#this is a younger freyja!

[astarionposting]

Thank you @korcariiwitch for tagging me <3

20 TAV/OC QUESTIONS

[img credit]

I. what do they smell like at their freshest? (and/or after a tenday. your choice)

mint, lavender, rosemary and a hint of vanilla.

II. what would their blood taste like to vampires?

i dunno, like blood usually does lol, or whatever blood with a lot of wine in it tastes like.. maybe she'd get them drunk

III. how would they kiss their LI?

she is quite reserved, so gently/discreetly in front of others (or just not at all), and more passionate in private.

IV. how do they sleep with their LI (what position, does one steal the blankets, is one too hot/cold, etc)?

Always steals the furry blankets, either doesn't really cuddle bc she is sweating under the fur blanket or has her leg over her LI if it is really cold hehe

V. what does their tent area look like? where do they prefer to pitch their tent (next to water, covered on three sides, etc)?

Cozy warm tones with a lot of candles, pretty much a fire hazard, incense and oils burning, a lot of furs for her bedding area, and decorated with dried flowers, medicinal herbs and animal bones, mostly deer. Prefers to be away from water and in a more seculded/quiet area.

VI. if they had a set of dnd dice, what would they look like?

A dark navy with bronze accents. Deer/dragon style engravings.

VII. do they collect anything (gems, bottles, keys, etc)?

Medicinal herbs, dried flowers and animal bones (as previously mentioned) as she believes everything can serve a purpose, even in death.

VIII. if either, are they part of the astarion/gale book club (magic & literature) or the wyll/shadowheart book club (trashy romance novels)?

definitely astarion/gale club, but she mostly focuses on studying history and medical stuff

IX. if they had to be put in a “get along shirt” with a companion, who would it be?

She gets along with everyone pretty much, but I'd say she would butt heads with Astarion on certain things, such as always having half-assed plans and rushing into things, and maybe Sharran Shadowheart due to her own religious beliefs.

X. do they prefer speak with dead or speak with animals?

speak with the dead, as much as she loves animals.

XI. what are their thoughts on clowns?

meh.

XII. their companions are gossiping about them behind their back! who is it and what are they saying?

Not sure who would, but probably talking about her decision to get a giant septum ring of an elk post-resurrection lol... maybe Karlach, but in a good way, like she also wants to get a piercing to match

XIII. what makes them laugh? what does their laugh sound like?

A very quiet and brief laugh; I would say when she is having a genuine conversation with someone she cares about, mostly laughing over Gale's jokes. It is mostly a breathy laugh that comes out of her nose. otherwise, it is mostly a sarcastic scoff at lack of common sense/general stupidity. Having a father who barely smiled/laughed himself, she kind of mirrors the same behaviour.

XIV. do they have any inside jokes among their companions?

She isn't really the type. I also am bad at coming up with jokes :)

XV. what’s the description of their camp clothes in the inventory menu?

my mods are messed up so it just says 'not found' lol... it is jaheria's camp outfit

XVI. what’s the description of their underwear in the inventory menu?

i dont have any on her... lol NOT BC IM A PERVERT BUT BC I JUST NEVER SEE THEM SO I DIDNT BOTHER

XVII. how do they celebrate their birthday?

She is a noble lady, so probably a large feast (with lots and lots of mead and wine) would be held in celebration. A lot of music and dancing, entertainment, often in form of live competitions, are held, gifts, etc... but as she prefers the quiet, she always sneaks away as soon as everyone is too drunk to notice lol

XVIII. what modern day tv show would they binge over a weekend? do they get their LI to watch with them?

Nature documentaries lol, I think she would be fascinated by National Geographic docs for suuure, and she would probably attempt to get her LI to watch them too out of pure excitement.

XIX. do you have a playlist for your tav? if so, what’s the title + description?

I do! It is just named after her lol, I guess the songs align with her personal arc that I am roughly/poorly developing in my brain

XX. if you were to try pickpocketing them, what would they be carrying?

Probably something that reminds her of home or a loved one, maybe a stone or a small gift that is sentimental to her.

I FORGOT TO TAG AGAIN: @julietvoid, @cheekylittlepupp, @dark-and-kawaii, @punk-muffins, @anderwelt aaand anyone else who wants to! if u have already done u can ignore or u just dont have to do it at all lol

[heirsofthedragon]

Baratheon Twins 𐂂 3 years apart

+ extra older designs that im still undecided on i think frey's is a bit too much lol

im still working out all of the finer details of the twins and their story.. it is more set in the GOT universe (non-canon compliant for the most part) than bg3 for now, i'll have to figure out that part,,, but for now I am mostly happy with it. It is still constantly evolving/changing though lol. Right now I am just having fun with their designs/personality over their full backstories/relationship dynamics.

One big change I made is that I've headcannoned that they had been born with the classic dark Baratheon hair, but as they age and discover more about their Targaryen blood ties, their hair progressively whitens, so that is why younger Freyja now has mostly dark hair with only a few white strands, similar to her brother!! I've also headcannoned that Frey's scales are more visible when he is near extreme heat for a prolonged amount of time, or uses his pyromancy abilities, which he learns more about as he gets older! these might be cringey or overused tropes,,, but I AT LEAST I AM FREE

[dazzlerazz]

Playing binding worlds by only upgrading one unit one level per map and it's Eitr by the way

[ravenscall]

[vesemirsexual]

People love, love to bring up one-off moments of Yennefer at her worst. Yennefer who is mean, cold, haughty, angry, hurt, jealous, stand-offish.

It’s both funny and sad to me that people forget the rest. Yennefer, who ruins her expensive camlet dress without even realising it to save a woman having a miscarriage on the steps of Kaer Trolde. Yennefer, who gives the nervous young clerk Fabio Sachs the Younger such unexpected high praise that he blushes to the roots of his chestnut hair. Yennefer, who saves Giancardi’s family. Yennefer, who buys back Geralts swords without his knowledge - who has her own banker keep track of where he is looking for work, to make sure the region has a decent “Witcher fund”, even when they’re not together.

Yennefer, who on Skellige, earns the favour of Freyja, the patron goddess of motherhood; receives her grace, her diamond, her Brisingamen, because she is willing to endure more than the limits of human suffering for Ciri.

Yennefer has so many flaws: she’s a deeply broken, traumatised woman who’s prideful and knows how to play the ice queen. But if you don’t realise that Yennefer is also full of love for people around her, hidden kindness and compassion…you might want to read those stories again.

[bluury2]

follow up from the poll I did of legend vs four kinda

SPOLIERS FOR CHAPTER 61 OF THIS IS AN ADJURATION

If vio doesn’t looked shocked and doesn’t realise how much he missed him, then I don’t want him.

Based on this part of @not-freyja fic called This Is an Adjuration

“Magic thumbs higher, an unsettling ripple of power cutting through the air. It’s Dark and choking and so horribly familiar. Vio takes a step forward, and Legend draws his sword.

Between one blink and the next, he’s just there. Floating in a magically suspended lounging position, as if he were draped across some chair nobody else can see. He’s just as he was the last time Green saw him, messy bangs and cap and all.

The spitting image of Link’s younger self grins his typical taunting smile, lazily twirling a knife between his fingers.

“So…” Shadow’s smile flashes into something like a threat, baring his teeth. “Got room for another Link in this chain?”

[as-is-above-so-below]

The Captain - Simon Riley x Sniper!Reader, Wife!Reader

Hey, Jealousy

summary: Ghost’s sniper wife (reader) joins Task Force 141 on an op, against his wishes call sign: Freyja warning: NSFW, SMUT HEAVY CHAPTER, MDNI. Canon typical violence mentioned. Note: HELLO ALL! It's been a minute! This fic isn't going anywhere by any means, just had a bit of writer's block and lack of motivation to write for a bite lol. A special thank you to @lethalchiralium for workshopping with me, per usual, and for being the best beta! Enjoy and blessed be! << Previous | Next >>

“This is your target. Memorize it.” John paused as the surveillance photo of their target, a dark-haired woman with almond-shaped eyes, made its way between the trio. He placed a black cell phone in the center of the table while Soap regarded the image. “Freyja, you’re the best pickpocket out of all of us. Your task is to lift her phone and swap it out with the duplicate. Rumor has it there’s a major weapon’s deal rearing up, and I want to know when and where.”

