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the-hilda-librarians-wife · 5 years ago

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Wife’s Hilda Rewatch - The Midnight Giant

I hereby declare this session of my rewatch open. And I’d like to begin it with a matter of utmost importance

Woff migration. How does it work? Do they go to warmer places in winter? Or maybe they have such warm fur that they go to colder places in summer? More at seven.

“Wouldn’t you like to have some other kids to talk to?” “I have myself to talk to! And Twig!” Like. Wow, Hilda is really out there being a whole mood during the quarantine. Me too, Hilda. Me too.

Can we talk about how this girl literally jumped out of her window, climbed the darn roof and jumped onto a flying woff? The heck kind of military training did Johanna give her child?! I don’t think you learn those things simply from living in the wilderness. I don’t think you should, at least. But maybe that’s just me.

Also, the Midnight Giant was so unbothered by her, it’s kind of hilarious. Like, yeah, this human just jumped from a woff onto my head, and now she’s literally whispering inside my ear, but no prob, I’ll just politely answer her questions like one does. What an icon.

And today’s bi characters of the day is: the sky. The colours are bad in my picture but I swear the sky is the bi flag in this scene, which is very cool and I wanted to point it out.

Knowing Hilda I shouldn’t be surprised, but I still can’t believe that she actually fell asleep in the giant’s ear. I mean, he is an enormous creature that she has just met, and she feels safe enough to fall asleep in his ear. How many heart attacks per week do you guys think Johanna has?

Very sweet of the giant to drop Hilda off at her house, btw. He is a cool dude. A valid guy.

It will never not be funny to me how judgy Hilda is of the school’s playground. She’s so suspicious about it look at her

You promised your mother you’d keep an open mind, Hilda. Don’t be like that.

Also also also, I’d like to point out Frida and David in this scene

Frida is so excited about the book she’s showing David!! This is so pure!!! I wonder what it is about

The whole- the whole scene with Woodman when they arrive back at their home is gold, okay? I can’t even pick a favorite line. It’s all amazing. Johanna complaining about him, him saying he’s not part of the family, all of it. Woodman, don’t ever change.

Hey y’all, where did Woodman buy his disks? Where did he buy his books? It can’t all be from gambling with elves. Does he just go for a shopping day in Trollberg? I can’t imagine being a retail worker and then one day this little dude made of wood with a floating head and no eyes shows up wanting to buy, idk, a new couch or something.

...did he steal those things? Until I know all the facts, I will think this is a possibility.

Did anyone else think that this summoning young giants to watch over the Earth for millennia is kind of... dictatorial? Not a very nice move to order someone to sit on the top of a mountain for so long. Besides, humankind is perfectly capable of causing problems to itself without threats coming from above, thank you very much.

Top ten pictures taken before disaster lol

Is it just me or Alfur freaking out when Hilda flies the woff (“what are you doing? Woffs are unpredictable! They migrate willy-nilly!” “This is why one should never fly without a permit!”) is not only super relatable, but kind of... reminds me... of someone...

*General Grievous voice* General Kenobi!

Ahem. Anyway.

Are we gonna talk about the implications of a whole darn mountain just downright disappearing? I mean, people study mountains and their formations and stuff. Can you imagine a group of, idk, geology or geography students going to that valley to do a project and when they get there there’s a whole mountain that has gone missing? It would be wild, man. College students don’t have that much sanity to spare.

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STOP for a few seconds. This is the “let’s appreciate the Hilda colour pallete” time

Thank you for your attention. Now back to the episode.

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Oh man, that moment when Hilda and Johanna are watching the giants leave after destroying the house? And Johanna says “they haven’t even noticed what they’ve done”? And then Hilda looks down and Johanna is stepping on an elf house? Poetic cinema. Though I felt very bad for them losing literally everything like omg that sucks.

Woodman gifting them some logs looked so sweet! I really love those characters that act all tough but actually care a lot. But then I remembered that this would be the same as you and I giving someone human flesh, and suddenly I remembered why he appears in the fandom’s sleep paralysis.

So, huh, has anyone noticed that when Woodman answers “For you” after Hilda says “that’s very comforting” he turns his head around 180 degrees? No? We’re ignoring it? Okay.

Y’all, Twig helps them find the things that can be salvaged from the house. Don’t touch me, I’m weak :(

And *that*, my friends, is how you do a climatic ending! I mean, “they built a wall to keep out anything interesting” followed by this scene? That’s just good writing and I won’t be taking arguments on this.

Now it’s the time foooor

Wife’s episode score!

+10 for Hilda putting herself on life threatening situations

+5 for “you’re very observant. It’s unnerving.”

+2 for Alfur tapping his little feet while he waits for Hilda at the door

+2 for that pretty elf pottery we saw in the King’s castle

+5 for Hilda being judgy of everything in Trollberg

Yep that sums up to 24! That’s what we have for today, folks!

#thehildarewatch #wife’s hilda rewatch #The Midnight Giant #hilda the series #hilda netflix

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waddles-ex-machina · 5 years ago

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some messy thoughts on hilda season 2 (based on the comics)

(includes some content from Hilda and the Stone Forest but no major spoilers and none of the Stone Forest itself)

alright buckle in y’all

events from the comic that I think will feature in season 2:

-so, Stone Forest starts off with this

my guess is that this sequence will make a big part of the first episode of season 2, and that frida, david and alfur will be involved as well. This could even be an entire episode if enough weight is given to the task of returning the elves’ house to their county

-the comic starts off with snapshots of lots of mini-adventures that are perfect for expanding on: we know from the vittra episode, compared to their tiny part in the novels, that the show often adapts the smallest events from the books into whole stories. so there’s a vittra reappearance, an enchanted jungle and a spellbook that could make it into the show (more on that last one later)

-there’s also a salt lion appearance which I’m certain will get an episode in s2 - they’re shown a few times in the novels and appear in the background in the show, so we know they’ve been adapted for animation. its just a matter of time until they show up in a bigger way! there’s also this raft scene which could easily tie into a salt lion episode

other potential episodes:

- idk but those creepy ship creatures definitely deserve an episode to themselves

-so, we already know that the librarian shows up in s2 with a bigger role, and that a “Witches’ Tower” (for which an episode of s2 is named) comes into it. I think this episode will be an expansion of what appears in the comic here - maybe hilda casts a spell and has to find something/someone in the tower to reverse it? And based on the title it seems like we’ll also get some lore on the witches in hilda’s world and the rules around who can use magic

- also, the lil grass island guy from earlier is totally going to show up and follow hilda and her friends around from episode to episode just to remind us that he’s still here (see him in the backgrounds on the last page?)

-raven is a pretty big character in Stone Forest so I think he’ll feature a lot in s2, and hopefully get some character development. when it comes to this scene I think we might get a whole episode out of this event and the uh, character conflicts that surround it (no spoilers!)

I personally love the headcanon going around that frida is afraid of heights, and something like that would work so well for getting hilda to take frida flying. (plus frida’s also the only one in the main cast who hasn’t met raven yet) that way, the troll fires on the mountain can be brought in as some subtle foreshadowing while the plot as a whole focuses on hilda, frida and raven

- I think hilda’s actual encounter with the stone forest is going to span 2 or 3 episodes toward the end of s2. while it doesn’t seem likely that frida or david will be with her for this (this book centres mostly on hilda, her mum and twig) they’ll probably be around helping tontu try to find her

finally, I think it’s pretty likely that s2 will focus on both the Stone Forest and Mountain King books, the main plot of Mountain King taking up 2/3 episodes and serving as a finale the way Black Hound did for s1

since season 2 has had a huge amount of production time, it’s likely to get more than 13 episodes and because of the nature of Netflix cancelling shows before they’re ready, s2 might also be designed to round off the series incase it doesn’t get picked up for a third season - but hopefully that won’t happen and we can look forward to more seasons of hilda even after the books have ended. anyway. regardless of what the series does, I can’t wait for season 2!!

#yikes this is long sorry guys #hilda the series #my post

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geek-gem · 5 years ago

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☕️ Hilda?

Hey there man. I’m deeply sorry to not message. I saw this message before I left my house to go see Joker 2019 again. So I hope you don’t mind the wait because I wanted to make this on my own time.

I’ve been wanting people to ask me this kind of ask.

Hilda now and I have some things to say.

I wanna sound like a big animation critic or lover when I talk about this. Yet while I like animation, I don’t talk about many more cartoons unless I’m wrong. Basically I wanna try to talk like Hilda is.....

Here to me Hilda like I’ve said before is a charming masterpiece. I was literally surprised by how good it was. It’s honestly one of my favorite shows of all time, and one of my favorite cartoons of all time. Right next to Steven Universe. Even if it’s just in season 1 right now. Still excited about season 2.

The writing is wonderful, the characters are great, the animation is just seriously beautiful. I’ve watched the series about 4 times. I think just as of now I tried looking on my blog but I’m thinking I’ve watched the series 4 times.

The show is the reason why I keep Netflix. Despite I’m lazy to watch the later seasons of She Ra(Which I should), Twelve Forever, and whatever else such as that new Green Eggs And Ham series. It’s also why maybe why it’s paced so well or something.

While I would say it is wholesome. But there are serious moments in the show. Yet there is still that positive feel the show has. Basically not too dark.

To be honest I don’t have a lot of negative things to say or just hardly. Maybe just nitpicks like Hilda not being honest with Johanna on little moments like she was stepping on an elves house(but there was another point to the scene which was more deep), and the badge made for her and Hilda wanting to not keep it. Yet those are nitpicks.

It’s a show that is both enjoyable for kids and adults. I’m glad I discovered the show. To me it’s just seriously a well made show and many other folks have said other things on it.

Also Johanna and you have seen my posts probably or others have seen. She is my favorite character from the show. Including one of my all time favorite characters. I will mention this I have wondered of changing my icon to another character that’s been on my mind. One I’ve had weird similar feelings kind of like Johanna.

Sorry for all that weird extra positivity and shit this is long. Including I might of answered this wrong concerning the ask. But yeah I don’t answer asks like these much. Thanks for asking me, asks are something I like doing. Also were you speaking about Hilda as a character or the show?

Also I was looking on YouTube. I wanted to be silly and just showcased my love or I guess how I felt and maybe still feel about the show.

GeekGem Experiencing Hilda for the first time and later on:

youtube

#hilda the series #hilda netflix

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dlamp-dictator · 5 years ago

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Allen Summarizes His Total Warhammer 2 Experience

So, I’ve been playing Warhammer 2 for about 60 hours now. That’s not enough time to play every race and warlord in depth, but it’s enough to get a good idea of things. I’ve played a little bit of everyone save for the Dwarves and Vampires, and I only got a handful of the DLC, namely the stuff for all the default races. Anyway, here’s the general experience I’ve gotten:

The Empire

The Empire is a well-rounded faction that covers just about everything. The only they lack is monster units... unless we count the Steam Tank. They’re pretty good at any level or point of the game.

Much like Hyde from Under Night though, their simplicity does not make them easy. Properly using the Empire to it’s fullest requires you to actually think about your unit composition and positioning. I personally find that either going for heavy on infantry or range works. Either a lot of infantry with some archer support, or a lot of archers with some spears guarding them. Having a cavalry unit or two on the side to flank or finish off the infantry helps too.

