#retake trickster

[boiling-potato]

"Tell me... Am I still beautiful?"

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Just a quick drawing of retake trickster because I'm obsessed with this idea of her!! (⁠✯⁠ᴗ⁠✯⁠)✨✨

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This idea belongs to my good friend @oogaboogaspookyman !!

And trickster belongs to me! ^^

[justafriendlystranger]

Sylas would not like Retake Trickster for obvious reasons (spoiler alert it's because she sucks)

Trixie tho i feel like they'd be good buddies!

Interesting!! OOoohh if I have the time,, I'd like to write a headcanon for these three and I'll take that info for a test story!! qwq

I imagine Sylas outside the mansion would hide his taxidermy hobby from everyone aside from his family members, But he would definitely befriend Trixie! I'd like to think the story would be two seemingly normal friends being all buddy-buddy with each other but both hiding a very dark secret with each other!! >:33

[oogaboogaspookyman]

Some retake trickster lore and fun facts please? :,33

YOU ACTIVATED THE SPOOKYMAN GET READY HAHAHAHFJGJFHDGS THIS IS GONNA GET LONG BABY

@justafriendlystranger enjoy the food eheheheeee~

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Facts and bits of lore on Retake Trickster!

They're both based on the usual ancient entities like Hades and Kitsunes and a spanish urban legend called La Llorona, in terms of appearance. Also Hog and Scorched, EXEs that have this split personality trope, seen in... Well, the split personality! And also that one time Boiling Potato made that forest deities version of Trickster where she's like... A siren, in a swamp, seen that and went "lmao dead body in a swamp... WAIT I CAN WORK WITH THIS"

Trixie is strictly a pacifist, absolutely no murder allowed in her vicinity, she's literally afraid of the concept and wants nothing to do with it. She will fight but never kill. Enjoy the angst food~

Trickster (the ghost) is selfish, a very egocentric bitch, narcissistic (she doesn't have this disorder, she's like that), overall not the best person in the world. What playing around with god-like magic for years does to a person, amirite? Fucks you up

Trixie, although she seems like a very shy girl... Actually isn't all that much! She's friendly and all, very caring, sorta the mom friend at this point lmao, and also a bit of a gremlin at times. Yes she'll prank you and call you names and flirt for the fun of it because lmao you got a red face cutie hahaaa. She's not shy, whole opposite, just not as strong and confident.

Trixie is canonically a lesbian and can't take compliments despite her confident persona, BRING IN THE FLIRTIN' HAHAHAHAHSHAHAHFJFJFBDH

In light of this, Trickster is canonically pansexual in the retake! She thought she was straight (she died in ye olden japanese days) but there were a few women here and there that really wanted her. Because of this, she convinced the entire japanese area to mind their business because hey who are you to question a god*? Fuck off let her seduce women she can pop your lungs like balloons lmfao

Also this Trickster can take compliments, she's not shy lmao she's the one that lured in guys and gals like metal to a magnet

Their fusion (which i'm nicknaming The Deceiver) is only ever unstable when the two of them are crammed up in the same body, causing them to enter a very feral and angry state

In light of this... I'll just explain via what Trixie thinks of this "fusion" process~ ——— what she feels is a fusion, her soul colliding with mine, but what i feel? I feel her hands grabbing my soul and throwing me away, replacing me, i feel like i dissociate and watch my body cause a bloody mess knowing i can't do JACKSHIT. I want her gone, for good, i really do, i wanna punt her cocky self-centered ass into the fucking SUN.

Adding onto this, Trixie and Trickster don't have a great relationship. As i said, Trixie is a strict pacifist, and Trickster is a shitty bitch that thinks her better than everyone, so you can guess how fast and strong shit went downhill the day Trickster came back from the dead...

Trixie is a bottom unlike Trickster, her confident mischievous persona doesn't match her composure in a full-blown relationship, can't even take little jokes that alude to... That Stuff That Mustn't Be Mentioned But You Know Very Well What I'm Talking About (by Fall Out Boy). Trickster will gladly pin you down lol.

Trixie is in the 7 foot area, prolly 7'3, while Trickster is in the 6 foot area, maybe 6'7. When they fuse, Trickster's height mixes with Trixie's, making The Deceiver... 8 foot~? Eheheheeee enjoy~

[sonicasura]

Whenever I think about Transformers' holoforms, I can't help but imagine a scenario where they bump into someone also disguising as a human. Like other extraterrestrials who have alternate ways to hide their true nature and magic folk such as yokai who use a glamour spell.

Out of everyone bot in the cast, I see Optimus Prime being the most likely victim to such shenanigans. Even the somber iteration as a practical demigod can't avoid getting dragged into something whacky. Plus boss bot might not really notice it sooner like Soundwave. He'd also have issues adjusting since this would happen to someone like Bumblebee or Bulkhead, not him.

It's hard to expect the unexpected when you aren't the universe's favorite target for otherworldly insanity. Funnily enough, I got a few ideas how this would happen and a few OCs to provide such examples. Those will be for a different post since I want to go over some shared headcanons from a conversation with @cf8wrk4u-us about the thing.

It involves around glamour and Cybertronian scans. For those who don't know, glamour is a type of magical shapeshifting. It's usually used to hide one's true appearance so they can blend in with others like humans. Although some use glamour for more predatory means since human flesh is often on the table.

Huge example being Journey To The West as various yaoguai (Chinese Spirits/Demons) disguise themselves as people in distress or wandering folk to eat the Tang Monk Tripitaka. (It doesn't work on everyone in the group since the Monkey King Sun Wukong can see through such illusions with his magical all seeing eyes or "Eyes of Truth".)

To the normal eye and physical touch, no one would think the person running a bakery is actually a demon or their office coworker being a dragon. Some glamour spells allow the individual to use their physical strength and even powers while some restrictions. Fewer can conceal their true size since some mythological beings are much bigger.

If I have to give an example, the closet would be Saiyuki Journey West's iteration of Sun Wukong. The trickster god's true form here being a giant Great Ape probably around 20 ft in size. The Monkey King is capable of disguising himself as a human although some features are notable like his monkey ears.

Now normal technology can't see through such a facade. Cybertronians are a bit different. If they do a scan such as heat or X-Ray on a glamour disguised individual there's gonna be...errors. Some would be blurry, some too bright and even things out of place like missing bones to extra limbs. Basically a scrambled mess that is guarantee to make your eyes' sore.

Every scan will be different with each retake so it's never the same. Medical oriented bots such as Ratchet or Seekers like Starscream have a better time at seeing through some of the glamour. Since Energon is Primus' life blood, whose a god, it felt natural that a Cybertronian can see through a magical disguise since the substance would have some magic properties.

What do you guys think? I can see all sorts of shenanigans occurring when two disguised parties bump into each other. Can't forget the worldbuilding either!

[catboyolli]

Omg I love DnD and I love this concept 😍 Can you share any more details? Like have you settled on specific character classes for everyone yet? And have you already created some art for the story?

hiiiiiiiii thank you so much for the ask!!!! I love talking about this stupid concept that has been rotting in my head since 2021 😬💖 and oh well, this one is gonna be long but if you also have any ideas I would love to hear them 🥰💘💕💖💕

But okay, I lied because I have two concepts related to high fantasy ( I am so normal about this lol)

For the "main" project I went with Pathfinder 1e because it has so many classes to choose from, that I didn't have to rely on homebrew stuff (and because I had to learn how this system works and after 5 years I still don't get some of the stuff 😅), so I settled on:

Joel as a haunted spiritualist looking to get rid of his phantom (spellcaster with occult magic and a "pet" aka phantom)

Niko as an urban skald who pledged to retake his family's ancestral land (d&d's bard/barbarian multiclass, probably will change the backstory because it feels too meh).

Joonas as a flamesinger bard, he's just some lucky guy and nothing bad has happened to him (yet), other than some tasteless patrons disliking his music

Olli as a stargazer oracle searching for many answers in the stars (kiiiiinda like a cleric, but not devoted to any or to a single god)

Tommi as an aspect of the bear shifter whose druidic circle succumbed to corruption (melee shapeshifter, kinda like d&d's circle of the moon druid)

Aleksi as a universalist arcanist tasked with paying back a heavy family debt and no, it isn't related to money at all (d&d's sorcerer/wizard multiclass, he gets to summon a familiar and ofc it's Rilla 🥰)

If I go with that, I'm going to use Paizo's Pathfinder main campaign setting because I really don't want to come up with the worldbuilding lol (tbh that would imply creating a lot of everything from scratch, unless I actually go 100% insane and do it........)

