#( freyja was right we need to kill him )

[resalire]

Hello everyone! Just a quick continuity update for Alfonse: following the ending of Book VII, Alfonse’s canon point will now be taken post Book VII, after Nihility and Dream. Every other side event stories that have transpired within the duration of this book will also be canon to him (TT(+), Forging Bonds, Paralogue stories, etc.), though with less emphasis on those that don’t involve him. Alfonse now better understands Fódlan and The Officer’s Academy following the (ultimately unfruitful) attempt of its replication in Askr. He will also now be acquainted with Elyos & Vanaheimr, as well as the FE:Engage & Book VII casts.

As of this update, the following characters form a (somewhat) notable relationship with him in FEH, and these relationships will also be canon to my portrayal of Alfonse— the more impactful of which are bolded. If there’s anything necessary to discuss, please let me know:

Alear (F)

Diamant

Ced

Leif

Ingrid (Three Hopes)

Geoffrey

To reiterate: Alfonse will still treat every Hero he meets in TOA as strangers out of respect. This will mostly take effect on how he views other characters personally. I hope to make a more in-depth post about these changes soon, but for now this will have to suffice. Thank you for understanding!

Additionally, as of this post, I’ve caught up on every single Forging Bonds. Please ask me for a fun FEH fact. I have so many. Please.

[empyreanwizard]

about miquella's kidnapping, you know the charm only works if miq gets really close in your face (see heart stolen + freyja's account of being healed) and it doesn't do a 180° in your personality (the npcs in the shadow realm are there to show us how it affects them and we can see it didn't change their personality) what the charm does is: make you non-violent (see heart stolen) makes you forget bad things (see leda and ansbach remembering "cascading sheets of blood" after the charm is broken)

if anything, I'd say the charm would've made him more sane, take thioller for example he's completely obsessed with trina after the charm is broken, to the point where he tries to kill you after she talks to you

compare thioller's dialogue:

"i am her chosen, not you. only I can doze off in the sea of st. trina"

and

"only i am allowed to know. of your velvety sleep. its sweetly gentle embrace. so please, smile—for me, and only me." (st. trina's smile)

to mohg's dialogue:

"miquella is mine and mine alone"

both are possessive and obsessed. miquella's charm nullified thioller's obsession, and I have no reason to believe miquella can just pick and choose the side effects his charm will have.

my points on why miquella did not want to be kidnapped

1 - he wouldn't have cocooned himself for a long ass time like he did otherwise. and you know he was there for a long time because he's all skinny and covered in cocoon liquid stuff. and mohg wouldn't need to break open his cocoon like he did, he would just take it back to his palace

2 - miquella couldn't have known mohg even existed. he lived in the sewers his whole life, and miquella never went to the sewers. also, even if he did, he couldn't have charmed him there bc otherwise ansbach would never know to differentiate a non-charmed mohg from a charmed mohg .

3 - mohg is already a established kidnapper. from the "war surgeon gown":

"Bloodstained white gown of the war surgeons who were effectively mercy killers. Of the surgeons that were abducted by the Lord of Blood, none were able to tame the accursed blood. None but Varré, that is; though he was an exception."

4 - mohg had his own reasons to kidnap miquella. he wanted to build his blood dynasty and to become a lord, as ansbach says he was seeking lordship, and the consort of an empyrean is a lord by right (see dark moon ring description). miquella is the only empyrean available, as ranni is presumed dead and malenia already has a god inside of her (and he could never kidnap her), leaving only miquella who apparently doesn't have an outer god meddling inside of him, so perfect vessel for the formless mother

now, you're probably wondering "well if the mohg thing wasn't planned, who would be used as a vessel for his consort??" to answer that, miquella probably didn't know he needed a vessel in the first place, as the ">>>secret<<< rite scroll" is only found in the shadow realm, he couldn't have known about that thing while living in the lands between.

verdict: miquella was forced to switch plans after the kidnapping (can't complete anything he starts curse yadda yadda), mohg did not beat the allegations, and miquella got his revenge for being used (mohg was living/sleeping inside his corpse how do yall forget this???) by using mohg's corpse to house his promised consort's soul somehow (which is awful too, but that goes without saying)

remember, the story in the dlc is there to parallel his ascension to marika's ascension. in this case, the hornsent killed and tortured marika's people, and she responds by genociding and terrorizing the hornsent people. mohg used and abused miquella's corpse, and he responded by using mohg's corpse.

marika = miquella

hornsent = omen

I just think it's weird that so many people are running off with the assumption that miquella, who the dlc all but confirm has the body AND mentality of a child, was charming mohg out of malicious intent rather than self-defense. remember he was probably never trained to fight nor does he have the strength to do it, the charm is basically his self-defense mechanism.

I think the main issue is that if you disagree on even the littlest thing here, the whole narrative shifts, and that's why there's so many different interpretations and confused people.

this is all subjective and there's no reason to claim my interpretation is the correct one ofc but I do think I make a good argument.

[skyred-blog]

My headcanon story of the DLC

See people share their headcanon stories of DLC, I wanted to share mine too...Let's me cook, don't stop meeeeee:

The Caelid battle happens because Miquella believed that if the stars moved, he could become a god and fix things in the Lands Between, given his status as an Empyrean destined to become a god

Malenia came to Caelid to fight while Miquella stayed in Haligtree because the tree needed his body and who would bring a child to battle? However, Miquella wanted his sister to be safe, so he appeared as St. Trina in her and her soldiers' dreams to ease their pain from rot just like how she eased the Frenzy Flame

And when Malenia let the Scarlet Aeonia bloom, St. Trina caused her to slumber. Because St. Trina only appeared in dreams, Finlay was still the only one who could help Malenia at that moment. Freyja wasn't cured by Miquella; instead, she was left alone on the battlefield. In a state of desperation because of pain and hunger not Fear and Hunger, she somehow ate the ingredients of Boluses, which is how she got cured truly a Masterchief moment! and that is how we have Boluses. Yes, I'm still very salty about the fact that Miquella appeared in Caelid only to do nothing for his sister or her soldiers. Freyja wanted to revenge for her general so she went to LoS like the cut content of 1.0

Seeing Malenia and Radahn's rot states and remembering his failure to help Godwyn, Miquella became depressed and decided he would do anything to become a god.

Then Miquella got kidnapped by Mohg, but Miquella decided to use his power to activate his trap card. Get rekt, Mohg. Yes, I don't think someone who created a Blood cult and kingdom can be a cute little Omen, right? Anbasch is angry. Cut the body part, leaving only Miquella needing Mohg for the LoS.

Even though he was able to go to the LoS, Miquella is useless even worse than Ranni. So somehow our Tarnished goes around and sees him. FRIENDSHIP! at first. He still charmed the NPCs except Tarnished because you were chosen by Torrent.

Something something happened, god ritual or some shit so Miquella decided to cut himself. Our Tarnished is okay with everything because Miquella said he's okay, but he isn't. Basically, every self-harm act he does in public makes the group of NPCs think he's so determined and hardcore. Suddenly, he became extremely cruel, like killing poor Rot people because he thought they caused Malenia's pain instead of listening to their stories like he used to with other NPCs. We don't know why, but thanks to Tholier's feelings, we discover that he secretly cut St. Trina in the end and threw her away

So, in the end, Miquella becomes a god, but at the cost of becoming an empty vessel for every Outer God to use. He's simultaneously all-powerful and weak, which contrasts with his ability to create Unalloyed Gold, used against Outer Gods. He asks the Tarnished for help, offering the Lord title as a reward.

Seeing Miquella's unstable and pathetic state, we decided to finish him in battle. Miquella would use incantations of every Gods and summons spirits akin to O'Neil. After he was dead, memories flood back of the happy times with his family even before Messmer going to LoS, which means it will include Messmer, Melina, Godwyn, the Carian trio, Malenia, and even glimpses of Morgott and Mohg from afar. All he wanted was to experience happiness like a normal child.

[krabkrab-wontshutup]

A Dove among Ravens

Aka I redesigned Dove Grayson, my old Magnus Chase oc!! His name is now Nastasiya, and he is still the son of Aphrodite, but is no longer the grandchild of loki. Also, ive never posted about him before, so heres a long ass list of all my notes about him!! Content warning for a very weird death, this is the riordanverse we’re talking about.

Full Name: Nastasiya Grayson

Gender: FtM

Family: [Mother] Aphrodite | [Father] George Grayson

Age: 16

Species: Demigod of Aphrodite

Affiliation: Valhalla

Residence: Floor 19

Weapons: Chain sword - A sword that, when you hit a button on the hilt, turns into a chain-bladed whip. Becomes a rose gold chain necklace when glamored. Designed by a hephaestus kid.

Status: Einherjar

----------

History: Nastasiya is the demigod son of the goddess Aphrodite and George Grayson, a passionate historian whose adventures took him across the globe. After being sent to camp half-blood two years prior, Nastasiya was killed at sixteen trying to defend a group of schoolchildren from a nemean lion, which had been mistakenly placed in a zoo.

Fatal Flaw: Pride

Physical Appearance: Nastasiya has fiery red hair, which cascades around his neck in soft ringlet curls. His eyes seem to shift in color with an almost magical quality, adding an air of mystery to his gaze and always matching his outfit. His soft skin is slightly tanned, and he’s absolutely covered in freckles. He wears a lot of light colors- whites, pinks, and beiges mostly. A rose gold chain, which becomes his sword when needed, is a consistent accessory, as rose gold is the only metal he incorporates into his style. He takes pride in his large hooked nose and is often seen sporting round rose gold glasses.

Personality: He possesses a flair for the dramatic, embodying the very essence of his mother’s aesthetic- Roses, Flowing silk, pearls, and perfection. His taste for the finer things in life is evident in everything he does. Like his father, Nastasiya is a romantic at heart; he often finds himself lost in poetic thoughts, expressing himself with an extensive vocabulary that captivates those around him.

