#interesting choice with snake over ut!

[plague-of-insomnia]

@snakies-sideblog

"Who's Hotter?" White Haired Anime Characters

[lethe-rpg]

Born as the second son in a noble family in Delhi Sultanate, Amit grew up with privileges and wealth others did not enjoy. His older brother, Nitya, was the wise and responsible one unlike Amit. Although he spent his entire life under Nitya’s shadow, he could never resent his brother. How could he? Nitya was the protector of the family in that troubled time. If anything, he looked up to his brother. “But you are the smart one, little brother” Nitya used to say, even though Amit did not believe his brother. That was the reason why it broke his heart when Nitya was killed. One night, he woke up to the sound of commotion, and found his parents on the floor. Over their motionless bodies was a strange man grinning at him in the dark, bearing long, sharp fangs. The next thing he knew, he was waking up on a cold stone floor he did not recognize. Soon the strange man returned, introduced himself as Ananta. The man was a Rakshasa, an undead blood-drinker from the bedtime stories. He handed them a sword and presented the brothers a choice, as if this was all a game: die together; or kill one and the other will be spared. Amit did not wish to live instead of his brother, who was obviously more worthy. But his brother had a different idea. “You are the smart one, little brother,” said Nitya, “I know you can survive this. And as long as you are alive, there is always a chance to restart. I want you to survive, Amit.” Those were his last words before Nitya drove the blade through his chest, sacrificing his life for Amit. Ananta was disappointed, but kept his words– although he never specified how the other will be spared. The last thing Amit remembered was watching the life escaping from his brother’s eyes, and a sharp pain against his neck.

When Amit rose once again as a Rakshasa, also known as a vampire, several months had already passed since Nitya’s death. Amit could not even properly bury his brother, no time to mourn as he suddenly became a plaything of Ananta. While he abhorred his sire, he could not resist the ancient vampire as a young spawn. But as his brother used to say, he was smart– he does not play a losing game. He spent decades serving Ananta as his sire, playing the part of a resentful spawn slowly growing to accept his fate. He learned the Rakshasa’s every habit and secret, made allies and gained leverage over them. When he earned the trust of his master, when the Rakshasa lowered his guard, he plunged a stake on Ananta’s back toward the heart. He sealed the body in a coffin and buried it six feet under for a safe measure. Fleeing from the wrath of the elder Rakshasas for killing his sire, Amit turned his eyes toward the bigger world. His home, after losing everything he had, was tainted with grief and nearly a century of enslavement. He had no intention of returning. After revenge, his sole goal became fulfilling his brother’s last words. The life of a fugitive suited him, at the very least. He lied, cheated, used and betrayed those who foolishly put their trust in him to save his own skin. Luckily, all those vices were what he had a true talent for. Moving from city to city, one empire to another, he blended in, gained the trust of powerful figures in the region and influenced them for his benefits. He was quick to extract the dirty little secrets out of others in case they turned against him. Really, it was like taking candy from a baby. After a century or two, his notoriety caught up, and he had to change his business model. He established himself as a freelance informant, a glorified title for a spy with no allegiance. He worked for governments, groups of supernatural creatures and private entities to trade crucial information and secrets. While many wanted him dead, his particular skill set was valuable to some, and the rest could not afford him revealing their respective skeletons in the closet. A snake, they called him, so he cheekily reclaimed it as his title– Nagaraja, the king of serpents.

By 2019, he was tangled up in a complicated web of deception and betrayal, as several groups had a price for his head. To eliminate these threats, he took a risk with a group of fanatics called Order of the Silver Flame. The job was infiltrating Foresight Corporation, headed by the ‘Witch of the Century’, Nazanin Ismail, to assist the Order in eliminating her. In exchange, the Order was supposed to get rid of his enemy. ‘Reginald Roshan’ entered the Corporation and weakened their defense from within. The fanatics, however, did not keep their end of the bargain, and attempted to kill him as well after their less than successful attempt to kill Ismail. With nowhere to turn, Reginald arrived at the doorstep of Lethe and sought protection. He convinced the Council that there were entities outside Lethe who were gradually taking interest of this little safe haven, and that he can work for the town– feeding false information while collecting intelligence for the Council. Surprisingly, his gambit worked and he was permitted residency in Lethe.

Reginald knew about the Riverborn even before he came to Lethe. Word travels fast, you know. While he is not exactly sure what this means, nor does he particularly care, he knows a few people who would be interested in this sort of intel. He is still holding on to his cards, however, waiting to see how the game plays out. His bigger predicament lies with several citizens in Lethe who might have a bone to pick with him. The trouble of being immortal: the people you fucked over don’t die within a century. He is confident that he will survive this, of course. He had worse, to be frank. The real question is, what will it cost him?

[kingofthewilderwest]

Don't worry, I take over my sleep time to read and write fanfictions. I wouldn't have time otherwise! I have an entire Word page with only links to fanfictions I still have to read! And it's all right to not read fanfictions if you don't want to. It's just an hobby among others. Anyway, you wrote fanfictions?? Now I'm curious, could I have a link, if you don't mind? Have a good night too and sorry for my grammar mistakes, english isn't my first language (btw, thank you for the likes

From this. Sorry I’m slow replying!! thanks for your wonderful messages! :)

No worries about grammar! Your English is great, and even if it weren’t, that’s no bother to me either. :) The fact that you’re communicating in a language that isn’t your first… just means you have extra skills and are even more awesome! :) 

I love how dedicated you are to looking at others’ fanfictions, even creating a Word document page to make sure you remember them. That’s beautiful and cool. And I’m getting curious about what you’ve written, too! 

Thanks so much for asking about my fics - this touches me! Sure, I’m happy to share! I tend to post all fics on tumblr and FFN, with FFN being my primary hub. On tumblr I use the tag #my fanfiction and tag all stories by their title. My FFN profile is kingofthewilderwest.

I’m so so so so so SO touched when anyone reads or interacts with my fics (though since I write casually, I ask no constructive criticism

THE VIGILANTE’S WAR

HTTYD. YEAR: 2014. LENGTH: 57,110 WORDS. A mysterious, antagonistic dragon rider dubbed “the Vigilante” crosses paths with Hiccup, and her increasingly violent actions appear to be leading to war against Berk. 

He tightened his hands, loosened them again. Breathed in, breathed out. He could feel himself stooped in the dirt, his shoulders hunched over his head, his knees buried in the ground and tucked underneath his torso. His neck was bent low close to the earth, providing him a good view of his hands and the ground and nothing else.

