#sif trade

[comicbooktradingcards]

Upper Deck Marvel Anime (2020)

#86 Lady Sif

[faislittlewhiteraven]

Been having some ISaT tech level and timeline (as in 'when backstory things happened') thoughts and want to ramble a bit:

Tech

ISaT's setting is based on your classic sword and sorcery fantasy JRPG so its easy to assume that tech wise everything is 'fantasy medieval' and call it a day but consider:

Body Craft is at bare minimum is magic sex changing surgery (earliest known equivent in our world dating to 1930) that any old person can learn to do safely on themselves in only a few months, and more likely has many many broader applications like regular old surgery, the 'combat healing' Mira and Sif use, etc.

Cameras and photos are rare enough that Odile comments on it (namely she's happy the group get a photo in the House due to them being 'so rare') yet are also common enough that everyone in the party knows about them and doesn't question the existence of a camera beyond being surprised that the mirror was one. (In our world cameras date back to the 19th century, with the earliest manufacturing of them being in 1839). 

Printing presses and ways to make plenty of paper to feed those presses given absolutely everyone in this game can read, expects everyone else to know how to, and both mass produced book series and newspapers are a thing. (Note: Printing presses have existed since waaaay back but it's the mass paper manufacturing that makes newspapers and The Cursing of Chateu Castle possible that really has my eyebrows raised here, especially since neither Siffrin or Odile find either odd in any way, indicating such things are common everywhere, and while newspapers have been around since 1604 in our world, mass produced fantasy books didn't really take off until the start of the 20th century).

Food production and storage: despite being in the middle of a national disaster that almost certainly cut off trade networks and access to most suppliers for literal months now, Bonnie, a small child, is able to easily get their hands on fresh Pineapple, curry ingredients (for samosa), potatoes, plantains etc with no issues or anyone commenting on this being unusual or lucky. Oh and the only character who even brings up the concept of potential starvation is the Fishing One, and only in a sort of 'we're not at risk now but sooner or later...' kinda way due to noticing that the fish they fish up for fun are disappearing and likely being frozen. So yeah, that heavily implies Vaugarde has very good food storage tech/Craft (possibly better than ours), and likely also good food production and harvesting tech/skills also.

The Island's incredible knowledge of the stars: while the oldest known orrery in our world is dated from around 205 to 87 BC (ancient Greek, earth centric model), the fact Sif -who would've learnt this as a child/teen- is so very certain that stars are big balls of fire made up of gas is interesting as that's something our world couldn't prove the theory of until around the 1900s (note: it'd been theorized a LONG time but Sif talks like its complete facts to them . Additionally the earliest existing record of a telescope in our world dates to a 1608 patent and we see one of those in game.

Post posting EDIT: A wonderful user qds-place pointed out that Mirabelle has anti-anxiety medication in her room. This is in both ISaT and SAaP and though we're not sure what form the medication takes (pills? Valium? Megitech esc Craft boosters???) the fact they specifically have 'anti anxiety' medication at all (as opposed to idk dragging Mira off and drugging her through the gills) is kind of impressive and if it IS modern anti anxiety pills those could be as recent in creation as the 1950s! So um. Some high levels of tech implied in chemistry there <3

So... yeah. All this, plus the fact that the highest tech implied area, The Island, literally specialised in the study/Craft of turning wishes into reality (for a long enough time period that Wish Craft is culturally so ingrained in the King and Sif that they do it without thinking and it seems intertwined with their nation's religion) has been completely erased from memory to the point anything heavily associated with them has been forgotten, and also we only ever see Dormont aka a little village well away from the cities, it's not hard to conclude that you can basically justify giving the ISaT world any level of tech you want, so long as you lock any of the truly 'setting breaking' stuff like planes and rockets behind The Island's forgetting curse (I would've said trains too but thinking about it trains were invented in 1802 so it's honestly easy to imagine that they totally exist in the ISaT setting/Vaugarde but aren't ever on screen because rail is way too dangerous to consider using while the Curse is active and potentially time freezing things on the tracks).

Side note: We know absolutely nothing about Vaugarde's transport system but as a fan of fantasy RPGs it is honestly a travesty I have yet to see a fic that has flying dragons/wyverns or other fantasy mounts in setting. Like, ok yes, the party would probably have wanted to use those but maybe they don't like the Curse and fled? Maybe the King's Curse targeted them first? Maybe all their handlers dropped the heroes off in Dormont and said 'Well Saviors it's been fun, but well me and Scales here are off to Poteria until things wrap up so best of luck to you' before buggering off?

This isn't really a serious complaint just. Me reminding myself/potentially other fanwork writers out there that there's a lot about the setting we just don't know about and limiting all travel to walking, horse drawn carriage and boat is not actually required. (Also please mix up travelling to the Island. Boats are a wonderful classic and have great thematic vibes for Sif's original leaving of the Island but like. Imagine the sheer in-universe wtf of the memories of The Island suddenly coming back and people on the north coast suddenly realising there's a massive bridge, subway or underwater tunnel leading there that everyone just forgot about - potentially filled with all kinds of Sadnesses that need taking down. Or Warp Panels in a House of Change, idk XD).

Timeline

Canon notes first:

Bonnie is a preteen (8 to 12), Mira and Isa are in their early to mid 20s (with Isa slightly older), Sif is late 20s to 30, and Odile is 40+ Nille is stated to be around 18 to 20.

Siffrin ran away from home when they were a teenager (13 to 17? 18?) and this is heavily implied to be when the Island was Forgotten.

Bonnie (in ISaT specifically*) says that Nille told them that when it happened all the adults were talking about it, hence why they think The Island is close to their village. *In Start Again a Prologue, Bonnie says that they themself remember the adults talking about the Island disappearing, which er. Is a bit impossible given they likely weren't even born yet when that happened but that can be explained away by AU differences, InsertDisc5 still finalising details between SAaP and ISaT, and/or OG Siffrin having been in the loops so long they weren't actually listening when Bonnie was talking and just 'scripted' in their head something 'close enough' to what Bonnie was saying to get the idea (note: mentioned that idea before in my post here on the differences between the House and King in Start Again vs In Stars and Time for anyone curious so er please feel free to give that a read if you haven't already).

Odile mentions remembering 'when it happened' as well and has been 'travelling for years'.

The King 'appeared out of nowhere' sometime in his adulthood, and lived in the city of Corbeaux for a few years before he became the King.

The King became the King as was freezing people in time long enough before his attack on the House of Dormont that everyone inside knew he was coming, there were a wall's worth of newspaper articles about him, and everyone was expecting Euphrasie to defeat him.

Mirabelle's quest began 'almost a year ago' and Sif lost their eye 'recently'.

Thoughts on the above:

Calculating when The Island was forgotten:

Sif being mid 20s to 30 and having run away from home as a teen means that The Island has to have been forgotten somewhere between 9 to 17 years ago with nine only possible if he ran away at age 17 and is only age 26 now, and seventeen being the far opposite if he ran at age 13 and is currently 30.

To narrow down the timeline: Given Sif ran away from home because he 'didn't want to eat his veggies' and 'just wanted to scare [his] parents a little bit' it's probably safe to assume Siffrin was likely on the younger end of the teen spectrum (teens run off all the time sure but with loving parents and over veggies? That screams 'kid who has not yet learned that freaking out the parents will get their ass grounded and/or yelled at a LOT and is therefore best saved for doing fun forbidden stuff that ideally the parents will never find out about' XD) Additionally given Siffrin can't remember his age/birthday etc but Isabeau outright says near the beginning of the game "But you're older than most of the people here?" meaning Sif must be visibly older than Isa or Mira, so he's probably closer to 30 than not.

Those alone would imply the Island likely disappeared closer to the '17 years ago' side of things BUT Nille (tops 20 years old) told Bonnie that "[the Island's disappearance] was all the adults would talk about for ages" and kids usually can't remember anything prior to 4 years of age so with that in mind...

I'd say The Island most likely disappeared between 13 to 16 years ago.

Nille stuff:

This is more a general mention but. Nille is tops 20 years old. Bonnie is between 8 and 12 and doesn't remember their parents at all.

