#Unlike Eivor

[fanworldbuildingfun]

A little bit more on Mirage

So far from the dwv comments I get a feeling that the games Mirage would resemble most would be Unity and Syndicate

Except for the purported fame scale, which is closer to Ezio trilogy. The only difference being, I have a feeling there would be no way to reduce fame levels in Mirage?... But that is just my feeling so far

As to why I feel like the rest would be more like Unity and Syndicate? So far the fighting and parkour look the most like those games. Just spruced up with a new game engine and the fluidity that reminds me of Origins

(No offence meant for the rest of Layla trilogy - but Greece did not give as many climbing opportunities that weren't large buildings or cliffs And Valhalla - well. No matter how well you do it, Eivor just feels heavier than either Bayek or Kassandra / Alexious. My pet theory is that it was because she was made with heavy gear in mind, and it carries no matter what you put on her)

I am kind of curious what chain assassination would look and feel like in the end - and boy, do I see a lot of noise around it. Which, fair, right now it looks like something that belongs in Ragnarok DLC. But I do hope there would be some in lore explanation for why it looks like that? E.g. like they did with the whole Asgard sequence for Eivor. Maybe it's just Loki leaking and processing the surroundings at ISU speed instead of regular human speed. And since we play as Basim, we piggyback off that

[recitedemise]

Gale could exercise someone's death as easily as the winds may sway. All the same, with a similar absence of effort, he is capable of tenderness as gentle as a morning--and, perhaps, is a bulwark amidst a storm.

I am, beyond all question and doubt, here for you. You shall never doubt that. No. Carefully, Eivor's memories begin to flow. Dithering like a river and slow with old terror, they encroach on the cradle of the wizard's waiting thoughts. Gale shuts his eyes, breathes, and falls, falls, falls.

Gale lives it. He sees himself in Eivor's eyes, but a few scant feet taller than the sprawling grass beneath them. He feels young with life, spirit bright and honeyed in the bell of their laughter, sunshine ripe in the air with the smell of dessert. It feels so freeing. It feels so merry. And with one blink of his eyes, the smell of sugar fades to fire...and the birdsong to yowling. With the swinging of blades. Gale--Eivor peers now into the dark. Fire springs into the yawning penumbra, so scalding as to threaten him from yards away. He watches his home erupt in flames, crying women bolting with babes in their arms, and there lays mother and father bleeding before him. He feels his heart shatter, and then brother at her side. No. Turn back! We have to help them! But they can't. Then, there lays the woods. Then, there prowls a wolf. And as its teeth tear his throat brother fades away, his bones burst open, his mortal flesh fissuring. He wakes to the moonrise. And he's tied in chains.

The memories fade, rippling with the shiver of a wintry terror. Gale collects himself, wondering, before Eivor's voice returns.

He peers back over. They are older now. There throbs wisdom in their eyes, one that belies years of consistent hardship, and--ah--a vulnerability that comes with trust like theirs. Gale is not one to waste it. He places his hand down, there beside their own. "And there is no part of you that I would not like to know. Heavy as they may be, I will share in those burdens you've carried for so long alone. As I can attest, nothing feels so impossible when you've company to dare it with. Grand company at that."

With a beat of silence, the warmth off his hand bleeding into their own, Gale waits. He is there to hold to, anchor to, if they so need it. "That memory...something came to me as rather familiar: the smell of the arcane. Those fires were not started through traditional means. Whoever had wronged you was steeped in magic--and that's to say nothing of the curse you bear." What a shame. For Eivor, magic has only hurt. Gale breathes, his own orb throbbing. "This may surprise you, but I may understand the scars the Weave may leave. Though there is beauty, too. Those from that night...have you any recollection who they may be?"

His hands were capable of felling many enemies of theirs, and yet Gale had a calmness and steadiness to him. Someone the wolf-kissed felt safe with. It felt... Intimate in the way their worms wiggled to connect - oddly so, but they were glad such a memory didn't have to be recounted by their words alone. Showing felt much better, and with a small grimace on Eivor's face they finally allowed him to have access to those long buried memories. Start from the beginning, they feel - it'd explain it better. All of this started when they were just six years old - he would see them as a child walking around the long house trying to find their father, and all seemed to be pleasant - the smell of mead, treats, and food roasting on the fire - and within a quick second it all changed into a scene with fire and death. It was the night of their parents death, the way their heart sunk, the way their fury built and the blood that filled the air. The burning of buildings and the screams of their people until it all died down eerily. One of the bastards tried to capture them, but their brother swept them up in time on a horse and rode off into a clearing. They couldn't remember how it happened, but they were separated from their brother - all alone in the middle of the woods. Heart racing as they caught eyes with a wolf stalking in the distance - but it seemed much bigger than a normal wolf. It lunges and captures their throat in its maw - its large claw pinning their head down - digging into their skin - death seemed to have its grasp on them until a flock of ravens cut in and saved them. That was the night they had been marked by a wolf- a werewolf, and soon he would have to delve deeper with the help of their worm - 6 years after of turning into a beast. Having to be chained up and muzzled. The night of when one of their clan mates thought to be rid of the curse, but only seemed to make it worse and brought them near death the second time. It was then the clanmate had been banished, and their adopted father made sure that everyone remembered that night so that it may not happen again. After a moment they finally break the connection between their worms. Eivor did not like recounting those nights, but they trust Gale more than words, or even worms could express. ❝... It's not easy thinking about that night, but now you know.❞ The endless trauma they endured since after, and the claws and teeth of the wolf that gave them this condition they seemed to have no cure, and they did not wish to seek for one after. This was now a part of them - a part of them they couldn't take away.

[liyawritesss]

ʙᴇɪɴɢ ʟᴏᴠᴇᴅ ʙʏ ᴇɪᴠᴏʀ ᴠᴀʀɪɴꜱᴅᴏᴛᴛɪʀ ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ɪɴᴄʟᴜᴅᴇ...

Characters: Eivor Varinsdottir(Female Data String) x Black!Fem!Reader

From: Assassin's Creed: Valhalla

Type: Headcanons

Synopsis: When the Jarlskona of Raventhorpe sets her eyes upon you, there is virtually nothing you can do to sway her affection. What would a courtship with Eivor Wolf-Kissed entail?

Warnings: fem!data stream!eivor, cursing, game-canon violence, mentions of injuries and wound dressing

A/N: Started playing AC: Valhalla and honestly? Ubisoft don’t miss when it comes to this franchise. It’s been out for a bit now and it seems to be a bit dry out there, so allow me to feed the blk eivor lovers out there

Tags: @mbakuetshurisprincess @shuriszn @verachii @writingintheshadowsforever @cafehyunji @babyboiboyega @badass-dora-milaje @niyahwrites

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First and foremost, Eivor is an intense lover. There are no if, ands or buts about that. She’s lost everything and worked to regain it all back; her honor, her respect; and if she chooses you to be her lady, then best believe it was a choice made precisely.

You joined Ravensthorpe via trade - you were a fine seamstress looking for a settlement to call home. As you had a skill that could benefit yourself and the settlement, Eivor allowed your transition into the camp. She was impressed by your craftsmanship and with another winter closing in, the town would need all the best weaving and sewing it could get to brace for it.

After your first initial meeting, there were only fleeting moments of which the two of you would greet each other and talk. You were a joy to be around, always sporting a simple smile and engaging in Eivor’s jokes and combatting her sarcasm with your own. You were one of few people who could keep up with her and it sparked a friendship between the two of you.

Though you’d always had an eye for the jarlskona since your arrival - and honestly, who could blame you; the woman was large and brooding, carrying an air of mystery and absolute dominance while simultaneously being a comfort to you - there was a level of hierarchy that had to be maintained. Yes, she was attractive, but she was also your leader.

This is definitely a situation where one person falls first and the other falls harder. And while both of you are good at hiding your feelings (or maybe it’s just both of you are oblivious to the other’s affections), there was no denying that something was there.