And much like Cao Cao’s Three Kingdoms campaign, the Empire’s ““““Easy”””” starting difficulty is literally the first province and that’s it. From that point on you’re surrounded by stingy Elector Counts, cagey Frenchmen, incomprehensible Dwarves, and Skarsnik. Expand east and you’ve got deal with Vampire. Go south and you’ve got Orcs, the Border Princes, and even Dwarves if you aren’t careful with your relations. Go north and you have NORDLAND to deal with, and then the relentless Chaos after that. And Sigmar help you if Bretonnia get’s Marienburg first, because there goes your economy heartland.

Also, your daily reminder that Nordland are DICKS.

The Greenskins

The Greenskins are like Azrael from Blazblue: Big, hard-hitting, recklessly aggressive, and only requires single brain cell to use effectively. At least on easy and normal difficulty.

I’m not joking, 10 units of Orc Boyz, some archers, and maybe a cavalry unit or two will utterly clean house in most battles, at least in the early game. I barely needed to work in order to win my fights until I ran into the Dwarves.

I’ve got mixed feelings about the Fightiness mechanic. On one hand, it really helps you get into character as the Greenskins and encourages more reckless smashing and stacking to get an entirely free full-stack army. On the other hand, after playing the Empire I am very use to slowly advancing, planning my steps, and carefully looting a handful of areas while I work on infrastructure, which clashes with the greenskins’ rush army playstyle.

I’m never able to get past midgame with these guys because of it, and I really want to get there. It’s honestly fun being able to play this game without worrying too much about infrastructure and logistics.

The High Elves

Here’s a completely accurate image of Allen playing the High Elves:

youtube

I’m not joking. A solid line of Lothern Seaguard, a line of archers in the back, and you will blot the sun itself with arrows. These guys are the zoners of Warhammer, like Hilda from Under Night, but with arrows instead of swords.

Unless you’re playing as a buffed-up Tyrion. Then you’re playing Wagner, and it requires just as little thinking.

I honestly haven’t played much of the high elves. I don’t really care for them and getting through the islands are kind of a pain. Aside from the MASSIVE archer fire I didn’t have much fun with them. Though I know the basic generals can get DRAGON MOUNTS, so maybe I’ll try again after this 100-turn Empire run I’m doing.

The Lizardmen

Just have an ancient Kroxigor as your general and they’ll do 80% of the work.

Okay, in all seriousness, the Lizardmen get some pretty powerful units in the early game between the army-destroying Kroxigor generals and slightly overpowered Saurus Warriors. It comes at the cost of Saurus warriors being expensive as hell, but almost worth it.

The spawning pools can give you some ridiculously good units with little to no cost, which is just wild depending on the army composition.

Haven’t played around with the flying units yet, but it’s pretty fun time all around.

If I were to compare to a fighting game character, I’d say their like Merkava from Under Night In-Birth. They’ve got a lot of good tools and strategies, but it just comes down how much you’re willing to deal with some of their wonkier mechanics like the Geopanels, spawning pools, and early-game cost.

The Darks Elves

If the High Elves are Hilda, then the Dark Elves are Gordeau. Extremely offensive, extremely powerful, but can’t really play defensive, or at least not catered to doing so. And with Murderous Prowess you really need to get in there and fight.

I thought the Warhammer community was just meme-ing, but no, 5 Sisters of Slaughter units really can do 90% of work, at least on the lower difficulties.

Apparently, having Harpies in your army is a really big-brain power move in the Warhammer community. After seeing them shred a Chaos artillery unit I can see why.

I was surprised how peaceful Malekith’s campaign was at first... and then I confederated with a faction and everything went to hell.

Seriously, confederation is some bad civ man, at least for the Elves. I ran into the same issue in my Tyrion campaign too. I confederate, realize all too late that my ally didn’t build anything in his province and left themselves (and by extension, my new flank) helpless as other filthy troglodytes make war on my new property thanks to the power move lowering my reputation all around the board.

The Skaven

I have no fighting game comparison for the because nothing in fighting games should reward mindless mashing like the Skaven spams its slaves and clanrats.

Seriously, I can never get past the early game with this faction, it just feels too brainless to really use properly. I know their mid and late-game stuff it pretty good, but this early game is just... too mindless for me.

Also, as much as I like the idea of the Under Empire, very few of the campaigns really had it in mind save for Ikit Claw. It just doesn’t make sense for the other warlords given their enemies, goals, and locations.

Other Small Notes From Allen

Naturally, I can cover every race and faction in 60 hours, so here’s a quick rundown of the more miscellaneous things:

The Vampires seemed really cool until I realized they didn’t have ranged option. Then they became unplayable.

The Dwarves also seemed really cool until I realized they didn’t have cavalry. I know they have war machines, but even the Skaven have Doomwheels as a work around. Maybe the Dwarves can get some steampunk-styled tank to ram into enemy flanks? The Empire has them, so why not the Dawi?

Mannfred von Carstein can suck Karl Franz’s Imperial nuts with his cavalry spamming armies that somehow got 8 units of armored cavalry right out of his ass with his pitiful economy and sacked lands. It’s like he knew most of my armies consisted of archers and only a handful of spear units.

On that note, Nordland can also suck Karl Franz’s Imperial nuts with how much their being dicks. Apparently the lore says they hate the Empire because of Gelt pranked the Elector of Nordland too hard and he couldn’t take a joke, but I wish Gelt just offed the guy while touring the countryside because these people just won’t give me military access as 40 turns of being nice and being at war with the Greenskins invading their lands.

I’d honestly play as Bretonnia if their peasantry mechanic didn’t make me think I was playing Civilization 5 again. Civ 5 is a good game, but I can’t do logistics and conquer the world at the same time, no matter how stupid strong the cavalry is.

I understand how the DLC works, but I don’t agree with it. Ten-dollar DLC every three to four months a year sounds fair for a 60-dollar game that has hundreds of hours of replay value, but I wish they had DLC packs for those of us that got to the party late. Like, just pay an extra 30 bucks and get all the DLC from last year or something like that. The current model does works for the dedicated fans, but us stragglers really feel burned.

Anyway, that’s really it for my quick thoughts. Magical Girl Raising Project: Joker came in the mail last night, so I’ll be reading that for most of today. Anyway, see you folks later!

#warhammer #total war warhammer 2 #your dictator is speaking

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snellyboi · 5 years ago

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Pictures of the Past

I mentioned I’d be making a Hilda one shot, and this is what came out. I figure I ought to start writing for more shows and such so I don’t get totally burnt!

words:1865 Summary: Hilda meets an old friend of her mother, Rolf Sigmundson, who holds some strange revelations about her past... warnings: Sort of a cliff hanger to a one shot I might get around to writing? Also involves an OC, and a bit of headcanon on my end (of course!)

By all accounts, Rolf Sigmundson was a good man. He mostly made a living for himself making nature shows, and indeed, few people were as qualified as he was to do this sort of thing. He spent time with Woffs in his university days, and also spent plenty of time studying trolls, giant birds, and all sorts of flora and fauna. He was mostly known for his show ‘Troll Hunter’, sort of a spiritual successor to Steve Irwin’s Crocodile Hunter.

He was a tall man, with a large, dark beard and short brown hair, with big brown eyes framed by large round glasses. He was popular, that’s for sure...and he was making an appearance for the sparrow scouts in Trolberg today.

“He’s such a sweet man, you’ll like him.” Johanna smiled as she spoke to Hilda, giving her some sandwiches to take to the meeting, as she knew it’d run until at least noon. “If you get the chance, tell him I said hello!”

Hilda took the sandwiches and hopped out the door, Alfur in tow. “I’ll see you mum, thanks for the food!” She was really excited to meet this guy! Not only was he kind of a big deal, but her mother knew him! And not a simple ‘saw him once at a zoo’ sort of thing, either, those two, according to Johanna at least, were really good friends in their youth. Not that Hilda would brag about such a thing...but it was a nice feeling.

“Hello, sparrow scouts!” Raven Leader spoke loudly from the front gate to the Huldrawood. “I’m excited you’re all here, and I’m sure you’re all incredibly glad to welcome today’s guest!” It was a simple idea, drummed up by Rolf himself. What better place to talk about nature than...well, nature? Sure, Huldrawood wasn’t the unforgiving, harsh wilderness, but it was still pretty natural, and had plenty to offer. “Our guest doesn’t really need an introduction, but he’s not here to hunt trolls or teach us how to do it. He’s here to talk about one of the most important parts of our lives...the great outdoors.” It had clearly been prepared, but would you wanna introduce someone without preparing yourself first?

“Let’s all give a warm, Sparrow scout welcome to Rolf Sigmundson!” The kids hooted and hollered, and Rolf stepped out, wearing a black ball cap, vest, beige button up shirt, and khakis, with heavy looking hiking boots.

“Hey, kids!” He smiled brightly and opened the gates, walking in. “We’re gonna hang by the front for a minute, just stick around there and pick a place to sit down.” Lucky them, it had been clear all week...the ground wasn’t too muddy. Hilda, David, and Frida all found each other and sat together.

“Are you excited?” Frida asked. Hilda nodded. “My mum loves his show...I watch it when it’s on.” She shrugged. “He does sound really interesting, though, the way my mum tells it.” Frida looked over at David. “Maybe he can find out why you’re teeming with bugs, eh?” David, at the moment, had a beetle crawling around on him. He looked spaced out.

“...sorry, could you say that again?”

Rolf rubbed his hands together and sat on the ground with them. “Yikes...kids, don’t get old, your knees start to ache and it hurts to sit down.” Some of the children laughed. “So! The woods...we sort of take it for granted, don’t we?” He looked around. “We play in them, camp in them, go on walks in them...without even thinking about what’s here. What sort of things live underground? What worlds go left unseen by most humans?” He looked over at Hilda, Frida, and David. “What if I told you that it’s not just giant things, but little ones as well? Like that...bug...on your shirt...do...do you know that’s there?”

David didn’t really say anything in response, he just sorta...pointed at it. Frida looked over. “He’s always got a bug on him.”

“Bugs tend to pick favorites, I find.” He giggled a little to himself. “Of course, the small world isn’t just made up of bugs. There’s even elves!” Some kids furrowed their brows. “Yep. Seen ‘em. I had to sign paperwork, though, these elves are obsessed with documentation, let me tell you.” He stood. “Of course, we won’t be seeing those today, you have to have permission from the elves themselves, and it’s a lot of papers to sign…”

“It isn’t THAT much paperwork!” Alfur whispered. Hilda whispered right back. “It is for this many kids!”

“Kids love paperwork!”

“Not the human ones.” Hilda whispered back. The group started to move through the woods, as he pointed out birds nests, ant hills, rabbit holes, and even a hole for a good sized bug, which he stopped around. “Phew...now, kids, most of these small guys are actually pretty safe, but this one’s not quite healthy to hang around too long.” he tapped the ground around the hole for a moment. “Hmm...must be empty. Can anyone guess what I’m looking for?”

“A snake?” One child asked.

