#went for a more norse theme

[rainintheevening]

Favourite relationships – 2/10: Thor & Loki

This one is a phone lockscreen, go ahead and use it if you like!

[mahoganyrust]

@frosti-moon “Both of them wearing (mostly) historically accurate Norse clothes? I love seeing how different artists design those.”

I may have gone overboard…messy in some places but that’s bc I was impatient to draw the frost idfk-

Here we have Chief Hiccup and Winter Spirit Jack

Nice throwback to my God of War days for inspo. Hiccup’s a bit of a mix of Kratos/Odin/Tyr while Jack is a mix of Baldur/Freya + Pandora from the old games.

I swear to all that is good, if someone calls him Jokul Frosti one more time I’m gonna rant- Actually fuck it ima rant in advance.

Ahem.

People really like the idea of Jack being “Jokul Frosti”, especially if they are exploring concepts with an old setting where Jack is further back in time. I loved it when I first came across it because duh pretty awesome. And ofc many believe that is where the name “Jack Frost” derived from. It’s cool. However, I have since done enough research to decide this isn’t very accurate.

In Norse mythology the God of wind and voice, Kari, has two sons. Some sources say otherwise and that it’s just one son - Jokul Frosti, but fuck that, my sources are older.

Kari has *two* sons - Jokul AND Frosti. They were two bros. Their names mean Icicle and Frost. Jokul went on to have a bunch of kids who were all very winter themed. It also makes more sense bc (especially in Norse stuff) it’s very odd to come across a mythological figure with two names. Think of all the gods you know, MOST are going by one. Plus it’s weird…like why is his name two things? Icicle Frost? What? Pick one. Brev it don’t make sense. It don’t add up. Most minor Norse gods are having just the one main brand right? (The big dogs like Odin, Freya, Freyr etc etc usually have side hustles tho, but we ain’t talking about them).

So what I think has happened is that somewhere down the line, probably through oral conversation, the two brothers and their names got merged into one person. Then after the merge, Jack Frost came about, hence our predicament.

Like- ya’ll do wut ya want but I personally think the Winter Twins are a better idea for our fan stuff. In my headcanon (and in my fic) they are more like Jack’s wacky adopted-uncle-types that left him their power after they kicked the bucket cos they thought he was a pretty cool mortal. Like Manny brought him back but like- so did they at the same time. Double whammy. Anyways. ✌️thanks for coming to my TEDtalk.

[doberbutts]

Do you have any stories behind your dogs' names?

Since I was a little kid I wanted a pair of dobermans like Roscoe and DeSoto from Oliver and Company (the Disney movie), except I wanted to name them Skoll and Hati.

Ok so then I found out that usually male dobermans hate each other and it's to such an extent that most dobe breeders simply will not sell a male puppy to someone who already has a male dog. So I adjusted course to account for same sex aggression and decided to start with just one male.

And then I rescued Skoll.

After losing Skoll, I sort of wallowed for a bit because I grieve, um, very intensely, and I spun my wheels in being interested in getting another but not really knowing how I wanted to go about it. I was on a bunch of waiting lists but they either fell through or still didn't produce a puppy for over a year.

And then a (now former) friend told me about a puppy she was getting and how the breeder still had two males left and the litter naming theme was "moon". I knew I wanted to name my next male dobe something that at least nodded to Hati, since I was unwilling to have a call name that sounds so much like "hottie" because the reception of a black man saying hottie over and over in public spaces is, er, usually fairly poor. Ironically I still got the cops called on me in the same situation I was afraid of, training my dog in public, and it wasn't even over my dog's name.

I contacted the breeder, and a few weeks later was driving home with Creed- named for my favorite videogame series, and his registered name "Chasing the Moon" a nod to the theme and legacy I began with Skoll.

Creed died from cancer and I went back to grieving intensely and not really knowing what to do from there. Someone saw that I was looking for a co-own situation having heard through mutual friends, and sent me a bitch they'd pulled from a pretty horrific situation. She had an interesting pedigree, so the plan was to rehab and then breed her. That was Phoebe, and that was the name she came with, but I thought the name suited her and that's technically a god so sure. Phoebe unfortunately did not rehab as well as we thought she would, and succumbed to her poor condition.

Meanwhile, a good friend of mine that I've known since Creed was a puppy produced a litter she dedicated to the memory of him. The litter theme was Assassin's Creed Valhalla, which we were both enjoying playing in the months leading up to the litter being born. How perfect, my Norse wolf themed naming convention combined with the love of my silly historical fantasy series. So, Fenris, the Wolfkissed.

As for the non-dobermans:

Tiki and Fae are named after a Fire Emblem race called manaketes, who are people who can turn into dragons (or, I suppose more correctly, dragons that can turn into people). Tater was going to be named Corrin in the same theme, but was named by her breeder and I felt knew her name too well for me to change it. Fae's registered name was going to be Tiger King themed and I asked the breeder to please not do that and suggested something Greek God themed to match my gods themeing, and they agreed.

Sushi as the odd one out, I wanted a cute and non-intimidating name for what was supposed to be my service dog. I like plant and food names but was really having a hard time deciding until a roommate made the suggestion of Sushi, which I thought was very fitting and stayed on that.

[clonerightsagenda]

One of my professional nemeses is a guy who does not know I exist who consistently posts god awful takes on Inside Higher Ed but today he posted one bitching about the decline of Western culture being taught in schools and how "It’s no secret that today’s kids have much less exposure to those Greek, Roman and Norse myths, legends and sagas" which is a bold take in the age of Percy Jackson, but he then went on to cite Lord of the Rings and Chronicles of Narnia as newer cultural touchstones that "reflect more modern sensibilities, values and concerns, including themes of diversity and inclusion and environmental awareness. They’re crafted with contemporary language and settings, even when set in fantastical worlds, making them more immediately accessible to today’s children than the sometimes archaic language and unfamiliar settings of ancient myths" which ???? Yes Lord of the Rings, infamously written with accessible language.

This is the same guy who wrote a post about how we no longer produce the same caliber of intellectuals as... and then listed off 15 people, all white, 1 woman, and two Georges, so I honestly think he may have been cryogenically frozen for a few decades and they thawed him out to write terrible thinkpieces.

[abby118]

Watching the Loki series is like watching an endless gag reel. It's so bad it's surreal. Loki doesn't feel like Loki. That's not Loki. It's like we're watching Tom Hiddleston just flail and flop around in a bad suit. He reminds me, (and someone else also pointed this out, I can't remember who), of the Edgar suit in Men In Black. And I can't help but wonder if that was a conscious decision Tom made, to act like a possessed, reanimated corpse? We'll never know, of course, but every time I see video clips and gifs, I just see the Edgar suit and if it wasn't so laughable, I could cry.

I completely agree. I couldn't even get through season 1 tbh. And I'd thought ragnarok was bad and out of character...

My advice would be to avoid it completely. I've got the tags blocked, I don't look at the new content and just stick to the original. It truly makes me so sad for the entire fandom, to see such complex and deeply interesting character destroyed and stripped of his very essence. I've been a fan of Loki and the characters from the Thor movies since 2011 and hyperfixated big time. I won't let some disney bullshit ruin that. It helped me through the hardest times of my life and I see parts of myself in the personalities of the characters, having grown up with it being a safe place. It even inspired me to find interest in the norse mythology despite it being so different. I read numerous books and studies on it and I feel like you can catch little glimpses of it in the original franchise.

Sadly, it feels like Tom is so out of touch with who he is supposed to be portraying. I hope this is the result of a contract and not entirely his own input. Although, I'm worried that might be my wishful thinking.

I was studying the soundtrack of Thor 2 the other day and how much thought went into it and it made me weep internally. Brian Tyler studied the characters' personalities and brought that into what he crafted. It was full of care. He even named one track Lokasenna, which if you don't know, is the name of a poem belonging to the poetic Edda and is about the conflict between Loki and the Aesir (asgardians). I also love how the og Thor franchise had the recurrent theme of light & shadow. Returning back to the brian tyler vid- the theme he was talking about is named Shadows of Loki.

Now, compare it with what we got in the last years (sth that feels like a very badly written fanfic). That is just a single example.

For me, the ending of Thor 2 is the end of canon and I am writing my very extensive continuation. It's the best ending we could have gotten in terms of fanwork because it's an open ending. A still in-character-ending.

The series feels wrong, it feels like utter mockery and I'm not here for it. With that said, my blog is a safe space for everyone who feels like this or gets bullied by the new "fanbase" (yes that happens)

Thank you so much for sharing your opinion, I appreciate it more than you know 🖤💚

[daifukumochiin]

Summary: Sasuke's orderly life at elite Sairiumu Academy is disrupted by the arrival of Hinata, a timid transfer student whose obvious crush on him, a young man dedicated to his craft and his current relationship, stirs unease. (Initial SasuSaku with SasuHina endgame, modern Norse myth AU, high school, angst, romance, photography, postmodern-ish fic). Rated T

LIGHTS,

BOWS, and

MISTLETOES

an entry for SasuHina Month 2024, Day 27 : Forget and Remember

(for peachy-hina, since December)

@sasuhinamonth

ffnet: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/14369143/1/Lights-Bows-and-Mistletoes

ao3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/57030778

Part 1: Lights

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vi

He was sorely mistaken to think anything he said to Hinata would make a difference.

He’d been agonizing over Inuwashi’s theme: mood boards that lacked spark, books, and magazines strewn about in his office; he just couldn’t find inspiration. But it was high time he made up his mind. 

To go above and beyond, things have to be right at the onset. Neji entrusted him with that much. He shouldn't steer the club publication aimlessly, taking up whatever social issue seemed relevant, slapping random pretty photos into one collection, submitting it for the Kage Jinkoutekina Radiance Capture Merit Prize Competition, and calling it a day. 

Sairiumu's Photography Club's inception can be traced back to a small group of visionary students who, driven by a passion for documenting and preserving history, embarked on a journey to capture the essence of their era through the lens of a camera. Over time, this led to archives that date back 300 years, amassing a rich tapestry of visual history that chronicled the evolution of culture, society, and technology of former Konoha, now Metro Konoha.