Eivor’s realization of her affections comes when she receives her cloak back from you. She had asked you to repair it, as someone had ripped it pretty badly during a raid, because it was her favorite and she never left the settlement without it. It’s through Valka that you learn that the cloak is the last thing she has of her mother who was killed right in front of her when she was young. And while there was very little left of the original cloak to work with, you came up with a brilliant idea that you prayed wouldn’t end in her yelling at you for it.

You’d been wanting to make her a new one anyway, and with the torn one being the right shade of light brown you needed, you decided to use it on the hem and edges of the cloak, thickening it so that the frigid winter air wouldn’t make it through as easily. A wolf pelt was also sewn as the collar for the cloak, and hidden underneath it was a regular hood for when the cold was too much to bear in the face.

It was a fairly simple design, really, fortified by an extra layer of cloth for the cold, but to Eivor, it meant everything. When you handed it to her, she took her time analyzing your handiwork, tracing the edges and the hem of the cloak where it would meet at her chest, remembering the times her mother would hug her from behind in the same manner. Enveloping her in warmth, protecting her from harm.

There was a thudding in her chest that wouldn’t quiet until she returned to the longhouse. It was heavy and loud and unlike any emotion she had ever felt before. It couldn't be compared to the feeling of near-death, nor the ignorant bliss that came from downing endless horns of ale. She wished she could have figured it out on her own what the heaviness in her chest meant whenever she looked at you, but it took Randvi, her brother’s widow, to tell Eivor that she liked you more as just a friend. Whether she wanted to pursue something further than that, however, would be something she had to figure out alone.

In the weeks approaching winter you’d actually been working with Valka in learning skills to be a healer. She’d predicted that this winter would be bad with a lot of sickness, injuries, and deaths. Unfortunately, she was correct. Her cabin became overrun with injured raiders, and of course, Eivor was amongst the ranks.

Valka suggested that since Eivor had some pretty severe injuries (not to mention a history of hallucinations and visions she’d informed you on), that Eivor should be taken care of by you in the longhouse. It took a little bit of convincing of both you and Eivor (though once the healing salve had been applied to her injuries and she’d drunk a brew Valka made, Eivor couldn't put up much of a fight while she was asleep), but nevertheless, you’d started taking care of Eivor in the comfort of her room. To this day, you aren’t sure if she knew what she was doing when she suggested this arrangement, but you’ve always had your suspicions. They don’t call a wise woman wise for nothing.

Weeks went by and Eivor was making a steady recovery, having regained much of her strength and was able to move around on her own now. SO you started coming around less often, which saddened her. One night, while you were cleaning and redressing her nasty shoulder wound, she pointed out the exhaustion that plagued your face and asked you if it would make things easier if you spent the night, and to be truthful in your response.

You admitted that it would be easier, but you had no sleeping clothes and you would have had to travel across the settlement to get them anyway. Eivor offered up one of her shirts a bit too eagerly, though quickly covered it up with an ‘it’s what friends do’, which was a painful statement to say because after being taken care of a dotted on by you for the past few weeks, it became increasingly clear for her that she wanted more than just friendship.

She still doesn’t know what officially solidified it for her, but the moment she sees you in her linen shirt, a particularly large one that hung slightly off shoulder and created a pretty contrast against your dark skin, glowing against the candlelight that flickers throughout the room, she makes up her mind that she will ask you to be hers before the night is over with.

Eivor is no stranger to having to be quick-witted in timely situations, and this is no different. She formulates how she will pose the question to you, shuffling through different starting points, trying to also hold a steady resolve so that she can actually get to the question and not chicken out when things get hot.

Which is exactly what almost happens when you ask to take down her braids that she’s had in for god knows how long, too fixated on healing to really notice her hair needed attention as well. And when she’s met with your hands in her hair, it takes every fiber of her vikingr being to not lose focus.

You’re standing in front of her while she sits on the edge of the bed. You’re rebraiding the two side pieces she normally has in, and there’s talk of the events that happened in your day while you were out before you came to check in on her. You end up moving a certain way that causes you to lose your balance, you almost fall on top of her but she catches you before you do. A crisis averted…

…and yet her hands dont leave your hips. Eivor tries to pull them away, she really does, but she can’t help that they feel right being on your sides. And when you lock eyes the intensity of the atmosphere and in your stares all but thickens, and suddenly Eivor is at a loss of any words she thought she was gonna speak.

Eivor is a skilled warrior, hardened on the battlefield, mind sharpened from years of training and discipline, but it’s the slightest nudge you give her when you lean forward, when you’re looking down at her with your pretty eyes and full lips slightly parted, when you seemingly melt into her hands - its then that every resolve she has falls through the cracks, and she pulls you onto her lap, and kisses you through the searing pain that courses through her shoulder when she encourages you to straddle her.

Eivor is an intense lover. She does properly ask to court you, after catching her breath from the mindblowing kiss she’d stolen from you, and from then on, there’s not a doubt in anyone's mind who has the jarlskona’s favor. She prides herself in having you as her Lady, wanting to spoil you with the riches at her disposal but understands if being dressed up isn’t you’re cup of tea. She grants you the same respect that is expected to be given to her - you are her equal, and she will love you with everything she has until Odin calls her to Valhalla.

If you enjoyed, please leave a like, comment, and reblog for others to see! And don’t be shy to send in a request!

[sleepyconfusedpotato]

Just finished grinding Assassin's Creed Mirage! WOOHOO! ��⁠(⁠ ⁠ಠ⁠ ⁠Д⁠ ⁠ಠ⁠ ⁠)⁠୨

I think it's a deffo wonderful game and a refreshment after the RPG trilogy (it does have RPG elements to it, but still), and it also have some things that are lacking. It reminds me of the good 'ol days, but deffo not on par with the good 'ol days.

Here're some of my thoughts and reviews!

🕌 Sleepy's Assassin's Creed Mirage Review 🗡️

(Spoiler Warning ⚠️ Including the ending ⚠️)

Disclaimer, this is just my personal opinion. You may agree and disagree. I’m just gonna talk a lot because I LOVE Assassin’s Creed with all my heart. Here goes.

VISUALS

(+) Basim Ibn Ishaq, the handsome man that you are… HOLY SHIT (yes I’m adding him as the first plus point of this game what of it). Man's fine AF. 

(+) Baghdad’s really beautiful, nuff said. The color palette is PERFECT - displays the warmth of the atmosphere really well, but also just enough greens and many starking hues of flowers. 

(+) The waters and environment textures are CRISPY.  The detailed patterns on the clothes, the engravings and the state of the arts is really cool. I haven’t really looked a lot into the 800’ Baghdad arts, but I can see lots of good details and art styles. SHOUT OUT TO THE ARTISTS!!

GAMEPLAY - Now here’s what I have a lot to comment on.

(+) Stealth -> I think they did quite good with the stealth. One of the many complaints that I saw on the previous RPG trilogy games was the fact that the main characters/players had no reason to be stealthy, because they can just barge in and defeat the enemies easily. Ubi has marketed the game to be more stealth focused and intentionally made Basim a less of a fighter (make sense, since he came from a thief background, unlike Bayek, Kassandra, and Eivor who are actual trained warriors since they’re kids). However, this brings me to the first lacking point.

(-) Combat -> The combat feels janky. I feel like I’m really fucked up in combat situations if I don’t upgrade my sword and dagger. Like I get it, Basim is not meant to be much of a fighter, but in the beginning parts (or… even the middle parts of the game, let’s be real), I feel like combat is HELL. I forgot the Youtuber who said it, but he said something along the lines of “I’m an assassin, I want to feel like an assassin and want to feel like a badass and can take down many enemies with ease.” And that actually rings true with me. When I’m in combat and countless soldiers are fighting or following me (and I don’t have the smoke bomb with the forgetting effect), I’m most certainly FUCKED. 

(+) The fighting style is cool though, it's stylish and the finishing moves are sick af. It could deffo use some work. 

(-+) Parkour/Movements - It’s alright. It’s most certainly better than the previous RPG trilogy, but it’s definitely not Unity or Syndicate. Sometimes Basim can do something that I didn’t want and I’ve lost count on how many times I got caught and died just from a mis-movement. I literally don’t understand why they don’t use the Unity parkours and combat styles. Unity’s parkour is smooth, swift, and stylish. It feels GOOD. 

