#vikings game today

[aysharia]

Bears vs. Vikings score, takeaways: Minnesota rolls while strengthening case to win NFC's No. 1 seed

Read More: Link 1

Read More: Link 2

[plastic2000s]

Yoville, social virtual world game by Zynga (2008)

Later purchased by Big Viking Games and renamed "Yoworld" (2014)

[hourcat]

everyone please be so nice to me rn the giants are about to play their first playoff game in six years and i will be inconsolable either way

[aquarri]

what’s going on with ts and cbs lolll

[doubleca5t]

Today in NFL-posting, the Minnesota Vikings celebrated their game winning touchdown on Sunday by doing that dance from Camp Rock 2 that became a meme on Stan Twitter

[cat-in-a-mech-suit]

Transmasculinity Throughout Time: Transgender Vikings

This is the burial of a very high ranking viking warrior from the 10th century. It contains high quality weaponry, two horses, and even a gaming set! The clothing found on the site suggests that this viking was a cavalry commander, and he was buried in a location that would be visible from the sea. Unlike burials for viking women (which existed!), there is no evidence that this warrior identified as a woman or had any of the grave items associated with women. There is nothing to suggest he was anyone rather than a high ranking male warrior. He was assumed unquestioningly to be male since his discovery, until his remains were tested in 2017 to reveal that he was “genetically female.” Quite possibly, he was a transgender man or transmasculine viking.

There was a great amount of confusions among archeologists after this finding, with many doubting the results of the study because they did not understand how he could have been given such a burial. In a 2019 follow up paper, it was argued that he could have been transgender, but we have no way of knowing now. He is referred to with she/her pronouns in many articles despite having been simply categorized as a male viking before being tested genetically. When using any modern pronouns for historical people who wouldn’t be able to advocate for themselves today, we tend to make assumptions: I use he/him pronouns for this viking and that has the same legitimacy as anyone who choses to use she/her, neither of us know surely how he would be referred to then - if it makes you uncomfortable for me to call him he, then maybe ask the same question of articles calling him she! Both archeology and written sources actually indicate that viking gender existed in complex ways that are not fully known to us now.

[communistkenobi]

I watched The Northman today. I heard it described as a movie that depicts a social world with a totally different sense of morality and way of living. and like no not really lol it’s a pretty straightforward movie about revenge and a king murder plot, there’s nothing particularly morally shocking or unconventional about it that you wouldn’t see in other films about vikings. Like maybe I’m desensitised but slaughtering whole villages and taking sexual slaves is not really out there, they did all that shit in game of thrones like ten years ago. Probably the only thing that’s more graphic is a few of the death scenes where corpses are arranged into the shape of an animal or a guy gets disembowelled. It’s basically like hamlet. There’s even ghosts and incest in it. Very cool production design with all the viking villages and cabins and shit though. Like really big ornate carved wooden beams and animal hides and chainmail armour and long boats and all of that. Robert Eggers loves shooting in firelight and he’s pretty good at it, you can see what you need to and the high-contrast lighting is fun to look at. idk what chemicals they pumped into Alexander Skarsgard to make his shoulder muscles look like that but he did a good job howling like a dog and being insane the whole movie. Nicole Kidman was probably the standout performance, she was the best out of the cast at delivering all the mythical folktale sounding dialogue

[little-diable]

For Valhalla – Spencer Reid (smut)

Trying to pull myself out of my writing slump by writing history inspired stuff. Please like and reblog if you enjoyed reading this, your comments keep us writers motivated! Enjoy my loves. xxx

Summary: Reader helps Spencer with understanding the medieval norse warrior mindset, which finally pushes the two friends closer together.

Warnings: 18+, smut, piv, spanking, dom!Spencer, some mirror action, friends to lovers, some history talk about medieval wars and fighting

Pairing: Spencer Reid x fem!historian!reader (2.3k words)

“Careful.” Her whispers filled the dimly lit training room, eyes concentrated on his nimble fingers. She watched Spencer tighten his grip on the hilt of her sword, knuckles almost white. “Widen your stance a bit.”

“Even wider?” Spencer’s eyes were burning holes into her skin, waiting for her next command. He wasn’t one for holding back, and could barely contain his information-dumping urges, but with her it was different. This was (y/n)’s field of expertise, the only one he could blindly trust with a situation this delicate. 

“Can I touch you to show you how?” The two had known one another since their university days, sharing every break, and every meal with one another, until they had eventually shared an apartment for a while. Something had always buzzed between them, something both had been too scared to give in to back then.

Something that was still buzzing now, all these years later.

“Yes.” Their eyes met as Spencer spoke the word, leaving her to swallow heavily. (Y/n) was no stranger to Spencer’s struggles with being touched, and yet his willingness to be touched by her weighed heavier than either one of them liked to admit. 

Slowly, (y/n) placed herself behind Spencer. With one hand placed on his right shoulder and the other on his waist, she gently kicked his feet apart. She felt him sink into the warrior stance, trying to make room for the mindset their current unsub was undoubtedly trapped in. 

“Perfect,” (y/n) whispered. “Now I want you to close your eyes. If your unsub is thinking of himself as a Norðmaðr, a man from the North, or a Viking as others called them, he must protect his sword at every cost. Some believe a warrior could only enter Valhalla if they held onto their sword while dying. It’s an old lore we don’t have many sources on, but judging your unsub I’d say he is focused on things he saw in shows or games. Try to imagine yourself on a battlefield. It was loud, you’d hear cries, the sounds of horses, of swords and axes clashing. You’d smell blood, perhaps some rain depending on the month. Sweat would cling to you, and dirt, soil or mud.” 

“That sounds like my nightmare.” Both broke out in chuckles as (y/n) let go of Spencer almost reluctantly. She watched him move, handling the sword like she had demonstrated for the past hour. He wasn’t nearly as graceful as she was, and yet he managed to copy her movements perfectly. 

“What do you think he tries to live out with this?” Asking questions about his cases had always been a struggle, Spencer would either be very vague or simply tell (y/n) that he couldn’t share any information. But today it was different, today she was part of their team, at least for a few hours, as a historian, a consultant to try and help them find their unsub. 

“Pent up anger, frustration, and yet he is trying to be honourable with his killings, he feels like a Viking after all.” A hum left her at his reply. This time (y/n) didn’t ask for permission as she stepped towards Spencer once again. 

“Let’s try something.” She reached for the sword he was gripping. (Y/n) took her stance, making it seem all too effortlessly, “Stand behind me, place your hands on top of mine.”

It took Spencer a moment to snap into motion, he exhaled before he followed the command. Gently, he placed his warm hand on top of (y/n)’s, shooting shudders down her spine with the simple touch. An all too familiar electricity was binding the two closer together, wrapping itself around them as if it were some kind of invisible force managing to guide the two.

“It’s a simple movement, but it takes a lot of strength to make the sword move as effectively and quickly as this.” Spencer tried to focus on (y/n)’s words, but he couldn’t, too taken up by her unfamiliar closeness. His body was taken over by whatever he had tried to suppress these past years, forcing him even closer to her. “Spencer? Are you alright?”

No word left him as he tightened his grip on her hand. Spencer could almost hear her heart racing in her chest, pounding against her ribcage as if it was begging to be freed. And who was he to deny such a strong muscle such a strong wish? 

