#the end of myths of the realm also had me crying a lot but not as miserably as panda fbskfhskdjs

[the-rogue-mockingjay]

Should I new game plus Myths of the Realm just to see Deryk again? Maybe so. Maybe so......

#im attached to him your honor #love him....... #also pondered ng+ pandaemonium but. im not strong enough #watching that last cutscene with themis would have me sobbing my eyes out just like the first time i saw it #and i don't wanna :c #the end of myths of the realm also had me crying a lot but not as miserably as panda fbskfhskdjs #listen.....my big soft heart wasn't made for goodbyes. i will cry so much

[jades-typurriter]

Summer Costume Pre-Sale

A piece of fanfiction for my wives' novel, Ascension: Tales of Twin Tales. Coyotl, Fox & Violet, and Niamh are on the hunt for Radiant artifacts, and their latest search leads them to the lair of the embodiment of autumn.

This one's really self-indulgent and also takes a LOT of context from the book. It was written as a gift to her, so like, I didn't feel like it needed to "stand on its own" (and still don't), but I wanted to put it up somewhere anyway 'cause I had a lot of fun with it =^w^=

“So this is the place?” Fox asks, looking ahead and bouncing along one pace behind me, her usual spring in her step.

“Indeed,” I reply, stowing the Amazing Mirror beneath my cloak with a wave of my hand. No ordinary map could have led us to this place, a locus of autumnal transition that defies the mundane tracking of mortals.

“This isn’t the kind of place I’d expect to find a Radiant’s holdout…” the vixen muses, bringing a paw to her chin and stopping to look up at the building.

“It may not appear as mystical as some of the ruins we’ve plundered, but I assure you, this is a veritable treasure trove! Within these halls, a nigh-endless labyrinth of knowledge awaits us, full of facsimiles of the raiments of heroes of old. We’re quite fortunate to have found this place so quickly; as the seasons change, so too do these myths fall out of fashion or fade from memory entirely, and the Radiant we’ve been tracking–and his domain–are the embodiment of that transience.”

“He’s trans?”

“He–well, I’ve never met him,” I stammer as Fox snickers, her mischievous grin a familiar (and welcome) sight. “My family, however, visited him hundreds of times over the generations. Yearly, if they could manage it. They kept careful track of the locations his realm has opened to; The map in the manor’s library marked over fourteen hundred previous sites! They never brought me along, since indulging in all the history here was too great a privilege in their eyes, but I’ve imagined it over and over since I was young. And now, studying their notes has brought us straight to the most recent portal into his realm!” I can’t contain my excitement–the thought of finally being allowed to explore this Hall of Fame of the epic heroes of the past has me wagging my tail!!

Finally, we stop walking, looking up at the front of the building housing the entrance.

“This is a Spirit Halloween.”

“Not just ANY Spirit Halloween!” I cry, pivoting on my heel to face the Vixens, swishing my cloak and throwing out an arm for effect. “This place is occupied by THE spirit OF Halloween!! The King of Lanterns! The Harvest Reaper! A master of disguise so great that even his abode is able to exist in the open without drawing attention from those of the Land of Shade! Every so often, amidst the showpieces and recreations, a genuine article finds its way into his collection. It’s how my family acquired a good few of the artifacts under my custodianship, and it’s how today, we may just find a new one to bring home!”

“Wow, Coyo!!” Fox beams at me, clapping at the end of my speech. “This sounds like it’s gonna be INCREDIBLE!! How are we gonna find it? Or get it out once we do?” The glint in her eye grows as fierce as the points of her teeth; I can already see the gears turning in her head, eager to dig her claws into another heist.

“There won’t be any need for thieving today, alas. He’s something of a businessman. Agriculture has been the backbone of many an economy from the dawn of time, and in the last few centuries, the Radiant’s influence has grown even further with the yearly celebrations of the creepiest and most whimsical corners of our culture. Plus, he has a stake in the actual Spirit Halloween chain.”

“I see! It’s weird, y’know? Been a while since we had such an easy one,” she says, lacing her fingers together behind her head. “And with all the hoofin’ it we’ve been doing, it’s just so odd finding an important magic spot in the middle of a city, let alone a Radiant. I guess some of ‘em like Gepette set up shop in Subterfuge, but that’s still pretty out of the way. There were all those heists Cat and I went on right after we ascended, but–” She’s interrupted by a pomf as her darkness-dipped tail thumps her in the back, Violet seemingly having caught onto the impending faux pas before Fox’s brilliant puzzle brain catches up. She glances between her headmate and me, her ears falling a touch, but I shake my head.

“No, no, you’re as observant as ever!” I reassure her, knowing that she–and I–have long since forgiven my mistakes. “Radiant folk tend not to operate so brazenly; were they not under contract, and behind the veil of layers of concealing spells, they would not have faced you anywhere so densely-populated.”

“Oh, but some of us,” lilts a notable exception as she swoops down, “have a much greater flair for the dramatic~.” She touches down to stand at our side, my mentor soon following suit; I hadn’t witnessed Bomba’s dive from atop Niamh’s wings, but the form of her landing is as flawless as ever. “And of course, we all know how little regard for subtlety my old flame has~. It’s a wonder she hasn’t gotten herself found out again, shining as brightly as she does,” she sighs.

“Girls!! Didn’t realize you’d be joining us for this one!” Fox cheers.

“Oh, don’t fret, my little fox. You lovebirds will have your usual space for your latest dungeon date~,” the snake coos, putting a sheen of static on my face and eliciting a giggle from my… my lovebird. “The proprietor is an old friend of mine, and I was hoping to do some catching up. Bomba, for her part, wanted to study all the historic weapons for sale! Even if most of them are just replicas, she’s sure to pick up some new tricks. And hey, our champion may even find herself represented among the disguises~.”

“I am Bomba,” says Bomba, graciously accepting the compliment.

“Shouldn’t we get going?” Violet asks, prodding us onward. “You said this place doesn’t sit still very long.”

“That’s right!” I say, striding forward toward the door. I throw them open, Fox bounding right along with me, Niamh and Bomba trailing behind, and as the storefront’s double doors open, we are greeted with pitch darkness. The only thing visible is a worn, dusty path, illuminated by a low, large moon that shines like a spotlight. It bears the hoofprints of beasts of burden and ruts that seem to have been carved into it by wagon wheels; it’s littered with dried husks, strewn straws of hay, scattered with chaff. This is the metaphorical road to market–the journey made by those who plow the field to ply their crop, and the route by which the Lord of the Harvest takes his due.

Though the light doesn’t extend far ahead of us, I stride bravely forward. Instead of stepping off into the shadowy underbrush at the end of the path, it seems to extend itself, winding further into the gloom as the moon strings us along. Pinpricks of flickering light emerge as we tread the old road. At first, they seem like stars, or fireflies, but as we approach our destination, they resolve themselves into the hungry, steely gazes of predators, lying motionless in wait as they might once have stalked fatted calves–or inattentive farmers–in the hopes of a harvest feast of their own.

The darkness shifts–however, it heralds the emergence of a different beast than the ones whose gazes line the path. Violet now stalks beside me as we continue, and I can see her hackles bristling in anticipation of a confrontation. Niamh, however, slithers forward before the tension in her shadowy form can snap into a pounce, and places a knowing hand on the wolf’s shoulder. She turns her head behind her, four eyes meeting three, and she seems less on edge for the gesture.

“That’s a good girl~,” the serpent encourages.

“Don’t make me maul you before THEY do,” Violet rumbles in response, her tail twitching. She has much better control of hers than I do, I think, smiling to myself. She huddles up her shoulders and furrows her brow, sulking, a different kind of guard up than the one she had had previously.

We don’t walk for much longer before another, massive pair of eyes opens in the darkness before us, a deep red fire burning within them. This is the Radiant we have sought, and when he opens his mouth to speak, it is as though the very gates of Hell have opened, casting flickering, dancing shadows all across the path:

“Do mortals once again seek to meet with the Year’s End himself?” he booms.

“That we do, Keeper of Campfire Tales!” I declare. “We have come in search of a boon amongst your bountiful stockpiles.”

“Have you, now?” he cackles, rattling my screen and standing Violet’s fur on end once again. “You DO realize, little traveler, that I reap more than STORIES from those who stray too far into the dark!”

“We will have what we came for!” I respond, not shying away from the threats of one of Death’s many envoys.

“Then you would do well to remember your manners. It has been a few years since one of you found your way to me; I wonder whether the old traditions of entreating the harvest gods have endured?”

It is as I read; he cannot harm us, his hands tied by ritual as strongly as humanity is tied to the tending of the land. I step forward, squaring my shoulders and puffing out my chest, to utter the phrase that will bind him:

“TRICK OR TREAT!!” Fox shouts, bursting forth from Violet’s protection, fists clenched with excitement and her grin as broad as the moon above. The darkness around us begins to swirl, a raging vortex filled with the cacophony of the Radiant’s laughter, as the fire from his deathly face grows brighter and hotter. Suddenly, as quickly as it had started to roil, the darkness clears entirely, revealing… well, the inside of a store.

We now stand at a checkout counter a mere few feet away from the double doors through which we entered; the space is adorned with a row of stands on either side of us, upon each of which sits a carved pumpkin bearing the visage of all manner of monster, from mundane woodland creature to mythical beast, lit from within by a plain candle. The counter itself is constructed from hay bales, and behind it sits a man in a pumpkin mask–also lit from behind–a flannel shirt, and a beaten-up pair of overalls.

“VERY good, lil’ lady!” He cheers, clapping for Fox, his echoing laughter having faded to hee-ing and haw-ing. “Nice ta see y’all ain’t forgotten your roots! Oh, but where’re MAH manners?” He doffs his mask respectfully, revealing a mirthful skull–also lit from behind, and which I suspect to be only one additional mask of many more. “Ah’m–”

“JACK, darling~!” Niamh squeals excitedly, blowing past me and Fox, arms outstretched.

“Well I’ll be! Jus’ how long’s it been since I seen YOU, missy?”

“Long enough that you’ve forgotten not to keep a lady waiting~. Honestly! All this pomp and circumstance scaring my little ones here, without so much as a hello,” she teased.

“HEE HEE HAW! Ya got me there, but you ain’t introduced your friends–my GUESTS–neither!”

“Well, you already met Violet,” said Fox, whose tail raised and formed a claw in a brusque greeting before lowering again. “And I’m Fox!”

“Coyotl,” I say, bowing slightly. “It is a pleasure.” He’d certainly recognize me if I added my family name, “moving on” doesn’t mean “wanting to have to hear about it”, and it isn’t the part of me that I care to make central, anyway.

“I am Bomba.”

“There! Quite polite, aren’t they, Jack? Now,” she says, waving us away like a starlet seeing off her fans. “Go ahead and let us catch up. I’ll keep this all-powerful Radiant busy while you all rob him for all he’s worth~.”

Bomba is already gone, and Fox grins as she snatches up my claw, weaving us between the stands making up the lantern-lined entryway and in the direction of whatever’s caught her treasure-hunter’s eye. Her enthusiasm is as infectious as ever, and the formality of introductions evaporates as I squeeze her paw in turn and our tails wag in our wake. Speaking of introductions…

“Fox, how on Earth did you know what to say to him? I only pieced that together after poring over the notes that had gone into the creation of my family’s map!”

“Well, while the two of you were talking, I figured it must’ve been some kind of riddle, but uh… Honestly? It was a gut feeling!” She winks at me.

Goddess, I love her.

She continues to lead the way through the winding aisles of the Pumpkin King’s vast market of myths. It has the air of a museum, but instead of being separated into wings, the eras and cultures from which these false artifacts were pulled blend together like the sections of a department store. The walkways are close, cramped, like the spaces between shelves in a library, snaking between racks of displays cramped end to end with faux regalia and mock weapons.

“Oh!! Wait!!” I dig my heels in, bringing me and the Vixens skidding to a halt as we pass an island of Transylvanian pieces. “What what what what!!”

Retracing a few steps and shuffling through one of the racks, I find a morningstar on a coiled, silver chain, with fine leather wrapped around the handle. A flick of my wrist sends its flanged metal head careening down the aisle, flying toward the full length of the chain with a rattle and a SNNK as the links stretch. Another flick pulls it back toward me, and I reach out to catch it around my forearm, whipping around and around until I catch the head in my palm.

“DAMN, COYO!!” Fox cheers, eyes shining. “I see you haven’t gotten rusty with your whips!”

“I suppose even an old Ends by Means remains in one’s muscle memory. Though, I must confess to having practiced with this specific piece before,” I add, scratching the back of my monitor. “My family collected the original some time ago, and it was one of the many I considered bringing with me for our escapades in Aspen Town.

“Goddess, you’ve got to show me around the collection once we can bring our haul back to it,” she marvels, sidling up next to me to get a better look at the fake in my hands. She wraps her tail around my waist, and I can already feel a green glow creeping onto my face. “Care to tell me more about this one?”

Goddess!! I LOVE her!!!

“W-well, this was the signature weapon of a line of monster hunters from eastern Europe! It was handed down from generation to generation in much the same way that my family tended to the artifacts in our care, except that this was several centuries ago, and given both the different culture surrounding magic and the rather dire circumstances, they actually put them to use!!” I place the fake back on the rack; knowing that we already have the real one safe and sound, I know it’s not what we’re here for. “They also collected a throwing axe, a consecrated boomerang, some very fine daggers… we even have the recipe for a special, flammable type of holy water!!”

“These guys sound like the heroes in a horror movie!!”

“Heroes indeed!! One of the better-known ones made his name by delivering dramatic speeches to the monsters he was about to fight. But, alas, we don’t have the time to stand around reciting monologues. We still have an artifact to hunt for!”

“But you could recite one of those monologues?”

“Most, of them.”

“Most~?” She presses further, her smile growing wider.

“All,” I reluctantly concede.

“Hehehee! Coyo, you are just so you~,” she teases, making me blush. “We can keep it moving, but I wanna hear ‘em when we get back to the truck!”

“I-if you wish!!” I stammer, though for my reluctance I cannot hide my antennae perking up with anticipation. She giggles again at the sight. It truly makes me happy that she takes such interest in not just our immediate quest, but in the history woven into all these figures and their belongings…

“Now!” She barks, hurrying down the aisle again. “I wanna see if I can find anything good!” I take off after her, watching as rows upon rows of hanging garments flutter in her wake, hearing the sound of crisp pages rustling as she calls upon the wind to help her skim the inventory fast enough to keep up with her excitement.

Eventually, her gale catches something–a robe whose hood is almost the cartoonish stereotype of a wizard’s hat, long, flowing, and coming to a point at the end. The blue, windsock-like garment piques her interest, and she stops to pull it off the rack, revealing that it is not in fact a robe, but a tunic and slacks embroidered with a motif of a meandering breeze.

“OooooOOOOoooo, now THIS looks like a fun one!” She says, pulling the tunic over her head. She leaves the pants on their hangar; she’s more of a shorts person, and honestly, I’d be surprised if they would go on over her hips either way. Trying not to dwell too much on thoughts of her hips, I watch as she twirls around in the tunic, enjoying the way it swishes as she uses her wind to toy with it. “You got a history lesson on this one for me, Coyo?”

“Hmm…” I ponder, bringing a claw to the bottom edge of my screen, furrowing my antennae. “Unfortunately, I don’t.” I look around the spot where she found it, hoping to glean some context from the related artifacts. “Ah!” I cry, reaching into a rack and pulling out a sword from next to a crimson tabard. “This, I recognize!”

She wonders at the gleaming, pearlescent blade, bouncing up and down on the pads of her paws, looking to me for elucidation. My tail wags as I meet her `ted gaze, and I rush into what I know, as eager to share as she is to hear.

“This is a recreation of a Welsh sword, said to be wielded by the old kings in the legends of the founding of their nation!” I exclaim, holding it dramatically aloft. “According to myth, it was hard enough to cleave stone in twain–so much so that it was left waiting in one for its eventual rightful user to claim it!”

“Wait, I thought Excalibur was a British sword?”

“The British believe everything belongs to them, do they not? They even presume to claim that their name for this blade is the correct one. The only correct one, anyway.”

“Fair enough! It’s never as simple as the stories with Radiants, is it? What’s that about, though?” She asks, ears swishing as she tilts her head, pointing at a pair of dark spectacles affixed to the sword with a plastic tie.

“I… haven’t a clue. Very cool, though.”

“You should try them on!” The vixen suggests, and I do, slipping the earpieces into my screen on either side of my eyes and holding them there. Holding them there is a bit like chewing on the ends, which at least gives me something to fidget with as I begin to squirm under her close inspection.

“Just like I thought,” she beams. “You look like a dork~!” I sputter, my face growing brighter behind the glasses, which do little to obscure my reaction. She reaches up and takes them off my face, standing on her toes to give me a peck on my screen. “You know I like you better when you aren’t hiding behind anything, Coyo~,” she adds, and though I feel exposed, I do not shy away this time as my screen burns.

“Now, you know what DID seem cool…” she says, taking my claw again and leading me toward something she had passed. As she bends over to rummage through the items, I notice Violet’s claw extending across the aisle to browse the opposite rack. “Here we go!” She says, straightening up, holding out a pair of bright red sneakers and a handful of thick, golden bangles.

“That jewelry seems quite heavy,” I observe.

“Not really! I don’t know if it’s ‘cause they’re fakes or if the magical originals were lighter than they looked, but I feel like I could hold a hundred of these!” She lines her arm with the rings to make her point, waving it around just as easily as if it were completely unburdened. “These shoes, though! Just looking at ‘em, I feel like I could run a mile a minute!”

“Coyotl,” Violet mutters, splitting off into Fox’s shadow, having apparently found what she was looking for. “I thought you said this place was stocked with things from ‘the heroes of old’. Why is there an uzi mixed in with all these rocks?” I look up at what she holds in her claws and see what appears to be an average firearm. In her other claw are a rainbow of diamond-cut jewels, each the size of my fist. G-goodness, I think, And she can hold seven of them in just the one hand…

“W-well,” I stammer, looking up at her and trying not to think about how much I have to look up at her, “New legends are made every day! I suppose it’s possible that this is a relic of a more recent escapade. Say, the last 25 years?”

“What, 2005?”

“No, maybe more recently than that. Probably a bit after ‘06.” The wolf hmphs in acknowledgement and, after we return everything to their places (save one of the jewels, which Fox finds to have impressive luster for a replica), walks alongside myself and Fox as we continue.

The glint of a shining, orange-gold blade poking out from among the displays catches my eye, and I stop to examine it more closely. It broadens at the end, almost to a cartoonish extent, and feels warm to the touch; with it is a winged helmet forged from the same metal, a form-fitting undergarment, and what is bluntly a dress. Not a robe, or tunic, or cloak, just a dress. An interesting change of pace! And certainly one to which I am not opposed. I pull the dark, snug piece over my head and wrap the flowing orange fabric around myself, then pose (quite valiantly) with the sword for the Vixens. Fox whistles, and Violet offers a restrained, appreciative clap.

“Me next, me next!!” Fox reaches into the same rack, coming away with a lightly-armored robe with sharp purple pauldrons and boots. There is a flap of fabric and, in a flash, she’s already changed into it, and is working to fit the similarly-pointy headpiece over her big, cute ears; once she has it comfortably on her head, she picks up a steel-blue staff and firmly taps it on the ground, full of playful faux-solemnity.

“You look a proper mage, beloved!”

