#party vaguely agreed with him (or at least didn't push back on it). it has been deeply frustrating to see this campaign turn out as it has

[swordscleric]

I think as a result of their indecision, general dithering on every possible decision and inability to provide a single sliver of rationale behind the actions they have taken, I personally don't think we can judge Bell's Hells on whether or not their decisions are moral or not. Have they wishy-washily and passively avoided every hard question that could have been asked of them? Yes; but that speaks to a lack of interesting ideas and a lack of curiosity on their collective behalf in dealing with the scenarios set before them. I think if we judge them on anything it is the consequences of their actions (or inaction). Realistically, I reckon (depending on how releasing Predathos goes) they will be treated in a similar way to how someone like Vespin Chloras was treated by history - a damned fool whose actions lead to the annihilation of civilisations, the destruction of millions of lives and as such has been (rightfully!) condemned by Exandrian history as one of its greatest villains. Our softening of our view as a fandom on Vespin comes from his editing of Zerxus' pact to save the world from the rage of the Primordials. I think his actions, typical of the Age of Arcanum, echo Ludinus' fatal ideological folly in assuming that they would lead to prosperity due to a change in the divine structures of Exandria; Bell's Hells, having followed Ludinus' plan to the letter, now risk becoming as big of villains as Vespin Chloras for even worse reasons - a total lack of imagination and a deep unwillingness to engage with any hard question that would force them to face their lack of interiority as a party.

[aladaylessecondblog]

Red Mountain Waffle House pt. 21

Author's Note: How am I on chapter 21 already???

----------------------

Sadara was feeling pleasantly woozy, and - for once - remembering everything she'd seen and heard in her dreams.

Right away she scolded herself for agreeing or at least seeming to agree to what had been told her. Had it really BEEN him, she thought? Nothing was ever that clear.

What WAS clear was how eagerly she'd wanted to believe him, if for no other reason than to luxuriate in the touch of his skin. It had been ages since she'd touched someone, really touched them in more than a passing way. And then there'd been that night at Greg's party, that night she never wanted to end.

You know who he is, she thought quietly, trying to make sense of this, This doesn't make sense.

It really didn't. Dagoth UR, she thought, trying to remind herself of things Nibani had said. Creepy cult leader. Weirdo who walked around wearing practically nothing. The guy blighting half of Morrowind with his so-called divine disease. The one literally called a word meaning 'devil'. The one who hadn't had the courtesy to say who he was before she'd made the mistake of banging him. The one who wore a shit disguise and sang an old song about losing one's love to a redhead. In retrospect, a little too on the nose...

Sadara took a deep breath and sat up.

Her next thought was that he'd fucked like it was his last chance to do it.

As long as it had been for me, it was probably even more so for him...

He was a dangerous man, and even if he were entirely smitten with her, she thought, reaching for any reason to push herself logically away - was it really a good idea to encourage him? On top of EVERYTHING ELSE, as if she needed more reasons - surely Gilvoth wouldn't be the only one displeased at her presence, and dealing with a crazy family could definitely ruin the shine of whatever MIGHT be had.

Really, said a voice that sounded vaguely like Gilvoth, in the back of her mind, Do you think you belong there?

"No," she said aloud. Going to that palace - or stronghold, or whatever it was, it gave her the distinct feeling of being out of place, a canvasari among the elite, and if she wanted that, she could go see Almalexia or Helseth, without any complicated feelings.

Or thoughts of those big sad eyes Dagoth Ur had turned at her.

Ugh, why did he have to appear NOW? Why couldn't he just leave me alone?

She felt deceived, used, unwanted - but most of all confused. Why couldn't things be simpler?

And then she thought of Azura.

Of course. It was all because Azura had decided to use her as a pawn. Because Azura, who claimed to love her followers, who put herself above the other Good Daedra, was not above using her followers.

Sadara could already imagine what Nibani would say. 'You were a piece in a grand plan, the plan to destroy the wicked Tribunal! Nerevar Moon-and-Star was ever Azura's servant, will surely do as the Queen of Dawn and Dusk asks. Can you not see the part you have played in what is to come?'

She didn't want to play a part. She didn't want to be a cog in someone else's plan, tossed aside once used up. And that, she thought, was another reason not to cozy up to Dagoth Ur. Even if he said he wanted her alongside Nerevar, what was to stop her being tossed out with nothing once he grew bored of her? Rich folk did it all the time with mistresses. Her good name (ha, as if she had one to begin with) would be ruined and she'd have nothing out of it all.

Her head was buzzing again. The point she was trying to come to, the point she was trying to convince herself of, was that it wasn't a good idea to want this. Even if Dagoth Ur was telling the truth, she was sure she'd never be more than the third wheel in what he had with Nerevar. There was a time she'd have been happy with that, even working at the Waffle House - given time she would probably have been open to it, had he gone about things the right way. At that point she would have said morals were for people with money.

I deserve better than that...but it didn't look like he was the type to take a mistress.

And that wasn't even considering Nerevar! What use would HE have for her? She had never been that nice to him, before he'd come back - really, who would have been, if they'd started hearing voices that wasted their phone data on top of that? He hadn't come to see her either, so--

She shook her head. Thought like this was burning daylight. She got dressed for the day and set out towards Barenziah's chambers. Of late the Queen Mother had been less and less sociable with others, claiming she was old enough to be entitled not to speak to anyone if she didn't feel like it. Her bones pained her, and another trip to Tel Fyr was in the cards soon.

"My bones ache constantly now. The doctors up at Fyr's help," Barenziah said over breakfast, "But age takes its toll. Once you hit three hundred you start noticing little things. At three hundred and fifty it gets more pronounced...and now at more than four hundred..."

"You still look wonderful."

Barenziah huffed slightly. "I still look wonderful because I wear expensive robes, and if you drape a thousand gold's worth of jewelry on top of it, I look alright."

She then gestured with her right hand, displayed a Hlaalu signet ring, and another with a large sapphire on it.

"I've never seen many rings like this up close before," she said, then stopped, "Well, the one I woke up wearing was gorgeous. When I was...still married."

"A Dagoth ring, no doubt? I'm sure it's worth a fortune."

"Naturally...I had to hand it over when I delivered Nerevar's bones, though. One of Dagoth Ur's brothers...took offense to my having it." She paused, and thought back, remembering not only the insult, but her reply. Then her expression hardened. "Anyway, some rings can be a bit too heavy on the hand, so I'm glad I don't have to wear any such things again. It was overlarge, for what it was."

There was a lengthy silence as they both finished eating their guar and eggs, and then a blackberry pastry Sadara went to get from the kitchens. They were on to coffee when the door opened to let in - King Helseth. He walked in - looked over them, took in the sight of them. He looked first at her, then at Barenziah.

Sadara muttered a quick 'your majesty' as greeting and kept her eyes on her pastry. It really was very good, a little tart but in just the right way.

"Mother," Helseth said, "You know you were meant to hold court today."

"Hold court? Isn't that what you so love to do?" Barenziah gave a little laugh. "Helseth, surely you aren't going to go off and leave me here to handle these fools?"

