#harald my beloved

[thenameswinter99]

Remember, I love you.

For the ask...

Jefferson, Daeron and Harald

😘

This is me while reading your ask

Kick them out of bed:

I know I am a masochist for wanting this piece of beef out of my bed, but between him and Jefferson I would choose Harald for the same Cregan's reasons I listed here (excluding the "fuck the prince" part).

2. Let them stay to cuddle:

Don't get charmed by his smile. He's MAD.

Still, he has a tragic past behind him, and for the ones who at least watched a season of OUAT know what I mean. Jefferson only deserves a warm bed, a hot cup of tea, to be cuddled between his beloved and daughter. Just this.

3. Introduce them to friends & family:

Sadly, we don't have Daeron's actor yet, so I'll put my faceclaim for him.

The nickname says everything. Daeron the Daring. The most gentle, courteous and clever of all the Targtower boys. And as his uncle Gwayne said, "he's adept with his lute as he is with his sword, and a feature in the fancies of many a young lady".

So, Gwayne perfectly describes a young man (with a disfunctional family on his shoulders) who is chivalrous enough to be accepted by your friends and parents in a heartbeat.

Rank three fictional characters ask game

[treevore]

need to ride his face like a bike seat if i am fully honest

[crinj-central]

King Harald was either naive, a traitor or both

I can't stop thinking about the connections that the world government is desperate to make with Elbaph in order to obtain their military power. They've actually been at it long before Loki was even born.

Mother Carmel was deeply beloved by the giants, so much so that she even had authority over what to do with Linlin (essentially saving her). However, they never realised her true colours, and they never will. What if her influence extended even further than the village Hajrudin grew up in? What if she was the gateway to introducing King Harald to WG ideals?

Dorry and Brogy were away for 100 years and Elbaph has already changed so much. Carmel was 80 years old when she died, so even if she started her "business" in Elbaph as a young woman, it must've happened during the absence of the OG Giant Warrior Captains. I don't think that Carmel singlehandedly brainwashed Harald, but I *do* think she was the stepping stone for WG propaganda.

Ever since this chapter released, I couldn't stop thinking about this panel in particular. Why else would a Holy Knight/Celestial Dragon think about a random king's grave, if they didn't have a connection in the past?

What if the Holy Knight's mission isn't just protecting Mariejoia and kidnapping slaves, but also extending political power via diplomacy and essentially recruiting unaffiliated countries? What if they do the exact same thing as the Revolutionary Army, but in the opposite direction?

Obviously the WG knows they couldn't take on Elbaph by force. They couldn't successfully replicate giants either. So why not overtake Elbaph with soft power instead, not unlike modern imperialism that we know from our own world?

100 years might seem like a long time to us, but it's literally just ONE generation for Elbaph. All the young looking teachers are considered the last gen to have grown up with traditional warrior values that Elbaph is known and feared for. This implies that the real shift must've happened sometime after Carmels death and while Loki was growing up.

My speculation is that Carmel was the primer for what was to come: a political intervention from a Holy Knight. There's no way the WG would've left Elbaph alone after her death, why should they? But instead of child trafficking, they decided to play the long game by weakening the future generation aka the future warriors.

All the ideals that Harald preached sound pretty good on paper, right? It all sounds reasonable and full of justice. Isn't that a bit too good to be true? The WG only appears as "good" on the very surface level if you don't actually know anything about their corruption. The more I think about it, the more I grow convinced that Harald fell victim to WG propaganda to the point of tearing off his own horns.

His belief about Ancient Giants just seems a bit too out of nowhere. Why was he the only one to think that way? There's also little kids with horns that we saw at the school, so it's not like ancient giant blood is that rare. Yet he's the only one to have done something so drastic. I don't think it's that far-fetched to claim that somebody else, probably a Holy Knight like Sommers, instilled this belief in him. But still, why tear off his horns?

I think it's because he wanted to impress the WG and show them that unlike "those other brutes", *he* is willing and ready to stand behind WG ideals. Or maybe he wanted something from the WG. Maybe there was a deal....

Until Oda proves me otherwise, I wholeheartedly believe that Loki (allegedly) murdered his father for a very good reason. It sounds like Loki was the only person around who could've witnessed King Harald's descent at all. His mother was long dead and Hajrudin wasn't allowed to live in the castle. He saw what the WG did to his father in real-time. The same WG that oppresses people and eradicates anyone who researches the void century/is aware of Nika.... both things that are DEEPLY intertwined in Elbaph's culture and historical heritage.