Taking a moment to examine the photo now pinched between her thumb and forefinger, Freyja raised a brow. While she wasn’t one to judge solely based on appearances (a tactic she relied upon herself many times), the woman pictured looked far from an arms dealer. She seemed fairly young. “She has the details?”

Price nodded and partially sat on the table, arms crossed over his chair. “She’s the buyer. Rather unassuming, I know, but our intel is good.”

“Bloody hell,” Ghost mumbled, leaning into her space to sneak a peek. “They just keep gettin’ younger and younger…”

“Ah dinnae mean to be rude, but Ghost’s no’ exactly inconspicuous. A bit hard nae tae notice a giant with headgear at a social event.”

A fair point. Ghost was the tallest member of the team outside of König.

“Which is why you will be partnered with the Captain.” Freyja didn’t miss how her husband’s watchful gaze flickered between her and her co-captain. “You’ll have to couple it up to blend in; a single woman at an event like this would draw suspicion. Ghost will be going undercover as security detail and watch your six.”

“Me? Are ye sure, Captain?”

“Affirmative, Sergeant. I’d rather not have another incident like last time.”

“Last time?” Johnny looked between them. “What happened last time?”

THEN

It should’ve been a simple task, really. A pretty young woman lures a gullible, unsuspecting new hire to a roped-off room with certain expectations, only to be met with the cold steel of a knife to their throat.

As expected, the information burst from the young man’s lips like water through a broken dam, hoping to save his own skin. The quick execution Ghost offered was a mercy compared to what would happen if his boss found out he had snitched.

He could be merciful when he wanted to be.

The Simon she married was not a jealous man. A younger Ghost, at the beginning of their… “situationship”, however…

After the body was stuffed in the room’s closet, hopefully not to be found until at least the next day, he wasted no time hoisting Freyja up against a wall with ease and fucking her senseless. Her legs tightened around his waist immediately, her Venetian mask coming loose at the sudden movement and falling to the floor.

“Yes, right there. Hah, hah, nngh-”

“See what you do to me?” he growled against her cheek, hips snapping against her shaking thighs. “Can’t even get through a fucking mission without my cock gettin’ hard, and you’re over there, actin’ like a slag. Touchin’ that bastard like that-”

“I was just - doing - my job-”

Ghost’s brutal pace stopped and pinned her to the wall. One hand no longer supporting her weight, jumped from her ass to her throat, the bare, calloused skin squeezing the sides. 

“You took it too far. I should leave you high and dry for the show you put on.”

Her fingers scratched at the short hair near the base of his neck, earning a warning sound from the man. Freyja wriggled her hips to find some kind of friction, a release. “Fuck fuck fuck – please, Ghost, don’t stop. Make me come, please–”

“Yeah? Y’want me to make you come?”

“Yes, yes, please! Please, I need to come–”

“Have you learned your lesson?”

“Yes! I’m sorry, so sorry! Fuck me!”

“You’re fuckin’ lucky I’m feelin’ forgiving.”

“Oh shit, thank you, thank you, I’m sorry–”

“You’d better be.”

NOW

The sergeant looked between Price and the couple, studying Price’s lifted brow and Freyja’s pressed lips and flushed skin. Ghost snorted beside her, which got him a sharp jab from his wife’s elbow.

“Bunch o’ rabbits, you two!” he snickered, laughing into his fist. Just how they managed to bone in the field so often, he’d never know. “It’s a miracle ye don’t have a thousand wee bairns by now.”

“Could’ve had them discharged for the mess I had to listen to.” 

“We said we’re sorry!”

“No, you said you were sorry. I won’t apologize if I don’t mean it.”

“I’m going to kill you–”

John cut them off, standing again and collecting his paperwork. “The target rarely comes out of hiding, so we can’t risk spooking her. Freyja, Soap, you’d better sell it.”

“Oh, I’ll make it believable, a’right.”

“And if somehow you find a way around this arrangement – please, for the love of God, no shagging on the job,” Price stressed, pointing at each of them for emphasis. “Got it?”

Johnny raised his hand.  “Ah would just like tae point out that, for once, I’m the good egg here,” he pointed out with a wide grin.

Multiple sets of eyes rolled. “Right then. Dapper up. I’ll see you all tonight.”

Ecstatic about their upcoming mission, the Scot jumped up from his seat, still beaming. He was already bubbling with ideas for their strategy, the backstory of the characters they would play, what he was going to wear–

“Johnny.”

“Sir?”

Ghost leaned forward, elbows planted on his knees as he looked up at the man. “Remember what I said about flirtin’ with my wife?”

“Aye.”

“Still in effect.”

.

.

.

Soap made it his mission to be as handsy as humanly possible the moment they stepped out of their vehicle. Ever the gentleman, he stuck behind Freyja when taking the steps up the grandiose front stairs into the venue; once at the top, his hand slipped across her lower back from one hip to the next.

Both operators kept their attire simple yet appropriate for the dress code. They complimented each other nicely; Johnny sported a simple black suit and a white collared shirt with the top two buttons undone, while Freyja donned a rich, dark purple, satin gown with an open back dipping to her tailbone. They were meant to fit in, not draw attention to themselves.

When they entered the ballroom, crystal chandeliers twinkling above, she glanced around the perimeter at the masked guards. Only taking in their stature for a second before moving on to the next, attempting to locate their backup –

There.

Ghost blended in seamlessly, dressed exactly like the other guards stationed around the room. All black ensemble, black combat boots, and a balaclava with a window for the eyes. They met briefly with Frey’s before she shifted her gaze up to her date, placing one hand on top of his at her side, the other between his shoulder blades.

All night, Ghost’s stare could have burned a hole through her skin straight down to her soul as her partner positively manhandled her. Nothing was safe. Her ass, hips, bare shoulders, and stomach were frequently groped, pinched, and caressed; you name it, Sergeant MacTavish did it. He came up from behind with a champagne flute for her, pressing against her as his hands snaked around to cradle her belly. Kissing obviously wasn’t off the table, his warm lips frequently finding hers; he had enough decency to keep that portion of the night brief.

Finally, after an hour and a half of loving it up with her husband’s best friend, Johnny turned Freyja into a pillar, forcing her to squeak in surprise. Gentle kisses pecked from her collar up to her ear, using his body as a shield.

“You’re going to get us in trouble,” she whispered, keeping up the appearance of a drunk, handsy couple by carding her fingers through the back of his mohawk.

He chuckled against her hair. “That’s the idea, Hen. Figure one o’ us should get a good fuck outta tonight.” Frey rolled her eyes, resisting the urge to shove him. “Eyes on the target. She’s had a chance tae get settled. Move in on yer mark.”

She followed his guidance, subtle pressure at the base of her skull pointing her in the direction of their target. Thankfully, a small purse dangled by the woman’s pelvis on a long chain, ripe for the picking. If all went according to plan, Soap would walk them into each other, allowing her to switch the dummy in his pocket with the real thing.

Freyja initiated their objective by stepping in that direction but allowed her companion to take the lead. Clinging to his bicep and stumbling slightly, she whined, “You are in so much trouble when we get home!”

“Aw, c’mon Bonnie! Ah just cannae help myself!” he purred, bending to nibble her ear and give her a reason to jerk away.

“Hey, stop that!” As she lunged to the left, she fell out of the Sergeant’s grasp and into the young woman, grabbing her to keep upright. “Oh my god, I’m so sorry!”

“What the fuck!” She wheeled on them, eyes wide at the sudden intrusion into her conversation. “Watch where you’re going!”