This means Nille ran away with Bonnie and gained emancipation and custody of Bonnie (if Vaugarde has formalised that kind of legal stuff) while she was at most 12 years old herself and could have in theory been as young as 6..!

Regardless, it's very likely the original home situation was that bad, Nille deserves a ton of credit for raising Bonnie as well as she has and I'd say it's very VERY likely she had a lot of help from villagers in Bambosche and/or the local House of Change in doing so. ...But also Bonnie is very adamantly 'my sister and village' and not 'my sister and [specific names who live with us]' so there's clearly by the time Bonnie was 4 or so they were living in their own place so... Yeah. Lotta drive for independence there too it seems (so the party might have more trouble adopting Nille into their group post ISaT than Bonnie might expect).

King stuff:

Already an adult 13 to 16 years ago so at bare minimum 33. Given his vibe probably much older though.

Newspapers get printed pretty quick though for there to be so much speculation and research done into his background so quick, either Vaugarde has some form of fast messaging system (something like a Chappe telegraph on top of the Houses of Change? Odile I think does mention that they'll have a message sent to let Nille know they'll be returning Bonnie...) or the King was freezing stuff for IDK around a month or two before reaching Dormont? Alas can't find out how long it takes to walk across all of France out very easily (I'm sure the numbers are out there but my brain is pudding rn) but if we had those numbers we could probably make some guesstimates based off the rough sketched map of Vaugarde InsertDisk5 did... Which I would link but apparently the tumblr post I had it linked on has been deleted???? 'wails at this very unhappy development'

Mira's journey and Sif's eye:

We really don't know a lot but almost a year ago gives us somewhere around 9 to 11 months to spread the journey out along and after eye removal surgery the patient can out and about as soon as 2 to 6 weeks after, maybe sooner with magic healing (though full recovery/growing used to the changed spacial awareness -which Sif clearly does not have- probably can't be sped up and takes around 3 to 6 months) so um. I'd guestimate Sif's eye injury is really recent; like two months ago tops recent. ...Which sorta explains a lot of why Bonnie is not dealing with it right now and also why the others might be trying to avoid bringing it up (since Sif clearly loves avoiding the issue but they haven't yet realised that maybe they really should bring it up even if it annoys them anyway?)

Odile with some Ka Bue speculation:

When it comes to The Island, how did Odile, presumably living in Ka Bue at the time, remember 'when it happened'? Was the Island well known enough even on the other side of the world that it's disappearance made waves? Or was Odile herself or someone she's close to paying attention to the region? (Like maybe her dad or a friend is/was into politics or trade, keeping up with overseas news and got concerned it could happen to Ka Bue? I'd say 'I remember when it happened' line implies it was more immediate knowledge than being informed by a messenger much later though...)

As for Odile's 'years of travel' I have to wonder, what's left behind for her in Ka Bue? She brings up going back there quite a bit, might just miss home and possibly her father if he's still alive, but given it took her years to get here for something so personal rather than idk 'materially rewarding' I think Odile might have some kinda family estate or something back in Ka Bue... Something she wasn't worried about potentially losing while far away, but solid enough to want to return to, beyond her father who she'd definitely want to see again if he's still around. (...But given how open she is to chilling about Vaugarde a few more months with the others, I really don't think he is alive, since well, given their respective ages and travel between Vaugarde and Ka Bue apparently taking years, there'd definitely an uncomfortably high chance of him passing away while she's gone and that seems like the thing that'd stress Odile out so... Yeah. Probably got an estate in Ka Bue she'd like to take the Family to visit/possibly sell off if she decides she'd like to live with them in Vaugarde so... Just my off the cuff headcanoning here and hoping that gives others ideas or something).

---

Anyway that's all the ramble I've got in me so... yeah! Hope this was interesting and useful for those needing a bit of a 'possible tech'/timeline calcs breakdown for the Island + a few more vague things and um. Probably will post a long winding ramble about my attempt at a ISaT Selkie AU fic I've been working on next <3 (Not to be confused with looped-140-and-counting's already existing and quite wonderful Selkie Siffrin AU which already has a completed oneshot fic, a snippet of sequel, two snippets of prequel/Sif flashbacking and I believe a comic too, all of which I highly recommend <3)

[loonarmuunar]

Thinkin bout what Siffrin’s country might’ve been like. It was an island, one with mountains. They’d probably do some seafaring, which could tie into their interest in the universe. Using the stars to guide them. I also remember Siffrin saying “But crab is so tasty”, and since people hate crabs in Vaugarde and don’t really care in Ka Buan, I find that notable.

I can’t exactly remember if they say Sif’s cloak is warm, but I remember it’s said it’s really nice and high quality. Maybe bc their mountains and seas are colder? Or maybe windy, or both even. If it is cold, it could explain Sif and King’s white hair, since lighter hair is a trait irl among colder climates (like some places in Europe).

If it’s an island they’d be doing some trading. Could mean the country is wealthy! Which would explain how Sif’s cloak is so high quality. Their wealth would assist in education, so maybe that’s how they’re so much more advanced in astronomy than other countries.

I generally get the impression Sif and King’s country was well off, and very explorative in knowledge. I think that could’ve put some kind of target on their back, maybe like. The country fucked up in a Tower of Babel sense. In pursuit of knowledge and greatness, they angered a god of some kind, and that resulted in their country being lost.

Update: I’m writing this

[p1nkc4lyps0]

ISAT PKMN trainer assignments

i've been having brainrot recently and i havent really seen people doing pokemon trainer aus, just a lot of pokemon mystery dungeon aus which i think require different perspectives for so i figured i may as well give it a shot.

with my assignments i was making sure to think about actual symbolism and tried avoiding the canon pokemon assignments for a] more of a challenge and b] i havent really seen all of them so if i have picked some of the same pokemon my bad.

SIFFRIN

gimmighoul: tried taking siffrin's coin once, failed, now just hangs around with him and has gotten quite attatched.

minior: a pokemon he's had as long as he can remember. gets a lot of weird looks about it though and has never seen anyone else with one.

chingling: the only pokemon caught in the castle. ding ding!

popplio: what a little clown! a fool! just a litter jester doing a preformance!

hisuian sneasel: basically siffren's dagger. i picked the hisuian one over the johtonian one because it's white.

absol: not a pokemon he had before the loops and has a sneaking suspicion those two facts are related since it seems to remember them to an extent.

MIRABELLE

morpeko: i think mirabelle would like form changing pokemon and also. near the end of floor 3 mirabelle gets like, really annoyed and then eats and is fine. thats what morpeko does.

furfrou: a pokemon with plenty of styles to choose from! she hasn't been able to get it styled recently and while she is getting nervous of it not changing, she has noticed it's happier staying as it is.

indeedee: indeedees are helpful pokemon! often used as servants, i feel mirabelle would relate with this

palafin: a hero capable of change! and paladins tend to fight for a cause, often a religious one like who mirabelle is fighting as a maiden of change.

escavalier: we don't have a fencing pokemon but we do have a lancing pokemon! also the fact a shelmet has to be traded with a karrablast is something

ISABEAU

mimikyu: isabeau is constantly putting up a facade of being a bit air headed, disguisigng himself. i also think with mimkyu wearing a cloak with him being a fashion designer would make this the most stylish mimikyu the world has ever seen

leavanny: this pokemon is known for making clothes from it's silk and any leaves it finds, making it into a clothing maker of sorts, they're also super protective.

bewear: what a big sweetie! aw it loves hugging people, it can also snap your back in two... i feel like this the most fitting attacking pokemon isa with it's bulk, cuteness and hidden scariness [something we see from isabeau when he gets... very protective of the sif nickname]

ODILE

carbink: this was my first thought for an odile pokemon, it's a little rock! and with it's links to diancie, a perfect red herring for what she's studying, they're just native to ka bue. she hardly uses it in battle.

steelix: now this is her attacking pokemon! i know it doesn't cover her primary paper type technically but it does cover her use of rock and scissors type by being steel/ground. i also think she mega evolves it from time to time, for the gems theming.

relicanth: i tried to go with the theme of old pokemon for odile, not generations wise but in the way that relicanth hasn't changed in a millenia. it's also a map, which could be interesting with the island siffrin is from.

bronzong: i can't really explain this one i just think it fits with her character? maybe it's the shape language but it is another old pokemon, showing up in the ruins in arceus so once again, more red herrings for her research.

sinistcha: ka bue is very implied to be japan or at the barest of minimums asia. odile is absolutely a tea drinker to me, this might have been one of her earlier pokemon that came with her when she left ka bue. they also have similar hair

drampa: hahahahah funny grandpa dragon joke~ drampa is reported to burn down the houses of any bullies the child they've befriended, odile has said that she would do horrible things for the party. im not fucking with you. think is not just a odile is the grandma of the party joke. i am dead fucking serious when i say this is her most in character pokemon.

