#yggdrasil and the heart tree

[cappymightwrite]

An Unexpected Norse Detail in Winterfell

I was scrolling through tumblr yesterday, as you do, and suddenly paused on a gifset of the Lannister party in Winterfell during the early episodes of season 1. What caught my eye was this:

Behind the long table in Winterfell's great hall is some kind of large wooden screen/divider featuring some very interesting carvings. These carvings are near identical to those found on the Urnes Stave Church in western Norway, which dates from the 12th century:

I don't think we ever see this wooden screen in Winterfell again, but it's an interesting inclusion nonetheless, back when the show stuck more closely to the source material.

In The Vikings (Penguin, revised edition, 2016) Else Roesdahl talks a bit about this particular style of ornamentation:

The Urnes style is the last phase of the long development of Scandinavian animal ornament. This seems to have developed shortly before the middle of the eleventh century and was popular for nearly a century, that is into the early Middle Ages. After a final phase where it gave rise to details and influences in Romanesque art, now predominant in Scandinavia, it had died out completely before the year 1200. Many other forms of Viking Age followed the same course. The vigour and vitality of the Ringerike style gave way to this sophisticated, elegant, indeed almost decadent, style. It is named after the exquisite wood carvings that were re-used in Urnes Church in western Norway: a portal and a door, two wall planks, a corner post and two gable ends, one complete [...] The large, four-legged animal is still one of the main motifs, but it has become as slim as a greyhound. Snake-like animals with one foreleg, snakes and thin tendrils sometimes ending in a snake's head are also featured. The designs characteristic of this style form open, asymetric patterns, creating an impression of an undulating interweaving of animals and snakes. The large loops are often figures-of-eight and the shapes grow and diminish evenly; there are no abrupt transitions. The style is also used with virtuosity on brooches and on large numbers of rune stones in central Sweden, where the undulating ornament follows the shape of the stone and the long bodies of the snakes are used as rune bands [...] Several examples of the style have been found in England, and in Ireland it became as popular as the Ringerike style.

What's so intriguing about the original carving though is that it is depicting pagan symbolism... but on a Christian church. As mentioned above, the Ringerike style predate Urnes and was "roughly contemporary with the intial spread within Scandinavia of Christianity, and was the first to contain Christian iconography, although pagan symbolism was still present," notes Philip Parker (The Northmen's Fury, Vintage, 2014). By around 1050, it gave way to the Urnes style, named for the stave church shown above.

But what do these carvings mean? In Tree of Salvation: Yggdrasil and the Cross in the North (Oxford University Press, 2013), G. Ronald Murphy offers this explanation:

The door is simply surrounded with whorls of writhing snakes and vines. The tangle is so perfectly executed in a welter of animal elongation and plant reduction to vines, that it is difficult to identify where a head begins or where a tail finally ends, if at all, or to trace what seems like a joint to a neck or a leg or a vine. The main point seems to be the inter-twined-ness itself of all living things, animal or vegetable, in one huge tangle [...] Now as one looks at the left side of the doorway there is one animal standing on four legs [see above!] that is simply startling in the clarity of its depiction. It has been called a lion and explained as the Lion of Judah (Christ) fighting with evil. I think that such an interpretation makes the mistake of using an inappropriately biblical explanation when the artist, by his very Viking-like pictorial style as well as his tangle of animal and plants, tells you he is here using a Germanic one. If you look at the animal you can see that he is eating at the vine or branch which in turn is a serpent biting at him in the neck. Look at the animal's head and you can see two small horns protruding—that animal is a young male deer, a hart. Now it becomes clear it is not the Old Testament that is giving the context here for the meaning of the portal: this is an allusion to the Elder Edda and its description of Yggsdrasill as the suffering tree with many serpents forever biting on its twigs and branches, as those twigs and branches are also being devoured by a hart. The traditiona of the single deer may also come from a previous stanza in the Grímnismál where the hart is named: Eikþyrnir [Oak-thorn] is the hart's name, who stands on Father of Hosts' hall and grazes Læraðr's [kenning for Yggdrasill] branches; and from his horns liquid drips into Hvergelmir [seething cauldron], from thence all waters have their flowing (Poetic Edda 55 and 270n)

According to Murphy, "to enter the door of the Urnes stave church is to enter Yggdrasill." So, to bring this back to the world of asoiaf, it´s an interesting piece of set design to include this screen or divider in Winterfell, a place closely connected with the "old gods" of the north and that has its own world tree, in a sense: the weirwood tree, or heart tree, of the godswood. Moreover, beneath one of Yggdrasill's three large roots is the spring Hvergelmir (mentioned above, meaning 'seething cauldron'), beneath another is Mímisbrunnr ('Mímir's well) and beneath the third is Urðarbrunnr ('Well of Urðr'), this is interesting to note in parallel to the hots springs and ice-lidded pool in Winterfell's godswood, close to its heart tree.

In the Prose Edda, one of our foremost sources on Norse mythology, Yggsdrasill is also connected with Ragnarök, the doom of the gods. In chapter 54, it is told that Óðinn will ride to the well Mímisbrunnr and consult Mímir on behalf of himself and his people. After this, "the ash Yggdrasill will shake and nothing will be unafraid in heaven or on earth," and then the Æsir and Einherjar will don their war gear and advance to the field of Vígríðr. In asoiaf, the north has its own legend very reminiscent of Ragnarök, called the Long Night and I've written about their similiarities before and keep meaning to return to that.

Anyway, I just think it's pretty cool they included that detail of the Urnes style screen in Winterfell — I'm always putting Norse details into my fics wherever I can, most recently the Oseberg tapestry.

[percheduphere]

The entire series is a love story in every sense of the word. It is a love story, and it is both triumphant and tragic.

The finale was gorgeously executed. It answers every point in Loki's development poetically.

1. He never wanted the throne. It was not about power but loneliness and the need to belong.

2. To have purpose is to choose your burden.

3. Love does not make one soft, it transforms us to be unimaginably strong.

S1 focused primarily on 2 things: 1. a second chance, and 2. Self-love.

The 3 main characters have a relationship in which love cascades. While Mobius loves Loki for who he is outright, his friendship and support allows Loki to have compassion for himself. Sylvie represents all of Loki's trauma and flaws. In loving her, Loki grants her a second chance expecting nothing in return. The second chance Mobius extended to Loki, thus extends to her.

S2 focused primarily on the love between friends, which I do believe turned into unrequited love for Mobius in S1E4 (manifesting as rage and jealousy).

That love turns resigned, and the jealousy reemerges in S2E2 albeit in a constrained, milder form.

Unbeknownst to Mobius, his romantic love is finally returned in S2E5, after Loki experiences enough platonic love for Mobius that the nature of affection shifts upon losing Mobius a second time.

The timing of this realization is profoundly tragic. When they are finally on the same page, the finale sets the stage for Loki to engage with the fourth, most powerful form of love:

AGAPE

A selfless love for everyone. Loki could not have reached this point without first experiencing self-love, platonic love, and yes, romantic love. All forms of love are demonstrated in the series, which gives Loki the strength of sacrifice, confronting his worst fear: being alone.

I find it deeply poignant that Loki uses his magical life force to create Yggdrasil, the tree of life, replacing the cold force of HWR's technology with his own heart, allowing everything and everyone to grow infinitely through space and time. There cannot be a more powerful ending for Loki's character, and the tragedy is the point.

But Loki embraces this burden willingly, lovingly, for all of them, most especially Mobius.

ON MOBIUS

It is only Mobius that senses something is deeply wrong. The first time, he asks, "Are you okay?" The second time, he notes Loki's odd comment, "This time?" The third time, (first for Mobius since he didn't remember each reset) instinctively, he becomes desperate. He grabs Loki by the lapels, "What the shit are you doing?" He tries to stop Loki, but Loki won't let him.

The fourth time, he simply says, "Loki?"

Throughout S2, it is Mobius that Loki turns to when he is afraid, doesn't know what to do, or seeks comfort. He returns what Mobius provides him in S2E2 in the pie automat. In S2E4, he defends Mobius's character to Sylvie and compares where he is now, as a person, with Thor's experience with Jane, a mere Midgardian mortal.

