#and then during the tag duel tournament they pair with each other and not some rando guys

[cyberslasharpie]

GX girls💙

[cozy-the-overlord]

Dances and Daggers

Summary:   The Summer Festival is upon Asgard, as is the tradition of the dagger ceremony, where each unmarried gentleman chooses a lady to bestow with the honor of carrying his dagger for the night. As Prince Thor’s betrothed, Teki’s only goal is to accept his dagger with grace and hope that her violent stepfather doesn’t find fault with her in the process. But Prince Thor is unpredictable, and when he ignores his engagement on a whim Teki finds herself in a desperate situation. Luckily, Thor isn’t the only prince in Asgard…

Pairing: Loki x Original Female Character

Chapter 11: The Games

Previous Chapter  |  Next Chapter

Word Count: 2,322

Chapter Summary: The long-anticipated Summer Games have arrived.

A/N:  This is probably my favorite chapter in this story and I'm really excited to post it. I got some bad news yesterday and have kind of been in a weird headspace ever since, so this has really been giving me something positive to look forward to. Seeing your likes and comments really make my day every week :) 

I hope you enjoy it, and as always, thank you so much for reading!

TW: Violence, child abuse

Tags: @lucywrites02 @gaitwae @moumouton4 

if you want to be tagged, feel free to just send me an ask/message! :)

Read it on Ao3!

The first day of the Games arrived in all its vicious glory. Feasts, festivities, toasts, the clinking of mugs and the cheering of names—it seemed the whole of Asgard was gathered about the arena, the usual level of pandemonium descending upon the crowd as each warrior was introduced.

Teki sat stiff as a board in her seat, hands properly clasped in her lap as she stared straight ahead, unblinking. The swelling by her temple hadn’t completely gone down, but her mother had been able to manipulate a loose hairstyle that mostly hid it from view. While that worked seemingly well, Teki was afraid to move the wrong way, lest her hair shift and reveal her injuries. Even clapping seemed dangerous.

The princes were soon called forward as well, raucous applause erupting across the masses as Thor, the three-time defending champion, leapt with a bow and a winning smile. Loki’s name was somewhat lost in the ensuing chaos.

Teki was careful to keep her face neutral. She didn’t know where Osvald was seated, but wherever he was chances were high that he had a good view of her atop the royal platform next to Frigga. She knew he’d be watching her for any kind of improper reaction. She was determined not to give him one.

Besides her, the Queen clapped halfheartedly for her sons. Teki was rather surprised at her lack of enthusiasm. Shouldn’t a mother be more unhampered in her support? But Frigga’s brow was creased with worry. Teki gazed at the boys choosing their weapons alongside the other fighters—swords, knives, axes. She wondered if she’d be able to clap if Brant was in the arena.

The first day was dedicated to contests and non-confrontational competitions—archery, footraces, axe-tossing. Supposedly, this was the less violent segment of the Games, although the words “less violent” and “the Games” didn’t really match up. Inevitably, a judge made a bad call, the affronted contestant sprang up in insulted frustration, and then suddenly everyone in the arena was shouting at the top of their lungs and throwing each other to the ground. These brawls were a staple of the Games, and more often than not Thor was one of the first to start them, so King Odin usually let them go on for a bit before silencing everyone with a clang of his spear.

Teki tried to watch with the diligence expected of future royalty, but the summer heat worsened her headache and stifled her attentiveness, sending little beads of sweat dripping down her face and irritating her bruised skin. At least the royal platform was shielded from the sun—she felt bad for the people huddled around the ring with no cover whatsoever. Still, it was far too hot to properly follow anything.

The only time the competition truly held her attention was during the knife throwing, although she was ashamed to admit why. Loki dominated the event like it was his life’s calling. His movements were almost feline, cutting through the air as if he were a blade himself, carrying a kind of fluidity that even the veteran participants lacked. Teki didn’t think he missed a single throw. When the judges crowned him winner, she couldn’t resist her tiny grin.

It made her think of the gold-hilted dagger wedged beneath her mattress along with her father’s journal. She found herself fantasizing about wearing it to the Games, sitting here in her seat with Loki’s blade at her waist. Lots of women did something like that—wearing their warrior’s weapon of choice to show solidarity with him during the tournament. She imagined how Loki would react, if he looked up at the podium and saw her wearing his dagger. She wondered if his face would light up the way it did when she came to watch him practice …

The trumpets blared, announcing the next event. Teki shook herself from the daydream. What was she thinking? She was betrothed to Prince Thor, destined to be his Queen. She couldn’t allow her thoughts to wander elsewhere. The next group trooped into the arena. Teki only sunk lower in her seat.

