#Also i don't think the Raven Queen is the other god that agrees

[24-jay-42]

This might be a complete misinterpretation, but I wonder if the Arch Heart is Feeling… Guilty. 

Them gifting mortals arcane magic even when the rest of the pantheon agreed to a deal with the primordials not to is what pissed the titans off the first time. The Titans that helped seal Predathos away the first time, who without the gods might have been destroyed. It’s what caused the Titans to turn on the god and what caused the schism in Their family. What divided them into betrayer and prime. What caused Lolth to lead the Drow Astray. Responsible for the age of arcanum, the Factotum Malleus. 

The Arch heart was very interested in Fearne and Ashton in that conversation. Pointing out how Familiar they were, their primordial nature and how fascinating that was. Perhaps this renewed titan power is a second chance.

The last time we saw the arch heart like this was at Aeor. They're responsible for the age of arcanum by gifting mortals magic. The mortals that they brought the first to exandria (the Elves), So why not die by those mortal’s creation?

They caused the titans to turn on their family and their creation. So why not Run from the creature they sealed for you? Run from the world that was theirs first.

There is beauty in that. Penance in that. 

[utilitycaster]

Hi there, I saw in one of your tags recently that "if you think the raven queen was being unfair, I'm not really interested in your opinions." I was wondering if you could talk a little more about that because I'll be honest, Vax isn't my favorite character but I've seen all of C1 and I really don't get why some people HATE the RQ, call her unfair, manipulative and pretty plainly say this moon conflict is mostly her fault because she took Vax and through a Domino effect Ludinus is releasing Predathos. Also, I enjoy your theories and analysis for CR so much you got me listening to Midst, so thank you.

Hi anon,

Great question! This is going to be a very long post, with a relatively short initial answer, because there is both the literal misinterpretation that indicates this is not someone with strong analytical skills nor knowledge of canon, and a number of potential mindsets that lead to this manner of thinking in the first place, none of which I respect. You happen to have sort of hit upon the foundational elements of my whole deal re: CR meta, so, buckle in.

The first part is simple: Vex died because Percy triggered a trap before she'd been healed up. We've seen this sort of trap elsewhere in non-divine contexts (Folding Halls of Halas); it's just a form of trap. A particularly nasty one, but this is for a very powerful relic she doesn't want falling into the wrong hands, and, moreover, the party could have likely disabled it either through rogue skills or magic had Percy waited. Vax, then, as the third part of the resurrection ritual, told the Raven Queen to take him instead of Vex. The Raven Queen did precisely as he asked. He did not need to offer this (Scanlan was going to make an offering, the other parts of the ritual had gone well, it was Vex's first death so the DC was low, and Vax could have made any number of other, less dramatic offers), and he did so with the understanding that he would die in lieu of Vex, right then and there. He did not. I think that's the only case, actually, where the Raven Queen was not 100% upfront with her intentions before Vax accepted something; but he offered it voluntarily. Vax was a person who formed extremely intense connections, to the point where it was perhaps unhealthy, and did not believe life without his sister was worth living, and was willing to sacrifice himself to a god.

Everything after that was extremely straightforward. Vax communed with the Raven Queen, who spoke very directly with him in his vision in the Raven's Crest. She was extremely clear when she met with him following his disintegration: he was given the option to refuse her offer, and he took it instead. It is not manipulative to give someone a difficult decision, and if a character you like makes a choice you don't like, it is not automatically the result of manipulation.

As for the moon conflict being her fault…that is, to put it bluntly, unhinged, and what's more, ironic given that that's the manipulative argument. Ludinus tried to commune with Ruidus using a random crystalline artifact beneath Molaesmyr, centuries before Vax was born. He was going to do this regardless. If he couldn't get Vax, he'd get some other sliver of divinity, and what's more, it's been all but stated that Vax is not actually supposed to be leaving the Shadowfell to protect Keyleth, and is disobeying the Raven Queen directly (and it's been stated that this isn't necessarily helpful for Keyleth, who is trying to grieve and move on). So: Vax made his choices with the knowledge of what they entailed, is trying to bend if not break the conditions to which he agreed with full knowledge in a way that probably isn't healthy for him or Keyleth, and it's bananas to be like "wow look at how the Raven Queen made Ludinus try to free Predathos." Like. Even if she had tricked Vax, which she didn't, Ludinus literally could have just kept on his racist imperialistic longevitymaxxing beat indefinitely and left the moon well enough alone. The domino meme is a meme. I mean, while we're at it, couldn't we trace it back to Vecna instead, for killing Vax with Disintegrate in the first place, since had he not done so, Vax would have either survived that fight or would have been resurrected normally? Or perhaps it's Percy for triggering that trap. Or the Chroma Conclave for being the reason why Vox Machina was seeking the Deathwalker's Ward in the first place…but that only happened because Allura and Kima didn't kill Thordak but rather sealed him, and because a priestess of Melora cursed Raishan so that she had reason to ally with Thordak. We can go on indefinitely; the point is, to assign blame specifically to the Raven Queen when Ludinus literally did not have to do a goddamn thing with the moon is a fucking stupid take.

Below the cut, I talk root causes behind why people might decide the Raven Queen was unfair and come up with the above nonsensical argument to support that, since I don't think people say stupid things just to be stupid.

I think one root cause for this mentality of this is that the person in question wishes Vax hadn't died and is looking for someone to blame because they don't want to blame Matt Mercer and Liam O'Brien, even though yeah, that's who to blame. The thing is, as we learned in Campaign 2, character death is quite literally on the table. Had Vax not made his bargain, either in episode 1x103 or his original one during Vex's resurrection? He might have simply remained dead. Had he not given his life for Vex's, he was pursuing paladin anyway with the Everlight, and we don't know what she'd have required of him. But more importantly, for all people like to bring up a PC-centric perspective (which, in Actual Play, is inevitable) Vox Machina's frequent use of resurrection spells was in fact a massive privilege most people in Exandria do not have. And, unsurprisingly for a table whose DM made up rules specifically to make resurrection more difficult, the Critical Role cast is open to a story where death exists. I do not think it's an accident that resurrection has been made even harder in the subsequent campaigns. I also happen to think that Campaign 1 is a far richer and better story with Vax's death, given the other events that occurred. Had Vax not been the sort of person who would offer his life for a god to take in exchange for his sister? Sure, he'd possibly have lived to the end. But he was, and that's the character those people who wish he were still alive loved. If he wasn't that person, they wouldn't have liked him in the same way.

D&D is fundamentally about exceptional characters becoming more powerful, and will be focused on those characters. I do not think D&D supports a story about characters who reject all power. They can give up political power (the Mighty Nein, for the most part, do this - certainly more so than Vox Machina, and Bells Hells is yet to be seen) but they will progress in levels, which is power. Even if unwanted, it is power, because most people in the world are commoners with 5 HP and 10 in all their stats. With that said, a lot of people desperately want a subversion of this power narrative. Vax is, I think, the closest we get. In D&D you are not going to get a player character who finishes a campaign and remains Just Some Guy. But you can have someone like Vax, who doesn't have any interest in power (compare to Vex, who very much is about power and who gets a much happier ending) who nonetheless ends up on the Tal'Dorei Council and the favored of a god…and yet, in the end, his equally powerful friends still can do nothing to save him. I think a Power Bad story is overly simplistic, but "there are limits to power, and ultimately none of us have complete control" is not. I think Vax's death gives the story of Vox Machina a finality and heft that it would lack otherwise.

A second possible cause is the "What if the gods are BAD" argument. I'm going to be totally honest: I did not see this in the fandom until Campaign 3, and honestly, not until EXU Calamity in any widespread sense, which does lead me to believe that most people did not come up with it as a reasonable idea on their own until characters started saying it, because it is so plainly in conflict with the themes of Campaigns 1 and 2 that to make this argument would be obvious projection. Do I think a nuanced view of the gods as flawed beings, rather than perfection, is warranted? Absolutely. Mortals, too, are flawed, and we don't kill them all for it. I think Vax's story makes them uncomfortable because it makes it clear divine favor is not, as Ludinus Da'leth tries to argue, the gods just bestowing and withholding their gifts arbitrarily, but rather that divine favor comes with a divine responsibility as well. Clerics and paladins do not study the way wizards do; but they must live lives in service, whereas a wizard can shut the book at the end of the day and do whatever. Clerics and paladins have powers that can be taken away; a wizard does not. That's the fundamental concept behind the Age of Arcanum - wizards trying to get around the fundamental rules of this world! Vax's paladin powers came at a price. His options are guided, but also limited, by the oath he took. He is far more fettered than a wizard, in the end, and I think that fucks with the narrative of the gods cruelly withholding their gifts from all but a select few, so they instead make their gifts into manipulative punishments…while still, contradictorily, arguing that characters such as Laudna or Ashton or Imogen were denied the mercy of the gods. Now, setting aside the obvious, that these characters have their backstories because Marisha and Taliesin and Laura decided they would because this is a story, and one in which someone had a perfect life would be boring and so the gods didn't intervene with Laudna because Marisha Ray wanted to play a Sun Tree corpse (see next section), it really is fascinating to see how people who hate the Raven Queen so neatly align with Ludinus. It's fine for sorcerers to have inborn powers, apparently, and Ludinus actually has himself tried to ape druidic magic; it's not about power, it's just about that power source. Honestly, they're not even above the gods as a power source - Ludinus used the crystal beneath Molaesmyr seemingly unaware if it were of the Archheart, and he's demonstrably using Vax, and everyone loves a resurrection from the gods, but heaven forbid you pay someone for the work you feel yourself entitled to. (Entitlement: this will also be a theme throughout the rant portion of this post.)

As a brief subsection to this: the idea that bad things happen to good people because the other side of that coin is free will is an ancient theological and philosophical discussion, and one we are obviously not going to solve here, though it is a little depressing I have had multiple rewarding conversations on this topic, thanks to an academically rigorous religious education, starting from the tender age of 9, and a lot of adults on Tumblr seemingly can't engage on the level of my third-grade classmates. I think, however, it tells a truth that fits in well with the wizard (and entitled fan) desire to control everything. People are terrified of random forces. Cancer, for example, is a matter of probability. There are things that can increase your chances of developing cancer, to be sure, but the simile I used when I was taught about radiation-induced cancers was that of lottery tickets: if you buy more, you have a better chance; but sometimes someone who bought a single ticket "wins" and someone who bought a ticket weekly never does. By believing the gods of Exandria are on trial for not intervening with every little hardship or for not taking Vax precisely as he intended, they reveal a profound terror of random chance and of the free will of people who are not them. Which is very funny when you consider we're watching Actual Play, where random chance is a deliberately induced element. I think the takeaway of all of this is "I think some of you guys are really mad this is a D&D game." But let's continue.

The third, and honestly most likely cause, is honestly sort of a continuation of the first but not centered around Vax so much as just a general, in my opinion deeply childish discomfort of any sort of tragedy or unhappiness in fiction. I've noticed this a lot lately, and I am not a cultural critic and don't have a high enough level view to pretend to be one, but as others have noted a lot of people seem affronted when whatever show they are currently watching does not meet their specific standards of "comfort media" or "hopepunk." It's a self-infantilization I don't care for, and it's certainly not limited to the CR fandom (see: any grown-ass adult passionately defending a choice to only watch children's cartoons and only read YA) or even fandom at all (see: the baffling popularity of the Mr. Rogers "look for the helpers" line which was intended for anxious young children, not for adults who can and should be the helpers). It really came into focus for me with CR when people referred to both EXU Calamity and to Candela Obscura's Circle of Needle and Thread as specifically "hopeless." They are, to me, deeply hopeful series. They are sad, and tragic, and many characters do not get a happy ending, but they are ultimately about how some people will endure, and will live on and find meaning after great loss. Calamity explicitly states that because of the actions of the heroes, while devastation will occur, total annihilation is mitigated. It's like the adage of how courage only means something in the face of fear; hope only means something in the face of darkness. Happy and fluffy tales are not hopeful; they are merely not things that require you to have hope. The root word of catharsis is that of cleansing and purgation and it originally related to physical excretion - cathartic stories are about getting those complicated and ugly emotions and fears out and feeling better for it by briefly feeling, perhaps, worse! Now, again, this has worsened with Vax's story with time. Shortly after Campaign 1, it was very common to see stories where Vex or Keyleth were utterly distraught, indefinitely, but those at least were engaging with grief, even if in a very shallow and unproductive way. But this has morphed into this idea that the fact that a work of fiction might make you even feel sadness makes it bad, and wrong, and hopeless, and the machinations of a cruel and heartless god. Which brings me back to the entitlement narrative: it's really as simple as "the story didn't give me what I wanted (whether that was a happy ending for Vax, or for Keyleth, or just a lack of sadness generally, or a narrative about the gods that validates my personal beliefs, or a way to justify Ludinus's actions), so it is bad." Which again is about being in control of the narrative, which again, in D&D, is simply not something anyone can claim. Why are these people here watching a D&D game? I don't know.

So that's really it: on a basic level, if you think the Raven Queen is unfair, you are profoundly ignorant of canon, so I'm already going to have to fact check anything you cite (if you cite at all), but there's a much deeper refusal to meet stories where they are and expand one's own comfort zone at play, and that means any analysis will never consider the possibility that your pre-existing beliefs were wrong (absolutely crucial in meta). You will always play it too safe and be uninspired and reactionary because the alternative is uncertainty and fear. I think a refusal to embrace tragedy in fiction is itself a profound tragedy; that is someone who is terrified to believe that life goes on.

[holdmytesseract]

Football Fever

☆ The Baby Fever AU ☆

Loki x Y/N feat. Ella and Narfi

Summary: Soccer Aid is just around the corner, and the Avengers get asked, if they would compete against team England - for the good cause, of course. The only answer to that question is yes and so you, the kids, Loki and all the other Avengers - including their families are travelling to Manchester. The next mission is clear... Win this game and raise a lot of money.