In S2E5, it is Mobius Loki timeslips to the most and the first person his heart seeks out once OB provides him with an answer to his fiction problem.

That Loki seeks Mobius's wisdom one last time and holds onto Mobius's hand as long as he can in the finale is significant. Mobius's words about choosing your burden are devastatingly true. These words propel Loki to make his choice.

And Loki walking out onto the platform in the finale is a direct reciprocation of this (S2E1):

This is an all-encompassing love story. Let noone tell you otherwise.

[smolvenger]

Yggdrasil (Loki x fem! Reader Oneshot)

Summary: Your husband, the god of mischief, has made the ultimate sacrifice for his friends, and the world...he lives, but now he is alone...that is until you choose to join him in his solitude and make a life there.

Warnings: MAJOR spoilers for the ending of the Loki series. Angst, but fluff and hurt/comfort. YN becomes a goddess in her YN-y moment. Brief mentions of sex and pregnancy, but no smut at all. Fix it Fic goodness. Canon and Norse mythology is not a code and more like a guideline. Is it accurate? I don't know. And this is fic world. Accuracy don't mean shit. I just want my boy to be happy after all that and do my part as a Loki fic writer after...THAT.

Word Count: 2K

@fictive-sl0th @ladycamillewrites @villainousshakespeare @holdmytesseract @eleniblue @twhxhck @lokisgoodgirl @lovelysizzlingbluebird @raqnarokr @holymultiplefandomsbatman @michelleleewise @wolfsmom1 @cheekyscamp @mochie85 @muddyorbsblr @asgards-princess-of-mischief @huntress-artemiss @ijuststareatstuffhereok89

A03//My Ko-Fi//My Etsy Shop//Masterlist//Wattpad

You walked over to the tree. It was incredibly beautiful. The vines reaching out. The colors are everywhere. The trunk of it twisting, twisting round. The blueness and soft greens that surrounded you. Light purple flowers high up, blossoming. You had heard of it in stories. Maybe dreamed of it once. But here…here in person it was even more beautiful.

“Hello there, Yggdrasil.” you greeted with a smile.

There was a breeze in the wind. It rattled the leaves above. The starry sky. It didn’t feel too cold here- it felt sweet, crisp. An early autumn night. You took several steps closer until you were right before the trunk. Your voice lowering.

“But I know who you really are…who is in there…” you continued.

The search had been long. It had been a month. A month since you saw him. The look on his face, and felt his sacrifice, his steps going forward. Now here it was-in person. Here he was.

It shivered in response. You went up, gently placing a hand on the bark. 

You felt the curves of your lips to a gentle frown. A voice that was not begging…only requesting. Soft, but grounded. As grounded as the tree was though in it’s magic it seemed like it floated where it grew.

“Please…take me to him…it is all I want, all I wish, all I ask for…please allow me to see him…even if it’s only once…”

Was your prayer answered? Even heard? You sucked in a breath, feeling your chest grow tight with anticipation. The delicate lines of both despair and hope on a thin line.The golden band around your finger felt tight- shimmering amidst the dark wood of the tree.

The vines relented. They thinned and opened up- as easily as silk. There was a glowing opening within the tree. You felt it- a stillness. As if you were waited. Expected.

Inside it, you took your steps into the heart of the tree. It felt like the cool mist, the light rain as you walked through-like the light rain that poured the first night you let him into your bed. Your heart raced, your palms clammy. 

Was this a mistake? The wrong one? It had to be…it had to! It couldn't have done that unless… it was really…no- was this it? Would Yggdrasil kill you? Destroy you for knowledge so intimate, so secret?

Branches, vines, leaves- so much wood here. There was a green light that glowed about it, shining everywhere- how perfect for him, you mused. 

Your head turned. Throat going dry and tight with dread, fear. You searched around. Eyes skittering through the thick vines.

You looked around-nothing but the greenery…

Then…there was a voice. Breathy, baritone, low, rich-and it whispered your name in echoes. 

The greenery opened up. You saw first horns. Then…

There, on a throne, surrounded by vines, there he sat. Pale and handsome. He was always handsome to you. Despite the lines of care, his drooping eyes…it was him. You knew that face- caressed it, kissed it so many times.

His eyes then lowered to you. Its blueness seemed darkened, dimmed. Then he looked at you, squinting. He whispered your name again, to you. You felt everything in you freeze. You wanted this. Processed it. It was real- very, very real.

“Is…is that…” he began to whisper.

Tears brimmed up your eyes and you cupped your mouth, as you felt them drop down your hand already.

“Loki it’s you!” you cried out.

Sobbing hard, you ran into him, almost tackling him into a hug. Crying so hard your whole body shook with each tearfall. So much your face felt hot, even as it scratched against his cloak- against the long vines. You felt his hands wrap around you. And you heard him just say your name again- an incantation. A spell to bring you back. A spell that worked. You cried as he held you, the vines around him shivering.

“What…what is it…why…why did you come here?” he asked.

You released the hug. Wiping off your tears with your sleeve like a little child. Your tone returned to the old teasing. 

“You silly man! What kind of wife abandons her husband?”

Loki’s mouth opened, but he said nothing. His face was in awe.

“I came here for you! I figured out how- and I did!” you replied.

He let out a deep sigh. He lifted his white hand, caressing your cheek. You leaned into it, enjoying the intimacy, his touch that you had been deprived of, that he had been deprived of too for so long.  

“You know I cannot leave this. Ever. I…I must do this, my love…I had to…to save all of them…to save you…I…I must make sure…their stories all…all are happy…are managed, well…even yours.” he voiced. His face serene, though a tear fell down across his cheek.

You then took his hand and clutched it. 

“Loki, the many times you comforted me when I cried. Stood by me. Protected me when I was in danger, scared. Saved me, even. And you know how…how lonely I would get in Asgard. Who else would run to my side to comfort me…but you. I shall do that for you!”

His eyes widened.

“But…you cannot give up your home, your life!” he replied.

You shook your head.

“I will make a new one here- we will make a new one here…Thor and Frigga gave me their blessing before I left. They saw how happy we made each others…and that is what they want. I told them what you did. The people you saved…and they’re…they’re proud of you.”

He blinked rapidly, more tears falling down. You lifted two of your hands- cupping his face lovingly. He had no choice but to look in your eyes.

“When we were married, we promised, before the AllFather and AllMother to always stand by each other...I will honor the vows I made on that altar, as you honored your vows to me,” you declared.

The wind rustled above. Inside, there were a few violet buds that dangled, moving slightly. Willing the flower to open.

“My darling….Asgard will lack its princess.”

“A mere consort? No! I am not an heir to anything! A mere accessory to a throne, a part of a painting…and nothing eles? And alone? Loki,  I don't need a palace, gold, riches, and titles…I only ask to be loved and safe…and Loki…you will be alone…now- you won’t be. I will stay by you. We will face this new part of your life together!”

There was a slight grown from the wood. Both of you looked about, your hands dropping. He nestled into the green cloak he wore around him. His helmet perfect for him- never once slipping off his head.

“It’s quiet here…there’s no one…nothing…a life of nothing…but making these stories” he mused.

“Then let me stay…let me help…if only…if only to be with you…I will live here. If not near- then give me access. I will stay here, come by every day. Visit for hours…just to be with you.”

“My darling…sweet, sweet wife…I was alone and I…I don’t have to…”

There were tears in his eyes.

“Thank you…thank you, my dear…”

He pressed his forehead to yours. The cold metal of the forehead touching your own. You only held hands. Felt each other- the love in your systems bursting forth.

A vine went to you, grazing against your arm. You lifted a hand.

“Which one is this?” you asked.

“This one…a man named Steve…or Marc…he’s three at once, it’s very complicated….” Loki explained.

You lifted a finger to touch it. There was a ripple. The vines shook, some of them went to you. You wondered…you lifted a hand. It allowed you to touch it. There was a small, reddish glow, it went up and through.

“You just…just…made something happen…something will occur for Steve…he’s about to learn what gifts he truly has…my dear…has this happened before?”