One-on-one duels began the following day. This was what everyone had been waiting for. The crowd was absolutely feral as the order was announced. Most of the people were foreign to Teki, but her ears perked up at a few familiar names: Loki would be fighting towards the beginning, against another novice combatant. Thor was going against a hulking man from Vanaheim. Fandral was paired against another one of Thor’s friends: the slender, controlled warrior who preferred a spiked mace to a sword and whom Teki had rarely seen lose.

Good, she thought as the two shook hands, I hope he kicks your butt.

Again, she found herself struggling to stay focused throughout the duels between people she didn’t recognize. The first one ended when one of the men yielded. The second went through until the loser was knocked to the dirt, unconscious and bleeding. The third went on so long that by the time a winner was called the crowd had almost completely lost interest.

But then it was Loki’s turn. Teki perked up when he arrived in the field with a slight bow, adjusting his golden breastplate as he did. He met her gaze when he turned to the platform, his impassible expression relaxing a moment when he saw her smiling.

His opponent bowed as well. He was a crazed looking thing, wisps of his wildfire hair curling past his neck like a lion’s mane. His name was Geirr, and while the master of ceremonies said he was the same age as Loki, Teki was certain he looked a bit older.

The two boys took their stances in the arena with their staffs. Teki swallowed. She wished Loki could use his daggers. The games were set up in a series of rounds, with the winners of each duel going on to fight each other in the next. They changed the weapons each time: round one was quarterstaff, round two was sword, round three was axe, and so on until the final round, where the last two warriors used their weapon of choice. While Teki knew well that Loki was more than capable with the weighted staffs, nothing could compare to his deadliness with his daggers.

At the sound of the trumpet, Geirr was quick to jump to the offensive.  He leapt forward with several well-aimed stabbing motions that Loki deftly avoided. He blocked another swing and attempted a hit of his own, grazing Geirr’s torso before the red-haired boy pushed him back.

It was a very even match. The two chased each other into every corner of the arena, each sharp clap of their staffs meeting echoing across the thrumming crowd like thunder. Teki found herself leaning forward in her seat. At moments, Loki seemed just on the edge of victory. He got the first hit, smacking his opponent against his ribcage and causing him to double over in pain. The crowd cheered, but then Geirr was on his feet again and rushing at the prince, and once more Loki was on the defensive.

Teki’s chest hurt from holding her breath. Come on. Loki was right on top of him, landing blows on his shoulder, his hip. Geirr was struggling to stay on his feet. She dug her nails into the palms of her hands. So close. Come on—

Geirr feinted to the right. It was a sudden jerk that caught Teki off guard, and she inhaled so sharply it stung.

It seemed to catch Loki off guard too. When he moved to block, Geirr whipped the other end of the staff around from the left. It collided with the prince’s face with a sickening crack. Her hands flew to her mouth, muffling her gasp. Loki fell backwards. For a moment, the crowd was silent.

Loki didn’t move.

The master of ceremonies rushed into the arena, raising Geirr’s hand. “The winner! Geirr Alfrson!” The people erupted into cheers.

Teki barely heard them. Loki was still on the ground, flocked by individuals in the blue robes of the healing ward. Was that blood on his face? She stared at them with a knitted brow. Was he unconcious? How hard of a blow must it have been to knock him unconscious? The healers were caring him out of the fighting area on a pallet of some sort. He still hadn’t moved.

Frigga was already on her feet, rushing down the stairs to the medical tents set up just outside the crowd. For once, she didn’t think of Osvald. Teki hurried to follow her.

The Queen stopped at the entrance to the white tent, speaking in hushed tones with one of the healing women. Teki slipped past them, seemingly without notice.

Inside, Loki was awake, and Teki exhaled in relief. He was sitting up on a cot as another woman in blue held a blood-soaked cloth to his nose.

“How are you feeling now?” she was asking.

He shrugged. “Fine.”

“Any lightheadedness?”

“Not really.”