BONNIE

applin: i think bonnie tried to gather apples at somepoint and it turned out to be an applin, they kept it. they seem like the type of kid to enjoy bugs [im counting the none apple bit of applin a bug cause it is to me fuck off]

alcremie: a pokemon evolved completely by accident. their milcery took a strawberry from them while cooking and in an attempt to get it back, span around enough to where it evolved. just some complete loony toons bullshit

yungoose: their first pokemon! caught back in Bambouche and their main defence between themselves and sadnesses when they left. i picked yungoose over some of the other early route mammals because a] tropical and b] i fully believe that bonnie bites people.

unovian darumaka: potentially a gift from the party, more specifically odile who was curious of darmanitan's zen form. it's obviously not a darmanitan yet but it is very useful for lighting fires to cook with.

kantonian farfetch'd: it's basically THE food pokemon being a duck carrying a leek and i opted for the kantonian form over the galarian form since the galarian form is far too cool, bonnie is cringe [/pos]

smolive: cooking oil is a crutial part of cooking are you insane and olive oil is some of them best! very useful pokemon to have on hand and it's slightly more emotionally and nervous natural creates and almost parrallel to bonnie where both end in the same outcome of tears since both are young and not yet capable of fully handling their emotions.

LOOP

gimmighoul: somehow the only pokemon they kept when they gave up on the loops, unsure if it actually remembers the loops or is just a clone...

natu [multiple]: loop can't actually catch any pokemon since, no pokeballs and they'd lose it at the end of the loop. so they've been slowly learning how to befriend all the local natu in dormont, secretly on the hunt for the roundest one. they've found shinies before and would usually be more snappy and blunt after all of those loops due to loosing them. they've gotten good at befriending them all too, being able to tell them apart and what they like. they would never admit any of this though.

[justdarklr]

Metempsychosis Of Stars

SPOILERS FOR ISAT ACT 3 BELOW THE CUT! Later entries will contain spoilers for the rest of ISAT, so please beat the game before reading!

CHAPTER 1.

Deviating From The Script (If Ever So Slightly)

… ( yaaaaaawn. )

You lie in bed, staring at the ceiling. Yesterday was tiring. Though… you wouldn’t have traded it for the world. Spending time with everyone, like that… helping them out… it was nice, wasn’t it? You hope you can stay with this version of them for a little longer. Maybe you’ll end up going through the whole house with them tomorrow, just so you don’t have to start it all over again. Like you have so many times.

How many times has it even been, now? At least fifty, you have to guess. Though, you’ve stopped keeping track, at this point. If you did, you’d probably start going insaaaane~!!

… you cover your single eye with your hand. You really hope this is it. That this is how you fix things. It has to be, right? Right? What else could you even try? You’ve done so much, already…

If it’s not it, you’ll survive, at least. You’ve got Loop. They can help. You’re sure of it… you think. They’re here to help, right? Helpful Loop, right?

… aaaaagh, STARS, you need to stop thinking! It’s not doing you any good!! Especially right now!

This is it! It has to be! And when you get to the top of the house, you’ll finally be free! With everyone there, by your side! And after, you’ll go thank Loop, go introduce everyone—! Because it’ll be your happy ending! Your happily ever after! It…

It has to be. It will be.

You sigh. And as you do, Isabeau turns to face you.

“… hey, Sif. Can’t sleep?”

“I— … yeah, sorry. Just… thinking. Don’t worry about me!” You say, with the best smile you can muster at the moment.

“Are you sure? I could hear you mumblin’ to yourself.”

… were you saying all that out loud? It didn’t feel like you were. But you don’t know, at this point.

“I’m sure, Isa. Promise.”

“… alright, as long as you’re sure. … um… do you mind if I tell you something?”

Oh, right. This. He never does finish what he’s saying, here. But you may as well let him go along with it.

“Sure, Isa. Hit me.”

“… okay, okay, okay. Then I shall tell you the thing! Haha! Um, okay. So, the thing I have to tell you. Is… that… I… uh…

I don’t have anything to tell you right now. But I will! When, uh, when we beat The King tomorrow. Okay?”

[ “That’s so ominous, Isa.” ]

“I—It’s not meant to be??? I, uh, just don’t wanna tell you right now. It might distract you. And we wouldn’t want that, right??? So, um.” Ahem. “I’ll tell you when we beat The King. Okay?”

“… okay.”

“… okay!!”

Aaand here comes the pillow. WHACK! Right into the side of his face! Stars, she has good aim. That never fails to impress you.

“SOME PEOPLE ARE TRYING TO SLEEP!” Bonnie yells out.

“YEAH ISABEAU!” Mira follows. “SOME PEOPLE ARE TRYING TO SLEEP! CLOSE YOUR MOUTH AND SLEEP!”

“YOU CLOSE YOUR MOUTH, HOUSEMAIDEN!” Isa retorts. “YOU’RE GONNA WAKE UP M’DAME ODILE!”

“… I’m already up.” Odile grumbles.

Mirabelle and Bonnie turn to look at her, as Odile stares up at the ceiling, clearly annoyed.

“And if the noise continues, I will stand up. You do not want to know what will happen if I stand. up.”

“Sorry.” “Sorry M’dame.” “S-Sorry…” follow the other three, in quick succession.

You turn to look back at Isabeau. That interaction’s always a little funny. Even if you’ve seen it tens of times now.

He smiles at you.

“Good night, Sif!”

… you close your eyes, ready for tomorrow.

The last thing you hear before you wake up is the sound of something… crumbling.

And

Falling

On

Top

Of

You

[cocomere]

Hello there! Are you a DSMP fan? Do you like co-op minecraft servers? Are you looking to join one with cool people who engage in shenanigans of the lighthearted variety? Do you inexplicably follow only me and literally nobody else within the Dreblr subgroup?

If you answered yes to all of these questions, then boy howdy do I have the server for you!!

Come join us over on the Dreblr server! (Link to our admin's post for season 2; we're entering season 3 on July 19th 2024, 9pm EST). You have to share a social media that shows signs of life within the fandom, but reblogging absolutely counts. Also this won't really be for you if you're gonna, like, be a dick about c!Dream or cc!Dream.

As long as you meet those requirements, you're entirely free to join the discord server! The minecraft server only adds the additional requirement of needing to be able to run java edition. No mods are needed; Sif's firm goal is that anyone who doesn't want to touch any of that doesn't need to do so. As someone who joined the server not too long after the End opened up in season 1, I can attest that the folks in both the discord and minecraft servers are absolutely lovely. We're all very friendly, I prommy, and our admins (Sif and Vault) strike a good balance between being kind and understanding yet also willing to pull out the newspaper to bop people if we're getting a bit rowdy.