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General Abilities: Poetry, Strange knack for identifying perfumes and colognes, Able to lie very well and can tell when other people are lying, never messes up nail polish when applying it, The god of vibe reading, Master of comebacks and witty remarks, Able to speak fluent french, Always gives the best advice he can (When he’s not hissing and telling people to kill their abusers)

Demigod Powers: Charmspeak, Emotion reading, Amokinesis, Communication with Aphrodite’s sacred animals (Doves, Sparrows, Swans, Dolphins), (After death) Blessing of Aphrodite (Never has to worry about his looks ever because favoritism), [He’s supposed to be more powerful than your average aphrodite kid because he’s kind of the favorite]

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CONCEPT: The first Greek demigod to enter Valhalla (That we know of). Idk i figured greek demigods die in battle all the time, why not consider if one of them was found by a valkyrie? Besides, it's not like demigods of aphrodite and demigods of freyja are all that different. My idea is that the runes misidentify his vibes as freyja vibes but he’s all like “Uh, that doesn’t sound right; I know my mom is Aphrodite.” Cue cup dropping because Greek demigods in valhalla?? Unheard of before now!

SUITE: The room has a table in the center and a circular bed in one corner, with a lace and pearl canopy curtain hanging around it and gorgeous plush blankets. There’s a tv stand on the side of the room opposite the bed, and a wall of books near the bed. One large, circular window sits at the back wall. It has two latches at the center, and curtains in the same style as the canopy bed. A picture frame sat on the window sill. The picture is of Nastasiya, Aphrodite, and George at seaworld for Nastasiya’s twelfth birthday - the only time Aphrodite ever visited. Next to the picture frame is a bag of pearlescent pink runes. The room is lit by candlelight, and the wall directly behind the bed has all the posters from his bunk at camp half blood, as well as a “Cabin 10” poster.

[apinchofm]

BBC Merlin: Arthur has a Stag night and everyone ends up in jail. Gwen is in the next cell with her hen night guests.

Arthur groaned, resting his head against the station wall. The drinks were beginning to hit him and whilst he had a strong tolerance, mixing alcohol was never a good idea.

Or perhaps the fact that he and his friends had been arrested.

Leon was handing telling Gwaine to stop pacing as Merlin removed the last feather from Elyan's clothes.

"I tried calling Percy, but no answer. He sleeps like the dead."

"I need to call Gwen." Arthur realises, his headache now insignificant.

"She's going to kill us." Leon remarked and Arthur glared at him.

"Morgana will kill us. Her and her schedule for tomorrow,"

"What's important about tomorrow?" Gwaine, still very drunk asked.

"My wedding, you prick!" Arthur snapped and ignored the glare he received from the duty officer. He didn't know whether to call his lawyer or Gwen. He can handle his lawyer hating him, but missing his wedding because some Constable wanted to prove a point.

"Arthur?"

"Arthur?"

Great, now he was hearing Gwen's voice in his head. He didn't want to see her big beautiful brown eyes disappointed in him.

"Gwen?" Merlin exclaimed, seeing her and her hen group being escorted by two officers. Only Morgana had been handcuffed and they were taken off.

Arthur lifted himself off the wall upon seeing Gwen, his fiancé exhausted and shocked, holding her heels in another hand.

"Guinevere?"

"Arthur?"

"Morgana?"

"Arthur."

"Freyja?"

"Gwaine!"

"What happened?" Arthur asks. The last thing he expected was Gwen to do something to end up in a police station. Then he glared at his sister, "What did you do?"

"Fuck off, Arthur." Morgana said with an eye roll, "It's not my fault. It's not even Gwen's."

"Well, we went out for dinner and then this club and this guy and his friends started acting up. Some prick named Cenred," Freyja explained, "And then-"

"Gwen showed him!" Morgana chimed in proudly, "Punched him in the face."

Gwen groans, embarrassed as Arthur pulls her into a tight hug, chuckling, "I hate violence, but he was just in Morgana's face and then he was being rude..." She explained, so embarrassed.

"Guinevere, I cannot wait to marry you." Arthur said, pressing a kiss to her forehead and taking her right hand and kissing her bruised knuckles.

"Can't believe that my sister is a heavyweight champ," Elyan quipped and everyone buckled.

They were all soon released without charge (Morgana called the lawyer) and the two groups walking out of the police station. Arthur kept his arm wrapped around Gwen.

"Why are you guys in here?" Gwen asked innocently, "Did something bad happen?"

All the lads looked around, wary. Because how does one truly explain Gwaine accidentally stealing a lamb?

[whileyouwait-dm]

3

Djall visits the other Lords of the Afterlife...

 “What do you mean you don’t know where she goes?! You accidentally sent her to HELL and now you don’t know where to put her?  I’m not running a fucking soul daycare down there.  Why can’t you just put her in one of your happy worlds and call it a day?”  Djall was absolutely flabbergasted as he looked at the other Lords of the Afterlife that had convened to deal with the six remaining souls that were not where they should be.  The problem was that no one was quite sure where any of them WERE supposed to go, and no one wanted to just take one.

“Now, Djall, you know it doesn’t work that way.  We can’t just take a soul and treat it like a lost puppy.  Here, don’t pee in the River Styxx, enjoy the Elysian Fields.”  Hades was none too happy either, he had a small child suck in his realm that he wanted to give to anyone else before Persephone showed back up and decided they should keep it.  The thought almost gave him hives.

“She’s not mummified or even embalmed, so I don’t know why anyone’s looking at me.”  Anubis sat back.  At least he could sit this one out and didn’t have anyone he needed to get rid of.  Somehow he’d lucked out on this SNAFU.  Last time…he didn’t want to think about last time.  He was still trying to calm Maahes down about that fiasco.

Gefjon looked around, glad Freyja had sat this one out. “Technically she is a virgin, so I could take her, but I’d have to get Odin’s approval.  She wasn’t a warrior, so I’m not sure he’s going to approve.”  She turned her attention to Hades, “and you’re shit out of luck. Kids don’t count.”  She was pretty sure Odin was going to say no anyway.  He and Djall had a falling out a few centuries before, so it wasn’t like the All Father had any reason to do the Lord of Hell a favor.

Next it was time for Mantus and Orcus, who somehow had gotten two souls redirected to their realm that didn’t belong there.  “I think one of ours belongs to Hades, she’s Greek and believes in the old gods.  I don’t know where the other goes.  I don’t think we need Djall’s either.  Djall, just keep her or something.  At least she’s not trying to kill you constantly, count your blessings, dude.”

Djall could absolutely not believe this.  None of them acted the least bit worried about the six souls that were in their care or finding out where they should go.  Add to that Odin, Baal, Shiva, Amun, Yahweh, and the other ruling gods had gone off on some “team building retreat” and would not answer summons, prayers, or offerings.  So, now he had an innocent soul in his realm that could get stuck there because a bunch of fuckwits didn’t really care.  Why did he care more than they did?

“Listen, we have to do something.  The longer that innocent souls stay in hell realms and not in at least neutral territory, the greater the risk for smudges.  Miriana already has one because she got dumped in the Forest of Beasts and a hellcat attacked her.  I have to watch how long I touch her, how close she gets to my staff, and a myriad of other things so that she doesn’t get so smudged that she can’t leave.  Am I the only one concerned about the damn souls we’ve got all fucked up?”  Djall looked around the room.

“No, but we don’t know what to do.  Right now, no one’s happy but everyone’s safe.  What if we change something and make it worse, Djall.  Your soul is alive and you’re keeping her safe.  If she came to our realm, she might get injured or obliterated.  There are no guarantees.  Until the ruling gods come back, I don’t know what we can do since we have no idea where they go.”  Orcus sounded as stressed at Djall, and that did at least make the latter male feel a little better.  To know that he wasn’t the only one worried about the soul in his care.  

“The other consideration is that if we move them to another realm and they get all comfy and cozy, what happens when it’s wrong?  What if they’ve made friends or met someone that steals their heart?  Do you want to be responsible for moving them twice and causing a broken heart the second time?  At least this way we only have to deal with the upset once.”  Djall hated it when Hades made sense, but the man had been married forever, so he did have a clue about a few things.  He too didn’t look all too happy, more resigned to his fate. “Fine, but I hope that the ruling gods know that none of us can be held responsible if something happens to the souls in our care while they’re out….doing whatever the fuck gods do in order to team build.”  Djall shook his head, trying not to grind his teeth, then he disappeared.  He’d had enough of the other Lords of Death.  He needed away from it.  Strangely, he found himself wanting to go talk to Miriana, but since it was the middle of the night and the poor girl had been flat out exhausted, he decided better of it.  Instead he would go back to his study, he had an idea of what Miriana could do until they figured out where she belonged, at least it would keep her too busy to think about the fact she now lived in Hell in the home of the proverbial Devil.

[haljathefangirlcat]

I find it interesting that of the Norse gods, only the Vanir are given myths of a detailed courtship and wedding. The Aesir couples that mythology mentions: Odin and Frigg, Thor and Sif, Loki and Sigyn, Bragi and Idunn, Sunna and her barely-seen husband, are all mentioned as married right off the bat. Recorded mythology never describes how they came together, they're just said to be married, and sometimes said to love each other. The only exception is Saxo's Hodr/Nanna, but Saxo liked to mix and match mythological motifs anyway, so the original myth could just be Hodr lusted for Nanna and tried to abduct her, thus eventually leading to Baldr's murder and Vali being born to avenge the kinslaying. (There is a Scandinavian ballad motif that's also present in England called Svend i Rosengard/Sven in the Rose Garden, where one brother slays the other and is forced to confess to his deed after being questioned by the mother. The motive is always something trivial or even cryptic like, "it was for the cutting of a twig that would never be a tree", and the killing itself is sometimes an accident where one brother's knife slips, but sometimes the two brothers are fighting over the same woman.)