“Very well.” The woman stood, patting him gently on the knee. “It was a simple heal. You should be able to rejoin the festival without issue when you feel ready.” With that, she exited the tent, nodding slightly as she passed Teki on the way out.

Loki heaved a sigh, cradling his head in his hands. Teki approached him slowly, kneeling at his side.

“Hey,” she asked quietly. “Are you all right?”

He glanced up quickly. Once he saw that it was only her, he relaxed a bit.

“I’m fine.” He huffed bitterly. “I could’ve taken him. Easily. One quick illusion, and he never would’ve seen it coming.” She jumped when he smacked the mattress. “I thought maybe—for once in my life—”

 He was crying, Teki realized with a start. Tears pooled in the corners of his eyes, dangerously close to spilling over. She didn’t know what to say.

“You did wonderfully,” she murmured. “There’s no reason to be ashamed. He just got a lucky hit—”

“There shouldn’t have been a lucky hit!” There was something dark in his face, something Teki had never seen there before. It scared her. He scowled. “Thor wouldn’t have let him get a lucky hit.”

“But—you can do things Thor can only dream of,” Teki pointed out. Where was this coming from? “Like the liquid light, with Brant—”

Loki laughed, but there was no humor in the sound. “That doesn’t matter! It’s just a trick, nothing but a trick. Tricks don’t win the day. Father wants real warriors, not childish pranks.”

“You are a real warrior!” she insisted. “You won the knife toss yesterday, and you still did really well today—”

“You don’t understand!” he cried. “It’s not enough! It’s never enough.”

He fell forward, covering his eyes with his hand. His body shook with barely restrained sobs. Teki’s heart was breaking. She reached out hesitantly, fingers brushing against his shoulder. When he didn’t flinch away, she moved closer. Loosely, giving him plenty of room to pull away if he wanted to, she eased the prince into an embrace.

At first, he stiffened, and Teki almost made to let him go, but then his arms encircled her torso, gripping her as if she were his only anchor to land. She held him tighter in return.

And with that, the dam broke. Loki sobbed into her shoulder openly, unabashedly, no longer attempting to keep up appearances. Teki didn’t say anything. She had never been very good at comforting people, never really knew how. All she could do was rub his back and let him cry.

She wasn’t sure how long it went on for. Eventually, Loki stopped, pulling away to wipe at his eyes with the heel of his hand. He kept his head down, seemingly ashamed to meet her gaze.

“Forgive me,” he murmured hoarsely.

She frowned. “For what?”

“It’s—” His voice caught in the back of his throat “Pathetic. Selfish, to complain. Forgive me.”

“No it’s not.” Teki reached out to push his chin up so he’d look at her. Still, he avoided her eyes. “How is it selfish?” Norns know how many times he’s put up with my tears.

“I just—” He shook his head. “Here I am, whining to you about my gripes with my father, when you—when you’re suffering through conditions I can’t even imagine.” His fingers brushed against her temple, just barely running across the swelling. Now it was her turn to face the floor in shame. He had noticed. Of course he had.

“It’s so selfish…” he repeated, his voice so soft it seemed to be coming from somewhere else.

“No,” she whispered. She turned back to him, hoping the determined sincerity came across in her expression. “You always can complain. Anytime. I’ll always listen. You’re not selfish.”

He stared at her, his eyes tired and swollen. His hand traced her profile, down from her temple to cup her cheek. She shivered.

“But I am,” he said finally, almost too quiet to hear. “Because I don’t want you to marry my brother. And the reason is entirely selfish.”

Teki’s heart stuttered to a halt. What? Her mouth fell open, but no words came out. What should she say to that? What could she say to that?

Just then, the tent flap pushed open. Loki stiffened, pulling away from her immediately. Twisting around, Teki found herself melting under the iron gaze of Odin AllFather. Frigga stood not far behind. She felt the color drain from her face.

For a moment, they just stared at her. Teki quickly scrambled to her feet, burning (she had been kneeling, how must that have looked?).

“Your Majesties,” she faltered, somehow managing to sink into a clumsy curtsey. “If—if you’ll excuse me.” And with that, without waiting for a response, she fled from the tent.