For that aforementioned inexplicable person not yet inducted into Dreblr unaware of what kind of things go on around there, we have: -Giant beet fields of increasing size (season 3 will feature a ring of them around spawn, god help us) -Warden Wranglers, aka the clowns -clown quests -scavenger hunts -server tradition of jumping off the clown tent -Our original clown, @sunshine-in-a-bottle, begging us not to jump off of the clown tent -nobody listening and us all jumping off of the clown tent anyway, to the point where it's SUCH a staple that both prior seasons ended with us all jumping off of it as the server closes -there are many clowns and the circus will likely expand more this season :o) -we've apparently had multiple cults -mysterious structures of unknown origin or importance -people with no life (me) setting up shops/lugging unholy amounts of things back to yeet at anyone who needs them -(please take things from me I want to help people so badly, s1 a lot of people had no idea I was hoarding to give away so I opened up a shop in s2 and it helped SOME but NOT ENOUGH) -the Porb (prison orb), a giant floating orb of obsidian which housed a warden -I have no idea where it was made in s2, but in s1 it was in spawn. you could not see it at night. it was VERY FUNNY. -(other people have disagreed on this, hence it not being in spawn for s2.) -many farms and qol perks, ranging from elevators to a huge villager trading hall to death chests -yes, the first and last can exist without you needing to download mods! Server-side mods are amazing. So are datapacks. -this season we're gonna be doing nearly all of the public structures from scratch again, and we've already been talking about what to do. -personally, I'm gonna try and set up the player shopping district fairly early on. I feel like I waited too long last season. Also I just want to scout a good area out before prime locations get yoinked and I can set it up near my house again. I could literally spend hours here trying to come up with a list of fun things we've done/plan to do, but I kind of need to do some eepy before the appointed hour arrives. I hope this has made you, baffling and probably nonexistent person who isn't already aware of this existing, consider joining the fun. We'd love to have you!

[cosmic-consumption-au]

Chapter 2 - Lost In Your Own Head

You awaken from your uneventful sleep, the light of the morning sun blinds you slightly.

You shield your eye as you sit up and stretch.

(Thank the stars, I didn’t have another weird dream.)

(Less to unpack, the better.)

You get up, and see the others getting ready for the day.

Odile is fixing up her hair, Nille is trying to wake up Bonnie, Bonnie is trying to ignore Nille waking them up, and Mirabelle and Isabeau are in the bathroom washing their faces.

Grab your clothes and find a spacious closet to change in, out of view of your friends.

As you put on your cloak, you pause to feel the material and look at your pins.

You don’t want to dwell on your cloak any longer, so you simply ignore whatever feelings or memories you were about to experience.

Exiting the closet, you see Bonnie has finally given up, sitting upright still half asleep.

“Can’t I sleep in a little more?” They grumble with closed eyes.

“Nope,” Nille answers, “we gotta get up early if we want to make it to the next town before sunset. Or do you want to sleep outside again?”

“HEY, I CAN SLEEP OUTSIDE JUST FINE!” Bonnie yells to Nille, finally awake. “I’M A BIG, TOUGH KID!!!”

Bonnie stands on the bed, trying to look bigger and imposing with their hands on their hips.

You chuckle. If anything it makes them look even cuter.

Nille laughs, “You can’t make yourself look bigger by standing on the bed! You look like you’re about to fall over.”

Sure enough, Bonnie is shaking as they’re standing on their tip toes too. They wobble and start to fall down off the bed.

Before they hit the floor, Nille grabs them and sticks them under her arm.

“HEY!” Bonnie tries to break out of her grasp.

“Come on, Boniface. Let’s go eat breakfast.” She takes the now defeated Bonnie out of the room.

Odile is chuckling to herself and shaking her head.

You enter the bathroom around the same time Isa and Mira are done with washing their faces.

“Goodmorning, Siffrin!” Mirabelle smiles at you kindly.

“Morning, if” Isabeau says as he starts brushing his teeth.

You trade places with Mira, and start to wash your own face.

It feels good, like you're cleaning away the tears from last night.

(New day, new me!)

You smile to yourself in the mirror, trying to put on a brave face before unpacking yesterday’s dream with your family members.

“Did you sleep well?” Isabeau asks you.

“Better than that nap I took!” You respond. “Cause you could say…”

Isabeau looks excited for the incoming pun.

“…it was lakeing comfort.”

Isabeau howls with laughter, and you’re glad you get to have a moment of levity before you talk to them.

Isa wipes a tear away. “Aaah…lakeing…”

Suddenly he looks a little more serious.

“But…seriously Sif. I swear I heard you crying last night.”

You feel your stomach drop.

(But…I kept myself quiet! How could he have…)

“Oh…really?” You ask with minimal breathing.

“Yeah, but I was like…half asleep, so maybe I was just hearing things?” Isabeau says questioningly.

“Well…” You’re going to tell them in a minute. “I do need to talk to guys about something…about that nap I took.” 

Isabeau nods understandingly. “Ok. How about over breakfast? Would that be ok?”

You nod silently, tucking your face into your cloak a little.

The two of you leave to join the others downstairs.

The Innkeeper has made you all a complimentary breakfast, complete with eggs, bacon, and buttered toast.

You didn’t eat a lot last night, and you can feel your stomach grumbling. But…you still can’t bring yourself to eat much. Not yet.

(You have to tell them.)

Isa is looking at you with concern, and you look intently at your bacon as if it will give you the confidence you need to proceed.

“E-everyone?” You say meekly.

Your party looks at you almost instantly.

“I…I need to tell you…about a dream I had…when I took that nap…”

Everyone looks to you with worry and attention, but Nille looks a little uncomfortable. Makes sense; it’s not like she’s super invested in your life.

“I fell asleep, and woke up in a strange blurry dream. I could only make out shades, it wasn’t very visually interesting. But…I could…feel things. I was smaller, sitting in someone’s lap like a child. I think we were on a beach or something. I could hear water, and felt a cool breeze. But then…I heard a song. The other person was humming, and…it sounded so familiar…I swear I know the song even now! It…made me feel sad. Like, I missed something. Someone! But…”

Your voice cracks, your fists clenched tightly beside your plate.

Your vision blurs again, and tears land on your food.

Isabeau gingerly puts a hand on your shoulder.

You’ve gotten used to being touched, but your friends…even Isabeau…aren't quite used to it yet.

Can you blame them?

Comforting someone can be difficult to do if you aren’t sure what to do.

But this was what you needed.

You lean into him for support, and he hugs you from your shoulder.

You unclench your fists, and take this moment to ground yourself.

“…I haven’t been able to remember this much before. I…even in the loops, I couldn’t remember this much.” 

“Are you saying…you're remembering your past?” Odile asks with an invested look.

“Maybe?” You don’t seem to have headaches as often as before.

Maybe it’s something to do with the loops? But even then…

You suddenly have an idea.

“Wait!! Does this have anything to do with everyone’s memory or just me specifically?”

Mirabelle tilts her head to the side in thought. “Maybe if you try humming it to us, we can see if it gives us a headache?”

“Yeah! Let’s try it, Siffrin!” Bonnie actually looks excited, leaning over the table.

Nille just looks even more lost than before, and much more uncomfortable.

“Don’t worry,” Siffrin tells the poor young woman. “I’ll explain…everything to you after this.”

She looks a bit more eased at this, and gives you a firm nod.

You take a deep breath in and out, close your eyes, and…

…

You start to hum.

The song comes out of your throat without much thought or concentration. It almost feels freeing, like you’re letting something from deep inside you out. You feel warm tears again, accompanied with the bittersweet pang in your heart.

When the song is completed to the best of your ability, you open your eyes again.

Everyone looks a little worried, likely because your face is running with tears. But you aren’t really that sad anymore.

It’s like an automatic response to the tune now.

“Well, it sounded lovely and clear as day!” Mira breaks the silence.

Odile nods, “It’s got to be the first time something from your past didn’t give us headaches.”

“Sif…you’re crying…” Isa looks worried about you.

“O-oh? Yeah, I guess I am…” You wipe away the tears before they drip onto your already cried-on food.

Odile thinks for a moment. “So, whatever is preventing us from remembering your country seems to be…wearing off?”

You nod slightly. “…that’s my current theory.”

Bonnie gasps, “Does that mean we can remember its name now?!”

Bonnie makes a face of deep concentration for a few moments before looking a little disappointed.

“…Nope. I guess not.”

Nille looks over at you with a rather unbothered expression. “So, your country…no one can remember it? And whatever is keeping everyone from remembering it is…wearing off? When did this start happening, recently?”

You feel a little awkward. “…It might be easier to explain it all later to you. You're kinda behind on the whole…situation…”

She lets out a long breath and leans back into her chair without another word, clearly feeling out of place in the conversation.