“No- not until now…”

“You think that…you have a certain…gift?” he asked.

The vines reacted in turn. You realzed as you touched them, you could help move these stories. Turn them- touching made something happen and Loki would tell you.

“My dear…you have a gift. One of fate…”

“Then…I guess I cannot leave now. You will help with stories. I will help with fates. We both have work to do.”

He smiled.

“Asgard now has a new goddess…” he said. You went up, and kissed him. You cried as your lips touched. And there was a shudder that went through the trees and rattled through the forest like a wind. 

It was an adjustment. Making a home just outside of the remains of the earth. Fortunately, you knew enough magic to get by. To transport and conjure food. Even gather some from the nearby village. Enough to make a garden, a home.

And every day, you walked out to Yggdrasil. Vanished for hours. Then returned. 

For the villagers, it was odd that a goddess of fate was just going about the streets getting groceries among them. You merely shrugged and laughed it off. 

You said your husband was busy. Quite busy. He had an important job-crucial one. Yet people wondered at you- the mysterious goddess who lived in a cottage by the woods, whose husband never appeared, and vanished into the forest. The forest at the end of the world, mind you- every day and returned with a smile on her face as if nothing happened. 

It was quiet and simple. No opulent balls and feasts of Asgard. But no fathers with clear favorites and tears and bloody battles with countless corpses and heartbreak either.

 How often you polished the horns on his helmet and washed his cloak by the river. Then he would tell you all about what happened. Fates and stories.  You would mend them, mind them. Determine what worked, what did not. And you would laugh and cry so hard over every story on earth of each person you would feel like a rag rung out…yet in a good way.

And you would wrap your arms around him. Sit on his lap on the throne, as you did back then so many times before. Kiss him and nuzzle into him. Feel his touch- remind him through the brush of your fingers through his dark curls. I am here, I am here, I am here. 

It was like being remarried- A honeymoon fortress of oak, willow leaves, and flower petals. The newness of your husbands role, his abilities. As well as yours. But without everything else…no, you didn’t need anything else. Only each other.

It was a month later, you knew the change. You felt it. The suspicion. The inkling you felt since you began your journey. Counting on your fingers from when it last happened, and your journey to him began, the timing was right. The intuition. The small ringing of a bell in the back of your head getting louder, and louder with each passing week. The one reason on the backburner that was never confirmed. And now it was. You both wanted it. Hoped for it. Now, though the circumstances could have never been guessed, you would both receive your wish. The confirmation long awaited. 

On Yule, you teasingly adored the tree in ribbons. Loki inside scoffed, rolling his eyes. But it only made you laugh harder. In Spring, you collect its flowers and put them in vases. In Summer, you cooled beneath it’s shade. Loki made sure your story was hte one most preciously protected, guarded. You made old charms from the flowers with his magic- for your safety and good health. Flowers worn over your head in crowns, on your neck. And in Autumn, you watched as they oranged and swirled. How lovely they were surrounding you as you held each other. 

A year and a half went by before you knew it, as swift as mortals lives. the cottage had an infant girl living in it.  She had dark hair, and your skin and eyes. And she was starting to walk. You held her up by both hands in the grass before the forest.  

“Come along Freya! There’s a good girl! A step at a time!” you cooed at her.

Who knew what her powers would be. What she was goddess of. But here, she wasn’t a goddess. She was just a baby.

She was Babbling as the grass tickled her feet. The loving, green dress you tucked over her. You held her tiny, chubby hand as she experimentally bent her knees. Then she made a sound of triumph.

Motherhood was not going to stop your gifts and powers as a goddess of fate. You touched the vines and turned fates however. But you had to give happy ones to the friends of him. The ones who meant so much to him, did so much for him. For Mobius, you made sure his sons grew up healthy and strong and happy, with long vacations by lakes and oceans. For Ouroboros, you gave him several awards and successes as a writer and the inspiration and motivation to create, pour water into his own well, and never lose the joy of it. You made sure they all were safe and content. 

 You scooped little Freya up your arms, giving her a kiss on the side of her head. She was behaving well- not crying loud to wake the whole village. Needing perhaps a cradle from the vines of Yggdrasil again in Norns Know what time of night if she was especially fussy. 

You walked her again to the tree. She looked out with her wide eyes. One hand trying to touch the leaves, the vines, the branches. A thing of flowers bloomed for her. One leafy vine went over to graze her cheek. She kicked in enthusiasm, giggling in such pure joy.

 You smiled at her and then at Yggdrasil. Seeing the portal open once again.

 Knowing he was inside again- to see her. Meet her. Hold her as he did when she was a swaddled newborn to be brought- for him to just hold her. Despite the great loneliness of Loki’s inital fate, you all did everything to change it. He would meet Freya and watch her grow up. He would see her, hold her, love her. Again. Again. And again. 

You turned your face to the baby with a smile, and then to the portal door and the god of stories waiting inside.

“Freya- let’s go see your father.”

[torukmaktoskxawng]

Hey I was wondering if I could make the request of an Aonung x human reader who has a bunch of norse tattoos and he's curious about them?

(Adult Ao'nung by @cinetrix2)

Pairing: Ao'nung/Human!Reader (can be seen as platonic)

Warnings: Cute. Fluff. Aged-up characters. Reader can be seen as gender-neutral since gender is not mentioned.

Taglist: @mooniequeen @avatar-lover @taronyuhunter @alinacecee

A/n: I hope you know that by making this request, it got me thinking of getting another tattoo. When I started writing this, I ended up going to a friend's house the same night and begged her to give me an Avatar tattoo. Pic Here.

~~~~~~~~~

With Jake and his family as full-fledged Metkayina now, the reef people have slowly become accustomed to human allies coming and going from their island whenever Toruk Makto gives them a call.

As the years progress, both species actually begin to mingle a bit, and eventually, a small, human settlement finds its way to Awa'atlu. You were the first to live on said settlement, assigned to it by Norm because both he and Jake agreed that your expertise belonged on the island and the Metkayina have grown to know and trust you.

Among those who have gotten to know you were none other than the olo'eyktan's son, Ao'nung. And while it was clear that the two of you were friends, there was still a mystery about you that he had not yet discovered, and that was your physical appearance, specifically your tattoos.

You had several, more than anything Ao'nung had seen on Sky People before, and that was just the tattoos he could see peeking out from beneath your clothes. While some of your ink kind of resembled Ao'nung's, he noticed they took different shapes and didn't have any Na'vi significance that he knew of. Regardless, your tattoos were a small part of why the Metkayina trusted you more than other human allies, simply because you visibly had something in common with them, and he often wondered if yours bore any sort of significance like his does.

"Do all Sky People have tattoos?"

Looking up through your breathing mask, you catch Ao'nung's curious gaze while sitting comfortably in the sand as you work on identifying a rock for your research. Looking back down at your datapad, you reply, "No. Not all."

"Do they only get them when they're of age?"

"No, we usually get them whenever we feel like it," you snort, recalling getting your first one at seventeen, despite the laws stating you needed to be eighteen where you lived at the time. Your mother nearly fainted.

Ao'nung frowns in disbelief, "So there is no meaning?"

"Some tattoos have meaning. Others don't."

"What about yours?"

Your smile is genuine, beaming in a way one does when talking about their favorite interests, "Mine resemble my heritage. Where I come from."

Watching the confusion only grow on the young Na'vi's face, you further explain by pointing out your tattoos, starting with the key-like shape inked into the front of your neck, "It's a Nordic rune. It represents perseverance."

You then peer down and present your arm to Ao'nung, pointing out the tattoo on the inside of your forearm, "Vegvisir."

The word that left your lips sounded so strange to Ao'nung, his ears instinctively twitching at the pronunciation. Looking down at the tattoo on your arm, observing the intricate line work before peering back up at your face, he waits for you to explain the significance, and you do,

"It's meant to appear as a wayfinder. To help the wearer not get lost and find their way home. It's a symbol of protection and guidance."

Your hands then reach up to the collar of your shirt and pull it down to reveal one of your favorite and more prominent tattoos. Ao'nung's eyes widen at such wonderful artwork. At the center of your collar, just above your heart, was the picture of a beautiful, intricate tree, the branches meant to twist and form Celtic knots into the ink, the roots of the tree running down your sternum and disappearing into your shirt.

"This is Yggdrasil."

"Eggdrazil?" Ao'nung felt his own tongue knot itself just trying to properly pronounce the word, but even he could admit it sounded wrong coming out of his mouth.

"No," You laugh lightly while slowing it down pronouncing it to the best of your ability in a Na'vi accent, "IG-drah-sill. It's the Tree of Life. I'm not sure how else to explain it without sounding preachy or confusing, but... it's kind of like your people's Spirit Tree, in a way."

His eyes widen with surprise, staring down at the tree tattoo with newfound fascination at the idea that a human culture could be so similar to his own. Slowly reaching out, his fingers press into the ink on your collar, and you stubbornly stay still, refraining from the pleasant shiver that threatened to run down your spine at the contact.

Inspecting the tattoo with both his fingers and his eyes, Ao'nung finds himself thinking out loud, muttering under his breath, "They almost resemble what a warrior would wear."

You find your smile unapologetically twitching with amusement, "Well, technically, that's exactly who my ancestors were. Warriors."

Ao'nung's curious eyes finally meet yours again, excuding confidence, "And you as well."

Your smile melts into something more genuine, "And me as well. Just like you."

His lips curl into a smile of his own.