[tagfxrce-blog]

About Tag Force Yu-Gi-Oh! Tag Force

    Yu-Gi-Oh! Tag Force is a series of video games for the PSP and PS Vita, featuring a player controlled character (default name KONAMI) as they adventure through various storylines by pairing up with a cast of different Yu-Gi-Oh! characters; often for a sequence of tag duels. These scenarios are frequently referred to as “Heart Events” as each one is unlocked by filling a heart that represents the player’s relationship with their potential tag partner. These hearts are filled by giving gifts, or by simply dueling the character in question.

    Most (but not all) Heart Events are based on actual events from the anime but are usually altered slightly to allow for a tag duel involving the player and their current partner. Some however, have you dueling your partner one on one or dueling someone on your partners behalf. All Heart Events involve dueling in some form though (save for in the first Tag Force game and its port called Beginning of Destiny), and further progress with that partner cannot be made until each duel is won.

    All games will begin you with at least one starter deck, and normally cards can only be obtained by expending DP (Duel Points, which act’s as a form of currency) at the game’s card shop. -Unless of course, you transfer data forwards from one Tag Force game to another, utilize card codes/card rentals, or otherwise earn them in certain events. You can also earn Deck Recipes from the game’s characters, in addition to making your own.

Yu-Gi-Oh! GX Tag Force/Yu-Gi-Oh! GX Beginning of Destiny

    Being the first game of the series, Yu-Gi-Oh! GX Tag Force and its PS2 port called Yu-Gi-Oh! GX Begining of Desitny are naturally the most different from the other games. They’re divided into three segments which make up the game’s story: the first being where the player transfers to Duel Academy and spends several months dueling for DP to buy cards, completing Heart Events to gain Tag Partners, going to classes, exploring the island, and participating in events such as the Duel Festival and the Interschool Duel between Central Academy and North Academy. The second segment is about the player and their selected Tag Partner earning Medals in a Tag Tournament taking place on the island. The third and final segment of the game focuses on the battle against the Shadow Riders (such as in the anime). Completing all three will allow you to start the game over from any of the three segments and allow you to unlock any previously unaquired content. Naturally, this also means you can re-experience story events as well.

    Tag partners are divided into three tiers: 1st (main characters such as Jaden, Syrus, Alexis, Chazz, Zane, Chumley, and Bastion), 2nd (minor and one off characters like Jinzo, the Shadow Riders, the Paradox Brothers, Dark Magician Girl, Dorothy, and so forth), and 3rd (game original characters which make up the rest of the student body, some teachers, and a few guest characters). First tier characters are the only ones who have Heart Events, eight in total. Second tier characters will merely require that you preform a specific task before agreeing to be your tag partner. And third tier characters will immediately agree when you ask, though you can only ask after beating the game at least once.

    Duels feature the use of cinematics, mostly consisting of the character’s intro animation, win animation, lose animation, and action animations - which are characters playing cards, announcing their turns and etc. When certain characters play specific cards (such as Jaden playing Elemental HERO Electrum), animations of those cards are used to show them being summoned and attacking.

    These two games cover the first season of Yu-Gi-Oh! GX and have all of the cards released up until Tag Force’s release date, although there are a few anime exclusive cards that can be played, such as the Maiden in Love.

Yu-Gi-Oh! GX Tag Force 2 and Yu-Gi-Oh! GX Tag Force 3

    Starting with Tag Force 2, the game’s story mechanic takes a greater focus on Heart Events and no longer has the multi part system used in Tag Force/Begining of Destiny. In the first game, there was a total of eight Heart Events per character, and only a handful of characters even had them. Now that roster has expanded and there are only four Heart Events per character, though you CAN unlock alternate versions of certain characters (such as Normal Jaden and Fused Jaden) to expand your interactions, though some alternate versions are plainly non-canon to the other story lines (such as Excited Bastion in Tag Force 3, who is something of a parody to Jaden).

    On that note, with the removal of a linear story the Tag Force series, the plot becomes less concrete starting with Tag Force 2. For example, in Tag Force 4, partnering with Kallen will have the player character as (or having been a member of) the Enforcers - even though Jack, Yusei, and Crow’s primary Heart Events will have them meeting the player character for the first time.

    Tag Force 2 covers the second season of the anime as well as the first half of the third, thus a large roster of characters and cards are added in addition to the ones available in the first game/Beginning of Destiny. Further are added in Tag Force 3, which covers the last half of the third season as well as the fourth only seen in Japan. It is important to note however, that Tag Force 3’s English version was only released in Europe, so people outside Europe should expect to have to order it online if they wish to buy it.