The 2nd one is another fantasy AU where they are tieflings because who doesn't love tieflings???? I used d&d 5e and assigned one ability score to each of the boys:

Strength: Tommi as a Zariel bloodline tiefling, Path of the Totem Warrior (bear ofc) Barbarian (he strong)

Dexterity: Aleksi as a Mammon bloodline tiefling, Arcane Trickster Rogue (he's a rich little shit who loves to steal for fun)

Constitution: Joel as a Levistus bloodline tiefling, Blood Hunter from the Order of the Profane Soul with an Undead patron (I know it's mouthful but yeah.....)

Intellect: Olli as a Mephistopheles bloodline tiefling, Artillerist Artificier (and before anyone says oh but Olli is a dumbass, why intelligence? Listen. He's actually smart, but he's sooooo forgetful that not all his creations succeed...)

Wisdom: Niko as a Baalzebub bloodline tiefling, War Domain Cleric (originally I wanted to assign him the strenght attribute and Tommi would have the wisdom one, but I feel it works better this way. Niko seems to be a very wise dude IRL and not as physically strong as Tommi)

Charisma: Joonas as an Asmodeus bloodline tiefling, Wild Magic Sorcerer (I really really wanna homebrew a devil bloodline for this)

I haven't thought of any backstories or a storyline for this AU, I'm just vibing with the concept 😅 a lof of inspiration for the designs (that are in my mind ofc) comes from Pointy Hat's tiefling video, which please go watch if you haven't, it's an amazing channel.

I have a complicated relationship with art due to Not Having Enough Time And Skill. I tried to make some art back when I was choosing the horns and skin tones for tiefling!Olli, but I got frustrated and left it there to rot lol (+ i didn't like the style + took too much time)

For skin tones + eye color variation: red / purple / blue

Zoom of the two concepts I "finished" 😬 (smooth vs ribbed horns)

But yeah, that's mostly it! I wish I had more to show you, but I'm hoping to have enough time work on the tiefling!AU around December or early 2024😊

Again, thank you for enabling me to ramble about something I really really really love 🥺💕💖💘💖💕💖

[everydayidiot]

Fresh new dnd character idea hot off the press!

A wizard who grew up poor in the slums of Waterdeep (or any setting appropriate large city). On his first attempt on an entrance exam for a prestigious school of witchcraft and wizardry, they flunk the test due to their naturally low INT failing to gain a spot in said school. The character then proceeds to steal a powerful magical item that artificially boosts the users INT beyond that of many of the wizards at the school. The character goes back to retake the entrance exam and they pass with flying colors.

Prioritize DEX when building the character with skills like stealth, sleight of hand and deception. With a cool dm you get a circlet of intelligence (or item of similar effect). With level ups, put greater focus on INT skills. Maybe you can put 3 levels into rogue and take arcane trickster then put the rest of your levels into wizard. And some hand waving and plenty of yada yadaing later, you have an interesting character with a cool twist that could be an interesting reveal for the rest of the party.

[anachronistic-falsehood]

dakota’s eyes are a lovely hazelnut brown!!! they crinkle at the corners when he smiles and they look so kind and warm and inviting. but there’s something strange about them too, a reddish flash that lingers when the light hits his eyes just right. they’re still kind and friendly and loving, but in every photo that’s taken of him, there’s a red eye effect in them that doesn’t go away no matter how many times you retake the picture. sometimes in the dark, his pupils look red.

vyncent has heterochromia. his left eye is a bright silver, and the right is a deep earthy brown. some people think it makes his face look uneven, lopsided in a way, like they’re looking at two different people depending on which eye they’re looking at. sometimes it seems like that’s exactly the case. his smile pulls at the right side of his face more than the left. his right ear has a habit of twitching when he hears a loud noise, but the other stays still. he has more smile lines around his left silver eye. the silver eye looks blue sometimes, but the brown one always stays as it is.

william wisp’s eyes are such a dark brown they’re almost black. the only reason you can see where his pupil begins is because there’s a bright cyan ring around each of his pupils that glow in the dark. it’s jarring, because when you’re standing a good few feet away, you don’t really notice, you just see dark dead fish eyes with something in them you can’t quite place. and then you step closer, or the lights turn off, and you can see this very faint otherworldly unnatural glow around his pupils, tiny blue rings in the middle of these black circles that look like portals into the void. if you look too quick, you’ll miss them, but if you stare too long, you start to feel like you’re getting pulled into a vortex that you’re not sure you can escape.

ashe’s mother had brown eyes. ashe’s eyes used to look like hers. they were bright and warm, and they looked almost gold when the sun hit them just right. they looked dull and grey when she died. ashe’s eyes themselves turned a purplish grey the first time the trickster was in his body, and they’ve remained that way ever since. a dull, flat grey, almost dead, like a puppet. he’s hated looking in the mirror ever since. he can’t remember what his mom’s eyes used to look like. he can’t even remember what his own looked like. he wishes they were still brown.

all of the prime defenders have big beautiful brown eyes. 2 me

[tricksheart]

✧･ﾟ: *  what classical music piece are you ?

Chopin - Nocturne Op. 9 No. 1. You have a very sophisticated presence- contemplative, self-assured, and loving. Much like the song, you begin as if you are almost falling, but you return to a more hopeful place and find happiness. People may overlook you at first (especially in favor of the more popular no. 2), but they will grow fond of your intimate and calming manner.

Yoinked from one of my other blogs. Tagging: @more-than-a-princess​​ @despairfiles​​ @demaskuer​​ @aeohn​​ @outcaste​​ @despacitotm​​ @fogclearer​​ @fcrgetme​​ and anyone else who wants to do this. Say that I tagged you.

[if-rabbithole]

“Oh, you can’t help that,” said the Cat: “we’re all mad here. I’m mad. You’re mad.”

You are a soldier in service of the Red Queen.

It goes like this: you are an orphan, you were conscripted into the Cards as a child, and you were trained to be absolutely loyal to the Monarchy. There's thousands of people with similar stories. What sets you apart from your peers though, is the fact that you’ve been having dreams of somewhere beyond the red and black tiles.

A place where flowers don't sing, and where mice don't talk. A place where you were loved. A place where you had a family.

As the years tick by, it becomes easier to keep your mouth shut and ignore the dreams. Your reality is only supposed to be the axe in your hands, and the number tattooed to your shoulder.

It’s only when a heavily injured stranger crashes through a mirror that you learn the truth – long ago, it was prophesied a savior from a distant land would bring an end to the tyrannical reign and usher in a new age of peace and prosperity.

You’re not special. You were a hapless kid who fell down a rabbit hole and was conscripted into the military at twelve. But you’ve just been handed a chance to return home via the savior literally falling into your lap, and you'd be a fool to pass it up.

Good thing you’re handy with a blade!

FEATURES

A customizable main character, including gender, appearance, and personality.

Five characters to befriend or romance.

The world's most annoying talking cat.

Destruction of royal property.

Questionable moral choices.

ROMANTIC OPTIONS

ELLIS LIDDELL [he/him]: The stranger. The hero. Charming and kind hearted, you can't shake the feeling that you've seen him before.

THATCHER WHITE [he/him]: The second son and last heir of the late White Queen. Reticent and haunted by his past, Thatcher is determined to retake his rightful spot on the throne.

JABBERWOCKY [she/her]: A shapeshifter who lives in Tulgey Wood. Fiercely defensive of her home and fellow denizens, she's hellbent on destroying the Queen.

CHESHIRE [they/them]: A trickster hiding behind a disarming smile and a sharp wit. You don't know what their goal is, but for now they seem to be content with helping you.

CROW [gender selectable]: Head executioner of the Red Queen. Someone you thought was irredeemable.

LINKS

DEMO | CHARACTERS | PLAYLIST

[archesa]

oc ask game time!! have 🎨✨⚡ for whoever you'd most like to answer for! :D @kerra-and-company

Thanks a lot for the ask (and sorry for taking so long to answer 😅 I kept getting caught in doing events or stuff on Æthnen and forgetting to take good screenshots to illustrate the answers 🤣)

🎨 Is your OC artistic? Can they draw or paint or do they prefer another medium? Are they a writer or musician or do they do something else? Give us a quick run down of what they can get creative with!

Anwen plays the harp quite well — she and her brother had a more extensive artistic education than would be deemed appropriate by the highest society, but both did thrive in the arts, Faren in theater, Anwen in music. It has never become anything more than a hobby, but in good company, on private occasions, you might hear Anwen humming and plucking a few strings from her harp at home, or a lyre on the field.

Her Weaver self even uses the Orchestral staff, a gift of her brother, to channel her powers and cast her spells.

And both share a certain liking for the sound of the flute.

✨ If your OC were a deity of some kind, what would they represent? What do they look like? How are they worshipped and what offerings would they expect? What are their places of worship like? Their followers? Their teachings?

Galaëd would be some summetset deity, associated with the setting of the sun and the dawning days of autumn. He'd be considered a trickster god — a playful, mostly harmless one — and celebrated in midsummer to early winter festivals, bright with colours, warm with shimmering lights, honouring the starlight and fireflies in his wake.

