#and of course sanna's like 'i have no idea what to do with these feelings. will they go away on their own? can i meditate them away? no? oh'

[storyknitter]

The Old Guard (7/7)

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6

Hey, look everybody! It’s finally done! \o/ Many thanks again to @andveryginger for making sure that it doesn’t suck (any glaring mistakes are mine, because I can’t leave well enough alone and keep poking at paragraphs that I don’t like).

“Theron, thank you for arriving so quickly.” Lana glanced up at him as he entered the War Room.

“You said it was important,” the spy shrugged, “and Beywan didn’t mind tabling our discussion. What’s up?”

“You’re to report to the Commander immediately, in your quarters.” The Sith stood stiffly at rest, hands clasped behind her back.

“Did she say what this was about?” Theron asked, somehow managing to keep his expression and voice neutral, even as his mind raced through what felt like hundreds of different possibilities. His stomach flopped and his heart stuttered as both anxiety and hope settled into his chest.

“I informed Vassanna that you wished to speak with her.”

“Wait, what? Lana, why the hells would you do that?” Theron hissed and ran a hand roughly through his hair as he scowled at the blonde. She confused him by answering with a small, sad smile.

“Because it’s true. And because you two need to sit down and talk to each other, like the mature adults that you both pretend to be.” Shrugging slightly, Lana continued, “And this is all that I can do to help you: force your hand and make you actually sit in the same room together with nowhere else to be until your discussion is finished. The rest is up to you.”

Theron stared incredulously at the Sith for a moment, her words taking time to sink in.

“Well, go on. ‘Time and tide’ and all that,” she said, waving him off with a hint of a smirk.

Sanna sat stiffly on the couch with her hands folded together in her lap, Jedi Mask firmly in place, and waited until the door closed behind Theron to speak.

“Lana said you wanted to talk to me.” Her voice was flat and distant; the optimism he’d felt upon entering the room began to fade, though he pressed on.

“I do.” He sat on the opposite couch, taking a deep breath. “I want-- no, I need to explain.”

“You’ve already explained,” she said tersely, standing to leave and smoothing the front of her shirt to cover the shaking of her hands. “On more than one occasion, in fact. I don’t have time to hear the same story again.”

“That’s funny -- Lana mentioned that your schedule’s clear,” Theron said with a raised eyebrow and a wry twist to his lips. Vassanna glared at him as she took a step towards the door. “No, wait,” he pleaded as he stood and grasped her elbow, meeting her hard gaze with a sigh. “Hear me out, just this once.”

She tugged out of his grip, bristling as she stabbed her finger at him. “How can you expect me to listen to anything you have to say to me?”

Theron caught her hand and pulled her towards him, knocking her off balance in more ways than one, and rested her palm flat on his chest. He covered her bare hand with his, holding it in place over his heart. “Please, Sanna...” Closing his eyes, he lowered the mental shields he had been trained since childhood to keep around himself. “Believe me.”

Vassanna wrenched her hand from beneath his, recoiling as though his touch had seared her skin. Squeezing her eyes shut, she tried to block out the distorted emotions she could sense from him, but it was near impossible: regret, sorrow, fear, frustration... and love. So much love.

She shook her head in an attempt to clear it and tried to ignore his feelings -- and her own.

“It doesn’t work like that, Theron. The Force, the bond we--” The Jedi’s lips pursed as she cut herself off, taking a deep breath. “They’re not lie detectors,” she huffed.

Resting her fisted hands on her hips, Sanna shook her head and muttered, “I should have known better; you’re a kriffing spy. How stupid am I for believing you, for thinking you’d be honest with me?”

“Sanna--”

“Where did the lies stop, Theron?” she interrupted, pacing as every pent-up question she’d had since that day on Umbara tried to claw its way out of her throat at once. “Oh stars, where did they start? Was everything you said to me a lie?”

“No, I swear. I--”

“What did I do?” She was shaking and shouting at him, her Jedi control all but gone. “You said that you didn’t expect me to understand. Well, why not? Make me understand! Why did you do this? And why couldn’t you trust me?” Theron’s brows knitted together in confusion: he hadn’t expected Sanna to take issue with the amount of faith he had placed in her.

“Of course I trust you, Sanna; I have since I recruited you for the attack on Korriban. Not to mention that I’ve trusted you with my life since Manaan.” Taking a leap of faith, he said, “I love you.”

His confession wasn’t appreciated by the Mirialan -- she looked offended rather than moved by his declaration, arms crossed and a frown on her face.

“Oh, so you’ll trust me with your heart, but not with kriffing intel, not with this op? You should have brought me in on this sooner; why didn’t you?”

Memories assaulted him: the pity in Marcus’s eyes after Theron discovered that Marr’s fleet had been destroyed, Lorman’s ill-disguised glee over the wreck of Acina’s shuttle, the dozens of other close calls that he and Sanna had over their time together. Finally, a vision of what the Order of Zildrog had planned for her flashed before his eyes and he snapped.

“I was trying to protect you, dammit!”

“I didn’t need your protection, Theron, I needed you. And in case you've forgotten, I was a kriffing Jedi Battlemaster at one point; I can defend myself,” she snarled and he sighed, deflated.

“I know you can, but--”

“No, don’t you dare give me that line again about watching my back -- you can’t watch my back when you’re not here,” she countered with narrowed eyes, anger and contempt dripping from her words. “And leaving me in the dark? Tell me, how does that help me or protect me? How am I supposed to be an effective leader and keep my people safe without all the relevant information? This is hard enough as it is without you making me look like a fool!”

Theron’s hands went to his hips and he frowned, exasperated, and took a small amount of satisfaction in the surprise that flitted across her features with his next words.

“You’re right, okay? You’re right, I should have talked to you. I didn't tell you because-- because I was afraid,” he said, shoulders slumping. “If the Order knew that you were aware of what was going on, they would have moved forward with their plans. If they'd done that before I could stop them or undermine them, then the galaxy would have burned: Coruscant, Dromund Kaas, Zakuul -- all of it.”

Theron’s answer seemed to placate her slightly; Sanna crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow, waiting for him to continue. He sighed and despite his best efforts, despair seeped into his next words.

"I know you, Sanna," he continued. He gave her a small, but infinitely sad smile. "You'd have willingly walked into -- you would have sacrificed your --" He broke off, swallowing hard, unable to even utter the words and he ran his hand along his jaw. "I would have lost you. Again. I... can't do that. Couldn't do that. So I couldn't let you talk me out of it."

“Well, you’re damned right that I’d have tried to talk you out of it. Going off alone was a bad idea, and dangerous as hells. You could have died!” Vassanna shouted, hands fisted at her sides and blinking back tears.

“If I hadn’t gone, you would have.” Heartbreak was clear on Theron's face and in his voice, but she was having none of it.

“How dare you,” she hissed, eyes flashing. “How dare you decide that your life was worth tossing away in exchange for mine. That’s not how this was supposed to work -- we were supposed to be a team.” Both were painfully aware that this was far from the first time they’d had this argument, though it was usually in reverse. Staring each other down for a long moment, Sanna turned away first, her head bowed.

“You said such horrible things to me.” Her sad, defeated tone shattered the remaining shards of his heart.

“I know,” he said in the soft voice he only used with her, “and I’m so sorry.” Theron reached for Vassanna’s hand, but she pulled back from him yet again. Disappointment filled his chest and he pushed it away. She’s still here and we’re actually talking, so maybe things between us are still salvageable after all, he mused, and the thought heartened him.

“Please, please understand, Sanna. The Order was embedded in the Alliance far deeper than any of us thought at the beginning -- they had people everywhere, and for a long time.

“I tried to leave you as many breadcrumbs as I could, as many hints as possible without tipping them off... even after you’d commed me. What I still can't figure out is how the hells you not only found, but sliced my new comm frequency from across the galaxy. That was incredible,” he said, admiration clear in his tone.

Sanna looked down at his words, lips pursed as her tears finally overflowed and she dashed them away angrily. It took every bit of restraint that Theron had to keep from reaching out to comfort her; she had made it abundantly clear that she didn’t want any physical contact with him.

“They were observing me then, during our call,” Theron said quietly. “I had to do something to get you off the comm, to make the Order think that I wasn’t compromised. If it looked like I was, well... no one keeps a compromised agent around for long, Sanna. I had to lie to you make them think that I was truly done with the Alliance, with you... and hells, it hurt.”

Vassanna’s head snapped up and she stared at him, incredulous, lip curling into a sneer, twisting her face. “It hurt you? How can you even-- What do you think I--” The sob she was trying so hard to contain attempted to break free with a deep gasp. “You told me that my worst nightmares were real, Theron! You broke--” Vassanna's mouth snapped shut and she crossed her arms over her chest again. His stomach sank as anger and grief transformed her face into a bitter caricature of the gentle woman he’d known for years.

If Theron had believed that his intuition was nudging and prodding at him before, then every instinct he had was screaming at him now. Frustration swept through him; something was very wrong and on the tip of his tongue, but he still couldn’t name it.

His mind dragged him back to Copero, standing in the shuttle next to Valss and prepping to leave; after she'd made that terrible train pun, Sanna had tried to reach out to him through their connection. He'd had to shut her out quickly -- it was so very tempting to just run back to her, to hold her in his arms again -- but her voice in his head had sounded distant, fuzzy, as though the reception was bad. At the time, he’d assumed it was her doing, that she’d muted or dampened their link somehow, but--

The vague, cold unease Theron had felt since he’d left Umbara snaked itself around his chest, lodging itself in his heart. As understanding settled in, his eyes grew wide and he stared at her in disbelief, wishing and hoping that he was wrong.

“What did I break?” Sanna’s gaze slid off to the side, avoiding him, and Theron fought down the urge to be sick. He grabbed her shoulders, trying to meet her eyes.

“Vassanna, please tell me -- what’s broken?” he begged, voice raspy with dread. She looked through him, that blasted Jedi Mask securely back in place.

“Our bond.” Even though Theron had known in his heart what her answer would be, it still felt as though all the air in the room disappeared and the world tipped under his feet at her mumbled words. His hands fell away from her arms and he took a step backward, dazed. She swallowed hard and stared at the floor, tucking the edges of her cardigan tightly around herself, as she’d done so many times with his jacket.

“What have I done?” he murmured, sinking to the edge of the couch, head buried in his hands. He hadn't meant to say it aloud and she offered no answer.

Time stretched out between them, blanketing the room in a heavy silence.

“Does it hurt?” Theron asked softly, looking up at Sanna with shining eyes. Any Force-sensitive being -- bonded or not -- could undoubtedly feel the remorse and self-loathing that rolled off of him, as well as the concern for her well-being. She shook her head, still avoiding his gaze.

“Not anymore. Now it’s just... numb.” She appeared to be intrigued by a loose thread on the cuff of her sleeve and he hung his head, pinching the bridge of his nose between his fingers. After another long silence, Theron heaved a resigned sigh and took his datapad out of his coat pocket. With a few taps and swipes of his fingers, he did what needed to be done, what she deserved: he gave her space to heal and what little peace he could. It may have been at the cost of his own heart, but he felt it a worthy exchange, all things considered.

Before he came back to the Alliance, Theron had believed that he was prepared for Sanna to reject him; he’d done and said so many terrible things, after all, even if he hadn’t meant them and they were uttered to keep her safe. That hadn't stopped him from foolishly hoping that he could make it up to her, but... not now. He’d done too much damage; no amount of “I'm sorry, but I only did this to save you,” could justify the devastation he’d caused.

Theron had always known that this was a possibility -- he just hadn’t expected it to hurt so damned much.

He cleared his throat and swallowed, but the lump there was immovable; his voice came out sounding strangled, despite the effort he put into speaking. “I've arranged to be moved to my own quarters. Change of billets for senior staff still need your approval, though.”

There was no acknowledgment of his statement from Vassanna; she simply stood there, curled into herself, blank features unreadable.

Theron stood and tenderly pulled her arms out from around herself, gingerly placing the datapad into her hands, its blinking cursor happily awaiting her authorization code. He barely checked himself in time to keep from dropping a kiss on the top of her head.

The heartbroken spy turned and trudged up the stairs to the armoire, clenching his hands into fists to still their trembling. Fuck, this hurts. Just breathe, you can do this, he told himself as he heard her fingers tapping across the keypad. Swinging the door panel open, Theron pulled out the duffle he’d so recently emptied and unzipped it, reaching blindly for the handles of a drawer.

Packing his bag, Theron felt as displaced and adrift as he had at thirteen, tossed out of the Jedi enclave and utterly on his own. The future he’d spent his entire childhood envisioning had disappeared in a puff of smoke with a few simple sentences. Daydreams of the future he’d wanted to share with Sanna threatened to do the same and he scrambled to hide them away, not quite ready to let go of this dream.

His implants pinged with a notification regarding the status of his housing request and Theron blinked it away, archiving the message before he could see the confirmation of the end, of their end. You’ve gotta keep it together, Shan, just a bit longer, he thought.

“Denied.” It was a subdued, broken whisper and Theron froze, unable to breathe for a moment, the duffle slipping from his fingers to the floor.

“What?” he asked. He could barely move, let alone turn to look at her. Hope stubbornly blossomed in his chest again and he stomped it out, afraid that he was hearing things.

“Your request is denied, Agent Shan,” she said in a wavering voice, holding the datapad out to him. “You need to work on any issues with your roommate on your own. Moving out won’t help anything.”

Theron stared at her, agape, before managing to croak out, “Of course, Commander.” He made his way slowly to the edge of the raised bedroom, crouching before dropping down and crossing the room. He couldn't seem to take his eyes off of the Jedi, as though she might disappear if he looked away. Pausing within arm’s reach, Theron took the datapad, fingers brushing hers, and tossed it on the sofa as he cleared his throat.

“There’s still a problem,” he said. Sanna’s eyelids fluttered closed and her jaw set in defeat at his words. “I want to make things right with her, Commander, but I don’t know how. Even if I knew how to fix it, I don’t know that I could; there’s a lot that’s broken.” Theron caught himself reaching for her and drew his hands back to himself. “And I’m worried that my roommate might not want things between us to be fixed. I hurt her -- badly.”

Opening her eyes, she glanced past him at the mostly-empty duffle lying on the floor. Fighting back more tears, Sanna met his gaze.

“Stay. I--” Her voice was barely a whisper. “Stay, Theron.”

“Are you sure, Sanna?” She nodded, lip caught between her teeth, and his heart soared. “Yeah?” She nodded again and stepped closer to him with a gasping sob, taking his hand in hers and twining their fingers together.

“I don’t know how to do this, either, but we used to make a good team,” she said, sniffling, and swiped at the tears glistening on her cheeks. “We can figure this out together, don’t you think?”

“Yeah. Yeah, I do,” Theron said, haltingly reaching out to cradle her cheek in his hand and brushing away a tear with his thumb. “I like that idea, very much.”

“Me, too,” Sanna said, struggling to find the right thing to say, to do. She settled for resting her hand on top of his, eyes drifting shut while she basked in the warmth of his skin for the first time in so very long. “I love you,” she whispered.

Theron couldn’t repress an odd combination of a sob and a laugh; it drew a concerned glance from Vassanna, and he let out a relieved huff.

“I was pretty damn sure I’d never hear you say that to me again,” Theron said, blinking away the tears that sprang up, unbidden. He hesitated for the briefest of moments before pressing his lips to her forehead, closing his eyes and willing this moment to be real and not a dream.

“I certainly tried not to love you after... after everything, but I couldn’t,” Sanna sniffled. “I failed spectacularly, in fact.”

“Is it wrong that I’m glad you failed?” Theron’s flippant question was met by a long pause. His anxiety spiked as he thought that perhaps, after all this, he’d undone everything with a careless remark.

“No,” she answered quietly, voice thick with tears. “I’m glad, too.” With a small smile tugging at his lips, Theron reached up to brush a stray wisp of hair out of her face.

“Oh stars, I’m such a hypocrite.” she choked out, turning away, hand pressed to her mouth. “I'm so sorry. I didn't tell you the whole story earlier.” Sanna glanced back with wild eyes to see the confusion on Theron’s features and rushed to explain. “I wanted to hurt you like you’d hurt me -- what is wrong with me? I’m so sorry, I’m sorry, I’m--” A whimper and hiccup broke off her rambling and Theron took a step closer, tenderly holding her face in the palms of his hands and pressing a kiss to her forehead again as his thumbs brushed her cheeks.

“No, sweetheart, you’re okay,” he said soothingly and tried not to worry about what had her so upset. “Shh, there’s nothing wrong with you, it’s alright. You can tell me now, whatever it is -- if you want to, of course.”

Sniffling, Vassanna turned away and began to pace, fingers twisted together in front of her. Theron stood as patiently as he could while she worked out whatever was running through her mind and did his best to ignore the urge to kiss the frown from her features, the way he used to when she was worried. That won’t help anything, he scolded himself.

Sanna stopped abruptly in front of Theron, as though surprised by her own inability to stand still. Her mouth opened and closed a number of times as she struggled to find the right words.

“It’s still there,” the Mirialan blurted out, gesturing to the two of them and wiping away more tears. “The connection between us, I mean. It’s in pieces, but... from the minute you walked back into my life, the Force started repairing it, stitching it back together.” Panic flashed across her features and her hand subconsciously covered her heart as she met Theron's eyes again.

“It scared me, and I-- it hurt so much and I couldn't do that again,” she whispered, shaking her head, “so I kept you at a distance, as best I could. I’m so sorry, I should have told you--”

Vassanna's hands clamped over her mouth to smother a harsh, heart-wrenching cry she could no longer contain. Without a thought, Theron stepped forward to close the gap between them and wrapped his arms around her shaking shoulders, holding her tight. He fully expected her to pull away again and was elated to be wrong; instead, she burrowed her head in his chest and her arms wound around him, fingers grasping and clutching at the back of his shirt, as though unable to hold him close enough.

Cradling her head to his chest, Theron ran his other hand up and down and her spine, filled with both guilt and relief. Dropping a kiss on the top of her head, he murmured calming words and reassurances into her hair between sniffles of his own: how she had every right to feel the way she felt, to be angry and upset about what he’d done; there was nothing to be sorry for but he’d forgive her anything; that everything was going to be okay; that he loved her, oh he loved her so damned much; and how very, very sorry he was for everything he'd done to her and how badly he wanted to make things right.

As they stood clinging to the other, time ceased to exist and they both felt as though they were home at long last.

“Stop apologizing, Theron,” Sanna said softly, breaking the silence and leaning back slightly. She reached up and placed her cool hand on his cheek, scratchy with stubble. “I forgive you.”

Theron huffed out another laugh-sob of disbelief and tucked a loose tendril of hair behind her ear before kissing the crown of her head.

“Hells, I love you, Sanna,” he said, resting his forehead on hers, noses nuzzling.

“I love you too. I can’t promise--” She paused and took a deep, calming breath before meeting his amber eyes.

“This might not be easy for me sometimes, Theron. I spent so much time questioning everything and I'm having a hard time letting go of the hurt, the anger. I know that I should, I know that I need to, and I’m trying, I am, but...” The Jedi bit her lip as her words trailed off and he nodded, his thumb tracing her jaw.

