#''talk shrek with the girlies''

[ilonacho]

Watched Shrek 2 with a friend recently and wanted to see if I could do my gay awakening justice

[ravangie]

What about fem lord Farquaad?

Wait Hold on Wait

Listen-

I will have to think about this one

[just-a-ghost-named-echo]

Pet names I would call twst boys

This is only the heartslabyul boys rn

Riddle Rosehearts:

✦ Dear. I know it’s a simple choice but I think it’s still regal and it still fits him.

✦ Darling. Again, simple but it’s something that won’t make him question my sanity (dw guys Ace gets those pet names)

“Darling, you didn’t by any chance collar grim, did you?”

Trey Clover:

✦ Sweets. See it has to be something with desserts because let’s be so real here, I would only ever call him by a petname like that when I want something

✦ Baby girl. Now, I’m not a Trey girly, but I would call him baby girl. I don’t personally think he’s baby girl I would just like to see his reaction

“Sweets? Pretty please? For me? Nobody will notice if one brownie is missing anyways…”

Cater Diamond:

✦ Babe. But like I would only say it in like, a certain way. In a hollywood direction that’s lowkey kinda fruity but he’s from that one Barbie movie where they reveal that Barbie is actually an actress and is acting all the hit movies and that’s why she looks the same but that’s not the point of the movie. The guy that fires her actually.

✦ Honey. Similar to the other one except it’s like your hairdresser hearing about how you took your ex back after he cheated on you and he cheated again but he said he changed so you’re thinking about it

”O M G! Babe 🤪✨💅! Heyyyyyy!”

Deuce Spade:

✦ Honey. But not in the Cater way, in the way where I’m like running my hands through his hair after he’s had a bad day and trying to show him I adore him

✦ Dear. Idk I think he’s one that I could and honestly would grow old with and this petname is honestly timeless. (could also be Dearest)

“Honey? Oh my…what’s wrong? You wanna talk about it?”

Ace trappola:

✦ Shawty. It’s the Justin Bieber in him guys. All his petnames will be purely satire

✦ Pookie. Again. Satire but also because I don’t think they would understand any of the references I would make so they would just look at me like I’m crazy when I reference Shrek.

“But��Pookie…you promised you wouldn’t hu- oh wait you guys don’t have Shrek, do you?”

[raouls-fine-horses]

I went to see From The Rehearsal Room at the Savoy and I compiled notes. Keep in mind I wrote this on the tube on the way back from it so it might be a bit crazy but yk…

- Before the show we went on stage to look round and Hadley and Ramin were there to tune their guitars so they performed Hushabye mountain for us and then the group was taking a picture and Hadley snuck in and photobombed

⁃ They wore matching sockssss and it wasn’t even deliberate

⁃ I cant even remember why he brought it up but once Hadley had a bear on the roof of his apartment and they had to tranquillise it

⁃ He also performed once with a racoon staring at him

⁃ Ramin was singing this really beautiful song and Hadley was in the back with his legs crossed and one elbow resting on the piano and he was chugging water as everyone was crying

⁃ They bashed on people who watched I’m A Celebrity which was kind of funny tbh

⁃ Hadley is a Lord Of The Rings girlie which we love. He’s got that deluxe Lord Of The Rings trilogy swag

⁃ RAMIN SANG TIL I HEAR YOU SING AND THE AUDIENCE SCREAMED THE MINUTE THE CHORDS STARTED

⁃ THEY SANG LILY‘S EYES

⁃ HADLEY FORGOT HIS CHARACTER’S NAME (NEVILLE) AND THEY WENT ON FOR AGES TRYING TO NAME THIS CHARACTER AND THEN HADLEY JUST REFERRED TO THE CHARACTER AS NIGEL

⁃ Hearing Hadley talk about the Pirate Queen was very lovely

⁃ They were talking about the Secret Garden and they asked if it was ‘the’ Secret Garden or just ‘Secret Garden’ then they started using different words instead of ‘the’ and then Hadley started speaking in a northern accent and it was oddly good. I know he’s an actor but have you heard him in the Pirate Queen lmao

⁃ I don’t condone shipping irl people but once you see it live you can’t deny it. My mum literally thought they were husbands

⁃ Ramin sang a song and then afterwards Hadley said how the love just CAME OUT of him for Ramin

⁃ They held handsssss

⁃ After the interval Hadley sang Funny from City Of Angels and oh my golly goodness gracious it was absolutely brilliant. It’s one of my favourite songs ever and aaaaaaaaaa it was so good

⁃ Also Hadley got us to do three part harmony and he started speaking French??? It sounded angelic tho it was so beautiful. I love Just Let Go so so much it was so good with 1000 people singing it in beautiful harmony

⁃ Also the way he taught it: my choir teacher could never

⁃ He’s so patient and dad-like

⁃ Well he is a dad

⁃ A dad I’d like to-

⁃ He didn’t win the dilf awards I can’t finish that sentence

⁃ Just a reminder that I was there for the dilf awards 2022

⁃ Also it’s confirmed that Hadley’s mum calls him Robert which I always wondered about bc his name isn’t actually Hadley

⁃ Also right right right

⁃ Sheytoons turned into Gaytoons bc during the line “this time there’s no way of hiding the way you feel” Ramin got really tense and then he was properly reacting to the song but subtly and I don’t think it was deliberate

⁃ Babygirl this time there’s no way of hiding the way you feel for Hadley Fraser

⁃ RAMIN SINGING WHO ID BE

⁃ AND IT WAS SO GOOD

⁃ AND HADLEY SAID “PETITION FOR RAMIN TO BE THE NEXT SHREK” AND BABYGIRL YOURE SO RIGHT

⁃ Empty chairs at empty tables

⁃ Empty chairs at empty tables

⁃ I am not okie dokie

⁃ It was beautiful

⁃ So so beautiful

⁃ And then when they did the iconic harmonies I started sobbing

⁃ It was too much for my brain to handle

⁃ Then they said they couldn’t leave us on a sad note so they did YOULL BE BACK

⁃ I CANNOT EXPRESS HOW FUCKING BRILLIANT YOULL BE BACK WAS

⁃ So it started with Ramin, all bouncy and funky and stuff

⁃ But then oh my golly goodness gracious Hadley

⁃ He OWNED King George III so so hard

⁃ He did a very posh British accent and acted the living hell out of it

⁃ It was the best thing I’ve ever seen

⁃ And then he stuck one of his legs out in sort of a tango way and was very flamboyant and I’ve seen silly Hadley but I’ve never seen truly campy, flamboyant Hadley and it’s the best kind of Hadley

⁃ Then the whole audience did the da da da da das and it was so neat singing with Ramin and Hadley live

⁃ And they were doing a dancey dance and HADLEY AS KING GEORGE III I BEG, THATS ALL I ASK OF YOU, PLEASE ILL ACTUALLY ENJOY HAMILTON IF HADLEY IS KING GEORGE PLEASEEEEEE

⁃ Then it ended and we did a meet and greet and Hadley asked my name and I said it and Ramin and Hadley both shook my hand and then Hadley recognised me (it’s complicated to explain but basically he once saw a picture of me) and went “oh Maddie!!! It’s so good to see you!” Then he hugged me. Robert Hugh ‘Hadley’ Fraser hugged me. He didn’t do that for anyone else. He opened his arms and said “come here” in a nice way not a creepy way den

⁃ Overall such an insane experience, if you thought either of them were good in recording it’s just even better live. I’ve never heard them sing so well.