This also leads to this question: why exactly does Loki even know what Holy Knights *are*? They're not exactly public knowledge, hell us readers didn't even know about their existence for the longest time either. We only know because 1) the RA have intel on them and 2) we saw them in action in Mariejoia. I don't think the average citizen or noble even knows what they are, much less someone from an unaffiliated country like Elbaph. Loki might be the only person in the whole country to be aware of them, if my whole theory about the Holy Knights influencing King Harald is true.

What if Loki hates them not just for the "obvious" reasons, but because of what their propaganda did to his father?

I believe that Harald either betrayed Elbaph or was about to, it doesn't matter if he was "aware" of that. Even if Loki was framed for his murder, he still ate the devil fruit. I believe it was a last-ditch effort of his to save Elbaph and protect the legendary fruit from the WG. He must've witnessed something that ticked him off to the WG's true intentions.

That fruit must be insanely powerful with the potential to destroy the world....just like Nika.

[embossross]

2024 in books: fiction edition

literary fiction published 2014-2024

Nefando by Monica Ojeda (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐) - book of the year but warning it is the most triggering book i've ever read. i sobbed and could barely function for a full day. it's so painful. csa tw

Hurricane Season by Fernanda Melchor (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)

Tentacle by Rita Indiana (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)

Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)

Toño the Infallible by Evelio Rosero (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)

The Maniac by Benjamin Labatut (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)

If an Egyptian Cannot Speak English by Noor Naga (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)

Outline by Rachel Cusk (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)

La Bastarda by Trifonia Melibea Obono (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)

Scattered All Over the Earth by Yoko Tawada (⭐⭐⭐⭐)

Afterparties by Anthony Veasna So (⭐⭐⭐⭐)

A Passage North by Anuk Arudpragasam (⭐⭐⭐⭐)

Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders (⭐⭐⭐⭐) - rating this was the biggest challenge of the year because the highs are extraordinary but the lows are miserable. i literally hated it while reading it but then returned to it more than almost any other book this year.

black moses by alain mabanckou (⭐⭐⭐⭐)

crooked plow by itamar vieira junior (⭐⭐⭐⭐)

behold the dreamers by imbolo mbue (⭐⭐⭐⭐)

the north water by ian mcguire (⭐⭐⭐⭐)

dr. no by percival everett (⭐⭐⭐⭐)

birth canal by dias novita wuri (⭐⭐⭐⭐)

transcendent kingdom by yaa gyasi (⭐⭐⭐⭐)

my year of rest and relaxation by ottessa moshfegh (⭐⭐⭐)

the gospel according to the new world by maryse condé (⭐⭐⭐)

manhattan beach by jennifer egan (⭐⭐⭐)

the archive of alternate endings by lindsey drager (⭐⭐⭐)

the inheritance games by jennifer lynn barnes

(⭐⭐⭐)

the aunt who wouldn't die by shirshendu mukhopadhyay (⭐⭐⭐)

deacon king kong by james mcbride (⭐⭐⭐)

four minutes by nataliya deleva (⭐⭐⭐)

blood red gy gabriela ponce padilla (⭐⭐⭐)

boulder by eva baltasar (⭐⭐⭐) - i appear to be the only person not dazzled by this book and feel left out of the party, but i just don't get it.

burnt sugar by avni doshi (⭐⭐)

you glow in the dark by liliana colanzi (⭐⭐)

the pisces by melissa broder (⭐⭐)

our wives under the sea by julia armfield (⭐⭐) - another beloved sapphic book that left me bored out of my mind. the writing about bodies felt very 2018 tumblr (non-complimentary)

the touch system by alejandara costamagna (⭐) - just pointless. one star is probably harsh though.

divided island by daniela tarazona (⭐) - i will admit i might be too dumb for this book

fiebre tropical by juli delgado lopera (⭐)

a door behind a door by yelena moskovich (⭐) - and the razzie goes to...!

literary fiction published 1971-2013

The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)

Kassandra and the Wolf by Margarita Karapanou (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)

The Savage Detectives by Roberto Bolaño (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)

Ahab's Wife, or the Star-Gazer by Sena Jeter Naslund (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)

In a Free State by V.S. Naipaul (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)

The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)

If on a Winter's Night a Traveler by Italo Calvino (⭐⭐⭐⭐)

My Tender Matador (⭐⭐⭐⭐)

Happiness As Such by Natalia Ginzburg (⭐⭐⭐⭐)

