#the As in Astrid gives her status of a god

[josephinekhawaja]

If it does turn out Jenna Ortega is playing the daughter of Winona Ryder (Winona was 31 when Jenna was born...how did I think the age difference between them was greater than this plausible mother-daughter one), a thought even I did not have as I would have thought it too obvious a role --

I am going to have it in my head that Beetlejuice is the baby daddy regardless of anything canon ever says. (That is Charles Deetz's funeral they are at, and I choose to doubt the guy next to Lydia Deetz was the sperm donor.) Like technically the identity is not essential; and if absolutely necessary I would prefer it to be open-ended over any alternatives. But the absolute chaos that would unleash if that were the case is too great to resist for me. Though that I have shipped them my whole life is probably testimony to my having grown up first with the animated series as a nineties child. Before later in life watching the film realising Beetlejuice tried to pull a Count Olaf to Lydia's Violet Baudelaire in engineering their own 'marvellous marriage'. I still stand by it though wherein they are both adults.

(Also while the name "Astrid" has a different etymology, it reminds me of the Greek word for "star", which of course Betelgeuse is in the constellation of Orion. Seems significant in a franchise that puts even repeated emphasis on names. But I tend to think a lot on character names.)

[bisexualenbyblueberry]

OKAY OKAY OKAY

EVERYTHING I, A DUMBASS, NOTICED

I watched it on Netflix several times and it says in the subtitles that the British person doing the beginning narration is named Kosmo. Do with that what you will.

In what Kosmo is saying there's obviously some "we are all stardust" symbolism, but what exactly does he mean by "a thousand eyes"? Could it have something to do with the fact that the celestial elves all hide their eyes? I'm honestly guessing that Kosmo might be the elf that's beside Astrid in some of the shots, the one with some orange hair? Also off topic but Astrid and possibly-Kosmo both have other hair colors peeking out from the navy, do we think that their culture dyes their hair to match the color of the night sky?

3. The pillars have something that looks very similar to Viren's staff in them. This enforces the theory that the celestial elves worship or are related to Aaravos in some way, because isn't it implied/confirmed that Aaravos gave Ziard that staff? Also, the pillars are all a slightly different shade, and I'm pretty sure they're supposed to be the arcanums (sun, moon, ocean and earth here)

4. Karim got his ring back, along with that new outfit

5. You can see Pyrrah and Zym approaching in the upper right corner here, along with something on the ground- the shadowpaw, maybe? (Also, sorry about the subtitles- I took these in a rush)

6. We finally found that salad mixer! Also, if the pillars are supposed to be representing the primal sources, why are there EIGHT of them? If you look close enough, the visible one in the center here is purple. I suppose this could have something to do with Aaravos giving humanity dark magic, if they do worship him? (Also, please note the lyric "the stars fall")

(Editing: I wrote seven. There are eight. I was counting in a rush. I apologize, I'm, once again, a dumbass)

7. WHY IS RUNAAN CORRUPTED? I'm praying to God this is a nightmare of some sort. The background is starry, so this is definitely something happening at the starscraper-how on earth could he have gotten corrupted??

(Editing: Like, the same corruption the banther had)

8. Okay, this may be something they edited for the trailer itself, but look at this!! Also, I do believe this is supposed to be Finnegrin's office. Maybe Callum has another meeting with Aaravos in his nightmares and shows up where he did dark magic the second time while Aaravos tries to convince him to join his side while showing him a corrupted version of himself- sort of like when he went into that first dark magic trance? And Aaravos is sort of smiling smugly in the next shot.

9. Okay, crying aside, WHY IS HE IN THE VALLEY OF THE LOST? Or whatever the place where Harrow and Sarai's statues are is called? Like, same steps, same pire, that is definitely the valley of the lost. He couldn't have ended up there by himself, could he? And if he went with Claudia to do whatever it is she wants to do now (I guess chase after Viren, maybe?) I guess he did forgive her for the whole almost-stabbing-him-and-leaving-him-on-the-beach debacle?

10. Honestly no idea about the context for this one, there's blood in his hair and I felt like pointing that out.

(Editing: Also those are the little brick towers that are on that bridge thing where Soren does lunges and talks to Viren and Callum and shit. So he is beat senseless, but also in Katolis?)

11. I'm pretty sure if you zoom in close enough, that's Claudia (or maybe Viren, not sure)- so Terry did indeed follow her to the valley of the lost. No idea what she's up to, but something bad enough to make Terry cry.

And that's it! God, I'm excited. the 26th can't come fast enough

[oseytorvan]

There is a lot of discussion in the fandom about Hiccup's life after httyd 2. There are a lot of fanfictions in the fandom about how difficult it is to survive the loss of a father while being a tribal chief. And that's fine! But why do we talk so little about what path Astrid went through after the second part? 

Stoick and Valka's dream came true – they found a daughter in the person of their son's fiancee. But Astrid Hofferson was not born into a Chieftain's family and was not raised as the heir to the throne. Despite the status of the leader of the gang, which she shares with Hiccup, Astrid does not understand all the difficulties of managing the village. 

Yes, Astrid was devoted to Stoick as a chief and admired him endlessly, but she did not see how Stoick collapsed into his armchair by the fireplace. She did not see how Stoick applied pieces of ice to his inflamed head and, hunched over, looked wearily into the fire. Astrid didn't see the tears in his eyes. Hiccup saw it. Stoic never gave up in front of his people, so Astrid, like other Vikings of Berk, saw only one (1), rather superficial side of the coin. 

“TO MAKE YOU CHIEF! Oh, my gods! Hiccup, that's amazing!”

“Well, it's a lot of responsibility”

“I mean, chief. What an honor”

But Hiccup becomes the chief, and Astrid begins to realize that something is going wrong. She is still puffed up with pride when her fiance leads the tribe forward. She sees how Hiccup finds and applies innovative solutions that his father would never have thought of, and becomes increasingly convinced that Hiccup is ideal for this position. But… 

The encouraging smile he gives the Vikings does not touch his eyes. His gaze is clouded by a tart tension. Hiccup never found himself. Hiccup misses his father. Hiccup does not have time to cope with all his duties. Hiccup tolerates the distrust of Vikings from other tribes. Hiccup gets tired of the moral pressure and daily work. Hiccup closes in on himself. And, as one of the closest, Astrid sees it.

She used to be unhappy when Hiccup and Toothless ran away together, preferring flights and research to duty to the tribe. Now Astrid watches Hiccup write scroll after scroll, and finds herself almost wishing he would run away. He needs rest. 

Astrid no longer glows with pride when Hiccup gives her part of his duties - she herself asks him about it because she wants to lighten his burden. Astrid was one of the strongest Vikings of Berk and was very proud of it, but she is beginning to realize that the weight that Hiccup carries on his shoulders, only he can bear. 

Astrid looks up at the monument of Stoick the Vast. He ran the tribe alone, coped with the loss of his wife alone, and raised his son alone. Astrid is amazed by Stoick's steadfastness, but she understands that she does not want the same fate for Hiccup.

(Astrid is trying to force Hiccup to rest. Another small point demonstrating the development of her character).

[manicpixiefelix]

Oliver L/N comforting Astrid when she finds out about Michael cheating on her 🩷🩷🩷

I'm working on getting the next chapter of h,h,h out in the next day or so, but OH MY GOD HI I MISSED YOU AND I LOVE FHIS SO MUCH IVE MISSED THESE AUS !!!! This turned into a bit of a mini fic, but Astrid and Ollie my beloveds 🥹💖 I don't think we've talked much about the Oliver L/N AU in the present day so this was so much fun to think about 😊😊😊

-

Oliver can tell that something's off with Astrid. He hadn't noticed at the wedding, mostly because his attention, like everyone else's, had been on Colin and Araminta, but at the reception, he barely has to say hi to her before he can sense there's something going on beyond all the festivities.

Astrid is, as she always has been, the absolute picture of elegance and grace, and had been trying to put everything to do with her soon to be ex-husband out of her mind. She had thought she'd been doing a rather good job of it too. Except then there's Oliver, who doesn't ask if something's wrong, because he knows there is. If anyone would be able to tell, she supposed it would be him; he's uniquely able to intuit when a well put together individual is in need of support and care, even if they're trying to act like they're fine.

It's rare to see one of the L/N siblings at an event like this without the other by their side, but Oliver barely has to explain himself for you to understand. You happily accept the burden of social responsibility for the night with Felix by your side, while Oliver dedicates his time to Astrid. It's not that they talk about the fact that they both know something's wrong, no, by all means they keep up appearances, and wear bright smiles, and Oliver even speaks candidly to the people around him, though much like you, Astrid happily bears the brunt of most conversations with others that he too was involved in. They dance and they laugh and they both know Oliver would leave her alone if she asked, but she never does.

The next day she invites him over for lunch at her place, and he agrees without hesitation. You, Felix, and Farleigh are all preoccupied finding out about the shit that went down regarding Nick Young's mother and Rachel Chu the night before. If it were any other day, he would be right there with you, but you insist he should go to her; you knew something was happening with her just by the way Oliver had been acting.

Oliver's one of the first people she tells about leaving Michael, and why. She wants him to hear it from her, not through gossip, or online, or the news, because it will be some kind of news. Listening quietly, he lets silence lapse out between them when she's done, giving her time to breathe, and himself to process. Then, after a very long moment, he hugs her tightly and apologises. Astrid insists that he doesn't need to, and Oliver says that he knows, but still, he's sorry. Not on behalf of Michael, obviously, no, quietly they both know he's apologising for the scrutiny and speculation she's sure to endure in the wake of this, from friends, family, and strangers alike. Oliver isn't family, but he's situationally adjacent in a way that means he understands the position she's in due to her social and financial status, without judging her or expecting anything from her the way her family would. Growing up, he was the closest thing she had to a little brother outside of her cousins.

Oliver is the only one who sees Astrid cry over her divorce, the only one who hears her speak spitefully and with ire about Michael's insecurities and how draining it was having to tend to his ego, to have to hide the extravagant things that brought her joy. When he asks her about what she'd bought recently, Astrid beams, mood turning in an instant; her eyes are shining with a delightfully childish kind of excitement.

"Can I show you?" Said with the kind of quiet hope of someone who's been desperate to share her joy for so long. Oliver nods eagerly, and feels suddenly much younger, like he's stepping into a memory as she grabs his hand and leads him to her closet.

Both know how well the other values privacy, these things stay between them.

They cook together, even if neither is really used to preparing a full meal for themselves. Astrid needs to do something that feels normal or she's going to lose her mind. The smell of smoke when they burn dinner, having forgot to set a timer, is bitter, and ugly, and human. Instead, they get street food, and people watch while eating, and Astrid's voice is soft when she admits that she thinks she still loves Michael. At least, the version of him that she'd married. Oliver knows Astrid's too smart to not have already thought of every answer he could possibly give her in this moment. Well, almost every answer.

"I liked that guy," Oliver agrees, petting Astrid's knee fondly as she rested her head on his shoulder, "I miss him, I feel like I haven't seen him in ages."

There's a beat as Astrid processes this before she lets out a quiet, almost disbelieving laugh, taking Oliver's hand and giving it a grateful squeeze.

"Me too."

Back in Astrid's apartment, they watch movies from when they were children while wearing silk pyjamas, and lay side by side in the dark reminiscing about their various adventures together with you and Nick from over the years.

When the conversation turns to the situation between Nick, Rachel, and Mrs Young, Astrid's expression sours considerably. The family had tried that with her regarding Michael, but they hadn't been able to find dirt on him like they had with Rachel.

"Rachel is strong, she is smart," Astrid muses quietly, "Michael was too, against all odds and the inscrutable politics of my family," she sighs with exasperation, "but the standards he set for himself, and the insecurity he felt when not meeting them, stem from expectations I don't think she will have to face. I know they'll have challenges, different challenges to what Michael and I faced, but Nick is a good man, and I hope they get through this, I really do; they deserve a happy ending."

"So do you," Oliver insists, and Astrid gives a tired laugh.

"I will find it eventually, I'm sure," she yawns, though at least she doesn't sound as defeated as the prospect may have made her feel at the start of the day.

"If you want to get away, you know there'll always be a place for you with us," Oliver tells her with a grin, "or we could even bring you to Saltburn, to get away from the city and all the people; Fi's mum has been dying to meet you ever since we told her about you and Nick. She'd probably let you move in if you wanted."