If any of you were there watching it please add anything I missed on

[evansbby]

My dilf story was literally a nightmare like…

I was dating this 40 year old man, and I had JUST turned 20 😭 I thought he was so hot, and he was rich so I thought I was living my y/n life. Anyways, he was married which I didn’t know. He told me he had kids, but that he was divorced. (idk what i was thinking, like i was ready to be a step mom at freshly twenty yrs old 😭) Eventually after like six months of us together, his wife found out and made my life hell. She found out where I worked and started screaming at me, and at that time I worked at a law firm, like it was very professional 😭😭 She called me a whore, a slut, a home wrecker, lots of racist shit (i’m colombian, she was literally calling me a bean muncher? saying shit like ‘go back to where you came from’💀) and I literally had no idea what she was talking about. ALSOO SHE LITERALLY SAID ‘go find another n word whose dick you can suck’ AS A WHOLE WHITE WOMAN LIKE WHAT??!! I WAS SO CONFUSED 😭😭 She then threw her coffee at me (thankfully it was cold), then keyed my car, slashed my tires and smashed every window.….yeahh 😀. Fun. Ruined my career there so I obviously had to quit (found a way better job afterwards thank god). Safe to say I broke up with him. It was this whole thing, like he was trying to gaslight me into thinking that that was his ex and that she was delusional 💀 He ended up paying for the damages, and paid my rent months in advance bc he wanted to make it up to me and get back together. We did not. After that he was still trying to see me and apologize, AND HE WAS STILL MARRIEDDD UGHH WHY ARE MEN LIKE THIS??? Two weeks later my period was late and I found out I was pregnant…yup…that motherfucker knocked me up😭😭

Now three years later and I’m watching reruns of every shrek movie with my baby girls...yes plural, as in twins 😭 I just want to clarify that I love my babies very much, and I honestly wouldn’t change it for the world 🙏🏼🩷🩷 He’s still married to that woman, pays a shit ton of child support and yes he does spend time with our daughters, but his wife hates my guts even though I tried to explain everything to her. So yeah, I do not let my daughters near her. He can only see our kids if I’m there as well, bc like I said, his wife hates me and literally threatened to kill me and my babies when I was pregnant.

So if you’re thinking about being with a dilf. don’t. Go read some dilf fanfics and stay at home 💀 I also lost my virginity to him, and even though the sex was amazing, i still feel guilty that I unknowingly slept with a married man. Stay safe girlies 🩷🩷

girl-

you managed to shock me with each passing paragraph like GIRL ARE YOU OKAY?!?!? that is… a lot to go through… from creepy older man to unknowing adultery to crazy wife to lying to RACISM to BABIES??? PLURAL??? TWINS??? 😭😭😭 bestie you went through it all !!! And more!

And this is what I mean like these older men who go after younger girls are highkey such LOSERS fr most of the time!!! I know we all have our dilf fantasies but the truth is why can’t these men be with someone their own age??? Why do they have to be with a girl freshly 20 or younger whom they have nothing in common with???

Also bestie the whole time I read this jaw dropping tale of yours, the part I hated the most was her embarrassing you in your JOB! Like I was thinking I hope she didn’t ruin your career and I’m so glad you have a better job now!!! And two cutie baby girls 🥹🥹🥹

But yeah, I think dilf fantasies are best left as fantasies lol

[jjkmtsworld]

what instruments genshin characters would play (mondstadt edition)

a/n: hey yalls this is my first writing post bc i am in severe genshin brainrot rn 😀 anyways, some are based on my personal experiences and my opinions LMAO please excuse me if any characters might be ooc :’)

albedo:

-the oboe

-he’s smart as hell bro, i think he’d pick up a complex instrument for fun

-he practices the oboe during whatever little downtime he has in between (not a problem since he’s quick to pick it up)

-he learned alot of melodies and sweet songs to play for klee whenever she comes sees him

-he’s the chief alchemist, of course reed prices and maintenance aren’t a problem for him (klee accidentally set some reeds on fire one time)

amber:

-the drums!! specifically the tenor drums

-i feel like since she’s an archer, her arms and wrists can handle the chops of tenors

-she has stickers from klee, collei, and eula on the sides of her drums :’)

-collei’s stickers are usually just leaves from sumeru but shhh don’t ruin it for them

-one time, kaeya was holding her drums and dropped them on accident. she cried the rest of the day (they were unscathed but she side eyes her drums anytime kaeya is nearby)

barbara:

-since she’s a singer, she’s soprano

-yknow that one fiona scene from shrek 1? the one where fiona sings to the birds? yea

-she purposely screeches and goes off key whenever that one sicko is nearby (the one who crushes on her despite being an old HAG)

-at some point, barbara tried teaching jean how to sing… jean is now forbidden from singing near the church

-sometimes her fans faint from the sudden solo she has in the middle of an instrumental piece

-she’s also training in opera <3

bennett:

-the bass drum!!

-you may never notice the bass drum, but it’s there to support and carry the orchestra. it’s the most important instrument. (just like him in most of yalls teams)

-one time the conductor told him to play as loud as he can and he broke the concert bass drum. he now temporarily has to rely on a marching bass drum for the time being.

-he places stickers from klee, fischl, and razor on his drum ｡ﾟ(ﾟ´Д｀ﾟ)ﾟ｡

-as a way of training his muscles, he LUGS it home every day to practice (his dads encourage him to do his best as they wear earplugs)

-sometimes he lays on his drum when he’s feeling tired

-whenever he breaks a bass drum, he and razor empty it out, climb in it, and have fischl roll them down a slope

diluc:

-i can see him playing the bass clarinet

-doesnt have a lot of down time, but since he’s good with his fingers ( 🤺) he has good muscle memory

-accidentally left his reed on the mouthpiece and didn’t play for a couple weeks due to work. the next time he opened the case, he found mold growing.

-kaeya anonymously leaves new reeds (the expensive ones) for him at his doorstep. diluc thinks it’s either jean or lisa leaving him the reeds :’)

diona:

-the trumpet

-she performs at the cats tail often to get people to stop drinking temporarily and focus on her

-anytime her dad tries talking to her while he’s drunk, she blasts her trumpet in his face and runs off

-i feel like she’d be a classy girlie and has a silver trumpet

-her music sheets are covered in cat paws

eula:

-i can see her rocking a tuba

-doesn’t show up for practice at all due to her status

-somehow already knows what is expected of her so no worries there tbh

-one time she found a half eaten sandwich inside her tuba and mika was so quick to air out the potential culprits 😭

fischl:

-the viola

-oz sometimes has to DRAG her to practice because she wants to be out and about

-who needs music stands when you can have oz amirite?

-says she’d never audition for a solo but you catch her often practicing ( ◠‿◠ ) no wonder she always gets them with ease

jean:

-i can see her playing the organ!!

-mostly bc it’s easy for her to remember amongst everything else she has to do

-doesn’t practice very often due to work (；ﾞﾟ'ωﾟ'):

-sometimes plays to relieve stress and immerse herself temporarily

-barbara may have banned her singing, but she certainly doesn’t mind hearing a soft organ being played while she tidies up the cathedral for the next day

kaeya:

-tenor saxophone

-literally another reason why girls are attracted to him

-secretly wishes that diluc and him are paired up for a duet bc how FUCKING COOL WOULD THAT BE?? (๑>◡<๑)

-he is a strong hater of the soprano saxophone and no one knows why

-diluc anonymously pays for his repairs whenever kaeya has to get it fixed

klee:

-she’d play the violin

-albedo temporarily suspended her private lessons as klee kept running off to go blow up fish

-she got so upset one time that she played to soothe herself and ended up breaking a string which led to more tears

-don’t worry!! albedo paid to get it repaired :’)

-klee begged albedo to draw on her violin case. he drew dodoco on her case and now she brags about it everywhere she goes (´༎ຶོρ༎ຶོ`)

lisa:

-she’d play the cello hello

-often shows up to practice because she enjoys seeing everyone (she’ll NEVER admit it)

-i feel like in her akademiya days, she would have done music education as a side project

-she takes great care of her instrument and plays for the traveler (not without another date to follow behind ahem)

mona:

-yknow i can see her playing the flute

-it’s all beaten up bc she can’t afford repairs ʕ•ᴥ•ʔ

-somehow still manages to make it work?? no one knows how it’s possible with its current state

-fischl and her have been trying to make a duet together but they sometimes end practice early bc of their bickering

noelle:

-the euphonium

-SHE’S SO SWEET AND BRINGS SNACKS FOR EVERYONE TO EAT AFTER PRACTICE (mona stuffs her hat with them to take home)

-always practices and knows her material before practice (even dips into music theory)