“I understand. I won’t ask you to --”

Before Theron could finish his sentence, Sanna had twined her arms around the back of his neck and tilted her face up, tugging him to her and capturing his lips with her own, effectively stopping his words and any thoughts of taking things slowly.

Across the base, a notification popped up on Lana’s datapad:

Change of housing request: Shan, Theron From: Aurek-0001 To: Cresh-0312 Authorized by: T. Shan Pending Command approval...

The blonde Sith sat with bated breath, frowning at the blinking cursor with no small amount of concern -- and hope -- for her two friends.

“Oh, don’t you two dare be stubborn idiots about this,” she muttered. “Just talk to each other, for Force’s sake. Work this out.”

A small, hissed “yes” escaped the Sith as she saw the request had been rejected. With a pleased smirk, she cleared both Theron and Sanna’s schedules for the next day.

[argumentl]

The Freedom of Expression Ep 39 - Finland's female Prime Minister wears a suit with no bra. Indecent? Sexist?

K: Hi, this is Dir en grey's Kaoru with this week's episode of The Freedom of Expression. Joe san, Tasai san, welcome. Well...

J: Hahaha

K: This suits you (*pointing to Tokyo Sports hoodie that Joe is wearing*)

J: Oh thank you. Im starting to quite like it.

T: Im glad.

J: There is also a Tokyo Sports logo here on the end of the sleeve, so even if you are wearing a jacket, you can show it.

T: Thank you, haha.

J: So, (*To Tasai*) Im waiting for a job.

T: Thank you, lets do something.

K: Haha

J: Lets do something.

K: Ok, Joe, today's news please.

J: Yes, ok. 'Finland's female Prime Minister wears a suit with no bra. Indecent? Sexist?' 34 year old Northern European Prime Minister, Sanna Marin, appeared in a magazine wearing a jacket which exposed slight clevage, causing an unexpected stir. While parts of social media labelled this 'indecent', and 'inappropriate', other voices have been raised claiming this backlash is sexist, because a male politician appearing even half-naked in a magazine would not face the same criticism. Elected at the end of last year, Prime Minister Marin is notable as her country's youngest ever Prime Minister. She was interviewed by the fashion magazine, sold this month in Finland, and was  portrayed as a role model, wearing a black suit. It appeared as if she was wearing the jacket with no bra, and her clevage was slightly visible below an elaborately designed necklace. Parts of social media responded that, 'It looks cheap', 'I've lost trust in her', 'She's trying to stand out'.

Well, if you search for this you will be able to find the image. Firstly, when I had a look, I didn't think it was all that indecent.

K: Yeah.

J: Kaoru, how do you feel about this?

K: Well, I feel like there is always gonna be someone who complains.

J: Yeah, so those who are defending PM Marin say that, for example, with that photo of Putin going fishing topless, or that photo which was posted of him jogging in floral patterned shorts in winter...People are asking why it is ok to show naked photos of male leaders, but indecent for a female leader to show a tiny bit of clevage? This had led to some claims of sexism. I think this is a difficult problem. (*To Tasai*)What does the expert on clevages have to say about this?

K: Are you an expert?

T: Haha, it has been said about me. Well, recently at Tokyo Sports, we've had a lot of articles concerning sex. Like, things that really make you think 'it this sexist against men? Or is this sexist against women?' I've been thinking a lot about what it means to be a man or a woman. Its like women will point out sexism if they see it, but as a man, even if I think the same inside, I will question myself.*1

J: I see, men are bad at expressing feelings?

T: Yeah, so i've been thinking a lot about what it all means.

J: I see.

Kami: Um..

J: Oh, Kami's here.

Kami: Do you think people with small boobs are jealous of her clevage?

J: Oh, that?

Kami: As for me, I don't even mind if there is no clevage.

J: I see.

Kami: I probably even prefer small boobs.

J: You like small boobs?

Kami: I think they are better. But this photo, however you look at it, its a nice photo, isn't it?

J: Yes, its a good photo, right?

Kami: So maybe the people complaining about her clevage are just jealous because they have no clevage. I feel like that might be it.

T: Well, we don't know whether the people complaining were men or women though.

J: Yeh, we don't know that. We can't say.

K: It could be either.

Kami: So, Kami, are you saying 'Don't worry about the size of your clevage!'? Like, 'Its ok, don't worry about it!'

Kami: Yeah. Its whats on the inside that counts.

J: Thats it.

K: Yeah.

Kami: Either is ok.

K: But this is a fashion magazine, right?

J: Yeah. So PM Marin isn't wearing this type of thing for public affairs, its for this magazine. And I don't think this was only her idea. With a fashion magazine, there will be the director and the stylist etc, so she will have been shot in this way in oder to properly show off the fashion. So, even if you attack this, it is what it is. What do these complainers think is indecent about it?

K: Well, no matter what you do, you will always get opinions from both sides.

J: Well, of course, yes.

Kami: Its these small-boobed people who are attacking her.

K: He's particular about this, haha.

Kami: Its the truth. No mistake.

J: Attacking her like, 'Don't brag about your boobs!'?

Kami: Yes, thats it. They don't like the bragging. No mistake!

J: No mistake?

Kami: No mistake.

J: Haha, well if Kami has no doubts, maybe thats it.

T:Well, there may be some women who don't like hearing that*2

J: Like, Kami is doing sexual harassment?

T: Well, he is just saying his honest opinion as a man. But a man wouldn't say this looks cheap, would he? Or that they'd loose trust in her, or that she's trying to stand out? What do you think?

K: Even if she is trying to stand out, whats wrong with that?

J: Yeah, if people pay attention to this and see her a politician, it might draw more interest into politics, or spread awareness of her policies, so in that way, its a kind of promotion.

K: So its not really anyone's business to say 'It looks cheap' and stuff.

J: Yeah. But it doesn't look cheap, does it? From what I can see.

T: No, it looks nice.

Kami: Oh, I've just realised something.

J: What is it, Kami?

Kami: There may actually be a mistake about when I said 'there's no mistake' before.

J: Ah, tell us what it is.

Kami: She's a politician, right? She is being criticized as a politician, so it might be the small-boobed of the Opposition Party criticizing her. 

K, T, J: Hahaha

J: No way! Really?

Kami: Yeah. The small-boobed of the Opposition.

J: I see.

T: Thats interesting.

J: So its like criticism of the administration?

Kami: Yes.

J: Political affairs, right? But I think PM Marin will be quite happy with this

T: Yeah, I bet she didn't expect it to turn into such a talking point.

J: But 'the small-boobed Opposition'...?

K: Haha, its a new phrase.

J: A first for humanity! Small-boobed Opposition!

T: I wanna search for it on my computer later.

J: I bet you won't get any results.

T: Haha.

J: Its only just been said...'Small-boobed Opposition'.

T: Incredible, right?

J: Haha. But conversely, what if it were a Japanese female politician appearing like this?

T: How would that go?

J: Yeah, how would it? Are there any Japanese politicians we'd like to appear in fashion magazines..

K: Its not really like we want them to appear, the editors want to feature them.

T: There isn't really anyone I'd like them to pick up on specifically.

J: Yeah. Well, the conclusion here is that PM Marin looks great.

K: Yeah, I think thats it.

J: No mistake.

K: It reminds me of when former Hanshin player Shinjo (Tsuyoshi) san returned from Nippon Ham, he was all over the magazines.

T: Oh yeah.

K: Its great, isn't it?

J: Yes, it is.

K: Ok, well...let's finish here.

J: Before Kami says anything else.

K: Thank you very much. Please subscribe.

*1,2 Slightly unsure about these bits.

[lovlydovlyjaycie]

Ævi - The Protector

Hey, so this is going to be a mini series on something I have tried to do before. But I thought of a different way to make it shorter and to make it make more sense. I hope you like it, this idea has been in my head for honestly.. a couple of years now lol. I just decided I really want to put it down somewhere. And where is better than here? Am I right?! lol

Summary: This is set in 2010. There are no such things as superheroes. Right? Maybe Iron Man, but that is it. It has to be. Y/n was just trying to celebrate her birthday, but that quickly changed when she got a gift from a mysterious man.

Warnings: Non so far

Characters: Y/n, Bjorn Ironside, Ragnar Lothbrok, OC Emma, OC Lars, OC Sanna, OC Nils, OC David Mentioned: Iron Man, Odin

Part 1

It was Summer 2010, my birthday. Growing up I always thought there is no such thing as super heroes. But recently that has changed. Now there is a man that calls himself Iron Man. It sounded insane. But I thought, of course America needs another crazy thing to stand out with. I never expected something like that to happen here, Goteborg Sweden. Never, not in a million years, but it did. On my birthday of all days. It’s a long story..

Like I said it started on my birthday. It was a warm Summer day. I had planned to celebrate my birthday in the woods, so we were all allowed to do whatever. We were celebrating me twentieth birthday. I was so excited, I got to see a lot of my old friends from high school, college and even some from middle school.

My friend Emma, Lars and Sanna were helping me getting all the liquor. “So many people are gonna come! It’s like a reunion, we haven’t seen a lot of people since high school.” Emma cheered. She was always so excited to party. I’ll have to say me too. I loved being with my friends and having a great time.. drinking.. but also seeing everybody of course. Sanna was always a little on the background she doesn’t like to be the center of attention. Totally fine. And Lars I met in college. He also doesn’t really care for parties. Just for the guys that might be there. And I totally get that.

“I’m excited too! Can’t wait to hear what everybody has been up to.” I smiled at Emma. She has been my best friend since we were basically babies. We’ve always been inseparable, you could say that we are sisters at this point.

After we got all the alcohol from the liquor store we went to the woods. We brought a lot, but everybody is also bringing their own stuff. This is going to be a crazy night.

-

So many people had shown up. I also think that people just heard there was a party and came, cause there are some faces I’ve never seen before.

When it was getting darker people started turning on the lights of their cars. It gave such a cool effect. Lars was standing next to me. “So the people from your town.. how openminded are they?” He said questionably. “Pretty openminded.. and I heard that Sven over there with the yellow shirt is very openminded.” I smiled at him. “Hmm, I’m gonna check him out for his openmindedness.. I’ll report back to you.” He said walking away. I laughed at that.

“Hey can you help for a second?” Emma came running towards me. I turned around a bit startled. “Yeah, what happened?” I asked her. “Somebody got his car stuck and we need to push it out.” “And you think I’m strong enough to push a car out?” I asked smirking. “Well.. No.. But the guy who got the car stuck is Nils.. aaannddd I know you have had a crush on him since forever. Soo.. just come.” She said as she pulled me by my arm towards where ever that car was. I did have a crush on Nils, but that was high school and I haven’t seen him in two years. So I don’t know if those feelings were still very accurate.

Coming closer to Nils’s car I saw him standing by it with one other guy I haven’t seen before. His friend was quite short. “Hey Nils! I found some muscle.” Emma said pointing at me. Nils turned around. Yep, I definitely still have a crush on him. He had dark curly hair and dark blue eyes. “Hi.” I said awkwardly. “Hey! It’s been a while! Happy birthday y/n!” He said as he gave me a hug. “Thank you.” I smiled at him. “So.. you got your car stuck?” He looked down a bit embarrassed. “Yup, I’m an idiot. Would you mind helping?” “I don’t mind, I do have the muscle after all.” I said as I gave Emma a pointed look. “Alright I think me, David and you can push the car and Emma you sit in the car to reverse it... Oh sorry this is David by the way.” He gave me a wave. “Well sounds good to me.” Emma said and went to sit in Nils’s car.

“Ok, you ready? lets push.” We were standing in front of the car with our hands on the hood. We were all trying to push it and Emma was pushing the reverse. But nothing was happening. “Alright again, give it all you got!” Nils said jokingly. I took a deep breath trying to push the car as hard as I could. And then it almost flew back. “Wow! Nice! I really didn’t want to call someone for this. Guess the reverse finally worked.” Nils said as Emma climbed out of the car a little out of it. “That was no reverse.” She said. “Oh well. It’s out, that’s all I care about.” Coming closer to the car I saw two small dents where I had put my hands to push the car. Did I?.. I shook my head. It had to be the reverse. “Well thanks for helping me.” Nils said turning to me. “Yes, no problem.” I smiled at him and I felt my cheeks turning hot. “So how have you been all this time?” He asked. “Good, uhmm, I’m studying history right now. Very interesting.” He smiled at that. “You always loved that subject.” “How’d you know?” I asked him. “Well I sat behind you in class. I could see how well you payed attention to that.” And I felt my cheeks turning hotter. “You didn’t like history then?” I asked avoiding his gaze. I didn’t want him to see me blush. “Not really, but I liked the class. There was this girl I had a huge crush on.” Now I was trying to avoid his gaze to not look disappointed. “Oh who?” I asked. “You.” He laughed. But I could only stare at him with big eyes. “What! Why didn’t you tell me?” I asked shocked. “Well you also didn’t tell me.” He said as a matter of fact. “Well is als.. Wait, how did you know?” I asked him. “Emma just told me.” I turned around. “Em.. Where did she go?” She and David had left us by the car. I looked around and in the distance I could see her waving at me. I just gave her the finger.

“Welp.. the secret is out then I guess, that’s embarrassing.” I said. “No it’s not, cause now I can ask you on a date.” I was again a little shocked how easy this was. “So, waht do you say? Do you wanna go on a date with me?” He asked. “Yes, sure, I’d like that.” I don’t think the smile I had on my face will ever leave. “Great! you wanna take a walk and just catch up right now?” I nodded my head. This is the best birthday ever.

We had been walking for a little bit, just walking around where the party was at. Some people went in to the woods to do some ‘funny business’ Like nobody would notice.

“What is the era you’re studying right now?” Nils asked after a while. “Right now it’s everything Viking. Pretty interesting really. About their beliefs and how they lived also the language. Some important figures in that time as well.” He nodded. “You like that era?” He looked at me. “Yes, I feel like a lot of Sweden is shaped on the era and...” “Happy birthday.” A tall man said to me in English. He handed me a gift and a card. Looking back up the tall man had already turned around and walked away. “Who was that?” Nils asked. “I don’t know.” I told him. “I’m just.. gonna check I guess.. that was strange.” I said as I walked the direction the man went. “Do you want me to come with you?” Nils asked. “No I’m fine!” I yelled back as I picked up my speed.

I was walking further into the forest. I could hear the people from the party in the distance. It was very dark out here so I got the flashlight of my phone to try and see better. When I shone it up I was startled by a figure. “GOD!” It was Sanna. “What are you doing out here?” I asked her. “I was following you.. Who goes out into a forest by themselves.” She stated. It was kind of stupid of me to do, I could get lost. “Why are you out here?” She asked. “This man who spoke English gave me a gift and then walked away towards here.” She gave me a look. “And you decided to follow this strange man by yourself.” Sanna said as she crossed her arms. “I guess that was not very smart of me.” “Nope it certainly was not. What did he give you anyway?”

I looked at the gift and the card the man gave me. I decided to open the card first. ‘Happy birthday! Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.’ In English again. Sanna was looking over my shoulder. “Do you know anybody that speaks English?” She asked. “No I don’t.” In the card there was a drawing of a tree. “That looks like Yggdrasil.” I said quietly. “What is that?” Sanna asked. “It’s Viking.. It’s the tree of life or it’s what they believed the tree of life is.” I explained. “What’s in the box?” It was wrapped in white paper with a golden bow. I pulled on the bow and opened the box. In it there was a white rock with a golden glow to it. Something in me wanted me to touch it and never let go. Like I needed to protect it with all my strength. I had never seen this rock before, but it felt like it was part of me. Like a stuffed animal you got when you were a baby and had sentimental feelings for, no one could touch it, it was yours. That was what it felt like. I decided to pick the rock up out of the little box. It fit in my hand perfectly.

“It could be a nice.. big necklace?” Sanna said a little questionably. I decided to humor her and put it up to my chest. When I did It started glowing white and gold. I tried to pull the rock away from my chest but it was stuck. All of a sudden there were these golden white lights swimming around me. “What are you doing?! Drop the rock!” Sanna said distraught. “I can’t!” I yelled. This was freaking me out, what were these lights. Sanna came over to me trying to grab the rock from me. But when she touched it she flew back in the air. The lights became brighter and brighter. They were almost blinding me. I finally was able to let go of the rock, but it didn’t drop it was going into my chest. It was burning me I had never felt this kind of pain before. I was screaming my lungs out. It hurt so much. And my eyes were hurting from all the bright lights surrounding me. I put both my hands over my eyes to shield them. As soon as I did I felt like I was floating, but as soon as that feeling came it went away and I landed on the ground with a thud.

Looking around I was in the same place in the woods as I was before It was only day now. The trees looked smaller. Or did I become a lot bigger. I looked around me for Sanna, but she was nowhere to be seen. I only saw the card laying next to me. I picked it up. And gave it another look. I looked around for the stone, nut it was gone. “What the hell was that?” I said under my breath. I tried to find the rock that.. I don’t know what it did. It must’ve been a dream. But I couldn’t find the rock anywhere. I stood up and decided to walk back to where the party was before. Maybe if it’s early enough there are still some people. But when I got there nobody was there. But it looked like nobody had ever been there. I decided to walk to the spot where Nils’s car got stuck, but even the tires that had damaged the ground before was gone. “How long was I out for?” I asked nobody but myself. Looking around there were no traces at all of anybody. How is that possible? I decided to walk towards the road. It wasn’t too far. But even the dirt road that would lead to the main road was not there. Was I lost? It did seem like the same place only the trees looked smaller for some reason. “You’ve got to be kidding me!” The main road was also gone. What was happening?

I looked around again, just for any sign of anybody. I have to be lost. Looking around again I saw a dark figure in the far distance. It looked like a woman. “Hello?! I think I might be lost, where is the nearest city?!” I Yelled at her. But there was no answer. “Hello?!” I did not want to stay here so I decided to walk towards her. As I came closer I could kind of make out her face. She had high cheekbones and eyes that felt like they were staring into your soul. “Hello?!” I yelled again.

All of a sudden there was a knife being put to my throat. “Who are you?!” I was taken a back. “Uhm I.. I’m y/n. I’m just lost, if I was trespassing I’m so sorry.. I., I just don’t know where I am.” I was stammering. “Who where you talking to?” The man asked. “That lady over.. there..” But she was gone. “Are you with the English?” He asked. “I.. No I’m not with the English. Look I don’t know what happened. Something strange happened and now I’m here. I don’t know where I am and I just.. I don’t know what happened just please don’t kill me.” I begged him. He pressed the knife closer to my throat for a second before putting it away. “Come with me.” He said while grabbing me elbow and dragging me with him. “Where are you taking me?” I asked struggling to get out of his grip, but he didn’t answer only held me tighter. “Who are you?” I asked. “Bjorn.” He said and looked down at me.

He had a few scars on his face. Now really looking at him he looked out of time. His clothes or armor looked Viking. His hair was braided but the sides of his head were shaved. On his belt there was a sword. It looked Viking as well. “Where are you taking me?” I tried again. But nothing. This time I was hitting him just trying anything for him to let me go. “You’re making it harder for yourself.” He said as he tried to grab my other arm. “No!” I yelled and he flew back by a golden white force. I froze. Did I do that? I looked at my arms and they were glowing that same glow I had when I touched the stone and then it slowly faded away.