His lips found the exposed spot where her shoulder met her neck, kissing it as if they had done this numerous times before. Both froze at the unfamiliar touch, giving the inferno starting to stretch itself through the two enough room to grow. She shuddered in his grasp, trying to stop herself from dropping the sword to turn around towards Spencer.

“Spence,” (y/n) choked on his nickname as he pressed another kiss to her soft skin. “What are you doing?”

“What I should have done years ago.” Perhaps it had taken some convincing from his friends, urging him to finally cross that invisible line between him and (y/n). And as much as Spencer had tried to ignore their pestering selves when it came to (y/n) and him, he hadn’t been able to drown them out completely, forced to accept his feelings for his friend. 

(Y/n) pushed herself away from him, forcing Spencer to panic for a second. He watched her place the sword down, only to turn fully towards him. Their eyes held contact, wordlessly communicating with their hearts on their tongues and their adrenaline spiking. 

Neither of them knew who moved first, but while their eyes held contact, their bodies crossed the small distance between them, letting their lips clash together. Their eyes fluttered close, hands holding onto one another while their lips moved in sync. They were eager, desperate to explore their newfound territory as if it was their only chance at doing this.

Their road to Valhalla, the last battle to fight before calmness could swap through them. 

Spencer moved them backwards, pressing (y/n) against the wall as his tongue ran along her lower lip, begging for entrance. The kiss left the two drowning in their longings, forgetting how to breathe as they finally got to experience what they had been dreaming of. It felt surreal almost – if it weren’t for their racing hearts and their excitement flushing through them. 

“Can I?” He mumbled his question against her lips, giving the two a moment to catch their breaths. Spencer’s fingers tugged on the fabric of her loose shirt, waiting for her consent before he got to explore her body. Ever since he had been forced to talk about his feelings to his team members, he had tried to picture this moment, praying that he wouldn’t mess this up, that his nervousness wouldn’t push him away from her. But now he felt awfully calm, set on touching her, on making her feel the same excitement he was held hostage by. 

“Of course, Spence.” Their eyes met as he pulled the shirt over her head, sports bra following seconds later. (Y/n) felt exposed, fighting against the need to cover herself up as his twinkling eyes studied her soft skin, shooting her a gaze that made heat pool between her thighs. 

Spencer was careful with his touches, cupping her breasts with his warm hands as his mouth found her throat. He kissed his way down to her chest as if he was mapping her body with his kisses, remembering every inch, every mark, forever ingrained into his racing mind. She was trembling against him, allowing her hands to move to his button up, needing to uncovering his body to distract herself from her nervousness. 

“You’re so perfect, I should have done this before. I am sorry it took me this long.” His whispers left her gasping, arching against his hold as his mouth found her left breast, sucking on the hardening nipple. 

“I don’t know if I can forgive you for that,” it was nothing but teasing, and yet the words got stuck in her throat as he let go of her, staring down at (y/n) with something dangerous twinkling in his eyes.

Spencer looked at her for a handful of seconds before he turned her around, allowing (y/n) to catch her reflection in the mirror he had pressed her against. Her pupils were dilated, she was heavily breathing, hair slightly tousled. But (y/n) didn’t get any time to speak up, to comment on what she was seeing. 

His eyes found hers in the mirror as he pulled her sweatpants down her legs, letting his hand brush over her panties-clad behind. (Y/n) could only choke on her gasp as he raised his hand, letting it come down on her warm skin a second later. The sound of Spencer spanking her echoed through the room, followed by a soft moan clawing through (y/n). 

“Let me promise you something, sweetheart,” Spencer murmured his words while his hand brushed over the spot he had just spanked. “I’ll fuck that attitude right out of your system.” 

Another spank met her behind, and another, till her eyes fell shut and her sweaty palms struggled to stay pressed against the mirror. Arousal was dripping from her tightness, clinging to her inner thighs, telling Spencer everything he needed to know. She was just as desperate for him, begging to be finally fucked, pushed over the edge by the tall profiler who had always been her closest friend, the one she clung to, the one she dreamt of. 

“I don’t have anything on me.” His words ripped her out of her hazy thoughts, having to blink a few times as she tried to find her words. 

“I’m on the pill, and I’m clean.” (Y/n) watched his tongue dart out, licking along his lower lip as he pondered over her words. She knew Spencer got monthly tests, knew that she could blindly trust him, but knowing that she was about to feel him bare filled her with something raw simmering inside of her, something possessive almost. Only as the sound of Spencer undoing his trousers rang in her ears did she allow herself to close her eyes once again, having to collect herself. This was finally happening, something she had dreamt of, something she had never dared to even speak about. 

“I want you to look at me while I fuck you.” His raspy voice buzzed through (y/n), forcing another moan out of her. They held eye contact as Spencer spat into his palm, lubed himself up, and finally pushed into her. A moan clawed through them in unison, needing a few moments to adjust before he began to fuck her from behind. 

Spencer had a tight grip on her waist, set on leaving marks as he fucked her ruthlessly, hitting the spot that made her toes curl with every thrust. Both were a moaning mess, chasing their needs, the deep urges they finally got to live out, while studying one another through the mirror. 

(Y/n) struggled to form words, struggled to comment on what she was seeing, fully entranced by the sight. She already looked thoroughly fucked out, close to giving in after only a few moments. But something was binding them together, a sensation so strong it felt as if they were fighting for Valhalla, fighting for entry into the afterlife they were oh so close to. 

“Spencer,” (y/n) moaned his name, she tried to push herself further into his touch, needing to be even closer to the man who was about to push her orgasm through her aching body. “You feel so good, fuck, I never want to be fucked by somebody else.”

It was a sincere confession, words that left the profiler smirking in success. He leaned forward to press a kiss to her shoulder, letting his teeth graze her skin to leave another mark to remind (y/n) that she was now his, a part of his body and soul. 

“As if I’d ever let you go again. No other man will ever get to touch you.” His words dripped with possessiveness, words that made her walls clench around his cock. (Y/n) couldn’t stop her eyes from fluttering close as his fingertips found her pulsing bundle, circling it with enough pressure to push her into her high. 

She moaned for him as she came, unable to stop the sounds from leaving her while Spencer kept fucking her. Their bodies kept meeting, even faster than before, forcing (y/n) to realise that she’d struggle with walking for the next days. Only as Spencer pulled out of her to paint her aching behind white did she open her eyes again. 

“That was,” she panted her words, not daring to move as Spencer kept smirking at her through the mirror. “Fuck, that was intense.”

“I love you.” The words clawed through Spencer as if he hadn’t given them much thought, speaking them all too effortlessly. (Y/n) froze for a second or two before she gave room to the soft chuckle desperate to leave her. 

“I love you too, Spence.” Perhaps they were Valhalla-bound after all, set on living together in every life offered to them. 