-practices many solo parts but never seems to land her own ://

-gets too shy to play when singled out by the conductor :’)

razor:

-probably the timpani

-enjoys going wild on it

-sometimes if you squint enough during a ballad where timpani’s aren’t needed, you’ll find him sleeping behind his instrument

-bennett accidentally broke one of the drums and razor felt so let down by it that he lugged it all the to wolvendom so bennett wouldn’t touch it anymore

-likes to lay on it during downtime

rosaria:

-the tuba

-sees the instrument as a way of creating music without being exposed by a distinct sound

-definitely can’t read sheet music and goes by ear o(｀ω´ )o

-sometimes hides in her tuba case so barbara doesn’t come looking to drag her away to the church

sucrose:

-the triangle LMAO

-just like albedo, doesn’t have much time so she picked up a simple instrument to memorize

-gets slightly competitive with other triangle players

-my triangle is better than yours

-if you look on her music stand, she’ll have one page of her sheet music and the other page is an alchemy practice problem set (＞人＜;)

venti:

-ik it’s canon he can play the flute and lyre

-so his third instrument is the harp

-loves the sound it makes and he truly enjoys practicing when he’s not drinking

-the other archons sometime hear him from the winds carrying his musical notes to them

-he plays the among us theme song and sends it personally to zhongli (this has angered him to no ends)

-enjoys seeing his people playing in the same room and somewhat getting along! it settles his mind :))

-another wholesome point but the archons pooled enough mora and resources to make his beautifully crafted and most monstadt people are so confused on how he obtained such a luxurious instrument despite being a broke ass mf

[abuddyforeveryseason]

So once again, the day is saved, thanks to the Buddy for March 31st!

Another gif! This time, I just alternated the colors of the hearts in the background on a lower layer, then assembled the gif with two frames.

Happy birthday, Craig McCracken. I liked The Powerpuff Girls when I was a kid. And of course, I had to hide from my friends I liked it, out of fear of looking like a sissy. And my friends liked it too, but pretended they didn't. I talked about it in my post for November 7th, boys being ashamed of being girly and whatnot.

It was a bit of a waste, because it was a good show. I know Lauren Faust would go on to make My Little Pony years later, but I really can't stand that one. Funny enough, now nobody cares about being girly for watching that. In fact, the problem seems to be on the opposite end of the spectrum.

But, I remember when MLP was just starting to get popular, and I kind of assumed it was a joke people were playing on me - like pretending to be into Rick Astley and Shrek.

Although I don't care if other people like the show. More power to them. Just feels funny that, back when I did enjoy cartoons like that, I had to pretend I didn't, and now it feels like the people who enjoy them are just pretending.

[mataurin]

the avatar state is such a good reference point for ivy and possession omg. like it could go in a way where as she gets more and more desperate in her fight to protect the natural world from humanity, she gets careless, violent, uncontrollable and uncompromising. and her eyes definitely glow.

but Ivy’s usually very logic driven i feel like, so deep down she wants to write it off. she’s insane, she’s exhausted, she knows she’s fighting a battle she can’t win as long as capitalism exists. maybe she’s just dissociating even further, maybe she’s still beholden to the very human limitations that held her back as Pamela Isley, be it anxiety, depression, manic episodes etc.

or maybe it’s something more? maybe ivy wants to write it off as nothing, but to the two people she’s closest to, to harley and selina, they can see that there’s nothing left of pamela and there’s nothing even left of ivy when she truly loses control. when she loses control the Green starts talking through her, and the green can’t see Harley or Selina through the fog. not like ivy can.

also for Halloween Harley’d be Shrek, Ivy’d be fiona, and Selina’d be Puss in Boots that’d be funny bcz they’re girfriends gay girly giiirls

Astonishing!! I don’t know what I love more about avatar state-esque tropes - watching someone go apeshit and unleash an awesome, untamable amount of power, or the person who loves them most throwing self-preservation out the window and braving the might of that power to grab their hand and bring them back to earth. Chef’s kiss.

[moontheoretist]

She Hulk: Episode 5

- You know what bothers me more than anything else? Figurative queer support. Last week they went over the top to spell to us, the audience, that Jen is straight, even voicing it with the mouth of her best friend. And this week Jen wears a T-shirt with a rainbow on it... ok, she can be a straight ally or smth, but it really rubs in our faces that she could be open for interpretation if the last episode didn't smash that door into our faces and left bruises.

- This episode in a nutshell: Let's set Girly Girl and Tomboy Girl against one another.

- Pug wants two pairs of Iron Man shoes as a collection pieces, and we respect that.

- You know what I like? Men and women talking about fashion to each other. That is a very nice scene. Nikki and Pug are officially fashionista besties forevur. They save the day.

- Boba Café is a front for superhero clothing business? *tries not to think about Kamisato Ayato and his super secret band of ninjas* That checks out.

- Speaking to someone in Chinese, because they look Asian can be a bad thing to do, even if you are visibly not white yourself. Shame is a perfectly understandable reaction, Nikki.

- Titania thinks Shrek is a good insult, but jokes on her if She-Hulk was treated with the same respect as Fiona was, then we would have a better She-Hulk design than what we got.

- This moment when you learn there is a fashion designer celebrity for superheroes. I am like... did Tony or any other Avenger knew about him, because damn, they definitely needed him and I can imagine that only Tony thought about something like this to be important. You have to be presentable as a superhero. Tony mostly wore suits, but they were all well-designed. He never actually wore his skintight flight suit in the MCU, but if he did I can imagine him designing it himself UNLESS he knew about this guy and outsourced this.

- Luke Jacobson absolutely slays. We need him so much!

- Did you notice how that mannequin with male armor had a perked up belly, but when Luke was caressing it with his hand, the camera cut out the belly as if ashamed it ever existed? What is that? Hero fatphobia striking again? Did they ever saw a REAL Norse god?

- That court hearing was really embarrassing and hurtful... damn. That hit. But at last the scene with Jen and Mallory was nice. Jen really deserves better.

- HE DESIGNED NEW DAREDEVIL SUIT *crying from laughing* OMG XD

- I don't believe I have to wait a whole week to see her new clothes.

[painted-starlight]

Anon Question:

For all the talking about how Tangled has ripped off Barbie Rapunzel most people seem to be unaware that there's a second source from which Disney has lifted several plot points: a little comic called Rapunzel's Revenge. Look it up and you'll see several similarities: the wacky adventure tone, Rapunzel using her braids as a lasso, Rapunzel leaving the tower early on in the story to go on adventures with her love interest, her love interest being also a thief and not a prince, Gothel having connections with plant-related magic, etc. The difference is that the plot is way less contrived, Rapunzel has agency and is way more likeable, the loveable thief she has for a love interest is a man of color and their dynamic is way more equal instead of having her rely on him all the time, and her motivation leaving the tower is saving her real mom, not some vague shit like seeing the lanterns. Disney's Tangled is literally Rapunzel's Revenge with a veneer of Barbie Rapunzel and it's so unfair that the creator of the comic never got the credit for the ideas they have stolen from her.

I looked up the book you are talking about (it’s by Shannon Hale, who’s written a lot of fairy tale esque books)  and I can definitely see the similarities. T//angled was going through major rewrites during the early 2000s and changed drastically depending on what was popular at the time. First it was a Dreamworks/Shrek esque comedy, then it was a dark retelling of Rapunzel with an oppressive atmosphere, then it changed into a straightforward fairytale that had marketing push for erasing it’s “girly” origins. It just didn’t know what it wanted to be wayyy up until maybe the last year of it’s production??

T//angled struggled a lot because they were banking on the animation pipeline and hyping it up until they dropped it since it wasn’t feasible within the timeframe or budget. They most likely spent a majority of the budget (Tang//led is the most expensive animated film of all time at the time costing a whopping 260 million to make) just on the technology and the constant reworking of the concept. Hell, the March of 2010 they were still having issues with Tangled (at least in terms of their animation pipeline).