Yu-Gi-Oh! 5Ds Tag Force 4, Yu-Gi-Oh! 5Ds Tag Force 5, and Yu-Gi-Oh! 5Ds Tag Force 6

    Starting with Tag Force 4 and ending with Tag Force 6, the series’s focus shifts to the Yu-Gi-Oh! 5Ds anime. The gameplay stays much the same from Tag Force 2 and 3, though the game’s visual style does change somewhat. Firstly, the player character’s design changes slightly to match the new setting (since you’re now playing as a Turbo Duelist instead of a Duel Academy student). Second, certain aesthetics of the game interface are altered, like menus and such. Third, the angled overhead view used in the first three games during exploration is now changed to a more two dimensional one, but also allows for larger and more detailed character sprites in exchange. And fourth, Tag Force 4 begins the tradition of better characterizing game original characters, giving them better hand drawn models, more distinct personalities, and some minor significance in a few Heart Events.

    Tag Force 4 covers the first two seasons of the anime, Tag Force 5 covers the third, and Tag Force 6 covers the fourth. Each one improves upon the last in terms of gameplay as others have previously (more and better cinematics, more cards to use, etc.), however it is worth mentioning that there is no Turbo Dueling mechanics in these games, or any of the ones to follow it. -In certain situations characters may treat their duels as a Turbo Duel, but actual gameplay continues to be based on real life rules to avoid complicating things or confusing players.

    Much like Tag Force 3, Tag Force 6 wasn’t released in America, but it wasn’t released in Europe either. There also aren’t any complete fan translations, so information about the story and Heart Events is very scarce.

Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V Tag Force Special

    Tag Force Special, is as its name implies, is somewhat unique from all of the pervious games. Most specifically, this is the only of the Tag Force games (so far) to cover the first five Yu-Gi-Oh! arcs, and include all of the cards introduced up until the end of ARC-V’s first fifty episodes. A drawback to this however, is that Heart Events are allotted more selectively so that an equal amount of characters from the different animes can have coverage. For example, all of the Signers have unique Heart Events still, but other 5Ds characters do not.

    Other important changes in this game are that the card animations have been fully taken out as well as the game’s map exploration aspects. Now, players are presented with five different overworld displays based on each arc’s setting where they then choose to duel with characters that are dotted across these displays as miniaturized versions of themselves. These changes were likely implemented to keep the game’s data at a manageable size (having more characters and cards than any other Yu-Gi-Oh! game before it), and were based on design choices used in Yu-Gi-Oh! World Duel Carnival.

    In the original Yu-Gi-Oh! arc Konami is portrayed as a Domino High Student, while in the ARC-V arc he appears to be an AWOL member of Duel Academy living in Miami City.

Yu-Gi-Oh! ZEXAL World Duel Carnival

    While not technically a Tag Force game at all, World Duel Carnival’s player character is meant to be the same one from the Tag Force games. Brooke Walker and Mr. Heartland will both actually reference some of the events of the first six games specifically in relation to the player character, and while other characters won’t say anything as specific, some do refer to him as “a legendary duelist” thus implying some of the same things. In addition to this, the NPC’s used in this game, as well as it’s overworld map, would later be implemented into Tag Force Special - further solidifying the connection between this game and the Tag Force series.

    In World Duel Carnival, players have access to the game’s entire bank of cards from the very beginning, in addition to the deck recipes, card sleeves, and duel mat - thus allowing for the full array of gameplay options from the moment you start. In addition to that, there are actually multiple story modes to play through, where you play as not only your own character but some of the anime’s as well. When playing as an anime character the goal is to collect nine heart pieces, thus giving you three complete hearts to enter the final tournament of the World Duel Carnival. Every third heart piece advances the actual story, as do the three matches of the tournament. When they’re all finished you’ll unlock a new anime character to play as. Completing three stories will then allow you to use your player character in story mode, which is handled slightly differently.

    As with the others, the goal of the player character’s story is to collect heart pieces and enter the Wolrd Duel Carnival’s tournament. However, instead of collecting nine pieces to have three full hearts, your aim is to collect sixty two pieces in order to complete ONE heart. Furthermore, each duel for a heart piece will advance the story and you can gather them all in any order of your choosing. Once you do, you then enter the tournament and compete in a series of three duels against Shark, Kite, and ZEXAL to have your wish granted.