"As a matter of fact, there is a matter of importance I need to attend to in Vivec City..." There was a pause. "I know you don't wish to tend these things but as I've no one else I trust to handle such things..."

Barenziah sighed. "Fine, I'll go and fetch that tiara you insisted on buying me."

"I could fetch it for you," Sadara said, "It's in the upper wardrobe isn't it?"

"No, no," Barenziah stood, gesturing at the younger woman, "You stay here. I insist."

A few moments later she was gone. Sadara chanced to look up at Helseth, who was giving her an expression somewhere between baleful and searching. The same look she remembered the first time she met him.

"I will make this quick," Helseth said, "Because I do not believe in mincing words when it comes to these things."

"Your majesty--"

"You've already called me that. My mother should have reminded you - when addressing the royal family you say that first, and 'sir' thereafter."

"Yes, sir." It was easy enough. Sadara was curious, but cautious. Best to stick to what he was expecting. "What was it you wanted to say?"

"I want to begin by saying you did a good job with those slavers up north."

"Slavers?" Sadara paused, and tensed as she thought back. "I don't recall..."

"I of course do not want such filth in my country..." Helseth paused, "Slavery is a stain I intend to erase. But be that as it may...I do not encourage murder to be used in the cleaning of that stain. We're citizens of the Empire, after all. Rules and laws - laws I can change if need be - are what enact change. Not sudden violence."

"I didn't murder anyone," she replied quickly.

"No? Then explain why, when their disappearances were discovered..." And here Helseth began to sound angrier, "Why it is that your blood was found on one of their bodies?"

"I didn't--"

"But you did." He took a moment to watch her, then added, "The only thing I require of you is to make a choice."

"What choice?"

"Confess here and now to the murder of the four slavers, or continue to lie and insist you are innocent when we both know you are not," Helseth said, "Or..."

"Or?"

He put a hand beneath his robe's collar and drew out a small box, which he set on the table and opened.

Sadara wished, not for the last time, that she'd never left Cyrodiil.

------------------------

How's it going?

terrible, jiub. I give up.

oh that good huh

No, I mean it this time. I'm tired of fighting all this shit. every time things look like they're going to be okay I get sucker punched again. This is why I don't relax.

u know being stressed like that all the time will kill u right

then I won't have to worry anymore

[townofcadence]

Snowed In

@talesofnovembria continued from here!

She'd initially raised a brow when Artair sought her out to help with some supernatural rumors. More than anything, it was more that he was coming to her rather than someone closer. More pressing was her stepping away from the Estate to deal with something like this. Sure, Cassandra and her husband didn't really seem to mind...

But Alexander was always the main issue. She could rant and rave about how she didn't care what he said about her actions... but that would be a lie. Assuming this outing wouldn't take too long, there really shouldn't be anything for him to complain about.

Salena and Artair might not have seemed like much... but they were a powerful force when they were working in tandem with one another.

Both of them had agreed to meet up at his gas station, moving through the ley-line rather than risking her gates. Smart really, making it mean she only needed one to get to Cadence. In turn, this also gave her time to gather supplies. The "mission" was pretty tame. Go to investigate the mountains and the anomalies that were taking place there. Vague was the word he'd used, and she agreed.

The set of saronite armor would be overkill for something like this... but even some casual clothes might not be the right call either. Supernatural meant dangerous more often than not. Having protection would work in her favor. As a compromise, she dawned her leather armor. Another perk was having some small bags attached to help carry her other supplies.

Supplies which included a strange looking whistle and a vial of sand. Those were the two most important things aside from her blades. No reason not to bring those too. If she didn't need them, then fine. If not used, having them with her would help channel any runic magic she might use.

Before long, both parties arrived at the station, her ignoring any strange looks that might have been directed at her. Logic and strategy came as second nature.

They stepped through the ley-line...

And were immediate hit by white.

Snow was one thing. Both of them could handle that... but this was a full on blizzard. A chill rushed up her body the moment her feet sank into the snow, frigid winds biting against the uncovered parts of her body. This was bad. Very bad.

She was used to dealing with harsh winter weather... when she was undead. It was entirely another matter now that she was alive again. Mad worse by her weakened health. The leather was at least doing its job from not immediately getting soaked. If they didn't do something soon though, they were both going to freeze.

Salena's head snapped to the side when Artair called out to her, shivers already starting to wrack her body. A portal? Right. A gate. Her hand came up, feeling the way the runic magic moved through her. Gates were easy...

Unless you felt your power immediately cut off before it can finish.

A chopped snarl erupted from her throat. Ok, calm down. Assess the situation. Was it just the gates? Her eyes fell back on Artair, moving her feet through the snow to bring up some ice to at least block one direction of the roaring snow in the air. Same result. It was cut off before it could finish. Her snarl increased as she called back to him, "No good. It's like someone, or something has silenced me."

Her hood and mask was good at keeping the snow out of her face, so it would be best for her take temporary lead. She pushed over to Artair, keeping her voice a little loud so he could still hear her, "Our best option right now is to find some shelter, if not to wait out the storm, then to make a plan and see what we can figure out before freezing."

"Are there any known caves or landmarks here that you might know of?"

It is a fleeting relief, seeing the snow dusting Sal’s coat, but not melting on the touch. Wolves used to be something he watched documentaries on while he worked on things in the shop—their coats, called a pelage, has two layers. One is meant to keep the snow and wind and rain out, while the other-- the undercoat—insulates and traps air, to keep them warm in winter. He can feel a fraction of a shiver he’s sure is hers, but at least she wouldn’t freeze fast; seeing the snow on her fur refusing to melt might mean she has that same pelage as a worgen. And thank the fucking stars too. Fur like that could keep the snow and wind at bay, maintaining her vitals and warmth well below zero. Its why wolves could survive so well up north in the frozen tundras. And with her living in a place like Sweden, her winter coat would likely be sticking around from the colder climate. She had a lot wrong with her body, but she for sure has fur, and that can’t--- it can’t work the wrong way like some of her can. So maybe this wouldn’t be so rough on her, even if it was unpleasant.

He pushes away a circling thought. His heart squeezes in his chest with a surge of – something, he’s not sure what, and it’s not worth the time as another howling blast of algid air whips against the two of them. He hisses, watching Sal begin her moment for a gate. There’s a tingling, a sense of magic, a sense of her own, before—nothing. Numb. Fire along his neck and down his spine and tears in his eyes that don’t make sense. The air feels thinner than before, like he’s spinning, but he doesn’t even sway. Is it his? Ugh--- he can’t tell. But there’s an emptiness, a sense of nothing like a hole in his chest, and he doesn’t need to see the lack of gate to know it didn’t show like it was meant to.

Something had to be blocking the spell.

He nods at her reaching the same conclusion at likely the same moment, barely hearing her over the wailing storm. It doesn’t seem worth trying a spell of his own. Not in these conditions where he can barely see a foot in front of him and everything aches and burns, and not when he’s a novice at best: if Sal can’t do anything, he’s sure they’d get the same result.