He'd most likely retake his mortal shape to participate in the celebration, or don that of a white stag to observe mortals from afar, leaving boons and blessings to those who amused or touched him.

He'd be worshiped by all sorts of tricksters – artists and children but also by warriors, who'd rely on his ruse to always keep their adversary on their toes.

⚡ What are your OC’s phobias? Is there any reasoning behind these? How do they calm themselves down after getting scared? What are they like when they’re afraid? Is there any chance of them overcoming their fears?

Anwen has a crippling fear of being resurrected and used to harm those she loves. This came from her first contact with Zaithan's magic — the Seraph lieutenant, Kellach, and his descent into madness as Zaithan's corruption devoured him — and from the dark fate of Apatia.

The journey through Maguuma, with the threat of being killed and used by Mordremoth was particularly straining but she held on and swallowed her fear — only addressing it with her brother — because the Pact needed a Commander and most importantly her friends needed saving.

But when they reached Elona, and both Balthazar and Joko seemed to make a personal stake of defeating and humiliating her, she asked Trahearne to find a way to prevent anyone could defile her corpse if she was struck down in battle. He designed the spell, and they found a tattoo artist in Amnoon who inked the assemble of protokrytian runes and ancient orrian protection sigils Trahearne had drawn on her ribcage, at the tip of her heart.

Her resurrection erased the tattoo. Her scars were core memories, images of herself she revisited in the Domain of the Lost, but the rune was one her soul needed to forget, lest not even Grenth would be allowed to bring her back.

Following the death of Joko, the absorption of his magic by Aurene, and her daughter's miraculous resurrection, she choses not to have the provisory design Trahearne retraced on her skin tattooed. If there's a single chance, as Aurene's Champion, that she be blessed with some of the Lich's power to cheat death, she will not let fear hinder her return. She has made a promise to Trahearne and she intends to fulfill it.

[the-girl-in-the-box]

Not Today IX

A/N:  Apparently I don't know when to stop writing, as this is a whole twelve pages in Microsoft Word. But! We have FINALLY gotten to the stuff we're all here for- that is, Ivar! I played around a little with ending this chapter before she actually comes to see Ivar, but decided not to be too cruel and tease you all with that. As a disclaimer, any Old Norse in this chapter is from a translator on lingojam. I cannot guarantee that it is accurate. So, that in mind, I hope you all enjoy this chapter, and the moment we've all been waiting for! Skål!

Summary:  When Ivar takes the throne of Kattegat, Lagertha flees to Wessex along with Björn, Ubbe, Torvi, and the Bishop Heahmund. There, they seek the aid of King Alfred. This aid comes in the form of his sister, Aethelind, who agrees to travel to Kattegat and try to reason Ivar, who she spent some time with during their youth, when her grandfather King Ecbert hosted Ragnar Lothbrok in their castle. Now, she is the only hope for Lagertha and her supporters to retake Kattegat from Ivar the Boneless.

Masterlist

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No one in Kattegat was expecting a ship to sail in. The town had been in utter disarray when the English ship came, and as such, no one knew quite what to do with its arrival. There was only one ship, so it wasn't an attack, but that didn’t mean they had any idea what to think of it. Being in the aftermath of the loss of their Seer, the most revered figure in their community- aside from their King himself- only meant they were even less ready for this.

Ivar the Boneless was trying to arrange the investigation of the Ancient One’s sudden and mysterious passing, when the news of the lone ship was brought to him. Having not expected anything, he sent someone to investigate. Fortunately for him, it was someone he did not want around at the moment.

So, when Aethelind arrived in Kattegat, she was greeted by the sight of a lone man on the docks, his arms crossed as he watched the ship reach its destination. He was armed, watching her suspiciously, but it was clear from his expression that he had not expected the passenger on this ship to be a woman- nor a finely dressed one, at that. Her eyes quickly assessed him, the dark blond hair that fell long down his back in a braid, the bit of facial hair- not quite a full beard, but certainly more than either of her brothers, or even Ubbe or Björn had worn.

Still, there was a lightness in his blue eyes that made her think he would be one of the nicer people she would meet in this place, especially as he stepped forward once the boat had docked to offer his hand and help her off. Upon a closer look, something clicked for her. “Hvitserk Ragnarsson?” she questioned, tilting her head slightly.

The look of shock on his face was priceless. Clearly, of all the things he’d been expecting from her, his name had not been one of them. He blinked a few times, then nodded. Hvitserk tried to hide it as he internally shook off the shock, but Aethelind could read it in his eyes, how he was trying to process that. Once he’d seemingly cleared his mind, he asked, “How did you know?”

This brought a small chuckle from the woman, and she answered, “I have my ways.” This did nothing to soothe his mind, and he shook his head a little. “I am Princess Aethelind, of Wessex. My brother has sent me to negotiate with yours.”

Hvitserk decided today was simply meant to be full of surprises. Not only had a ship come unexpectedly from England, but said ship carried the Princess, the girl Ivar had seemed infatuated with (and rightfully so, now Hvitserk was seeing her for himself) when he returned from England himself, and she had used his name without any introduction. He wondered if the gods weren’t somehow messing with him. Letting out a slow breath, the Prince nodded.

“Well, Ivar will certainly want to see you,” he said. “I’ll have-” He paused when he saw the single trunk that accompanied her, surprised at the lack of baggage she had brought with her. “You only have one trunk?”

She gave a small shrug, smiling sheepishly. “I left on rather short notice,” she confessed. “But, with a letter from my brother, King Alfred, which I’m meant to deliver into King Ivar’s hands alone.”

Hvitserk nodded a little. “Then let’s get you up to him,” he said. “Follow me.” He swallowed, and asked in such a way that Aethelind couldn’t quite tell if he was joking or serious, “Or, do you already know where we’re going?” She gave him a playful smile, and he groaned a little.

“I see why Ivar liked you,” he almost grumbled. This earned a small giggle from Aethelind, who shook her head.

They began the walk through the town, with the people in the streets stopping to look at the young woman at their Prince’s side. They could tell just from her appearance that she was a Saxon woman, and a high up one at that. Her hair fell down below her back, dark black waves that were pinned behind her head in a very delicate style. The silky fabrics of her dress, the length of it, also added to the fact she had to be wealthy. She walked at Hvitserk’s side, not trailing behind him, with her head held high, shoulders back, and hands folded neatly in front of herself. If they had to guess, they’d say she was a Princess. And, of course, they’d be right.

When Hvitserk led her up to the Great Hall, she felt her heart pounding. She hadn’t seen Ivar in years, not since they were both far younger than they were now. Before they went in, she stopped Hvitserk. “Has he… changed, overly much?” she asked, looking up at him. Hvitserk was, again, caught off guard. He was getting tired of that. This must have shown on his face, as Aethelind was suddenly adding to her question, “I only spent a few days with him, but I can’t help but feel my brother wouldn’t have warned me so much about him, had he not changed since I last knew him.”

Hvitserk thought back to when Ivar would have been in England, and he grimaced. Ivar hadn’t seen Aethelind since before the death of Ragnar Lothbrok. Chances were, he would have changed quite a bit from how she last knew him. So, he nodded. “The last time you saw Ivar, our father had not been killed just yet. Nor had our mother. And now, without our parents… yes, Ivar is a changed man.”

Aethelind nodded a little, and Hvitserk was surprised to see something akin to compassion on her face. He hadn’t expected the granddaughter of the Kings Aelle and Ecbert to have any compassion for the sons of Ragnar, not after they had killed both her grandfathers. “I lost the man who was a father to me not overly long ago,” she confessed. “King Aethelwulf. I still have my mother, and so I cannot imagine the pain you must feel at having lost yours, but I can offer you my sincerest condolences, and my comfort for your loss.”

Well… if the surprise was going to be a good one, Hvitserk supposed he shouldn’t be so upset with it.

He blinked a few times. “You- you do realize we killed your grandfathers as revenge for the death of our father?” he pointed out to her, and she nodded.

“Of course I do,” she said. “It was kept from me until just recently, before I came to Kattegat, but… Were I able to face the man who killed my father, I would gladly do so, and… I can’t say it would be with forgiveness.” Hvitserk started to speak, but couldn’t quite before she finished by saying, “That is to say, I cannot blame you for your actions, Prince Hvitserk.”

It was official. Hvitserk quite liked this Saxon Princess.

He cracked a small smile, and nodded a little. “You are nothing like I would have expected,” he confessed. “Even from what Ivar told me of you. But, that is not a bad thing.” When she smiled at him, he decided to let curiosity get the better of him, and he questioned, “And, if you do not mind, what… what did happen to your father?”

Not knowing her father’s true identity, he believed he was asking about Aethelwulf. Her wording had been strange, yes, but then she had mentioned her father being killed. That must have been who she meant, for Hvitserk couldn’t think of anyone else.