Warnings: fluff, football things, suggestive smut (yeah, it gets a little steamy as well), thirst - a lot, sickening sweet flirtations... Honestly, this fic has everything. 😂 Let me know if I missed something...

Word Count: 6,9k - I'm sorry. 👀

a/n: The Soccer Aid fic is finally here! 🥳 I had a bit of a hard time writing this. I struggled quite a lot, so I hope it's nevertheless good. 😅 It's a bit messy as well, I think, but yeah... Enjoy it (hopefully)! 😊

Baby Fever Crew: (Trying the comments again...)

Baby Fever Masterlist °☆• Loki Masterlist °☆• Masterlist

"The Avengers agreed to do what?" You asked your husband; honestly quite a bit shocked. The baby laundry you had just folded almost dropping to the floor out of surprise. "The Soccer Aid game? They asked the Avengers to take part in the Soccer Aid game?" You repeated; just to be sure you heard that right. Loki had an amused smile on his lips; nodding. "Yes, love. Team England against The Avengers in this year's Soccer Aid game." Blinking, you stared at Loki. "Wow, just... wow. That's great actually. I mean it's for UNICEF - and with that for a very good cause, so... Amazing!" You smiled and continued to fold Narfi's little t-shirts, hoodies and trousers.

"And you agreed to play?" You then asked; eyeing your husband quite a bit sceptical. The god nodded once more; still smiling. "I did, yes." Loki sensed your surprise and sceptic, of course. "You don't seem to believe me. Why, darling?" You just shrugged your shoulders. "I just thought you didn't like sports. Especially soccer." "Ah, I see. Well..." He started and walked to stand behind you, in order to wrap his arms around you; head resting on your shoulder. "I am perhaps not that interested in Midgardian sports - but it's for children, and since I have my very own babies, I definitely can't say no to that." Your heart skipped a beat at Loki's words; love flooding your veins. What a kind-hearted husband I've got, you thought; swooning. "Babe, that's wonderful." You lifted one hand to cup his cheek, "Truly." and turned your head catch his lips in a sweet kiss. Loki's grip tightened; pulling you closer against him.

"So... When are we leaving? It takes place in the UK, right? Where exactly? Am I even allowed to accompany you and the others? And the kids?" Suddenly, there were a trillion questions running through your mind. Loki chuckled, "Someone's excited." and kissed a line from your ear down your neck. "First of all... Of course, you and our children are allowed to accompany me - if you choose to. But since you're an Avenger as well, I think you could also choose to play."

You really thought about it for a second, but then... "Naaah," you said, scrunching your nose. "I'd rather look after our little whirlwinds and help them to cheer for their daddy and his team." Loki chuckled; a few strands of his raven locks tickling the side of your face. "Very well then. It shall be how my queen desires."

A sudden thought struck you then and you couldn't help the cheeky smile, which spread on your face. Placing the laundry aside and turning in your lover's arms, you bit your lip. "Besides, I think I am going to definitely enjoy the view. Seeing my handsome man run around in tight shorts and a flimsy jersey? Please... I'd be a fool to say no to that." Loki raised an eyebrow at you; smiling even wider, "Now that is very naughty, darling." before he gave you a smouldering look. A look which almost caused your knees to give in. Even after all those years. "No, it's only reasonable, babe. "

Almost three weeks later, after the paperwork had been done and everything was arranged and settled with the officials, it was time to make your way to the United Kingdom. Manchester, to be exactly. Everybody was coming along. Really everybody. Nat, Bruce, Wanda and Vision, Bucky, Sam, Steve, Peter with MJ, Ned and his mom. Tony brought Pepper along and baby Morgan, of course. Clint joined in as well, accompanied by his wife and kids - just like Scott, who took Hope and Cassie with him. Not to forget Thor, Eisa and a very pregnant Jane. Hence, Tony even convinced Stephen to join them. Maria, Phil and Nick were going to be there as well. Yep... The whole squat was going to be a part of this.

Everybody was totally excited about it. Especially the kids. It was an absolute honour for the Avengers to be a part of such a great event...

"Mommy, can I sit beside Eisa in the plane?" Ella asked you with literal doe eyes, as you walked to board the private plane Tony had rented for you all. You squeezed the girl's hand - which was safely locked to yours; nodding. "Of course, sweetheart. I think we can arrange that." You winked at your daughter, before checking on Loki. He walked a bit behind you and Ella; carrying a soundly asleep Narfi. He had his arms curled around his father's neck. His head was buried snugly in the crook of Loki's neck, while his little legs dangled softly with every step the god took.

Well... The sixteen-month-old boy had missed his afternoon nap today - and it showed. No wonder he slept in on the way to the airport...

No ten minutes later, you took your seat in the plane beside Loki. Ella sat beside Eisa - like she wanted and Thor took his place beside Jane. Your husband held Narfi still in his arms; gently swaying him from side to side to keep him asleep. After all, you had to fly for about seven hours...

"I hope it stays that way," you whispered quietly to Loki; gesturing towards your son. Loki ran a hand through the boy's curls and nodded. "I hope so, too, my love, but I highly doubt it." And he was proven right... Only about two hours later, Narfi awoke from his slumber - crying. The sudden change of surroundings gave the toddler quite a small shock. Not waking up where he slept in. Besides, Narfi never had been inside a plane before.

Thick tears were running down his cheeks; eyes already reddened. Loki immediately tried to reassure him, since a lot of the others had dozed off as well. "Shh, little prince, shh. It's alright. Daddy's got you. And mama's not far away either. She just needs to pee." Hearing his father's voice, the boy calmed down rather quickly, but still sobbing. "There you go, sweetie, there you go," Loki cooed and peppered his little cheeks with kisses. "Everything okay, little prince?" Narfi rubbed his eyes, "Uh.Huh." and nodded.

Despite quite a few interruptions, the rest of the flight went smoothly and everyone landed safely in Manchester.

After getting everyone to the hotel and into their rooms, Narfi and Ella crashed immediately on the bed. It was a long day for the kids, without a doubt. Loki and the other soccer players for the Avengers team had to go to the training grounds for further information, their training stuff, getting to know the trainers - and their first training lesson. You looked over to the kids, who slept tightly on the big hotel bed, while you bid your goodbye to your husband. "Have fun, babe." You pressed a kiss on his lips; wrapping both your arms around his neck. "Thank you, darling." "And behave, yes? No fouling Thor because it's fun." Loki nodded obediently, with the slightest glint of mischief in his eyes. "Yes, ma'am." You eyed him critically, before you kissed him again. "Good. And don't make our diva lose his nerves." The god chuckled and let go of you, in order to step into direction room door. "Well, I can't promise you that, but I swear that I'll try."

Once Loki had left, you exchanged the light summer dress you wore with a comfortable t-shirt and sleep shorts. Deciding to unpack a few things, you quietly moved around the hotel room - not to wake anybody. After that, you paid Jane a visit, to make sure she was alright and then somehow ended up sleeping in the bed as well. Actually, you just wanted to take a small nap, but well... Your body said no. Therefore, you didn't notice, when Loki returned back to the hotel room...

"Darling, I'm ba-" As soon as the god closed the door gently behind himself and turned around, he saw what had happened. Smiling, he took off his shoes and tiptoed straight to the bathroom; hoping that the shower he took wouldn't wake any of you up. It didn't. It was already quite late; so he only slipped in a fresh pair of boxershorts and got ready for bed. To complete his mission, he had to manoeuvre both his kids to their beds. He picked up Ella first; knowing that she was a very tight sleeper. Then he carefully took Narfi in his arms - who instinctively held onto his father; cuddling close.

Once those difficult tasks were done, he wrapped you up with the blanket and slipped beside you into the bed.

When strong arms pulled you gently against a warm, familiar chest, you started to wake up. The scent of your husband hit you; causing a pleasant shiver to run down your spine. Home. He was home - no matter where you were. Smiling, still with your eyes closed, you cuddled closer against him. "Finished training?" Unbeknownst to you, the god blinked. He thought you were fast asleep... "Y/N?" He whispered. "Are you awake?" "Mhhh." Guilt shot immediately through his heart like an arrow. Loki hated it when he was the reason you woke up. Especially after such a stressful day. "Apologies, my love. I didn't mean to wake you up..." "'S okay. Don't worry. I've been already sleepin' for quite a while." You felt a few strands of Loki's long raven locks tickling the side of your face, as he leaned over to place a kiss on your cheek. "Good."

"So... How did it go?" You asked once more; slipping your hand in his - which was placed around your middle; keeping you pinned against him. Loki sighed and intertwined your fingers. "I can't deny that it was quite fun - but utterly chaotic. All of them are such amateurs. Well, except me, the Falcon and Coulson. The rest of them?" He took a deep breath and you could swear that he had just rolled his eyes. "Norns give us strength... They have to learn a lot. Unless we're going to lose big time against England." You giggled softly and squeezed his hand. "But isn't it all about the fun and good cause?" "Sure, love, but... You know me. I'm a very ambitious man. I want to win this. I'm a winner."

Well... He wasn't wrong, was he?

"Okay, champ... Tell me. Why are they a chaotic mess? Perhaps I've got a few ideas on how to solve those issues." Another sigh left your husband's lips. "They put Parker in the goal. I don't know if that was a wise decision. Sure, he's got fast reflexes, but, he's a bit... small and... fragile." You raised a playful eyebrow. "Who would you put in that position then?" The god shrugged his shoulders. "I do not know. Laing, perhaps?" You giggled, shaking your head.

"What else is 'wrong'?" "Vision. All he does is calculating how the ball flies, where it lands and how hard he has to kick it to reach the next team mate. And Stark and Rogers are constantly fighting about who is going to be the team captain. It's exhausting." You couldn't help yourself but to giggle once more. "Why can I imagine that so well?" Loki just rolled his eyes. "And my oafish brother just don't want to understand, why the goalkeeper - namely Parker, isn't allowed to leave the eighteen-yard area. I explained it to him several times. Hence, we all did, but he's just too stupid to understand - and utterly confused. It's almost embarrassing, honestly." "Baaabe... Don't be so hard to your brother. He's not that familiar with Midgardian sports. Give him some time, huh?" Loki took a deep breath. "I honestly don't know if time helps..." "We'll see. Rome wasn't built in a day. Remember that, my love."

On the next day, Loki left quite early for the second training session - just like the other Avengers. While your husband was sweating and working, you took the kids together with Jane, Eisa, Pepper and Morgan to a trip into the city. It was everyone's first time here, so there was a lot to explore. Well... Everything that was child-friendly, of course.

You strolled a little bit through a few streets of the big city, before you went to the Manchester Museum. Jane wanted to go there at all costs, of course. She was a scientist after all. No matter if her feet were hurting or not - due to her pregnancy, she wanted to go there. And who were you and Pepper to deny your friend this wish?

It had been quite interesting for the kids, too. Well, at least for Eisa and Ella. Narfi and Morgan were a little too young to understand. But at least the girls had fun.

After that, Jane went back to the hotel, in order to rest, while your niece stayed with the little group.

It was pleasantly warm today; the sun shining bright, so you and Pepper took the kids to Chorlton Water Park, where they could play and enjoy themselves.

All in all, it was a great day, but looking after four kids was quite exhausting at some point - for Pepper as well, so you were happy to be back at the hotel as well. Jane offered to look after the kids tomorrow; take them to her's and Thor's hotel room, so that you and Pepper could do more 'adult' things in Manchester.

Ella and especially Narfi were quite tired as well after that day, but they desperately wanted to stay awake and wait for Loki to return from the training, since they hadn't seen their father even once that day. And to Ella's and Narfi's luck returned Loki only about twenty minutes later...

The door swung open; revealing a tired, sweaty Loki - and before he could even close the door behind himself, Ella and Narfi were already tackling him. "Daddy!" Well, Ella first, 'cause Narfi wasn't that fast yet. He had learned to properly walk just about two months ago...

A big smile spread on Loki's face, and he squatted down; welcoming his children in his arms. "Hello, princess." Ella hugged him even tighter, now that she was taller when he was in a squatting position. "Dada!" Narfi had waddled over as well by now. Ella made room for her baby brother, so that Loki could pick the little boy up. "And hello little prince." You still sat on the floor with some of Narfi's toys in your hands; watching the sweet scenes unfold in front of your eyes with a smile.

After Loki spent some much-needed quality time with Ella and Narfi, he tucked them in (It was getting quite late.) and read a bedtime story until they both fell asleep - which happened quite quickly, given the fact that they were totally worn out after this exciting day.

You opted to go to bed; book in hands and waited for Loki to join you. Yet unbeknownst to you, had the god other plans than joining you in bed...

You heard quiet footsteps approaching you, but didn't bother to put your book aside. "I am going to take a shower now." Loki said in a deep, hushed voice; trying to sound sexy and perhaps to attract your attention. "I unfortunately have to. Can't join my queen in bed, being all stinky and sweaty." You, though, were lost in the story you were reading, so you only nodded; not deigning to look at him. "Alright, babe."

Loki raised a sceptical eyebrow. Obviously, the book was way more interesting than him. That had to change. A quiet snap of Loki's fingers caused his seidr to roll over his entire body. "Care to join me, darling?"

A soft sigh left your lips. "Babe, I am already in bed." You started - and made a huge mistake... You looked up from your book. "Why would I- Oh my gosh..." Loki stood at the edge of the bed. Butt naked. Only wearing his signature cheeky, mischievous smile. Sure, the light was dimmed in the big room, due to the kids sleeping, but you could still see everything.

You swallowed hard; eyes growing wide. Don't look, don't look, don't lo- Too late. You looked. How could you not? Being married to Loki and not look when he was standing nude in front of you was perhaps the most difficult task in all the nine realms.