“I want to try. Let me borrow that.” Violet sinks back into Fox’s shadow and slithers her way up along their body, The fabric of the robe melts into her darkness at the legs, resolidifying into coarse denim, the metal boots reconstituting themselves into the studs that line a handful of belts around her waist. Higher up, the robe becomes a simple shirt with the sleeves torn asunder to make way for the wolf’s powerful arms. The pauldrons form a coat, pinned around her neck beneath a spiked collar, hanging dramatically off her shoulders, emblazoned with an ankh on each cuff.

Her eyes change shape atop her snout, their outlines extending until they’re winged at the edges, a wedjat in the corner of each, and her wild mane teases itself up into several pointy locks. She crosses her arms and puffs out her chest, radiating an aura of self-assuredness rather than her usual imposing air. She looks herself up and down, pauses, and begins rooting around in the display once more. She finds a heavy chain bearing a pyramidal pendant, drapes it over her neck, and reassumes her stance, christening her new look with a nod of approval.

“You look FANTASTIC, Violet!!” I cheer. “Downright formidable! None could stand before you without flinching!” My wives are SO. COOL.

“Heeeheehehe,” Fox giggles, Violet’s maw peeling away so that her snout can poke out. “You’re just a big edgy goth girl, aren’t ya, Vi?”

“Alright, I’m done trying on clothes.” Violet retreats into Fox’s form, unceremoniously dumping her on the floor in her previous magician’s raiments.

“Oof. C’mon, Violet, you looked great in it!!”

“Mm,” she grunts from Fox’s tail, but I see her wagging nonetheless. “Let’s just blow this corn maze sometime before NEXT Halloween.”

And so we continue, doggedly scouring the maze of myths for any originals hidden amongst the forgeries. Of course, we do stop several more times, if not to step into the roles of old legends, then simply to revere them and delve into their histories.

We pass a massive suit of armor clutching a hammer larger than Violet is tall, with the visage of a lion sculpted into its left gauntlet, proudly displayed through the center of its shield. It is flanked on one side by a set of dark robes with a mask crafted from the skull of a barn owl, and on the other by a light leather jacket, complete with a pair of orange-tinted goggles and compartments in the sleeves for the discreet deployment of weapons. I see echoes of Sue and Zee in the likenesses of a child prodigy and her magnum opus, a mechanical centaur known for her extraordinary ability to stand her ground.

We enter a hall dedicated to the preservation of the forms of many great beasts: a hound with a scythe-like growth, said to bring disaster wherever it goes; a russet, shifty creature with a bushy tail and whiskers that evoke the facial hair of iconic feudal thieves and swashbucklers; and a lonely creature that hardens itself through hardship by shielding itself with the bones of its fallen ancestors. A purple-and-gray reptilian creature, known for manipulating whole communities of its own kind with its feminine wiles, reminds us of a certain traveling companion.

We come across somewhat more modern, certainly more formal clothes as well. A bright-red vest with a blue tie, accessorized with a bronze band around the wrist and a blue overcoat, catches our attention, as do a set of lavender-and-white robes that appear to belong to some sort of religious convent. They are adorned with a string of large beads and a magenta sash, and though they fit Fox quite nicely, they are… rather salacious, on Violet’s larger frame. A simple blue three-piece suit, a small gold badge glinting on its lapel, and a maroon-and-black ensemble with layers of frills at the neck, seem to stand in opposition to each other; they seem like they would complement Cat and Liz’s coats, we note, and move on.

Eventually, for all my and Fox’s avidity, we must concede that it would be impossible to assess the full inventory of this place, at least not in one day. We begin to work our way back towards the entrance, where we find Bomba waiting for us, and Niamh and Jack still laughing with each other.

“All shopped out~?” the serpent greets us.

“Indeed,” I reply. “I know we have other places to be, but we need rest. We’ll just have to come back tomorrow and keep searching–and the day after, and the day after, if that’s what it takes!”

“Haw!”

“Ahmmhmmhm~”

“What?”

“Oh, dearie,” Niamh explains, “We’ve already gotten what we’re looking for!”

“What do you mean? Did you find it yourself?”

“Of course not! Jack here went and dug it up for me. The Horn of Plenty will be arriving at Aspen Town in a matter of, oh… five to seven business days, was it?”

“Well, ma’am, that’s the standard ‘round here, but–”

“But you’re willing to rush an order for little ol’ Niamh, isn’t that right~?” Jack chuckles again and ambles off somewhere behind the counter, out of view. “He owed me a favor, you see.”

“How’s it gonna get to Aspen Town?” Fox asks.

“Fox, honey, Spirit Halloween has had online delivery for years, now!”

“Then why the hell did we just spend a WHOLE DAY digging around for it?!”

“You had fun, didn’t you~? I thought you all would enjoy a shopping spree~!”

That reply leaves Violet stunned, her maw hanging agape on the end of Fox’s tail. Fox, for her part, begins to crack up.

“Hehehe… HAAHAHAHA! I MEAN… I did have fun!! Didn’t you, Coyo?”

“I… I most certainly did,” I mumble, shaking from my own shock. Nowhere in the notes did it mention… My thoughts are interrupted by Fox springing up and throwing her arms around my shoulders and planting a kiss on my monitor. “Well, I suppose that even if we could have saved the trip, it was well worth it!”

“It sure was!! Now come on,” Fox says. “You owe me a dramatic reading of some vampire-slayer taunts!” Niamh slithers past us, hollering a toodle-oo over her shoulder at Jack.

“Did any of you want to pick up some candy on our way out of town?” She suggests.

“I am Bomba.”

“I didn’t know you had such a sweet tooth, master!”

“I betcha I can eat more than she can!!”

“It’s cheating if you get me to help.”

“Boooo! C’mon, Vi! We’re supposed to have each others’ backs!!!”

I love my wives.

And thus, we exit. The harvest moon now shines overhead instead of within Jack’s realm, lighting our way back to the truck, promising untold bounties; of magical pieces of history, of adventure, and of course, of candy.

I’m going to out-eat the rest of them combined.

#writeblr #fantasy #trans author #furry fiction #halloween #ascension #honestly theres a ton of references in here and while i COULD probably get a few extra eyes by tagging them all i'd rather not spam the tag #my writing #short story #indie author

[kaypeace21]

What's in a name? (Analysing all the names in stranger things)

*I'll be repeating some names more than once as I break down categories .

Show , book, and tv easterggs

Alot of character names may have deeper meaning but some are also refs to stories they liked. The stranger writers twitter posted a list of movies said to inspire s4 (which I’ll be referencing).

Dart- dustin names him this after d'artagenean (a 3 musketeers book character) and one of Dustin's fav candies (3 muskateers). Similarly his pet turtle yurtle is implied to be named after the dr Seuss’ story 'yertle the turtle'.

Brenner- main character from 'the birds', which was on the st s4 list.

Byers- john byers from x files. The duffers mentioned x files was an inspo for the show. Although John byers (from x files) resembles Murray as an unhinged conspiracy theorist. The documentary paradise lost was also cited as inspo for st- john byers and his son, terry, Michael, and Steve were names in said film

Jim Hopper- in Predator (another st inspo) he was a soldier who was flayed to death in the woods. Another character in the film with a similar fate was “Hawkins”.

Detective Wheeler and elle Holloway- from silent Hill franchise. Another ref mentioned by the Duffers. Holloway was the surname of st's Heather. Elle (is el) and Wheeler is Mike's surname. Wheeler was also on the ep of twiglight zone (another cited ref by the duffers) . In the ep 'mute' sheriff wheeler takes in a mute psychic girl as his foster daughter. So some hints at hopper too . Hopper even mentions el-anor (gilipse) in s1. The surname of a main character in the silent hill series.Lt. Colonel Sullivan (s4) could be a eastergg of silent hill 4 which had a Sullivan character.

Henderson- st twitter mentioned how all the bond films were on the s4 inspiration list . So Dustin's surname being the same as one of the bond characters is a nod. Duffers also mentioned ‘freaks & geeks’ as inspo- and 1 character’s surname was also Henderson (another nod).

Mrs Driscoll (from s3) - a nod to invasion of the body snatchers which was mentioned as inspo by the Duffers. And clear inspo for s3.

Powell (cop and partner of hopper ) - diehard films also on s4 list. He's named after the cop powell.

Callahan (cop and partner of Hopper) - father Callahan ref. He shows up in many of Stephen King novels. The Duffers have cited over 10 novels and books from him as inspo for st

Nancy- she's called ‘Nancy drew’ (from the novels). And the duffers have mentioned they are fans of elmstreet - who's main character was Nancy. Nancy also references 'Oliver twist" ,and that book has a character named Nancy in it. Nancy was also a first Lady in the 80s similar to her friend Barbara- who was also a first Lady in the 80s.Nancy's name might also be inspired by "Nancy Wheeler", a secondary character in the 1970 book Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret written by Judy Blume.

Fred (s4)- apparently a high-school journalist who may be friend or foe. This one is a stretch but given nancy maybe being an elmstreet ref- and her enemy being fred-die kreuger. Fred may have animosity to Nancy and that's why his name is Fred. I mean ... they even cast a new s4 character with Freddie kreuger's original actor.so...

Jason (s4) - is in the 1986 Nancy drew novel (when s4 takes place). He is similar to the duffers description. In the novel he's a rich, popular, arrogant jock and blackmailing students at the high-school . S3 even named one of its episodes after a nancy drew novel- so wouldn't surprise me.

Christie carpenter (s4/reffed in s1 by hopper)- christie is the main character in the hellraiser series (which is on the s4 st list). Carpenter is the surname of the director of 'the thing' name dropped in s3. (The flesh monster in s3 also resembles the thing) , and in s1 mr clarke watches it ,and mike has the thing movie poster in his basement.

Argyle (s4) - die hard 1-2 were on the s4 st list. And is a name of a diehard character.

Max- her name is 'mad max' like the 80s film. But since the Duffers like videogames. Her name may be a ref to max caufield from the ‘life is strange’ game as well. She has a 'never Maxine rule' similar to max in st. But the game character is similar to jonathan as she is a teen photographer and says similar words to jonathan in s1 saying she would rather watch people through a camera than interact with them.

Eddie munson (s4)- not going to lie. I have no proof of this but I immediately thought of the TV character Eddie Munster (the friendly monster ).

Possible comic book easteggs

The duffers are no stranger to comic book references. The duffers have already directly reffed xmen, wonderwoman, and green lantern. Kali's place also has a comic book ref to 'the invisibles' on the wall. While the s4 movie list mentions thor ragnock , age of ultron, and 2 batman films. Some of these refs will go over your head if you haven't read my DID theory. But a lot of this analysis will still be enjoyable. :)

Jane st ives (jane ives aka el). marvel. (jane st ives sees her dad k*ll her mom and vows revenge against him.Sort of similar to what brenner did to terry).

Stephanie harrington (Steve harrington)- 80s marvel comic. DP.7. Will DID ref. Antibody, is a medical resident who can project from his body a dark figure of himself (also called an "antibody", a word play on the medical term) that flies, can become intangible, and transfer its memories to another person by physical contact (mindflayer).  He later merges with the antibody. like how susie refs ‘wizard of earthsea’ -the novel where the young wizard Ged releases a shadow monster (said to be an ancient evil) but it turns out to be the dark aspects of his personality and the only way for the chaos to stop is to accept his darkness and merge as 1.

Barry bauman (Murray bauman) . marvel comics - Will did easteregg.Bauman lived in never ending darkness. He felt, that there was a realm outside the darkness and started to explore the entire content of his brain thus using now more than the usual 10 % .Also had telekinesis.He turned his attention to the stars in order to exact revenge on the human race which spends billions of dollars to kill each other, but wouldn't spend the mere million or so it would have cost to cure him. For his vengeance he transported the suns near our galaxy into his omnipotent brain. As the people of Earth would learn of the disappearing of the suns they would panic and feel Bauman's loneliness before he would destroy Earth.Despite the death of his physical body, Bauman's consciousness somehow survived and began hopping from body to body throughout the galaxy, his powers growing until the Star Thief was recognized as a major threat to galactic society.

Sinclair- last name of xmen rhaine.  Will Did ref. storyline Rahne Sinclair is mentally bonded to Havok against her will(Will/mf).She is subsequently manipulated by the Shadow King. Her bond with Havok causes her to act irrationally, sometimes threatening teammates, sometimes by flirting with them.  She undergoes more than one attempt to undo the bonding, with varying results. Her instability also manifests in many odd dreams, in which her identity is merged into pop culture figures. What’s funny is charlie heaton (jonathan byers) was just in an xmen movie with this Rhaine character.

Victor creel (s4)-sounds like mutant victor creed of the xmen comic. x men Mutant with ab*sive dad and poor socioeconomic background. He had a "birthday tradition" of ab*sing his young relatives on their birthdays. Which reminds me of Lonnie making jonathan cry for a week (because he forced him to k*ll a rabbit on his b-day). Not to mention Lonnie is prob coming back for Will’s b day in s4... so... the name is prob a ref to that ‘birthday tradition’. Could also be a stephen king reference -since Duffers love him. The Creel family was in sk’s book “pet cemetary’-which fun fact (the actress who plays El’s aunt is in the recent remake)!

Yuri (s4)-Yuri Topolov (Russian: Юрий Тополов) was a Soviet scientist and the first foe of the Hulk. 

Dimitri (s4)-Dmitri Bukharin was born in Kuibyshev, Russia (some sources say Moscow).  First appeared in Iron man.

Peter ballard ( s4 character) may just be a hellfire ref . since I guy with last name ballard was a double agent for the hellfire club (name of st s4 ep 1). And ballard means bald which the actor is certainly not lol. I don't think he's literally associated with hellfire but its just a ref. And because its implied in his st character summary despite working for the mental hospital-where brenner is most likely at- he's horrified by the treatment of the psych patients. So that may be where the double agent aspect would come into play.

Ian Hargrove (billy hargrove)- batman comics. had a history of mental health problems dating back to childhood, which his parents were unable to afford treatment for. His brother John hargrove tried to keep him out of trouble but Ian developed an uncanny talent for explosives (will the wise fire powers). He ends up at Archam asylum. Cough billy is Will's alter. Why he has the name billy (a nickname for William) . Jonathan in s2 mentions how he likes the writer vonnegut- who wrote slaughter house 5- the main character was Billy. Already mentioned how it connects to my did theory .

Jason carver (s4)- carver is the last name of the comic hero thunderbolt (in the flash)-the first name of thunderbolt is Will and his brother is named Lonnie. There was also a John carver in the comic.

Holland (barb's last name) last name of Swamp thing. I think its plot has quite a few s4/5 spoilers but Im not diving into it right now.

Names associated with religions or mythology 

(if you’ve read my DID theory- some themes will appear relevant in relation  WIll’s alters or to WIll’s past/tr*uma).

-‘Kali prasad".Kali  is the name of a Hindu goddess . Kali’s iconography and mythology commonly associate her with death,  violence, s*xuality, but also paradoxically -motherly love. In myths ‘she only k*lls demons’ and is described as  ‘overflowing with incomprehensible love for her children’ - (aka ST’s Kali k*lling people from hawkins lab for hurting kids). Her third eye stands for wisdom (like Will the wise).Kali is called at times ‘ the bright fire of truth’ (will the wise/fire powers).The devotee makes her image in his heart and under her influence burns away all limitations and ignorance in the cremation fires. This inner cremation fire in the heart is the gyanagni (fire of knowledge), which kali bestows (cough Will the wise-fire powers). The goddess also could create a darkcloud of lightning (similar to the mf). The phrase “brilliant as a dark cloud” is a snippet of one such prayer dedicated to Kali.The name Kali is derived from the Hindu word that means “time”. Kali receives her name because she devours ‘kala’ (Time)- like clocks ticking when El sees demogorgan/clock being wonky when Will see mf/clocks in s4 promos.’ After devouring time she resumes her own dark formlessness. “This transformative effect can be metaphorically illustrated in the West as a black hole in space” (cough mf cough hopper blackhole/time refs). Kali’s s2 butterfly-“Kali is the Hindu goddess associated with eternal energy. ... The cocoon, butterfly and the karmic golden wheel reflect Her deep connection with life.”And Prasād (her last name) is a material substance that is a religious offering to gods in  Hinduism .

-While, EL is the name of a Cannanite (male) god associated with “salt water “ (pool filled with salt in s1) who “dwelled in a tent” (in s1 Mike’s blanket fort) .And his gray-beard was described as " "full of wisdom.” él’  in Spanish means ‘he’- which could be a nod at her ( androgynous) presentation in s1. El can also be translated to "God" or 'god'. The el character has various mythologies depending on which culture/ religion is using the term 'el'. In the post-biblical period, "el" became a regular element in the names of angels such as "Gabri·el," "Micha·el," and "Azri·el," to denote their status as divine beings.And Jane translates to " Yahweh (god) is gracious/merciful". The cannanite god El was also dubbed “Compassionate God of Mercy.”  Earlier, a ninth century B.C.E. inscription  identifies Ēl- the name of the Babylonian water god Ea, lord of the watery subterranean abyss (cough watery  dark void in st). Terry (el’s mom-aka Teressa) was originally used in the Middle Ages for a “child baptized in holy water” (El in the sensory water tank/Terry used it too,according to Becky in s1). Eleanor (called this in s1)- can mean "sun ray" (possible the opposite of the ‘shadow monster’ or Kali who can represent a “black hole”). 

-Will-the s4 st movie lists (‘red dragon’, gods of monsters, & ‘blade runner’ ) mention the artist and writer William Blake  (specifically his painting of the angel michael fighting a dragon in revelations - reffed in st s1). He was one of many painters part of the exhibition of “ The World Turned Upside Down: Apocalyptic Imagery.”The World Turned Upside Down explores the myriad ways that artists in England visualized the apocalypse in a period fraught with political, religious, economic, and cultural change. 

During this period Blake was commissioned to create over a hundred paintings intended to illustrate books of the Bible along with revelations .  He also drew illustrations for the novel Dante’s inferno. Blake’s brutally satirizes oppressive authority in church and state.He said those who proclaim restrictive moral rules and oppressive laws as “goodness” are in themselves evil. Hence to counteract this repression, Blake announces that he is of the “Devil’s Party” (cough hellfire club ref-and dissing the satanic panic of the hellfire club and other marginilised groups) . He also says “men forgot that All deities reside in the human breast.” So Instead of looking for God on remote altars, Blake warns, man should look within.He produced a diverse and symbolically rich œuvre, which embraced the “imagination as “the body of God.” He wrote his own stories based on biblical writings- one includes the fire wielding character of Los (will the wise) who represented jesus. Los (like jesus does in revelations) causes the destruction of the world and the second judgment unfolds. The poem ends with Los’s unfallen state rising up and shepherding in science and removing the dark religions. I also talked about  how this story ‘book of los’ hints at the DID theory-but this is getting long-so you can just read the explanation here if interested. Also, hellooo Both names are William B(yers/lake). Billy (a alter of Will-sharing the name William) in s3 he even wore “lady of pillar” medallion- i.e about jesus/mary.

JOHN (supposedly Jesus’ blood relative- who wrote ‘revelations’.) In scripture John was called “the disciple whom Jesus loved as a brother” .Fire is the most typical element associated with the Saint John's Eve celebration (Jonathan did light the demogorgan on fire). Many scholars consider John & Jesus ("apocalyptic prophets"). Jonathan itself translates to " yahweh (god ) has given" in Hebrew.