“He was murdered by a Viking,” she said honestly, drawing Hvitserk’s attention to her with wide eyes. “One called… Is it Loki?”

“Loki is the Trickster God,” Hvitserk said. “I… highly doubt it was he who ended your father's life. Do you mean Floki?”

“Yes!” Aethelind said. “That’s the one.”

Hvitserk let out a slow breath, his eyes wide. “I- I never heard- how could Floki have killed King Aethelwulf? I don’t recall your father passing while Floki was last there.”

Aethelind immediately recognized the misunderstanding, and shook her head. “Wrong father,” she corrected. “Floki killed my true father, the monk Athelstan, here in Kattegat.”

Before Hvitserk could even begin to respond to what had just been revealed to him, the doors to the Great Hall opened as someone exited, and Aethelind took that as her cue to walk inside. He was dumbfounded as he followed her, his eyes wide.

Six winters had barely passed in Hvitserk's life when Athelstan had been murdered. That didn’t mean Hvitserk didn’t remember him at all, though. And now, looking at Aethelind as she walked, following after her, he realized he could almost see the kind monk in her. She had his eyes, Hvitserk thought, and the shape of his brow. The rest of her appearance must have come from her mother. Ivar was probably too young to remember Athelstan, he figured, and he’d grown up too close to Floki to remember the monk fondly anyway.

Part of Hvitserk wondered if that would affect how Ivar would see Aethelind, now. If he learned who her father was, thought back to how Floki felt about that man… He didn’t imagine that would be a very pleasing though to the King of Kattegat.

The walk from the door to the thrones in the Great Hall wasn’t a long one, and the hall itself was full of people trying to speak with their King as he held court. As such, no one really noticed the Saxon Princess trying to work her way through the crowd. In fact, most were paying attention to the man who was pleading with Ivar for something. Hvitserk grimaced slightly, knowing that things weren’t going very well for him. But, he ended up unable to hold back the slight chuckle as Aethelind very politely worked her way through the people- not that a majority of them understood how polite she was being, as she was asking their pardon in the language of the Saxons. So, realizing that, he began relaying that message for her to the people who were growing confused by her words and presence.

Ivar began to answer the man, and Hvitserk could see the way Aethelind perked up. She recognized his voice, all these years later, and her eyes widened. The Princess walked a little faster, and Hvitserk picked up his pace with her, trying to catch up to her by the time she broke through the crowd.

He didn’t quite, coming out right behind her, and he watched silently as his brother’s words died on his lips.

Ivar the Boneless froze, looking down at this woman with wide eyes. His mouth began to form silent words, words that he never gave voice to, and he blinked a few times. He sat forward in his throne, brows creasing slightly, and he lifted a hand. With just a word, a wave of the hand he’d lifted, he dismissed the man who was speaking. The man tried to protest, but then Ivar took his crutch, and got to his feet. As soon as the King stood, the woman in the throne to his left began to straighten up.

She didn’t know anything about this woman who had caught Ivar’s attention so raptly, where she had come from, why he was so suddenly rendered speechless. The meaning of this woman’s unannounced appearance was lost on her, as she watched the two stare at each other. The Queen turned a confused gaze to Hvitserk, who was too busy watching the reunion he only partially understood to meet her eye.

And, for Ivar and Aethelind, time seemed to stop. She stood silent, her stature perfectly poised as a Saxon Princess was expected to be. Ivar slowly made his way to her, the hall having gone silent. The only sound that could be heard was the thud of his crutch, stabbing into the ground as he moved across the room. When he finally reached her, he brought his hand up, and his fingers grazed over her cheek. The Princess’s cheeks turned a slight shade of pink under his intense gaze, but she still smiled softly up at him.

“You are real?” he questioned, the words spoken in the Saxon tongue surprising all but Hvitserk in the room. She nodded, her smile only growing at the language she knew. He let out a soft breath, and blinked a few times. “Hello, Princess.”

“Hello, Ivar,” she greeted.

Her words weren’t understood by a majority of those who were in the room, but they could tell it was a greeting, a familiar one. She spoke his name.

Without any other words, he suddenly stood straighter, not taking his hand away from her, and he called out to the people, “Allthingrinn er yfir.  Líðheimar!”

There was a confused and shocked murmur that went through the crowd. For some reason, this woman’s arrival was enough to cause their King to stop the Althing, send his people home. They immediately began to wonder what was going on, why he was so entranced by her. However, they did as he commanded, and before long, Aethelind was left alone with Ivar, Hvitserk, and the woman behind him Ivar she didn’t know.

Ivar’s attention turned back to her, his eyes searching hers for something she couldn’t guess. “You are here,” he eventually said, and she nodded. His eyes looked up to Hvitserk. “Hon er hí?” Hvitserk nodded, chuckling. “Takfreydisr.  Ek munu mæli til hanaloner.”

Hvitserk nodded again, and moved toward the woman, who stood and walked to meet him. “Hverr er hon?” she asked Hvitserk, who chuckled a little as he gestured toward an exit.

“Einn gamall vinr,” Hvitserk answered, and they left the hall.

The sound of the door shutting was heavy, echoed through the room, and Aethelind realized she hadn’t yet really… come to terms with her current circumstances. For a long while, they were both silent, and then Aethelind did something neither of them had really expected. She wrapped her arms around him tightly, and let out a quiet laugh.

It took Ivar a moment to register what she’d just done, to process it, before he was wrapping his free arm around her, and smiling slightly despite himself. There was a time he’d have questioned her arrival, thought it was just another way the gods were taunting him, putting something so good in front of him, only to somehow take it from him, betray his trust with it. But he knew the truth now, that not only did he have their favour, but he was one himself. To have Aethelind come to see him, this was just a gift from his family, the proof that he was doing things well and right. The Æsir were pleased.

When the two pulled away from each other, they finally began to actually take a look, their hands grasping at the other’s arm as if they may disappear should they fully let go. He was the first to speak.

“You have grown,” he commented.

This brought forth a chuckle from the Princess, who replied, “As have you. You look well, Ivar.”

He nodded, and smiled. “I am well,” he confirmed. “And you? You seem to be very happy, hm?” Aethelind nodded to confirm this, as if the grin on her face weren’t confirmation enough.

“I am,” she said. “In all my life, I didn’t expect to end up here, reunited with you. But I can say, it brings me great joy to see your face once more, my friend.”

Ivar smiled at her, and then gestured for her to walk with him. He led her over to a table, where he sat, resting his crutch at his side as he watched her take the seat at his right. “You were a constant source of surprise, in my youth,” he said. “And I see you are yet a source of surprise. But not, I think, a source of bad surprises, are you? I am glad to see you.”

“I see you have learned the Saxon tongue since I saw you last,” she commented, and he gave a nod.

“Certain things are necessary, to open more doors than would be open to you without those things,” he replied vaguely. “But, it allows me to speak with you, and so I see yet another door opens that would have been closed to me otherwise. Knowledge… again, does nothing but serve.”

Aethelind nodded her agreement with his wise statement, leaning on the table a bit. “You’re right,” she said. “Lord, I’ve missed you. How many years has it been, do you think?”

Ivar let out a short breath before replying, “Too many. We will have a feast tonight to celebrate your arrival, hm? I imagine you have made… quite a stir, already.”

“It seems to be so,” she answered. “But I am honored you wish to have a feast simply because I have come.”

“Of course we will feast for this,” Ivar said, waving a hand as if it were obvious. “I will tell the people that you are here as our guest, and celebrate your coming. We could use a good thing, with the way things have been lately, and it seems the gods heard our prayers for this.”

“You believe so?” she questioned. Aethelind tilted her head slightly as she heard his words. “How have things been? You seem well, Kattegat seems prosperous, I cannot imagine…”

Ivar sighed, and she fell silent, knowing he was about to begin his explanation. “We have been in turmoil,” he began. “First, we lost my father, Ragnar Lothbrok, who you must remember, hm?” She nodded. “I returned home to find my mother had also been murdered, by a woman called Lagertha.” Aethelind kept her expression schooled into one of compassion, not once betraying she was well aware of his mother’s death at Lagertha’s hand. “She usurped the throne of Kattegat, and my brothers Ubbe and Björn joined her. This left myself and Hvitserk to fight her for the throne, but with the aid of my uncle, Rollo, and King Harald Finehair, we were able to take Kattegat back.”

King Harald. Aethelind knew this name, knew he was the one who was likely attacking Wessex as they spoke. Her heart gave an extra hard thud in her chest, as she wondered how things were going for the Vikings and her brothers, Heahmund as well, back home. She didn’t mention this just yet, instead letting Ivar continue his story.