[txttletale]

Do you have recs for combatless rpgs? sorry if someones asked this ! im getting into ttrpgs now and its just pretty hard to find anything non combat focused ?

i recommended wanderhome (melancholy animal roadtrip), dream askew (queer postapocalyptic survival), microscope (collaborative worldbuilding), and crescent moon (kids learning and growing in a fantasy land) in resposne to an ask earlier today. other great rpgs that aren't combat focused include:

chuubo's marvelous wish-granting engine: i'll level with you, if you're just getting into rpgs this one might be A Lot because it's quite mechanically complex. but it's a beautiful game about having ghibliesque coming-of-age adventures in a surreal dreamy world.

nobilis is by the same person (jenna moran, a genuine game design pioneer and genius) -- it's about being godlets, the living embodiments of concepts from the concrete to the abstract. you might find yourself fighting in this game, but it's unlikely to look anything like 'combat'.

brindlewood bay, which is about being elderly women investigating murders.

pasión de las pasiones, a pbta (powered by the apocalypse) game about doing ridiculous romance drama shit based on telenovelas

monsterhearts, about teenaged monsters having weird drama and exploring their sexuality. think buffy or twilight, but queerer

pigsmoke, about being professors at a college of magic and competing to see who can publish the best paper (yes, really)

the girlfriend of my girlfriend is my friend, about... i mean i think the title makes it pretty clear! being gay and poly and kinda broke

it's been a long, long, time, about two people who used to date, their relationship, their lives after it, and their reunion

sagas of the icelanders, about being viking settlers in iceland during the saga period and playing out quasimythical dramas

hieronymous, about being a bunch of sinners making your way across hieronymous bosch's garden of earthly delights

thousand year old vampire, a solo journalling game about being a vampire and living through long stretches of history

blow up hamlet, where your table performs hamlet while changing the plot and improvising new plot beats at semi-random

slugblaster, about being rowdy teens hoverboarding through interdimensional rifts in the spirit of 90s teen movies

woo! that's a fuckin' lot of ttrpgs, but i wanted to give a lot of suggestions because i think it's so important for people getting into the hobby to understand the breadth of games out there and how far from the popular image created by D&D they can go! there are two-player and GM-less and even one-player games on this list. you can do anything! the world of rpgs is so fucking wide and beautiful. good luck and i hope you find something that speaks to you!

(oh, also, my game, most trusted advisors -- about being the untrustworthy privy council to a dipshit king and falling over each other's nested dipshit schemes -- has no combat in it. just saying!)

[vesearlee]

the collective works with the main pairing of Bucky Barnes will be in this masterlist.

𝐁𝐔𝐂𝐊𝐘 𝐁𝐀𝐑𝐍𝐄𝐒 𝐌𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐓

— 𝐀 = angst — 𝐖 = whump — 𝐈 = sick fic — 𝐃 = dark — 𝐃² = dead dove — 𝐏 = poly — 𝐊 = kid fic — 𝐅 = fluff — 𝐒 = smut

𝐂𝐎𝐋𝐋𝐄𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 𝐌𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐓

⠈⠂⠄⠄ Biker ⠈⠂⠄⠄ Bodyguard ⠈⠂⠄⠄ DILF (Modern) ⠈⠂⠄⠄ Farmer ⠈⠂⠄⠄ Incubus ⠈⠂⠄⠄ Lumberjack ⠈⠂⠄⠄ Mafia ⠈⠂⠄⠄ Mafia and Artist ⠈⠂⠄⠄ Mechanic ⠈⠂⠄⠄ Monster ⠈⠂⠄⠄ Omegaverse ⠈⠂⠄⠄ Outlaw ⠈⠂⠄⠄ Paramedic ⠈⠂⠄⠄ Personal Trainer ⠈⠂⠄⠄ Pirate ⠈⠂⠄⠄ Pornstar ⠈⠂⠄⠄ Scare Actor ⠈⠂⠄⠄ Street Racer ⠈⠂⠄⠄ Stripper ⠈⠂⠄⠄ Tattoo ⠈⠂⠄⠄ Viking

⠄⠂⠁⠁⠂⠄⠄  𝑴𝑼𝑳𝑻𝑰𝑷𝑳𝑬

➺ 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐆𝐢𝐟𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐊𝐞𝐞𝐩𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐆𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 ⠄⠂⠁⠁⠂⠄⠄ Multiple Pairings — 𝐅 + 𝐒 Today was the day — your birthday, but how would the many Bucky’s treat you? With a lil’ bit of nice? Or a lil’ bit of spice?

➺ 𝐦𝐲 𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫 𝐨𝐧 𝐇𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐲𝐰𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐁𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐞𝐯𝐚𝐫𝐝 ⠄⠂⠁⠁⠂⠄⠄ Rockstar!Bucky Barnes x F!Reader — 𝐀 + 𝐅 + 𝐒 — CO-WRITTEN WITH @buckyismybicycle All it took was one night, one song — hell, one note — and you were gone for him, hook, line, and sinker. Turbulent times lay ahead, but in the afterglow of ecstasy, forced to feel emotions in such intensity for someone you’d never expect, you couldn’t help but follow him anyway — he was irresistible, after all.

➺ 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐓𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐇𝐮𝐧𝐭 ⠄⠂⠁⠁⠂⠄⠄ Scare Actor!Bucky Barnes — 𝐅

The ancient game of cat and mouse, a fight for survival between a predator and their prey, wasn’t a new phenomenon — it had been practised for centuries and it was an art that very, very few perfected. For years you had chased the craving to find someone that had mastered the art of the hunt, and for Halloween, you had gone all out and visited a haven unlike any other. 

It was there that you found your match. 

Cloaked in nothing but black and shrouded in a sense of lethality, you would have to run from this shadow in an adrenaline fuel haze unlike any other. A chase for the ages, the very one you desired. 

And if he caught you, your world would end as you knew it.

➺ 𝐖𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐬 ⠄⠂⠁⠁⠂⠄⠄ Modern!Bucky Barnes x F!Reader — 𝐀 + 𝐅 Currents had pulled you under for so many years, the crash of them against your mind leaving you constantly breathless and Bucky would always pull you back up from the cruel thrashing. But now, there was a chance they’d stop.

➺ 𝐒𝐚𝐟𝐞 𝐇𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐧 ⠄⠂⠁⠁⠂⠄⠄ Modern!Bucky Barnes x F!Reader — 𝐀 + 𝐅 The yearly tradition of a blanket fort on the 4th of July gets an upgrade.

➺ 𝐍𝐨 𝐖𝐚𝐲 𝐎𝐮𝐭 ⠄⠂⠁⠁⠂⠄⠄ Bucky Barnes x Agent!F!Reader — 𝐀 + 𝐖 Fate was cruel. Life, even more so. The pain was excruciating, well past and beyond endurance. It was just a shame there was little comfort you could give from the other side of Death’s veil.

➺ 𝐁𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐊𝐞𝐩𝐭 𝐒𝐞𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐭 ⠄⠂⠁⠁⠂⠄⠄ Modern!Bucky Barnes x F!Reader — 𝐀 + 𝐅 There were very few things that brought you as much joy as seeing Bucky smile, but this — this moment would forever be etched as one of your fondest memories, let alone his.

➺ 𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐅𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐏𝐚𝐰𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐛𝐞𝐚𝐭 ⠄⠂⠁⠁⠂⠄⠄ Modern!Bucky Barnes x F!Reader — 𝐅 ��Don’t make a big deal,” Bucky said — “I have all I need right here,” he insisted. 

A shame, really, that he had thought that you had listened, and you wouldn’t make a big deal of it; he was so wrong, and he would be better off for being so, for when a paw touched your heart, it would never leave.