“…Sorry,” you say, trying to ease the tension.

Nille just closes her eyes.

“Well, this is definitely a development,” Odile steers the conversation back to the matter at hand.

“I do have a question…” Isabeau asks seriously. “How do you feel about this…development?”

You don’t really know yet.

On one hand, you can finally learn about your past and your culture!

…But on the other hand…do you really want to remember what was stolen from you?

Perhaps ignorance is bliss.

“…don’t know…” You tuck your face into your cloak a little, looking away from everyone.

You start to eat your food, which isn’t warm anymore, to signal the end of the discussion.

You don’t want to keep talking anymore. You just want to eat.

The rest of the meal is awkward, and you start to realize it was a mistake to do this over breakfast and not afterwards.

(Well, too late now.)

You look up at the ceiling, wishing you could see the stars.

(Loop…I wish you were here. You would understand more…maybe even help me out again…)

But you have no idea where they are.

Are they dead? Under the Favor Tree? Back in their own timeline?

You wish the hand sign still worked, so you could ask them these questions and get an answer.

You sigh, and go back to your tear-salted meal.

-

Walking to the next town was going to take a while, but it was possible. According to Mira, you should make it there in the afternoon.

Along the road, you pass by a few people as usual, but one group sticks out to you.

They’re running away toward your direction, and they look rather beaten up.

“AHHHHHHH!!!!”

“RUN!!!”

“WHAT EVEN IS THAT?!?!!!”

You have a strong feeling you know what they’re running from, and your party draws their weapons.

Sure enough, a rather big Sadness starts to pull itself along the road after you. Its cries sound all too familiar at this point.

Luckily, this one seems to be a paper type, so you’ll be able to handle this quickly and easily.

You slice the enemy, bringing it to its knees…supposedly…or whatever its knees are now.

But part of you can’t help but wonder…if they’re connected somehow?

The King was able to recall your country at the end…maybe this affected the Sadnesses?

You have no idea.

But someone might!

You yell at Odile, “Examine it!”

She looks surprised, but does so anyway. “…It’s…Well, it’s clearly a paper type. Seems like a normal Sadness, nothing out of the ordinary.”

She readies her book, and casts Scissors IV. The Sadness is defeated quicker than it arrived.

You feel a slight bit of disappointment, hoping more could’ve been gleaned from the encounter.

You breathe in and out. Or more, sigh out.

“We should ask the next town about Sadnesses,” you suggest. “Maybe they have more information about how many are around?”

“Yeah. That could be useful.” Isa nods in agreement.

You eventually make it to the new town, the sign looking worn stating “Revery”. It’s rather empty and looks like it used to have many more people. You all wander further in, and notice there’s a quarry nearby.

“Ok everyone, let’s go ask around!” Mirabelle claps and readies to go.

You feel a hand on your shoulder, and look back to see Nille giving you a serious look.

“You,” she says in a commanding voice. “I have questions you need to answer.”

“O-oh, right!” You had almost forgotten. “Actually, I’m going to catch Nille up. You all go on ahead!”

Bonnie looks up at Odile. “Let’s go in-tera-gate some people!”

“It’s interrogate, and we’re not doing that. We’re just going to ask some questions.” Odile corrects Bonnie with a little smirk.

“INTERROGATE!!!” Bonnie yells before running ahead, Odile walking in pursuit.

Mirabelle and Isabeau smile at each other. “Look like the old alliances are back, huh?” Isabeau bumps his fists together.

Mirabelle nods, “It appears so. Beauty Team-”

“Unite!” The two say in unison before running off.

Now it’s just you and Nille.

She points to the quarry. “Over there. It looks inactive, so there shouldn’t be any easedropers.”

You head over and find a small ledge to sit on.

“Ok…” You sigh out, realizing just how much you’ll have to tell her.

End of Chapter 2

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Previous - Masterpost - Next

[ritual-unions]

A Curse I Cannot Lift

Part One of Wolf Like Me: Read the rest here

Pairing: Ubbe x OFC

Summary: Eir, daughter to the King of Sweden, worries that her father has promised her hand in marriage, though he denies the claim. Arriving at the shores of Kattegat, Eir sneaks away from her family, running into a stranger she hopes to never see again.

Setting: slightly pre-season 4b, maybe by a few months.

Word Count: >2000

Warnings: none, unless a “meet-cute” is a warning.

Her mother had complained every day since stepping on the boat that the salt soaked into her dress would never come out. Eir had to admit, she too was ready to be on land again, though she does not voice her complaints as loudly as her mother.

The warriors rowing look as though they will gladly trade positions with the Queen of Sweden, whose hands are void of any calluses, and the jewels dripping off her head and neck would fetch enough coin to feed them and their families for three years. The men grimace, and grunt as Eir’s mother whines, thinking instead of the glory and the gold they will obtain when they finally sail to the Mediterranean. 

The first stop will be Kattegat, where Eir’s father, King Anund of Sweden, will begrudgingly pay tribute to the man responsible for the voyage. Eir asks her father if she too can sail to the Mediterranean, only to receive a wide-eyed look of wonder in return. King Anund will take her younger brothers, yes, but no, Eir will stay with her mother, Sif, waiting patiently in Kattegat, until they return. 

Her parents are hiding something from her. Eir knows by the way her mother stares at her longingly as if she will never see her again. As if she will blink her eyes and Eir will disappear. Sif offers each night to brush Eir’s hair, even though she had not done such a thing since Eir was ten years old. 

Anund has lovingly squeezed Eir’s shoulder so frequently that Eir is sure there will be an indentation where his fingers have pressed against her skin. Each evening Anund finds Eir at the bow of the ship, opens his mouth as if to say something wise, stands like a gaping fish and promptly walks away. 

When Eir asks if something is wrong her parents shrug their shoulders, frown, and look off into the distance, the orange glow of the sun blinding their eyes, as if Eir should look for answers there. 

It would be of no surprise to any of her handmaids that Eir slips away the moment the boat docks on the shores of Kattegat. It is possible that they even look the other way when she silently holds herself back before timidly heading down the shoreline. 

The cliffs that stand like silent sentries over the fjord have been calling to Eir since they sailed in, two days earlier. Leaning against the prowl of the ship she had stared up at their glory wondering what it must be like to stand on top of them. 

The hollow in the hillside seems the most obvious route, but as she struggles over the rubble, her fine leather boots slipping against the rugged rocks, the journey becomes almost impossible. 

She turns around in search of a better route, not yet willing to be deterred. There is a game-trail down the way that she eyes but it is a steep climb and in her dress she does not think she has the mobility to make it. She will try anyway, she has to make it to the top. There is something waiting for her there, only waiting to be discovered. 

A man she had not noticed before is at the base of the path she wants to take. He is off his horse, fiddling with the straps of his saddle, a large black dog circling his heels impatiently. Cautiously, she freezes in place. The way he had slid into view without a sound, is unsettling. With no one around to see he can easily attack her. Eir does not have the skill or strength of a shieldmaiden or even a country girl raised to carry bags of wheat twice their size. She is a princess untrained in the art of war, instead she gapes, shifting on her feet unsteadily, unsure what to do next.  

With as much courage as she can muster, she acknowledges him. “Who are you?”  

Silently, the man gazes at her in acute interest, a whisper of a smile on his lips as he takes her in. His dirty blonde hair is wind swept and wild atop his head. His face is clean of dirt but she cannot place his station, much to her annoyance. He could be a local or a warrior traveling to Kattegat to sail with Bjorn Ironside. She does not know, making her even more cautious. 

The black dog, more a wolf, steps in closer, long nose sniffing at the air. Not able to steady her nerves she takes half a step back. The man snaps his fingers twice, causing Eir to jump in surprise and the wolf to sit back on his haunches. The wolf-dog looks at her with the same watchful eyes as the man.  

“Are you the kennel master?” Eir demands. Her gaze travels to the two rabbits hanging off of his shoulder. “The gamekeep?” She asks again, her nerves causing her to ramble.