Freyja huffed angrily in Johnny’s direction, straightening herself and her dress. “I am so sorry about him. You know how men can be. Always impatient.”

“Unfortunately,” the woman mumbled, nose turned up in disgust. If Freyja could rely on anything, she could always lean on most women’s mutual distaste for men. While it always felt distasteful to manipulate while undercover, it got the job done.

With a soft huff, Freyja grabbed Soap’s hand again and departed with a soft wave, tugging him toward their exit point. Ghost was nowhere in sight.

According to plan, the Brit had dipped into the women’s bathroom when he was sure the lift was successful, and they would eventually follow. Going into the bathroom after two people clearly looking for a space to hook up would look suspicious. The real trick was leaving enough time between their entrances that nobody would notice, without waiting too long for the other guards to notice Ghost’s absence.

She used her best high-pitched, giggling squeal and ditzy movements, swatting at the wandering hands pawing at the shiny, smooth material of her outfit. It had been at least two minutes since Ghost had disappeared, and she decided that was enough leeway for them to follow without raising any alarms. But just as her palm pressed against the cool doorknob, her ally stopped behind her.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

Freyja felt the abdominal muscles under Soap’s shirt tense; otherwise, his composure remained unchanged. “Sorry?” he asked with a laugh, keeping his body turned toward her. She refrained from ripping the stranger’s hand off Johnny’s shoulder and ripping back his ring finger–

The man smiled, perfect white teeth nearly sparkling in the light. “Ye owe meh a drink! C’mon, one more shot fur a fellow Scotsman?”

“Shite! Ah completely forgot!” Johnny hovered over her still and bent to run his nose along the shell of her ear. “Ah’ll be right behind ye. Just give me a fiver to finish my drink, aye?”

“Sure thing.” Freyja hung her hands on the lapels of his jacket, anchoring him in place to stretch and purr in his ear, “Don’t take too long.”

She was so fucking dead when they got home. Likely won’t walk right for days.

Barely halfway through the door, a firm grip pulled her into the room, slammed the door shut with her body, then wrapped around her throat. Her heels brought her just a bit closer to her husband’s height, brown eyes practically set ablaze. Ghost had abandoned his jacket and rolled the sleeves of his button-down, exposing the black ink on one forearm.

I should put in for a day or two off.

“Did you not learn your lesson last time?” Ghost asked, low-pitched and gravelly as if he had been restraining himself for hours. He probably had been. “Must’ve been too generous. Let’s try this again.” A man on a mission, he swiftly twisted the lock on the handle and hauled her with him several steps away from the door before forcing Freyja to her knees. His touch moved to cup her jaw.

“Broke my fucking finger watching him touch you, touch what’s mine. This mouth-” His digits snatched her cheeks, making her painted lips purse with a soft whimper. “-is mine. Your cunt is mine. Your body is mine – facts you’ve apparently forgotten. Let me remind you.”

Freyja gulped helplessly when his other hand slid the leather strap of his belt out of the buckle, then looked up at him through her mascara-coated lashes.

“Soap-“

“I. Don’t. Care. Do it.”

Her cheeks were enflamed under her blush, but she still raised a brow at him. Again, Simon wasn’t known to be a jealous man; they were very secure in their relationship, trusting each other completely. Plus, Johnny was in a committed, loving relationship, after all. But still, watching his best friend all over her, purposefully egging him on and pushing boundaries…

Anyone would lose their patience.

Her nails, painted to match her color scheme for the evening, worked at undoing his slacks and dropping them and his underwear down enough to free his already hard member. Slacks which, by the way, were fitted perfectly to hug his ungodly figure. Saliva pooled in her mouth at the sight, her hole already clenching around nothing. 

As if he had read her mind, Ghost seized the back of her head and snarled, “I’m beginning to lose my patience, love.”

Suddenly he was buried down her throat, to the hilt. Tears sprang to her eyes; she moved to dig into his thighs for purchase, which earned her additional pressure at the back of her head. “No touching.”

All Freyja could do was blink up at him and hold her hands behind her back, hoping he understood the message. Thankfully, he let up and slowly drew out before easing back in, fucking her throat with soft moans and the occasional curse. Ghost groaned at the sight of his precum and her spit gathering in his blond curlies, her dark lipstick smudging on his cock, tear streaks running lines in her makeup…

She flattened her tongue, bobbing her head with a steady rhythm while breathing through her nose and intermittently taking him until her nose was enshrouded in coarse hair. Even if she wasn’t getting off, and Ghost’s pretty face was hidden by his mask, the expressions in his eyes as she edged him toward his release were almost as satisfying.

“Fuck, you like that?” he questioned, hoarse and needy. “Almost like you were – hngh, shit – hoping I’d p-punish you.”

Even submissive, vulnerable on her knees before him and choking on his cock, Freyja still made him stutter and whimper. How many hours had he spent uncomfortably hard, keeping his dutiful post as their backup? Observing the near obscene show Soap had put on?

Ghost leaned his torso forward, supporting his weight against the wall with his free hand. He didn’t have to tell her he was close; even with his controlled breathing, his eyes threatening to flutter shut was a dead giveaway. Still, the head of his cock popped out of her mouth, garnering her attention again.

“How much of me can you take?”

“All of it.”

“Bloody hell…” He presented himself again, the hooded tip resting against her lips. “Lick.”

She immediately ducked under him and laid her tongue against the vein on the underside of his dick, applying soft, slow pressure to the tip again before taking him back in her mouth. Freyja picked up the speed and hummed around him, pushing (or rather, pulling) him closer and closer…

“Fucking shit – take it, take it, take it–”

His warm cum spilled down her throat, but she continued slowly guiding Ghost through his orgasm as he pulsated and huffed quietly above her. Freyja basked in the way he flinched, eyes closed as her touch bordered on overstimulating and torturous.

Satisfied and out of breath, Ghost jerked his hips away to avoid any more of her touch and offered his wife his hands. She immediately took them and was pulled to her feet effortlessly with a moment to find her balance. When he was finished tucking himself back into his trousers and fastening his belt again, Ghost slid the delicate strap of her dress that had slipped off her shoulder back into place, his gentle touch dragging across her skin.

Freyja was about to speak when the door rattled, someone trying to open it before they both heard a familiar accent on the other side. “Bonnie? ‘S me, open up.”

She gestured for him to stand out of sight for a moment while she unlocked the door and opened it just enough to let Soap in, careful not to expose her current state to others who may be watching from the party. When it was closed and secured again, Johnny took in their appearances; Freyja, clearly dazed with her hair tousled and makeup smudged, and Ghost, with his fly down, shirt untucked, and blazer tossed carelessly onto the sink.

Then, with the absolute, most shit-eating grin, said, “Ye’r welcome, Hen.”

taglist: @esthervalea, @miss-leto, @sweetestcowboy, @blueoorchid, @apocalypticseagull, @eatingtheworldsoffanfiction, @covenlovenn, @330bpm-whiplash, @gnoccheyy, @jaggernauticals, @dwkfan, @untoldshortsofthefandomsdoms, @bobfloydsgf, @maviee, @thomaslefteyebrow, @kyovy, @prodyng, @scout-fang, @avalkyrieofparis, @misshoneypaper, @berryjuicyy, @voteforpedropascal, @beakami, @addictedtothefictionalworld, @kaghost, @witchy-writing, @67-angelofthelordme-67

Copyright © 2023 as-is-above-so-below. All rights reserved.

[hermesserpent-stuff]

silly idea! So the vikings had a varied view of death with a multitude of locations for souls to end up.

What if Hiccup, especially when he was younger, assumed that his soul would not end up with the rest of his tribe.

Valhalla is for warriors, especially those that died in battle. a few might be chosen by freyja to go to Fólkvangr

and hiccup assumes he will end up in Helheim, which isn't terrible but it is separate from his family and tribe forever. or maybe he worried about being sent to Niflheim some times given how negatively his tribe speaks of him all the time before toothless

[marmotish]

Maybe it was a good thing that Freyja wasn’t there as an Auror in the Hogwarts’s Hospital Wing when Bill was recovering from getting his face maimed by a werewolf.