And since Rapunzel’s Revenge, which came out in 2008, most likely became popular it’s not very far off to think that they lifted elements from the book to put in their latest version of Tangled, but mixed it up enough where they didn’t have to pay royalties or get sued. If a particular idea, setting, or visual style gets popular enough, a bunch of production companies will be lining up to create similar properties. The more they can keep the profits in the studio, the better for their bottom line. 

Companies also have been known to buy up the film rights to books similar to their upcoming projects with zero intention of creating adaptations so they don’t have any competition. I don’t believe this was the case for Shannon Hale (this is merely speculation), but it does happen to authors quite frequently. 

[a-smile-hides]

A QUEEN - I.R.

Sum: Best friends Ivar and Y/N lie in a meadow not far from Kattegat. In your childish innocence you share your dream future. But in life, you can’t always have your dreams…

Warnings: mentions of an abusive relationship, fluff, some time jumps

A/N: Because I am in need of a cute and soft Ivar… He is a bit out of character but who doesn’t like a cute Ivar moment. This one is based on the “who would you be”-scene from Shrek. I just love that moment. Furthermore, this one is long. Like too long. But as you may know, I’ve been sick this past time, and I figured out that writing while you’re sick is impossible… Because then you get this. Haha, but still: enjoy! xxx

---

The sun tried her best to shine through the grey clouds that prevented her from warming the ground. Not that it bothered the two children who were lying on the grass not far from their hometown. The cold wind that blew through the grass tickled their faces, but they stayed where they were, looking at the grey sky above them.

Both were exhausted from running towards this place. Well… at least one of them was exhausted from running, the other had to crawl his way through the mud and dirt to get to this meadow. But he didn’t mind. Ivar was used to this. For some reason, the Gods had decided to let him be born with two useless legs. Two legs that prevented him from walking or running. They held him back from standing up tall like any other child. Only some time ago, his brothers would pull him through the streets with a small carriage, making him go as fast as the wind. But now he had become too big for that. Now he had to drag himself to the places he wanted to go.

Next to Ivar, lay a girl. Only a year younger than him.

Your eyes closed, a thin layer of sweat still visible on your forehead. Your chest went up and down with every deep breath you took. When you woke up that morning, you had almost forgotten about your best friend and had run as fast as your little legs could carry you from your home to this beautiful meadow. And when you arrived, Ivar was sitting in the middle of it. His eyes starred daggers at you and his arms were crossed over his chest. Completely drained of your energy, you had lifted one finger, silently telling him to wait for a moment so you could recover your breath.

“Work on your condition, girly.”

Playfully, you had rolled your eyes at the young boy who now smirked up at you. He had given you that nickname ever since the two of you met. It had been a very sunny day, and your mother had just given you a gorgeous new dress. You were over the moon with it and had run through the streets of Kattegat to show it off. Twirling and dancing around. Until you bumped into a boy that was only a few years older than you, called Ubbe. He was pulling along a carriage with a small boy inside of it. You had fallen on the ground due to the colliding with Ubbe, making your new dress a bit dirty. And apparently, that was the most hilarious thing the young boy in the carriage had ever seen. His loud laughs echoed through Kattegat as you stared back at him with an angry scowl on your face. Brushing the tears out of your eyes, you had stood up and cleaned the dust of your dress. But before you could scream at that small boy, your mother had intervened. She knew who you were talking to. And she knew better than to let her daughter speak her mind to the youngest prince of Kattegat. To the queen’s favourite son. She had grabbed you around your waist and lifted you up, taking you with her while you kept repeating that the small boy was a ‘meany’ and that you were wearing ‘the perfect dress’. The small boy, who you later found out was called Ivar, had only snickered, before his brother had dragged him off to his other brothers.

You had bumped into Ivar a few times after your first meeting. And each time it ended with him snickering and you screaming that he was ‘a meany’. And even thought it didn’t look like you were friends – with all the bickering that kept going on – for some reason the Gods made sure your paths crossed.

Now the two of you lay beside each other, looking at the grey clouds. Ivar had picked some of the grass around him and had spread the pieces all over your hand. Then he started rubbing the pieces over your skin, ignoring your sounds of confusion. Even when you had asked him why he was doing that, he didn’t stop. He merely shrugged his shoulders and answered: “I am a prince. I can do what I want”. But eventually, Ivar became bored and just rested his hand on yours.

While Ivar was close to falling asleep, your mind was full of thoughts. Smiling up at the sky, you decided to share them with Ivar. “If tomorrow you woke up… and you would be someone else. Who would you be?” you wondered out loud.

Ivar groaned out, “No one.”

“No really. If you could pick and just be whoever you want to be. Who would you be?” You urged him, looking to your side. The young boy next to you groaned again, opening his eyes.

“It is impossible for that to happen. So, I would still be myself.” He grumbled.

You gasped dramatically, before rolling onto your side. “You are no fun at all.”

Ivar ignored your comment and continued staring at the clouds above him.

“I would be a princess. Then I can wear pretty dresses!” You admitted dreamily, “I love my daddy and mommy. But I don’t want to be a farm girl. Hvitserk says they are stupid.” You frowned.

Ivar snarled, looking at your saddened face as you mentioned what his brother said. He felt anger creep up on him and he groaned again.

“Hvitserk is stupid.” He said through his teeth.

You giggled at his words. “You cannot say that! He is your brother!”

At that, the young boy sat up, looking at you over his shoulder. A smirk was plastered on his round face. “I can say what I want, girly.”

---

The sun was shining brightly as Ivar crawled his way to the only place that never failed in calming him down. The meadow had changed over the years. There were more flowers, the grass had grown a lot and it looked like one of the little trees – that randomly grew in the middle of it – had grown a lot. Ivar was grumbling under his breath, thinking about his brother Sigurd and how, one day, he might actually throw an axe in his direction. As he neared the meadow, his eyebrows shot up once he saw you sitting in the middle of it, next to the group of trees. Never had you arrived earlier than him.

The meadow had been your and Ivar’s special place. A place where the both of you could complain about the lives you lived. Where the both of you could be who you truly wanted to be. A place where you could dream big.

And each time, Ivar was the one who had to wait until you finally arrived. But here you were. Playing with a flower, plucking its petals off, and letting them fall into your lap. You hadn’t noticed him yet, it seemed as if you were lost in your thoughts.

“Hey girly!” Ivar yelled; the smirk grew wider on his face as he saw how you jumped up at the sound of his voice.

You let the flower fall down in your lap as you saw him near you, crossing your legs you leant forward a bit.

“There must be something terribly wrong with you” Ivar said once he was beside you. You watched how he placed his legs in front of him, leaning back on his arms. You sighed out, shaking your head a bit. Every time, the stupid man saw right through you.

“Got stuff on my mind.” You breathed out.

Ivar nodded his head, looking in front of him. The wind blew softly against his skin, cooling him down. As Ivar looked back at you, he saw how the wind let some hair escape out of the braid your hair was in. Ivar rolled his eyes, grabbing the clip keeping your hair together and forcefully pulling it out.

Your hand shot towards his to stop him, but it was too late.

“Iva-ar!” you complained, your voice sounding a bit higher as the hair clip pulled some of your hair out. Ivar frowned for a moment, but when he saw you roll your eyes at him, he smiled cheekily and dropped your hair clip back in your lap.

“You look better like this” The two of you mumbled simultaneously. Ivar’s eyebrows perked up.

“Always the same excuse.” You muttered, shaking your head. “One day your hair will be too long, and you will have to braid it too. Then you will know how annoying this is.”

Ivar ignored you and simply smirked back at you. You let out a breath and lay down on the soft grass. Chuckling, Ivar started picking at the grass and letting the green pieces fall down on your hand. But before he could start rubbing the little green bits over your hand, the same question you always asked him, but never really got an answer to, stopped him.

“Why do keep doing that?”

Ivar breathed out, watching you closely. Your eyes were closed, and a small frown was evident on your face as you hoped now you would get a real answer.

“You… You got soft skin.”

His words made you scoff. You didn’t believe his words for one bit. But you knew you weren’t going to get the truth out of him right now. “It’s not going to stay that way if you keep doing that.” With a groan you shook the grass of your hand, and lifted both of your hands towards your face, shielding your eyes from the sun. The grin on Ivar’s face made you almost roll your eyes again.