He reaches into his pocket for his phone, fishing it out with red fingers and curling over it to see the screen. Snow already patters against it, leaving drops. He pulls the hood over his head to conserve what heat he can, rolling his shoulder as his eyes flick over the screen. The biggest issue was not knowing where they were in relation to anything else, but he could see a trail with at least a dozen shelters along it, likely for surprise storms, and the safety of hikers. There’s some kind of town at the bottom of the mountain, but they’d never make it that far--- but if they could reach the trail, they might be able to find shelter.

“I don’t know where we are.” He shouts, brushing the ice from his face. His cheeks hurt. “But I see a trail. No caves on the map but I’m sure there has to be some around. We could move and look for some kind of shelter for a few minutes, but if we can’t spot anything in this storm, I think we should build a snow-burrow.” The words sound familiar in his ears, like Byron is right behind him sharing one of his survival kernels of wisdom. “I’ll see if I can’t get us a good direction.”

Artair slips his phone into his bag and produces a compass instead, a tiny thing the size of a quarter in his hand. The mountain was north of the town at the base of it, so if they could head south---

The needle wobbles, then wiggles more sporadic, before spinning wild on its axis. A shake does nothing to cure his compass of the erratic movement-- the needle didn’t seem keen to stop, and picks up speed. His frown deepens, before he shoves it back in his bag. His voice drops a little, dipping with a cough, before he forces it loud enough to be legible again. “I--I guess we pick a random one to move in. Unless you can hear or smell something that could h-help.”

[obaewankenope]

Hey @writer-in-theory your answer to this ask inspired me! Rip my life and brain because wow I haven't written in ages!!

@kedreeva enjoy some Steddie lol

[Ao3]

.

Steve Harrington isn't gay. That's one thing Eddie Munson knows for a fact. It's like a the earth is round, the sun is the centre of the solar system, kind of fact.

At least, Eddie thought it had been one of those kinds of facts.

Steve Harrington asking him, Eddie, freak, outcast, exonerated-by-Hopper-suspected-serial-killer, Munson to the movies on fucking Valentines Day blows that entire Fact Of Existence out of the fucking water.

"You mean as friends?" Eddie asks, maybe a little desperately to change what he's thinking Steve might actually mean. A lot desperately. Because surely, surely Steve Harrington isn't gay and into Eddie.

Eddie is not that lucky.

"If you want," Harrington replies with such a casual fucking shrug of his shoulders that Eddie wants to scream. He's seen that move from Harrington before. Harrington is humouring Eddie in that too-nice-to-be-selfish way Steve has that Eddie didn't realise he did have until recently.

It's the way Harrington doesn't push any of their party about things even if Harrington really wants to.

It's the way Steve offers his home to all of them, no matter the time of day, if they need a safe space and quiet.

It's the way Eddie has watched Harrington never push or ask for anything for himself beyond the initial, vague comment that no one else seems to realise is Steve Harrington's cry for attention.

And here it is now, with Eddie, offering him a way out of something Steve wants because Steve Harrington won't be selfish and will let Eddie reject him if it makes Eddie more comfortable.

Fucking fuck. 

Eddie suddenly understands how really smart scientists in history felt when they realised one of their Facts Of Existence turned out wrong. And, like those scientists, Eddie isn't going to let himself keep on going with a wrong fact.

He's not a coward anymore. Eddie Munson isn't going to run away from something ever again. 

"No, we can go together," Eddie says, watching Harri- Steve's face. He sees the moment Steve understands that Eddie doesn't mean go together as friends. He sees it when Steve actually realises Eddie understands what Steve wants and is agreeing to it. 

That smile Steve supported from the beginning of their conversation changes then-and-there. "Cool. I'll pick you up at 7:30, yeah?"

"Yeah, Steve." Eddie nods and watches Steve realise he's late for work, Robin is gonna be opening alone and is going to murder him for it, and that this really is happening. "It's a date," he calls out to Steve's rapidly retreating back as Steve rushes to his car.

Steve freezes mid-step and turns to stare at Eddie. There's that shocked sort of delight on his face that Eddie's only seen the kids bring out when they surprised Steve on his birthday with some truly awful singing.

Eddie gives him a smirk. "Right, Harrington?"

"Right, Munson," Steve says after a moment, face turning bright with a grin that Eddie has never seen on his face. Not directed at Eddie, anyway.

Wheeler got it several times when they dated in high school. Now it's Eddie's to receive.

"Robin's gonna kill you for being late," Eddie comments and Steve snorts.

"Not when I tell her you actually said yes to me," Steve replies, "she's been at me to ask you out for months."

Eddie blinks. "Months?"

Steve blushes. "Yeah, uh, I wasn't sure how you'd react do I kept putting it off," he admits. "Didn't want to put it off any longer though. You're too good to let someone else ask you first."

Eddie snorts, thinking Steve is being snarky before he realises, Harrington actually believes that. Steve Harrington thinks he had competition for Eddie's hand. Holy shit.

"Good thing you did then," Eddie shoots back, entire being amazed at this revelation that Steve Harrington wants him enough to not let someone else ask Eddie out for Valentine's. Jesus Christ, Steve likes Eddie, the freak, Munson. 

"7:30 Harrington," Eddie reminds him, putting this earth-shattering revelation to the side for the moment.

Steve nods. "7:30, yeah."

They stare at each other, a distance between them that means nothing now Eddie sees Steve properly for the first time. He understands the expression on Steve's face for what it is: longing and affection and desire. Eddie isn't too sure his own face isn't reflecting the same right back for Steve to see.

"You're gonna be so late," Eddie says eventually and the moment breaks. Steve blinks, curses, and dives at his car. "Good luck, Harrington."

Steve groans as he starts his car. "Pray for me," he shouts at Eddie as he reverses away.

Eddie laughs and gives Steve's car a salute. "No promises," he shouts back as Steve drives off, leaving Eddie at his trailer with his whole world tilted on a new axis of reality.

Because Eddie Munson knows now, Steve Harrington isn't straight, is the real fact. And after their date, he discovers another to go with this new Fact Of Existence:

Steve Harrington loves Eddie, the freak, Munson.

Of course, that one has its own Fact Of Existence accompanying it that Steve Harrington gets to discover too:

Eddie Munson loves Steve, the hair, Harrington.

[drop a tip, like, reblog, message, whatever, at me if you liked this and maybe want more fic from me in the future]

[youbloodymadgenius]

Ivarello (Modern!Ivar x reader) Chapter 2

Moodboard by @quantumlocked310

Ivarello's masterpost here

A/N: This is my entry for @deans-ch-ch-cherrypie 500 Followers Fairy Tale Challenge. It's a retelling of Cinderella. Congrats again, darling 💖

A huge thank you to @mrsalwayswrite , who's a great beta reader and an even greater cheerleader 😂

A massive thank you to @quantumlocked310 , @vikingstrash and @serasvictoria . Thank you for agreeing to collaborate and for sharing your talent with me. Your moodboards are beyond amazing 🤩

In this story, Sigurd is alive. Ragnar and Aslaug are dead, but Lagertha didn't kill her. I took a lot of liberties with the show, I hope you won't mind.

Unlike the tale, there will be no magic involved. Not everything will be realistic, however. It's a fayritale, after all!