I looked up at the man named Bjorn. I didn’t mean to do that. He looked just as shocked as I felt. He slowly stood up and put his hand on his sword. “I didn’t mean to do that. I’m so sorry.” I said. “What are you?” He asked. “I.. Human?” I mean how do you answer a question like that.. “Who send you?” He asked probably trying to understand what happened. “I.. Look I don’t know how I got here and what’s going on.. I just don’t know, ok?” I told Bjorn. He looked up at the sky. I followed his gaze up. But there were just clouds. “Did He send you?” He asked looking at me. “Who?” I was a bit confused by the question. “Odin. Did Odin send you?” That only confused me more. And then in the distance there was a snap of a twig. Bjorn quickly pulled out his sword in the direction the sound came from. He quietly walked over to me. “Come with me, I will not hurt you.” I looked around towards where the twig snapped briefly before nodding. “Just please tell me where you’re taking me.” He nodded before we started walking again. “To Kattegat. You’re going to see my father, Ragnar Lothbrok. He is the king.” What? that didn’t make any sense. “Is this real?” I wondered out loud. “What?” Bjorn asked me. Did I fall back in time? That’s not possible.. Right? But Bjorn looks like he really dresses like that. It doesn’t look like some kind of costume. I sighed. I’m just going to ask. “What year is it?” He stopped in his tracks. “What?” I sighed again. “What year is it?” He looked confused. “Its nine-hundred-sixty-five.” I looked at him with big eyes. “Can we go now?” He asked and started walking and I followed him straight away. “If your father is Ragnar Lothbrok.. Does that make you Bjorn Ironside?” Now he stopped in his tracks again. “How do you know that? You were send by Odin right. He’s the all father.” I didn’t know how to answer that. How do I explain I know this, because non of this made any sense. “I.. I just.. know?” I didn’t know how else to answer that question. He searched my eyes trying to see if the answer was there. But he didn’t say anything. He just motioned for me to follow him again.

-

After a while of walking we came to a town. It looked outdated. the houses looked like the ones I have seen in books, but now they’re really here. They looked old, but you could see they were just made. The people in the town all kind of looked the same like Bjorn. They either had armor on or wore dresses I had seen in museums and books. Now I felt like the one out of place with my jeans and t-shirt. “This is Kattegat.” Bjorn said putting his arms and pointing around. Everybody we were walking past looked questionable at me. I felt very out of place. Straight ahead there was a house. A longhouse. It stood out from the rest, it was far bigger than any of the houses we walked past. My guess would be that Ragnar would live there. And then I was standing in front of the longhouse where people were guarding the doors. Bjorn motioned for me to come in, so I followed him. The guards gave me a weird look as I walked in.

Inside there was a big and beautiful chair in front and center, covered with fur. “Father!” Bjorn Yelled. There were some people inside cleaning, servants maybe? “Son!” A man yelled back he came out of somewhere behind the throne with open arms. Bjorn walked towards him and gave him a hug. “What did you hunt for? You were not gone for very long.” he asked Bjorn. “I didn’t get the chance. I found her.” Bjorn said as he pointed at me. I looked up at them still standing by the door. “Who is this? A new servant?” The man asked. “No, this is y/n. I found her in the woods by herself.” He told him. The man walked over to me. “Is she with the others?” He asked. “I don’t think so.”  The man walked around me. “Why is she dressed like that?” He turned around and asked Bjorn, but Bjorn just shrugged. So the man looked back at me looking for answers. “This is how I dress.” I didn’t know what else to tell him, it was the truth. “Father.” Bjorn said and nudged his head, motioning for him to come to Bjorn. They started talking in hushed tones. “I think she was end by Odin. I the woods she glowed a golden color. Not like I have ever seen before. She could be here to protect us. But..” Bjorn shook his head. “But what?” The man asked quietly. “I don’t think she remembers.” The man looked back at me. “Maybe her memory will come back and she can help us.” The man patted Bjorn on his shoulder.

“Where are my manners? I am Ragnar Lothbrok. Welcome to my kingdom.” He said as he made a bow. This was all strange. This couldn’t be happening. Being sent back in time? That happens in movies. Not real life.

...

..

.

Let me know what you think and if you wanna be tagged :)

[queenxxxsupreme]

Dettlaff SFW Alphabet

A/N: Okay so I had to do this to get a grasp of his character and how to write it. I hope this is good!

Affection (how affectionate are they, how do they show affection)  Dettlaff is extremely affectionate, but mostly when no one else is around. He always has to be near you, to be holding some part of you. Whether it’s your hand, the small of your back, his arm around your waist, his hand on your thigh or even his hand on your ass, this man has to be touching you. He needs to constantly be reassured that you are there with him and not some figment of his imagination because he can’t believe that someone as amazing and unparalleled as you is with him. 

Best friend (what would they be like as a best friend, how would the friendship begin) He is very closed off at first. He’s a hard one to become friends with and even harder to get to consider you a best friend. But you earn his trust and he instantly bonds to you. He likes to listen to you while you talk to yourself as you move around your house or your shop. He finds it interesting and somewhat odd that you talk to yourself so much. But it’s something that’s become endearing. He’s not much of a joker, but you make it your goal to make the Higher Vampire smile or laugh. You aren’t afraid of him and you know when he needs to be comforted or talked to versus when he needs to just be left alone. 

Cuddles (do they like to cuddle, how would they cuddle) You wouldn’t know it from looking at him, but the Higher Vampire is hands down the best cuddler ever. It comes over time, of course. He doesn’t just immediately start cuddling you. But when he finds that he’s able to be comfortable around you, when he feels safe, he’ll lay across the sofa between your legs as best as his long limbs will allow and plant his face on one of your thighs. He wraps one arm around your hips and the other comfortably holds your thigh. You’ll sit like this for hours, only moving sometimes when his weight on your leg makes it go numb. You’ll brush your fingers through his dark hair, sometimes reading out loud to him and other times, you just have quiet conversations. 

Domestic (do they want to settle down, how good are they at cooking and cleaning) He does want to settle down but he can’t cook. He’s tried to learn from watching you but he always manages to mess something up and the food ends up inedible. He can, however, clean rather well. He likes to help you clean up the house after you’ve made dinner. 

Ending (if they had to break up with their partner, how would they do it) He’d let you down softly, as careful as he could. He’d explain all the reasons why it didn’t work out or why he can’t stay. Your tears break his heart but he pushes that feeling aside just long enough to get out of sight. Then he loses it. 

Fiance(e) (how do they feel about commitment, how quick are they to want to get married) Dettlaff wants commitment but with Syanna, the last human he loved, he finds it hard to believe that anyone is worth becoming attached again. It takes him a while to open up to you and even longer to fully let you in. But once you are, the Higher Vampire is practically wrapped around your pinky finger. He’s old fashioned. He likes the idea of marriage but again he isn’t sure if it’s worth it.

Gentle (how gentle are they both physically and emotionally) His emotions are strong and while he doesn’t let you know exactly how he’s feeling, it’s very easy for you to tell what kind of mood he’s in. There are times when he feels everything so intensely that he can’t help but show it. Whether he be in a mood where all he needs is you, or if he’s angry at the world or someone who wronged him. 

Hugs (do they like hugs, how often do they do it, what are their hugs like) Dettlaff hugs you often, but mostly when no one is around because no one needs to know the dark and brooding Higher Vampire is soft™️. His hugs are firm and squeeze the air out of your lungs. He always wraps his long arms all the way around you, tucking your head under his chin and kissing the top of your head. 

I Love You (how fast do they say it) This many takes for-fucking-ever to tell you he loves you. Sure he shows it and actions often speak louder than words, but you can't help having doubts in the back of your mind. It takes him so long that you think maybe he’d never feel that way towards you. But then after a particularly stressful day, Dettlaff shuffles into the bedroom where you're sitting up on bed reading a book. He lays down carefully on the bed, his head in your lap. He whispers the words in Nilfgaardian, forgetting that you speak the language rather fluently. Your heart skips a beat and the book in your hand is discarded so you can card your fingers through his hair. You smile softly and confirm that you feel the same way. 

Jealous (how jealous do they get, what do they do when they are jealous) Dettlaff doesn't necessarily get jealous. He's more possessive than anything. But on the rare occasion he does get jealous, he falls silent and broods until you assure him he is your one and only. 

Kisses (what are their kisses like, where do they like to kiss, where do they like to be kissed) His kisses are fierce but gentle and always, always passionate. He’s so tender with you, afraid he could break his fragile little human. He likes to kiss your lips, of course, but he also likes to kiss the top of your head. He likes it when you leave kisses along his jaw and when you kiss his neck. He’s a sucker for neck kisses.

Little Ones (how are they around kids) Dettlaff is extremely good with kids. He has a scary and intimidating demeanor, but he's very warm with children. 

Mornings (how are mornings spent with them) Dettlaff can hear when you start to wake, when you groan softly and start to stretch your muscles. He’s holding you in his arms, you're curled into his chest. He kisses the top of your head, whispering a good morning to you. Things are quiet until you decide the day must begin. 

Nights (how are nights spent with them) Nights are also predominantly quiet. He's content with helping you clean up around the house and then when you try to talk him into sleeping, he usually protests. However, whenever he hasn't slept in a couple days, he gives in and climbs into bed, resting between your legs with his head on your lap. He makes sure you have a silver knife within reach just in case the worst happened. 

Open (when would they start revealing things about themselves, do they say everything at once or do they wait a while and reveal everything slowly) The Higher Vampire is more shut off than anyone you've ever met. It takes a while for him to warm up to you and a while longer for him to open up and become comfortable with telling you things about him. You’ll be telling him about something that reminds him of his childhood in Nazair and he will tell you little stories, stories you're sure no one else had the pleasure of previously hearing. After you prove to be trustworthy, he opens up about Sanna and tells you of the woman you'd only hear Regis mention once in a great while. After this, you begin to understand the Higher Vampire. 

Patience (how easily angered are they) His patience depends on what he's doing or who he's dealing with. If it's Geralt, he can be short with the witcher. Dettlaff is far more patient with you than any others. 

Quizzes (how much do they remember about you, do they remember every little detail you mentioned in passing, or do they kind of forget)  He remembers every single thing about you. He listens to every word you say and locks it away so he will never forget. 

Remember (what is their favorite moment in your relationship) By far, his favorite moment of your relationship is when he first set his eyes on you. You were in a tavern with a small group enjoying the quiet, rainy evening and sharing drinks. Regis talked Dettlaff into joining him and Geralt at the tavern. Your melodic laugh stood out, catching the Higher Vampire’s attention. You appeared so lively and so happy. Your eyes met his and unlike so many others who cowered away from the intimidating man’s gaze, you smiled at him. Soon enough, you were making your way over to the table with the two vampires and the witcher. You introduced yourself, your eyes staying on Dettlaff. Your confidence combined with your laugh and the kindness in your eyes seemed to cut through Dettlaff’s moody exterior. He introduced himself and took your hand, kissing your knuckles. From that moment on, he couldn’t picture life without you.

Security (how protective are they, how would they protect you, how would they like to be protected) This man makes sure you are safer than the Duchess herself. This can get a little annoying but you try to be patient with him and explain to him why it's not okay to hiss at anyone who walks too close. 

Try (how much effort would they put into dates, anniversaries, gifts, everyday tasks) He tries only on anniversaries. You don't go on many dates at all. You both prefer quiet nights at home. But on anniversaries, he goes all out. He finds flowers and your favorite sweets and gifts them to you along with a rather expensive necklace 

Ugly (what would be some bad habits of theirs) He lets his emotions run his actions and his decision making. When anger overwhelms him, he becomes dangerous. 

Vanity (how concerned are they with their looks) This man effortlessly looks the part of an ancient vampire and he pulls it off so well. 100% he cares a lot about his looks. 

Whole (would they feel incomplete without you) He is his own person (or vampire) but you are a huge part of his life. He felt so empty for the longest time but then he found you and learned what he was missing. 

Xtra (random headcanon) He is a very good singer. No one would know if, but his voice is absolutely stunning. He doesn't sing very often though. He mostly hums when he's brushing his fingers through your hair. 

Yuck (what are some things they wouldn’t like, whether in a partner or in general) He can't stand strong scents. His nose is super sensitive so strong and overwhelming scents give him headaches. He also can't stand a disloyal and unfaithful partner. He can't stand being lied to. It literally makes him lose his shit. 

ZZZ (what are their sleeping habits like) Dettlaff sleeps very poorly. He doesn't make an effort to even try to sleep until he can't keep his eyes open. Nightmares plague his dreams and the fear of waking up violently to one of these nightmares is enough to keep him from sleeping around you. 

Taglist: @pressedinthepages @MishaFaye  @whitewolfandthefox @ayamenimthiriel @c-a-v-a-l-r-y @wolfyland07  @belalugosisdead @persephonehemingway @romancebibliophilia @keira-hulmaster @dinonuggs69 @shadow-hunters-lover @dancingwith-thesunflowers  @tedi-fach-las @thecomfortofoldstorries @raspberrydreamclouds @disasteren @weathervanes-my-oneandlonely @onlyhenrys @crazybutconfidentaf @criminaly-supernatural  @magpie343 @permanently-exhausted-witcher @hina-chans-stuff @the-space-between-heartbeats @havenoffandoms @carriebee1 @ger-bearofrivia @naominami @writingawaymylife @reaganjenelle @badassspaceprincess @theawkwardpedestrian @scarlettwitcher @badassspaceprincess @just-a-sad-donut @summersong69 @an--actual--human--disaster

[imagine-loki]

Yes Mistress

TITLE: Yes Mistress CHAPTER NO./ONE SHOT: Chapter 31 AUTHOR: angryowlet ORIGINAL IMAGINE:  Imagine after a heated argument with Thor, Loki turns himself into a woman out of spite.  RATING: Mature/Explicit NOTES/WARNINGS: NSFW, This is a F/F BDSM relationship. If that’s not your cup of tea, don’t drink it. The events in this fic take place before the first Thor movie.

A holiday present to my oh so patient readers. Smut and fluff with just a hint of plot.

“Yes Pet– Just like that! Don’t stop!” Loki was panting out orders as Sanna sucked at her clit and stroked her spot with her fingers.

  She’d been pleasuring her Mistress for more than an hour. Kissing her, licking and sucking at her nipples. Even using her teeth when and where she was told to. She discovered that her Mistress loved receiving a bit of rough play almost as much as she loved giving it. Now, Sanna had one of her Mistress’s legs bent over her shoulder while she coaxed her to orgasm for a third time. She could feel her Mistress’s pussy tightening around her soaked fingers, heard her breathing hitch. Her Mistress was close now, very close. Sanna was learning the signs. She brace her free hand against a trembling thigh and kept her pace steady. 

Loki shook as she came at last, back arching, muscles spasming in release. She lay panting on the bed as her Pet lapped up her juices, cleaning her dripping pussy with her tongue. Little aftershocks shot pleasantly through her tired body. Sanna was slowly licking the last of her Mistress’s slick from her fingers when Loki spoke.

“Mmm… Good girl… Come… Come up here." 

Loki’s words were slurred as she gestured vaguely for Sanna to come and lay beside her. She stretched lazily as her Pet crawled up the bed to her. Loki sat them both up against the small mountain of pillows at the head of the bed. She poured water into a goblet and downed it in one go. She refilled it and offered it to Sanna. The girl drank as greedily as her Mistress. They lay cuddled together in each other’s arms until Sanna started to shiver. The rain had finally stopped, but the night air was damp and cold. Loki used her seidr to summon the blanket that lay forgotten on the divan and covered Sanna with it once again. Then she reached for her robe.

"Come Pet,” she stood and slipped it loosely over her shoulders. “We both need to clean up before we fall asleep.” She held out a hand to help the girl to her feet.

As they crossed the sitting room to enter the bathing chamber, Loki noticed a small light flashing on her desk. There was a message waiting in the communication system. 

“Go on ahead Pet.” Loki gently nudged her towards the bathing room, “I’ve got something to see to.” She walked to the desk and tapped the display icon once Sanna was in the bathing room. There was a holomessage from one of her ‘friends’ in Vanaheim and another for Sanna from someone in her home province –probably her sister– that had arrived hours earlier. Loki ignored the latter and engaged the holomessage display. A holographic form the size of a person was projected from the communication system. It took shape on the far side of her desk. The beautiful features of a former lover dressed in silks and jewels came into focus and the figure began to speak.

“Darling. It’s been so long since I’ve heard from you.” Loki was suddenly reminded of how petulant they could be when denied.“I must admit I was surprised at what you asked of me,” the figure brushed a lock of hair off it’s forehead and tucked a jeweled hairpin back into place, “but of course I’ll do it for you. It should be fun.” They smirked and continued, “He’s settling in nicely. There’s a feast in honor of his visit tomorrow night, and I’ll make my approach then. I’ll let you know once I have anything. Until then…” The figure pouted their lips into a kiss and winked before fading from the room at the end of the message.

Loki let out a breath she wasn’t aware of holding and altered her appearance to look more regally dressed. She shot off a quick holomessage to another 'friend’ at the court of Vanaheim. One operative on Vanaheim was good, two working from different angles would be better. Loki had spent most of her life collecting favors and cultivating contacts within the noble houses across the realms. And in a few less than noble places. She had just received a letter of confirmation from the second operative agreeing to her request when the door to the bathing room opened. Loki dropped the illusion and quickly filed the messages away, tapping a few commands to encrypt any communications from her contacts. She didn’t want her Pet accidentally stumbling across anything that might upset her.

“All finished?” Loki asked.

“Yes Mistress.” Sanna’s face was flushed from a good scrubbing. Her hair was loose from it’s plaits and hanging down her back over the blanket she still had draped around her shoulders.

Loki gestured for Sanna to come to the desk. “There’s a holomessage for you.” She indicated to the message icon. “I’ll leave you alone.” She pressed a kiss to Sanna’s head and went into the bathing chamber, shutting the door carefully behind her.

Sanna was shocked. Holomessages were expensive. She’d never received one before, her family preferring the letter service that was free to all citizens of the realm. She tugged the blanket closer around herself before reaching over and tapping the icon. Her sister’s image formed on the other side of the desk. Dagna was in her best dress and smiling, eyes shining.

“Greetings little one. I was surprised to get a letter from you so soon after your last. Your news was so astonishing, I decided only a holomessage would do until I can speak to you in person. Luckily it’s a market day.” Dagna’s image ran a hand down the front of her embroidered apron to smooth it.

Sanna recalled that the nearest holomessage console was in the village near their farm.

“I am so very proud of you elskan mín. Your letter arrived just before Father and I left for the marketplace. I wish you could have seen his face when I showed it to him! He has bragged to everyone who’s crossed his path today of your new position. He had so much pride in his voice! Mother is…” here she hesitated and bit her lip before continuing. “Mother is Mother, but I know she’s proud. Even if she doesn’t show it. Rumors of Prince Loki choosing to become Princess Loki reached us just yesterday. It has become a topic of great discussion in the taverns. The general feeling is, that the ways of seidr wielders are strange indeed. From your description, the princess sounds quite kind and very generous. You must do all you can to serve her well. 