Ivar turned away from you. Placing his hands behind him to support himself, he breathed in deeply as he finally took in the beautiful sight of the meadow around him. The sun warmed his face and calmed his nerves. The hate and irritation about his brother slowly melted away.

“My father wants me to get married.”

Ivar felt his body freeze. His blood ran cold, his heart clenched. Marriage?

“To whom?” He asked.

You chuckled dryly. “Does it matter?”

Ivar turned around. You were still lying down, your eyes closed tightly. To anyone else, you might have seen at ease, but Ivar saw the pain you felt. He knew you had your eyes closed to hide the tears that were building behind them away from him.

“It does.”

“I do not know.” You said quietly, “Father has said that he will find me a suitable husband. One that could bring us all a lot of wealth.” You sniffed, lowering your voice to mimic your father’s. “One that I would bring happiness too when I give him children.”

Ivar coughed. His gaze dropped to the ground. He felt anger rise inside him. As if a beast was hidden deep within him that slowly crawled his way out. Rumbling in rage. When he heard you sniff, he looked back at you. He sighed out, calmed himself, and lay down beside you.

“You don’t want to get married?”

You laughed at him, rubbing your eyes. “What do you think?”

Ivar looked up at the clear, blue sky above him. His mind was blank. The words that had left your mouth had numbed him, stopping him from thinking of a solution. Or anything at all for that matter. The young man just lay beside you. Unmoving. Not talking. His chest went up and down with every steady breath he took. But his heart hurt as he heard your shaky breath and the sobs you couldn’t hold back. Eventually, he turned his head to the side. As your teary eyes met his, he took a deep breath in.

“Tell me…” he whispered, “If tomorrow you would wake up and not be you anymore… who would you be?”

You chuckled at his words. “Yeah, as if someone could change reality...”

Ivar grunted in frustration at your answer.

You snickered, looking up at the sky above you. Closing your eyes, you grinned. “A princess”

---

Time went by. Summer turned into winter. And winter into summer again. Many things changed. Your father eventually did find a ‘suitable’ husband in the son of the smith. A much older man who eagerly accepted you as his bride. You had to forget about your wishes and dreams in order to become the perfect bride for your husband.

Your marriage made it harder for you to keep up with Ivar, who slowly became more important. In time, Ivar was pulled out of your life by all the things that happened around him. His father Ragnar made a reappearance and shared his wish to return to England. And to your horror, Ivar went with him. This led to many months without seeing the man who you once called your best friend. For when he had returned from his trip to England, the sons of Ragnar found out their father had been killed by King Aelle. And they wanted revenge.

Your husband always kept you inside the house, never allowing you to leave. A true wife should stay inside and make her husband good food, he said. But still you tried your best to hear the stories. How they all got the revenge they wanted and how Ivar had shown great tactical skill. But also, how the brothers lost their bond and how an argument led to the death of Sigurd by the hand of Ivar. You heard about his conquering of a city called York. And how eventually, Ivar went into battle for the title of King.

A title that he now proudly owned.

It had been a few days since Ivar rode his chariot in Kattegat and proclaimed himself as King. Making everyone bow to him as he screamed at the people from on his chariot. From then on, everyone in Kattegat had been very cautious in everything they did. They didn’t know what to expect of their new King. The youngest son of Ragnar… a crippled man sat on the throne. How could they know if he was going to be a great king or not?

It was clear that your husband shared these doubts. He didn’t like the man one bit. With every opportunity that he got, he said something hurtful about “that crippled bastard”. From the moment he got out of his bed, he laughed at the thought of a thrall having to lift him out of his. As he walked to the table and drunk from his cup, he gloated how the new King would be never able to just roam around freely to wherever he wished. And as he looked outside to the harsh ground, he almost choked while laughing, thinking how Ivar must make his way through that. You had learnt very quickly that it was better to bite your tongue on moments like that, instead of speaking up and defending your old friend. In fact, you had learnt not to speak against him at any moment. Every time you tried to say something, and he did not like it, a handprint would be visible on your face for at least two days.

Even though your lovely husband hated the king, an opportunity to drink and eat without having to pay anything wasn’t something he would let slide. Which is why the man desperately wanted to go to the Great Hall. King Ivar had invited everyone so he could share his vision and his plans. To your surprise, your husband had allowed you to come along. Maybe it was because of the weird stares he had gotten when he showed up alone at the last feast or because of all the mead he had drunk already... You didn’t care. It had been the first time since long you had been outside.

You stood in a corner of the Great Hall with your drunk husband next to you, leaning against the wall. Everyone was laughing and drinking, forgetting about their worries. People passed you, patting your husband on the back – which made him lean even more against the wall – and nodding their heads at you. You only smiled a bit, averting your eyes as a blond thrall passed, filling your husband’s cup for the fifth time. It wasn’t because of his drinking that you averted your eyes, but for the hungry stare he gave the young girl, who cowered away in fear as soon as his cup was filled. The clearing of a throat made you and your husband look up. Your father and mother stood beside you. Your father looked disgusted by your husband’s behaviour while your mother’s eyes were only focused on you. Her worried gaze burned. You turned your body a bit, so your right cheek and the mark on it, was shielded from her. But you knew she had seen it. Giving them both the most convincing smile you could make, you took your husband’s arm, pulling him away from the wall he was leaning against.

“Mother. Father. It is great to see you both.” It had been a long time you had seen them both. Not being able to go out of the house meant not seeing anyone. Not even them.

“It is great to see you as well, dear.” Your mother said weakly. The man beside you didn’t address them, his eyes still followed the blond thrall serving as many people as she could. Before your father could say something about his wandering eyes, a silence fell over the Great Hall. King Ivar had arrived.  

Everyone’s eyes were on the king who slowly made his way to his throne. His brother Hvitserk right behind him. It was now that you saw that he wasn’t crawling on the ground. No. The boy who you had grown up with was walking! With a crutch and with small breaths that showed the effort he had to make; the new king walked to his throne. As he sat down on it, a smirk was plastered on his face. He looked confident and proud of what he was able to do. He placed his crutch next to his brother, who sat down on the ground next to the throne. His gloved hand went over his hair, which was braided beautifully, and looked around. He clasped his hands together, startling some people.

It was then that he started speaking. He shared his dreams with Kattegat. His plans about raiding. His plans of war. And with his big speech he skilfully made the last people who doubted him, believe in him. One for one, the frowns melted away and more people expressed their belief in him openly. Raising their fists in the air as they shouted out “King Ivar!”

Grinning, Ivar asked them to quieten down. “For now, … Let us feast!” He chuckled, lifting the cup his brother offered him into the air. “Skal!”  

The word echoed through the Great Hall. Men and women lifted their cups in the air, some spilling their drinks because of their enthusiastic movements. The cheers made your husband’s head perk up. During Ivar’s speech he started leaning against you, the mead had affected him enough to make him drowsy. But apparently, the prospect of more drinks had awoken him. Before you could hold him back, he had left your side. Leaving you to go and find that poor, blond thrall. Your mother and father stayed with you, both looking at you with saddened eyes. But again, your father was interrupted right as he wanted to speak. This time by Hvitserk, who had walked up behind you and wrapped his arms around your waist.

“Little Y/N!” he laughed out, lifting you up in the air. You shrieked as he did, causing a few people turn their heads at you. A blush covered your cheeks.

“Let go of me, you stupid!” you whispered-shouted, hitting his hands until he released you. He smirked down at you, before turning towards your parents.

“It has been a long time since we have seen each other. But unfortunately, we must catch up later…” he said smiling, “If you don’t mind, I am going to abduct her and take her to the king.”

Before your parents – or you for that matter – could utter a word, Hvitserk had lifted you over his shoulder and walked to where Ivar was sitting. You struggled against him, kicking your legs, and hitting his back to make him release you. But it didn’t bother him. When you were younger, Hvitserk would do this to you all the time. If Ivar wanted to see you and he could not find you, he would command his brother to look for you and bring you to him. And instead of asking you, Hvitserk would always lift you up and carry you to his little brother.