The Vanir couples do have detailed marriage stories. Skadi and Njord have a mostly comedic myth about their marriage and separation, and Frey has an elaborate myth about his longing for Gerd. Freyja has no details about her courtship, but there's also the theory that she and Odr are just doublets of Odin and Frigg, so they don't really need a marriage myth.

Conversely, in Greco-Roman mythology, for all their ups and downs and questionable ethics by today's standards, almost every divine couple gets a myth about their marriage. You have couples like Zeus and Hera, but also more minor gods like Vertumnus and Pomona or Cupid and Psyche. Even Cronus and Rhea get a myth where they wrestle another divine couple for control over Olympus.

See, that's a difference I always found kind of funny, too. I like to imagine there might have been some courtship and marriage myths on the Aesir side, too, perhaps even very dramatic ones considering all the implied drama between, say, Odin and Frigg and Thor and Sif, or even Bragi and Idun. But, ofc, even if that was the case, we'd probably never learn about them. Then again, from the Aesir (and numbered-among-the-Aesir ;)) we get two very romantic story elements like Sigyn's bowl of venom and Nanna's all-too-literal heartbreak, so...

Speaking of Nanna, I love that you mentioned the version of Balder's death in Gesta Danorum because 1. I actually adore that version, lol, GD!Hod is such an adorable anxious mess of a guy and they just keep putting him in situations (even Saxo's moralizing narrator won't let him catch a break!), 2. I was reading some Beowulf-related stuff recently and kinda started crack-theorizing that Saxo put Hod's eumerized form and his story where he did just because Danish Kings' Names Start With An H, 3. there's a very interesting work by Anatoly Liberman, Some Controversial Aspects of the Myth of Baldr, that, iirc, does propose a "tragic love triangle with Hod as the bad guy" origin for Balder's death. (... also, 4. if you don't know the Danish comic Valhalla by Peter Madsen, please read it because it's amazing AND the way it combines Saxo and the Eddas in the issue The Ballad of Balder is just *chef's kiss*)

As for the Vanir, leaving aside the eternal Frigg/Freya problem, what always stuck out to me the most is that, while there's a lot of elements ranging from the unusual to the bizarre to the clearly comedic in Skadi's wedding (look, the woman is the one who dons the armor and goes on the bridal quest, while the man waits to be won! But she can only choose him by his feet! Oh, and now she's gone and accidentally picked one guy when she wanted another! And Loki's tied a goat to his...!), Freyr's doesn't, imo, really fare that much better. I mean, sure, it's not unusual for a nobleman to send his servant to court the girl he wants to marry for him, especially when he has good reason to think the girl's family won't exactly welcome him with open arms... but you wouldn't really expect him to go from lounging around sighing and brooding and leaving his family in various states of concerned "????" to immediately losing possesion of his Awesome Magical Sword as soon as he finally resolves to just send his servant to court the girl. Even with all the obvious differences, it honestly reminds me a bit of Gunther, Siegfried, and Brunhild, specifically in the Nibelungenlied. Except I think even there Gunther might have been actually a little more proactive... and the consequences of his choices were a bit more, so to say, direct...

There's also something to say about how the Aesir have, as far as we know, only jotun lovers while the Vanir have jotun wives, I think. Or rather, I know a lot has been said about it. But I got really into those theories years ago, so now everything's a bit tangled up in my head and I'm not quite sure anymore of what I read and what I made up myself, lol.

[scottykarve]

About a month ago, I took a trip to Australia and met up with Ted while he was in the ward. I, against the instruction of the staff, recorded our interaction, but the audio was completely garbled. Gibberish to anyone but Ted and I, probably. Don’t use a spy pen from a happy meal if you plan to actually hear it back. Luckily, with my supreme memory assisted by what little I could hear, I was able to write out this thing. I guess transcribing audio logs is all tumblr’s good for? I wasn’t going to post it, but Ted was right, someone can probably make use of anything. So here, if this connects any dots, use it.

[Clicking sound, audio starts. Bitcrushed throughout, with intermittent loud plasticky sounds.]

Ted: Uh.

Me: Hi. Scott, um, karvingwood. Scott Kulver. I decoded the shit on the blog.

Ted: Right, right.. You- you’re American, though. How did you-?

Me: It was an expensive flight. Can I ask you some questions?

Ted: [pause, slightly incredulous huff] Slow down, I think I have some questions first? How did you find me? Why did you find me?

Me: Oh, easy, I asked the Star person on your tumblr. I needed to talk to you, so if I could just?- [the ‘wub wub’ sound paper makes when you flap it]

Ted: Fine, get on with it.

Me: Thanks. So, firstly- [pause, reading from notes I had] … Um, in ‘January’, the video doesn’t glitch when [hesitation] the Tall Guy’s around. What’s up with that?

Ted: I cou-

Me: Talk into the pen please.

Ted: Is that a mic-? ..eh, okay. I couldn’t tell you. I didn’t edit the video. Mmmaybe it had something to do with Virus? That was the first time I’d filmed meeting Him with the mask on. Maybe it interfered, or He just chose not to corrupt it.. Who knows.

Me: Okay, cool. Speaking of Virus, what is it like wearing, uh, him?

Ted: Like a buff in a video game. Invincibility or immunity or something. I don’t get tired, I don’t need to eat, I can be in His presence without feeling sick. It catches up when I take it off, but..

Me: When orr where did you get it?

[six seconds of silence]

Me: Oookay. New line of questions. When did you start seeing Ezra?

Ted: I was 18, so, uh.. God, must’ve been 2022? Early in the year. Kit recommended I ask to see her when I was getting diagnosed with depression. Said she was a great listener, stopped listening when they turned 20, for some reason, so they stopped going. Always felt like there might’ve been more to it. I wasn’t having the same issues, so I just.. kept seeing her.

Me: Kit.. I like the Murphys. Nice ride over.

Ted: Wh- you met them?

Me: Oh, yeah, Kit drove me here. Might see Freyja tonight. We saw a cat on the way, cute black one with just the biggest moon eyes. Reminded me of your little lady. Anyways,-

[quiet huff/sigh noise from Ted]

Me: -speaking of Ezra, [gesturing at arm] what’s the symbol been doing for you?

Ted: Fuck all, as far as I’m concerned. He shows up more frequently than I remember, but that’s probably just because the.. Yknow. Things keep on dropping. He’s like a vulture, just… showing up when something dies to take it.

Me: Mm. And your arm, how is it? Healing up?

Ted: It’s.. fine, I guess. The nurses replaced the bandages to make sure it can heal properly.

Me: Sick, good. That’d be a sweetass scar, but yknow. So the staff’s been treating you fine, I take it.

Ted: There’s a group of nurses I really don’t vibe with, but they keep their distance if I’m not alone.

Me: Makes sense. So, um, on the subject of bodies. [voice lowers] How did you start with the sacrifices?

Ted: [sound of chair scooting back] Jesus christ, say that any louder?

Me: Sorry.

Ted: [voice also lowers] …Look, I’m not going to give you advice on culty killing sprees or anything. The first one was an accident. Kind of. A bird. Swung at it, killed it, and when I found it in my suitcase of all places.. I offered it up, and He sure as shit showed up to take it.

Me: Mm. Has He showed up at all while you’ve been here?

Ted: Yeah, a few times. A few patients, uh.. [lowering voice again] A few nurses have died since I’ve been here. Not my work, I swear to god, but He’s taking them like they’re more sacrifices. Lucky me. There, um.. Three of them. Clearly not natural causes, either. One’s head was caved in, one had their throat slit, and.. And one was bleeding from the face. Something isn’t right here but if I can keep my head down I can get the fuck outta here. Last thing I need is to end up like them.

Me: I’d break you out if I could. [soft laugh]. Well, thanks for, um, your honesty. [chair scooting back sound] It was nice to meet you, Ted! [sound of notebook closing] I’m sure we’ll be-

[clicking sound, audio end]

[boowhumps]

Whumpril 2024

Day 6 - Dizziness

⚠TW⚠

- Swearing

- Mentions of Alcohol

- Mentions of Drugs

- Mentions of SA

- Mentions of Prostitution (kinda ig)

Enjoy!

~~~~~~~~~~

The streets were bustling with life, bright lights flashing as the city refused to sleep.

In the midst of it all, there was them, hidden amongst the plain folk. Blending in so perfectly that you would even spare a second glance at them.

They weren't on any important mission at the moment, more like just looking for a place to have some fun and kill time.

The group of seven individuals walked together, fake ID's ready to help them blend in.

In the back of the group, Amne and Silas walked side by side. Occasionally, their arms would rub up against each other, but neither said anything.

They never did. Amne and Silas would die before admitting that there was something between them. Most people wrote it down to them being friend with benefits, but it was clear that the 'friends' bit wasn't there.

Passing by the local businesses, Amne's eyes wandered. She couldn't help but be amazed at how similar everything still looked. It felt as if she had been gone from the overworld for years, but since time went faster in Celestial, she couldn't be sure how long it had actually been.

Regardless, she kept her head down. She didn't want to risk another incident. She had already been recognized once, an issue that was now solved, but she couldn't risk it again.

The situation left her in a panic, which then turned to a daze. She wanted nothing more than to drown her sorrows in a bottle of tequila, but she had to convince Silas first.

He hadn't left her side since the encounter. If Amne had to guess, he was probably freaked out by her sudden panic attack, considering that she had to explain to him how to calm her down while trying to calm herself down, but now she had him stuck to her like a leech.

A cute leech, but a leech nonetheless.

As the group was about to pass by another bar, Amne tugged on Silas' arm to get his attention.

He immediately perks up. "Yeah.?" He asks.

Amne points to the bar. "I need a drink, you up for it?"

Silas frowns. "You never told me you were a drinker.."

"Must have not come up in conversation then." Amne says. "C'mon, it'll be quick."

Silas looks over to the rest of the group, who seem to have finally agreed on a place to hang out at.

"Should we let them know.?" Silas asks.

Amne shrugs. "Your call, I'll be at the bar." She says before walking away.

Deep inside, a part of her feels like shit for being so dull, but the encounter left her feeling drained.. numb even..

She didn't like feeling numb, it was too harsh of a reminder of who she once was..

However, no numbness can't be fixed with a strong drink, so Amne goes off into the busy-ish bar. She won't drink too much, just enough to get a bit buzzed.