Indeed, the archives are the Photography Club's pride and heritage, and Sasuke's predecessors didn't shy away from utilizing its treasures for older issues of Inuwashi. Even so, it didn't win them a Kage-Jin, as it is fondly called in the photography world. He studied previous winner publications and found two common traits: a stronger theme, and high aesthetic value. 

To clear his mind, he took a week off school—a privilege he has as club president—and went hiking along the mountain trails of the Konoha Natural Reserve. He ached for the serenity and the scenery by the lakes; animals are also easily his favorite subjects. Convincing an increasingly distrustful Sakura to let him go solo backpacking for a week had taken great pains so it came as a bitter disappointment when he found the trails packed with tourists. 

Though he managed to take pictures and enjoyed the view, he wasted his time when he returned that Monday, the day of the qualifying exhibition for aspiring new members, without a solid theme still. Adding to this stress was seeing Hinata Hyuuga’s name on the list of participants who made submissions. Had he not taken a week off, he could’ve rectified this mistake with the recruitment committee early on, not during the exhibition proper when he strode at noon where it could be unseemly.

“Are you sure you checked all of these names?” said Sasuke, his tone dripping with accusation. Already, he could feel stiffness returning to his muscles, the pressure steadily increasing at his nape. 

Tenten tilted her head curiously, taken aback. “What do you mean? We’ve checked everything twice. All these names have their entries inside with designated bead urns all accounted for.” There had been a case of hacking during online voting in the past, so the recruitment committee took to devising creative means year after year.

“Isn’t there a master file that shows the exhibit numbers with the names? Show it to me,” he demanded, his nostrils flaring as he kept his anger simmering at a level. If he were to ask directly which one is Hinata Hyuuga’s, he would seem more suspicious. All entries were identifiable only by their assigned number.

Tenten hesitated for a moment, her brows furrowing slightly at the unusual request. “I’m sorry, Sasuke, but that file is strictly confidential. Only I, as committee club head, have access to it.”

Sasuke raised a brow. “I’m the president…” He let the sound of the title hang in the air and when this didn’t seem to convince Tenten, he added: “Read the club rule book. There are exceptions given to the club president.”

“But that’s how I’ve been instructed by the upperclassmen before I assumed office. Only I can know the master list–”

“I do things differently,” he replied. “It’s crucial that I understand the quality of this year’s candidates. Besides, I’m not going to vote.”

“You can, though.” Tenten remained skeptical and avoided his eyes, much to Sasuke’s irritation.

He let out a frustrated sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose. He ought not to make a scene, not in the open where teachers and other students could be out and about. Reminded of this, Sasuke regained his calm. 

“I’m not interested in who makes it,” he assured her, “I’m only interested in what they can do and how they think. Now, show me!” He held out his hand impatiently.

Tenten looked up, a hint of concern crossing her features. “Fine,” she replied cautiously, unlocking her tablet and handing it to Sasuke. “But please understand, the file contains sensitive information.”

Satisfied that he got what he wanted, he sent Tenten and the others to take a break. As he scrolled through the master file, he realized why Tenten was so protective of it. The document contained sensitive details like family background, home addresses, and contact information. And, truly, it hadn’t been an error on the recruitment committee's part— Hinata Hyuuga unabashedly made a submission, despite all that he said.

Exhibit #67: Hinata Hyuuga 

Father’s Name: Restricted Data

Mother’s Maiden Name: Restricted Data

Home Address: Restricted Data

Past her other personal information, equipment used, and post-processing details was the brief description of her entry:

Mourning doves are everywhere, so commonplace that they fade into the background. Does it make them unworthy subjects? Who truly notices them?

All Sasuke needed to remember was the number sixty-seven. He could easily make up a reason to disqualify her, but his curiosity got the better of him. Who is she really? Why is her family information classified? What made her different from the others? Maybe her photo would give him some clues into her psyche.

He slipped into the exhibition hall, his ears straining for any hint of approaching footsteps, and moved in with deliberate care, avoiding any noise that might draw attention. To his surprise, he found Neji Hyuuga standing by entry number sixty-seven, his hand deep into an unlocked bead urn which would then be weighed at the end of the day to determine which top fifty new members got the most votes via porcelain beads. 

How he got the key, Sasuke could only guess. Such a lowly crime that Neji Hyuuga is forced to commit. 

Whatever his reasons were for pocketing in some beads for Hinata Hyuuga’s urn to lose some weight, Sasuke carefully took another turn and pretended the second time that he had just arrived.

“Neji, what brings you here?” 

Sasuke adjusted his manner to be more casual, easier to play untarnished by the curse of knowledge of Neji’s crime. He couldn’t help chance a glance at exhibit number sixty-seven, of mourning doves bathing in a puddle on the side of the road, their wings as though ballerina arms outstretched, their faces of satisfied bliss while cast on the reflection of the murky water were the faces of preoccupied pedestrian impatient to get to their destination. 

Neji paused at the sight of Sasuke and smirked in that regal, smart-alecky way of his. “If I didn’t know you any better…” His smile then slipped into a pensive frown. “There’s no shame in doing what’s best for the club. Better believe me when I say this one getting the most votes is bad news.” 

Sasuke perused Hinata Hyuuga’s photo some more. “The most votes you say? Surely none in this row.” He then looked at Neji and half-smiled, assuring a mentor and friend that he’ll keep silent about it regardless of the underlying reasons.

Neji smiled back in mutual understanding. “Let’s go out to dinner sometime. After my exams.”

“I’d be delighted,” replied Sasuke. “But… would you mind if I ask why?” 

Neji went around the other entries to drop some voting beads on the ones he deemed somewhat palatable. “It’s best to avoid some people, Sasuke,” said Neji. “They might look normal… speak normal for the most part. But somewhere along bits and pieces here and there, you’ll realize it’s better not to get entangled with such certain people even if they’re family—maybe especially if they’re family. You’d be more careful not to be associated with such kinds of people.”

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[bellaaldamas]

Sometimes I wanna discuss: (Essay incoming)

the take that "Santa Monica Studio stripped GOW of its original identity by making the Norse saga, especially Ragnarok, too vanilla/bland and mass-marketable for the non-fans/newcomers. Like they were trying to make it everyone's cup of tea when it wasn't originally, which wasn't a bad thing. That it's too melodramatic, saccharine and humorless for what was once an over the top and bold game that was rightfully dark and somber, but still wasn't afraid to poke fun; Ex. the silly costumes.

And Kratos not actually being that well written, and that the now present theme of fatherhood is one of many things there to make it seem deep, and the story was too tropey/patriarchical because Faye dies and that drives their journey. His redemption/development not being handled well, because he has always felt bad for his crimes, and that has not actually changed. In that back in the Greek saga he knew what he was doing was wrong, but he couldn't help himself because how badly emotionally wounded he was, and in that sense was a compelling tragic figure though an awful person, but now all there is to that facet of him now is that he just feels remorse. Like Ragnarok was one big apology from SMS for him being... him. And once again, bending over too much to try and appease people who thought that he was too mean when that's just who he was as a character. the new direction not being as deep as SMS made it seem, and people ate it up.

Mind you, this came from someone (definitely not some troll, whose artwork I respect which is why I'm posting but I don't want to drop names) for whom the Greek saga meant a lot to. They were going through a lot of shit at the hands of others, and GOW at the time actually gave them catharsis and kept them grounded through that, and therefore had the perspective of Kratos as a power fantasy *not simply for bigoted dudebros*,but for when they felt powerless and disenfranchised, though they didn't condone his actions and were aware that he was far from a good human being. Though there are said dudebros that ignore the main message of "ripping people apart gives you a lot of catharsis but will make you regret it so much in the end", they themselves didn't miss that. They thought all the somber elements and moral cautions were made clear enough in the first few games, that they felt talked down to in the Norse saga, like it was too preachy. Overall, they just feel mournful that a game that meant so much to them... Isn't really quite there anymore.

Now, my thoughts as a Norse saga enjoyer/newcomer? I haven't finished the story of the Greek games and I'll take this as a sign that I should, so I can't speak suuuuper extensively on that as of the moment. Based on the things I've heard about the Greek saga, I most certainly don't agree with writing it off to prop up the Norse saga. I too dislike when things pretend to be deep but aren't, but Norse saga handled a lot of themes/messages quite well to me? I know it might be a bit more like things we've seen before and less "spicy" in that sense (not that I mind that spice at all)... yeah, this parts a matter of opinion I don't disrespect but can't agree on. I've seen quite a few GOW veterans enjoy the newer games just fine, and it seemed like a perfectly natural direction for the game to go in, though not perfect.

And on Kratos, I think that he's as compelling as he's always been. Remorse isn't new to him, that I don't disagree with, but it isn't all there is to his character in Norse. I'll acknowledge that they're coming from a perspective of measuring how good a character is by how well they're written/defined and not just their morality (which is a valid way of seeing things!) But to me, SMS didn't just "remove" his propensity for murder and replace it with more sorrow.

He went from not being able to help himself to bloodshed despite knowing how low he dug himself because of his trauma, to dealing with his remorse by finally facing and acting on it and treating it as something important, after realizing and caring about how much harm was done to others, and their pain, through his way of coping/actions, in addition to how little it actually helped him. This is him in a different place, actually in the midst of facing the lasting cost of catharsis to his humanity, with the mindset that it's not worth it. And then trying to actually rebuild and heal for once. So to me, it's natural for him to change this much. And yet he still is a power fantasy character to me, which I don't think that SMS is ashamed of. (It's almost 5am and I hope I got that across well) Also, his relationship with Atreus is genuinely executed well, and I wouldn't say Faye was fridged at all. I really like her and wish she was fleshed out more, though. I think there's better female rep in Norse than Greek. And that while part of it was that they wanted to cater to more people so it will sell better, if I remember correctly, I read somewhere they were running into a dead end with the Greek saga and actually wanted to take things in a new direction. And a few things here are well-worn tropes, but most of them are pulled off well.

It's poignant that sometimes, two fans' experience with the same story can be so radically different. I got sucked into the world of the Norse games when I was dealing with relationship issues/confusion and a lot of remorse and hurt on my own that I could actually relate to this iteration of Kratos about. His story of redemption, regaining trust and finding a family once more meant, and still means, quite a lot to me. In addition to that, he reminds me way too much of someone I know (online) whose content was no small help in pulling me out of a dark place, and still inspires me. And since that's how I understand that their own aforementioned experience with Greek GOW means just as much to them too, if not even more, I respect their perspective and bias, though I can't agree on a lot.