Once he had brought you to Ivar, Hvitserk finally set you down on your feet.

It was as if he could read your mind and see what you were planning to do. The moment your feet touched the ground, you turned, wanting to get away as soon as possible. But Hvitserk grabbed your waist, preventing you from running away. With a sly smirk, he cleared his throat loudly to get Ivar’s attention.

But the young king didn’t look up. His eyes were scanning the crowd, a proud look on his face.

“Ivar” Hvitserk hissed. Still, his brother didn’t look.

Becoming frustrated by Ivar’s lack of response, Hvitserk yelled out his name. Which – finally – made Ivar look towards his brother, annoyance clearly written on his face. But that annoyance melted away as soon as his eyes fell on you. His eyes widened in shock, and his mouth parted a bit. Blinking a few times, the young king composed himself, lifting his hand to signal you closer.

Licking your lips, you stepped towards your new king.

“We meet at last.” His voice was light and raspy, but his tone was strong. The young boy who always lay beside you on the grass, complaining about his older brother had changed into a proud and seemingly fearless man sitting on the throne of Kattegat.

Intimidated, you nodded at him.

“Are you shy? Or scared?” Ivar grinned. His finger traced the edge of his cup as he chuckled out: “Girly?”

The nickname made you look up, all the fear and timidity melted away. Resting your hands on your hips, you looked at him challengingly.

“As if… meany.”

Ivar snorted, rolling his eyes. Behind you, Hvitserk quietly sneaked away from the conversation. A smirk plastered on his face. He knew that you and Ivar had a lot of catching up to do.

Ivar looked back over the people drinking and feasting in his name. His eyebrow lifted for a second as his eyes met one man in the corner of the Great Hall. Ivar lifted his cup, nodded his head lightly and drank from his cup. You watched with a small smile on your face how the man nodded his head back in respect.

“It seems that you have finally become who you always wanted to be, king Ivar” you sighed out. Your words made him frown, his cup hovering just in front of his lips. He raised one of his eyebrows and licked his lips.

“I’ve never told you who I wanted to be.” He said, leaning forward.

You grinned. “You didn’t need to. I’ve known you my whole life, Ivar.”

Ivar smirked; his hand rubbed his face. It is true that he wanted to sit here, on this throne. To be someone. To be respected. To show everyone that he is not just a stupid cripple who crawls in the mud. However, it didn’t feel like his dream was completed. Something was still missing. Ivar looked to his left, where a smaller and empty throne stood. Awaiting Ivar’s future queen.

Ivar blinked, snapping out of his thoughts. His eyes scanned your body. The dress you wore was ragged and filthy. The dirt on your red and scarred hands betrayed you hadn’t escaped the farm life you were destined to. Your hair, for once, was down. No additional braids, no clips, or any other accessories. Just the way he liked it. But it looked messy. It had lost the shine Ivar was familiar with.

“I must say you have looked better…”

A laugh mixed with a scoff passed your lips. “Charmer.”

Ivar’s eyes stared back at you intensely, until his attention was pulled away from you by a large figure stumbling his way to the two of you. A frown appeared on his face once the man had placed his hands around your waist. Slowly, they travelled upwards towards your breast. Where one stayed and squeezed the flesh as the other kept going up towards your face. Slowly, he ran his finger over your ear, tapping on it as he laughed evilly. The sickening grin coated on his face showed how he didn’t feel ashamed of his behaviour. Your hands shot up towards the man’s, hastily pulling them away from your body. But the man fought back and put his hands back around your waist, where they stayed with your hands resting on top of his. It was then that Ivar saw the tiny silvery brown band that decorated your finger. Ivar clenched his jaw, his hand tightened around the cup he was holding.

“Wife,” The hairs on the back of your neck stood up once you heard your husband slur his words in your ear. The smell of mead on his breath made you almost gag, “Why are you still here?”

The man behind you hummed as your eyes fell down on the ground, your hands tightened around his wrist as he slowly rubbed his hands over your stomach. Even through his drunken voice, one could still hear the threat behind his words.

“You are not to be here. Leave now.” He hissed in your ear.

The whisper made your blood run cold and nod your head. Without looking back at your husband, you unhooked yourself out of his hold. Casting one last look at the man in front of you through your eyelashes, you turned around and walked as fast as you could out of the Hall. Ivar stared at the two of you dumbfounded. The girl he once knew would have never let anyone command her what to do.

Your husband snorted as he saw you hurry away, his tongue running over his teeth while his eyes scanned the hall for the blond thrall that caught his eye earlier. As Ivar realized your husband was staring at one of his thralls, he threw his cup at the man’s feet, bringing the man’s attention back to him. The two men looked each other dead in the eye. A silent battle going on between them. But before Ivar could question him, the man smiled and bowed mockingly, before darting after his wife.

Ivar glared at the man’s back. The sickening feeling that hadn’t left him since the man had stepped forward, made him feel worried about your wellbeing. Without looking up, he lifted his hand, urging one of his guards closer with his finger.

He wasn’t going to let this pass.

---

The meadow had never been more comforting than now. And yet, it felt horrible to be there. The long grass itched. The ground was cold and wet. And the soft wind that blew in your face made the stinging pain in your cheek only worse.

A sob passed your lips, making you let out a little cry as another wave of pain went through your body. Even after all this time, it seemed as if your body still hadn’t gotten used to the pain.

He had never been so mad. Never before had he been so violent. His anger fuelled by the mead he had drunk the entire evening. He had slurred his words, screaming about you acting as the king’s personal whore in front of everyone in Kattegat. As the favourite plaything of his older brother. He had pushed you around while shouting how you were the biggest burden in his life.

His words still echoed through your mind.

The loud noise of something falling down on the wet ground made you look up alarmed. You looked around, trying your best to search for the source in the darkness around you.

“It appears that you are scared of me after all… girly.” The raspy voice made you drop your head between your shoulders. You should have known better than to come here.

“Never of you, meany.” You murmured.

Ivar shook his head, lowering his body to the ground so he could crawl his way to you, abandoning his crutch in the mud. With a small groan that he tried to keep hidden from you, he placed his legs in front of him, breathing out once he felt the pain slowly leave his body.

“I have talked with your husband.” He started; his voice dropped slightly as he mentioned your husband. “I must say that you have made an interesting choice.”

You looked ahead of you while you forcefully ripped out some of the grass and flowers around you. “We don’t always get the chance to make a choice, Ivar.”

Ivar turned his head towards you. His jaw clenched as he heard the venom in your voice. The soft and gentle tone you had used before was now gone. Your brows were furrowed and your eyes red from crying. Your cheeks were stained with tears and marks from when you furiously tried to wipe them away. His heart clenched.

“What is it that happened to you?” Ivar asked gently.

The question made you halt your movements and look down. In your lap lay all kinds of different coloured petals. All of them ripped apart and scattered over your dress. As tears filled your eyes again, you pressed your lips on each other, turning your head away from him.

Ivar bit his lip and frowned at your behaviour. Frustration piled up inside of him, and the want to shout and demand you to answer grew stronger and stronger.

“I am trying here, woman.” He grunted. “This stubborn, stupid side of yours is not helping.”

You flinched at his words. An image of your husband standing over you, his hands balled into fists and his voice screaming one insult after the other, crossed your mind. Pulling your knees up, you wrapped your hands around them.

“Leave, Ivar” you mumbled.

The man beside you breathed out a dark chuckle. His voice became very low and cold. “You are demanding your king to leave?”

You closed your eyes, laying your head on your knees. You nodded your head once.

Ivar’s hands slowly turned into fists as he took in a deep breath through his nose. His eyes were closed while he pressed his nails in the palm of his hands. The reaction you gave him was not the one he aimed for. With each passing second it seemed as if you hated his presence more and more. This was not what he had in mind…

Ivar picked at the grass under his fist. At first, he ripped it out quite harshly, the sound making you hide your face even more, but with each movement his anger slowly faded away.

Then, an idea suddenly came to his mind.