~~~~~~~~~~

Silas walks up to the group, shuffling awkwardly.

"Hey uh, Lua.?" Silas mumbles.

Lua turns. "What's up?"

Silas rubs the back of his neck. "Amne kinda.. ditched and went into a bar.. said she-"

"-needs a drink? Yeah, I figured she would." Lua says, annoyed. "Did you want to join her?"

"I mean, yeah, not to drink, just to keep an eye on her." Silas states clearly.

Lua hums. "Then go on, just don't get into trouble and keep a low profile."

Silas nods. "Right, I'll let Amne know." He replies before walking off to join Amne.

Lua sighs as Freyja shuffles next to her.

"Amne is not.. OK.?" She asks, looking uncertain.

Lua looks over to her. "I never know with her.."

~~~~~~~~~~

The bar is lively, just about as much as Silas expected. Friday nights were expected to be crazy, but Silas imagined that people had other things to do than go drinking at almost midnight.

His eyes scanned the room, locating Amne sitting at the bar. He quickly made his way over to her, taking a seat as Amne started on her first drink.

"Anything I can get for you, sir?" The bartender asks suddenly.

Silas is about to answer when Amne perks up.

"He doesn't drink." She responds.

The bartender nods, and goes to serve other people.

Silas sighs. "..so.. you okay.?"

Amne looks over to him, confused. "Why wouldn't I be.?"

"I mean, you've been.. odd since the incident." Silas mumbles. "Like.. blank."

Amne looks down at her drink. "Is it freaking you out.?"

Silas shakes his head quickly. "No, of course not, I'm just-.." He stops. "Worried, just.. worried."

Amne hums. "Well don't be, I'll be fine after a couple drinks."

Silas frowns. "This isn't healthy, you know?"

"I'm well aware." Amne mumbles.

Silas looks away. "Is this really how you cope?"

"Do you have any better suggestions?" Amne asks coldly.

"I mean.. you could.. talk to me about it?" Silas suggests.

Amne looks at him, then sighs. "I wouldn't want to burden you.."

"You wouldn't be! Trust me, it.. might help a bit.." Silas replies with a soft smile.

Amne starts on her second drink. "Well.. where do I start..?"

"Maybe with, what happened earlier.?" Silas suggests.

Amne nods. "Right, well.."

~~~~~~~~~~

A few words and rounds of drinks later, Amne was wasted. Even with all the things she finally spilled, things even Silas never expected, she was now acting like everything was fine, whether that be by choice or not.

It was now almost 2 am, and Amne showed zero signs of exhaustion, as well as zero signs that she was done drinking.

Silas ended up ordering her water, hoping to sober her up enough so they could get out of here without making a scene, but Amne was so.. cheerful that it wasn't going to be so easy.

"Silas~" Amne laughs, throwing her arms around him. "C'mon, just a few more drinks!"

Silas hums. "At this rate, your heart will stop if I let you drink more."

"And would that be so bad~?" Amne hums, her face getting closer to his.

"Yes, it would." Silas says. "I want to keep you around, believe it or not."

"For what purpose.?" Amne asks. "For my body~?"

Silas gives her a look. "What are you rambling around?"

"You wouldn't be the first guy to pay me for.. services~" Amne purrs. "Nor the last.."

Silas sighs. "Yeah no, it's time to go."

Amne pouts. "No, let's have fun!"

"Amne, you are so wasted that you seem genuinely happy, it's time to head home." Silas says sternly, pushing Amne towards the exit.

Amne tries to push against him "Don't be a party pooper, just let me go!"

Silas rolls his eyes as he guides Amne home, trying to avoid the stares she's getting.

~~~~~~~~~~

Silas falls back onto the couch next to Lua, exhaustion finally hitting him like a ton of bricks.

Lua glances over at him from their phone. "Is the psycho finally out?"

Silas groans. "Firstly, enough with that nickname, and secondly, yes, she is."

Lua hums. "It's surprising how giddy she is when she's drunk, I wonder if that moment of happiness is worth the hell of a hangover she's gonna have tomorrow."

Silas rubs the tiredness from his eyes. "Hopefully she's fine tomorrow.." He then sighs. "..Something happened at the bar."

Lua turns off their phone, turning to face Silas. "What do you mean?"

Silas breathes deeply. "I shouldn't tell you this.. but it's important."

Lua gives him a look. "Then spill it."

"It's about Silva.. the possession.. all of that." He says.

"There can't be more to what we already know, Silas." Lua mumbles.

Silas crosses his arms. "I thought so too, but.. she told me something.."

Lua hums, waiting for Silas to continue.

"Amne.. or, Karyme.." Silas starts. "Fuck, Lua.."

"She wasn't ever not possessed."

~~~~~~~~~~

[ryuzakemo128]

The Last Dragonborn

Summary: Freyja's friend Hilda has betrayed her for the last time and she has decided to kill her. Unfortunately for Hilda, a stranger interrupted the killing blow. Which leads to a strange event in the future.

"I never realized that you could have said something, anything and I would have helped you." A young woman named Hilda replied with her sword still pointed at her friend.

"I don't think you understand the kind of problem I have right now. Simply asking for help is no longer an option for me." Freyja replied.

Hilda stated, her blade inching closer and closer as she said, "I don't think you should assume that you don't have any help available to you. We have told you that you can ask us whenever you need it."

"I suggest you stop before this gets out of hand." A stranger said to the pair of them.

"I don't think you understand what you're doing," Freyja says to the stranger walking closer to the two of them.

"I have an idea of what's happening and I decided to step in." The stranger said to her smugly. A sly grin was planted on his face. Which disappeared after Freyja stood up making him feel like a small mouse.

"I doubt you do," Freyja said to him a puff of smoke from her lips akin to a dragon breathing a hot fiery breath.

"Aemond, where are you?" A woman's voice in the distance.

"I suggest you return to your mother." Freyja said to him.

"I will not forget this interruption-" Hilda started to say before Freyja turned and plunged her blade right into her chest.

"Nothing more to see here young one." Freyja says to the young child.

[animated-unicorn]

Family Reunion

I Would Have Done the Same - Chapter 4

Astarion x Tav (Freyja) -> Freyja has been poisoned, wounded, and captured with little hope of escape but little does she know that Astarion is coming after her.

Read chapter 1 here -> https://www.tumblr.com/animated-unicorn/740359880245952512/i-would-have-done-the-same-chapter-1?source=share

“What does she want from me?!” She attempted to screech but she was interrupted by a burst of coughs. Her senses began to return, numbness replaced with aches and a sharp pain in her side.

“Selene is dead,” Kalid said plainly.  “She died in battle against our enemies.”

It was hard for Freyja to imagine her bigger sister, Selene, dead. Selene was one of the most powerful Clerics of Lloth and was destined to lead the family into the future. “Mother wants you home to ensure the future of this family.” His words echoed in her mind. 

“How did she find me?” She hid the tremble of fear that coursed in her blood. 

“It wasn't hard when word spread that a drow killed one of the Absolute’s Chosen, Minthara.” He shifted Freyja on his shoulder. His tight muscles now pressed against her lungs making conversation nearly impossible. Freyja struggled past the poison’s fog to consider her options for escape but with blurry vision and the wound at her side, she feared she didn’t have much hope until she was better. Freyja had long lost track of time as she was jostled about for several more miles through the Underdark. By the time Kalid stopped and threw her to the ground, it took everything in her power to not pass out from exhaustion.

“How far are we?” She grunted. Awkwardly she squirmed in the dirt till she was twisted towards her brother.

“Not too far. Another day as long as we don't run into any trouble.” His brow rose in accusation towards her. A wicked smirk crossed his lips as he eyed her. “You know sister, I think you look quite stunning on the ground like that. I am sure whoever Mother chose for you will be very pleased.”  

Freyja spat at him. Her saliva was red from blood. 

“Not very nice.” He said sternly as his smile faded away. His mood was always quick to turn sour. Before settling down in his bedroll, he grabbed another spindle of rope and unwound it. With one end, it snaked through her wrist and ankle bindings and was then tied to a tree with no room for her to shift within her bindings. Instead of thinking up solutions, Freyja’s thoughts instead focused on her party. They had traveled for several weeks together but Freyja wasn’t sure that was long enough for any of them to come after her. She knew Astarion cared for her in his way but she feared his desire was more for his self-preservation than her own. 

She must have fallen asleep, because the next thing she knew, she was hanging over Kalid’s shoulder once again. His steps were quick and efficient as they followed the familiar terrain. It took only a couple of seconds before Freyja, too recognized her surroundings. Her heart froze in her chest, as panic began to set in. She was wounded, bound, and soon would be in her mother’s grasp. After a bit of rest, the fog over her thoughts lessened. Freyja knew she would need to try and escape before they reached her home.