All the Lovers in the Night by Mieko Kawakami (⭐⭐⭐⭐)

Written on the Body by Jeanette Winterson (⭐⭐⭐⭐)

The Transmigration of Bodies by Yuri Herrera (⭐⭐⭐⭐) - the way he nails how people would react to the covid pandemic 7 years early is wild in an otherwise pulpy mob thriller

shalash the iraqi (⭐⭐⭐⭐)

the disaster tourist by yun ko-eun (⭐⭐⭐⭐)

mother to mother by sindiwe magona (⭐⭐⭐⭐)

the route of ice and salt by josé luis zárate (⭐⭐⭐⭐)

pussy, king of the pirates by kathy acker (⭐⭐⭐)

awake by harald voetmann (⭐⭐⭐)

the raven king by nora sakavic (⭐⭐⭐)

touch by adania shibli (⭐⭐⭐)

cold nights of childhood by tezer ozlu (⭐⭐⭐)

the foxhole court by nora sakavic (⭐⭐⭐)

akhenaten: dweller in truth by naguib mahfouz (⭐⭐⭐)

the rooftop by fernanda trías (⭐⭐⭐)

tell them of battles, kings and elephants by mathias enard (⭐⭐)

sea of lentils by antonio rojo benitez (⭐)

literary fiction published start of time-1970

The Ice Palace by Tarjei Vesaas (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)

Masks by Fumiko Enchi (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)

Down and Out in Paris and London by George Orwell (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)

Girl Upon Heaven's Pier by Eeva-Liisa Manner (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)

Final Exam by Julio Cortázar (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)

Two Novels: J and Seventeen by Kenzaburö Ōe (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐) - J is an easy 5 star but Seventeen is more of a mixed bag

The Member of the Wedding by Carson McCullers (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)

Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen (⭐⭐⭐⭐)

night on the galactic railroad and other stores from ihatov by kenji miyazawa (⭐⭐⭐)

the wild geese by Ōgai mori (⭐⭐⭐)

the phantom of the opera (⭐⭐⭐) - despised this while reading but my god did it leave an impression. the phantom swimming around with his reed just lying in wait makes me burst out laughing once a quarter "do you choose the GRASSHOPPER, Christine???" he's so stupid

madame bovary by gustave flaubert (⭐⭐⭐)

orlando by virgnia woolf (⭐⭐⭐)

mr. president by miguel ángel asturias (⭐⭐)

four stories by h.p. lovecraft (⭐) - the racist stench is just emanating off these stories and they're boring too for good measure

the mysterious correspondent: new stories by marcel proust (⭐)

[otwdfanfic]

Oh and also 7 so you can indulge in talking about your ocs (the beloved beans)!! <333

I ended up busy all day yesterday so I decided to add some little drawings to spice up my reply <3 I'm gonna resist yapping about Baldur and Cato for this one, and I'm gonna save our sweet Bjorn and Eret for later yaps. Instead I decided to focus on some other dragon hunter OCs!

People who have read OTWD might remember Sikka for her antler hood or nadder spear, but under the hood she's got incredible tattoos called tunniit. Tunniit are part of the Inuit tattooing tradition that Eret’s tattoos were inspired by. In real life they’re typically seen on women, and these days a lot of women are getting them again to keep their traditions alive, so I decided that based on Eret’s I would give each northern tribe their own kakiniit that identify their tribal affiliation and family. Since our httyd northern tribes live in the Arctic between Greenland and Russia, I figure the tradition probably spread from Greenland! The forehead portion is similar triangle shape for everyone in Sikka’s tribe and represent antlers (there might be variations in exact design based on the family). The chin portion represents one's individual role or honors a family member. Sikka's represents a herder tracking the hoofprints of a reindeer, and her mother had the same. She belongs to the Reindeer Tribe of Reindeer Valley, near Griselda's Fortress and was only 16 when she joined Cato's crew (she's ~21 in OTWD). Griselda refused to hire her at first bc her mother had ended up in a terrible, fatal conflict with one of Griselda's top men that caused controversy between her tribe and the hunting operation, but Cato insisted on giving her a chance. He's extremely proud of her skill and loyalty, and she loves him like a brother, so betraying him in OTWD was not an easy decision. The moment he realizes Sikka's abandoned him is when he decides our heroes have really got to pay, bc he hasn't just lost a payday or even his second chance with Gustav but also his horned shadow. I'm SO excited to see her again in Into the Polar Night, she's going to have a very important role and I think it'll surprise everyone. Hopefully it won't be too long before I post a playlist for her <3