There's so much Astrid knows she will have to deal with here in the coming weeks, months, probably years, but god, escape sounds so nice right now.

"And his family loves you both?"

"So much it's a little overwhelming sometimes," Oliver admits with a chuckle, "apart from Farleigh, of course," though he amends, "well, he likes Y/N well enough, me, however, he's never really -"

"Haven't you been sleeping with that man for years?" She laughs brightly, and Oliver groans before he answers.

"He barely even seems to tolerate me then!"

"I still can't wrap my head around how that's still going on while you're in love with his cousin, and that said cousin is somehow okay with this whole arrangement!"

"It's like how Y/N and Venetia have an ongoing arrangement, except Venetia doesn't pretend that she can't stand my sibling the rest of the time like Farleigh does with me."

"Oh god, Venetia," Astrid giggled, "that's Felix's sister, isn't it? I forgot about her and Y/N; I met her that time in Milan, didn't I?"

"You did," Oliver can't help but smile at the memory, "I believe we were all absolutely plastered when you first met her -"

"Oh, because I arrived late! That's right; oh she's such a darling, you know she actually told me that I was the most beautiful woman she'd ever met in her life," the smile in Astrid's words is audible, and Oliver can't help but grin too.

"That's because you are," he says like it's a fact, continuing on when she tries to protest with embarrassment, "we all think that about you, Astrid, you're so lovely; I think I remember we had a little meeting about it in the car on our way back to the hotel that night."

"You are all ridiculous, and far too sweet," Astrid tells him fondly.

"We all love you so very much, you know that, right?"

"I know," she tells him softly, sincerely, taking his hand in the dark, "I am glad for the people you have all grown into over the years. I'm glad that you and Y/N now have a family who loves you," and she gives his hand a squeeze, "I'm very glad you're here, Ollie."

"I'm glad to be here too, you know I always will be when you call."

In the days that come, her family and the world will praise her for her strength, her elegance, her composure. Tonight, Oliver welcomes and loves Astrid for her humanity.

[downtherabbithole-tumbleedition]

Mahfaeraak (Alduin x Dragonborn)

Part 1

Aurelia stepped into the dark, endless plainlands of Sovngarde alone.

Seventeen years old, with everything to give and nothing to lose, a sword in her hands and her heart in her throat. Fear wasn’t something she felt often, and she worried the World Eater would smell it on her.

The Blades had a growing army and still they sent her alone, with nothing more than the naive hopes that an unconfirmed prophecy would prove true against all the odds. Aurelia held that stupid, insignificant little prophecy in her, begging it to be true.

The souls of previous Dragonborns came to her aid but Alduin targeted her, as if the others were nothing more than fruits and bread rolls while Aurelia was a juicy, tender steak. The one thing that would quench his hunger.

She tried with great effort to block out the memories of Sovngarde — to push those terrible events to the back of her mind, locking them away so they might never be remembered again — but she still vividly recalled how easily Alduin swept through the Dragonborns. How effortlessly he isolated her. How close his teeth were to her throat. He’d laughed in her face, mocking her in his dragon tongue.

But his arrogance had been his downfall.

The final blow hadn’t been noble or brave, not the kind that was painted in chapels or mimicked in statues. There was no piercing arrow or swinging sword as Aurelia held her head up high — no. With the slip of her hand, her dagger was plunged into the World Eater’s heart and, with a roar of pain, he exploded into nothingness.

Aurelia returned home a hero, Alduin’s destroyer at seventeen years old. And yet, she still was nothing but a pawn to be shoved around and used as those around her pleased. Perhaps she killed Alduin, but snakes still slithered, wanting nothing more than to suck the life out of her.

Just how many people had promised you love and family and home only to stab a knife into your back?

The emperor.

Astrid.

Mercer.

Delphine.

‘Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me’... But three times? Was that just pure stupidity on Aurelia’s part?

That was why she traveled alone, that was why she rode her life out in solitude. That was why she didn’t stick her neck out for people, especially not extremely attractive dark haired, naked men.

Aurelia was on her trek back to Whiterun, needing an actual bed rather than a pack on the hard ground of a cave. It had been months since she let her guard down in a place where she knew she was safe, and her body was finally growing weary from the minimal sleep and meals, demanding she let herself rest.

That was when her path was blocked by a pack of bandits, demanding this insanely tall and stark naked man give them a hundred septims. And they called her delusional.

“Pay the toll, or its Sovngarde for you, pretty boy,” one of the bandits said, a scantily clad Nord woman. How they survived the cold in such attire was beyond you.

The man said nothing, perhaps he was a mute.

“Gods, this is inconvenient,” Aurelia mumbled, loud enough to be heard.

The male bandit's lazy gaze snapped to her, posture straightening as she approached. He had an ugly sneer on his face but his eyes roamed down her body like a slug and she was happy for her armour. Perhaps the ebony was not quite as intimidating as her Daedric armour, but it did a well enough job to protect her from pointy blades and lingering eyes.

“What did you say, bitch?”

Auerlia sighed tiredly; she just wanted to sleep.

One of the bandits started spouting off some nonsense about gutting her like a fish, but she’d already reached into her boot, pulling out one of her daggers and effortlessly throwing it into his throat. The woman beside him screeched in shock, like a choking bird.

“Can I go through now?”

“You won’t leave here alive!” The woman yelled, raising her steel sword high above her head. If Aurelia was honest, the bandit didn’t even look like she could properly wield a two-handed.

She groaned in the back of her throat as the bandit charged towards her, yellow teeth sneering. With a practice ease, Aurelia had an armoured hand gripped around the point of the sword, stopping the bandit in her tracks. In the blink of an eye, she gave one strong tug, ripping the blade from the woman’s hands and causing her to plummet to the ground.

With the same blade, the bandit’s head was ripped from her neck, tumbling to the ground.

She threw the bloodied sword to the ground, moving forward only when she was convinced there were no other bandits lingering. Odd, how this man was built like an ancient oak tree and yet wasn’t capable of taking care of two bandits.

“For the future, I’d recommend clothing yourself,” she said, a touch of humour in her voice.

Aurelia received no response, he just stared with his blood red eyes. Curious — he couldn’t be a vampire like Serana, not if he was in the sun with no protection. Now that she looked at him properly, well, she could see just how out of place he was. Porcelain white skin, long black hair, insane height, and, of course, eyes as red as blood.

Over the years, Auerlia liked to think she’d gotten quite good at reading people — their intentions, their auras. This man somehow made every alarm bell ring with a relentless force, warning her that he was nothing but danger.

Aurelia did not like anything about this man, nor the energy that radiated off of him. Without another word, she began to walk away.

His large hand gripped around her wrist like a vice, tight enough to make her want to whine in pain. She whipped her head around, alarmed as she saw his glowing red eyes.

One word circled inside her brain and, as much as she wanted to deny it, something inside of her told her it was true.

“Alduin.”

[the-broken-truth]

Heheheh. Hello! Now we are going to the fun part! What if Björn has a love interest? A strong warrior from a village where they worship the bear, she’s known as Astrid the Brave and when they hear that there’s a god for the bears, they started to worship him and beg him to help and protect their village from plagues, dangers, etc.

Björn answers Astrid’s prayers and he agrees to help her village if she completes three challenges for him. If she completes, he will help her village and she will turn into his champion.

Broken Truth: A Love Interest?! Awesome! This is going to be fun now, let the words weave together.

[A Village in Midgard - The Bear Shrine]

The snow slowly fell from the skies above as it blanketed the village below, the people of the village walked around doing tasks but things weren't as prosperous as they could have been; the hunting parties hadn't been successful in their hunt and pillagers have been raiding surrounding villages, it was only a matter of time before they reached them, and the people of the village were beginning to lose faith - faith in their patron god, Björn - The Great Bear. But one refused to lose faith and she was on her way to the Great Bear Shrine with a slab of deer meat in her hands as the wind blew her short grey hair around.

Her eyes laid upon the statue of the great bear before her and walked at the feet of the statue before placing the slab of meat between the bear's front paws, she closed her eyes and clapped her hands together before her face as she took her breath in an inhale and then exhaled before she began praying.

"Oh, Great God of the Bear. Hear my prayer. Please bless our village with your protective and prosperity." The girl spoke to the statue of the bear - all was silent before the girl suddenly felt a warm feeling behind her, she turned around and her eyes widened. Behind her was a teenage boy around her age if not older - his shoulder-length dark brown hair blew in the wind as he looked down at the girl with golden eyes. He was dressed in royal blue clothes with a cloak of fur dropped over his shoulders, he opened his mouth to speak and his voice came out in a powerful echo.

"I am here, Astrid the Brave." Björn spoke to Astrid, who bowed to him with a nervous smile on her face.

"Lord Björn, you have come!" Astrid said with excitement in her voice, but Björn placed a hand on her shoulder and made her stand straight to look into his eyes.

"It's been a while. Now, how may I help you? You have prayed to me for many moons now and I have come to answer your prayer. What is it?" Björn asked as he returned his hand back under his cloak

"The village crops are suffering and nothing has grown in a long while. The hunting parties are coming back with less and less prey every day and the village continues to grow. There have been rumors of pillagers on the outskirts of our village and I fear that they might come to attack us and we are not ready if they do decide to attack Please, Lord Björn, as the village that worships the Great Bear, we need to favor of the Great Bear." Astrid explained as she looked at Björn who looked down on the village and the people who walked around aimlessly. Björn nodded before he turned and looked at Astrid.

"I hear your plead and I shall aid you but I need you to prove yourself and your village worthy of my protected and aid," Björn said as he walked over to Astrid, who stood still in silence. "I have 3 tasks for you and if you complete them, I shall give your village my protection and aid, and I shall also make you my champion."

"Yes, Lord Björn. What can I do to earn your blessing and become your champion?" Astrid asked with excitement in her eyes.

"I want you to complete 3 Tasks: Collecting a Rare Crystal in Alfheim. Second, travel to the realm of Musphelheim and collect a special iron from the top of the tallest mountain in the realm. Lastly, travel to Svarftalfheim and collect wood from the oldest tree in the dark forest. Return here with those three items and I shall name you my champion and bless your village with my favor." Björn explained as he counted on his fingers to Astrid before returning his hands under his cloak.

"I understand, Lord Björn; I'll leave for Alfheim at once," Astrid said as she bowed to her patron god and old friend again but she was stopped and 2 projections appeared before her: A tall man with a dark brown beard, pale almost white skin covered in scars that bore a red marking on his left side and golden eyes that looked pitiful and full of sorrow and pain. He carried some kind of axe covered in ruins. The second projection was of a boy with clear blue eyes and reddish sandy hair and light tan skin with a bow in his hands.

"During your travels, if you run into these two individuals: Avoid them at all costs and do not tell them that you have met me or know anything about me. Understand?" Björn narrowed his eyes at Astrid who nodded her head over and over again until the glare on his face disappeared.

"I understand, Lord Björn; I shall avoid them and even if I see them, I won't tell them anything about you." Astrid said as she looked into Björn's golden eyes, he smiled at Astrid before gesturing in the direction of the stairs that led down to the village.

"Go now, Astrid the Brave, return to me safely and in one piece." Björn said before he turned and began fading away in a golden light before he was no longer there, or at least to Astrid's eyes. In reality, he activated his cloak's power to become unseen by the human eye. He watched as Astrid smiled to herself and began walking down the stairs, ready to complete her mission for the grace of the Great Bear.

[About 3 Months Later Leaving Alfheim With The Rare Crystal: At the Peaks of Musphelheim]

Astrid pulled herself over the edge of the mountainside and exhaled when she reached the top, before her was a cluster of the special iron that was on the Great Bear's List. Walking over to the cluster, Astrid pulled out her pickaxe and began chipping away at a long arm of iron from the cluster until it broke, falling to the ground before her. She took one last swing and broke the long piece into two pieces and gathered the pieces into her backpack when she heard someone walking behind her, she pulled her sword out of her sheath and turned on her heel and there he stood - The Marked Man.

"Who are you?" The Marked Man asked.

'This is the Marked Man Björn warned me about the one she said that I need to avoid. What is he doing at the peaks? How did he know that I was here?' Astrid thought to herself and the man narrowed his and spoke again.