“No, not quite...I wouldn’t be so close to it if it were a snake hole, those have a bit more...length than what should be in here.” He said. “Although, I have been bitten by my fair share of snakes. Most of the ones around here are pretty harmless.” He knelt down and tapped again. “Anyone?”

Frida jumped at the chance. “A spider? I read that some make trap doors, and sneak out to catch their prey.” Rolf smiled. “That’s an awful lot closer, it’s a sort of spider! Those spiders tend to be in other, warmer places...this is a sort of wolf spider dwelling.” He said. “They aren’t deadly, but I’ve managed to get a bite from one, and it’s bad. Opens up a sore about this big on the bite, and...it’s messy.” He said. The group kept going.

“Here’s another, much larger hole, it looks like it was dug by a-”

“Vittra!” Hilda pointed. “I’ve been in those tunnels...well, not...not those ones.” Rolf and the others looked over, and Rolf crossed his arms. “You’ve been IN a…” He looked at her for a moment. She looked...familiar.

“...how’d you get in? Why’d you go in?”

“We had to rescue some from becoming mulch, but we sort of got them angry.” Rolf nodded. “Huh...they do like their privacy. Kids, these holes can be real deep, and falling into them can lead to some embarrassing injuries. It’s good to look at the forest floor while you walk around.” The group kept going, stopping for lunch, learning how to spot different types of bee hives and wasps nests, avoiding snakes, and even learning a bit about fishing...though, that was anecdotal, and mostly about Rolf’s bad run in with a rather large catfish in the states. They were back at the front gate. “So, scouts, it’s important to remember that the world isn’t just what’s easy to see...there’s little cities, families, and houses all around us! We just have to look.” The scouts all got pictures, some got stuff signed, and they were on their way out. Hilda couldn’t wait to tell her mother abou-

“Hilda!” Raven Leader went over to her. “It appears Rolf would like a word with you.” Hilda furrowed a brow. “Me?”

“He wants to know more about that vittra hole I think.” Hilda walked over to him. He was sitting near his car, an old beat up jeep he’d driven to the front gate. “Hilda! Hey! She wouldn’t believe that I knew your mother so I had to give her the Vittra hole line...I knew you looked familiar!” Hilda looked up at him. “You knew me?”

“Oh, you were tiny tiny before I got the show and got too busy…” He knelt down. “Agh...gotta get that knee checked on. Hey, listen, I don’t wanna hold the van up, but…” He went into his car and got a box of polaroids. “I was real good friends with your mother, and I liked to take pictures of stuff. I took a lot of pictures of her, she didn’t really own a camera until after I left that neck of the woods. Years ago she got rid of these...I won’t say why.” It was photos of her mother doing...not ‘Johanna-ish’ things; rock climbing, swimming in the middle of a lake, waving from the top of a tree.

“I think it’s time she gets these back.” Hilda nodded. “She was quite the adventurer, huh?”

“Oh, are you kidding me? She was shredded! I bet she could have benched ME back then.” He patted Hilda’s shoulder. “Tell her I said hello, yeah?”

“Of course.” She nodded with determination.

“Thanks so much, I’d stop by but I gotta split...also, Mr. Elf,” he pointed to her ear, and Alfur popped up from behind it, “You look good in red.”

Alfur blushed. “Oh, stop, you’re flattering me…”

“Heh, alright...you run along now, enjoy yourself!”

“Likewise!” Hilda got back into the van they’d used to get there, and got home, just before dark. Dinner was almost ready, and Johanna sighed with relief when she heard the front door open. “Hilda, you’re back...how was it? How do you like Rolf?”

“He’s nice...he gave me these.” She put the photos on the table. Johanna looked flustered. “...I’d been looking for those.” She went through a few of them, sitting on the couch. “That’s...well, I was quite the adventurous type.”

“Got it form somewhere, right?” Hilda winked. Johanna...sighed, and lowered her shoulders. “Well...had to come from somewhere.” They came across one of a tiny, baby Hilda, with a woman with purple hair playing with her. “Oh, look at you! So cute back then!” Hilda thought nothing of who that woman was, probably just some aunt she’d never met...but then she popped up in another photo of them at a campfire. And another of them holding hands. And another of them in flower crowns and soft looking white dresses, kissing under a flower archway somewhere in the woods. “Mum...who’s that woman? The one with the long purple hair?”

Johanna tensed up a bit. She sighed. “...well, she and I were lovers...that was our wedding. Well, it was just a ceremony, it wasn’t legal at the time…” She sighed. Hilda looked up.

“What happened to her?”

“She...went missing.” She said. “After a troll attack. I never saw her again after that.” She rubbed her eyes. “I’m...I got rid of these to cope with the loss, I suppose.” Hilda hugged her tightly. “Sorry I brought it up, mum, I-”

“No, Hilda, it’s alright.” Johanna kissed Hilda’s forehead. “I...needed to see them again. It’s just a bit of closure.” She took the one of the wedding ceremony and placed it on her desk. She went to the kitchen. “...looks like dinner’s ready. Go wash up and get ready to eat, alright?”

“Okay, mum!” Hilda went to look at the woman in the photo again.

She looked familiar.

#hilda the series #johanna hilda #alfur hilda #david hilda #frida hilda #fanfic

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epen409 · 6 years ago

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My Top 18 Favorite Movies, TV Shows and/or Cartoons of 2018 (in no particular order) Part Dos

10. She-Ra and the Princesses of Power

Ignore the neckbeards who have nothing better to do, so they complain about reboots of cartoons from the quote on quote "golden age of animation, the 80's". She-Ra and the Princesses of Power is a really great show, that yes, is better than the original 80's show. It's able to create a more fun and engaging story, while also having a lot of memorable and likable characters. It also has a theme that I found very interesting, where the villains aren't born evil, they are just misled in the wrong direction and don't truly know wrong from right. It's quite a bold theme for the show. If there is a kind of big flaw, the animation is a little wonky. Some shots and scenes look great, while others are very easy to see where the animation mistakes are. That said, it's still a great show that takes advantage of all of it's fun and interesting characters, and brings them together in a new show that blows its predecessor out of the water. And yes, LGBT fans. It's very, very gay.

11. Spider-Man Into the Spider verse

What a comeback story. Who would have thought that the studio that made the whole world of animation cry last year would end up making the best animated film of the year? But anyways, Spider-Man into the Spiderverse is not only able to live up to all the hype it's been getting for the past year, but it also blew our expectations away. First of all, it looks GORGEOUS. It's able to make a visual style that's not only very beautiful and interesting, but it also happens to create a loving tribute to the original medium of comic books. Second, they put just as much effort in the story as they did with the visuals, which is not only a very fun superhero film, but also manages to be a very engaging emotional story as well, with lots of fun, interesting and memorable characters as well. If there is something to say isn't perfect, I did notice at least one plot hole that left me a bit confused, and they kind of blew the wad for putting in a few too many characters, where, while fun and memorable, don't have that much screen time and don't leave as big of an impression as the main characters. But still, it's one of the year's best movies, so go watch it NOW!

12. Flcl Progressive and Alternative

The first anime I ever saw was FLCL. It was insane, had gorgeous animation, memorable characters and I loved every minute of it. Do its sequel series' live up to the original's legacy. Well, let me put it this way. I very much enjoyed both shows, equally too. I thought they were very fun shows, and their themes, while sometimes a little hit-and-miss, still got their points across, the new characters were very fun and memorable, and the action scenes were also animated very well. With all that said, they still don't hold a candle to the original show. But that's okay, because I imagine it'd be very hard to. I still think that both of these new shows were very good, and although not as great as the original FLCL, was still lots of fun, and somewhat worthy successors to one of the greatest animas of all time. I still recommend both, since they still were good in my opinion.

13. Hilda

Miss Gravity Falls and Over the Garden Wall? Then have I got the show for you. Hilda is a great show from Netflix that manages to capture the spirits of both those shows, but also having its own identity and voice. One thing I appreciate about the show is that not only can it be calm and laid back in more character and establishing moments, but it also can be equally as exciting and fun for its more adventurous and action scenes. The characters are all very charming. Hilda is a free-spirited and adventurous young girl, but she's not a pushover or overly cheery either. Her friends both regular and supernatural, can sometimes fall into familiar tropes, but also are very fun and enjoyable to watch. (Alfie's my favorite). It's a great show to watch, especially on days you want to cozy up with a cup of hot liquids of some kind, and take it all in. It's a great show, and I highly recommend giving it a watch.

14. Christopher Robin

I missed Winnie the Pooh. Yes, an 18-year old male misses the adventures of a talking teddy bear. Deal with it. But anyways, for a while it seemed that Disney had somewhat given up on the bear with little brains, but they've given him another chance with this new film, but this time, mainly focusing on his human friend, Christopher Robin. One thing this movie gets right is the feeling of Winnie the Pooh. Pooh has never been known for incredibly convoluted stories, just mainly simple tales that it's colorful cast of characters can bounce off of, and this movie nails that feeling down. It's also close to the original cast of characters, since deviating away from their personalities would be considered a form of blasphemy. Also, the performances here are great too. Evan McGregor makes a surprisingly good Christopher Robin, Hayley Atwell is charming as his wife, the girl who played their daughter was pretty good too, and of course, our friends from the 100 Acre Woods are played very well by the new cast, especially the one and only Jim Cummings, the only modern voice for both Pooh and Tigger. Now it does have flaws, like the story is kind of the typical "Dad's too busy for the kids", and although I've grown to like it over time, but sometimes it got a little too dramatic for some scenes, and at time Christopher Robin himself came off a bit as whiny and unlikable in some scenes. With that said, it's very easy to see that the whole film is a big love letter to Winnie the Pooh. No, it's not the best movie of the year, Or anything like that, but if you want a nice, enjoyable and cute movie to watch, then Christopher Robin is the perfect film to watch.

15. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

I'll break my rule just this once to include a video game here. Super Smash Bros Ultimate was the biggest game from Nintendo this holiday season, and boy did it deliver. The last Smash Bros. game, was lots of fun, with it bringing all of our favorite (popular) video game characters together for a huge brawl. This next one, takes it up to 11. One thing I walkways admired from the games is that it's not the world's most complicated fighter game, while also still being oodles of fun. Only one big flaw: no Waluigi. Nah, just kidding. It's a great game, and a great farewell to the world of Smash from it's director, Masahiro Sakurai.

16. The Dragon Prince

Here's another show that didn't get that much attention on Netflix, The Dragon Prince. Made by the head writer from Avatar: The Last Airbender, and the creator of the Uncharted games, comes a massive fantasy epic focusing on the Battle between humans and fantasy creatures like elves and dragons. One thing I really love about this show is just how complex the characters and their morals are. It's a show that takes a lot of advantage from this theme. It's also filled with lots of fun, yet also very interesting characters. You will probably get attached to them by the end of the show, which may break some hearts too... But yeah, might as well address the elephant in the room, the animation. In fact, I do think that maybe the reason it didn't immediately catch on was because a lot of people were turned off by the animation style. But I still recommend it and ask that you give it a chance, because not only was it lots of fun, and very interesting, but the story and characters help redeem the animation, plus it does improve itself over time. Please, please, please give The Dragon Prince a chance, it's a great show.