As for your questions about the blight and animal sickness, I don’t know if it’s only our farm or others. We’ve been far too busy between the goats kidding and shearing the sheep to see anyone. Lambing is about to start, and I’ll have a chance to ask our neighbors after that. Please thank the princess for her interest in our problems. I hope to hear from you again soon. Goodbye for now. I love you.”

The message faded and Sanna sniffled and wiped at her eyes with the edge of the blanket. Seeing her sister –hearing her voice– had brought on a wave of homesickness. She felt arms come around to hold her and leaned back into her Mistress.

“Are you alright Pet?” Loki ran her hands up and down Sanna’s arms.

“Yes Mistress. I just… I just missed home all of a sudden. I’m fine. Really. Did you watch the whole message?" 

"No. Just the very end, where she said she loves you.” Loki pressed a kiss to the side of Sanna’s head.

Sanna turned her head and gave Loki a watery smile. “It’s just been so long since I’ve seen Dagna, and heard her voice. I was supposed to go to them for my name day, but the offer from the palace came a few days before, and I spent it here instead.”

“How long has it been since you’ve seen them, Pet?” Loki started walking them towards the bedchamber.

“Not since Lady Audney died.”

They’d reached the bedchamber. Loki released Sanna to shed her robe and pull back the covers on the bed.

“I suppose something could be arraigned.” She used the blanket to pull her Pet in closer.

“Truly?” Sanna’s face lit up at the idea of visiting her family.

“Yes, Pet.” Loki pressed a kiss to her forehead and slipped the blanket off her shoulders, leaving it at the foot of the bed by her robe. “Probably not until after the mid-summer revels, I’ll need you for that. But after. We can discuss it further tomorrow." 

Loki got into bed and pulled Sanna down with her, spooning against her back. She used her seidr to put out the lights around their chambers. 

"I have to go to the archives again tomorrow, but you’ll have Marit here with you after midday.” Loki pulled the covers over both of them, making sure her Pet was tucked in and warm. “You might as well order something for both of you from the kitchens.” Loki nuzzled Sanna hair. “Pet?”  

“Mmm?”

“Did you hear me?” Loki lifted her head and saw Sanna’s eyes were closed. She whispered, “No. I don’t suppose you did. Sleep well, little Pet.”

Loki put her head back down and whispered once again. It was the spell to let her enter another’s dreams. She held her Pet all night, in their dreams and in the waking world.

[adelphahighbrow]

Secret Santa

Let me just ramble to you. Throw out some things. You can reject them all if you please, it’s you that has to write and enjoy yourself writing. This is just some stuff to get your creativity flowing So I am definitely here to read some shirbert. I do prefer for them to be aged up a little bit. 17 at the youngest. But I do think there is a lack of good fics about them in other times of their life. Young adults, newlyweds, being parents together, being parents of adult children together, etc. LMM was a tease in the books and we didn’t get those sweet intimate moments of just Anne and Gil together wrapping their kids Christmas presents in secret, just being a Blythe Family Mom&Dad Team! If you want to write something holiday themed that could be sweet. I would be interested in seeing them trying to be community leaders in progressivism. Standing up for minorities, women, those left vulnerable by society.

I like situations where Gilbert learns more about Anne’s terrible past. Like if he learns that she never experienced Christmas before Green Gables. And now she is REALLY into Christmas hardcore because it’s all about winter beauty and family and love and she is 100% in. How does that make him feel? Humbled and smitten? Determined to make all of her future Christmases happy? 

Maybe something simple like a study session between the two of them. An anatomy and physiology study session. Or maybe Anne reading erotic poetry, feeling confident and unashamed of the eroticism because she’s a poetical, romantical, artistic person and everyone else is scandalized. She’s just confused about their reaction. What would Gilbert’s reaction be? I like the idea of Mary complaining about the details of pregnancy because Gilbert is curious about it from an obstetrics point of view. He wants to learn all about it. But Anne is just scarlet in the face hearing Mary talk about cracked nipples and everything else with Gilbert right there. Maybe even some “when it’s *your* turn, Anne” to make her even more embarrassed. Ooooh! And Anne being so embarrassed that she proclaims that she will NEVER have children because she is independent, etc, and probably won’t find a husband who can ride with her like that. But it makes her sad because secretly she does want to be a mother one day.

Hell, I like reading Gilbert get really embarrassed in front of Anne! I love when he is insecure. Or even jealous. I never get tired of jealous Gilbert. But not toooo insecure. He is still a baller and must remain the real deal.

I wish there was a way for Gilbert and Anne (at the point of their relationship that they are in towards the end of Season 2) to see their mutual future. Through a vision from a fortune teller, witch, or some sort of shaman figure. Anything, really. I want to see them both “spy” on their married-with-kids future and know that the other one saw it too. What would their reactions be? How much did they see? Did they see... everything?? I want to see this idea maxed out. 

I like that Anne loves domestic things like cooking and decorating. I like that she doesn’t rebel from them for being stereotypically feminine. I like the idea of she and Gilbert experimenting with international cuisine for each other to try. Ooooh. Maybe Anne throwing a dinner party for all of her closest friends after the loss of Aunt Josephine. Maybe she wants to start up the tradition for herself but on an Anne budget so she wants to throw a wonderful dinner party for the exchange of ideas, curating of art, etc and it looks like the tea party she threw for Diana only all over the first floor of the house. Garlands and wreaths and floral/fauna displays that she managed to grow or pick herself, or collected by the other girls. A several course dinner where each course is a delicacy from another culture. New interesting music on a phonograph for Diana and co. play it live. Aaaaall low budget edition. I could see this beginning in college so none of her guests are kids, they’re all college age at least. Maybe Anne works SO hard trying to pour herself into the party and it’s falling apart, it’s nothing like Josephine’s party, only 6-10 people are there max, she struggled to cook all of that stuff for everyone and it doesn’t run smoothly and she needs a little comfort when she feels she has failed. Gilbert loves every minute of it, thinks it’s A++ per usual and has to give her a little pep talk in the pantry and she hugs him. The rest of the evening takes a more casual vibe and everyone has a blast just chilling by the fireplace and socializing and it turns out to be the best party she’s ever been to because of the chill vibe and she and Gilbert just smile at each other from across the room and he’s thinking to himself how much fun his life would be if she were his wife and they could do this kind of thing all the time. 

That’s all I can think of from the top of my head for now. Ask me some more questions, nonny/Secret Sanna

[memoirsofratasum]

Aeromage Sanna: Returning to the Temple of Kormir

Why does it always seem that the return trip is always faster than the initial journey? We still needed to get out of the Desolation and return to the temple of Kormir with our shipment of djinn scrolls, but instead of endless stretches of sulfur rivers, our skimmers brought us to the Chantry of Shadows in what seemed like a blink of the eye.

The news of the way north hadn’t changed much, it was what was going on in Vabbi that the Order was mostly concerned about. The majority of forged and awakened forces were converging on Kodash Bazaar and the Order predicted it was only a matter of time before they clashed. But in the meantime the way north to the Bone Wall was being patrolled by a skeleton crew (I still don’t know if that was a pun or not) of awakened and also the normal wildlife. Basically if we wanted to get out, now was the time.

Sahil lead us back the way we had came, through the Sulfur Quarry and Acrid Springs until we finally made it to the clean waters of the Spillway. Even with the skimmer’s clean air aura it was nice to be able to breath normally again. We made it through the hidden gap in the Bone Wall and returned to the Riverlands. I was kinda sad to have to drop the skimmer back off at their ranch, but we had only borrowed them for the journey, they weren’t ours to keep. But we did have our new jackals the djinn had given us. At first glance they could be mistaken for basic sand elementals but just a few minutes of interaction show that jackals are so much more. The influence of Abbadon has been scrubbed clean by the care and patience of the djinn and jackals are now intelligent and loyal creatures. Now I wonder which is more dog-like, the jackal or the raptor.

Tarnn and I were able to really stretch the legs of our jackals as we raced across the sands of the riverlands, though the blinking is going to take some practice to really hone. Sahil also recovered his raptor from the skimmer stables and opted to join us back to the temple. His family is of course in the Crystal Oasis, Khalida being at the temple and their parents in Seeker’s Village just outside of Amnoon, and he was thinking of taking some time to visit his loved ones.

While we were resting at the camps in the shadow of Augury Rock, Sahil asked me if I was going to be studying weavering in earnest. I certainly want too, I’ve just been constantly on my toes since coming to the Crystal Desert, but I will never pass up an opportunity to learn more about the elements. And I will finally be able to put the sword skills I’ve been learning over the past few years to some good use. Tarnn surprised me by adding that he was thinking of talking to Kahlida about scourge magic. He wasn’t giving up his firebrand studies but apparently what happened at the Lair of the Forgotten had struck a chord with him. I never thought Tarnn would be interested in necromancy but we had also never considered that school of magic to have protective properties. How exciting! And he’s no stranger to brand new magic, he’s picked up a few tricks back when I was dabbling in mesmerism after all. I know he can do it.

It was while the three of us were talking that we felt it, and by we I mean the entire camp. Every single one of us, even that cub Flint, stopped what we were doing and looked to the southeast in silence. The horizon beyond the brand, likely Vabbi, was lit up with electrical storms and the feeling of magic around us grew heavy. It was like when we had seen Balthazar only on a much more immense scale. Did the forged and awakened meet head on like the Order of Shadows predicted? I wouldn’t think they would cause something like this but I can’t imagine what else it would be.

I have no idea how long the camp watched the storm on the horizon, it felt both long and short by the time the skies cleared and the magic subsided. The feeling was like an eclipse that had just finished. The camp was a murmur of confusion and Sahil pulled Tarnn and myself aside, whispering that we should get to the temple as soon as possible. I don’t know what he knew, he is on speaking terms with the Order of Shadows after all, but I can’t argue the need to be safe behind stone as opposed to flimsy tents. So we mounted up and headed north before anyone asked us new comers any questions. I just hope those seeking ascension will be safe, at least Augury Rock could provide some form of shelter if needed.  

Zephyr’s Trace was just how we had left it, though the villagers and visiting Tyrians were in more of a tizzy than usual. They all had felt it too but we didn’t slow down enough to talk to them until we saw the temple in the cliffs. The priests and Priory magisters came out to greet us, the former to inquire on the journey and the latter to unload their newly acquired scrolls. We were questioned about the magical energy, apparently they had not known about the storms on the horizon. But the temple had news for us, apparently that energy had something to do with the commander. Of course, it seems like if anything odd happens you can find the commander at the heart of it. Apparently they are expected in Amnoon by airship soon but the Priory is already taking all kinds of readings. I’m sure it’s very interesting but after two back-to-back courier assignments I just wanted a nap.

I woke up hours later feeling mostly refreshed. Khalida told me that Sahil had left for Seeker’s Village while I was sleeping. She seemed a little grim and asked if her brother had said or did anything odd lately. I told her about the rush to get to the temple, but that was really about it. It’s not like I know him all that well. She seemed a little grim but deflected my questions, changing the subject to saying that Tarnn had spoken with her. She is willing to take him on as a student and won’t force him to abandon his firebrand studies. I’m glad for it, honestly this firebrand discipline is pretty perfect for Tarnn but its lesson plan is geared towards humans, not asura, so no wonder he’s been getting bored easily. Khalida will be able to adapt to an asura’s quick mind without having to worry about other students getting left behind.

I found Tarnn outside making introductions between his wolf Valor and his new jackal. They seem to be getting along but I have a feeling poor Valor doesn’t quite understand why this wolf-thing doesn’t smell normal. My raven Stratus is adapting to the jackal thing by pretending it’s not there, I’m sure he’ll come around eventually. Since I was awake, Tarnn and I decided to practice some more with the jackals, leaping and blinking in the cliffs above the temple. It felt really nice to do something fun and relaxing for a change. We threw some name ideas around. Tarnn likes Arkose for his and I’m thinking Silica for mine. Or maybe Caeli? Cirrus? I’ll have to think about it.

We made it up to the top of the cliff above the temple and the view was incredible. You could see the entire Crystal Oasis all the way to the glittering sea. Tarnn had heard that the commander had returned to Amnoon and there was a party there for them. The whole Priory team was talking about it apparently, about the commander and the death of Balthazar and everything. I’m sure there is a huge story that we missed while running back and forth across the Crystal Desert, but I’m mostly glad to be back and maybe I’ll be able to return to caring for the refugees like I was originally assigned.

But then it happened.

The electrical storms we had seen on the horizon were suddenly above us and a great shadow with huge wings was in the air, flying south. As it passed the magic grew so thick you could almost taste it and you could see branded crystals erupting in its wake. That was Kralkatorrik, it had to be. Tarnn and I turned our jackals back towards the temple, ready to accept any direction the Priory sent us in.

It seems there would be no rest for us yet.

[kmp78]

Finland Chronicles: Reality Television 3.0.

Have you ever sat on your couch at home, watching whatever TV show, and commented on the proceedings out loud?

Well, of course you have! Even when you are alone, you still do that, right?! You comment out loud or scream at the screen or shed a few tears or laugh out loud or drag people with venom - don´t deny!

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to watch a TV show about nothing but people doing just that?

Well, did you know that over here we actually have turned such a mundane and seemingly regular everyday activity into an award-winning blockbuster TV show?

Oh yes we have! Of course we have!

The show in question is called “Sohvaperunat” which in English stands for “Couch potatoes” - altho we call them by a nickname “Sohvikset” aka “Couchies”.

The premise of the show could not be any simpler: 

take a bunch of regular Finns from all over the country and all walks of life, set up cameras in their living rooms and film them watching FInnish TV shows. Couchies will then comment on whatever program they are being shown - and it is abso-fucking-lutely fantastic! Often times they say exactly what many are thinking but have been too PC to say out loud - and of course sometimes they say things that will make your blood pressure shoot through the roof, but hey! It´s all in the name of entertainment, so fair play!

The show has been a humongo success and sets off on its 4th season tonight - and what´s great about it is that unlike most reality TV shows which are actually shot weeks or even months in advance, Couch potatoes is shot during the week and aired on Friday, which means the participants are watching the exact same TV shows we all have watched during this past week!

It sounds really stupid and pointless and and yes it kinda is, but on the other hand it is reality television taken to a whole new level! Now we are watching people watching TV - how twisted is that?! Very! It´s like the show is breaking the “fourth wall”, as well as the fifth, sixth and seventh.

Honestly I´m so hooked that it has now come to the point where I might be watching a TV show on Monday and thinking “Ooooh I can´t wait until Friday to find out what Couchies have to say about this!” The fact that these are random regular people like you and me makes them feel like they are my buddies sitting in my own living room watching TV with me.  😂

So who are all my Couchie friends then? Well, here´s a quickie introduction:

Tanja and Sannis, two friends who are kinda boring and very rarely offer anything interesting or worthwhile in their segments, but they do have cute pets.

Jorma and Soile, a married couple. Soile gets all kinds of emotional and invested especially in reality TV shows while Jorma just resorts to throwing in some sarcastic comments and dodging Soile´s attempts at showing affection. These two are one of my fave Couchies for sure! 

Eila, Minna and Minna´s son Olli. Olli has said maybe 4 words during the first 3 seasons, mostly he just sits there bored, playing with his phone and rolling his eyes at his mom and her friend. Maybe during Season 4 Olli finally snaps out of his teenage misery!

Marja and Eija, mother and daughter. These ladies LOOOOOOVE a good hunky man and are not afraid to objectify a beefcake or drag a reality ho. And ooooh lord, I would pay good money to hear these two giving commentary on Jerd.... These two have got some sharp tongues for sure - love ´em!

Jari and Sanna, buddies. Another one of my fave pairs. They are never afraid to drag and, well... I do love a good drag!

Pinja and Sanna, friends and motormouths. Great chicks, hardly ever disagree with their assessments! 

Osku and Juhani. Amazing duo! These two love sports (duh) and chicks with very little clothing (duh). Their segments range from hilarious to heartbreaking, as despite their somewhat rugged exteriors, these buddies have not been afraid to shed a few tears as well.

Laura and Ville and their sons Akseli and Aamos aka the most annoying people on the planet. The mom swears all the time, even in front of the kids, and the dad has made some rather questionable comments about... well, many topics. Seems he has some issues with A LOT of things, if ya catch my drift. And the two kids are so precocious as can be and they SO get on my last nerve...

Jani and Linda, a married couple. Kinda blaaaa with their commentaries but cutesy as a couple. Nothing bad to say about them.

Iida and Nelli, bffs 4 lyfe, y´all! These two bimbos SEEM like they´d be like nails on a chalkboard and you´d want to fling yourself out of a window just to get away from their blondism. They are actually kinda adorable with their stupidity - and as you probably could have guessed, they looooooove trashy reality shows and hot guys. Fun fact: I actually saw Nelli out and about a few days ago and almost went over to ask for an autograph...  🙈

Mici and Maicci, a married couple who seem to be joined at the hip and always agree with everything the other one says... 😴 Kinda boring but also sweet.

This seasons´s newbies are siblings Teemu and Salli. No idea what they´ll bring to the table but we shall find out! 

And last but def not the least: the greatest Couchies of them all.

Eero, Henkka, Veikko and Åke. These four gentlemen live in a retirement home and form something we have christened “Grandpa Club”. They are often quite bewildered and stunned at what constitutes as entertainment and TV shows these days, and as you might have already guessed, their comments are often pure gold and SO spot on. Eero (the one on far left with the cast) is my absolute fave Grandpa Clubber, he is so adorable and tells it EXACTLY like it is. NO sugarcoating and no ultra PC´ing. FUCK YEAH!

... aaaaaand Jarno and Perttu. 

Jarno is a calm and collected young man and Perttu is... 

Well, Perttu has got to be the BIGGEST bitch to ever grace our TVs, he has no chill and minus 400 fucks to give. He´ll drag anything and anyone through several layers of filth without remorse. Remember Just Jack! from Will and Grace? Yeah, that´s our Perttu. A sarcastic, petty, honey-don´t-try-my-patience kind of bitch who will not tolerate tomfoolery or nonsense and who will put you in your place in a flash.

Yes, I love him! How did you know? 😍

Such amazingness.

And incidentally the show is starting right now so SHHHHHH! 

[kvenconnection-blog]

Notes by Sanna Korteniemi about the residency time in Vadsø, March 2017

Let's make some art about Kvens! Or... wait, it's not so easy. In which kind of context do we work within our project called “Kven Connection”? The general question is: How to make an art about others?

First idea: Kvens are Finnish-speaking people living in the Finnmark area. Second: something about Samuli Paulaharju. No, I haven't read Paulaharju's folkloristic tales, but I know his works, of course.

Third one: trips with family to Norway when I was a child. Norway was the closest foreign country, a good place for holiday trips. I know that Sweden is closer to Rovaniemi. But in my opinion there is not such a big difference between Finland and Sweden. As a child I’ve spent many summer holidays in Pello which is a municipality at the border of Finland and Sweden. There is the Torniojoki river on the border, called also "Väylä" (maybe “The Way” in English), and the river never divided but only connected people. Countries are different, but people are the same in many ways on the both sides of the river. I know that the Torniojoki river is familiar to many Kven people too. Many Kvens are from Torne Valley area, from both sides of the river. So I feel that there are some similarities between my background and the Kven history, language and culture. But is it enough? Could I say that I understand Kven people somehow? Is there any real connection between me and Kvens?