Out of nowhere, a great tremble rocked through the ground, Kalid stumbling to his right. His nails dug into Freyja’s thigh to keep her atop. He just barely recovered from the first tremble, when the ground shook once more. Instead of its force dissipating it grew into a massive eruption of rock and dirt. A massive Bulette burst out from underneath the ground with a great roar that echoed for miles. Kalid lost his balance and rolled to the floor, knocking Freyja to the ground as well. She scrambled with her bindings, till she was able to twist her wrist to the right angle till she heard it snap. Kalid, with his bow in hand, shot an arrow into the creature’s neck. The arrow makes its mark but the beast lunges forward for another attack. With a great leap, it landed over top of him. Freyja, finally unbound at the wrists, began to work at the rope around her ankles. Kalid abandoned his bow, and with a short sword in hand, pierced between the Bulette’s rock-like armor. The Bulette’s jaw slackened as it fell to the ground. Freyja managed to slip her feet out of their bindings. She jumped to her feet and ignored the tunneled vision from the quick movement. One foot in front of the other she began to run back where they came from but Kalid was too quick. Before she could even process that Kalid was no longer occupied by the Bulette, the blunt side of his sword made impact with Freyja’s skull. 

“GET UP!” the feminine voice boomed. It rattled through Freyja’s subconsciousness and pulled her back to the present. Her eyes partially swollen peeled open to look up at her mother, Violetta. Her heart dropped into her stomach. It took everything for her to pry herself off the marble floor of the throne room. Her cut arms wobbled underneath her weight.. A grunt escaped her dry lips as she managed to stand however slouched it may be. 

“As I am sure you have heard by now from your brother, Selene died defending our house's honor. The battle was victorious, however, it left us with you as our only option to continue our family’s legacy into the future.” Her mother scowled down at her. “Heal her now. I can’t stand looking at how pathetic she is.” 

“Yes, Matron.” The robed drow whispered as she silently approached Freyja. With the drow’s pale hand, she healed Freyja of the majority of her injuries. 

“I expect you to be cleaned and presentable in time for the ceremony,” Violetta stated coldly. Several other robed figures approached where Freyja stood, arms outstretched towards her.

“The ceremony?” Freyja gasped in shock. 

“Of course. We have no time to waste.” A knowing smirk reached her mother’s lips but never her eyes. Hands grabbed her shoulders and elbows as they twisted her away and out of the large room. 

The tracks were hard to follow, but Astarion was sharp. He buzzed with adrenaline as he commanded the rest of the party to pick up speed.  He suspected that wherever Freyja was, it could not be more than a day ahead. Astarion was never trained in the art of tracking but the faint impression of Freyja’s blood lingered in the air, guiding him toward her. The party was silent as they tracked through the Underdark after their missing leader. 

With impressive time, the party discovered the site of Bulette’s attack. Scratch was quick to point out the fibers of rope that were half buried in the dirt. Wyll spotted Freyja’s boot print but suspected that she didn’t get far before she was grabbed once more. Despite Astarion’s protests the party decided to rest for the night after following the trail for the past 12 hours. One by one, each party member’s breath slowed into slumber except for Astarion. As he lay in his bedroll, he stared up at the glowing blue and green algae and recalled any information Freyja had shared with him about her past. He didn’t know for sure, but he suspected that it was Freyja’s mother who was responsible for taking her. As for the reason why, he had no clue, but knew it was the last place Freyja would ever want to be. His fingers curled into a fist as he thought up all the horrible things her mother could be doing to her. Freyja’s scarred back flashed before his eyes. 

Astarion jumped to his feet, unable to wait any longer. He would continue after her, the rest of the group be damned. With both of his daggers clenched tightly in his hands, he continued forward.

You can also read this on AO3 <3

[ao3feed-thor]

"We have a weapon kept in a cage - why not use him?"

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/LUaYsMV

by Ceitidh_Kat

T:TDW AU. Frigga has some back up when Malekith tries to take Jane. He doesn’t care about much, but the chance to stab some people…? Yeah, he’s in. And he has some things to say to his ‘Father’ and ‘brother’, neither of whom have deigned to grace him with their presence since tossing him in a cell and throwing away the key. How will things change with a Loki who is not depowered to make Thor look good, who is part of the initial battle, and who decides that no, actually, he’s not going back to his cell right now thanks? "He is a liability!” “We moulded him into a weapon for a thousand years, husband. We may as well make use of those skills when we have need, no?” … “Has it ever occurred to you that, had I wanted the throne, I would have waited five more seconds before killing Lauffey?”

i.e. Loki is done playing nice. If his so-called family don’t want him, then he’s done playing by their rules. Jane is very confused, and hates this guy so much. Seriously, who does he think he is bad-mouthing Thor and Odin AllFather?! LOKI is the bad guy in this family, obviously! [extended summary inside]

Words: 7461, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English

Series: Part 1 of Evil Author - Marvel, Part 1 of Thor:The Dark World AUs

Fandoms: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Thor (Movies)

Rating: General Audiences

Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings

Characters: Jane Foster (Marvel), Thor (Marvel), Loki (Marvel), Frigga | Freyja (Marvel), Odin (Marvel), The Einherjar (Marvel), Malekith (Marvel)

Relationships: Jane Foster/Thor

Additional Tags: Canon Divergence - Thor: The Dark World, Thor: The Dark World Spoilers, Jane Fostere P.O.V., Loki wasn't the bad guy in Avengers, Referenced attempted suicide/torture/racism - aka Loki's life and all associated warnings, Asgard's canon racism, Asgard (Marvel), Asgardian Culture (Marvel), Cultural Differences, Odin's A+Parenting, Scheming Frigga, Scheming Odin, Genderfluid Loki (Marvel), BAMF Loki (Marvel), mental health, Loki Has Issues, Jane is more than the hapless love interest of the 'hero'

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/LUaYsMV

[ao3feed-janefoster]

"We have a weapon kept in a cage - why not use him?"

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/khs1RKi

by Ceitidh_Kat

T:TDW AU. Frigga has some back up when Malekith tries to take Jane. He doesn’t care about much, but the chance to stab some people…? Yeah, he’s in. And he has some things to say to his ‘Father’ and ‘brother’, neither of whom have deigned to grace him with their presence since tossing him in a cell and throwing away the key. How will things change with a Loki who is not depowered to make Thor look good, who is part of the initial battle, and who decides that no, actually, he’s not going back to his cell right now thanks? "He is a liability!” “We moulded him into a weapon for a thousand years, husband. We may as well make use of those skills when we have need, no?” … “Has it ever occurred to you that, had I wanted the throne, I would have waited five more seconds before killing Lauffey?”

i.e. Loki is done playing nice. If his so-called family don’t want him, then he’s done playing by their rules. Jane is very confused, and hates this guy so much. Seriously, who does he think he is bad-mouthing Thor and Odin AllFather?! LOKI is the bad guy in this family, obviously! [extended summary inside]

Words: 7461, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English

Series: Part 1 of Evil Author - Marvel, Part 1 of Thor:The Dark World AUs

Fandoms: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Thor (Movies)

Rating: General Audiences

Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings

Characters: Jane Foster (Marvel), Thor (Marvel), Loki (Marvel), Frigga | Freyja (Marvel), Odin (Marvel), The Einherjar (Marvel), Malekith (Marvel)

Relationships: Jane Foster/Thor

Additional Tags: Canon Divergence - Thor: The Dark World, Thor: The Dark World Spoilers, Jane Fostere P.O.V., Loki wasn't the bad guy in Avengers, Referenced attempted suicide/torture/racism - aka Loki's life and all associated warnings, Asgard's canon racism, Asgard (Marvel), Asgardian Culture (Marvel), Cultural Differences, Odin's A+Parenting, Scheming Frigga, Scheming Odin, Genderfluid Loki (Marvel), BAMF Loki (Marvel), mental health, Loki Has Issues, Jane is more than the hapless love interest of the 'hero'

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/khs1RKi

[mallowstep]

For your prompt ideas, how every clan thinks Thunderclan is weird for being able to walk/and use undergrowth (except Skyclan, too) as they use it against Shadowclan in TPB, and again against Shadowclan when Lionpaw kills Russetfur when they fight over the clearing and they beat Riverclan when Riverclan tries to take more land in TPB using that advantage, and Lionblaze (again) uses it to his advantage against Crowfeather in the eclipse battle.

anon you've awakened my sleeper agent that i don't understand what the FUCK the erins mean by that. i take my cats outside regularly, right? they've got little harnesses? (jasper's has a pride flag on it. @ that post about jake's owners giving him a gay flag collar? yeah we do that.) and like. they go through all of our shrubbery, giving me a headache and arm scratches as i fetch them because the leash got tangled on the branches gdi freyja not again.

(real audio)

but like i'm solidly convinced the erins have never been in a forest? ik i joke about them never seeing cats but i don't think they've been outside?

unless things are radically different in england (and from the photos i've seen, they're not), the forest floor just...isn't in general super obstructed? like plants need space? that's? it's a whole thing? like i went on the wikipedia page for forest flore and this is the densest growth on there?

like? i don't? even this a cat could still navigate? okay like i'm really passionate about ecosystems even if i don't know a lot. i'm very much not an expert here but i do know a lot and like. god. okay that's from a tropical forest in ecuador. but. we're in a temperate forest. (unless warriors is now set in scotland, the boreal forest is way too north. i know i play with this by including things like caribou, but that's because caribou have good names and i'm allowed to have SOME breaks in realism sometimes for things i really love, like caribou. they're just so pretty.

like they're just so beautiful omg.)

okay anyway.

so temperate forests. there's a few kinds of temperate forests, and while temperate broadleaf and mixed forests aren't a thing where i set warriors (apparently), they are a thing in england and where i actually live, so we'll focus on those.

as you may remember from your primary school days, forests are composed of multiple layers. the canopy, the sub-canopy, the shrub layer, and the ground cover. we'll look at the last two.

the shrub layer consists of, well, shrubs. (and young trees.) i don't think i need to explain "cats can navigate bushes," i think that's just something we can all accept, right?

or maybe not like that's the whole point? the erins think cats can't go under bushes?

this is a bush. a cat can navigate that. maybe not quietly. but it's not like thunderclan has magic that lets them not rustle leaves.

moving on.

so the other things i think the erins could be talking about are more vine-like things, such as lianas and blackberries (brambles).

lianas aren't very common in the regions we're talking about, so we're not going to focus on them. they're woody vines, and they're going to fit in the same category as either bushes or the more dense vines in general. or be too high to matter.

now, blackberries aren't vines, they're shrubs, but they look kinda like vines. i couldn't find a satisfying image of a blackberry bush, but yes, they do tend to develop the kind of dense ground cover you're expecting BUT that shit doesn't cover the forest floor! erins please go outside! please!

this is very important! the forest is not a wall of green!

and that brings us to ground cover.