This makes him laugh, a throaty chuckle that creases the corners of his eyes. A kind smile greets her and she can not help but warm to it. She has never thought of herself as a funny person but she wishes she knew a few jokes just to make him laugh that way again. 

“Do you always demand someone’s profession before their name?” He inquires with a tilt of his head. 

A blush creeps along Eir’s throat. Embarrassed, she looks anywhere but his face, to the horse that stands patiently beside him or the hillside she still desires to climb, even as he tries vainly to find her gaze once more.

“I am Ubbe,” he finally announces, and Eir can no longer ignore him. His voice is soft, there is no hint of haughtiness as if she should know who he is. Most men she meets in her father’s great halls wear their pride heavy on their shoulders and chest, demanding an abundance of attention just for being. This man does not and Eir frowns, not used to such modest demure.  

“I am not the kennel master or the gamekeep.” His mouth holds a humor hidden in the corners as he speaks. “Though my brothers probably think otherwise.” He shrugs his shoulders, as if this is the way of the world. Ubbe laughs under his breath, shaking his head when Eir frowns in discontent. 

“I want to go up there,” Eir says when Ubbe does not offer to explain himself. To deflect his attention she flicks her chin in the direction of the cliffs.  

Ubbe’s face is somber as he follows her gaze, allowing Eir’s disposition to settle away from his searching eyes. “Yes. I can take you,” he says, reaching out for her, fingers slipping around her waist. 

With a gasp of surprise she twists out of his grip. Never in her life has she been grabbed at so rudely. This man is clearly some boy from the country, not trained in the ways to treat a lady of her stature. 

“What are you doing?” She shrieks. 

Again Ubbe laughs at her. “Helping you on my horse. You cannot think to walk.” 

“I don’t ride horses.” Her tongue feels heavy in her mouth. She does not have to explain herself like this back home. Her hands find her hips, eyes narrowing in an attempt to show that her mind will not easily be swayed.

“It is fine if you have never ridden before. Skadi is a good girl.” Ubbe pats the snowy rump of the draft horse and the mare flicks her head in silent agreement, white mane flashing in the sun. 

Eir shakes her head, taking half a step back. 

“Come,” Ubbe goads with a wave of his hand. Eir chews her lip in apprehension. She should not trust this man but a wild sense of curiosity bubbles in her belly, pushing her forward. She is desperate to go to the top, something is calling her there. 

“Here, I will show you.” Ubbe is on the horse in one fluid twist, holding out his hand in offering when he has settled. His eyes spark with mischief. Curious, Eir takes another step towards Ubbe and his horse. She has never been one to dabble in the unknown but here she is scrambling on top of a horse she does not know with a man she has just met. Her mother would faint at the sight of her. 

Gripping onto the leather of the saddle, Eir mumbles, “this is wrong.” 

Cool breath tickles her ear. “That is what makes it fun.” He is laughing at her again but she does not get the chance to glare at him over her shoulder. He spurs the horse forward, startling Eir, and she has to bite the inside of her cheek to keep herself from letting out a shriek of terror. 

Ubbe is right about not wanting to walk this hillside on foot. Eir can hear the horse’s labored breathing, its first strides quick then she slows as muscles strained to push on. This is why Eir refuses to ride horses. It is not right. To abuse an animal, to force them to carry their weight just to make their lives easier, she wants nothing to do with it. 

She opens her mouth to protest. She would walk the rest of the way. 

“Here,” Ubbe says, halting the horse, his fingers on her waist nudging her down. With shaking arms she slides to the ground. 

Letting out a sigh of relief, she remembers to pat the horse’s neck in thanks, whispering promises of a treat. It will not be enough for her conscience but the sight before her pulls her away from her guilt. 

From here she can see the entire world. The fjord long and endless, Kattegat small and bustling, plumes of smoke rising from tiny houses, and up the valley, to the mountains and beyond. At the mouth of the fjord boats sailed in, tiny dots on the vast landscape. They come from all over, places Eir had never been and would probably never go. 

“I think my father means to marry me off,” Eir blurts, words tumbling out of her mouth without consent. 

Ubbe is relaxed on a large lichen covered boulder, his wolf perched on a patch of snow next to him. They share a mirrored thoughtful look but neither offer an opinion on the matter. She rolls her eyes. She should not expect so much from a kennel master. It is better this way. She does not need his opinion. She knows what she really wants. 

“I want to scream.” 

“Scream.” Ubbe’s subtle nod of permission allows Eir to open her lungs. She screams, loud and hard, until her throat hurts and her ears ring, until she feels right again. 

“Better,” she says with a heavy sigh, brushing over her skirts, straightening out the wrinkles and her temporary embarrassment. She would never see this man again. It does not matter how he views her. “You can take me back now.” 

This time Ubbe does not laugh at her, instead he helps her on his horse and silently they make their way back to the shore. 

Her mother, Sif, is there, frantically calling her name, as she paces the sandy shoreline. Ubbe's steady hands help Eir off the horse, making sure she has her feet under her before he steps away. Mirth is once again lit in his eyes as he watches Sif, rushing toward her. 

Eir wants to say something, thank him for his help or scold him for laughing at her mother’s nature but she does not get the opportunity, instead Sif’s crushing hug leaves Eir swaying on her feet. 

“I was only gone a moment,” Eir mumbles against her mother’s shoulder. 

“Don’t do that!” Sif replies, already turning back down the shore, towards town where her maids and a few king’s guards wait patiently for their queen’s return. Eir’s elbow is clenched tightly in Sif’s hand as her mother directs Eir back to the bustle of town. With one last fleeting glance over her shoulder, Eir plans to call out her thanks to Ubbe but she finds that his eyes are still full of mirth. He is laughing at her, at her mother. His mouth is alive with humor though he tries vainly to damper it with a slip of his tongue against his lips. Eir scowls, happy that she will never have to see Ubbe again. 

+++

Entire Vikings Masterlist or Wolf Like Me series masterlist

[purringsquid]

Heimdall x pregnant reader, protectiveness and plenty of plot

(this will get sad)

just a short introduction to the chapter, enjoy

part 7 of this series

There is plenty you have learned since becoming pregnant. Firstly, your husband is a liar, you did not get fat. Second, he is a preposterous cunt that loves to humiliate you in public and then fuss about your condition in private.

He never says anything, but he worries, he wakes up at night with tears in his eyes and gets angry if you try to comfort him. When you don’t, he wraps his arms around your belly and goes back to sleep. You never told him what your fate holds and if he read that in your mind, he does not voice it neither.

When your child first moves inside of you, he seems as relieved as you are.

“There’s a situation with the dwarves.”

You are having one of the nicer moments with your husband, having your breakfast in the Great Hall, sitting so close together you might as well be on his lap, as he shamelessly flirts with you. So, when Sif interrupts you, you are not happy at all.

You don’t bother swallowing the bread you are chewing before you answer. “Twewe’s a’ways a siwuation with the dwawves!”

“Don’t speak with your mouth full, woman.” Heimdall pushes you away, cleaning off the imaginary crumbles you did not spit at him.

Sif seems unimpressed with your objection. “The All-Father wants both of you to be present.”

“Let’s not keep him waiting, then.” Heimdall gets up, pulling you along. You take your bread with you, pushing it in your mouth as he hurries you forward.

You get the image of the situation the moment you enter the All-Father’s study, usually when the Dwarves are concerned there’s a court gathering including their representative, Sif and Mirmir. But now the goat is nowhere to be seen and nor is the representative. Who is present are the All-Father’s sons and their spouses (minus Nana… so just you and Sif).

The All-Father speaks as soon as your husband closes the door behind you. “Earlier this morning, there was an alert concerning the prisoner security in Svartalfheim.”

You understand the meaning of his words, but are not sure if you should show it - you have only joined the family after the prisoner in question was already gone. You look at Heimdall for a clarification, but the only answer he gives you is his hand squeezing your waist – which might just be him feeling touchy but holding back in public.

"I have employed Einherjar to investigate, but they never returned. Neither did they return to Valhalla." The All-Father looks your way. "It seems that the Dwarves might be hiding something from us. Sif, you are our lead diplomat, what's your judgment?"