"Answer me, girl; who are you?" He asked again.

"I am no one you need to concern yourself with, Marked Man. I am simply a traveler on a journey and now I have collected what I needed; now I am heading back home." Astrid said as she began walking but the Marked Man spoke again.

"Tell me something, Girl, have you ever heard of the Great Bear God that goes by the name of Björn?" He asked.

"No. I have never heard of that name." Astrid said as she began walking down the path she took to reach the mountain peak. She was going to need to be careful during her time in Svarftalfheim for if she ran to the Marked Man during her time here, she might run into the boy known as Loki there.

[The Dark Forest of Svarftalfheim]

There she stood, before the largest and oldest tree in the dark forest of Svarftalfheim, looking up at the tree limbs above. She pulled her sword from her death and threw it like a disk, hitting one of the thinner tree branches and severing it from the tree; sending it crashing to the ground with her sword. Astrid grabbed her sword and chopped the tree branch into 3 smaller pieces and picked them up before placing them in her backpack. Suddenly, the presence behind Astrid her turn around, and a boy was standing behind her but not just any boy.

'Loki.' Astrid thought.

"Oh, hi; I didn't notice that you were here. What brought you here to the Dark Forest?" The boy asked with a smile on his face but t disappeared when he saw the girl before him wasn't smiling, "Is something wrong?"

"No. I am leaving." Astrid said as she tried to walk away but Loki got in her path and asked her if she heard of someone named Björn but she said no before she pushed him aside and walked away leaving Loki alone.

[4 Months Later - Village In Midgard - The Bear Shrine]

She was home. After a year of traveling and collecting the items she was asked to retrieve, she was finally home and the first thing she did was the return to the Bear Shrine and placed the items on the Bear Shrine before the Bear's Paws. She placed her hands together and began to pray.

"Oh, Great God of the Bear. I have returned from my mission and retrieved the items you have asked for. Please come before me and judge me for my efforts." Astrid prayed and almost instantly, Björn appeared before her with a smile on his face.

"You have completed my tasks and returned to me unharmed. You are worthy to be my champion and your village has earned my favor, Astrid the Brave." Björn smiled before he pulled her into a hug and placed his chin on her head, feeling the warmth of his champion and friend for the first time in a long time.

[gone-series-orchid]

which book do you think is the worst/could have been written better? I re-read Lies a little while ago and. Wow. Definitely could have used some work.

that's a good question! honestly, it's been so long since i last reread the books (blasphemy, i know) that i have trouble really remembering any big structural or story-related problems that occurred in any of them. they're all kind of shaggy except for the first book, which i think was the most focused and straightforward of the series.

if i had to pick one, i guess i'd pick fear? not because of anything in particular, but for its lack of memorability. i hardly remember anything of note that happened in fear despite it being the penultimate book of the series, the big build-up to light's endgame, but i hardly remember it aside from a few choice scenes/characters. i think the subplot with cigar happens in fear? and howard dies? i like cigar. and howard's death should have even a bigger deal! orc's whole thing with going to kill drake as revenge for his best friend's murder is so compelling, a great subplot, but i remember it kind of fizzling out. in fact, maybe my perception of fear's as being forgettable is directly due to astrid and orc receding in prominence during it. orc's arc is more or less finished, so that makes sense, but astrid's return to society after living out in the wild felt anticlimactic and manufactured. michael grant had to get back to the status quo, i guess, and have astrid be sam's helpmate and soundboard. which is fine, i guess, but astrid deserved better than being shuttled back into being basically sam's girlfriend (now with less jesus!) just felt like a disappointment. it doesn't help that i'm completely uninterested in sam and astrid as a couple. idk, maybe that has something to do with it? i'm hopelessly biased in this case, lol. so i don't think fear is necessarily a bad book, but it's just kinda meh. too little orc, too little astrid.

that's interesting that you thought lies was the worst! i think a lot of fans see it the same way. i remember, years ago now, rereading lies as an older teenager/young adult (god i don't even remember lol) after first reading it at the age of 13. i disliked it when i was younger, finding it boring, but as an older reader, i found it a lot more interesting. i think the ideas present in lies are really cool; zeroing in on the interpersonal conflicts and political strife of the fayz rather than focusing so heavily on the gaiaphage felt really refreshing. the human crew are cool villains--they're lame, they're bigoted, but they're pathetic in a very human way. i get the sense that mg doesn't particularly like zil, whereas he clearly loves caine and drake (based on their treatment in the books' narratives). that's a good thing! i just wish the human crew's bigotry had soaked into the fayz' social fabric a little more.

maybe i'm conflating the events of hunger and plague with lies, though. i probably am, oops. but i remember enjoying lies because it gives astrid her time to shine--and i love that, honestly i do. that might be my big achilles' heel in this case, lol.

feel free to critique lies more in my inbox, though! i love reading other people's criticisms, especially about gone's female characters and especially astrid. she was done so dirty in the last few books 😭

thank you for the ask! feel free to send more, if you'd like!

[becomedecay]

starter status: open

where: twisted sisters pub

who: torbjörn

setting: tor, feeling disheartened by his inability to write seeks comfort in alcohol. being the mouthpiece of mortis, it's rare for him to be able to go out and enjoy life. do you recognise him? if you do — how will you approach? if you don't recognise him, great, maybe you'll be able to make conversation with him. maybe you don't recognise him from mortis, but you've seen him around town with his daughter astrid—or you've taught her, taken care of her in the moon & sun daycare centre or babysat her when he's needed the help.

cap: 4/4 — capped!

He's been engrossed in his notebook, writing out poetic meanings and phrases that could stab the heart—none of it works, his pen scrawling and scratching the paper until it breaks through to the page beneath. Huffing & sighing, Tor accepts that writing songs under stressful conditions just wouldn't do. Closing his notebook, he slips it away into his tattered messenger bag and decides it's in his best interest to just approach the remainder of the day as if he didn't just try to write more gothic, hell—worshipping music laced with hints of a love song.

It's all part of the mourning. The yearning. She's still unseen, her presence a knife in his chest. God, he misses her.

Slinging the bag strap over his head and across his chest, Tor leaves the ugly mug diner, knowing that the only cure for the lack of creativity is a hard beer. Hands tucked in his leather jacket pockets, he braces himself for the mid-evening chill as he walks to the twisted sisters pub, the only place he's found so far that makes him feel at home.

The walk felt so long, minutes dragged like hours but he makes it eventually, pushing through the main doors into the warmth and cluttered sounds of the pub. Immediately he feels more at ease, softly grinning to himself as he takes it all in. If only she could see this place.

Approaching the bar, Tor gives a happy wave and greets the bartender with relief. "Hey! Can I get a beer whenever you're ready? Thanks." He asks, leaning onto the bar with both his elbows. Instinctively, Tor begins fiddling with the drink mat they put down, twirling it in his hands.

As soon as someone comes and stands beside him, he stops, aware that the presence of another person means all his actions will become observed. Looking up, he straightens his back and acknowledges the new arrival with a gentle smile. "You've come at the right time. Place isn't too busy so you won't be waiting long." He's never been good at small talk, and this shows it in all its raw glory. Stifling himself from saying anything else potentially useless, he turns his attentions back to the mat, placing it flat on the bar top just as the bartender brings over his drink. "Cheers." Tor mutters, taking a sip to shut himself up.

[stahl-herz]

Trick or treat! 🎃

This is late, but: send an ask with "Trick or treat!" to the writer who reblogged this & you could receive: sneak-peek at a WIP, this case is another part of How much change does a Ripple make?'. A snippet from earlier in the story.

“Well, you’re the only one here that can see me, right?” She smiled at his nod of confirmation. “So, I’d like for everyone here to have an idea of what I look like. Please?”

Richard straightened his tie, turned around and practically lunged at the chalkboard. He proceeded to draw… a picture. To say it looked like an artistic representation of a goblin would be flattery. It barely looked like her! With a heavy sigh, she slid off the table and tried not to show how disappointed she felt.

“I guess a deal’s a deal. But shouldn’t everyone here introduce themselves?”

She glanced around the room, and the small table looked even more crowded than before. Some of the royalty looked like they were being squished between their neighbors. A red haired woman looked like she was trying very hard not to elbow the Asian woman beside her in the face. A few people were sitting with notepads behind the table, no doubt ready to take notes of the proceedings. Every person in the room (besides her) had that greyish tone to their skin! Was this just… something to do with their status? Was it genetic? She had so many questions about this!

“Right, Astrid is requesting that everyone introduce themselves. And I’d say that it’s a brilliant way to kill two birds with one stone.” Richard glanced around the room to see everyone nod.

The names of everyone blurred together for Astrid. She didn’t doubt that she would have to ask Richard to reintroduce her to most of them. She couldn’t help the grin that threatened to split her face when it was the blond woman’s turn.

“I am Eleanor Ségolène Clark the First. I am the Representative, Sword, Shield and First Queen of Canada. Yes, the moose in the stables is mine. His name is Bullwinkle-“

“Hmph, not as good as Lucy. I’d love to show you how she can breathe fire! Oh wait, I’m not allowed to bring her here.” The dust covered man beside her grumbled.

“At least my moose, James,’ She looked the man in the eye, and smiled. “isn’t a fire hazard. Which is why Lucy can’t come here, in case your tiny little brain forgot.”

I don’t know why, but I half expected people to either laugh or ‘cough’ in response to Eleanor’s response to James’ remark. But, instead, the creak of chairs shifting under people’s weight, a few sighs, and some muffled sounds of annoyance met my ears. Signe had also shifted in his chair, but in a way that suggested he was ready to get out it? A few people even glared in Eleanor and James’ direction, with the only Asian woman in the room giving a disapproving frown. She was tapping what looked like a folded fan in her hand. She would’ve looked indifferent to the events unfolding between these two, but her grip on the handle of the fan was so tight that her knuckles looked bone-white. Even Richard briefly looked upward, as if asking God for patience, before he cleared his throat.

“You’re mangy moose-“

“I do believe,’ Richard interrupted, “that it’s your turn, James?” He gestured toward the tanned man.

Said man straightened in his chair, rubbed his animal tooth arm band absently, gave an aggravated sigh and nodded.

“Hello, I am James Walker the First. I’m the Representative, and First King of Australia. I share my Sword and Shield with my sister Keri, who isn’t here today. Lucy is my pet crocodile. Yes, she can breathe fire. And it’s a tactical advantage, Eleanor.” He shoots Eleanor a glare and crossed his arms. “I’ve introduced myself, so you can mark the board, aye?”

Richard nods and makes a note on the board. The rest of the royalty introduced themselves. It turns out the black haired man beside Signe was Sasha Lebedev, the Czar of Russia! The last person to introduce themselves was Signe, who turned out to be the King of Sweden. At Richard’s mark of ‘present’ beside Signe’s name, the meeting began.

[utilitycaster]

Wizard breakdown tracker

Welcome to a new and wholly unasked for feature, in which I procrastinate what I should be doing (currently: reading about MRIs, finishing up some Passover kitchen cleaning) in favor of providing a status update on our wizard NPCs, who are as a rule getting their lives flipped and turned upside down in part by the the Mighty Nein. I intend to keep up with this nonsense until such time as Trent Ikithon is dead or as good as.

Note: Caleb Widogast, as a PC and member of the Mighty Nein, is not included on this list. Vess DeRogna is assumed to be still dead unless otherwise indicated. Wizard NPCs who have not made an appearance nor been mentioned in some time will not be included but may be put on the list in future weeks if they turn up.

Ludinus Da’leth: haven’t heard from him in a while but Astrid mentioned him; last we heard he’d lost the Nein in Eiselcross. Probably hanging out and having a great time knowing that Vess DeRogna is missing, presumed dead and that Trent Ikithon is having a miserable time. I bet that smug bastard doesn’t realize his overture to Caleb just made him more complicit and a storm’s a-coming.

Conclusion: 0/10. Pretty sure this man won’t believe he can die until a sword is stuck through him and even then he’ll have some doubts.

Trent Ikithon: according to Astrid, he’s a little twitchy; Caleb’s shown that even when quite literally backed into a corner he’s uninterested in making bargains, and also can capably counterspell him. Plus his underlings let the Nein go and even if he doesn’t know this was intentional, seems like it would be a rough day.

Conclusion: 4/10. Not pulling out the big guns yet, probably, but starting to ramp things up.