Would she have been there for him + the Weasleys + Tonk? Absolutely.

Would she have also regretted being there when the romantic drama exploded in her face? Oh ABSOLUTELY.

Mrs. Weasley: *being a worried sick mother while also assuming fate of wedding based on superficial perceived notions of Fleur*

Fleur: *wins over Mrs. Weasley by serving the latter some much needed slices of humble pie and establishing her place in the Weasley household she should never have proved to earn to her female future in-laws*

Tonks: *chooses this moment to be inspired to shake sense into her older werewolf companion by calling him out for his moody (hur hur) way of avoiding his feelings by confessing her love to him for the upteenth time.*

Moody: *chocolate/sleep-deprived, current sole survivor of best friend group who didn’t turn to villainy who’s been a target of prejudice bc of being an unwilling furry doesn’t know how to handle his crush for his most recently deceased friend’s much younger cousin beyond moody angsting*

Freyja: *standing there awkwardly; was there to get statements about Fenrir Greyback and provide what little emotional support she could give to her old classmates/friends and their family before reporting back to Chester WHAT-IN-THE-NAME-OF-SOAPBOX-DRAMA-SHENANIGANS-IS-GOING-ON-RIGHT-NOW???*

—

Had Rowan been alive and been a teacher at Hogwarts, you just KNOW she would have been there as well eating this romantic garbage right up (yass queeeeeen-ing Fleur and oh my gosh they were co-workers-ing at Tonks x Lupin)

“Sir I quit. It was like Coronation Street on crack.”

[deleetrix]

A scene from chapter 61 of This is an Adjuration by @not-freyja!

“Between one blink and the next, he's just there. Floating in a magically suspended lounging position, as if he were draped across some chair nobody else can see. He's just as he was the last time Green saw him, messy bangs and cap and all.

The spitting image of Link's younger self grins his typical taunting smile, lazily twirling a knife between his fingers.

"So..." Shadow's smile flashes into something like a threat, baring his teeth. "Got room for another Link in this chain?"

[moonlight1237]

Elder ᚠᚱᛖᛁᛃᚨ Younger ᚠᚱᛁᛁᛁᛅ

Freyja/Frøya (The Lady)

Epithets, Titles, and Kennings

Gullveig (gold-greed)

Vanadís (lady of the Vanir)

Gefn (giver)

Horn (flax)

Mardoll (root word Marr meaning sea. Sea bright)

Syr (sow)

Valfreyja (Lady of the Slain)

Lady of Fire

Heid (Völva from Voluspa)

Lady of the Disir

Prong (throng of the people?)

Skialf (This could be associated with a hall as most halls' names ended in this word, but also the name is associated with a wife who hung her husband a king)

Queen of Folkvangr

Chief of The Vanir

Queen of The Valkyrie

Possessor of The Fallen

Daughter of Njord (Dottur Njardur)

Sister of Frey (Syster Freys)

Wife of Od (Konu Od)

Mother of Hnoss (Modur Hnossar)

Processor of the fallen slain and of sessrumnir and tom-cats (eigandi vaffalls ok sessruimni ok fressa)

Of Brisingamen (Brisingamens)

Van-deity (Vana god)

Gondul ( a queen who makes two kings fight)

Astagud (deity of love)

Blotggdja (sacrificial goddess)

Of the Vanir’s consort (Brudr Vana)

Of Odr’s bedmate (bedvina Ods)

The god who’s weeping is beautiful

Ruling/Domain

Folkvangr is her realm and Sessrumnir is her hall.

(and is sometimes said to be where she takes her half of the dead but this is disputed)

Family

Njord is her father originally hailing from the Vanir but was exchanged as a hostage to the Æsir with his children (Freyr and Freyja). He is a god of ships and wind, commonly associated with wealth. Her mother is never mentioned but is speculated to be Skadi or Njords sister, an unnamed Vanir goddess, a final theory being Nerthus. A Germanic goddess from the time of Tacitus, during his accounting supposedly a goddess was worshiped all over Gaul. Her idol was brought around in a cart and kept in a sacred grove.

Her twin is Frey(r), and he rules over Alfheim. They make up a commonly seen idea of the worship and presence in mythology around the world of twin gods. Their names, which we commonly know translate to “Lord” (Freyr) and “Lady” (Freyja), are speculated to account for a fertility cult surrounding the Vanir possibly. During the Lokasenna, Loki accuses the two siblings of incest during his slander.

“Loki spake:

32. "Be silent, Freyja! | thou foulest witch,

And steeped full sore in sin;

In the arms of thy brother | the bright gods caught thee

When Freyja her wind set free." (The Poetic Edda, Translation by Henry Adam Bellows)

We have no other evidence to support this idea apart from the belief that the Vanir practiced incest in marriage and that Njord possibly was married to a sister at one point in time but still no evidence upholds these claims. Both Freyja and Freyr share a vast association with fertility and the land they also both are depicted to ride a boar and at a point, they each are mentioned riding a boar named “Gullinbursti” (“Golden-Bristles”).

She has 2 daughters Hnoss and Gersemi both of which translate to "treasure" though only mentioned in Christian sources and Gersemi is only mentioned once. In the Eddas, it says she has a husband named Oðr which is one of Odin's names, and gets into the Frigga and Freyja debate.

History

Getting into the debate on Freyja and Frigga it’s a tough battle between the texts, history, and linguistics. In the myths it’s very evident that they are separate goddesses with different personalities and attributes, Loki in the Lokasenna insults them both separately. From their names as we know them now Freyja only translates to “Lady” and Frigga means “to love” and we see that repetition across old Norse and Proto-Germanic with her name, we also see that Frigga's name is the closest associated to the word “Friday” with the days of the week transferring from the Romans to the germanic tribes we see how simply they took the names of the Romans gods and swapped them for associated Scandinavian gods, going from the romance language meaning “Venus day” to “Frigs day” as her germanic translations were so closely associated with love, which is another cross between her and Freyja, Frigga commonly is seen as a more domestic goddess and a wife, we see Freyja as this love goddess and in the text especially by Snorri Freyja is sexualized and made to be a promiscuous goddess, which could easily be that we are seeing what was once one goddess split into two versions or faucets of what they were before. One other confusing part for many people is Freyja’s husband Odr who is known to be the god Odinn. Freyja is also known heavily for her weeping when off searching for her husband, during Baldur's death Frigga's exaggerated focus is her weeping, which could easily be nothing important. But modernly the generally acceptable answer is that they are two different goddesses both important in their own right and status.

Frøya has a necklace she always wears. Its name is Brisgamen is a torc/necklace made by the dwarves and frøya supposedly spent a night with each of them who made it to get Brisingamen. In other myths Thor wears it dressed as Frøya during the fake wedding to Thrym the giant who stole Thor's hammer, then when Loki stole it and gave it to Odin. Odin made her start a war to get it back.

She also had a Boar named Hildisvini "Battle-swine" which she turned her husband oðr into and rode in one of the myths.

In the Grimnismal translation, it says "then" Odin picks not "and" giving the idea Freyja picks first but it's never mentioned otherwise. But modernly we accept that she does have the first pick. Gullveig is believed to be another name for frøya, she was a sorceress who predicted the Æsir, Vanir war and was burned alive 3 times by the Æsir each time coming back to life and was struck by spears and still didn't die.

She, like Odin, was known to use many different names throughout the myths and in her travels. She's the one who taught Odin and the other Æsir gods how to do Seidr magic. After the Æsir, Vanir war they exchanged hostages, and Frøya, Njordh, and Frey went to live with the Æsir in Asgard.

