#ask norway

[save-the-villainous-cat]

Hero shows up at the gates of villain’s manor, all beat up and heavily injured, looking to seek help. Of course, they immediately get treated roughly & shoved away by the guards at the gate. But little do they know that just as villain was about to exit the gates to go somewhere, they witness the scene and immediately comes to the hero’s rescue. Then proceeds to shoot a death glare to their guards, promising to deal with them later after taking care of their hero :)

Before another plea could drop from their lips, the hero fell to their knees. Rain and blood soaked alike through the many layers of their uniform and the adrenaline was fading ever so slightly.

Somewhere in their exhausted mind, they decided to sleep right here in front of the door if they had to. Even if it meant they’d freeze to death. What else was there to do?

It must’ve looked funny how the hero had collapsed there and readied themselves to beg again. As if they were a worshipper who prayed to a god that would never answer.

The guards had no sympathy left for them and the hero couldn’t even blame them — they were the enemy after all, the big bad enemy. But the punches and the pushing around…that had robbed the hero of all the energy and hope they had had left.

“Please,” they tried again. Their voice was hoarse. Their throat burnt. “I can’t go home.”

One of the guards laughed and the hero lowered their head. It was easy to focus on the rain instead of the unkind words the other spoke. After a few other insults, the hero stopped listening and concentrated on their breathing. Keeping themselves alive was a priority right now. They didn’t need disgusting comments.

They needed bandages, they needed rubbing alcohol. They needed a bathroom and towels. They needed needles. Thread.

Maybe a hand to hold onto.

The hero closed their eyes for just a moment. They figured no one would see the tear running down their cheek when it rained cats and dogs like this.

When had they become this fragile? They couldn’t remember. But they knew the wound burnt into their shoulder and that the blood would seriously trouble them in a few minutes.

They were sure they’d pass out any second now.

“You’re going to catch a cold.”

The hero gathered the strength to look up and to their surprise, they saw their nemesis, all dressed up. Confused, the hero looked around, only to find the two guards further away, talking quietly. They avoided to look into their direction.

The villain looked upset.

“You…”

The villain shook their head and tutted. They crouched and their fancy clothes got drenched in filthy puddle water. The hero wanted to protest but forming words was so, so difficult right now.

“You don’t look good,” the villain said. They cupped the hero’s face with one hand but the hero realised a little too late that it wasn’t an offer of affection. The villain was merely checking if they had a fever. In their voice was a hint of frustration. “I’m sorry about that.”

“…about?” The villain’s hands went over the hero’s body quickly and even though the hero understood they were searching for broken bones, they wanted the villain’s hand to stay on them a little longer.

“My guards...I’m sorry they treated you like that.” Now, the villain’s voice was calmer. A bit more controlled.

“Oh…” The hero tasted bile. For whatever reason, they felt bad that the villain was here, getting their clothes all dirty and punishing their guards.

No matter what they did, the hero felt like a burden. Even now when they truly needed help.

“What happened to your shoulder?” the villain asked.

“Are you gonna kill them?” the hero asked quietly.

“The people who did this to you? Probably.”

“I meant your guards,” the hero said. They stared at the two, suddenly feeling anxious. Maybe they shouldn’t have come here. Whatever they touched only decayed.

But the villain chuckled softly. The hero felt some sort of relief.

“No, of course not,” they said. Nevertheless, their gaze on the two wasn’t that friendly. “They’ll get a scolding, of course. But there’s no need for any harsh punishments.”

Their expression was soft now and the hero couldn’t help but feel the sweet comfort of their enemy’s hands on them. The pain in their shoulder was merciless and they were quite sure death was already kissing them. But it didn’t feel urgent.

“…your clothes,” the hero whispered. The expensive fabric was drenched in blood and rain. The hero felt guilty.

“I won’t go to the auction, don’t worry.”

“The auction?” the hero whispered but they started to feel quite lightheaded.

“Don’t worry about that. One more thing, though. You told my guards you can’t go home. Why’d you come here?” the villain asked. The hero didn’t realise it yet but the villain pulled them closer to pick them up.

“Ah, that’s kinda embarrassing—”

“I won’t judge you.” The villain’s lips brushed the hero’s ear now and the hero couldn’t help but shiver.

They grabbed the hero, ready to pick them up and the hero nearly mistook them for an angel.