Michael- Similar to kali, he’s a religious figure known for killing demons. He’s the arch-angel from the book of revelations (Apocalypse). A evil Beast (with seven heads usually translated to ‘satan’ or ‘dragon’) appears .“it was a 7″ causes Will to be attacked by the demogorgan ( which in d&d is a demon with multiple heads). The Archangel MICHAEL fought and defeated this 7 headed beast/satan. Corresponding with Mike at the end of s1 writing a fictional d&d story for Will (based off defeating the demogorgan) which was about helping kill a 7 HEADED MONSTER! Michael is also the archangel who oversees on Earth the natural element of fire (Mike telling Will the wise to use ‘fireball’ to defeat this same 7 headed monster in the game, at the end of s1)! Ironically though Jesus /Christian god is also associated with 7s a lot (he has 7 angels and during the apocalypse causes 7 plagues , he has 7 candles etc .)cause the number seven, represented ‘perfection’ according to ancient numerology . Will’s b day is March 22- (3) +2+2 =7 (“it was a 7”). Will’s bday even falls in what christians call “the holy week”( the week immediately preceding Easter.)  At the end of s1 they even defeat this 7 headed monster because Will rolls a 14 (which can be broken down into two 7s). Michael & William also have 7 letters in each of their names respectively- equating to this 14. This dragon biblical story (of Michael) is also William blake’s most popular painting. Also, random fact in revelations god has a rainbow throne (with thunder /lightning -will the wise powers- coming from the throne, and seven lit torches next to it ) . He also wears a rainbow halo. Lol. Michael also roughly translates to  ( 'Who like el?' The answer being roughly translated to ' no one like el' ... which i mean literally is saying there is no one similar to her. But I still think its a linguistic pun/ burn that Mike is not actually into El romantically).

Jim (James) hopper- According to the s3 script Hopper’s real name is James. JAMES (JIM) was an apostle to jesus- brother of john. And in the bible was called a ’son of thunder ’. Will’s powers/ hopper being an alter of Will's so technically brother of jonathan and thunder powers. Not to mention David on Instagram saying hopper has " he has risen. like bread" is a Jesus ref to 'he has risen"... even the bread ref could be a catholic ref to the last supper.

  Martin Brenner/marsha holland-  have their first name reference the roman god Mars who was originally a ‘thunder or storm deity’ (will the wise/mf powers). EL (in cannanite mythology) also allowed Baal the storm god to rule the entire earth.

ROBIN- was the God of Thunder’s- Thor’s- favorite bird. And Dustin also means ‘Thor’s stone.’The red belly robin is also an important bird in Christianity. Legend has it that the robin got its red belly from a fire in which it was trying to protect Jesus. Robin also name drops the greek god prometheus- the god of fire (will the wise) who brought human beings life and knowledge. And Steve looks at Robin and says "let there be light" a biblical passage. The robin represents selflessness for a higher truth. 

Barb- Saint BARBara- dad kept her locked away from the outside world (like el/brenner) . He tried to k*ll her when he learned she didn’t believe in his religion- so the dad was punished by “god” who electrocuted him with lightning/lit him on fire. (Will the wise powers).

Nancy- is derived from a medieval diminutive of Annis, an English form of Agnes.  There’s the christian saint Agnes- who was beautiful and from a wealthy family. She was the Christian saint of girls and v*rginity . And the duffers subverted this along with the problematic horror movie trope of the ' v*rgin female heroine surviving while her more se*ually liberated female friends are punished by the villain' ( by having her survive specifically because she decided to have s*x).Agnes was also led out and bound to a stake, but (allegedly) the bundle of wood would not burn, or the flames parted away from her (will the wise fire powers). Also people claimed that any man who tried to r*pe her was struck blind.

Hopper's wife’s name -Dianne- is also the roman goddess of ,nature, hunting and wild animals( and greek equivalent to Artemis) .Becky  means ‘snare’ -for hunting animals .Teressa (Terry) means ' huntress'.  The name was originally used in the Middle Ages for a child baptized in holy water . Name of 2 saints-Teresa of Avila and Therese of Lisieux. Lonnie’s gf (Cynthia) was originally an epithet of the Greek goddess Artemis, as well.

Power couple Angela & jake (s4) - Angela means 'messenger of God". And Jake (also means ”supplanter”) is derived from jacob. Jacob was the son of Isaac and Rebecca in genesis. El’s aunt,Becky (Rebecca) is wife of isaac.Other theories claim that Jacob is in fact derived from a hypothetical name like יַעֲקֹבְאֵל (Ya'aqov'el) meaning "may God protect".The name jacob is also where the names James/jim is derived from.

couple Steve spies on in s3- Anna Jacobi & Mark Lewinsky. Anna ( name of the mother of the Virgin Mary) Jacobi ("he who supplants"-aka same meaning as jim since both names are derived from jacob). Mark (”the god mars”-same meaning as martin brenner) .Lewinsky (lion-same name meaning as Lonnie). Also derived from the Hebrew root לוי‎ (leví, “priest”)

Joyce means "lord". Could also be a ref to the ('unofficial') saint Joyce who gave up wealth to live in poverty.

Ted-is the short form of the names Theodore and Edward. Theodore is a Greek name meaning "gift of God", Edward has an English origin and means "wealthy guard." Eddie (from s4) also means ‘wealthy guard”

Holly (nancy and Mike's sis)- Holly meanings are 'One who is pious' or 'sacred'

Karen- can be short for Katherine-one of the first christian saints.”Saint Katherine of the Wheel “(er). A 4th century martyr who suffered t*rture on a spiked wheel.  Wheeler does mean ‘occupational name for a maker of wheels’ after all. 

Gospel of LUKE (lucas?) , or simply Luke, tells of the origins, birth, ministry, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ.

Sinclair- Catholic saint of computers and TV screens (i mean... he is in the av club).

MAXimilian was deemed a saint in the 1980s- saint of journalists and radios. (Both aspects of s3)

Saint stephen/steven ( STEVE)-an early disciple and deacon . Considered one of the first m*rtyrs of the church.Stephen is first mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles as one of seven deacons appointed by the Apostles to distribute food (lol icecream) .According to Orthodox belief, he was the eldest and is therefore called “archdeacon”.

Sara- Her name is a feminine form of sar (Hebrew: שַׂר‎), meaning “chieftain” or “prince."  She was the wife and sister of Abraham (ew -given her being an alter of Will though, such a name doesn’t surprise me). Similar to st Barabara’s dad - Abraham tried to k*ll his son isaac in the name of god. Becky (El's aunt) - is derived from Rebecca - wife of Isaac.

Claudia (Dustin's mom)- Christian woman of Rome greeted by Paul in his second letter to Timothy (in the bible).

Sam mayfield (max's dad) -  Short for Samuel or Samantha, from the Biblical name Shemu'el, which means "God has heard", from the Hebrew shama, meaning "heard" and el, meaning "God". Samuel is rumored to be argyle first name.

Marsha Kelly (s4)- Kelly means "frequents churches" or " bright headed". Given she's a counselor the bright headed pun makes sense. But maybe she's not to be trusted if she frequents churches during a satanic panic arc which was fueled by Christian religious extremism . Or she's someone who contrasts the rest of the religious people in town since she's not originally from hawkins...who knows. x files’ main character was catholic but in one ep she criticized a small town for the satanic panic occurring-and says how accusing these kids who listen to rock as satanic or being k*llers is ludicrous.

Peter ballard (s4) - Peter was also the name of an apostle. 

Tina (side character s2)- like christy (s4) it’s short for Christina which translates to "follower of christ" or 'stream'. Tina was the gal who hosted the t halloween party and also the name of one of Erica’s friends in s3.

Samantha (goth girl jonathan talks to in s2 party) translates to "told by god".

Tommy (s1-2) "God's gift" or "twin".Thomas is the Greek variation of the Aramaic name Ta’oma’. It came about because there were too many apostles named Judas; Jesus renamed one Thomas—meaning "twin"—to distinguish him from Judas Iscariot and the Judas also known as Thaddeus.

carol (tommy’s gf)- Carol is the short form of Caroline and the meaning is derived from the English vocabulary word for “song” or “hymn". A hymn being a religious song or poem.

Benny ( who helped El at his dinner) - originally derived from latin bennedictus which means "blessed"

Stacey (s2-3 ) rejected dustin at dance. Stacey- "resurrection "

Grigori (the guy following and tracking hopper, Joyce, and alexi)- The name was adopted by early Christians heedful of the Biblical passage located in 1 Peter 5:8, “Be sober-minded; be watchful."grigory now means 'watchful and vigalent'

Alexi- prob based on the russian folklore story of alexy. A clever priest's son who tricks a dragon.

Harrington- similar to Robin's religious animal iconography. Harrington means 'he goat'.The most popular image of the Satanic goat dates back to the ever-mysterious Knights of Templar, who were accused of worshipping an idol known as Baphomet (a 1/2 human 1/2 goat man). Roman Catholic society decried it as a demon that demanded human sacrifice — but it would take a few more centuries before the goat became a truly occult symbol.Anton Lavey adopted Baphomet as the sigil of the Church of Satan in 1966, and it has appeared on countless metal album covers. But, Baphomet isn't the lone source of inspiration for our goat-like depictions of Satan.it's also believed that early Christians, seeking to demonize preexisting Pagan traditions, drew comparisons between the Devil and the Greek god Pan (god of nature), who happened to resemble a goat.Some cited how in revelations- during the apocalypse- Jesus separates the 'lambs from the goats'. ( supposedly Good vs bad)

Given the fact s3 alluded to the satanic panic. A Christian movement in the 80s that demonized and said d&d ,rock music, homosexuality, other religions, stephen King,horror films, wearing black,and non conservative ideology were 'satanic.' I wouldn't be surprised by this possible ref. Heck even William Blake criticized similar religious movements in his own time period. Several movies from the s4 list allude to this. The most obvious being the documentary paradise lost (named after the fictional retelling of satan/adam and eve story) - the documentary directly focuses on a witch hunt of rock loving teens (wrongfully accused of m*rders) in a small town during the satanic panic. Not to mention ironically s4 is hinted to be around easter. So Using such symbolism to address religious fundamentalism and the bigotry/hysteria it can cause isn't surprising. No i’m not lumping all religious people into this negative category- obviously.

Other Names with similar definitions

*Hunting /forests woods, nature, animals

Hunters and people in forrests

name meaning : becky - snare (a trap for catching birds or animals). Teressa-huntress. Dianne/Cynthia (Hopper’s ex wife/Lonnie’s gf) - is a roman/greek goddess of hunting and wild animals.  Rhadaghast- Will's password for cb is a lothr wizard who protects forests/wildlife.martin/marsha- previously god of agriculture/plants.As an agricultural guardian, he was believed to directed his energies toward creating conditions that allow crops to grow, which may include warding off hostile forces of nature (pumpkins rotting in s2). El in phoenician culture was called Elus and its Greek equivalent Cronus (god of agriculture) steve- he goat- associated with pan- god of fields, groves, wooded glens . brenner- ‘someone who cleared forests by burning’. the blond women, Brenner worked with,  Fraizer-  “of the forrest men”

* FUN FACT: Kali’s name originally was going to be ‘Roman’ (which is derived from Romulus-the son of Mars... aka Martin Brenner) .

Trees

Ives and owens- ives means 'yew wood' while Owen means 'yew tree. ' bauman- nickname for someone who lived near a tree.comes from the German word "baum," or "boum" in Middle High and Old German, meaning "tree’. Jennifer hayes- Jennifer  derived from Old English words "jenefer", "genefer" and "jinifer", all of which were variants of Juniper used to describe the juniper tree.Lonnie means "oak tree; or lion". Lion plushie in cb and the lion el has along with the tree establishes a connection between all 3 maybe? Oak groves were especially sacred to  the goddess dianna too. Buckley (it has many different translations) - Old English "boch ley" (with boch meaning beech tree and ley meaning wood, glade or clearing).

Nature

buckley if translated from "bok lee," means meadow, or field. mayfield- open country (field) where madder (mæddre) grows. Holland- wood land, Bruce (who was also possessed) - means WILLow lands . Keith (s2-3) : woods or forrest.Hargrove- meadow filled with rabbits (Jonathan’s hunting story).Holloway is a topographic surname, which was given to a person who resided near a physical feature such as a hill, stream, or type of tree. Tina means 'river' . Burness (guy who claimed he jumped into quarry)-stream. Neil- cloud. Lowe (Bruce's last name)-This surname is derived from a geographical locality 'at the low,' i.e. the hill. Hayes means "hedged area'.

Flowers

Flo (hopper's secretary)- means flower. Suzie-  lily flower. Susan (Max’s mom)- means lily, lotus flower or rose. Karen (in Japanese can mean)- flower, lotus, or water lily. Heather is also a variety of small shrubs with pink or white flowers which commonly grow in rocky areas.  Erica is a type of "heather" plant. martin/marsha: in the legend of Mars,his mother become pregnant with him using a magic flower- which was given to her by the goddess flora.

Bright (aka intelligent)

Bob- nickname of Robert . Both Bob and Robert mean 'bright, shinning or fame'. Aka smart -he's called ' Bob the brain ' for a reason.

Robin- is also diminutive of Robert . And we all know robin is smart too. Being multilingual/ cracking the code.Robin (like Robert) also means 'bright, shining , or fame.'

Lucas- means "bright" or "shinning" aka he's also a smart cookie. His firework plan saving the day.

Lonnie and Larry (the mayor) can both be nicknames for Lawrence which also means ' bright one' or 'shinning one'. Well... both are cunning I'll give them that. Lonnie is unfortunately ...smart. I think this detail had other foreshadowing. Joyce to Will about Will the wise ' if he's so wise why does he need the fireballs? can't he just outsmart the bad guys? " Will: " yeah. Usually. BUT sometimes the bad guys are smart too." I never understood why on earth Joyce would be with someone as awful as Lonnie in the first place- than be with his literal opposite Bob- but maybe she just found intelligence attractive?

Names associated with thunder/lightning/fire (Like Will/mf/Will the wise)

Byers-reprsents Greek Zeus (god of thunder/lightning). Martin - references the roman god Mars who was originally a ‘thunder or storm deity’ .ROBIN- was the German God of Thunder’s- Thor’s- favorite bird. And Dustin also means ‘Thor’s stone.’Jim- “son of thunder”. Christian god- has throne (surrounded by thunder /lightning). Kali- could summon thunder storms.Nancy/Barb-both saints associated with fire. Kali-is called at times ‘ the bright fire of truth’ /and bestows the fire of knowledge. Robin also name drops the greek god prometheus- the god of fire. Mars -the keeper of Rome's perpetual flame . The Robin bird in a Christian story myth protects Jesus from hell's fire. William Blake- wrote about a fire wielding character of Los who represented jesus. Jesus during end times wields fire. Michael is the archangel who oversees on Earth the natural element of fire. Fire is the most typical element associated with the Saint John's Eve celebration (Saint John- called Jesus’s brother).

Animals (and their symbolism)

Byers- means ‘ cattle shed’.The Greeks considered the bull animal totem to be a symbol of Zeus (god of thunder and lighting - will the wise powers). He is the head of the gods and the almighty ruler of Olympus.  I”n hinduism, Shiva is known as Gorakhnath, means the lord of the cows.  And is also known as, Pasupathinath, the lord of all animals (similar to Rhadaghast). According to some scholars, Shiva’s association with cows and bulls might date back to the Indus Valley period. Cows have a special significance in Hinduism, as aspects of Mother Goddess and as symbols of selfless service. Mahatma Gandhi declared the protection of cows a central feature of Hinduism.Hindus worship cows as the Mother Goddess and symbol of motherhood, kindness and forbearance.”

Tigers: (Sarah’s plushie/ Hawkin’s macott/ Will & Mike have tiger posters in their rooms): The goddess Kali & God Shiva wore a tiger skin (this fact was actually mentioned by Kali in the prequel novel ‘suspicious minds’ ).”In many tribal traditions of India, the tiger (or lion) is worshipped as a god. In some Hindu hymns the domestic fires are compared to the tigers that guard the house.Tigers also figure prominently in many Indian folk-tales, Jataka-stories, and the Panchatantra.”

Lions:(Lonnie means ‘lion’ and el and Will have matching lion plushies)- In the Bible, the lion has two opposite meanings: it is compared to the Devil (1 Pet 5:8) and to Christ (Rev 5:5). Aka: Lonnie is the devil. The kids are the opposite. Nancy also compares the demogorgan to a lion. “In many tribal traditions of India, the lion is worshipped as a god.One of the ten incarnations of Vishnu is Narasimha, who has the head and shoulders of a lion, but the torso of a human.Goddess Durga, a fierce form of Parvathi or Shakti, has a golden lion as her vehicle, while Rahu, a planetary guard, rides upon a black lion as his vehicle.Lions form an important part of Hindu religious art. The face of the lion (simha-mukha) is used in images and sculpture in many Hindu temples to decorate the doors, walls, arches, and windows.The memorial pillar at Saranath  contains four beautifully carved standing lions at the top on a round abacus representing the imperial power. They now constitute the official emblem of the government of India.”

El almost k*lling a cat- “Some superstitious beliefs are also associated with cats in Hinduism. For example, killing a cat is considered a grave sin, for which one may have to offer prayers and give in charity at least seven golden images of the killed cat. “

Harrington- he goat. Buckley- has various translations. Anglo-Saxon: ‘bucc and leah’ meaning goat and wood respectively. And obviously there’s the robin-bird. And I've already discussed their symbolism. Goat= baphomet/pan. 

Robin- thor's fav bird/ helped Jesus from hell's fire.

Buckley- can also translate to " field filled with deer" (like the deer attacked by the demogrogan or the bambi film jon reffed in relation to the hunting story about lonnie).And Karen ( when from it’s Hebrew origins) can mean- antler or horn. Also the caananite God el was usually depicted with animal horns on his head.Diana in Roman art usually is accompanied by a hound (demo dog) or deer.  Because of the story of her turning an attempted r*pist-hunter into a deer/ and then causing dogs to attack him.  Deer is also one of the symbolic animals accepted since early Christianity as an allegory of Jesus Christ and the Christian Disciple. And when associated with Shiva (kali's husband) in Hindu iconography, the deer omen denotes sovereignty over nature and symbolizes the lord of all animals, humans, and the King of the Forest. In many visual and written illustrations, human beings and deer appear as close companions and in some cases, humans adopt the face or antlers of a deer, in images more common in stories of human strife. Deer also have a supernatural significance and appear as apparitions of divinity and in legends of spiritual awakening.

Hargrove- meadow filled with rabbits (like the rabbit lonnie made jonathan k*ll.) Hopper sounds like thumper the rabbit- which jonathan mentions in relation to bunnies . And ... idk... Hopper did make that pun in s3 about bunnies to Larry (lawerence) ? We also have rabbit refs elsewhere like with- el in Benny's. They play the song 'white rabbit' a song referencing Alice in wonderland and in el's room at Terry's house is the white rabbit from that story. Also paralleling to jonathan- el was almost made to k*ll a cat by her father (Cheshire cat aka Alice in wonderland ref + cats are associated with magic powers/witch craft).In Celtic folklore, the rabbit is seen as a supernatural being from the Otherworld.The rabbit symbolism in Christianity has found its way through the Germanic deity Eostre from which the name Easter came to be (s4 will most likely have the Easter holliday).One tale describes the rabbit as the pet of Jesus Christ. And rabbits were often inserted into art of jesus' mother .