The Dís or Disir are referenced very often, always female, some called them female ancestors or fate goddesses which would include them in the Norns but they're also mentioned as Valkyrie in a sense as the Valkyrie were the Helpers of Odin and Freyja, they choose the who will fall and who lives during battles, etc. But most translations of the word Dís translated in Old Norse to "Lady", which is one of the same translations of Freyja, as Freyr and Freyja are "Lord" and "Lady". But then you have the many names used for Freyja, one being Vanadis, which they say means Lady of the Vanir (Vanir is one of the tribes of gods), but also some believed it meant that she was "the great dís" or Lady of the Disir Vanir, but it is known that they would call Freyja "Queen of the Valkyrie" and by translations possibly leader of the Dís, which then leads to more questions on the connection between the 2 (dís and Valkyrie). It’s known that Odin had his group of Valkyrie but that he had a group of "women" called "Odins Dís". Then you have 2 celebrations throughout the year, Disablot and disthing (this one has different names) which seem to mark the coming and going of winter, but also were more secretive and mainly within the home, some believed to be drawing down the ancestors magic from the alfar (elves) which with Freyja association to being "mistress of the home" (gets into the debate on her a frigg) and the name of the celebration may not have been the elves but the Dís possibly either as female ancestors or believe in ancestral connections to minor gods as a societal whole. Considering it wasn't uncommon for nobility to claim ancestry of some of the more famed gods (Odin, Freyr, etc)

Of course, Freyja is now a major goddess, if she wasn't before or even if she and Frigg were once the same being. They are now spilt just as Freyja is now much more important, but seeing the translation of Vanadis possible as "The great Dís" and Freyja having a connection to Gullvieg being Freyja and the connection to Freyja having rulership over Seiðr, etc. Could connect her to have been simply a leader of the Dís and or Valkyrie, and maybe it wasn't even her actual name considering Freyja translates to Fraujō in proto-Germanic, which becomes Frau in modern German, Frau means "woman" leading to the idea Freyja meant "Mistress" or "Lady" which is a title, not a name, which is interesting anyways. But of course, taking into account Old Norse poetry all the gods had different names and kennings. Which could mean we lost her original name.

The myths never actually show her as a Vølva but her association with magic gives us the idea she is along with the repeated idea that she was a goddess of sacrifices and that she was a “priest” in some texts, with the further association to gullveig this leads to the association that she could be a volva.

She has been described as having a chariot pulled by cats but they’re most likely domestic house cats based on the translations in stories the words used to mean only “cats” and if they were lynx or larger cats many translators believe the word directly referred to those animals would’ve been used instead, many older stories passed down orally mainly referred to her cats to be larger but we have no further evidence for either side.

Historical worship/practice

She had a fertility cult in the Viking age that stopped due to Christianity and a cult that lasted up until Snorri's age and time but that stopped soon after.

Hǫrg hann mér gerði, hlaðinn steinom,nú er griót þatat gleri orðit; rauð hann í nýionauta blóði, æ trúði Óttarrá ásynior (Hyndluljóð st. 10).

(He’s made a sanctuary for me, faced with stone, now that stone has turned to glass; he’s reddened it with fresh ox blood, Ottar has always trusted in the goddesses.)

This is one of the only examples of her worship or any goddess worship in the texts.

She and Frigga were called on during childbirth, and historically, our source came from a midwife.

In history, women of higher status would be named after Freyja in a sense being called “Fruvur” (ladies). Referring to the text before we see that many women who ruled over the household would be titled in her honor showing her ruling over the home at those times.

Associations

Death

Love

Lust

Magic (especially Seidr)

War

Cats

Wealth

Divination

Fertility

Beauty

Glory

Days of the Week

Friday, “Frigs day”

Special days

Alfarblót

Disablot

Elements

Fire

Numbers

9- Nine is a number found everywhere in Norse mythology, although nobody is sure why as it’s never explained anywhere.

Colors

Gold

Light Pink

Green

Copper

Silver

Yellow

Light Purple

Red

Brown

Animals

Cats

Horses

Boar/Sows

Rabbits

Swallows

Lynx

Falcons/Birds of prey

Ladybugs

Cuckoo

Plants and Flowers

Basil

Roses

Roseroot

Common Valerian

Mugwort

Rosemary

Apples

Primrose

Raspberries

Strawberries

Cinnamon

Poppy's

Daisy's

Almonds

Hay

Snow Blossoms

Linden

Essential oils/incense

Strawberry

Lavender

Lilac

Juniper

Cinnamon

Any sweet scents

Any baked good scents

Amber

Mint

Peppermint

Rose

Mulberry

Rosemary

Vanilla

Jasmine

Cypress

Sandalwood

Myrrh

Birch

Crystals and Metals

Rose quartz

Amber

Gold

Carnelian

Citrine

Any moonstone

Malachite

Black Tourmaline

Pink Tourmaline

River rock

Rubies

Divinational associations (runes/tarot)

Fehu, Sowilo, Berkano, Queen of wands, Queen of swords, The empress, The high priestess, The lovers, The star (Wildwood deck The Seer, and The Woodward)

Offerings and Devotional acts

Any Meads

Flowers (pressed or fresh)

Anything handmade for her

Stretching

Learning sword work

Exercising

Things are respectfully taken from nature

Jewelry

Poetry (especially traditional Norse)

Hot chocolate

Any tea

Wine

Sweet drinks or spices like cinnamon

Potatoes

Stews

Any meats

Any Berries

Ethically gathered Bones, Cat claws, and cat whiskers (DO NOT HARM AN ANIMAL FOR THESE)

Self-Care

Spending time in nature

Learning runes

Learning distaff spinning

Any imagery associated with her

Learning magic or divination

Any baked goods (bread, muffins, honey cakes, etc)

Honey

Honeycomb

Cat statues

Boar imagery

Fostering cats/kittens

Lighting candles every day in her honor

Burning incense for her (she likes things with flames or burning)

Bonfires

Flax bundles

A staff making a staff for your craft if you practice Seidr they are commonly used in it and you could make your devotional staff for that and have it by her altar.

Braiding your hair

Support women’s rights

Start a flower garden

Care for your significant other

Volunteer or support shelters

Honor your ancestors

Feed strays

Chants

Runic Chants/chanting the runes

Old Norse songs

(Both are commonly used in seidr)

Poem to Freyja-

https://www.tumblr.com/tears-of-amber/747489845291679744/freyja-in-the-honeysuckle-breeze-freyja-in-the?source=share

SOURCES

Poetic Edda translated by Jackson Crawford

Tales of Norse Mythology by Helen A. Guerber

The Norse Gods and Goddesses (Intro.)

Frigg and Freyja

The Vanir

The Vǫlva (Norse Seeress) and Seiðr

Valkyries (Valkyrjur)

Fólkvangr (Folkvang)

THE NORSE GODS: FREYJA || General info, what working with Freyja is like and offerings

Freyja (Freya) Norse Goddess of Love, Warriors, and Cats

My Experiences with Deities: Freyja

Seiðr Magic and Gender

https://teaandrosemary.com/freya-goddess/

https://study.com/academy/lesson/goddess-freyja-facts-symbols-norse-mythology.html

https://historycooperative.org/freyja-the-norse-goddess-of-love/

https://historiska.se/norse-mythology/freyja-en/

https://hrafnar.org/articles/dpaxson/asynjur/freyja/

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Freyja

https://www.northvegr.org/nordic-goddess/froya-freyja

https://www.spiritualityhealth.com/freyja-sensuality

https://www.voluspa.org/index.htm

https://sacred-texts.com/neu/poe/poe10.htm

https://www.academia.edu/90730001/45_Freyja

https://www.academia.edu/9715739/The_Cult_of_Freyr_and_Freyja

gods and myths of northern Europe

by h.r. ellis davidson

norse mythology - guide to the gods, heroes, rituals and beliefs

- john lindow

https://www.tumblr.com/fjorn-the-skald/153799577907/kennings-for-the-vanir-sk%C3%A1ldskaparm%C3%A1l?source=share

https://www.tumblr.com/broomsick/760015871374721024/i-want-to-ask-a-question-would-freyja-be?source=share

https://www.tumblr.com/tears-of-amber/714440167683964928/freyja-a-deity-deep-dive-some-upg?source=share

https://www.tumblr.com/chaos-bites/746330888775909376/subtle-freyja-worship-honor-passed?source=share

[hotcheetohatredwastaken]

So, what do you think the Links were like as kids?