“I kinda still live with my parents…I know it’s embarrassing but—”

“Don’t worry.” The villain’s smile was warm. “Today you’ll stay with me.”

The hero knew there was no room for a debate.

[nordickies]

What are these stupid ideas Denmark proposes? And why don't the rest of the Nordics approve them?

Usually it's something plain silly and lighthearted - this guy is ready to jump into anything people ask him to do, basically. For example, posing for a charity calendar to raise money for an important cause! At least, that's a scenario where I could see Den wearing something like this

[ifindus]

norway: I don't have a favorite family member!

also norway: *has a big ass portrait of him and sweden hanging on his wall with small individual frames of the other nordics hanging next to it*

Absolutely! 🤝 And let me add this:

[floralcrematorium]

A couple months ago I had the wonderful opportunity to participate in the Always With You Nordics Zine hosted by @spicyicecube33!

Go check out the other artists and writers! Everyone did such fantastic work!!!

[isbergillustration]

Idk guys gender shit

[rainparadefromhell]

croatian skam is officially coming this fall 🇭🇷

this is the best year of my life !!!

[thisiswhereikeepdcthings]

[reality-detective]

Public toilet overlooking a mountain river in Norway. The sound would have been nice. 🤔

[ask-hetalia-dennor]

Denmark, please enlighten us on some of the stupidest things Norway has done.

[ask-hws-norge]

It's not cold enough. I demand -10°C.

[lieutkenny]

can I request norway hanging out with spain and portugal?🇪🇸🇵🇹 (very popular vacation destinations for norwegians!🌴✨)

Two, tall , tan beauties and thei pale, sunburnt troll.

[ifindus]

*france and england standing in line to get muffins*

"sorry guys, you're late, norway ate them all"

france: naaaaw😔

england: NORWAY!!!

[happyheidi]

Hi hi! I really really love your blog. It always gives me such good vibes and makes me feel more grounded and connected to what matters; nature and the tangible world. So even though it’s a digital blog it has a positive opposite impact 😉❤️

I was also wondering, I’m currently designing my dream home and you’ve always posted really beautiful cottage-core-home stuff on this blog (such as tableware and decor etc). Do you have a tag for this so I can easier scroll back through your blog? And if you have more posts about this I would love that of course as well! 🥰

This might be the biggest compliment I’ve ever gotten when it comes to my blog and it’s “impact” on someone/or just in general. That you feel more grounded & connected to nature through my online site, that’s just…wow, thank you !! And what a beautiful way to put it as well! Sorry I didn’t answer this until now I’ve just wanted to look at the message and try to give a response that can match the comment (which is impossible 🥰🫶) so thank you !

Here’s a some of my fav pathway pics from my walk in the woods the other day <3

And ohh I’m so happy for you about the dream home !! 🏡 the only tag I can think of that fits is interior and tho i tend to use it lightly, if u scroll through u might just get some inspo. I hope so at least! Also, I’m super curious as to what kind of interior/style ur into and what you’ve done so far so pls feel free to dm me some pics (I won’t share) 😃🌱

𝖲𝗍𝖺𝗒 𝗀𝗋𝗈𝗎𝗇𝖽𝖾𝖽 💛 ~ 𝗁𝗎𝗀 𝖺 𝗍𝗋𝖾𝖾! 𝖨𝗍’𝗌 𝖿𝗋𝖾𝖾! 🌳

[utmbug]

have you drawn norway? 💙

Just for u 😘

[noctupede]

Iceland (with freckles) gives norway (with dimples) a kiss (on the cheek) 😔

they are so sweet and cute I think

i love how this ask was formatted, iceland (with freckles) gives norway (with dimples) a kiss (on the cheek)

(this is not Norice, do not tag as Norice)

[jamtlandsarkiv]

This is kind of DenSu related, I guess. What are your thoughts on the Scandinavian trio during the Kalmar Union? I have my own thoughts, but would love to hear yours.

June 6th, 2024 was the 501st anniversary of Sweden leaving the Kalmar Union!

The Kalmar Union era was a fascinating and widely misunderstood period that strongly affected the region. I wrote a list of common misconceptions, a summary of the period plus a thought experiment about how it might have affected Mathias and Björn under the cut!