Essek Thelyss: Oh, Essek. You poor, poor elf man. Yes, you laid the groundwork, but I have to say I think pacing via floating would be uniquely unsatisfactory in relieving stress. Jester’s messages have made it worse, you’ve been expecting to die every day for the last six weeks, and what exactly did Trent do to you?

Conclusion: 8/10. Please give him some whiskey-spiked tea and sympathy in the tower tonight.

Astrid Beck: Well she’s betrayed Trent like four times in the last week already and, initial reunion conversation with Caleb aside, the Mighty Nein have been fucking up her shit ever since that dinner, so.

Conclusion: 8/10 and rising. Help her Bob, she’s having a mental breakdown in the alley. (god I hope people know sea shanteys other than The Wellerman or this is going to be a joke only I enjoy).

E(a,o)dwulf “Then Perish” Grieve(?): Wulf is a mystery wrapped in an enigma, isn’t he. Here’s what we know: Big. Strong. Forearms. Cut his parents’ throats as a teenager. Sometimes does work at Vergesson. Keeps saying “you look good” to Caleb like he’s a romanceable video game character. Raven Queen, but not sure of whether he multiclassed or is just a religious wizard who lifts. Knows wristpocket and uses it to hide his flask. Joined Astrid in Nicodranas, so in on the plan, but she seems to be the one in charge.

Conclusion: 5/10. Fewer betrayals than Astrid, but he’s definitely at least guilty of aiding and abetting.

Pumat Sol: Missing the Spice Girls already. Some weird guy in a cloak keeps stopping by his shop. You know, the usual.

Conclusion: 2/10, probably a little nervous he’s going to get audited for illegal high level spells. On the other hand, the Assembly’s been leaving him alone - no Vess DeRogna threats for a while!

Allura Vyesoren: I mean, it’s not the first time that a rag-tag bunch of misfits has asked for her help regarding a world-ending power and so far it’s gone pretty good! Also this woman has watched Scanlan Shorthalt cast Wish and survived, she’s got a great marriage and a cool tower, she’s on the Tal’Dorei council; it’s going to take a lot to truly unsettle her.

Conclusion: 3/10. She doesn’t have her staff, and the city is indeed a concern, but she’s been through worse.

Yussa Errenis: AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Conclusion: ∞ /10. AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH

[nanaminokanojo]

Play the Game | Nanami Kento X You | Part 5/8

CHARACTERS: Nanami Kento X You (fem!reader | PLEASE READ THE NOTES BELOW*) | Gojo Satoru | Geto Suguru | Shoko Ieiri | Utahime Iori | other JJK Characters CHAPTER COUNT: 5/8 WORD COUNT: 3,900+ GENRE: romance | fluff | slight angst | smut | ooc depictions | female reader with described appearance* | modern au | rich people au | aged up characters CHAPTER TRIGGER WARNING: profanity| cigarette smoking | age gap | strong/mature/suggestive language | drug use SPOILERS: n/a STATUS: COMPLETED

collection masterlist

one - two - three - four - five - six - seven - eight

"Play the Game" Masterlist

The autumn winds heralded more clement weather, carrying the tart scent of peaches and pine in the air. With the balmier weather, everyone in the estate had taken their opportunity to be outdoors. Nanami himself had been dragged out and was walking with everyone who cared to go to the private orchards when at breakfast, the groundskeeper announced that everyone can go peach picking.

He watched from across the table as the object of his attraction visibly lit up, your glorious blue eyes brightening exponentially. You loved peach picking and he loved seeing you all excited over small things. But it turned out to be something of a disappointment when your attention turned to Geto instead of him, inviting him to go with you.

“You’re coming, aren’t you?” you asked expectantly, giggling like a little girl when Geto nodded, placing an arm over your shoulder and hugging you to his side while he said, “Anything for my favorite girl.”

My favorite girl. He had to stop himself from being petty and scoffing at the very thought of it. His annoyance was further validated when you generalized your invitation, saying anyone who wished to could come, voiced out by Yuuji who pouted at you and said you should have been inviting him since he loved picking peaches as much as you did.

That was just how it was with you when it comes to Geto. You forget everyone around you the moment he makes an appearance, and it seemed Nanami wasn’t an exception. He could accept that in the past. Ever since, you had been vocal about your preference for the dark-haired man who spoiled you to no end, letting you have your way and without fail made you smile and laugh like you never do with anyone else. When their group would go out, travel or do something else recreational, you’d always be where Geto was, dangling by his arm. You mellowed out with him when you met Yuuji, but the truth is that Geto Suguru is your favorite among your older brother’s friends.

This time, however, he couldn’t rest easy with you interacting that way with said male. If he was being honest, he only agreed to go peach picking after Gojo made him tag along because he wanted to keep a close eye on you. He was also being obvious about it with the way he was trailing you with his eyes every other five seconds, the realization dawning into him when Shoko walked beside him, grinning as she took a long drag from her cigarette.

“If you want to be with her, just do it,” the woman told him, easily reading him as usual. “You look like you’re about to blow your top.”

Nanami just glanced at you, his eyes involuntarily flicking to your familiar figure now circling around Geto as you walked, your hands and arms animatedly making big gestures as you seemingly explained something to him. He felt his temper rise when the male grabbed your arm, pulling you towards him so he could wrap an arm around you, his dark eyes finding Nanami over his shoulder in a sly taunt.

Shoko clucked her tongue, shaking her head. “We all know, Kento.” She glanced behind her where Gojo and Utahime were walking. “Only that white-haired idiot seems to know nothing. Or he pretends not to know.” She sighed. “I can’t blame him though. She used to be this really cute bundle of joy, but look at her now. She’s a grown woman.”

He couldn’t disagree with that. He knew exactly just how much of a woman you have become physically and mentally. What he doesn’t understand was why you weren’t walking with him instead while you’d be sneaking around with him, stealing kisses and hugs from him since the previous day when the pair of you returned from the lake.

At the rehearsal the previous night, you had stuck to him like glue, not that he minded. You purposefully touched him even when everyone was watching, running your fingers over his arm, leaning against him while everyone waited for their turn to practice their part for the ceremony and holding his hand while he sat with you in the garden during breaks, all the while feigning innocence to your actions. You even went to the extent of wrapping an arm around his waist while Gojo was speaking to you. The man, obviously aggravated, narrowed his eyes at you before turning on his heels and leaving.

“God, he’s so frustratingly dumb,” you muttered under breath, watching him leave. Only you had the guts (and right if Nanami was being honest) to call your brother dumb. It somehow made Nanami think that you were really just doing things to get a rise out of Gojo for whatever reason or whatever complex you had with him, but what confused him was that you didn’t stop even if your male clone wasn’t looking.

It was no different at the dinner that followed at the restaurant the family had rented for the night. You purposefully said you forgot something, declaring that you will be riding with Nanami instead, tossing your car keys to Megumi who saluted him while snickering with Nobara. Yuuji, being the most annoying of your three friends, deliberately bumped against him and said, “Make the most of it, Nanamin.”

He would have smacked the boy at the back of his head if the conniving little sprite dragging him around didn’t pull him towards his car. “Wait for them to leave,” you told him as you boarded his car.

“I thought you forgot something.” His lips quirked upwards, already realizing what you were playing at, but before he could say anything more, you grabbed him by the collar, silencing him with your lips. That ended up with you two being half an hour late to dinner after that one kiss turned into a full-on make-out session in his car with you sitting astride his lap while he kissed you stupid.

When both of you finally got to the restaurant, he expected you to let go of him, but you boldly walked with him to your designated seats, holding onto his hand as you led the way. He did not miss the way your parents were looking at the two of you, but he pretended not to notice. Your father was rather approving which was a relief but your mom was just confused. He could just surmise that your friends were in on it when you ended up sitting on the same table, reserving two seats for him and you, further proven when you exchanged high-fives with Nobara who, in turn, winked at Nanami. Of course, he thought, they knew.

You engaged in conversations with your friends for most of the duration of the dinner, but you never failed to smile his way or wink at him when you think no one’s watching. You didn’t ride home with him since he had to drive stupid Gojo after he got too drunk to function and instead drove your car with your pals. You and your friends didn’t come back for another hour, but when you got home, you rifled through the house, loudly asking everyone where he was.

Nanami had to suppress laughter as he crossed the foyer on his way to the stairs and saw how you pushed past Suguru to make your way towards him, latching onto his arm and announcing to everyone that you will walk him to his room cause he might get lost. You had giddily stuck to what you said you’ll do when he noticed how your eyes were bloodshot and you had that odd smile on your face.

“Sweetheart, are you high?” he asked, gently holding you at arm’s length. He already knew the answer to his question when he caught a whiff of weed on your hair. Typically, he’d scold you, but the way you were tittering for no reason was just too adorable for him to handle.

“Don’t be mad,” you said to him, attempting to pout, but you couldn’t in your state. You then started poking his cheek that he eventually had to hold your hands away from him. When you finally stopped laughing, you blinked up at him and said, “I want you to kiss me.”

He didn’t have to be told twice as he pulled you to a side hallway, pushing you against the wall, giving you a peck. You whined loudly. “You call that a kiss?” you complained.

“Be specific, love. How do you want me to kiss you?” he teased, leaning his forehead against yours, trying hard not to laugh as he held you back, preventing you from touching him. He was already aware of how you could easily take the reins and dominate him.

You smirked at him. “Kiss me dumb. Pretty please with a cherry on top, Kento?” You seemed to have discovered that calling him by his given name has become his weakness, and you succeeded because in the next second, he was all over you, prying your mouth open with his tongue as he pressed you against the wall with his body. You submitted to his touches, pulling him closer, your sensuous lips and the sweet flavor of your tongue driving him insane. Before he lost control, he walked you back to your room, defeating the purpose of you walking him to his.

But now, he had to watch you being monopolized by Geto.

He sighed. He could trust Shoko to shed off pretenses for once.

“You okay?” she asked.

He nodded. “I know she’s really fond of Suguru, but I can’t help but –” What was it that he felt exactly?

“You’re jealous. It’s natural especially when she was all clingy with you yesterday.” She chuckled. Shoko couldn’t have been more right, but the scene playing out before him was the least of his problems. It ran deeper than just the moment at hand.

Nanami promised to keep it a secret as Geto’s friend although it killed him a thousand times when three years ago, just a week before the time he had to haul you out of a bathtub after your cocaine episode, the male came to him, confiding that he wanted to pursue you romantically.

“Good luck on that,” he remembered telling Geto, feeling that same pang of envy pervading his system, but then the latter said, “It’s just that she said she likes someone else.” He looked at Nanami sharply as if he was angry at him for some reason, but retracted to his easy-going mood. “Forget I said anything. I can’t have her.”

“Why is that?” Nanami asked then.

At that, Geto smiled, sadness crossing his features. “I don’t deserve her.”

At odd to his words three years ago, Geto was as close to you as ever. You’re obviously still very fond of him. Still, Nanami wasn’t sure what the intention was behind Geto’s calculated actions. The man was just as aggravating as you are with your mutual penchant for games and keeping people on their toes.

Shoko stole him back from his reverie. “Just put a label on it already. She likes you, too, you know.”

“How do you know that?” he asked.

“Seriously?” She burst out laughing then. “Men are such dense creatures.”

“That’s offensive.”

“So is your obliviousness.”

“What does that even mean?”

She shook her head, her laughter dissipating. “Talk to her and find out.”

**

“I saw what you were doing with Kento last night.”

You looked at Geto who was walking beside you, not really knowing how to respond to his observations and settling for twirling the wicker basket you were holding. He flashed you a knowing smile, already used to your behavior when you were puzzling something in your head, caught up in your own bubble.

“I’m not as frustrated about Nanamin as much as I am with Satoru.” You sighed, remembering how your brother just walked away when he saw you holding onto Nanami, annoyed as if he thinks you were just trying to rile him up. “He’s so dense with things like this.”

“You’re one to talk,” Geto stated frankly, snickering at your appalled reaction. “On a more serious note, why?”

Letting up on your scowl, you said, “Well, he’s being a bitch about how I never tell him anything anymore. He asked whether I liked Nanamin and what was going on when I was being very obvious. I kissed the man in front of him, for heaven’s sake.”