17. Ralph Breaks the Internet

Don't worry. It's not another Emoji Movie. Ralph Breaks the Internet is not only a worthy successor to the original film, but it also manages to expand a lot on the heart from the original. This time, instead of arcade games, it plucks our characters into the Internet, and unlike the Emoji Movie, manages to make more clever and creative ideas while being on the Internet. And yeah, maybe the scene when Vanellope visits the Disney website might be Disney patting themselves on the back a little too hard, but it's still a very funny and enjoyable scene that also helps move the plot forward. But one thing the movie was amazing at was expanding on its characters and their development. It even manages to avoid the typical happy ending, which, without spoiling anything, actually makes a change in the characters lives. If there is a flaw, like I said, it's 10 times better than the Emoji Movie, but I will admit, between the cameos from Youtubers and the one scene where Ralph becomes a meme, did kind of make me roll my eyes, but thankfully, unlike the Emoji movie, it doesn't dwell too much on these scenes all that much, and knows when to move the plot forward in the right direction. I still say it's a worthy sequel that's worth your time.

Also, Yesss is my new waifu.

18. Mary Poppins Returns

Here's one of the few live-action Disney films in recent years, I feel are very worthy to the legacy of their original film. Mary Poppins Returns is just a complete and utter joy of a film, not unlike the original classic. The performance of Emily Blunt as the titular nanny is a worthy successor the original by Julie Andrews, and character in general. Lin Manuel-Miranda not only does a great job in continuing the spirit of Dick Van Dyke from the first film, but also in writing a plethora of great songs that are amazingly performed and choreographed by the cast, while also giving tribute to the Sherman Brother's original songs. Even the kids, who I kind expected to get on my nerves, are actually pretty likable and fun, and are given, eh passable performances by their actors and actress. The animation sequence brought a tear to my eye, not only because it was lots of fun, but because I'm just happy to beautiful 2D Disney animation on the big screen again. If there is some flaws, yeah, the story is yet another Dad needs to spend more time with kids plot again, and it does bring some more action/suspenseful moments that I don't feel are completely in spirit to the original film's more laid back tone. But regardless, it's an overall great and very charming new film from Disney, and although I would like them to try doing some more original stuff with their live-action movies, I hope can keep the spirit of both this film,and a lot of the classic live-action Disney movies (like the original Mary Poppins, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Treasure Island, Darby O' Gill, Swiss Family Robinson and some others you guys probably never heard of).

So that's about it. Thank you all for sticking around listening to me talk about all these Movies and TV shows are worth remembering from this year, and there's a lot I'm excited for next year, and I hope that this next year can be an improvement, with more kindness and joy from the world and from people. Yeah, it's wishful thinking, but it's not a bad wish to have. Thank you all for supporting this page for the last year,and I'LL see ya in 2019!

#she ra #spider man into the spider verse #hilda #Super Smash Bros. Ultimate #flcl alternative #flcl 2 #Christopher Robin #The Dragon Prince #ralph breaks the internet #Mary Poppins Returns

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sarka-stically · 6 years ago

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it's called "forbidden forest" for a reason Hilda (1/3)

In her second year at Hogwarts Hilda goes running head-first into trouble to defend Elven rights and David with Frida get pulled along as always.

Hogwarts AU. (Hilda is Hufflepuff, David is Gryffindor and Frida is Slytherin).

Also available on AO3: HERE.

Hilda Berg always made a lot of noise when it came to magical creatures. Her whole first year at Hogwarts was nothing compared to the second, which held so be called “the Elven Affair”.

It all began in the middle of October when she had seen an elf, dusting a fireplace in the second-floor corridor.

….

“What’s your name?” Hilda spoke softly kneeling down to see the tiny elf in red hat closer.

The elf looked up, blinking few times, his eyes wide open, or at least Hilda guessed they were, she couldn’t see his features that well since he was only a few centimeters tall after all.

”Huh?? You-you can see me? Oh silly me, of course she can see you Alfur, she would not be talking to you if she didn’t.“ The tiny man immediately stops talking, his high but not loud voice cracking. He looks even more shocked than before. “Oh goodness, I am babbling now. I am terribly sorry Miss Hilda.”

“Don't you apologize. It's a pleasure to meet you Alfur. How do you know my name?”

“It is my duty to remember all the residents of the castle. We elves take our obligations very seriously.”

“So, you are really brainy."

“You are being most gracious Miss Hilda, but I'm just a simple elf. Memorizing is one of the few things we are good at.”

Hilda frowned, she just didn't like the way this was beginning to sound.

“If I may be so bold to ask, how is it that you can see me, Miss Hilda?”

“It's just Hilda, everyone calls me that.”

“Oh, my apologies, Miss Hil- Hilda the Just.”

Hilda couldn’t help it but giggle.

“I mean you don't need to call me ‘Miss’.”

Alfur looked as shocked and starry-eyed as his little face could be.

“Look what got here; a freak talking to her imaginary friends.” A mocking voice shouts from across the corridor, joined by a wave of laughter.

Hilda scowls, picking up the elf against his protests and set him on her shoulder. Turning around she sees Trevor, one of those Gryffindor boys that she can’t stand, along with some of her other fellow second year students.

“Just because a troll-brain like you can't see it doesn't mean it isn’t real. Oh, I’m terribly sorry,” Hilda takes a very dramatic pause, “I just insulted all the poor trolls out there by comparing them to you, you doofus.” She turns around and walks out of the corridor and onto the stairs before Trevor gets a chance to think of a comeback or something worse.

....

She rushed to the Hufflepuff basement, then through the common room and into her dorm room. It's empty, except for her Deerfox, which startles awake, basically leaping up with fright when she storms in.

“I'm so sorry for waking you, Twig"

He looks as annoyed as a Deerfox can.

“I know, I always do that. But now I got a good reason; we have a new friend!"

The Deerfox turns his head to the side as if to ask where.

“Oh, you can't see him from there, right."

Hilda holds her outstretched palm by her shoulder. It only takes few moments for the elf to stop clinging to her neck and hesitantly jump on the palm. Hilda sat on the bed and let Alfur sit between her and Twig. When the Deerfox begins to snarl at the elf, Hilda snarls back until he stops.

“Alfur this is Twig, my pet Deerfox. Twig this is Alfur. He is an elf. Like those that lived around our house, you know, the ones that wanted to evict us.”

“You’re met elves before?” Alfur blurted out excitedly, his pale complexion getting almost as red as his hat.

“We have!” Hilda just smiled back at him “Before Hogwarts my mum and I lived all by ourselves, out in the wilderness. But we were never alone...”

So, she told the story. One that began with an eviction note, continued with lots of paperwork, almost war, and ended with their house getting smashed by a giant foot.

....

With Alfur sitting on her ear—a place he deemed most comfortable, yet inconspicuous—Hilda stormed through the Great Hall, decisively heading towards the High Table. Alfur, however, had none of her certainty.

“Miss Hilda… I mean Hilda. This is truly not a good idea. I was lucky to get a permission to act as an emissary to students since the only student who can see us elves is yourself. We should not do something so harsh and unprepared. You follow none of the protocols I spoke about and...”

Hilda stubbornly ignored him, instead choosing to stop right in front of headmaster's omelet.

“Good morning, Professor.”

All professors just stared at her, as did most of the students.

“Good morning to you too, Miss Berg.” Dumbledore looked completely stunned for a fraction of a moment, but he managed to cover it well with a jovial smile. “What is so urgent that it couldn't wait until after I enjoy these exclusively made eggs?”

“It, as a matter of fact, is rather urgent. I don't know if you are aware, but there are Elves in this castle.”

“I am well aware Miss Berg,” Dumbledore replied, unmoved by the statement.

Half of the staff looked very much ready to give her a detention right then and there, but Hilda didn't let it scare her off.

“Well, then I must sadly inform you that elves—those intelligent creatures with a magnificent culture—are used as unpaid slave labor in this very castle,” Hilda announced, probably a lot louder than she needed to.

A murmur broke out at the High table, most of the professors giving Hilda incredulous looks. Alfur’s shocked gasp was so loud it made Hilda’s head jerk, but the most vocal of all was definitely, Professor McGonagall.

“Miss Berg!” Her voice steadily rising, “It’s not your place to –“ She was silenced by headmaster’s risen hand.

“It’s no bother Minerva,” Dumbledore said, as serene as always, “it’s just a little misunderstanding, nothing more. As your little friend can tell you, elves are no slaves of ours.”

He made it sound so reassuring, but it wasn’t enough for Hilda, who had spent the whole night preparing what she would say. However, before she could begin, Dumbledore continued.

“Now, I understand there is a lot you want to know, but why don’t you first ask your elven friend, maybe go to the library. Then you are welcome to ask me anything you’d like.”

Hilda opened her mouth to protest, but a dismissive wave of Dumbledore’s fork and McGonagall’s scowl discouraged her from it. So instead she just turned around with most of her dignity still intact. While walking towards the Hufflepuff table, she felt them all watching her.

….

“You confronted the headmaster, are you insane?” Frida whispered as loud as possible. She probably would have yelled, if it wasn’t for Madam Pince giving their table hard stares since they arrived at the library.

“That’s what I told her,” David commented. Hilda had spent most of Gryffindor-Hufflepuff Herbology class telling David all about the elves and occasionally fighting with the elf on her shoulder. At least she said it was an elf because to David it seemed as if she had finally lost her mind and was talking to empty air. Well, at least until the elf spoke right into his ear and made him almost get strangled by a Devil’s Snare.

“I must agree with your friends, Miss Hilda,” A squeaky voice with no visible owner said. Both Frida and David jumped up a bit.

“That is seriously creepy Hilda,” Frida said, “Can’t he un-invisible himself or something like that?”

Hilda stopped browsing through the four giant books in front of her to think.

“Well back then, elves made themselves visible after I signed some paperwork. So maybe that could work.” She looked at a fifth— smaller, but still giant—book on the table, whose pages were creasing slightly as if tiny feet were walking on them. “Could you do that for them Alfur?”

The squeaky voice was back, “It may be possible. Although my clan has not mastered the sacred art of paperwork, we should still be able to do this. However, to get a hold of that form you must apply for permission, and for that, you must fill a form of stating the requirement, but for that, there is a sixteen-day waiting period, and to get that you must…”

“So, it’s possible?” Hilda cut off his train of thought.

There was a short pause.

“It should be.”

David already knew this would get really complicated, and he knew it wasn’t just paranoia speaking.

I know this was totally meh, but 2 upcoming parts are where party happens.

All kudos gives me life, even when it’s critique about how shitty I write.

im tagging people who seemed interested in this fic when i talked about it, because im an attention seeking bitch, sorry guys: @suchisthelifeofanadventurer, @latenightwriter1, @roses-hilda-corner

#hilda #hilda netflix #hilda (hilda)#david (hilda)#alfur #david hilda #alfur hilda #frida #frida hilda #hilda fanfiction #fanfic #fanfiction #hilda cartoon #hildatheseries #hilda the series #hilda the show

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beaulahmae · 7 years ago

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Part II of “Two Thrones Series,” following “What Makes a King.”