Well, and the blood.

That can’t possibly be all mine.

- PROLOGUE: FROM OUT OF THE HAZE

HTTYD 2′s original drafts had Valka as the main antagonist. I found this so interesting that I decided to rewrite HTTYD 2 - with a few of my own spins - on this concept. One of my most well-known fics, “The Vigilante’s War” is where I’ve gotten the most thorough reviews and most emotional reactions.

THE VIGILANTE’S LEGACY 

HTTYD. YEARS: 2014-2016. LENGTH: 20,546 WORDS. There’s been four years of war between three factions. Drago’s army. The Vigilante and her dragons. Berk and their allies. But now, Chief Hiccup believes there’s a way to end the conflict. Sequel to “The Vigilante’s War.”

Hiccup spoke up. Cleared his voice. Tapped his pointer finger apprehensively on the cell’s iron door. “You said we were making a mistake.” Might as well speak straight to the point of his visit. “Something about ‘you and every one of your warriors are making a mistake’ or – or something like that.”

For a moment Hiccup wondered if Valka actually would reply. The calculating gaze she gave him from the corner of her prison certainly did not seem a positive sign. However, then, with a steady, lilting cadence to her voice, she succinctly affirmed, “I did.” Just those two words. Nothing more.

- VIII. THE MISTAKES OF WAR

It’s unfinished; I haven’t updated because I ran out of steam and didn’t receive enough reader feedback encouraging me to continue. Though I did have a very vivid final chapter in mind… that I still love… which I never got to…?

MEMOIRS

HTTYD. YEARS: 2015-2016. LENGTH: 44,289 WORDS. My ongoing collection of drabbles for HTTYD. Angst, pain, comfort, humor, crossovers, crack, it’s all there. Favorites include “Family Portrait,” “Stubble,” “Buffcup the Brawny,” and “Remember When.”

He held her hand softly, one wrinkled hand laid gently on top of another. It was just her and him now in the house all alone – for their children had left on a voyage with the grandkids, and would not be back for a week yet, if even two. It evoked the quietness of the old days, back before they were old, back during the times when they were newlyweds and younger even than their grandchildren were today. Oh, but the smell of her hair was just as refreshing now as when it was blonde.

- REMEMBER WHEN

DINNER AT DRAGON’S EDGE 

HTTYD. YEAR: 2015. LENGTH: 5,452 WORDS. The gang’s settling in at Dragon’s Edge. To make sure everything operates smoothly, Hiccup suggests a chore rotation system. That means everyone has to do their fair share of the cooking… but it doesn’t mean everyone is a fair cook.

“Oh my gods, is this dinner or what the rats threw away?” Snotlout exclaimed, terrified at the Unidentified Edible Object before him.

Tuffnut picked it up with one experimental hand and held it out before him at a safe distance. People would have held poisonous snakes or bloodied torture devices more cheerily. Squinting his eyes and peering carefully at the peculiar specimen pinched between his fingers, rubbing under his chin with his other, free hand, Tuffnut remarked, “Looks something like what Barf and Belch poop out after they get sick and…”

- 1. ASSIGNING JOBS

This humorous fic I think is where I do best capturing HTTYD character personalities and interactions.

[SUPER]HERO THE HARD WAY 

HTTYD. YEARS: 2014-2017. LENGTH: 86,566 WORDS. In a modern world where Berk is full of superheroes battling the League of Outcasts, power-less Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third struggles to receive appreciation for who he is. Through his crime-fighting journey, Hiccup learns that, while he might not have powers, he can become a Hero the Hard Way.

“I wasn’t born with anything. Don’t have anything. I’m the son of Chief Stoick “Skullcrusher” and I don’t have anything. Not even a superpower to turn objects purple. Which frankly would be completely pointless but at least it would have been something.“

He realized he was babbling and promptly shut his mouth. He looked over at Fishlegs, who appeared to be wordlessly processing the information. The teenager appeared baffled moreso than anything else, which at least meant he was not outright rejecting him.

“So you’re going to train to be a superhero… and you don’t have any powers? I got that right?”

“You got that right.”

“Wow.” Fishlegs said.

Hiccup waited for more.

“That’s actually really cool.”

- CHAPTER THREE: SIDEKICKED

This started as me intending to write one crack chapter. It turned into me envisioning a ROB / DOB modern AU where all characters were superheroes. The final product became a retelling of HTTYD 1′s basic concept: Hiccup gaining his peers’ approval despite being different. Somehow, despite me 70% adlibbing by the seat of my pants (should I be admitting this?), I had great fun. And it brought in the most reviews, follows, and favorites of any of my posted stories! Thanks for the reads and support, everyone!!!

RESET OR RESUME 

UT. YEAR: 2016-2017. LENGTH: 85,841 WORDS. Gaster’s research unlocks the secret of time travel. After the Royal Scientist’s untimely end, one of Gaster’s colleagues - Sans - finds himself with the power to Reset. Confronted with unpleasant timelines and dangerous choices, Sans must decide how to navigate through time… if it’s worth resetting for a better future, continuing with hope for the present, or simply giving up.

No longer timid and silent, the human happily babbled all sorts of nonsense to Sans, everything from how to bake snow pies to how weird Sans’ skull looked to how beautiful the ribbon in their hair was to their opinions of Papyrus’ ‘battle body’ to how their mom didn’t like the color black to their personal opinion of ferrets to a long narrative of their encounter with a snail-loving old lady they met on the other side of the Ruins door. Everything could be the topic of a conversation. There was no filter and even less sense of restraint for this child.

“How are you a SKELETON?” their happy little high-pitched voice squeaked. They flew gallantly over a twig that rested, flat, on the surface of the snow. Powder flew everywhere as they landed heavily into the snowbank. “That means – that means you should be DEAD, you know!”

“who says i’m not dead?” Sans trolled with a wink.

With a shrieking giggle, they exclaimed, “Don’t be silly! Only ghosts are dead!”

“i could be a skeleton ghost.”

“No you – no you can’t.” The human seemed to be quite confident about their knowledge in paranormal metaphysics. “You can be a skeleton. You can be a ghost. But nobody – NOBODY – can be a skeleton ghost.”

“is that so?”