Ivar looked down at his fist for a second before raising it above your hand. One for one, he dropped the grass on your hand. You raised your head, watching how some fell off your hand onto the ground. Once he had no pieces left, Ivar traced the empty space between the few pieces that had not fallen off your hand with his finger.

And you couldn’t help it. A faint chuckle passed your lips that blew the remaining grass off your hand.

“Honestly… Why is it so fascinating for you to do that?”

The question had left your mouth before you could reconsider thinking about it. But the thought had been burning in your mind for years. Ever since you were little, Ivar made it a habit to rub grass over your hand. Always ignoring your soft breaths of discomfort or the angry red marks that appeared on your skin afterwards. But never had he actually given an explanation for his odd behaviour. Ivar’s hand froze at your question, his eyes focused on your hand. He seemed uncertain whether to answer or not and just shrugged his shoulders.

You shook your head at him. “You once claimed it was because you were a prince. Then my ‘soft skin’ was the real reason why. What is it, Ivar? Do not lie to yourself. You know why.” You paused, watching how the fearsome king from a few moments ago changed back into the young boy with whom you shared all your secrets. “Do not lie to me.”

Ivar swallowed and whispered “Because… then I know you are really beside me.”

His answer made you furrow your brows. As he retracted his arm and turned his body as far away as he could from you, you quietly crawled in front of him. Bending down a bit so you could look him in the eye.

“What do you mean?”

With reddened cheeks, Ivar mumbled his response. “You say you know me, Y/N. So, you know why.” You closed your eyes, desperately hoping he was not going to say that one word. “I am a cripple. I knew it would not take long before the two of us would drift apart.” He licked his lips as you narrowed your eyes at him. “It was not the way I believed it would happen, I must admit that… Even when you now sit beside me, I still doubt it that you will stay with …” He trailed off, his focus no longer on his words or the aching feeling in his chest. But now on the big mark on the right side of your face. Your cheek had a mix of purple and blue while your chin and temple had a very angry red colour to them.

Ivar felt the anger building up inside of him again. His nose flared and a fire was evident in his eyes. Your eyes widened; you knew what he had seen. You turned your head to the side, but Ivar grabbed your chin. As you flinched at his harsh grip, Ivar let go of your chin. His hand now simply rested on your left cheek, his eyes pleading with you not to turn away from him.

“Don’t” Your mouth curved up into something that resembled a smile while you stared down at your nails, picking at the dirt under them.

“Tell me.” He demanded. His voice was soft, yet firm. “Who?”

But you remained silent. And the silence was enough an answer for the king before you. However, he wanted to hear you say it.

“Who… Y/N?” His tone was gentler this time, but still demanding.

It took you a moment to gather your courage and Ivar started to fear he had lost his old friend. This was not the young powerful girl he grew up with.

“The man whom I must call my husband.”

Ivar had almost not heard you through the sobs you desperately tried to hold back. What he had figured out already was now confirmed. He dropped his hand and chuckled darkly.

“I should have killed him the moment he came forward and dared to touch you in my presence. Even if he is your so-called husband.”

Your eyes were closed as his words brought back that awful, burning sensation your husband’s hands left wherever he touched you. Your stomach turned. Your head felt light. Yet somehow, the words and the hateful tone in Ivar’s voice didn’t faze you. It didn’t scare you nor make you fear for your husband’s life or an outsider’s reaction. It only made you chuckle. Ivar watched amused as the small and light chuckle slowly turned into laughs. And the monster inside of Ivar purred as he saw a smile appear on your face that for once wasn’t forced.  

“I wish I could say that you are mad, Ivar.” You shook your head at him and looked deeply into his blue eyes. “But I can’t.”

His eyes went from yours to the bruise on the side of your face. Ivar clicked his tongue. A thought crossed his mind that made a knowing smile form on his lips.

“Remember who you always wanted to be?”

Biting your lip, you looked to the side, where you and Ivar used to lay in the grass. Two innocent children lying next to each other. One brooding and one dreaming about the perfect future. It seems so long ago now… Nodding your head at him, you laughed. “A princess”

Ivar smirked and stretched out his hand. “I cannot make you a princess, Y/N.” You laughed at his statement, nodding your head in agreement. He raised his eyebrow, making you smother your laugh and place your hand in his. Very lightly, he brushed his fingers over your ring finger. The old silvery brown ring reminded him how you were imprisoned in an unhappy marriage. Ivar shook his head, carefully sliding the ring off your finger. “But I can make you a queen. Leave your marriage and become a queen” He asked. His voice was quiet but strong, the question sounded more like a demand.

“Become my queen.”

[kbsd]

PLEASE keep talking about shrek 2. it's such a good movie and nobody ever takes me seriously when i say that so it's good to know other people know and perceive the truth

i watched it last night with the girlies which is why i’m so vocal abt it today lmaooo but yes it’s genuinely good! the world-building is SO so clever and hilarious. and the foreshadowing of the king being a frog reveal? masterful. chef’s kiss. bump-worthy soundtrack, genuinely funny IT’S A GOOD MOVIE what’s not clicking

[strawberryandspiceandchocolate]

Bakugou would 100% be amazed but stand offish from the house. Like when they go in I imagine the house only having one tv and it’s in the living room, there wouldn’t be a lot of lights because it’s a house full of windows, the signal is awful, if they did have WiFi it’s was awful, and when you look outside all you see is fields and fields of corn or sunflowers. He would be annoyed by how old the house was. The floor boards and furniture squeaks and the roasters woke him up every morning

he wouldn’t get it, he’d sit there and ask why anyone would wanna live like this. he can’t be too mad though when his kids are having so much fun; like Akio is learning how to ride a horse & feed and brush animals and Kei is getting to spend time with her grandma and grandpa. you can’t tell me baker’s parents didn’t keep some of her baby clothes from when she was little and her mom definitely dresses Kei up in some of them (after washing them cuz I wouldn’t have done that shit after they’ve been packed away like that). Bakugo doesn’t like the rooster. he definitely woke up one morning swearing he was gonna fight the “damn bird.” baker just cuddled up to him to calm him down. and you know how is Shrek 2 when they had to sleep in Fiona’s childhood bedroom and it was still all pink and girly? I could see that being the case for Bakugo and baker XD idk why. alternatively, Akio sleeps in baker’s old bedroom and baker, Bakugo and Kei sleep in the guest room.  Bakugo also doesn’t understand why everyone wakes up at 4 and 5 am because he certainly isn’t doing that crap. but he does it anyway because that’s when baker wakes up and nurses Kei before they really get up for the day. Akio doesn’t even care if it’s too early, though. he is excited to go out and see the animals and talk to them. also, the sunrises over the cornfield, is perfection. but literally the only thing that Bakugo can do out there is watch his kids play with animals, feed some animals, tend some crops, read, or cook. literally everything he is used to doing is out of the question because they’re literally out in the middle of nowhere and he is just confused. like how did baker get anything done? she’s so modern and tech savvy, how did she come from this?  

[bangcakes]

I get to a degree that fans who have payed to meet them are upset over the lives, except, u know. they're not commodities dvsbna like are they gonna fight the cashier at jaes favorite chipotle bc they got to interact with him for free one time in 2009? also at a fanmeet u get to have semi private conversations and hold their pretty hands and like. some of us might never even see them live in concerts bc they won't come to our country let us have a semi delirious conversation with jae @ 3 am

also like. I didn't get to facetime jae but watching some cool chick tell him he's the best boy ever and to stop devaluing himself? made my whole fucking year. damn near stopped the pandemic lol. also if jae wants to talk to strangers @ 3 am bc he can't sleep maybe we should let the man do his thing. if it's not ig live it's gonna be, idk, fortnite or omegle or waking up sleep deprived young k to talk about shrek fan fiction or something. sjbsbahdjs he's 30 let him beeeeee girlies

yeah it was all v harmless !!!!!