“Sweetie, that’s not straightforward at all. You know yourself better than anyone, and seriously, even I get all confused as to whether you’re just messing with everyone, not to mention that you’re so erratic that we just don’t know what to expect from you.” Geto eyed you placatingly, letting you know that he was being earnest.

You easily laugh and smile because of him, but he just as easily offends your by being so brutally straightforward. You’re realizing that now that he was acting more like your older brother, and you knew you couldn’t get offended when you wanted assurance. “I just want to include him all the time but his reactions are so fucking infuriating. He treats me like a kid crushing on his friend if anything.”

“So, why not talk to him about it?”

“I don’t want to sit down and talk to him about it as if I’m asking for permission or approval. I love Satoru to smithereens – don’t tell him that – but he doesn’t get a say about what I want in life especially not where the people I date are concerned especially since he seems to have an aversion to me being attracted to any of you guys ever since I turned twelve.”

Geto chortled. “So you’ve been crushing on Kento since you were a kid?”

You made a face at him, punching him on the arm. “No, idiot. I liked you first.”

His eyes widened in surprise. “What?”

You momentarily stopped walking. “Yes, but then I found out what a womanizer you are but I won’t even venture into that. I’m not really fond of martyrdom,” you deadpanned.

Not even hiding his affront, he walked back to your spot and flicked you on the forehead. “I’m very offended you’d say that to me!”

“It’s true though.” You laughed, reaching over to squish his face before walking around him in circles. “If you think I’ll cry over your pretty face, you couldn’t have been more mistaken. Besides, I don’t want to share.”

“Now you’re just being a jerk.” He placed a hand over his chest, feigning insult. “I’m hurt, baby.”

“You deserve it for kissing that cheap model wannabe in front of me on your first runway show.”

“My, my. Your tongue’s loose today. Tell me more.”

“I settled for thinking I’ll just steal you from Satoru to be my best friend. Well, that’s before I met Yuuji. I guess I was just really jealous of what you and Satoru had. I wanted everything he had anyway until I realized that’s now how it works and there were things about me he couldn’t have either. Makes it fair.” You chuckled, finally making it in front of him. “Like that personalized plush bear you gave me on my eighteenth birthday. Man, that was huge.”

Laughing with you, he held onto your arm, pulling you close to him, glancing behind him.

“What are you looking at?” you asked, still giggling.

“Your boy toy would have killed me with those looks he’d been throwing at my direction since breakfast,” Geto whispered to you, making you look over your shoulder, too. There, you found Nanami, looking so breathtakingly gorgeous with the rakish way his hair had been styled and his chiseled physique outlined by the long-sleeved running top he had on. He’s been dressing more casually recently much to your satisfaction.

“Don’t call him that, He’s not my boy toy.” You couldn’t help but smile like an idiot. “Sometimes, I have to stop myself from jumping his bones.”

It was Geto’s turn to make a face at you. “Sweetheart, I love you, but don’t say those things to me. Anyway, are you two together now?”

You tensed slightly and shook your head. “That’s up to him.”

“What?” He scoffed. “In case you’re not aware, you’re a prize. Don’t go doing all the work.”

“I know.”

“He should fight for it, too, if he wants you.”

“So Yuuji says.”

“He’s right.” Geto stopped walking, placing his hands on your shoulders. “You know I love you right?”

You nodded, poking fun at him. “More than your hoes, I hope.”

He clucked his tongue, rolling his eyes at you. “I’m being serious here. You may think I’m a hedonistic bastard who only thinks about getting laid all the time, but you’re a different story, sweetheart. I treasure you like Satoru does, and if I see something wrong, it’s my duty to tell you.”

Seeing the somber look on his face, your smile dropped. “What are you getting at?”

“I don’t want you to get hurt,” he began. “Kento is a good man, better than Satoru and I combined to tell you the truth. But when it comes to things like this, he has the tendency to be indecisive.”

Your heart dropped, feeling nervous all of a sudden as your eyes widened in fear at the prospect. “Are you saying he doesn’t like me?”

“Honey, he loves you. I know so.” He snorted. “Bastard can’t even resist you anymore by the looks of it, but trust me when I say he’s going to over-analyze things because there are so many things to consider instead just going for it.”

“You mean Satoru?” you griped.

“One of them anyway.”

“O…kay.” You pouted in perplexity. “How would you advise me to proceed?”

Geto finally let up on the seriousness, bursting out laughing. “The gods are fair, aren’t they?”

Understanding why he was laughing, you punched him on the arm again. “I know I’m dumb at this, but at least try acting like the older, more mature one here. You should be flattered I’m coming to you for shit like this at all.”

Still laughing, he pulled you close and hugged you, planting a chaste kiss on the top of your head. When he was calm enough, he breathed out and squeezed you tighter. “Talk to him and be direct about it.”

**

You decided to approach Nanami when you spotted him alone under one of the trees, reading a book. The forgotten basket of peaches beside him, only half-filled, was indicative that he forgot about the activity at hand and is in his own world again. You adored his quiet side, the way he kept to himself, unafraid to be alone and always comfortable in his solitude, so much so that you hesitated to disturb him.

Quietly, you stalked towards him, making sure not to make any sudden sounds, but being him, he was immediately able to perceive your presence.

"You have a very dark taste in literature as a child," Nanami spoke when you’re within earshot, sensing your presence.

You frowned, sitting beside him, confused at first but upon seeing your battered copy of "Coraline" sitting on his lap, you understood what he meant. "Where did you find that?"

"In the library." He finally met your gaze, his expressions unfathomable. "I remembered you gushing about it when you first read it."

You nodded in understanding, but couldn't quite keep your mind in the conversation, plagued with thoughts of what Geto told you earlier. He was saying something about your fascination for the horror genre, but you cut him short, saying, "Can I ask you something?"

Nanami tilted his head slightly at the question, his quizzical gaze prompting you to proceed.

"What are we?" you blurted out, your blue eyes quite unable to meet his dark ones. You don't exactly know what was making you behave with such uncertainty. After all the times you had been confident where he was concerned, you were suddenly scared. You didn't fear being rejected by anyone. It has always been the case for you since you’re younger, but you were afraid of not knowing, of not being sure.

Nanami looked at you, deep in thought for a few moments until he finally told you, "That's up to you, isn't it?" His tone had a bite to it.

Unable to place where he was coming from at the moment, you hesitated. You rummaged through your head about what his response to you could imply, frowning when you came up with nothing. "What?" you said, thinking it better to ask.

"You heard me." He shrugged, opening the book to the page he was reading. By the looks of it, he was trying his best to ignore you.

You fought the urge to pose barb at him, too, wanting nothing but to get a straight response from him. "Why is it up to me?" You totally didn't understand, thinking it ought to be a decision the pair of you should make. Wasn’t that how it worked?

Silently cursing at the whole situation, you contemplated on your past relationships. All of them seemed less complicated. They liked you, you liked them. You decide to date, and when things don’t work out, the arrangement is broken off. High school and college boys were irritating to say the least, but you were expecting it to be a lot more straightforward with Nanami because he’s a mature adult. Now it seemed like you were in one of those previous relationships again.

“Elaborate on that,” you prompted him, seriously at a loss.

He closed his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Is this another game of yours?"

To say you’re appalled by his odd line of questioning was an understatement. Unable to control your emotions anymore, you stood up. "What are you talking about?" You burst out laughing without mirth. For once, you’re being direct with what you wanted. For once, you weren't playing and yet all you get are questions being thrown at you.

"Go play with Suguru. He seems to enjoy your antics more than anyone," he told you coldly.

"What are you on about?" you demanded from him. “I’m asking you a simple question.”

Nanami flashed you a tired smile. "Nothing."

"Nothing?"

He also stood up, obviously exasperated. "Look, I honestly don't know what we are. I'm not sure." He sighed when you eyed him in disappointment but that expression turned into icy indifference very quickly.

"You don't know," you repeated, nodding. "Okay. I see how it is."

For the first time in years, you felt stupid, so much so that you felt like tearing all the hair off your scalp. You didn't understand what was wrong with Nanami but so many thoughts ran through your head at the same time. You thought you might have asked too early. You thought maybe you read things between the two of you wrong. On top of all that, you felt so overwhelmed with anger over his response that you couldn't think straight, but you were also afraid of saying anything else in case your inner demon decides to jump out.

Turning away, you started walking away. You heard him call your name but you didn't look back, suppressing the urge to go back to him and instead storming out of the orchard. You didn't understand what the dull ache in your chest meant but you knew you couldn't handle it.

-end of part 5-

*I used “you” here, but since my character is Gojo’s little sister who is established to be his female clone for reasons essential to the plot, she possesses the same blue eyes and white hair. I did not exactly want to create an OC (although technically, I did by describing Y/N), but I opted for the best of both worlds in this fic, leaning more towards the literary aspect of it as opposed to it just being reader/you-oriented. I hope this isn’t iffy to anyone, and yeah, i’m not being exclusive or whatever.

Thank you so much for reading. Likes, comments and reblogs are deeply appreciated! Hope you enjoyed it.

© ORIGINAL WORK BY nanaminokanojo. CHARACTERS ARE INSPIRED BY GEGE AKUTAMI'S “JUJUTSU KAISEN.” [20210731]

PHOTO/IMAGE/GIF/FANART CREDITS TO THE RESPECTIVE OWNERS.

[e-one-seven]

(I hate being a literature student. Just know that literature students have a bad habit of over-analyzing stuff, and apparently D&D games are not exceptions.)

Normally I don't talk about ships. I think that everybody is free to ship whoever character they want with who they want and I am no one to judge them. Especially if the characters in question are from a live role playing game and one of the ships in question involves a couple controlled by a couple who is married IRL. But this one. Oh boy. Laura Bailey is an absolute beast and she deserves all the respect in the world if even a fraction of what I think it's happening/going to happen will effectively happen in game.

Fjord kissed Jester. He asked for her permission and he got it. It was beautiful. And I am genuinely freaking out because I knew that was going to happen and it's even worse than I imagined it. Why am I talking about it like it is something bad? Because it's possible that Jester is not ready to be in a relationship right now, and that Jester herself is not aware of it. Let's talk about it from the beginning.

Jester likes Fjord from the beginning of the campaign, we all know that. When Jester met Fjord for the first time, she was a sheltered girl who, in her head, just met the perfect man: a proud and strong sailor who wants to live an adventurous life just like the heroes of her novels, and she easily identified herself as the heroine the hero will inevitably fall in love with. They meet the rest of the Nein, live on their adventures and Jester keeps on acting like she is the Guinevere of her personal love story inside her head, while Fjord is blissfully unaware of what is happening inside the skull of his new friend.

Then Fjord meets Avantika, a mature woman who seems to share many traits and interests with him. Jester is clearly jealous, especially after that they sleep together to seal their alliance. That is also the moment when Jester starts to see Fjord's flaws and she seems to be willing to accept them, which is actually a point in favor for a possible relationship between them. But Fjord is still unaware of what the special attention of the blue tiefling actually means.

Then she meets a real married couple, and she starts to realize that romance is not always like she imagined it was. Nott/Veth and Yeza are married and have a child, and they are not as dependent to each other like the heroes of her novels: Nott does her own things and she is a strong independent woman and Yeza is pretty much the same, they are not allowed to be as intimate as they used to be because of "Nott's condition", but they still love and support each other through and through. And at this point, Jester starts to notice that there is a member of the Mighty Nein that seems to show her that unconditional love and support that Nott and Yeza radiate with every action: Caleb Widogast.

Caleb used to be a stinky wizard, a brash individual who joined the group just because he was too squishy to survive on his own. But ever since they are in Xhorhas, he cleaned himself, he is kinder with everyone and he wants to help her organize the Traveler Con even if the event has nothing to do with him directly. Jester is visibly touched by his newfound beauty and kindness. But he still loves Astrid. He called Jester with her name when they danced together in Hupperdook. And he seems to be interested in Essek Thyless too, so she is probably imagining it. The Mighty Nein travel, grow more powerful, and Fjord manages to set himself free from Uk'utoa's influence and becomes a Paladin of the Wildmother. He finally becomes more similar to the hero Jester imagined he was when he met him for the first time, but she seems to be only minimally bothered by his change. She needs time to think because she feels that something is changing inside her. Fjord might not be the right one after all. Caleb is always there for here with all his support, and she starts to want to be there for him.