Let me know if you want to be tagged 😊

Summary: Orphaned five years ago, Ivar and his brothers have been living with Lagertha ever since. Now 16 years old, he wants to attend Harald's traditional Midsummer party, but obstacles stand in his way.

Warnings: description of car crash; orphaned kids; Sigurd being Sigurd; OOC characters.

Words: 2075

Additional note: In Norway, you are of age at 18.

Enjoy 🙂

🛡⚔️🛡

"... don't start eating until your brother joins us."

As he pushes himself down the large hallway leading to the kitchen, Ivar can hear Lagertha's assertive voice. He knows exactly who she's talking to and his suspicions are confirmed as soon as he enters the room, as a very displeased and apparently famished Hvitserk looks at him with irritation before letting out a muffled, "it's 'bout time."

"Sorry, I must have dozed off." Shrugging, Ivar wheels up to the kitchen table, the smell of pizza tickling his nostrils. He must be hungrier than he thought.

"You look like Hel." Sigurd sneers in greeting.

Ivar, without bothering to look up, just tilts his head and hisses through clenched teeth, "coming from you, dear brother, I take that as a compliment."

He can feel Lagertha's gaze upon him and when he turns his head toward her, she is staring at him, the worry obvious in her eyes.

"I wouldn’t have put it exactly like that but Sigurd isn't wrong." She crosses the room and leans over, her brow furrowed. "You look exhausted, sweetie, what's going on?"

Ivar almost wants to laugh. He looks exhausted? No kidding? Yeah, guess what? That's what two sleepless nights in a row usually do to you. At least that's what they did to him. What you did to him, haunting his nights and even haunting his dreams, waking him up with a start, his heart pounding in his chest, the few times he managed to fall asleep. At least, he'd made up his mind early this morning. Hopefully, now that the decision has been made, he'll sleep better. Saturday night, he'll see you again. His heart is racing at the thought and he inhales deeply, trying to calm down.

Unsurprisingly persistent, Lagertha asks again as she places her hand on his shoulder, squeezing it lightly, "Ivar, are you all right?"

He wishes he could just ignore his stepmom but knows she won't let it rest. Unwilling to admit that he owes his restless nights to a girl - to you - he decides to keep his answer vague. "So-so," he mumbles, slightly rocking his right hand.

"You're in pain? Do you need more meds? I could run to the drugstore really quick."

For once, he doesn't resent Ubbe for his well-meant yet patronizing kindness, nor for the pitying look he gives him. Actually, he silently thanks him for the good diversion. As long as his brothers and Lagertha believe that it's his legs that bother him, keeping him awake, his secret - you - will be safe.

Faking a small, sheepish smile, Ivar shakes his head. "Thanks bro, but that's okay, I have everything I need. Guess I should just double-up the tramadol tonight." He winces for good measure, knowing fully well he won't even need a single dose. The pain in his legs today is barely at four, nothing he can't handle.

Once the meal is almost over – which in plain English means that everyone but Hvitserk has finished eating, but thanks to Lagertha principle 'no one leaves the table until everyone has finished, boys', they're all stuck here – Ivar decides it's time to break the news.

"I'm gonna go to the party."

As soon as the words are out of his mouth, the kitchen falls quiet. Even Hvitserk stops chewing, putting his last slice of pizza back on his plate.

Not knowing what to do with the silence, and feeling a little awkward, Ivar explains further, a hand on his neck, "the midsummer party, I mean. Harald's party."

"We heard you just fine, sweetie." Lagertha is the first to pull herself together, even though the disbelief is clear in her voice. As Ivar looks up, his brothers are staring at him, slack-jawed, bewildered, probably wondering what's got into their baby brother.

"Let me get this straight." With widened eyes, Ubbe starts running both hands through his hair, "you are considering attending Harald's party, right? That's... That's what you said?"

"Yep." Ivar shrugs as if it was no big deal. Who is he kidding? Of course, it is! Attending the party is a fucking huge deal for him. There's no way in Hel he'll admit it, though. Not in front of his brothers. No fucking way!

"I'm not sure I understand..." Ubbe sounds cautious and it infuriates Ivar to no end.

"What part of 'I'm gonna go to the party' don't you get, brother? Huh? Too many big words for you?" He wants to keep going but when Lagertha clears her throat and gives him a stern look, he faintly raises an apologetic hand while muttering under his breath, "okay, okay, I'll stop."

Heaving a sigh, he shrugs once more. "Seriously, you don't all have to look so surprised. I just want to go to Harald's party. It's really not that big of a deal."

"But you never wanted to, sweetie. Why now?" Lagertha's eyes are wide open and there's a frown on her forehead as she crosses her arms.

"Why not?" Ivar can't help but raise his voice. "I'm sixteen, Lagertha! Thought I was entitled to a change of heart. Was I wrong?" Pointing a finger successively at each of his brothers, his free hand grabs his push rim, his knuckles white. "The three of you attend every year, why shouldn't I?" Looking directly at Lagetha once again, he asks in a clipped voice, "You're not going to tell me I can't go, are you?"

"Of course not, sweet–" She begins but Ubbe cuts her off.

"Listen Ivar, no one is saying you shouldn't go, not yet at least. As a matter of fact, no one would be more pleased than I if you were willing to go out more. Playing pool, going to the movies, or just having drinks, you know you're always welcome to come along with us. But..." Ubbe groans, rubbing his hands over his face and Ivar stiffens, grinding his teeth, "Harald's party, really? It's not going to work. You know it takes place on the beach, it's not exactly wheelchair-friendly."

Reluctantly taking his eyes off his slice of pizza, Hvitserk jumps in. "Ivar is our brother, if he wants to go, we find a way. That's it - I'll carry him."

Positively surprised, a small smile playing on his lips, Ivar thanks his brother with a nod, glad – and relieved too, because two are always better than one, right? – that Hvitserk, as so often, backs him up. Of all his brothers, he's the only one who sees him first as a sixteen-year-old and not as a cripple.

Ubbe is having none of it though. "Hvitserk, just stay out of this, okay?" He's practically shouting, chin up and chest out. "You don't have a say! I'm the oldest, not you! I don't think it's a good idea for Ivar to attend Harald's party, period."

Hvitserk furrows his brow and for a short moment, Ivar thinks his brother is going to fight back but eventually he lowers his gaze, defeated, before shoving the whole slice of pizza into his mouth. Ivar knows all too well that his brother, who's not the most tenacious of them, hates confrontation, especially with Ubbe.

Unlike him, Ivar is always ready to pick up a fight, even when it's not worth it, even when he is wrong. Today, though, it's definitely worth it.

His nostrils flaring, he smashes his fist down on the table, his face crumpled with anger. "Who do you think you are, Ubbe? You may be the oldest, but you're not my father, okay? So please, just do me a favor, brother, and read my lips." His voice dripping with sarcasm, his bottom lips quivering, Ivar is absolutely livid, "You. Don't. Have. A. Say. Period."