“YES so! You CAN’T be both. That would be wrong.” Maybe the human mentally categorized skeletons and ghosts as separate Halloween creatures, ensuring they were mutually exclusive concepts. It was always challenging to comprehend a child’s train of logic. “Except…” and now the child paused, leaning down and tugging at the sleeve of their sweater. Something thoughtful – at least as much as one so young could be thoughtful – passed over their eyes. They cocked their head to the side and stared at Sans. In the same sort of innocence with which they had talked about ferrets, the human inquired, “…can ghosts also be dust?”

- 5. KNOCKS [[File 5.2 IH-20150701-3-3]]

I have particular fondness for this fic. I spent more energy and care with this than any other I’ve posted. Drenched it through with UT lore. Edited and revised thoroughly. Had two beta readers examine my ASL for accurate representation. I wrote extensive outlines that were several page long color-coded charts, had all this meticulous structuring going on…

The problem was, this was an impossibly ambitious project. Life got in the way, too. The 85,841 words here aren’t close to the end of Part 1. The final two Parts were going to explain the weirdness within Part 1 (the story doesn’t begin in chronological order - it gets pieced together like a puzzle). What I planned to write would have included a complex characterization arc for Sans, every human child that’s visited the underground, and multiple resets containing main character deaths… until the story would end with Sans confronting Frisk in the Genocide Route.

Hopefully, despite the incompleteness, this is enjoyable from its comedy to its angst! I would at least encourage people to read the first few chapters! Or “Socks” - an entire chapter devoted to Sans and Gaster pulling sock pranks on each other.

SOMEHOW THEY’RE STILL OFFICERS

FMAB. YEAR: 2018-2019. LENGTH: 6,036 WORDS. Ahhhhhh yes. Team Mustang. The hand-selected, elite group of military officers who effectively spend their time… doing nonsense. 

Everyone was scrambling at once. Mustang rushed forward to greet their guest, perfect composure only broken by the fast pace at which he moved. In fact the colonel’s posture was almost a proud enough display to make his lack of shirt go unnoticed. But Falman chucked his cards away at the same time he tried to salute; Breda was ducking from Falman’s sudden card shower; Fuery was launching pants and underwear in Havoc’s face; and Lieutenant Hawkeye, obviously abashed to be in this room at all, was covering her eyes with her hand in what was either her life’s longest sigh, or a pathetic attempt to hide her face and identity.

- WE WERE JUST PLAYING CARDS

My collection of FMA drabbles, particularly stories of Team Mustang shenanigans. Prompts / requests welcome for more adventures!

I have a few other drabbles posted, too. I also have unfinished chapters of Voltron fanfictions on my computer that I could share, too? Maybe I should? I’m currently working on several Royai fanfictions, other FMA drabbles, and a longer Deponia fanfiction.

Thank you again for being so nice and connecting with me over fanfiction and fandom and FMA and more. You’re a really wonderful and cool person and you made my day.

[ihaveanimagine]

You pick the skelebros, please include classic. They find out that their s/o is a writer, and writes amazing stories, full fledged books, but never shows anyone because she thinks they’re shit. She writes mostly romance, and a lot of it is monster x human, and then she also writes fantasy, but usually portrays the humans as the villain, not the monsters. She has one book, that is actually about everything that has happened since they fell into the underground, in extreme detail. Everything.

(I did UT, MT and Gaster!Sans and Papyrus)

Undertale!Sans

Sans found out about your work through Alphys who hadrecently fallen in love with your newest novel involving a “Shape ofWater” vibe and showed it to Sans who instantly recognized the Author’sname. Wanting to reveal he knows of your books in the cheekiest way possible,Sans asks Alphys for the cheesiest romance novel you made, and she hands himthis book called “The Tale of the Underground”.

Sans kinda just snorts at the title, inwardly squealing athow cute the title was and began to read it. He was surprised that this wasBASICALLY your diary dictating your thoughts as you travelled the Undergroundand…ooooohh boy, haha, Sans pulled at the collar on his shirt.

Ho boy was this detailed.

Marking the page, Sans went home and awaited your arrival.The second you walked in the door with a distracted “Hey, Babe!” Sansopened the book and read aloud: “…after sans had licked the red spaghetti sauceoff his teeth, i suddenly had the hugest urge to kiss his teeth until my lipswere numb.“

Silence was the only response he received.

“that offerstill stand, dear?”

Undertale!Papyrus

This sweet cinnamon roll was simply dusting (the dirt kind,not the dead monster kind) the house when he came across an unfinished booksitting on your desk wide open. Papyrus wasn’t one to snoop, he honestly didn’tmean to, but he saw the words “Papyrus” and “Gorgeous” nextto each other and allowed himself to read several one chapter.

Wowie!! Whoever this author is must have VERY good sourcesbecause it sounds like his wonderful S/O wrote this from entirely their persep-OH!! IT WAS!! Papyrus felt a wave of embarrassment and fluster overflow hisemotions. H-HE REALLY SHOULDN’T CONTINUE, BUT…HIS S/O OBVIOUSLY PUT A LOT OFWORK INTO THIS BOOK A-AND HE SHOULD BE ABLE TO GIVE AN ADEQUATE CRITIQUE!!

So he read everything up until the part you stopped writing(which he spent a good 10 minutes mourning over) before rushing back to hischores, waiting for you to get home later tonight.

Once you walked in the door Papyrus scooped you in his arms,twirled you around and planted a big fat kiss to your lips before allowing youto speak.

“Wh-what’s withthe greeting?” You asked, face completely red from blushing, “N-notthat I mind!” Papyrus simply grinned and kissed you again before helpingyou brush off the snow from your clothes.

“OH, NOTHING INPARRICULAR, I JUST WANTED TO HELP OUT MY ADORING SWEETHEART!”

“Aww, that’s awfully sweet of you!”

“WELL OF COURSE!! ALTHOUGH MAY I ASK A QUICK QUESTION?”

“Shoot.”

“HOW EXACTLY AM I A ‘PRECIOUS NOODLEBONES SKELE-BEAN THATCAN MAKE GLOOMY DAYS GO EXTINCT BY SOUNDING LIKE A BABY RATTLE SNAKE WHENEVERMY BONES RATTLE WHEN I’M HAPPY’?”

You just knew thatsentence was going to come back and haunt you….

Mafiatale!Sans (Colt)

He’s supposed to be grabbing a book on “how to wash bloodstains out of white clothes” when he sees your name scrawled across a bookin the “bestseller” section of the bookstore. At first he thinks it’s acoincidence, but then he picks up the book and thumbs through it, when this employee bounces along andasks if he’s interested in the series.