It really topples my chimney to see people use the Kalmar Union period to justify why DenSu would have an unhealthy relationship. Here is a quick summary of the most common misconceptions in the fandom about the union:

Sweden was forced into the union. No, the union was a voluntary agreement proposed by Denmark to combat a powerful union of German states that would threaten the Nordic states' dominance in the Baltic Sea region.

The union was a period of severe oppression for Swedes. No, the first 50 years of the union were peaceful and the union achieved its goal of creating a unified Nordic region. The conflicts began later in the union's lifespan as the Danish authorities attempted to centralize power under the Danish crown and attempted to introduce laws that the Swedes deemed unfavorable.

The Stockholm Bloodbath was a civilian massacre. No, it was a mass execution of politically influential anti-union aristocrats as punishment for coordinating armed rebellions against the Danish king.

I'll be honest: the way I write Mathias, Björn, their backgrounds and their roles in society, they would have no interactions with each other that were motivated by the union. The idea is that in my Nationverse, all immortals live as unassuming citizens. They could take on political roles, but they'll have to work hard to climb the ladder like anyone else, and they can't hold on to power forever (as they would have to "die"). Björn in particular lives in northern Sweden, very far away from the conflicts that arose as a consequence of the union.

The Kalmar Union was a mutual agreement proposed by Queen Margareta of Denmark and agreed upon by various leaders of Sweden. The union was established in 1397. The goal of the union was to combat the increasingly powerful Hansen union between the German states. The two member states agreed to collaborate economically, establish a common foreign policy and provide military support to each other. Danish King Erik was crowned as the king of the union.

Because Denmark was the most populous member of the union then and the union's leadership was overwhelmingly Danish, the Swedes grew increasingly dissatisfied at the union. They believed that its terms transferred power to Denmark and were unfairly disadvantageous to Sweden. The first protest of the union, the Engelbrekt Rebellion of 1434, was in response to a tax hike across the union to fund Denmark's war against German state Holstein. Swedes were already unhappy at being drafted into Denmark's faraway war, which came with the additional disadvantage that Sweden, as a member state in their union, wasn't able to export to an important trade partner. This pattern of events (Denmark doing something that didn't benefit Sweden, Swedes protesting against it) continued over the next century and built a strong anti-union political current.

The Stockholm Bloodbath was the tipping point of the anti-union movement. Swedes, thoroughly exhausted of the union by the 1500s, protested the crowning of Danish King Kristian II as the King of Sweden. Several influential aristocrats associated with the pro-independence Sture Party coordinated civilian rebellions against Kristian II, but were unsuccessful in overthrowing him. The Danish and Swedish authorities came to an agreement that Kristian II would be crowned King of Sweden, while the Sture Party associates would be granted amnesty. Kristian II invited these aristocrats to his coronation in Stockholm under the guise of a peaceful meeting, only to carry out his true plan to walk back on the agreement and execute them for treason. Unsurprisingly, this only strengthened the anti-union sentiment and Sweden, led by Gustav Vasa, exited the union in 1523. (The remainder of the Party also opposed Vasa and were executed by him several years later.)

Now you all know why I always roll my eyes at the notion that Björn would have been executed at the Stockholm Bloodbath. It explicitly suggests that he was a prominent political figure with anti-union sympathies who had a hand in orchestrating a rebellion against the King of the Kalmar Union. I really do not like writing these fictional characters as having significant influence in a universe that's about experiencing real history. The way I write the characters is that they live as regular citizens unnoticed by humans, while their interpersonal relations with other immortals are partially based on historical events. The character's home region factors strongly into their life story and relationships as well, which is why my Northern Swedish Björn has a much less violent rivalry with Mathias than a Southern Björn would.

The relationship between Mathias and Southern Björn during this period could be represented as them agreeing to work together against a common threat, but their differences eventually tore them apart and made them enemies. They wouldn't be enemies or have a one-sided relationship in the present day. Björn could possibly have participated in some of the many anti-union rebellions that were carried out by armed civilians, although it's unlikely that he would have come face-to-face with Mathias in combat unless Mathias was serving in the Danish Army. Denmark did not have independent civilian combatants.

Many other inhumane attacks against civilians occurred during this period that could justify a more hateful relation between these two, but I do not treat these characters as representatives of their states, leaders, governments, monarchies, authorities and so on. Their beliefs and life stories are a combination of the culture of the people they represent and their unique experiences. Their lives aren't reenactments of their authorities' every decision.