(+) Stealing - I’m a loot goblin in games, and believe me, I think I’ve spent like hours just stealing from the entire population of Baghdad that by the end of the game I’m probably richer than the Taxmaster and the whole entire Abbasid Caliphate. It’s fun, it’s easy, but it can sometimes be hard enough to miss. I just hope there’s more variety/difficulty in the stealings in different places – Like maybe in the Round City the diamond thingy is much smaller, or in like for stealing merchants (who has particular fashion/silhouette or have wallets/pouches with different colors) can be harder to steal from but have more rewards and money. 

(-+) Map - OKAY. I love the fact that Mirage has a significantly smaller map than that of Odyssey and Valhalla. It’s focused and it’s much more centered. HOWEVER. For a game this caliber, and with this good of a graphic? It’s much too small and it’s too divided between two parts. Hear me out – The graphics are really cool, but I feel like the map is too divided between – either a densely populated city, or just barren lands of desert. I think the map could be much much bigger with much more collectibles and much more variety in the terrains. Like, for example in Black Flag (The S tier game. Argue with a wall), there’re more than one major city, while in Mirage the map is so very centered (Yes I get it it’s the Round City), but I’d love it if there’s another major city that we can travel to, like Damascus, for instace. + I love the Tales of Baghdad. MORE TALES OF BAGHDAD PLEASE. 

STORY - nOW THIS… I never liked the stories post - Origins and here's why : 

(-) LET 👏 THE ACTORS 👏 DO 👏 MOTION 👏 CAPTURE 👏 - My biggest complaint for the RPG game styles is always about the facial and motion animation. The cutscenes feel DEAD. The eyes are DEAD. I almost can't feel anything. Ubi is rich af, why not use facial capturing? AC3 was the first AC game to use motion capture, and holy shit… it's one of my fave games. Yes. All games, not only AC series. The emotion in their faces, the gestures, the small glances, the little movements - they all decide every character's personality. The reason why I love every AC since AC3-ACOrigins is because the actors pour all their voices, faces, even body movements into the interactions between characters, because they make the stories feel alive. Let the actors be actors. I can rant more but this is already a long post so I'll stop. MOTION 👏 CAPTURE 👏.

(+) I love Basim's origin story. Dude's a 17 year old street thief who got a bit over his head and ended up becoming a fugitive because he killed the fucking caliph himself. That was crazy HAHAHAH anyway even though I think the beginning felt a bit rushed I love it. I just wish they could milk it more.

(+) I love the side characters! Especially Ali (I think he's hot 👉👈 and he's the absolute freedom fighter). Anyway, even though they don’t really do much, they all feel alive and do lots of things (except Roshan prolly HAHAHAH but there's a reason I guess)

(+) Roshan. Mentor and reminds me of Al-Mualim. I particularly love the fact that after all that wise words throughout the game, she literally threatened Basim if he actually went to the underground temple. And when she showed up covered in blood??? And THE TWIST AT THE END??? "Roshan bint La-Ahad". SHE'S ALTAIR'S ANCESTOR. THAT FUCKING SHOCKED ME YOOOO. She's just amazing. 

(-) Pacing - I feel like this is because they’re speeding things up (which is a good thing), the pacing is pretty standard in the beginning, but the ending is a bit too high of a rollercoaster mount. The ending went from 0-100 real quick. I feel like we need a more of a climbing storyline. This is why I kind of don’t agree with the ‘centering’ storyline instead of a linear story. Centering styles of story has no climb in the intensity, and because of that we can’t feel the character developments because he’s supposed to stay the same even though we’ve killed like 3 bosses already. And then when all the underlings are dead, finally the boss racks up Basim’s curiosity super duper high that it becomes too sudden.

(-) Weak Villains - The villains since Origins are always hidden and unknown, unlike the previous games where the Templars are literally KNOWN by the people. I want more villains like Haytham tbh, where he literally doesn’t care about the precusor sites and only wants stability in his reign as a Grandmaster. Or if the villains do care about the Pieces of Eden or have a prior interest of the First Civ, at least let them have an actual personality and character, let them be a menace and a threat since the beginning of the game instead of being the NPC’s we kill to finish the game. Let them challenge our beliefs as an Assassin/Hidden Ones. Let the villains actually have an impact to the main storyline. Imagine in the end Basim and Qabiha really went to the underground temple together, and got confronted by Roshan. That’s where the conflict in Basim climaxed! Imagine the emotion! The drama~! 

(+) How the stories interlinked with Valhalla. Basim is a sage, and host of Loki who sought revenge to Odin (who wronged him). So I don't think Basim nor Loki are evil per se. They're just gray. Now the stories aren't just about Templars vs Assassin, it's more focused towards the First Civilization. It's a bit hard to keep up but it's nothing a bit of reading/looking up some lore videos wouldn't solve.

MISC

We need more outfits! The outfits are far too few for us to choose from! 

Wonderful and mystifying music. Nuff said. Brendan Angelides and Layth Sidiq nailed it. One Republic and Mishaal Tamer’s “Mirage” in on repeat on my Spotify right now.

I love gear chests hunting and all the collectibles. I just wish the map is bigger and there’re more collectibles T_T I’M A LOOT GOBLIN OKAY.

I learn history of Baghdad LFG. I play largely for the stories and not the gameplays, so if there’s a codex entry or any new historical sites I always read it. Learning history doesn’t hurt! 

How I can really relate to the real world. I live in Indonesia where 90% of the people is Muslim (I’m a Christian), so when I here familiar words like Alhamdullilah, Assalam’ualaikum and Wa’alaikumsalam, or see the people praying, the Adzan sounds throughout the city, the people praying towards the Ka’bah, it kinda feels like home! Just hope that they add more funny shit to it though, like “Yaallah Basim! Istighfar!” Or “WALLAHI.” Or more Arabic sayings so we can immerse more to the world.

MAKE BASIM DO THE 5 PRAYERS (maybe when we pass time or after a big mission we come back to him finishing a prayer).

FINAL VERDICT - 7.8/10 -> It’s a focused game, and it really did come back to some of the original elements of AC before the RPG trilogy. It’s not too long and casuals can play it without feeling like we have to grind like Odyssey or Valhalla. Deffo would recommend playing it!

Once again, BRING BACK MOTION CAPTURE ‼️‼️‼️🗣️🗣️

If you did play it gimme some thoughts in the comments! Thank you for reading! (⁠人⁠*⁠´⁠∀⁠｀⁠)⁠｡⁠*ﾟ⁠+

[hereforreadandwrite]

Fanfiction Masterlist :

Assassin's Creed Valhalla:

Ivarr The Boneless x Female Reader:

Blood.

There was blood everywhere.

The floor, the walls, the ceiling, the furniture, everything was covered in your parents' blood. You could only watch helplessly as the macabre scene unfolded before your eyes. You weren't strong enough to be able to protect your parents. You had to live with their death on your conscience, but your brothers Sigurd and Eivor managed to ease the burden. Everything seemed to be going well until Sigurd decided to leave Norway to go to England.

Prologue

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Ect...

Mangle

King Rhodri decides to take revenge on Ivarr Ragnarsson by attacking the only thing he had the least bit of affection for: you.

Warning: mutilation, torture, nudity

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Ect.

charlie and the chocolate factory:

Willy Wonka x Female Reader:

Unlike your cousin Charlie Bucket, you hadn't had a chance in life. Your parents abandon you, leaving you in the hands of Mr. and Mrs. Bucket. As long as you can remember, you had to work hard to help them make ends meet. Like your cousin, you admired the famous Willy Wonka's chocolate factory, although you know that it was impossible for you to enter it. At least, that's what you thought.

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Finish~

God Of War:

Kratos x Female Reader:

Abandoned

Ragnarok is over. You agreed to follow Kratos and Freya across the nine Realms, but instead of helping them in restorative quests, you will have a completely different revelation.

