#my companion is the strongest undead in another world

[faalves-wii]

tfw when the current manga you've taken interest in has such a small fan base.

[kahixxi]

My fav fantasy manga:

Love Comedy Quest (mmk) My Companion is the Strongest Undead in Another World (Kizaki Uno) Re-employment Life With An Unsociable Untalkative Magician (yokuu, Nashikawa Risa) Frieren: Beyond Journey's End (Kanehito Yamada, Tsukasa Abe) Witch Hat Atelier (Kamome Shirahama) Olympos (Aki) At the Northern Fort (Tsukasa Mikuni, Tawa Akeno) Hi, I'm a Witch, and My Crush Wants Me to Make a Love Potion (Misato Kamada, Eiko Mutsuhana) The White Cat's Revenge as Plotted from the Dragon King's Lap (Aki, Kureha)

[dinoace2]

Fangs Bared

Lord Ancunin's most faithful spawn, his Dark Consort, has had enough.

Approx. 800 words, Feat. Ascended!Astarion and his unnamed spawn, who is referred to with she/her pronouns. Aaaaangst >:3

Cw for toxic/abusive relationship, knife, blood

Act 3 astarion spoilers!

~~~~~~~~~~

"How does someone become a vampire, exactly?"

It's simple, just find a vampire that will drink your blood and turn you into a vampire spawn; their obedient puppet. In theory, the next step is to drink their blood. Once you've done that, youre free and a true vampire.

"In theory?"

People think the biggest threat to a vampire is a cleric with a stake. It's not. The biggest threat to a vampire is another vampire. They're scheming, paranoid, power-hungry beasts. So why would any vampire give up control over a spawn to create a competitor? Trust me, it doesn't happen.

That conversation...from so long ago. When she first learned of Astarion's....secret, that's what she asked. That's what she learned.

Those words have echoed in her mind every day since.

~~~~~

Vellioth's first lesson is to dominate. Allow none to be your equal.

Astarion took that lesson to his still heart, that's for sure. From the moment he ascended, he made damn sure everyone around him knew who was the strongest. Who was the best. He turned her into his spawn the first night, and gathered an army in the years that followed.

She stood at his side, above the rest of the spawn...but still beneath him.

Always beneath him.

As time went on, there came to be thousands of them. Countless spawn, all seen as mere dust under the heel of the Ascendant...

Except for her.

She stood by his side from the start, and supported him through every trial. She never wavered, never strayed, and never stepped out of line. His dark consort. His perfect spawn.

Vellioth's second lesson is that power comes from solitude. To share with others is to be weak, and to be weak is to fail....and die.

Of course he said that she was his most trusted companion, his dark consort, his lover, who would join him as he took on not just Faerûn, but the world.

But words do not equate to actions.

In all the time they spent together, despite countless promises that one day he would allow her to join him, to one day truly stand at his side as an equal, a fellow Ascendant, nothing ever came of it. Weeks, months, years, decades? She was always right beneath him. Beneath his status, around his finger, and under his boot.

If he wasn't to share with her....then...did any of his promises have any weight behind them?

Vellioth's third lesson is to act not in haste. A near immortal has time to plan, time to act only when others will pay the price of action.

This lesson, she listened to. This lesson, she studied. And this lesson had taken long enough. She was ready.

~~~~~

After a long night attending to his undead empire, Lord Ancunin retired to his room, where his beloved consort waited with a smile. "Good morning, beloved. Ready to...unwind~?"

Astarion smirked. "Of course, my pet~"

Wait.

The moment is soon.

Just...

Wait.

the world around them remained still, silent as the lovers lay cradled in one another's embrace. She held him in her arms, the one time he'd ever allow himself to feel...smaller than another. It was...peaceful.

Astarion's body went rigid as he felt cold steel against his throat.

He let out a strained chuckle. "My dear...is this your idea of a joke?" He moved his arm to push the knife away, but she pulled it tighter, and he winced.

"Do not think me a fool, Ancunin," she whispered, her tone cold and calculated. "You might be stronger than most...but you are not yet a god. Move, and your blood shall decorate our bedsheets."

Astarion's smile began to slip. "What...are you doing?" He hissed through clenched teeth.

"Giving you a choice." She frowned. "Youre not the man I knew. The Astarion I fell in love with would spit in the face of the man you are now."

He scoffed. "And just what do you mean by tha-!" He coughed, gasping as the blade bit into his skin, drawing forth a necklace of divine scarlet beads.

"Look at yourself," she whispered. "A man of authority, empty promises, and sadistic power. Don't you see it? You've become Cazador. You've turned into the very monster you once despised....the same man you feared."

Astarion scowled. "You dare utter that name before me-!" She tightened the blade once more.

"Do not interrupt me, Ascendant!" She hissed. "You forget who holds the blade here. You don't have the authority right now." When he finally remained silent, she continued. "He called you nothing more than a frightened little boy. I didn't quite believe him then, but now I understand. You are the same cornered beast he was. Nestled at the top, so insecure, so...afraid of the idea that someone could be stronger than you, that you do not allow yourself the luxury of life. Of love. Do you not see it? Do you not understand that you are just like him?"

Astarion's cold, frozen form began to shake, but from fear, anger, or sorrow, she wasn't sure.

"I do not know whether the person you were was a facade or if this is...but regardless I'll be humoring it no longer. Clearly the man I loved is long gone."

He chuckled. "You really intend to leave me? What will you do without me? I am everything to you. You will be nothing if you leave my side."

She frowned. "I know. You...youre my whole life...whether I like it or not. I've been with you for so long...I dont even know if our old friends are still alive...or if they'd still remember me. I've begun to forget the person I was before becoming your spawn...i...I don't remember what color my eyes were. I've almost forgotten the face I once saw in the mirror. I don't know who I am anymore." She sighed. "But I intend to find out again."

Astarion raised an eyebrow. "And how is that?"

She tilted the knife, as if to emphasize her next words. "I told you. You have a choice. Option one: you hold still, do not move, and I drink your blood. I become a true vampire, and I leave, never to cross paths again. Option two: you refuse, and i cut your throat, because you're too scared of the idea of having an equal that you'd sooner die then let one of your spawn ascend to your level. Either way, I am free of your control, and I will never engage in such cruelty and violence again, as inflictor nor recipient. The choice is yours, pet." She spat the nickname with such venom...she had heard it far too many times by now.

Astarion scowled. "As if you could ever amount to anything without me-!" She pulled the knife against his neck, tight enough that his breath was cut off, and viscous blood slid from his wound.

"Make your choice, Ancunin!"

~~~~~

Thanks for reading! :]

Part twos: (I'll link em when I write em lol)

OPTION TWO

OPTION ONE

[autism-purgatory]

Poorly Summarized WIP Tag

thanks for the tag @the-golden-comet!

Our Lonely Ocean:

Fantasy romance where closeted a prince comes to an island kingdom to become a squire, where he meets two really odd companions and an even more closeted knight who’s getting married in two months. They get along…ok at first, but will they overcome their rivalry whilst protecting the islands from invasive beas- oop nvm they’re fucking.

Altered_Humanity (AUGMENTED HUMANITY IS BACK BABY WOOOO)

Android wakes up in an overgrown post apocalyptic world and finds out magic exists now whoops. Turns out it was real all along and has suddenly returned in full swing (including giant cathedrals that can be seen from orbit). So said android had her arm replaced with that of her dead human wife who could use magic blah blah blah. Now she has to stop some eldritch elf twink from destroying all that remains of the old world with the help of an annoying hacker and a golem without a tongue.

Viscered:

Single dad who’s actually an escaped bio weapon is like one bad day from killing himself after the death of his wife, but he has a 10 month old son to take care of. Oh, also the government wants their super weapon back.

Loop of the Hollow:

Man that small town in southwest Texas sure is racist. And haunted, like, extremely haunted.

LunuL:

Three bounty hunters in the late 22nd century. Earth was overtaken by a prehistoric pathogen, humanity lives on mars now, aliens exist, you get the gist. Said bounty hunters don’t pay their rent in time and The Horrors TM ensue due to their landlord being a powerful crime boss. Also eyes. Loooooots of eyes. We’ve got a nerd who hates how light sounds, a former soldier who is surprisingly happy despite everything, and Astra, with whatever the fuck she’s got going on. And of course, they each have enough emotional baggage to drag down a plane.