A small whimper left your lips, as you shifted awkwardly in the bed. A thing which didn't slip Loki's notice, of course. He had you. Almost. "Come on, love. Showering alone is no fun at all... I already had to shower all by myself yesterday night." You swallowed again; tried to stay focused. "B-But the kids, Lokes a-and I'm reading and already in bed and..." Your husband interrupted your sentence with a quiet, smooth chuckle, while running his hands through his sweaty, luscious curls. His abdominal muscles clenched; showing you his abs. "You do keep forgetting that I am a master in using seidr...." He literally purred; giving you a wink. You bit your lip. So hard that you were afraid you drew blood. Don't give in, don't give in. Stay strong, stay strong. The angel on your shoulder tried to spur you on; encouraging you. But the demon... Give in. You didn't have him in almost a week. You want to. I know it. And he's right. He's got his seidr. The kids won't notice.

Your mind raced; forces battling inside of you. "So, my love... You coming now?" He purred; stepping closer to your side of the bed - and when you could clearly look into his blue, wide blown orbs of pure desire, you had made your decision. Fuck it. You literally threw your blanket away and shoot up from the bed. Loki chuckled maliciously in victory, "Thought so." before he moved quickly; grabbed you by your thighs and threw you over his shoulder. You had a hard time suppressing a yelp. "Lokiii!" Another chuckle. "Shush, darling. It's time for me to reclaim what's mine." You almost combusted at that sentence. And of course, you let yourself get carried to the bathroom without another word. The position was perhaps a bit uncomfortable; hanging upside down over a shoulder like a sack of potatoes - but the view was absolutely delicious. Never had looked your husband's gloriously naked ass better, than in that angle.

The last few training days flew by faster than you thought and suddenly you were preparing Ella and Narfi for their father's Soccer Aid game.

"Ella?" You called from the bathroom, while trying to put a really antsy Narfi into a mini jersey. "Sweetie, are you dressed and ready?" No ten seconds later appeared your eldest in the door frame; smiling brightly and already dressed in a miniature version of Loki's jersey and shorts he would wear during the football game. The same kit you were currently trying to dress little Narfi in. Black shorts, white jersey and red flocking. Not your husband's actual colours, but that was what the team decided. Nevertheless, you were sure that Loki would look just as sexy in those colours.

"Yep, mommy! Can we go now? I want to see daddy!" "In a few mins. I need to get your brother ready first, which is- Oh no, no, stay here you little trickster!" You had to lunge forward and catch a giggling Narfi, before he was able to sneak off behind your back. "Alright, mommy. I'll wait and practice some magic." "You do just that, El. I hope I'm soon done here." Ella left with a happy spring in her step then; long raven locks flying.

"Narfi, please..." You pleaded the small boy, as he fled from you once more; halfway dressed in the shorts. The toddler just giggled. Again. He had fun in that game you played. You didn't. "You want to see daddy, don't you?" Narfi stopped, turning to face you; one wild curl falling into his face. "Uh.Huh. Wanna see dada." "Then you need to let me help you getting dressed, because if we don't leave in the next ten minutes, we probably won't be able to see daddy before the game." Your son's eyes went wide, before he literally sprinted towards you to let himself get finally dressed, causing you to sigh in relief. "There you go, sweet boy." You said, pressing a kiss to his chubby cheek. Your ovaries almost exploded when you looked at him; dressed like that.

"See dada now?" You smiled; picking him up, "Yep." and carrying him out of the bathroom. "Ella, you coming?" Your daughter jumped excitedly towards you. "Yes, yes, yes!"

Together, you left the hotel and went for the Old Trafford stadium. Of course, there was a personal taxi waiting just for the three of you to bring you there. To the VIP entrance, to be exactly. You went on full wag mode today; living your best life as the wife of the Avengers Soccer Aid team star Loki Laufeyson. You even bought his jersey as well; combined with short jeans. It was a warm summer day - and you were ready. Just like the kids were.

The VIP entrance was a secluded area, but nevertheless had gathered quite a few fans there, cheering out your name when they saw you. You would've waved at them, but it was a bit difficult; holding Ella's hand (to keep her from just running off) with one and Narfi on your arm with the other. So, you opted for nodding and smiling - which was appreciated as well.

The safety officer greeted you with a smile. "Mrs. Y/L/N." He said with a nod and stepped aside to grant the three of you access. "And hello you two. Enjoy the game!" "Thank you." You stepped past him. "Hewu!" Narfi smiled and waved at the big, bulky man. But Ella was way too excited to notice anything. All she wanted was to see her father.

One of the game coordinators led you and your family through the catacombs of the Old Trafford then, until you reached the main stage... The pitch - on which every Avenger and member of the opposing team already was, warming up. There were already quite a few kids out there, playing around with each other or their mothers and fathers. It was a family event after all, and the stadium was quite filled already; a lot of fans seated on the stands all around you. It was huge and absolutely impressive.

Three pairs of eyes searched for Loki - but he was the one finding his family first. Smiling brightly, he left the ball he was warming up with abandoned and jogged over to the sidelines.

"Where's daddy, Narfi? Can you spot him?" You asked the little boy, while bouncing him up and down. You looked around as well, until you saw him jogging towards you. Not to be over dramatic, but... You almost fainted when you laid eyes upon your husband; all dressed up for the game. His jersey was tight; stuck to his upper body like a second skin. It was definitively a few sizes too small. Just like his shorts. They left not much to imagine - let's put it that way. Red and white football socks covered his strong calves and shins. His raven curls were tied back into a man bun and a thin, black hair band was sitting on his forehead, completing his look - and he looked absolutely, stunningly hot. Your knees almost gave in. If you wouldn't have been around kids and in a crowded stadium, you would've jumped him. But unfortunately, you weren't alone, so you had to compose yourself.

"Well, who do we have here?" You heard his deep voice calling out. "Daddy!" Ella's head snapped to face her dad; a big smile on her face as she stormed into his waiting arms. She may have been over seven years old now, but that didn't stop Loki to scoop his little girl up and hug her tightly. "Ahh, my princess." Narfi squirmed in your arms, so you let him down. Excitedly, he tried on slightly wobbly legs to run to his dad as well. "Dada!" Loki let Ella down again and squatted down. "And my little prince!" The god scooped Narfi up in his arms as well; ruffling the giggling boy's hair.

After thoroughly greeting his children, he made his way to you. "Hello, my love." He leaned down to kiss you; free hand curling around your hip to hold you close. "Hey, babe." You greeted your husband; smiling in the next kiss. "How's my soccer star doing? Ready for the game?" "Oh more than ready, darling." Loki answered with a wink. Before you could continue the conversation, Ella jumped in. "Can Narfi and I train with you, daddy?" "Oh, of course, princess, come on." He started to jog away again; Narfi still in his arms and Ella following him. "I'll be in the VIP area!" You called after them, to which Loki gave you a thumb's up.

You let the kids have some quality time with their father and took a seat besides Jane in the VIP area, where all the 'celebrities' and family members of the players were seated. It was a closed off area.

"Hey, Jane." Your friend looked up at you, smiling. "Y/N, hey. Finally made your way here? I waited in the hotel lobby, but you, nor my niece and nephew could be seen anywhere..." You let out a breath; sitting down on the seat beside her. "Finally, indeed. Yeah, I know, sorry. Narfi was a little too excited and didn't let me dress him. All I did was running around the bathroom to catch him... Now I left them both with Loki." Jane giggled. "I left Eisa with Thor, too."

You watched Loki play with your kids from afar. While Ella tried to mimic every move of her dad, Narfi was seated on his shoulders. First, Loki taught Ella how to properly kick a ball, and then how to pass it to a teammate - his brother in that case. Eisa had found Ella and now they were playing all together. You and Jane giggled at the sight. And even though Loki was sometimes a bit annoyed by his brother's often too strong passes, they all seemed to have fun. It was a very cute thing to watch, without a doubt.

Ella and Eisa tried to perfect their ball game then, Loki went to do warm-ups with Narfi; using him as a weight to lift, for example. The boy liked it. You could tell from afar; seeing his little face all scrunched up in a giggle. It was to die for, honestly - and you were pretty sure that quite a few women witnessing this did.

About fifteen minutes later, your kids joined you in the VIP area. Loki would've loved to play further with them, but there was a little team warm-up now with the trainer giving them last instructions. Before that, he had to do a few short pre-game interviews, so... No time or space for kids.

Ella sat down beside you; totally out of breath but happy, while you took Narfi to sit on your lap.

You let your eyes wander. They drifted through the entire stadium and from one player to the next. Especially to Nat and Wanda, since they left you utterly stunned and amazed at how good they were in playing soccer. At the end, though, your eyes landed on Loki. Gaze lingering on him, you watched his every move; watched him train- No. Watched him putting on a show.

Loki noticed, of course; felt your eyes on him. How could he not? Yes, it was a big stadium with a lot of people on the pitch and a huge crowd, but... All he could see was you (and his babies). It had always been you.

So, being the mischievous, smug god he was, he decided to really give you something to look at. Loki abandoned the ball he was warming up with, discreetly moved closer to where you were seated and started to stretch instead. His too small jersey and shorts were definitely coming in handy now, he thought with a smug smirk. The god stretched his legs first; pulling the fabric up to expose his strong, muscular thighs. He moved his legs in a rotating motion, causing the trained muscles to deliciously bulge. Just how she likes it, your husband thought. Then, he did a lunge - causing your eyes to pop out of your head.

You already were a drooling, thirsting mess by now after those little games he had played and now he was ultimately killing you off with that move. You had a hard time to keep up your composure and not let Narfi slip off your lap... The lunge Loki made showed everything he had. Really everything. Defined shins and thighs, the outlines of what was between his legs, abs, happy trail (kudos to his too short jersey), broad shoulders and muscular arms. You had to suppress a moan, seeing this. Why does he has to be so smokin' hot?, you whined internally. And you weren't the only one who thought that. The lot of the ladies all around the VIP area were either fanning themselves, trying to not faint or screeching. Understandably. You couldn't blame them, could you?

But what really tickled your nerve ends and sent a sizzling spark of arousal through your system was the fact that Loki was yours. Entirely and undoubtedly yours. They all could lust after him as much as they wanted, but at the end of the day, he was messing up your bedsheets. Not theirs.

The game itself started about twenty minutes later. All eyes were on team England and team Avengers. To your surprise was everyone working together. You shortly questioned your eyesight, but it was true. All your friends worked hand in hand to get the win - at least for now.

Ella and Narfi were, of course, enthusiastic about their dad being a soccer star (at least for today) and cheered him on. The others too, but Loki the most. The great atmosphere tickled you as well, and so you were loudly cheering them on, too - until a little whine, coming undoubtedly from the small boy on your lap caused your motherly instincts to intervene. Immediately, you redirected your attention. "Narfi?" You asked, looking down at him. "What's wrong, sweetheart?" Watery ruby eyes looked up at you, as another whine slipped past his small, pouty lips. "Not see dada." He said and tried to wriggle around - but you held him tightly, of course; not risking him to fall. "You can't see daddy? Oh, I'm sorry, baby. Do you want to sit on mommy's shoulders?" Narfi snivelled; a thick tear rolling down his chubby cheek. "Uh.Huh." "Okay. Hold on tight little man."

You were about to lift him up to your shoulders, when Ella stopped you. "I can take him, too, mommy." You blinked; looking at your daughter. "Are you sure?" "Yep," she said; smiling and moved to sit on the free seat in front of you. "Put him on my shoulders." "You want to sit on your sister's shoulders, Narfi?" The boy smiled brightly; nodding. So, you did what Ella suggested and sat your son down on his big sister's shoulders. "That okay, El?" You asked her; keeping a steady hand on Narfi's small back. "Yep. You can let go, I got him." "Sure?" "Sure." So, you did and watched with heart eyes the sweet scenes unfolding in front of your eyes. Both your kids cheering for their father; raven locks flying in the wind. The names 'Lokison' and 'Lokisdóttir' literally shining on the backs of their jerseys in the bright sun. It made you so unbelievably proud; heart pumping pure love through your veins.

Unfortunately, all the cheering didn't help and the Avengers team trailed by two goals at halftime...

During the half-time break, some of the players gave a speech. About UNICEF, what they exactly did, where they were working and so on. Tony and Steve were a part of that as well.

You had sent the kids off with Jane and Eisa to get something to eat and drink - which gave you a small timeframe to check your phone and maybe even answer some work emails. (You were still working as a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, since Narfi's birth wasn't that long ago and Loki had asked you to stay away from dangerous and physical draining missions for another while.)

Unfortunately, you didn't get far...

"Hey, pretty lady..." A familiar deep, smooth voice called out, and caused you to look up - but you couldn't see anyone. Frowning, your brain needed a second to figure out what was going on. Then it hit you. The barrier. Biting your lip, you stood up and walked down the few stairs. Luckily were the most seats empty at the moment, because everyone used the break to get drinks and food. Cautiously, you leaned against said barrier and looked down.

A dazzling, smug smile greeted you instantly and caused your legs to almost give in right then and there. Loki was standing just a few meters away from you, but quickly walked over. "There she is... My pretty lady. I already feared for a moment that you didn't hear me." You playfully rolled your eyes at your husband. "I always hear you calling out my name. Even in such a crowded place. Kudos to your seidr, though." Loki just winked; still smirking.

"Did I already tell you, my darling wife, you look incredibly ravishing; wearing this... flimsy jersey with my name printed on." His flirtatious words made you giggle like a love drunken teenager. "Yeah, really?" "Oh, absolutely. I hope this isn't the last time you're going to wear it." You bit your lip; smiling, before you proceeded to lean over the top of the barrier, in order to get a little bit closer to him.

"Babe, I'd wear anything for you."

The sparks were definitely flying between the two of you - even after all those years. Loki's smirk only widened. "Is that a threat, my love?" You shook your head; winking. "A promise." Loki's eyes travelled from your eyes to your cleavage and back. "Naughty." At those words, you had to giggle again. "Lokes, you are definitely not better. I know you put on a show for me while warming up and making me all hot and bothered. Do you know how difficult it is to hide this from our friends?" Loki chuckled. He just chuckled. "Apologies, but I just couldn't help myself. I had to put on a little show for my queen. I thought you'd appreciate it." "You're a naughty, mischievous little scamp, Mr. Laufeyson - but yes, I pretty much appreciated it. Just like very much every other lady in this stadium." "Which is a great ego boost, I have to confess, but I don't care about the others." "I know." You whispered; leaning as far as possible over the barrier to somehow catch your husband's lips. His hands flew up to your shoulders; holding you in a protective grasp and keeping you from falling. Thank the norns he was so fucking tall.