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Finish~

Tyr x Female Reader:

You had a happy life. A loving family and a devoted husband. But every idyllic setting had a dark spot. And you were going to learn it the worst way.

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Vikings:

Ragnar Lodbrok and Daughter reader:

Being the eldest daughter of Ragnar Lodbrok and Lagertha is not an easy existence. Everyone expects a lot from you. But it's even less so when you can't stand your own father and his ways.

Chapter One

kuroshitsuji:

Undertaker x Female reader:

Madness part 1

[ordinorultor-if]

Some Physical Descriptions, pt.2

Hilda/Hilmar Hardrada

Imagine a stereotypical viking. Now give them an ice saw and cover them in scars. That's H. Built like a brick-shithouse with height to match, H is imposing in spite of their friendly nature. The fact that they have a penchant for wearing furs, thus adding volume to their silhouette, compounds this.

H's torso and arms are crisscrossed by all sorts of cut and stab scars, but their most noticeable scar is a graze wound on the right side of their head, which prevents their golden hair from growing there. Their scars aren't the only man-made mark on their body, however - they, and both of their younger siblings, have a kraken tattooed over their heart, in memory of their mother.

From what they say (and what a half-Ostrowegian MC can remember), H mostly takes after their father.

It's not a perfect match, but a good way to imagine H is Eivor from AC Valhalla. Best part is there's male and female variants for both characters, lol.

Dagrun/Dagobert Hardrada

D looks about like you'd imagine a mage to - thin and lanky, a penchant for dark-colored hooded robes, pale-skinned, and long haired, with their jet-black hair reaching all the way to their waist. When engaging in combat, they, like H, make use of chainmail and padded leather, though unlike H, D also makes use of a breastplate.

Despite their lack of room organization, D makes certain their person is immaculate. Many times has their elder sibling tried to catch them with even a speck of dirt on them, and many times have they failed.

Since D lacks both the frontline combat style and... adventurous... lifestyle of their older sibling, they are mostly mark-free, with two major exceptions: their lower-right arm, which is almost entirely scar tissue, and the space over their heart, which, just like both of their older siblings, is tattooed with a kraken in memory of their mother.

Much like how H claims to mostly take after their father in terms of looks, D (allegedly) mostly takes after their mother.

Charlotte/Charles de Alençon

C is basically Wolverine the shortest of the cast, but they're still fierce - they're even the second-most muscled RO, after H.

C is a more martial focused person due to their circumstances, and they have the looks to match. Much like B, they wear leather armor even at home (and change into plate when preparing for battle), and they keep their hair relatively short, only growing it slightly down their back (a little past their armpits, if I had to give an exact spot). Charles also declines to grow much facial hair (which he gets teased about, if B is also male.)

Despite the constant need to defend their territory, C actually has relatively few battle scars. In fact, their most notable scar is actually of medical origin, the result of a surgery performed as a young child to try and prevent improper bone growth in their left arm.

Florence/Ferdinand Anglouême

F is... the way I'd describe them is 'average but pretty'. Despite this, F is the one who probably cares the most about appearances. Much like D, they're never seen with a single speck of dirt on their body, and this extends to their outfit. F actually wears rather fine clothes, befitting their status as a duke/duchess.

Ferdinand is one of the two ROs to have facial hair. Unlike Hilmar's beard, however, Ferdinand's mustache is rather well contained, and he takes great care to make sure it's prim and proper. If you want an idea of what Ferdinand looks like, Aaron Taylor-Johnson in Anna Karenina isn't the worst illustration, different hair color aside...

F has several scars on their body, with several concentrated where their neck meets their left shoulder, underneath their right armpit, and around their groin. They also have a handful on their nose and some other extremities. These scars are the result of plague, which infected both them and their father, claiming the latter's life.

[cippicat]

Why is Eivor a female ?

Disclaimer: Eivor is female in Valhalla. STOP*

So...

There are many online theories about Eivor's gender. One of the most supported theory about her gender is that:

"During the Toba's catastrophe (AKA Ragnarok) the asgardian ISU, led by Odin/Havi the Allfather, used the seventh method to tranfer their soul/mind into a human form. A real proper reincarnation. To recognise each other they would have a mark on their necks. But something went wrong, because of the seventh method that was uncomplete. Havi, and one of the female ISU (not Freya), accidentally swapped places in front of Yggdrasill and Havi transfer his soul/mind into a woman, Eivor Varinsdottir. ".

I think that this theory is a quite probable theory.

BUT

There is a little problem

Look at their aspect

They are too similar like twins. This led me think that the seventh method was made to transfer also the body of an ISU, and the gender had not been contemplated so much.

And, we must not forget that the seventh method was uncomplete.

But why the others ISU had the same gender as before?

Plot requirements...

That's all

If Eivor had been a male, Basim/Loki would have recognised him immediately as the reincarnation of Havi/Odin.

Let's not forget that Eivor has no more the mark of the reincarnation, because of the bite of the wolf, and she has not be defeated by Havi (unlike Basim).

She will accept (tolerate) his presence. They will live togheter as an old couple, in Vinland. That's sad and quite disgusting in my humble opinion.

*and Ubisoft is sexist but this is a story for another time

[ithinkthiswasabadidea]

Woah, okay, well !! I think I've just about completed the main questlines from Valhalla. I've only got some extra content (Valka and Edyt) and the DLC's left now!

Around 223 hours for all of this, which surprises me because I completed Odyssey's main quests in about 230 hours, so I expected I'd be here a lot longer. I've been making notes for this end post as I was playing, because I knew I'd have a lot of opinions to share by the time I finished

Things I liked:

Immediately I noticed that there was a really nice diversity in bodies and faces this time!

Good horse mechanics, SO much better than in Odyssey. They're finally all-terrain vehicles that work off-road 😂

The weapons and armour are great, now that I don't have to sift through 200 random weapons to upgrade a favourite. So glad they simplified them

Also the fighting mechanics, skill trees and parkour were quite well done. I very rarely found myself fighting against the controls to make Eivor do what I wanted

The difference in environments and climates depending on the region!!!! Omg I loved the warm autumnal forests, and the heather covered highlands further northwest. The misty, low-lying marshlands and the ever-winter mountains. The deep, ancient forests and the towering oceanside cliffs.... I really don't think I'd be able to pick a favourite

All of the ruins and ancient structures too.. just some of my very favourite things to see in a game in general <3

I really fucked with the final siege-type fights for each region. They were so much fun, taking the castles or forts, and felt really rewarding to get to that point with your allies

Speaking of, I'll never get tired of the emotional swell that comes with seeing all your allies gathered at your call, to aid you in your cause for the biggest battles. Tugs on my heart strings 🥹

The romance options actually felt more real and meaningful, and they hold more weight, likely because we could form a proper relationship(s) now

On that - Petra was very sweet, but I finished Tarben's quests before hers, and I very quickly fell for the man who had all the hardened steel of the past, but only wanted to use his talents to bake bread and say lovely things to Eivor. I did also end up accepting Randvi's feelings at the end, and entered into a relationship with her too

I loved seeing Gunnar and Brigid get married at the end, THAT felt like a really lovely send off, and I counted it as my 'ending' of the main game, surrounded by family and love ❤️

Some things that were okay but could've been better:

I'll always like that there are more things and people to interact with in the world, but it still felt pretty spread out and empty. More hustle and bustle from npc's outside of cities/towns would've helped. I think I spent 95% of my time running around the map from one POI to another, and the other 5% on the story. That's not a great ratio :/

Some of the Tombs of the Fallen were fun like the one in the ice caves, some were annoyingly vague, and others were fucking nightmares for my patience like the underwater and lava ones. They were just poorly designed for the range of movement and actions Eivor can make

And adding onto that - the artifacts you had to collect to ACTUALLY complete the Tombs? I had only found one naturally. I didn't even realise I missed anything until I saw I hadn't completed the trophy requirements yet, and then had to google what I was missing 🙃 great fucking work there, developers

Things I didn't like:

I didn't like the 'world events'. Straight up. So many of them were boring or didn't feel useful. They had no substance to them, no story, unlike in Odyssey and Origins, which felt like they added more interest to the game