“And now, on the heels of this occasion, I find it is not without a price. We have lost an important figure, murdered under our noses, likely by a supporter of Lagertha’s,” he said. When Aethelind seemed about to ask who this was, he spoke first, saying, “The Seer was murdered in his own home, and we do not know who has done such a thing. But I can only believe it was someone who wanted to cripple my authority, by taking out the one man who could support my rule, and win those who did not support me to our side.”

He watched how the Princess’s eyes widened, and it seemed to him that she believed his stories entirely. This was a good thing. Ivar didn’t exactly want Aethelind to know that he had killed the Seer. He didn’t know if she may slip up, tell Hvitserk of what had occurred. His brother already suspected, and that was enough for extreme caution on Ivar’s end. So, the official story was what she would be told.

“Ivar…” she said softly. He turned to catch her gaze, gentle and concerned, as Aethelind put her hand on his arm. “I am… so sorry for your losses, and you have my comforts for them.” Even if she knew parts of his story were not true, based off what she knew of Lagertha and the others, she knew that the deaths of King Ragnar and Queen Aslaug had devastated him, and her heart ached for him. He could sense the genuine pain she felt for him, and so he gave her a tight-lipped smile, nodding a little.

“And I thank you for them,” he said. “I try to live up to the legacies they have left, and in time, I will become more famous than my father.”

Aethelind recognized this as her first chance to try and work on Ivar. So, she began her work. “You can be your own person, Ivar,” she said gently, her hand moving around to his back. Of all the things he’d expected, her counsel hadn’t been one of them. Just as he’d said before, she was a source of surprises. But with the sincerity in her eyes and tone, he found himself listening. “Learn from their lessons and their wisdom, yes, but… Don’t lose yourself to who they were. You are not Ragnar Lothbrok, nor yet Queen Aslaug. You are Ivar.” Her free hand tapped his chest lightly, right over his heart, and she gave him a small smile. “Be Ivar.”

He gave a small chuckle, and shrugged. “Perhaps Ivar is the legacy of Ragnar Lothbrok, hm? What then?”

Aethelind gave him a look that said she didn’t believe that. “As his son, you are his legacy,” she conceded. “But you’re still your own person. I may be the legacy of King Ecbert, but I wouldn’t make his choices. I am also the legacy of King Aelle. I really wouldn’t make his choices.” The way she said those words, it was clear she had no love for her maternal grandfather, and this brought forth a small chuckle from Ivar. “I am my mother’s legacy, and my father’s, purely by way of being their descendant. But I am not them, and I won’t hold myself to that standard. You haven’t asked my advice, so… feel free to ignore it.” She paused to let out a breathy chuckle at her words. “But if you feel so inclined, I hope you’ll at least take it into consideration.”

He did ponder her words, she saw as much as she watched him, and he eventually nodded slowly. “I will… do as you request,” he eventually said, and she smiled. “Perhaps I will come to a different conclusion, perhaps I will come to agree, but I will not leave your words to fade from my memory, hm?”

Aethelind chuckled a little, and nodded. “That’s good enough for me,” she said. “Now, I hate to break up this lovely heart-to-heart we’re having, but I do have something for you.”

She began to pull a letter from… somewhere in her dress, Ivar had no clue where it came from- truthfully, he got the idea Saxon clothing would confuse him if he considered it too long. When she handed it to him, Ivar lifted it, looked at it, and immediately recognized the seal of the Bretwalda, the King of all England. He grimaced. “From your father?” he asked.

“My brother,” she corrected. “King Aethelwulf has passed.” Ivar regarded her with as close to a compassionate look as he’d ever regarded anyone, and nodded. “Alfred is King now.”

Ivar’s eyes widened just a touch at this. “Alfred?” he questioned. “You had an older brother, I believed, hm? His name sounded... more like yours.”

“Aethelred, yes,” she confirmed. “But… he declined the throne, and nominated Alfred for it. So Alfred is now Bretwalda, and Aethelred the next in line.”

Ivar nodded as he took in this information, and looked back to the letter. He seemed to be thinking for a few moments as he watched it, then sighed. “I will… look over this tomorrow. Tonight, we celebrate your arrival, and your presence here. Business can be handled in the morning.”

Aethelind chuckled a little and nodded. “I don’t blame you,” she said. “And, I’ll look forward to having the night to eat and rest. It’s been a long journey.”

“A long journey?” Ivar asked. “It is a few days. How long-?”

“You and your people are used to sea travel!” she pointed out, laughing. “That’s the first real sea travel I’ve ever experienced, and I am tired.”

He chuckled a little with her, and nodded. “Then come along,” he said. “I will introduce you to Freydis, my wife. She will help you settle in, and help you prepare for the feast tonight, if you would like.”

Aethelind nodded, though surprised to hear he was married, and smiled. “I’d love to meet her,” she said. Ivar smiled happily and nodded, standing.

“You will like Freydis, I think. She reminds me of you.”

He didn’t quite realize just what he’d let slip, that he had married a woman who reminded him of Aethelind. But Aethelind caught it, and her cheeks turned slightly pink at the insinuation.

Ivar led her out into the halls of the longhouse the Great Hall was in, and he led her back toward the chambers he shared with his wife. He found her in there getting ready for dinner, when he knocked and opened the door. “My love?” he called to her, speaking in the language of the Saxons for Aethelind’s sake. He had taught the language to his wife, never sure when it would be beneficial for her to know it. It appeared now was that time.

Freydis perked up when she heard her husband’s voice, and she smiled, standing and walking over to him. He opened the door a little wider, revealing Aethelind. A warm smile spread on the Queen’s face when she saw her now, having had the explanation from Hvitserk. The older Ragnarsson had, specifically, left out how infatuated with her Ivar had seemed when he first returned from Wessex.

“You are the Princess, hm?” she said, offering her hands to Aethelind. The older woman smiled sweetly, and took her hands.

“I am,” she confirmed. “And you must be Ivar’s wife?”

“Yes,” she answered. “My name is Freydis.”

Aethelind nodded, and said, “As he said. You have a lovely name, Your Highness.”

Freydis shook her head a little. “You have been a good friend to my husband, and are familiar with him. There is no need to be so formal with me. A friend of his will be a friend of mine.”

“Well, then let me greet you properly,” Aethelind halfway teased, and then wrapped her arms around Freydis. The Queen laughed lightly, and returned the Princess’s embrace.

When the women separated, Freydis kept her hands on Aethelind’s arms. “You must be tired and hungry, hm? Ivar,” she turned to look at her husband. “What plans do we need to make for our guest?”

“I am ordering a feast to celebrate her arrival, and otherwise, she will need chambers here. She can stay in our longhouse, as our personal guest. Can you arrange that?” Ivar asked, tilting his head a bit, and Freydis nodded.

“Of course,” she said. She turned back to Aethelind, and asked, “My dear, did you bring much in way of baggage? We will send Hvitserk and a few men down to collect it.”

Aethelind smiled a little. “I’ve only brought one trunk,” she said. “I left on a… bit of a short notice, if you will. There wasn’t much time to pack a lot.”

Freydis nodded, immediately seeming to become concerned. “Well, you can tell me about that as we prepare you for a feast tonight, hm? Ivar, go have Hvitserk get that trunk, and she and I will begin preparations.”

Ivar chuckled at how quickly Freydis was taking over, and taking Aethelind under her arm. It made him happy to see the two women- those who still lived- who were so important to him getting along so well. “Alright, alright,” he said, chuckling a little. “You are chasing me out, hm? I will go, do not worry.” Aethelind and Freydis giggled a little, standing together as they watched him start to go. Ivar left the room, leaving the women behind, Freydis giving an affectionate shake of her head.

“Come,” she said to Aethelind. “Let’s start getting you ready, hm?”

Aethelind gave a small nod, looking to the door Ivar had just shut behind himself. In a way, she thought the warnings were right. He wasn’t quite the same person she’d known years ago. And yet, she hadn’t decided entirely if the changes were good or bad. All she knew so far was that Ivar the Boneless was back in her life, and she couldn’t be happier about that.

--

Translations:

Allthingrinn er yfir.  Líðheimar! - The Althing is over. Go home! Hon er hí? - She is here? Takfreydisr.  Ek munu mæli til hanaloner. - Take Freydis. I would speak to her alone. Hverr er hon? - Who is she? Einn gamall vinr. - An old friend.

Taglist: @youbloodymadgenius, @wilhelmyna, @katfett, @fangirl-nonsense, @zuzus-sun, @heavenly1927

If you want to be added to the taglist, feel free to reach out either by commenting, reblogging, DMing me, or sending an ask, and I’ll be more than happy to add you!