You would've loved to just keep on kissing him, but you forgot for a moment that there were thousands of people around you - presumably watching you, and that the half-time break was almost over. So, heavy heartedly, you untangled yourself from Loki again.

"I hope we can manage to turn the game. I'd love to win this." You winked. "I know. Chin up, babe. You've got forty-five minutes to turn it around."

After you bid your goodbye to your husband, you turned back around, only to look straight into Pepper's face - who had a knowing smirk on her lips. "You two just can't keep your hands off each other, can you?" You felt quite confident today, so you just shrugged your shoulders and casually replied: "It's not my fault that he's walking sex, is it?"

The game was absolutely exciting from the very beginning to the end. Everybody was hanging on the edges of their seat, after the Avengers tied the score. Bucky was the goal scorer. It went back and forth; one goal chance passing after another. It was super thrilling - and in the end, the Avengers really managed to turn the game and win. It made you proud. But what made you ever prouder, was that Loki scored the decisive goal. Ella was cheering so loud, you were afraid that she'd be hoarse tomorrow... Narfi mimicked his big sister; squealing out loud and celebrating his dad's victory - and the whole stadium did, too.

After the final whistle, every player on the pitch was visibly happy; everybody shaking hands and hugging. No matter if winner or 'loser', because after such a great game for such a good cause, everybody was a winner. The earned money would do a lot of good things in this world - and that was worthy enough to celebrate.

Once the 'formalities' were done, the lot of the players picked up their kids and let them run around the pitch, while they talked to others or played with them. Loki was one of them, of course, and Ella and Narfi were more than excited to storm the pitch once more. So, you helped your excited children to climb over the barrier, where their dad waited to pick them up. Sure, you could've chosen the long way round and lead them on the pitch - but it wasn't the fastest way.

"Daddy! Daddy! You scored the winning goal!" Ella literally yelled; voice filled with proudness as she 'jumped' into her father's awaiting arms. Loki chuckled; holding her in a firm grip. "I really did, princess. I never would've seen it coming, though. Uncle Scott is a way better striker than I am." Ella giggled; placing both her hands on her dad's shoulders. "I did, daddy! I did!" "You did?" "Yup!" The god chuckled again and pressed a kiss on her cheek, before she let her down to take little Narfi from your arms into his.

"Come here, Narfi." Loki took the boy and wanted to let him down as well, but Narfi clung to Loki; clearly didn't want to leave his dad's arms. "Do you want daddy to carry you?" Narfi nodded; sucking on his dummy (which you had given him a little while back) and placed his head on Loki's shoulder; rubbing his eyes. "Ohh, I see. My little prince is tired." It was more than understandable after this day. So much for the young man to see, hear and experience.

Smiling, Loki placed a kiss on his son's forehead, while he run a hand through the very curly black hair on the toddler's head. Then he looked around for Ella, but his daughter had run already off to her uncles and aunts; playing football with them. Knowing that she was taken care of, he decided to walk past the fans, to show them his thankfulness for the support and countless donations. And perhaps to raise a bit more money. The god wasn't stupid and knew exactly the effect he had on the women (and even some men). Besides, he had the sweetest toddler in his arms in all the nine realms, so...

He made his way behind the boards, past the goal and up to the barrier, which held the fans back. The people welcomed him with loud cheers and applause; chanting his name. It did something to him. Without a doubt. After all that happened in the past... To now hear people calling out his name caused almost tears to sprinkle in his eyes. He was forgiven. The world had forgiven him. Sure, he knew that the Americans saw him as an Avenger now as well - but the 'rest of the world'? No. He didn't see all of that coming - and it made him incredibly happy. Smiling, he waved at the people; bathing in the attention he got. Narfi, who had almost drifted off in his father's arms, lifted his head at the sudden very loud voices. He looked at the people with big, wide ruby eyes. Loki noticed that, of course. His smile even widened, as he pressed another kiss against the little boy's cerulean cheek. "So much people Narfi, right? Want to say hello and wave at them?" "Narfi say hewo?" He spoke tiredly from behind the dummy. Loki nodded. "Yes, little prince. If you want to." Narfi thought for a moment, but then cuddled back in his father's chest, causing Loki to chuckle and hug his little boy closer.

The god spent another while with the fans, before he joined the remaining players on the pitch.

The rest of the evening was spent celebrating the victory and all the raised money, before the Avengers and their families returned home.

One thing was sure, though... Soccer Aid was an event that would stay unforgotten.

[genderlesssinner]

Bells hells Episode 110! Ooookay

Oh. Oh no. Samuel. Why

Oh it's worse. Oh boy. Kitten!Dani loving on Marisha is precious though, and I believe Sam's kids as well? Adorable but terrible

(I missed Marisha's ad bc internet panic)

Ooohhh I want all of the novelllssss aaaaahhh

Okay okay let's gooo

That Raven Queen lore drop last ep thoooo

Black and white and red all over 😂

Fair point Liev'tel, fair point

Makes sense. Dorian saw Opal in the Hell Catch, I wonder if Aimee will make an appearance at some point

What would graffiti in Vasselheim even look like?

I do think there would be some panic or something if that memory had already been broadcast though

"For the hell of it" MATTHEW

KIKIIIII SHES GETTING THE GANG BACK TOGETHER I AM EXCITED

SAMUEL I SAW THAT FACE. I wonder where the little bastard is though

Ooooohh good idea (I think?) Ash

Bells hells gonna go vibe with the Ashari??? Fuck yeah let's go yall.

I wonder what the Ashari in general would think of the titan shard holders, and Fearne being all fiery in general (wildfire druid)

I mean valid Dorian, yall have talked to 3 gods and gotten 3 very different answers. But yeah she's also my favorite but the Wildmother comes close

Man. No matter how this goes the leylines are fucked up something major. Magical storms?? Yikes

Oh no, hopefully Ludinus is not catching on to Liliana

Xandis!!!! Oh man I didn't even recognize who they were at first

🤣

Keybane?? Oooo Kiki gave them a title, sweet

I just live the way Xandis speaks it's so fun

"it sounds like a euphemism. It isn't."

Awwwuuhh Xandis remembered Letters 🥺

"Smiley day to you too" 😭

It makes sense to want opinions from all sides of the board, Fearnie, but yeah no Betrayers in the city. I would definitely be curious to see what Asmodeus or any of the others would say, after what he said to Braius last time

Also very interested with Braius wanting to go to the Platinum Dragon, instead of Asmodeus

Ashton is making some good points though I only kind of agree about the nature of the Betrayers and stuff.

Oh boy, Orym is right though. I mean, this isn't the time to leave things unsaid either

(looking at you, Orym,,, Dorian,,,)

You can be optimistic but also realistic - Hope we win (whatever the fuck that even means) and also know that this could be the end of you or your friends

"no I'll drag you it'll be fun" guuuuuyyyysssss

I was so expecting Sam to not have the fucking spell and just neigh at the damn horse 🤣

Oh well shit okay yeah he's probably like a celestial not a beast huh

They sent spies to the moon. I wonder who

Oh boy the Hells will be traveling with the Nein for a bit? That should be interesting

I'm so worried about Orym. Well, all of them, but especially him. He's keeping so much to himself and I know first hand how bad that can be.

Chet. I cannot. He has a little bit of a point but like. Don't be such a greedy little shit.

Ooooohh let's get Fearnie to talk to Cerkonos yesss

Travis is being such a little shit

Oooo Doriiiaaaaaan

Okay Robbie,,, oh my god

I love shopping trips for the little peeks we get into the day to day of the place

I'm not sure if I like the vibes I'm getting from this guy. It's amusing he's just sus af and that's before we knew he had forgery stuff

More whispersss damn yall

Oh no guys no don't fuck with the fusaka

I can't

That totally wasn't his shop they convinced me

Awwwww Dorian that's so sweet. He's so selfless

I love him so much

Hmm I wonder if they're gonna learn anything from the titan. Interesting

Break! I have a Duoling lesson to do, lol see yall after!

[tealfling]

1) Amaranth Purpleheart (she/her), (currently) Tiefling (born: Half/Elf), Cleric of the Raven Queen, Chaotic Good

Background: Amaranth has a Noble background by birth. She was born to a human father and an Elven mother that ran a huge merchant empire outside the Gate. As her father's first child, she was the apple of his eye, her mother had 3 older adult children from previous relationships, and was pregnant at the time of Amaranth's disappearance and presumed death. It's Amaranth's father that couldn't handle the death of his child and squandered his human life looking for a way to bring her back. He eventually found someone capable of Reincarnation and had a lock of her hair, and thus Amaranth the tiefling came to be. She's deeply bothered by the parallels between her death and Isobel's and is hugely thankful her father wasn't a dick like Ketheric.

2) Amaranth was in Rivington working in the service of a family that was preparing for the death of their father when she was taken by the Nautiloid. She worried about them constantly until she got to the city to explain things, she feels horrible for abandoning them, and like she's failed them, but is so thankful the kept her stuff. She can't wait to show the group her bag of Memento Mori. A vampire boyfriend and a necromancy book wrapped in human skin is not even on the list of strangest undead things in her collection.

3) She romanced Astarion. It's all fun and games until the player gets played. Especially when they're both too stupid to see it. She immediately saw through his lines, however she mental gymnastics their train of "got to get the other person to trust me" until they were getting a green gown. She also really likes his sense of humor and thinks his bratty side is kind of cute. She doesn't drink tea, but they both spill it, server it hot and fresh as they gossip about everyone. The both like to read, and sew. At first, of course he hated how she had to stop and help every gods forsaken soul that asked for it and she didn't like his selfish overly violent ways. The arguing gave way to bantering, and clap backs and eventfully turned into the "you want to fuck me so bad it makes you look stupid game." And considering how all the others kept propositioning her at camp, Astarion was the safer choice, right? He didn't actually have feelings for her, so there was no risk in breaking his heart like there was with the others. She liked him enough, so it'd be better to break one heart instead of two, right?

4) Camp bestie? Karlach. Hands down. We're talking instant friends. No relationship building here. Immediate Ride or Die. If Amaranth isn't with Astarion, she's with Karlach. Probably causing trouble. Oh, yeah they're workshopping a nickname: Chaos Tieflings, Tiefling Trouble, Demonic Duo, Fiendships. For someone so eager to name things, they can't seem to get Wyll on board with this one. (That's why he's not invited). The only hiccup in their relationship was the night Karlach thought she wanted something more. Amaranth hadn't been expecting that, and it flustered her in a way Lae'zel's proposition hadn't. Amaranth came really close to saying yes, like really close just to make Karlach happy, she deserved to have something go her way for once, but Amaranth just couldn't lead Karlach on like that, when she wasn't sure. Not when Karlach's heart was already so broken. Amaranth almost died of embarrassment later when Astarion popped in for their previously agreed upon feeding she had completely forgotten about, and admitted he saw what happened. Speaking of hearts, Amaranth takes every opportunity to get Karlach to Dammon's forge.

Amaranth: "Kar~lach, let's go flirt with Dammon. Let's go flirt with Dammon. Come on, he's so dreamy. And almost as hot as you. Com'on. He want's to fix you're heart, that's so fucking romantic, please, let's go flirt with Dammon. My gold is burning a hole in my pocket faster than your heart is your chest. Please." Karlach: ugh, I don't know solider, he probably doesn't see me that way. Astarion make her stop. Astarion: Oh, no Darling. I'm completely on board. Let's go flirt with Dammon.

5) Admittedly I haven't finished a playthrough (I'm so close too), but so far everyone has lived (The Doctor would be proud).

6) She plans on continuing to Adventure, hopefully staying with Astarion, because her goal is to cure his vampirism, which she'll be able to do when she can cast True Res. In the mean time, she'll hunt down something that allows him to walk in the sunlight, even if she has to hunt down her mother to do it.

7) Amaranth's father's human life, though longer than it should have been, ended long ago. Though technically, she knows her elven mother and siblings still live, she doesn't consider them family in a close sense since her mother didn't want anything to do with her after her resurrection as a tiefling.

8) [whispering so Astarion doesn't hear] Destroy Undead.

[mak-1338]

Patia Por'co Past and Future

Alright, so I have not been able to stop thinking about the wonderful and complicated Patia Por'co, Keeper of Scrolls for the Library of Incantatum. Obviously I will never be able to ask Mathew Mercer and Marisha Ray in person. So this will have to do.

I know there is a theory about Patia, possibly being her daughter, but I've seen others pick plotholes in this and I agree there are some I can't explain away.

Personally, I fully believe it was a mentor/student bond the two shared, but was there something more? Not romantically. More like a pseudo motherly figure for Patia, because we know she lost the memory of her parents. It was also basically confirmed they were taken by Imyr Por'co and not the mind wiping of the previous god of death and the Matrons name.

I ask this question from the pov of the Matron. Because if I worked my entire life to do this one thing that could change the very fabric of Exandria. Why would I tell my random student about it? So there has to be more that only Matthew or Marisha could say. Right?

In my opinion and Travis has talked about this a little bit in talks about Fjord. But if you are missing a person in your life like a mom or dad or teacher or friend, etc. We sort of go looking for replacements to fill in those gaps. We can even see this a little bit with Imogen and Deanna. Trying to replicate what Liliana and Imogen could of possibly had. So it isn't out of the ballpark for Patia to go looking for the same connections.

All that being said, what is their Relationship? Depending on the answer, it could make Patia's view of the gods even more tragic. She cared greatly for this motherly mentor figure and just like everyone else in her life up to that point, she leaves as well.