~~~~~~~~~

MASTERLIST

RULES

REQUEST

[repo-net]

EO5-Styled intros for the stratums from EO1 and EO2!

I finished playing EO5 a while back, and one of the things I really liked about the game were the short narrated sequences that played when you reached a stratum for the first time. The voice actress kills the role, and just the music slowly kicking in as she introduces just what you're about to get yourself into - aaahh, it's so good.

To help practice a bit of my description writing when it comes to locations and short tidbits of lore, I decided to try my hand at doing my own renditions of these sequences for the EO1 and 2 stratums! Hopefully they look alright, eheh.

Spoilers under the cut!

EO1

Every adventurer has a dream: whether it be for glory, for riches, for knowledge, or for purpose. Without fail, all of them flock to this mighty tree.

Regardless of the purity in their heart, the first step into these vast greenlands is filled with ambition.

That very same ambition is what has led to the end of so many. And yet for you, it may just be the start…

The legendary story born from hope blossomed here.

The first stratum, Emerald Grove

Descending down the stairs, a new layer of the labyrinth welcomes you.

Darker than the last, the tropical wilderness buzzes your ear with the sounds of trickling water, and cries of a new set of beasts.

Those who basked in their success of survival of the basics; learned far too late…

… That here, nature reigns supreme.

The second stratum, Primitive Jungle

Conquering the lord of the jungle, a mesmerizing sight shines against your eyes.

A moist scent wafting in the air, with a cobalt hue that makes one forget you’re still within a forest.

A queen of the insects lies in wait here, and below even her grasp is a mystery only a handful have seen, yet one question continues to prod.

Has that secret been forgotten by age, or has it grown into something more?

The third stratum, Azure Rainforest

Layer after layer of blooming life, comes to a harsh, arid halt upon this new arrival.

These wastelands filled with long stretches of beige and grains scraping against skin, is the very home of an ancient race.

They speak of a century-old pact, fully ready to defend their turf. To hide what’s below, and to see what’s below.

Wills even in the face of death are about to be tested here.

The fourth stratum, Sandy Barrens

Only the cursed king on his throne in the abyss remembers that golden age.

A world overwhelmed by verdure and promises of revival. A time and tragedy that only one man can tell the true story of.

Structures and mechanisms that you have never seen the likes of, with memories so distant, but so near all the same.

The mysteries that have been kept under for a millenia, it is your destiny to unravel them and see for your own - the secrets of Yggdrasil.

The fifth stratum, Lost Shinjuku

Below even the origin of creation is a place past the naked eye. 

A system of organs solely out of the blood dripping from stratas above, drenching the pulsing and veiny walls with a sickening red.

Screams and wails of agony from a creature tortured by its purpose, engulfing itself in this cavern to take its revenge on trespassers that were never meant to reach here.

For descending to the roots of this labyrinth, its very core will stop at nothing to engrave you into it.

The sixth stratum, Claret Hollows

EO2

The second saga of a legend already born, or the first for the arisal of new ones.

Whoever the author may be, this story begins all the same, with an invitation from a new land to ascend to heights yet to be reached.

These grassy woods that surround the bottom of the mighty tree…

Mark the intro for an adventure unlike any before.

The first stratum, Ancient Forest

Pushing through the daunting beginning trials, an opening paves way into a new flavor of woods.

These orange lands filled with prickly tails and segwaying paths; they provoke the explorers with a dilemma.

Will you grit your teeth through thorns for instant gratification, or will you dance with the roars of beasts seemingly undentable?

Be decisive, lest you go a route that leads to a pitiful end.

The second stratum, Auburn Thicket

Biting through fragile flesh, as soon as getting past the heat of the thicket.

Grazing against the adventurers, a stinging test from the polar opposite on the journey up north.

This icy surface, disrupting the pursuit towards the top, has spelled the end of many tales thought to be on the road of destiny.

Pass by these freezing storms, and at the peak awaits a tragedy long foretold; yet this is only one of his many, many failings.

The third stratum, Frozen Grounds

Lagaard knew not what was past those snowy acres, until they arrived; and now - they continue to soar.

Like the monsters and curious souls that reside here, these pink, rosy blossoms mark the start of heights never been reached.

Through echoes heard upward, each footstep through this cherry territory serenades the adventurers.

Keep on climbing, recite a long lost grail, and you’ll be one step closer to the heavens. But tread carefully - the war ahead may overwhelm even those chosen by fate.

The fourth stratum, Petal Bridge

The world was once overtaken by Earth itself. Those fortunate enough, built a stronghold to survive.

Centuries passed. And eventually, not even the stronghold could hold its strength. 

The one constant… was him. 

Renewing it to his liking, a phenomenal palace not even fairy tales could mold. A castle glistening with gold, proudly idling above the skies where no one could reach him. No matter how long it takes. No matter how many will be lost.

Despite all the years, he’s always kept one promise burned into his mind.

“Humanity must survive.”

The fifth stratum, Heavenly Keep

Eternity - a word no mortal could understand the true weight of. 

An eternity of mistakes. An eternity of lives lost from obsession. 

An eternity of abominations created by his hand. Yet not one was worse than his first.

Over his created heaven, was a forest so eden, so seemingly tranquil; yet nothing was more dangerous. It’s a sanctuary with just a singular purpose.

A forsaken prison, to house his darkest criminal.

The sixth stratum, Forbidden Wood

[ancientorigins]

In 1643 a Bishop called Brynjolf Sveinsson was given 45 pieces of vellum containing poetry and prose from the heart of ancient Northern European indigenous culture.

[alyceinwonderland777]

Clean heart

Summary: This takes place after the Loki Season 2 finale. Loki is inside the Yggdrasil monitoring the timelines. He is proud of have been able to give free will to every being in the multiverse. However, there is still a worm that eats away at his conscience and Loki intends to silence it.

Everything was going wonderfully well. The multiverse was free now. Loki had given every living being the chance to be truly free. The TVA was now actually doing some good, targeting only the He Who Remains variants and protecting the timelines rather than destroying them as they once did before his arrival.

Everything was fine, or rather partially fine.

Yes, Loki had saved the lives of billions of people, but there was one thing that gave him no peace. An annoying worm that ate at his conscience: The people he had killed during the Battle of New York and the guards who died because of him when he brought the Jotun into Asgard's castle.

Loki couldn't forgive himself for this. He had stolen the lives of innocent people and for what? For a stupid revenge on his brother and his "father"? Crazy stuff.

The good thing though was that he was now the God of Stories and therefore could rewrite history. He was both part of time and outside of it.

"Let's erase the red note from the register of my conscience", Loki said to himself.

He closed his eyes and concentrated very hard. He channeled all his energy. He felt it running through his veins. He shivered and felt hot at the same time. He was very close. He was doing it. He snapped his fingers and released a beam of green light.