[justafriendlystranger]

You're not gonna survive Retake Trickster, you're so down bad she wouldn't even need to persuade you to make you one of her subjects for experimentation with the god-like magic that brought forth her death sentence /affectionate

Honestly, I would just be honored to be in her presence! ^^

and yeah! I know she's affectionate like that~! >////< <<,3333

[boiling-potato]

HOLY SHIT-

ANOTHER ONE??? God this is getting overwhelming!! (in a good way) @w@

YEEEEESSSSSS!! fun fact original trickster actually has a bipolar! It's obvious so!! This is really perfect for her ESPECIALLY THEM!!!! again, I love the movements!! It's so interesting because you could actually see the two person in them!!! And the last one looks so good!! So graceful and yet so sad. Great job on it again spooker!!! I ABSOLUTELY LOVE ALL OF THESE!!!! (⁠｡⁠♡⁠‿⁠♡⁠｡)

@boiling-potato BIPOLARITY

unstable unstable unstable unstable unstable unstable unstable unstable I WANT OUT LET ME OUT I FUCKING HATE YOU GET ME THE FUCK OUT YOU CRAZY WITCH LET ME OUT LET ME OUT LET ME OU

[taltostrinkets]

SHOP UPDATE! ✨May 2021✨

Finally we have a new shop update, the first in many months!! Though the shop had been seemingly quiet, I have been working very hard, and I thought it would be really fun to take you guys on a little tour and present what I’ve got to show for myself.

If you like what you see and it makes you nosy what else I’ve got in the works, you can come visit my Patreon, where I’m much more active and I frequently post about my WIPs. 💗 Reblogs are extremely helpful and much appreciated!

1. I’m so proud of how the holo stickers turned out!!!!! My hope is that they will be the first pair of many and over time we can build up a small holographic witchy sticker pack or something. (Also, if you like these and you are on Trickster or above tier on Patreon, don't even worry about ordering because they will be a part of your packet.)

2. This is technically not new, but in practice a separate listing, so here it is. I thought it would be awesome to offer all of the stickers in one package at the same time. I would love to see that from other artists, as a big sticker collector. It spares a lot of shipping, and I also set the price a lot cheaper than they would be separately.

3-4. At one point I ordered a ton of metal charms with a spooky, witchy vibe, and I had some ideas for enormous dangle earrings, two of which have come to life so far. They will be called Ritual Sacrifice and Emotion Magic. These teardrop shaped beads are like an elixir of life to me right now, they look so good. They will probably appear on and around my earrings quite a lot.

5. I made a matching ring for the Wisdom Teeth jewelry set. Two little teefs, one for each of the two color variants. I love the grotesque mixing of the delicate filigree with the mildly spooky tooth imagery and they fit the necklace so well. The rings are a permanent part of the set now, but I decided to keep the earrings optional, in the case that someone would really like this set but has no use for the earrings in particular.

While on the topic of metal charms, I added the newcomers that arrived to the "Choose your own adventure" pile as well. If you haven't heard yet, this is a listing where you can order simple (and inexpensive) earrings with the charms that I have in my stock. The catch of it all is that the two halves not only CAN be different, but I strongly encourage it actually.  The buyers can select their choices from annotated photos. I retook these photos from scratch, because I thought the colorful background was a bit distracting, but I have second thoughts about it to be honest, cause the color looked more... happy, I guess? Maybe I will retcon this change when I have to retake the photos again. Or maybe I should stop hoarding charm packets? Nah, it's the kids that are wrong.

If you are reading this on Patreon, you likely know everything about this from Discord already, but for those who are not in there (yet!!!!!! The Bagel Gang is STILL hiring!!!!!!!) since my last shop update about half a year ago, I have been mastering the art of the blade. And by blade I mean the sharp ass edge of the resin that I have yet to cut my finger on while I'm sanding it but I just know some day it's gonna happen... ANYWAY. Long story short, I have been into resin pouring big time recently!

7-8. These glitter flakes look extremely luminous and almost like opal. I thought the lightning and this big ass eye molds would make for a great, boisterous, queer, faux 80s vibe, so that's where I started. When I bought the eye mold, I imagined it to be only about 2/3 of the size in every direction, so I was a bit surprised they turned out so huge but I ain't no coward! I actually wanted to make more colors than just the transparent or blue... but for starters I thought two would be enough. If someone is interested, you absolutely CAN request pretty much any color though, and I'll make it if I have it.

9. I'm absolutely in love with this ouija mold. There are six different designs on it, and I will sell four of them, for now (#5 is still in progress and #6 was more like a test piece that didn't turn out quite right, better luck next time ig). But if people like these, I will make more, maybe even glittery ones and stuff. You may find it weird that the different options will be named after random numbers, but they are actually the number of the pigment that I used, and I thought this would help me remember just in case someone would request me to remake a particular color. I have so many pigments yall. I don't even want to talk about it. We all have to get our serotonin from somewhere.

10. Deep in my heart, I hope that these earrings will be the star of the show. These molds came in a bigger pack but I thought they would look cute and kind of whimsical together as a pair of asymmetrical earrings. I think they are intended as pendants originally but if you are not wearing an entire pendant in your ear, are you even living?!

At the time the photos were taken, I only intended to sell these as earrings but my Patreon peeps said they would be interested in pendants as well so that is now an option.

11.This earring was the last thing I finished for this month’s update - in the vein of the witchy metal earrings, but there main centerpieces are the silver bezels filled with transluscent-iridescent, brilliant resin.

12. These are the pendants from the last crafting video!!! They were all done in one sitting. I just kinda improvised the pattern as I went, it's just like doodling, just with a 230C hot rod that could burn off your finger any minute. Which is exactly my idea of relaxing. But jokes aside, I hope people will like these too, because making these is really chill and meditative for me, and no don't worry there were no fingers or szintas harmed in the making of these pendants!

13. And lastly... just a simple, fun little extra. Electroplated quartz pieces that I wrapped with wire quite lightly, just the natural, raw beauty of it on display and everything. Just like the moon and star earrings, they will be available as necklaces as well. I like these a lot, in fact the pieces that you see on the pictures I decided to keep for myself but don't worry, if you wanna order, you will get something very similar. It's like goblincore, but add a little 80s in there. Brilliant. Quite literally since the electroplating makes them INCREDIBLY shiny.

That will be it for this month. There will not be a shop update every month (rather one every 2-3 months most likely) but I will be damned if I don’t come up with something awesome for you to wear for PRIDE MONTH of all times of the year - that would be an absolute dishonor! So see you very soon... 👁️‍🗨️✨

[jedilegacied]

From the Expanded Universe

Jaina Solo is the eldest of the Solo children by five minutes. She and her twin brother Jacen were born on Coruscant, during the final days of Grand Admiral Thrawn's attempt to retake the Galactic Core. During these times of strife, Leia and Han sequestered their children on various safeworlds, keeping them out of harm's way. After a number of attempts to capture the Solo children, the parents eventually decided to keep the family together.

[[MORE]]

On Coruscant, the twins were raised by Winter and C-3PO. As Leia was Chief of State of the New Republic, she rarely had time to devote to family, though she made every possible effort. As she grew older, Jaina began to notice Leia's distance more and more, a distance she would later come to resent.

Headstrong Jaina showed a mechanical aptitude that made her father proud. At nine years of age, she was already flying the Millennium Falcon, and knew enough to help her father with simple repairs.

By the time she was 14, Jaina was already a capable pilot. She attended her Uncle Luke Skywalker's Jedi academy on Yavin 4, honing her impressive talents in the Force, and making new and long-lasting friends, such as Lowbacca, Tenel Ka and Zekk. Surviving run-ins with the Second Imperium, the Diversity Alliance and other foes, Jaina then apprenticed herself to Mara Jade. The two bonded, and Jaina grew both as a Jedi, and as a pilot.

Her skills behind the controls of an X-wing fighter earned her a position in Rogue Squadron during the Yuuzhan Vong crisis. Flying as Rogue Eleven, Jaina went by the nickname "Sticks." While at Ithor, Jaina met a fellow pilot named Jagged Fel, an ally of the New Republic flying with a Chiss defense force. The young woman felt something stir within her, and she definitely admired Jagged Fel for his piloting skill and icy cool demeanor.

The Yuuzhan Vong crisis has been a trial of character for young Jaina, who was forced into the hardships of war before even reaching adulthood. In her carefree days of adventure as a teen, she had been spared lessons in mortality. With the death of Chewbacca, and the subsequent straining of family bonds among the Solos, Jaina has learned indelible lessons that are shaping her character.

Leia believes her daughter to be the most pragmatic of her children. Whereas contemplative Jacen is often crippled with indecision, and impetuous Anakin would often plunge into action heedless of the consequences, Jaina would measure her actions and suit them to the moment. She is not without a temper, as her stubbornness will often lead her to arguments. Jaina has, on occasion, lambasted her brother for his passivity and her mother for her distance.

With the trying times of war, Jaina's temper came close to being her undoing. After the death of her youngest brother and disapperance of her twin, Jaina was enraged and touched the dark side of the Force. Her pragmatism dangerously eclipsed her compassion and faith in her uncle's Jedi teachings, and she found herself allied to Kyp Durron, a strong-minded Jedi seeking more proactive reform in the order.