Ubbe is about to retort, his hands clenched into fists but Lagertha raises a hand, shutting him up. "Boys, boys, boys!" Glancing at Ubbe and then at Ivar, she shakes her head, not exactly thrilled with their outburst. "Now, calm down, both of you. Ubbe, Ivar is right. You may be his big brother, you may be an adult, but you're not his father. I know you mean well but as Ivar's guardian, I have the final say." Turning her head toward Ivar, she cracks him a reassuring smile. "We'll talk about this later, okay? Just the two of us."

***

Slamming the door shut, Ivar wheels up right next to his bed and, angling his chair just right, transfers over onto his bed before punching the wall, a roar escaping his lips. Big tears of frustration and anger run down his cheeks as Sigurd's words linger in his mind.

He had been surprised when his less-favorite brother had stayed out of the conversation.

He should have known better.

No sooner had Lagertha, Ubbe and Hvitserk left – she to make a phone call, they to join Margrethe – leaving them to tidy up the kitchen, than Sigurd had lashed out at him with harsh words and eyes full of spite.

"You messed up in the head, huh? It's a fucking beach, Ivar, you do realize your front wheels will get stuck in sand, right? Now tell me, little brother, do you really think we are going to carry your crippled ass around all night? Let me tell you, it's not going to happen! There will be so many better ways for us to spend the night. Girls, you know? Lots of them. Am I going to let you embarrass me and ruin my night? No! Not in a million years. And anyway, why do you even want to go? Get real, Ivar, you don't belong there, you just don't. You're a fucking cripple, a freak, an abnormality. No one wants you there. No one wants to see you. The sooner you accept it the better."

He knows Sigurd was intentionally trying to hurt him. And fuck, he did succeed. Ivar had felt so humiliated that it had brought bile to his throat.

At some point, while Sigurd was spitting his venom, Ivar had grabbed the large knife lying on the table and it took all his self-control not to stab his brother. No doubt his shrink would be proud of him.

Now though in his room, and even if he is boiling with anger, the nagging thought that Sigurd had a point, that he wasn't completely wrong, doesn't leave him. And he can see now that, in his own weird way, Ubbe was trying to protect him. By preventing him from going, his big brother wanted to spare him humiliation, pity, and mockery. Hvitserk, of course, had been willing to help, but let's face it, Sigurd once again was right. Piggy-back riding is not really an option anymore, he is too heavy. Plus, if he's being honest, even if it were still possible, it's the last thing he'd want. The mere thought of you seeing him on Ubbe's or Hvitserk's back makes him nauseous. Which puts him back to square one.

The beach is a problem and a huge one. Wheeling in sand is a no-go. It's just fucking impossible. If he doesn't come up with an idea soon, he's not going to be physically able to attend the party. And that's something he doesn't want to consider.

"I need a fucking genius idea!" He speaks out loud, cracking his knuckles, his eyes squeezed shut.

Fuck.

He just wants to see you. Y/N... Just you. And he won't be able to.

Fuck. Fucking sand! Fucking beach! Fucking legs! Fuck– Stop.

Wait.

What... What did he say?

He needs an idea... A genius idea. Genius. That's it.

A slow smile spreads across his face.

Good thing he knows an authentic genius, right?

Grabbing his phone, he frantically slides his pointer finger on the screen, sighing with relief as he finds the contact he is looking for.

"Hello, Ivar," the man answers after two rings, and his voice brings an even bigger smile to Ivar's lips, "it's very sweet of you to call me."

"Hello to you too, you spindly legged, knock-kneed old fool. There might be something that you can do for me. I want to attend Harald's party. It'll take place on the beach. My brothers won't carry me and I can't really crawl about, can I? I wonder if you could help me, Floki?"

Ivar's godfather lets out a high-pitched chuckle before answering, "I'll figure something out, dear Ivar, I'll figure something out."

🛡⚔️🛡

Ivar's taglist: @waiting4inspiration @honestsycrets @lisinfleur @saldelys @gearhead66 @inforapound @readsalot73 @milkkygirls @xbellaxcarolinax @shannygoatgruff @zuxiezendler @hecohansen31 @lonewolf471 @fuckindiva @tgrrose @didiintheblog @peachyboneless @pieces-by-me @funmadnessandbadassvikings @ethereallysimple @destynelseclipsa @cocovikings23 @xceafh @mrsalwayswrite @deans-ch-ch-cherrypie @pomegranates-and-blood @jadelynlace @grimeundglow @quantumlocked310 @alexhandersen-marcoilsoe-fandom

Ivarello's taglist: @not-another-viking-fanfic-blog @hashimily @prepare4trouble @supernaturalvikingwhore @funmadnessandbadassvikings @heavenly1927

[shyrose57]

Thank you other anon for wishing me well!! That means a lot to me! 

He does but Raq doesn't actually know Rans backstory. So he doesn't know Ran has siblings. He just assumes his mom either died or abandoned him due to finding Ran completely alone and being a hybrid. Before Ran would just scream at Raq in Enderian, now both Raq and Ran scream at eachother in it. Jackie describes it as, "A screaming match to assert dominance." 

Yep, his body was already straining itself to fend off the posion and the teleporting ended up straining him more than he could handle. So as soon as he teleported them he collapsed and wasn't able to even stand. 

That just made me imagine them digging down only to look up and see Phil clambering down after them like a mole. 

After he made a scavenger hunt made out of everyone else's items. Phil found his axe in a destroyed tree trunk and Ran found his sword buried in the ground. While Sapnap found his bow hidden behind stones and Jackie was never able to find his particularly because Ranboo forgot where he hid it. 

Yes, although its very rough. 

Porkius is very very suprised and needs time to come to turns with them being there. While Porkius reacts well to Techno, Techno does not like Porkius and has threatened to punch him a few times and one time he followed through and punched him hard enough to make him fall to the ground. 

Definitely.

---------------------

Ranboo is still his ancestor! Ran feels mostly confused, startled, scared, and oddly a bit comfortable. Phil makes him feel comfortable because he reminds him so much of Watson who was a very close and comforting figure to him. But Techno kind of scares him cause while Porkius was kind to him he was also strict, so he's afraid Techno will be stricter and mean just due to how he looks. He also just kinda ignores Ranboo at first because he can't handle the fact he's looking at his now alive ancestor. 

Not really I'd say, even though they all have different enderman percentces, they have the same instincts. Though due to Ranboos memory problem, his memory of enderman culture is almost non-existent, and instead presents itself through his instincts. If any of that makes sense? 

Karl is terrified upon seeing Ran, as soon as he even hears he's here he immediately drops what he's doing and after a few questions runs off to find and confront him. Tubbo is incredibly fascinated by Ran and at first he respects Ran's boundaries and stays away from him, but as soon as Ran is walking around outside and exploring the surrounding environment, he sees that as the perfect opportunity to bombard Ran with questions. Eret (who I like to headcanon is like a medic and knows a lot more about medicine than most), doesnt comment at first and is instead focused on helping him, but after he learns more about Ran, he is fascinated by him but takes time to get to know Ran and work on making a friendship with him. No one else, not even Michael knows about Ran being there, though they do eventually find out. 