(It's the first winter after the Battle of Five Armies, and Bard and the rest of the Men of Dale are working hard to build as much as they can, with the help of the Elves and the Dwarves. Thranduil is looking after the women and children of with Galion's and Hilda's help.

Everyone is busy, but it doesn't stop them from wishing they were all together again... When will Spring finally come?)

The Woodland Realm, 2nd of January, 2942, T.A.

That first night after Bard left, Thranduil was asleep in his chambers, when he felt something shake his arm. He opened his eyes and blinked several times, only to see in the glow of the fireplace, a very sad little girl, clutching her doll and stuffed elk, sniffling.

The Elvenking sat up, prepared for this. He had made sure to wear modest night clothes, in case he had nighttime visitors.

“Tilda? What is it, Tithen Pen? Are you hurt, or ill?

She screwed her face up and started crying in earnest, so he quickly gathered her into his long arms. “Tell me what is the matter, and I shall try to make it better.”

Tilda hid her face in Thranduil’s neck. “I want m-my Da!”

He rubbed her back. “I know, Hênig, I miss him as well. Did you have a bad dream?”

“No. I w-woke up, and then I remembered Da w-went away!” She began to cry again, as her arms tightened around neck. “I want him to come back!”

“I am sorry you feel so sad. We must try to be brave, and rely on each other, while your Da works to get Dale ready for your people. When you return, it will look much better, will it not?" He pulled her away from his shoulder, and looked into her face, and stroked her hair. “But I think that is small comfort for a little girl, who has never been away from her Da.” He hugged her again, and continued to rub her back soothingly, until she had begun to settle down.

“Did you know, when Legolas was small, and he had bad dreams, he would often sleep with my wife and me? Would it make you feel better if you stayed with me, tonight?”

Tilda, still hiccupping, said, “Yes, p-please. I don’t want to be b-by myself, and S-Sigrid is asleep.”

“Do you need to visit the necessary, before you go back to sleep?”

“Could you come with me? Things look scary here in the dark.” She started to cry again.

“Shh… Shh…” he rubbed her back. “I understand, Tithen Pen. This is a new place, and shadows can seem frightening at night until you get used to them,” he told her as he stood up with her in his arms. “Here, let me put Charlotte and Daisy down, and they can wait for us, all right?” She nodded, as she handed him the toys, and then he carried her to the necessary. “We could leave a lamp burning in your common room at night. Would that help?”

She nodded, still hiccupping.

He lit the lamp for her in their necessary room, then waited outside for her take to care of business, before he carried her back to his chambers and settled her in Bard’s side of the bed. He tucked an extra quilt around her, then went around to the other side and crawled in, sitting against the headboard. Still sniffling, she leaned against him, clutching her toys tight.

“I just miss my Da.” She whispered, sadly.

Thranduil stroked her head. “I understand how you feel, Tilda, I miss him, too. Perhaps we can help each other, when we are sad. I can make you feel better when you miss him too much, and when I feel lonely, you can help me. What do you think about that?”

“How can I help you?” Tilda asked.

“Well, if I tell you when I am sad, you can give me a hug, or draw me a picture, or you could tell me a story.”

“Me, tell you a story?”

“Certainly. You have known your Da longer than I have, and you could tell me stories about when you lived in Laketown, with your brother and your sister. I would like that very much.”

“Maybe you could tell me stories of when Legolas and Tauriel were little.” Tilda offered. “Or when you were little with your Mam and Da.”

“I could do that. Shall I tell you of the time, when I was small, and my friend Feren and I tried to ride my father's warhorse?”

“You mean, Feren who works with you and Da? You knew him when you were little?”

“Oh, yes! Feren is my oldest friend. That is why he helped your Da and me get married. Feren’s father worked for my father, King Oropher.”

Tilda thought about this. “So, he must be old, too. But not as old as Auntie Hil.”

The Elvenking laughed. “I am afraid he is much, much older than your Auntie Hil. And when we were young, we got into quite a bit of trouble together.”

“You did? Like ride your Da’s horse when you weren’t supposed to?”

“Indeed. We had our own, smaller horses, but we liked to pretend we were fierce warriors, and we often wondered what it was like to ride those enormous horses into battle. Those beasts are especially strong, and trained to protect our fathers in combat.”

“Like your Elk did? I heard he was mean.”

“Bara-Maethor was only mean to those who wanted to hurt me. My father’s horse was the same way. He could be scary to those who want to harm us, but he was kind and gentle to me, when I would feed him an apple or a carrot."

“Was he smart?”

Thranduil nodded. “He was very smart. Galvorn did not tolerate foolish young Elflings who went sneaking around behind their parents’ back. That day, we rode him because I did not want to practice my sword work, and even worse," Thranduil made a face. "I told a lie."

"You lied? Da and Auntie Hil call it 'fibbing,' and that's bad."

"'Fibbing' is a good word, is it not? And, yes, it is a very bad thing to do. It got me into a lot of trouble that day. Shall I tell you that story?”

The little girl nodded.

“Close your eyes and settle back, and I will begin.”

She did, so, he did.

~o0o~

It was late summer, and Thranduil and Feren had just finished in the practice yard with their wooden swords. The Prince was furious. Feren had beaten him! Again!

He kicked open the gate, and stomped out of the practice arena.

“Thranduil! What is the matter with you?”

He whipped around toward the other Elfling. “YOU are NOT supposed to beat me!”

“I will BEAT you at anything I want!" said an outraged Feren, who stuck his finger in Thranduil's face. "YOU cannot tell ME what to do!”

This incensed the young Prince. “I can so! My father is the King and you will do everything I say!”

“I will not, and you cannot make me! Just because you are lousy with swords, does not mean you can take it out on me!”

“I am NOT bad with swords!”

Feren laughed. “Then why I did I win? Three times! Princes are not supposed to be sore losers. If you would practice like you are supposed to, I would not beat you! Three times! But you do not, so I did! Three times! Ha Ha!”

Thranduil couldn't stand the idea of Feren making fun of him, so he had to think of something. “Well... I did not practice because…" A thought popped into his head, and was out of his mouth before he knew it. "I was busy riding Galvorn!”

“You were not! You are lying!”

The blonde Elfling drew himself up to his fullest height, stuck his nose in the air, and said, “I was, too! It is not my fault that your Ada will not let you ride his horse. But I can ride Galvorn anytime I want!”

Feren narrowed his eyes, and crossed his arms. “Prove it.”

Thranduil was not expecting that. “What?”

“You heard me. If you can ride the King’s warhorse, I want to see you do it."

“I... cannot ride him right now, because he is out grazing.”

“So, go get him. He likes you when you bring him apples. Let me see you ride him. Otherwise,” Feren grinned evilly, “I will ask your father about it!"

Gulping, Thranduil said, “Fine! I will! But only if you ride him, too! Or are you scared?”

The prince was hoping Feren would be frightened, so they could just forget the whole thing.

No such luck.

Feren stomped towards the barns. “I am not afraid, you are! Let us go.”

They made their way into the barn and, as it turned out, Galvorn was not in the paddock as Thranduil had claimed; he was in his stall. They managed to get a saddle and bridle on him, while the great horse waited patiently, biding his time. The horse’s calmness and cooperation eased the Elflings' trepidation. Feeling emboldened by their success so far, they began to laugh together and look forward to their big adventure. They were going to be true warriors!

They led him into the paddock and stopped by the fence, so they could use it to leap into the saddle, with Thranduil in front. Thranduil took the reins, and they were off! They rode around the paddock a few times, feeling bolder with each step. Then they took him to the center, so they could pretend to wave their swords and fight off the terrible Orcs.

But when Thranduil rode him over to the gate and unlatched it, Galvorn had had enough of this foolishness, and saw his chance. He reared up, tossing the boys onto the ground. They landed hard on their behinds, bewildered, then got up and started to brush themselves off. But, the horse wasn’t finished teaching them a lesson. He neighed, then turned and backed up toward them.

Thranduil and Feren ran for their lives, but Galvorn managed to get them each in the buttocks several times, and the last kick sent Thranduil flying and screaming through the air, only to land, face-first, in to a pile of manure.

~o0o~

At this last part of the story, Tilda began to giggle, and so did Thranduil.

“What happened then?” she asked.

“The horse went through the open gate, and ran to the barracks where our Adars were.”

“I’ll be they were mad.”

“Well, they were not pleased." he smiled. "We had to stand at attention while our Adars shouted at us. To make matters worse, I had to take a bath, which I did not like to do.”

Tilda giggled again. “Your bottom must have really hurt."

“Oh, it did!" Thranduil laughed. My Naneth took us to the Healer, to make sure we were all right. I was bruised all over my bottom and so was Feren, but our Adars would not allow the Healers to help. They said the pain would teach us a lesson.”

“Did it?”

“Yes. We could not sit down for days. In addition, Feren and I had to polish every single piece of tack in that barn, and clean out the all horse stalls for a month.”

"Did you ever do it again?"

"Would you have?" He smiled down at her.

Tilda shook her head, then yawned.

He kissed her on her hair and asked, “Do you feel better now, Tithen Pen?”

"Mmm-hmm." She yawned again, and snuggled down. “Good night, Thrandool.”

He sat for a long time and watched her sleep, smiling, before he finally drifted off himself.

#The Hobbit #Hobbit fanfiction #Barduil #Bard #Thranduil #Tilda of Dale #Sigrid #Tilda #Bain #Hilda of Dale #Percy of Dale #Wenderful52

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brod-anthropology · 4 years ago

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This weeks watch

-Twilight

banging, absolute masterpiece, the best one in the franchise.

-Rebecca

Incredibly good! It’s a classic story and they really stuck to it, they didn’t deviate too much and it was well acted. It was just really well done! The costumes were great and unexpected, like they were period accurate (as far as I can tell) but they weren’t the normal drab and dreary that they could’ve easily gone for. And honeslty OOF!! I could go on about how beautiful it was, the cinematography was *chefs kiss*. It helps that they had a great set but even so, the angles, the way they used colour and lighting, so good!!! Would defintily recommend.

-Megaconda

It was uhhh, interesting. Enjoyable. A classic in its own right, but maybe not the highest quality one. But no in all seriousness it’s not a serious film, it’s not even a B movie it’s like a C movie- but it’s fun! And that’s what counts, it was enjoyable and even if the camera work was terrible and the graphics, editing, acting, writing and story all left much to be desired you can’t really blame the film itself, it’s not serious and I enjoyed watching it!

-Sharknado

Now if we’re talking about masterpieces, you’ve found the right film. Alright camera quality, terrible continuity and downright awful but incredible acting, it’s the film of a generation. It’s fun and stupid and silly and it doesn’t really make sense, the plot is one entire plot hole but it’s enjoyable! The ridiculousness makes it worthwhile, if not for the terrible CGI and A+ plus action scenes. Really not a serious film but defintily a classic to watch, it really speaks for itself- it’s literally a film about a tornado full of sharks, what do you expect from a film with such a banging plot.

-Sharknado 2: the second one

It’s just Sharknado 2. That’s it. This time he’s in New York not LA and they try and give some backstory, but it’s just Sharknado 2. Actually I lied, Billy Ray Cyrus plays a surgeon for all of 4 minutes, and it’s the performance of his lifetime, and it’s not so painfully dominated by Cis White men (though they still have a govern, VERY heavy presence).