The other two OCs here will only appear in Gustav's short which is tentatively titled How To Hunt Your Dragon LOL

Ragnall is the quartermaster of the Goregutter, the first hunting ship that Gustav and Cato work on, and he's essentially Gustav's boss despite not being much older than him. He manages the ship and deck for the captain Harald Bloodaxe, who handles the business side like choosing where to port and hunt. Ragnall does hunt dragons but he doesn't manage the dragon hold where they're kept, that's up to a slavic man named Wyrmhart (Cato's boss). His mother was the witch Skuld, and he grew up working whaling boats in Thunderhead Bay, and some of the men grumble that he practices witchcraft. He's strict but generally fair, and likes Gustav just because he's a high quality sailor relative to a lot of the hunters. On the other hand, he despises the mainland vikings who are converting to christianity and their christian Saxon neighbors, so he's particularly prejudiced against Cato, who barely even speaks fluent norse at this point (if he'd bother to ask, he'd learn that Cato isn't a christian, but you know how prejudices are). Ragnall is pretty important to the overall OTWD series for a few different reasons actually, so I can't wait to write his story. I think everyone will find it shocking and fun hehe >:)

Siraj is the 19 year old son of an extremely wealthy trade lord from Marrakesh who pays to bring a lot of Griselda's cargo through the Mediterranean. He's apprenticing under Harald and Ragnall to learn the ropes (literally) of sailing and managing a trade business because his father wants him to have practical knowledge before taking over the business, since he's been raised in a very privileged and comfortable life. He went to university in Marrakesh, so he speaks multiple languages and really boggles Gustav's mind with his knowledge haha. He's really sociable and is Gustav's first friend on the Goregutter, they have a fun gang of friends. The only thing he's not involved with is the actual dragon hunting, since that has nothing to do with running a trade empire. He does go home after his time on the Goregutter so he isn't involved in the plot of ITPN or TOTG, but I imagine that he keeps traveling all over the Silk Road and making friends everywhere before taking over his dad's business.

Whew that was some MAJOR yapping but I'm so glad for the chance to talk about some of my dragon hunters. A lot of the hunters are just background people to me, like the background Berserkers, and I don't really consider them OCs, but these three definitely are <33 my actual reaction to this ask:

[alatarielqueen]

I watched season 2 episode 1 finally and my thoughts on harald x freydis season 1 are:

My all time fave eternal beloveds are (tlk) Stiorra and Sigtryggr but they don’t get much opportunity to share humor and they’re story is 😭. The way Harald x Freydis are so honest, playful and different to every other romance is appealing to me.

I think Harald falls fast for Freydis, and for the Greenlanders as his mates, because their lack of reverence for him, and their honesty appeals to him. I know he tells Canute it’s Leif’s courage that draws him to him but I think it’s more than that.

Harald wears his heart on his sleeve so I think he loves that honesty of Freydis calling bullshit on his I’m a prince “… great grandson of Harold Finehair” etc bullshit.

She is a Greenlander and an outsider, so even the low key formalities of Norway are not her style. She knows a rich entitled kid when she sees one, but to Harald’s credit he just falls harder for her the more she mocks him (is that healthy? I don’t know, lol)

Extra: I love Freydis. She just shows up, bangs a prince, joins Haakon’s warriors, cuts off her enemy’s head, saves her dude, no fucks given.

Freydis is fucking badass. I think having her show up and save Harald at the end of season 1 was so cool and reminded me of Lagertha and I loved that. Thank you tv world for giving us strong female warrior leads.

“You’re no longer a hunter, you’re a warrior.”

Yeah, and…?

Love it.

But then Harald tells the Greenlanders’ story and makes her cry and I’m like 🥹🥰😍 yay for love. I love watching her fall for him.

Anyway, those are my thoughts for anyone who is interested xo

Ps. I did not expect to like this spin off at all. I thought my Vikings days were over, but man has this sucked me in.

Pps. I am also still grieving hard for Stiorra x Sigtryggr. Srsly man. I need to stop with the falling in love with these fake dudes.