I started the project by reading books  for academic artists like me reading is the most natural way to get any information — so, let's go to the library first! Let's read about history and politics, about conceptions and statistics. Don't read so much about Paulaharju — it's too subjective, idealistic and imaginative. Statistics are objective as they are based on facts! Or... are they?

I learned something new about some words. The Finnish word “Ruija”, used for the Finnmark area, could also mean “Northern Lights”, like the old Norwegian name Haalogaland (Haleugir = High flames), which is the name of the area including Nordland, Tromsø and Finnmark.

An other interesting point is the term “Terra Feminarum” that originates from the medieval chronicle of Adam of Bremen (1073-76). It's possible that the “Land of the Women” refers to the Kvenland — or not. Maybe this connection is based on a misunderstanding, because the words “Kven” and Swedish “kvinne” (a woman) are so similar. But maybe we could use a little imagination. In the Finnish-Karelian mythology The North (Pohjola) was a matriarchal country led by the Matron of the North (Pohjolan emäntä). It's interesting that life in some Russian Karelian villages is still based on a matriarchal system! Is there some connection between Karelia and Kvenland?

If you have heard anything about Kalevala (the collection of stories from Karelian mythology collected and edited by Elias Lönnrot) you know the story about Sampo. The Matron of the North asked the smith called Ilmarinen to make “Sampo” — an object that could create happiness and richness. These elements: North, looking for happiness and better possibilities for life — isn't there a very strong connection to the history of the Kvens and the Finnmark area, the coasts of the Arctic Sea? Is the Kvenland the same land that the one of Sampo — the fantastic object embodying the hope for happiness, richness and a better life? Unfortunately, Sampo was broken and hidden, and nobody knows where it is now. Maybe deep in the Arctic Sea? Maybe now, when the climate is changing and the Iced Sea will be given up to the transnational corporations, it's time to search for Sampo again? But how does that end? Is Sampo actually the reason for misfortune and restlessness? Such interesting questions — and such ones for our time!

1.3.2017. Wednesday

Yesterday I left from Rovaniemi to Inari by bus. Today I continued the journey by a mail car to Utsjoki to Teno Researcher Center. After watching Iivo Niskanen's gold skiing I continued the trip with a researcher who works in Vadsø. The evening was turning dark when we arrived to Vadsø.

2.3. Thursday

I visited in the library and got a card, so that I can borrow books. Some notes: — is Kven language especially a spoken language? There are not so many books in Kven language.   — What position does the Finnish language has in relation to the Kven language? — Meanings of the term “Kven”. — Attitudes: a local language — thought to be “poorer” than the Finnish language? — Comparing the situation of the Kven language with the background of my own language history. The hidden (in the case of my family — my father is a teacher, as well as his father, and I think that the education is the reason why their spoken language turned closer to the standard written language) dialect of Torne Valley Finnish which is very close to Meänkieli (an official minority language in Sweden). The dialect in Torne Valley is still somehow the language of my heart — but to me it is more familiar from literature, rather as a spoken language!

3.3. Friday

In the Varanger museum Notes: — The building used to be the house of NRK. Monumental and pompous, the symbol of the power of the State of Norway. The symbol of Norwegianisation? — Local architecture versus national architecture like the NRK building, the church and so on. — Is the Immigrant Monument also the symbol of the power of the State?

7.3. Tuesday

I found a book called “Solgunni muistelee — Solgunn forteller” (Memories of Solgunn) There was a poem “Oma kieli”, The language of one's own.

“Taivas oon suuri Tätđet loistavat kirkkaasti maailman lapsille

Maailman lapset puhhuuvat ommaa kieltä --- Pikku Vili on kainulainen

ja hän puhhuu ommaa kieltä

Nyt hän ei tartte pölätä ette saapi sölkhään ko hän puhhuu ommaa kieltä”

I tried to translate it somehow:

|The sky is so wide Stars twinkle brightly to the children of the World

Children of the World speak the language of their own

--- The little Vili is a Kven and he speaks the language of his own

Now he doesn't need to worry to get battered when he speaks the language of his own”.

How true that is! I have heard many of this kind of stories also in Finnish Lapland. Too many painful stories (not only mentally, but also physically painful).

8.3. Wednesday

I drew a landscape from the window of the residency. On the picture I wrote the forecast information from yr.no, in Kven language — I understood it better than Norwegian or North Sami. 

— Measurement, monitoring, statistics. — Is it possible to measure a landscape? — Is it possible to measure experiences and emotions? — Is it possible to measure the meanings of the landscape?

Does the statistics tell the truth about the reality? Are the statistics objective? Lassi Saressalo explains in his study how the State of Norway gathered statistics about ethnic groups of Finnmark area. First there were three different options: are you Norwegian, Sami or Kven? But then they simply dropped out the question about the Kven background. During many decades there were only two possible ethnic identities: Norwegian and Sami. This is how the bureaucratic power and violence work! In Western countries we still believe that we are innocent, that we didn’t treat our minorities the same way than in totalitarian countries. The murder of culture happens somewhere else... we believe so strongly that we are on side of truth, there is a lack of words to describe the differences between the official and the “real” truth. For example, in Russian language this kind of separation is created by two words: the word “pravda” means official or common truth (based not only on facts but also beliefs and opinions), whereas the word “istina” means the “real” truth based on real facts.

My work deals with the difference between these terms, two kinds of truths: — the difference between official and actual reality; — the difference between the national and the local points of view; — the difference between knowledge and experience.

But how I could say (or show) anything true? Could I find the right answers? No, I couldn't claim that I understand or know anything about the reality of Kven / Norwegian Finnish people. But maybe I could ask something? Could I make some pictures about these questions?

[the-nerdy-stjarna]

Hi Sanna! I was just curious, since you were able to write so many fics for the advent calendar thing, how do you get inspiration for your works? I'm always impressed when people can turn an idea around so quickly.

Thankyou so much for your ask, @waitingforeleven. I was really excited about this, because it actuallyforced me to think a bit more about my writing process.

To be honest, sometimes I don’t even know myself where allmy stories are coming from. I didn’t start writing fanfic until May 2016. I had written two Gilmore Girlsfics about 10 years ago and can’t for the life of me remember how/why I startedwriting those, and then I got obsessed with really interested in AoS and felt like my husband wasvery slowly getting annoyed with me going on and on about my theories andworries about the show for days and days and days. And then I started bugging talking to my friend @mashiarasdream instead to give hubby a break and eventually she forced convinced me to start writing downall these theories that I had (she’s an avid fanfic writer herself, although not for AoS, and I made the mistake of ended up showing her my GG fics) … and BOY did she start something because all of asudden I couldn’t stop.

I’ve always had a very vivid imagination, playing stories inmy head (or… as an introvert: practicing conversations and phone calls ;) ),and that’s kinda what happens when I get an idea for a fanfic. It often startswith just one image (maybe from the show itself or something I imagine couldhappen) or with a line of dialogue. Then I just kinda let the story happen inmy head (makes for very long bathroom breaks and endless hours of lying awake in bed, let me tell ‘ya). Usually the dialogue just flows naturally. I can see and hear thecharacters in my head (sometimes, when nobody’s there, I even act and say things out loud–and for a brief moment in time think that my Scottish accent is really quite good ;) ).

When I start writing things down, I usually start with the dialogue, because that’s what’s the most prominent for me.Later I fill in the prose (and often struggle with it ;) ). I don’t know why, but most often when I start writing, the words just sort of flow out and I can barely stop myself until the main story is basically written down. [Which means I often curse myself when it’s once again 1 am and I’m still writing when I know my alarm is going to go off at 6:45 ;) ]

In almost all cases I already know the main arc (beginningto end) when I start writing, although sometimes I surprise myself and changethings later.

As for my inspirations:

It really depends. My very first AoS fic “Space” was written priorto the Season 3 finale. I was so convinced worried that the writers would kill of Fitzor Simmons and preemptively pissed at them and as a way of self-preservationand as a coping mechanism I wrote the most prominent theory in my head in thatregard down, because at least that way I could kill Fitz off on my own terms. (Thank God I was wrong… sorry, Lincoln, really, I’m sorry)

Some of my fics start out as coda fics in a sense. Somethingon the show gives me an idea of how the story might continue or maybe I wouldhave liked to see things differently. My second fic “Events on the Horizon” started out that way (post3x18).

Sometimes my own fics inspire me. My third fic “Beyond the Horizon” was inspiredby “Events on the Horizon” (a continuation). The fourth fic, “Decisions” was sort of sparked by how thethird fic ended. And there’s a bunch of shorter fics that kinda tie into the GhostsNo One Knew series (where part one inspired part two).

And since I’ve joined Tumblr (August 2016), I’ve written alot of fics based on prompts (either something people submit or something likechallenges posted by @thefitzsimmonsnetwork or @theclaravoyant‘s adventprompts). In those cases, I take the prompt and just kinda come up with a fewthings that the word/phrase reminds me of. Then I try to determine what kinda of fic Iwant to write (which characters to focus on, do I want it to be serious andangsty or humorous,…). Then I try to come up with the basic story idea, andthen I just kinda sit down and start writing. Sometimes I stick with the first thing that comes to my mind, especially when I’m struggling to come up with an idea, because then I tell myself “This was the first thing that came to your mind and maybe it’s weird, but there must be a reason why it was the first thing you thought of!”. Sometimes I think of a few things and then one just starts to jump out and give me an idea.

The advent prompts are a really good example and that was somuch fun to do! So, I’m gonna tell you a bit more about my process there sinceyou mentioned it in your ask. I won’t do all 24 prompts, but just a few (Ifthere is one that I’m not mentioning where you’re really curious about how Icame up with the story idea, feel free to ask!).

I knew I didn’t have to fill all prompts, but apparently Ilove a good challenge and so I really wanted to. I knew I would want to keepthe fics fairly short so I could post them quickly and each day (which wasactually a challenge for me, because, man, I sometimes just can’t keep thingsshort… see this reply as an example).

The second prompt was “smile” and who has a prettier smilethan Jemma? Sigh. And I thought of some of the moments when we’ve seen thatsmile and then I just rolled from there.

For the fourth prompt “wish” the first thing that came to mymind was “wish upon a star” and I couldn’t get that damn song out of my head, so I knew Iwould have to use it somehow and so I ended up with the meteor showers andthe idea that Fitzsimmons would take Daisy to see the meteor showers, and firstI was just going to focus on Daisy and her wishing for a family because let’sface it, Fitzsimmons would never wish upon a star because it’s so unscientific…and then I thought “What would makeFitzsimmons wish upon a star?” and that’s how the angsty bit got in there.

For the fifth prompt “sacrifice” my mind went “Awww, I don’twant to write something angsty this time. I want something happy. How can Ispin a sacrifice into something happy?” and somehow The Sushi Sacrifice wasborn.

My first reaction to the sixth prompt “star” was “Son of abitch! I just wrote a fic called “Wish upon a star” about meteor showers.PANIC!!!!” It took me a little bit longer to come up with an idea for that one,but I actually really love this Daisy fic. I had read a fic by someone else that suggests that Jemma made up her own constellations on Maveth and I really liked that (Who? Someone tell me what fic that was????), so I kinda picked up that idea as a memory for Daisy.

The prompt “bell” was probably one I struggled with themost. Nothing associated with bells (church bells, bell concerts, that rings abell) gave me any good inspiration. I think at some point I just started torandomly rhyme things with ‘bell’ and it I ended up with ‘hell’ and that mademe think of Fitz and his swearing and I was like “screw this, I’m just gonna roll with that” and TATA… I had an idea. [P.S. I also sometimesdraw heavily from my life, aka parenting experience. Toddlers do the weirdestand funniest shit stuff sometimes, so that’s great fanfic humor fodder]

“Journey” was another fun prompt, because–being completeFitzsimmons trash–I of course thought of Fitzsimmons’ journey first and wherethey would end up (Perthshire OF COURSE) and then I thought “But you alreadywrote a Perthshire/Fitzsimmons fic for the advent challenge” and all of asudden I had the idea of “What about Bobbi and Hunter? I miss Bobbi and Hunter!”

I’ve definitely had times when I’ve struggled to come upwith an idea, or where a story just won’t keep moving forward. I definitely alsohave some stories that are currently stuck in fanfic limbo on my computer, but more often than not the stories just keep happening (it’s also a fantastic way for me to keep my mind occupied, which otherwise wants to ponder all kinds of anxiety inducing, yet usually imaginary and far-fetched problems.)

So, I hope you enjoyed myfanfic writer rambles and that it answered your question (to some extent atleast ;) )

[anotherlifefic]

Chapter 23: First Lessons

When I awoke the next morning, Link had his arms wrapped around me. I felt warm and comfortable, and for the first time in a while, at peace. I turned my head to peek into the cradle, only to see Gareth also sleeping peacefully. Link awoke soon after me, kissing my cheek and yawning. „Good morning, love.“ „Good morning“, I replied tenderly, kissing him, taking in his warmth, his scent. „Did you sleep well?“ „Yes. This is the first time in a while that I could sleep without nightmares.“ He sighed contentedly. „So, what are the plans for today?“ „I promised Malon to get started on her dress right away. But in the afternoon, we can go see our horses.“ „Okay then.“ He smiled and kissed me again.

I decided to do the sewing in the bedroom, so I could keep an eye on Gareth while I worked. Link also stayed, cradling our little boy in his arms as he watched me. I wanted Malon's dress to be even more special than the one I had made for myself. She had done so much for me, so she didn't deserve any less. Malon had always wanted a fairytale-wedding, so I designed the dress accordingly. A wide, poofy skirt with a lacy overskirt and sleeves that were tight on the upper arms, but grew wide from the elbow downward. If everything would turn out the way I imagined it, Malon would look like a princess on her wedding day. As I pinned the pattern down, I thought about all of the things I had lived through with her. Our first meeting, as children who were just looking for a playmate. Then, supporting each other as we grew up. Adolescence took it's toll on us, like it did on anyone. I remembered the time when she came to me in tears, just a few days after her mother had suddenly passed away. Running a farm hadn't left her with much time to mourn. The animals didn't stop getting hungry. Life had to go on long before she was ready for that. There were few people who deserved happiness and peace more than Malon did. My gaze wandered over to Link. I knew that he and I had gotten married in a rush. Malon and Matthias had known eachother for an even shorter amount of time. I prayed to the Goddesses that it would go as well as it did for me.

Noon had come and gone without me noticing. Only when Link got up and touched my shoulder did I notice that the sun had already passed its highest point. „Oh dear. Is it so late already? I'm sorry. I was so focused on the dress...“ „It's okay“, Link replied. „Do you still want to go see Epona and Glory?“ „Of course. But let me feed Gareth first, so he doesn't get hungry while we're out.“

Once Gareth was fed, we left the house and went to the city stable. The same stablehand we had met before greeted us with a wide grin. „Hello! Your horses are doing great!“ I smiled. „That's nice to hear.“ We walked down the rows of boxes until we stopped at the ones Epona and Glory stood in. They stretched their necks curiously, trying to see what I was carrying. „No carrots this time, I fear“, I told them with a chuckle. Then I stepped a little closer. Gareth looked at the horses just as curiously as they were looking at him. Link laughed. „I can't wait for the day when we get to teach him how to ride a horse. If he ends up liking horses as much as we do, we can buy a horse from LonLon Ranch for him.“ Then he scratched the back of his neck. „Speaking of buying things... I still have a lot of rupees left from my adventures, but that won't last forever. So I've been thinking about getting a job. Maybe as a guard... or something like that. It's not the most exciting thing to do for a living, but at least I'd still get to handle a weapon, so I don't lose my abilities.“ I nodded thoughtfully. „That might be a good idea. Oh, and speaking of handling weapons... Yesterday, I enrolled in a fighting school here in the city. The lessons start tomorrow.“ Link raised his eyebrow at me. „A fighting school? You could have just asked me to teach you.“ „Using a blade and teaching others how to use a blade are two different things“, I gently reminded him. „Have you ever taught someone?“ „No“, he replied. „I guess you're right. Do you need to bring anything for your lessons? A weapon, for example?“ I shook my head. „Ashanti, the teacher, said that we would use the wooden weapons she has stored at the school for now. And she also said that I could bring my own weapon once I know which kind I want to focus on.“ „That makes sense.“ Link smiled and hugged me. „Once you know how to defend yourself, we can go on adventures together!“ „I know a little, adorable thing that speaks against that.“ Link's gaze fell onto Gareth. „Oh. Right. I suppose we can't do that until Gareth is older.“ „Maybe we can take him along then. Not adventuring, but traveling with him might be nice.“ I sighed. „My world was always so limited. I want Gareth to know that he is free to travel as he wishes, unafraid of what lies beyond the borders of his home.“ Link nodded with a smile. Then he looked around. „We should go home for today. You can continue working on Malon's dress, and I'll take care of Gareth.“ I kissed his cheek. „Sounds like a good idea.“

The next day, I stood in front of the fighting school, suddenly not so sure of myself anymore. The other students, two men and three women, stood with me, already making smalltalk. According to Ashanti, this was a class for people who had never held a weapon before, so I wasn't alone with that. A young woman from the group smiled at me when she noticed how anxious I was. She was holding a toddler of about six months in her arms. „Hello“, she said. „So is this your first time here, too?“ I nodded yes. „I've heard so many good things about Ashanti and her school. People come in as absolute beginners and leave as warriors worthy of knighthood!“, she continued. „Though I really don't want to be a knight. I'm happy if I can keep my little Evie safe while my husband isn't there.“ She smiled down at the child in her arms. „It's the same for me“, I replied. „And I hope that learning how to fight will give me a bit of confidence.“ „Oh I'm sure it will“, she replied. „What's your little one's name?“ „Gareth“, I replied with a smile. „Oh, what a lovely name for a cute little boy!“, she cooed. Just then, the door to the school opened and Ashanti stepped out. „Ah, there you are. Let's see... yes, everyone on the list seems to be there. Come right in!“

As soon as we entered, we were greeted by a young Gerudo sitting by some cradles. Children's toys were scattered across the floor, and a baby with the unmistakable features of a Gerudo crawled around inbetween them. She got up and smiled. „Hello there! This is your first time here, right? I am Sanna. I will babysit your children while you're inside.“ Noticing my questioning gaze, Ashanti explained:„Sanna is my daughter and takes care of my student's children on my behalf. She's also still nursing her daughter, so she can also feed your little ones when they get hungry.“ „Don't worry, your kids are safe with me!“, Sanna exclaimed cheerfully. „Well“, the woman I had been talking to before said. „Looks like Evie will be making a new friend today!“ She sat her daughter down next to the tiny Gerudo, and the two girls started eyeing eachother like curious puppies. I hesitantly handed Gareth to Sanna. She smiled at me comfortingly when she noticed my trepidation. „This is the first time you have someone else take care of your child, right?“ „Yes“, I replied. „He's been with be around the clock ever since his birth. The only other person who occasionally takes him is my husband.“ „Well, don't worry. Remember that he's always just a few steps away from you.“ Ashanti crossed her arms in front of her chest. „It's time to start the lesson.“

We were lead into the training hall. Two of its walls were lined with weapon racks, holding everything from swords, axes and spears to bows and crossbows. I had never seen some of the weapons displayed there. Some where hoops of wood, others looked a bit like batons. At another wall stood a group of straw dolls to practice on; the last wall was built up to be a shooting range. Ashanti turned to us and smiled. „Today, we will start trying to find out which weapons suit each of you best. Start by taking any weapon you like from the racks.“ The whole group walked over to the racks, picking up weapons. I chose a wooden sword. Starting with the basics seemed to be a good move. Once everyone had picked a weapon, we walked over to the practice dolls. Ashanti paced in between us, correcting our stance or the way we held our weapons. „You stand too far away“, she told me as she came closer. „Fighting with a sword requires you to get up close and personal with your enemy. The only kind of fighting more intimate would be hand-to-hand combat. If you have reservations about getting close to an enemy, a sword is the wrong choice for you.“ I lowered my head, earning a chuckle from her. „Ah, don't be discouraged. You are only just starting. How about you try a different weapon? Think hard this time: What are you good at? What kind of tools can you handle in your everyday-life?“ I looked at the floor. „A pitchfork. I used to work on a ranch.“ Ashanti clapped her hands. „Alright, a naginata it is, then!“ She took the sword from my hand and walked over to one of the weapon racks, exchanging it for a broad wooden blade on a long handle. She gave that to me. „This is one of the traditional weapons of my people. Now try it!“ I gripped the weapon tighter, taking the same kind of steady stance I used to clean the stables at LonLon Ranch. It felt good. Natural. And with that balanced feeling, I continued my training. Whenever Ashanti walked past me, she would give me advice on how to better handle the naginata. But apart from that, this seemed to be my weapon.