-Bearcano VS Nazi Sharks

Really, you don’t want to know. Not the best thing to ever be made.

-Black books

Classic! Favourite series! It’s about an Irish alcoholic who owns a bookshop and his best friend who runs a shop next door and the guy that he hired to help around, it’s a lot funnier than it sounds I promise, there’s nothing spectacular about the editing or the shots but it’s hilarious and it’s my favourite comedy series and defintily a comfort- the writing and visual gags are banging. it’s not particularly serious but has a certain early 2000s charm that I don’t think would be allowed to be written into a show nowadays. But yes! Bill bailey and Dylan Moran!

-Treasure Planet

Classic childhood film! Watched it with Ellie, she’d never seen it!! Honeslty I remember it being great as a kid and if anything it’s only better now I’m older and I get more of the references, I think it’s one of those hidden gems from that experimental period dreamworld and Disney had (you know like the prince of Egypt, Atlantis, ferngully, etc...). It’s just crazy cool! The attention to detail is amazing and so is the worldbuilding, the animation and cinematography is crazy and honeslty it deserves a live action remake so much more than the Lion King or the Jungle Book and you can’t convince me otherwise.

-the grinch

This is actually one of the few Christmas films I’ve seen and I watched it with Ellie whilst having our little farewell Christmas decoration meal thing together. It’s just a classic really, there’s not much to say- the costumes are amazing, I feel sorry for Jim Carrey for the hell he went through for that look, and the whole design of it is phenomenal.

-home alone

Never seen it before Ellie showed me and it’s surprisingly good! For some reason I’ve never seen it and my family avoided showing it to me but?? It’s not bad!! I see why people like it so much, I can imagine if you watched it when you were younger it would’ve had a real big nostalgia feel to it and it does stand the test of time fairly well. The writing is decent and the gags are funny, and it’s a bit of a feel good so it ticks all the boxes for an alright Christmas film.

-Staged

Very good! Another favourite! David tenant and Michael Sheen try and rehearse a play over zoom in lockdown, it’s very witty and well written and it’s very very cool to see how well they managed to work with the limited filming options and adapt it to actual zoom calls and such, like there’s very little in person bits and even then its clear that it was done on like a phone (or at least not a professional camera) and I just think it’s cool how well they managed to adapt a narrative to not only fit around how awkward working over video calls is but make the entire plot essentially be that. Plus I think its kind of a testament to how good the acting and writing/plot is, like the fact that it’s so good and about 85% of it happens via video calls just kind of shows that you don’t need flashy cameras and sets and costumes, they made it good just by focusing on the narrative and acting out what they could in character (I know they don’t play characters in the show but they’re like caricatures or characterised versions of themselves you know)

-the Christmas chronicles

Surprisingly! Another good Christmas film. Santa’s a bit if badass won’t lie, and it has very thing you need: Santa in a leather coat, an annoying brother sister duo, a car chase scene involving the police, a dead dad, and elves that look like if rats developed into humans and not primates. It’s really a festive classic. (I know this sounds scathing but this was actually quite an enjoyable watch it was just a very weird plot,internally the brother and sisters dad is dead and that’s killed the brothers Christmas spirit and then the sister decides to video record Santa on VHS even though it’s set in 2017 and then they accidentally stow away in his sled and cause him to crash, jeopardising Christmas- that’s the exact plot). It was actually well done, the kid actors weren’t the best but again they’re child actors but overall the plot was interesting and it was well choreographed and shot, it’s a Christmas film it’s not a masterpiece but it was enjoyable!

-Disenchantment

A rewatch but still good, thought the 3D perspective in 2D animation does make me queasy soemtimes but we’ll ignore that. It’s very funny and quite tongue in cheek but what do you expect from the dude who made the Simpson’s and futurama, it’s quite a smart play on merging modern culture and references into a fantasy medieval setting though sometimes it does come across like they’re trying too hard, but don’t we all try too hard sometimes. It’s well made, not incredible but it’s well thought out, well written and well planned and it’s a real fun and easy watch and Im rewatching it so clearly it’s at least alright

-Hilda

Incredibly good!!! So so good!!! Like I literally can’t sing the praise of this show enough! I ya on Netflix it’s like a kids animated show it’s about a girl and her pet deer fox and they move to the city, and it’s like her with her friends going on little adventures and being a scout and whatever except it’s set in a world where like folklore and stuff is real- it’s more Scandinavian folklore so it’s like giants and vittra and trolls and druegens but it’s so cool!! The writings kind of simple because it’s aimed for kids but it’s still solid and the plots are crazy cool, the characters are very loveable and oddly well-rounded and they develop as the show goes on, the storylines are also super cool and interesting and they have really good continuity. And I really can’t tell you how cute the animation is, it’s really simple and Patel but it works so well for the theme of the show and the actual sequences are so fluid and dynamic it’s so cool! Cannot even describe how much I love this show and how happy I am season 2 just came out!

#101 #102 #104 #general

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remked · 3 years ago

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Nah, It's fine! Although tbh, I did feel a bit uneasy reading your response at first, but thanks for clarifying. (I read the tags)

Where do I start?

Firstly, from where I live, families aren't exactly perfect (like *that* family from the Mitchelles movie). Some argue at the worst of times, some even say hurtful words that is borderline manipulative. We're taught to respect our elders (which is kinda lost among the youth), and the "do as you're told" thing, like doing chores. And to my understanding, you can only talk back if you're making money (which is a terrible, terrible thought).

So, I didn't notice anything unusual the first time I've read these books. And like I said before, these feel more "realistic" than the comics or the series because I don't believe Hilda (or anyone else, in and out of Trolberg) lived a perfect life ( just look at Trevor), they all have a day that they've hated their parents behind their backs. (which kinda shortens their first encounter with the Yule Lads if you think about it...)

Sure, Johanna forced Hilda to go to Trolberg and used those persnickety elves as an excuse, but it's because she was concerned of Hilda's future only exists of Twig, elves, magical creatures, and the wilderness. And she wanted Hilda to open up to other humans too, which Hilda herself strongly disliked at first. (also, humans are uncommon in the wilderness)

I love how Hilda and Johanna forgive each other so easily (I wish I could say the same), and I believe that's the most important point in all canons. It may not be the apology we expect, but is still an apology nonetheless. Maybe they forgive easier because of the situation they're in? Probably.

Again, this is my take based on where I live and I might be wrong at certain points. So, feel free to ask again!

[as for my issue with the S2 novels, I'll post that later. I don't usually type posts *this* long]

This is in response to @cinnamon-sparrow-scout:

Now that you mentioned it, Johanna does seem more authoritative and insensitive at times than in the comics / series . But I don't consider these as "bad" novels (that would be the S2 novels). They had to take this route so it would be different to the other canons, but I guess there's a better way....

As for the illustrations, I think it's a unique look, although there's a significant error (like Twig not having antlers). Later novels looks exactly from the show

This is partly the reason why I think the novel series as a more "realistic" telling and why I relate with the second novel, Hilda and The Great Parade (N2)

Also, more Johanna pages soon!

#remked-r3sponds #hilda novels #hilda n1 #hilda n2 #hilda n3 #hilda n4 #hilda n5 #hilda n6 #thread is getting too long

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nerobombs · 8 years ago

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Writing half-breeds

(Want more? Check out my Writing tag!)

Relevant to Final Fantasy XIV again, though it could be broadly applied to any multiracial setting. Coincidentally, Hilda has probably my favourite character design in the game thus far.

deep longing sigh

Moving on.

A long while back, it was confirmed that the six Spoken races (well, okay, Elezen and Hyur at the very least) could interbreed. Naturally this introduced a plethora of half-breeds, and I have a minor suspicion that the prevalence of Garlemald and Au Ra in Stormblood will lead to further such things.

I don’t particularly have any inherent problem with half-breed characters as much as I do with the way they’re often portrayed: tortured souls torn between two races who angst about “not belonging to either side” and yet they inexplicably inherited only the advantages of their respective races from their parents.

Which I guess is okay, but it’s pretty tiring.

So let’s go over how to avoid some of those cliches.

1). Hybrids (and by extension interracial couples) are capable of being perfectly happy.

Or if not happy, at the least they can learn to not angst about their half-breed nature.

Teach'em how it’s done, Hilda! Whoo!

sorry.

Really though, I’d like to meet a half-breed character who doesn’t feel the compulsion to “make a choice” between the two sides of their heritage. Maybe they were raised under completely acceptable circumstances by both parents, being taught all sorts of things about prejudice. Maybe they were raised among other half-breeds so they didn’t feel alienated.

Or even if they had a sad and pitiable past, maybe they can be an awesome badass half-elf with a shotgun who doesn’t take shit from any Ishgardian ponce well adjusted enough to already be past their angst stage about their heritage. Maybe instead of breaking down into tears and telling people how THEY DON’T UNDERSTAND THE PAIN OF BEING MIXED, they can reveal that they’ve learned to take their heritage in stride as part of who they are.

In any case, if you’re going to give a half-breed character a reason to angst, try to think of other avenues to explore it other than race.

2). Avoid expressing their heritage through advantages.

You know how it is. Regular ol’ humans are dumpy and lame, but a half-human hybrid is inexplicably more beautiful, more skilled, and has better sight and hearing and intelligence than regular humans, in addition to heterochromia!

Ick. Boring.

Crossing the genes like that really should lead to a more interesting dynamic than just “half-breeds are automatically better than humans”. I mean, what about things like birth disorders? What about making your half-breed totally sterile?

Combos like half-orcs are inexplicably always portrayed as objectively uglier because of their heritage, but is there no reason why such a thing wouldn’t apply to half-elves or half-dragons or half-catperson?

I mean hell, if half-human hybrids have such distinct advantages (especially if such advantages are widely known), there’d be no reason to not have human hybrids. There should be some downsides to the heritage that aren’t merely cultural or societal, otherwise what’s the point?

3). Try to avoid being mother-centric.

On some level, I sort of understand this: the mother is the one who gives birth and so the child is more or less automatically assumed to be raised purely under their mother’s care.

Logical, yes. Also cliched.

Totally avoiding the subject of parenthood and gender politics, why does it seem that every other hybrid character is raised only in their mother’s society, or at their mother’s level? For example, the lord and the servant girl have offspring and then the servant girl is immediately kicked out with the child, so the child gets raised amongst discrimination and poverty and yawn yawn YAWN.

It’s genuinely strange to me that the father never seems to be involved in the upbringing of a hybrid, or if so, they’re only tangentially related. Not only does this strike me as somewhat sexist (to both sides) but it also leads to completely predictable daddy issues and complexes that would make Oedipus blush.

4). Don’t centre racial conflict around your character’s specific hybrid.

I kind of already said this, but do try to avoid writing a character who feels a dilemma or impulse to “choose” between the two races of their heritage.

If you have to bring up the idea of racial conflict to your hybrid character, go for variance. Don’t think about how your half-breed character can necessarily relate to the situation based on the fact that said situation directly involves their heritage; think instead about how the conflict would alter or affect the half-breed’s perspective.