Creel- basket or container of fish.fish is taken as symbolizing Christ’s faith, charity, and abundance. A biblical story goes how Christ fed his disciples with 2 fishes and called them “fishers of men.”  The Christians made an acrostic from the Greek word for fish, “ichthys” as early as the first century and it is, “Iesous Christos Theou Yios Soter”, meaning Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior.

Names hinting at character traits (which are very literal)

Mr clarke (science teacher)- clarke means 'scholar'

Dottie (in kali's gang)- she was in an insane asylum . And ‘Dotty’ is a very old British slang term  for 'crazy'

War (usually relates to ‘villains’)

Troy- means ' foot soldier'. Martin brenner: Martin means 'war like'. Lonnie is diminutive of Alonzo or Lawrence. Alonzo means 'ready for battle'.

In contrast to Lonnie, Will can mean "desiring peace. " Axel  who is part of Kali’s crew (who i think Will created along with others ) even means "father is peace."

Twin

Tom (Heather's dad) and Tommy mean ‘twin’. Robin's crush Tammy ('twin') Thompson ( 'son of tom’).

* Besides similar/identical name meanings.There’s also a lot of other repeated names that go into this whole twin/mirror imagery which i find strange... makes me wonder about @strangertheory ‘s version of the did theory. If not...maybe it’s just a allusion to the whole Will vs Will the wise arc (possibly) coming up?

Jennifer hayes (popular girl) & Jen (Mr clarke’s gf). Tina (highschool gal) & Tina- erica’s friend- Tina & christy are also nicknames of christina (s4 character). Susie (dustin’s gf) & susan (max’s mom). Sam (max’s dad) and Samantha (girl at party)/ samuel (possibly argyle). Billy Hargrove, Bill (dianne’s new huband),  and Will-all being nicknames for William. Robin & Bob-nicknames for Robert. Lonnie & Larry-nicknames for Lawerence. Ted  & Eddie being nicknames for Edward.James (Will’s bully), Jim Hopper (real name James), jacobi, and jason- all 4 are derived from jacob . Marsha Holland (barb’s mom) and marsha kelly (therapist s4)/martin relate to mars. Tom (reporter), tommy (highschooler), thompson (other highschooler).

it’s definitely peculiar to repeat names like this in a story. Unless it means ...something... I talked about how David was mentioning alot of doppelganger/twin imagery recently-here. So the name mirroring could just be an allusion to the Will/WW arc coming up ...possibly?

#will byers #mike wheeler #el hopper #nancy wheeler #jonathan byers #jim hopper #steve harrington #lucas sinclair #max mayfield #murray bauman #robin buckley #byler #kali prasad #martin brenner #lonnie byers #stranger things #stranger things theory #billy hargrove

[ordinaryschmuck]

What I Thought About "Keeping Up A-Fear-Ances" from The Owl House

Salutations, random people on the internet who most likely won’t read this! I am an Ordinary Schmuck. I write stories and reviews and draw comics and cartoons!

When Dana Terrace did her AMA on Reddit, a fan asked what we could expect for the new season. To which she replied by listing five things:

Parental conflict

A lot of emotions

Island exploration

New characters

...There's a fifth thing in there. You just got to look closely.

Now, when Dana mentioned parental conflict, dozens of fans assumed she was talking about Alador and Odalia, which, I mean...valid. They were the only two parental figures who presented any real conflict, and the idea of Camila being involved seemed implausible due to Luz being cut off from the human world. But no matter how you perceived that line, one thing’s for sure: No one expected Eda and Lilith's mother to be a source of conflict!

Yup. Today we met the woman who created two of the (former) greatest witches in all of the Isles. Was her introduction welcomed? Or did she give the Blights a run for their money for the "Worst Parent(s) of the Year" award? Only spoilers can answer those questions, so keep that in mind as we go in-depth with "Keeping Up A-Fear-Ances."

Let's review, shall we!

WHAT I LIKED

The Flashback: Already, this episode comes out swinging by giving us so much information! We get an explanation of what Eda goes through when cursed (which is horrifying), the reasoning behind her gem, the revelation that Eda ran away from home, and the reveal of how she got the portal door. The best part is, none of it feels rushed or forced. Eda's curse and the portal are integral threads to this story, both in this episode and in future ones. Tying them together sets up Gwendolyn's determination to cure her daughter while showing Eda's determination to escape her mother by skipping town into another dimension. There's also a sense of mystery in how and why the portal was in their backyard. And judging by how we got all of this incredible information in episode FOUR of the new season, something tells me we'll get answers to those questions sooner than we might think. This was such a strong opening to the episode. Despite giving so much information, it makes fans like me want even more. Which is an A+ in my book.

Gwendolyn: Yeah, might as well step out the gate in saying that I like Gwen...but I can already see how others won't. Immediately, she sets herself up as a mother who would do anything and everything to cure her daughter. That aspect of her character is perfect, and it quickly won points from me in terms of liking her. It's just that Gwendolyn's disregard of what Eda wants and the complete dismissal of Lilith are aspects of Gwen that are certainly going to rub some people the wrong way. Especially if those kids come from households where their parents are a lot like Gwendolyn. I was in the same boat of hating her too for a while, but thankfully, the last act saved her.

First, there's that scene where Gwendolyn threatened the lives of the demons for not only screwing her over but making things worse for Eda. It's one of those "Hell hath no fury like a mother scorned" moments that I always love to see.

Then there's the fact that Gwendolyn learns her lesson and, more importantly, apologizes. Not many actual abusive mothers would do that (Looking at you, Odalia), so it's nice to see that she makes an effort to make amends. Oh, and by the way, since I mentioned it, don't go around calling Gwendolyn abusive. She isn't. Or, at least, not to my eyes. If anything, she's a lot like Sara Fitzgerald from My Sister's Keeper (The book. Not the movie. The movie sucked).

In that story, Sara makes controversial choices that result in her youngest daughter Anna getting the short end of the stick due to putting all attention towards her eldest Kate. But here's the thing: KATE HAS CANCER! So while Sara's choices are beyond questionable, you can understand her point. And if you don't, well, I'd see how you would react when in her shoes. Trust me when I say that situations like this aren't always cut and dry. It's the same with Gwendolyn. She's far from "Mom of the year," but you understand where she's coming from. She wants to do what she can to help Eda, even if her methods could have been better. But that's just how I feel, and I can't speak for everyone who dealt with mothers far worse than her. If you refuse to forgive her, I'll understand. But to me, I consider Gwendolyn a worthy addition to the series.

(Plus, she just radiates Grandma energy when interacting with Luz. It's cute, and therefore I must love it!)

Luz: This season is on FIRE when presenting Luz!

I adore that the first thing we see her doing in this episode is sleeping after, most likely, another all-nighter to find a new portal. It proves that she has a determination made of iron and an intense dedication to getting back to Camila. In fact, it's that dedication that works as a perfect way to build a connection between Luz and Gwendolyn. They both want to reconnect with their families and are willing to do whatever it takes to do so.

Regardless, despite so desperately wanting to see Camila again, I'm glad that Luz still has common sense when it comes to helping Eda. She quickly sees that Gwen's cures are doing more harm than good, and it's great that Luz is the one to call malarky on the whole thing. No one had to spell things out for her because she's smart enough to notice that everything Professor Warlop is marketing feels a lot more like the fake medicine real people sell in the human world. It's a testament that despite having a big heart and the best intentions, Luz still has the intelligence to know when something is up and put a stop to it. And, again, let's hope that more people pick up on that.

Lilith: ...who would have expected Lilith of all characters to have most of the emotional moments in this episode?! I sure didn't!

But...Yeah. Lilith is the best thing in "Keeping Up A-Fear-Ances." On top of her seeking Gwendolyn's approval being relatable for some viewers, it's also really heartbreaking. I mean, listen to the shocked and hurt tone in her voice after finding out Gwen visited Eda regularly. That alone should give away how much Gwendolyn is important to Lilith and says so much about how strained their relationship became after the curse. Then there's that scene where she just breaks down, feeling both scared and torn apart by the fact that she experienced the curse in its full form and could do nothing to stop herself. It...stung. That's the best way to describe it. It stung seeing a character who is (mostly) cool and collective to become so vulnerable and broken. And, you know what? It's because of this that Lilith has won me over. I still don't think she should have been as forgiven as quickly as she was, but after learning what Lilith went through and what she's currently going through, I'm more than willing to be ok with her. And--I can't believe I'm saying this--I'm going to miss her being a part of the Owl House. She earned her place, in my opinion, creating entertaining dynamics with everyone. Sure, she'll make appearances every now and again, but I wouldn't mind a few more episodes with her being with the main group. But I'm positive the writers will have plans for her in the future and seeing how well she was written in this, I can't wait to see what they do next.

King Hoping to see his Dad Again: This was just a cute tidbit that ties nicely into last week's episode. Bonus points for that scene where King and Lilith get drunk off of Night Market ice cream. It got a good chuckle out of me, especially when Hooty was the one who ended up being the voice of reason.

Cursed Lilith: ...How does she look worse and more terrifying than Eda?

How Beast Keeping Magic Works: Not much I can say about this. It's neat to be given a visual explanation of how Beast Keeping magic works and how it's more than just controlling animals. Judging by the roof shingles, it can also be making objects more animal-like. It's pretty cool, and I hope to see more of how the rest of the magic from the prominent covens work.

Luz wasn’t the only human: To tell you the truth, this doesn't surprise me. Eda did say that every myth humans have is a bit of the Boiling Isles leaking into the human world, so why can't the opposite be true? However, the reveal of there being a famous human around many years ago presents many more questions, and possible theories, that deserve to be discussed in a future post. For now, I'll just say that it's awesome how this reveal perfectly transitions us to next week's episode, "Through the Looking Glass Ruins." We already know Luz is going to the library. But, seeing how Gus is going to be a prominent character in that episode as well, he probably wanted to tag along with Luz to study about the first human in the Boiling Isles. Only to then get sidetracked by some cool kids from Glandis. It's in the realm of possibility, thus proving how more serialized this season compared to Season One while still being somewhat episodic. Because even if "Keeping Up A-Fear-Ances" presents a lot for the overall story, it's still its own tale about family relationships and knowing how to truly be there for the people you love. Resulting in a necessary and cute episode that ends on a wholesome note without any major surprises like--

Creepy Clone Luz: ...

...Dana Terrace, you lying--YOU SAID CREEPY LUZ WAS A FARCE! IN THE SAME AMA, TOO! CURSE YOU! CURSE YOU AND YOUR SNAKE TONGUE, GOSH DANGIT!

...Alright, now that I got my overreaction out of the way, this was an amazingly well-written surprise!

Tricking fans into thinking that Camila is crying over the realization that Luz is gone, only to then reveal this...thing, is the best shock to the system that this series has done so far. Even better, it results in all the right questions:

Who is it?

What is it?

Where did it come from?

When did it get there?

How did it get there?

How does it know about Camila?

And why? Just, why?

To me, a series that presents all of these questions, and makes me excited for whatever answers are given, is a series that's doing something right. Because if I'm still reeling over something that lasts for a second, despite seeing the episode hours ago, that is a testament to how good a surprise really is.

WHAT I DISLIKED

Trust me, I want to give this episode the A+ just for that ending alone. But, there are some issues I have that are worth discussing.

Eda’s Outfit Change: I know. It's the nitpickiest of all nitpicks I could present. Particularly because Eda doesn't even look bad (although that's no surprise). The issue is that it feels weird that Eda's having this permanent outfit change in the fourth episode of Season Two. Or, to me it is, at least. Because I think that if you're going to give a small yet constant change to the look of a character, it should be done right away. Like, in the first episode of a new season. I highly doubt fans would question why Eda is wearing different clothes by then, so it wouldn't be too bad if the first time we see her, she’s sporting a new outfit. Again, this is just me, and I have no problems with the outfit itself. It just seems odd they would do this later rather than sooner.

Screwing with Eda: I...did not like this. At all. It was funny at first to see Luz and Gwendolyn lure Eda with Apple Blood like how Wile E. Coyote would bait the Road Runner with birdseed, but it quickly took a turn. Because I don't want to see Eda meet inconvenience after inconvenience from her mother and surrogate daughter. I like Eda, and seeing her happy makes me happy. If I wanted to laugh at a character's suffering, I would have picked Boscha, Mattholomule, Alador, and/or Odalia. This? This was just unnecessary cruelness to a character who doesn't deserve it. And it takes up a good chunk of this episode, making me question whether or not this would be the stinker I was fearing. Fortunately, the ending increased my enjoyment by several notches, but that doesn't change how this was the low point of "Keeping Up A-Fear-Ances."

IN CONCLUSION

Despite the road being rocky in the middle, I still consider "Keeping Up A-Fear-Ances" to be another solid A episode. The first and last few minutes have some quality writing that adds more to the characters, ongoing plot, and mystery that the series is building up. It's one of those important episodes you can't skip when watching a series, but given how it's keeping the new season's impeccable track record, I fail to see how that's a problem.

(Although, I am scared. We haven't gotten a stinker yet, and I really don't want it to be next week's episode. It's a Gus episode with sweet Lumity content on the side! That cannot fail!)

#the owl house #the owl house season 2 #the owl house spoilers #the owl house reviews #luz noceda #gwendolyn clawthorne #lilith clawthorne #eda clawthorne #what i thought about #creepy luz

[baphomet-media]

Dad of Boy - A God of War (2018) Review

Genre: Adventure

Subgenre: 3D Adventure

Developer: SIE Santa Monica Studio

Publisher: Sony Interactive Entertainment

Platform(s): PS4

Release Date: April 20th, 2018

I have never played a God of War game before. Though I know the basic gist of the story (Kratos kills all of the Greek pantheon before they can kill him through powers of rage), that’s about it. Still, I saw nothing but praise for the new game, and the setting, story, and gameplay that I saw intrigued me. I got the game as a gift a short while ago, after it seemed to collectively drop off the media’s radar, and eventually decided to give it a shot. So, does it live up to the hype? Let’s dig in.

Story

God of War 2018 (GoW18) takes place many years after the events of the previous games. Kratos, the former bloodthirsty deicidal barbarian Ghost of Sparta has moved to a new land of giants, dwarves, and Norse gods, and has settled down with a wife and child. But Kratos cannot run away from his godhood forever, and things catch up with him one day after his wife dies, when a mysterious stranger shows up at Kratos’s door. The two engage in a brutal fight, with Kratos seemingly emerging victorious. Kratos and his young son Atreus then must set off to take Kratos’s wife’s ashes to the top of the tallest peak in all the realms.

Along the way, Kratos teaches his son about how to survive in the world, in his own gruff way, of course. The interplay between Kratos’s grim and serious nature contrasts delightfully with Atreus’s impatience and youthful energy. Various other friendly and hostile faces present themselves throughout the story, with the highlights being dwarf brothers Brok and Sindri, two dwarf smiths with clashing personalities that spend most of the game passive-aggressively bickering about how horrible of a smith the other is, but actually do their best work together. The supporting cast are all fantastic, however the enemies left a lot to be desired, and there were very few actual named enemies, making a lot of the story beats just feeling like they lacked impact, and were instead just stepping stones along Kratos’s way. Still, there were plenty of moments of good humor and intrigue, especially for anyone with an interest in mythology, particularly the Norse variety.

While the game does not have a completely canonical representation of Norse myth, it takes a lot of the established characters and ideas and puts its own grim spin on them. I enjoyed learning a bit about different mythological figures and events, even if the majority of them are merely exposited to the player and make no physical appearance in the game itself. It leaves me wanting more, and hopeful for a sequel.

Gameplay

From what I know about past God of War games, combat used to revolve around Kratos using his Blades of Chaos, two beefy short swords chained together, which he uses to spin, grapple, slam, and juggle hordes of foes. GoW18 takes a different approach, slowing things down and moving the camera over Kratos’s shoulder. His main weapon now is the Leviathan Axe, which excels at one-on-one combat, and can also be thrown and returned for ranged combat. To put it plainly, combat in this game feels a bit more like Dark Souls than Devil May Cry. Longtime fans of the series may be disappointed in the shift in gameplay direction, but as a relative outsider, I found the combat enjoyable. I liked that it made me think about my strikes, blocks, parries, and throws, instead of mindlessly mashing attack buttons to rack up insane combos.

However, combat demands that you stay in control. Even the weakest enemies can drain your health quickly, as Kratos is vulnerable to being stunlocked. Plus (at least on the Hard difficulty, which I played) enemies have a ton of HP, so you’ll need around 5-6 combos to finish off most weaker enemies. It doesn’t help that the beginning of the game only drip-feeds you the controls, so I got killed multiple times on the first enemy because I had no idea that Kratos had a shield or how to dodge properly.

Still, as you progress through the game, the number and strength of enemies increase, but the overall challenge gradually decreases as you unlock new moves and combat options to help you deal more damage, more easily stagger enemies, and better deal with multiple foes. Unfortunately, for most of the game, the combat struggles when there are multiple foes. The lock-on system is extremely reluctant to switch enemies, and it’s sometimes difficult to maneuver, dodge blows, and keep the camera looking where you want all at once. Particularly in boss fights, which are numerous.

Still, when it goes right, using the shield to parry, and landing heavy blows with the Leviathan Axe is very satisfying. Along the way Atreus himself gets more capable in combat, improving his archery, and learning assist moves that distract enemies and set them up for combos by Kratos. You can also command Atreus to shoot arrows and use special abilities, which gives you more options in combat. This starts out being only marginally helpful, but gets much more useful the further you advance in the game, and Atreus also gains abilities that help you progress in the overworld, allowing you to bypass obstacles that Kratos couldn’t deal with on his own.

The game has a fairly expansive world, though this is not so much in the sheer size of the world, but more in that the main area of the world is constantly revealing more depth to it. The Lake of Nine, the game’s main area, is constantly revealing new areas to explore, which constantly keeps it fresh, although sometimes it definitely feels like you’re constantly revisiting the same areas. At most points in the game, you can explore freely, though you may stumble across challenges and enemies that are too difficult for you to tackle at your current power level and need to come back once you’ve powered up by upgrading your gear. On one hand, I like this, because it gives you the option to try instead of just locking out higher-level content, but on the other hand, even if you’re really good at the game, you’ll have a lot of difficulty felling enemies that are even slightly higher in level than you, mostly because their HP is ridiculously high, which leads back into enemies feeling like HP sponges.

Presentation

GoW18 is a gorgeous game to look at, with the scenery being drenched in detail. The various realms that you travel to throughout the game also add differences in visual appeal, keeping things fresh when you’re outside of Midgard.

While the game doesn’t have much in the way of music, the heavy brass and choir vocals on more dark and foreboding tracks remind the listener of Kratos’s violent past, and let you know not to mess with him. You don’t want to be on the receiving end of his Spartan Rage when that music swells!

The voice acting in the game is top-notch. Christopher Judge is great as Kratos, and as a longtime Stargate fan, it’s funny just to see how much Kratos mirrors Judge’s previous role as Stargate’s Teal’c. I also particularly enjoyed the voice acting of the character Mimir, voiced by Alastair Duncan, who exposits his own twisted take on Norse mythology to the father-son duo during travel periods. The rest of the cast are fantastic in their own right, as well.