The lessons lasted about two hours. By the time we were done, my muscles were sore, but I was satisfied with the progress I had made. I picked up Gareth, who was sleeping peacefully in one of the cradles, and went home. Link just came down the stairs as I entered. „Ah, Rebecca! Perfect timing. I just finished preparing a bath for you. How was your first lesson? No, wait. You can tell me everything after you're done bathing.“ I kissed him and handed Gareth over to him. „Thank you, Link. You're the best.“

I sighed in relief as I climbed into the tub, feeling how my sore muscles relaxed in the hot water. I heard Link talk to Gareth downstairs, though it was too muffled to understand anything. But I heard how happy Link sounded. It was good to hear his voice like that again. He sounded like a man who loved life. I knew that the wounds left by the war and his previous journeys would not heal that fast, if ever. But that made these small moments of happiness even more precious. I closed my eyes and smiled, swearing to protect his happiness with everything I had.

[lovlydovlyjaycie]

Ævi - The Protector

Hey, so this is going to be a mini series on something I have tried to do before. But I thought of a different way to make it shorter and to make it make more sense. I hope you like it, this idea has been in my head for honestly.. a couple of years now lol. I just decided I really want to put it down somewhere. And where is better than here? Am I right?! lol

Summary: This is set in 2010. There are no such things as superheroes. Right? Maybe Iron Man, but that is it. It has to be. Y/n was just trying to celebrate her birthday, but that quickly changed when she got a gift from a mysterious man.

Warnings: Fluff, violence, maybe one swearword

Characters: Y/n, Bjorn Ironside, Ragnar Lothbrok, Floki, Lagertha, OC Emma, OC Lars, OC Sanna, OC Nils, OC David Mentioned: Iron Man, Odin, Ivar, Ubbe, Hvitserk, Sigurd, Rollo

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Series masterlist

Part 2

It has been days since the.. time travel? Happened. This is definitely not some weird dream. The servants have brought me clothes to wear. It felt kind of surreal to wear these dresses. I had only seen replicas in museums or they were very aged. But this, it felt real, it still had its color. And I think Bjorn told the people that gave me the clothes that I glowed golden and white, because I am only getting white dresses with golden jewelry. But there was one particular piece of jewelry I liked, It was a piece of a belt on it was a tree. I’m thinking it’s Yggdrasil. Funny, cause that was on that stupid card that I got. I had stashed that away under my bed. I walked out of my room to the front of the longhouse. Ragnar had given me a room to stay in. Even though I dressed the part now, I still felt very out of place here. Would there be a way back or would I be stuck here for ever. So many questions, but there was nobody to answer them for me. Deep in thought I didn’t notice Bjorn was standing right in front of me. I walked right in to him. “Hey! you need to be a little more on guard today! haha!” Bjorn said laughing at me. I laughed at myself. “What do you mean? What am I doing today?” I asked him a bit confused. They weren’t letting me in on all the conversations. “You’re going to be training. You might want to put something else on. I’ve seen women fight in dresses, but it will be easier if you had armor on.” He stated. “Wait what? I’m training for what?” He smiled. “For what Odin send you here to do. He knew we needed help and he send you.” 

They have been saying this since I got here. I didn’t believe it. Some higher power sending me here? Or did He. It was still all so confusing. But what could I do? I don’t know how to fight. And that glowing thing that happens every now and then.. I don’t even know what it is. Let alone control it.

“I think you really got the wrong impression. I don’t know how to fight.. I don’t know how to really do anything.” Bjorn put his hand on my shoulder. “That’s why we’re going to train you. The Gods were born with powers we cannot posses, but even they had to train to be able to fight.” I sighed. It was bad luck, it had to be. What am I supposed to do? “Now get dressed and then we’ll train.” Bjorn said as he patted my shoulders.

-

Servants had brought me some clothes where I could train in. They said it was of Lagertha, Bjorn’s mother. I had met her when I first got here. She seemed like a very strong woman, mentally and physically. I have also seen her fight and I would not like to be up against her. I’ve heard people say she is the greatest shieldmaiden. And so I have also read in books. It was so hard to wrap my head around me meeting people that have been dead for a thousand years. Or at least in my mind. Because it hasn’t happened yet here.

Then I have also met Floki. He is a little strange, but very kind. I am not sure if I like his laugh or if it is a little disturbing. I also met Bjorn’s brothers, Ubbe, Hvitserk, Sigurd and Ivar. They all seemed nice enough, but they all looked like a little scary. But I think that is what they wanted, to not look approachable. Then I also have met Rollo, Ragnar’s brother. He seems like he doesn’t belong. 

I walked over towards the place where I have seen everybody train before. “Hey!” Bjorn said waving at me. I came closer to him and he gave me a wooden sword. “Lets see what you got.” He told me. “Wait. Now? Shouldn’t you show me how to do it first? I don’t know how to fight.” I stammered. I thought that I would maybe start with observing and Bjorn would show me a few things, but not jump right into it. “The best way to learn is to figure it out for yourself and I’ve seen what you can do with that light. So it shouldn’t be hard.” He explained. “Well I didn’t know what I was doing. I still don’t know what I’m doing.” I said the last part under my breath. “Just charge at me. We’ll see from there. Come on!” I nodded my head. Here goes nothing.

I charged at him trying to hit his shoulder. But he quickly hit it with his wooden sword like it was nothing. “Come on you’re not even trying!” He said smiling going back in his stance. Breathed out through my nose. I tried again, but quicker. Again he hit my sword and now pointed his sword towards my neck. “Dead. Again!” He said loudly. I sighed. “You know, if you’d actually tell me how to do this it could be a lot easier.” He didn’t say anything, he only motioned for met to do it again. This time I went for his stomach. I charged at him and he hit my sword out of my hands grabbed my neck and put the sword up against my neck as well. We were standing so close I could smell the ale he most likely had before we started doing this. “Dead.” He said. I could feel his breath on my skin. This was the first time I was standing this close to him. He put the sword down, but he was still holding me very close. I could almost hear his heartbeat. He definitely heard mine. I was overwhelmed by everything here. And now Bjorn. Even though we had a rough start, he made sure every day that he was there for me. He introduced me to everyone. Most of all he showed me a kindness that I really needed right now. Also helps that he is pretty handsome.

I almost forgot he was still holding me. So I looked around and saw Lagertha. “Is that how you train everybody Bjorn?” Lagertha asked. That’s when Bjorn quickly let go and cleared his throat. “Well nobody can compete with you mother.” She smirked at that. “What has he taught you so far.” She asked me. “Uhmm-.” I started. She took that as her que. “Alright how do you stand?” She asked. I showed her awkwardly my stance. “What is that?! The wind could even knock you down if he wanted to. Do it like this. Your feet here, straighten your back a little, your arms forward, but not too much, yes like that. See a lot better.” She said when she was showing me. It felt more grounded. I nodded my head at her. “Alright when you are charging at him the easiest way to take him down is his legs or from the shoulders up. With a lot of power and training his torso as also a very good target. Be quick, because if this is life or death, you’ll only get one chance.” Lagertha told me I appreciated the help. I had no idea what I was doing. I gave it a go. I went quickly for the neck and this time Bjorn didn’t have time to hit my sword away. “Dead.” I told him. He laughed. “Very good. Now If I came at you, you’ll also would have to be quick. You will carry a shield of course, but those are heavy and you wont be able to hold your sword with both hands.”

Bjorn showed me some moves to defend myself and Lagertha showed me how to attack again. The both kept making good points, but in the back of my mind I still had the lingering thought that I didn’t belong. This was a mistake. 

After what felt like hours Bjorn finally said that I could stop and it was enough for today. I probably smelt horrible. “You did good today.” Bjorn told me. “Thank you and thank you for showing me how.” I smiled at him. “Got to thank my mother for that. She has trained many shield maidens before. She knows what she’s doing. She also showed me a lot.” I nodded. we started walking back towards the longhouse. “Can I ask you something?” I asked Bjorn. “Why me, why do you think I’m send here by some higher power?” I asked. It has been bugging me for a while now. “Because we prayed for you, we prayed for help and sacrificed so Odin would send someone and one day later.. here you are.” It must be coincidence it can’t be anything else. But then again, how did this happen? “Why did you pray for someone to come?” I asked. “Because out there in those woods there are things that we can’t fight. We first thought it was the English, but this is no human. That’s why we needed you.” I stopped walking. “What is out there?” Bjorn stopped as well and looked at me. “We think it is Hela or frost giants.” I looked at him with big eyes before I started laughing. “Frost giants? There is no such thing.” Mythical creatures. It’s ridiculous those are stories. “Why could that not be it when you are here?” He asked me. That was true. I did get here somehow and I don’t even know I science could explain this. Would there even be a logical answer.

Bjorn sighed. “Look, again, I have seen what you can do. And even though we have a strong army.. It would need some extra help. You are that help. You’re only holding yourself back. Let go of whatever thought is blocking you from holding back. You’ll see.” He told me sure of himself. He had more belief in me for only knowing me a couple of days, than I had in myself. He put his arm around my shoulder and motioned for met to walk back with him.

-

After I had cleaned myself up they had a gathering tonight, so I had to dress up. Again the servants had put down a white dress and some jewelry, but I decided to add the belt with Yggdrasil on it. When I walked out of my room there were already a lot of people inside. Most if them already drunk. I saw Floki and he quickly walked up to me. Pushing people out of the way. “Hi there y/n! I saw you were training today. You weren’t very good huh?” He said giggling. “Nope not really.” I said nonchalantly. I knew I was bad. I didn’t really want todo it. “I prayed for the Gods for a sign to give you strength, so soon you’ll be undefeated.” He said with another giggle. They had so much faith in.. in whatever was there. I appreciated it though. “Thank you Floki.” He giggled again and gave me his ale. “Oh no I don’t-.” I started but he pushed it in my hands. “Drink up little one.” I smiled and took a small sip. It was disgusting.

In the distance I saw Bjorn, so I excused myself and walked over to him. “Hi! You want some ale?” I asked as I pushed my drink in his hands. “Sure!” He said and downed the ale. I looked a bit shocked and impressed at him. “Wow, thirsty?” He laughed. “Anything handed by someone as beautiful as you I’ll take.” I immediately turned red of that comment of his. “There is that beautiful smile.” He said, which only made me turn more red. “How much did you drink?” I laughed. “Not enough! Here come with me I’ll get more.” He took my hand and guided me towards the table where they had put different kinds of foods and ale. “I really don’t want anything, I’m fine.” I said smiling. “No such thing! We are celebrating!” Bjorn said almost with a skip in his steps. “Yes, and what exactly are we celebrating?” I wasn’t sure before if there was actually something to celebrate or if they just wanted a excuse to party. “We’re celebrating you!” He called. Me? What did I do? “Why are we celebrating me.. I didn’t do anything.” We got to the table and Bjorn handed me a cup and filled it up with ale. “Well.. We’re celebrating for hope. You are our hope. And tomorrow we’ll have a sacrifice to make sure we’ll win our battle.” He said happily. I didn’t understand, no one was telling me anything. “What battle? What is out there? I keep hearing I’m send by Odin and that I’m your hope, but nobody is telling me why.. So why? Tell me what’s out there!” I demanded. I didn’t understand that I kept being told that I’m their savior, but nobody was telling me for what. “Well, we weren’t sure at first, but after we saw you fight today.. we knew, you-” “After you saw me fight? I failed miserably. I can’t fight, Bjorn. Who ever you’re hoping for to help you.. It’s not me.” I interrupted. 

“Y/n you are a quick learner. And how quickly you adjusted yourself every single time.. And not to mention in the woods when you made me fly back.. It is you. Whatever thought you’re holding on to that it’s not.. you need to let go of that. Everybody here believes in you. It’s just you who’s not.” Bjorn went on to explain. “You still haven’t told me what’s out there.” I stated, I decided to ignore what he said. I still didn’t believe any of it. It was a coincidence. It had to be. Bjorn sighed. “We think they’re frost giants.. But we believe Hela sent them. This dark figure with long black hair has been flowing around Kattegat. We think they’re working together.” Hela and frost giants? What? This has got to be some joke. But my curiosity got the better of me. “Why would they be working together?” That’s the part that didn’t make any sense to me. Because in the books I’ve read she has her own army, why would she need frost giants.. And why would she want earth? If it was real of course, because frost giants and.. Gods don’t exist. “Because Odin put her army to sleep and banished her from Asgard. She must be seeking revenge.” Right.. why didn’t I think of that.. Obviously that’s it. “And you think Odin has sent me to stop all of that from happening?” I looked at him and took a sip from my disgusting ale. I cringed slightly because it was so strong. “Yes of course!” He nodded like I cracked the case. “Why isn’t Odin here himself then? You know.. to stop it from happening. Because obviously he knows how to fight.. Where I do not know.” That made Bjorn close his mouth, he probably didn’t think of that. “You know what if these ‘Frost Giants’ show up I’ll help you fight. I just don’t think I’ll be that useful.” I said in a mocking tone. This was all ridiculous. Maybe I was still dreaming. Or I was in  some sort of coma, that would explain why I’ve been here for this long.  I didn’t notice at first but Bjorn looked a little disappointed by my comment. “Hey, I’m sorry.. It’s just, a couple of days ago I was somewhere completely different and now all these things are being thrown at me.. It’s just a lot. Nothing personal.” I told Bjorn as I put my hand on his arm. “I understand, I just.. You know what the battle is not today, so lets drink like there will never be a battle!” I agreed on that. As I slipped my hand down, Bjorn caught it. I looked at him with surprise and he kept looking at our hands. Then he looked back up to me. “May there be no battle.” He said as he pulled my hand up to his lips and kissed my hand. “May there be no battle.” I repeated and put my cup up and we cheered. I quickly took a sip and after a while the ale stopped tasting disgusting and now it was tolerable.

What was this man doing to me? The whole night I was just blushing. He only needed to stand close to me or brush up against me and I would turn red. I had been trying to avoid his gaze as much as I could from embarrassment. And he knew what he was doing to me. Because every time he caught my gaze he would smirk and come closer to make it worse. He would even go as far as to bring me back to my room just to give me a goodnight kiss on my cheek and ask. “Goodnight y/n. Will you dream about me?” If I wasn’t red before this definitely did it. I didn’t have a come back.. I needed to say something. “Will you about me?” Stupid.. Why was this the only thing I could come up with? “I definitely will. You’ll never leave my mind.” Smooth. Dammit. “Well.. I’ll see you in your dreams then. Goodnight Bjorn.” I couldn’t say the last part more quickly before I shut the door. This man.. God.. 

With my head in the clouds I dropped on my bed. Not bothered to take me clothes off and put on the nightgown I was given. Besides the disgusting taste the ale was good for something, because I dozed off to sleep quickly.

-

I woke up by yelling and other loud commotion in the middle of the night.. or early in the morning. Either way it was still dark. “What the hell is going on?” I said out loud. I stood up, still slightly dizzy from the drinks I had. I walked towards the small window I had in my room. It was high up so I had placed a box under it to stand on. It was still very dark outside, so it was not morning. But outside I saw people running and screaming. What was going on? Then a man stabbed a woman in the back. I gasped and stepped back forgetting I was standing on a box and fell to the ground. I just saw a woman get killed. Why? What was happening? I stood up and walked back to the box to see outside. When I stood on the box trying to see what was out there the man or something I thought was a man stood there right in front of the window looking at me. That was no man, it was not even human. His skin was blue and his eyes were all red. I had never seen anything like that before. What was that? Then the thing came running even closer towards the window and got his sword ready to charge. I quickly jumped of the box I briefly looked back to the window and saw that that thing was trying to break it. Not needing to look back again I ran out of the door.

Nobody else was in the house. And besides of all the screaming from outside It was eerie quiet inside. I quickly ran towards the front door to get out of the long house. That would be safer right? That thing was trying to break the wall. Even though outside there is probably more of him. I second guessed myself and froze. I needed to hide here right? In the corner by the front door I saw some boxes. I need to hide there. I quickly ran over and made myself as small as I possibly could and hid. This is not real. I’m in some sot of coma and this is what will wake me up. It had to be.

Then I heard the door of my room break. I could slightly see between the boxes that the thing was looking for me. I made myself sit as still as I possibly could also trying to hold my breath. The thing was going around looking for me behind the throne that was placed in the middle of the room, the tables, behind walls. When he saw that I wasn’t there he started walking towards the door. Pleas don’t look here, please don’t look here, please don’t look here. I kept thinking to myself. And he got to the door. Ok, now go outside, don’t look here. Please, for the love of God, walk out that door. As he got to the door he stopped. Of course. He turned his head towards the boxes I was hidden behind. Fuck. He pushed the boxes out of the way with like it was nothing and then grabbed my ankle. “NO! LET ME GO!” I yelled. I was hitting him as hard as I could. For e brief second he let go of my ankle and I tried to scurry away only for him to grab me by my throat. My breathing got cut off instantly. He lifted me up in the air my feet trying to touch the ground. I tried to scratch his hands or hit him, but to nothing worked. Stars were starting to form in my eyes. “You’re it?” He said right when everything started to turn dark.