My second question is about her orb she sent to Maya. I think we've all heard the theory at this point. It's very popular for a reason amongst the fans. If you haven't heard it basically Patia had a hand to play in creating the Cobalt Soul.

I love this theory because it's so Meta. Marisha has crafted a connection (possibly unknowingly) to all of her characters. If you don't beleive me, Patia had a hand to play in destroying the tree. As well as finding out the secret meetimg between the Gau Drashari. A group who would later be known as the Ashari aka our favorite Voice of the Tempest, Keyleth. She was there at the kick start of the Calamity which leads to many battles one of which Pelor plants a tree for Ioun after being very wounded. To people setting there aka Whitestone. (This one is more of a stretch I know, but it ties really well to the raven queen and the distint connection both Patia and Laudna has to their respective Death deities.) Sorry for the rant.

Getting back to the actual topic and connection Patia has to Beau. So my theory is that She gave the orb to Maya, but like previously stated. This theory also has several plotholes and it kind of unrealistic. The calamity was this massive century spanning war killing 3/4ths the population and Eisfuura do not live long. So maybe instead of Maya building the Cobalt Soul. The Agrupnin family seek out protection through the Prime deities. Ioun would be the most fitting for the family just because of Cerrit's views and skill set about knowledge. (Finding it and Protecting it.)

I also theorize Maya would learn to view the memories of Patia, making her push for the end of corruption for future generations. It was out of hand and hurt alot of people. Including a factor in starting the war. Still like I said, it's a little unrealistic because they don't live long. In spite of that Cerrit could still train a group possibly including the kids with his to go find information about any threats. Betrayer gods, their armies, etc. In hopes of one day ending the war. The techniques, the orb, the information, and overall message to stop corruption could have slowly passed down in time until someone could fully begin the organization.

I would even be fine with the orb not being with them currently. We saw a mysterious village in the mountains with the Wildmount group in C3 during the teleportation mishap. It could be there. As long as the message was passed down and Maya and Patia had a hand to play in the beginning of our favorite Expositor's story. That's all I ask.

I know this was a long read. I rambled a lot. So if you made it this far. Thank you for reading my Ted talk. Also please forgive any spelling/grammical errors. I would love to hear your opinions, because I've had this thought in my brain for as long as the calamity has been around.

P.S. any and all theories could/will very much likely be disproven by Matt and future CR. In fact I expect it too and will be ecstatic when we do find the canon explanations. Also sorry if this doesn't make any sense. This is my first time interacting on Tumblr.

[frizzy-frizz-frizz]

Okay this is about to be long and I'm very sorry about it

Two birds is so sad but like who is the other bird??? I'm leaning towards jean kind of

AND YES I listened to the melodrama album the same time as I read aftg so liability and Kevin became so so linked in my head like "the only love i haven't screwed up she's so hard to please...one girl swaying alone stroking her cheek" LIKE that one line where Neil is like Kevin is harder on himself than anyone else

Wait for it has only recently been linked to Kevin in my head but "my mother was a genius my father commanded success" "a legacy to protect" also hamilton in this song would be Neil and it works so well??? Dorothea is so very Kevin i don't know who's singing the song it could be andrew/neil/jean but the song's subject?? "a queen selling dreams" "A tiny screen's the only place I see you now" So glad you enjoyed them

Every marina song you mentioned is so so him I agree with every choice like take oh no and are you satisfied and shake them together and you get him at like rock bottom

Also GASOLINE??? like I know the song I was obsessed with badlands but with him???? "Do you tear yourself apart to entertain like me???" "You're part of a machine, you are not a human being

With your face all made up, living on a screen" DO I EVEN HAVE TO SAY ANYTHING THIS SONG WILL BE ON REPEAT FOR A WHILE HOLY SHIT

Afraid?? "When I wake up, I'm afraid

Somebody else might take my place" oh my god?? "And if you leave me, then I'll be afraid of everything" him with andrew??? Hello I cannot take this

Prom queen?? "Turned her tears to diamonds in her crown" got his hand broken and then learned to play with both hands?? Who does it like him??? And then "Dissect my insecurities I'm a defect, surgical project It's getting hard to breathe There's plastic wrap in my cheeks" im obsessed guy grew up in the public eye that's gonna fuck him up so

I can't even pick one line from dare you to doubt me the entire song works so well for him

I HAVEN'T EVEN FINISHED LISTENING TO THE PLAYLIST YET

Young gods from badlands also works if its before he joined the foxes I think

The greatest by sia is so him

Also Gold Rush by taylor swift was actually written for him

The got away from me entirely I'm so sorry

NO NO ITS OKAY you dont need to apologise its such a pleasure to read text walls like this thank you so much :))

(okay this got long i'll put a line break)

Two birds is a kevjean song in my heart cause its just- kevin and jean are so intrinsically tied together, they know each other first and foremost. but the curx of the matter is that kevin had to leave and jean couldnt.

"There's nothing I wont understand" and "I won't let go of your hand" followed by the main verse where kevin is still trying to escape the 'wire' while jean is fixed in place. and they're forced to watch each other from their positions.

and you just know that as kids they swore they'd stay together but the truth is, toward the end of the books, with everything between then they might never play on the same team again. and that is where the song ends almost as abruptly as the books, leaving kevin and jean to build new relationship from the ashes of what they used to have

IM SORRY I JUST HAVE SO MANY THOUGHTS ON THIS

"everybody wonders what it would be like to love you" UM?? "what must it be like to grow up that beautiful" this is so him im sobbing. Kevin who grew up in the public image, future of exy, commodified at birth. (Also is it just me or does it feel like neil josten, 'demisexual who never really understood his own attraction' is listening to this while making a kevin day binder on the run?)

I NEED a compilations of close up shots of kevin in the ravens vs foxes game to "the greatest". Seeing him score with his left hand to it would be euphoric. I just know it. oh to be a random exy fan in the aftg universe.

And I've had Dorothea on repeat cause "are you the soul I met under the bleachers?" NEIL REMEMBERING WHAT KEVIN WAS LIKE AS A KID. "......known for who you know, you know you'll always know me". THIS. So many thoughts. so many. I'm screaming its perfect.

ALSO! CONSIDER: "Through the Ghost" by shinedown. the singer wrote it like speaking to his own reflection. "the world will never know you like I do" ITS SO KEVIN I THINK

IM SO GLAD YOU'RE ENJOYING THE PLAYLIST

yes yes you could tell me that kevin day himself wrote 'dare you to doubt me' and 'afraid' and 'believe' and I wouldnt disagree

wow this got long

[chronurgy]

Yeah! Yeah!!! This post was inspired by someone (I think it might have been you actually lol) saying how much they loved the fact that gale could actually ascend and me grappling for the words to explain why I agreed so immediately with that.

It turns the usual narrative on its head and then says - now what? And I love that instead of saying "the gods don't interfere because ummm don't worry about it" they give us hints in books and through gale about what it means to be a god in faerun. And as you start to put the pieces together then you can start to see why things are the way they are.

And it echoes down the other paths as well, like you said! It matters more that he's willing to give it up when he can really, actually do it. He's not someone you're saving from a terrible fate, he's someone you're helping decide between two equally viable choices and that no matter what you choose, he will be changed. I love that! I love that it's a real genuine choice and raises real questions!

I also love the questions the ending raises about what it means to have access to that much power and how that power can change you and what it means to become something entirely new and how the world might change in response (now that people know it can be done it will be tried again, of course it will (this actually reminds me of the raven queen a little bit hmm)). I think examining those questions (and more like them) feels so exciting in part because those don't usually show up in that sort of story (since people trying to become gods usually just fail) and that makes them feel really fresh.

It's just fun, really fun, to see a character get everything they asked for and then have the narrative turn to look at them and go "so what now? What are you going to do about it?"

I really love that gale can actually Do It. He can actually become a god. Mortals seeking to become gods usually fail which makes it easy to write them off as over ambitious and consumed by hubris, to say that of course they were never going to succeed, they never had a chance. Icarus flying too close to the sun and all that. But Gale does it. He succeeds. And how do we interpret that? How do we read icarus's story without the fall? Can we really call it hubris, call it excessive pride and self confidence, when it works in the end? After all, it's not bragging if you can back it up

[essayofthoughts]

In considering Keyleth’s anxiety and newness to the world, do you think that affected how closely she bonded with certain members of the group at first, verses the relationships she develops with them later once she gets to know them (for example people she’s not typically paired off with like Grog, Scanlan, & Pike), and do you think these bonds affect her later in who she looks up to as inspiration when she becomes a leader?

(Part 1)

We know that Keyleth's early friendships within the group were Tiberius and then later, when he joined them, Percy.

Tiberius and Percy both seem to have gravitated to Keyleth for similar-ish reasons, though not entirely. Tiberius calls Keyleth "Highness" and seems to seek her company in part as another highborn person (though it's innaccurate as the Ashari don't really have a class structure as we'd think of it, according to Marisha and Matt and Keyleth was apparently uncomfortable with the term) and in part because she is similarly magically skilled - remember, Pike joined the group later as well, only a little before Percy, and much of the group, Tiberius and Percy especially, did not really take Scanlan very seriously because of how he acted. Percy may have gravitated to Keyleth due to her social status but it's made clear by Taliesin that Percy found some kinship with Keyleth due to that weight of assumed responsibility - it's not class or social rank so much as that sense of duty. For all that Percy and Keyleth argue at times they do both agree that leaders should serve their people; Percy can be callous but he does think about the long term benefit to people (which is why he thinks he's damned for making guns) and Keyleth is incredibly conscientous about how her actions impact others (remember her apologising down listening spell to Ripley for them insulting her?).

Vax changes things a little. Percy is basically built on repression and a willingness to compartmentalise, to do what is needful regardless of personal feelings and to, entirely aware of the morality of a choice, make what he deems the best long-term decision even if it's awful. If Keyleth had looked solely to Percy she would have lost the heart and conscientiousness that makes her her. Tiberius doesn't really seem to think of leading, he just does, and seems to take the fact of his rank and social status to be enough of a reason for what he wants to do to work. If Keyleth had followed Tiberius' example she would have become quite entitled.

Instead... there's Vax. Who encourages her with the idea that her thoughts and feelings do matter, that she shouldn't have to set aside her worries when their choices are limited but that they should do what they can to find another choice, a new option, a way to make up the difference. Vax reminds her that they feel things for a reason and to ignore those feelings just isn't good for you.

Vax would know. Vax seems to have been dealing with depression for a good chunk of his life.

There's also Vex, who Keyleth doesn't have a huge amount of 1-on-1 time with but we know she looks up to her immensely. Vex who's always making sure they have money, always haggling them the best possible deal, always taking care of everyone in this big overarching way while Vax looks at the nitty-gritty emotions. I think it helped Keyleth to see that even people as similar as the twins could be drastically different and approach things in drastically different ways - and that both helped. Both kept them alive and well and gave them those chances to be happy.

I think Pike very much helped Keyleth ease up with religion. We know the Ashari don't tend to be terribly religious - while some worship gods they don't seem to be very organised in the doing so - and we know that Keyleth in particular does not agree with blind faith in the gods. It's a good thing there's Pike: even when a god is ostensibly good Pike twice threatens gods if they hurt her friends. She says that if the Raven Queen doesn't change Vax for the better then she [Pike] and her [the RQ] are going to have a problem. She damn near demands that Pelor give them back Vex. Pike believes utterly in Sarenrae's teachings and is stubborn and fierce enough that I genuinely think that if Pike was ever told by Sarenrae to do something against Sarenrae's teachings her response would be "Who are you and what have you done with Sarenrae?" - demanding answers and an explanation before even considering doing as told, and looking into alternatives as the first option.

Grog, we know, helped Keyleth understand how and when anger could have a purpose - something I firmly believe he and Pike bonded over - and I think that helped her understand that she could feel while doing things. Not just that her feelings were good - but that her feelings could drive her choices. She didn't have to aim for Percy's constant endeavour towards (and failure at) objectivity, she could allow her emotions to exist and be a part of why and how she did things. That she could care about things and that could matter.

Scanlan taught her to approach things with humour, to remember that there can be cheer in things and to take cheer when one can. I think he also taught her not to trust anyone absolutely: that even when people claim they're fine, compare their words to their actions and be sure. It's better to check in one time too many than not to check in at all.

As for her inspirations as a leader - Keyleth gave a lovely speech when she became Voice of the Tempest. I recommend revisiting; it's extremely good.

[voidendron]

tagged by @vespertine-legacy for a Get to Know the Blogger - thanks, November! :D

1. why did you choose your url?

okay, so there's actually a bit of story behind it so this answer's gonna be long.

I was a roleplayer...god. years ago (6? ish years ago?), for the Transformers fandom, and because of the character I played, I got called "Blitz" and the nickname just kinda stuck, even after I left that fandom. before I'd realized I was trans, my username had "Queen" in it, and I had a separate account for RPing as that character. well, I had both accounts logged into the chat at the same time once cause I'd been chatting on my main, then decided to hop onto the RP one and forgot to disconnect my main (DeviantArt Chat, haha), someone didn't know which one to tag to get my attention, so just caps-locked BLITZQUEEN at me

it didn't take long for me to change my user to that. I eventually drifted away from that fandom, but I decided to name my mascot Blitz for the nostalgia

I started to get uncomfortable with my user, realized I was trans, and started looking for alternatives to the "queen" part of it. I came across the word "indite" which is a synonym for "write." I liked how symmetrical the I's were from each other in "Blitzindite," so decided to roll with it

so yes. my username is literally just "Blitz Writes" (it's also why my writing tag is "blitz indites")

2. any sideblogs?

@thevehszlegacy - where I keep track of my SWTOR OCs. needs updated, but soooo nice to have for sorting reasons

@swtor--screenshots - haven't posted there in a long while, but as the username says

@fr-thecollectors - my Flight Rising blog. currently in an inactive phase on FR, but I still adore my dragons there

@jse--deep-blue-sea - I had a crossover fic from my previous fandom that I stopped writing like two years ago, but decided to try and at least finish it now (mostly bc of the Subnautica part of the crossover). I only post chapters there so I can keep this blog to Star Wars content

I've got a few others I don't really touch anymore, but these are the notable ones

3. how long have you been on tumblr?