Also, many of them were bugged, or really unintuitive, to the point where I would have to frustratedly google to see what I was missing or what had gone wrong and how to fix the game

Whoever made some of those cairn puzzles. Go fuck yaself. 🖕

The lighting in some places, especially underground or underwater, was utter shit

Once again sad that the Assassin's and Order storyline took such a back seat most of the time. I appreciated the focus in Lunden, Jorvik and Wincestre, but it was such a tiny portion of the game

My final* thoughts? A wonderful, beautiful game, full of heart and passion. I have truly enjoyed myself and my time (playing nearly eight weeks straight). I didn't think this could top my experience playing Odyssey but it's come damn fucking close

Eivor was a very fun and compelling protagonist, but she shone most brightly when interacting with those that she cared about most. Watching her character growth as she met new people, understood their lives, and bringing that understanding to how she acts? Very well done. I'm so glad I got to witness this game through her eyes

Sigurd!! What a character. An incredible journey with him, and I only wish we had more time in the story with him. Basim and Hytham had me wanting more from the beginning, and I was never quite satisfied with how (and how little) we interacted with them. Honourable mentions to Soma, my love, also Stowe and Erke, darling Ceolbert, and the Ragnarsson brothers. The supporting characters really helped to make this game shine ✨️

Overall, this was an overwhelmingly positive experience that has brought hundreds of hours of joy and wonder as I got to explore Norway and England. I have had visceral reactions of shock, horror, awe, anger and delight. I loved this game 🥰

*final, until I complete any extra content and DLC's and add more thoughts lol

[sorentymn]

Wolf Song

Series Masterlist

Eivor Varinsdottir x femme reader

Disclaimer: Violence mentioned 18+

2k words

Chapter 3. Fornburg

The cold pool of her dreams embrace her. Nothingness wove together into a memory she’s always been fond of.

She's submerged, her head kept afloat with her eyes hovering just above the water watching the woman who saved her many winters ago. Her now mother is by the stream collecting her herbs and earthly delights as her cub waded in the pond.

They locked eyes, and her mother smiled—the subtle kind that does not appear often. She was a hard woman, and her gentleness was kept from the light. Only with that hard exterior can you survive the hardships of life and somewhere deep within the crevices of her slumbering state she recognizes her mother's rare appearance as an omen.

Her senses return in sluggish succession. First, a strong overwhelming scent of wet dirt, then distant voices saying nothing in particular, a cacophony of sounds blurring into each other just beyond...Then the pain. Her entire body felt as if she’d survived a rough fall, dull pain pulsed beneath her face aching terribly with every slight movement. Then the memories came.

Where the hell am I? 

Rúna was positioned against the corner, her wrist bound in rusted metal the linked chains hooked to a post. She turned slowly and winced at the pain from just about everywhere to observe her surroundings only to be met with a pair of eyes already staring back at her.

She, like her captor, has the bluest of eyes but they were much warmer than the roaring sea of that raven woman. Her auburn hair catches the leaked rays of light from the patterned vents painting her this radiant creature of colour and life, unlike her bleeding state.

“Good you’re awake,” she muttered more to herself than to her prisoner on the floor. She shifted slightly on the stool, her composure more befitting of a princess than an executioner or an interrogator.

“Where am I?” Rúna managed her voice barely audible from the lack of water for who knows how long.

“Fornburg'' She replied with hesitation like she wasn’t sure she was supposed to be speaking to her in the first place. Fornburg…the assassin tries to remember anything she’s heard of this place. If she recalls correctly, she is now in Jarl Styrbjorn’s domain. He's not known for brutality but diplomacy which is often frowned upon by the other Jarls but in her case, this might be a good sign. What else..something about fierce heirs and that’s about all she remembers. Curse her memory. 

Before she could muster up any more questions though, the door swung open by none other than the raven woman. She’s now without a large cloak but that did nothing to diminish the sheer size of her.

She spared a glance, her face unreadable before she turned to the red-haired woman “Randvi, I will take it from here.” the seated woman nodded before leaving with a puzzled look on her face. Rúna made note of her name, any information counts from here on. The seat is then replaced by a much more imposing character. 

“How are you liking your chains?” She asked mockingly and Rúna spat out a glob of blood. What do you think? Rúna angled her neck to look defiantly at the blonde woman through the slit of her bruised and swollen eyes.

“Who are you?” She’s got a bad feeling about this entire ordeal, she doesn’t know nearly enough to wriggle her way out of this in a way that may favour her. She will have to be as believable as she can about her innocence for whatever she stands accused of. She couldn't possibly be tortured for the service she provides, it's not uncommon these days, frowned upon but not uncommon. Perhaps it's not about that. It must be about the Saxon. Despite her position as the middle man, convincing her captor of her own innocence may not suffice. Even the right kind of showmanship may not do, honesty it seems is the only choice.

“I am called Rúna.” 

“Rúna what?” the blonde pressed. 

“Rúna of none, I never had the pleasure.” Though she was adopted later by a woman she cares very much for, she’d hate to let anyone utter her name in a less-than-honourable way.

Her captor’s face loosened but only for a brief moment, her features went back to ice cold almost immediately. Enemies or not, family is always a sore subject it seems. The assassin stared expectantly up at her, now that you have learned mine, you will give yours. The large woman only frowned and ignored her willing eyes. So, she tried again at her deductions screening the woman for a kind of detail, a pattern woven into her leather armour, a trinket or perhaps a pin of some kind; her eyes finally landed on a particularly decadent broach. An engraved thing of silver pinned on exposed fabric. Judging from its intricate details, she isn’t just any *Drengr...

“Now-” She plunges the handle of her axe onto the ground mere inches from her frail fingers which made her retract.

“You will do well to answer my questions or suffer fate worse than what you’ve subjected my friends to,” she laid down an ultimatum but Rúna did not phase. She was not planning to lie nor were those kills personal. If she wanted her friends spared they could have suggested a parley instead of hunting her like a dog for days on end.

“If this is about the Saxon-” she paused to cough, every word felt like it was grating her throat “I know nothing except what I was told to do.” her interrogator's face took on a strange shade.

“How do I know you won’t slit my throat after I tell you everything?'' The demand irritated her but was not unexpected. 

“You are hardly in any position to negotiate.” 

“Then too bad-” The end of her sentence was cut short with a hard punch across her face that made her groan. She shot back at the woman with vengeful eyes. Her already cracked lips now bleeding.

“I’m in no mood.” and she meant it by the force in that hit. The assassin spat again and this time a single tooth fell from her mouth, it sat there caked in blood and dirt on the ground and it made her feel pathetic.

That was when she swore she was going to strangle the woman the second the shackles came undone. 

“You expect me to believe you know nothing? A week you spent with that Bacraut, how did you not learn a thing?” Her captor was getting increasingly irritated. She went from something neutral to heated fairly quick but Rúna’s patience too was running thin. She felt that punch chafe at her resolve to be kind and cooperative. The tension between them could be cut with a knife. 

She wanted to tell her the truth but if she is intent on this approach, she will see that her prisoner's blood is just as hot as hers. If she was going to be beaten to the bone she’d have a swing for herself as well. The Drengr is clearly desperate for answers and she will get her fill of words.

"Clearly you've never had to toil, but if you're anything like me you will understand that discretion sells. If I went around spouting who gave me coin, what sort of a sellsword would I be?“ She made sure her tone was as grating as she could possibly manage. 

The woman let out something like a roar when she snapped. Clearly, Rúna wasn’t the only one with a short fuse. The anger in her eyes rose like a hellish storm as she shot out of her seat and grabbed Rúna by whatever was left of her tattered collar. “Do you know…what that Saxon did?” The assassin went rigid prepared to be struck at any moment but they never came, instead words, words she wished she could unhear.