"Our relationship with the Dwarves has been holding on a string for some time." Sif speaks professionally as always. "They think of our trade to be beneficial only to us. It would be better to investigate first before coming to any harsh conclusions and creating more damage." She takes a break to breathe. "They should not be aware of who is held in their realm, and we should not give them any leads about it. I proposition a careful approach, let's find the missing Einherjar first."

"With any luck, they got stuck in a mead hall." Thor says. "I will check on it."

"That won't be necessary, Thor." The All-Father answers. "I think Heimdall and Lady Y/N are sufficient for finding our men, dead or alive, as well as any possible troublemakers."

"Yes, All-Father." You and Heimdall say at the same time. That should be the end of it, but Thor speaks again.

"Really Heimdall? You have no problem with that?"

"And with what exactly?" Heimdall snaps back.

"Six Einherjar go missing and you take your pregnant wife there-" You are feeling rather uncomfortable that Thor addresses your husband instead of you about this.

"Boys! Thor! That's enough." The All-Father interrupts them.

But that does not stop your husband from continuing the argument. "If the All-Father wishes so, I have no problem with that!"

"Heimdall!" Odin uses what you had by now dubbed the 'Thor voice’ on Heimdall. He never uses the Thor voice on Heimdall. "I believe that Heimdall is capable of making all the right calls concerning both his mission and the wellbeing of his wife." The only reason you are not complaining about being talked about as if you were not present is Sif vaguely gesturing for you not to. "I expect you to deploy as soon as you can and report back swiftly. Dismissed."

As you leave, his hold on you is tighter than before. You expect him to go straight to, Svartalfheimbut instead he leads you to your home on the wall.

"What is It?" You ask. “I will be fine, if that worries you.”

"It does not. Let's gather our weapons." He says. "And by that I mean your weapon. I never leave Hofuð out of my sight, so let’s get that creepy thing you tried to hang over my bed and go."

“That creepy thing was a gift from your father. Are you being ungrateful right now?” He is right, though; it is creepy - it’s made of bone of a giant and the All-Father gave it to you, when you were a baby. How could that not be creepy?

“You’re prettier when you have your mouth shut.” He says. He.

“That makes two of us.” You hope that your words will make him smile, but they do not.

You see that there’s no way for you to get more out of him, so you walk in an unsettling silence until you leave the town and you can be sure that no one can hear you.

"There's something else. I can see you thinking… for once."

He growls. "The All-Father had his mind set on deploying us before the meeting started. Thor saw it and decided to be protective of you. In front of everyone! He did it to humiliate me!”

"And then I thought you were worried about me. But no, you are just jealous again." You pound.

[littlesistersti]

What are each Norse deity the “God/dess of,” you ask?

Thor - knocking Jotnar on the head with a hammer

Loki - “It’s just a prank, bro.” Famous last words

Freyja - Warriors 🐈 🐱 🐈‍⬛

Freyr - spent his life savings on a wife (originally wrote traded his sword for a wife)

Sif - hair extensions

Odin - Conspiracy theories -like did you start Ragnorok or

Hel - “I do not control the die.”

Njord - “I do not control the lobsters.” (unless he has a fishing rod)

Aegir - “I do control the lobsters.”

alternatively: Party down in Mostro Lounge

Ran - I do control the speed at which lobsters die.

alternatively: “I’ve only had this lost soul for a day and a half, but if anything happens to them, I’ll kill everybody in this room and then myself.”

Gerdr - thaw, I think

Skade - Artemis but snowy

Njordr + Skade - Norse equivalent of Lạc Long Quân + Âu Cơ

Ullr - more than > a Viking hobby

Baldr - Jesus??? Not confirmed

Tyr - lefty for (rest of my) life

Idunn - Minecraft golden apples

Bragi - poetry slams

Frigg - Almother

Heimdall - club bouncer

Gefjun - Danish island Sjælland

Sigyn - “I gotchu fam”

Eir - Why are there Cheetos in the first aid kit?

Mengloth - Apologize or else!

Fenrir - Clifford the Big Red Dog

Hugi - we must be swift

Logi - as a raging fire

Surtr - you ever noticed movies with a big black volcano 🌋 are filmed in Iceland?

[sigyn-foxyposts]

"Ror Sigyn and Sif"

They're laughing at you.. What do you do? 👀

Credits to this person!

I don't own this depiction of Sif. I just thought it would be fun because I really liked the design!! And art fight ;]

[thorsvinur]

Þórr as a Figure of Healthy Masculinity

Though as with any of the gods of pre-Christian Scandinavia Þórr is a multifaceted figure, with a great presence and personality but not infallible or unquestionable, one element of his personality that stands out to me personally is a sense of healthy traditional masculinity, as far as one can define "traditional" in this context. While projecting modern attitudes and discourse onto peoples of the past and ancient deities is generally not advisable beyond perhaps surface level comparisons and analyses, I do think that these traits can be extracted from the very source material itself which has survived.

To begin, Þórr exemplifies the archetype of a strong and brave man who defends his loved ones, namely with regards to his wife Sif, an example appearing in Skáldskaparmál when her hair is cut by Loki. He doesn't fly into an indiscriminate rage, destroying all and everything around him, nor does he shy away from a necessary confrontation. Rather, he makes his clear determination and focuses upon the responsible party with purpose and confidence, ensuring that her prized hair is returned in one form or another.

In the case of the jötunn Hrungnir declaring his wish to kill all of the Æsir except Freyja and Sif, both of whom he would bed, Þórr engages in a duel with him and quickly slays him. Perhaps more extreme than is logically necessary, but again targeted and done with bravery defending the honor of those he cares about. Though it guarantees his death, in the prophecy of Ragnarök told in Völuspá he also fights the world serpent Jörmungandr, and in a more present tense of the remaining myths he protects the world of man from the forces which would otherwise devour and destroy it.

But this is not a bloodthirsty man killing for the sake of killing, doing so to the point of genocide and extermination. Rather, as is stated in Hárbarðsljóð, he slays what is necessary of the Jötnar and Þursar to ensure the safety of humanity, neutralizing the active threat while preserving the balance of forces. This represents as well the concept of a community or society seeking to preserve its existence and remove the threats immediate to it such as predators, starvation, hostile forces, etc. while allowing for the natural world and its dangers to carry on and other peoples live their lives beyond the extent of such threats. This is an approach which, though fortunately gaining popularity in many places today, would be a much better balance than has been commonplace for centuries or more beforehand.

Þórr breaks beyond the limits of fragility that often plague unhealthy or toxic masculinity as well, even if only for a worthy purpose. When his hammer is stolen and possessed by the jötunn Þrymr in Þrymskviða and the only accepted trade would be the unwilling Freyja as his bride, Þórr commits to the culturally transgressive act of crossdressing as Freyja to fool the thief into unwittingly bestowing his hammer to him once again. His hammer restored to him, he removes the disguise and brings his retribution upon those who wronged him and would exploit the act in order to coerce Freyja into marriage. In this context it is obvious that Þórr loathes the idea of dressing as a bride, and he likely even comes to suffer ridicule thereafter for it, but his masculinity is strong and confident enough and his hammer dear enough that he is willing to undertake this act in order to right this wrong, notably rather than attempting to force Freyja into marriage once she confirms her resistance to it.

Þórr is often regarded as a god of and friend to the common people, both today and seemingly by evidence of his widespread popularity in Early Medieval Scandinavia. But perhaps the breadth of his friendship extends even further. In Hárbarðsljóð it is declared by Óðinn in the guise of the ferryman Hárbarðr that while his halls are populated by kings and great warriors, Þórr has but mere slaves populating his. It's unclear whether this is simply an insult directed at Þórr by a god praised notably by warriors and kings, or whether there may be an element of truth to it, but if the latter is true and the circumstances are paralleled between the halls of the two then it may be that Þórr welcomes the formerly enslaved into his hall after death as a sort of posthumous liberator. In such a role, Þórr is not only protecting mankind from the forces which would otherwise devour and destroy them, but also raising up the oppressed even if after their passing from Miðgarðr.