[mangaka-neko-chan]

Because brainworms remain strong, I was given a vision of this younger version of my Psyker Harald with his beloved, my Zealot Moggy. Sadly not canon since they don't meet until the events of Darktide but it's cute to look at~

[errruvande]

OR VIKINGS OR BOTH

Vikings baby yeaaaaah

My fave female character: obviously without any doubt Lagertha. I mean, she's literally the least questionable character in the show (if we forget the raping Harald scene we've spent hours talking about with @bilbotargaryen)

My fave male character: Aethelstan. I just love him. He's so confused and lost 24/7. My baby just needed rest

My favorite season: ahhh the second one. Bloody Aethelstan, who fight with Vikings, slutty Ecbert my beloved, blood eagling jarl Borj and killing Horik, cause they're pieces of shit, Aethelstan battling his faith driven battles... I can go on and on)

My fave episode: "whenever you go I will follow" my beloved the most important Athelnar episode ever. Too bad I don't remember the number lmao

My fave cast member: oh gods, a lot of them were so gooood. I think my fave is Gustaf Skarsgård, cause he played wicked Floki so damn flawless it's unbelievable!

My fave ship: Athelnar 100% and Ecbert/Lagertha!! They rocks

The character I'd die defending: Eathelwolf. He did nothing wrong. He was so damn robbed of EVERYTHING. Even the damn son wasn't his... And he died pathetically 😭

A character I just can't sympathize with: Ivar. Little me was practically in love with Ivar, but the older I get, the less I like him.

A character I grew to love: Harald. Not that I didn't like him from the beginning, but damn do I LOVE HIM NOW? Yes

My anti otp: Ivar and Heahmund. It just feels as if they tried to play around heathen/christian again, but it's just so off for me. And Heahmund, I hate him.

Again, thank you for the ask love ✨💕

[queenfinehair]

Ask game: Vikings :)

Oooh thank you for sending this!

Ahem:

The first character I first fell in love with: It has to be Athelstan. He was soft and sweet and completely stole my heart the more I saw him develop.

The character I never expected to love as much as I do now:��Jarl Borg lol idk, he can carry my skull around in tormented love and agony any day 🤷‍♀️

The character everyone else loves that I don’t: idk that EVERYONE loves her... but it has to be Margrethe, sorry

The character I love that everyone else hates: Hmmm... Gosh idk about this one. Do people hate Harald?? If so, him lol

The character I used to love but don’t any longer: Probably Lagertha. Nothing against ya babe, but I've moved on ✌️

The character I would totally smooch: My beloved Halfdan, definitely

The character I’d want to be like: It's gotta be my woman Judith 😎

The character I’d slap: Ivar lmfao

A pairing that I love: Halfdan and Bjorn really surprised me with their friendship and I loved it

A pairing that I despise: lol Margrethe and anyone 😭😭😭

[watertribe-enya]

ygo5dsmonth2023 Day 2 - Monster in the Middle

Today's prompt was favorite monsters, I for my part still have a weak spot for the Sun Dragon and Moon Dragon

I still use them for my ingame decks, when I'm playing my Inca/Zombie Deck. It got easier to bring them out with Ascator, Dawn Walker and Supay, Dusk Walker.

Speaking of zombies, Dragonecro my beloved with it's evolution is also in my deck

Draco Equiste was also really cool, and I wish it had been used more than once.

I especially loved it's effect to negate and return effect damage, really useful with all the random burn cards the anime likes to use. Could have been especially fun against Harald, who wanted to blow up Yusei with like 12000 damage.

Anyway, since I don't play the game in real life, here are the decks I mostly use in the 5D's videogames

Stardust Accelerator: Ritual Deck with Shinato and Relinquished as the Boss monsters, and/or a random burn deck

Reverse of Arcadia: Inca/Zombie Deck

Over the Nexus: Junk/Warrior deck

Duel Transer/Master of the cards: X-Saber deck

Legacy of the Duelist: Aroma/Black Rose Dragon deck; Inca/Zombie deck, Melodious deck (it does wonders against decks heavily focused on special summoning, such as Revolvers)

@ygo5dsmonth-week

[cathygeha]

REVIEW

The Sea’s Edge by Garth Pettersen

The Atheling Chronicles #4

The saga of Harald Harefoot son of King Cnute continues with diplomacy, battle, and beheadings all part of the story. Great addition to the series that made me thankful I did not live in the early eleventh century.