Thoughts?

(Lol I spent 2 hours writing this way too early in the morning so I hope I'm coherent, but I feel good enough to go to sleep now that I got this off of my chest)

Firstly, that's a profound and heartfelt analysis of Kratos's character arc and you should be proud of yourself for putting it together so eloquently and exquisitely (especially at 5am and needing sleep). I highly appreciate the fact that you decided to share those thoughts and your experience with the franchise with me.

What you wrote has a lot of references to personal life and unique individual experiences of yourself and other people in the fandom. Which is why I, naturally, consider it fitting to share some of my own but without delving into personal details. Because if I do people reading my tale would need immediate psychiatric help (one that wouldn't work for myself as there's no therapy in the world that could possibly ever diminish the effects of that).

Were I to start describing even a 10 percent of my life's events those reading/listening would assume it's something of a horror story or a plot of one of the many Telenovellas I've watched but not something that "happens in real life". Therefore I'll stick to discussing strictly my fandom related experiences, with a very little dash of personal when it cannot be avoided.

To start with, I'll establish from the get go that I have yet to play the Greek Saga; which I certainly will at some point. The Greek heritage of both Kratos and Atreus means a lot to me personally, especially in terms of their journey of being first forcibly torn from it and then gradually embracing it when they broke free from the toxic influences in their lives and/or formed bonds with people with shared culture and experiences (in Atreus's case it applies to both his Greek and Giant identity).

However, this begs for another clarification that needs to be made if one wants to healthily engage with media in a whole: creators (GowR creators in particular) owe me or someone else who has a similar experience with their culture exactly nothing. They are not obligated to cater to that experience, make it easier for us or even know how much seeing the representation of my or someone else's struggles means to us. Projection when it comes to media can lead to stress and even spark or rekindle depression. That's exactly why I cannot emphasize enough the importance of healthy distancing from media, even the one that speaks to you on a personal level.

Concerning fandom - definitely not just Gow(R) - the common mistake nowadays is to assume every logically flawed or incorrect point or argument can only be made by misogynistic and bigoted gamebros. This kind of dehumanizing of opponents and stereotyping them can lead to confusion when you stumble across a statement that objectively isn't true nor reflects canon but comes from a supposed (or even an actual) "progressive" thinker.

That's how the Nice Guy culture became pervasive in the media and came to be passed on as a "better alternative" for the so-called Frat Boy and Alpha Male culture. Even though the two are the sides of the same sexist coin. The idea came to flourish that Nice Guys are the "safer bet" for women, are "not like other men" (male version of "not like other girls" thinking) and that the problem isn't sexism (which obviously affects people irrespective of gender) but the women themselves. Who are supposedly too hormonal, emotional and therefore susceptible to "bad boys'" charm that they cannot appreciate the pure and "selfless" affection of the Nice Guys. Who in turn view said women as a reward for good behavior.

As the result we got a string of pseudo-progressive, actually extremely misogynistic (and, using the term you brought up from the fandom, "preachy") media products in the recent decade. Such as Disney's "woke" pandering movies that tell women they're the ones who should stop being naive and clueless romantics who are "desperate for love" and give "the wrong idea" to unscrupulous and manipulative men. Who, supposedly as the result of said women being gullible and emotional, see them as an easy target to use for their own ends (thinly disguised victim blaming is the new "woke"). That the society, including the people with a boatload of issues with social interaction and communication (AND a Snowman), know better than women's hormonal shallow selves what and, most importantly, who they really need in order to be fulfilled and how they should feel.

Instead of tackling misogyny and the normalization of abuse and exploitation of women "progressive" media now implies it's actually all woman's fault that she's being abused. Because she cannot resist Alpha Males instead of setting her sights on a "nice guy" the society tells her is the right choice. And/or because she dares to exercise her romantic agency without asking for permission from her family (which is why modern Disney heroines are completely deprived of said agency).

However, seeing as critically thinking people have been analyzing those problems with "woke Disney" in the past years the studio realized the "progressive misogyny" no longer works as a money generating tactic. The reason why the new The Little Mermaid remake ended up being - surprisingly - good and presented an uplifting and inspiring love story (if not as refreshing and unique as the original Eric/Ariel, despite the remake's creators' best efforts) is because Disney came back to celebrating the traits and behaviors of women that made them (and the princess franchise in particular) originally appealing to female audience in the first place. Namely, woman's self expression and right to take her own independent decisions regardless of society's opinion.

Some of the changes to the original animated film were indeed questionable (having live action Ariel not ascend to surface before the day she saw Eric - thus bending to her father's patriarchal pressure and linking her major act of defiance to another man - as well as having her sing "Under the Sea" along with Sebastian; when the entire point of that segment in the original was that Ariel wasn't falling for his propaganda and barely gave it a thought - was a spectacularly bad idea; as was having Ariel forget about the need to kiss Eric; thus, from the narrative standpoint, giving the romantic/sexual agency entirely to him, a man). But the main idea of the original - woman's right to make her own choices in every area of life - was preserved, as was psychological complexity of the characters. Which is exactly why the live action ended up being successful (in addition to, of course, the explosive chemistry of the main couple - probably the only one that HAS said chemistry out of the "remade" versions of Disney romances). All of the aforementioned issues can be easily fixed in the sequel, if one is ever made (which I'm keeping my fingers crossed for).

Thus why it would be wrong to fall into the trap of thinking just because someone in the fandom doesn't fall under the "gamebro" (read: Alpha Male) category that their view is an authority on how you should perceive a story.

Now, a promised dash of personal fandom experience. There is a certain franchise that I'm not going to name now where the developers of the reboot constantly demonstrated disdainful and disrespectful treatment of the original games. Calling the protagonist shallow, undeveloped and two dimensional until they, the supposed "progressive saviors", came along and "fixed" said protagonist. The entire backstory and personal history of the character ended up being re-written to cater to modern mainstream tropes and passed off as "woke" for said reason. Furthermore, the new version of the character is being framed by both the developers and the fandom as more "complex" because of their suffering (a classic example of treating pain rather than joy, enthusiasm, inspiration and productive bonds with people as a "character building force" - a pattern modern media is plagued by).

That's not what happened to Gow(R) at all and that alone is worthy of appreciation. Gow(R) creators not only acknowledge Kratos's past and experiences in the Greek Saga and make constant references to it but they have him face consequences (mostly emotional) of said past. They also have him work towards healthier way of dealing with the Greek saga events which in itself is revolutionary and, in fact, not at all mainstream writing. Mainstream media doesn't just romanticize character's pain (as noted above) but treats it as a mandatory part of character's growth.

Even in Gow18 Kratos isn't clinging to bitterness and suffering in order to keep going - he chooses to, at that stage, emotionally distance himself from traumatic experiences, past and present; he places all the value on "here and now". Even if he needs to repress his turmoil and remorse in the process. Said technique he also tries to teach to Atreus, as a way of coping and surviving ("Close your heart to it"). Because, as Kratos himself points out, it's either them or us. It is definitely an unhealthy way of dealing with issues but an acceptable one in those circumstances and at that point of his life. When he's just been confronted with another loss (Faye's death) and has to reconnect with the son he's been pushing away also because he wants to protect Atreus from the consequences of his checkered past and himself from facing the pain of more potential loss (if not physical then emotional).

Then comes GowR which, instead of romanticizing character's pain and Walls TM (as modern media tends to do), has Kratos openly recognize his avoidance coping mechanics, let alone forcing them upon Atreus, were self destructive and needed to be reconsidered. Instead of a yet another "woke", mainstream, pseudo-edgy plot about supposed "healing" and "character building" qualities of pain and suppression of emotions Kratos and the narrative acknowledge there is nothing progressive or powerful about pain and emotional walls ("and yet we love despite the inevitable"). That expressing your grief and remaining true to your moral priorities and empathy is essential to preserving your individuality and agency. Regardless (and it's the most revolutionary part for modern media) of person's gender.

The "open your heart to their suffering" line has Kratos once again admit he has to move on from unhealthy but socially acceptable ways of surviving.

The "most powerful survives" is how the society suppresses individuality and breeds bigotry; the acceptance of said idea is being perpetuated by media under the guise of "strength and independence" for both male and female characters. That's precisely why modern "feminist icons" are the girlboss types who don't challenge the power system but conform to it and simply take the power from men so they could oppress and conquer instead.

In that vein, Freya could've very easily been reduced to the above pseudo-"feminist" stereotype. She could've been a yet another "broken walled up woman" cliche, one whose character is supposed to be forged by pain, strife and fighting for survival after the men in her life caused her grief (another mainstream trope and the only type of development women in the media are allowed these days - where they are defined by A) pain and B) men's actions causing said pain).

Yet, that doesn't happen either. Freya gets to let go of her anger fairly early on in GowR and start her healing journey alongside Kratos, a male lead whom she blamed for her recent suffering. She gets to recognize not only her own wrongdoings and toxic actions (towards Baldur which, admirably, were not glossed over) but overcome, literally and figuratively, the consequences of Odin's abuse and not let it limit her; again, literally and figuratively.

Even more notable is that Freya does so with Kratos's help (both physically and emotionally; during the "Freya's missing peace" side-quest she actively asks for his emotional support - "would the God of few words led me his ear now and again?"). Which is no less revolutionary for modern media that doesn't allow women and men to be on equal footing for the sake of girlboss moments; modern feminism is patriarchy in disguise, same dynamic of dominance and submission except with a woman in the dominant position - and GowR challenged that stereotype as well.

All of the above is the opposite of preaching to the audience or bending to mainstream demands pressure: it's going up against some of the most toxic mainstream stereotypes and doing it in a completely in character way, maintaining continuity.

No less important is Atreus's agency in Gow18 and GowR, be it his personal free will as an individual or his experience as Kratos's son who got to reconnect with his estranged father due to a traumatic event (loss of his mother). Most media completely strips children of agency in terms of their rocky and complicated relationship with their parents. Western media in particular has been, for decades, perpetuating a harmful idea that children are under the obligation to "love their parents no matter what" just because they're parents and even if they are toxic and/or neglectful.