Let’s say for example our beautiful flawless half-elf character meets another hybrid, a half-orc, and learns that a regular old human wants to join an ogre tribe but the other humans think all ogres are dumb and stinky, only to find out that the ogres treat Human McHumanson like an equal because he’s a really good hunter or something.

Thus our half-breed character learns that family isn’t based on the blood heritage or upbringing, but based on mutual respect and care. Our half-breed learns something from a racial conflict that isn’t centred around them, and their own half-breed nature falls away as the character understands something more about prejudice or stereotypes.

Okay, that’s sort of a bad example, but still: half-breed characters are best portrayed when they are shown how their half-breed status doesn’t matter. Thus, they’re allowed to grow as people instead of being constrained within a half-breed label to angst over forever.

5). Keep the “mechanics” in mind.

Alright, this one is a little weird, but it’s still important from a writing perspective if nothing else.

So look, biology is weird, okay? And the standard answer to this is to just handwave it away or just tell the audience “not to think about it”, but if you’re writing a half-breed character, you as the writer should at least have a pretty decent idea as to the details.

Like Hagrid. Hagrid in Harry Potter is a half-giant, and giants in Harry Potter grow up to 7 meters (25 feet in freedom units). That’s....really fucking weird. That’d be like trying to hump a combine harvester or a house.

I know that the audience isn’t really supposed to “think” about it but...really, you as the writer should try to make this stuff make a little bit of sense, to you at least.

How does the attraction work? The chemistry? Why would a dragon--whose sex drive should really only be concerned with other dragons, else the species would go extinct--transform into a human to mate with a human? Does shapeshifting change one’s DNA?

Yeah, this one is really weird. But seams reveal tears, and details are important (particularly if your reader is anal retentive...like me), so at least give it some thought.

#ffxiv #final fantasy xiv #rp #roleplaying #writing #writing tips #half breeds

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the-hilda-librarians-wife · 5 years ago

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Family Fights - Chapter Two

Summary: Even the strongest bond, the most loving family, can be broken by nightmares, and the librarian is soon to learn this. As she learns sinister things about a person who she had thought was lost forever, she realizes she will need the help of another witch to get her family back.

Notes: This is a repost. When I re read the first chapters of this fic to write the third, I realized that it was packed with grammatical errors and that the pacing was terrible. Unfortunately, I can’t (or at least i don’t know how to) edit posted chapters on ao3, but I can at least re-post a slightly better version of the chapters here.

Read the first chapter here

She was gardening outside. The moonlight illuminated her extensive flowerbed, and for the first time since she was five and dropped an acid potion on them, her roses just wouldn’t bloom. They laid wilted on the ground, the bushes not strong enough to support themselves. It was a truly macabre vision, especially with the putrid smell coming from the rotting plants. But then, the bushes began to move. The twigs began to intertwine and form a figure. Maven watched horrified as her deep red roses began to melt into blood, and the plants formed a four meters tall troll-like creature. As the blood dripped down the leaves, the librarian raised her gaze to see strings attached to her once-a-rose-bush, just the way a puppet would have. At the end of the strings, controlling the troll, was her sister. Her face bigger than the Moon, her body seeming to disappear behind the trees staring down at her with angry, green eyes and a Cheshire like grin

“You failed me.” Myra hissed. “You failed me, and I’ll never forgive you. You failed me and you shall DIE” Maven’s surroundings dropped as if made of paper, like would happen if one cut the corners of a cardboard box, giving way to nothing but darkness all around her, her sister’s legs dipping below the ground horizon, making her feel like an ant on a platform. “Myra, I’m sorry!” Maven cried, tears streaming down her face. “Sister, please come- please c-come back!” She stuttered as she dropped to her knees before the flower monster, her tears mixing with the blood on the ground. “NEVER” The Marra shouted, and with a movement of her hand, made the troll raise it’s hand, ready to strike the librarian. “Madam!” The librarian woke up with a start at the child like voice and the small hand on her shoulder. When she could focus better, the nightmare finally releasing her from its crutches, she saw a young face and long blue hair. The Hilda girl, she recognized. “Where am I?” She asked as she tried to control her beating heart. “Safe.” Came another voice, a more mature one. Johanna offered her a cup of coffee as she sat on the bed at Maven’s feet, and she happily accepted the beverage. “The kids found you this evening passed out near the woods. We didn’t know where you live, and we just couldn’t leave you there, so we brought you here. I hope you don’t mind.” “Um, no, of course I don’t. Thank you. Can you tell me exactly where you found me?” “You were lying at the gates to the Huldrawood when we went out to get a badge. Why were you there?” “You were crying in your sleep.” Hilda pointed at Maven’s puffy eyes and wet cheeks before she could answer the first question. “Are you okay?” The librarian took a deep breath and looked out of the window near the bed. “I’ll be fine.” “What happened?” Asked another kid from the other side of the room, near the girl Maven usually saw him with. So, the whole trio was there. “That’s was none of you business, kid” Maven spatted and regretted it immediately when everyone’s faces fell. They had taken her out of the streets and welcomed her into their home. The least she could do was be grateful. “I think I just lost the person I love the most.” It was obvious in the boy’s face he had come to regret his question. “Who?” Hilda asked, aiming at gentleness and failing, and Johanna glared at her. “Hilda! That’s not polite!” “No, that’s fine.” Maven said as she sipped her coffee. “It was my sister.” “Oh.” Johanna’s face filled with sympathy for the librarian. “I’m sorry for your loss. How did she die?” Maven twisted her nose. “Die? Who said anything about dying?” “W-well, but if she didn’t die maybe you can still get back to her.” The girl she recognized as the biggest bookworm in town after herself spoke for the first time, and Maven sighed. “I doubt that. She made a bad decision. And I didn’t stop her. And when I realized it, I only judged her. I promised I’d always protect her. And I failed” She spit out, choking with unshed tears. “Hey, if you don’t try, you’ll never know!” Came yet another voice. She looked at the bedside table and gaped at what she saw. “An elf?” Maven spat in surprise. “You can see him?” Hilda asked, just as surprised the librarian could see Alfur as the librarian was at seeing him. “You have signed elf paperwork?” “Well, I’ve yet to meet a witch who hasn’t”

Maven realized those were the wrong words the moment they came out of her mouth. She just couldn’t believe her carelessness; that was supposed to be kept a <em>secret</em>.

“You’re a witch?!” David asked wide-eyed, and Maven stood a little straighter. “Yes, I am.” “Oh, that’s wonderful!” Alfur chirped. “Witches are the only kind of humans elves usually get along with. No offense.” He said looking at the other people in the room. “Witch or not, it doesn’t matter. You need help. What can we do?” Johanna asked, and Maven sighed in relief as she realized that this friendship wouldn’t be ruined by ignorance as many others had been before. “I’m afraid there’s nothing to do. Nothing can undo what happened to my Myra.” Maven lifted her head abruptly, an old ritual coming to mind. “Unless...” She turned her head and faced Hilda, a plan forming on her thoughts already. “Unless what?”, the child asked. But before she could get her hopes high, Maven realized she couldn’t be selfish enough to let her wishes get in the way of a kid’s safety. “Forget it, Hildie. It’s nothing.” A heavy atmosphere intruded the room, and silence hung heavily around them. “Frida, David, your parents must be worried. Hilda, can you walk home with them?” Johanna asked softly to her child, who looked like she would oppose. Her mother lifted her eyebrows, making it clear that there would be no discussion.

“Yes, mum. I’ll take the opportunity to take twig out for a walk. Come on, guys.” The door closed behind the children, and Johanna took her gaze from them to her guest. “There is a way to help you. You just don’t want to say it.” It was more a statement then a question, and a right one. “I’ll go get us something to eat, and then we can discuss it, okay?” Maven nodded with her head hanging low, until Johanna put her hand on the librarian’s shoulder, making her look up at the slightly older woman, a blush warming her neck and creeping up to her face at the proximity. “Okay.” She whispered as her host left the room. After a few minutes of uneasy thoughts and shifting movements from Maven’s part, Johanna was back with a bowl full of cookies. Before she could even offer the snack, the librarian began speaking, wishing to end this as soon as she could. And if there was any remote chance that she could get what she needed and have her little sister back, she was taking it. “Who is the father?” She asked rather harshly. “Who is Hilda’s father.” Johanna sat down at Maven’s feet again, blushing prettily, and the librarian had to admit the colour looked rather nice on her. “I- er, I don’t know.” Maven lifted her eyebrows, surprise clearly written on her face. She’d never been one to judge people, and she was a firm believer that one could do whatever they wanted with their body, but the sweet artist hadn’t given her the impression that she was that kind of person. At Maven’s reaction, Johanna was quick to clasp her hands over her mouth, and the pink on her face turned to green. “What, NO! Oh Gods, it’s not what you’re thinking! Hilda- Hilda was adopted is what I mean!” Maven’s jaw snapped shut and she cursed herself for jumping to conclusions. The poor woman looked like she was going to faint before her. “I beg your pardon. I should have worded my doubts. So you mean you didn’t get to meet her biological parents?” “Er, no, I didn’t.” She murmured as she fiddled with a biscuit on her hand. “I found her in the woods, actually. I had gone to my grandfather’s cabin to see if I could find some inspiration. The day I ventured farther into the forest, I heard a baby weeping. Oh, Maven, she was so young and she was alone. I couldn’t leave her there. I took her in and fell in love with her.” She finished with her eyes wet.