Shadows Over Novald:

Urban Dark Fantasy. Murder Crime Soulmates are about to ditch Gotham but 10 times worse, when the god of death shrouds the city in darkness and asks everyone to find and kill five magic wielding humans in the city or else everyone dies to the undead. While this is happening, the most dysfunctional detectives ever are trying to find another way to break the curse.

WanderStruck: Nephew of closeted knight from before is ALSO getting forcefully married when he and his half sister suddenly get pulled through reality and into…modern day Los Angeles? So now they’re trying to find a way home with the help of some nerd who just wanted an internship at a cool tech company. He had no clue they did multiversal travel and just wanted to type at a desk.

Tales of the Sculpted Lands: A dark fantasy anthology about a land sculpted from primordial clay. It’s a dying, complicated world full of complicated people with complicated problems. Some tales are more adventurous and end happily, others absolutely don’t.

Grayguard: Ah shit I spilled my TOTK copy and my cup of Jujutsu Kaisen. Fantasy world where all magical aspects fall under chaos or order. Humans, animals, and elves are the only exception. Each major kingdom has a guild, one being the Grayguard, who’s leader is the strongest warrior in the land. Everything falls apart when a mysterious demon with magic robots kidnaps her. Now her students have to stumble their way into rescuing her and stopping the major kingdoms from imploding, all while old threats from their leader’s past begin to rear their ugly heads.

And last but not least: Chaos Travelers

The least deranged and unhinged fantasy motley crew come to the island kingdom from before to stop a doomsday cult from resurrecting the god of chaos. Hilarity and angst ensues. Our glorified D&D party includes a humanoid dragon bard with a southern accent, a runaway from said doomsday cult, a cat lady with magic paint who may or may not have sold her soul, and a mute knight with WAY too many knives.

Tagging @mk-writes-stuff @willtheweaver @alinacapellabooks @frostedlemonwriter + open tag!

[raaorqtpbpdy]

The Undead Adventurer (3)

When an interrupted resurrection spell leaved Danny halfway between life and death, his adventuring career should have been over. But Danny Fenton won't let something as minor as being regularly mistaken for a member of a zombie horde, or kidnapped by an unknowable monster of death stop him from becoming the strongest adventurer in the world with his best friends by his side.

For the following prompts:

His head spun. He couldn’t see past the light above him. What was it? [from @q-gorgeous]

Fantasy/rpg setting. Danny died, but the resurrection spell went wrong, and now he’s trapped as something not quite dead but not fully alive either. Not that he’d ever let that stop him from becoming an adventurer, even if he does get mistaken as a resident dungeon monster by other adventuring parties every now and then… [from @lexiepiper]

Danny catches the eye of something he shouldn't. (Eldritch affection or soft horror encouraged) [from Ventisette Stars]

Read also on AO3

Chapter 3: Dungeon Crawler (first chapter | previous | last)

[Warnings for violence, death, and some explicit language]

The dungeon was more like it. Even before Sam cast her light spell, Danny could see every stone and every bit of moss. No matter how much his eyes adjusted to the bright sunlight outside, it was still too bright, to the point where it gave Danny a headache. But down here, that wasn't a problem at all.

Rather than worrying about particulars like how many floors and what kind of monsters it had, the three adventurers had all agreed to just go to the nearest dungeon at or below their skill level. That ended up being a medium difficulty dungeon populated primarily by—surprise, surprise—undead.

It wasn't as if this country was particularly known for being teeming with undead. There were no more undead here than in any other country, it was just that this particular trio of adventurers, entirely by coincidence, always ended up fighting undead, one way or another, whether they were expecting to or not.

Now, the thing about a dungeon crawl, as compared to a commissioned quest, like they'd done on Eerie Coast, was that they weren't the only adventurers doing it. Many teams of adventurers at a time went into a dungeon, hoping to uncover its hidden riches for themselves and their party. This wasn't exactly a problem. At worst, there would be some minor, good-spirited competition if two parties reached a room at the same time.

At least... it had never been a problem before. Now, however, it turned out to be a bit of a problem.

Danny's head was spinning. Something blunt had slammed against the back of his head, and now he was flat on his back, his vision was blurred, and he couldn't focus. A bright light flashed above him, so bright it took up his entire field of view, and he couldn't see past it. It was hot. What was it?

"Fireball!" Sam screamed.

At her shout, Danny instantly pushed himself up and flew straight for the ceiling. From his new vantage point, he could see a second group of adventurers, four of them. A big burly guy in heavy armor, a female bard with blue hair a red-haired sorceress, and a short, portly man who looked like he was maybe a squire for one of the others, since he was hardly dressed like a warrior.

"Hey!" Sam stormed right up to them, fury written on every inch of her body. "What the hell do you think you're doing?!"

"Saving you from that zombie?" the bard scoffed. "Obviously. Didn't know zombies could fly, though."

"They can't! Danny's not a zombie, he's a member of our team!" she yelled. "You can't just go around trying to kill other's people's teammates! Who do you think you are?"

"They call me Skulker," the burly man answered. "And these are my companions, the famed bard Ember McLain, The sorceress Penelope Spectra, and the shapechanger Bertrand."

"Yeah, I wasn't really asking," Sam scoffed. "Get out of here before I do more than yell at you for almost killing my friend."

They weren't the last. After their first day in the dungeon, it didn't seem like a stretch to say that Danny was in more danger from other adventurers than he was from the skeletons they'd been running into all day.

"Maybe we should leave and just switch to taking commissions full time from now on," Sam suggested tiredly, when the three of them made camp for the night.

"Don't even joke," Danny groaned. "I can handle some adventurer's thinking I'm a zombie, I cannot handle working full time for pompous rich assholes hiring adventurers to come wash their laundry just to feel superior."

Not everyone who commissioned adventurers for quests was like that. But... to be honest, most were. They either wanted the bragging rights of saying an adventurer had come in to personally solve their problem, even though they would be better off hiring a tradesman who was actually qualified for the task, or else they just didn't know what adventurers actually did.

"We could just take government commissions," Sam suggested.

"And barely make enough money to survive on?"

At the very least, town governments tended to actually know the sort of task you needed adventurers for, like clearing out a bunch of undead sea creatures from your coastline. Unfortunately, they never paid nearly as well as whatever noble was currently looking for an adventurer to come to his manor and wipe his ass.

Danny was perfectly happy to take on the occasional government quest. It was fulfilling to help others by doing what you were good at. But they also needed to make a living somehow, and the real money in adventuring (aside from humiliating yourself for the entertainment of nobles) came from dungeon crawling and treasure hunting.

"If Danny says he can handle it, we should trust him," Tucker said. "Yeah, it's annoying, but if he's really insistent on not retiring, then he's right. The three of us can't keep adventuring on government commissions alone, and I'm with Danny on the private commission thing. They're always lame tasks that adventurers aren't well suited for anyway."

"Fine," Sam relented with a sigh. "If you guys are really determined to keep going deeper in this dungeon, I guess I'll at least stick with you so I can teleport us out if someone gets injured too badly."

The boys both grinned widely at her and she rolled her eyes.

"I'll take the last watch as usual," she said. "I'm gonna sleep now."

The next day, they faced the same problem. Danny nearly died twice, both times because another group of adventurers mistook him for a resident dungeon monster, even though he was traveling with two humans and decided there was no reason to ask questions and they should just attack.

"Ugh," Danny groaned after he told off another party for thinking he was a zombie. "At least we'll probably run into fewer other adventurer's the deeper we get."

"Yeah, maybe then you can be almost killed by actual monsters instead of plain old idiots," Tucker joked.

Danny found it hilariously funny, but Sam did not agree.

The three of them kept heading further and further into the dungeon, and so far, everything was going well, more or less. There were a few hiccups, but no one had been badly injured yet, at least. Tucker still had plenty of arrows. Sam's magic hadn't been drained too much yet. They'd rested well the night before, had plenty to eat, and none of them were too winded or tired from the fighting.