Yet again, Gow(R) deconstructs that toxic but also socially acceptable stereotype by allowing Gow18 Atreus to show how he feels about Kratos's avoidance of him. The narrative goes as far as to present a scene in which Kratos (if I remember that moment correctly though chances are I'm missing some details as it's been awhile since I played Gow18) gets to hear Atreus's thoughts about Kratos dying being a preferable scenario for him instead of Faye's death which has actually occurred. The framing of that scene is possibly the most refreshing and unique for the way parent/child relationships have been handled in popular media before or since. Unlike 99.9 percents of Western products which would've handled that plot point as Atreus being a "misguided child who needs to learn to appreciate his loving neglectful parent" this scene is NOT in any way used against Atreus. His feelings are not in any way invalidated. For one, those are the thoughts that Atreus doesn't vocalize to Kratos himself directly and of free will (as the supposed "misguided child" cliche would've done in any other American game, show or movie).

Secondly, immediately after those emotions of Atreus are established and received by Kratos Atreus goes back on what he didn't even say but rather thought in a moment of pain and grief; and clarifies he does not actually mean it. That what he really wants is for Kratos to bond with him and be honest with him which Kratos hasn't been for Atreus's entire life, both in terms of emotional bonding and the truth about his God background. The scene doesn't put Atreus, a neglected and lied to child (lied to by both of his parents by omission, mind you), to shame.

Back in Gow18 Kratos's over protection towards his son on one hand and distancing from Atreus on the other had short term consequences in the form of Atreus losing the sight of his individuality and morals upon finding out about his half-deity heritage. Instead of Atreus being made to feel "guilty" about not accepting his "loving but neglectful TM" father he is made to deal with the traumatic situation and the new information in his own way even if it's not a pretty way nor convenient for his father. Even more important is that when Atreus regained himself in every sense he felt horrified by what he did to Modi not because he disappointed his father but because, paraphrasing, it is not who HE is. Thus once again the narrative put emphasis on Atreus's individuality.

GowR provides an outstanding continuity of that before and especially in the Ironwood segment. Not only have Kratos and Atreus become no less close by that point than Atreus was with Faye before her death (in a way even closer because Atreus got to know his father from scratch at a more conscious age and without the benefit of romanticized childhood nostalgia). But Kratos doesn't actively prevent Atreus from learning up on his Giant heritage, even though he is - understandably - frustrated and hurt that Faye kept that and many other things from them.

When Atreus finds himself in Ironwood it's the first time where he gets to have the full measure of self expression and agency. All of his choices there are made under no pressure and just because he feels like it in the current moment. Angrboda, who has spent years in isolation and loneliness, believing her destiny is defined by the prophesy which stated she is meant to transfer the information and giant souls to Loki and be forgotten by him no matter what she does (and no matter how she feels about him) always and infallibly respects all of Atreus's choices throughout that part. Even when they go directly against said prophesy. She asks him each time whether he is ready for the next reveal of information or even whether he is comfortable to be called by his own name or a "champion of Jotunns". When he isn't Angrboda either complies with his wishes - shouldering the responsibility for giant marbles (despite it being the opposite of what her late mother told her was meant to happen), calling him Atreus instead of Loki when he asks her to - or turns a stressful situation into a lighthearted one, as to diminish the burden and share the weight of new duties with him (such as when she playfully calls him "Champ" numerous times).

As Atreus is confronted with the prospect of losing his father and tries to deal with it emotionally Angrboda - just like Gow18 narrative before - does not invalidate his feelings. She concludes that he "cares for his dad so much he can't conceive of a world where HE'd let [Kratos] get hurt". It's not just a parallel to Gow18 Atreus entertaining the scenario of dealing with Kratos's death better than with Faye's. Once again the value, by both Angrboda and the story, is placed upon Atreus's personal agency and his response to the situation (and with it comes a constant recognition of Angrboda's agency - "your part is as big as you want it to be" - which she goes on to exercise immediately after Atreus leaves Ironwood when she sets out to look for more marbles and "defy destiny").

Concerning Faye, admittedly, I'm delighted that someone else holds the same conflicting view of not even her character itself but the way she was framed by the narrative. Faye, sadly, fell a victim to fandom's new unwritten rule that dictates you have to have a "woke" reason to dislike a character, no matter how ridiculous and invented said reason might be. That's where the accusations of her being a "fridged" woman trope are stemming from despite said characteristic having nothing to do with her canon storyline. People cannot acknowledge that Faye, as you note, wasn't developed enough before she wasn't meant to exist in the current timeline. Hence why they attempt to justify their disappointment with her character's lack of exposure with "progressive and feminist" arguments. Which obviously are not feminist at all because those same people do not hold Brok to the same standard. Although in HIS case it would be fair to say he ended up being fridged for Sindri's angst and potential dark arc.

But women are not allowed to just exist, they have to justify their existence in the story and the treatment of Faye in the fandom is another example of that. I admit, her relationship with Kratos is the part of the story I have issues with because of how idealized it was despite obvious problematic elements in it (Faye's dishonesty with Kratos and the dishonesty of them both with Atreus). While Kratos was allowed to voice his anger and frustration with the secrets she'd kept, ultimately, his emotions ended up being brushed under the rug due to the positive influence Faye had on him. That's one of the few complaints I consider valid about GowR.

However, once again, the above would not have been an issue if the genders were reversed and Faye wasn't a female character who committed a "crime" of dying before the main events of the story.

To sum up my own "novel", it's important to always analyze media as a product/story in it's own right regardless of whether it reflects your personal experiences or not. It is definitely difficult to do, but it's important if one wants their media engagement to be fulfilling.

Once again, thank you for sharing your thoughts and for the chance to talk about Kratos in particular.

[walksinlatewithcoffee]

Baby name ideas for the Empires Crew

Cause apparently yall need some now?

SCOTT:

Theme: colors

Scarlet

Amber

Violet

Cyan

Gray

Ash (associated with gray)

Beryl (a pale green stone)

Bianca (means white)

Carmine (crimson red)

Fawn (light brown)

GEM:

Theme: Sun

Citrine (light callback to s1 cause citrine is a stone formed when amethyst experiences intense heat)

Sunny

Apollo

Helios

Crystal

Peach

Flora

Alba (means Dawn)

Soleil (French sun name)

Star

JOEL:

Theme: gods/holy/Greek

Blessing

Hera

Theo (means ‘gift of god’)

Pandora

Ares

Eudora (Greek name meaning ‘generous gift’)

Skye

Achilles

Orion

Ouranos (Greek spelling of Uranus, father of the Titans and also a word meaning “the heavens”

KATHERINE:

Theme: dichotomy of glimmer grove/strength/beauty

Lilac

Lavender

Janus (words with contradictory meaning are sometimes called “Janus words”)

Hecate (goddess of witchcraft)

Persephone

Tempest

Farris (‘strong as iron’ according to the website I’m looking at)

Valentine (both a romantic association as well as having ‘strong’ as an earlier meaning)

Sterling (steel)

Belle

OLI:

Theme: music/independence

Harmony

Lyra

Aria

Viola

Lark

Cadence

Wolfgang

Rhythm

Robin

Spirit

JIMMY:

Theme: strength/common western names

Barrett (mighty as a bear)

Billy/Billie

Oak

Cash (last name if a famous singer)

Dakota

Beau

Daisy

Wynona (first name of a famous singer and a personal favorite of mine)

Cheyenne

Colton (I know so many yeehaw boys named Colton it’s an epidemic)

LIZZIE:

Theme: animals

Kitty

Wren

Leo

Wolf

Draco

Raven

Kit

Dove

Ursula (from ‘Ursa’ meaning bear + light callback to season 1)

Mariposa (butterfly)

SAUSAGE:

Theme: peace/safety/protection/rabbits

Faith

Jack (jackrabbit)

Serenity

Peter (Peter cottontail)

Olive/Olivia (olive bran em has symbol of peace)

Alexis/Alexander/Alexa etc. (All meaning protector of mankind)

Atlas

Angelo

Anthea (goddess/flowers)

Crysanthos (golden flower, name of a Saint)

PIX:

Theme: history, ancient stuff, stones, memory (amendment: I couldn’t find many good names so I just found a bunch of really old names)

Sophia (lover of wisdom/knowledge)

Athena

Beowulf (both a name meaning ‘intelligent wolf’ and the oldest known work of Anglo-Saxon literature)

Sage

Alareiks (gothic name meaning ‘ruler of all’ modernized as Alaric but I think Pix would use the older version)

Áleifir (old Norse form of Olaf and that is such a downgrade on spelling why did we ever stop using the original spelling????? Also means ancestor’s legacy which is PERFECT)

Caecelia (original Latin spelling of Cecelia, means both “blind” and is the name of an ancient religious martyr)

Cúán (“little wolf” in Old Irish and I think that’s just cute)

Demophon (literally “the people’s voice” in Ancient Greek)

Ingo (an old name and also a reference to a character who accidentally travels back in time in Pokémon: Legends Arceus) (I’m running out of ideas can you tell?)

JOEY

Theme: water, treasure

Diamond (it’s not that weird I went to high school with a girl named diamond)

Jade

Cordelia (apparently means daughter of the sea)

Hudson (literal name of a body of water on earth)

Caspian (literal name of a body of water on earth)

Opal

Gold

Sapphire

Tiara

Jasper (a personal favorite + matching initials)

FWHIP:

Theme: names with negative meanings, more stones (no I didn’t use them all on Joey’s list actually)

Lapis

Jet

Onyx

Ruby

Topaz

Deidre (sorrowful)

Kennedy (misshapen head)

Cain (I don’t think I need to explain this one. It’s also a favorite name of mine)

Cameron (crooked nose)

Lorelei (literal translation is ambush Cliff, but colloquially the meaning is ‘a woman who leads a man to his death’ which is metal as fuck)

SHELBY:

theme: herbs/witchy stuff/creepy stuff

Damien

Desdemona (Ill-fated one)

Rosemary (both an herb and a character in a classic horror film)

Nyx

Poe

Salem

Blair

Belladonna (comes with the literal translation of ‘beautiful woman’ as well)

Morrigan (literally ‘phantom queen’ and a figure in Irish mythology)

Dusk

FALSE (if she ever logs in to participate)

Theme: obnoxiously British as befitting a steampunk theme

Silas

Ambrose

Augustus

Eleanor

Gwendolyn

Scarlett

Theodosia

Lysander

Wesley

Luther

[ask-sibverse]

Candy Apple (Lunar (Mythoverse Nightmare))

"Come on Lunar the kid needs to have some fun and the au is safe," Solar rumbled at his brother as he watched the tall Nightmare sew a new outfit for the child they had been raising.