Conclusion

God of War 2018 is a great game that manages to step out of the shadow of its previous games to create something unique and new for itself. Despite how violent and dark the series is, GoW18 tells a touching story of a father and son getting to know each other better, travelling the world together, and meeting all manner of colorful friends and foes. The combat, while slower and more methodical than previous games and tedious at times on higher difficulties, rewards skillful play and empowers the player more and more as they stick with it.

All in all, if you have a PS4 and like action games, definitely give this one a try. You’ll be glad you did. I look forward to Kratos’s and Atreus’s further adventures on the PS5 when God of War Ragnarok comes out next year!

Score: 8 / 10

#gaming #review #god of war #sony #santa monica studio #article

[ziracona]

Hey!! It's me!! The fool who read the entity of ur story and then realised it was 4am before she went sleep. I'm here to gush about ur fic. I think my favorite part of the story is when Adiris is trying to heal Quentins arm and she's recalling Ishtar journeying to Eretsu and.. "And when Ishtar finally reached the base of it, she was overtaken by every disease in Erṣetu, and executed there, and her corpse was hung. On a hook." I can just FEEL the impact that remembrance had on her. Just. Damn (1)

Hey! First of all thank you so much for this massive ask/comment!!! It’s so sweet and it is always amazing to see comments so long they take multiple submits. 💙💙 Figured I’d consolidate these to one ask so you don’t have to hunt and peck through my answers for the right order. : D Although there’s a bunch of questions in the last one, so that one is also gettin’ it’s own answer post.

So! AH! The Ishtar realization! That would be bone-chilling. Like, the fact that myth has got so many similarities to the reality of the realm itself is creepy to me, and I ain’t even in that world! Poor girl goes through like 12 crisis back to back.

And thank you! I’m so glad you liked her feeling bad for Quentin in spite of it all, and Dwight and Quentin trying to do their best. I love that Quentin & Dwight both keep being like “😔 I’m so sorry I’m being so illogical and dumb but I don’t want to hurt her like—“ and the other immediately is like “—Oh no, thank God! Me too!” Fascinating that from both her POV and theirs most of the fic, the other is a bad person(or people), yet they’re choosing to be/trying to be kind and forgiving and understanding anyway. I really feel for Dwight giving his whole “Why did you have to do this? We just wanted to go home. And now I’m going to have to kill you, when you can’t fight back, and that’s going to fundamentally change who I am as a person in a way I don’t like for the rest of my life, and there is nothing I can do about it. Because if I don’t, Quentin will lose any chance to survive, and I can’t let that happen. But the worst part is? I’m gonna have to do all this, and it’s not even gonna matter. For almost certain, we’re still going to die, and I’ll have done it for nothing, but because I can’t know that, I’m going to have to do it.” Like SON. 😭 Also fkn liar McGhee going from existential crisis about his inability to give Quentin medical care & fear he won’t wake up while crying over his body, to “Oh no you’re fine don’t even worry just take it easy. : )” to Quentin’s face so he won’t worry—someone get this boy a therapist!! I love Dwight... Also love that both Quentin & Dwight immediately go “Fuck. Well we can’t kill her now. TuT” as soon as they realize what Adiris is/why she does it. Writing them together is always fun, because they’re the kind of friends who mind meld and become “Oh my god there’s two of them” when they hang out 🤣. My boys... TuT

And yeah! I remember you! Hello again! : D 💙💙💙 YEAH! Poor Adiris. God, it would be so hard to deal. And she’s such a completely lonely person who has had her worth as an individual and everything she has to give routinely invalidated and betrayed by everyone she’s ever tried to find worth in, so that would just crush her like a battering ram. It’s so sweet Quentin and Dwight go to her—like of course they do, they want to know what’s going on, and why she’s acting this way, in a world where nothing ever changes, and they also are just both who they are as people— but it’s such a meaningful and wild, contextually, thing to do for someone like her. Quentin trying to liken it to how he felt back when he thought Freddy got killed for no reason because of him, and hadn’t done all the awful stuff he did, to be better at being empathetic to her. My boy. TuT AH! And yeah!! That’s (the scene where she’s gone into septic shock) is probably my favorite one, because this poor girl is so fucked up in so many ways, and she has no idea. And it’s so sad that when she stops thinking clearly because she’s dying of sepsis and has gone into shock, she makes herself wake up when Dwight starts stroking her head to try to comfort her, because no one at least since she was with her parents as a tiny child and maybe ever had really done that, or shown her physical affection at all. And she makes herself stay awake because it feels good and she doesn’t want it to end. : ( And realizes he’s even touching the half of her face that is all gross and covered with abscesses and growths and dead tissue from the plague and she’s so happy because she knew nobody healthy would ever be willing to touch her anywhere she’s damaged, which is 90% of her entire body, but someone’s doing it anyway. And she’s just so happy she stays conscious for that. : ( : ( : ( it’s so SAD girl got me depressed for her. God, she’s so lonely.

And you’re completely right! Adiris never had friends in Babylon, because she was a servant in a temple, following a strict hierarchy—the temple owned her, she was basically a slave. And then she was a priestess, and she was supposed to be above everyone else. So she’s never had anybody to just be normal with or towards, not since she was still with her siblings back when she was so little she can barely remember. Dwight and Quentin, if she can call them friends, are her first ones. And if not, they’re certainly the closest she’s ever gotten to friends if not. The survivors would be her first friend group her whole life. : ( And I am very sad for her. :’-]

Yeah! TuT She’s a sweetheart. She’s the kind of person life really should have beaten all the kindness out of, but somehow has not just managed to retain it, but to retain it as a core tenant of her personality. I think she has realized she has a lot of similarities to them—to Quentin spiritually and in morals, and to Dwight in personality and some significant amount of lived experience—but I don’t think she’s really thought of it in terms of being like them or like the survivors, more just that they have some similarities. She’s never really had a place she “fits” so I don’t think she even really has the instinct to find places or people with whom she’d click or belong. It’s not a part of how existing has ever been for her. The most she still years for and tries to find is significance and being wanted and useful. I really hope she gets to a sense of community, though, because it’s true, and she deserves it. TпТ

AHHH thank you again so much for all of this!!! 💙💙💕💖💙 it was a joy to read!

#ask #anonymous #part two comin in a sec! #from the earth of no return (fic) #from the earth of no return #dead by daylight #adiris #the plague #ily anon TuT 💙 #long post

[tomasorban]

Inanna: Relevance and Return

The Sumerian Goddess Inanna came to the notice of modern women in 1983 when Diane Wolkstein and Samuel Kramer published Inanna: Queen of Heaven and Earth. But she first appeared in recorded history about 5,500 years ago. Written myths are almost always pre-dated by many generations of oral traditions, so it plausible to assume that her stories were passed down orally through many generations before writing became extant. Throughout the centuries she has morphed and changed as she moved from culture to culture, empire to nation. Over the years Inanna became Ishtar, Asherah, Astarte, Astoreth, Aphrodite, Ainina, Danina, and possibly Dali of the Georgians. Her worship died out slowly in the Middle East between the third and fifth centuries A.D., but she left her mark in Marion theology with hymns of lamentation attributed to Mary, but taken straight from Inanna’s lamentations for Damuzi.

Inanna was the goddess of sexual love and war. She was fierce, conniving, intelligent: quick to anger, but just as quick to reward loyalty. There are many stories about her, such as The Epic of Gilgamesh, Inanna and the Huluppu-Tree, Inanna and the God of Wisdom, The Courtship of Inanna, and The Descent of Inanna. It was the latter that caught and held the interest of women involved in Goddess Spirituality.

Although the myth is titled The Descent of Inanna the salient point is actually her return. The tale begins with Inanna’s decision to visit the underworld to meet her sister Ereshkigal, Queen of the Underworld, who is mourning her dead husband. Bad blood exists between the sisters—Inanna has been instrumental in the death of The Bull of Heaven. The other gods gossip about Inanna, speculating about her motives—perhaps she wishes to make peace with her sister, perhaps she wishes to steal her powers, but Inanna keeps her own counsel and determines to go alone.

Wisely, before she goes, Inanna concocts a plan with her trusted handmaiden, Ninshubar, giving her explicit instructions about what to do if her mistress does not return. Then, girding herself with seven powers, she rides away, driving her own chariot toward the underworld.

On hearing of Inanna’s arrival, Ereshkigal orders the gatekeeper to close the seven gates of her palace. As Inanna requests passage through each gate, she must divest herself of one of her powers. In the end she arrives in Ereshkigal’s hall naked. Her arrival coincides with the entrance of the judges of the underworld. They sentence her to death and stick her body on a meat hook, where it hangs for three days and three nights.

Meanwhile, Ninshubar has begun making the rounds of the gods. Each one turns her down until she reaches Inanna’s father, Enki. Enki heeds Ninshubar’s plea. He scrapes dirt from beneath his fingernails. Mixing it with a little spittle, he fashions two tiny winged creatures called gala to sneak past the gatekeeper and fly down into Ereshkigal’s realm. To one he gives the life-giving plant and to the other the life-giving water. He whispers instructions in their ear and sends them on their way.

Down in the underworld Ereshkigal continues to mourn, wailing unceasingly day and night. She is pregnant with her dead husband’s child. When the gala find Ereshkigal they hover by her ears and mourn with her. When she groans, “Oh, my liver!” they groan, “Oh, my liver!” When she cries, “Oh, my heart!” they cry, “Oh, my heart!” Ereshkigal is so grateful to be heard and comforted on her own terms that she offers them anything they desire. Following Enki’s instructions, they ask for the body of Inanna. Anointing her with the precious life-giving water and plant, the galas restore Inanna to life and together they set out on the journey home.

Once again, however, the judges intervene and refuse Inanna passage unless she finds someone to take her place in the underworld. She promises to find a replacement and, accompanied by a posse of enforcing demons, she storms up into the sunlight.

Thus begins a round of visits to Inanna’s hairdresser, her son, and her brother, all of whom have mourned her with the proper mourning rites. Faithful Ninshubar offers to take Inanna’s place but the goddess vehemently refuses. Finally they come to Inanna’s consort, Damuzi, who has barely noted her absence. He is sitting under a fig tree, feasting. Inanna, incensed at his indifference, orders the demons to grab him. But Damuzi calls upon Utu, the sun god, Inanna’s brother, to honor an old debt and rescue him. Utu helps him escape the demons and he manages to hide. The demons, however, are relentless in their pursuit and eventually run him to ground

Even then, his luck holds. Damuzi’s adoring sister intervenes and begs for his life, promising to take his place underground for half of every year. Tired of the whole business and possibly half-inclined to take Damuzi back, Inanna agrees.

This is a complicated tale, dovetailing and interweaving in places with other cycles and creatures of myth. It is a multilevel teaching story, depicting what Joseph Campbell called the hero’s journey; explicit directions on how to properly mourn a death; the advantage of prior planning; faithful service; parental love; the courage to face the unknown and the bad consequences inherent in wrong action. Lots of information to be packed, condensed and synthesized into one fabulous story.

At every level this myth resounds with true situations in which humans of every age find themselves. But it specifically appeals to modern women, because in Inanna we find a heroine who predates the extremes of patriarchal culture in which we find ourselves enmeshed today. She acts independently, while remaining in good relationship with men—her father, brother, and hairdresser. She has a strong, solid friend and ally in Ninshubar. She is not afraid to face the unknown and perseveres in the face of loss and sacrifice. Like many women she struggles in relationship with her mate.

But the part of the story with which women resonate most strongly is the journey of relinquishment, the egoic death, and the restoration of power. Using this part of the myth, circles of women have been manifesting and enacting their own rituals of letting go, creating space, and allowing new ways of seeing and being to take the place of what no longer serves them.

Sometimes the journeys are entirely imaginary, taking place as guided meditations in quiet, dimly lit rooms. Sometimes women build metaphorical gates as simple as seven scarves laid in rows across a room. Sometimes the gates are more elaborate structures, painted and adorned.

The gates may be assigned particular attributes—names, colors, stones, trees, etc. The seven chakras lend themselves particularly well to this rite. Furthermore, the descent and return may be pinned to a particular life passage like a marriage, a birth, the loss of a job or start of a new career, the death of a beloved mate, child, pet, or friend. It works well for any occasion that requires a relinquishment or some kind of death but also offers renewal and restoration.

In every ceremony I’ve been privy to or had described to me, there is always a time of study and preparation. Women do not undertake such a ritual unprepared or in ignorance of what it means. Always the gatekeepers remain present and aware, careful to gauge the mood of the group and the progress of each participant.

Inanna, with her link to sex and death, is not to be invoked without safeguards in place. Her myth specifically calls for opening the doors between the conscious and unconscious mind incrementally and ceremoniously. The story warns us that the journey is a long and dangerous one, a risky business that requires gravitas and can involve tears, howls, vomit, diarrhea, or ecstasy.

The Descent offers a chance to look clearly at tired habits of thought and action. A woman may finally admit to an addiction or see how some long-denied pattern of action has failed her time and again. The Return offers a chance for something to be born or recovered. A woman may reclaim a talent or a forgotten dream, put aside years before, that suddenly offers itself, once more, as a viable choice. The possibilities are endless and unique to each individual on the journey. The point is change.

The Goddess, in every form she takes, is all about change. Inanna, the Queen of Heaven, replete with every kind of talent, adoration, and power, begins her journey because of a desire to change. We don’t know why. Often in old teaching tales the questions left unanswered hold their own secret wisdom.

Perhaps she doesn’t know. Perhaps she longs for mystery. Undoubtedly she is aware that in undertaking this journey nothing will ever be the same again. The point is she decides on change and then rides out to meet it. A wise woman once told me, “Change or die!” At the time she terrified me and I had no idea what she meant or why she would say such a terrible thing. But her words continued to ring in my ears through the years every time I had a choice, every time a risk presented itself or a circumstance demanded courage. Her directive did indeed change my life and always for the better, though at times it took a little hindsight to understand how.

Inanna’s descent and return exemplify the “both and” inherent in Goddess Spirituality. One may change one’s self and hence the surrounding world both by releasing and/or embracing. Possibly, yesterday’s release will one day become tomorrow’s embrace or vice versa. The journey is an ongoing process of dismantling and rebuilding that goes on throughout life. Inanna’s ritual gives us focus, a sacred space in which to step out of time and consciously enact a psychological process that one way or another life will force us to undertake anyway. Engaging in it willingly, we emerge chastened, humble, and radiant, suffused with the power and strength of an ancient archetype. Inanna returns in glory to walk the world anew, as she has so many times before.

#inanna #mother goddess #divine feminine #history #ancient #religion

[persephonewing]

Choosing a New Name for a Truer Body: Introducing Persephone

After coming out as a Transgender Woman a few days ago, nothing has really felt the same. Or, in more positive terms, everything is feeling more real. I’m openly talking about being and feeling like a woman. How my gender dysphoria has confused and harmed me for the past twenty one years and all the many transitions (Socially, culturally, physically) that will and are currently happening to me. 

Upon this, just yesterday, me and one my best friends, Emma, were swimming at a nearby lake here at Eastern Washington University. We had been playing around with names. For a moment I was dead set on the name Camilla. It had a C in it, like my boy name so it felt familiar. It allowed me to feel comfortable, passable, and like a cis-woman. A simple name that no one would question, look at, or invalidate. In a way, the name Camilla itself made me feel like it would protect me from the cis, straight world but as all trans women come to know, I would never be accepted there. A fate Persephone came to understand too.

I expressed this to Emma on the trip. How I wanted to find a name. A name that really encompassed my story, my truth, and my unwavering love and comfortability in womanhood.

 Emma is an art history major and is just an overall intelligent girl. I asked her about names that would fit me in her realm of knowledge. Maybe some from the greek classics and/or greek myths. 

This is when she told me the story of Persephone, the greek goddess of spring and the underworld. I was in complete euphoria hearing the story and swaying on the surface of the buoyant, dirty water. I felt like a true women just then as Jalaja Bonheim’s writes on her website, 

“When women get together, they tell stories. This is how it has always been. Telling stories is our way of saying who we are, where we have come from and what we know. Women have always found sacredness in the midst of the ordinary, harvesting spiritual wisdom from the fields and forests of their everyday embodied experience.”

Emma went on to tell me the story and the raping of beautiful Persephone. I felt myself slowly being connected to this woman. To her entire experience. I felt myself slowly unpacking, relating, and bonding to this mythical figure.

Persephone is seen as a more vulnerable goddess. Where relationships are essential to her life, as they are to my own. Her whole life, a relationship has taken the lead. Most times over what she really wants and desires. She is known for putting the needs of others over her own, something I have struggled with my whole life. 

Her mother, the powerful goddess Demeter, is controlling and desperately wishes to be with her daughter at all times. Her rapist and husband Hades forces her for a third of the year to be imprisoned with him. She is even the goddess that welcomes the living and shows them the underworld and teaches them about life and death. Plus her constant affairs and dramas with the other gods all goes to prove that this woman takes the people and relationships in her life very seriously. 

This isn't to be confused with weakness, confusion, or stupidity as so many people try to say she is. She loves and she loves hard. She knows both love and loss profoundly. She knows the horror of powerful men deciding and controlling her every move. She knows what it means to transcend through death (her being brought to the underworld with hades) and to be born again as a more powerful, authentic, and understanding woman (when she becomes free again with her mother, picking flowers). She knows sisterhood, struggle, and lust. To me, Persephone is the definition of my womanhood. She embodies a lot of what womanhood looks like for myself and my life. 

The article “Greek Goddesses and the Wisdom of 7 Feminine Archetypes” by Ibtisaam writes about this group of vulnerable goddesses, saying 

“Vulnerable Goddesses (Hera, Demeter and Persephone)... Correspond to traditional roles of wife, mother, and daughter. They are the relationship-oriented goddess archetypes, whose identities and well-being depend on having a significant relationship. They express women’s needs for affiliation and bonding… each of them also evolved, and can provide women with an insight into the nature and pattern of their own reactions to loss, and the potential for growth through suffering.”

Focusing more about Peresphone the author writes 

“Persephone contains within her the dual archetype of the maiden (a young goddess, innocent and associated with fertility) and the Queen of the Underworld (“who reigns over the dead souls, guides the living who visit the underworld, and claims for herself what she wants”). To be the maiden has less to do with age than it does to do with “being the eternal girl who doesn’t commit herself to anything or anyone, because making a definite choice eliminates other possibilities”. While this allows for great adaptability, in order to truly grow, the Persephone woman must learn to make commitments and to live up to them. Failing this, she will forever be a victim of the will and power of others, becoming a long-sufferer or martyr. However, her descent into the underworld shows the possibility of pain forcing growth. As the Queen, Persephone symbolizes receptivity, intuition and empathy to the suffering of others. Thus, Persephone’s gifts include the cultivation of imagination and inspiration.”

As Emma contuined on with the stories I noticed many men started to take the form of Hades in my vision. My dad, my step-dad, my first love, my brother, and the male world at large. Hades had come to symbolize body dysmorphia and the privileged male world. 

Here is Persephone, me. A girl picking flowers, enjoying and comforted by her mother, resting in her beauty and strength. Thinking of nights with her sisters, of lust and love. A girl that wanted to see things, know things, teach things. A girl that wanted the comfortable, dramatic, and loving life as a wife and sister. Just a woman, end of sentence. 

Then a man comes. He corrupts, harms, and oppresses her. Steals her away from her mother and her sisters (stealing her away from her womanhood) and into a world of oppression, abuse, neglect, and pain. A world that some could see, as I do, as a males world. A world that I nor Persephone have been allowed to survive in. Hades kid-napes her, rapes her, holds her prisoner, and slowly tries to make her become what so many women fear to become: a shell of her former, womanly self. 