Then they walked into the next room.

Beyond the wooden door was the biggest zombie horde they'd ever been faced with. There must've been nearly a thousand of the creatures, shambling around, and when the heard the door creak open, every single one of them looked right at the trio of adventurers.

Then they attacked.

The three adventurers didn't even get the chance to breathe as they had to fight off zombie after zombie, all crowding on them. It was less than a minute before they started to lose. Badly.

One of them snapped Tucker's bowstring, another two managed to wrestle Sam's staff away from her. Danny kept slashing away with his sword, cutting them down one after another, but there was hardly any room for him to move and seeing his friends in such dire straights was not helping his concentration.

"Stop!" Danny shouted at the zombie poised to strike Tucker. "Stop all of you!"

Shouting commands at the zombies should have been useless. Zombies didn't have reason or awareness. They didn't care about random humans ordering them around, and nothing Danny said should have been able to sway them.

But Danny was supposed to be a Zombie General, the creature like them which commanded them, and whom they obeyed unequivocally.

So when Danny commanded them to stop....

They stopped dead.

Danny stared, uncomprehending for a long moment. Sam and Tucker did the same. All three of them were breathing heavy, afraid to move and break the spell that had all these zombies frozen before them. Then the realization hit them.

"G-give me that staff," Danny ordered, nervous and awed all at once.

The zombie that had Sam's staff started to shamble toward him, the others getting out of its way as it went to their leader. It held out the staff for Danny to take, and Danny did so.

"Now... everyone go touch a wall," Danny said.

The mass of zombies moved as one, rushing toward the walls of the enormous room. Falling over each other to get their hands on the damp stone, and leaving the center of the floor vacant for the the adventurers the pass through, and the doorway clear for them.

Cautiously, the trio passed through, staring openly. Once they got to the door, Danny turned around and said:

"Now, all of you start attacking each other as viciously as you can!"

Then he closed the door behind them.

Through the coarse wood, they could hear tearing and thumping and a cacophony of ghoulish screams, and Danny began to wonder if it would have been more humane to just order them to stand still while he cut them down himself. This was faster and less work but.... He shuddered.

"Let's... let's go," Danny suggested.

Sam and Tucker nodded mutely, and with a stiff gait, they all walked away from the room, trying to ignore the wretched sounds of the undead ripping each other apart at Danny's orders.

Danny felt as if there were eyes on him, judging him. Of course, when he looked around the corridor, he saw nothing. Still, the feeling followed him, never easing, even when the three of them chose to stop for the night. He told himself it was just a sense of guilty over the needlessly gruesome order he's given the zombies, but in a dungeon, he knew better than to write it off entirely.

When Tucker took over watch, Danny tried to sleep, but when he did, it was restless, and anxious.

And when he woke up, that feeling still lingered. The feeling like something was watching him.

[derekscorner]

[ogihci]

[anigst]

[lollipopmixclo9]

Day 31: Skull

"And time passed... through my mana and my grudge, I became... a lich"

Happy Halloween to those who celebrate it!

[kyitsya]

my companion is the strongest undead in another world fans,,, rise up 😤

[sunshinewrit-ing]

Norse Mythology

ig: @sunshine.writing

As with every culture, there are many different interpretations and I tried my best to use the most popular ones. There are also many different versions and spellings for the names of the gods and goddesses, but I used the anglicized and most popular spellings. 

Aesir and Vanir

The Norse gods are divided into two families, the Aesir family, and the Vanir family. The Aesir family is the larger of the two and is mostly connected with war and government and includes the gods Odin, Thor, Loki, Baldr, Hodr, Heimdall, and Tyr. The Vanir family includes the fertility gods and goddesses such as Njord, Feyr, and Freyja. Both families reside in Asgard but don’t see eye-to-eye as shown through the Aesir-Vanir war. 

Besides the Aesir and Vanir, there are also female deities known as Disir, Alfar (elves), Jotnar (giants), and Dvergar (dwarves).

Aesir Gods and Goddesses

Odin - Odin was the King of the Aesir clan and known as “the father of all gods.” He’s depicted as a one-eyed, bearded old man wearing a hat and a cloak. He was said to have slain the first being known as Ymir before carving up his body to help create the Earth. He was one of the most powerful and revered of the gods and associated with wisdom, knowledge, healing, death, and war. He also ruled over Valhalla. 

Thor - Son of Odin, he was regarded as the strongest of all the Norse deities because he was tasked with safeguarding Asgard. He was the most popular of all the gods and worshipped by most Vikings. He was the god of thunder and lightning and wielded the Mjolnir. He rode a chariot drawn by two massive goats called Tanngnjostr and Tanngrisnir.

Loki - Loki was considered a “blood brother” of Odin. He was known as the trickster god and was equipped with the ability to shapeshift into different forms. He was the chief engineer behind the death of Balder.

Frigg - Frigg was the wife of Odin and the queen of the Aesir gods. She was the only one allowed to sit next to her husband and always stuck by her partner even though he had many extramarital affairs.  She was worshipped as the goddess of the sky and associated with wisdom, marriage, family, and fertility. She was blessed with the power of divination but never revealed her visions to anyone. 

Baldur - Son of Odin and half-brother to Thor, Baldur was the god of light and purity. He was described as fair, kind, and handsome, whose beauty was unparalleled. He was the epitome of all things wise and good and often praised for his mercifulness. Also thought to be immortal, he had been prophesied to die and was slain by an arrow made out of mistletoe, his death orchestrated by Loki. 

Heimdall - Heimdall is the son of Odin and no less than nine mothers, and is the watchman of the god. He dwelt at the entry to Asgard where he guarded Bifrost. 

Tyr - Tyr is the god of War and the Lawgiver of the gods. The bravest of the gods, he makes the binding of Fenrir possible by sacrificing his right hand. He’s the son of Odin and the son of the giant Hymir.

Idun - Idun is the goddess of spring or rejuvenation and is the wife of Bragi. She was the keeper of the magic apples of immortality which the gods must eat to preserve their youth. 

Bragi - Bragi is the skaldic poet of the Aesir and his name means “poet”. He’s the son of Odin and possibly the giantess Gunnlod, and the husband to Idun. 

Vili and Ve - Vili and Ve are the two brothers of Odin who helped to slay Ymir to create the remaining seven realms. They’re the sons of Bestla and Borr and were raised in the realm of Nifelheim. 

Forseti - He’s the son of Baldr and Nanna, and is the god of justice and reconciliation.

Gefjun - She’s the goddess of agriculture, fertility, abundance, and prosperity. Her name can be translated to “Giver” or “Generous One.”

Sif - Sif is the wife of Thor as well as a giantess and the goddess of grain and fertility. She was one of the Asynjur and mother of Ullr.

Fjorgynn and Fjorgyn - Fjorgyn, also known as Jord, is a giantess and the mother of Thor through an affair with Odin. Her masculine form Fjorgynn is the father of the goddess Frigg, the wife of Odin. 

Sol and Mani - Sol and Mani were the beings who drove the sun and the moon in their courses through the sun. They were sister and brother, and both were fair and beautiful. Sol had to travel at great speed, pursued by a wolf named Skoll who would eventually devour her. Mani kidnapped two humans named Bil (waning) and Hjuki (waxing), children of Vidfinn, and forced them to travel with him. Like his sister, he was also being chased by a hound named Hati Hrodvitnisson. 

Ullr - Ullr is the god of sports, particularly archery and skiing. He’s the son of Sif and Egill and step-son to Thor. 

Hoenir - Hoenir is a warrior god and is the travel companion of Odin and Loki. He was also part of the creation of Ask and Embla. He goes with Mimir to the Vanir as a hostage in order to seal a truce to the Aesir-Vanir War. He’s the god of indecision, avoidance, and mystery. 

Vidar - Son of Odin and Gridr, he was known as Vidar the silent, the possessor of the iron shoe, the enemy and slayer of Fenrir, the avenger, and he who inhabits the homestead of his father. He’s a warrior god and an excellent fighter. 

