogger

Part One, Part Two, Part Three

This new club was definitely not going to be some casual hole in the wall kind of spot.

Hvitserk had to “tip” the bouncer a five hundred dollars to skip the line that was down the street.

Inside the club was in full swing, lights smoke machines, blasting music and the dance floor was packed.

If he was actually here to club he would have been much more impressed, but he was here on a mission.

To get (Y/N) back.

Hvitserk looked around in search for her, looking for the one thing that always made her stand out to him in a crowd.

Her hair.

She spent hours and hours a day on her hair, combing, brushing, straightening curling, styling and everything else. Her hair was her treasure.

He looked at the bar, then checked the booths and still Hvitserk couldn’t find her. 

With an annoyed sigh he headed for the dance floor, making no attempt to appear like he was dancing.

Pushing past dancing couples earning a few angry responses from dudes obviously trying to get some tonight.

He bumped into yet another couple, this time nearly knocking the girl with a shaved head fall.

‘Watch it jack ass!’

Hvitserk’s eyes widened as he got a better look at her.

‘(Y/N)?’

Her eyes rolled as she too realized who she was talking to.

‘Of course you’re here.’ she huffs.

‘What the hell are you doing?’ he asked looking to the guy who was now holding her by the waist.

‘Minding my business.’ she said as she pushed the guy’s hands off.

She turned and thanked him for the dance and politely sent him on his way to find a new dance partner. 

With the handsy dude gone now Hvitserk could speak to her.

‘(Y/N)...your hair...’

She didn’t respond to his unfinished sentence, instead she walked past him and straight to the bar.

‘Whiskey on the rocks.’ she ordered.

‘On the house for a woman like you.’ the bartender smiled before making the drinks.

The lighting was much better by the bar than on the dance floor, now Hvitserk could get a good look at her.

(Y/N) had chopped off her hair and she was dressed differently than normal.

She was wearing a black crop top, cut off jean shorts that barely covered her ass, black combat boots and matching black jewelry.

‘Are you just gonna stare, or are you going to drink?’ she asked, not looking back at him.

Hvitserk shook himself out of shock enough to take the stool next to her.

‘Your hair.’ he said again.

‘What hair?’ she grinned, rubbing her buzzed hair.

The bartender gave her a drink and she threw it back.

A long moment of silence fell over the two, while Hvitserk took the time to get used to this new look on his beloved (Y/N).

‘Still staring.’ she said.

‘Can you blame me?’

At that she chuckled.

‘Guess not, no one else could when I walked out of the barber shop.’ she smiled.

‘What are you doing here (Y/N), you hate the club scene.’ Hvitserk questioned.

‘I never said that, I said the club was horrible place for a first date and not the place to meet Mr. Right. It is however the best place to find Mr. Right Now and his good friend Mr. Feel Good.’ she grinned looking at a guy across the bar.

Hvitserk sent the guy a look so mean he looked away.

‘Thanks for that.’ she whined.

‘I need to talk to you, without some dude you don’t know trying to get your pants.’ Hvitserk said.

‘Why, I talked to you for years while girls I didn’t know DID get your pants.’ she fired.

Hvitserk shrank back a bit at that.

‘I know that I deserve that, so I won’t argue.’

‘You can’t argue, that’s what you meant to say Hvitserk.’ she corrected.

‘I am trying to say I want you back (Y/N).’ he blurted out.

‘I love you, I always have. All those other woman combined wouldn’t make half the woman you are to me. I didn’t deserve you and I know that, but I am here begging you to take me back.’ 

(Y/N) looked at him for a long moment, taking him in before she sighed and ordered another drink.

‘Do you know why I cut my hair?’ she asked.

Hvitserk made a very confused face at her.

‘What does that have to do with anything?’ he asked.

‘You asked about my hair twice, but you didn’t ask why I cut it.’ she explained as her drink was sat in front of her.

‘Why did you cut it?’  

‘Because I always wanted to. I hated taking care of that damn hair, but you loved it so I kept dealing with it. That was one of the many examples of me choosing your happiness over mine Hvitserk.’ she says.

(Y/N) put a hand on his face, like she always did when explaining something she thought he didn’t understand.

‘In some way I will probably always love you, but I need to learn to love me first.’

‘I do understand you (Y/N), I want you to love yourself. I want you to look in the mirror and see yourself as the most gorgeous woman in the world, I want to help you see it.’ Hvitserk said, desperate to make her believe him.

'How can I love me when I don’t know me?’

At that Hvitserk went quiet, for what felt like the tenth time sense he had seen her she had stunned him into silence.

‘It wouldn’t take me more than two minutes to go back to being your girlfriend Hvitserk. I know how to be her all too well, but what am I after that? Can you tell me, because I don’t have a clue. All I know is the girl who let you walk all over her is gone, and she is never coming back.’ she said as she got off her stool.

‘(Y/N) wait-’

‘Have a good night Hvitserk.’ she said before she walked away.

Even though he had already lost sight of her in the crowd of people on the dance floor Hvitserk still got out of his seat and tried to follow her.

He searched the whole club until he figured she had left the damn place.

Once he was outside he still couldn’t spot her, he had lost her.

No, not again, Hvitserk could not go back to his apartment and continue stewing in his self pity. 

He was gonna get you back, no matter what it took, he would make Ubbe tell him where you were and then he would convince you to take him back.

If it was the last thing he did, he was going to get you back.