“The two of you are perfect together. I’m glad you found each other. Does she know?” Johanna gave her a dry little laugh. “Yeah, she does. Not like it’s easy to keep something from her, anyway.” “And do you know why she was abandoned?” Maven quirked an eyebrow. “Of course not! All I know is that they were monsters if they couldn’t even care for the safety of their child!” Johanna spat and Maven could feel suppressed rage beneath her skin. The mother might not know, but the witch? Oh, the witch had seen this story a thousand times. “Let me ask you something: have you ever seen anyone other than Hilda with natural blue hair?” Johanna furrowed her brow as she searched her memory for the image of someone with such unusual hair colour. “No, I can’t say I have. But I imagine it’s some kind of genetic mutation or something? The doctors could never put their fingers on it.” Maven pinched the bridge of her nose, stressed to see the culture passed from mother to daughter amongst her kind so lost to most people. “Oh my- no, Johanna, I’m afraid it has nothing to do with genetics. Or science, even. When one is born with an unnatural hair colour, it is believed that this person has magical gifts. That they are, let’s say, prone to engage in witchcraft.” She paused for a moment, letting the other woman try to wrap her head around that information. “It can be passed down to generations... or pop in suddenly on a child coming from a non-magical family. When it happens, the children are usually abandoned, given away, mistreated, and murdered even.” Maven knew she’d gone too far when a sob erupted from the sweet artist, and she tried to give her what she hoped was a reassuring look. “Don’t fret. These things would happen on old times. Now this knowledge has been practically forgotten. Your Hilda just had the fortune of being born into a family of cruel magicphobes who happened to know of this.” Another sob came from her. “How can you say she was lucky?! It was awful what happened to her! She could have been hurt!” “Well, but instead you found her, didn’t you?” Johanna was silent again, and she stuffed her mouth with a vanilla biscuit. “Yes, I suppose I did.” She answered when she finished chewing. “But if it’s such an obvious sign, why don’t most people know about this? How come no one suspects?” Johanna gesticulated as she spoke, throwing crumbs around the room with her movements, and Maven scoffed. “Why, since they created hair dye no one can tell natural from fake hair anymore. Before it existed, witches would usually hide their hair in some way. But nowadays there’s no trouble. Some of us still keep a part of our hair natural to let others know we are one of them.” The librarian lifted her hands to her scalp, separating the hair strands so that the gaping woman in front of her could see the purple sprouting from the roots. A few moments of uncomfortable silence went by, and it was only broken when the mother opened her mouth again. “Why did you tell me all that?” “Because the only way to save my sister is if Hilda helps me” Maven answered after taking a deep breath. Johanna was silent, but she nodded in a sign for her to continue. “The Marra are a society of kinds. They seek teenagers who want more power, more control, more... freedom. They twist their minds to make them believe that spending the rest of your immortal lives giving people nightmares is the best way to live. And when they convince them of such, the adolescents go through a ritual, in which they gift their soul to the goddess Niorun, acquiring, in exchange, immortality and the ability to enter people’s dreams.” “Why would that goddess do that?” “She doesn’t know what they use their abilities for. As the goddess of dreams, Niorun thinks that the Marra’s loyalty to her comes from the desire to give pleasant dreams to others, the way she does, and not nightmares. But the point is, my sister has joined them.” Johanna lifted her head as if she’d been electrocuted, her jewel bright eyes wide awake. “Beg pardon?” She stuttered with effort. “You heard this right. My sister has joined the Marra. And that was two years ago. I- I believe that she has already performed the ritual” Maven felt the stinging of tears behind her eyes, but she refused to let them drop. “She hadn’t aged a day...” she whispered. Johanna squared her shoulders confidently. “And what can we do?” She asked in a strong, unwavering voice. “You said you needed Hilda. I’m sure she’d have no trouble in agreeing to help.” “You don’t understand!” Maven protested. “Not only is the spell we’d need to do dangerous, but the training Hilda would need would unlock her magic forever!” She hugged her legs and looked away from Johanna. “And I can’t let her hurt herself to help Myra! Best case scenario, the ritual goes smoothly but everyone looks at her like she’ll curse them!” Maven cried, unable to contain her tears any longer as she realized the depth of the situation her sister had put herself in. She only heard the gentle padding of Johanna’s feet getting lower and then higher, right before feeling her hand on her shoulder. “Here” Johanna offered a napkin and a smile as the librarian looked up at her. At that moment, Maven was painfully aware that she had broken down in front of Johanna. Wonderful. “Calm down, and talk to me. Why do you need Hilda for that spell?” “Because it requires the energy of two witches to work. That’s also what makes the spell so dangerous. There’s no way to get my sister’s soul back,” <em>unless you want to fight a goddess</em>, she added in her mind. “And so the only way to make Myra human again would be by making a new soul for her.” “Can... can only witches do that?” “Yes, I’m afraid so. Witches have more energy, and more control of it. A normal person would probably die with that spell.” Maven sighed, knowing there was no way Johanna was allowing Hilda to help her now. “And Hilda is the only witch in Trollberg?” The question was met with a nod. “You said she’d require training... can the training make the spell... safer?” Johanna had left the bed, now pacing hypnotic circles on the wooden floor. “Certainly. The better the witch can manipulate the energy and elements, the safer the spell is.” “Could you train her?” The answer took the librarian by surprise. A small spark of hope ignited in her chest. “You’d let me?” Johanna sighed. “Hilda will kill me if I don’t let her try. But if it’s been too long and we still don’t think it’s safe, I’m afraid I’ll have to put my daughter first.” Johanna had barely finished speaking before Maven had gotten up and raised her arms as if to hug her, letting them drop again as she got a hold of herself. “Thank you. So much.” The librarian whispered with true gratefulness, shifting her weight from one foot to the other and biting on her bottom lip. There was something about the woman in front of her that made her incredibly soft, and she’d have to be cautious.

“You’re welcome” Johanna smiled shyly at Maven. At any sign of danger to her family, she would make Hilda back down immediately. But why cut down all the options before even trying? Why not allow Maven a little happiness? _#_#_#_

Hilda closed the door behind her and looked around to find her mother and the librarian sitting at the table, and Twig sniffing Maven’s shoes, where he had ran to as soon as the girl had opened the door.

“Hey mum.” She said as she approached the women. The walk to her friends’ houses had been a tense affair, the three of them too immersed in their own thoughts to speak. The tension in her house, however, seemed to have dissipated.

“Hey Hilda!” Johanna greeted her with a nervous yet encouraging smile. “Are you up for an adventure?”

#fic: family fights #hilda fanfic #hilda fic #hilda the series #hilda librarian #hilda librarian fanfic

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mikebrackett · 6 years ago

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Tis the Season for Bills: 12 Ways to Earn Extra Cash This Holiday Season

Would you like a little more jingle in your pocket this holiday season? Who wouldn’t – given that consumers who went into debt over the holidays added an average of more than $1,000 in new debt in 2017.

One of the best ways to avoid starting the new year with a debt holiday hangover is to grab a side gig, even if it’s only for a few weeks. And don’t worry: It’s not too late. Here are a dozen seasonal hustles that are perfect for a variety of ages, skills and schedules.

Holiday Side Gig 1: Retail Help

Retailers are expecting strong sales, and that means stores are more in need of seasonal help than ever. In early predictions, retailers expected record hiring of more than 700,000 seasonal workers. While many might already have their staff in place, the good news (for you) is that retailers are almost constantly looking for new help, as workers flake out or unexpectedly need time off right when stores are busiest. Reach out to malls, big-box stores and even boutiques to see if they need one more dedicated worker either before the holidays or during the hectic post-season sales scramble. The great news is that many are offering wages that are higher than ever — the 2018 Annual Holiday Hiring Survey from Snag, a marketplace for hourly positions, found that employers were planning to pay their seasonal elves an average of $15 per hour.

Holiday Side Gig 2: Grocery Shopping

As panicked hosts choose a menu or bakers realize their butter supply is dwindling, many turn to outside hands to handle last-minute grocery runs. Most major grocery chains have their own services, or you can check into an app like Instacart that will send you to a variety of stores near you.

Holiday Side Gig 3: Pet Sitting

As your neighbors plan to head out of town, they might realize they forgot to get a kennel reservation for Fido or that Fluffy would really prefer to sleep on her own couch all week, thank you very much.

Let them know you’re available to feed, water and love their pets — and bring in their mail and packages while you’re at it — so they have one less thing to worry about as they head out on vacation.

Holiday Side Gig 4: Being a Friend

No, it’s not as pathetic as it sounds. Services like RentALocalFriend and ToursByLocals pair visitors with locals so you can give them the inside scoop on your awesome town. It’s the perfect time of year to offer your services, as many hosts may not have the capacity to give tours to their visiting friends and family.

Holiday Side Gig 5: Professional Line Sitter

You sit in line and wait for something someone else wants — sneakers, concert tickets, video games, etc. Yes, this is a thing. A very lucrative thing, in fact, with some people claiming that they make up to $35 per hour. Check into apps like InLine4You or Skip the Line (DC only).

Holiday Side Gig 6: Hall Decker

Yes, also a thing — decking someone else’s halls. Whether you are able to hang (or take down) lights or want to trim a tree or fluff bows, homeowners are paying $100 to $150 an hour to services that take care of the decorating details.

As the clock ticks down to party season and family celebrations, businesses that perform decorating services may well be needing extra hands to make their clients’ homes festive. Go out on your own by posting an ad on Thumbtack, Craigslist or Nextdoor, or search for decorating services in your region to see if they are still hiring. Be sure to let the owner know you’re also available for tear-down work, as undecking the halls might be even more in demand.

Holiday Side Gig 7: Secret Shopper

Sick of being ignored by condescending clerks? Being a mystery shopper allows you to tell the company exactly what you think of their employees’ help — and get paid for it! Sign up with companies like SecretShopper or SecondToNone to find opportunities in your area. If you’re braving the traffic and parking lots anyway, it only makes sense to have someone compensate you to do your own shopping, too.

Holiday Side Gig 8: Party Help

Whether it’s plating appetizers, taking coats, serving food or washing dishes, many hosts crave an extra pair of hands to help them get things done so they can enjoy their guests. Ask around at local caterers to see if they need assistance or post your availability on local social media websites.

Holiday Side Gig 9: Photographer

As holiday cards arrive in the mail, it’s not uncommon for parents to wish they’d put together their own greeting. Or, families holding reunions would love a chance to capture the moments when Great Aunt Hilda and little Gabby were both together. Once relegated to studios or professionals with thousand-dollar cameras, professional-grade photography has become far more achievable for someone with a decent camera and some photo-editing skills. Consider putting together packages for families who come to downtown holiday festivities or offering your services at the location of their choice. Post your availability on local websites and put flyers on mailboxes and in coffee shops and grocery stores to reach last-minute clients.

Holiday Side Gig 10: Toy Assembler

Santa has his elves, but parents have … well … just their own two left thumbs. It’s startling how many toys start their life as a bunch of pieces and parts, sometimes with only the sketchiest of directions included.

If you have a knack for building doll houses, bikes, wagons and other toys, you can truly be the one to save Christmas morning for many a frustrated parent. Find out if toy stores will hand out your contact information — it might even help them sell more of those hard-to-put-together sets — or advertise on local websites and post flyers in coffee shops, preschools, daycares and other places where young families convene.

Holiday Side Gig 11: Delivery Help

Whether it’s brown trucks or white vans, chances are good you’ve seen package-delivery vehicles roaming your neighborhood. Delivery positions are a great flexible option to check out as would-be Santas fill their online sleighs. One place to start is Amazon Flex, which advertises hourly rates of $18 – $25.

Holiday Side Gig 12: Stuff Seller

Last but not least is a money-making gig that does triple duty — it cleans out your closets and drawers, makes you extra cash and fulfills someone else’s holiday gifting dreams.

“Someone’s trash is someone else’s treasure,” rings true every day of the year, but particularly at the holidays. Maybe someone has been looking for a Rescue Hero for the nostalgia value, needs one more vintage plate to complete a collection or would love to wear that sequined sweater out on the town. You can turn to standbys like Craigslist, but also look into specialty sites like Poshmark for designer clothes, Glyde for electronics and RubyLane for vintage items.

Whether the extra cash you earn goes to gifts for family or friends (or yourself!), or you’re saving up for a 2019 goal like boosting your emergency fund or saving up for a down payment on a house, the holiday season is the perfect time to make a little cash — and have some fun doing it.

How do you plan to earn some extra cash this season? Let us know in the comments below!

The post Tis the Season for Bills: 12 Ways to Earn Extra Cash This Holiday Season appeared first on ZING Blog by Quicken Loans.

from Updates About Loans https://www.quickenloans.com/blog/tis-season-bills-12-ways-earn-extra-cash-holiday-season

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