Hodr - Hodr is the blind god of winter and warriors. Oftentimes he’s depicted with a bow and arrows, or the spear that Loki used to trick him. He was the son of Frigg and Odin and twin brother of Baldr. Sometimes he’s thought to be a god of darkness.

Vali - Son of Odin and the giantess Rindr, Vali was born for the sole purpose of avenging Baldr. He kills Hodr and binds Loki with the entrails of his son Narfi. He’s the god of vengeance.

Vanir Gods and Goddesses

Freya - Freya was the goddess of fate, love, beauty, gold, war, and fertility. She ruled over the meadow of Folkvangr and owned a torc or necklace known as the Brisingamen as well as a cloak made of falcon feathers. She rode a chariot drawn by two cats and was accompanied by a board called Hildisvini most of the time. She practiced Seidr, which is a form of magic that allowed her the ability to control and manipulate the desires and prosperity of others. 

Freyr - Freyr is associated with sacral kingship, virility, peace, prosperity, sunshine and fair weather, and good harvest. He’s the son of Njord and the god of fertility, rain, and sunshine. His twin sister is Freyja.

Freyja - Freyja, twin sister and counterpart of Freyr, was the goddess of love, fertility, battle, and death. Her father was Njord. Pigs were sacred to her, and she rode a boar with golden bristles. 

Njord - Njord is the god of seas, wealth, wind, and fishing. He was the father of Freyr and Freyja. 

Nerthus - Nerthus is a goddess associated with fertility. She was also associated with peace and prosperity. She was the wife and sister of Njord and the mother of Freyr and Freyja.

Gullveig - Gullveig is a sorceress and seer with great love and lust for gold. She was speared by the Aesir, burnt three times, and yet thrice reborn.

Odr - Odr is the husband of Freyja

Norse Creatures

Dwarves - Also known as dark elves, they’re small creatures that originated as maggots from the corpse of Ymir. They live underground in Svartalfheim (literally means “home of the black elves”) and are said to have crafted the finest weapons and jewelry such as Mjollnir and Gungnir. In certain myths, they’re portrayed as turning to stone if exposed to sunlight. 

Draugar - The Draugar are the undead. Some myths describe them as creatures who drink blood, they’re more similar to zombies than vampires. They possess superhuman strength and can increase their size at will, but have a constant stench of decay and appear as a dead body. They often live in their graves to defend the treasure they were buried with but can also enter communities to torment those who wronged them in life. They’re said to be able to enter the dreams of the living to torment them, and would leave behind a gift so the victims knew the encounter was real. 

Elves - Elves are separated into two different types; Dokkalfar, or dark elves, and Ljosalfar, light elves. Dark elves are thought to be the same as dwarves and light elves are described as more beautiful than the sun. They’re generally described as having an ambivalent relationship with humans.

Fenrir - Fenrir was the son of Loki and the giantess Angroboda. He was raised by the gods of Asgard to stop him from wreaking havoc across the nine worlds but the gods ended up deciding to chain him up. It’s believed that when Fenrir breaks his chains to get his revenge, it will lead to Ragnarok, the end of the world. 

Fossegrimen - Also known as the grim, he’s a water spirit who plays the fiddle mimicking the sounds of the forest, wind, and water. He can be bribed to teach his skill with an offering that he deems sufficient. He’s also known to lure women and children to lakes and streams where they drown.

Huldra - Wardens of the forest and part of a group of Ra that protects various locations. Female Huldra are described as beautiful and seductive, with a long tail of a cow and their back covered in bark. They can disguise themselves as young women to walk in the world of men but their power of illusion is broken if someone sees their tail. They lure young, unmarried men into the forest and keep them as slaves, lovers, or sometimes they’ll suck the life out of them. 

Jormungandr - Also known as the Midgard Serpent, Jormungandr is another child of Loki and Angrboda. He is a snake or dragon that lives in the sea surrounding Midgard. He is described as an enemy of Thor and during Ragnarok, the two are fated to slay one another. 

Jotnar - Jotnar, meaning “devourers”, are giants with powers that rival the power of the gods. They’re the enemy of the gods and the Jotnar embody chaos. Many of the Asgardian gods are descended from Jotnar such as Odin and Thor. 

Kraken - Aquatic monsters that are believed to live off the shores of Norway and Greenland. They’re depicted as gigantic octopi or squids. They mostly ate fish but when it rose to the surface, it was believed to cause large whirlpools which would help it attack ships.

Valkyries - The female helping spirits of Odin, depicted as elegant maidens who ferry the slain to Valhalla. Their name means “choosers of the Slain”, which hints at their more sinister side, the fact that they also choose who lives and dies in battle. They would sometimes use malicious magic to ensure their preferences.

Sleipnir - Odin’s mighty eight-legged horse is the child of Loki and Svadilfari. It had eight legs so that it could have one leg in each of the Norse worlds. 

Mare - The Mare monster gave people bad dreams at night by sitting on them in their sleep. Often they were witches whose souls took the forms of animals, but normal people, particularly adolescents, were also thought to become Mare when their spirits wandered. It was believed that when the Mare touched a living thing, people, cattle, or trees, it would cause their hair to become entangled. 

Trolls - There are large ugly trolls that dwell in forests and mountains, and small gnome-like trolls that live underground in deep caves and caverns. They’re depicted as not very intelligent and malevolent but can show kindness in exchange for a favor.

Norns - The three principal Norns served as the caretakers of the tree of life, but their care only slowed the death of the tree. 

Ratatoskr - A squirrel that runs up and down the tree of life delivering the messages of the gods. He enjoys stirring trouble between the wise eagle that sits atop the tree and the hungry dragon that swells in its roots. 

The Nine Realms

Yggdrasil - Yggdrasil is the mighty tree whose trunk rises at the geographical center of the Norse spiritual cosmos. It’s believed that the nine worlds are all held in the branches and roots of the tree of Yggdrasil. It’s commonly said to be an ash tree.

Niflheim - The realm of fog and mist. It’s the darkest and coldest region of all the realms. It’s one of the first two realms and is placed in the northern region of Ginnngagap. Hvergelmir is located in Niflheim, which is said to be the source of the elven rivers. As Yggdrasil started to grow, it stretched one of its large roots far into Niflheim to draw water from Hvergelmir. 

Muspelheim - The land of fire. Muspelheim was created at the same time as Niflheim but was created far to the south. It’s a burning hot place filled with lava, flames, sparks, and soot. It’s the home of the fire giants, fire demons, and is ruled by Surtr.

Asgard - Home of the Gods. The most commonly known realm, Asgard is located in the middle of the world, high up in the sky. It’s the home of the gods and goddesses and is ruled by the chief of Aesir Odin. Inside the gates of Asgard is Valhalla, the place where half who die in battle will go for the afterlife and the other half go to Folkvangr.

Midgard - Home of the humans. “Middle earth” is located in the middle of the world below Asgard. Midgard and Asgard are connected by Bifrost, the Rainbow Bridge. It’s surrounded by a large, impassable ocean that is occupied by the Midgard Serpent. The first two humans were Ash and Embla and were sent to Midgard after being created from tree logs by Odin and his brothers Vili and Ve.

Jotunheim - Home of the giants. Jotunheim consists mostly of rocks, wilderness, and dense forests, and lies in the snowy regions on the outermost shores of the ocean. There is no fertile land in Jotunheim. Jotunheim is separated from Asgard by the river living which never freezes over.

Vanaheim - Home of the Vanir. Nobody knows where exactly the land is located or how it looks. 

Alfheim - Home of the light elves. Alfheim is located right next to Asgard in heaven. The god Freyr is the ruler of Alfheim. 

Svartalfheim - Home of the dwarves. Svartalfheim means dark fields, and they live under the rocks, in caves, and underground. Hreidmar was the king of Svartalfheim until he was killed. 

Helheim - Home of the dishonorable dead. Hel is where the dishonorable dead, thieves, murderers, or those the gods and goddesses feel are not brave enough to go to Valhalla or Folkvangr. Helheim is ruled over by Hel and is a very grim and cold place. Any person who arrives at Helheim will never feel joy or happiness again. 