Eventually, they stop the war, they defeat a fire god and Caleb sets up wonderful magic and illusions so that the Traveler Con is a success. But then, during the last night of the gathering, something happens and Sehanine, the Moonweaver herself is angry. She is taking Artagan away, and Jester is willing to follow him in the Feywild and share his punishment... but Fjord grabs her and begs her not to go. She has still the Mighty Nein, she has still him. For the first time Fjord is being explicit about his feelings for her. Luckily everything goes well and the Mighty Nein are free to come back to Wildemount... Where she finds out about Caleb's past and his intent to save his friend Eadwulf and his former lover Astrid from Trent Ikithon. They go dance again, Caleb pushes her in Fjord's arms, and the half-orc gives her a present. There is definitely something. But there is Caleb too, but he is too busy trying to deal with his demons to pay attention to her.

Jester meets Astrid and she antagonizes her. She is jealous, she thinks that Astrid is Caleb's ideal woman and she realizes they are not alike at all. She is a talented and ambitious wizard, while she is just Jester, the cleric of an Archfey. Astrid is just like Essek, and Caleb is attracted by Essek. Jester understands if Caleb doesn't like her after all: why should he be interested into a childish cleric whose power is not even her own? They are just very good friends. That's all. He should be back with Astrid and she will support him if that will happen once that she will be free from Trent Ikithon's influence. But Caleb is still so kind, and loving, and supportive... she is really confused about it. But he is kind and loving with all of his friends, so in the end it might not be important.

And then, there is Eiselcross with its weird ancient magic. A magic as dangerous as the one they found in the Happy Fun Ball, which contained a Blue Dragon and a trap that managed to kill Nott without them being able to prevent it. Everything is dangerous and the Mighty Nein realize as the time passes by that not everyone of them could get out of there alive, especially given what and who they are trying to stop. And Jester herself falls into a trap: she is given a vision that confirms to the Mighty Nein that what they feared is true, that the Tomb Takers' objective is to bring an eldritch floating city scary enough to cause a Morkoth into voluntary exile back to Exandria, where it intends to absorb its inhabitants into its hive mind. The price to pay for the vision are 5 years of her life. "Growing old" is different than "growing up", and it happens to her in a matter of seconds. Jester is five years closer to death now, and it is possible that she is lucky they are just five. The minor changes in her appearance are a reminder of what it could have happened if she wasn't lucky, and she has no idea about what else changed about herself and what will change in her personal life and relationships because of that accident. All she knows right now is that these might be her last days alive and she is afraid she might be missing something before her untimely death.

(And she would not be silly to think about it. After all, who they are facing is reminding all of the Mighty Nein that even if they are becoming powerful they are still mortal beings.)

And when she is in the middle of a mild existential crisis and confusion reigns inside her head, Fjord declares. And Jester, still willing to believe that she is her old self, the young woman who left Nicodronas and miraculously met the man of her dreams that will lead her to live an exciting life full of love and adventures, accepts to kiss him. It is very likely that she was not thinking about anything in that moment, but one thing: "If I say yes to Fjord it means that I am still me, right? It is happening because it was supposed to happen from the beginning, because we were supposed to be together."

There is just one little problem: Jester is ignoring the fact that she has changed from the person she used to be back then, and it did not happen because a group of stone statues magically aged her up. There is still something for Fjord, she will never forget him as he is and he will always be her first love. But she has some feelings for Caleb too, and even if she is "a good liar" they might be too strong for her to simply ignoring them. After all, Caleb "I was trained to lie and kill for the Empire" Widogast did an excellent job when he was trying to hide them. There are some clues here and there that hint that Jester might love Caleb as much as he loves her and that she wants him to be happy, even with other people... just like he wants it for her. Add the trauma she is just starting to deal with, and there is almost no way that her current relationship with Fjord is going to evolve into something healthy and angst free right now. This if that kiss was the effective beginning of a serious relationship, and not the promise of a future relationship between them if she will be still available. 

But these are the vibes that the beginning of a relationship between them is giving to me right now, and nothing will be confirmed until Laura Bailey will show up to Talks Machina to talk about it. I am also curious about how she will react when she will see Essek again: when the stakes were not high she used to tease him to be with Caleb... but now she has met Astrid, she might have feelings for him and being in a relationship with another person, and Caleb states that he doesn't trust him. I guess that if she still does, it will be mostly an attempt to show to everyone that nothing changed for her and that she is fine (and that would be a huge step back into her character development, but it was her defense mechanism until the Rumblecusp arc and she is dealing with a lot of serious stuff all together right now).

I'm not saying that the ship is going to die: I'm saying that because of the circumstances behind how it was made official and the relationship between all the character involved, I would say that it is very likely that it will lead to some cute moments, but that it eventually won't last. This is especially true if it will confirmed that Jester has feelings for Caleb too, as feelings for another person are not easy to get rid off, and I am fully expecting Jester to angst and talk to someone about them at some point. She needs to achieve true clarity and accept that she is going to break someone's heart in order to be in a healthy, happy relationship. Because, let's face it, we all imagined Jester would have been much happier if she'd ever entered into a relationship, shouting about it out loud so that everyone know. There is something weird here. So, or either the kiss is a promise, or Jester's heart is not fully into it and this means trouble.

But yes, Laura Bailey promised us that she would have romanced Travis's character and she is doing it. And whatever it will be the final result, she is still a legend for having achieved the impossible once more.

PS: Obviously this post in the end means nothing, as no one owns and knows the full truth behind the intent of these characters but the actors who control them. I just wanted to give my two cents about the question. It's more likely that this development will prevent Jester to suffer from a mental breakdown in Eiselcross instead of causing her to suffer from one, but I tend to over-analyze stuff. Please forgive me for this.

PS2:  As a final note, it would have been the same even if Caleb would have been in Fjord's place, if not even worse: I wrote a post about Caleb in Eiselcross too, and between him and Jester I have no idea of who is the most messed up at the moment. Poor children...

[kaetor]

talking about the superhero au that no one asked for

so i drew a thing and now i have an au

story/world stuff:

each country in wildemount is it’s own city where superheroes are

the xhorhas city is where the Dynasty is headquartered-- the dynasty is an avengers-esque organization of heroes that started as one team, but has grown to include a loose alliance of a bunch of different heroes

the mighty nein is a group of people with powers. they aren’t exactly superheroes, because in order to be a superhero you generally have to fight crime and/or fight for the good of others, whereas the mighty nein are generally looking out for themselves

they will, however, help save the world, if needed, which is how they end up working alongside the dynasty and accidentally earning themselves official memberships and ‘superhero’ status

they aren’t quite sure what to do with this, but they aren’t about to turn down the influence or the extra tech

the rest is under the cut because i have things to say

the mighty nein:

i’m not super sure about most of them, but i do know that

beau is a sorta kinda member of the cobalt soul, which is pretty similar to what it is in canon, with a bit of spy + shield stuff added on top

jester’s superhero name is The Traveler. i’ve also decided she’s sort of like this world’s equivalent of mutant, where she was born with whatever powers she has.

fjord is an astronaut type thing who accidentally ran into some ancient alien power (uk’otoa)

caduceus is an alien who’s home world is being slowly eaten by some corruption, he’s come to earth to hopefully find a solution

veth is just veth. her superpowers are that shes good at inventing things and making them blow up

yasha is like some fantasy alien i think, kind of like how norse gods are in marvel. she has wings and can summon lightning

essek was born with superpowers, like his mom, and he can control gravity. obviously his name is the shadowhand

caleb got superpowers from trent ikithon’s experiments, so his powers are large, scary and vaguely defined transmutation stuff mixed in with ‘whatever the fuck he wants’ with the catch that they are generally uncontrollable and the stress of doing anything big will usually hurt him pretty bad. fire is generally the only thing he knows how to use enough to use regularly

random things:

the cerberus assembly is the Evil Science Organization, and the scourgers are a specific one of their experiments in giving people superpowers and also making Elite Assassins. most scourgers have powers that are more focused than caleb’s because after him and astrid and eodwulf trent figured out that giving people god like powers doesn’t work

essek is a superhero as the shadowhand. he was really hoping that his younger brother would inheret the superpowers so he could just do his science, but no such luck. he’s not really a big fan of the job, and at some point he starts trading secrets with the cerberus assembly to get in on their reaserch

not all of the mighty nein go out on missions when they join the dynasty-- veth caleb and caduceus generally stay at the base and work as Guys In The Chairs. after a while though veth decides to take some gear she made to go out superheroing herself with the nein. caduceus will also come too, on the occasion that they need someone to heal on site.

caleb is the only person in the nein who tries to avoid Fighting Villains if absolutely possible, because he doesn’t like using his powers. this usually leads to villains thinking he’s the weakest of the group and kidnapping him

i feel like the traveller and also lucien and the somnovem could factor into this somehow but i dont know how

if you read all this i love you

[crazy4dragons]

Fifteen (Part 1)

Hiccup struggles to come up with the perfect gift for Astrid’s fifteenth birthday. Hiccup-centric for now, with a bit of subtle Hiccstrid coming in Part 2. Rating: G. Prompt sent by @drakaina-amore64 (thank you!).

Hiccup sighed as he glanced at the collection of half-finished projects around him. Astrid’s fifteenth birthday was in a week, and he still had nothing good enough to give her. Or so it seemed that he didn’t.

A Viking’s fifteenth birthday was a big deal. Fifteen was the year children were finally allowed to take the lead on patrols, participate in battle, and most importantly, learn to fight dragons. For those reasons, fifteenth birthdays weren’t just a family affair—the whole island celebrated them.

And Astrid’s fifteenth birthday was an especially big deal, at least to Hiccup. She’d been his best friend growing up. With his mother gone, he often ended up staying with either the Jorgensons or the Hoffersons when Stoick was away and Gobber was busy running the island. On the weekends Hiccup spent with the Hoffersons, he and Astrid would play all day, then innocently cuddle up together for bed to help calm her fear of the dark, and his fear that a dragon would crash through the walls and eat them both alive.

They hadn’t been close like that in years; not since Astrid started basic battle training at eight years old and slowly latched onto a new group of friends. The last time they’d hung out was at Hiccup’s tenth birthday party, and he suspected that was only because Astrid’s parents made her go, just to be polite.

Gods, he missed the days when they were friends, always laughing and making up stories about defeating dragons together. Maybe if they were still close, he wouldn’t be having such a hard time thinking of a gift for her.

“Axe? She has one already,” he mumbled. “Mace? Has it. Sword? Has that, too.” He gathered the partially-finished weapons and put them in a box.

“What are ye working on, lad?”

Hiccup turned to see Gobber entering the forge. “Oh, nothing. Just uh…brainstorming some gifts for Astrid’s birthday.”

“Oh, I see. What ideas do ye have?” Gobber hobbled over to his desk and grabbed a piece of metal.

“I thought about an axe, or a mace, or a sword, some kind of weapon,” Hiccup began. “But I can’t seem to come up with anything she doesn’t already own.”

“Ye know, Hiccup, a Viking can niver have too many weapons.”

Sighing, the boy ran his fingers through his shaggy hair. “Yeah, yeah, but I just thought I could do something different. Maybe even something special.”

“Aye, I see.” Gobber raised an eyebrow. “Ye like her.”

A light blush covered Hiccup’s cheeks. “Well, uh…I…” he stammered. He’d always liked Astrid, but now that she was slowly transforming into a fiercely beautiful young woman, he couldn’t help but like her, like her.

“Ye don’t need to hide it, lad. I ain’t gonna tell anyone, ‘cept maybe yer father,” laughed Gobber. “Ye know, in a few years, yer gonna have to start settling down, anyway. And Astrid is just the kind o’ strong lass who could give ye a nice, strong heir.”

Hiccup rolled his eyes. “Yeah, yeah, an heir,” he mumbled. He wasn’t sure he wanted to be the heir, let alone father the next one. He also wasn’t sure he could even find anyone desperate enough to birth his heir. Yes, he was the next in line for Chief, but there were other more attractive, more successful men from neighboring islands who would offer the same social status—plus the added advantage of a tribal alliance.

“It’s gotta happen someday, Hiccup,” Gobber said cheerfully. “Yer father’s not goin’ to be around forever, and—”

Before he could finish, Hiccup was gone. He needed to focus on Astrid’s gift, not becoming Chief, and if he was being quite honest, he was rather tired of everyone talking about it. And by everyone, he meant Stoick and Gobber.