(your choice of AU, or general HC)

Linked Universe Headcanons #2

Wild: I think Wild was a talkative but quiet, shy, bookish kid. Of course, his finding of the sword in the woods at such a young age (at least how I head canon him) forced him into knighthood, where he went silent for years because of the pressure. His sister, on the other hand, was an energetic chatterbox, and despite being the younger, he was always running around to keep up with her. They fell out of touch once Wild went off to the castle to train ;-; Wild is a lot more outgoing after the whole amnesia thing, but that shy, bookish kid still exists somewhere inside him.

Twilight: He was the loud, brash, snaggletooth kid (he has horribly crooked teeth and you cannot take this head canon away from me) that was always pestering the neighbors for food or entertainment. On the bright side, that meant he was always reliable to be around to help out, and as he grew up and became more serious, he became a great role model and babysitter for the younger kids.

Time: gremlin. No knowledge of social skills, no knowledge that property damage or theft is bad.

Warrior: I think he was a prim and proper noble's child, but an adopted one. I have stolen this head cannon from elsewhere but I cannot for the life of me remember who originally said it. Anyways, Warrior was a cute kid that some couple adopted from the orphanage solely because he was cute, and he had a lonely but not uncomfortable childhood. He felt stifled and went into the army for some excitement and uh... got in over his head.

Sky: Sky, like Time, is also a gremlin. His gremlin nature, however, is not borne of ignorance, but rather intentional shenanigans. There's no way that boy was bringing down chandeliers without practice.

Four: Four, again, makes gremlin number 3. He trained from a young age to be a swordsman, and he was mighty heady about it. I defer to @not-freyja 's expertise on this one. But yeah he was a little butthole.

Wind: Loud. He has a relationship like Wild did with his sister, if they were switched---he was (and still is) adventurous and brave and a bit belligerent, and his sister just follows his lead.

Legend: He was... a sweet kid. Going off of his uncle's example, he learned to swordfight and, most importantly, to help others. He's a heart on his sleeve, give the shirt of his back to another type kid. He's jaded from his adventures, now.

Hyrule: Skittish and shy, but scrappy when he needs to be. He's been on his own for a while now even as a kid, and he knows that it's better to flee a situation where he could get hurt 100 times over standing his ground. However, when backed into a corner like an animal, he'll fight like one. He finds his bravery later, but that instinct to run still lingers in the back of his mind

[astarionposting]

Frey’s Mask of Many Faces | Younger, current and older versions ❤

Template/layout heavily inspired/pretty much is by @necromosss! (I couldn’t find the original template file so I just tried to do it similar in photoshop lol) & insp to do this from the post by @bhaalbaaby !

Freyja

[volvablessedbythegods]

Ellinor Neila Hvitserksdóttir

The Queen of Kattegat and all Norway.

"Ellinor Neila, the gods have given you a sign but it is not a curse. They have given you strength and power, gifts that are hidden deep within you, but as soon as you recognize their complete power they will break out. You witch of our people, my granddaughter, have been blessed with power and gifts from the gods, recognize your strength." ༄ Floki to his granddaughter.

Ellinor Neila Lothbrok is the youngest child of the great Caya Flókisdóttir and the great Hvitserk Lothbrok, younger sister of Illian and Marlena and older sister of Baldur. Aunt of Ragnar Ivain, Lidija Marlene and Ranva Aleen, niece of Ivar and Xenia, Bjorn and Ubbe and cousin of Ragnar, Leja, Cailan, Vidar, Edda, Iwan, Finan and Caye. Granddaughter of the great King Ragnar Lothbrok and former Queen Aslaug and the great shipbuilder Flóki. Like her mother and grandfather Flóki, she is blessed by the gods and like her grandmother Aslaug, a strong Volva, a Nordic witch and the only one in this family. Thus, Ellinor not only has a strong bond with the gods, but also masters magic and sorcery, which she can use for herself if she wants to and helps those who really need it and is therefore in great demand not only to gain their favor but to use her magic for the benefit of others, but is not aware of her full strength and power. Ellinor is often compared to her mother, whom she looks exactly like when she was a young girl. Like her mother, she attracts the attention of others and draws others to her almost like magic, which is why many people talk about Ellinor's magic to cast a spell on others and wrap them around her little finger, which is why she arouses the interest of men and is very popular with the other women of Kattegat and has many friends among them. Nevertheless, she takes after her father in terms of her nature. She has his big, sensitive heart and his cheerful nature, which makes her similar to her big brother. Although the young Viking appears self-confident and strong and has the free spirit of her mother and grandfather Flókis and does not let anyone tell her what to do and says what she thinks, she is surrounded by her father's warm calm and gentle nature, which is why she is often seen as soft and underestimated even though her father's inner strength is in her. She also does not let her will as a free woman be taken away from her by any man or ruler. Like her father, Ellinor is not interested in a title, power or rule and fights for herself, to live out her freedom and her fate, whatever the gods have planned for her. Ellinor puts the care and love for her family and loyalty to them above all else, which is why she always cares for everyone in the family, keeps an eye on them, looks after them and tries to carry their burdens on her delicate but strong shoulders and has a particularly close bond with Iwan, like her father and her uncle. The young, gentle, seductive Lothbrok, who carries her magic with her, has a fighting heart like her ancestors, ready for anyone who stands in her or her family's way, tries to protect each and every one of them, would give her life and fight for each of them, has the strong will of the Lothbroks, the fighting spirit of Odin, the charm of Freyja within her and leads a life as a strong, independent, free woman of the North and Viking. Through her irrepressible, powerful love and marriage to Iwan, she is now the newly crowned queen of Kattegat and all of Norway and rules together with her king. ( ༄ Vikings )

[reslari]

Alright, gonna take a stab at making sense of Certain SOTE things, because like it or not, this is the lore we have, so we gotta figure out what pieces fit where.

Assumption: Miquella speaking of the "vow" in plural, and the item from Freyja's questline pretty well contextualize that it was a mutual agreement. Miquella proposed it, Radahn agreed initially.

Lore Question: Why did Radahn agree in the first place?

Hypothesis: What we know about Radahn is characterized by a love of battle, an admiration of Godfrey and Radagon, and an allegience to the Golden Order. He is a quintessential warrior character - a warlord, even. Yet, there is more nuance to that: An affinity for gravity magic implies a sharp mind so he is not all brawn and no brain, and going to the lengths he went to preserve Leonard implies a nurturing side.

I think the former points are why he would agree to be consort, and the latter are why Miquella asked in the first place, and I think that schism brought up conflict.

If Miquella was poised to be the God-Heir Apparent of the Lands Between, then by becoming his Consort, Radahn would be poised to end up just like the two men he admired most in the world: The Elden Lord. Why wouldn't someone want that sort of position of honor? More than that, it seems like he was asked - he didn't even need to pursue such a goal - so saying a "yes" was fairly easy. No mind control required.

In Radahn, Miquella saw that nurturing side; things that likely reminded him of Radagon. Considering Miquella had a good relationship with Radagon, at least for some time, and Radagon was Miquella's frame of reference for what a "king" should be, it's sort of natural that the places where Radahn and Radagon overlap would catch the younger Miquella's attention. Even if it was partially because Radagon was also Radahn's father.

Now, it seems like this promise was made in secret. If many people knew about it, then I doubt Freyja would've had to go searching so hard for it, and it probably would've come up way more often in lore. An arranged marriage between demigods (and with an Empyrean) would be kind of a big deal; it would be the talk of Leyndell. Yet, it would also probably threaten Queen Marika, and what her vengeful self would do if she caught wind that Miquella was going through the preliminary steps to become a god would be Bad, so not mentioning it to anyone is honestly probably for the best, actually.