[awkwardinot]

btw I like “My Companion Is the Strongest Undead in Another World” so far

drawing style is interesting!

the plot starter is a bit cliche, one of isekai’d heroes gets tortured right on arrival because of a rare talent; other summoned heroes don’t know about that of course, so it becomes the ground for further conflict

but unded?????not inherently evil????????a lich is an actually cool guy?????????UNDEAD BECOME STRONGER FROM MIASMA BUT ARE ALSO HURT BY IT????????????????????????????????????????

i wish there were more chapters out there

[365daysofsasuhina]

[ 365 Days of SasuHina || Day Three Hundred Ten: Ethnic Food ] [ Uchiha Sasuke, Hyūga Hinata ] [ SasuHina ] [ Verse: Of Monsters and Men ] [ AO3 Link ]

Well...today’s the day. While she knows, in truth, there’s no avoiding what she’s about to do...Hinata still takes a sliver of comfort in knowing that she can, at least, make peace with it.

The last several months have been the oddest of her life. Being saved from one vampire by another, befriending said savior vampire, and slowly finding herself more and more familiar with a world so few know exist.

Of course...Hinata has known about monsters - or as they prefer to be called, Nightwalkers - for most of her life. Her mother’s bloodline, tracing all the way back to the ancient miko who claimed to speak to gods, makes her neither human nor monster. A strange in-between that most nowadays call witches.

Try as she might to ignore her lineage, ignore her nature...it came to find her in the end.

And now, her rare, thought-extinct powers have attracted unwanted attention in the form of her dear friend’s employer and coven leader, Madara. He’s made her a deal she can’t refuse. Not because the reward is tempting...but because to say no is almost certainly a death wish.

She tells herself that, so long as she has Sasuke to rely on, she can get through this. While she’s a complete novice with her abilities, Madara seems convinced they can grow, and she can master them...all for him to use against his enemies.

So, given she has little choice, Hinata has decided to give her answer: she’ll work for him as needed. Otherwise...she just hopes she can keep some semblance of normalcy.

Which is why, once she’s made her peace, she texts Sasuke.

Want to get some dinner?

Hopefully it sounds casual enough. Because according to Madara, Sasuke’s protective inclinations toward her have been born out of a growing affection. And while Hinata cares for him greatly...she just has too much on her mind to sit and puzzle out her feelings. She’s never really dated anyone...never really been in love. Had crushes, but was never bold enough to act upon them.

...and is it wise to pair with a Nightwalker, given what she is? She’s not human...but she’s not vampire, either.

...she’ll think about it later.

Thankfully, his reply is swift...and cuts right to the point.

Made up your mind?

The words earn a small smile and a soft snort.

Yes. Not that there was much to think about, huh?

...true enough. The usual place?

Mhm.

Be there in ten.

Reading the last message, Hinata idly runs the pad of her thumb over the cracks in her mobile’s screen. She really needs to replace it...just her luck she was grabbed when it was in her hand, dropped to the parking lot asphalt. But at least it still works...she’ll put it off a little longer.

Mind still eddying with thoughts, Hinata makes her way to their typical meeting place: her favorite little eatery she discovered while going to university. It’s more traditional in style, quaint, and just what she likes.

And, as usual, Sasuke beats her there.

“Car or feet this time?” she asks with a small smile.

“Feet. Couldn’t find my keys.”

“Showoff,” Hinata gently chides, letting him open the door for her. “But at least you’re still a gentleman.”

“Only for you. To everyone else, I’m an asshole.”

“C-consider me flattered, then.”

“You should be.”

That earns another laugh, the pair of them guided to a cozy corner table. Sitting with a relieved sigh, Hinata takes a moment to glance out the window beside her. The night life of her city plays out beyond the panes, all seeming so...normal. It’s funny how much her perspective has changed since she met the man now sitting across from her. How much more...aware she feels. She knows she still has much to learn when it comes to those like her companion...but to think that so many people are completely blind to a world just over their shoulder...it’s odd.

“Hinata?”

“Hm?”

“You spaced out there for a second.”

“Oh...s-sorry.”

Sasuke studies her face, dark eyes flickering over her features. “...you all right?”

“Mhm. I’ve just been doing a lot of...thinking lately.”

“Good thinking, or bad thinking?”

“Just...thinking. Not really good or bad.”

“Objective, then.”

“...yeah.”

“Speaking of...I’m honestly blown away by how well you’re handling all of this, y’know.”

That earns a blink. “...really?”

“Yeah. Sure, you’re not human...and you’ve been aware of us most of your life. But that’s not exactly a guarantee for understanding or keeping calm in the face of everything you’ve got going on.”

“...I guess I just...d-do my best to look and move forward. I don’t know...maybe it is weird, but I just feel...calm. I know there’s danger, but...for some reason, it doesn’t bother me.”

His brow furrows, clearly not quite comprehending.

Hinata takes a moment to think, trying to figure out a way to explain. “...I think...it’s because I know I’m not facing it alone. Because I know you’re there to protect me.”

Sasuke’s face goes slack with surprise.

In turn, she gives a small smile. “...hungry?”

“...uh...yeah, sure. This place only got traditional food, or is there anything, like...ethnic?”

“M-mostly traditional…? I always get the same thing, so...I guess I’m n-not the one to ask,” she replies with a small laugh into the cuff of her jacket sleeve. “Though...n-now that you mention it, that reminds me of a question I’ve always meant to ask you.”

“...okay. What held you back?”

“Mostly I just forget, but...I guess I’m not sure if it’s, um...offensive…?”

Sasuke can’t help a snort. “Trust me...I doubt anything that passes through your mind could offend me. Hit me with it.”

“Well...your kind need blood to survive...right?”

“Yeah. It varies a bit from person to person, but typically we can’t go more than about three days without before we start getting...dangerous. We usually try to get about half a liter a day, but some skip around, depending on their schedule.”

“...oh! I...didn’t know it was that strict.”

“Mhm. So, was that your question?”

“Well, partly. I’ve obviously seen you eat food, but...is that n-necessary for...someone like you?”

“What, regular food? Oh, yeah. See, uh…” He hesitates, gathering his thoughts. “The ‘needs’ of Nightwalkers are typically sort of...additional beyond the typical. Like...fiction often depicts us as undead, but that’s nowhere near true. I have a heartbeat, my blood pumps, my gut functions...I still need food, water, rest, and all that like anything else alive. I just need blood on top of that to satisfy and sort of...alleviate what makes me a...what I am.”

“Ohhh…”

“...you thought that would offend me?”

“W-well, I just...I honestly thought you...didn’t need to eat,” Hinata replies, tone quite sheepish. “And I don’t like making assumptions about people, let alone an entirely different...type of people. S-sorry.”

“Nah, it’s fine. Some species have it a lot easier than others. For example, most bestial lines - like...harpies, werewolves, nagas - they don’t really have a need like we do? There’s is more like...an instinct. You could, in a way, think of their brains as having two halves. A more human-like half, and the animal half. And suppressing the animal half for too long can make them...irritable. Or even affect their mental health. Some have mastered it and live almost completely like humans. But for most, they have to have breaks where they take their beast forms and live a little. Otherwise they’d go mad.

��But with the humanoid sorts, ours are usually more...conditional. Typically, it’s something that feeds off of another creature. My kind need blood - any kind will do, but humans are just the...best suited? It’s hard to explain. And like succubi and incubi need sexual energy. Sirens crave giving people pain, or even killing them...but most are satisfied just by being heard and adored. Stuff like that.”

At the mention of the middle sort, Hinata can’t help but go light pink. “I...I see. Do...do witches have any conditions like that?”

“Not that I know of, but...with how rare your kind became there for a while, a lot of information about you has probably been lost. Have you ever felt like there’s something nagging at you? Something you need to...do, or eat, or...whatever?”

“I don’t...think so.”

Sasuke leans his elbow atop the table, considering her as he rests his chin in a hand. “...it’s funny, but...no one really knows the origins of those like us. Nightwalkers, and witches - Twilightwalkers. Some say we evolved from humans, others say we’re cursed, but no one really knows for sure where we came from. But your kind seem to be a kind of...middle ground between us and humans. The way I’ve heard it put is that Nightwalkers are those with power to alter themselves...and witches have the power to alter what’s around them. Humans can do neither, at least...not the way we can.”