He took deep breaths and looked into his timeline. With great joy he discovered that he had succeeded. He saw men, women and children hugging their loved ones again. Joy and disbelief were rampant.

The newspapers immediately started talking about what happened, calling it a miracle. Oh, poor naive people.

It wasn't a miracle, it was more. It was much, much more.

Loki smiled joyfully. He had given joy back to the people he had taken it from. Finally the red note in the register of his conscience was gone. In due time he would get out of that tree and would reunite with the people he loved, but for now he had to wait a little longer.

"We'll see each other again. It's a promise", he said with a confident tone.

[bestfictionalplant]

Bracket reveal

Text version under cut!

The tourney is split into 4 32 brackets, and the winners of each will go to the semi finals! I'll make a different post about HOW the tourney will run, and this will serve as a pinned post for round 1 :)

Bracket 1, Side 1

Peppino (Vampire Survivors) vs Winged Strawberry (Celeste)

Herb (Monster Hunter) vs Triffids (Day of the Triffids)

Gigi (Xiaolin Showdown) vs Silent Princess (The Legend of Zelda)

Breath of Evil (Wings of Fire) vs Thorn Thallid (Magic the Gathering)

Audrey II (Little Shop of Horrors) vs Farewell Flower (Mistborn)

Togemon (Digimon) vs Silverwood Tree (Witch Hat Atelier)

Golden Apple Tree (Greek Mythology) vs Potbelly (My Singing Monsters)

Sculk (Minecraft) vs MocDonald (One Piece)

Bracket 1, Side 2

Vida (The Promised Neverland) vs Glaze Lily (Genshin Impact)

Dr Brewer's Clone (Goosebumps) vs The Spring (Friends at the Table)

Kite Eating Tree (Peanuts) vs Zotoh Zhaan (Farscape)

Wheel Tree (His Dark Materials) vs Mushtree (I Was a Teenage Exocolonist)

Medusoid Mycelium (A Series of Unfortunate Events) vs Radial (Ooblets)

Chikorita (Pokemon) vs Blast Cone (League of Legends)

Gooloog (AAAHH!!! Real Monsters) vs Venus (Bug Fables)

The Thorian (Mass Effect) vs Yggdrasil (Norse Mythology)

Bracket 2, Side 1

Deku Tree (The Legend of Zelda) vs Blood Blossoms (Danny Phantom)

Hotblonde37159 (Angel: The Series) vs Vash the Stampede (Trigun)

Kinoko (Don't Hurt Me, My Healer) vs Wolfsbane (The Vampire Diaries)

Plant (Monster Rancher) vs Flower of Life (Mesopotamian Mythology)

Truffula Tree (The Lorax) vs Slurperon Enchantress (Internet Scam)

The Brain Tree (Neopets) vs Ginseng Baby (Scarlet Hollow)

Chompy (Bug Fables) vs Whispy Woods (Kirby)

Clavu (Overlord) vs Ivern (League of Legends)

Bracket 2, Side 2

Bulbasaur (Pokemon) vs The Trees of Valinor (Lord of the Rings)

Leslie (The Amazing World of Gumball) vs Hayzee Dayzee (Paper Mario)

Piranha Plant (Mario) vs Specimen 34/The Blessed Eternal (Wolf 359)

Potted Plant (Wander Over Yonder) vs Morbuzakh (Bionicle)

Jabe & the Trees of Cheem (Doctor Who) vs Black Mercy (DC)

Mr Plant (The World of Mr Plant) vs Feculant Gnarlmaw (Warhammer 40k)

Tree Rex (Skylanders) vs Flowey (Undertale)

Sundrop Flower (Tangled) vs Venus McFlytrap (Monster High)

Bracket 3, Side 1

Pinchley (Long Gone Gulch) vs Frank the Plant (Harley Quinn: the Animated Series)

The Venus (Hello From the Hallowoods) vs Nirnroot (The Elder Scrolls)

Food Fight (Skylanders) vs Paopu Fruit (Kingdom Hearts)

Phillogenous esk Piemondum (Rod Albright Alien Adventures) vs Plant (Wall E)

Tannot Root (Farscape) vs The Broccoloids (The Powerpuff Girls)

Rockbud (The Stormlight Archive) vs Sylvan Hound (Guild Wars 2)

Eldridge Johnson-Mayer (The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy) vs Hyacinth/Hyacinthus (Greek Mythology)

Selas Flower (Kingkiller Chronicle) vs Treant (Disgaea)

Bracket 3, Side 2

Dragonflame Cacti (Wings of Fire) vs Sunflower (Plants vs Zombies)

The Bioplant (The Rising of the Shield Hero) vs Turnip Boy (Turnip Boy Commits Tax Evasion)

Shambling Mound (Dungeons and Dragons) vs Mandrake (Shin Megami Tensei/Persona)

Cowplant (The Sims) vs Ebony Queen's Apple (Limbus Company)

Devil Fruits (One Piece) vs Donkey-Cabbage (Enchanted Forest Chronicles)

Oaktopus (My Singing Monsters) vs Field Dungeon (Rune Factory 4)

Mushroom Tree (Stardew Valley) vs Jumpkin (Cassette Beasts)

Undergrowth (Danny Phantom) vs Karzahni (Bionicle)

Bracket 4, Side 1

Dreamstalk (Kirby) vs Myconid (Balders Gate 3)

Stingbulb (Fablehaven) vs Treebeard (Lord of the Rings)

Stray Cat (Jojo's Bizarre Adventure) vs Peashooter (Plants vs Zombies)

Giant Turnip (Codename: Kids Next Door) vs Treasure Mushroom (Guild Wars 2)

Tree of Wisdom (Sonic the Hedgehog) vs Fire Flower (Mario)

Stump (The Angry Beavers) vs Groot (Marvel)

Maise (Oneshot) vs Konohana Tree (Okami)

Red Weed (War of the Worlds) vs Pod Plant (Fortnite)

Bracket 4, Side 2

Plantera (Terraria) vs The Grass Snake (Friends at the Table)

Breathweed (Warhammer 40k) vs Campestri (Dungeons and Dragons)

Neo Alraune (Sleepy Princess in the Demon Castle) vs Kringlefucker (Homestuck)

Slimefoot the Stowaway (Magic: The Gathering) vs Gatfruit Tree (Space Station 13/14)

Sex Pollen Plant (Fanfiction) vs The Rumor Weed (VeggieTales: Larry-Boy and the Rumor Weed)

Dr Madley Radish (Papa Louie) vs Vervain (The Vampire Diaries)

Yatevon (OCTAHEDRON: Transfixed Edition) vs Echo Flower (Undertale)

Wither Rose (Minecraft) vs Hydramon (Digimon)

[evilminji]

I recently read your DPxDC post comparing the Ghost Zone to Yggdrasil.

Ans I've been playing Elden Ring again lately, mostly because the Lore in it keeps dragging me back.

And I think you'd like the concept of Erdtree Burial. It even matches up with your post.

Imma try my best to explain the concept so Spoiler starts here:

-------------

Anyways, so Erdtree Burial means to take a recently dead body of someone who committed grand feats and/or is worthy of honor, and place them to rest amidst the roots of the Erdtree (which is basically Yggdrasil vut legally distinct).

The Tree itself will then take the soul and memory of the deceased and etch them upon itself, preserve their soul and remember them.

----------------

What if the Erdtree is that world's link to the World Between Worlds?

So, can you imagine all these Elden Ring Demigods, Honourable Dead and Great Fighters occasionally taking a leisurely stroll out of their Afterlife Home amidst the branches of the Erdtree to go visit the Ghosts that live in the Zone?

Random giant dude passes by, twin Greatswords at his back, and goes to grab a whole 20 barrels of ecto-ale to bring back to his friends.

Danny, coming back from visiting Clockwork, has to do a double take, and ask the bartender some questions.

"While was that guy? He looked a little too golden to be a Ghost"

"Ah, that's just Radahn. He says he's a General or something. That he once held back the stars all by himself. Apparently fought some wars, and they still needed like 20 great warriors fighting together to put him down after he went senile. Hogwash, if you ask me."