Þórr exemplifies the figure of a man possessed of bravery, strength and confidence; willing to defend what and whom he cares for in a reasonable manner, and not afraid of or averse to taking an active part in enacting justice for offenses to himself or his loved ones. He defends those who need it, and uplifts those who suffer oppression. In all of this, he is also secure and confident enough not to shy away from the unpleasant necessities which justice may require, nor to force others to bear them in order to preserve his own ego. He is as the man who takes an active role in his own life and problems, but does not deny help to those who need it; a role model for healthy masculinity in these respects.

[loonarmuunar]

More on this.

Found this map the dev made!! It’s a year old, might be out of date but eh I’ll take anything for my world building nonesense.

My original idea bout the country being cold is SIGNIFICANTLY WRONG, it’s RIGHT by the equator gkvfkvkkf. So the cloak is for heat rather than cold. I’m gonna stick to the idea that it’s very windy tho!! Bc. Island.

Since the island has mountains, it’s probably gonna be humid, and tropical imo! In that case, it would have high biodiversity. The kicker for me is more daylight hours, LOTS of potential there. Would be lots of farming, and their main exports would be food.

This just has me more convinced on my trading idea!! Lots of exporting goods!! The dev said to think Europe in terms of size for these countries. There’s prolly some traveling going on. A LOT of traveling. Merchantry and seafaring would be profitable!

Sif’s country would probably have Vaugaurdian and Mwudu’s language as apart of schooling. Any natives of the country who weren’t there at the time of the incident would be able to assimilate easier with the two other countries.

[killjoygem]

I'd love to go to a taylor swift event where people are trading bracelets but my bracelet acronyms will be really niche but not so niche you could never work it out, they'd just be annoying to work out

Here's some I'd like to use:

Tytkigb

Wpaum

Fflfttbc

Hk!sif

Twftkutvftv

Stcottpd

Tdkhmimh (this one has a potential to piss people off but I think it'd funny)

Insnenacb

Lisdw

Wtii?m

[galaxythreads]

heimdall's the perfect option to be king, he lead them when they're trying to escape hela and thor was locked out of asgard. Valkyrie lead what was left of their people safely to earth while thor forged an axe to defeat thanos. She returned to asgard despite losing faith on the throne because thor asked her and showed her that she was part of it. She's woking on her anger issues, she stopped drinking, she's responsible but flawed. I have a name for those who don't like a black woman being king

Okay, firstly: I recongize that race is an extremely important and sensitive topic and that unconscious bias plays into things and it sucks. Being anti-racisit is extremely important to me, and if that's what you feel is going on here, then please feel free to further that discussion.

However, I don't think that wanting Valkyrie's struggles and flaws to be explored further is racist. Nor not liking those flaws. Being a slave trader is an extremely delicate place for a character to be and it needs to be handled right in order for people to like the character (like 99% of the time this means acknowledging the slave trade and then rejecting it), and they never went into that level of depth with Valkyrie. To be clear, I haven't seen Thor 4, so maybe they did, but from what mcu I have seen and what's been discussed of Thor 4, they never explored Valkyrie in a way that mattered to me. If you transplant Valkyrie's character onto a cis white male and you still go "wow, I Do Not like this character because of these problems" then it showcases where the heart of the problem is: not her race, but her lack of development.

I know that on the post you're referencing race was never brought up because no one who doesn't like Valkyrie I've interacted with cares that she's Black. It's mostly that she's severely underdeveloped. I've seen a lot of people discuss how much they don't like that a Black woman was portrayed as a slave trader and it was never brought up again post Ragnarok. And I think that's fair.

I don't know if Valkyrie stopped drinking. I can't remember if that was ever discussed, but if she did, and they actually explored her recovery from alcoholism, I think that would be amazing. I think that Valkyire has the potential to be an amazing king, but I would like to see her struggle with her flaws more, rather than being Another Perfect Female Character TM. Like if they had written Valkyire as a Mary sue that would be fine, I don't care, but she's so clearly deeply flawed and I just. I don't know. I wish they'd done more with her. So much more. There is so much depth to explore with Valkyire and people just like looking at that surface rather than exploring it.

So no, I don't think Valkyire was the worst choice as a monarch, but she would have been the best choice if we were shown her growth. Right now the fact she became king isn't earned, it just happened, which is why people are mad.

And you're right, Heimdall would make an excellent king. He's an amazing ruler. Sif would be an awful queen because she's so hot headed and doesn't long term think anything. Tyr would be a great choice, too. As a war general, I think he would have been great at the pollicitcs. Or. Idk. Thor. Abdicating from the throne is actually extremely selfish and I hate Thor a little for that.

Like from a story telling perspective, they picked Valkyire because she was a character everyone knew and not dead, not what pollicitcally made sense. If they'd actually explored in depth what this meant, with Valkyire's flaws, then idk. I don't think anyone would have any complaints. You gotta address the Bad parts of characters.

[marvel-ousmondays]

Thor

So, cards on the table, Thor was never a favorite of mine.

In terms of the "Chrises", Hemsworth isn't the one I find the most attractive. And a big part of the marketing appeal around Thor in this first film IS about his masculine attractiveness. So when I watched it the first time, I remember thinking "meh, okay" about the movie.

I did enjoy Natalie Portman's character of Jane, LOVED both Sif and Darcy, and Heimdall? C'mon man. No one is cooler than Idris Elba's Heimdall.

So how about this viewing?

This round I was really taken with the cinematography. I don't think I fully appreciated the majesty of Asgard in the first one (or the skill it took to create it), nor the Bifrost, or even Jotunheim. Say what you want about Kenneth Branagh but his films have a beauty to them. (How much of that credit belongs to the editors is up for grabs as obviously post-production is crazy for films like this.) If you are considering a re-watch, I'd strongly encourage you to really look at the environments created for Asgard and Jotunheim- they're gorgeous and unique.

I appreciated Thor's breakdown scene when he can't lift Mjolnir more than I did the first time, probably due to Thor's struggle with worthiness and general depression in Endgame.

I will say in general, I think I appreciated Hemsworth's acting more this round. He has to be this kind of old-timey knight figure among normal people and he has held to that well throughout his whole Avengers tenure. I imagine that is harder than it seems at times.

Despite having finished Loki Season 2 recently, Tom Hiddleston's performance in this first movie doesn't wow me. It's fine, good even, but doesn't stand out to the level one might expect, at least for me. Avengers is coming soon though and there our boy villain shines. I will say I think the problem here is the plot is actually a bit TOO convoluted. The writers couldn't quite decide, or so it appears, what to do with Loki. His anger at his father's deception would be logical but he seems to have turned all that on Thor in a way that didn't fully jive for me. I think there could have been a bit more to show his desire for a throne prior to the reveal OR a bit more of Thor being a bit of a jerk to him. Either would help me understand his motivations more clearly.

Portman, Kat Dennings (Darcy), and Heimdall all stand. I was more interested in Erik Selvig this round and love/hate the fact he was an original character for MCU. (He has since been added to the Marvel comic book universe as well). Coulson was his badass self as always and I had forgotten about Hawkeye's small but important part.

Probably the hardest part for ME with this movie is that the Jotuns were mostly painted as just bad. In some ways Loki is treated as proof that isn't true (never understood why he wasn't blue except when he was holding that casket thing- supposedly Odin magic/illusion I guess?) but then turns. Odin pays lip service to the idea that they can't just attack a whole race for the actions of a few, but we don't SEE any positive or even neutral examples of Jotun. I know people will say that some groups are supposed to be bad, but I think that goes against a core principle of Marvel. No group of beings that we are supposed to see as PEOPLE can be inherently all bad. Now if they had made them monsters, that's different- monsters can be bad or at least, indifferent. But monsters don't have coherent conversations with you either.

I guess I would have liked to see a few Jotun trading or conversing or a Jotun mother with a child or such. Anything of that nature would have "humanized" them more.

Overall, Thor was more beautiful to look at this time around (because I appreciated it more) and overall I'd say more enjoyable, but still not probably in my top 10 of all the movies. Maybe I'll make that list when I finished. Tomorrow- Captain America, with my favorite Chris.

Note for me:

Directed by: Kenneth Branagh