"Well I don't think it is. Cura is having fun here just fine," Lunar replied, looking at his brother. His glasses reflected in the firelight as they sat in the living room of the castle that Lunar claimed back while they had been fighting

"Then you pick a place to take him or Killer will. Come on, our little Ink baby is turning eight. Do something special for him," Solar pointed out. Lunar huffed at that. His brother had a point, the kid had been asking to go somewhere special for his birthday instead of being stuck in the castle again. And his family minions have been asking him for the same thing for the kid.

"Fine, but I have to approve the au," Lunar grumbled. Solar got up and hugged his brother tight, making the other yelp with indignation at his brother daring to show him affection. "Get off me you stupid idiot!" Then Solar was joined by the tall Killer and even taller Horror in hugs. Cross and Dust were laughing at everyone.

"Dust take a picture of this," Killer said.

"Way ahead of you," Dust grinned as he held his camera and started taking photos.

"Get off me all of you! Where is Cura? You were supposed to watch him!" Lunar growled.

"In my arms sleeping, my king," Cross said. "He had fun swimming in the pond with the fish earlier." He brought the tiny Ink over and stuck the sleeping form between everyone to place him on top of Lunar. Dust took more pictures.

"Everyone get off me before Cura wakes up or I will start throwing people out the windows," Lunar growled as he wrapped his tentacles around the small child on his chest.

They gang did with Solar chuckling. "I'll give you a list of aus that have special events going on so you can approve a place."

"Whatever," Lunar grumbled. Almost eight years already and this kid was so much trouble.

"Daddy! Papi! I'm hungry!" Cura cried out as he ran to his parents from his uncle's side. Solar giggled as he picked up the child and nuzzles him.

"Oh you're hungry? What does the birthday boy want?" Solar giggled.

"Candy!" Cura yelled.

Lunar gave a look at Cura. "You haven't even eaten lunch yet. You've just been riding the rides,' he said. "You can have candy after food."

Lunar finally decided on a more modern au that had a theme park. It wasn't an au that knew of the gang and the chaos they caused so it was safe to walk around at the least. Although they still got stares. And this au mostly worshipped the Norse gods and revered "them" as Sköll and Hati. Almost unknown, then.

"But I want candy!" Cura complained. Killer came up beside Solar and poked Cura on the cheek.

"I'll get you something really special if you eat lunch first okay kiddo?" He said with a wide grin. Cura seem to ponder on that and finally nodded. The group went off to get actual food and ate it at once of the park picnic tables. Killer whisked Cura off once he woke up from a short nap and complained about being hungry again. And Lunar was getting nervous.

"Lunar, the kid is fine. Killer is a good uncle," Solar said.

"He lost his favorite knife in a body once," Lunar muttered.

"Well, that's on him for burying it in the chest cavity. Cura is not a knife," Solar said confidently.

Soon the scream of Daddy came out of the crowd as Cura ran to Lunar and raised his one hand for uppies. He was carrying something red in his other hand. Lunar picked up the child and held him close.

Once Cura was in his arms the kid shoved whatever treat he got into Lunar's mouth. The sticky sweetness was almost familiar and he choked a bit as he was forced to take a bite. An apple?

"Daddy it good right? Uncle Killer said its a candy apple!" Cura cheered.

Solar gave a worrying look at Lunar, but Lunar huffed a bit and petted the child. He didn't know. He worked to calm himself as he had flashbacks of that day.

"I think its a bit too sweet for me kiddo," he said at last. "Next time don't shove random food into people's mouths. Its rude and you don't know if they might get sick off it or not." Like his nonexistent stomach.

"Sorry Daddy," Cura said as he ate his treat. "Papi want some?"

"I'm okay sweetie. Your daddies just don't like apples that much that's all honey," Solar explained.

"Oh... I'm sorry Daddy. Won't do again," Cura said giving Lunar a nuzzle.

"All is forgiven Cura. But I have an idea what you should do instead." Lunar grinned a bit and whispered next to the kid's head. Giving him some chocolate he had bought for himself. He placed Cura down to run back off to Killer.

It didn't take long for Cura to get picked up again and Killer screaming in pain from trying the chocolate. It was a very spicy chocolate after all. Cura was handed to Cross as the other ran into the crowd to find a drink to rinse out the spice.

The group laughed at Killer, Lunar joining in one of his rare moments. It looked like Cura's birthday was a success. "Okay boys, once the idiot is back lets head off to the cafe in the fluffy au for his cake and ice cream."

Cura cheered at that. That meant cats. "Daddy is the best!" Lunar couldn't help but give a rare blush on that. It was a good day.

[mcufan72]

Cold winter days, a lonely woman on a bench, a stranger in the park...

An Encounter in Winter ❄️

Loki and female reader

Chapter 3

Chapter 1 / Chapter 2

18+/adult themes/talking/flirting/slow burn/fluff/angst/smut (eventually)

Warnings: none but lots of flirting, some lusting for each other and getting more physical, Thor being a nice big brother and some angst in the end

Sitting in the lovely café in the afternoons became a part of your daily meetings, too. One week later, as you and Loki had planned, you visited the art gallery. There were not many people visiting the exhibition today but it was a nice location with interesting and impressive pieces of art.

When you two stood in front of another impressive art object you felt Loki looking intensely at you again.

Most of the time Loki's attention was dedicated to you. His gazes lingered more on you than on the pictures and art objects. You felt him looking at you all the time but you didn't find it unpleasant. Truth be told, you loved it. It was balm to your soul…and you liked that he was so distracted by you. It was cute and he was adorable.

"Something else caught your attention, Mr.Laufeyson?" You teased him, mischievously grinning and still staring at the object.

"Oh..ahhmm..no..yes, I'm..ahhm sorry, I didn't want to stare but you…you are …a piece of art too…a very beautiful one." he stammered and complimented you with reddening cheeks.

His pathetic tries to flirt with you were awkward. He wasn't good at it. Seducing a woman was much easier for him.

You laughed lightly and faced him. You found it quite adorable how he tried to flirt with you.

"I'm absolutely not, Mr.Laufeyson but thank you for that wonderful compliment. Shall we see the next room?"

"Yes, let us go to the next room..and you are beautiful, Lady y/n."

"Stop that, otherwise I'm starting to believe it!" you whispered smiling at him and you hooked your arm with his and went together to the next room.

After visiting the art gallery you two went straight to the café. You were the only guests today and Loki wondered why.

"It's December 24th, the people are busy with Christmas preparations and getting everything ready for Christmas Day tomorrow," you explained to him.

"Oh, okay. I'm just wondering because I'm not very familiar with midga–...with some traditions."

"You don't celebrate Christmas with your family?"

"No…not really and I'm not really into it to celebrate such things. My brother and his friends do. But I wasn't aware that's a general thing here."

"Yes, I get that. I loved Christmas when I was a child. And when I lived in Norway I loved celebrating Christmas together with my then-fiancé and our lovely neighbours. I loved the Norwegian traditions and customs. Especially the tradition on 'Jul Aften' when brooms and mops were hidden to prevent the night trips of the crazy ghosts and evil witches who wreak havoc on Christmas night."

"That sounds awesome and funny, I love me some mischief and havoc-wreaking too," Loki said.

"Yessss, it can be really fun sometimes," and you laughed.

"Are you familiar with such traditions and customs Mr.Laufeyson?"

"I am…no…not really." He tried hard to avoid sounding suspicious.

"I also heard something about Norse mythology when I lived in Norway but didn't delve deeper into the details. I have always been too busy with work. But I found it quite interesting …god of thunder, all-father Odin, the only Norse gods I've heard about…did you know that there are days of the week which are named after them?"

"I…don't know that much about it, no… but it sounds interesting, indeed."

You saw Loki tensing and squirming on his chair and you wondered why. Did you say something wrong? Loki hoped you wouldn't dwell deeper on the subject. Of course, he knew everything about it.

"And nowadays you prefer to be here together with me instead of preparing everything for tomorrow?" Loki asked you, carefully changing the subject.

He tried to relax again. He didn't want to ruin this wonderful date with you.

"There's nothing to celebrate for me and I'm alone as you know. I definitely prefer to sit here with you, it's so much nicer than being alone at home and I enjoy your company so much."

"I like to sit here with you too, Lady y/n and you are absolutely right, it's better than being alone at home," and he smiled and winked at you.

"Good afternoon Madam, Sir, the same drinks as every day?"

The waiter came to your table and wanted to take your orders.

You smiled brightly at Loki and then you looked at the waiter.

"No, today we would like to have two hot chocolates and to be precise two hot chocolates with whipped cream, marshmallows and strawberry-cinnamon syrup please."

"Some time ago you said you would like to taste hot chocolate later on…and I decided today is 'later' ," you said to Loki, brightly smiling at him and he couldn't hide his own very bright smile while he looked down at the table and he sucked the lowerlipbetweenhis teeth.

"Two hot chocolate with whipped cream, marshmallows and strawberry-cinnamon syrup, our Christmas edition, a very good choice, thank you, Madam," the waiter repeated and off he went to prepare your order.

"I can't argue with that," and he approved it with a helpless gesture of his hands, looking at you with puppy eyes.

He was kind of devoted to you already and he loved it. You held a tiny bit of power over him already. Something he would never have expected. Something he would never have allowed anyone else to have over him.

When the waiter had served your hot chocolates, you both took your mugs in your hands, ready to enjoy the sweet liquid.

"Gød Jul, Mr.Laufeyson."

"Gød Jul, Lady y/n."

"You're …pronouncing it perfectly " you wondered and frowned.

"I just …repeated what you said," he answered.