What I liked:

* Harald: loving husband, obedient and loving son, hates to leave his holding and his wife for diplomatic work, does his duty though he might question the rightness of some things he is required to do

* Selia: a loving wife and good woman, recently miscarried, postpartum depression, good friend, empathetic, strong, and wise

* Gwyn: Friend of Harald’s, strong fighter, loving husband, father, fun loving, talkative

* Gudrun: wife to Gwyn, mother of Meleri, and friend of Selia’s

* Trygve: a wandering minstrel and storyteller, saves a child’s life, accused of stealing, a good friend

* The dual storylines with Selia at home and Harald traveling

* The commitment Harald and Selia have for one another

* That the “enemy” was actually more likeable than the allies King Cnute was creating

* The plot, pacing, setting, era, and writing

* Being glad I did not live in this time period

* All of it really except…

What I didn’t like:

* Who and what I was meant not to like

* Thinking about how cutthroat politics were and no doubt still are

* Knowing that good men sometimes die, and lesser men thrive

Did I enjoy this book? Yes

Would I read more by this author? Yes

Thank you to the author for the ARC – This is my honest review.

4 Stars

BLURB

1030 C.E.: Harald, the second son of King Cnute—ruler of Engla-lond, Danmark, and Norvegr—with his wife Selia, attempt to live as landholders in Mercia, away from the constraint and intrigues of his father's court. However, on a rare visit, Cnute tells Harald he's being sent to the Kingdom of Dublin to meet with their Norse-Irish allies. Harald’s mission is to coordinate an invasion of the northern Welsh kingdom of Gwynedd to replace King Rhydderch who is growing too powerful on England’s borders. Harald is reluctant to be involved in his father-king's affairs of state, and not just because his beloved wife, Selia, is unwell. Harald cannot refuse to go and assures Selia he will not have to take part in the fighting. Once on his journey, Harold is not drawn to his Norse-Irish allies but comes to respect the foe he must kill. Will Harald carry out his father-king’s commands to unseat a strong and just rule, or will he tread a more righteous road, which will destroy the life he and Selia have built together?

[7r0773r]

Sublunar by Harald Voetmann, translated by Johanne Sorgenfri Ottosen

I have today received a letter from a certain Gasparus Tagliacozzi in Bononia, offering his services as medicus. He asks for nothing more than my consent to sew my own arm onto the center of my face.

This magister has developed a method for re-creating lost noses, and the acid tongue of gossip must have whispered in his ear that my entire nose had been taken off, not just one ugly chunk. The good medicus truly longs with all his heart to subject me to his treatment, naming me the most illustrious nose-less man of our time. In his letter he describes his method conscientiously and even enclosed an illustration of the procedure.

Two slim straws made of lead are inserted where the nose once was. Then an incision is made in the flesh of the upper arm, a flap of flesh lifted and the arm hoisted up and held in place as the loose flap of meat is sewn onto the face, while still connected to the arm. Soon a lump of flesh grows over the arm and face alike. The arm must remain hoisted in its mount until this protrusion is firmly attached around the nose straws and a nose made of arm has been fashioned. Then the arm can be cut free.

The honored magister—the honored Bononian flesh tailor—omits in his letter any mention of the procedure's duration, how long one's arm must remain mounted to one's face and grafted onto it. I am uncertain whether to be amused or insulted that he thinks I have the time to lie prostrate with my upper arm attached to my face and my forearm occupying my field of vision. In my response I inquired whether he might also weld two small whistles in the breathing apparatus so that a melody would sound each time I inhaled. Then everyone might have advance warning: here comes Tyge with his arm-nose. Of Pythagoras's thighs it is said that one was made of gold and that he showed it off at the games in Olympia. I suppose that among the general public Pythagoras is better known for his golden leg than for his mathematical discoveries.

So why would I want a snout made from worthless arm flesh? (pp. 20-21)

***

My most beloved brother,

The Moon shines bluish, clear through the flimsy cloud cover. She makes the seas rise, the blood flow, the black bile collect. She trawls man in her wake, sinking a line and a hook through each of us. She whirls up blubber, to cloud the brain and trickle from the sex, as she laces close the saggy wombs.

She everts the fetuses of animals and women and shines without feeling upon her true children, the deformed. The six-legged lambs, the hermaphrodites, the cyclopes, all the drooling idiots bred in sin under her glow.

Stjerneborg's towers look like mushrooms in the moonshine, a coven surrounded by fields of blue, encircled by a raging black sea. The towers stand rigid amid all that breathes, heaves, and foams.

Understanding her nature renders her gaze no less cold. No softness or thaw is intimated on her part. She is beautiful like a cleaved thighbone. She is beautiful like a fang glinting beneath rabid foam. She shines upon everything and all of us; sees all of us and everything withering.