Danny hears that the guy used to throw hands with celestial bodies regularly, and knows exactly where he'll be for summer vacation.

If the Tarnished player character is already Elden Lord by then, I can definitely see Danny coming back wearing the Twinned Armor set.

(Especially if it's my Strength/Faith/Arcane character. She used the Butcher's Knife greataxe, with the Stormcaller Ash of War and a Bleed enchantment, plus Rot Dragon and Black Flame spells)

Hello yes! I DO enjoy this thought! You were ABSOLUTELY correct!

Haven't played the game? But? Now? I CAN NOT get the idea of the Zone itself being The Erdtree out of my head?

Great and endless. With roots and manifestations, that may or may not reach into the world it cradles, that will imprint upon itself souls of those buried close. That it may cherish them FOREVER.

Are we within in it? Held by it? Consumed? It is not for our mortal minds to know. Perhaps not even for gods to know.

But, oh. OH! What made Danny so DIFFERENT? No answer found in his world. No answer found anywhere near it. Yet? Here they know it. A simple answer, given freely. It feels almost unfair. Like he has been cheated of catharsis. As though he should have had to fight and scrape and FORCE them to speak.

They can not even begin to understand, what it is like. Being so alone.

Or maybe... maybe they can.

He's not sure which he wants more. Which he fears is true.

For what was the portal? If not sharp blade cut into the celestial earth? Plunging into starlight soil and primordial soup, to the tangled roots of something greater. A tree. THE tree. Dragging back that soil and nicking those tightly woven, buried things. A welling of ichor, golden and green and DIVINE.

A plunging of that blade into his heart.

His lifeblood with the tree's.

A pathway where none could ever have been.

Oh, what rituals we blindly perform. Our ignorance of their meaning does not give them less power, only leaves us unguarded. It does not have to be on ancient stages and with ancient things, to be a ritual. It can be a laboratory. A machine instead of a ritual blade.

Still a thing forged by Father's and Mother's hand, that killed the Son.

And then Again, through the twist of Time, by dear friends hand, first in ignorance now twice in knowing, killed again.

Twice Half Dead, Is A Corpse. And Thus, With The Tree.

Cradled and loved. Etched forever into itself. Perhaps even a bit more so, for the difficulties of his birth. For how rarely does the Erdtree bleed. How rarely the Zone spill its Divine blood. A little starlit snowflake, flitting along its many paths. Cradled in its heart. So clever and bright.

The problem, I imagine? Is that such a Divinity? Has a very distinct nature. You give unto them. They take. They cherish. They do not return.

And Danny is being a Trouble Child. Sneaking off into Worlds, mostly his own, and NOT staying in the Zone. The Tree's domain. Other Gods have power in those places! Child, cease! That is dangerous! It is like a mermaid deciding to go climb the alps. Even if she CAN make legs for herself, that is WAY to far from the safety of her God's domain! Are you mad, child!? Have you heard of acceptable Risk?!

Danny has. It made a whooshing noise as he tossed it out the window.

[cookies-and-music]

Ghost. - part 17: Team work (How to not)

My suggestion for this chapter is Sharks by Imagine Dragons

Part 1 here - part 18 Here

PAIRING: TVA!LokixOC

TAG LIST: @kats72 ; @mischief2sarawr ; @m3ntally-unstable ; @star-maker-rain-dancer

SUMMARY: Loki meets sombody at the TVA he once knew. Unfortunately she doesn't seem to remember him.

"Let me see if I understand correctly," O.B. took a sheet of paper and began scribbling on it. "Yggdrasil supports the universes; it’s the only constant within the multiverse, and so far, that’s clear to everyone. This means that there is always an Yggdrasil, regardless of how you look at space or time, because it’s the only thing that allows multiple universes, spaces, or times to coexist."

"Exactly," Lydia nodded while taking off her jacket and getting comfortable.

"We have the new Yggdrasil, created because the universe was collapsing."

"Which is a form of Ragnarok."

"So, this means the previous Yggdrasil is... dead?"

"Destroyed, yes. At the same time that moment He Who Remains died."

"But the loom didn’t collapse because he died; it collapsed because we stopped pruning," B-15 interjected.

"Indeed, it has nothing to do with the death of He Who Remains; it’s what we could call a temporal coincidence," Mobius put his hands in his pockets.

"You have to think of it this way," Lydia took the pen from O.B.’s hand and began drawing ellipses that touched at various points. "Odin said that there has always been a Loki, at different moments, in different world, who sacrificed himself by transforming into the tree and died after a while, and at that point," Lydia pointed to a spot where one ellipse intersected with another, "a Loki from another timeline and world created a new tree."

"Th-that co-could make s-sense," Timely scratched his cheek with one hand.

"It’s as if the tree had its own specific timeline given cyclically by birth, stasis, and death. At each birth, there’s a Loki, a variant, who creates it in his world, and at each death, there’s a Ragnarok affecting worlds of that timeline. In our case, though, the tree is at the TVA and affects all worlds, dimentions and timelines; and by destroying it, we don’t have the certainty that any variant of Loki would survive to rebuild it," Lydia looked at the others, seeking a nod of agreement “Even if we were to remove Loki from the tree, we can’t be sure there would be another Loki somewhere who’s already creating a new Yggdrasill. We’d kill the tree and destroy the TVA.”

"So how do we solve this?" B-15 was getting impatient.

"The tree is powered by a core: after a period of stasis in there, Loki, who is a god but not immortal, wears out, leaving a pulsing core inside, a sort of heart, which energy is bond to end eventually. We want to do a transplant: go back in time, take the heart of a dying Yggdrasil and place it in ours, so the tree no longer needs him to survive."

"But won't that cause a Ragnarok?"

"T-technically, it’s a-already h-happened," Timely adjusted his glasses, "otherwise, Loki wouldn’t have needed to rebuild the tree. You have to think of that as two lines that only meet in a point of time in which a tree dies and the other is created”.

"Exactly," Lydia nodded. To be honest, she hadn’t thought about it; the idea of causing the destruction of an entire universe to get Loki back was fine with her. But it was even better if it wasn’t necessary.

"You’ll need to be precise with the timing, though. You should extract the heart of Yggdrasil from the first universe, for instance, at the exact moment a Loki creates the other Yggdrasil in the second universe," O.B. pointed to the spots on the paper.

"And there’s another problem," Mobius pointed out, "we don’t know exactly where the tree to extract the core is. We know that in 2017 Ragnarok was narrowly avoided due to a war generated in Asgard between Hela, Loki, and Thor. That could be the moment the old tree was destroyed and simultaneously, Loki, as a variant of himself, recreated it here at the TVA."

"It all sounds very hypothetical, chaotic, and incredibly risky," B-15 sighed.

"It could work," O.B. adjusted his glasses.

"But we don’t know what might happen if we’re wrong," B-15 shook her head. "Sure, if it works, we could get Loki back, and we’d all be very happy, but if it doesn’t, everyone’s lives in every universe would be in danger."

"It will work," Lydia clenched her jaw, looking at her.

"You’re not sure," B-15 crossed her arms "and I don’t agree with putting everyone’s lives at risk because you can’t get over a loss."

"How can you be so ungrateful?" Lydia raised her voice, "He saved us, and you don’t even want to try to find a solution."

"No, because this isn’t a solution. It’s the desperate move of someone who can’t accept reality."

Lydia could only glare at her, fuming with anger.

"So, you all agree with this?" B-15 turned to the rest of the group, who lowered their gaze.

Traitors, all of them.

"I’m not entirely convinced either," Casey, who had been silent until then, could have kept quiet, at least according to Lydia.

"Perhaps it would be better to gather some more scientific data on the possibility of this working" O.B. shrugged, giving Lydia a sad look.

Very well. If they didn’t want to help her, she would do it alone.

"As you wish," Lydia cleared her throat, "then we should all try to find some other solution if you really care about him."

She grabbed her jacket and left the room. She hadn’t even reached the end of the corridor leading to the elevator when she had already opened the TimePad and set the destination: Asgard, 2017.