➺ 𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞 ⠄⠂⠁⠁⠂⠄⠄ Grim Reaper!Bucky Barnes x F!Reader — 𝐀 + 𝐅 Grief was no stranger to you — it ebbed and flowed with time; its currents ill-suited to travel for those who were heavily ladened with loss. That was where you came in, offering the comfort of your empathy and gift to those who remained stuck, and to those that passed on. It was how you met him, and it was how you became the light in his otherwise shadowed life.

➺ 𝐑𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐝𝐲 ⠄⠂⠁⠁⠂⠄⠄ TFAWS!Bucky Barnes x F!Reader — 𝐒 When Bucky came home from a bad day, it was your pleasure to change that, and you took pride in making him shatter to pieces if you reaped the rewards.

➺ 𝐀 𝐁𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐡 𝐨𝐟 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 ⠄⠂⠁⠁⠂⠄⠄ Bucky Barnes x Makeup Artist!F!Reader — 𝐀 + 𝐅 It was a routine job — if you discounted the suspicious lack of information and the endless NDAs you had to sign, and you were looking forward to having a high end client. Though, what walked through the door would test every last skill you had.

➺ 𝐋𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐫𝐲𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐞 ⠄⠂⠁⠁⠂⠄⠄ Dragon Rider!Bucky Barnes x Dragon Rider!F!Reader — 𝐀 + 𝐖 It was inherently a dangerous way to live the life of a Nomad Dragon Rider — an outcast. And those very dangers would be what would tear you apart, and what would separate you from the one you trusted, the one you loved.

➺ 𝐒𝐩𝐢𝐜𝐞 ‘𝐧 𝐒𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐍𝐢𝐜𝐞 ⠄⠂⠁⠁⠂⠄⠄ Husband!Baker!Bucky Barnes x Wife!Baker!F!Reader — 𝐅 Bucky had prepared a surprise for you, much to your amusement, and it wasn’t even the end of the night — a battle of wits was to be fought.

➺ 𝐀𝐧 𝐎𝐥’ 𝐅𝐚𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐍𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧, 𝐎𝐟 𝐖𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐖𝐡𝐢𝐬𝐤𝐞𝐲 ⠄⠂⠁⠁⠂⠄⠄ Bucky Barnes x F!Reader — 𝐅 Bucky had been away for a long, long time, and your heart ached with missing him. Although, the time apart had allowed you to plan a surprise that would rock his world once he walked back through the door of your home, and into another era.

➺ 𝐀 𝐑𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐁𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐝 ⠄⠂⠁⠁⠂⠄⠄ Witcher!Bucky Barnes x Sorceress!F!Reader — 𝐀 + 𝐖 + 𝐃 + 𝐅 It had been an ordinary day — nothing amiss, nor a cause for concern, not even the sudden appearance of soldiers in the local tavern. You should have known better, however, for fate had never left you in peace.

➺ 𝐀 𝐓𝐚𝐥𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐓𝐰𝐨, 𝐨𝐟 𝐄𝐧𝐭𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 ⠄⠂⠁⠁⠂⠄⠄ Modern!Bucky Barnes x F!Reader — 𝐀 + 𝐅 They said fate worked in mysterious ways; the strings of destiny plucked and pulled and snapped at the leisure of those they controlled, but not you. The delicacy in which you handled the woven web was forever unseen and unprecedented, and your patience was to be rewarded in a way you least expected.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐐𝐮𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐊𝐢𝐧𝐠 ⠄⠂⠁⠁⠂⠄⠄ Drifter!Bucky Barnes x Drifter!F!Reader ➺ 𝐈'𝐦 𝐆𝐮𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐧’ 𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐘𝐨𝐮 — 𝐅 Dancing had many forms — you were proud to say you may have been the best of the best in an unconventional discipline. Finally, fate gave you a chance to prove it, once and for all.  ➺ 𝐏𝐮𝐫𝐫 𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐌𝐞 — 𝐅 + 𝐒 A deal had been struck, and since you had claimed victory that day, you were more than eager to collect the reward of such a win. — 𝐏𝐋𝐀𝐘𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐓 — 𝐏𝐋𝐀𝐘𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐓 𝐕𝟐

𝐖𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐬 ⠄⠂⠁⠁⠂⠄⠄ Modern!Bucky Barnes x Writer!F!Reader ➺ 𝐎𝐥𝐝 𝐅𝐚𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐝 — 𝐅 An ordinary, relaxing day of arriving at Bucky’s coffee shop and spending it working on a project was what you planned to do, however, a certain brunette had other ideas. ➺ 𝐁𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 — 𝐅 Bucky had always been willing to help you with your dreams, and it just so happened that you need to experience something first hand in order to write it effectively — it was just a shock at how far Bucky was willing to take it.

➺ 𝐇𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐲 𝐁𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐬 ⠄⠂⠁⠁⠂⠄⠄ Barista!Bucky Barnes x F!Reader — 𝐅 Bucky’s cafe was a home away from home, a place where you could be happy, spend time with your two closest friends, and your favourite fluffball. You just hoped that your admission wouldn’t change a thing — at least, you had to hope it would, in the best way.

➺ 𝐒𝐮𝐠𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐒𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐭 ⠄⠂⠁⠁⠂⠄⠄ Baker!Bucky Barnes x F!Reader — 𝐅 There were very few plans you had come up in your life with that rivalled the sheer brilliance of what you decided to do — ‘twas the belated day for it, anyway.

➺ 𝐒𝐮𝐧𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐞 — 𝐅

➺ 𝐇𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐎𝐟𝐟 — 𝐒 You came home to a sight; one that you revelled in the consequences of.

⇀  𝐃𝐁𝐅 𝐁𝐮𝐜𝐤𝐲

⇀ 𝐂𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐠𝐞 𝐁𝐮𝐜𝐤𝐲

[aysharia]

3 takeaways from Vikings' blowout victory over Bears

Read More: Link 1

Read More: Link 2

[mikimakiboo]

Time Travelers AU - Chess and Feelings

Just so ya'll know I have like four to five tabs constantly opened just for the translations and historical info

And also I found a better site for Old Norse lmao so Horror won't be speaking in runes anymore hopefully unless I can't find translations and there is only runes available

Also I don't know how phrases are constructed in Old Norse so I just take the English and translate word by word

But yeah I'll make it work lmaoo

First

Prev

Next

Also I actually wanted to write more but it's taking long because I'm inexplicably tired so I decided to cut the part here so ya'll don't have to wait too long :') so yeah excuse the shortness

@ancha-aus pspspsps come here pspspsps

There was a V on today's date on the calendar. V for vacation. Dust had vacations this month, and he completely forgot about that. He should have guessed it, he usually never had a day off on a Saturday unless he was on vacation the next week, and vacations meant being paid less, which also meant he'll need to buy less to save more because the bills would be the same price, which also meant that what he was going to buy now would have to be his last spent of the month.

He had found an English to Old Norse dictionary on one of his town's bookstore website and if he bought it online now he could go get it from the store the next morning.

Dust was staring at his computer screen when he heard Horror sit next to him.

- Hvat ir sá ?

He asked, pointing to the screen. Dust wondered for a second if he was talking about the computer or the dictionary, having guessed that the viking asked what it was with his tone.

- It's, uh... to understand you ? Uh.. wait.

He went back on his other tab, and typed "to understand" before translating. "vita".