NOW here's the thing here's the point where i have to sit down and go "the forest actually is kind of a wall of green i've been lying to you."

but only because the erins lied first.

see it turns out that outside of human interference...things kind of just...grow.

now admittedly there's plenty of open space in forests. animal paths, etc., are all trampled, and what i'm going to show you isn't everywhere. they're just parts.

but i wanted to cut down first because it's not like the moor isn't just! long grass that makes noise! riverclan is going to be riparian territory, and shadowclan is either marsh or ALSO forest, and while temperate coniferous forests are their own beast which i'll address at the end, plants! just! grow! there are plants everywhere! so i just wanted to establish what when i say not a wall of green i mean relative to the natural world as a whole. god i am sorry i am just so passionate about trees man.

so here's some ground cover:

so like...either everyone can navigate that or no one can.

anyway, while this isn't supreme hunting material, it's also not what the forest floor always looks like. again. i've spent a lot of time lost in temperate mixed forests. it can also look like this:

now i could go on about tree denseness and forests and light but i'm taking a deep breath and choosing not to do that.

so yeah, so groundcover is variable. it's...kind of loosely defined, but for these purposes, it's things like ferns, moss, grasses, low-growing shrubs, etc. if possible, if you want to like. understand why the erins are being so weird about this, go out to your nearest temperate mixed forest and walk around a bit. i mean stay on the paths please. the fact that i've continually gotten lost in the woods isn't really something i want anyone to replicate. i'm not saying "lost in the woods" for fun, i'm saying i'd get out to a street after walking for an hour and not know where i was.

but the fact that i COULD do that, that there is enough space for a human being to casually wander through the forest, proves my point that there's CERTAINLY enough space for cats to do so. frankly i didn't need to do all this work i could've led with "humans have walked through forests for ages this is stupid," but i like forests and ik not everyone gets to spend a lot of time near them nowadays.

okay. so. in summary. the erins are dumb.

that said, shadowclan and shadowclan alone, assuming they live in a pine forest (which raises other questions), might have something to complain about, seeing as temperate coniferous forests are kind of...boring. they're just trees and some ferns.

i mean sometimes it's other kinds of shrubbery, but we're picking hairs. it's boring.

don't get me wrong, i love a good coniferous forest.

wait while i'm here: coniferous and deciduous trees are NOT the two kinds of trees, unlike what you might have heard in elementary school. larches, for example, are deciduous conifers. there are broadleafs and conifers, and deciduous and evergreen trees. admittedly, understanding the difference is kind of beyond what anyone would expect of second graders, but like. i just. have i not yet made my passion for trees clear. i love the fuckers. they're so tall. when i graduated high school i went on a trip to california to see the red wood trees and i cried. they're so fucking huge. do you know how big they are. if you haven't seen them you don't understand. they're so big.

um.

where was i going.

oh right just to close out with my few remaining photos, i mentioned riverclan is probably riparian. a riparian zone isn't actually like a consistent thing, it just means between land and water. how.

i feel like i don't have a good enough grasp on the average ecology knowledge of my followers. i keep saying things you learned in primary school but i actually should say that when i was in elementary school, we had a nature centre that came in and did programs, and i did school programs at that nature centre, and i'm pretty sure that's where i got most of my early knowledge. so like. uh. sorry if you've been like "that's not basic knowledge matthew. what the fuck are you talking about."

anyway so the riparian zone depends on what's surrounding the stream, but it usually serves to prevent continuous erosion, filter water runoff, etc. wetlands, for example, are one example of a riparian zone, but that (iirc) mostly happens when a river floods often enough for a flood plane to develop. i'm kinda talking out of hazy memories here tho.

anyway riverclan's territory seems to be composed mainly of meadows and some forested areas, which checks out. the important thing to get at tho is that riparian zones are usually densely vegetated, because all that water and nutrients can sustain a lot of plant life, and they get extra light exposure.

if you so have the opportunity, i also suggest investigating your local rivers. there's a LOT of variety here, from mostly rocks, to a marshy, wet ground, to meadows, but the important thing to remember is: where there be life, it be thick.

so uh...yeah. riverclan should not have this complaint.

i think i'm running out of images, so those interested in the ecology of moorland (which is literally a whole post because it's used in a variety of ways, and there's heath and is-moorlands-wetlands and i'm already rambling) will have to direct their questions to my inbox, but the tl/dr is: windclan is on a heather moor, so they probably have to deal with a lot of grass, and i can't see them particularly struggling in thunderclan.

ofc don't even BEGIN to get me started on how the actual geography here makes no sense...

[tomtenadia]

Remember Us - part 1

Here I am with a new Rowaelin. This will be a much shorter than ALB both in chapter length and story length. The idea came to me while on the bus home after work. It’s angsty,

A special thank you to @whimsicallyreading for being my wonderful beta <3

------

Rowan is involved in a motorbike accident while on his way to work. A crash that will have some consequences on his marriage with Aelin when he realises that he has lost his memory. Day by day they will have to find their way back to each other and and survive the challenges that life throws at them. 

-----

When the silver haired man opened his eyes it took him a moment for his vision to focus and take in his surroundings. The walls around him were a pale beige colour and the smell of disinfectant was the first thing that hit his senses. In the background there was a steady beeping sound and when he moved his head towards it he saw a machine tracking his heart rate. Hospital. He was in a hospital. A couple of bags with liquids were hanging from hooks at his side and the long plastic tubes ran to his hand. Another gentle motion of his head and he saw his right arm in a splint and his right leg propped up and enveloped in a protective support.

The man pushed his head back in the pillow and groaned. He was in an hospital. And slowly he realised that’s all he knew. His mind felt empty as he tried to think about how he got there. But nothing. There was nothing. He closed his eyes and blackness hit him. He clearly broke his arm and his leg, but how it happened? He had no idea. Slowly he realised that all his memories had started from the instant he woke up. That was all he had and a wave of panic hit him.

In that instant a nurse walked into the room to check on him “Oh, Mr Whitethorn, you finally decided to join us. How do you feel?”

“Whitethorn?” His voice gruff.

“Yes, that’s your surname.”

The man looked at her with a confused stare.

“Do you know where you are? What day it is? Your name?”

The man shook his head “but from the fancy machines and your attire I guess I am in hospital.” He managed to utter, his throat feeling scratchy from disuse. How long had he been asleep?

“Let me go and call the doctor.” And she hurried out of the room.

Whitethorn, his surname was Whitethorn. That was a start.

A moment later a woman entered the room “good morning you. Glad that you could finally join us.” She smiled at him and checked a few things. The doctor flashed a penlight in his eyes then held a finger in front of him “follow this.” She moved the finger from left to right and back and he followed it with his eyes.

“So, the nurse said you don’t remember much.” She straightened her back and saw her write some notes on his chart. 

“I can’t…” he whispered “why am I in hospital?”

“Your name is Rowan Whitethorn. A month ago you had a motorbike accident on your way to work. You have been in a coma ever since. You had a helmet on but still sustained some serious head injuries and you are now experiencing amnesia. It will be temporary and the memories will eventually come back.”

Rowan closed his eyes, he had a name now, another small piece to add to the infinite puzzle in front of him.

“I will schedule another MRI to check your progress since surgery. Now rest, I will get in touch with your wife and let her know that you are awake.” And the doctor left.

Wife. He had a wife. He was married and his name was Rowan and he had an accident.

*

Aelin left the OR exhausted. The last surgery had lasted for hours but she had saved a kid’s life. She threw her OR scrubs in the trash and walked back to her office, looking forward to sit down on her chair for half an hour at least. Her back was killing her and she definitely dreamed about a back rub in that moment. But her plans were thwarted when she got a page from doctor Westfall. Rowan was awake. He was finally awake. She told the nurses she was going to the neurology ward and that she had her pager on if they needed her and she ran to the elevator.

Once on the correct floor, she stopped. She had been waiting for that moment for a whole month and now she was scared. She was a neurosurgeon as well and, although she was a paediatric one, she knew what his injuries might cause. She spotted Yrene in the corridor and ran to her in a frenzy “Yrene, I got your page.”

“He is awake,” said the brunette “his functions are okay but he is has amnesia. We talked about the possibility.” She explained and Aelin nodded “I have ordered another MRI and I will have a better idea after.”

“Can I go in?”

“Yes, but remember that he might not know who you are.” And she patted Aelin’s shoulder in support.

Aelin nodded and pushed back the tears that had been forming at the corner of her eyes.

Rowan was awake. She had awaited that news for the last month but the happiness in her soul was shackled by fear. Deep unyielding fear. She might have him back but at what price? She knew that the type of injuries he had suffered could affect the memory. As a doctor she was prepared to face it, but as his wife, she could feel her heart aching at the possibility of being a stranger to the man who held her heart. Of him not recognising their children. With a deep breath she steadied her nerves and eventually she opened the door to his room. She had been waiting for that moment for so long, for the day she would go inside and find him awake, his pine green eyes on her once again.