A multitude of reasons 1. He landed wrong and ended up breaking an arm and cracking two ribs due to the sudden stop. 2. He isn't used to traveling through time so time travel had the affect of making him very sick, including headaches and nausea. 3. When he was dragged into the timetravel a match in the Pit just ended and he had a few bruises and cuts that hadn't been taken care of yet, so the travel and harsh landing just aggravated them and re-opened some. 4. The harsh landing ended up also giving him a concussion. 

When Ran is finally consciousness enough he refuses to speak in anything other than Enderian. At first Phil and Techno are scared he can't speak nor understand their language. But Edward steps in and tells them he can both understand and speak it he just doesn't want to necessarily. So Edward does the communication with Ran on their behalf, he also takes the time to comfort and help him come to terms with him being there. Edward is also the one to gently push/convince Ran to actually speak to them. 

Agreed, uh, maybe From Future to Past? Idk. 

------------------------

I already have a name for this au thankfully, Tip of the Iceberg AU. (Also I wanna say real quick not every single character in the Dream SMP or Tales From The SMP will be featured in this au because it's just to many characters for me to keep track of, it'll mostly be characters I feel like I understand if that makes sense)

They end up everywhere, the Bandits end up in Las Nevadas and end up robbing the place before they bolt, running with no real direction in mind. Zack and Cletus end up just outside of Las Nevadas but they run off into the woods once they hear yelling inside the country. Isaac, Porkums, and Grievous end up in Kinoko Kingdom. Ran lands in Erets castle and accidentally breaks a window from his entrance. Jackie, Jon Jon, and Sheriff Sherman end up in Pogtopia but manage to get out (expect Jackie who is stuck and they can't get him out so they actually left for help). Benjamin lands into the ocean around the Guardian farm. Ranbob also lands near the Guardian farm but instead on land. Charles and Watson land somewhere nearby Foolish's summer home. Ranbulter and James get dropped onto Tommys Memorial Island. And Ash lands in Snowchester. (Note I believe these will be all the tales characters I'll be mostly using, but if any get added I'll probably mention where they also ended up). 

Something important though is that almost no one stayed where they landed, Ran ran off into the surrounding forest so he could focus on regathering himself and calm down without worrying about getting attacked, Benjamin just randomly picks a direction to go (North) and ends up picking up Ranbob to join him. John John and Sherman went different directions to look for help; the Kinoko Kingdom group argues before finally Porkums and Grievous head off together having elected to follow the oceans edge (they think the Kingdom is abandoned and think following the ocean will eventually lead them to a city or something), while Isaac calls them stupid and stays around the Kingdom, exploring and taking stuff; and Charles and Watson just kinda walk around though stay in the general area. Anyone I did not mention stays where they landed or is close to where they landed. SOMETHING IMPORTANT THOUGH IS THAT NONE OF THEM GET DIRECTLY SEEN BY ANY SMP MEMBERS RIGHT AWAY, its only found out what happened when Quackity accuses Fundy of stealing from him which he heavily declines. And instead says that he saw others riding out of the country so it must've been them (he saw them from a distance), and their descriptions are enough to unnerve Karl who then goes back to Kinoko Kingdom to look at his Tales from the SMP books where he runs directly into Isaac and realizes what he feared is true. 

Once Karl gets confirmation that people from both the past and future are here he immediately calls an emergency meeting and just tells everyone almost immediately that he's a time traveler so it doesn't become a problem later, they don't believe him but Isaac is kind enough to help convince them. Soon everyone is convinced and while everyone is included only a few are actually part of a active search party. Those people being Techno, Phil, Ranboo, Tubbo, Foolish, Quackity, Sam, Eret, Bad, and of course Karl. Everyone else is assigned to just keep a eye out. Not everyone is in the party because they didn't want to be or they had other stuff to be doing.

He explains the In-between and Other Side but other than that they never really interfere, if anything he gets dragged into both sides when sleeping and the two sides both push him to find everyone and fix it all.

Jackie, as per usual, is the funniest gremlin on the block.

Poor Ran!! At least he gets some rest?

Absolutely terrifying image, I pity the poor fool who witnesses it.

Pfft. Can you just imagine the chaos? Half the time it's probably just caused by his memory issues. Prank war a few weeks ago? Ranboo forgets the traps he put up, and everyone ends up with brightly colored hair, and a large amount of rabbits in their house, and he;s standing right there with them trying to figure out who did it.

It's something, so I'll take it!

Technoblade: Nearly starting wars since...uh, whenever he spawned in, I'm not really sure of the details there.

Good.

-----------------

So Ran is aware Ranboo is his ancestor? Does he have the same backstory as Brothers AU!Ran?

Does this mean Ranboo is working solely on instincts when around other Endermen or Ran? How does that work out?

And since Enderwalk has all his memories, what are Ran's encounters with him like? Is he aware of Enderwalk state, or was that lost to time? Where do their instincts lead them? Does Ranboo get a bit more hesitant towards Ran when he's leaning more on them? Or is he more open and welcoming? Can he tell Ran shares his blood?

Confrontation? Uh oh, how does that go? Especially considering Ran's possibly the only one to have a vague idea of Karl's hobby? Does it end up coming out?

How does Ran feel about having Tubbo constantly ask questions? Is Tubbo just curious, or is he trying to figure things out? Does this mean Ran ends up in Snowchester, or does Tubbo head to the Antarctic? Medic Eret?? What kind of relationship do they have with Techno and Phil to get called in and come to their aid? How do Eret, Karl, and Tubbo learn of him, if this is being kept hush-hush, and why is it being kept such?

Poor Ran, he's really gotten the short end of the stick here. So time traveling can negatively effect those not used to it/built for it? Does Karl suffer similarly?

And Edward speaks Common, then? Also, Edward!! Is he still Techno's roommate here? Does he have a little nearby area? Or does he head back to the End when he's not hanging around? Has he been helping Ranboo as well?

Sounds good!

-------------------------

Gotcha, gotcha.

The fact that the bandits first instinct upon appearing in a strange new place with no prior warning is to rob it brings me great joy. How does that go for them? How far do they get, what do they steal?

Cletus & Zack: Dunno who you are or where I am, but I don't like the sound of that, so lets bolt.

Issac, Porkums, and Grievous actually don't sound like a chaotic combination, so they probably don't cause too much trouble.

Poor Eret. Imagine just trying to enjoy your day and coming back in to see your window broken.

Jon Jon and Sherman with Jackie just sounds really funny actually. The blatant contrast from time periods and all, and Jackie's pure chaotic energy...Also, they'd both be so much taller than him. Why was he stuck though? What happened?

Another question is, at what point was everyone tossed back? Long after Karl had left, before meeting him, in the middle? Is it different for some? How do those who've met him before react? Why does Isaac believe Karl, and how does he help convince the others?

Who's found first? What happens then? Is anyone hurt? What are both sides definition of 'fixing it all', and how does being dragged in between the two effect Karl?

[goattales]

Caught in the Act

Plot: The reader catches Jasper and Alice making out and he starts avoiding them cause he's way to embarrassed to deal with that. Note: the reader doesn't know they're vampires

You, in general, didn't really fit into any of those neat little groups the school divided itself into. You weren't sporty enough to be a jock, you didn't wear enough black to be a got, and you weren't popular enough to be, well, one of the popular kids. You were just Y/N L/N, some high school Senior that kept his head down. The universe had no plan for you, you were merely wandering this earth as a bystander.