Series???? This should be good. Naturally, he says “yeah, but I dunno where tostart” which allows the employee to gush about how much she loves your work and how it has almost exclusivelyhuman/monster pairings that more often than not revealed the darker side ofhumanity through satirical situations and comedic monster characters.

Colt had to snort a little at that, not that he wasjudging (he was probably the reason you began the monster/human pairingsanyway) but he knew how much you wanted to repeatedly smack the whole ofhumanity with a baseball bat until it gained some sense and hey, the pen ismightier than the sword, right?

So after Colt accidentallybought one of the shorter book series, and a book labelled “Trip Down Under” heleft the store (completely forgetting his original goal) and began devouringthe books whenever you weren’t with him.

Once he got to “Trip Down Under” he nearly had a heart attack.Before this book, he thought your other ones were marvelously written, balancingpure, unadulterated snark with mushy romance (a trait that he was proud toadmit only he was the recipient of irl)but this one was………an extremelydetailed step-by-step walkthrough of your entire trip in the Underground.

Granted, there were different names and places andenvironments used, but this was creepy!!!He specifically remembered having this exactsame conversation with you at 1am about whether or not condiments were anacceptable flavor spice for pet foods that the protag and her romantic interestwere having.

So, what does he do? After his post-mission meeting withDon Asgore ends and he heads home and proceeds to do your normal routine of smothering each otherin relieved affection before placing his hand on your back and the other onyour head, dipping you backwards.

With a feral grin, he leaned in and whispered to you: “Am Iliving up to your expectations as your bone-ified,straight-shooting, suave-talking punster of a soulmate?”

You suddenly regretted every life choice you’ve ever made.

Mafiatale!Papyrus (Sniper)

This guy was most likely gossiping with Bayonet (Undyne)when she offhandedly mentioned this romance novel series she was reading thatwas set in a fantasy world that had a boss fight similar to the one she experienced when you had gone through Waterfall. Shethought it was just a coincidence, after all, the fight became common knowledge after a while but Sniper’s experience taught him nothingwas a coincidence.

So he went and Googled everything he could about thisauthor. 

He found online versions of your books, and read the book that Bayonet said she was reading, and BOY WAS HE SURPRISED. You certainly were detailed in your adventures, but you changed enough facts and names and places so it seemed that every important Family Secret you experienced were all different.

Being the little prankster he was, Sniper wanted to give you a scare. But, in order to do that, he had to pretend he had just heard about your book, and went and Google’d a picture of you.

WOWZA, DOES THIS PERSON LOOK FAMILIAR!!! HEY, S/O! COME LOOK AT THISPERSON!! YOU NEVER TOLD ME YOU HAD A TWIN!!!

You briefly considered lying to him when you felt embarrassment and a bit of fear well up inside you, but that idea wasquickly erased. “Sniper, darling….that’s….that’s me!”

Sniper looked back and forth between you andyour online picture before turning to you with a flirtatious smile: “OH GOOD, FOR A MINUTE I THOUGHT SOMEONE HADSTOLEN MY RECIPE FOR FONDUE! WINK!”

“OH MY GOSH, SNIPER!!!!”

Gaster!Sans (G)

You and G were out on a casual date in the town, arms linked, pulling you close together as you wandered aimlessly, idly chatting abouteverything and anything. Your romantic peace was interrupted by a pair of girlswho spotted you entering the park and ran over to greet you.

They immediately began squealing about your latest bookcalled “Echoes of Home” which set you off into an internal panic, G WASN’TSUPPOSED TO FIND OUT ABOUT THIS BOOK, OH STARS YOU WERE GOING TO DIE OF EMBARRASSMENT!!!

Without any regard for your dwindling dignity, the girlscontinued to fangirl about “Echoes of Home” Going on and on and on about howmuch they fell so hard for the “teeth-grindinglyhot-headed, self-righteous, aloof little jerk of a hunk”.

At one point in the conversation one girl looked over at Gwho had been relatively silent and said with an awe-struck face “Is this him???”She almost screamed with glee. Sensing this was your way out, your shushedloudly and began dragging G away with a quick wink to the girls who giggled andwaved goodbye (you were sure one was about to faint from swooning so hard).

Once you were both out of earshot G threw you a curious look“what was that about?” He asked, your face erupted into color and tried tobrush it off as nothing.

The matter was dropped until you walked past a bookstore with “Echoes of Home”displayed proudly on the window, showcasing the edition of the book with a picture of the main characters in each other’s embrace. “ain’t nuthin, huh?” He asked with anincreasing smirk, you frantically tried to pry G away, but CURSE HIS STRENGTH he was too hard to move!!

“huh, this guy on the cover looks like a weird version ofme. total coincidence, am i right?”

“YEP, ABSOLUTELY, LET’S GO NOW!!”

“ah, darlin’ I’m messing with ya. I’ve known about your bookwriting career for a while.”

“You wHAT!?”

“yeah, your fangirls are rabid.”

Cue an embarrassment-induced faint.

Gaster!Papyrus (Aster)

Aster was out on a grocery runwhen he came across an elderly woman struggling with her bags and decided tohelp her. While he was stuffing the bags inside her car, the old woman hadmentioned that he reminded her of the main protagonist in this book: Tall,suave, drop-dead gorgeous, and the personification of chivalry.

Since there wasn’t aplethora of writers in the Underground, Aster made an inquiry as to who thewriter was, the old woman couldn’t remember for the life of her, but she didgive him the book’s title and recommended he read them as soon as possible.

And so he did.

The book was a romance novel filledwith cheesy fantasies that were definitely made for the hopeless romantics.Scenarios of tall but gentlemanly heroes with a passion for science or artoften guided or encouraged a lost, starry-eyed female to follow her dreams andscrew with the system if it tried to stop her.

After several novels, hefinally read the one the old lady had recommended him, and, oh dear, is that-!!???It is!!!!

This book was a, uh, detailed edition of your travels in theUnderground.

He knows this because he’s the one who taught you thatspecific chemical formula of the carbohydrate strings which would allow foroptimum flavor!!!

And- hey wait, he rememberedthis part!! This was when he took you out on your first official date with him!!He was always so scared he over did it on the pulling out all your chairs,taking your coat, having no physical contact beyond hand holding or arm linkingbut this narrative showed that you-you….oh….didyou really think that?????

Aster felt his face explode incolor and he had to put the book he felt so flustered.