2018

4. why did you originally start your blog?

JSE and Markiplier Egos

5. why did you choose your icon?

my current one is my SWTOR main, but I usually have a gas mask one because my mascot has one in place of his face

6. why did you choose your header?

Aesthetic™

but I just really really love that screenshot. one of my favorites I've ever taken

7. what's your post with the most notes?

art from my previous fandom. not gonna link it because of eyestrain (glitching effects) and blood/gore. in this fandom, my post about being able to use headpieces (even the toothpick!!!!) to hide Vette's shock collar in vanilla

8. how many mutuals do you have?

uhhhhhh

idk

is there even a way to check that?

9. how many followers do you have?

249

10. how many blogs do you follow?

71

11. have you ever made a shitpost?

yeeee. my followers are probably tired of my dumb posts tbh aksjld;sldk

12. how many times do you use tumblr a day?

If I'm on my laptop, I have it open. so I'll just say "quite a bit" and leave it at that

13. have you ever fought another blog?

no

14. how do you feel about “need to reblog” posts?

can't stand them. the moment I see "everyone should reblog this" "if you don't reblog-" blah blah blah I scroll past whether I liked/agreed with the post or not, oftentimes without even reading the rest of the post.

15. do you like tag games?

sure! makes me nervous tagging others for them, tho

16. do you like ask games?

yessss I love ask games. haven't been doing em much lately, tho. I should get back into them.....

17. which of your mutuals do you think are tumblr famous?

I...don't actually know. but I know some of them are more fandom-famous

18. do you have a crush on a mutual?

nah

tagging: @thedinalixlegacy @raven-of-domain-kwaad and whoever else wants to do it! like I said, tagging others makes me nervous 😅

[xbellaxcarolinax]

Forging A Heart (Ivar the Boneless) 27- The Raven Queen

Pairing: Ivar x Artemis (OFC)

Word Count: 4006

Warnings: Implied fighting.

AN: One more chapter and an epilogue.

26- The Feline King

...

"Do not look so nervous," Ivar's gentle tone breaks into Artemis's thoughts. He reaches over from his throne to grab her hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze, "You have nothing to fear."

"I am not afraid," Her eyes shift to his, giving his hand a squeeze in return, "What I feel is guilt."

"You should not be riddled with guilt, you've done nothing wrong."

"I am taking a child away from her family."

"She is my niece," Ivar argues, "She will be among family."

"But she would not yet understand the circumstances that I have put her in."

"Stop your worrying," He tells her, "Besides, we do not even know if my brothers will agree."

"They will agree," Her reply was quick and stern, "They have no other option."

"Then let us think of this as an accomplishment on your part, hmm?" Ivar squeezes her hand again, reaching over to brush his lips over her knuckles in a kiss. Artemis turns to offer her husband a smile to which he returns. They both look towards the doors once Hvitserk and Heamund enter with Bjorn and Ubbe in tow. Torvi was absent.

"It is good to see you again, Artemis," Bjorn comments when he finally reaches them, arms crossed over his front as usual, "Though it is a shame it has to be under such circumstances." The Queen nods in acknowledgement.

"I'm sorry if I have caused you and Torvi any grief." She replies back. Perhaps it was too much for her to handle.

"She is a bit...unwell, I'm afraid." Replies Ubbe, his blue eyes shifting toward a silent Ivar. Artemis turns to look at Ivar, and he only rolls his eyes at Ubbe's statement, but motions for her to continue. He wanted his wife to handle it, and continues to watch them with curious eyes.

"I...am sorry to hear that. Please send her our regards," She says after a moment, "I understand you have come to a decision."

"Yes," Bjorn replies bitterly, "We agree to your terms." Artemis felt her heart hammering in her chest in both excitement and grief. Her plan worked, and she would be taken more seriously as Queen, but she would hurt others in the process, and that was a burden she'd carry with her for quite some time. She was sure that Bjorn and her were both even at this point.

"Excellent," Ivar finally says with a clap of his hands, "Then it's settled."

"You keep your end of the bargain, and I'll keep mine," Bjorn mutters, eyes icy as he watched the pair. Ivar's demeanor immediately changes, like a wolf preparing to attack, but before he could utter any harsh words, Artemis speaks quickly, placing a hand on her husband's knee.

"With all due respect, Bjorn, you came to us for help. I do not think it wise for you to make such statements," Ivar huffs but let's her speak her kinder words, "But of course, if we have your word, then you have ours. Hedeby will be yours come Spring." She finishes, standing up and walking directly in front of Bjorn. She turns her head up to get a better look at the giant man.

"Asa will be safe with me," She says quietly, watching the surprise swim in his eyes, "But do not cross me, Bjorn Ironside. I may have favored your plight, but my loyalty lies with Ivar and Kattegat." Her voice was stern, enough to shock both Bjorn and Ubbe. Her eyes shift to Ubbe as if giving him warning as well.

"You are not the girl I found hiding in a crate quite some time ago." Bjorn mutters, and Artemis could have sworn she saw the beginnings of a smirk curving at the corners of his lips.

"That girl is gone." Was her simple reply, whirling round to walk back to her grinning husband.

...

Yule had reached Kattegat.

Yuletide was the time where the people came together and celebrated the winter solstice for about 12 days. All was arranged by Ivar himself, who so wished to keep the memory of his mother alive through her traditions.

Holly was brought in, along with evergreen, decorating the entryways, windows, around the fire pit, and every other nook and cranny that it could be hung from.

"It is to ward off winter demons," Ivar teases his wife, using a tone one would use on a small child. She snorts, stepping close to an evergreen branch that was neatly wrapped around the armrest of her throne by Geirdis's skilled hands. She touches the thick leaf, enjoying the smooth texture on the pad of her thumb. "They are also for protection." He continues, watching her with keen eyes.

"Protection?"

"Evil spirits," He begins with that childlike tone, "Or evil brothers." Artemis pulls a face and he shrugs, slowly walking over to her. He bends over, placing his chin upon her shoulder and wrapping an arm about her waist.

"Look up," He says against her ear, and she does, her curious eyes landing on the plants hanging above both thrones, and around the perimeter of the ceiling. They were equally green, with little white berries nestled within.

"What are those?"

"Mistletoe." He answers, and Artemis smiles at the odd name.

"And what powers do they possess?"

"Prosperity," She hums in understanding, "And fertility," Ivar moves his large hand to rest flat against her stomach. She turns her head slightly to catch his eyes, shining like jewels as they always did. Where she believed would be disappointment was something else.

Hope.

"You know," He continues, "There is a tradition that comes with the mistletoe," His wife's eyes shift back to look at the foreign plants above them.

"What's that?" His calloused fingertips graze her cheek before placing gentle pressure against her skin to turn her head back to his. She gets a quick glance at his eyes again, now gleaming with mischief, before he places a kiss to her mouth. It was soft and simple, almost innocent, but when he grinned against her lips, she knew it was only a sample of what was to come later.

...

They were to celebrate a rebirth.

They celebrate the return of the sun and longer days. They thank the gods and pray for a successful and plentiful harvest.

They celebrate the rebirth of Ragnar's legacy. A new King, a new Queen, and a new Kingdom.

And for once, everything seemed at peace.

Ivar organized feasts that delighted his people, and much to his pleasure, his Queen. Though Artemis had experienced her first Yule celebrations a year prior, she didn't have much to celebrate at the time. Slaves were to help organize the feasts, not partake in them for obvious reasons, and so, she had no love for such merriment back then.

This all was different now, much different.

She was no longer on the sidelines, waiting to refill Ivar's cup. As Queen, she would be the center of these traditions beside the King, and it was their responsibility to uphold such customs.

Aslaug would be proud, Ivar had no doubt.

For each of the 12 days Artemis was given a new wreath, which were strategically placed into her hair, the bright green leaves of evergreen, holly, and mistletoe a great contrast against the dark strands. She wore dresses of deep red, vibrant green, and shining gold. She was the perfect image of a Norse Queen, and the people loved her and her strong commitment to their ways.

She found herself smiling and laughing, whether it was through Hvitserk's silly stories, or even Heahmund and his stealing glances towards Geirdis, who was given the nights off to enjoy the celebrations. Aria was always lost within the drunken crowd, dancing with Dafi.

Ivar downed cup after cup of ale, as if competing with Hvitserk on which of them could out drink the other. He too was always dressed well, wearing fine tunics to match the colors his wife wore, and his hair styled in intricate braids and beads down to the nape of his neck. No one could deny how handsome the King was, nor how the happiness that radiated off him that hadn't been seen for quite some time.

Ivar's brothers and Torvi did not attend the celebrations. An invitation was extended to them on behalf of the Queen, but they politely refused. Ivar didn't mind, nor did he want them to attend the celebrations anyway. Artemis on the other hand was displeased, but she sent food and gifts for the children to make up for it.

Everything was perfect, and for the first time in a long time, Artemis felt she was among family.

...

The small child was pushed forward, her little hands forming tight fists into her mother's skirts that only became tighter when she was ushered forward.

"Little niece," Ivar begins, "Asa, why do you hide from us?" The little blonde girl hides behind Torvi, poking out her head to glance at her frightening uncle and his metal legs. She doesn’t respond, but tugs at her mother's dress, looking up at her with the blue eyes of Ragnar.

"You scare her," Torvi says with a frown, bending down to grasp her daughter's shoulders, "Asa, my love, do you remember what we spoke about?" The child nods, fiddling with her chubby fingers.

Artemis watches the young girl, a frown forming on her lips. Such sadness filled her heart, a great contrast against the feelings of love and warmth from Yule.

"You must stay with your Uncle Ivar for some time, sweetheart." Torvi’s eyes watered, fighting against her tears that threatened to escape. Bjorn stood behind them, stoic as ever, but he too was frowning, "Hali, your father, Uncle Ubbe and I will be in Hedeby, remember?" The child nods again, her lip pushing out in a sad pout.

"I don't want you to leave."

"I know, my beautiful girl, but Queen Artemis will be with you. You will never be alone, hmm?" Torvi glances up at Artemis, her eyes hard and threatening. Asa turns her little body to look at the Queen who was not as intimidating as her scary uncle. The young girl saw the Queen smile and watched as she stood from her throne, walking over to kneel before her.

"Hello Asa, I do hope you remember me?" Asa nods and Artemis offers her another smile, "I can't wait for us to have fun together, would you like that?" Asa sniffles but nods her head.

"I like your dog." She mutters, pointing at Heracles. The dog sat obediently beside Ivar, his large head under Ivar's caressing hand.

"He's a great companion," Artemis tells her, "And you will be able to play with him whenever you wish." The child's eyes suddenly light up and sparkle, and she whirls around to look up at her mother.

"Can I mama?" Torvi finally let's her tears fall, falling to her knees and pulling her daughter into a tight hug.

"Of course you can, my dear girl." The scene was enough to make Artemis's own eyes water. She was ripping away this child from her mother just as she was ripped away from her father. Her eyes shift to Bjorn, who says nothing still, arms crossed. It seemed he was thinking the same. How funny the fates were.

"We leave for Hedeby in the morning," Ivar announces, catching everyone's attention, "Get some rest, we will gather for departure at dawn."

...

It was a quiet evening. Artemis listens to the crackling fire, along with Ivar's steady heartbeat below his tight chest.

"I will miss you." She mumbles into his neck, nestled comfortably under the furs. She could hear Asa's gentle breathing from the opposite side of the chamber, where a bed was made for her.

"It will only be a few days." He chuckles, placing a kiss atop her head.

"I know," She says sadly, "But I worry for your safety. We've never been apart." Ivar smiles at her words. It was true, they were glued to each other's side since she first arrived in kattegat.

He lets out a sigh, holding her tighter in the best comfort he could give. He too was worried, not for himself, but for his wife, who would be in charge of Kattegat for the time being. His only comfort was that Hvitserk was to remain with her while he was away.

"All will be well, baby bird, I promise."

...

"You're not going to cry, are you?" Hvitserk teases, offering Artemis a small smile that revealed his brotherly nature, one that she herself was robbed of at a young age. He stood beside her on the beach with arms crossed, watching the ships being readied for departure. Men were running about, hauling and loading supplies and other necessities on board the ships.

Artemis smiles back at him, though it doesn't really reach her eyes as she intended. Farewells were already exchanged but still she watched with sad eyes as her husband, his brothers and Heahmund settled in their respective ships.

Aria stood with her Queen, watching Dafi sail off with the King. It was her hope that he might be restored to favor. Geirdis did not attend, though it was noticed that she had been particularly off since the discovery of Heahmund joining the mission.

Little Asa stood in between Artemis's legs, waving enthusiastically at her family. Torvi glances back at them when the boats are being pushed into the sea, her eyes staring intently into the woman who would now be a motherly figure to her daughter. There was a threat behind that look, a silent threat that did not go unnoticed. She gave her the luxury of such looks, as she knew the shieldmaiden was in such pain of being separated from her youngest child.

She sighs, placing her hands on Asa's small shoulders, joining her in waving the warriors off. She catches sight of Ivar again, as if it were the last time she would be seeing him. It certainly felt that way. He chatted away with Heahmund who sat in front of him, his infamous sword on his lap.

Ivar, sensing the gaze of his wife, turns to look at her. He sends her a grin and a wave, a promise of a safe return. He was much more optimistic than she was, but one of them had to be. His confidence was what would help her get through his absence. She could almost read his lips, the ship he was on not far off from the coast.

I will return.

And she finally lets herself smile.

"There it is," Hvitserk says, placing an arm about her shoulders, drawing her close as he begins to wave at the ships that slowly left their line of vision, "I'm sure it will be but a few days. Hedeby is already in a weakening state." He reassures her.