But that didn't mean you didn't want to be part of a clique, because it gave people a deeper sense of belonging, a reason to act the way you want to, dress the way you like, do things you enjoy, all with likeminded individuals! But it was too much stress, you preferred to just bounce between interests- sports, art, history, books -without having to be tied to one forever.

And with all that running around your head you started to shove your books and pencil case into your bag, barely even letting the bell ring before you stood up to go to lunch. Nothing fancy in your bag today, just some leftovers from last night's dinner and a bag of candy you had been slowly working through all day.

Despite not being in a clique, you didn't sit alone; you sat with Angela, Mike, Eric, and Jessica. Bella use to sit with you guys too, before she started to sit with the Cullens, now her relationship to the group was more a see-eachother-in-the-corridor-and-smile sort of deal.

That wasn't so big of a concern for you, though, in fact the first time you saw her sit at the table you knew she wouldn't be sat with you all for long, she had one of those popular looks about her, so when she was hand selected to join the five person moping party that was the Cullen table you weren't too surprised.

In some other timeline maybe she would have gone on to joint the nerds in the back table near the stage, or maybe she would have taken to the goth table that was in the corner near the fire exit. And maybe there was even alternate universe where she stayed at this table, but that would be something you may never find out.

Not, at least, with Mike Newton pulling you back to real life with little care for your ears.

"Y/N! Are you even listening?!" Mike dragged you out of your train of thought by waving a hand in front of your face and screeching at you. That was surprisingly subtly by his standards, though.

"Mike, leave him alone, he just got out of maths. He's recovering, aren't you, Y/N?" Jessica came to your defence with an elbow in Mike's ribs and a soft sort of grin for you, and you thanked her with a small smile before you spoke.

"It's okay, Jess, but thanks. I was just thinking about existence and how absolutely infinite it is" you shrugged.

"That much, huh? Deep, L/N, deep." Mike seemed stunned, or maybe he just regretted prompting you to talk, but either way he didn't try to drag you into the conversation again, and you took the opportunity to fall back to your thoughts gratefully.

When you all parted ways for the last five or so minutes of lunch everyone waved, some hugged, and Mike and Jess walked off attached at the hip. They were together again, though who knows how long it will last at this point. You and Angela were talking the other day, and agreed that they were probably so on-and-off because they were lonely and the other was close enough to fix that for a bit.

You shook your head and huffed quietly, rounding one corner after another and then climbing a set of stairs only to realise you left your coat in your last classroom, and with a great deal of frustration you turned on your heels and took a brisk walk back. You were hoping, no praying, that the room would still be unlocked, because the teacher would have left by now and the room won't be used until tomorrow.

By some streak of luck it was, but when you pushed the door open and made a grab for your coat- laid out on the teachers desk, predictably -the shuffling of other people's clothes made you look up so fast you hurt your neck.

Stood in the back of the room were Jasper Hale and Alice Cullen, both very disheveled and looking rather like deers caught in headlights. Even from as far away as you were, you could see that Jasper's shirt was almost completely open and the straps of Alice's bra and vest top were a mess around her forearms, more of her chest on show than usual.

As they rushed to correct it and called out for you to wait, though being vague as opposed to a name-you heard a very light "h-hey, you with the coat, wait!" as you made a break for it.

You decided in that moment that you would have to move schools, because the most they did was hold hands when other people were around and there was no way you could face them after seeing that, so you spent the next three days avoiding them as much as possible.

The next day you barely dodged Alice in the hallway, narrowly avoided Jasper in the bathroom, and didn't go to lunch at all for fear of them cornering you as you entered the hall. The day after that it was sunny enough for their mum and dad to yank them out of school. The third was more perilous, you had History and sat a seat in front of Jasper, but you managed to talk the guy in front of you into switching, and you made a show of hanging behind to talk to the teacher until everyone else had left.

But the fourth day it was all over. You thought that maybe they had just dropped it, because when you sat to eat and glanced over at the table with as discrete of a gaze as you could manage, Alice caught your eyes and just looked away.

You were actually just leaving as you were bumped out of the stream of teenagers and then grabbed by what you would maybe describe as the ice cold grip of death himself, but looking down you saw it was just Alice. Little Alice with the big eyes and pretty lips, lips that right now were pressed into a thin, terrifying smile.

She dragged you into a classroom, where Jasper was sat on a table, hands clasped together in his lap and shoulders stiff.

You were actually terrified, because in the few seconds between being grabbed and then getting pushed into this room you had convinced yourself that you were going to get murdered.

"You know, my family is gonna worry when I-I'm not home by four, so killing me w-would be a real bad idea" your mouth ran despite your better judgement telling you to keep it shut, though your fear died in your chest when Jasper snorted.

"What?" Alice let you go and raised an eyebrow, looking at you like you'd grown a second head. "Y/N, we're not going to kill you, where did you even get that idea from?"

"W-well, I walked in on you two the other day, a-and you've been ch-chasing me down ever since" tripping over your words, you were scratching the back of your head as though it would wake you up, because that would be really good right now.

"Only 'cause you've been running away." Jasper spoke this time, and you looked over to see him staring at you much in the same way Alice was.

"We just wanted to apologise, because the way you found us was kind of..."

"Unbecoming" where Alice trailed off, Jasper picked up, and you found yourself rushing to speak.

"Oh! Oh- no it's fine, I've walked into worse. This is a high school, freshmen are practically feeling eachother up in the halls every day. I just, well you two don't even hug around other people, s-so I assumed you would be super annoyed that I walked in"

Jasper shrugged and Alice shook her head, laughing softly.

"No! We were just really ashamed that you had to see that, especially Jazz." as Alice spoke, Jasper nodded along, and spoke only when she had finished.

"I hope this has not altered the way you see us, Y/N, though perhaps we can build a friendship from this experience."

Lost for words, you nodded, and something inside of you starting to warm up at the idea. Perhaps the universe, in all its vast and unpredictable glory, had a plan for you after all?

[doyelikehaggis]

Rowing the Rarepair Rowboat: Caroline Forbes x Stefan Salvatore x Lexi Branson (The Vampire Diaries)

Requested by @acelandonkirby

The smell of coffee fills the room as Stefan walks in with the three steaming mugs, and the last few notes of It's My Life play. The sun's barely starting to rise, the sky still an inky mixture of blue and pink, but he's pretty sure Damon didn't come back last night to care.

He smiles as he approaches the bed, Caroline and Lexi both looking up at him. Lexi takes her coffee with a wide, grateful grin just as the song fades out and the record starts to scratch.

"Hm--" she quickly swallows the drink she just took, "I'll get it," she says, and starts to push herself up to climb across the bed.

"No, no! Absolutely not," Caroline laughs, batting Lexi's hands away before they can reach the record player. "If I have to listen to one more Bon Jovi song, I will start to resent him for being in my head all day, and that's just not fair on him."