Later, when you came homethat day from a sleepover with Alphys and Undyne, Aster met you at the door likenormal, took your coat, kissed your cheek and asked you how your day was. Onceyou both got the pleasantries out of the way, Pap circled his arms around youand bent down.

“Do I really make you swoonjust by existing, my darling star?”

[qaesitr]

    ❗️ This is important as post. ❗️ A brief explanation about the blog's reboot, for it once existed in the end of 2010's decade. Feel in your complete right to ignore this post, please ! For the most relevant information lies in the rules page. But if curiosity has pinched on your soul or you have previously heard about Holly Molly, the interdimensional cute traveler and ghost whisperer, then stay with us and click on read more ! I hope the button works, let me know if all the text is exposed instead, so I will try to fix it. Be aware that it contains the only piece of deeply personal info I'll share with you on here, I hope you don't find this fact as molesting.

Be welcomed to this roleplay blog ! I'm Saturn, the human behind the muse. Thank you so much for coming by ! If you haven't seen the  ➡️RULES⬅️ and ➡️ABOUT⬅️ pages yet, I cordially invite you to give them a check. You'll be informed about the character and the necessary requirements to start a wonderful adventure with Holly and me. You can check over this ➡️GOOGLE DOCS FILE⬅️ to read it all together instead.

Perhaps Holly's name and role as ghost whisperer sounds familiar to you. If it doesn't, it's okay ! In both cases, you'll need to read her bio carefully because if you once happened to meet her, you will not find the same character she's been relying on previous to this reboot.

And yes. This is a reboot of a roleplay blog created between 2015 and 2020s. I had two reasons to deactivate it and wait a year and a spoon to bring it back to life. Honestly, I thought it was going to be a permanent close, but even I am surprised of how much Holly begged !! So I had to bring her back, but with a completely different backstory.

Let's begin for the fact that her backstory relied firmly in an old TV series. A secondary character that had not a lore at all just to say so. She was a mere concept and nothing else that contributed quite a bit with another and more relevant canon character from the same series. So I decided to take this secondary chara and give it sentience, then I thought: "What if she just had a human AU ?" and ta-daa !! That's how her story started. It was a funny concept to play with, but in the end, two reasons have left me anchored to a sole choice. A temporal exit for the moment, and somehow a wise way to leave a place that was causing me more trouble than fun as well, affecting my physical health until recent days. Yes, you heard well. Physical. Not to mention the psychological damage in the way, but let's just proceed with the explanation.

What if I start with the first and MAIN reason of the previous blog's deactivation ? Alright, let's go. My lack of interest towards the series whose concept has made me originate her story in general. That, in resume. She was mostly an OC than that canon character I relied her story on at some point, but she was GLUED to her origins, and even if I wanted to transport her to diverse universes ---like the ones on my verses page, for example. Her original nature would always unleash and that would limit me to write whatever else I would want to develop, add, quit or modify on her. She was a caged concept since the begin, but I was too blind to realize about it, like that snake game from old mobile phones, where the snake is so long that you end up losing the game at some point because collision is inevitable. A labyrinth with no exit, no beginning, no end. She was caged to a series that was essentially losing its spark, an universe entering into its Proton Decay era, something that was no longer what it used to be. And like an hermit crab on a small shell, I was starting to feel claustrophobic about her concept which has led me to explore new horizons for Holly. Horizons that didn't work no matter how much effort I've put in applying them to her because her concept had to be explained, a concept that was ONLY from that TV series only, and that discomforted me like if it would be more a flaw I preferred to hide than something I’d feel comfortable explaining. Thence I can say that what was glued to her was also sucking her essence, her originality, and was slaving her to return to the same universe she came from, one that didn't suit my comfort anymore due to its proximate finale and because I have changed my mind and tastes in regards to it.

At the same time that my activity has exponentially reduced on such that blog ---which takes us to the second reason I did quit from here in past year-- I found myself facing one of the toughest moments in my online life. One that has affected my way to perceive other roleplayers and people in general. I’ve seen the worst things you can see in a human being, in somewhere else, said by someone else, but confessed by this same person afterwards. A person I BELIEVED I KNEW well for 4 years, but I WAS WRONG. A person that has shown me they were NOT reliable at all. A person whom I had to handle in the most human way possible because apparently, they were a sensitive mind and I didn't want to be the cause of their self damage ---thing they were vulnerable to at such that moment-- but all I felt ( and feel ) for them is filth and repulsion. I entered into a catatonic status, I stopped sleeping, eating, and I've been generating bad habits in posture for example ( sitting really tense and shivering almost all day ) which I ended up paying with migraines, muscular tension, and other things that need to be checked to receive a diagnose. I had to shut Holly down, I didn't know what to do. That monster, it was just consuming me from inside. I don't wanna associate with any beast like it. I just want to roleplay, no more bonds, no more trust... or better said, I’m AFRAID TO TRUST ANYONE SINCE NOW ON.

      g-get me ? But I'm trying. I’m sincere, transparent and fully honest, so I can’t see why people can hide so many things to someone who is truly honest with others--- I don't want this experience to mark me like a burning scar. Or at least, if it's a burning scar, I want to put some colorful tattoo over, or show it as "Listen, this happened to me. I've found a close person has turned out to be a demon, but I'm not this experience. I'm more. I can get over it. Not everyone is bad. There are good roleplayers out there with as nice intentions as me."

So... I decided to rewrite Holly now, but not anchored to a story that would chain her to a world I didn't want her to belong anymore. Although there exists a page exclusively dedicated to wondrous verses, and some universes are depicted in the way, her main verse locates her as a completely fandomless character now, who has born and developed in an universe I've created myself, in a world where AIs are starting to rise and start to behave like authentic humans. What is going on her mind this time ? It's time to start over, to lead a new, greater, fascinating adventure in the hands of a cute robot with fighting skills living in the body of a sweet woman named Holly. I invite you and your muse to accompany us and head outstanding stories together.

Be seeing you soon !! Thank you so much for reading this post. I hope it doesn't represent any bother to you. I kindly request you to not bring sad or personal topics about my ungrateful experience, please. I tell my story to you because I want to explain why I put so many boundaries in my rules, and in case someone else has seen the old Holly, they understand what has taken me to deactivate her, simply... to make her greater. Lot greater.

  So, let's turn the page and start over !

                   ---Saturn. 🪐 ✨

[sammcablogs-blog]

THE COBRA SNAKE:

Mark Hunter (The Cobra Snake) ‘’has been the definitive photographer of alternative contemporary culture. He was one of the first to recognize the power of social media and jumped into the digital sphere, pulling out his camera and capturing the rise of new media.’’ 