There was something about it, you felt it clearly.

After drinking some sips of the cocoa you both had a seam of whipped cream on your upper lips and you two laughed about it.

Loki looked at you, lovingly, unsure what to do and then within a millisecond without further hesitation he slowly stretched his arm out over the table. He put his angled index finger under your chin and rubbed his thumb tip gently, almost tenderly over your lips, collecting the rest of the cream from your upper lip. His blue eyes were fixed on yours.

Why was he so handsome, so desirable? His touch wandered like a warm wave through your body and it made you shiver. You nearly sucked his thumb into your mouth to lick it clean. Of course, you didn't, you wouldn't dare do it. He was your acquaintance, not your lover.

Your velvety lips felt so soft and warm. It must feel like being in Valhalla to kiss them or to be kissed by you. How much he wanted you to suck his thumb into your mouth and feel your warm tongue licking it clean. Filthy thoughts came to his mind while he licked the gathered cream off his thumb tip and it demanded a certain self-control to suppress these thoughts and the upcoming feeling in his stomach and his crotch.

He should stop thinking about you like that. You were his acquaintance, not his lover.

When he thought he had gained his composure back, you did the same with him. Now you rubbed your thumb tip gently over his lips, gathering the cream off his upper lip, your fingers gently placed at his cheek. His lips were so soft, so kissable and you licked the cream you had collected from his lips off your thumb, your eyes never leaving his.

You thought about how it must feel to be kissed by him, his soft lips on yours, grazing further over your cheeks down to your neck, to your clavicle …you should stop daydreaming, immediately because it would never happen.

You two didn't know what to do now. Was that too physical? Too intimate? Did you overstep the private boundaries of the other? To touch each other like this felt good for both of you and yet you felt shy and you didn't know what to say. What you two just had done was exciting and embarrassing at the same time.

"Do you like it?" You asked him to break the silence.

"What do I like?" Loki was still lost in thoughts about you.

"Hot Chocolate? Do you like it?" You asked him with a quizzical look in your eyes and softly smiling.

"Oh! Yes, yes it's delicious. It's sweet and creamy and warms the soul."

"Yes, indeed, it does. That's why I love it so much," you smiled warmingly at him.

Why did he affect you so much? You were afraid one day you would be completely devoted to him and deeply in love with him. But does it really exist, the deep, genuine, reciprocated and unwavering love?

With Loki it seems possible for you but it would never happen. He would never reciprocate your growing feelings for him. He remained guarded.

After some more chit-chat, time had come to go home. You paid the drinks this time, said your goodbye to Loki and as every day he helped you into your coat and passed you your beanie and your scarf.

"It was a wonderful afternoon, Mr.Laufeyson. Thank you so much!" and you wrapped your scarf around your neck.

"My pleasure, Lady y/n."

You crinkled up your nose and smiled, he was so adorable. Loki got you whenever he called you a Lady.

Today you were extremely adorable for him, every cell of his body seemed to tingle.

"Will we meet again tomorrow? I mean …it's Christmas. Maybe you have other plans?"

"Maybe we can have supper together, too?" he asked cautiously.

"I assure you I don't have other plans. Of course, we will meet tomorrow, Mr.Laufeyson. There's nothing better than spending tomorrow's afternoon together with you again."

"Maybe!" You nodded promisingly at him.

"See you tomorrow, Lady y/n. Same time, same place?"

"Same time, same place, Mr. Laufeyson."

His charming smile enchanted you and made it hard for you to leave.

On your way back home shortly after you had left Loki and the café you got a phone call. It was your colleague from work. Actually, the next two days would be your days off but they needed you to come and help them because two colleagues got sick.

"Yes, of course, I can come. A double shift? No, no problem, you know that I won't celebrate Christmas. The day after tomorrow, too…the early shift? Hmmh, yes okay, no problem either. Okay! See you tomorrow, bye," and you ended the call.

And then it hit you. Damn, you were on a date with Loki tomorrow again, in the afternoon as usual and for the first time in the evening, too! But you couldn't let your colleague down either. You should tell him, you had to, he would wait for you tomorrow. You turned around on your heels and you ran hurriedly back to the café.

But Loki was already gone and the café had already closed. What should you do now? You neither knew where he lived nor did you have his phone number. And also there was no one you could ask. He wasn't meeting other people here except…you sighed sadly.

You didn't want to think about him meeting other women to dispel the darkness of the night with amorous activities. But who could blame him, he was extremely handsome, sexy, extraordinarily charming and incredibly hot.

You would try to get away from work tomorrow for just half an hour or so, so you could explain to him why you won't have time to meet him and how much you feel sorry about that. But maybe he wouldn't even care if you came or not. You weren't that important to him, were you?

Loki didn't want to go home yet after you had left the café. His brother and colleagues were knee-deep in final Christmas preparations and he wasn't interested in getting involved. To spend the day tomorrow with you was a completely different thing because it was about spending time with you.

He decided to go to his favourite bar, but unlike before he wasn't in the mood today to take a woman home into his bed to sweeten up his night. He definitely didn't want to.

Two days. You didn't come for two days. Loki was concerned beyond belief. On Christmas day he waited for you in the park like every day. He waited for one hour, two hours, he went to the café but you weren't there either. He was not only concerned, but he was also sad. Didn't you want to see him anymore? Did something change your mind?

Was he too distant and guarded all the time? Or did you feel offended by his touch of your lips the last time you two met? It was quite intimate, wasn't it? Maybe too intimate. But to just not come wouldn't be your style to let him know about that. You would tell him the truth. You would always say what you think, what you like or dislike.

When you didn't come the second day, he nearly panicked. That wasn't you. Something must have happened to you. He decided to go back home after waiting for you for more than three hours and he would look for you tomorrow. He must find you, how was he supposed to not care about you, how was he supposed to be without you ever again? But where should he start to look for you? He neither knew where you lived nor where your working place was.

"Loki, are you okay?"

"What?"

"Are you okay? You seem concerned. Something happened?" Thor asked his brother, while Loki got rid of his coat and his jacket after he returned to Stark Tower and tossed it both on a chair. His scarf followed.

"No..yes…I don't know," and he traced his fingers over his head through his hair and shoved his hands finally into the pockets of his trousers.

Thor furrowed his eyebrows. He hadn't seen his brother like this for a very long time.

"Is it about a girl? Did one of your bedmates become too affectionate?"

"What? No! You know that I know how to avoid that!" Loki snapped.

"So what is it? You seemed happier recently. Youuu… smile more often when you think nobody sees you."

"Don't mock me!" said Loki slightly indignant and walked a few steps towards Thor who took a few steps backwards.

"Okay, okay calm down brother," and he raised his hands reassuringly.

"Tell me. What is it that keeps your mind busy?"

"You're right. It's a woman," Loki started hesitantly to tell his brother.

"We…have been meeting for several weeks now. Daily…every afternoon in a park."

"Daily? Really every day? Are you courting her? I mean, you still meet ladies who mess up your bed sheets …"

"She's none of them. She is…different, and so adorable. She's not that kind of woman who looks for a one-night-stand…"

"But you want to bed her, let her warm you under your sheets?" Thor asked teasingly.

"No…Yes…I…I don't know to be honest."

"So she's not your type?"

"She definitely is my type, she's beautiful and warmhearted and lovable…but as I said, she's different. But… I'm not her type I guess and… she's too good for me. After spending some time in the park we always visit a nice café to talk and drink something. She loves hot chocolate with whipped cream and marshmallows… It's wonderful to spend time with her. It's comforting to have her around me."

Loki smiled with dreamy eyes. He could rhapsodize about you the whole day.

"Ahhh you like her, I mean, you really like her and stuff like flirting with her, holding her hands, smitten looks…" Thor said knowingly and a wide grin appeared on his face.

"Hi, guys! Who loves hot chocolate with whipped cream and marshmallows?" Peter asked while he went past them.

"The girl Loki dates and is in love with." Thor grinned.

"Ah, cool. Is she nice, Mr. Loki? Bring her here though, Nat, Wanda and Pepper could use some female field assistance!" Peter said carefree while walking backwards to the kitchen.

"Stop that, both of you, I'm not courting her and I'm not in love with her. She is…just a good acquaintance," Loki growled angrily.

"Calm down, Loki. But why are you so concerned then?"

"Okay, okay Mr. Loki," said Peter apologizing and vanishing quickly towards the compound's kitchen.

"She didn't come, Thor. For two days now. Neither to the park nor to the café. She lives alone, Thor. I…I'm concerned something may have happened to her. I don't know what to do. If she still doesn't show up tomorrow I'll be looking for her in the whole city, no matter how long or what it takes!"

"So you don't know where she lives? Don't you have her phone number?"

"No, she never let me escort her to her home and we never exchanged phone numbers. Only Hel knows why we didn't. And she doesn't know where I live. I never told her…I didn't dare to tell her…I lacked the courage."

"Try to calm down a bit, there will be a reason for her absence, Loki. She will be there tomorrow. I'm sure." Thor said, convinced.

"I fervently hope you're right, brother!"

❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️

Jul Aften - Christmas Eve

Gød Jul - Merry Christmas

Tags:

@lokisprettygirl @wheredafandomat @lokixryss @fictive-sl0th @huntress-artemiss

[witchcraftsymbolsblog]

Freya Goddess Symbols- Nordic Goddess of Love and War

Freyja is technically not a name. It is translated in old Norse to mean “lady.” The modern spelling of her name is Freja which was anglicized to Freya. She had a brother named Freyr, which meant “Lord.” They were the offspring of Njoror, the sea, and Herta, the earth. Freyja goddess symbols are just as powerful as the goddess herself.Freya Goddess Symbols

Although she went searching for pleasure and passion, she was a complicated character. The Vikings saw her as a mighty force, a goddess on the same level as Odin and Thor in Norse mythology.

Freya Goddess of Love

Although Freya was known as the goddess of love, she was also the fertility goddess and goddess of war and death. Old Norse literature highlighted her insistence on everything sexual. However, she has been completely omitted from childbirth, which is an element of fertility within the confines of other goddesses of similar nature.