A step inside and her hand went instinctively on her belly over her scrubs where her bump had barely started to show.

“Rowan…”

*

“Rowan…”

A female voice distracted him from his thoughts. He turned his head and saw a woman with golden hair and the most amazing blue eyes with a ring just as golden as her hair. She wore scrubs, probably another doctor checking up on him. But the way she had said his name was different from how doctor Westfall had said it.

She was stunning. That much he could admit.

“Ro…” she said it with a soft tone and moved a step toward him and he had a feeling she was not just a regular doctor checking on him. Why was she crying? Then his eyes moved to her left hand on her stomach and spotted a ring. He looked at his left hand and saw a matching one on his fourth finger.

His breath hitched at the realisation. The doctor had mentioned a wife. Was it her? Panic rose in him. He was not ready.

“Who are you?”

“Aelin. My name is Aelin Whitethorn-Galathynius.”

Rowan froze. That was his surname and she had used it with what was possibly hers. The woman never moved from her spot. She just stood there staring at him, her blue eyes on him and he had no idea how to react. This woman was apparently his wife. What could he say to her?

“I am Rowan.” He said feeling stupid. She knew already but in that moment was all he could say.

“I know.” She whispered, finally moving a step in his direction “I have known your name for a very long time.”

“I don’t know you.” He admitted feeling his chest tighten.

“I know.” She sat on the chair beside his bed “I know. Amnesia will be temporary. It will slowly start to come back to you. You just need to be patient. Both of us.”

He looked at her and something tugged in him. It was as if although his mind could not recognise the woman in front of him, his body could. It was a strange sensation. The sense of familiarity. His guts were telling him to trust that woman.

“We’ll face it together. To whatever end.”

He had no idea what she was talking about but he wanted to believe her.

“Do you want me to tell you something about us?”

Rowan nodded, eager to piece together some pieces of the mystery his life had become. How had he ended up with her?

Aelin’s hand caressed her stomach.

“We met at University of Terrasen. You were studying law and I was in med school. We had friends in common and I met you at a party and  I thought you were the most obnoxious and annoying man alive.” He heard her chuckle “until a year later when you brought me coffee in the library while I was cramming hard during an exhausting exam session. Then you brought me cake and slowly I realised you were not that annoying.” She continued her tale while her hand gently brushed the tip of his fingers.

“You kept me company and studied with me while I was rambling on medical terms, procedures and other crazy stuff.” He heard her sob “and then we both realised our feeling had changed. We dated. A year later we moved in together. Once we graduated you proposed to me. We got married.” Aelin stood and paced and a ragged sigh left her mouth “after a lot of heartbreak and miscarriages we had our little boy Thomas. A year and a half later Freyja came along as well.” 

Rowan gasped. They had kids. He was married to this woman and they had a family and he could not remember any of that.

“Stop.” He said in a harsher tone than intended “This is too much.”

His wife sat back down and her puffy eyes broke his heart. How was it possible that he felt so heartbroken for a woman he had just met?

Except he didn’t. They had been together for a long time and that feeling of familiarity came back to hit him like a sledgehammer.

“I need to be alone.” He said, turning his head and heard her sob loudly and felt the urge to reach out to her. But he fought it.

He needed space.

“I have to go back anyway.” She stood and pressed a kiss on his head “I will see you later.” And left the room.

Rowan threw his head in the pillow and felt his eyes swell with tears. Why was he crying? Why sending that woman away hurt that much? No, not just that woman. His wife. He had a family, a wife and two kids and all of it felt overwhelming.

He wanted to know more, but at the same time he was scared. What if turned out he hated the life he had? Until his memories started to return he had to trust her. Believe that he had chosen that life.

He sighed and his thought kept going back to Aelin.

Eventually he fell asleep with the smell of lemon and verbena still tingling his nostrils.

Aelin quickly went back to her office, locked the door and collapsed on her chair. And cried. She knew it was a possibility. She had discussed it with Yrene after his surgery. She had been preparing herself for the last month but it turned out she had not been as ready as she made herself believe. In that room she had been a stranger to Rowan. Their kids were strangers to their father and she could not tell him again that another baby was on its way. It would have been too much. 

She cried, remembering how happy Rowan had been when, two months before, she told him she was pregnant again. 

They wanted a big family. They both had good jobs and could afford it. After years of loss they finally had their dream. And then that blasted accident happened. The car driver had hit Rowan and her life was suddenly plunged into hell.

A hell in which for a month she had to tell their kids why dad was not home yet. Console them when they could not play with their dad or have him read stories before bed. Her mum had been helping her looking after the kids while she was at work. But they missed their dad. Freyja especially who was his exact copy and not just physically.

Her sobs grew in intensity. 

She missed her husband too. Her heart ached for him. For the comfort she would find in his arms after a bad day at work. 

Her pager went off and Aelin quickly brushed her eyes and cleared away the tears and left her office in a rush.

She could hide her pain into work. Pretend, for a few hours, that she was not living in a nightmare. That her life with Rowan had not been put on hold. 

For a few hours, inside that OR she could just be Aelin.

[lailyn]

Slow Down And Grow Something

Chapter 2/2

The blackout was but a momentary respite for when Loki next opened his eyes, he was still on the floor, back bare and freezing against the basalt slab.

There were more people surrounding him now. He recognised the person nearest to him by scent alone; Wong smelled deliciously of sesame oil, his favourite condiment.

"You back with us, princess?"

"Unfortunately," Loki groaned. "Someone please knock me out again. Brother?"

"Thor's not here," Wong said. "He's waiting outside. Damn near brought the place down with all the spazzing he was doing."

Loki groaned again. The immense pressure in his pelvis was ten-fold what it was. "Anyone, then."

"We kinda need you awake for this," Stephen said brusquely. "I think I've figured out a way to fix this."

"There is nothing to fix!" Loki struggled, but it was futile. A force field was holding him down, hot and incapacitating. "What are you doing to me?!"

"It's what you're not doing!" Stephen said through gritted teeth. "If you had come to me sooner - "

"Stephen." Wong shook his head. Not now.

Loki caught the exchange and his heart began to race, but an unearthly courage came over him. He may have lost autonomy over the internal workings of his own body, but he would not allow his voice to tremble. "Can the child still be saved?"

"Right now it’s your life that’s in danger. The baby is growing too rapidly for your womb to compensate," Stephen growled. "The uterine wall is now thinner than an eggshell. If we don't do something, it will rupture and it will kill you."

The fight had not left the Sorcerer Supreme; Loki knew Stephen well enough to tell. "What would you have me do?"

“A bit of anatomical remodelling, on the cellular level,” Stephen said urgently. “You’re a shape-shifter, you should be able to do it.”

“I don’t…” Loki shuddered in the wake of a particularly strong cramp. “How?”

“Manipulate the configuration of your cells, make them thicker. Rearrange them to accommodate the baby.” Stephen’s hard veneer slipped; it showed in the cracking of his voice. “I can’t do this for you, Loki. This is something you must do on your own.”

"Shift," Loki mumbled, "Must I?"

This was child's play. He had shifted countless times before. Why was he hesitating now?

Loki knew the answer to that all too well. One wrong step and the babe in his belly, the one fighting so hard to live, would lose their life.

As if on cue, hot-white pain lanced him from groin to chest, and through the agony, he heard Stephen call his name, over and over.

“Stephen…”

Loki knew his moans were loud enough to carry, all the way to the heavens.

Must he call on Freyja again for aid?

"You can do this, Loki," he heard Stephen say, insistent and persistent. "You must!"

Stephen was not one to believe in blind faith; if he thought Loki could do it, then Stephen must have foreseen its success.

“I must,” Loki mumbled. “I can. Of course I can.”

He was no fledgling sorcerer. He was Loki of Asgard.

As soon as he willed the change, his seidr took over. It took little coaxing, but soon, cells that made up the uterine wall began to stretch and increase in size, dilating the seizing muscles from the innermost layer outward.

The pain reached a crescendo. Hands held him down as Loki’s screams echoed in the hollowness of the chamber.

He lost all sense of time, but when he finally opened his eyes, Stephen was peering down at him, sick with concern.

“Loki!” He shouted. “Are you alright?"

"It is gone." Loki felt giddy with relief. The baby had finally ceased its struggling, comfortably ensconced in the safety of his now expanded womb. "The pain is gone."

A grating sound reverberated through the cavernous chamber, and a second later, Thor emerged from between the heavy stone doors.

At the sight of Loki, all tension drained out of Thor like water. "You live. It suddenly went quiet and I thought - "

"Comfort, brother," Loki said, raising his head gingerly. "I am not to die without your express permission, as you once told me."

"Indeed. You would do well to remember that." Thor helped him up. “Lean on me, brother.”

“I can walk.”

"Sure you can."

A loud rumble emanated from his stomach, and Loki ducked his head sheepishly. "I could eat."

__________

Unable to contain his curiosity any longer, Thor cleared his throat. "So, Wizard."

Stephen stirred from where he was leaning against the wall. "Hmm?"

"This parasite…" Thor drawled. "Is it a tapeworm?"

Stephen ignored the demigod and continued to watch Loki devour his second rack of ribs.

"Ignore the Sorcerer Supreme. He's just upset about your brother eating barbeque ribs in bed," Wong said.

“They do look quite sticky.”

“The best in town,” Wong said proudly, patting the God of Thunder on his impressive shoulder, before heading for the door. "I'll be in the kitchen should you need me."

Loki waved a bone goodbye. He sucked his thumb clean and looked around, first at the empty plates all around him, then up at his watchers.

"More meat."

“Haven’t you had enough?” Stephen asked uneasily.