Hunter’s website really stands out to me it is very unique in it’s style, I do like the grid format on his website as it makes it very accessible to find what you want to see straight away and as a social media takes a massive rise in how people access images the way he has almost replicated that stylistic choice.

His own personal mast head of his name takes centre stage, in that it is bold and a very colourful stand out, he has also added the visual of a glitch over the title and he continues this throughout the page - making it cohesive in it’s stylistic choices. This adds a visual impact to the page and makes the whole website more interesting and gives the idea that Hunter gives a unique style to his own work. In terms of the font choices on this site it is very interesting as there is a broad mix; which is unusual for a website as usually it doesn't work but it works in a sense with this website. They all follow a groovy stylistic choice, however he adheres the font to what the images are on the first page, but when you click on the PORTFOLIO they all become cohesive.  

Each photographic series he lays them out differently dependent on the images, however they still reference and feel like this Instagram stylistic choice and ut works really well within his vibe. I think by also keeping it different each time it keeps the audience interested; they are all quite big also so it allows you to view each image to it’s full extent, however it does take a while to scroll through them but I think this does work better as it allows you to see it all. 

[plague-of-insomnia]

Also let’s not forget that as far as we know, Snake is the only one who isn’t a trained “soldier” of some kind among the servants. He did try to kill Ciel in the murder arc, but that was extremely indirectly.

Honestly? If things go bad, my money’s on Finny over Snake—unless ofc someone like Polaris is involved, since even Agni (who was a match for a demon) struggled and lost.

It does make sense that some of OC’s choices, like those made in the murder arc, will come back to bite him in some way, I just am not sure how as it could go in a few different directions and I don’t feel we have enough clues about the identies of the other dolls UT has created...

But maybe the fact that “Doll” went by that name was an early hint of her ultimate fate...?

OC being confronted by Doll again I think would be very interesting...

But I not only hope Lau doesn’t betray OC (yet), I feel it’s too soon, and too early for Bard to die. Especially if it turns out he’s been a soldier his whole life? To have him miss the big battle would be a shame...

(Sorry if this was rambling.)

There's some speculation about Bard and Lau's mission

Some ppl say it might end badly, since Lau is a shady guy and last mission went well so it's likely this mission will go poorly.

And yes, that might happen of course, Lau playing some dirty game and Bard getting killed in the process is not unlikely.

BUT here's what I think: Lau and Ranmao aren't o!Ciel's enemies, at least for now.

Wanna know who I'm afraid of?

Snake.

Yes. Snake. Bc o!Ciel lied to him from the very beginning. Finny and Snake's mission is in an orphan/workhouse kinda place and theres rumors that the 'lords' are actually member if the circus, like polaris being Joker and so on.

What will Snake do if he learns the truth? That Joker, beast, doll, jumbo, wendy and peter were all killed by the phantomhive servants?

It's not looking very good for Finny, guys. Plus we already know his backstory so I guess Yana will take a different route in snake and finny's mission.

And ofc, in the end I wish all the servants will return safe and sound to their master.

Let's hope for the best 🙏

[doing-the-miles]

September 28th Day 12

Dear one and all, Day 12, our last walking day.

With Mary on our side and the choice of a good road to walk, we steered clear of any brown snake that may have ventured out into the cold and occasional short downpour.

We opted for the Kalangadoo - Old Penola Road to walk the last 14 kms into Penola. A quieter walk, just the occasional car or ute until we came to the Mount Burr Road, perhaps the original highway leading from Mt Gambier before they built the bypass. Lots of wide one spaces of grazing land, an occasional suggestion of a crop, a few farm houses and some traffic, but not enough to cause us any concern or worry about being safe.

So on we walked alternating between showers and sunshine as we made our way closer and closer to our final destination - Penola, the place where Mary began her work. Arriving by 11.00, we felt it was fitting that we should treat ourselves to one of the many varieties of specialty pies at the bakery. Phil had alr day tested 3 of them over the last 3 days, suffice to say they got the tick of approval.

Then on to the Mary MacKillop Interpretive Centre to get our final stamp! The lovely lady at reception was a bit thrown, “I didn’t think we were expecting you just yet?” They were expecting us? No, not us, it was Luke and his group who are currently following in our footsteps and not arriving for a couple of days.

So we explained who we were, not with Luke but doing it on our own. She kindly rang somewhere to get Sr Loretta to come over and assist with the stamps while we looked around the centre, which we got into for a discount price because we were pilgrims even if we weren’t with Luke!

If you’re ever up this way, it is a very interesting centre, lots of easy to read information about Mary and Julian Woods, and a great display about the canonisation. Of course the gift shop was a must, a raffle ticket for a quilt and then Sr Loretta arrived.

We politely suggested Luke shouldn’t have the monopoly on the walk as we had heard there were many others who were not associated with a religious group who also followed the route. She indicated they would be happier distancing themselves from Luke as a couple of years ago someone doing it had to be airlifted out, nearly died. It was in fact 2 Josephites, older ladies, although fit, fell into difficulties. She agreed some aspects of the walk were not the best, especially the brown snakes during summer. Time will tell if Luke retains his grasp on this walk, although he has trade marked the name “Aussie Camino”.

With our goal achieved, time to find our motel, shower and get warm and dry feet, before heading off into town to explore the other delights of Penola, like the Old Lolly Shop, just to mention one special feature of this town!

Would I walk this walk again, I don’t think so. It certainly is much harder than the Camino in Spain. I think not having anywhere to stop every so many kms makes it harder. And that also means no public conveniences as well. Bush toilets are ok when there is plenty of bush (and no snakes), but when you’re walking along the highway, not great. But in saying that, it was good, we had fun, we enjoyed our 14 bottles of wine in 12 nights that helped us have a good night’s rest each night ready for another day of walking. And now in Penola we naturally had to visit a couple of wineries just to try and buy the local produce! Great reward for a great achievement we said.

So, just so you are aware of how we went, Mary’s stats are: 403,424 steps, 277.8 kilometres in 12 days. Same distance in the car would take 1 hour 50 minutes! Or maybe a little longer, but certainly much less than 12 days!

[shannrussell-blog1]

The first part of this 3 part series looked at issues related to the vehicle, how to get to the Simpson Desert and a possible itinerary. The Simpson Desert 4WD trek is not one to be taken lightly and will often throw up a variety of challenges.