Horror nodded, he didn't know how an image was going to help Dust understand anything but he guessed it might be a sort of sacred thing that Dust could look at and receive answers, maybe it was from the gods ?

- You, uh.. wanna do something ?

Dust asked. Everyone was occupied: Cross was as usual guarding the door, Nightmare was reading a new book on the tablet, and Dust had found his old kaleidoscope he gave to Killer and that he hadn't let go off yet, the only one not doing anything was Horror.

Horror looked at him, and looked at the computer, waiting for Dust to translate. He didn't know what that thing was, but Dust could make it talk his language. Dust tried different words to have the best translation possible. "Tafl, háttr, tefla", "game, activity, play". Horror nodded and pointed at "game", he could play games, he was good at table games.

- Okay uhhhh wait a sec.

Dust went back on Google to look for the kind of games vikings used to play, and apparently they played chess, their own version of chess of course, it was called hnefatafl and was played by two people, fortunately the game became popular enough to be commercialized in Dust's time, which meant he could easily find the rules as well as apps to play.

- Okay wait, I'll grab my iPad it'll be easier than on the computer.

He said as he got up and quickly left to go in his room, looking through his nightstand to find his old iPad with a cracked screen. He turned it on and installed the app on his way back to the table where Horror was waiting for him. He put the tablet down on the table, between the two of them, with the rules on his computer.

Horror looked at it curiously, recognizing one of his favorite games, but finding the board quite weird. Was it how boards looked like at that time or was it another magical device of Dust that could replicate board games ?

- Oookay, so uh.. you have to touch the screen to make the pieces move.

Dust showed him by moving his first piece. Horror looked at it for a while before slowly pressing a finger on the screen and dragging it to where he wanted his piece to go, and to his surprise, it went there. He smiled as he looked at Dust, proud to be able to make the magical device follow his orders. Dust smiled back.

- Cool, so, uh, my turn I guess.. ?

He checked the rules again, and moved his piece. Horror moved his after him, and the two could soon enjoy a nice game of ancient chess, not aware that they were being watched.

Cross was looking at them, or more precisely he was looking at Dust, his words running in his head over and over again: Dust thought he was doing a good job, he smiled at him and told him he did good ! Was he proud ? He wanted him to be proud, he wanted to make someone proud for once, he knew he wasn't the best knight, he was too emotional, too anxious, he talked either too much or not enough, he was even one of the very few knights who didn't come for a noble family, so having someone tell him he did good and smile at him brought so much warmth in his soul. Dust was nice, he welcomed them in his house, made great efforts to communicate with all of them, he was so smart, and he didn't let himself succumb to panic or despair, he didn't think twice before making them come inside his house. He was impressive. Cross... admired him.

He wanted to talk to him but he didn't know how, as he had to stay by the door in case someone broke in and even then he shouldn't be distracted from his work by chatting, so he looked at him from afar, he watched him play some game with Horror. Horror seemed nice too, he looked strong but he wasn't aggressive, Cross could tell he perfectly controlled his strength, he was rather calm. He was warry of him at first, but the viking never showed any signs of being a threat. As for Killer... he couldn't quite tell what Killer wanted. The way the roman often looked at him with his big wide empty sockets always sent chills all along his spine, how he often checked his blades in the moonlight, but he didn't seem to want to attack and looked more curious about his surroundings than anything. Nightmare of course wasn't a threat, it was clear he was a noble and took too much care of his appearance to engage in a fight, and even so Cross wasn't even sure he knew how to fight, at least not in a real fight. None of them seemed dangerous, but Cross still had to be prepared, and so he couldn't lower his guard to go and talk to Dust even though he quite wanted to. He had to stay here and watch, that was his job, and hopefully if he did it good then Dust would smile at him again...

- Damn you're good.

Dust admitted to Horror, having lost three times in a row against him, but he still put on a good fight, he was really close to winning !

Horror smiled, Dust was a strong opponent, he liked playing with him, he liked the simple fact that he choose something from his culture, that he tried so hard to integrate him, he really was a nice guy. He gave him a pat on the shoulder, with much less strength than the previous night, he didn't want to launch him across the table after all.

They looked at each other for a minute before Dust got up.

- I, uh.. I'll make food, uhh... matr.. ?

He tried hesitantly before relaxing when seeing Horror smile and nod at him, he felt quite proud of himself for catching a few words.

- Cool, so uh.. I'll go.

He quickly went to the kitchen. He hated how awkward he sounded all the time, and it seemed to be stronger around Horror, probably because he couldn't use the vocal command with him and had to look on specific sites, so he actually had to search for the correct translations and he was always afraid he would say something totally incorrect or possibly rude, but so far Horror only smiled at him and gave him time to find his words... he really wanted to do good for him, to at least try to establish some amical bond with one of them, in case they would stay in his apartment for a while...

It would be good to have a friend in this mess.

Really good.

[medievalandfantasymelee]

Congratulations to today's Champions!

Be it known that these Competitors have triumphed on the First Day of Contest of Round One!

Frodo Baggins [Elijah Wood], The Lord of the Rings Trilogy (2001-2003)

Defeats Prince Chauncley [Daniel Radcliffe], Miracle Workers: The Dark Ages (2020) with 79.3% of the Vote

Lord Eddard "Ned" Stark [Sean Bean], Game of Thrones (2011-2019)

Defeats Prince Hamlet [Iain Glen], Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead (1990) with 61% of the Vote

Murtagh Morzansson [Garrett Hedlund], Eragon (2006)

Defeats Mordred [Jason Done], Merlin (1998) with 59% of the Vote

Aguilar de Nehra [Michael Fassbender], Assassin's Creed (2016)

Defeats Amleth [Alexander Skarsgård], The Northman (2022) with 55.3% of the Vote

Bard the Bowman [Luke Evans], The Hobbit Trilogy (2012-2014)

Defeats Will Scarlet O'Hara [Matthew Porretta], Robin Hood: Men in Tights (1993) with 50.9% of the Vote

Lin Shu [Hu Ge], Nirvana in Fire {Lángyá Bǎng} (2015)

Defeats Arman [Matvey Lykov], I Am Dragon {On — Drakón} (2015) with 50.7% of the Vote

Rosencrantz [Gary Oldman], Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead (1990)

Defeats Niccolo Machiavelli [Thibaut Evrard], Borgia (2011-2014) with 56.9% of the Vote

Sihtric Kjartansson [Arnas Fedaravicius], The Last Kingdom (2015-2022)

Defeats Ser Bronn of the Blackwater [Jerome Flynn], Game of Thrones (2011-2019) with 66% of the Vote

Gandalf Mithrandir [Ian McKellen], The Lord of the Rings Trilogy (2001-2003)

Defeats Khal Drogo [Jason Momoa], Game of Thrones (2011-2019) with 56.1% of the Vote

Samwise Gamgee [Sean Astin], The Lord of the Rings Trilogy (2001-2003)

Defeats Sir Leon [Rupert Young], BBC's Merlin (2008-2012) with 64.8% of the Vote

Sir Gary Galavant [Joshua Sasse], Galavant (2015-2016)

Defeats Geralt of Rivia [Henry Cavill], The Witcher (2019-) with 57.7% of the Vote

Thranduil the Elvenking [Lee Pace], The Hobbit Trilogy (2012-2014)

Defeats Asbjörn [Tom Hopper], Northmen: A Viking Saga (2014) with 62.1% of the Vote

[petermorwood]

I was wondering if you could answer a question about armor, especially the solid/articulated types - how much did it need to be personalized or fitted? I ask because I often see people criticizing fantasy/gaming armor for being too heavy or cumbersome, but rarely for perfectly fitting everyone between five and seven feet tall regardless of whether they're built like Legolas or Gimli.