As he trudged home, Hiccup made a mental list in his head of everything he thought Astrid might need, only to cross off all of it by the time he walked through the door. Not only did she already have every weapon he could imagine, she also owned more than enough armor and other battle accessories. Clothes were always practical, and he could easily sew some leggings or knit a pair of cozy socks, but giving Astrid clothing seemed a little too intimate, even if it was just leggings and socks.

Not feeling up to waiting for Stoick to arrive, Hiccup cooked and ate dinner alone, then took his evening bath and headed to his room. Finding a piece of charcoal, he grabbed his sketchbook and opened it to a blank page. He always drew before bed, but this time, he was on a mission to draw until struck by inspiration for Astrid’s gift.

He began by sketching a portrait of her, paying special attention to her big blue eyes and toned muscles. As she grew up, her eyes were gradually losing their glow from childhood, instead becoming fierce and icy. However, Hiccup still thought they were gorgeous. And her muscles he both admired and envied. Gods, she would never feel attracted to him the same way he felt attracted to her, not with his delicate body.

A talking fishbone, that’s what Stoick called him.

Sighing, he put down his charcoal and flipped through his finished drawings, hoping that ideas for his next sketch of the night would come to him.

“I’m home, son!”

Stoick’s booming voice shook Hiccup out of his thoughts. “I’m busy, Dad!” he called, turning another page of his sketchbook. It landed on an image of a Deadly Nadder, Astrid’s favorite dragon. When they were little, she’d always talked about them. She even had a plush one that she took to bed each night, thinking it would protect her from fiercer, scarier dragons, like Night Furies and Monstrous Nightmares.

It was then that it hit him. He would make Astrid her own book, filled with drawings of all the things she’d loved growing up, from the stream they used to swim in together, to the axe her parents gave her for Snoggletog a few years ago, to the little plush Nadder he was almost certain she still kept in her room.

“Are ye so busy ye can’t clean up after yerself?” Stoick bellowed from downstairs.

Hiccup groaned as he remembered that, in his preoccupation with Astrid’s gift, he’d left his dishes on the kitchen table. He knew that if he left his room, he’d end up getting caught in an unwanted conversation with his father, and that definitely wasn’t what he wanted, not with all the drawing he needed to do in order to finish his project on time.

“Hiccup? Do ye hear me?” Stoick prompted.

“Coming, Dad,” the boy said, half-mumbling.

“I don’t know why yer always hiding out in yer room,” the chief remarked as Hiccup descended the stairs. “Can’t a son spend time with his father?”

Hiccup sighed. “Well, Dad, if you must know, I’m uh…I’m working on a birthday gift for Astrid.” He blushed while saying her name.

“Trying to impress her, eh?” Stoick raised an eyebrow.

“No! Of course not. I just…we used to be friends, and I want to do something nice for her.”

“Mmm-hmm. I see how ye look at ‘er.”

Hiccup covered his face in embarrassment. “Dad!”

“Remember, Hiccup, nothing happens on this island without me hearing about it.”

“Sure,” the boy sighed, shuffling to the table and grabbing his dishes. After washing them, he quietly slipped back upstairs before Stoick, who was preoccupied with warming his dinner, noticed he was gone.

“Alright,” he said aloud to himself. “Let’s get these drawings started.”

[the-fiction-witch]

My Empress P1

MOVIE THE LAST LEGION COUPLE: ROMULUS X READER RATING: FLIRTY

I woke up gently as I often did, the sun slowly peeking through the sheer curtains on my balcony and windows, as it rose higher into the sky. I could hear the birds, the waters, the breeze, the hussle and bustle of the city I called home. I slowly sat up rubbing my eyes and pulling back the covers, I slipped my robe around me and walked out to the balcony seeing the city bathing in the golden sun. 

"Your grace" I heard his familiar voice ask at the door 

I sighed and went back inside my room going to the table sitting in my chair 

"Come in" I rolled my eyes 

He ushered in, in his white robes with purple embellishments a scroll in his hand "your looking well your grace"

"What do you want simlin?" I asked

"Well your grace I have a very important announcement for you"

"Oh?"

"The grand artist has returned"

"... He has been somewhere?"

"Your grace pray tell you didn't forget. He was sent away by order of the council to sketch the young princesses available or your match" 

"Ohh. Has he finally got back?"

"Yes your grace" 

"Good I'll meet him in the summer champers in half an hour" I told him so he nodded and hurried out, I sighed I kinda hoped the damn guy wouldn't come back but I knew there was no getting out of it, I'm an emperor I have to have an Empress weather I want one or not. I suppose I should be excited about getting a match at last maybe it would give me something to do. 

I got dressed and headed down to the summer chamber that overlooked the river the sun already making the room nice and warm 

"Your grace" the Artist bowed as I arrived I nodded and took my usual seat "it was an honour your grace to go forth on your audience to prescribe some of the most beautiful women of your fair empire" 

"I hope you have done your job well. I expect I am to choose my bride from these sketches" 

"Well sketches and recommendation" a voice said I looked and saw a woman in a long blue dress 

"And who may I ask are you?" I asked 

"Mistress elliana, I have been arranging matches in his empire since my own birth" she smiled coming closer to us "I have met all the likely candidate for your bride your grace and I am here to help."

"How do I know your any good?"

"Hummm sweet boy. I arranged the very match that brought you into this world my king" she smiled kissing my hand "the gods speak there divine wisdoms thought me" 

"Do they now" I sighed not completely convinced but not like I had a choice. The artist showed me the first sketch she had a rather long face and tight curly hair I looked at the sketch and honestly I wasn't impressed

"Yes the divine lady astrid Alanna of the northern mountains" she smiled "quite the painter"

"Umm. Who else?" I asked 

He showed me the next and the fact her boobs where more prevalent in the sketch then her face I assume she's a very well indowed young lady

"Ahh princess Lilliana, a radiant beauty." She smirked 

"Umm not really for me I think, who's next?" 

"The young lady harrlen, known across the empire as the most beautiful girl" she explained as he showed the next sketch 

"Did you show them what I looked like?" I asked curiously trying to almost ignore the sketch she was beautiful yes but I don't know I didn't like her very much 

"Well no" the artist said

"Why would he? All of these women will be clammering to be your empress. The story's are well spead about the emperor's handsomeness" she smiled "many of them have journey to the palace at empela and viewed your statue"

"That statue looks nothing like me, they made it when I was ten they just sort of guess what if look like by now" I sighed "uhhh… could you sort of lay them out of me? All of them and I'll ask you if I wan t anymore information, this will take forever otherwise" I sighed the artist nodded laying the sketches all out on the floor, I walked between them looking but none of them overly impressive or someone I would want to marry I asked about a few here and there but none overly interested me till I saw one "her. What's her name?"

"Her? Lady corella Ohh I'm sorry your grace I was meant to rid that" the artist said

"Why?" I asked 

"Ohh well you see, she has gotten engaged your grace since I did the portrait" he said 

"Oh." I sighed a little disappointed she was like the first one I liked 

"Your grace, the lady corella has a sister"

"A sister? Is she unmarried?"

"Yes your grace"

"Tell me about her." I asked the woman

"Of who your grace?"

"The girl. Lady corella's sister."

"Ohh well she's your age, much like her sister, a little uhh plumper, has a great interest in writing and reading from what I hear" 

"How long would it take if I send you to only sketch her?"

"A week at most your grace"

"Good. Please go and sketch her for me ask it of her personality by my request, make one of me for her I'd she requests it. And… grand Artist. Let her know my intentions for if she is as lovely as I imagine I should like to meet with her"

"Yes your grace" he said taking his things and hurrying away 

"A wise decision your grace"

"And you helped how exactly"

"I told you and lead you as the gods command"

"The gods? You think the gods chose her for me?"

"You are a god my king. If you feel drawn to her then it is the gods will" she said going to leave 

"What's her name?" I asked 

"Y/n" she said before leaving me 

"Lady y/n. Hummm" I smiled imagining what she would be like 

I sat in bed barely awake but still not quite asleep, it was early morning anyway but I didn't want to wake up much until there was a knock at my door 

"Yes?" I sighed sitting up

"Your grace the grand artist sent this for you" he said handing me a scroll

"Thank you" I nodded taking it and he happily left I undid it my curiosity getting the best of me and I saw her, sat on a little chair with flowers beside her, she… she looked more beautiful than anyone I had ever seen before she sat on the chair reading a book, her hair in long braids with flowers and ribbons I felt like as I looked at her my heart quickened, my chest tightened I… I really liked her. She seemed so different from the others, like they had all be done up to look as skinny, as tall, as beautiful as possible for there sketches and like of I removed all that there wouldn't be much left to them like I couldn't cuddle these women or hold conversations with them, like they where an image and nothing more but this girl, I felt like as I saw her she was effortlessly beautiful. The only thing about her clearly done was her hair for the sketch as it was such short notice there was not likely time for much else, she didn't seem like a sketch, like an image on a page she seemed almost real. He gave me a letter too saying how thrilled the family was at his return, and how much she blushed when she was told I asked for her sketch personally, apparently she could hardly believe I had even though of her, she sat reading for her portrait and got through three books in the process and even talked with the artist as he sketched discussing a recent philosophy text they had both read, he said that she spoke like honey and sugar such a sweet little thing. 

I got up and got dressed unable to stop looking at the sketch of her till I went out and met with my advisors to go though some business

"Ahh good morning your grace, your earlier then usual" simlin said

"Well I have lots of business to do" I said sitting at my seat 

"How goes the Empress quest?"

"Very well. I need a messenger sent the fastest we have, I want to make my intentions known to her father and her and ask it of her to come here I wish to meet her see if she's as beautiful to the eye as her sketch suggests and that I would all going well, like to marry her" 

"Very good your grace, who two precisely?" He asked 

"Her. The lady y/n" I smiled showing the sketch they all seemed concerned and confused 

"Are you sure your grace?"

"Are you questioning your emperor?"

"No, no. We simply ask your grace. Are uhhh you sure no others interested you?"

"No. Her, nowone else. Or is there something you want to tell me?"

"Nothing your grace we shall send for her"

"Excellent" I smirked listening to the rest of the information they had to give me

I turned over trying to cling to the sweetness of sleep holding my pillow tightly snuggling up to it, thinking of what it will be like when a beautiful girl shares my bed. I was told to expect her today so I climbed out of bed leaving it for the maids to made wrapping my robe around me and going out to the balcony to look out at across the city there was quite in the city many knew there was to be a visitor to the place today. I went down though the palace to the baths and hot springs below I stripped off and I went into the hot silky water I washed as much of myself as I could making sure I was clean and sweet before climbing out and going up to my room getting dressed into what I tended to wear whenever we had someone visiting, and heading down to the throne room.

I sat there admittedly impatiently, I wanted to see if she was as beautiful as I had been lead to believe. I made sure to look nice as I heard she had arrived in the palace soon enough the doors opened to odly enough a smiling man 

"Your grace" he bowed "lord y/l/n."

"Ahh of course I'm sorry, I was expecting your daughter"

"Well a good father gives his young lady an introduction" he smiled "if I may present?"

"You may" 

"My youngest daughter, the fine and fair lady y/n y/l/n" he smiled and I looked to the door and there she stood, in little shoes that laces up her legs, a beautiful almost floor length purple dress with silver embroidered flowers, silver floral peices holding the fabric of her arms leaving only the prices to strech across her skin, with a belt and accessories of silver, she had long flowing hair with tight goddess like curls her hair woven with white flowers her face was just as the artist has drawn her, she was the most beautiful girl I had ever seen in my life she kept her head down but blushed as she entered the room 

"Your grace" she bowed 

"My lady," I nodded my head to her too getting up to go closer to her "if I may say, your sketch does not do your duty justice my lady"

"Thank you, your grace. I had heard only tales of your handsomeness and kindness from across the empire and I know atleast that the handsomeness is true" she smiled 

"Your sweet. You know of my intentions dear lady?"

"I do" 

"And?"