I felt a massive connection here, I knew what it was like to be taken from the world of women (as I was younger) and into the world of men (when I was older) and feeling completely  disgusted, unnerved, and wrong about it. 

But, Persephone is not weak. She’s smart. She was able to become free. Hades had fallen in love with her womanhood the moment he saw it and she knew that this was his biggest flaw. She had something that she could use. She decided to be his wife because even though he symbolized and represented the worst of manhood, she knew there would be freedom in having access to both worlds. In having relationships in both worlds. She does this even when others don't understand it. Even when people try to rob her of her femininity, she powers on as the undercover ruler of both worlds. 

I relate to this as a woman who consistently feels divided between these two spheres. 

My world of womanhood where I am truly myself, beautiful, and authentic. With other women who protect and respect and care for me. Who love me. Where I can flip my hair, cry, drink wine, and talk about struggle. And the other world, the underworld, where I am surviving, working, and grinding to change and mold into a body and life that is not mine. 

Persephone knows pain, hurt, loss, and grief. Her mission is to help every passenger, in both worlds, better understand themselves and the complexities of living life. This has always been my mission as well and hurt as been the greatest teacher to both of us.

Persephone symbolizes everything I have felt myself to be as a woman. Loving, forgiving, powerful. A woman who gets what she wants even when everyone thinks they have her in the bag. She knows growth and transformation. She is a woman that I have always felt myself to be. 

So now, with the thanks of Emma and research, I am changing my first name to be Persephone. A name that my younger self would've cherished. A deserving name for a deserving woman.

[searchingwardrobes]

Until the Day Breaks and the Shadows Flee: 8/8

A huge thank you to everyone who has gone along with me on this crazy mythological au! I have enjoyed every kudo, comment, and reblog more than I can say, and it kept me going when the muse was as fickle as Venus! Speaking of which, since Cupid and Psyche is a Roman myth, I have been using the Roman names for the gods and goddesses. However, when it was time to head to the Underworld, I just like the Greek names (Hades and Persephone) so much better than the Roman ones (Pluto and Porserpine). Since this is an AU and it’s mine, I just went with the Greek names for those two. Sorry if that bugs anyone!

I also am so grateful to everyone in the @cssns - all the writers and artists for their support and encouragement, and @kmomof4 for heading it all up. I can’t thank my beta @snowbellewells enough, especially tonight when I was finishing this up in the eleventh hour! Also huge thanks to @hollyethecurious for making the banner above which just perfectly captures the mood and setting.

Summary: Every night she traces the contours of his body as Killian whispers words of love against her skin. But can Princess Emma ever be fully happy with a husband who only comes to her in utter darkness? A Captain Swan AU of the myth of Cupid and Psyche.

Rating: M for sexual situations

Words: ~5,000 in this chapter

Chapter One | Chapter Two | Chapter Three | Chapter Four | Chapter Five | Chapter Six | Chapter Seven | Also on Ao3

Tagging: @jennjenn615 @welllpthisishappening @let-it-raines@kday426 @nadine200179 @teamhook @bethacaciakay@profdanglaisstuff @distant-rose @shireness-says@mythologicalmango @wellhellotragic @branlovestowrite@xhookswenchx @optomisticgirl @winterbaby89@ultraluckycatnd @vvbooklady1256 @resident-of-storybrooke@spartanguard @thislassishooked @whimsicallyenchantedrose@tiganasummertree  @snidgetsafan @ohmakemeahercules@delirious-latenight-laughs @nikkiemms @gingerchangeling@revanmeetra87 @cocohook38 @effulgentcolors

Chapter Eight: A Seal Upon My Heart

If Emma had to pick just one word to describe the Underworld it would be colorless. The only hues that clung to the scant vegetation were in shades of grey. The very air itself hung thick with a smoky miasma, and it tinged the realm of the dead like a painting coated in eons of dust.

The castle of Hades and Persephone rose before Emma. Cerberus lay at her feet, each of his three jowls distracted by the thick biscuits Emma had given him. Her heart beat wildly as she hurried down the rocky path towards the castle which resembled a tower of jagged, broken glass in varying shades of black. She clutched the strap of her satchel, her feet hurrying lest Cerberus make quick work of the dog treats and come begging for more.

The closer she got, she more she worried. How did one go about making a request like this of a goddess? If Persephone had long held the flower of beauty close, why in the world would she give it to a mere mortal? And even before her request could be made, how did she begin to seek an audience with the Queen of the Underworld? She couldn’t just knock on the front door. Could she?

The decision was taken from Emma’s hands, however, the minute her foot touched the castle’s bottom step. Guards dressed completely in black, nothing but a cold void behind the visors of their helmets, seized her before she even had a chance to cry out. Their hands were so cold, they burned as she was forced up the steps and into the castle.

She was hauled down the black marble corridors. Emma kicked and struggled, but her efforts were futile. Please, she begged to whatever deity would still listen to her, don’t let them throw me in the dungeon!

The guards kicked open a heavy door of steel and dragged Emma into a cavernous room with a domed roof. At the end of it, two beings sat side by side on matching thrones. Relief flooded Emma, and she inwardly whispered a prayer of thanks. It wasn’t the entrance she had hoped for, but all that really mattered was that she had an audience with the king and queen. The guards thrust her roughly forward, and Emma fell to her knees on the hard, cold floor.

“How did you manage to get past Cerberus, mortal?” Hades asked.

Emma trembled as she lifted her gaze to the larger of the two thrones, but not because Hades was speaking in a thunderous voice. On the contrary, he sounded calculating and slightly . . . bored? His crisp suit, closely shorn hair, and neatly trimmed, pitch black goatee reminded Emma of that shady ambassador from the Southern Isles. Slimy her mother had called him. Of course, it woud be suicide to call the god of the Underworld that. Emma swallowed nervously.

“I . . . gave him a treat?” Emma winced when it came out like a question. Her plan had been to exude confidence, not grovel.

To her surprise, Hades threw his head back and laughed heartily. “Did you hear that, darling? Gave him a treat!”

He wiped at tears of laughter as his wife cast a smile in his direction. “Yes, dear. No mortal has cooked up a batch of those since . . . Ulysses?”

“No. no,” Hades corrected, waving a hand in the air, “I thought it was a female then, too. Medea? No . . . she was a witch, though. I think.”

As Hades debated over who last charmed his pooch, Emma took the opportunity to look more closely at Persephone. For someone who lived half the year in the Underworld, her complexion was almost radiant. Her hair was a deep brown, with streaks of auburn, and her eyes were bright amber. She gazed with humor and ease at her husband, her hand idly rubbing his forearm. Together, each detail made hope surge through Emma’s veins. She took a deep breath, then spoke as reverentially as she could while still infusing her voice with confidence.

“I was given the biscuits as a gift from the fairies to aid me in a very important quest.”

“A quest?” Hades asked, a sudden edge to his voice.

“Now, dear,” his wife admonished softly, “none of that.”

“Always with the quests! Do these mortals think I have nothing better to do down here?” he turned to Emma in exasperation. “Do you know what I go through? Do you?”

Emma didn’t know how to respond, so she simply shook her head.

“Processing each soul as it enters, weighing them on the scales. Coming up with fitting penance when necessary. Then processing those who move on to paradise. There’s far more to running this operation than anyone knows. And if that weren’t enough, mortals on quests, seeking guidance from the dead, or begging to let the dead free -”

“I’m not here for anyone who’s dead,” Emma bravely interrupted.

Hades blinked in surprise. “You’re not?”

Emma shook her head. “I’m trying to . . . free someone from Venus, but she’ll only let him go if I can get the flower of eternal beauty.”

“That shallow, insignificant excuse for a goddess,” Persephone snapped, her earlier peaceful facade falling away to reveal a truly powerful deity. “She’s been trying to get that flower from me for eons. Well, I’m sorry you’ve gone to all this trouble, but the answer is no.”

“Please!” Emma exclaimed, feeling no shame in groveling now. “I beg of you. I know it’s

a lot to ask, but -”

“You know nothing, mortal! Venus will waste the juice of that flower on herself though she

has absolutely no need of it. Simply so no one else will ever get their hands on it.”

“Maybe she wishes to have it so she can help those who lift up prayers to her.” Even as the words left Emma’s lips, she knew how ridiculous the suggestion was. She expected Persephone to laugh condescendingly. Venus certainly would have. Instead, the goddess scrutinized her until she was tempted to squirm.

“You’ve met Venus,” she finally said, “and I have a feeling you know full well how ridiculous you sound right now.”

Emma deflated, sinking into a heap upon the floor, her knees aching from kneeling on the cold marble. She lifted her gaze to Persephone. There was only one other option, and that was to be fully vulnerable with the goddess. If she turned out to be callous and cold, she and Killian were both doomed. She prayed that Persephone would prove compassionate instead.

“Once again, I beseech you, goddess of spring, Queen of the Underworld. I don’t ask this for myself. It is for the man I love, my husband. Venus has him under a sleeping curse.”

Hades tsked and shook his head. “She’s taken yet another lover? This is why I prefer these austere halls to Mt. Olympus. So much drama, I tell you.”

Persephone grinned at her husband and lifted his hand to her lips. Emma felt hope surge in her heart.

“He isn’t her lover,” Emma explained, “and he isn’t even mortal. Killian is my husband - Cupid, I mean. The son of Venus.”

“Killian!” Persephone exclaimed with a gasp. “That precious boy loved the springtime, you know. It’s why so many lovers choose that time of year for their wedding vows.” The goddess shook her head. “I say Venus may be the goddess of beauty, but not of love, not truly. No, it his her son who fights for love and heeds the prayers of the star-crossed.”

“Now, my love, I know you have a soft spot for the lad, but this is Venus we’re talking about.” Hades frowned in concern. “Your feud with her goes back eons.”

Emma rose to her feet, her hands clasped at her breast, hardly daring to believe that the goddess would be willing to help her. “I love him so much, but Venus is determined to keep him under an enchanted slumber until I’ve taken my last breath.”

“Unless you retrieve my flower?” Persephone asked.

Emma nodded. “Yet every moment I delay, Killian is one step closer to forgetting me.”

Persephone scowled and rose quickly from her throne, she motioned for Emma to follow her as she swept down the small steps of the dais. She went through an archway to the right of the thrones, and Emma hurried after her.

“Venus is so fickle,” Persephone muttered as she hurried along, “and her memory is laughably short. Yet that may be to your advantage.”

She smiled conspiratorially back at Emma before pushing open a heavy oak door at the corridor’s end. Beyond the doors was the first bit of color Emma had seen since entering the Underworld. It wasn’t much of a garden - only two things grew in the mostly stone courtyard - yet in the vast sea of black and grey, it was a veritable oasis. At the east end of the courtyard, a large tree grew, heavy with pomegranates. Yet it was the pathway to the west which Persephone hurried down.

“Venus has forgotten that I took care of her boy as much as I could, during the spring and summer months, of course. Juno was his other main babysitter, which explains his soft heart for women trapped in arranged or loveless marriages.”

Emma thought of the story Killian had told her of his first love, Milah, and she realized that it was Juno who had sent him to assist her. Ahead of her, Persephone came to a stop in front of a large rose bush. Only these roses sparkled with golden radiance, and even Emma could sense the magic radiating from them. Her mouth dropped open as she looked at the goddess of spring.

“I thought there was only one flower.”

Persephone’s lips widened into a smile. “Oh no, there have always been many on this rose bush, which I have tended with great care for many centuries. I couldn’t let Venus know that, however.”

Emma shook her head in wonder. “Then why not share?”

Persephone’s amber eyes narrowed, and Emma could practically feel the ground at her feet crackle with angry energy. “With that selfish goddess? She would do nothing but wreck havoc with these flowers, causing all sorts of mischief. Remember that golden apple “to the fairest”? Remember that impotent, silly Paris? Venus got us plunged right into the Trojan War. Can you imagine what she would do with a whole bush of flowers that can give eternal beauty?”

The blood drained from Emma’s face at Persephone’s impassioned speech, and her heart sank. “But Killian . . . “ her voice drifted off, for what argument did she have for a goddess?

“Although,” Persephone pondered, tapping her finger upon her lips, “Venus isn’t the smartest goddess. You could take her a flower, and let her believe it’s the only one.”

“Oh,” Emma exclaimed, “I’ll do anything you ask, if you’ll only help me!”

Persephone’s gaze turned serious, “Be careful what deities you make such promises too, my dear.”

Emma swallowed nervously, but then Persephone smiled softly once more.

“All I ask, however, is that you answer a question. Answer correctly, and I’ll give you the flower.”

Emma blinked, her hands grasping nervously at the satin of her nightgown. “I’m . . . I mean, I’ve never thought of myself as . . . . “ she sighed. “What if I get it wrong?”

Persephone reached for Emma’s hand and squeezed it. “I don’t think you will. The question is this: Why did I plant this rose bush here, in the Underworld? Why did I not plant it in the world of the living?”

Emma’s first thought was that she planted it here to protect it. After all, Killian had tried to flee here with Emma so they would be hidden from his mother’s eyes. But then she gazed upon the golden flowers, mesmerized by their incandescence. The longer she looked upon them, the more a feeling of peace washed over her. Their beauty wasn’t just striking; it was soothing. Suddenly, the answer struck her with startling clarity. She turned to Persephone with a small smile upon her face.

“You planted these flowers here for your husband. To comfort him, to remind him of you, in the long months you are forced to part.”

Persephone gave Emma a tiny nod of her head, a flash of pride in her eyes. “I had a feeling you would guess correctly.” With that, she snipped one of the flowers from the bright green plant, then surprised Emma when she picked a second one. The goddess placed both in a large leather pouch. “To keep them from being crushed,” she explained.

“But Venus thinks there’s only one flower.”

“The second is for you. I have a feeling you’ll need it. Keep it close until absolutely necessary.”

Emma bit nervously at her bottom lip as she accepted the pouch. She placed it carefully into her satchel, then regarded Persephone thoughtfully.

“How will I know when -”

“When it’s absolutely necessary?”

Emma simply nodded.

“You’ll just know.”

***********************************************************

Travel via deity was getting old. At least this time, when Perephone teleported her to the home of Venus, Emma actually landed on her feet. She was still dizzy with a pounding headache, but at least she wasn’t slamming into the ground or completely unconscious. Persephone evidently had a gentler touch.

This time, however, Emma wasn’t in Venus’s private chamber, but in a courtyard with abundant greenery and a fountain surrounded by a glittering pool. Though soothing, gentle splash of the water couldn’t mask the shouting coming from a nearby open doorway. Emma recognized one voice as Venus; the other was male. Emma tiptoed closer to the angry sounds.

“You’re willing to let our son sleep for possibly another eighty years just because of some mortal girl?”

“Eighty years might as well be a week when you’re immortal, and since when did you care about Killian anyway?”

Emma was close enough now to peer around the edge of the doorway. Killian had been moved from the dais to the round, luxurious bed that Emma had awoken in the last time she was here. Venus stood on the other side of the room, arguing with a broad, muscular man dressed like a gladiator in leather armor with a red cape flowing over his back. A feathered helmet and broadsword lay at his feet. Emma assumed this was Mars, Killian’s father, and she could certainly see the resemblance in the god’s thick dark hair and startling blue eyes. He had a full, curling beard, and his jaw was tight as he glared at Venus.

“I’ve cared about him far more than you have!” he thundered. “Otherwise he wouldn’t be in an enchanted sleep right now, would he?”

“No harm will come to him,” Venus shot back, “he’s surrounded by a protection spell.”

Mars arched a brow as thick and dark as his son’s, “Or is it to keep the mortal girl from awakening him?”

As intimidating as the god of war seemed, Emma figured this was just as good a time as any to make her presence known. At least one of the deities in the room was on her side. She took a deep breath to gather her courage, then rapped her knuckles on the door frame. Venus and Mars both spun towards the sound, and Emma stood as confidently as she could manage just beyond the threshold. When neither of them spoke, she broke the silence.

“I have completed my quest, and I have brought you what you seek.”

Venus’s eyes widened with delight while Mars rolled his towards the ceiling. Emma glanced nervously at her husband, who slept peacefully through it all. She stepped fully into the room while reaching into her satchel. Just as Persephone had advised, she removed only one flower, and handed it carefully to Venus. The golden rose still glowed and sparkled with ethereal beauty. The goddess took it reverently in her cupped hands, gasping in awe.

“Long have I desired this,” she whispered.

“As if you don’t have beauty enough of your own,” grumbled Mars.

“Keep your opinions to yourself,” Venus snapped at her former lover.

“I brought you what you requested,” Emma reminded her gently, “and I believe completing a quest to the Underworld is sufficient proof of my love for Killian. You must awaken him!”

“I must do nothing!” Venus snapped. “I am a goddess!”

Before Emma could even think of a reply to her callous declaration, Venus had crushed the beautiful flower between her palms. Emma gasped in shock as the broken petals grew dull against the porcelain skin of the goddess of beauty. Only the flower’s inner nectar still glowed in Venus’s palm. The goddess brought her cupped hands to her lips and sipped up the sparkling juice with relish. She then took a deep breath, an almost manic smile filling her face as she tipped her gaze to the ceiling. The veins in her neck glowed, then the shimmering golden hue filled her cheeks and blazed from her eyes. Her hair for a moment seemed to alight like the rays of the sun. Then Venus gave one more shuddering breath, and her countenance returned to normal. She couldn’t have possibly gotten any more beautiful than she already was, and now that the flower’s magic had faded, Emma saw no difference in the goddess before her.

Persephone had been right.

“Please, Venus,” Emma tried again with feigned humility, “free my husband from his slumber.”

“You keep calling him your husband,” Venus snapped, “but you are nothing more than a mortal. You can’t understand the ever-changing needs and desires of a god. We take lovers, not spouses.”

Emma was thankful for what she had seen between Hades and Persephone, for it guarded her against the lies of Venus.

“That may be true for you, but it’s not true of all the gods and goddesses. Killian has chosen me, and I choose him.”

“She brought you the damn flower,” Mars snapped, “wake the boy up.”

“Boy,” Venus sighed, “you never can see him as a man, can you?”

“And you can? All you ever do is treat him as your errand boy, never willing to cut those apron strings.”

“At least I’m involved in his life, which is more than I can say for you!”

Emma inched closer to the bed where Killian lay, frustrated at the time that was being wasted while the two divine beings fought. Had she slipped from Killian’s memory already? She knelt by the bed, reaching forward, but it was no use. Venus’s protection spell was still intact.

“Involved?” Mars was still arguing with Venus. “I can list half a dozen goddesses, fairies, and mermaids who were more of a mother to him than you. Maybe I’ll just wake him myself!”

“You can’t, the spell doesn’t work that way.”

“But I can do this,” Mars spat, lifting an arm and snapping his fingers.

The sound of it was loud, reverberating through the room, and the magical shield surrounding Killian and the bed upon which he lay, shivered and then dissolved. Emma surged forward with a cry, flinging her entire body across Killian’s chest and peppering his jaw with kisses.

She pressed a kiss to his still lips, murmuring against them, “I love you, come back to me, Killian.”

When she pulled back, he was just as deeply asleep as before. Behind her, Venus giggled with deceptive sweetness.