LET'S JUST ALL PRETEND, AS A COMMUNITY, THAT THIS MAKES SENSE. I JUST HAD FEW IDEAS AND REALLY CONFUSED. BUT U KNOW WHAT, IF THE MARVEL STUDIOS CAN CREATE SUCH A CAOS MESSING WITH TIME-TRAVELLING AND SUCH, I FEEL ENTITLED TO DO MY SHIT AS USUAL THANK YOU TO ALL MY READERS <3

[alexthenbee]

Hi Tumblr! I wrote a fanfic for Lokius to help our shipping hearts. Spoilers for the season 2 finale

"No!" Shouts Mobius as Loki opens the door to the Loom. He's not sure what he's about to do, but that soft smile Loki sends him can't be a good sign.

"I did it for you, for all of us," Loki explains and turns towards the opening door. He steps out and Mobius runs upstairs to watch through the window. Mobius watches as Loki struggles to reach the destination of the Temporal Loom. With each step, memories come flooding back to the human. He was the first one to see something in Loki. The first one to believe Loki can be more than an evil God of mischief. He recalls all the little stuff. Eating pie together. Doing paperwork together. Riding a two person bike to catch the bad guy. All the little taps they gave each other. This, and this, and this the memories keep flooding Mobius.

Loki reaches the end of the walkway. He has changed. While Mobius was recalling their memories with each step, Loki changed costumes with each step. He's now wearing a fancy green suit with a golden horned helmet. Loki reaches up and uses his magic to destroy the Temporal Loom. Everyone around Mobius goes silent. It's all destroyed... or is it? Lokie grabs at the strands of timeliness. Using magic he fixes them. He carries the timeliness with him. He accepts the burden of holding the timeliness forever. This is his glorious purpose. Heavy is the head that wears the crown.

Mobius watches Loki walk away until he couldn't see him anymore.

Afterwards, Mobius couldn't find a reason to stay at the TVA. It used to be the only home he's ever known. Then he met Loki. Perhaps home isn't a place, but it's a person. Maybe Loki was his person. But now Loki is stuck with the burden of keeping the multiverse safe. Mobius is content with just letting time pass.

That is, until he heard a familiar sound of a particular God's magic. In confusion he turned around. "Loki? Is that you?" He asks the raven haired God.

"Sort of," chuckles Loki. "I used my magic to make a clone and I put him in this timeline. I can watch all the timelines, but just watching isn't as exciting."

"I bet. Do you ever get lonely? Watching everyone from afar?"

"I suppose so... but somebody has to take care of the timeliness. I made this decision. I have to deal with the consequences."

Mobius smiles, "Wow. Look at how much you've changed. The Loki that I first met would have been more reluctant to accept such a responsibility. I lo- I'm proud of you."

Loki's breath hitches when Mobius stuttered. He wonders what Mobius would have said. Perhaps it is best to leave it unsaid though. "Thanks, Mobius. So how is the world? What have you been up to?"

"Same old. I finally bought a jetski. It's fantastic! I took it out on the lake and I had a ton of fun." Mobius doesn't say that he felt like he was missing something on his ride.

"That's great! I'm happy to hear you had fun."

"Yeah. Hey um... I was wondering if I could maybe help out somehow. Or just sit around with you and keep you company."

"Mobius, that's a kind offer. But I have to say no. I don't want you to be forced to help me with this burden. I have to do it on my own."

"See that's where I think you're wrong. You don't have to carry that burden alone. And I wouldn't be forced to do it. I'm offering and making a decision just as you did."

Loki stays silent for a moment thinking. "Fine. But if you want to leave just let me know."

The gray haired man smiles, "sure thing."

Mobius goes to Loki. He looks at the timelines in awe. It resembles yggdrasil, the tree of life in Norse mythology. He walks towards the tree and sees Loki on his throne. In green mist a second throne appears on Loki's right. "Wow. Loki this is amazing!"

The God chuckles, "thanks Mobius. I took inspiration from home."

"I can see this," Mobius smiles and sits in the throne designated for him.

The two sit in comfortable silence for a moment. Mobius grabs some timlines from Loki's hand and holds them for him. Then Loki speaks up. "Earlier you said you were proud of me. But you were going to say something else. What was it?"

"Oh. You caught onto that? I forget how observant you are," Mobius chuckles. Loki smiles softly but waits for Mobius to answer the question. "I love you, Loki. I always have."

Loki looks affectionately at the silver haired man. "Really? Even when I first arrived at the TVA? Or when I was a villain?"

"Yes. Even then. I knew that you had potential to become a kind God. I've always had faith in you."

"Thanks, Mobius. You have no idea how much that means to me. I love you as well."

"For all time," Mobius smirks. He will love Loki until the Earth stops spinning and the timelines cease to exist.

"Always," Loki smirks back. He'll always love Mobius. In any other timeline they would meet and fall in love, he was sure of it. Their love is ineffable. Something that is certain in every universe.

The two men smile at each other. They hold hands and stare out at the beautiful, vast universe. Maybe this glorious purpose doesn't have to be fulfilled alone after all.

[in-my-loki-feels]

I know we all want to believe that Loki will be in What If...? s2 based on them decorating Yggdrasil like a Christmas tree, but I'm just trying to adjust my expectations so my heart isn't shattered any further.

We have that shot and then this one ⬇️

My guess for this image is that it'll be from the episode where Hela finds the ten rings. Presumably she then goes to Asgard to fuck shit up and I'm guessing Loki and Thor join Odin in trying to repel her. But maybe I'll be wrong! Maybe we will get a scene of post-Loki s2 Loki and/or Mobius. You know, as a special holiday treat. 🥹

[nodawnesperia]

Current Situation Report (map status)

The map has undergone some changes but since I am not great at art, let's take a look at the map piece by piece and go over how things changed from canon.

Ranhorn

Previously: The capital city of the Lightbearer Empire and its surroundings, the heart of the Empire and conglomerate of the Lightbearer nobility. Currently: The base of operations for the current progress of the invasion, includes the domains of Mortas, Leofric, and Olgath.

Bastion of the Elements

Previously: The place where all the elements converge and are balanced, built on top of the Solaran Furnace, it hosts a temple for the Wilder sages. Currently: In ruins, the balance overturned and Solaran furnace shattered, includes the domains of Maetria and Kane.

Yggdrasil

Previously: The sacred tree of the Wilders, its root system spreads through the entirety of the Dark Forest, it's said it also helps provide the magical barrier around the Forest that protects the Wilders. Currently: Yggdrasil has been burnt down, its roots corrupted and turned into a spy network spanning the entirety of the Forest, the magical barrier has transformed from a protective feature to a cage, includes the domains of Framton and Lavatune.

Tomb of the Ancients

Previously: A sacred burial ground of the Wilders and the final place of many spiritual journeys, a sacred land untouched by evil. Currently: A mysterious tomb of an imprisoned goddess, surrounded by misty wastelands, includes domains of Vyloris and Mask Currator.

Desert Sanctuary

Previously: An oasis given to the Maulers by the goddess Dura as their refuge in the desert, Temple of Seers and the center of the Maulers' religious activities Currently: A refuge for those displaced by the war and a hospital for those still willing to fight, with the Celestials on the decline, the temple has been converted into a training and recovery ground.

The Scorched City

Previously: A rough region in the former Bellvale after it was leveled, and a base for bandits and Quicksand Claws trying to ambush traveling caravans, and occasionally a battlefront for the Lightbearer-Mauler conflict. Currently: The front of the war, ravaged by the conflict between the Hypogeans and the Maulers, a land soaked in blood.

Maldan

Previously: The former dwarven capital, abandoned after Alna ushered in the first winter and made it uninhabitable, under Lightbearer control. Currently: The mountain passes have grown even colder and more inhospitable than in the past, most living beings are unable to even pass through, under Graveborn control.

Bantus

Previously: Once a prosperous kingdom founded by the Lenu people, fallen and revived with its last king, Thoran, it is a land of darkness and suffering where the undead work tirelessly on studies of necromancy. Currently: A bustling hub of commerce between the Hypogeans and Graveborn where one can buy whatever they might want from texts to people, under Graveborn control.