Drops of milk rise through tumid glands, swell between nipple and tip of tongue. Pubic bone grinds against sweaty pubic bone. Always the damned crotches opening, swallowing slime and coughing up blood. Always the chaste Moon peers down at the slurping, spluttering earthly crotches. A crab shell emerging in the sand as the spume recedes. A skull, once the skin has peeled away.

The branches of the rosebush are weighed down, nodding. The rose hips sheen darkly, matte blue, filled with life under the Moon, brimming, near-bursting. She coaxes our madness but shines with scorn on all that widens, swells, and drips. A great evil eye up into which I have gazed my entire life.

Everything under the Moon is in uproar, is undone. She distills us, sorts the soul from the bloody shreds, from the crotches' sediment, from the body's devilry. Eye against eye, pubic bone thrust against pubic bone. An eternal now, not frozen in being but in beginning and end. With its teeth sunk in and its member pounded into flesh, smashing and spluttering. Entangled and self-devouring, merely mirrored in the pale eye above. Never seen. (pp. 41-42)

***

All of it my sight traversed to find the depths of heaven. (p. 43)

[nimblermortal]

I'm depressed and full of self-hatred tonight. You know what's there for me in times of woe? That's right, medieval Norse history!

More specifically, I wanted to ask you guys if this is treachery/regicide or not, because I feel like it has to be but I can't figure out how. So I'm just going to copy pretty much the whole section.

So Magnús is the grandson of my boy Harald Hardradi, and when his dad dies he is of course elected. But not everybody agrees with that, and so wannabe Hákon goes to Trondheim (it's always Trondheim, it's always. Trondheim. Thronders are always up for a rebellion. Also people named Hákon.) and gets himself elected king there, and he's popular enough, due to giving tax cuts to the rich, that people like him.

- side note, one of the concessions he grants is "He also exempted them from having to give Yule presents [to him]" and I know what the brackets are doing there but I am deeply amused by the idea that he got himself elected by exempting everyone from having to get Christmas presents for each other -

---

In the fall King Magnús journeyed north to Kaupang [in Trondheim], and when he had arrived there he went to the royal estate and dwelled there during the beginning of the winter. He kept seven warships in an open space in the ice of the Nith river in front of the royal residence. But when King Hákon learned that King Magnús had arrived in the Trondheim District he came west [north] over the Dofra Mountains to Trondheim and to Kaupang, and took lodging in the Skúli residence below Saint Clemens Church. That had been the old royal residence.

King Magnús thought ill of the great concessions which King Hákon had made to the farmers to win their favor. Magnús considered that it was no less his own property which had been given away, and he was greatly incensed about that and considered himself wronged by his kinsman in thus having so much less revenue than his father and forefathers had, and blamed Thórir [Hákon's co-conspirator] for that. King Hákon and Thórir became aware of this and were apprehensive of what measures Magnús would take. They thought it ominous that Magnús had afloat warships tented and equipped.

In spring, near Candlemas Magnús set out at dead of night and stood out with his ships tented and with lights under the tents, and sailed to Hefrin Head. There they stayed during the night, making great fires up on land.

Then King Hákon and the troops in the town thought that this was done to trick them. He had trumpets blown to call out his forces, and all the people in the town came and collected in one place. But in the morning at dawn, when King Magnús saw the assembled multitude on Eyrar Point, he sailed out of the fjord and south to the Gula Assembly District.

Then King Hákon prepared for proceeding east [south] to Vík. But before that he held a meeting in the town and there made a speech bespeaking the friendship of the people and promising to be friends with all. He said he felt much misgivings as to what King Magnús, his kinsman, intended to do. King Hákon sat on horseback, all ready to start out. Everyone vowed friendship and good will, promising to him their aid, if that was required. And all the multitude followed him out to Steinbjorg Hill [west of town].

King Hákon journeyed up to the Dofra Mountains; and one day, as he rode over the mountains, he followed after a ptarmigan which flew away from him. Then he took deadly sick and expired there on the mountain. His body was brought north and arrived in Kaupang half a month after he had left it. Then all the people of the town, most of them weeping, came to meet the body of the king, because everybody had loved him with heartfelt affection.

The body of King Hákon was interred in Christ Church. King Hákon had reached the age of about twenty-five years. He was one of the chieftains who was most beloved by all the people in Norway. He had traveled north to Permia, had fought there, and won a victory.

[hel-phoenyx]

My name is Brynhild von Zanadestrassen.