This article looks at what kind of gear you can bring and how you can prepare to avoid any serious problems that may come your way.

Challenge One – Water

The general recommendation for travel in this area is to carry 6 litres per person per day and this should be carried from home.

Don’t assume that you can fill up large water containers at outback towns or stations.

Each litre weighs about a kilogram so keep this in mind when working out where to store it.

There are many solutions to this from expensive purpose built water tanks to flexible bladders and the humble jerrycan.

Purpose built tanks can be mounted under some vehicles or thin poly tanks can be mounted in the back of utes or up against the cargo barrier in wagons.

Flexible bladders carry a surprising amount and can be stored in a variety of places in the vehicle, even on the floor in front of the back seats or between the back seats and cargo barrier.

Ten-litre casks of spring water, available from most supermarkets, are handy for drinking water as they can be discarded (in a responsible way) when empty to save space and weight.

The flexible casks can also be packed around other non-sharp or abrasive items.

Another great use for an empty water or wine cask is to partly inflate it and pack in your fridge and boxes/drawers as you start to use up supplies. This stops things bouncing around on rough terrain.

If you’re going to be super cautious and serious about one thing when you head up to the Simpson Desert, make sure it’s water.

Challenge Two – Food

You will need to be self-sufficient for the number of days you are in the desert. Basic supplies are available at Oodnadatta and Birdsville. These towns, plus Mt. Dare, have pub or roadhouse meals. On our next trip, our group have decided to have the evening meal out, when one is available, thus reducing the amount of food that needs to be carried. A more expensive choice for sure but hey, it’s a holiday.

Have enough extra food to keep you going in the event of bad weather or a breakdown where you may need to stay put for longer than you expected.

Dried and canned food is a good solution, and don’t forget a healthy supply of chocolate (for life-sustaining energy of course).

Even though it is good fun to cook on a fire or to use a camp oven, when wood is at a premium it’s better to keep what you can carry for a bit of warmth and ambience at night (and maybe roast the odd marshmallow).

Cooking is much easier with gas either with the traditional twin burner stove or the small “suitcase” cookers that run on butane canisters.

These cookers and the gas canisters are incredibly cheap, portable and work well for most general cooking. But, one word of warning – butane canisters don’t work well innear-freezingg conditions with the canisters needing to be warmed to work efficiently.

Challenge Three – Good health

Safety and well-being should be of paramount concern, after all, you want this trip to be memorable for all the right reasons. So:

Drink, drink, drink – water that is. Dehydration will not only cause problems such as constipation and headaches but can be life-threatening.

Carry a comprehensive first aid kit – not just band-aids but full bandages, anti-vomit and diarrhoea medications from the chemist, sting medication and antihistamines. A packet of cold and flu tablets and sore throat medication can also be handy. If in doubt about any of these, talk to your doctor or pharmacist.

Have a good supply of prescription medications – there are no chemist shops in this neck of the woods

Be aware of native animals – snakes and scorpions live in this area. They are generally more scared of you than you are of them. But don’t tempt fate by walking through the bush in shorts and bare feet. Be especially vigilant with children and explain the dangers to them, without scaring them to death.

Challenge Four – Having a warm bed

The desert is closed to visitors over the summer months due to the extreme weather conditions. Consequently, travel will be in the cooler months which can still bring quite warm days, but often very cold nights – zero or lower. There is nothing more certain to make for a miserable trip than an inability to sleep from being cold. To avoid this:

Have very warm bed clothing – thermals, tracksuit or similar

Have a sleeping bag or quilt that has a low-temperature rating

Use an old boy scout trick – have as many layers below you as you have on top. A large amount of the cold you feel in bed comes up from the ground

Wear a beanie and socks – a cold head and cold feet can make you feel cold all over.

If the night turns out to be warm, you can just use part of what you have.

Challenge Five – Having a warm campfire

Note – In 2014 there were some rule changes, read about them here – Simpson Desert Alert.

Once in the desert, you are in either National or Conservation Parks. Picking up any wood is strictly forbidden so if a campfire is on the agenda you must bring the means with you. Some ways of achieving this are:

If space and weight allow, bring wood from home. If there are several vehicles in the group, get everyone to take what they can fit

Bring a small brazier or an old “superchef” type bbq (a metal bowl on 3 legs) and use heat beads or briquettes and small pieces of wood to produce a flame. A packet of fire starters is essential with this method.

Ecologs, or similar, can be purchased from hardware stores. These manufactured “logs” are compact and consistent in size making them easier to pack than normal cut wood

If travelling along the Oodnadatta Track, there are still thousands of old railway sleepers along the old Ghan rail line that can be used for firewood. If you have space, grab some.

Challenge Six – Communications

The Simpson is a very remote area. Even though many people undertake the crossing, being able to communicate in the case of an emergency is essential. There are only two sure ways of achieving this:

Satphone – these can be hired before you leave or you can use the great system provided by the Mt. Dare Hotel and Birdsville Information Centre. Pick up a phone at either of these places and drop it off at the other end. See the Mt Dare website for information.

HF Radio – most people will not have one of these unless you are seasoned outback travellers. These days a satphone is more reliable and you can make direct contact with the emergency service required. It also allows family and others to contact you if required.

In addition, a UHF radio is essential for contact between vehicles in your convoy and with others crossing the desert.

What else do you need?

Note – In 2014 there were some rule changes, read about them here – Simpson Desert Alert.

Enough of the challenges, let’s finish with some miscellaneous items that you will need for a successful trip:

Desert Parks Pass – You must have this permit to cross the desert. At $125, it is not cheap but comes with copious information and maps. It lasts for 12 months and also provides access to other areas, such as the Innamincka Regional Reserve. Get your pass from the South Australian Department of Environment and Heritage, the RAA or at outlets at Oodnadatta, Mt Dare and Birdsville.

Sand flag – a long pole with a red flag on top so that your vehicle can be seen by oncoming vehicles when climbing dunes. This is essential to avoid head-on collisions and should be on at least the lead vehicle of a convoy. An old fishing rod, old radio antenna, children’s bike flag or bamboo garden stake attached to the roof rack or bull bar are simple solutions to this problem. On a previous trip, a pair of women’s red knickers made for an interesting flag

Fly nets – get some from Snowy’s. Cheap and if flies are around you will be very thankful.

Well, all you have to do now is get up and go. We are off in a few days and will write of our experiences – what worked, what didn’t, what I haven’t included in this blog.

Catch you soon.