What's a little secret between brothers?

Lore Question 2: Why did Radahn back out?

I have a few thoughts for this:

1) Miquella does not age or mature. Because he is kept in a sort of youthful, unchanging stasis, maybe it started to look like he would never really "grow into" becoming a god. It was a non-starter because he could never actually mature into anything than the child he was. If your god doesn't become a god, then you don't become Elden Lord, and that was all a waste of time. (Radahn holding the stars back also likely contributed to the stagnation, but he wasn't going to give that up.)

2) Miquella abandoned the Golden Order. We know Radahn's campaign against the stars was done partially on orders from the Golden Order. We know he was a loyalist. Miquella abandoning it meant that when he became a god, it wasn't because he was going to be the heir of the Golden Order, nor was he going to make Golden Order 2.0: he was going to make his own thing, and that wasn't appealing to Radahn, who just wanted to live within the Golden Order.

3) Miquella wanted to build a "kind world" or a "kinder world". A world in which everyone is forced to get along isn't one in which a career soldier can thrive: No conflict, no war. No chance for honor and glory on the battlefield. Radahn can't live up to Radagon's legend, let alone Godfrey's, if there isn't anything for him to battle. And maybe, in that obsolescence, he'd be cast out, the same as Godfrey. He probably doesn't want to be THAT much like Godfrey - he wants to live the good parts of the legend, not the bad.

So yeah, I can see those, and maybe other reasons I'm not thinking of coalescing together and painting a picture for why Radahn didn't actually want to go through with it. Radahn is, of course, well within his rights to say actually, this isn't going to get me what I want, so I'm not going to do it.

Yet Miquella, a young prodigy with an underdeveloped prefrontal cortex didn't want to let him go so easily. Miquella, who famously has not actually fixed anything ever in his own life, decided he wanted to try to fix this.

Instead, Radahn walked out.

Miquella must have felt devastated, desperate, heartbroken. You PROMISED, Radahn! You promised!!

Lore Question: So what was the Battle of Aeonia?

Let me preface this: Malenia is the Blade of Miquella. I don't think enough people read enough low fantasy to take this seriously: When someone is the "blade" of someone else, they are calling themselves a tool. An object. A thing to be used to enact their masters' will. They sublimate their own feelings, opinions, and wants, in service to another. The only agency they have - and sometimes even that is questionable - is in whether they choose to serve someone. To that end: It does not actually matter if Malenia was mind controlled by Miquella. She would have been oath and honor-bound to enact his will, no matter what she thought of it. No matter how dangerous it was for her. No matter what she had to do.

Now, death in the Lands Between seems to work in one of two ways: Death where the souls and bodies are just recycled through the Erdtree and spit back out, and Destined Death, which is a one-and-done sort of deal. The former means the person is salvagable and will resurrect eventually, the other puts them beyond the reach of the Erdtree and any known systems at all. This relates to one reason Godwyn was never actually a viable option: but put a pin in that, and I'll come back to it.

But the resurrection form of death isn't really called death in the Lands Between. At least, it's not associated with that much gravitas. In Dark Souls, the humans do a similar thing: Since they're functionally immortal, they can, for instance, turn a wedding ceremony into a ritual sacrifice. Y'know, the whole Anri thing.

So killing Radahn isn't that serious of a thing, as long as Destined Death isn't involved. He'll be back. I don't know if it was the original intention to kill him, but I don't actually think it was. I think that came later.

Maybe by being defeated in combat, he would start to take Miquella seriously. Or maybe Miquella did want the chance to get the mind control hooks into him, but that seems too straightforward for a FromSoft game. I want to explore the former option:

Except Malenia, who is an extension of Miquella's will REGARDLESS of any paranormal influence Miquella might have had on her, was unable to beat Radahn. She was unable to get him to back down, submit, and/or actually uphold his part of the vow. So she cast aside her pride (quite literally, I love you Millicent), and gave into her own god's power. She is under orders; Miquella wanted Radahn, and she will deliver him in whatever form she can. If he dies, then his soul can be pulled out of the Erdtree, no harm, no foul.

This SHOULD have killed Radahn, but, again, not a Destined Death-death, so he would come back. And, having been killed (and thus defeated), could be told he was honor-bound to uphold his end of the vow upon his revival. Maybe with some newfound respect: Miquella is enough to become a god. He has the love of his men, a powerful blade, and a will to become the ruler he was born to be. If he still refused, well, Miquella still has that compulsion to him. He can still force it.

But Radahn's great rune saved him. Or, to be most precise, it cursed him to a fate worse than death. His rune is burning, after all, trying to stave off the rot. So instead of a... messy but functional death, he has to suffer a slow, painful degradation of his mind and body that leaves him naught but a howling animal in the dunes. Very much alive, and very much too incoherent to uphold any kind of vow.

Now this seems to be happening at about the same time that Miquella decides to put himself in the womb of the Haligtree. He seems, with this, to be trying to mature into an adult. This makes the plan simple: Prove to Radahn that he is going to be a mighty god, AND age himself to show that he is capable of growing up into a god.

Yet with the battle concluded, Miquella has failed yet again. And with Malenia out of commission, he has nothing and nobody to try to further Plan B. The leftover Cleanrot Knights can't beat Radahn, the Haligtree soldiers can't beat Radahn, Radahn's own men can't beat Radahn, he's just this ridiculously powerful being that's basically now untouchable. Until the Tarnished comes along, but that's in the future; there's no way for Miquella to know when or even if Marika's going to call the Tarnished back.

So Miquella needs another plan. Or at least to enact a backup plan. Enter, an Omen with a thirst for power, and a desire to build his own dynasty - a castaway yearning for love and acceptance for who - and what - he is. Who made contact with an outer god, but since he was not an Empyrean, could not be the vessel for it. He just needs a little... push. To turn that ambition into obsession.

Sorry, Mohg, but the Empyreans are playing on another field entirely. What's one cast-away son no one knows existed otherwise? Minor sacrifices must be made, as the doubts in Miquella's heart begin to fester, and push him in increasingly desperate directions. He's running out of options.

He just needs to become God, and he can fix all of this, he says, with the simplistic resolve of a child playing with dolls. All the world's problems are so easy to solve, he just needs the power to do it.

Lore Question: So why not Godwyn?

Hypothesis: This isn't even subtext, this is just plain obvious from the game. Maybe in an earlier iteration of the story it might be possible, but as soon as they wrote Godwyn into being the Prince of Death, it was over.

First of all: The statues in the Haligtree being Godwyn are based on entirely speculation. It's a popular fan theory, but only that. There are no references to them in items, nothing internally or externally in the game to tell you what they are. FromSoft put them in the game, and giggled softly as they made the "zippering shut" motion over their lips.

The popular theory of it being Godwyn mostly comes from the fact that Miquella refers positively to Godwyn, and was even willing to go to great lengths to help him out. This is the best theory we had at the time, but that's as solid as it gets. But if "Miquella speaks of the person in high regard" is the only basis for what the statues are, then we might as well say the statues are just as likely to be Radagon, protecting and loving his children. Someone on twitter even posited that it was Ranni, the raised arm and robe "shielding" her younger Empyrean siblings from the horrors of being an Empyrean in the first place, since she knows well how awful it is.

Now that we have the DLC, those statues could very easily now be Radahn. Not as Radahn is, but the ideal Radahn that Miquella saw and made a vow with.

No one but FromSoft knows what they were meant to represent; but what they are not is unambiguously Godwyn.

So remember the discussion about death vs. Destined Death? We know when Ranni perpetrated the Night of the Black Knives, she killed her body, and Godwyn's soul. That means both of those things are Dead-dead. Temporal incursion dead. Basically, so far out of reach of resurrection that it's impossible, so they functionally might as well not exist. But it was just her BODY, and Godwyn's SOUL.

Her soul lives.

And so does Godwyn's body.