In escaping the botched Jedi mission that claimed her brother's life, Jaina stole a Yuuzhan Vong vessel, the Ksstarr. With their Coruscant home conquered by the Yuuzhan Vong, she led the remnants of the Jedi strike force to the Hapes Cluster. On Hapes, Jaina became embroiled in court intrigue, as the scheming former Queen Mother Ta'a Chume tried to orchestrate a marriage between her son, Prince Isolder, and Jaina, in a failed bid to replace the current Queen Mother Teneniel Djo.

By closely examining the Ksstarr, Jaina realized a fundamental underpinning of Yuuzhan Vong spacefaring technology: bodies in space are recognized by their unique gravitic signature. She began exploring plans to use that knowledge against the Yuuzhan Vong. Her risky tests prove successful. Her deceptive tactics wreaked havoc with the Yuuzhan Vong's ability to identify friends and foe, prompting her to rename the vessel Trickster. Jaina's reputation began to grow thanks to crafty disinformation spread by New Republic agents. The Yuuzhan Vong began to associate Jaina with their trickster goddess, something New Republic commanders wholeheartedly encouraged by referring to her as "Goddess," "Great One," and similar.

Jaina fought tirelessly through campaigns at Borelias, Obroa-skai and Ebaq 9, flying alongside Jag Fel. The two tentatively explored their feelings for one another, risking love against a backdrop of war. She achived the rank of lieutenant colonel, and is now flying escort for her parents' mission of reuiniting the fragments of the former New Republic under the new banner of the Galactic Alliance

[thoughts-n-paper]

When people speak of fairies, they often think of the wise fairy Godmother or the tiny passionate Tinkerbell, but let me tell you the truth, fairies can be as vicious as any wolf you might encounter in the woods. Take my mother, for example, I am about to fail a class and might not be able to graduate but here she is shouting at the principal, questioning his competency and making things worse. To be honest, I should have known this would happen. Ever since I was a toddler, my mother was ready to fight the Alaskan giants if she felt that they insulted me, although that seems a lot better than calling the man, an imbecile elf.

I had never been good at school, I was not born to do this. I cannot do magic, cannot fly. I do comparatively good at empathy, but that is probably due to my human side. All my teachers earlier were very understanding in cutting me some slack, but the new guy doesn't want to bend the rules and my mom just doesn't understand that.

As we entered the house from a tiresome argument with no conclusion, I watched my mom sink in her bed as she tried to push her tears back to space behind her eyes. On the side table there stood three photographs, one of her with her husband on her wedding day, one of her holding her baby and one of me and her on my first day of school. The one with her baby was the only one facing towards her pillow so that it is the first thing she sees when she opens her eyes. I was never jealous of him, but I did feel that my mother's life would have been easier if she never interchanged us.

I wound up the music box, placed it beside her and tiptoed to my room as the lullabies of her ancestors brought her calm.

I often wondered what the other me would be doing right now, my brother from another mother and raised by my own. And just in case, miles away he wondered that too, I started keeping a journal where I would write everything that happened on the day. I would walk him through every road that I mapped, what conversations mother and I had and what kind of jokes she laughed at. Just in case if he ever plans to return, he would never have to feel out of place because he had me to guide him, and just in case if I ever went back, I think I would have the same.

A knock broke my nap. As I looked outside the tiny round window, I could make out the prettiest face I had ever seen. We were in the same class but it was incomprehensible that she would be standing outside my window. And then it hit me, I looked her in the eyes and said firmly, "You don't fool me."

"Not fair. I need to practice my deception spells." saying that, the figure in front of me transformed into my childhood friend, Jaadu. One of the rules of bending spells, if the target of the trick sees through the rouge, the trickster has to come clean.

"It was good. If not for my trust in my status as a loser, you would have convinced me."

"Ah! I should study the target more. Will keep that in mind. Are you coming?"

Jaadu and I always went to the edge of the forest in the evenings. With the sun coming down and night beginning to rise, you can watch the shadows of all the travellers passing by. Some of them would sit and have their meal or set up camp, completely unaware that we are hiding behind the tree mere steps away, watching them. But the most exciting moment is when you see someone go from one realm to another. Sometimes you can see their shadow change shape or colour or sometimes nothing changes, it is always a surprise how the inter-realm travel reacts.

Jaadu enjoys it because it is something he might never do, he was to be part of the administration, like the fairies of his family before him. This was his way to vicariously travel through these evening rituals.

For me, it was the time I had felt closest to my mother. Although her husband was a traveller, she only planned one journey in her life. The one to save her baby.

In a way I had already travelled from one realm to another, I was just unaware of the magnitude of it. I sometimes think of going back, maybe visit my birth parents, might even bring my mother's son back. She would be delighted beyond belief, and maybe then, she wouldn't regret taking him. But I would always push the thought back, too afraid of the unknown.

The next few weeks were spent retaking and retaking the test until I was cleared to graduate school. There are three categories of fairies, one that is naturally gifted in all arts, whether it is music, the science of medicinal plants or chants and jinxes, they are fluent in all. Then there is the average category, the ones that work hard and learn and the last are the week students, ones who work even harder. And then there is me, the human among magical beings. I am the only one around like me, earlier there used to be a lot of us but with the danger of exposure and the spiritual fabric between realms weakening, it is just me. Potions are easy and I am good with plants and animals but I can't cast spells, at least not the high-level ones. So, it took a lot of convincing the new principal to test me only on the spells that I can do, but I finally succeeded.

Later that night, my mother organized a celebration for me, every house within a mile was invited, distant relatives came too. Some families brought a dish of their choice, some helped clean up space and some brought with them the sweetest water of different streams. But with all the gifts and praises, come the whispers too, how I was not one of them, what an achievement the real son would have been. When I was younger, my mother would often cast a filtration spell on my ears so that I wouldn't hear what they said about me but as I grew older, the spell weakened. She never herself told me the story, would always insist that I was hers just born with different abilities or as I see it, no abilities.

From what I could gather, my mother was with the child when her husband died. The grief was too much for her and the baby and so he was born with defects. A shaman told her that the milk of a human could cure him and so she left him in the first crib she could find and took me from mine as her own.

"Oh my son, come sit with me." my great-grandmother called me."How are you feeling? You are a big fairy now?"

"I am not a fairy Gre-ma." I sighed as I sat beside her.

"Oh, it doesn't matter what elements bind you. Tell me, Elven, how, do you think, is your mother?"

"She seems fine. I think she is alright."

"She is strong, but separation and loneliness often mould us into something much fragile. She has lights of sorrow surrounding her, you must make her happy. Bring her joy before the black lights swallow her."

After the celebration ended, I kept thinking about the words my Gre-ma said to me. She was the most powerful empath in the town, nobody could dare take her words lightly, especially if she said something like that. This was serious, I had to do something to cure my mother.

The next day, when I and Jaadu were sitting in the woods, relaxing as the shadows disappeared around us, I told him what Gre-ma had asked me to do. "Getting a good position in the council would cure all the sorrows of my mother." Jaadu joked.

"I am afraid, that doesn't work for mine."

"I know! My point is, only you know what will make her happy."

I thought about it for a while and by the next morning, I had an idea of what to do. I made up an overnight camping trip with some friends from school, which in retrospect, how mother agreed or believed any of that is beyond me. I checked in my bag to confirm I had the fairy dust with me that Gre-ma had given me the other night, without it, I would not be able to cross over. The plan was simple, follow the map she used years earlier and just knock on the door. Jaadu came to see me off, he wanted to see how my shadow will react.

I, on the other hand, just felt a slight current run through me, and on the next step, everything changed.

It took me at least five minutes of coughing to get used to the air around me. The map was magical, which meant that it would alter according to the destination desired and the time and space which surrounded it. But there still was no magic that can help me introduce myself to my birth parents or tell me how I am supposed to walk when each step is followed by a loud noise and a beast flying past me in a blink of an eye. The first thing I noticed was humans were tall, back in woodland, I was the tallest there, here I barely come up to the shoulders of some of these giants. And they all had different feet, different colours, shapes and textures. And walking for a few feet made me understand why. After walking a small distance, my feet were coloured black, they were damp and a new pink coloured flower had found a way between my toes and was now stuck to my skin. But ignoring it all, I marched ahead.

A few yards away stood the blue gate I had dreaded all through the journey, a million thoughts ran through my mind with each step till I lifted my arm to knock.

I looked around the house as I waited for them to make sense of everything that I had just finished telling them. Surprisingly, it was not that different from my house. it was filled with photographs except for the giant black frame in the middle of the room, which stood empty. Lamps were hanging from the walls, but there was probably some human magic that made it not look like fire. There weren't as many windows, or plants, outside or inside. We all sat on cloud-like cushions with brown milk in front of me.