Next: Crossing the Simpson Desert for Beginners (Part 3)

The post Crossing the Simpson Desert for Beginners (Part 2) appeared first on Snowys Blog.

[pokeasleepingsmaug]

Based on the Friday night prompt game from @whenimaunicorn. Thank you so much for this awesome prompt, and also for letting me submit it super late! Sorry it’s so long, it took a turn I didn’t expect when I started writing it :)

It was my older sister, Ingibjorg, who suggested the game. It was played fairly often in our own kingdom, but nobody in Kattegat seemed to know it, and she cackled in delight. “My sister will show you how it's done, then.” She motioned to me. “I need three volunteers.” Nobody moved, unwilling to get in over their heads. “Brave enough to stand in a shield wall, but not brave enough to play a little drinking game? What kind of place is this?” She raised her eyebrows, and then the horn of mead in her hand. “Maybe not deep enough in your cups yet?” As if to demonstrate, she drained her mead. “Look how pretty Thora is. Do you really think she would hurt you?”

A deep chuckle sounded as the first volunteer stepped forward. He was tall, and his long braid fell midway down his back. “We've seen her on the battlefield, Ingibjorg. We have reason to hesitate, but I will play.”

“Is Ubbe the bravest of the sons of Ragnar, then?” Ingibjorg challenged. Immediately, Sigurd set down his ute and stood, always eager to prove himself worthy of his father. Ivar dragged himself forward as well, smirking first at me and then up at his brother, “I can't let dear Sigurd have all the fun.” Ingibjorg dragged three chairs and set them up in a line, and the brothers sat.

She grinned at me, wagging her eyebrows suggestively. “Not a bad selection, little sister.” She raised her voice to explain the rules, “The boys will close their eyes, and they are not to move. Thora will choose one to lick, one to slap, and one to fondle. Does everyone agree to these rules?”

“So we cannot respond?” Ubbe asked. Ingibjorg considered this. “You may respond a little, to keep things interesting. But keep in mind you will all get turns later, too.” He nodded in approval, and Ingibjorg continued, “Close your eyes, and let's begin!” They obeyed, and I considered the choices before me. I knew only a little of the brothers, since this was my first time raiding with them, but what I did know made my decision a little easier. I certainly knew who deserved the slap.

I walked over to Ubbe, sitting still with his hands resting on his knees, and bent my face to his. I let my warm breath tease him for a moment, and enjoyed the pungent scent of mead on his breath, sweet enough to make me a little giddy. I moved slightly to the side and slowly dragged the tip of my tongue along the sculpted line of his jaw, up the center of his chin, and to his lips. They were warm and full, parted either in surprise or pleasure, and I traced their outline. His tongue darted out to gently touch mine, and I laughed. He winked, chuckling warmly, as I pulled away.

Sigurd sat in the next chair, making him the natural choice for my next victim. I stopped in front of him and bent a little, running a hand through the soft curls, and tugged lightly on one of his braids. Next I ran my hands down his shoulders and chest, the coarse fabric of his shirt not concealing the lean strength of the muscles beneath it. I moved my hands to his arms, stopped at his hands, and squeezed the calloused fingers. He squeezed back gently, then released my hands and opened his eyes to grin at me, triumphant because he knew what was coming. His rivalry with Ivar was well known.

I stepped to the last chair. Even with his eyes closed Ivar looked dangerous, but I was confident in my choice. The slap rang out sharply, a faint stinging beginning in my palm, and Ivar struck like a snake. He used his arms to launch himself at me, and I barely had time to move out of his way. He barreled into me like a runaway horse, and his momentum carried us to the wooden floor in a tangled, flailing heap. He quickly writhed loose and pulled himself on top of me, gaining the advantage. As he pinned me, I realized those seemingly useless legs actually made a great deadweight. That was also where the weakness would lie, though.

“To whom are you loyal?” He growled, face hovering above mine. Pressed this close, I could smell the warm musky scent of him, woodsmoke and leather and a little sweat. His breath smelled like mead,sweet and hot, and I hated the unexpected coil of desire stirring in my belly. Damn this bastard, and damn mead, that infamous loosener of legs. His blue eyes bored into me, seeming almost black with fury as he awaited an answer.

“King Finehair.” My voice trembled a little at the word king, and he smirked. Did he think I was scared of him, or did he know the true reason? It didn't seem to matter, because he pressed his advantage by bringing one hand to my throat and applying light pressure, just enough to be uncomfortable. A small edge of fear and anger mingled with the unexpected lust, but it only seemed to strengthen it. How much had I drunk tonight?

“If you swear loyalty to me instead, I will forgive the insult you have given me.” He pressed harder, showing his advantage, but a plan was forming in my mead-fogged mind.

“Never,” my voice rasped painfully around his hand. “What good is loyalty if it changes like the tides?” As I spoke, I slowly bent one knee, trying to get my heel to the floor and get some leverage. I could see him considering my words. “Would you consider fighting for me, Thora, if your king,” he sneered the words, “decided not to raid?”

“Perhaps, or maybe I would like a taste of peace.” I bent my leg further. He was too focused on keeping his grip tight on my throat and my arms pinned to my sides to notice. He lowered his face closer to mine, his mead-sweet breath brushing my dry lips.”Do you fear me, Thora?”

I shrugged, as much as my position would allow. “Not greatly.” His icy eyes narrowed, piercing me, and that was when I made my move. I used my bent leg as leverage to flip us, and landed on top of him with a dull thud as a surprised cry escaped his lips. Although I had my knees digging painfully into his ribs, he had a vicelike grip on my upper arms. He growled low in his throat and yanked me roughly to him, and he kissed me.

There was nothing soft in that kiss, anger and insult and desire giving easy way to an animal lust and the taste of blood as he bit my lip. The copper tang of my blood mixed with the sweetness of the mead on his lips, and I couldn't stop the small, hungry gasp that flew from my lips. He groaned quietly, pressing his mouth hard to mine. His angry lips demanded submission, which I refused to give. He broke off the kiss, his lips and surrounding skin reddened with my blood, and pushed me roughly offof his chest. “Someday, Thora, you will submit to me.”

My heart pounded like Thor's hammer as Ingibjorg hanged me a horn of mead, and I drained it in long gulps. It stung the cut on my lip and reminded me of the taste of Ivar's mouth. I couldn't get rid of the taste of blood and Ivar. I choked and nearly spat out the mead when he turned to my sister and asked sweetly, “When is my turn?”