“It isn’t the kind of sleeping curse that your mother was under. That was cast by a mere mortal witch. Your kisses will do nothing to wake him, you foolish girl.”

“Then wake him!” Emma screamed. “You promised!”

Venus shrugged in an almost bored way. “I’m known for my fickleness, and, well . . . I just don’t feel like waking him up.”

Rage surged through Emma’s veins, and she clenched both fists as she stared at Venus. Her knuckles brushed against the satchel she had forgotten that still hung from her shoulder and across her chest. Suddenly, she remembered the second flower and Persephone’s words: Keep it close until absolutely necessary.

Gently, she reached into the satchel and pulled out the second flower. Venus gasped, her eyes widening.

“Where did you get that?”

Emma ignored her and turned to Killian. She cradled his head in her lap. She crushed Persephone’s flower and squeezed the juice between her fingers and past his slightly parted lips. His eyes blinked, then opened. Yet, as they gazed upon her, they looked confused.

“Where am I? Who are you?”

“You don’t know me?” She choked out a sob, clutching desperately at the front of his shirt. “Look at me, Killian! It’s me, Emma, your wife!”

His eyes widened. “I don’t have a wife, and I allow few to call me Killian.”

Behind her, Venus spoke with cold malice. “You’re too late, little mortal girl.”

Emma ignored the goddess as tears slipped down her cheek. “But you do have a wife, and I call you Killian because you asked me to. I love you, and you love me.”

“It’s true, son,” Mars said gently, stepping around Venus and coming closer to the bed.

Killian looked with shocked confusion at his father, and Emma wondered how rarely he saw Mars. Then his bewildered gaze fell back on her.

“Then why do I not remember you?”

“It was your mother.” Emma trembled, terrified that she was too late. Then a spark of hope lit within her. Her parents! Maybe her kiss couldn’t waken him, but that didn’t mean it was powerless. “I - I can make you remember me.”

She pressed her lips against his, and felt his shocked surprise in the rigidness of his mouth. Yet as her tongue brushed gently against the seam of his lips, he responded, opening for her and angling his head to deepen the kiss. She cupped his face, and he grasped the back of her head. Her lips curled into a smile as she broke the kiss, pressing her forehead to his. His eyes were closed, his breath ragged.

“Remember now?”

“Your kisses are intoxicating,” he rasped, but when he opened his eyes, there was still no recognition there. “I wish I could claim a woman as beautiful and passionate as you as my wife, but how can I when I still don’t know you?”

Emma sobbed, dropping her head to his chest and wrapping her arms tightly around him. The rigidness of his shoulders and the awkwardness as he patted her back only made her heart break more. She was too late.

Suddenly, the floor felt as if it were shifting, and Killian grasped her more tightly as they seemed to hurtle through the air. Head spinning, Emma pulled back from her husband to look around, completely disoriented. She blinked to clear her vision and was shocked at what she saw.

They were in another marbled room with tall Grecian columns, yet this one was ten times larger than the private chambers of Venus. Towering over their heads was not a domed roof, but billowing clouds. Surrounding them in this great hall were twelve giant, elaborate thrones. Sitting on each was a beautiful, regal figure. Emma scanned them in awe, startling when she saw Venus sitting on one to her left. She inched closer to Killian, and though he did not know her, he pulled her close to his side. They were in the throne room of the twelve Olympians.

“Princess Emma,” thundered a voice in the center of the room, “come near.”

On trembling legs, Emma obeyed. She assumed this was Jupiter, king of the Olympians, and she lowered herself to one knee. He didn’t look like she had imagined: glowing, with a long beard and a thunderbolt in his hand. Instead, he was clean shaven, muscular, with a smooth, young face, yet his expression was stern and she felt herself tremble.

“Emma, you have apparently angered Venus a great deal.”

“I did not mean to, your . . . majesty?”

Jupiter surprised her by chuckling. “Many beautiful maidens have aroused her jealousy, my dear. Yet none have managed to steal the heart of her son.”

“And steal it she has,” Mars spoke up, and Emma turned her head to see him seated on a throne to her left. “I saw the lengths my son went to in order to save her, and I have likewise seen what Emma has been willing to do to save Killian.”

“I never saw you as a romantic,” Venus snapped from her throne across the room.

“Maybe not,” Mars shot back, “but I do admire those willing to fight for what they want.”

Jupiter lifted a hand to stop the lovers’ spat, and turned his gaze back to Emma. “I understand you completed a quest to the Underworld to prove your love.”

“Yes,” Emma said, her emotional control slipping as a tear tracked down her cheek, “but I was too late. Killian no longer remembers me.”

“If I may, my lord,” Killian’s voice was suddenly there at her side, and she was surprised when he took her hand gently in his. “If this lass truly is my bride, then there’s nothing I could wish for more than to remember her.”

Emma blinked at him in surprise, and he in turn gave her a shy smile before scratching behind his ear. She had never seen him so unsure and confused. Or, more accurately, she had never heard him seem out of his element before. He certainly was now, and her heart grew with love even more.

Jupiter rubbed at his chin thoughtfully. “What say you, Juno?”

“No one is more loyal than our Cupid - Killian,” she said, looking at the young god fondly, “and he deserves happiness after so much loss and turmoil.”

“And what of this Princess, Minerva?” Jupiter asked, turning to the goddess on his other side. “What does your wisdom discern about her character?”

“Tenacious,” Minerva answered, “strong, smart, and willing to die for those she loves. If I’m not mistaken, she’s also a product of true love.”

Vesta spoke up from her place at the brazier that burned in the center of the room. “Oh yes, she is the daughter of the legendary Snow White and her prince.”

“I have a proposition,” Jupiter announced in a booming voice. “Never have I seen a mortal worthy of being wed to a god until now. These two should be wed in the truest sense.”

Venus surged forward on her throne, “But in order to do that, she would have to be -”

“A goddess?” Jupiter chuckled. “Yes, I am aware. I propose making Princess Emma a goddess, returning Killian’s memories, and allowing these two to live out their happy ending without interference. After all,” he turned a humorous gaze upon Venus, “that way she would cause you no more trouble with her beauty.”

Venus pouted and practically slouched on her throne, but she made no reply.

“All in favor?” Jupiter asked.

There was a chorus of “ayes” from every god and goddess, save for Venus. Jupiter clapped his hands, and a thundering wave of magic pulsed outward, washing over Emma and Killian. They both stumbled, their hands pulled from one another’s grasp. Emma shook her head, and turned towards her husband. A slow smile filled his face, and a sparkle lit his brilliant blue eyes.

“Emma!”

“You remember me?” she gasped, tears spilling from her eyes.

“Yes,” he laughed, “but love, look at you!”

Emma looked down to find herself clothed in a figure-hugging gown of purest white, embroidered with silver and gold thread. Gold bangles hung from both wrists, and her hair was piled upon her head in a riot of ringlets threaded through with baby’s breath and tiny pink rosebuds.

Yet it wasn’t her appearance she cared about as she crossed the room in two strides and flung herself into her husband’s arms. He caught her in a firm embrace, pressing her flush against him. Their lips met hungrily, and Emma poured into the kiss every desire she had felt while missing him. Killian couldn’t stop touching her, running one hand up her back and down her arms, his other making a mess of her perfectly styled goddess hair.

Their kiss was interrupted by the clapping and cheers of the twelve Olympians. They parted, a blush upon Emma’s cheeks, and turned to face Jupiter. Killian kept her tucked against his side, his arm holding her close.

“Killian, you are Cupid, the god of love, and here is your bride: Psyche, the goddess of the soul. For it is these two entwined - the heart and the soul - that creates the strongest magic of all: true love.”

***************************************************************

Years Later . . .

Emma and Killian sat in the garden of their estate on top of the misty hill, watching as their two children ran amidst the flowers that the fairies tended. The god of Belief and the goddess of Hope.

Often, Emma and Killian were called away on adventures. Some as simple as answering the desperate prayers of lovers, others as dangerous as battling the gods of Discord, Hate, and Apathy. One day, when they were old enough, their children would join them.

Yet their favorite days were these, with the warm sun beating down, happy and content. Their love now bathed in light; a light that had pushed away every shadow.

#cs ff #cssns #cssns 2019 #captain swan supernatural summer #enchanted forest au #myth #slow burn #cupid and psyche au

[hjbender]

Imagine a story line where Loki was married to Thor's older brother. Thor swallows his feelings for his brother's husband, Loki. That is until his brother is off at war and he discovers Loki sobbing in a corner about how lonely he is since no one will talk to a first giant. So Thor decides to befriend the forehead bride and may or may not have his feelings rekindle for Loki the same time Loki realizes he had feelings for Thor.

Within an hour of reading this stellar ask, this idea turned into a full-blown 150k slow burn novel written by Jane Austen, if Jane Austen also wrote Norse myths. (In other words, EXCELLENT.) It played out in my head like an Asgardian version of Pride and Prejudice. Let me try to summarize it in 3900 words:

Tagged: arranged marriage, drama, sexual content, marriage problems (no adultery), angst, miscarriage, character death (not Thor or Loki), accidental love, marriage proposals, happy-ish ending (maybe?), just read it

Baldur is the eldest son of Odin, heir to the throne of Asgard. He is handsome and well-mannered and will someday inherit tremendous power and status, and that makes him the most desirable man in the Nine Realms.

His brother Thor, on the other hand, is a bit rough in terms of both appearance and manners. He prefers to spend his time alone or with his small group of close friends, traveling the realms, fighting brigands, settling disputes, learning new skills from dwarves and elves and humans, appreciating nature, lending his might to the defenseless when they need it. He is a comfortable loner, he detests politics and formalities, and he hates being cooped up in the palace. He dresses more like a commoner than royalty. He is tall and well-built, unbelievably strong, and more than a little intimidating.

His father is always urging him to be more like his older brother. “Show some interest in reality, boy! You can’t roam the wilderness for the rest of your life! Get married and settle down. Find your place in the court, raise a family. Be a proper prince, for Valhalla’s sakes!”

But Thor adamantly states that he is content in his bachelorhood and intends to stay that way. He is a warrior and a wanderer, like Odin himself once was. Not a soft-hearted fool with romantic dreams in his head and a desire to be domesticated. He is too wild, too in love with his freedom. He will never marry.

Then, in the interest of politics (and adding some new blood to the royal family), Baldur becomes betrothed to the youngest of King Laufey’s children, a lovely little jötunn named Loki. Loki’s people are Frost Giants of the realm of Jötunheim, and normally a marriage between their two kingdoms would never happen due to the size difference between jötnar and Æsir. However, the last baby Laufey bore happened to be quite small, making him a perfect candidate for marriage with one of the non-giant races. Thus Loki was groomed from birth to be a royal spouse. Given the biological flexibility of the jötnar, he could provide his future husband or wife with fine, mixed-blood children.

It is a perfect arrangement. Odin has been wanting to clinch ties with Jötunheim for centuries (it has nothing to do with gaining exclusive trading rights to Jötunheim’s coveted natural resources, oh, goodness, no, certainly not), and now he can finally do it. Baldur is pleased at the prospect of achieving this goal for his father and readily agrees to the match.

In just a few short years, Loki is married to Baldur in one of the most extravagant and ostentatious weddings in Asgard’s history. Women (and men) all over the kingdom mourn that their dream prince is now off the market, and their scorn for Loki is bitter and fierce. (A simmering, low-level dislike of Frost Giants crops up overnight in Asgard, and it’s something Loki must deal with for years to come.)

Loki tries to ignore all the negativity and fear in his heart and enjoy his wedding day. He pretends to be happy at the reception feast, but he struggles to truly smile. Prince Baldur is nice, but he is a far cry from the spouse Loki imagined having one day. Their wedding night is even more disappointing. Baldur is overeager and giggly from too much wine, and he spills himself prematurely, less than a minute after deflowering his virginal bride. He then passes out beside him and starts snoring.

Annoyed (but partly relieved to be spared a long night of awkward first-time sex), Loki wraps himself in a robe, pours himself a drink, and slinks away to take in the moonlight in the east gardens. He walks barefoot in the soft grass between the rose bushes, sipping his wine, sighing at the moon, and trying not to feel sorry for himself.

This is his lot, his destiny. And really, it isn’t so bad. Baldur is a good man. He doesn’t have any disgusting habits, doesn’t smoke, doesn’t swear. He keeps himself clean and measures his words carefully. He doesn’t lose his temper easily. In fact, he seems incapable of being angered. He is polite and educated and diplomatic, a natural king. He’s a little self-absorbed and prideful sometimes, and he has an irritating laugh, but if those are the worst of his vices, then Loki counts himself fortunate.

At least he was not married off to one of Surtur’s vicious sons. Or a haughty Elf. Or a bigoted Vanir who believes the jötnar are descended from ogres. At least he was not given to a lowly drunkard of common birth and poor character. Loki would not be forced to toil for a living, laboring to earn his daily bread, spending the majority of his life pregnant and impoverished. He would not be beaten or berated. He would not starve or suffer. No, he is married to a very nice, handsome, mild-mannered, financially secure Æsir prince, and even though they don’t share a passionate, romantic attraction to one another, it’s not bad for an arranged marriage. Loki will teach Baldur how to love and please a jötunn. He will be a good wife. He will bear Baldur’s children—maybe; hopefully; if that strange organ and thin, meager seed is capable of giving him a baby—and someday he will be a queen. It’s an impressive destiny, especially for a defective runt. A fairy tale ending. Loki is very grateful to his mother for realizing his potential.

As he walks in the gardens, he spots Thor, his new brother-in-law, whom Loki had been introduced to at the wedding and never really got a chance to speak to during the feast. He is sitting under a tree and smoking a pipe, contemplating the moon.

Ugh, Loki thinks disdainfully. A smoker. And he has a beard, too, which means he must stink of pipeweed. His hair is long and unkempt and he’s dressed like a poor farmer, sleeveless tunic showing off his bare arms—great Ymir, just look at those enormous muscles, it’s almost grotesque—and worn leather trousers that look like they haven’t been washed in a year.

So this is the other Odinson. Loki thanks his lucky stars that he got the more civilized brother. He couldn’t imagine being married to this brute. He looks to be mean and simple, one of those rough, rude alpha males who speaks in one-word grunts and chews with his mouth open. No, thank you.

Loki begins to tiptoe back into the shadows, but Thor’s strong, low voice stops him: “Asgard is a poor trade for the majesty of Jötunheim’s mountains. I hope you will not regret your decision.”

Loki is at first surprised to hear such eloquent words from such a coarse-looking man, and he is flattered by the compliment to his homeland. Then he bristles defensively.

It’s true, he hadn’t wanted to leave Jötunheim—with its cool, green valleys and soaring glaciers and crystal-clear lakes—to come to this gold-plated city of few trees and even fewer friendly faces. But there was no life for him in Jötunheim. He had known that since he was a child. He was destined to become a part of his spouse’s realm, and once he left the place of his birth, there would be no returning. Such is the way with his people.

Loki stiffens his lips and answers curtly, “Jötunheim is a crude, underdeveloped region. Nothing but rocks and ice. I am glad to call Asgard my home now.”

Thor chuckles. “You’re a fine liar, Laufeykin. That is good. You’ll need that talent if you hope to survive here.” He stands up and approaches Loki, who takes a fearful step back.

Thor is much taller and broader up-close. Loki realizes how vulnerable and underdressed he is, nude beneath his robe, with his husband’s seed still sticky between his legs. Perhaps brothers shared wives in Asgard, like they did in other kingdoms. Dear gods. Thor could easily take whatever he wanted from Loki, right here in this garden.

But Thor only gazes at him tenderly—such blue eyes he has—and Loki swears he sees pity flash across his rugged features.

“You’re too good for him,” he utters. “Such rarity and beauty…” He raises his hand as if to touch Loki’s cheek, but his fingers curl at the last moment and retreat. “I wish you many years of happiness… if you can find them here.”

Then he turns and disappears into the shadows, leaving Loki standing in the garden with his heart pounding and the sweet perfume of roses all around him.

Two years pass. Loki remains an uncomfortable stranger in Asgard, never really fitting in or feeling accepted by anyone but the immediate royal family—and even then, it is only because they must.

Old age begins to catch up with Odin. He spends more and more time in his regenerative sleep cycles and there is murmuring of his abdicating the throne to Baldur within the next year.

Loki begins to feel the distinct pressure to produce a child. Reigning kings prefer to relinquish their crowns when they have one or two grandchildren already on the ground, for it is the sign of a stable lineage, securing the line of succession. If a future queen cannot provide her husband with children, what good is she to him? This is what Loki has been told his entire life: marry well. Make babies. Achieve power, wealth, and status. Secure them, defend them. Don’t let anyone see your weakness.

But Loki is beginning to wonder if it might be impossible for an Æsir to breed a jötunn, regardless of how potent or fertile either of them may be.

Baldur is flippant toward his spouse’s worries. “Don’t worry, my little dove. It will happen in time.”

But babies aren’t made out of thin air, Loki knows. Baldur is tenacious and extremely dedicated to his duties to the royal court, and he takes on responsibilities one after the other. There is very little time left at the end of the day to devote to his marriage, and even then, he seems more interested in hosting dinner parties and building his wine collection than making love. Loki almost has to beg and plead for it.

In the hopes of getting Baldur interested in the activity, Loki  implements all sorts of strategies to spice things up in the bedroom, but his attempts are usually met with laughter, eye-rolls, and patronizing little pats on his head.

“Oh, my dear Loki, we don’t need these tawdry, silly things! Our marriage is exciting enough. Here, put aside those toys and come to arms, darling. Nature has already given us everything we need.”

Loki hides his annoyance but submits to Baldur’s requests.

The man is absolutely clueless when it comes to romance.

It could be worse, Loki reminds himself, lying beneath Baldur and staring blankly up at the ceiling while Baldur makes clean, quiet, polite love to him. I could be married to a Fire Giant. An elf. A Vanir.

Thor.

Loki shivers and closes his eyes, wrapping himself around his husband.

He wonders what it’s like, being at the mercy of those hard hands, pinned under the weight of that heavy body, so musky and hairy and warm. Being taken roughly, having his hair pulled and his haunches spanked, feeling the delicious stretch of a thick cock thrusting into his cunt, hearing all the sloppy wet sounds as he is thoroughly, ruthlessly fucked—

Loki comes with a cry and bites down on Baldur’s shoulder.

“Ouch! Sweetheart, please! There’s no need for that!”

Loki retreats like a scolded child, his orgasm dying almost as soon as it began. He is embarrassed and ashamed. He shouldn’t be fantasizing about his brother-in-law. It is wrong. Terrible, actually.

It could always be worse, says a voice in the back of his mind.

Loki doesn’t know how, but he has no choice but to believe it.

They are preparing to celebrate their fourth wedding anniversary when war suddenly breaks out on Vanaheim. Loki is at the council meeting when Thor—resplendent in full armor, with his hair plaited and beard groomed, cloaked in a blood-red cape, such a powerful and formidable sight—steps forward and announces his intention to lead the armies of Asgard.

But Baldur, who is neither a warrior nor very military-minded, intervenes and says it would be folly to send his little brother into battle while the future king of Asgard sits comfortably in his palace. “Nay, Thor, remain behind and look after my affairs! This is only a skirmish; I shall be home before the end of the season.”

Thus it is decided. Baldur bids farewell to his wife and his brother, kissing them both on their cheeks, and departs for Vanaheim.