“That...makes a lot of sense. But I wonder if there’s any way to find out where our roots r-really lie.”

“No idea. But that’s more the sort of stuff my brother likes to puzzle over. I’m more of an ‘in the now’ sort of guy. My roots don’t really offer much in terms of effects here and now for me. Might be neat to know, but it doesn’t really do anything for me.”

“I think I’d like to know,” Hinata muses. “I already know s-so little about what I am...maybe it would shed some light. But I guess I don’t have much means to find out.”

“Yeah...we’ll get you figured out. Soon enough you’ll be the strongest witch in Japan.”

“I might be the only witch in Japan,” Hinata rebukes with a giggle.

“...you have a fair point. But still...you’ve clearly got talent, given how you managed to influence me, even with no training and in a state of panic. That’s promising.”

“I’ll t-take that as a compliment!”

Sasuke manages a grin as a server finally finds them, apologizing for the wait. “No worries. We’re night folk,” he assures her smoothly, giving Hinata a none-too-subtle wink.

She just snorts.

“Well...we’ll get you a full stomach, and then go have a little chat with Madara,” Sasuke then offers, sobering them both slightly. “There might be some paperwork to get you legally tied into everything, but...overall we shouldn’t have to be there long. Unless he decides to ramble on about what you’ll be doing. Hopefully he’ll save that for another night.”

“Yeah, I’d...prefer that, honestly.” She’d almost let herself forget why she’s really here. One last little outing with her full freedom before finding herself in Madara’s claws.

“...it’ll be fine,” Sasuke then assures her softly. “Like you said: I’ll be there to protect you.”

“...thank you, Sasuke.”

                                                              .oOo.

     (This is a sequel to days 35, 44, 52, 80, 82, 105, 115, 133, 159, 162, 188, 193, 289, 298, and 307!)       First of all, let me just apologize for falling yet another day behind: yesterday was super stressful, so I took my typical evening time to work on another fic. By the time that was done, I was in a lot of pain from my broken teeth, and just...called it a night. And odds are, the rest of the year is going to be VERY busy for me, so...I might very well fall further behind rather than catch up, though I REALLY hope I can do so before next year. But I won't hold my breath. Once things are more...finalized, I'll clue you guys in more. Just...please be patient with me, I'm doing my best ;w;      ANYWAY. Onto the actual fic!      This was a very...odd prompt, lol - hence it mostly just being a passing phrase, which I sometimes just...have to do when the prompt is weird xD I had a joke I was going to have Sasuke make to tie into it, but...upon further thought, I wasn't sure if it would be too crass, so...I tossed the idea. Instead, we have just some angst-laced fluff between them on Hinata's last day (well...night) of freedom. Things are going to get...interesting from here on.      I might tie in some old RP plots, and honestly might save more of this verse for a proper fic...? I'm not sure how I want to do that, as it might make more sense to do a "rewrite" from the beginning, since this method has been a bit...disjointed. We'll see. But as I've said before. any longer fics I want to do after this challenge will be after a pretty hefty break. I love this challenge, but WHOO has it been a burnout, lol - at least there's less than two months left. I love it, but...I need a break. Especially since Life is ramping up as we near the end.      ANYWAY, I'm...majorly rambling, so I'll stop there! Thanks, as always, for reading...and all of your support and patience <3

[agateshot]

"Hawthorn… is dead."

Meadowsweet can hardly stomach to say the worlds, but… Such is the life of a Blade of the Dark Moon.

Had they remained Silver Knights, this would have never happened. Being apart of Lord Gwyn's forces during the war against the dragons should have been enough. It should have sufficed for any man's life.

But Hawthorn was never one to quit when he had his teeth in something. Never. He was still angry, still upset at what happened to their mother. Still wanted revenge. Something they couldn't get from the Boreal Valley.

Their mother, Rose, hadn't wanted them to fight, but what did she know? She had been a human, puppeted along by a dragon, believing herself to be in love. Hawthorn and Meadowsweet had ruined her body, and when age had wilted the beauty of her youth, their father lost interest. Left her to care for his sons, left her to go mad.

Hawthorn had always been the stronger of the two sons, Meadowsweet always his shield while he was their blade. Twin brothers, twin dragonkin fighting with one heart, one body.

Meadowsweet always knew that if he failed to go along with what Hawthorn wanted, he would fight regardless. He would die, no matter how often Meadowsweet told him to watch his side.

And he did. Their father had died with Hawthorn, but that was no consolation. His father had a moment where he had apologized for leaving them, but Hawthorn would not be soothed. The memory of Hawthorn leaping at the old, crippled dragon, tail streaming out behind him, and the sick, cold sound of claws slicing open armor. Meadowsweet had frozen, watching his lifeless brother being gulped down onto the maw of the beast, only the sound of his heart ringing in his ears so sharp that all other sounds were drown out.

He wishes he could say he took his father's life, that he was the one who sliced off the head of the beast, but… it was Hawthorn. Not even fatal wounds could cause him to drop his sword, his last ounce of strength, stuck in the throat of his father, was to slice through the muscles, sinew, and scales of the terrible old thing. The look on the face of the ancient dragon was of perplexion, like a cat about to throw up. Like a flash of lighting, Hawthorn's blade appeared, sweeping out into a circle, dropping their father's head to the dirt.

Hawthorn did not live long after that. His last wish was that Meadowsweet take his own and their father's tails to the Nameless Moon, to tell him of what happened.

To explain how thoroughly Meadowsweet had failed to protect his brother.

There's no way… There's no way he can continue to fight. He had only taken up the banner of war for his bother's sake. The only reason he had become a Knight was for his brother, and again, the only reason to become a Blade, was for his brother. Without him… what point was there to fight? He wants to believe in the justice that the Nameless Moon espoused, but… he can't. He doesn't see the point to doing all of this in a world where his brother no longer breathed.

He leaves three tails at the mist wall of the Nameless Moon, his father's, his brother's, and his own severed tail, symbolic of the covenant he had severed with the God of Vengeance. His penance for lying in his devotion. He would have given anything, even his own life, to no longer follow the path that he and his brother had walked for such a long time.

Even though he leaves Anor Londo, his pain and regret follows him, his new companion. The ghost of Hawthorn dogged at his side.

In his travels, regret turns to sickness. It starts off nothing more then a cough in the back of his throat, a persistent ache in his back, (like the stump of his tail calling out for its return), a lethargic feeling that hangs over him like he has scales of his own weighing him down. He knows that if he were to return to the Nameless Moon, his ailments would be banished. But… he embraces them. This agony was at least present, and thicker in his bones than even his grief.

Should he die to sickness, then he still has lived longer than his brother.

Meeting her…

Meeting her felt like a side note. An event so unimportant in his life that had she not returned, he would have forgotten it. She had given him her handkerchief, told him to shut up if he was going to die already, and then promptly fell asleep without giving him her name.

She was gone in the morning, the cloth she left the only sign he had met the woman.

The next time he had met her, she was neck deep in a horde of undead, nothing but a sword by her side. She wasn't doing well, leaving her flank open, and as clumsy as the hollow soldiers were, they were going to take her life. He can't-- not again!

The shield he uses still had the arm of the undead he ripped it from attached, the flimsy thing threatening to crumble to pieces under the blows, but it was enough. His strength wasn't what it use to be, but it was enough to knock the hollows back, the woman sending them down for another death.

"I didn't need your help." She says, turning to look at him prying out the arm in his new shield. "I had it under control."

"I didn't say thank you for the handkerchief." He replies, looking up at her, his eyes glittering in the light.

She meets his gaze for a long moment, before sheathing her sword, holding her hand out to him.

"My name is Sasha," She says, "You're welcome to come die at my house."

"Thank you, I'm sure." Meadowsweet says, agate eyes rolling as he takes her hand.

She was funny. Sharped tongued, witty, and quick. Harsh, sometimes, but kind and brave. Unafraid to be herself, fearless of the hollow haunted wilds. Her hometown wasn't much, but she was one of their strongest defenders.