She moved to her knees in front of me "I am not worthy your grace. I am not worthy to be your Empress" 

"Ohh sweet girl." I laughed offering my hand she took it slowly so I helped her up "you are more than worthy my lady. Your the most beautiful girl I have seen in my life, your sweet and kind, I have heard much of your intelligence and your love of books, I feel that is as much needed for an Empress as her beauty. If you would take me my lady I would gladly take you as my empress" 

"I would be honoured your grace" she smiled 

"Come, I'll show you around" I smiled holding her hand she happily smiled following me though the palace showing her all the lovely little places the summer chambers, the baths, the balconies and especially showing her the library 

"It's beautiful your grace" she smiled

"Any books or texts that aren't here, I'll have someone go to the city library and fetch them for you. Anything you desire you shall have my Empress"

"You shall spoil me"

"I am meant to shower you with affections. If that means I'm spoiling you then, I'm spoiling you" 

"I don't-"

"Romulus. Just romulus my Empress" 

"Then just y/n"

"Y/n. Okay. Just y/n" 

"Are you sure of all the women in the empire you could choose"

"And I choose you." I smiled "why is it that you doubt it so?" 

"I am not as beautiful as other-"

"Your more beautiful then any of women I have seen. Why is it that you doubt your own beauty? Did your home not have mirrors and looking glasses to gaze apon yourself?"

"Yes but, I had sisters. Much more beautiful sisters" 

"Then if you'll allow me, I shall shower you with affections and ways to prove how beautiful you are until you truly believe it yourself" I smiled giving her cheek a kiss 

"They uhhh they didn't tell you. Did they?" She asked 

"Tell me what?"

"Why I was discontinued from the first sketches?"

"No. I was curious, why where you not included the first time?"

"My father wanted to send me away, he thought I should remain unmarried" she say sitting on a sofa

"Why?" I asked going to sit with her 

"I was…. Unwillingly Deflowered many years ago by a man in the city near our home. I was very young but still"

"Ohh y/n, you poor thing. I'm so sorry. But.mm that doesn't bother me, not in the slightest"

"But-"

"I don't not care about your flower, your maidenhood, or anything of the sort my dear your to be my Empress, it would have been gone our wedding night anyway."

"But the gods-"

"The gods are just assholes who stop is doing what we want. Besides there rules are that a virginity must be taken and enchanhed within a union. And I will very willingly give mine for our union my sweet girl" 

[froppy-butterflyfan2000]

My first entry for @kururu418's Tales of Mewni God Arc Contest. Here's the daughter of Sif and Thor, Astrid from the Norse Panthaeon.

Name: Astrid Thordottir

Age: Immortal (Physically 19, but chronically hundreds of years old)

Weapon: An enchanted hammer that can shoot lightning bolts and projectile a thick layer of mist.

Gender: Female

Pantheon: Norse

Nationality: Indo-Europeon

Appearance: Astrid has an athletic build with muscular arms and legs. Astrid have black eyes and her orange-like strawberry blond hair that is styled short and inheirt her dad's skin tone. In her time on Earth, she wear a light blue-and-dark blue shorts and white Nike shoes. She wear red lipstick on her lips. Astrid wears whose design is similar to her mother's Hammerette's armor.

Background: Astrid is the second daughter of Thor and one of his personal bodyguard, the Hammerette whose just happened to be also his wife, the grain goddess, Sif in diguised. Astrid is a surprise for both Thor and Sif. They thought having four children, Þrúðr, Magi, Móði, and Ullr are enough. Astrid is a energetic bundle of energy. She runs around all 540 room of her family's house, Thrudheim. In her childhood, she explores Asgard alot. She tamed the wild equestrians and fought and slain monsters.

As she got older, Astrid looking for a purpose in life as a goddess. Her father and siblings are recogonized by the mortals in the human world. Astrid believes that hunting and slaining monsters like her father is her true calling. She believes if she commits her mind on getting the best slained she have ever hunt, Astrid could be the next 'Thor'. But her mother whose found out Astrid's goal in becoming the next Thor, have another thing plan for her. Astrid became the 14th valkyrie accompying her sister and the other 12 valkyries. Sif believes if Astrid goes to the human world and learn more about humanity and the values of humanity, so that Astrid will learn humility and how precious life really is.

Astrid goes to Earth and guiding souls to Valhalla to celebrate their life after death. She learn many things about them from her sister and stories from the fallens. But she learned mentally and socially. (Astrid found out about the Olympic and figure skating is a popular winter sports in the human world and is one of the sports in the Olympic Games. She also sign up for a gym membership at a gym in Townsville to do weightlifting. She also participate in figure skating in the Townsville's Skating Trail and Rink in the winter) As for emotionally, she felt... unsatisfied that this could help her on her goal of being the next Thor.

One day, Astrid notice her sister been leaving someplace far from everyone. She even notice Þrúðr being late on her duty causing Astrid to be suspicious and worry that she could be doing something forbidden like going to the border of other Panthaeons and trespasses there. Astrid follow her sister, Þrúðr in her best steath (well it is bad lol) only to be caught. Astrid demands her sister, Þrúðr where she was late on her duty and gone whether gods and fallen warriors are dining in Valhalla. Or else she will tell their father that Þrúðr's odd behavior of running off to who know where because she is concern for her. Þrúðr decide to give Astrid an explanation and show her where she went to. She took her to a secluded place that she never see. It was a place full of statues. Þrúðr told Astrid that she is engaged to one of the statute that is actually a dwarf in a pertification state named Alvíss. She and Alviss promised to each others to get marry and live happily ever after. Thor however was unhappy with the match however, so he devised a plan. He told Alvíss that, because of his small height, he had to prove his wisdom. Alvíss agreed, but Thor made his tests last until dawn, when Alvíss, because he was a dwarf, was turned to stone on being exposed to the sunlight. As a result, Þrúðr visit him and talks to him hoping he still listen to her, as well she and Thor do not talk to each others anymore and distant themshelves, and being together with him in parties or get together are awkward, but pretend to be cheerful/get along so no one would notice likes her (Astrid) and ruin the events by bad vibes. Astrid is shock that her father would do this to her especially ruins her love life. Astrid promise she won't tell their dad of her meeting with her petrified lover, but confronted her mom on why her dad not like Alvíss and turned him into stone. Sif explained to Astrid how they almost lost Þrúðr from an abduction and marrying to a dwarf means she could choose to live in the realm of dwarves over staying with her family. The explanation cause Astrid to be neutral (almost), and so she decided to do her best to try and let them (Thor and Þrúðr) get along and still hold family meetings and she’s the closest to all of them so they won't say no to her after she stubbornly tell them to.

When news about Astro's target on his head, Astrid made the decision to go after Astro for the glory of taking down a titan, and proves to her father that she can be greatest just like him. Hopefully, she will be remeber as the "Champion in Slaining the Titan's Son". As for the wish, she can use the wish from Oberon to bring a dwarf, Alvíss back to to life from petrification.

Personality: Astrid likes stories about her father's achievements, partying, and doing the limbo. Astrid dislikes people comparing Thor to other lightning gods, or insult her father. She is laid back. She do like to be accompany her sister, Þrúðr in her duty as a valkyrie, but it often get boring when they have to wait for the soldiers to die. Watching people slowly dying is so boring in her perspective. She wants to make things quick so she can have fun. Astrid may looks and act tough, but she can be soft. Beside her hobbies are hunting and slaining monsters, Astrid also likes ice skating and likes to be accompany with her maternal half brother, Ullr. She low-key a fan of Olympian figure skaters and secretly watch the Olympic figure skating. Astrid does not like the Greek Panthaeon because they believes they are so prestigious and popular just because most people take an interest in Greek Mythologies than other mythologies and how music and artworks are inspired by them.

Powers and Abilities:

Lightning bolts: Projectile powerful blue lightning bolts from her hammer that can shun and electrocuted anyone. They can also cause a ringing to their ears after being zapped. However unlike her hammer is not likes her father's Mjölnir, the usage of lightning bolts in her hammer is not infinite. Astrid need to charge her hammer for 9 hours and 36 minutes to blast lightning bolts out of her hammer.

Invulnerability: She is almost all forms of harm and ailments, including extreme force and extremely high temperatures.

Superspeed

Super strength

Fightning Style: Astrid as a distance fighter use her hammer to summon lightning bolts to knock back her enemies. If she shun them, she use her super speed to run close to her opponent and have two options. Option 1: Swing her hammer to strike them down multiple times. Or option 2: With her super strength, she throw her hammer fron the distance with so much force to K.O. her opponent. Breaking their jaws can be rewarding. Astrid need to make sure her hammer does not fell out if her hand because she dies not have telekinesis to recall it or get it back when she throw it from the distance. She can also use her super speed to dodge attacks. Unless the opponent such as Astro is tough, she can just electrocute him to death as much as she can before her hammer ran out of charges and be far away to threw her hammer to break his jaws. Astrid is a highly skilled hand to hand combatant taught by her mother, she can throw punches and kicks when her hammer need charging. Her superstrength is an excellent to her advance in throwing hands. Astrid's hammer can projectile mist that surrounds her opponents in it by 15 m radius. This cause them to not see her. She can use this to escape or a stealth method when she strike bolts at them down or for a physical sneak attack.

Relationships:

Thor: Since Astrid is the daughter of the famed god, she wants to live up to her family reputation. She wants to proves to her father that she is worthy of becoming the next "Thor" when the All-Father, Odin stepped down and take choose Thor place instead of Baldr.

Sif: Sif make sure Astrid is not being too laid back, or else she will become absent minded. Sif is the reason for Astrid to join the member of the valkyrie as the 14th valkyrie because does not wants Astrid to overhunt to make the food supplies for the Panthaeon and Valhallen to scarce.

Magni: He is her paternal half brother. Astrid admires them because they made their mark in the Norse Panthaeon. Magni lifted up the giant, Hrungnir's foot that had lay over Thor's neck after Thor's battle with Hrungnir when he was just three nights old. His accomplishment and the stories about her other siblings' accomplishments made her feels likes a shadow and felt she need to achieve something great to be likes her family.

Ullr: The god of sky and bow is her maternal half brother. She admires his skill in archery, one of the skills she is not good at. Ullr taught Astrid how to skate and hunt. She can be seen with her half brother doing ice skating or hunting.

Móði: She does not spend time with him that much. Although she does admires him as the survivor of the last Ragnarok and help rebuilt the world with Magni.

Thialfi and Röskva: She get along with her father's servants. She treats them as siblings.

Þrúðr: Astrid loves her big sister and admires her to because she is a member of the thirteen valkyries. Astrid learnt about the names and other informations of the chosen fallen warriors staying in Valhalla from Þrúðr.

Astrid is trying to fix the relationship between her sister and father. She wish that her sister and father make up and be a family once again after their relationship is strained when Thor turned her dwarf lover, Alvíss turned to stone on being exposed to the sunlight when Alviss is doing the tests Thor gave him that lasts till dawn. She is trying to be neutral, but is mostly in Thor's side. She believe that their father is just protecting her, want to make her happy in his own best interest, and is protective toward her because he does not want to lose her again after a giant abducted her. But her heart is heavy when she watch her big sister talking to the statue of her lover.

Quotes: (Optional, but appreciated since they would give me a better idea of your characters personality.)

Astrid: "Þrúðr, my dear big sister, it is time to go. Mother Freyja will be wondering why we are not here in delivering the souls of the fallen."

Astrid to any of the Greek Demigod/God participating in the competition: Let me make myself clear, we will never get along. Just because your dad/uncle/pal, Zeus host this game and give cheap tricks to help you kill the titan, that does not mean you will get the chance to decapitate him for honors and claim the prize. There are other people waiting to get their hands on him for Oberon. One of them is me. So good luck. 🙄😒

Astrid to Astro: I am gonna make this quick and easy for you, now hold still. Oh wait, lightning strikes triple!

Trivia: (Any other little facts you want to throw in that weren’t added above.)

In her free time on Earth, she goes to the gym to lift weights. In the winter, she skate in the Townsville's Skating Trail and Rink.

Astrid have little self-confident in her appearance because her chest is small and her bottom big.

Astrid's parents, Thor and the member of the Hammerettes is from the the cartoon show, The Life and Time of Juniper Lee. But use Norse mythology to expands blond haired Hammerette.

Her trophies of the slained monsters are display in one of the rooms in Thrudheim as a trophy room for her.

Astrid's name of Norse origin meaning "divinely beautiful" and Thordottir means "daughter of Thor".