According to Norse myth And Freya goddess Symbols, Freya was the Norse goddess of love, fertility, sex, war, death, magic, beauty, and witchcraft. She supervises battles, can grant and remove fertility, can be beseeched for love, and was born knowing the sacred secrets of witchcraft and the Runes. Because she belonged to the Norse Vanir tribe, people thought she practiced witchcraft and was strongly connected to the earth.

She considered pigs sacred and rode a boar with golden bristles. She also had a chariot drawn by cats as another means of transport. Freya was privileged to have the opportunity to choose half of the warriors slain in battle for her great hall in Folkyangar, while the rest were taken to Valhalla by the god Odin.

She had a famous necklace known as Brisingamen that was stolen by the god Loki, the trickster, and later recovered by Heimdall, a watchman to the gods.

Freya is believed to have done the evil act of teaching the Aesir, a tribe of gods, witchcraft.

Like the Egyptian goddess Isis and Greek goddess Aphrodite, Freya traveled the world looking for a missing husband while shading golden tears. She had four nicknames: Horn, Mardoll, Syr, and Gefn.

Freya’s themes included strength, devotion, the sun, passion, and magic. Her symbols consist of lions and strawberries.

Freya was not a mysterious goddess; on the contrary, she was loved and worshipped all over European territory in places such as Iceland, Greenland, Scandinavia, the Germanic lands, Anglo-Saxon Britain, and Holland. She remains among the most loved and idolized Pagan goddesses to date.

The spirit of Freya angered Christian authorities. Ironically, this anger propelled Freya to survive more vividly than any other European female spirit. Continuous condemnation ensured Freya remained relevant.

Freya was criticized as the Queen of Witches. Women who idolized her were automatically labeled as “witches’. Freya’s rites and traditions encouraged magical practice, shamanism, mediumship, and female autonomy, while Freya acted as a role model. The new regime viewed this behavior as an abomination and symbolizing deadly sin.

The Vanir

The Norse gods are divided into two: the Vanir and the Aesir. Freya and her family belong to the Vanir, and unlike their counterparts, little is known about the rest of Freya’s family.

All that is known is that there was a war between the Aesir and the Vanir, with the Aesir emerging victorious. Freya and her brother Freyr were sent to live with the Aesir as part of the truce agreement.

According to Norse mythology, the Vanir lived in what is presently referred to as Scandinavia when the Aesir arrived. The Vanir provoked greater hostility from the Christian church than the Aesir; therefore, limited information concerning the Vanir survived.

The only information available about the Vanir was retrieved from those sent to live in Aesir.It is believed that the Vanir were shapeshifters linked to creative energy, magic, the sea, eroticism, fertility, prophecy, and shamanism.

According to the myth, Freya shared all her knowledge with the Aesir after being taken hostage. The Norse god Odin was the first member of the Aesir to befriend Freya. By becoming close to Freya, the god Odin learned about the ways of Seidr. Seidr was a form of magic perceived as a woman’s magic and unsuitable for men.

Freya knew all about the Runes, but according to the myth, her knowledge of the Runes directed Odin to gorge out one of his eyes and hang himself from Yggdrasil upside down while looking into the Well of Wyrd. After staring into the well for nine days and nights, he finally understood what the Runes meant.

Freya and Warfare

Freya, the queen of love and war who goes by the name Valfreya, leads the Valkyries into battle. The Valkyries are angels of death who transport the souls of the recently departed to the next realm, and in battle, the souls are transported to two different destinations.

The Valfreya get the first picks of the departed souls, followed by Odin, but finally, all the souls of the dead are evenly split. The souls chosen by Odin are taken back to Valhalla, whereas those chosen by Freya are taken to her realm, which goes by the name of Folkvangr, a meadow with a large hall known as Sessrumnir. In Folkvangr, love songs are always played.

Freya and Frigg

There are similarities between Freya and Odin’s wife, the Norse goddess Frigg. Some people have reasons to believe that Freya and Frigg are one person. This argument is supported by the fact that Freya is technically not a name but a title, whereas Frigg is a name.

Frigg is also referred to as the “well-beloved lady.” She can also be called Frigga, Sacka, or Fricka. She is the goddess of childbirth, fertility, matrimony, and divination. It is unclear whether she is part of Aesir or Vanir.

Since she is the wife of Odin, she is linked to marriage and fidelity. In the afterlife, married people spend their time in Frigg’s hall, known as Fensalir. It is not easy to differentiate between Freya and Frigg.

They are two different spirits in Scandinavia but seem to have merged into one spirit in German land. The distinctions can still be made even if some information has been lost or suppressed.

Ironically, even though Christian authorities were against Freya, there is still substantial information about Freya and her beliefs.The theory that Freya and Friggs are the same people is exacerbated by the belief that Freya’s husband, Odr, is Odinn, and their two daughters go by the names Hnoss and Garsemi. Not much is said about the two daughters.

Freya Attributes and Association

According to Norse myth, the beautiful Norse goddess Freya has long blonde hair. We must know that she is a shapeshifter capable of assuming any form. She has a magical falcon cloak, which she uses to fly. She also wears a necklace mentioned earlier in this article that the Brisingamen dwarfs made.

Her chariot is pulled by two silver cats, which some people think are called Bygul and Trjegul. These cats might be lynxes. Freya is associated with different animals, such as cats, rabbits, falcons, cuckoos, ladybugs, swallows, boars, and oxen.

Her preferred colors are green, red, yellow, light blue, pink, and white. Freya’s materials of choice include gold and amber. She is also a fan of flowers. Plants associated with the queen include:

Primrose

Opium poppy

Rose, clover

English daisy

Hemp, Arnica

Almond, Bedstraw

Bird Berry

Benzoin

Henbane

Strawberry

Essential oils linked to her include sandalwood, Birch, Benzoin, Cypress, Myrrh, and Rose. You can include any of the mentioned items when offering to the goddess. You can also add her favorite foods: pork, honey, mead, ale, apples, edible flowers, and barley.

Because of her love for cats, you can pay homage to the goddess by treating cats well. The goddess of love is a fan of love poems and songs continuously playing in Folkvangr.The Freya goddess can be considered a source of inspiration among ancient and present cultures. The mythology also proves that the Nordic people had a rich culture that is present to date.

[annachum]

Also

About how Frozen 3 and 4 may have Elsa and Co. eventually meeting some Norse deities

I have feeling that

The Frozen franchise may have some Norse deities that haven't appeared in MCU yet

I think That'll be fucking fly

Some Norse Deities I think can appear in Frozen 3 and/or 4 :

. Skadi : This one should explain enough. It's been confirmed that Elsa's ice powers are a distant genetic heritage by the Atahollan tribe who have been blessed by Skadi during the Viking ages. So why not have Elsa meet the one who given her ice powers? Then Elsa came to have this reminder that her ice powers are in fact a gift, not a curse she has believed for quite some time

. Idunn : A Spring Goddess who is associated with youth and harvest ( Norse Pantheon has several Harvest related deities )? That is someone I can see Anna eventually meeting. Even though Anna has no magical powers, she is also gifted with the power of being able to bring hope and optimism to many even in times of chaos. That is something I can totally see Idunn doing. Also, Iduna is name inspired by this Goddess. Need I say more.

. Sigyn : YES YES YES. Let's face it, we may never gave Sigyn in MCU ( I went through a number of stages of grief and acceptance over that ), so why not in Frozen? Srsly I can totally see Sigyn being like a fairy God mother like figure to Elsa, Anna and Kristoff, and it turns out she has been helping Elsa and Anna see the truth of things the whole time, albeit in a more discreet manner. Also I can see Elsa and Anna having tea and cakes with Sigyn as Sigyn tells them about volva related stuff

. Vidarr : This is an interesting pick. While Frozen has some themes of vengeance vs justice, Vidarr can be an interesting symbol to both. He can defo be a warlock like mentor figure to Kristoff especially as Kristoff eventually is becoming a King of Arendelle, only for Vidarr to sometimes battle his own demons himself.....And Kristoff came to be reminded of the differences justice and vengeance can entail.

. Ksavir - The Vanir God of Wisdom is born out of saliva of several Aesirs and Vanirs after the Aesir Vanir War in the Norse Myths. I can totally see Ksavir being like a mentor figure to Elsa, Anna and Kristoff in terms of diplomacy and often offering clues to them in adventures

. Nanna - The Norse Goddess of Joy and Devotion can give several tips for Kristoff, Anna and Elsa on how to run their courts and their private residences, and also another fairy God mother like figure who later on blesses Kristoff and Anna's eventual kids with magical gifts 🤩🤩🤩🥺🥺

[wilygryphon]

Blizzagun Heartless Storm

A depiction of the climax of the Arendelle arc in Kingdom Hearts - Destiny Vault - Chapter 133: Blizzagun, drawing on the snowstorm in the movie Frozen.

The fiends include:

Frostking- A Heartless empowered by the Pisces Auracite, it formed a connection with Elsa and fueled Elsa's terror, drawing on her magic to empower itself and cause her unstable snowstorm to explode into a devastating blizzard.  It was inspired by the Mateus Esper from Final Fantasy XII, which was the Lucavi tied to the Zodiac sign Pisces.  I used Pisces because of Mateus' ice power.  Then, when researching the sign's symbolism, I found out about the connection to Aphrodite, which allowed for a symbolic connection to the love that allowed Elsa to regain control of her magic.

Frostmane- A horse-like Heartless that exhales frigid air.  Despite the connection to Frostking in the artwork, it was ultimately made separate in the actual chapter, fighting on a different front.  It was inspired by Hrimfaxi, the horse that drew Nótt's (night) chariot across the sky.  This follows the same Norse Mythology theme as Sköll, but I went with something different.

Dark Marshmallow- Only one appears here, but there are actually two.  Dark copies of the more benevolent Marshmallow.  Not Heartless, but rather darkness-infused snow creatures conjured by Frostking using Elsa's magic with the intention of hindering the heroes' efforts to help Elsa and Anna.

Dark Olaf- A scaled-up dark copy of the happy-go-lucky snowman Olaf.  Not a Heartless, but rather a darkness-infused snow creature conjured by Frostking using Elsa's magic with the intention of hindering the heroes' efforts to help Elsa and Anna.