“He traded in flesh, this demon was murdering innocents, digging up graves, stealing children from the nearby villages. Stealing our people..and selling their parts like cattle.” The raven woman’s eyes looked haunted, this is nothing like death on a battlefield, there is no glory in this only devastation. Rúna felt like throwing up, she always knew her patrons weren’t all good, despite her title she had lines she wouldn't cross. She's used to petty crime, collecting thieves the law couldn't manage with their men or even for revenge but selling people...To think she assisted a monster that could’ve sailed away thanks to her…

The guilt swelled quickly drowning her and she did her best to keep an icy exterior but only so much can be done in the face of this revelation “I…really didn’t know” She was regretting her tantrum, it was not senseless violence that the woman inflicted on her but it was because a great sense of urgency to uncover the extent of the Saxon's crimes.

Rúna immediately brought down some of the guards she held up. She now needed to convince herself as much as she had to convince her captor of her innocence. “I was at an alehouse a day from Vøringfossen, he was cloaked.” she paused to focus, ensuring every detail was as it was.

“He paid me lots of silver to get the Saxon to the main port back to England.” The large woman took in her words with eyes like knives hoping to pierce through.

“Is this all?” her voice was hollow and Rúna nodded, averting her eyes. She may be a killer for hire but she does choose. This Saxon’s crimes made her stomach churn. To think she’s implicated with a monster such as this makes her feel soaked in sin.

“I swear it.” time stopped as the tension compressed the air around them. The woman is reading her and by some miracle, the exchange was enough at least for the time. The woman’s hand sagged from her collar and she stood up, her body angled towards the door.

“Hey wait-” she reached for the Drengr but was yanked by the bounds, trapping her to the post. She rattled her cuffs loudly at the other woman with a demanding face.

“I promised I won’t slit your throat, not your freedom.” her words were cold and dead and although some part of her expected this outcome, it still angered her. 

“Bitch!” She cussed after her as she left for the door and closed it behind her without looking back. A moment after the door swung shut, her demeanour fell entirely. Guilt would be the least of it, her imagination seized her with hellish images of children screaming and the combination of shock and exhaustion forced her biles to the surface. She threw up in a pile of dirt close by and that pool of sick would accompany her for the next three days. 

It would be three days before she saw another living soul. She was left there shackled to a post, her wrists bruised from the many failed attempts to escape her bounds. At dawn on her third day she was awoken by a guard banging the wall just beside her head so loudly she shot awake. She felt an immense weight lift off her as the shackles came undone, but in her weakened state she fell back onto the floor. 

Having not eaten for several days she barely had the energy to stand, so the assassin was lifted by the wings to the threshold of the Fornburg she’d been listening to for the past few days of her incarceration.

“Where are we going?” she rasped at the guards carrying her but was only met with an uncaring look. The council must have decided what to do with her and judging by the direction she’s headed, perhaps her head won’t be lopped off after all.

She was granted a visit to the healer who looked her over with a stone face. Several women in the shack supported her by lifting her sagging body from the guards to be bathed and tended. The next hours we’re all painful stitches and salves, but heaven compared to a minute spent covered in mud and blood in isolation. She’ll remain alive, but for how long? 

Chapter 4.

[but-make-it-sapphic]

  Eivor climbs to her feet with the poise of a prowling wolf. You have to raise your chin just to meet her eye. She’s unlike any woman you've ever met. And Gunnar wasn’t kidding! Her arms are wrapped in chiseled muscle, marked by scars and more tattoos than you can count in the moment. A fresh wound by her shoulder still bleeds through its bandage.

 When she speaks your name, her voice is low and rasping. It tingles the nerves at the nape of your neck.

Read more on AO3.

[kyndaris]

Coffee Shop AU

Most first dates, or meet-ups as I like to call them (especially with a stranger), that I've gone to have involved lunch or coffee at a local cafe. Thankfully, in the city of Sydney, there are plenty of cafes (of varying quality) one can visit. And all of them come with a decent brunch menu (though some will close by 2:30 or 3 PM at the latest). Enter Edition Roasters. While it has a few branches in and around the CBD (Australian shorthand for Central Business District), my date and I picked the one in Darling Quater.

But I've jumped forward to our date and failed to introduce the person behind it all!

Although I've gone on a date before with a woman, Eivor, which didn't end up as well as I had hoped, I wasn't quite willing to quite throw in the towel. After all, how many dates have I gone with men? And while the men in my life have failed to make my heart flutter, who was to say I wasn't an asexual lesbian?

Especially with the so-called 'squishes'/ brief flirtations of attraction I've had with a few women I've met over the years? THough now that I think on it, do fictional men count in terms of romantic attraction? Am I still clutching at straws?

No, I couldn't yet label myself as aromantic just yet!

I mean, Dikottir isn't bad! It's just...I don't feel a sense of romantic attraction to him. Even though we've gone on five dates and have technically 'known' each other for a year now.

Alas, I have once more been distracted. Where was I? Ah yes, my so-called 'date.' So, yes, this trip out to Edition Roasters was my second meet-up with a woman.

From the very start on Hinge, we struck up a conversation on musicals including one that has yet to grace the stage - Epic: The Troy Saga by Jorge Rivera-Herrans. As a frequenter of Tiktok, she had heard the songs being performed whilst I had the good fortune for my Spotify shuffle list to insert a few of the songs whenever I chose to listen to songs from musicals.

Though not a frequent replier, we were both able to share our passion for musicals and also touched a little on their second passion: fanfiction. Given the obsession of my fellow classmates back in Year 8 and 9 for all things anime, and to stretch our writing skills, I was no stranger to fanfiction.

Back in my heyday, I used to frequent ones for Kingdom Hearts, Naruto, Shugo Chara! Even now, trying to ween myself off fanfiction, I still can't quite kick the bucket as I continue to lurk among the Harry Potter fandom, while occasionally experimenting with Far Cry 5 (yes, I'm a gosh darn sinner), She-Ra and a host of Disney ones as well.

It was because of her heartfelt passion for Epic, and how we did initially chat about mythology, that I've given my date the code name: Athena. Unlike Eivor before her, she was keen to arrange a meet-up sooner rather than later. So, after some discussion - with a variety of choice between multiple places to eat at - we finally settled on Darling Square.

I was the first to arrive. Shivering in the cold Australian winter, I put my name down on the paper sheet out front and waited for our number to be called out. Athena joined me shortly afterwards and we chatted a little about our week and our lives. Before too long, our number was called and we were directed to a table out in the wind (perhaps not the best choice but given how busy the place was, it made nabbing a table easier). Despite not having much sun, there was a heater purposely positioned close by to offer some warmth. Although, if I'm being honest, it was the hot chocolate I ordered, more than anything else, which served to defrost me.

Then it was time for the main meal. Athena ordered a miso salmon ochazuke after crunching the numbers on online reviews regarding the cafe's signature dishes, while I settled for a miso wagyu bolognese. As we ate, we talked a little of the work we did, our family composition, and the reason why we were dating. We even reminisced on many a bad date we've had - with her recounting one where the man hailed Hitler.

And though this is the second time someone I know has gone on a date with a seeming Nazi sympathiser, it's a bit strange that it's happened twice. I honestly have to wonder if they went on the date with the same man.

After lunch, we walked around Darling Harbour before heading up towards Town Hall station. It was, in my eyes, a wonderful day out. While I wouldn't have called it love at first sight, I certainly didn't feel as intimidated as my meet-up with Eivor at the ice-rink. Nor did I feel like Athena fail to meet the expectations I'd set up in my head.

I wouldn't say we clicked immediately but it definitely felt like we had a strong connection and understanding of the other.

Now, I wouldn't call that love but I'd say it went far more swimmingly than I'd feared. Yes, I was probably still putting up a front, but I didn't feel either one of us dominated the conversation. It flowed well, like having a good deep and meaningful natter with a good friend (rather than an acquaintance).

Is this a good sign?

But Athena did say to hit her up for another outing.

The only problem, of course, is that I'm not so much a foodie as someone who simply tags along and enjoys the food on offer (as long as it's not spicy). Does make me wonder if the two are related, though...

Are all asexuals bad with spice? Or is it just me with a low tolerance for both? Probably just me. And the smut fanfictions I read simply represents my ability to enjoy wasabi (to a degree). It's not the perfect analogy but I'll have to make do. This is, after all, coming down from spending an entire Saturday out and about at the Sydney Manga and Anime Show (SMASH!) and then finishing off all the chores I needed to do in preparation for the week ahead.