"I hope you are right," She replies quietly, looking down at Asa when she tugs at her skirts. The child raises her arms, and Artemis wastes no time in picking her up and settling her on her hip. Asa was tired, her eyes drooping and her head nestling against the softness of Artemis's cloak.

"Let us head back," The Queen announces, and Hvitserk signals for their small entourage to head back to the Great Hall.

...

It was the middle of the night.

She must have been dreaming of ravens again, the cawing echoing in her mind, persistent, like a mantra. Except she wasn't dreaming at all, and she realizes this when the cawing was followed by Heracles barking. She blinks, slowly sitting up while rubbing her eyes. The cawing continued, and Heracles has not ceased in his barking, an unusual act as he barked only when something was amiss, which meant...

Artemis shoots out of bed, putting on her dressing gown to cover her sleeping shift, and runs over to Asa who stirs in her sleep, but thankfully did not wake. She wondered how the child slept through such commotion.

Finally turning to the Mastiff, she reprimands him, commanding him into silence, and he does, though he stared directly at the fur covered window, his paws bouncing in anticipation.

Walking over to the window she pulls the fur curtains away, revealing a raven flapping its wings vigorously. It cawed a few times, flying off when she opened the window, and the sight behind the glass made her gasp. The few candles lit in the chambers was enough to outline the dead body of a man lying on the ground just below the window.

There was sudden commotion in the hall before she heard Hvitserk's voice.

"Artemis, I'm coming in!" He shouts from behind the leather dividers, bursting in with a hand over his eyes.

"I'm decent," She says to him frantically, her eyes taking over his disheveled form, "What's happened to you? What is going on?"

"We've been attacked," He replies, wiping the back of his hand over his brow. He was heaving, hair loose from its braid and plastered onto his face, his hands dotted in blood. He held his axe in a tight grip, the edge of the blade covered in red.

"Attacked? Ivar has only been gone 3 nights!"

"And they think us vulnerable. I need you to remain here with Asa. Tordis will be with you."

"Are you hurt?" She questions, and he immediately shakes his head in response.

"I'm alright. What I need to be sure of is that you are protected."

"What is happening outside?" Hvitserk sighs, going over to lean against Ivar's desk.

"It was a small rebellion." He mutters, watching Artemis's features change from concerned to fearful in a matter of seconds.

"What? A rebellion?"

"Lagertha's supporters." Artemis wanted to scream, but instead she chose to bite her tongue, mindful of the sleeping child. Instead, she puts her hands to her face, pushing away her hair in frustration.

"Everything is under control, you have no reason to worry."

"I am tired of others telling me not to worry, of course I will worry!" She bites out, and Hvitserk frowns at the outburst, "Has anyone else been hurt?"

"Only the attackers," He replies, his eyes shifting towards Asa who slept soundly, "They have been arrested and rounded up."

"Take me to them." She tells him immediately, already searching her chest for her cloak.

"No, I think it best for you to remain here."

"Hvitserk," Artemis turns to him, mustering all the patience she had in the world as she placed her cloak over her shoulders, "There is a dead man right outside my window." Hvitserk pulls his brows together in confusion, moving over to the window to peek out.

"By the gods." He groans, resting his head against the wooden panel.

"I will have Tordis and Geirdis remain here with Asa. Take me to them, now."

"And what are your intentions, hmm? They wished to harm you, Artemis. You are the Queen, I am to protect you, not bring you closer to the danger!"

"And as Queen, I refuse to appear weak." She says with such authority that it surprised her brother in law. She walks past the dividers with Heracles in tow, already giving orders for Geridis to be fetched.

...

She has never been inside this particular cabin, if that's what you could call it. It was more like a dungeon, a place to house criminals until a verdict against their crimes could be decided.

The roof had an opening where the moonlight was allowed to shine through along with the stars, a hopeful last view for those who would surely die. It had rained the night before, the ground a muddy mess. There were only a few men really, one woman, and a young man, about 5 in total.

Entering with Hvitserk, and another trusted man of Ivar's called Whitehair, they approach the small group of rebels, now covered in mud.

"The Seer had warned me of those who would continue to conspire." She announces to them, stepping closer, but stopped from Hvitserk's hand on her wrist.

"You shouldn't go any further." He warns her but she ignores him, removing herself from his grip and slowly making her way towards the rebels. Their hands were chained, as well as their feet. She then snaps her fingers, and Heracles enters, his big paws stomping deep into the mud, already growling at the small group. They all move away automatically in fear.

"If they wish to cause further harm, then I'm sure my beast won't hesitate to keep them in their place." There was so much venom in her voice, an unfamiliar tone to those who knew her well, and it was quite the shock to see the Queen filled with such fury.

"You decide to attack Kattegat as soon as Bjorn leaves. Such a small group. I do not see how that makes any sense?" She questions, "Why not leave with him if you had such loyalty towards his mother?" Though most remained quiet, one decided to answer.

"Bjorn is weak," He spits out, "Lagertha's son was unable to avenge her properly."

"So my death is the answer to all your problems, hmm?"

"It would be a start." The man mutters, and immediately Whitehair walks over, backhanding the man roughly.

"Respect the Queen." He speaks quietly but menacingly, walking back over to stand beside her.

Her eyes scanned each of them individually, all of them slightly familiar to her, and all of them hailing from Hedeby. Her eyes finally fell on the youngest of them. It was Arne, Master Hagen's young apprentice. His eyes were wide when she bent down to get a better look at him. He was wounded, his side slashed and bleeding, no doubt by Hvitserk's blade. He groans from his quick movements to move away from her.

"I did not think you capable of such things, Arne. You had such great potential," She says sadly before turning towards Hvitserk and Whitehair, "Fetch a healer."

"What for?" Hvitserk demands.

"He needs to be treated."

"You mean to care for the boy?"

"He will die if he bleeds out."

"He will die anyway once Ivar returns. He will not hesitate to order their deaths." Hvitserk says in frustration. Artemis stands, looking down at those who did not have the courage to look back up at her.

"Then at least he'll die the way he deserves." She says quietly.

...

When she returned to her chambers she was surprised to see the raven. Its claws were embedded deep into the wooden frame of the bed. She must have left the window open before she left.

"I tried to get it out, My Queen, but it refuses," Geirdis says tiredly, sitting next to Asa's sleeping form, "I didn't know what else to do, so I left it there."

"It's alright." Artemis replies cautiously, her eyes focused on the black creature, its beady eyes boring into her own. She approaches it slowly, raising a finger to brush over its tiny head, and it let's her.

"It is an omen," The blonde girl says, "The gods are with you, My Queen." Artemis could hear Heracles in the hall with a thrall, whinning to be with his mistress, but she momentarily ignores him, keeping her focus on the raven.

And perhaps Geirdis was right.

The dead man laying right outside the window was inspected by Hvitserk for any injuries as no other warrior recalled cutting him down, but to everyone's surprise, he had none to show for, yet there was no pulse felt. The man was as dead as the one's during the war for Kattegat, the 4 that had attempted to attack her.

The story circulated around the kingdom, how the Queen was protected not only by her guards and warriors, but by the gods themselves. The raven that now made a home in the Great Hall was enough for the people to believe that such talk was true.

No trouble had stirred after that incident. ...

@heavenly1927 @didiintheblog @leilabeaux  @jzr201 @inforapound @a-mess-of-fandoms @rastakami23 @ostra814​ @zumzum96​

[utilitycaster]

Maybe this is too spicy a question, but what is the petty reason for why someone would want Laudna's potential new patron to be The Raven Queen/Vax? I personally don't want to see it because I'm tired of all the C1 connections, but the people who I've seen want it *seem* well intentioned. Why do you think it's so bad?

We'll start with the petty reason, and to be clear, I do not think this is anyone's motivation; I think people want it for reasons that I do not agree with, but are not ill-intentioned. Anyway: for some reason that I truly do not know, a small but loud group of people who are specifically huge fans of Marisha detest Liam. I don't know why, because first, like it or not, no one on Earth or in/en route to the International Space Station is a bigger fan of Keyleth than Liam; and second, I actually find Marisha and Liam to be some of the most similar in the cast in terms of acting/RP style and thematic preferences. So, were Marisha to choose to have Vax as a patron, it would make those people lose their damn minds and this would be funny for a day or so. However, there is nothing else to recommend it and "it would be mean to people I find annoying" isn't a good reason.

As for why I actually think it's bad: I do legitimately think the depth of C1 connections we have already is a problem for "overshadowing Marquet and cutting off more interesting avenues of the story that are in Marquet" reasons (and "many people who did not watch C1 do not have any reason to give a fuck about Vox Machina" reasons). So retreading the same territory, whether it is Vax or the Raven Queen - who was pretty extensively explored as a deity, and the interesting things about her are more in the Calamity-era realm of research rather than as a source of power - is in and of itself very uninteresting. Add that to the fact that I personally find Vax to be like, middle of the pack of Vox Machina as a character and the subsequent idealization of him post-mortem to be generally nauseating (and to be clear: I think he's a good character, I just am more interested by many other members of Vox Machina), and the fact that we've really only explored strong connections to a handful of Prime Deities, and I find myself asking "what if we like, chose to look into every part of the massive world that has been created instead of walking in increasingly tight little circles over ground we've already tread?"

But, more seriously, it belies a complete misunderstanding of The Raven Queen, who hates the undead and sees them as a perversion of life. She's not going to, you know, personally kill Laudna, since Delilah's the problem here; but I highly recommend looking up the Raven Queen's commandments, which boil down to "Death is natural and normal; Undeath is an atrocity to be punished; and those who defy fate must also be punished". Let's be real, Bells Hells are probably already on her watchlist for embarking on this specific resurrection. The Raven Queen is sitting in her domain eating goth popcorn with Vax and saying "you know, I knew I always liked your brother-in-law! He made some salient points back there!"

It is also a complete misunderstanding of Laudna, who is somewhat adrift and has no particular regard for fate nor issues with death. Basically: so long as Laudna is still a Hollow One, it's not happening. If she's returned to life in full it would objectively require a complete warlock subclass change (The Raven Queen is NOT granting powers to an undead, folks, and paladin is actually laughable as a suggestion - setting aside the 5 strength score, Laudna lacks the temperament, at least at this juncture) and significant penance. Honestly shadow sorcerer alone likely already pushes Laudna into "still probably not on the Raven Queen's Nice list", and Otohan Thull is, lest we forget, a Raven Queen worshiper which makes this suggestion even fucking weirder like, Laudna finally gets free of her first murderer to cozy up to the god of her second?

In general: there are quite literally dozens (well. like 2 dozen) more interesting potential warlock patron sources whom we've barely seen, should Laudna wish to make a new pact. Why choose someone we've seen so extensively and who fundamentally conflicts with the core premise of the character?

[aegor-bamfsteel]

Yo man, I hear that the Blackfyres and their supporters were Conservative, sexist, brutish usurpers who couldn't stand to see a feminist king on the throne but here you are, an honest to God bra burning, women's lit thumping feminist unironically supporting the Black Dragon. In this entire fandom you're the only person I've found openly supporting them. If you don't mind me asking, why do you like them so much?

Hey dude, you’re asking me to talk about sexism, fandom hypocrisy, and my Blackfyre love in an inflammatory way that could result in getting me in trouble with the fandom? I probably shouldn’t be answering this, but ok. This has been sitting in my inbox for a week, and let no one say that I leave any ask unanswered. Wankery found under the cut:

Eyy dude, what if I told you that the perception of Blackfyres as sexist, brutish usurpers in fandom is largely due to some prominent people’s intellectual elitism and projection of neoliberal political views? Aspects of GRRM’s writing like the unreliable narrator, villains-are-heroes-from-another-side, and history is written by the “victors” are given no credibility in favor of condemning the Blackfyre supporters as racist, sexist, and ableist (?) in fandom. I’m extremely annoyed that no one seems to be asking the sort of questions or making the sort of connections that I have due to this blanket ban on Blackfyre sympathy. I’ve answered your broader question on why I supported the Blackfyres in an earlier ask (they were more honorable, less absolutist and cruel than the Targaryens, even demonstrated some meritocracy, and most died horrifically) so I will try to answer based on the sexism angle: How come I like the Blackfyres so much and support woman’s liberation at the same time?

First of all, you come into my askbox and tell me that Daeron II was a feminist king? Nah bro. A real male feminist ally in a position of power would’ve passed laws to ensure his father’s predatory behavior would be banned. He would’ve been trying to apologize for the way he and his father treated the Bracken sisters and actively sought to make amends instead of making the situation worse. He could’ve given widows a pension or granted certain protections to mothers with illegitimate children. He could’ve opened up exit shelters for prostituted women wanting to learn a trade, as Empress Theodora did back in sixth century AD Byzantium. Why does fandom think he is so Feminist™ when he did so little for women? Are they referring to him having Princess Elaena as an unofficial advisor while her husband Ronnel Penrose was Master of Coin, a man who could barely string two numbers together? (Which really undermines the claim that Daeron was a reformer who chose wise men as councilors, since he selected an incompetent based on his own family status) Might I remind everyone that Daeron arranged Elaena’s second marriage in the first place, a woman 3 years his elder who had been locked in prison for 11 years by her brother, bore illegitimate twins by her cousin, forced to wed an old man by her uncle/Aegon, and may have been forced into sleeping with the horrific Aegon IV? You’d think after enduring so much at the hands of her male relatives, the Kind™ Daeron would’ve backed off, but she has to pay for his son Aerys’ failed marriage by sacrificing her hard-won independence. How feminist. But I guess it’s OK, because after Ronnel died Daeron generously gave his blessing when she wed someone she truly loved! I can’t imagine she felt much affection for this entitled shit. But maybe the Great Fandom Minds™ are referring to how Daeron treated his wife Myriah, who is a blank slate in terms of personality and political actions? I can’t even think of any other names of women Daeron might’ve canonically “empowered”, so how exactly is he a feminist? And why does thinking he was a self-serving politician who treated all of his family members except his sons like expendable trash make me sexist? Do tell, Fandom Minds who know so much more than I.