[gltrngold-a]

—  ♥　♡　♥　THE COQUETTE   ♥　♡　♥  —

｢ lucy boynton. twenty-two. female. she/her. ｣ welcome to cerulean pier, home of many mythological beings. did you know that our resident ZINNIA “ZIN” GRIFFIN is the child of PEITHO? they don’t, maybe that’s why they’re known as the COQUETTE around town. they are CHARMING & TALKATIVE, but also SHALLOW & IMPULSIVE. they are also currently A WAITRESS. don’t say anything, but they are hiding THAT SHE’S A RENOWNED ART THIEF.   ｢ shannon, 20, she/her, bst. ｣  

—  ♥　♡　♥　basics  ♥　♡　♥  —

name: zinnia brooklyn “zin” griffin age: twenty-two birthdate: 18th august, 1997 — new york city zodiac ( sun ) sign: leo orientations: pansexual, panromantic relationship status: eternally non-committal label: the coquette occupation: waitress

faceclaim: lucy boynton height: 5 ft 5 in

—  ♥　♡　♥　personality  ♥　♡　♥  —

mbti: esfp-a enneagram: seven, with an eight wing hogwarts house: gryffindor temperament: sanguine theme song: bubblegum bitch by marina

hobbies: art theft, speed dating, nail art, mixology, poker ( she’s tragically bad at it, but she’s still trying. points for commitment. )

—  ♥　♡　♥　favourites  ♥　♡　♥  —

songs:

pretty horses by shirley manson aprés moi by regina spektor container by fiona apple

television series:

money heist (2017 - present) euphoria (2019 - present) brooklyn nine-nine (2013 - present)

books:

the da vinci code (dan brown, 2003) the goldfinch (donna tartt, 2013) artemis fowl: the eternity code (eoin colfer, 2003)

films:

shrek 2 (2004) knives out (2019) midsommar (2019)

—  ♥　♡　♥　summary   ♥　♡　♥  —

okay so here’s the hoedown throwdown about girlie #4, zin!

she’s cerulean pier’s party princess.

zin’s a theatre major at the local university!

her dream role is elle woods in legally blonde.

her family have a theatre background; she grew up in and around the industry, and her mother has been involved in a long-running production of chicago since she was small.

her dad walked out on them when she was young. it’s been formative for her.

( you guessed it: she’s from brooklyn. not that she remembers. hence the middle name, but she grew up around broadway. she’s got a real appreciation. )

okay so she works as a waitress at an 80s themed diner. she was too young to be born in the eighties but she’s kind of obsessed and no one can explain why. catch her listening to ‘acceptable in the 80s’ a lot. 

it’s a perfect job for her, yeah, but not particularly lucrative so she’s turned to... less moral methods of acquiring extra money.

whether that be giving information on what she’s heard in the diner ( she’s been known to slide information to the mafia through her niece delaney, for one, but also she’s just insanely gossipy ) or her favourite hobby; art thievery. 

she’s got sticky fingers and a love of money, and her loud and brash persona make you think she’d be terrible at it, but she’s actually... really kind of sneaky! her old best friend used to call her the artful dodger

that doesn’t mean she’s any good at poker, though. she thinks she’ll get better someday. but she really won’t.

sexual drive: maximum. she’s known as the coquette for a reason; everyone, if they haven’t personally shared a bed with zinnia griffin, seems to know someone who has. but she never stays.

love of nights out: maximum. 

number of questionable decisions: maximum. 

just... yeah. listen to ‘her’ by chase atlantic and you’ll get her pretty well. 

privileged, messy, non-committal, trying to get the most money she can out of any situation regardless of who it impacts upon the way, and it’s rare you’ll get more than one night in her bed.

—  ♥　♡　♥　wanted connections   ♥　♡　♥  —

accomplice — the only person who knows it’s zin! whether this is ‘accomplice’ as in they’re just keeping zin’s secret for her, or if they’re part of the crime themselves, we can totally work out. 

ride or die — every gal needs one !  bring zin her bestie, be it from childhood or someone new she just clicks with mega well. i just... i really love zin and i want her to be loved.

past hookups — because zin’s just like that!

present hookups — people zin’s sleeping with at the moment, just casually, whenever they’re both in the mood. ( maybe one could have a crush on zin for bonus angst? )

enemy — zin’s a polarising presence. she just annoys the fuck out of some people and maybe your muse is just one of them.

[vanaera]

Heya my lovely friend! 20, 26, 31, 32, 33, and 39 for the ask meme ✨✨

GURL, YOU TOO??? OMYGOD Y'ALL COMING TO MY INBOX AND MAKING ME CRY FROM SO MUCH LOVE, EYE-

20: Disney, Dreamworks, or Pixar?

I'd say Dreamworks! I'm really fond of films, those that star a real person or animated ones. However, I usually tend to prefer the former because of of my appreciation for the classic filming. And among these three, Dreamworks feature one of the best movies I like. Like Shutter Island, Lincoln, and The Ring. They are so GREAT like do I even have to explain??? Not to say Dreamworks animations like How to Train Your Dragon, The Shrek, Over the Hedge, Kung Fu Panda, and Megamind are films I would still want to watch again to this day. Of course Dreamworks has failures too, such as The Shark Tale and The Boss Baby. However, compared to Pixar and Disney (should I even separate them when they belong to one humongous conglomerate now?), Dreamworks have one of the most original stories I've ever encountered. Their characters are so fleshed out. They have notable positive traits, and flaws you can easily spot, which makes them feel so real. No tea to Disney and Pixar, but they usually have SoOOOOo many passable movies. Like "okay, i made a movie, guess that's okay" type of movies. They have very generic and predictable plotlines and most of their characters are just cardboard cut-outs of the typical protagonists. Sorry this is long. I'm really passionate about film. Music-wise tho, it goes to Disney. However since we're talking about film, not an album, screenplays matter to me the most.

26: What would you do if someone gave you flowers? 

I would put those flowers in a vase and I would appreciate that someone who gave them to me. Especially if they researched the language of the flowers they've gifted me before giving them to me. If not, that's still okay. There's just gonna be plus points for the former. Though even if they are the former or the latter, I would still ask them why they gave me flowers instead of fruits. I love flowers though and I would really like to receive a bouquet because I've never experienced being given one. I just wanna know why not fruits.

31:  Are you a fashionable person?

Oh hell yeah am I. I make the world my runway. And what I think is quirky about this thing with me, is that I don't follow the trends. I make my own trend. It's my pet peeve to see everybody almost wearing the same clothes just like everyone else. And, I just want to not be like that. I want to stand out (Sorry, the Aries in me is quaking). This is why I love LOVE the no-clothing-code in our universities because I can totally rock a grunge bitch outfit to a cutie girly girl look whenever I want. Even if I'm just wearing a jeans and shirt outfit, I'm sure as hell gonna spice some things up (not skin-showing-wise tho) and make you see I'm not JUST wearing some jeans and shirt. It's MY jeans and shirt outfit (I'm really passionate about fashion like srsly come hit me up if you need some fashion advice).

32: Do you like watching holiday movies?

It depends. If I want to get in the mood of Christmas, bc let's be real, adulthood makes us no longer feel the giddty feeling we used to have when we were kids when it comes to Christmas, then yeah, I'd like to watch holiday films. However, if they have a fucking terrible screenplay, I'd rather not waste my time. I like wating holiday-themed foods, fics, and short stories though.

33: Cookies or brownies?

Cookies!!! I love the hard but chewy and soft texture ir has and also the balance in its flavor! I don't like foods that are too sweet and it's not long ago I just discovered I'm allergic to some types of chocolate so brownies are just 😕 to me.

39: What’s your favorite random piece of decor in your house and room?

I don't have a favorite piece of decor aesthetic-wise. So I'm gonna go for practicality wise (I don't buy things that I won't use just for the sake of aesthetics, I love me a clean, and wide ass space in my home). And also, I can't rhink of any random stuff I love because my stuff here are not random lmao. In my house, I love my dining table. It's where I eat, do my nails, do my art, or work on my writings, while I watch the view of the sky from the windows near it. That table just has so many memories for me. And in my room, I love my work desk. It's where I put my bullet journal, skin care stuff, and writings-wise stuff. I just love how I put them in this way bc these things give me a sense of who I am in their own way. And also they give me a false sense of productivity for the day when they look so nice on that desk LMAO