He finds himself falling easily into their community, listening to their stories, their histories, and finds himself lockstep with Sasha when she heads out on patrols into the wilds. It was different than fighting with Hawthorn, but he finds that even though he had left it, the desire to fight still sings strong within him. He delights in fighting with Sasha.

He forgets, for a time, that he is sick. Sasha loves him, and he loves her. When she was heavy with their child, she still insists on going out and fighting, even when he promises to take care of it. Their son is born in a den in the woods, Meadowsweet guarding the entrance from any stray beast that may come their way. She is healthy, and their little child is healthy. Sasha calls him Petya.

Try as he might, Meadowsweet can only form the name of his brother.

In his mind, he clearly sees that the child is his son, and he knows that his name is Petya, and he loves his child very much. Smart. Blonde like his mother. Blue eyes ringed in gold. His eyes. The eyes of his brother.

Every time he calls for his son, the name of his brother appears instead. Every time his brother is called, the shadow looms larger over the world, and whispers of the eternal flame rise. It's going out, the world is dying.

Meadowsweet, the dragonspawn who had shunned the Nameless Moon, is dying as well.

"Do you love me?" Meadowsweet had said one day.

"Yes." Said Sasha.

"We need to go home." He tells her. "We need to take Petya home."

"My village will die without me." Sasha says, taking his hand, "You're asking me to let them die."

"I've seen it." Meadowsweet whispers, "I've seen you die. I've seen our boy die. We need to go home, Sasha. We need to save him. Your village is lost, I can't lose you too."

He can see her struggling with the thought, her loyalty to her village-- for what? The ramblings of a dying old man? The whispers of some long hidden god? Surely she can't leave everything she's known, just to go to some distant land that may not even be real.

"Will the life Petya live be worth it?" She asks, "Can you promise me that?"

"Have our lives been worth it?" Meadowsweet asks, "Every moment we draw breath brings something new. I want him to have the chance to breathe many breaths."

She chews on her lip for a long moment, and then hesitantly agrees.

He hopes he isn't making a mistake.

[creepykingdom]

Halloween Horror Nights Orlando 2019 Review

By Grant Duval

Every year, and fortunately for us horror fans, earlier every year, Orlando is treated to Universal's Halloween Horror Nights.  Every year it seems to outdo itself, and this year was no exception.  This is a welcome change of pace from other Halloween celebrations in the area which seem to be the same thing every year.  Every house this year was different and exciting from previous years.  Even the one haunt that had been done last year was a complete change.  Also, this whole event was themed to the 1980's, which I absolutely love as a child of the 80's.  Unfortunately, these haunts don't allow photography, so I wasn't able to get nearly as many photos as I would have liked, but trust me, these houses are all intricately decorated and most are worth your time.

I'd like to preface this with the fact that I bought the front of line pass for an additional $80.  This allows front of the line access to all mazes, but there is a line for front of the line, and you can expect to wait at least 10 minutes with the front of the line versus the hour plus waits that were occurring.  You also get front of the line access to many rides.  There are also 2 shows.  With this pass we were able to get to one show, two rides, and all 10 mazes with only 30 minutes less.  This is a testament to how invaluable this pass is, as I would have never made my way to all the mazes had I not bought this.  I suppose the easiest way for me to do this is to go through each item one by one and give my thoughts.

Stranger Things was the most popular haunt of the night, and for good reason.  This maze went through each season and brought to life the greatest moments of the whole series.  The set design, especially in the upside-down, was top notch.  This also felt like the longest of all the mazes.  The characters were all cast well and it was great seeing them all battle the forces of darkness.  Side note, at Voodoo Donuts you can purchase a delicious Stranger Things donut before entering the park to really set the mood.  Also, there is an extremely large animatronic you must walk under to escape which is very convincing.  The scare level was a medium or so, but the set design was amazing.  9 out of 10.

Us was the next maze of the night.  I was never a fan of the movie as I felt that the trailers gave away everything.  My mom, who was my traveling companion, had never seen it.  This was one of her favorite mazes of the night.  Entering through the funhouse in the movie sets everyone up for being chased by the doppelgängers and their scissors from the Jordan Peele movie.  The lab scene with all of the rabbits was neat, and the exit which involved going through a bunch of mannequins mixed with scare actors was a great touch.  The big problem though is that you really have to be acquainted with the movie in order to fully understand what was going on.  My mom had lots of questions, and as I only saw the movie once when it came out, I didn't remember everything.  Scares are high in this one.  7 out of 10.

Universal Monsters exists almost as preparation for the highly rumored land in Universal's Epic Universe park which is being built.  Characters from classic horror movies, such as Dracula, the Creature from the Black Lagoon, Frankenstein's Monster, the Wolfman, Bride of Frankenstein, and the Mummy reside here.  Strangely there was a part with Quasimodo, and that felt unnecessary as the whole point of The Hunchback of Notre Dame was not to be scared of him (actually, that was the point of Frankenstein as well).  The sets were nice, but it felt kind of disjointed as we went from one character to another with no real transition.  This maze also felt short.  Scares were medium level but the high quality of the sets made up for it.  6 out of 10.

Ghostbusters was easily the most hyped of all of the mazes.  This maze featured all of your favorite characters from the original Ghostbusters movie, and the sets were so realistic it felt like we were in the middle of it.  The haunt follows the same path as the movie, from the library to the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man battle.  The character actors looked just like the original actors.  Every last detail was perfect.  The Slimer puppet that came out in a few scenes was a nice touch, as were the Zool puppets that stalked us.  Overall, I wanted to remain inside as long as possible but was disappointed that Ghostbusters 2 was ignored as I do love Viggo the Carpathian.  The scare factor is low, in fact this would be a great first haunt for those who are unsure if they would like this.  This one gets a 10 out of 10 though from scratching my nostalgia itch.

Killer Klowns from Outer Space was hands down the most fun maze.  This movie was a staple of my childhood as I used to watch it weekly.  This is another maze that moved scene by scene and took us into the alien Klown world.  All of my favorite Klowns from the movie were in there, as were the characters.  The soundtrack of the movie, which by the way is KILLER, blasts through the whole maze.  This was my absolute favorite haunt and I may return just to do this one a few more times.  The scare factor is medium, but this is more of a funny house than scary house.  10 out of 10.

House of 1000 corpses was my most hated house of the night.  I could never get into the movie series, and I understand that there are many people who absolutely love it.  The maze felt short, the set design felt the weakest, and strangely, it was in the same spot as my most hated house 2 years ago, which was the Horrors of Blumhouse maze.  Maybe the spot is cursed.  It had that awful haunted house smoke smell.  Also the characters weren't really too scary and the spots where they were coming to scare us at were obvious.  I didn't jump once.  Granted, as a person who is not a fan of the movie, I am likely not the best one to review this one.  Scare factor  was low (but the gross out factor was high).  3 out of 10 (but likely someone who was a fan will love this).

Depths of Fear is another original house.  I find that Universal does great things with original houses and this one is no exception.  The gimmick of this one is that we are on a submarine about to detonate with creatures inside and we have to find our way out.  This one has a constant loud beeping which gradually gets faster and faster adding to the tension.  This reminded me of the movie Leviathan.  The set design was purposefully claustrophobic and the fear level was intense.  The only problem was that the creatures themselves weren't too scary.  The scare factor would be a medium.  7 out of 10 for great set design, but way too short.

Graveyard Games wins the award for most boring idea.  Teens enter a graveyard and vandalize it causing the spirits and zombies to rise to wreak havoc upon the vandals.  There was a social media aspect as the teenagers have been sending videos of this to their friends.  The sets were amazing which made up for the pretty played out idea of zombies.  The scares were good and the effects were good, which elevated this maze beyond what I thought would be the worst maze of the night.  This maze is intense and is a joy to walk around.  The biggest problem is that the maze was really short.  8 out of 10.

Nightingales Blood Pit was the most original idea.  I didn't know how a gladiator themed haunt would work, and boy does it ever.  Dismembered limbs, animatronic lions, and buckets of blood make this one of the true masterpieces of the whole event.  This felt like I was walking in an actual gladiator coliseum and couldn't get enough of it.  This is a bloody good time and the scare factor is huge.  10 out of 10.