And then I fell to the ground with a thud. I was coughing up a storm and trying to catch my breath when I saw Bjorn pull out his sword from the things chest before he hurried over to me. “Are you ok?” He asked with concern in his eyes. “What was that.” Was all I cared about. He lifted me up to my feet and started to walk outside. “Frost Giants.” He said quickly before he pulled me to the side of the longhouse trying to stay out of sight. “Here.” Bjorn said pushing his sword in my hands. “What?! You’ve seen me fight.. No, I can’t do it!” I was freaking out. Only today I had trained for the first time ever besides that I almost got killed not one minute ago. “You’re gonna stay with me and if you need to use it use it.” He said sternly not giving me a option. So I nodded my head unsure. “How are you gonna fight them without a sword?” And he pulled a axe from behind his back and showed me. “Come on! It’s better if we get you out of Kattegat to safety.” He said as he started walking, but I was frozen in my spot. This all felt too real. I really almost could’ve died and now looking around I saw bodies laying on the ground. They were all dead. I could’ve died. Bjorn noticed my panic and quickly went back over to me. “Hey! You’re ok! I won’t let anything happen to you, I promise.” He grabbed my hand that was not holding his sword and looked at me. I didn’t want anything bad to happen to me or Bjorn or anybody in this town, but still if felt stuck becau- And then Bjorn planted his lips against mine. All of my negative thoughts seemed to fade away and for a second the screaming seemed to stop. As quickly as this moment cam it went away when he slightly moved away from me his lips still close, but not brushing against mine anymore. “I won’t let anything bad happen to you.” He repeated. “Do you trust me?” He asked  looking into my eyes. All I could do was give him a small nod, still afraid to do anything. But I’d follow him. He kept holding my hand and guided me away.

We tried to avoid being seen by anybody. This was the hardest thing I had ever done. Seeing and hearing people cry for help and not doing anything broke me. With every last scream I heard from the people that were loosing their life my heart broke and it actually physically hurt me, but I tried to push that feeling away as much as I could.

We were getting closer to the edge of Kattegat and it seemed to get quieter here. “Alright probably some people already made it out of Kattegat, if you follow this trail-” Bjorn started. “Wait you’re not coming?” I asked. “I have to fight for Kattegat.” He said as he kept looking around if it was safe. “What about me fighting Frost Giants. I’m not leaving without you and if you’re not leaving I’m not leaving.” I demanded. “It’s not safe-” He started but saw something coming closer. Bjorn got ready to fight instantly. Two Frost Giants walked closer with their swords in hand.

“Give up the girl.” One of them said. “You’ll have to go through me first!” Bjorn said loudly. What was he doing? He didn’t have to do that. But knowing he meant it I got ready to fight as well. Feet slightly apart back slightly straight and my sword up, but not to close to my face. Just like Lagertha taught me. The Frost Giants just laughed like this was some kind of pathetic joke. They came closer with their swords forward. They aimed high for Bjorn’s head, but he easily dodged it and hit them lower by their legs. While Bjorn was tall, these Frost Giants towered over him. One of them started charging at me and I easily dodged his first blow by jumping back, but as I tried to hit him back he hit my sword out of my hands. In the corner of my eye I saw Bjorn was gaining the upper hand, but me not so much. The giant hit me with his elbow in my stomach and I fell back. I crawled backward trying to get away from him when I felt I got to my sword. I decided to just put it in front of me and hope for the best. And at perfect timing the giant wanted to leap forward and tried to hit me with his sword, but he landed into my. He went limp quickly, but I cut my upper left arm by his sword. “Ahh!” I groaned. I decided to ignore the pain and see if I could help Bjorn. He must’ve lost the upper hand, because now he was being pushed back and fell to the ground. Without a second thought I held my sword a little tighter and ran towards the giant. I jumped forward and put my sword through his chest and then quickly pulled it back out. The giant instantly fell to the ground and didn’t move. I killed him. I killed two Frost Giants. 

Taking a deep breath I turned toward Bjorn and put my hand out to help him stand up. “See you’re a better fighter than you think.” He said smiling. Trying to make light to this situation I couldn’t help but laugh. “You’re so stupid.” He laughed at that. “Are you ok? Did you get hurt?” He asked all serious again. “I’m fine I just had a-.” I wanted to point at my cut, but nothing was there anymore. My arm was already healed, like nothing happened. But looking at my clothes clearly something did. The blood was still on it and there was a cut in my clothes at the place I got cut, but the actual cut was not there. ”I-I’m ok.. I thought I.. I’m ok-” I started as I felt a burning feeling in my lower abdomen. I looked down and saw a sword sticking out, before it disappeared back in my abdomen. My vision instantly became clouded and I felt light headed. looking down I saw blood gushing out of my abdomen. And then I fell to the ground before my vision turned completely dark.

...

..

.

Let me know what you think.

Also the sword that you see in the gif would be the same sword Bjorn gave y/n, just to get an idea of what it looks like :)

Tags: 

@firebirdsalvatore 

[imagine-loki]

Yes Mistress

TITLE: Yes Mistress CHAPTER NO./ONE SHOT: chapter 21 AUTHOR: angryowlet ORIGINAL IMAGINE: Imagine after a heated argument with Thor, Loki turns himself into a woman out of spite.  RATING: Mature/Explicit NOTES/WARNINGS: NSFW, This is a F/F BDSM relationship. If that’s not your cup of tea, don’t drink it. The events in this fic take place before the first Thor movie. 

Girl talk, part one.

Also on AO3

When Sanna got back to their chambers, she saw something she’d never seen before in her short time at the palace.

Marit.

Cleaning.

Of course she’d seen her help to change out towels and linens, set tables, and carry various items to where they needed to be. But when it came time for actual effort to be used, she had a tendency to vanish. Now she was sweating, actually sweating with her efforts. The poor girl was kneeling in front of Loki’s chair in the sitting room, polishing the wood with a rag and a pot of what smelled like beeswax. She was so intent on her work, Sanna wasn’t sure if she’d even heard her come back in.

“Marit?”

Her friend jumped up as if she’d been bitten, whirled around and stared at Sanna.

“Oh! Oh it’s you? For a moment I thought–”

“What?”

“No–Nothing. It’s fine. I’m fine. I’ve nearly finished in the bathing chamber. The disinfectant is still running so I started in here. Her Highness said her bedchamber would be your responsibility and I wasn’t to go near it. Or her desk, or bookshelves, or her work bench.”

“Marit are you sure you’re all right? You look a little flushed.”

Sanna walked up and put a hand to her friend’s forehead. She was warm, but not overly so.

“I–I’m–”

Marit burst into tears. Great heaving sobs that shook her body. Sanna immediately put her arm around her and steered her to the divan. She picked up a clean rag from the pile on the table, thrust it into her friend’s hands, and rubbed her back while waiting for the storm to pass.

When she finally stopped long enough to catch her breath, Sanna pressed a goblet of watered wine to her and made her drink the whole thing.

“I hate this!” Marit burst out. “I hate this so much! I hate scrubbing and polishing and sweeping! I hate being a maid!” She sobbed into the– now damp– rag Sanna had given her.

“I’m not meant for this! I only came here to find a husband and after you left all I do is clean all day and I’ll never get to meet anyone suitable.” As she finished, Marit hiccuped a little.

All you do all day is avoid cleaning, thought Sanna.

Then it dawned on her. With out Sanna there to cover for her, Marit had been forced to actually do her work.

She looked with pity at her crying friend. The two girls had shared their life stories with each other when they’d first met. They were opposites in nearly every way, and had quickly become unlikely friends.

Marit had been raised in the city. Her father was a merchant and her mother had once been a chambermaid here at the palace along with her older sister. She’d met Marit’s father by chance in the Marketplace at his uncle’s shop on one of her days off. She’d come back to the shop on her next day off and he’d asked permission to write to her. She’d agreed to write back. After a year he’d saved up enough to get his own shop and the apartment above it. When she came on her next day off to see it, he’d knelt down and asked her to marry him. She accepted. Eventually they’d had two children.

The business had done well, but she was the younger child and her older brother was expected to take it over when her father eventually retired. She had also been more than a little spoiled by her father growing up. Her mother was concerned that Marit was getting above herself and after much debate, both of her parents had decided that working for her living would cure it. Coming to work in the palace as a maid had been her mother’s idea. Trying to catch a husband had been her own, and the only reason she’d agreed to her mother’s plan. Marit’s aunt still worked in the palace and had gotten her the position she was now crying over.

“Did you eat yet?” Sanna picked up her own plate and started piling food on to it.

“What? Oh. Not really. I went to the servants’ hall at midday but it was mostly left overs from the feast last night. I was late getting there and all the good bits were gone. What was left was congealed or dried up.” She made a face at the memory.

“Here, eat.” Sanna held the plate out to her. At Marit’s startled look she continued, “The princess won’t know if we finish off the whole tray. She’ll be gone all afternoon and I’m the one who has to take it back to the kitchens.”

“Um. I guess so.” She took the plate from Sanna and set it on her lap.

Marit didn’t look convinced, but just then her stomach growled. She blushed a little and dug into the food on her plate. Sanna poured her more watered wine and got a goblet of her own.

“So what’s she like?” Marit asked around mouthfuls of food. “Besides terrifying I mean?”

Sanna laughed at that. She turned sideways to face her friend and tucked her legs under her. She braced an elbow on the back of the divan and rested her head on her hand. Marit had been called to wait on the lower tables at the feast last night so Sanna hadn’t really had a chance to talk to her since her promotion was officially announced. She contemplated her wine for a moment before answering.

“I like her. I never met her in her male form so I can’t say if anything’s different about her. In the last few days I’ve gotten to see her as a person, not just as a princess. She’s a walking contradiction. As brilliant as she is beautiful, strict and kind, capricious and fair… And I believe she truly cares about the people of this realm. All of them, not just the nobles.”

Marit snorted.

“That’s not even close to what I heard.” She said around a mouthful of cheese.

“Really? What’s the gossip going around now?”

Marit swallowed and started to tick things off on her fingers.

“Well, there’s the stuff that’s been going around since she got back from Alfheim. You know, the whole ‘forced to return due to scandal’ thing that the royal family had to hush up. And all that stuff about Gwydion and her. To some people’s minds it seems more likely to be true now that she’s a she, if you know what I mean. And they’re wondering if she’s sneaking off to see him since she disappears from court whenever she pleases. This morning I heard that she staged the fight with Prince Thor on purpose to get him sent to Vanaheim. That’s why she didn’t go to the healing rooms. And she threw Lord Fandral through a wall because he refused to bed her–”

Sanna burst out laughing and interrupted her friend’s recounting of Loki’s latest offenses.

“I’m sorry, but I know beyond doubt that the last two aren’t true. Princess Loki chasing Lord Fandral? It was the other way around. Lady Sif saw the whole thing. She swore before the Allfather that Fandral tried to force his charms on the princess and she used her seidr to push him off. The wall just happened to be in the way. As for Prince Thor, he struck Princess Loki in anger and from behind. If you don’t believe me there was a witnesses besides Lady Sif and the Warriors Three. One of the Allmother’s handmaidens happened to be passing the training yard and saw the whole thing.”

Marit still looked skeptical and Sanna continued.

“I was here when the princess used her seidr to return to her rooms. The Allmother came in just as I was peeling back the princess’s armor. Her collarbone was broken Marit. She was pale and sickly from the pain. There’s no possible way that could’ve been false. She’d side stepped at the last moment and took the blow on her shoulder. He’d swung for her head. He was trying to kill her in his rage. She didn’t go to the healers because she was already healing herself with her seidr here, in her rooms. When the Allmother saw that all that could be done was, she left the princess in my care.”

“But why did Prince Thor attack her in the first place?”

“No one knows. He wouldn’t speak when he was called to be questioned or give the reason for the black mood he’s been in since the princess’s return. The only thing the Allfather could get out of him seemed to hint that there was a woman involved and she’s been trying his temper of late. That was why the Allfather sent him to Vanaheim.”

“A woman? One woman? Since when does Prince Thor–”

Sanna cut in pointing a finger at herself, “That’s the first thing I asked. Either he wants to bed her and she won’t let him or he has bedded her and now she has some hold over him. I don’t know. Have you heard anything?”

“No!” Marit looked appalled at the idea of her gossip sources holding out on her.

“Do you think–” Sanna paused and looked at her friend cautiously. “If you find out anything will you tell me? The Princess could’ve been seriously hurt. If something happens to her I’ll lose my place. I might even have to leave the city and go back to the farm.”

“Norns! Of course I’ll tell you. You’re the only real friend I have here. I’ve been miserable without you. I mean, I’m happy you got promoted and everything. No one deserves it more than you do, but…”

Marit shrugged and gave her friend a sad smile. Sanna leaned over and gave her a hug.

“Oh! Do you want to see my room?” Sanna asked.

“You have a room? All to yourself?” Marit’s eyes were wide.

“Of course I do! It’s not like the princess is going to demand I sleep in her bed every night.”

Sanna could feel a blush creep into her cheeks.

“Come with me.” She got up and took Marit into her little room.

“I have to be ready to do whatever she asks, when she asks it, so I need to stay close. Oh look,” Sanna opened the wardrobe and took out her new gold and green dress. “This just came from the seamstress. I wore it on our trip to the market place this morning.”

“It’s beautiful.” Marit stroked the silken dress. “One thing I really do miss is my fine dresses… And my hair ribbons… And my perfume…” She sighed.

Sanna patted her hand and said. “You won’t be here forever. One day, you’ll meet the right person and they’ll sweep you off your feet and carry you off to live in high style. But, until that day comes, there’s work to be done. Once I finish with the bed chamber, I’ll come give you a hand. Alright?”

“Alright. But he’d better get here soon. I don’t know how much more I can take.”

Sanna kept the door to the Loki’s bed chamber open so they could keep talking as she changed the bedding and tidied away Loki’s clothes from the morning. Marit filled her in on all the non-Loki gossip from the palace.

“…which is just what I said. Oh! And you’ll never believe what Ingrid got caught doing.”

“Prince Thor’s chambermaid? What’s the brainless beauty done now?” Sanna half shouted as she tucked the bottom sheet under the mattress corner.

“The groom Petter, apparently. The Stable Master caught them going at it in the hay loft, half-naked and fucking away like animals in heat.”

“What? When?” Sanna came out of the bed chamber to hear the story.

“Last night during the feast.” Marit was running a hand cleaner over the fabric of the divan.

“But I thought she was with Kennet– Wait, which one’s Petter again? Is that the redhead with all the freckles?”

“That’s him. As for Kennet, they’ve been fighting on and off for nearly a fortnight. If you ask me, he could do better. Prince Thor took Kennet with him to Vanaheim. He’d be expected to bring his hand servant there to valet for him.”

“…But not his chambermaid! Marit! I’ve been a complete idiot! If this mystery woman is real, who would know better than Ingrid and Kennet?”

“Oh!” Marit looked disgusted. “Oh! That little bitch! She’s been holding out on me. And after I defended her to everyone in the servants’ hall too! I want to rip every sun bleached hair out of her head one by one– you know she’s not really pale blonde right? She soaks her hair in lemon juice–

"Never mind her hair.” Sanna broke into Marit’s tirade of Ingrid’s short comings. “How much trouble did she get into for getting caught?”

“Eh. Not much. The Steward reassigned her to general service until Prince Thor’s return. He’s also given her a lecture and extra duties to keep her out of trouble until then.”

“So she’ll be in the servants’ hall for the evening meal tonight?”

“Probably. Why?”

“Embarrassed. Isolated. In need of a friendly ear perhaps?”

“What are you– Oh! That’s brilliant. And devious. Being around Princess Loki must be having an effect on you.”

Sanna chose not to dignify that remark with a response.

“Come on. Let’s finish the rest of this so we can figure out the best way to approach her. I’m nearly done in the bed chamber. What do you have left?”

“Just the floors and the balcony since I’m not allowed touch much else in this room. It least it’s too warm for a fire or I’d have to sweep out and reset the hearth too.” Marit looked over at it.

“You do the balcony, I’ll get the floors. Princess Loki is very particular about the cleanliness of the floor and I don’t want you getting in trouble for missing a spot.” Sanna offered.

“Alright. Thanks.” Marit went to the balcony.

Sanna had a feeling she’d be spending a good amount of time on that floor.

One way or another.

[memoirsofratasum]

Aeromage Sanna: Elon Riverlands

I wish there was more we could have done for Vlast, but I doubt there was anything anyone could do. When it comes to a battle between a god and a dragon there is no room for mortals. But there is at least a nice memorial to his memory and the people can pay their respects.

But almost as soon as we had returned to the temple we were needed out in the field again. There was a djinn city deep in the Desolation that adventurers had been traveling too. While the immediate area is too dangerous for a dedicated Priory outpost, the djinn of Sand Jackal Run have agreed to trade scrolls and books with us. And that meant someone had to go and make that trade. And guess who was decided to have had the needed experience in dangerous environments to make the trip?

So even though we had just returned from one errand in the north we were almost immediately sent back out, this time to the south. At least they gave us a few days to recuperate, but it still would have been nice if someone other than Tarnn and myself were on the shortlist for special assignments.

This particular assignment was going to be tricky. Sand Jackal Run is located in the far south of the Desolation, a bone’s throw from Joko’s Palace. Obviously there is a way into the Desolation, adventurers have been breaching the Bone Wall for weeks now, but we have no idea where that entrance is and with all the books and scrolls entrusted to us the Priory doesn’t want us to poke around the wall on our own. We needed a guide.

Khalida offered to help. She didn’t know where the secret entrance to the Desolation was, but she knew someone who did: her brother Sahil. According to her he has been shepherding refugees through the Desolation and Riverlands for years. If anyone could get us to Sand Jackal Run it would be him. She could get a message to him to meet us in the Riverlands and he’d be able to lead us the rest of the way. It sounded like a good plan.

The Priory though didn’t realize that when Khalida had said “us” she had included herself. So at dawn when we were to set out we found not only two raptors laden with bags but also the librarian astride her own raptor. There was a bit of an argument with our magister as the Priory did not want to be responsible if anything happened to her. I’m not sure what she said to convince the old charr but eventually he wished us luck and stormed off.

Insurance issues aside, it was nice to have a guide for the first stretch of the journey. She knew the way to the Riverlands and she was pleasant company as well. With all the work at the temple there were only small windows of time to sit and talk with each other. She was curious about Tyrian magic, she had never seen a guardian use a bow or an elementalist purposefully overload their elements. Of course her magic was just as new to us.

Fire and sand maybe the more theatrical part of being a scourge, but from what she said the crux of it was communing with the spirits and convincing them to help you. While not every spirit Khalida has spoken with wants to join up, she says she is never in a shortage of these so called “shades”. The dead have a variety of reasons to care about the living, ranging from wanting to protect their land and descendents all the way to simply wanting to have a purpose just like they were promised under Joko. No matter their reason for volunteering, Khalida is then able to control the spirits like a commander leading their troops. It all sounds very fascinating but I don’t know if I have it in me to be a leader like that, that’s something Tarnn has more experience with.   

But it wasn’t all fireside chats, we had a long journey ahead of us. The first place we needed to get to was Destiny’s Gorge. Most of the refugees passed through there but recently the forged had cut off the passage, making the trip even more dangerous than usual. But it is doable, especially for experienced fighters.