"Okay, but just--"

"No!" Caroline moves, backing across the bed slowly as she points a finger at her, then Stefan, who doesn't move despite having no intention to in the first place. "It is six o'clock in the morning and I want to listen to something that doesn't fall under the genre of rock and roll."

Lexi makes a noise like she's going to protest again as Caroline lifts the needle and takes the record off, placing it to the side.

Then she rolls her eyes, shoulders dropping, and sighs. "Alright. But if I hear even a hint of country in there."

Stefan tries to suppress a laugh as Caroline scoffs, her lips curving up in amusement. They both shoot him a glance and he raises his eyebrows.

"I vote for The Killers," he says, shrugging.

"Would you be willing to compromise with Bastille?" Caroline asks, glancing between the two of them, already holding the record and giving it a little wave.

He and Lexi look at each other in consideration. Lexi shrugs and turns back to her.

"Yeah, okay, I'm good with that."

Caroline grins, pleased, and puts it on the player. Stefan's already taking a seat at the bottom of the bed when she climbs back on, reclaiming her seat beside Lexi.

He finally hands her the mug and she smiles at him before taking a drink, not even pausing and clearly burning her mouth in the process.

Stefan chuckles as she tries to brush it off like it was nothing. The first notes of some song that feels vaguely familiar to him starts playing through the room.

"Okay, so, we should start coming up with a plan for this party on Saturday because there is no way that we're letting Elena do it on her own," Caroline says, taking another drink with ease now.

"It's her birthday," Lexi points out. "If she wants to organize it, shouldn't we let her?"

Stefan shakes his head, making a noise. "Yeah, no, there was never a chance of that happening."

"He's right, I could never let that happen," Caroline agrees. "In all fairness, it has nothing to do with Elena. Neither of you are planning your own birthdays either."

Lexi raises her eyebrows, but she's smiling as she lifts her cup to her lips, saying, "Well, at least that's one less thing to worry about this year. A girl shouldn't plan her three-hundred-and-fifty-seventh on her own anyway."

Caroline laughs, rolling her eyes at her as she and Stefan join in. They fall back into the conversation, the sunlight slowly creeping into the room as the record plays away, a background hum in their bubble of content.

[talesofnovembria]

She'd initially raised a brow when Artair sought her out to help with some supernatural rumors. More than anything, it was more that he was coming to her rather than someone closer. More pressing was her stepping away from the Estate to deal with something like this. Sure, Cassandra and her husband didn't really seem to mind...

But Alexander was always the main issue. She could rant and rave about how she didn't care what he said about her actions... but that would be a lie. Assuming this outing wouldn't take too long, there really shouldn't be anything for him to complain about.

Salena and Artair might not have seemed like much... but they were a powerful force when they were working in tandem with one another.

Both of them had agreed to meet up at his gas station, moving through the ley-line rather than risking her gates. Smart really, making it mean she only needed one to get to Cadence. In turn, this also gave her time to gather supplies. The "mission" was pretty tame. Go to investigate the mountains and the anomalies that were taking place there. Vague was the word he'd used, and she agreed.

The set of saronite armor would be overkill for something like this... but even some casual clothes might not be the right call either. Supernatural meant dangerous more often than not. Having protection would work in her favor. As a compromise, she dawned her leather armor. Another perk was having some small bags attached to help carry her other supplies.

Supplies which included a strange looking whistle and a vial of sand. Those were the two most important things aside from her blades. No reason not to bring those too. If she didn't need them, then fine. If not used, having them with her would help channel any runic magic she might use.

Before long, both parties arrived at the station, her ignoring any strange looks that might have been directed at her. Logic and strategy came as second nature.

They stepped through the ley-line...

And were immediate hit by white.

Snow was one thing. Both of them could handle that... but this was a full on blizzard. A chill rushed up her body the moment her feet sank into the snow, frigid winds biting against the uncovered parts of her body. This was bad. Very bad.

She was used to dealing with harsh winter weather... when she was undead. It was entirely another matter now that she was alive again. Mad worse by her weakened health. The leather was at least doing its job from not immediately getting soaked. If they didn't do something soon though, they were both going to freeze.

Salena's head snapped to the side when Artair called out to her, shivers already starting to wrack her body. A portal? Right. A gate. Her hand came up, feeling the way the runic magic moved through her. Gates were easy...

Unless you felt your power immediately cut off before it can finish.

A chopped snarl erupted from her throat. Ok, calm down. Assess the situation. Was it just the gates? Her eyes fell back on Artair, moving her feet through the snow to bring up some ice to at least block one direction of the roaring snow in the air. Same result. It was cut off before it could finish. Her snarl increased as she called back to him, "No good. It's like someone, or something has silenced me."

Her hood and mask was good at keeping the snow out of her face, so it would be best for her take temporary lead. She pushed over to Artair, keeping her voice a little loud so he could still hear her, "Our best option right now is to find some shelter, if not to wait out the storm, then to make a plan and see what we can figure out before freezing."

"Are there any known caves or landmarks here that you might know of?"

I'll give ya a choice with this one. Artair with whichever prompt suits your fancy.

❄️🔥✨👻

Bad Situations ❄️ - trapped outside in a blizzard / snowstorm

It feels like being plunged into a bucket of ice, the second they pass through the ley-line, and his first thought is FUCK as ice finds its way against his neck and down the line of his back, and cold starts dampening his socks at the ankles. The second is immediate regret. Fuck--- fuck, why'd he ask Sal to come with him?

Not that she can't handle it, probably. Honestly she might be fine in the cold? Given some of her abilities as a death knight, it'd make sense. A body can get used to being in frigid temperatures too, if properly trained, and she spent a fair time in Icecrown and other frozen wastes. So really, this might be nothing to her.

Of course, that point might also be moot, given her status at the time was kind of....dead to the left.

Shaking his head, he focuses on their situation. He'd found something supernatural might be going on, since he'd heard about weird anomalies like wailing and something humanoid with long white hair that seemed to drift above the ground, approaching hikers at higher elevations in the mountains. He had invited Salena as a precaution since the data was vague, with the intent they'd either find nothing, or deal with whatever it was before things escalated too much. There had been mentions of some cold spots, but that was par for the course for some entities. And the mountain wasn't high enough to even see snow. He packed a thicker jacket in his bag, just in case, but there wasn't any evidence there'd be anything like this.

And they'd used the gas station ley-line for pain-free travel. Because they weren't trying to cross to Cadence exactly, they weren't guaranteed to land at the door of another ley-line when they were spit out. Which means they had to be near one, but that could be anywhere in at least a mile or two radius from here. And right now, the whole area was blanketed in deep snow, that definitely shouldn't be here.

So... priority one couldn't be an immediate exit. It had to be shelter. But that meant they were stuck here, not fully prepared for weather like this, given he hadn't found any info on any storms in the area. His skin tingled, both from cold ice brushing against his exposed arm, and where snow pelted the basin of his hoodie, but also with something electric. There was no doubt this wasn't a naturally occurring storm. Whatever was around here could be causing it.

Not that they could do anything about that, now.

"Salena!" He yells, so his voice carries over howling wind. He can see flakes already caked to his lashes, and frosting the tips of his hair. "Can you make a portal back?!"