By contrast, how does liking Daemon Blackfyre and thinking he’d be a better king than Daeron make one sexist? Eustace Osgrey said that he hung out with warriors rather than septons and women, but GRRM himself said that Daemon did have female followers (some we know even participated in the Second Blackfyre Rebellion, like Ladies Vyrwell and Smallwood. Not to mention the cause owes its continued strength after Redgrass to Queen Rohanne) who were “drawn to him.” There’s the rumors that Daemon thought that he could marry Princess Daenerys and Rohanne of Tyrosh, but even the biased Maester Yandel said that claim only developed long after the wedding from a few Blackfyre supporters, which is a few steps removed from the original source. I believe that version of the story was an attempt by the Westerosi Blackfyre supporters to acknowledge Rohanne of Tyrosh’s invaluable contributions to the cause of the exiles while still maintaining the romanticism of a Daemon/Daenerys forbidden romance. It absolutely blows my mind that Daemon gets more flak for what he might have said at fourteen than Daeron does for helping a teenaged girl and her two-week-old son get banished for something her father said. Because Daeron is called “the Good” and thus incapable of doing wrong, obviously.

But outrageously, the fandom has to headcanon abusive behavior on Daemon to make him look like a villain. Seriously, I’ve heard people claim he was an abusive father to Daemon II, cheated on or never loved Rohanne, would have killed his nephews, and tried to rape Princess Daenerys based on no canonical evidence (in fact, the evidence goes against the honorable father of at least nine presented in canon). Even a Daemon-hater like Yandel had to concede that Daemon’s love was for the mother of his children to whom he was married for 12 years. Daemon died protecting his son Aegon from the Raven’s Teeth arrows; he’d never hurt his children. As for the children of others, his faction during the First Blackfyre did not kill children (in fact, Quentyn Ball spared Lady Penrose’s youngest son, some say on Daemon’s orders), especially not those too young to fight. The fandom’s portrayal of Daemon as a vicious monster really serves to emphasize how little evidence they have that Daeron II was a truly good person; the man with grudges against two of his father’s underaged rape victims isn’t a hero, so they have to make his rival an even bigger villain despite it being complete nonsense in canon? Can I have at least a balanced depiction of a Daemon who loved his wife and kids, even if they do think he was an ambitious reactionary?

An especially infuriating piece of fandom hypocrisy is that to make Daemon sexist, they have to demonize or erase all of the female influence in his life. Example one is that for his first 12 years, he was raised as the son of Daena the Defiant, who GRRM said in an SSM raised him alone in the Red Keep. Some people in fandom claim she was an ambitious woman who wanted a son so she could be Aegon’s Queen over Naerys, which is a claim so insulting in its wrongness (Daena could’ve been Queen in her own right, having an illegitimate son actually hurt her chances of queenship and a stable future, she referred to Daemon as hers alone so she never wanted to acknowledge his father, she never agreed to wed a man after Baelor, etc) I’m shocked the people who make it can call themselves feminists with a straight face. Others are kinder toward the Daena-Daemon relationship, saying that Daena must’ve died before Daemon was four so she couldn’t pass on her ideals of honor and self-sacrifice for one’s children; this completely ignores what GRRM said about Daena “raising” Daemon alone, meaning he knew her well enough to remember her. Both these ideas about Daena either demonize one of the most beautiful mother-son pairs in Targaryen history (she loved that kid so much she put him ahead of her own reputation and chance at being Queen. I cry.) or they take away her influence in order to claim that Daemon had no female role models growing up. A mother like Daena, strong-willed, independent, a sportswoman, would’ve doubtless have shaped Daemon’s opinions on women, and especially on mothers of bastards. He may have grown up knowing a woman didn’t necessarily need a husband to be happy, that she could shoot and ride as well as a man, and that a princess could with smallfolk and minor nobles on her own. She was far away from a submissive woman and was Daemon’s sole parent until he was 12, and you mean to tell me her son was a raging misogynist? Nope, I don’t buy it.

Fandom also erases Daemon’s other important female figure: Rohanne of Tyrosh. Elite Tyroshi women are most similar to elite Dornishwomen out of all the ladies of Westeros; I say this because the Archon’s daughter was to serve as a cupbearer for Prince Doran without having been betrothed to Quentyn, indicating that they are valued as political actors for their families outside of marriage alliances. Tyrosh is a mercantile society where the elites don’t like to fight, which traditionally equalizes roles between the sexes. Rohanne was the reason the Blackfyre cause survived for so long; she didn’t need help from Bittersteel escaping to her own fucking country, rather the landless Blackfyre supporters needed her protection after they lost everything at Redgrass. Without her giving them a stable base of operations (and certainly using her dowry to pay for their accommodations), they wouldn’t have been cohesive enough for Aegor to create the Golden Company. I realize that Rohanne has very little canonical characterization, but neither do Princess Daenerys and Myriah Martell, and that doesn’t stop Fandom from writing fanfics and meta on these two while ignoring Rohanne. On a similar note, prominent meta writers claim that the Blackfyre cause is obviously based on the Jacobites (no, Daemon Blackfyre was based in part on James Scott the Duke of Monmouth, who was staunchly anti-Jacobite. Just because these writers don’t know about British history in depth doesn’t mean that they can make spurious claims), and use this comparison to make headcanons for how the Blackfyre court in exile operated. For some Unfathomable reason, these headcanons never include the invaluable contributions that the female Stuarts made to the cause; Queen Mary and Princess Louisa were much more popular than the charmless James II and the drunken womanizer Charles III, having great relations with the French court and funding the education of the daughters of Jacobite exiles (it was said that even Queen Anne wept when Princess Louisa died, for she had hoped to wed her son to him). For a fandom who loves to make headcanons about minor female asoiaf characters, and loves to show off its (rather one-dimensional) knowledge of history, I see no such fics and metas for the female Blackfyres. I guess Feminism™ can’t be wasted on the wives and daughters of “traitors.” Just ask Sansa Stark.

To conclude, Daeron II was not a feminist king who raised the status of women in Westeros; in fact, he used his power as prince and king to banish Barba Bracken and wed Princess Elaena off to an ally. Daemon Blackfyre was raised by a strong single mother and was successfully married to an older foreign woman, and enjoyed female support for his cause, so calling him a misogynist seems like a leap to me. I’d make the argument that it’s Fandom with the misogyny problem, as they ignore the suffering, contributions, and characterization of female characters they don’t like in order to prop up a “sexism” narrative that contradicts canon. Just because other people bleat about how sexist, racist, and ableist Blackfyre supporters like me are, it doesn’t mean it’s true.

[the-suriel]

which parts of acowar did you dislike/didn't sit so well for you? i don't want you to get hate or anything but like what did you wish sjm didn't do? x

Hey Nonnie!

Ok. This turned out to be a REALLY LONG list so I’m putting it all under a cut, that way people don’t feel obligated to read this if they are tired of ACOWAR hate.

 If you are one of those people that are really tired of ACOWAR hate it’s totally ok to just scroll down, you do not have to read this.

Here we go… 

1) Mor.

I feel that she was so mistreated in this book. Even in the beginning when Rhys pulls the whole Eris scheme on her and letting her in the dark??? Why? I don’t understand. Why couldn’t he just sit her down before the meeting, explain the situation and ask for her input? Or at least let her know what is happening and give her the choice to stay if she is not ready to face what is possibly the two people that hurt her the most in her life. 

It felt so OOC for Rhys to do that to her. SJMaas is always reinforcing how good he is for always giving everyone a choice, but with Mor that didn’t happen at all. Not only was it cruel to put he in that situation, but as his third, she should have known. She is the Queen of Hewn city she is supposed to know these things before they come into action. 

I hated so much the way she came out. Don’t get me wrong here, I was so so happy to see that we finally get LGBTQA representation, but it was executed so poorly. I mostly agree with what a lot of people have been saying, it felt like a last minute decision on Maas’ part. 

I was also really sad that with the way it was written it almost makes it seem cruel that she didn’t tell Azriel about it for all those years. I just really really hate that? I am not supposed to blame someone for not coming out, everyone takes their own time until they feel comfortable enough to take that step. I feel like it was not ok for SJMaas to write her into that situation. 

And plus it was just kind of unrealistic??  I remember someone on Tumblr pointing this out, now I can’t remember who, but are you really trying to tell me that Mor kept this a secret from her cousin the deamati and her friend the shadowsinger and spymaster for 500 years!!?? They should have found out by this point honestly.

2) The Resurrection

This is more of a personal pet peeve than anything. Maybe this is because I watched TVD for so long, but I really, really hate when people come pack to life like that. It’s fine when it’s someone that was never introduced to the story and was believe to be dead, or when we don’t know for sure if they are dead but when someone drops dead on the ground I expect them to stay dead. 

I could swallow it when it was Feyre back in ACOTAR, I cringed when Jurian was resurrected but I draw the line at Rhys. It felt like cheating, and that’s not something I want to feel a few chapters before the book ends.

3) Tamlin 

Tamlin was a wild ride. His character shifted so much throughout the book, and I understand a fair amount of that is due to the fact that we read the story through Feyre’s point of view. I really wanted to see some closure on the Tamlin plot line. He was such an essential part of Feyre’s arc, and he kind of got brushed to the side in most of ACOWAR. I really wanted to see a scene when they sit down and talk about what happened, I wanted him to recognize his mistakes and perhaps, I dunno apologize. I felt like Feyre still needed to say a few things to him to truly move on (same goes for him honestly). Obviously she has no obligation to have a conversation with her abuser if she does not feel like she is ready, but I think that it would have been a good way to complete her arc. 

4) Lucien

Why did she get rid of him???

I started resenting Lucien a bit after the end of ACOMAF but I was so sold on him again by the start of the book. 

Again Why did she get rid of him??

He had so much to add. why???? It felt like a cop out for not having to deal with elucien in this book.

His absence made me sad :’(

5) The Threads 

 I know, I know, this is just the end of feysand’s arc and there are going to be more books, but the number of unanswered questions I have is very annoying. I have more questions now that I finished the book than when I first started. 

There are going to be more books but that does not change the fact that this is supposed to be the closing book in a trilogy. She should have ended a few more threads instead of leaving it all so open. ACOWAR almost felt like a week second-book-in-a-series. it felt more like a bridge book than the resolution to this section of the story. 

6) Papa Archeron 

Although I did appreciate that he died and stayed dead, I wish SJMaas had explored his relationship with his daughters a bit more. I wanted to see his reaction to them being Fae, or the inner circle’s reaction to meeting the man that gave up on their High Lady when she was a child. It would have been such good character conflict. I also felt like the Archeron sisters deserved more closure than just a last minute funeral. 

7) Mor & Nesta

Why was Mor so mean to Nesta???

That felt so OOC of her. Can she not see that Nesta is going through some shit right now? They all expect Nesta to be very cruel and cold (which I would even argue is just a front [Feyre had literally told Cassian before that she thinks is a front but anyway not the point]) but I really didn’t expect Mor, a 500-year-old woman who has also seen some shit in her lifetime, to act that way to someone. She could have really used Mor’s help. Mor has no obligation to be there for Nesta when she is very rude towards most of them, but it would have been nice to see that friendship blossom.

8) Explanations

This point kind of relates to the previous point on threads. There was so, soo, so much thrown into this book, and not much of it was explained. People have already mentioned the lack in world building in the magic department, but even the subplots were lacking in context and explanation. 

The continent territories that were briefly mentioned were just that, briefly mentioned. I don’t really know what the king’s Ravens were all about (why were they called the Ravens? why did they look like all black and white? was it coincidence? was it just for the aesthetics?) The cauldron was also not developed enough for something that is so significant in the story, we still don’t know what power Mor holds, (The power of truth?? What does hat even mean?) and apparently Azriel can turn into shadows, I think, but like how ???? how did he become a shadowsinger? do the shadows speak to him? And Elain being a seer? Was that explained? How do the death gods work? I thought they couldn’t die. I mean obviously not.

SO MANY QUESTIONS

9) Moriel 

If you were a Moriel shipper you are put in a position where you either resent Mor’s sexuality (WHICH IS NOT HOW PEOPLE SHOULD FEEL, SPECIALLY FOR A BOOK THAT IS SOLD AS YA, A GENRE THAT TARGETS A YOUNG AUDIENCE) or you feel like your feelings toward the ship are/were invalid. 

Moriel, to many of us, was written with the intention of being end game. I don’t think it was even a question for most people. It was almost heartless to give so much hope for a ship and then completely squash it, I don’t think that it was fair to the readers. She should have hinted at it a little more or just written this situation differently so that this didn’t happen. It was sad to see that something that was supposed to be such a positive representation, this strong independent woman that is also a member of the LGBTQ community, get caught in the middle of this. Sarah should have written this better.

10) Feysand

It was nice to see feysand happy but I wish we still got some development in their friendship. They have only known each other for a year, they have only really gotten to know each other 6 months (ish), I felt like their relationship could have been further explored maybe bringing in new sides to their personality.

11) Grammar and Diction

Ehhh well, there is definitely some improvement to be done in this section. It wasn’t horrible and it didn’t damage my understanding of the plot or the character but I have to agree with what people are saying, this book was severely under-edited. 

The most prominent things that drove me insane were the sentence fragments, the use of –dashes– and …ellipses… in almost every page. Oh and the diction. The diction especially though. The one that stuck out to me was how many times she use ‘the former and the latter’ in her sentences. It is a good way to describe thoughts or action, but not when it is used every 3 chapters (I have the ebook, I checked). In my version of the book there is even a quotation mark missing (page 461 I believe). I understand that mistakes happen especially when writing a book this size, but this is a sequel to a best-selling series, and she probably has a whole team of people helping her with things like this.  

Again, it just felt lazy. For a best-selling author, she should not have mistakes like these in her work. It became such distraction that I am now writing about it.

 Anyway, this got a bit long but here are my 2 cents. I hope I didn’t offend or insult anyone, and if I did that was never my intention.