When I introduced myself, I showed them my infancy photograph which my mother had taken with her. Then I told them about fairies and woodlands. I told them about magic and music, potions and pirouette. And then I told them about my mother, my fairy mother.

"So, you are ours?"

I nodded.

"And, you were kidnapped?"

"Exchanged!" I nodded

."And you live among fairies?"

I nodded.

"And, our son was a fairy?"

I began to nod and then stopped midway, "was?"

"He died ten years ago. Road accident." said the human mother and started sobbing.

My father stood up and came towards me with open arms, "We want to believe you, but we can't, at least not without tests I hope that is alright with you."

"Oh, I can't stay. I just came to take my mother's son back to meet her. I really should go now."

"NO!" my human mother shouted and holding my shoulders requested me to stay.

"I suppose I could stay for another day."

"Wonderful!" the mother smiled and ran to the kitchen mumbling recipes to herself. "She is going to make his favourite food," Father said to me. His eyes followed me suspiciously as I sat back down in my spot.

"Hey Dorothy, Can you do me-." A stranger walked into the house and stopped mid-sentence to stare back at me. "Family member?" she said while pointing at me.

"How can you tell?" mother came out of the kitchen.

"Well, he looks so much like Steve."

"Doesn't he?"

"Well, let's not get ahead of ourselves. We still have to run tests."

"What do you mean, Steve?"

"Yes, what do you mean, Steve?"

"Uhm, I am just saying..."

"Wait, but who is he?"

"Oh! It's a miracle from Jesus. My son has returned."

"Jesus! Dorothy, honey."

"Your son, the one whose funeral I helped organize."

"No, you see, he was exchanged, Uhm kidnapped."

"Jesus! Dorothy!"

"And now he is back, back at home."

Finally, silence fell. I looked up and all three were staring at me. "Hello," I said in a low voice. "I come from the woodlands. My mother who is a fairy..."

"Well, he is still processing his trauma." Father interrupted me. "Don't worry, we will have him checked shortly." Saying that he led me upstairs to a closed-door with the picture of a masked man on the door.

"This is your room. I will call you when food is prepared."

I had just turned back to stop him, he shut the door to my face. I tried to open it but it seemed locked from outside. I sat down on the small bed, trying to process whatever happened in the last few minutes. And then I remembered the word funeral being uttered. Their son's funeral.

My mother's son. The one I came to take back with me.

I had to get out immediately.

I stood in front of the door and chanted a simple admission spell. I tried to open the door again but it stayed locked. I tried the spell again, but it was all in vain. Casting spells in a new environment is always difficult, even for skilled casters. You have to be able to borrow magic from your surroundings. Often before any major spell, fairies perform cleansing and calming rituals to make the elements around them aware of their intentions, and once the fairies and every particle around them are in agreement can they cast the spells successfully. I did not know anything about those rituals, nor have I ever performed magic in an unaccustomed environment. Being human and bad at magic did not help either.

I sat back on the bed and waited for the door to open from outside. I looked around the room, there stood various balls of different colours all around the room, on a shelf placed in the corner, there were several miniatures beasts like the ones I encountered on my way. On the walls, there were drawings of different humans in various attires and figurines made of cotton and stone of different animals. I lied down and my eyes sparkled as on the roof I could see the sun and the moon and all the stars that the roof could fit, it was the only thing that reminded me of home. I could look at it for hours like I did back in the woodland, I smiled at the memories, glad that I could find at least one familiar thing.

A few hours later, the father came rushing in and closed the door behind him.

"Hey, buddy! There are a few people who want to meet with you. They are super nice and very friendly. They will ask you some questions. You don't have to worry, just nod when I answer those okay?" It was a question he did not wait for an answer to. I was held from my arms and pushed into the front room. There stood the two women from earlier, a man with an unusually shaped head and another woman with a toy in her hands. They all had their mouths in a curve and their teeth were exposed, I think they were trying to smile. The father sat me down and placed himself beside me.

The woman nodded and pushed the toy towards me.

"Hello, I hope you don't mind introducing yourself once again. Your father had already told me about you."

"Uh...my name is Elven."

"His name is Simon. He thinks his name is Elven and he was kidnapped by fairies. He is still recovering from the incident." The father interjected.

"Okay." The woman looked at the man and then back towards us. "Can you elaborate on the fairies that abducted you?"

I looked at the father he gestured me to go ahead. "I wasn't abducted, I was exchanged. My mother, my fairy mother gave birth to a weakling which could only be saved by human milk."

"We believe that the kidnapper left her disabled child with us in hopes to raise a healthier child, obviously for her benefit." The father looked towards the woman, and they both nodded. Like they agreed to not believe anything I said.

"Do you think drugs were involved?" The man asked the father.

"Well, listening to the absurdity, I am certain that the woman herself took drugs and gave my son some too. That seems to be the only explanation for his conviction."

They kept saying the word "Drugs", I didn't know what it meant, but I could conclude that it was bad. And if they think my mother gave them to me, they would never let me go back to her.

"Look," I stood up, "I should go, my mother would be worried."

"I think that should be enough for today, I will answer the rest of the questions." The father said as he directed the mother to take me.

"Oh, just a picture of the family would be great." The woman stopped me and the mother.

All three of us stood side by side as the man took out a small metal from his pocket and a light flashed towards us. I couldn't see for a while but I could feel being steered somewhere.

I was sitting on the tiny bed again, while my human mother was sobbing with her head in my lap. I looked up at the painted night sky and dreamed of the real one.

The next day I woke up to the sound of a crowd of humans in front of the house. A lot of them were holding the same toy as the day before, some had big boxes on their shoulders and behind them was a long queue of the white beasts. The father came in with a gentle smile and said, "Son, how are you? Breakfast is ready. And you remember yesterday, the people in the front have the same questions. Whenever you are ready, we will talk to them. Is that alright?"

I could simply nod. It was very clear that I did not have any choice in that.

The mother came in afterwards and asked me to take a bath, but when I asked for the stream nearby, she started crying again. The father came in and showed me to another room where twisting on a knob I could make it rain inside. He laid down a drying cloth, top and bottom covers and coverings for my feet. It was a strange feeling to not have my feet touch the earth. For fairies, it the only consistent relationship between them and the ground. Although it did feel better to not have my feet be dirty or cold. For breakfast the only thing that looked familiar was fruit, so I picked a red apple and bit into that, while the father and mother stood in front of the black frame, only this time it had a man talking in it.

"We have something like that in woodland too, motion paintings. It is a very complex spell though. My mother's uncle is famous as the most proficient in a 1000 step radius."

They both looked at me and the mother ran out of the room looking like she was about to burst into tears again.

"Hey, why don't we stop talking about woodland in front of mom." He gave me that non-smile again.

The whole day was just sitting in front of strangers and nod as the father told lies. And every time I tried to stop him or correct him, it was blamed on trauma, another word they kept on repeating. According to them, I had a trauma because of drugs and my mother was a criminal and she should be locked up. I did not most of the words in that sentence. They asked me to do magic to prove my story but when I failed, they simply smiled. When I first showed them my journal, they scanned through it within minutes and gave it back to the father. Mid-way through the day, I gave up. I might have been naïve in the human ways but I knew what a lost battle looked like.

They kept asking to take a picture, after a few I gathered they were just still drawings of us. Out of the corner of my eye, I would often catch someone pointing at me and chuckling with his or her friend. The mother spent most of the time crying and repeating that she was just glad to have her son back and she loved the other one too just like her own. In between taking pictures and answering questions, some would come up to me or the father and offer their condolences.

Everything resembled the kind of community I had left in woodland, but that was all it was, a resemblance, a mirror image. People offered help and sympathy but always from a distance. Some neighbours brought their children in hopes I could make friends with them but whenever I tried to talk to them, they pushed me out of the circle and talked amongst themselves, mostly in gibberish I might add.

I missed my mother, I missed Jaadu and Gre-ma. I missed the smell of freshly bloomed flowers in the morning and the lullabies of the moon as it sang us to sleep. Out here all I could smell was something burning, constantly. The food was like eating mould and every variant of the juice I was offered did not taste like its name. I wanted to see the real night sky and not the fake colours on the roof.

By midnight, the father and mother had fallen in deep sleep. And that was when I slipped out, fairies were of course famous for being light feet and my mother had taught me a few tricks early on. I decided to leave my journal with them, in case they ever wanted to visit. Although they would have another day of asking and answering and crying over my departure, I did not feel bad. I realized they were not my parents and this was not my world, my only link was my brother. He was supposed to be my guide, and without him, I had no purpose but to get lost.

I stood at the gates in the woods and waited for the sun to go up and night to fall. And when the moment came, as I stepped through the fairy dust, into the realm of my home, I could make out a figure that I was much too familiar with. And as I inhaled the blossoms, I could see Jaadu smiling at me. And I smiled back.