So I'm curious about whether and what kinds of armor might have been mass produced vs what needed to be customized. Was it easier to produce broadly applicable armor or to recruit your army by height and weight?

Non-custom-fitted mass-produced armour ("munition grade" as some modern repro makers call it) started becoming more common when workshops where everything ran on muscle-power became ones whose hammers, grinders and polishers were powered by a water-wheel.

Making armour to fit a range of average sizes now took less time, effort and wages, so could be sold for less and be afforded by more people.

It would have been made in the period equivalent of S, M, L and maybe XL, with buyers either paying extra for custom adjustments, or DIY-ing for better fit with padded liners to make it snug or extra holes punched into straps for more space.

*****

Top grade plate armour on the other hand was almost like a second skin - a common term is "exoskeleton".

This post from a few years back has a lot more information, including what was done to ensure a good fit when the wearer couldn't be measured in person: for instance sending close-fitting garments or even wax model limbs to the armourer.

It definitely wouldn't have fitted anyone but the original owner anything like as well. In particular, if a non-original wearer was longer or shorter in arm or leg, the armour's knee and elbow joints might pinch at distracting moments or simply not flex through their full range.

"Is increased protection better than reduced mobility?" was a question where the wrong answer could prove fatal.

*****

Perhaps that's why medieval art shows a lot of partial armour being worn:

arm-harness - sometimes just vambraces on the forearms, often all the parts from gauntlets to pauldrons (hands to shoulders);

brigandine - a cloth or leather jacket with small metal plates riveted inside; this wasn't concealed armour, the rivets arranged in rows or patterns were an obvious decorative feature;

haubergeon (or byrnie, though that's more a Saxon / Viking term IMO) - a short-sleeved, short-bodied mail shirt, usually worn under something else;

plackart - front or sometimes front-and-rear lower-abdomen torso plates;

poleyns - knee-guards, worn on otherwise unarmoured legs.

The one thing everyone wore is the first thing Hollywood armour leaves off - a helmet - while the archer below has not just a helmet, haubergeon, brigandine and poleyns, but also something equally important, a brayette or breech...

...which is a pair - or at least the front half where It Matters Most - of well-padded mail and indeed male underpants.

Full plate armours had full plate ones which were even more emphatic. Boob-plates may be (mostly) fantasy, but obvious gendered armour was A Real Thing.

*****

Flexible armour like mail, scale and lamellar wasn't tailored for fit; being flexible it didn't need to be. That said, if the size was really wrong one way or the other, it could be reduced or enlarged by removing or adding sections, similar to a modern tailor taking in or letting out a garment.

I have a vague recollection of a photo showing a late medieval haubergeon with tailoring darts inserted under the arms, but I can't remember where or when, so "vague" has more weight than "recollection". ;-P

Genuine mail is rarer in museums than plate armour, because at the end of its working life mail armour was often chopped into pot-scrubbers for the kitchen. You can buy the same sort of thing today.

Finally, while some looted high-grade armour, or at least parts of it, might fit the looter straight away, it's more likely that after any battle there was probably a brisk trade in swapping what didn't fit for what did.

Hope This Helps! :->

[tinkerbelle05]

Batsiblings and the tradition of annoying siblings

“Do you wanna play chess Viking with me?” Damian asked Tim for what felt like the hundredth today. He knows that he should show patience but chess Vikings are absolutely the last thing he wants to do right now. He’d rather skateboard or hang out with Kon.

The look of annoyance was clear on Tim’s face, so much so that Dick’s laughter could be heard through the living room.

“What’s wrong Timmy? Gotta taste of your own medicine?” Jason taunts from his place on the couch, a wicked grin on his face.

Tim rolled his eyes, “I was never this bad.”

In perfect unison, Stephanie and Jason both yelled, “Yes you were.”

“Tim, you followed me around everywhere and your phases were the worst,” Stephanie said.

“Yeah you info dumped hard,” Jason adds and continues reading his book.

“Little Wing, you should be the last one talking about info dumping. Everytime I came home, I came home to a 3 hour plot discussion of anything written by Jane Austen,” Dick interrupted.

“Shut up!” Jason yells and throws his hand back like he's ready to the book at Dick’s head.

Dick only laughs at the display, “As if you’ll ever throw your precious book at me, Jay.”

Damian looks up from his phone, “Are you comparing me to Drake of all people? Don't insult me like that.”

“Insult you? Weren't you the one asking me to play that dumb chess game of yours?!” Tim screeches.

“It is not dumb! Your face is dumb! I only asked because....because-”

“Because you wanted spend time with him, Dames?” Dick suggested, a ghost of a smile.

“I’d rather get Alfred mad than willingly spend time with Drake,” Damian argues back and glares up at him

“Well go ahead. Be my guest,” Tim retorts back with a glare of his own.

“How this turn into argument?” Duke whispered to Stephanie. He’s newly adopted, been in the family for 5 months. He's gotten comfortable but things are still surprisingly amusing.

“Dude I don’t even know. Just ignore them until you hear a shatter or a scream.”

-

Tags: @bruciemilf, @skylions-den, @mexican-owlgal, @truck-kunwillbeourlordandsavior, @profoundpacmilitaire, @adrunkskeletonsduck, @queerly-bel0ved, @just-a-gal-with-a-boomerang, @mysteriesgalplusdamianthings, @insanebutteredtoast, @seasonsyeetingsstuff, @home-of-sexual-and-dumb-of-ass, @odd-spooky-rainbows, @akikkobara, @wiboo07, @foulsandwichmusic, @jasontoddispoly, @dimension-hopper, @onlyhereforthechaos, @suhnisideup, @thedragonsmaug, @patronsaintof-sluts @iamyouraveragestudent, @iwantadamusername, @batbitchsposts, @englandsgirl18181234, @thestormthatrises

Masterlist & Taglist & Anonlist

[thedoctorsthings]

Power to the king | Min Yoongi pt. 2

Fantasy/historical AU, viking Au (attempted lmao), Yoongi x female reader

More angst (you know me by now), Yoongi is still an asshole, things taking a dramatic turn

cw: sexism, mentions of war, Jungkook's humour (I've decided I'm blaming my painful unfunnyness on the character now)

word count: about 3k

Yoongi and you had been married for a month now and you’d kept your promise. You were ice cold, you only talked when spoken to and you hadn’t as much as smiled in Yoongi’s general direction. The servants and everyone else in the castle treated you with respect and subservience. One might even say they seemed scared of you. Only you knew this all to be a farse. At night, when you were alone you cried yourself to sleep. It had been a month and you’d made little progress. Every day felt as empty as the last. Days before the wedding your mother had told you that an arranged marriage without love wasn’t as bad as people made it out to be. She said you would find things to love, running the household or eventually your children. But as a princess there was no household to run and how were you supposed to have children if your husband wouldn’t even look at you. You admit that you did want children. If you couldn’t have your husband close to you at least you would have them. They would be something that you could devote yourself to in this empty life. Since your wedding night you and Yoongi hadn’t spoken about the subject again. You assumed he would come knocking on your door every night, asking over and over. This was the way most of the men you’d met and heard of acted when it came to sex, but he left you alone. It seemed that maybe it was up to you to come to his door, but over your dead body were you going to give in to him first.