Godwyn is functionally a tumor. I believe the Japanese descriptions of the Prince of Death's cyst and pustule both make direct references to cancer, in fact. Cancer is cell growth with damaged DNA that no longer has a termination peptide in it, and no limit to replication anymore. Immortal cells, basically, that rapidly reproduce. Fall down a wiki hole sometime about how cancer metastasises, and it will give you the creepiest, uncanny feeling that cancer actually has a will of its own.

But even without knowing the weird ways cancer can grow and spread, just knowing that it does spread explains a lot about Godwyn, and the Deathroot, and even why it would show up somewhere like Farum Azula. Because you only need a little bit of the cancer cells to "break away" or... be transported... from one place to another in order for a second tumor to start to grow. All that's needed afterward is a source of vitality. Since the broken-away tumor also has the DNA of the original tumor, as well, it is. Well. The same being. A clone at worst, but literally a shucked-off part of the body that keeps living, and is still its root being at the same time it is separate from it.

Kinda like Trina and Radagon, now that I think about it.

Still, every time you see the giant clam-face, every time you see the deathroots, those are all Godwyn. So Godwyn's body is not just the giant, unmoving merman thing in Deeproot Depths, it is functionally in every corner of the Lands Between, and a few places outside it. And it's still growing, still living, still replicating.

Now, try to put Radahn's soul into that.

Where would you even begin?

More than that, could you do it? Since Godwyn's body is still alive? And if you did... what's to say that it wouldn't just be Radahn in a giant, immobile fish body, genetically glued into the roots of the Erdtree, and spreading everywhere else? How could he be a King, how could he be a warrior if he's immobile, and buried?

Miquella wants a functional king. If he's modeling it off what he knows, then Radagon was able to mingle among the people, to fight wars, to be present in the lives of the court. He wouldn't get that with Godwyn's body, even if it was as simple as sticking a new soul in a still-living body that spans the entirety of the Lands Between, which I sincerely doubt it is.

No, Godwyn was never an option.

But a more normal dead body? One whose soul has only recently fled? That was otherwise whole and hale? That could be useful.

"What are you doing? This is not right," says St. Trina inside Miquella's head. She's starting to get annoying. Doesn't she understand he just needs to get this one thing done?

Oh, and look at that.

The Tarnished have returned.

Conclusion: I like it. I think it's kind of funny, actually. It's not what I was expecting - I do agree that at least like. One. Item in the base game could have legitimately alluded to some connection here, because I absolutely can see how this feels like a sucker punch to people who had two years to set their lore assumptions in stone. But as it's presented in the DLC... it's fine. I can make sense of it. It's sufficiently doomed and tragic: Miquella didn't become the god he could have, he became the god Radahn wanted. And becoming god at all required a sacrifice that removed all the reasons he would've been a good god to begin with.

My biggest qualm with the ending is this: I think if you get your heart stolen by Miquella, it should trigger an ending. Thus, most players will probably get the "bad end" where you end up a subordinate of Miquella's reign, forcing them to use either the Great Rune he cast aside, or to just not get grabbed to get the "good" ending. Please, FromSoft, it was a perfect opportunity!!!

Now this doesn't account for absolutely everything, and maybe an item will be discovered somewhere in the DLC that bucks all of it, but this makes the most sense to me, and based on some other readings, it seems to align with other people. Miquella is far from a perfectly innocent being in all of this, but he's not some purely evil mastermind either. He's a kid, trying to fix a deeply broken world like he's playing with dolls, without the capability of regard for how real lives are affected in a nuanced way.

Just trust him! He'll become a god, and- and all of this will be better!

("No," whispers Saint Trina, sleepily, where she was cast off. Now, where Miquella cannot hear her. "No, godhood will be your prison.")

[osric-giroux-ffxiv]

DWC November 2024 - Day 5 - Skill

@daily-writing-challenge

TW: Violence (Below the Cut)

There were certain things that had stood out to him very early in life, and had only become more pronounced the more years passed by. One of those ‘things’ was just how certain individuals developed specific attributes - specific skills, while others were left to go to waste, and others found no value in those same skills. 

His parents - if one could even call them that - were certainly skilled narrators and manipulators. They could and did spin a tail and most if not all believed it. His sister was observant, detail oriented - generally, but even then there were times when she could be so focused on the details that she lost sight of the greater picture. 

How many times had he seen it during training? Those who were overconfident in their skills ended up dead because they could not see their flaws? They held one attribute in such esteem that they couldn’t recognize the need to be well rounded, or at the vet least, have others around them that could balance out those areas in which they were lacking.

It was something he’d tried to keep in mind as he started working with the wolves. 

Each of them had a different strength - Freyja was fearless, happy to charge into any fray she was presented with with little concern for herself, so long as it was at Osric’s side. 

Tyr was happier defending and protecting, whether that was a singular location or Osric’s back as they scouted - ever watchful, ever alert, he was the more watchful of the two younger wolves.

And then there was Vidar. A bit of an anomaly at first - the older wolf has spent a majority of his time stalking the grounds around Osric’s home, ever watchful. It had taken time, and no shortage of trial and error to discover just what skill he seemed to lean into. And with patience what was discovered is the the older wolf had an incredibly sharp sense of smell - one that work, could be honed.

One that on this particular afternoon, seemed to pick up on a familiar scent, and one that he did not consider to be friendly. 

The two sets of prints in the snow weren’t hard to follow, neither was the shouting or the snarls. 

Osric, Freyja, and Tyr managed to come upon the scene just as Vidar pounced, knocking the man down into the snow, not snapping, a low growl rumbling at the back of his throat.

“Vidar - hold!”

The wolf froze at the command, the tense body language a clear indication that he didn’t want to, but he adhered nonetheless. 

Osric approached, hunting knife in hand, as he hadn’t been prepared to take off into the woods when Tyr hand grabbed his attention. “What have we here?” He kneeled down, blade of the knife held under the man’s chin as he gripped his hair forcing him to look up, the volume of Vidar’s growl increasing. 

As the man dared to open his eyes, Osric scoffed as the recognition washed over him. “You. I suppose the first time wasn’t enough?”

“Y-you know how much a wolf pelt is worth, mister?”

Vidar snapped an inch from the man’s face, causing him to try to recoil - he couldn’t because of Osric’s grip, something that only tightened. 

“No, and I don’t give a fuck. You’re trespassing and I see you didn’t learn a godsdamned thing from the last time I caught you.”

“I did…I swear!” 

“Then you’re here just for a lovely walk in the snow? If you’re going to lie, think of something more convincing. I’ve been around some of the best.” 

Osric’s grip tightened on the knife. The last time he’d sent the bastard to the authorities and after a few weeks they released him. And now he was back trying the same thing. 

If he let him go again, who else would the bastard hurt. 

Clearly nothing had been learned from the last time... 

He shook his head before the decision became about more than just the poacher (it was about more than just the poacher).

“This is the second time I’ve caught you on my property trying to kill my wolves..Can’t follow simple instructions, can you?”

“I…well…I mean…”

“It’s a simple question that required a simple answer. You could not provide it and I won’t tolerate a third attempt or venture onto my land. I shouldn’t have tolerated a second. And Aurifort isn’t here to save you this time.” Vidar’s growling grew louder beside him. “I hope you’ve begged for mercy from whichever of the Twleve you pray to sir, you’ll find none here today.”

“Wha…?!”

The reaction was quick, decisive. The knife moved from under the man’s chin, the blade slicing across his throat. 

“Vidar, kill.” It was an order the wolf seemed more than happy to follow through on, his teeth ripping into the man’s throat. 

Osric took a step back, glancing down at the poacher’s lifeless form as Vidar, his task complete moved over next to Tyr and Freyja. 

“Let’s see to this mess, shall we? It seems Kenward will have a bit of company this evening.”

He’d failed to protect all those that were important to him before - lack of skill, lack of planning, it didn’t matter at this point. It was not a mistake he’d make again. He would be better prepared for the next issue. They would be better prepared to handle whatever came next.  

He would not make the same mistake twice.