Esteemed daughter of Iduun von Zanadestrassen, called the Lady of Youth by the legends, and Gunnar, born and died in anonymity. As of today, I still don't know if mother's name is inspired from Iduun the Young, legendary queen of the Kraken Coast, or if she is the root of this legend. Dates are a bit hazy when there's no texts to confirm any of them.

I have lived many millenia. It is unheard of, for a vampire, I suppose my quarter god blood influed on my longevity. I can't say. I haven't see my mother in centuries, maybe she died somewhere unknown, and my grandparents are... a complicated subject.

I am the grandaughter of a primordial vampire, the daughter of the von Zanaderstrassen Progenitor, Elvira van Zanaderstrassen. Snatched by Ocean, dragon and god of the Sea, some years after the Fall of Night.

To tell you the truth, I haven't ever seen my grandparents. Mother told me about them, for time to time. I took a particular care to preserve their stories, even if I keep them secret, for the good of the people at the Coast.

The Kraken Coast is my country. My father is a Krakenite, my grandfather is the founder, so of course I developped a certain fondness for this land at the border of the sea, full of prideful warriors and men ready to topple nations.

I have seen countless rises and falls of that country. I saw Hrotheim IX. I saw the most glorious men and the most cowardly fools. I saw many dynasties growing and falling until that very moment, the moment when I am writing those words.

In a few moments, I'll leave this country that saw me come to life. I can't stay here anymore. But before that, I can live long enough to write the tale of Brynhild. Which is not a tale of glory and legend. Just a life like another that only was too long.

The tale of my demise begins with Odin Ist af Mundir.

He noticed me, simply living in what was once a simple village but became Alfsjland, the capital. Understood what I was, for you don't see vampires everyday in the Coast ; especially von Zanadestrassens. I soon became the preceptor of his only son, Hrogni. A brillant prince with a smile like the sun.

I saw this prince grow and I saw him wither. From the Good King to the coward, the tired man that should have been a ruler. I saw the light, me who lived in shadows, and I saw people ; people that wanted to marry me. Only one man I wanted as well.

We had Harald a few weeks before Kerilla af Mundir, the former Norn, died giving birth to their youngest daughter Karan. Before dying, she took me aside and asked to please take care of her child, her biggest treasure.

I saw in her eyes she meant far, far more than giving her a substitute mother.

Blood was filling both our destinies and I, who wasn't ever afraid of it, found myself dreading the day I saw it run from the bodies of my beloved, my husband, my child, my pupil and his family.

And oh. How much blood there was. Blood on Hrogni's decapitated body. Blood on mangled corpses that were once princes. Blood covering the princess that soon wouldn't be when she came crying in my skirt.

I stopped the blood flow once.

Just once.

Odin is an intelligent man. The good of the Coast, he wanted. But as a lot of men are, he wasn't prepared to reign. Always doing what Hrogni didn't he plunged the country in an endless war without ever looking at what was inside. at his own children.

It's her, I flee today. Matilda took the throne a few weeks ago and I am afraid already. She who closed her heart to everything before it exploded, that created a child with her own brother before saif brother was declared unfit for the throne, she who refuses to listen to me because I am grandmother to her biggest threat, currently sleeping next to me in his crib ignoring everything of the world around him. I know if I stay here, I am only gonna bring more attention to my Karan, my Harald, my little Kriss and Tyrfing. I am only gonna make Karan feel more justified in the desire of revenge that consumes her whole.

In old Krakenese, Kriss means solace and Tyrfing means justice. The peace and the fairness given by retribution. I am well aware why those names were bestowed to the children.

They are why I need to leave. I can't be their strenght at a time I won't be enough. I can't let the flesh of my flesh die a pointless death. What good is the throne anyway ?

So many people want it under their seating, or burnt aflame. This conflict will go far, far further away than a young lady in blooming, a toddler wielding the legacy of my grandfather or even a newborn innocent of the crimes of his blood. Innocent children, thoughts only filled with the warmth of home and mothers, soon pawns of a chess board they can't even comprehend.

I hope they'll know I loved them.

All of them.

What was recovered of a journal written in ancient Krakenese by Brynhild von Zanaderstrassen, found hidden in the old house of the af Mundir family

[ofteasandherbs]

Moments away from disaster as @yakowo ‘s cats spiked the drink and a monster comes and attacks them.

Harald the bear belongs to @criticalrolo ! And Aster and Viädán belong to me!

[lizisanamimal]

I die a little bit every time I see Harald :(