You got out of bed and got dressed. It was customary for maids to help women of your status with this, but you had quickly made an end to this habit by sending the maids out every morning. Now they didn’t even bother coming in anymore. The typical attire of a princess consisted of a white underdress and a heavy garment over it. Today you chose a blue dress. You leave your room and head to the dining room for breakfast. Yoongi is already sitting at the table. You were infinitely thankful for the rest of his family and the ever-present servants. If they weren’t here every moment you spent in the same room as Yoongi would be spent in agonising silence. You always sat next to your husband, as was customary. His brother sat next to you on your other side. Jungkook was a small dash of light in the dark tunnel that your life had become. He was nice, funny and actually tried to engage in conversation with you. He was the reason your days here weren’t spent in complete loneliness. You had no romantic feelings for him, but still found yourself wishing you’d have been married off to him instead. Marriage with him might have been easier, might have worked better than with Yoongi. “Good morning, your majesty. How did you sleep?”, Jungkook asks in that overly polite tone he often liked to use with you. “Nothing to complain about, my lord”, you replied, equally nasal. “Not really suitable for a prince to be playing games with his future queen, is it?”, sounded a grumpy voice from your right. You had already noticed that Yoongi didn’t appreciate it when you had too much fun with Jungkook. It made you want to do it all the more. At this comment you settle your gaze on the empty chair in front of you, the one where the queen is supposed to sit, and rigidly stare at it. “We are expected to attend next week’s festivities together”, Yoongi poses and somehow his voice sounds softer. He’s bent slightly towards you, but you stay unmoving. “okay”. Yoongi finishes the rest of his meal in silence as you occasionally say something to Jungkook. As Yoongi gets up, he says: “your chambermaid will tell you when it is time to prepare. She’ll give you the clothes you’re expected to wear as well”. You merely nod. 

Yoongi walks through the huge, stone hallways while lost in thought. He got what he wanted, a wife that never let her emotions get the best of her, one that was rational and let him do as he wanted. You were perfect, there was nothing you did wrong, and somehow, he still despised you. Whenever he tried to make contact with you, you rejected him. There was nothing but one-word answers from your side. He felt that you hated him and that made him dislike you. He knew he would never be as charming as Jungkook, but you could at least try to form some sort of friendship with him. The most important reason however, was that he hated the way he felt when he looked at your emotionless face. You looked like all life had been sucked out of you, while at the same time there was a deep silence lying in the still waters of your eyes. It made him feel horrible, it was his fault, he’d never admit it. He knocked on the door of his mother’s bedchambers. “Come in”, he heard her weak voice call. He pushed open the heavy, wooden door and stepped into the room. She was sitting half upright on the bed, leaning against a mountain of pillows. The sunlight coming from the high windows hit her face nicely. He sat down in the chair next to her. “How is married life, son?” “To be honest, I barely talk to her”. The queen looked at him with a questioning look. “I just don’t really like talking to her”. “Why?” Yoongi sighed and stayed quiet for a while. He made a vague gesture with his arm and shrugged: “It’s like she’s not really there. When she always responds as short as possible and only speaks when spoken to. I think I don’t like talking to her because I know she doesn’t like me either”. His mother looks out the window a second, before speaking: “You think she’s cold?” “Yes exactly”. “Yoongi, you’re my son and I love you, but you’re not the warmest person either. Maybe that’s why she doesn’t like talking to you either”. “But I try so hard to seek contact with her”. “I think a husband and wife should have more than just contact”, the queen said, smiling. Yoongi was quiet again. “Could it be that you feel guilty?” At this Yoongi got up: “No that’s not it!”, he said raising his voice. “No need to get angry”, she said calmly. “I’m not, I just have things to do”, was the last thing he said before leaving the room.

You’re walking through the gardens of the castle. It was spring now and getting warmer. In this kingdom, warmer still meant well below what others find agreeable, but your people were used to it. People had started dressing lighter and the sun shone more often. You also felt lighter. After months of basically ignoring your husband, you had decided to be more welcoming. Your sister had been right. As a woman all you could do was make the best of it. About a week ago you had started being nicer to Yoongi. You smiled at him during meals and asked him how his day was going. Yesterday you spent the evening together playing a traditional board game. You suggested it. It was nice, you’d laughed together for the first time ever, even if it was still awkward. Things started looking up, maybe you could find happiness here after all. You let your hand brush over the newly growing flowers and enter the halls. Tonight was the night of the festivities and you planned to go to your husband and ask him what was expected of you tonight. You could ask any of your maids, but this was the perfect opportunity to spend more time with Yoongi. As you near the corner you hear giggling. Your ears perk, even with Jungkook’s presence everything happening at the castle was a grim affair. Giggling was not something often heard around these parts. “Your majesty, behave”, you hear a female voice tease. Dread fills your stomach. You round the corner and there he is, his hand on her lower back, his nose in her hair as she opens a door. He looks up for a split second. You don’t know if he saw you, you’re still quite far away from them. Even if he did see you, it clearly doesn’t matter to him, because he and the maid enter the room. You hear shushing and more giggling and then the door shuts. You welcome her back with open arms. That all familiar emptiness, or at least that’s what you wish this feeling is. It’s not, it’s pain. It hurts you more to admit it. It’s horrible to realise that you let this man get to you. You promised yourself you would never feel again when it came to him and here you were, seeing blurry from the tears trying to find your way back to your rooms.

Tonight’s festival marked the beginning of spring. Everyone in the city gathered on the main square every year to sing, dance and eat together. It was your favourite thing as a child. Today was the first year you couldn’t enjoy it. You were expected to walk through the crowd at the height of the festival. The king and queen first, although the queen wouldn’t attend due to her illness, then the crown prince and his wife and lastly the second born son. You’re waiting in the carriage. You and Yoongi are seated next to each other, Jungkook sitting opposite of you. The air is tense. You still have no idea if Yoongi noticed you earlier today. You have a feeling that he might have because he’s tenser than usual. So are you. “Alright someone say something before the awkwardness drives me to jump out of the vehicle”, Jungkook says while uncomfortably squirming on his bench. You and Yoongi both remain silent. “By Odin, I bet the mute choachman is better company than you people”. At this you let out a giggle, that in its turn makes Yoongi scoff. Wanting to relieve Jungkook of his suffering you offer: “What do you think the head druid will predict tonight? I hope not another failed harvest like last year”. “Me personally, I’ve been hoping for golden rain ever since I was a kid”, Jungkook jokes with that signature, boyish grin of his. “The druid’s prophecy is no laughing matter Jungkook, Y/N is right. We better hope for a fruitful harvest this year”. “Alright Mr. Cranky, maybe you should jump out of the carriage”, is the last thing Jungkook mumbles before getting kicked in the shin by his older brother. This time you laugh out loud and even if it was just unconsciously, Yoongi is proud that he was finally part of the reason why.