Once you make it past the forged the gorge opens up into the last thing I expected to see. The edges of the gorge, all the way to the sky, was lined with the old homes of the Zephyrites. I had known, everyone knows, that the Zephyrites came from the Crystal Desert but I never considered that we’d run across their old settlement. The structures still seemed stable. Which was good cause refugees from the south have claimed the settlement for themselves, calling it Zephyr's Trace. Many of them are weary from the journey and have found the gorge to be a perfectly viable place to live despite the closeness of the forged and brand, while others feel safe enough there to rest before continuing towards the temple. We exchanged some medical supplies and news with Mayor Kabir who informed us that we should have a clear path to the south, especially in the area that surrounded Augury Rock.

I believe we have all heard the stories of Augury Rock, even in Rata Sum we were taught about human heros seeking Ascension in the Crystal Desert. I never gave it much thought about it myself, but apparently quite a few people have. I think I saw more Tyrians in Skyward Reach than I did at the welcoming docks in Amnoon. So many people, many of them not even human, seeking Ascension. Even Khalida was surprised by how many newcomers there were here. Ascension had always been a thing for the “occasional kook” (her words, not mine) but the reopening of the Crystal Desert with Tyria has brought a surge of Ascension pilgrims, multiple camps worth. At the very least they were able to offer extra protection for the refugees who came this way to get to Destiny’s Gorge.

Our goal was to get from Skyward Reach to the Skimmer Ranch on the edges of the Elon River. It wasn’t as easy as cutting across the desert with the raptors, the area was rife with pools of quicksand and patrols of forged. But moving too far south would put us right in the middle of the Gladefields where Joko’s awakended kept an eye on those exiled from his kingdom. There was no one good path. While Tarnn and I were experienced fighters, we didn’t want the books we were carrying to get destroyed in the crossfire. Khalida took some convincing but we finally decided on using the Prophet’s Path and relying on the frequent sandstorms to give us cover.

Compared to Dry Top these sandstorms weren’t anything to write home about, hardly half as strong or a third as thick. But they did the trick to keep us hidden from the forged and the wild animals. And I know that Tarnn isn’t much of a fan, but it was nice being surrounded by so much sand, I really felt like I was connected to the earth element. Khalida seemed to be taking the sandstorms in stride, she’s no elementalist but she must have a special connection with sand as well.

We were crossing the rocks at Champion’s Gap when we got the first view of the Skimmer Ranch’s big blue dome. But that wasn’t what made us pull the raptors up short. Just beyond the ranch, high up on the tallest pillar, was Balthazar himself. Even at our distance we could count the horns of his helm and feel the thick magic. He looked to be fighting someone but we couldn’t make out who.

If Balthazar turned around he would have spotted us for sure, we were caught completely out in the open. The last thing we wanted was to catch the eye of an angry war god, we needed to find cover but the raptors were too anxious to cooperate under the feeling of so much magic and the ranch was too far to make a run for it. The only thing we had was sand. But sand can be a powerful asset and we had used it thus far to conceal us.

By this point I was no stranger to the idea of weaving elements, the temple of kormir was a crossroads for many people and ideas. I had only played with it a bit but never made an attempt in earnest, but I hadn’t spent my entire life studying the elements for nothing. Wind and sand are close companions, stirring them up together was the most natural thing in the world. In a moment I had called up a sandstorm to blanket us. I don’t know if it was enough to stop the eyes of a god, but at the very least we wouldn’t attract attention, sandstorms are too common to be of note.

Eventually the feeling of magic and the glow of red fire faded and the raptors relaxed under us. I dissipated the sandstorm and the pillars were clear of rogue gods and we could see the shadow of a Tyrian airship coming in. But we were too shaken to see it dock and he urged the raptors towards the shelter of the ranch.

The ranchhands ran out to meet us, bringing water and asking what we knew of that surge of magic. Khalida took the humans aside to explain, these were her people and it concerned one of her gods. We asura went to rest under the ranch's great dome, the riverwater felt cool and refreshing after our long trip. And with us were the ranch’s skimmers.

I have never seen an animal like a skimmer up close before. They looked like manta rays that floated in midair. They were as curious about us as we were of them, the smaller ones floating close to examine us and allowing us to pet them. They felt dryer than I expected. Tarnn thinks they were evolved from sea creatures that lived in the Crystal Sea and that great surge of magic helped them survive in the new desert. One of the ranchhands gave us a quick briefing on skimmers, showing us how to ride them. Very smooth ride. And they even go over water! I never would have guessed all these different animal mounts could move in such different ways.

Khalida found us after awhile with a young man in tow who looked enough like her that I was able to guess he was her brother Sahil. I had been nervous about meeting a spellbreaker, I am so focused on magic I wasn’t sure how well we’d get along, but seems very friendly and quick to laugh. He suggested that we take a couple days to become familiar with riding a skimmer as we were going to need them where we were going.

[memoirsofratasum]

Protector Tarnn: Desert Highlands

I’m not sure if I’ll ever ‘get’ the desert. You’d think Sanna had stepped into Tixx’s Workshop considering her attitude has been nothing short of gleeful. I’m used to elementalists reacting oddly, but I have no idea what she sees in this place. It’s hot, bright, dry, and don’t even get me started with the sand. I feel like I clean my armor more than I wear it. And I thought the Silverwastes was bad.

At least the Temple of Kormir is nice. It’s a lot cooler inside the libraries and there is a lot to read. While not as vast as the Priory, the temple does have a lot of new knowledge they are willing to share with us. One of those things is this new skill of guardian magic the locals call the firebrand. Many of the temple librarians are firebrands and the magisters want a few guardians to learn the skill so the Priory can teach it to others in the future. It’s almost kinda ironic that I’m suddenly the student of combat magic instead of the instructor for once.

The magic of the firebrand is interesting, they draw upon history to augment their powers in the heat of battle. It almost makes me think of revenants, except with historical events rather than legends. I’m not finding it very challenging though. I don’t know if it is the fact I’m asura and can absorb knowledge like a sponge or if my job as a Priory combat instructor already had me halfway to firebrand, but the intrigue I felt about this new magic has faded into boredom.  

My lack of engagement has been noticed and I’ve been placed on patrol to make up for my classroom time. Out in the desert, again. I shouldn’t complain, the brand and forged are almost right at the temple’s doorstep and refugees come in everyday. But the highlight is seeing Vlast in the air, makes it all worthwhile. We don’t see the dragon everyday, but his flight over the brand is a staple of life here. It’s not that I’ve never seen a dragon in flight before, but wyverns and lieutenants are nothing compared to having a dragon who is on your side. Its awe inspiring. Even the raptors pause to watch.

But other than seeing Vlast I’m not feeling the appeal of the Crystal Desert. The people are nice and the food is good, but I’d rather be back in Tyria. One of the librarians, her name is Khalida, has roped me into helping her with the raptors at the temple stables since I apparently have nothing better to do than mope (her words not mine, I don’t mope like some progeny). She’s...interesting. She’s a scourge, a type of necromancer. I’ve known plenty of necromancers though I don’t know much about their magic. But scourges seem a little different from them. She calls herself a protector of the dead. That maybe true but then she goes a step further and claims that makes us alike since I am a protector of the living.

I have never heard anything so ridiculous! Necromancers and guardians are nothing alike. I don’t say to her face of course, I���m sure she’s just trying to be friendly. But then she goes so far as to offer to teach me scourge magic! I’m not sure why she would think I’d be at all interested when there are Priory necromancers assigned here with us. Sanna thinks she offered because I haven’t been engaged in anything else here. Maybe but...the idea is still ridiculous!

I didn’t get a lot of time to dwell on it as there was a sudden need for courier to head north to the Highlands. The temple had gotten word that a place called Highspring Ranch had donations for the refugees but weren’t able to make the trip themselves. The clerics at the temple couldn’t spare anyone to make the trip so the Priory volunteered in their stead. Or more like the magisters volunteered Sanna and myself. I could have done without the comments that the trip might improve my mood.

We made the trip on foot, the raptors are nice and all but I’m not sure if we could handle riding for that long. We’re used to walking anyways. Our first stop was Makali Outpost just past the gate. The plan was to travel with some nomad trader to Lommuld Kraal. The ogres there were friendly and we’d likely find a guide to take us through the mountains.

The first part went as planned. We travelled with the nomads across the Salt Flats. It was an okay trip, the days were unbearable but the nights were cool and the stars were shining. I was actually starting to enjoy myself. We were almost to the kraal when all hell broke loose. The sky blackened with smoke and fires roared as the forged army was at our tail. The gates of the kraal though stayed open until we passed the threshold. But wooden walls wouldn’t stand for long against fire.

Ogres don’t leave their kraal’s willingly and they didn’t do so now. But some of them herded us into the mountains. I would have rather stayed and fight, but we were mixed in with the nomads and in chaos and panic it was hard to get my point across. Nimbose Butte was where we stopped running as we were given a clear view of the lowlands. To our ogre guides’ relief, the forged did not seem interested in the kraal, instead they were converging on Godfall Tower with Balthazar at their head.

It is hard to explain what we saw happen, it went by so fast and yet almost in slow motion. There was Balthazar, some smaller figures we couldn’t make out at that distance, and Vlast. It was the dragon and the god that held our attention. Vlast was strong, we knew that, but even he struggled against Balthazar who was more interested in binding him in chains than outright killing him. I don’t know what happened next, but one moment Balthazar has his back to the dragon and the next moment Vlast had leapt in front of his sword. I was expecting Vlast to get up again, but apparently a god’s weapon is stronger than dragons. Vlast exploded in a cascade of magic and crystal, we could feel the shockwave go right through us.

And then it was quiet.

Balthazar disappeared and the forged armies retreated, but Vlast was the one who was truly gone. All that was left was an arena of crystals. I don’t know how long we stayed up there on the plateau, but our group slowly started to disperse, no one saying anything. The ogres and nomads went back to the kraal, but Sanna and I continued our way to Highspring Ranch.

Thank the Eternal Alchemy for Highspring Ranch. We came to it tired and heartsick, but that village was like balm. The air was cool and smelled of wildflowers and the people were kind and patient. They let us rest before asking about the smoke in the sky and the shockwave of magic they felt. They too knew Vlast and that night they sang songs about him and placed lanterns to float in the stream. It was...it was nice.

We stayed at the ranch until we received word that it was safe to cross the Salt Flats again. I almost didn’t want to leave, I’d take the cold mountain air and rocky cliffs to the hot sun and sand any day. But I’d get bored with the quiet eventually and we did have a job to complete, the temple was waiting on these donations.

And part of those donations were a pair of springer sisters to help traverse the cliffs around the temple and to sheer their fur for cloth. Springers are interesting to ride. Their gait is a lot smoother than it looks and their leaps and falls reminded me of gliding a little, like when you take an updraft then freefalling at the peak. Apparently I’m not the only one with that sediment as the ranchers have said that Tyrians have adapted surprisingly quickly to springers, I guess they are used to people finding the huge jumps nauseating.   

We rode the springers, laden with the donations, down the mountain. We paused at the kraal for any news, but Balthazar hadn’t been seen since the attack. There were still some forged patrolling but their numbers were thin and shouldn’t give us any problems. We were supposed to go straight across the Salt Flats back to Makali, the springers cutting the travel time in half, but we veered off course, just a little bit.

Godfall Tower was empty aside from a few lions and dust mites. I don’t know what we were expecting to find, maybe some evidence that we had been wrong and Vlast wasn’t really dead. But instead we found the ground blasted and burnt and this odd haunting feeling. Sanna said she didn’t sense anything aside from the residual magic, but that’s not it. It felt different, like something was lingering in the air. I didn’t want to stick around to find out what it was.

We left Godfall behind and that feeling faded away. But there were still reminders of Vlast everywhere. Hundreds, maybe thousands, of yellow crystal spikes littered the Salt Flats, sharp reminders of the previous battle. Sanna thought we should bring some back to the temple, they needed to know what happened. She gathered an armful and lashed them to her share of the donations.

The temple was grateful, both for the donations finally arriving and for the Vlast’s crystal shards. They set up a pedestal with a silver plate draped with violet and gold silk cloth for the shards to rest on as a type of memorial for the people to visit. Khalida even performed last rites for him, it was more for the benefit of the people gathered than for what anyone could do for the soul of a dragon, but I’d like to think the gesture was appreciated.

I thought things would have quieted down a bit, but while we had been gone in the Highlands the Priory had made contact with the djinn of the Desolation and now the Priory was in need of an errand runner. Looks like I might as well have kept my bags packed.

[memoirsofratasum]

Aeromage Sanna: The Head of the Snake

In all the worry and focus on the Elder Dragons and the White Mantle over the past year, it was easy to forget that not all problems in the world were far away. Many of them are right on your doorstep.

The Inquest used to be a constant concern for Tarnn and myself until we moved to Divinity’s Reach. The human city isn’t perfect but it felt safer than Rata Sum. We had become used to the idea of leaving to meet danger head on, not have it come to us.

It all started as a normal day too. Of course they always do for someone, I’m sure the Itzel had expected their day to be normal before the Pact crashed in their jungle. We had planned to run some errands on Dwayna’s High Road, just some banking and trading at the Black Lion post, just normal everyday things. The Palace Gardens we normally would use as a shortcut where closed off though, some party for the nobility and the Queen, forcing us to take the long way around. It was annoying but it happened sometimes. Nothing unusual at all.

It wasn’t until Tarnn and I were at the trading post, putting some of our wares up for sale, that it happened. There was a surge of magic from the east that caused almost everyone in the building and those outside to pause in their transactions to look up. Then there was a scream as massive red boulders were seen in the sky, heading straight for the city!

But almost as soon as those boulders were seen I could feel a veil of magic go through my body and the sky took on a purple sheen. It was a mesmer shield, the biggest one I had ever seen! It covered the entire city, the boulders smashing into dust against it.

But they still managed to hit something. There was the sound like thunder and a waterfall all at once. Someone who had managed to get to the bank roof yelled down to everyone in the plaza that the Lake Doric dams had been destroyed. The entire event had happened in less than a minute.

In that moment is was easy to tell the civilians and seasoned adventurers apart. The civilians were terrified, yelling for guards, unsure of what to do or where to go. Those of us though who had any sort of battle experience were asking different questions: What needed to be defended? Where were the injured? Who was in charge?

The Seraph were quick to gain control of the situation. They assured us that Queen Jennah was protecting her subjects and everyone should return to their homes, those that wanted to volunteer needed to report to Lake Doric. Of course Tarnn and I were not going to cower in our house. We gathered our gear and headed for Lake Doric.

I have seen a lot of things in my time and I steeled myself for the fight ahead. But I wasn’t as mentally prepared as I thought I was to see the lake just...gone. All that clear cool blue, all gone, replaced with nothing. I have easily spent hundreds of hours swimming in the lake, trading with the villages, picnicking on the shore...you’d never think any of that happened with the way it looked now.

I was quickly assigned to the medic tents while Tarnn was told to defend the Seraph supply lines. There wasn’t as many casualties as originally feared, the dams were the only immediate damage and Queen Jennah’s barrier kept any bombardments from reaching the city. She must be an exceedly powerful mesmer, more than the rumors suspected. In one spell she kept us all safer than all my years under the Arcane Council.

But that didn’t mean the tents were empty. The Seraph where out there securing the area and adventurers would limp in for a quick patch job before tackling the nearest White Mantle into the mud. I was eventually requested to head out into the field, someone had found out that I was part of the Pact and had experience with the White Mantle. I wasn’t going to disobey orders, this was a war zone after all, and I had friends in the villages I desperately wanted to check on myself. But I remembered Bloodstone Fen, I remembered the red air and the jade constructs and the eyes of the cultists. I would have rathered walked through Dragon Stand alone.

I still went into the field though, my job was more important than my own reservations. I was relieved that the air had not turned red, not yet. There was still time to repel the White Mantle. The interim though was not looking good. The local economy has been completely crippled. The fishing villages can’t fish without water. Between that and the poisoned farmlands in Kessex, Kryta is going to have an increasingly difficult time feeding itself and trading with the other cities. Queensdale may be able to handle the burden, but it also may not. To make things worse, Tarnn told me that the waterway that led to Harathi managed to survive but the chokepoint is under total control of the White Mantle, there is no way to get to Lion’s Arch by water. Maybe the queen’s balloons can be repurposed for trading.

I don’t want to make it sound like the only concern is economic, but this was a blow even if the city walls are still standing. My friends, former classmates from my teaching hospital and their families, told me as much. They had a clinic where they served Lake Doric villages. They will stay as long as they can, but if all the villages are abandoned then they would have to leave as well. Sure the dam will be rebuilt but the fishers can’t wait the years needed for construction and refilling of the lake. I never realized how secure working for the Priory and Pact were, dangerous of course, but I don’t have to worry about it vanishing out from under my feet. Well, I doubt my friends did either. I offered, if it ever reached the point where they had to find a new home, to give them the names of some contacts and letters of introduction. I hope it doesn’t have to come to that.

The Seraph are focusing on getting a handle on the situation and seem to have come to a stalemate with the White Mantle. The Steel warband had volunteered soldiers and engineers to bolster their numbers and start on the dam. Charr defending and rebuilding the human capital... if you told me that just a few years ago I would have never believed it. I can’t imagine anyone being against that treaty now.

There was the question of Caudecus through all of this. I can’t tell you how many adventurers asked if we were going to move on the manor, as if being a medic volunteering for the Seraph meant I was privy to such details. And we all know by now the issue was handled by a small strikeforce. The rumors that spread after that...about Caudecus, a secret room, Lazarus being incomplete or a total fake, its hard to sort through what is real and what is not.

I can confirm the fate of Demmi Beetlestone however. I was at the Seraph camp when they brought back her body, though at the time no one knew who it was. It was only after the mortician asked for me personally that I saw the body (and yes, her guardians in the Wi family have permitted me to speak about this, they want to “squash any rumors that would do a disservice to her memory” as they put it). My experience in Bloodstone Fen was well known around the camp by this point and the mortician was afraid that Demmi might have had bloodstone poisoning in her system and her soul then would be now tied to the Bloodstone.

When you are in a field like mine, there is very little you can get used too. You can steel yourself as much as possible, try to distance yourself in order to stay focused on the task at hand, and you can get very very good at that. But seeing Demmi on that slab was just...tragic. She was young, younger than I was and yet from the stories I was being told had lived through a lot of tragedy. The whole Beetlestone family was made up of nothing but tragedy.

Thankfully the mortician’s concerns seemed to be unfounded. Demmi’s wound is consistent with a gunshot (I will keep my opinions on her care to myself, I’m sure they did their best) but even with a bloodstone bullet it happened way too fast for the bloodstone to leech into her bloodstream and cause corruption. Of course I’m not a dedicated bloodstone scholar but I believe Demmi’s spirit is safe in the Mists, away from all of this ugliness.

I don’t know what’s going to happen next. Hopefully Caudecus’ death will weaken the White Mantle and the Seraph can push them out of Lake Doric for good. But we won’t know that right away. But for the moment it appears we have the upper hand and Tarnn and I’s services are no longer needed by the Seraph. But that barrier is still in place. You can see it in the sky when the light is just right. I know some people are upset by it, but it makes me feel safe.

The Six save the Queen.