Give a 31, who will be 32 when this post goes up, woman a break! It ain't easy trying to juggle care for an elderly grandparent, work, hobbies, dating and what else when it comes to the adulting life. It's not like there's a manual!

[thebonerpit]

After playing four huge new games in a row recently I wanted to jump back into a game I've already played, and I ended up on Assassin's Creed Valhalla. It kind of made me reflect a bit on how initially I was quite disappointed with this game but now it's really, really grown on me.

I'm a huge fan of the newer AC games but when Valhalla first came out it was a very distant third place in that trilogy. There are still some things that annoy me (being forced into open combat for so many encounters rather than being able to stealth) but I think what threw me off the most at first was coming into it after Odyssey which has SUCH different vibes.

Like, Origins to me is a really fun adventure/mystery story. It has some dark and serious elements but it also has Bayek who can be quick-witted and funny, it has the great Bayek/Aya romance, and it has the creation of the Hidden Ones which is SO cool. And then Odyssey is just pure joy imho. Alexios/Kassandra is a big old goober and they're so silly and I mean I guess it depends on the choices you make but it always makes me feel so fufilled and happy at the end when the family gets back together. It's heroic and light-hearted, has a lot of really goofy side missions, and even the world itself is bright and colourful and full of life.

Then you have Valhalla. Valhalla is DARK. It has this overarching sense of futility and inevitability, like your fate has been written and there's no escape. Eivor is stoic and brusque and violent and quite frankly a little unlikeable. A lot of the victories don't even feel like victories. They're tainted by loveable characters dying, friends betraying you, basically: winning but at what cost? Eivor often feels lost in their own story, being manipulated by people like Basim and Fulke and Alfred. They're also burdened with Odin's memories and end up having to leave everyone they know and love to deal with that.

But it also has these moments of searing beauty that make it into a wonderfully stirring experience, and I think it took me a while to realize that. I missed the joy of Odyssey so much I couldn't appreciate what Valhalla had to offer. I've been listening to the OST a lot and I think it captures that bittersweet vibe perfectly... the main theme alone is so haunting. Most of the England you explore is dirty and muddy and brown but every once in a while you are at the top of a hill and you see a beautiful sunrise light up the gold in the trees and it's breathtaking. That, to me, is what Valhalla excels at.

[teecupangel]

okay i just rewatched Pacific Rim for the millionth time and, hear me out, a Modern Pacific Rim AU?

Like, the Masyaf Eagle having been originally piloted by the Al Sayf brothers but a nasty battle kills Kadar and takes Malik's arm so now Malik serves as an engineer/command center for the Eagle's new pilot Altair who is in search of a co-pilot. And the only one who can successfully drift (synchronize) with him is Desmond. (Altdes)

Ezio Auditore who inherited the Eden Assassin after his father and brother were killed in battle. Ezio who lost his co-pilot and dear friend Yusuf in a battle. Ezio who is trying to stop his sister from becoming his new co-pilot because he's so scared of losing her like he's lost everyone else.

Edward Kenway and Adewale being totally awesome troublemakers and pilots of the Jackdaw

Haytham and Shay being co-pilots of the Morrigan Revenge and having a ridiculous rivalry with Connor and Arno, pilots of the Phantom Aquila

Jacob and Evie co-piloting the Victorian Conqueror and setting records for fastest kaiju kills.

Bayek and Aya becoming pilots after losing Khemu during an attack and piloting the Hidden One.

Kassandra and Alexios being terrifying co-pilots of the Spartan Misthios

Totally out of left field co-pilots Eivor and Basim who seem so unlikely because they spend most of their free time arguing, but being badass pilots of the Raven Destroyer.

idk i just got really excited

Nooonnnnnyyyy!

You got me excited as well because I love mechas and kaijus! Pacific Rim is one of my most favorite movies ever! (Although, as a huge Del Toro fan, that’s not really surprising XD)

Making it AltDes makes me go jshdafjkhjbhsdasadg

Okay, okay.

I think Shaun and Rebecca could be K-Science Officers focused on why these Kaijus are attacking humans in particular. Now, I was thinking we can make Al Mualim the Marshal in charge of Altaïr and Desmond’s Division and we can keep him as a ‘good guy’ in this setup but, if you still want him to be ‘evil’, perhaps he’s secretly in charge of some kind of illegal project that uses Kaiju parts to create a new type of Jaeger.

Why are we making Al Mualim the Marshal?

Because we’ll make Desmond a second generation of Jaeger Pilots. His father, William Miles, was known as the hero who saved South Dakota from total annihilation so there was a lot of pressure for him to do well.

Hell, he didn’t even want to become a Jaeger Pilot and he had actually run away but he was called back after he got ‘visitors’ who insisted he needed to be escorted to a PPDC base where Altaïr is trying to find a co-pilot. They spar and found out they were compatible but their first few Drifts were so bad everyone starts to doubt that they were actually compatible and, honestly, Desmond and Altaïr didn’t understand why they’re being paired together.

They had nothing in common.

That’s when Al Mualim tells them that they have one thing in common that was clear to everyone during their Drift sessions.

They both had walls around themselves, keeping them from fully synchronizing.

And, surprisingly, it was Altaïr who pushes Desmond to talk to him, to try and understand one another.

Only to be surprised when Desmond asks him, “You’re doing this because Al Mualim told you, aren’t you?”

Later on, Altaïr corners him once more and asks back, “How’d you know?”

And that’s how Desmond realizes that their compatibility might stem from their similar upbringing because Al Mualim was Altaïr’s own William Miles.

Other Unorganized Notes:

The AltDes in this one would be more in line of ‘reluctant allies’ to friends to lovers… probably.

When they become lovers, everyone suffers because they're that kind of couple.

Masyaf Eagle mainly uses a one-hand sword but has a secret short blade on its left arm. It’s projectile weaponry is primarily throwing knives but it will get a gun upgrade on its right arm later on.

Ezio befriends Desmond easily and has a friendly rivalry with Altaïr. He also likes to joke about asking Desmond if he’d like to be his co-pilot instead which just makes Yusuf laugh. After Altaïr and Desmond get together, he makes the same jokes just to get a rise out of Altaïr. (Claudia is in a separate base for training and Ezio always finds the time to visit her or send her messages)

Eden Assassin is mostly known for being versatile, having both short and long-range capabilities. It’s also known for its left hand having a hook blade attachment.

Edward and Adéwalé are one of the oldest Jaeger pilots still on the field. Edward is also Haytham’s older brother and he worries about him a lot. Edward also likes to spoil his young nephew. A lot of people are actually curious how the two of them could be co-pilots considering their personalities but Adéwalé and Edward never answer any of their questions. It is clear that they are loyal to one another.

The Jackdaw has a chest blaster which blasts out four shots (as a reference to how Edward usually has four flintlock pistols on his chest harness). Jackdaw is primarily a ranged Jaeger and its main weapon is a twin pair of gunblades.

Haytham transferred to be Shay’s co-pilot after a huge disagreement between Shay’s old co-pilot erupted and ‘corrupted’ their Drifts too much that they could no longer operate Morrigan Revenge. Haytham usually just lets Shay lead but any time Haytham wants to take the lead, Shay backs down immediately and follows him. Haytham does not approve of Ratonhnhaké:ton being a Jaeger pilot.

Morrigan Revenge primarily uses a long one-handed sword and a short dagger. It also has a grenade launcher on its right shoulder. It’s mostly known for having a head that looks like a taco. (no, I’m not sorry, I will forever talk about Haytham’s taco hat)

Ratonhnhaké:ton and Arno are the youngest Jaeger pilots currently in the field. Ratonhnhaké:ton doesn’t have a good relationship with his father but he’s cordial to his uncle. Arno is the son of Charles Dorian who died in a Kaiju Battle piloting a Jaeger. He actually became a Jaeger pilot to follow his step-sister who pilots a different Jaeger.