The Abandoned Port

Previously: The base of operations for the Graveborn navy, once a beautiful port city, it was overrun by the Graveborn when Thoran returned to rule. Currently: The joint base of operations for both the Graveborn and the Hypogean navies and the planning center of the Isle of the Banished invasion, the residence of Mezoth and Lucretia.

Isle of the Banished

Previously: The last bastion of hope for the undead hoping to just quietly disappear from the world, escaped prisoners of war, and those who see their undeath as a curse. Currently: While the unique natural conditions as well as tireless defenders work to protect the Isle's peace, the relentless attacks by the Hypogean-Graveborn alliance left the island scarred and slowly weakening. It hasn't fallen yet but it is only a matter of time.

Mire Town

Previously: After the brutal Fight of the Black Woods, the landscape turned into a putrid marsh, toxic to all living beings and dissolving even the undead. Currently: After the Barred Gate broke, Mire Town was one of the first locations taken over by the Hypogeans and quickly filled with torture and prison camps, holding those the Hypogeans hated the most, domain of Conrad and Morass Diabolus.

The Ancient Ruins

Previously: Once a glorious temple to the gods, it fell into disrepair after the first Hypogean war and Dura's death despite having been said to be Dura's birthplace Currently: The temple was repurposed by the Hypogean supporters and Sin-bearers to perform grand terrible rituals to bolster the forces of the Hypogeans as well as study the arcane arts for their own purposes, in the private, most sacred rooms of the temple, the god of death himself resides.

The Old Mine

Previously: Mines filled with magical ore, often frequented by dwarves as well as Lightbearer slavers with their Wilder slaves in search of rare and magical metals. Currently: The magical ore has been mostly mined out but the mines remain in use, as the last destination for prisoners of war deemed unbreakable by conventional methods, in the mines, Graveborn and Hypogean jailors subject the prisoners to relentless physical and psychological torture, working them to the bone, domain of Kalthin.

Hoarfrost Ridge

Previously: Before the rise of Altor from the sea, it was known as "The Edge of the World" both due to being the southernmost edge of Hathor and for how many ships found their gruesome end in the icy western winds of the area. Currently: The already inhospitable icy land proved perfect for many of the Hypogeans who sought to remove themselves from the war, it became an area of tense peace – or rather cold indifference, the domain of Respen.

Abandonment

Previously: A mysterious land of permanent frost, it hides a doorway protected by an ancient megalith and powerful enchantments that repel those who attempt to breach it. Currently: After the Hypogeans found the megalith and toppled it, the enchantment wore off quickly, once the seal was broken, there was little of interest left for the rampaging Hypogean army, Abandonment eventually became an end-of-the-line area for worshippers who had lost their purpose and were no longer of use, domain of Khazard.

The White Woods

Previously: The crystals mined in these mountains offer unparalleled hardness. sturdiness, and beauty, coupled with its strategic location, it is an important stronghold to keep for anyone interested in gaining the upper hand in ongoing conflicts. Currently: After the Burning Woods incident, Kane's first focus became claiming the mountain pass and after a swift assault, he managed to secure it for the Hypogeans, earning them an easy advantage in the ensuing war, the domain of Mehira.

Esperance

Previously: An autonomous island off the coast of Hathor, open to all outsiders regardless of their faith or loyalty, including practices frowned upon on the mainland. Currently: Having taken advantage of the natives' kind nature, the Hypogean invasion was quick and devastating, catching the city by surprise and subjugating the countryside within weeks, the domain of Lavatune.

Monastery

Previously: An area said to determine the loyalty and devotion of Dura's chosen, never breached fully by a mortal, carrying silent bones of heroes of days past in its bowels. Currently: After the Celestials lost their divinity, their seals placed upon the Monastery weakened significantly. Unable to withstand the influx of refugees, the celestial guardians began slaughtering the innocents indiscriminately. In the chaos of resentment and pain, the place was tainted, becoming a breeding ground for the Hypogeans until its eventual fall. The domain of Lucretia.

Sanctum

Previously: The glorious castle of the gods, a safe sanctum far removed from mortal strife, beautiful and pure, housing the gods' workshops, training grounds, and the center of their social lives. Currently: After the fall of the Monastery, the Sanctum closed its gates, and most of the gods withdrew to the deepest reaches of the fortress, a large part of the beautiful Sanctum now lies in ruins, leaving the gods trapped or scattered across Esperia.

Barred Gate

Previously: Dura placed a mighty seal on the Barred Gate to keep the Hypogeans at bay but due to the Celestials slacking on their duties as well as the Hypogeans outside of the Gate working to weaken Dura's seal, it slowly grew faint over time. Currently: The Gate broke open, spilling Hypogeans back into Esperia, its strange rift in time and space leading some to believe its power can yet be used to save the day and turn the tides of war, the domain of Zolrath.

Altor

Previously: After rising from the sea, the mysterious continent was colonized by the dwarves, its savage brutal natives trying and failing to stop the encroach of civilizations, its northern regions hiding many a tribal secret and eldritch horrors beyond the mortals' wildest dreams. Currently: Reclaiming his lands, Uemiss started rebuilding his kingdom, slowly but surely wearing down the curse placed on his people and ushering in a new era of prosperity, built on the blood and bones of those who would oppose them.

[xlckilaufeysonx]

Yggdrasil

Did I make you proud?

Those words echoed in Loki's ears when he was sitting inside the tree of life. If he couldn't be something great, Loki created the most powerful connection between the worlds. Between cosmos and multiverses, his powers fueled through the threads of time.

Did I make you proud? I could have done if father, for you, for all of us.

There is a time for everything and for all things.

Through the threads of time and space, he could see the destruction of Asgard. He closed his eyes going right there, to that moment and rebuilding the city with golden towers, Asgard. His home. How much he hated that place, despite that he missed it,the emotions he felt in that realm where he was born and he rebuilt it with his mind. He returned to that moment just to see his his mother. Frigga the mother of all, the Queen of Asgard. He returned back to that time when she used to teach him mystical arts, his magic. If he knew everything he knows today, he should thank her.

“Did I make you proud?” He said. Loki recalled that back at that time he said it in a bitter way, but now he sounded more like he was seeking approval.

“You have always made me proud, my son. I knew there was a heart inside of you.” Frigga said hugging his son. Loki hugged her back, holding her close, crying in that hug. He didn't want to lose her again, he had missed her.

“Mother, there are a lot of things I need to tell you.” He whispered, between lo sobs.

“You don't need to tell me anything, my son. I know. I already know everything.”

He remembered when he had so much rage and in that moment, Loki told Frigga that she wasn't his mother, that Odin wasn't his father. There was an overwhelming feeling blooming inside of him. You'll lose her, you'll lose her.

Not this time, not this time. Because there was a glorious purpose for him to fulfill. For him. You are always so perceptive about everyone but yourself.

When he released Frigga from the embrace all Asgard was as it remembered.

Sometimes you just choose your burden. Sometimes the best you can so is to choose what is the best choice, but that doesn't mean it will be easy. Road will be full of obstacles but even from the hardest of the choices, even thorns can give birth to life, something amazing can be born that gives life to everything.

Loki opened his eyes again, watching the flow of time before his eyes even going to his old friend Mobius. Let time pass...Maybe some day, they will meet again.

[abitofboth]

all the branches of the timeline coming together to form yggdrasil with loki right in the heart of the tree of life… I can and will scream

[thefaultinourforcebond]

ofc im sad

two whole seasons and before that he's been tortured, and punished for god knows how many times, knows his future and how he'll end up on the sacred timeline, saw his mom die, for season 2 to punish him further by granting him the curse to go back in time and fix things REPEATEDLY for it to not be fruitful at the end.

Loki being God of Stories, Loki Who remains at the heart of Yggdrasil is fine but physically binding him to the tree and not giving him the freedom to visit friends? Cruel. Truly the cruellest thing I've seen written.

It's technically eternal punishment. Why is Loki in his Davy Jones Era when he'd sacrifice so much? And alone????

He can't even get an apple like HWR did.

[ And do you know how many years did I have to wait to see Will Turner be free from that curse??? ]