I got the idea to have a Heartless drawing on Elsa's fear and darkness after watching the Game Theory video that suggested the original story for the Arendelle world (before Disney put a tight leash on it) was to have the conflict revolve around Elsa's struggle with her darkness.

[clarenecessities]

✨🍀 re: wow toons (idk what that is so pls enlighten me!)

AHAHAHA YES!!!! <-sicko voice

✨- How did you come up with the OC’s name?

🍀 - What originally inspired the OC?

these go hand in hand so i'm doin' 'em together >:3c so wow toons are what you call your different world of warcraft characters, of which i have... 12? 15? some multiple of three. i shall describe each of them in turn bc you've inadvertently activated my trap card.

Sétanta - my very first wow character. he's a worgen bc obviously i'm going to pick the werewolf race, come on. i made him a druid bc i heard you could turn into even more animals and this pleased me. He's named for Cú Chulainn (Hound of Culann), who renamed himself that as a kid. I pronounce it 100% wrong, with an /s/ at the start and a /t/ in the middle, but that's what happens when you learn all your words by reading as a small child. i pronounced seamus See-Miss until i was like 16. it could be worse.

Seidrin - As I was fleshing him out i accidentally went way too hard on his mom's backstory, so when I wanted to make a tank she was the natural choice. her dad is the wolf god Goldrinn, who I decided (fancifully) to pretend was named for galdra, one of the kinds of norse magic. -inn being the masculine name suffix, i changed it tothe feminine -in and named her for seiðr magic instead. went with a d instead of a th bc logan very wisely pointed out the "-drin-" mirrors Goldrinn.

Crimthann - Sétanta's dad. I wanted to make a healer and I was like you know what would be really funny? If I named his dad after another guy who renamed himself for an animal. And Crimthann (an old irish name meaning 'fox') is often alleged to be the birth name of St. Colmcille, 'church dove'. so i made him a priest but unfortunately priests are very boring to play so he's... languishing.

Donn - I wanted to make a Horde character but I didn't know how to play anything but a druid so I was like... surely, this will work. I was gonna name him Donn Cúailnge after the Brown Bull of Cooley but it turns out you can't put spaces in the names. But Donn (shockingly) wasn't taken so... here he is! Tauren druid!

Jettion - I was bullied into making a dracthyr, the newest race, bc they have a fun starting quest. Dragons in wow have name suffixes according to their 'flight' (color) and he's a male black dracthyr (who are like anthro dragons) so his name had to end in -ion, and often the black flight's names start with shades of blade, so... it was either Jetion or Jettion, and I liked Jettion better bc it looks like Jettison.

Shannock - We all made vulpera, the little fox people together. but i'd already used the name Crimthann. so I was like 'maybe sionnach'? but if you can believeit some bastard already snagged it. so i went with a rough anglicization. i should play him more.

Lokworg - I've twice been bullied into making a monk bc supposedly they get fun later on & i just need to keep doing quests with my pals, but my pals are much faster than i am and outstrip me quickly. The first monk i deleted bc i don't care about him and honestly lokworg's not doin' much for me either. His name's orcish, lok is song/cry (noun) and worgs are the large, extra smart wolves orcs ride as mounts. More or less 'direwolf song'.

Rumpelteazer - Peer pressured into doing the worgen starting quest & I wanted someone who could learn to pick locks one day, so rogue it was! Originally named Scátha (irish for shade but also kind of an oblique reference to scáthach, the scottish warrior woman who trained Cú Chulainn (and my own pseudohistorical ancestor)), but I kept pronouncing it wrong and was listening to Cats 1998 soundtrack and... well... he's a rogue! and Mungojerrie was taken!

Ulfhedrinn - in keeping with the norse theme, he's named after the Ulfheðnar (singular Ulfheðinn, wolf+what's basically a hooded vest made of fur) that were an appropriately lupine variety of berserkers. I wanted to make a Horde healer and i was like you know... i haven't made this insane little family big enough yet.

Galdrulf - Okay, honestly? He was supposed to be Ulfhedrinn. We were starting with new Horde characters and we were gonna level together, but I got so lost in the customization sauce that I forgot Ulf's particular flavor of orc starts at level 10 instead of 1. So I panicked and made a warrior, and I named him galdr+ulf bc I'm not very creative under pressure.

Fuil - Bullied into making a dark iron dwarf but i'm not clear on why bc we never got farther than unlocking them? guys? are we doing anything with these? irish for blood bc he's going to be a Blood Death Knight. one day. probably.

Tigernmas - I was peer pressured into making a Demon Hunter, whom I wanted to name Crom but noooo, that was 'taken', so I named him after a pseudohistorical king that got himself and 75% of the men in Ireland killed worshipping Crom Cruach.

you know i'm sensing some themes here. a lot of irish. a lot of peer pressuring. jesus christ is seidrin my only woman? she doesn't even use the fpose model no wonder they keep he/himming me

[neechees]

oh wow i forgot you liked the ritual haha it’s one of my favorite horror movies! n that’s probably bc i haven’t seen very many and it was one of my first but. it is what it is

i would love to hear some of your thought/things you like about it :)

Ok!!

I think The Ritual can also be seen as having a theme about abuse, but rather than it being between the protagonist & one of his friends or partner, it's between Modr & her cultists/worshippers (& maybe by extension, also shows how cults trap people & victimize them when they're vulnerable). Modr stalks people (& specifically Luke & his friends) & breaks them down until she has the last person, the most "damaged" or traumatized person, to be her worshipper. Just like cults & abusers in real life, Modr chooses someone who's gone through something traumatic to be the singular sole survivor. Witnessing any companions they might've had die brutally & then go through something horrifying, while they are in pain, will make them more likely to accept Modr's offer of either living with these other humans with no pain & never aging, or be brutally murdered. It's essentially a non choice.

Modr also breaks down any support system her sole survivor has & tries to crush any resistance to her, and this is why she kills Hutch first (the most level headed person within the group, the most supportive, the one who's keeping the friends together like glue, the mediator, & the "leader"). Abusers irl also try to cut off their victims' support systems & try to make sure that their victim doesn't retaliate in any way by various means (like physical abuse, gaslighting, emotional manipulation, etc). Modr does all these & manipulates the group using dreams & their loved ones against them.

I think Modr is doing all this in the first place out of fear & desperation: this is just my theory, but I think it's trapped there specifically because paganism at this point is obviously not the main religion within Sweden anymore, & I think Modr's powers & influence come from prayers & worship from humans, so she has to force them into it because she is an unknown god (who became irrelevant due to Christianization of Scandanavia & lost information) & outside of that little neck of the woods, she has no believers & will probably die without them. I think it's possible that the other Norse gods are greatly weakened or maybe even dead in the film because again, lack of worship. Because why would Modr, a Jotun bastard child of Loki, not be in Jotunheim? I think she's stuck there. Her fear is to become forgotten, & so she has to abuse people into worshipping her, & in return she gives them immortality.

Fear is another theme for the movie. I know you could say that about a lot of horror films because, horror lol, but it really does show up in a lot of ways. Fear is what causes Luke to freeze at the convenience store where his friend dies (& this is what starts the whole plot & why they went hiking in the first place), fear is what Modr uses to terrorize the friends to eventually get another follower & what she uses to abuse her worshippers, fear is what drives Modr to do what she does, & fear is what Luke eventually overcomes by being courageous for his escape.

Side notes: I love the theme of friendship between the group. Despite the fact that they, at times, were very hostile towards each other, I didn't really catch onto any toxic masculinity mindsets too much (at least compared to some other films featuring all guys, if & when it was there, it was pretty minor) besides maybe Dom & Luke fighting (& they eventually make up), but you can see a lot of love between them. There's a lot of points where they were very loving & vulnerable with each other while being terrorized & afraid, & it's their love for each other that makes them want to survive. Idk it was a nice thing to see.

& I guess that's it! It's one of my faves too :)

[silvertsundere]

Silver Talks AniManga (12/11/23)

with ichinose and now gill over I'm looking forward to the next serialization round that should be starting soonish oh and also new series by golden kamuy's author this week 👍

blue - finale/completed green - new series/new to me

Anime

Frieren Ep10

I knew this was what was gonna happen when they went out their way to explain how the scales worked and all that but still extremely pog to see, also all the flamme screentime in this ep was great

Undead Unluck Ep6

the weakest episode so far, which is fair cause production values had to even out at some point, but it was still p good all things considered. I forgot that he makes his first appearance at the end of this arc, which should be the next ep, so that should be fun to see

Imas Million Live Ep6

I expected the ep to have some more drama with shizuka and her dad but it was mostly introducing kaori and tsumugi, which is better. next episode we're getting the good ol classic beach episode so that should be very fun

Manga

Ice-Head Gill Ch20 (Finale)

well that sure was a series. gill might have gotten 20 chaps but it's still an honorary member of the U-19 club. I never had any expectations that it was going long from the start and I was right. while I like that it had the norse mithology theme which is rarer that's about all it had going for it. the art was p good but the battles were hard to follow most of the time. story was a usual fare too, dad disappears and son sets out into the world to find him and figure out what happened, and the charas are p forgettable as well. I've honestly read much worse stuff but it's still unremarkable in every way so doesn't get much. better luck next time hachiya, at least I'd rather see you again than taizan or ichigoki's author

Dogsred Ch1 - 11

this golden kamuy's author's newest manga, which is basically a reboot of their first serialization. I never read/watched any of gk but always heard good things so decided to pick this up on whim, since I don't even really know much about hockey and.. it's p good. you can really tell it's made by a veteran artist and you can also see little hints here and there that noda is a big hockey nerd (makes sense since it was their first series too but yknow). first few chaps did a good job explaining the sport for people who aren't used to it through the eyes of our clueless mc. I like sports series so it'll be nice having another one like this on my weeks. I'll get to blue lock one day..

ST✰R: Strike it Rich Ch12

the fights with those two yolked sisters were cool but I certainly didn't expect the chinese girl to win. very excited to see her fight hina now, actual martial arts is more interesting to see rather than brute force pummeling

Akane-banashi Ch86

great chap, it's good to see akane's senpais getting their time to shine in the spotlight, ofc kaisei is gonna win this to build him up even more as akane's ultimate rival, but it's still cool to see him showing off like this