Phantom Aquila is an experimental Jaeger and its main experiment is if it’s possible for a Jaeger to have two forms. A humanoid form and a quadrupedal form. It’s faster on its quadrupedal form and it usually takes that form when it’s providing support or distractions. Its humanoid form uses primarily a tomahawk-like weapon and has a crossbow on its left arm.

Victorian Conqueror has the highest record for the fastest Kaiju kills because Evie and Jacob actually cannot handle being drifted to one another for too long. Everyone is keeping it a secret and only their main engineers and support team (led by Jayadeep Mir) know about it. They believe the main reason for their low drift timeframe stems from Ethan Frye’s death… not that Evie and Jacob believe them.

Victorian Conqueror has a cane sword and a kukri-like blade. It also has invincibility capabilities but they’re still working out how to make it useable as it can only be activated if Victorian Conqueror does not move.

Aya and Bayek were actually retired Jaeger pilots. They returned to the field after their son’s death and still uses Hidden One which is one of the oldest Jaeger still on the field.

Hidden One has a lot of possible weaponry at its disposal but they primarily use either a shield and a one hand sword or twin short blades. Supposedly, Aya prefers the short blades while Bayek prefers the sword-and-shield combo.

Alexios and Kassandra are known for having lots of friends… with benefits… Sometimes the same friends even. They also came from a family of Jaeger pilots and are very close. On their time off, they usually go off base to visit their mother. Their step brother is also a Jaeger pilot while their step father is a Marshal for another base.

Spartan Misthios uses a sword and a short blade. The short blade is special as it actually came from an older Jaeger model named the “Spartan King”. Spartan King is legendary for protecting thousands of civilians against a horde of smaller but faster Kaijus, holding down the line as everyone escaped. By the time the Spartan King had been overwhelmed and both of its pilot died, everyone had managed to escape. One of the pilots was Kassandra and Alexios’ grandfather and Spartan Misthios is considered to be the Spartan King's successor.

Eivor and Basim have… very soap-opera level of drama. Raven Destroyer's original pilots were meant to be Eivor and Sigurd but Sigurd was discharged after just two Kaiju battles. Rumors say that he had been dishonorably discharged due to how he acts. Basim was transferred as one of the candidates for Eivor’s co-pilot and they didn’t exactly start well (Eivor punching Basim hard enough that he actually flew across the room may or may not be exaggerated). Still, they do work together whenever they’re in their Jaeger… only to go back to bickering afterward.

Raven Destroyer has a shield on its left arm. It switches from a hand axe or a pair of daggers at any given time and even its fighting style changes from pure brute force to hit-and-run tactics in a blink of an eye, making it a hard opponent to fight.

All Kaijus have codenames based on gods and goddesses.

[jpdoingwords]

Assassin's Creed Valhalla Fanfiction

All works are rated M, because there is canon-typical violence at times and there are multiple non-explicit sex scenes.

I ship Ubba and male Eivor, and everything I've written for this fandom has that in common.

All works are on AO3.

Thread Upon Thread Series

Snatched Moments A series of inserted scenes developing the relationship between Eivor (male) and Ubba Ragnarsson which is only hinted at in Valhalla. There will be unavoidable spoilers. Sorry! I am mostly canon compliant, but there are some things I have changed, and there will be an alternative ending to what was provided in the game (for Ubba.) * The Gods Only Know Ubba survived the battle on the Afon River, and lives now in Ravensthorpe at the side of Eivor Wolfkissed, the man he loves. Their happiness is only marred by one thing that seems impossible - their desire to have sons.

The Ravensthorpe Hotel. Summary: The pub in Ravensthorpe, Western Australia, is under new management after the passing of Ragnar. When it re-opens, the townspeople go en-masse to check out the new owners, among them, Eivor (male) and his best friends Randvi and Sigurd.

Collected Loose Threads This is a collection of odds and ends related to my Ubba/Eivor series, Thread Upon Thread, mostly following on from The Gods Only Know. I had imagined I would work them up into something more complete, but that seems unlikely now, so thought I would share them as is. Now includes The Hunting Trip, which was originally posted as the third part of the series, and a discarded continuation of the Ravensthorpe Hotel modern AU.

[leofrith]

no impulse control gang! an excerpt:

“Back there, with Leofrith… I didn’t think you would spare him,” Ceolbert commented as they walked side-by-side through the increasingly rowdy streets of Repton. 

Even with the myriad of injuries shared between them, the two had managed to heave Leofrith’s limp form back within the relative safety of the city walls and deposit him in a healer’s tent. A temporary refuge for the man while it was decided what would be done with him. 

Ceolbert had been none too pleased about the idea of leaving Leofrith alone, surrounded on all sides by revelling Northmen—Northmen who had just finished slaughtering or imprisoning the remainder of Leofrith’s forces. Eivor had installed Sten and Yrsa, two loyal members of her crew, to stand guard outside the healer’s abode. To keep Leofrith confined—he was not to be underestimated, even in spite of his injuries—but also to keep him alive. It wasn’t much in the way of protection if anyone were to attempt to kill the man in earnest, drunk as her raiders already were by the time she had asked for the favor, but it was enough to appease Ceolbert for the time being. 

“There is no honor in killing a man misled,” she answered. It had not been phrased as a question, but Ceolbert’s curiosity was plain enough. “He believed his king would die fighting for Mercia, just as he intended for himself. He was wrong.” 

And fight he had. Eivor could already feel the bruises forming under her armor, and she would surely find herself black and blue when she finally had the chance to take the hot bath she so craved. The throbbing pain emanating from the gash on her thigh was growing stronger by the minute, and she could no longer hide the limp in her step. Leofrith had been half in the grave by the time they’d crossed blades and although she could see the shadow of the exalted warrior that lay within, he had never truly stood a chance. 

But gods, he had made her work for it. 

“He knows the truth now,” Ceolbert said, overtaking her pace as they drew closer to the shadows cast by the church, where his father would surely be waiting for him. 

“Yes,” Eivor replied. But she was no longer sure the truth mattered. What good was the truth to a man who was unlikely to survive long enough for that knowledge to bear fruit? Leofrith would more likely spend his remaining days in chains before Ceolwulf thought it fit to make an example of him. A resounding message for any remnants of Burgred’s supporters who still clung to the memory of their cowardly king. His most loyal thegn, his head on a pike on Tamworth’s walls. 

Eivor had spent more than half her life pursuing her own betrayer, watching her revenge slip through her fingers time and time again like powdery sand. The idea of Kjotve the Cruel rampaging about the north while she lay in chains in far-off Ireland was a torture she couldn’t bear to imagine, even having just barely tasted its bitterness. 

No. Leofrith’s final days would be agonizing, and she was no longer certain that the truth was a mercy.

[fanworldbuildingfun]

I sincerely hope we will have more chances to do stealth the way we did in The Raven and the Cuckoo

This is one of few times I had case to use social stealth in the game??? And it was lovely??

On semi related note, the way Eivor was bragging about being good to Roshan is so adorable? With Rochan being all “I’m sure you are, young whippersnapper, I’m sure you are”

That dialogue though... Either Roshan didn’t get in touch with Hytham/Basim before coming to do her mission (which I find unlikely, but possible), or she, at least, didn’t know much about Eivor aside Eivor’s reputation in Mercia. The latter would be kind of fun, with their start exchange thus falling into Roshan presuming that:

Eivor is being kind of discreet about a Hidden One snapping her as rectuit (which... Is a wrong assumption, and damn you for this, Bioware. Let me have my HO points and optional Hidden One ending)

With no other challenges, Eivor is looking to show off for the only other older Hidden One she now knows

Whilist to Eivor, she is just an impressively older Hidden One, possibly out of retirement (do the “Mentor of Alamut” robes mean anything??? Is Roshan just a Master Assassin, or did she become a Mentor? Why is Mirage so far out, I need answers) ...It’s a bit sad you don’t get to have a dialogue with Hytham after this mission. Imagine Eivor rolling up and telling him about another of their brotherhood she met and Hytham freezing up. Because what. Roshan was there? In Brittania? Teaming up with Eivor for some reason?