Yeti: Terror of the Yukon, is by far the best themed and scariest house of the entire event.  You enter through a snowstorm and enter a very realistic cabin.  You wind your way in and out of it and the temperature is kept at a very cold level to really sell the idea.  The yeti itself is absolutely terrifying.  My mom claims to have never screamed so much in her life.  Exiting the cabin you enter a forest and it felt like I was walking through the ET adventure queue.  The scares come from above as well which really intensified the whole experience.  Hands down my mom's favorite as well as my second favorite maze (but likely my favorite if I removed my nostalgia).  Yeti is long, intense, and takes no prisoners.  Scare level extremely high, set design extremely high.  10 out of 10.

Completing the mazes I need to talk about the scare zones.  The scare zones were the weakest aspect of the whole event and they felt shorter than prior years.  The Vikings Undead area had some cool costuming and viking tools.  The only problem was that it was too foggy to really see anything.  Zombieland Double Tap didn't connect with me at all.  I loved the first movie, but the scares were not there and it seemed like they went a little light on the theming.  Rob Zombie's Hellbilly deluxe is one of the two strongest scare zones, but definitely not the one to take kids to, as there are several dancing girls in underwear high above everyone dancing with fire.  This is also a very loud area as Rob's music is blasting.  The scare actors were also some of the best in park.  The Anarch-ade, themed to 1980's arcades, was the weakest of all scare zones.  The arcade machines themselves were nicely done, but the area was so small that it was hard to get a feel for it.  This is also the scare zone you first enter into, which sets everyone up for the 80's theme.  The best one though was the Vanity Ball area, which also happened to be the longest of all the scare zones.  This area was themed to fashion shows with a ghoulish twist.  The scare actors were incredibly disturbing looking, and the fashion show was fun to watch.  I could have spent an hour here.

I sadly didn't have time to see the Academy of Villains: Altered States Show, which is dance and fire based from what I understand.  What I did see was the Marathon of Mayhem show, which is a water projection show with projection mapping on the buildings behind it.  This is much better than their normal night show, and hearing all of the songs such as Killer Klowns and Ghostbuster blasted loudly was incredible.  I cannot explain how amazing this show is.  The fountains shoot very high, the lasers are neat, and the scenes on multiple screens gave us so much to look at I'm sure I missed a lot.  This show is one of the must dos.  10 out of 10.

Overall, the 2019 edition of Halloween Horror Nights is a marvel.  I loved it so much I intend on returning!  From scary houses, rides with shorter lines, fun drinks, and a killer fountain show, this is truly the best version I've been to.  

Creepy factor- 10 out of 10.  Come on, did you really think Halloween HORROR Nights would get a lower score than that?

[happywitch416]

Honestly I want you to review everyone in DA. But for now, have some more characters: Sophia Dryden, Nathaniel Howe, Isabela, and Lace Harding.

Everytime I tried to post this from mobile it went fucky. I got on the computer for you. You better feel loved. lol

Sophia Dryden

How I feel about this character

Sophia, the would be queen and warden commander. I like her story, she is a complex history full of ambitious chances taken. But she also manages to always lose, which ties back into her ambition, she never knows when to stop. Everything is full kilt, no halves. When she is approached for the rebellion, which got the wardens kicked out of Ferelden, I do not think she agreed from a place of wanting to save the people, she was ready to exact her revenge on the people who took her kingdom. We would have had a very different story if she had been successful. I have to admire the balls she had to get the entire order kicked out of the country for like 200 years. Thats impressive fuckery.

All the people I ship romantically with this character

I don’t have any ships here. She’s technically a ghoul in DAO? And animated by a demon. That just sounds like a bad plan romantically. And she does not strike me as a romance type. Marriage of power? Sure. For love? No.

My non-romantic OTP for this character

I want her to meet Justice/Anders. Possessed Grey Wardens should stick together. And I want to know what they agree on because I definitely think they could share sentiments. Justice will stop at nothing to achieve his goals and she could write the book on it.

My unpopular opinion about this character

I don’t think she’s evil, I think she had a potential for greatness that was encouraged and supported and when faced with the failure of her ambitions she kept pushing. I find it rather admirable even if I don’t condone murder and battle. Or demon possession but I think that could be negotiated. 

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon.

That you could recruit her. A warden commander, possessed or otherwise, would be a good ally for the Blight. She has experience and knowledge which the warden and Alistair lack. And if an undead warden makes the killing blow against an archdemon what do we get? 

Nathaniel Howe

How I feel about this character

First off, poor kid’s dad was an absolute asshole. After spending his childhood wanting to make him proud, including spending time as a squire to a jerk, learning that his father was a grade A douche must have been hard. And we deal with this grief by breaking into the family castle to steal shit before getting wrestled into a cell by the wardens. I dig it. 

All the people I ship romantically with this character

Velanna is a ship I have seen a bit of and I find it nice. Their banter is a good setup for it. 

My non-romantic OTP for this character

Sigrun, their dialogue cracks me up.

My unpopular opinion about this character

His story is more tragic than the Cousland warden’s. The Couslands had a happy life until they died and Nathaniel went from one misery to the next. They both lost everything and this isn’t a comparison of who had it worse, just an acknowledgment that they both got it bad and setting Nathaniel up as a villain is in poor taste and weak spines.

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon.

I am pretty happy with his canon. He gets the chance to make the name Howe mean something again, to remind himself and the world that being noble can be more than a bloodline. 

Isabela

How I feel about this character

Look. Isabela is my canon romance for Hawke. If I must abide by canon, it is always, always Isabela. She’s funny. She grows as a person through the events of da2. She could, and does if you fuck up, take off at a run with the qunari but she could also come back. She could save her skin, but tries to save yours even though it means facing down her worst nightmares, life under the Qun which would be awful. And shes a pirate! 

All the people I ship romantically with this character

Merrill and Hawke, either together or separately. I understand the Fenris thing that can happen but eh. 

My non-romantic OTP for this character

Varric, their banter makes me happy. And they get each other without having to do the deep talks. 

My unpopular opinion about this character

I really, really hate how Anders and Aveline treat her. To the point I won’t have them in the same party as her because it makes me so mad. Lets slutshame someone who was sold into a marriage. And if I have to explain the connotations of that kind of marriage you are probably too young to be here. The writers could have done better. Instead, I will ignore canon and substitute my own. I also have a problem with fandom going lol booze and sex Isabela, like please, lets have some character depth here. Its just the cheese all over again. 

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon.

Let me go on the boat with her. I need a tropical island date. Sail away from Kirkwall and ignore the explosions lol

Lace Harding

How I feel about this character

Lace is the best. Funny? Dwarf archer?  Adventure! I am not even a little in love with her. Its big in love with her. She means business at work but plays hard too.

All the people I ship romantically with this character

Me lol i do totally see her with most inquisitors, especially ones that are more no i am not some religious icon. Definitely Krem, they could have danger adventures followed by cuddling and it would be cute as shit. The Iron Bull would be their strongest shipper because a happy Krem makes leaving the Qun not hurt as bad, that he has a family here. And Lace would be down for mayhem. 

My non-romantic OTP for this character

Sera, i could see them very much running pranks together. I could also see her trading romance novels with Cassandra. The Iron Bull as per above. Mayhem. 

I could eventually see her and Leliana warming to each other, Lace has a serious case of hero worship and rightful terror of Leliana. But I could see them bonding over wine and Leliana teaching her the ins and outs of working in an urban setting.

My unpopular opinion about this character

Hm. I’m not sure I have an unpopular opinion of her? Maybe that even with an inquisitor that is very into being the Herald, the shine would wear off for her taking them from otherworldly to human. Its hard to think of someone as being an icon when you’ve heard them whine about a sunburn. Or seen them without coffee. A lot of people seem to dig that whole star struck for eternity thing.

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon.

An actual in game romance, instead of the barest nods you get in Trespasser. Cowards. Let us kiss the dwarves. Also, kit her out with some beyond the basic equipment. She does a lot for the Inquisition, give her a dragonbone bow or something please. I would also like her taking pot shots at Corphytits in the final battle. She would be there, first on a horse with your companions and advisors, because she’s not going to go through another Haven.