“If I am to expend my seidr every few hours to ensure the synchronous growth of both the babe and my womb, I am in need of sufficient victuals. I must have more meat.”

It was a royal command if ever Stephen heard one, and the King of Asgard was all too eager to oblige.

"I will bring you more, brother. I have some that's been roasting by my window for some time back on Asgard."

"I want it. I'm still hungry," Loki whined. "Can you smoke it first? I am craving smoke."

Thor beamed. "For you, brother, anything."

The moment Thor left the room, Stephen whirled on his patient, furious.

"How long have you known?"

"Known what?"

Stephen seethed. "That you were pregnant."

Loki shrugged and said nothing.

"You didn't even think to tell me."

“I was waiting for the right time.”

“Yeah? And when would that be, their first day of school?” Stephen asked sarcastically.

"I fail to see why it matters," Loki said. "The child will make its entrance into the world one way or another. You would have found out then."

"You sprang this on me," Stephen said tightly. "I am unprepared. I am going into this blind, and that's all you can say?"

Loki's glistening lips thinned. "I will not have you berate me in this manner."

"You could have died."

Loki turned ashen. "That is a matter for the Gods. Noone could be that certain. Not even you."

“Our telomere lengths are not the same, Loki. That's where the uncertainty lies.”

Loki's eyes glinted.

“Do forgive me, but the brunt of carrying your child has made me quite stupid," he said sharply. "What are you talking about?”

"I’m talking about ageing, Loki,” Stephen ranted. “In case it’s escaped your notice, we humans age faster. You cannot expect the pregnancy to develop as normal, when we are not of the same species.”

His tirade dwindled to an irate mutter, “Who knows what normal even is anymore.”

Stephen regretted the words as soon as they left his mouth, but it was too late; like a candle snuffed, the light in Loki’s eyes had gone.

“Leave me.”

“Loki - ”

“I said leave!”

_______________

“So.” A mug of hot tea slid across the kitchen table and landed at his elbow. “A baby.”

Stephen cupped his hands over his face tiredly. “Don’t start, Wong.”

Wong tut-tutted. “Fine.”

“This is really happening, isn’t it?”

“What, you didn’t see this coming?” Wong asked dryly.

Stephen’s hands fell away, revealing eyes downcast with trepidation. “Can’t say I did.”

“What does Loki have to say about it?”

Stephen remained silent.

It really was none of Wong’s business, but in a way, it kind of was. He let out a huff. "Let me guess. You two didn't talk."

"He wants nothing to do with me."

"What on earth made you think that?"

Stephen stared into the murky tawniness of his tea. “He threw me out. Told me to leave him alone.”

Wong hissed from an imaginary pain. "So you did what you were told?”

"Oh, shut up," Stephen said crossly.

"So what's the situation here, Stephen?" Wong asked. "Rosemary's Baby? Alien?" A horrified pause. "Not Prometheus?"

"It's mine, so I doubt it will be anything quite as exciting," Stephen said. "But we’re not out of the woods yet.”

"How long do you think -?"

"Till he delivers?" Stephen massaged the globes of his eyes through his eyelids. "Loki suspects he conceived sometime last month. But the size of the foetus puts him somewhere in the late second trimester, so it's anyone's guess."

“That’s a lot to take in, even for a thousand-something-year-old alien,” Wong whistled. “He’s pretty calm, considering.”

“Considering what?”

“Considering he’s the only Jotunn around for miles and all their Healers are dead. Did you see Thor’s face? He’s scared to death,” Wong said casually. What was one more truth bomb in the grand scheme of things? "And so are you, my friend."

Stephen groaned. "Have I made a mistake, Wong?"

"That is a question only you can answer, Sorcerer Supreme," Wong said sagely. "But if you're this scared, imagine how Loki must be feeling."

__________

Stephen walked into the bedroom, expecting to see Loki, but his footsteps came to a crashing halt when he found an empty bed instead.

No, he thought numbly. Loki couldn’t have left.

Stephen was on the verge of summoning the Cloak of Levitation when a familiar noise from the bathroom caught his attention. He had all but barged into the shower when all of a sudden, the sounds of rushing water stopped.

Stephen made himself count to a hundred before trying the door. To his utter surprise, it was not locked. He pushed the bathroom door open slowly.

Standing in front of the mirror, naked with only a towel wrapped around a thickening waist was the object of Stephen’s desire, the cause of many sleepless nights before, and he dared say, many more ahead.

Loki placed the ivory comb down on the countertop, tired face white against his wet jet-black curls. "You are still here."

"Can we talk?"

A furtive glance in the mirror told Stephen Loki was gauging the distance from the vanity to the door.

Fighting the urge to place himself between Loki and freedom, Stephen tentatively placed his hands on his reticent lover's shoulders instead. "I just want to talk."

"You will not ask me to choose between you and the child."

Leaving Loki alone to wallow in his thoughts was a mistake on Stephen’s part; they invariably became poisonous.

"No, Loki, that's not why I'm here."

"Then why are you here?" Loki gave his head a quizzical tilt. "You could not have made your stand any clearer, surely."

All that Stephen had rehearsed in his head disappeared.

Loki must have mistaken the brain fog for further rejection, for he abruptly turned and pushed past Stephen to get to the door.

In his desperation, Stephen was quicker; he darted sideways, planting himself firmly in Loki's path. “I am not going anywhere.”

“Nor am I!” Loki exploded, voice rough and garbled with the threat of tears. "I remain as I am. I am keeping the child, with or without you."

Stephen's stomach plummeted. "You thought I was going to let you go through this alone?"

“We are not the same. You said so yourself."

“Doesn’t mean shit. I’m not giving up on us.”

“Us,” Loki echoed, hollow-eyed, hollow-voiced. “There is no us. Not anymore. You have given me an impossible choice.”

“Loki…”

"You have cursed me, Stephen Strange,” Loki wept. "You make me long for what I cannot have."

“You can,” Stephen said. “And you will.”

“Just not with you.”

“Who with, if not me?” Stephen asked huskily. He laid a hand on the side of Loki’s belly. “He is mine, isn’t he?”

“You knew?”

“Not that you were pregnant, no," Stephen said apologetically. "But I am sorry. I'm sorry for the way I acted, and I am sorry I didn't stop to listen."

"It is as you said," Loki whispered, turning his face away. "I said nothing."

"You and I both know you don't speak in words, Loki."

“It’s alright, Stephen,” Loki said. “It is not your burden to bear.”

He must now tell another lie, a form of kindness once taught him by his parents. “I don’t need you.”

“No,” Stephen agreed readily. “No, you don’t.”

But I need you.

“There must be something wrong with me.”

“Stephen - "

When Stephen shook his head, the lone tear that had been stubbornly clinging to his lashes fell away.

“I don’t know what it is, but there must be. I can't think of another explanation that made you think that - " He drew in a shuddery breath to gain some semblance of composure, but his devastation was too great. “That you couldn’t come to me.”

“Stephen…" Loki cupped Stephen’s face gently. "You’re the Sorcerer Supreme. There is hardly space for me, let alone a child.”

“Says who?”

“Says the universe.”

Stephen smiled kindly. “Plenty of universes out there, Loki. Which one?”

“There are universes out there where we have a…family?”

“A family of our own, yes.”

“You’re lying.”

“Not about this," Stephen said with a shake of his head. “I have seen a few.”

“Can this be one of them?" Hope lilted Loki's voice. "Do you know? Can you tell me?”

“It can,” Stephen said. “And I can. There are fixed moments in time, and I dare say we’ve gone through quite a few for me to be sure.”

“Such as?”

“The moment I fell in love with you.”

Loki's heart jumped to his throat -

“I fell in love with you the moment you sang along to ‘I Hope You Dance’ at Tony Stark’s wedding, when you thought no one was watching.”

Mortified, Loki could not stop the blood from rising to his cheeks. “You couldn’t…you couldn’t have heard that.”

“I’m quite gifted at lip-reading, if you must know,” Stephen said, shrugging. “Then you sang it again, here, in our kitchen.”

“Where you kissed me,” Loki recalled the sweet, sweet moment, “For the first time.”

“I’m not sitting this one out, Loki," Stephen said firmly. “I’m an all-or-nothing kind of guy, remember?’

Loki heaved a sigh and pressed their foreheads together. “I remember.”

“So you’ll dance with me, then?”

"Who with, if not you?" Loki murmured, enjoying the warmth of Stephen’s breath bristling the fine hair at his temple.

Stephen tightened his embrace, relishing the softness of Loki’s bump pressing against his own midriff. "I am not letting you out of my sight, Loki."

“Can’t be too difficult a task,” he chuckled weakly. “I wager I shall be the size of a whaleboat this time tomorrow.”

But Loki’s attempt at humour went unappreciated. Having reverted to his serious self, Stephen was all business and no games.

“Tomorrow, tonight, next week? We'll be ready," he promised. “But if you call our baby a parasite again, I'm gonna kick your ass."

This time when Loki laughed, new lines crinkled the corners of his eyes. "You have yourself a bargain, Doctor."

Pregnancy really does make you more beautiful, Stephen marvelled, allowing himself one smile as he committed Loki's laugh lines to memory. He would enjoy kissing the hell out of each and every one of them, he was sure of it.

“They say your sex life can change after a baby,” Stephen said, in the attempt to hide his heightening arousal.

Loki raised an eyebrow. “Do they?”

“We’ll be so tired sex will be the last thing on our minds.”

“Will we?”

“Not me,” Stephen said confidently.

“Nor me.” Loki loved the smell of a challenge. “Race you to the bed?”

“Yeah, no.” Stephen wrapped a protective arm around Loki’s waist. “Nice try, though.”

“I try, Doctor. I try.”

"Loki."

"Yeah?"

"Please don't eat Thor's meats."