Your carriage arrives after the king’s and when you get out the mass of people outside cheer so loud you almost cover your ears. Almost, because you’re sure that if you did Yoongi would have something to say about it later. You and Yoongi link arms, which is probably the most intimate you’ve been since the wedding. You walk through the path of people to the thrones that have been set up at the head of the square. There are six thrones. The king and Yoongi sit on the two most extravagant ones in the middle. You sit next to Yoongi and Jungkook next to you. Two men are already sitting on the thrones next to the king. These are the head druid and his apprentice. At the end of the evening, they will perform a ritual to predict the fate of the kingdom. During the meal you and Yoongi barely exchange a word. After however, when you’re watching the city’s people dance, Yoongi chuckles at seeing a young man almost trip and light his hair on fire with one of the torches. The man manages to do a sort of twirl and prevent this horrible fate from happening. “That’s Jimin”, Yoongi states: “He’s a bit of an idiot but a good man. He’s the son of the farmer that delivers food to the castle. You might have seen him help his father with the deliveries, the old man is getting sicker and sicker”. You haven’t digested the events of this morning yet and honestly the fact that he’s acting as if nothing happened is pissing you off. “So, you’re just going to act like I didn’t see you grope a maid this morning?”, you ask without looking at him. “Y/N”, Yoongi starts, but he’s interrupted by the booming voice of the king. You hate that man for the way he talks to you and for the way he speaks of his wife as if she’s a burden, but you have to admit you’ll always have respect for the way he can make a crowd of hundreds of people shut their mouths. “People of Sargon, turn your eyes to the fire. The Druid will perform the prophecy!”. His voice could reach the deafest of men. The druid got up. You had never seen him from this close. He was quite a young man; most druids were older than stone. He had pitch black hair filled with silver jewelry. It ran over his broad shoulders like a black waterfall. When he turned to bow to the king you saw his face. In your nineteen years of life, you had never seen a man so handsome. After that, his apprentice got up and turned to do the same. This man had dark eyes and an almost equally handsome face. “I think these druids have a potion to make themselves look better, it’s not fair”, Jungkook whispers. “You look fine Jungkook don’t worry about it”, you smile back. “Don’t ya think I oughtta get to the bottom of this then ey?”, he asks in that accent you’ve gotten so used to. “Yes Jungkook, as prince of the kingdom I think you should make it your first priority to interrogate two druids on why they look so good”, you retort. “Exactly my thoughts”, he grins, but he can barely finish the sentence because Yoongi reaches over you to softly hit his brother upside the head. The druids walk over to the huge fire. The head druid reaches into his pocket and takes out some dried leaves. His apprentice is holding a wooden bowl with a purple looking oil in it. He dips the leaves in the oil and then throws them on the fire. For a moment, nothing happens. The square trembles with suspension. All of a sudden, the flames turn black. In all the years you’ve attended the festival you’ve never seen a fire this dark. It roars and seems to double in size. The head druid is caught off guard and stumbles to the ground. The flames shoot higher than ever, before turning back to their normal size and colour. Everyone is quiet. The man named Jimin, who was laughing seconds before is now looking at the druid with fear in his eyes. That same fear is visible in the eyes of each person in attendance. You feel the heat on your face fade away as the druid whispers: “war”.

After the druid had uttered the word war a shock wave had rolled over the square. The king had ordered the druid and his apprentice to accompany you back to the palace. Once arrived there, he immediately called all his advisors to gather in the main hall. You and Yoongi had followed them in. “What is she doing here?” the king’s voice sounded throughout the entire hall. “She’s my wife and the future queen of this kingdom. She needs to know what’s going on”, Yoongi defended. “Your mother never sat in on things like this”. “I plan on doing things differently”, Yoongi said sternly. The king grumbled but didn’t complain further. “Seokjin, what is the meaning of this”, the king yelled angrily, as if it was the druid’s fault that the fire had behaved this way. “I don’t know your majesty; all I know is that this means war. I don’t know with whom. I don’t know how long, and I don’t know how high our chances of winning are. The rest of the of the evening was spent with old men arguing with even older men about what to do. Eventually they concluded that we would have to wait. After hours the druids had managed to convince the king and his advisors that it was too early to decide anything, but the king decided to start training his men more fervently.

After this evening regular life continued, albeit with a dark cloud hanging above all your heads. Everyone seemed stressed and anxious at all times. You and Yoongi also went back to normal. Normal meant back to how it was before you decided to be nicer. You never brought up the affair with the maid again, and neither did he. That evening at dinner the king showed, once again, why everyone tried to stay as far away from him as possible. “Why is she not pregnant yet?”, the king asked, although a better term would be, demanded. Of course he didn’t ask you. He asked Yoongi and acted as if you weren’t in the room, like always when he said something about you. “I don’t know father. We haven’t had any luck yet”, Yoongi answers stoically, without looking up from his plate”. “I bet it’s her fault. She’s barren and tricked us into marrying her into this family”. “That is not it!” You raise your voice. You’ve barely ever said a word at this table and the king is made of the same thing your nightmares are made of, but you refuse to let him talk about you like this. The room becomes impossibly tense as the king looks at you. It almost felt as if you could feel his stare sting in your eyes. “Father, you will not talk about my wife like this”. Yoongi says calmly. “Oh, really son? So it’s not her fault? Is it yours then?” Yoongi and the king share 5 full seconds of murderous eye contact before the king delivers the final blow. “I should have known. The Gods refuse to bless you with an heir after what you’ve done”. Yoongi slams his fists on the table and gets up so roughly his chair falls to the ground. He stands still for a moment, glaring at his father with murder in his eyes, before storming out of the room. The sound of the door slamming can be felt in your ears long after he leaves.

Later that evening you are sitting in your chambers. You’re reading a novel when there’s a knock on your door. “Come in”, You say curtly. Yoongi steps into the room. He doesn’t peek his head in first like the servants do. He always enters rooms with the confidence of someone who belongs, something you could only dream of. At least now, when you were a child, you could do the same thing. Somewhere along the way you lost the confidence. It happened to every woman in this godforsaken kingdom. “We should talk about producing an heir”, Yoongi offers carefully. “Oh really, now you want to come to me. For months on end, you leave me alone in the cold of the night but when daddy dearest brings it up you listen”, you bite. “I just think he raises a good point. We’ve been married for months and people will start expecting good news soon”. “What is it really? Are you starting to get lonely, does our stone-cold crown prince need someone to warm his bed?” halfway through that sentence you had gotten up and started getting closer to him. He grabs you by the wrist of the hand you had been pointing in his face with: “You will not speak to your future king in that way!”, he spits through his teeth. You refuse to stand down, so you say: “Maybe my future king should go find another servant to produce a successor with, I bet she speaks to you in whatever way you want, doesn’t she?” Yoongi lets go of your hand. For a moment it looks like he’s about to say something, maybe even apologise. But then he disappears from the room without saying a word. You flop down on your bed. Maybe you were too harsh. You have to admit that you did desire a child to raise. It would give you something to do, someone to love in this cold castle. You would also be lying if you said you didn’t desire Yoongi in that way. When you saw him at that council hall a couple of weeks back. When he had argued with his father about protecting the country, when he had argued to stay calm and not make any rash decisions, he seemed in his element. He was good at this, he was good at strategy, he was a born leader. Seeing him like that had shot a feeling through your body like you’d never felt before.

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