The “skirmish” drags on for weeks, becoming months. With Baldur absent, Loki’s link to (and refuge from) the Asgardian people disappears. He grows increasingly melancholic and isolated. He can be heard crying at night, and he wanders through each day looking miserable and depressed, silent and sullen, if he is even seen at all. He spends most of the day locked in his room with only the servants for visitors, avoiding awkward, unnecessary interactions with people.

Thor’s concern finally reaches the point where he can no longer stand aside and watch Loki deteriorate. This lonely, beautiful, neglected creature is suffering. Baldur had instructed Thor to tend to his affairs while he was gone, and Thor is—politically. But he gladly resolves to set aside his work duties and make Loki his top priority.

Thor knocks on Loki’s bedroom door one evening and Loki answers it with flushed cheeks and a stuffy nose, his jewel-red eyes bloodshot. His breath smells of strong wine. They stare at one another awkwardly for a moment, then Thor clears his throat and asks if Loki would join him for a walk in the nearby wood. He offers him his arm.

Loki sniffs. “Oh, I. I couldn’t. I’m in my dressing gown and I haven’t, I was already in bed when you—”

“It wasn’t a suggestion.” Thor thrusts out his elbow. “Come,” he says more gently. “You’ve spent enough time indoors. The fresh air will do you good.”

Loki timidly acquiesces, sliding his hand around the proffered arm, and Thor leads him away. Once outside, Thor wraps his arm around Loki’s waist and uses Mjölnir to fly them to the edge of the wood.

Loki has never flown before. At first he is terrified and clings to Thor tightly, but then he relaxes when he realizes how safe and secure he is in Thor’s arms. He takes a deep breath and smiles, the wind flowing through his hair. He hasn’t felt this good in weeks.

They land at the wood’s edge and walk along its borders, making small talk and listening to the natural world around them, so wholesome and soft compared to the hard, man-made surroundings of the city.

They speak about the war, the future, the weather. Thor asks if Loki has received any letters from Baldur; Loki haltingly confesses he hasn’t. “He is very busy, I imagine,” he says with a brave but sad smile.

Thor scowls at the ground as he walks. He knows his brother. Hardworking but single-minded, focused on politics and very little else. Loki doesn’t deserve to be brushed aside, to be placed so far down on the list of Baldur’s cares. No wife does. But Thor simply says, “Yes, I’m sure that is the case.”

Night falls and Thor returns Loki to the palace.

“Thank you,” says Loki, turning at his bedroom door with a fragile grin. “I really enjoyed tonight.”

Thor smiles, and Loki is struck by the warmth and gentleness of his face. Hardly the barbarian he had mistaken him for in the beginning.

“I am available again tomorrow evening,” says Thor. “I would be happy to spend it with you.”

Loki nods, and Thor politely kisses Loki’s knuckles and bids him goodnight.

Loki shuts his bedroom door and presses back against it, sighing as he gazes up at the ceiling.

Four years he’s spent in Asgard, yet only now does he feel like he’s made a friend.

Soon these nightly strolls become a routine, and a warm camaraderie blossoms between Thor Odinson and Loki Laufeykin. They find they are not so different; they like nature and animals and share an appreciation for the beauty of life’s simple pleasures: the smell of the earth after a spring rain; a hot drink on a cold day; the taste of a sun-warmed apple plucked right off the branch; the rumble of thunder, the song of a bird, the trickle of a clear, quiet brook. Their tongues loosen as they become more familiar with one another, and soon Loki’s shyness fades.

One evening he confides in Thor something he’s been keeping a secret:

“Two weeks after Baldur left, I began to feel ill in the mornings.” His voice is delicate, his face tense as he speaks. “The smell of breakfast would make me vomit, so I stopped coming to the dining hall and took breakfast in my room instead. I wasn’t avoiding everyone, I simply didn’t want to make a disgusting scene at the table.”

Thor stops and stares. So that was why Loki had stopped showing up for breakfast. He isn’t unsociable—he is pregnant. Baldur is going to be a father and Thor an uncle. This is very good news for their family.

Why then does Thor feel so bitter and jealous?

He tries to hide it. He clasps Loki’s hands and forces a smile onto his face. “I’m very happy for you. Have you written to Baldur of your good news?”

Loki looks downward and pinches his lips together. “No. And he will never find out, if I can help it.” He closes his eyes. “Two months later, there was… I, I miscarried. I lost the baby.”

Thor’s heart clenches in his chest. He opens his mouth but no words come.

Loki gulps and continues, “I went to bed that night perfectly fine. Well, I was a little more tired than usual and my back was hurting, but I thought it was normal. Maybe it was; I can’t say. All I know is that I woke up the next morning and there was blood… everywhere. And I hurt”—he places his hand on his flat lower belly—“here. That’s how I knew. I knew I’d lost it.”

Thor stares, too stunned to react.

Loki bows his head. “I was so happy. I thought things were finally changing. I was already picking out names—” He chokes and covers his mouth, unable to finish. He falls apart.

Thor reaches out and pulls him into an embrace. Loki almost disappears in his massive arms.

“These things happen,” says Thor roughly, his eyes filling with tears. “It is not your fault. Take heart, Loki. You and Baldur will make another child.”

“But this one took so long,” Loki sobs, clutching Thor’s cape in his fists. “We’ve been trying for four years! I don’t know if we can make another. I don’t know if I could bear the pain of losing another child. Oh, Thor, it’s just—I fear Baldur is going to die in this war and then I’ll be stranded here in Asgard, cast out from the palace a ruined widow, untouchable, unwanted, forced to—”

“That will not happen to you, Loki, I give you my word,” says Thor firmly. “Baldur is going to come home to you and make you happy again. You will have another child growing in your belly within a fortnight, and you and he will share many happy years together. Believe it, Loki, and it will be so.”

Loki stops moaning but the tears still slide down his cheeks. He buries his face against Thor’s chest.

He should believe it, but he doesn’t.

He’s not sure if he wants to.

A week later, Odin’s ravens deliver to him the terrible news: Baldur is dead.

He did not die gloriously on the battlefield, nor was he murdered by assassins. He was celebrating a recent victory with his men and unwittingly stepped in front of a drunken archer trying to impress a local Vanir woman. The arrow went straight through his neck, severing his nerves, and he fell to the ground dead.

The story will be altered, of course. Baldur will have a warrior’s funeral, go down in history as a hero. It is the least they could do.

When Odin shares the news with his family and close advisors, Loki turns and flees from the throne room, sobbing. Not because his worst fears had come true; not because he is now a lone sheep among a court of hungry wolves; but because his husband is dead. The man with whom he’d shared four years of his life—not the best years, but they had their moments. Smiles. Comfort. Familiarity.

But now Baldur is gone. Loki will never see him again, nor hear his laughter, nor smell his hair, nor feel his warmth beside him as he sleeps. He is completely alone. He has lost his unborn child and now his husband, and all he wants to do is run until he dies.

Thor chases after Loki, finally catching him in the east gardens, where they first spoke to one another on a mild evening four years ago. He takes Loki’s face in his hands and tries to soothe him, but Loki is inconsolable.

“I knew it, I knew it!” he weeps. “I knew he was going to die! Now there will be no children, no throne, no life for me here! No one will want me now! I am widowed and worthless!”

Thor holds Loki’s cheeks so he is forced to look into his eyes. “That will not be your fate, Loki. I gave you my word, and I intend to keep it.”

He sinks down on both his knees, grasping Loki’s hands tightly in his own.

“It is not uncommon in Asgard for an unwed man to take his deceased brother’s wife as his own,” he says. “This way, you shall remain in our family and be looked after. You will not be abandoned or cast out. I will be your friend, your companion, your ally, Loki. I will do my best to nurture your dreams. I will place your happiness over my own, for that is only what you deserve.

“I know that you loved my brother. Maybe you feel that you will never love again. Perhaps you won’t. I cannot say. But I tell you now, Loki, I will not force you to submit to me, nor render unto me anything you do not willingly give. I will not ask that you love me or make love to me, but I hope that someday you might find me worthy of your affections. If so, I will endeavor to remain worthy of them for the rest of my life.”

A squeak escapes Loki’s mouth and his eyes gleam wetly in the light.

Thor looks up at him, his face honest and hopeful. “I am already yours, Loki Laufeykin. Will you also be mine?”

Loki sucks in a breath. “Oh, Thor—” He bends down and folds himself around Thor’s head, hugging him, shedding tears into his blond hair. “I will. I will.”

All around them, the rose bushes bloom full and pink.

And this is only the first half of the novel’s summary. They still have to get married and fall in love and Thor has to defend Loki’s honor and Loki of course gets pregnant again and they name the child in memory of Baldur and Thor must stop the war in Vanaheim and become king of Asgard and

*collapses*

#help me jane austen you're my only ho #ask bender #thorki #ficlet #hjbwrites #hjbedit #baldur x loki #loki laufeyson #thor odinson #baldur odinson #intersex loki #mpreg #miscarriage #drama #arranged marriage au #accidental love #nafw

[khadij-al-kubra]

Persephone & Hades AU...

For your consideration, and bearing in mind that the original myth is not really all that toxic at all and is not a show of Stockholm syndrome...

The “””Kidnapping””” of Persephone:

Logan as Hades-

Bespectacled Ruler of the Underworld

Takes his job very seriously (wears a black and blue necktie with his long silky black robes)

Cold pale skin and intelligent grey eyes with slicked back black hair. Looks scarier and meaner than he actually is. (although he can have a bit of a temper if pushed and will have loud sharp outbursts of “FALSEHOOD!”)

Very logical and methodical in how he rules the underworld and keeps the souls passing through organized. Like he’s got the judgement thing down to a T! But despite his cold demeanor he’s actually very generous and kind at heart. He just recognizes the importance of his work and in remaining just yet impartial

Sucker for dogs, hence why he has a three headed one. He just wishes he had more time to play with Cerberus, but alas ruling the dead alone takes up a lot of ones time.

Has a sweet tooth and often indulges in jams made from the pomegranates that grow in his realm.

Is on decent enough relations with his brothers (Emile as Poseidon and Deceit as Zeus), although he STILL thinks that Deceit cheated in their straw draws, but let it go because he’s actually best suited as the more organized brother for ruling the dead.

Is secretly very lonely. Once in a blue moon he’ll sneak up to the surface for fresh air and sunlight. One day he spots a certain someone in a flower field who takes his breath away. (can you blame him, i mean that smile! )

Patton as Persephone-

Supreme flower child! (flowy sky blue clothes, grass green eyes, sun-kissed freckly skin and wheat colored curls, barefoot, flower crown)

Loves gardening, animals, and helping his father Demeter (Roman) with the changing seasons. Loves Roman to bits....He just wishes he wasn’t so overprotective. Like come ON dad, i’m a grown god, i can look after myself. I don’t run off on my own THAT much!

Is protective and loving towards most all forms of life and tries to see the good in each and every soul, both mortal and god/goddess #momfriendtothemax

Unless given reason to feel otherwise. Then...weeeell at the least he’ll give you a stern talking to but at worst...lets just say you DONT want to get on the bad side of someone who can grow massive and sharp thorn bushes and effect earthquakes when pushed too far. XO

Sometimes gets bored with the same old routine with Roman and wishes to get away and see something new from time to time. Maybe have some quiet time to make his own floral crafts and garden peacefully for fun and not work.

Often sneaks off when Roman is busy and goes wandering along dirt paths, sit under or climb a tree, or frolic in the flowers.

Roman as Demeter -

God of the Harvest, but like, EXTRA in all ways shape or form. (”we can top last years crop no problem, MORE WHEAT STALKS!” “No dad, we can’t, then there’ll be too much in this region and not enough for the next.” “LONGER SUMMER!!” “No! Bad idea dad! That’ll throw the seasons off”)

Often dresses in flowing gold threaded and sunset colored robes, but will change ensemble to match the seasons.

Enjoys watching the goings ons of the mortals, they’re just so entertaining! Especially is fond of traveling thespians and will bless the harvest of wherever they perform in.

Loves his son more than anything and has him help in godly duties because it keeps him close so he can keep an eye on Patton MUST KEEP PRECIOUS BAB SAFE!!!

Stubborn (but will never own up to it)

Virgil as Charon-

In charge of Ferrying souls across the River Styx

Doesn’t mind his job all that much but is #done with soooo many of these complaining, noisy and often rude or entitled souls. (like, NO dude, i don’t care who you were ruler of in the living world. Its two coins for passage like everyone else buddy!)

Really just wants a nap (often tries to hit up Remy a.k.a. Morpheus but he shows up late ALL the time)

Is actually very compassionate and gentle. He tries to ease the fears of souls who he sees are younger or were genuinely good in life or died in unfair ways.

Lives for the dark skull & bones aesthetic

Master of snark

Plays chess with Logan when either of them have some rare down time

    Click the cut for full story

One day Roman and Patton are off doing their nature godly duties, and Roman is nagging his son about the proper way to harvest corn. (”Yes father, i know how to do it. you’ve only told me like a hundred times” “well i just want to make sure to remind you and that you don’t cut yourself on the sickle”)

Patton sneaks off one day to pick flowers since it’ll probably be the last bloom before autumn sets. Suddenly he sees a curious crack in the ground and ambles over to it to take a look. (”what sort of creature could’ve made this deep thing?”) He leans in too far however and pulls an Alice in Wonderland.

Turns out that crack was made by Logan. Apparently he’d become so deeply smitten by Patton that he went to his older brother Deceit/Zeus for advice. (Yes he was a dick and a little shit at times-although took his duties seriously when need be-and tricked many of his lovers into bed, but Emile didn’t have nearly as much love experience as their elder brother & Logan was desperate)

Deceit had actually been pleased when his too serious brother told him that he’d fallen for the spring god. His advice to Logan had been to simply kidnap Patton and either bed him then woo him or woo him and then bed him. Logan, of course, didn’t listen because that was the stupidest idea ever! (”what under earth was i thinking? This is the guy who turned himself into a cygnini in order to copulate with a woman behind his wife’s back.”) Besides, he was too painfully shy and socially awkward to try wooing. (He worked with the dead for crying out loud, not the best circumstances for practicing social skills)

He did however create a crack in the ground so he could sneak peeks at Patton from below the earth and admire him from afar. However, he’d been called back on an emergency and forgot to close one particular crack up before leaving again.

So sufficed to say, he was fairly shocked when he suddenly heard screaming above him one day. He looked up to find one Patton falling towards him and just caught him in his arms in time. (BLUSH CITY ON BOTH PARTS)

Patton thanks Logan but is admittedly miffed at him when he learns Logan was the one who’d made that crack in the ground. “What were you thinking leaving a big hole in the earth like that? Some poor oblivious mortal or animal could’ve fallen into it and gotten hurt!” “Apologies I-it was a foolish oversight on my part. i-I certainly hope you are uninjured?”

After a while Patton forgives him when he sees how truly sorry this (admittedly) scary and stern looking god is. (lest we forget he’s one of the big three) And Logan is honestly just trying not to show how flustered he is. i mean Patton is there in his realm! They both realize the crack is far too high up for Patton to get back out through right away. So Logan offers to have Patton stay in his palace until he can fetch his assistant Virgil/Charon to help Patton back up the next day. IN HIS OWN QUARTERS, OF COURSE! Logan says blushing, trying to be a gentleman. Patton agrees, promising upon Logan’s request to only follow one rule: “You must NOT eat anything”. Strange, but okay. Besides, it’ll be nice getting a break from his father. And it’s just for one night, right? (WRONG!)

Patton ends up having to wait longer than he realized because both Logan and Virgil are super busy with ferrying and judging souls. So he wanders around the Underworld. (of course he is marked with untouchable safety from almost everything as a guest of Logan) 

One night however Patton finds himself stumbling upon a sparse garden. He’s surprised that anything is capable of growing down there in the realm of the dead, but even more shocked by the poor state of it. “Really, just look at the se rose bushes. They’re so brittle!” (it’s not Logan’s fault. He’s a busy boi. plus the god of the dead doesn’t exactly have a green thumb) Really the only thing flourishing down there is a single Pomegranate tree. The fruits on it look so red and shiny and juicy and...well...whats the worst that could happen if he eats just a few seeds?

Of course if you know the myth, it means now Patton cant leave. Because, well, greek god realm rules. Sufficed to say, Patton is pretty miffed that Logan hadn’t thought to tell him why he shouldn’t eat the darn fruit in the first place. Logan is greatly frustrated at Patton because a) he didn’t listen, and b) he actually has a point there and he does NOT like being wrong. Still, nothing to be done about it now.

Over time they cool off and apologize to each other. Patton’s still kind of mad though because now he can’t go home at all if he wanted too, but he recognizes that Logan wasn’t forcing him to stay on purpose. So he get’s over it and tries to make the best out of the situation. At least he can finally get away from Roman’s nagging for a while. 

* Meanwhile in the living world, a frantic and angry Roman raises hell. “WHERE IS MY BOOOOYYYYY?!?!?!?!?!?!?” (Thebes did not have a good crop that year)

While in the Underworld Patton starts talking to some souls, listening to their stories and offering kind and comforting words. Which as it turns out makes them more at ease and willing to go for judgement as they pass on. Logan’s fondness for Patton grows as he witnesses these acts of compassion and kindness. He also comes to respect Patton when he sees just how fierce he can be in the face of those who’d been cruel or unjust in life. ”I’m sorry, you did what to how many people!? and NOW you’ve got the nerve to demand entrance into Elysium young man!? Logan, hold my flower.” “Fret not Patton. I have your bougainvillea.”     (art link for this scene)

Meanwhile Patton cant help but notice that, although he’s stern and serious on the outside, Logan is actually a very gentle god deep down. (he picks up on this from the soft tone of Logan’s voice as he speaks to souls being judged who’d suffered in life, or the way he reassures the more anxious ones with facts and logic about the afterlife that set them at eases “it’s not all punishment and Tartarus you know. Statistically few souls on the grand scale are malign enough to enter there. The Asphodel Meadows are quite pleasant, I assure you.”)

Logan works so hard and tirelessly at his often depressing job, but never acts mean or harsh unless a soul is nasty or rude or was truly evil, and Patton gains an admiration of him for that. (besides, he is actually quite handsome and beautiful in a cold distant way, like the stars and moonlight on a midsummers night) Patton also sees what a softie Logan can be when he’s playing with Cerberus. (”Who’s my excellent tri-headed canine? Who is a good demon dog?”) Patton gushes and of course Cerberus and Patton LOVE each other. Watching Patton play with the big dog becomes Logan’s newest favorite thing. (”By the gods Virgil, it is too precious to process!”) 

Sometimes Patton will keep Logan company when there’s a lull in souls. He’ll tell Logan about all the different places he’s seen and what mortals are like when still alive. Logan meanwhile will often go into rants about the fascinating bits of knowledge he’s accumulated over the years from souls who’ve lived full lives. Logan enjoys having someone who enjoys listening to him (not that Virgil isn’t a respectful listener, but Logan sometimes wonders if he only does is because he’s his boss) And Patton really likes being able to share his own opinions and ideas without condescendingly albeit gently being told, (“no, no, my silly sweet boy. This is the right way to do it. Now eat your cereal, you need the fiber sweet pea”) Having picked up some of the mortal’s sense of humor, Patton is very much a fan of word play and LOVES making puns. Logan is...less than amused by them. However, the first time he makes Patton laugh with a clever quip (about Virgil or one of the more disgruntled souls) he swore the whole Underworld actually lit up. He treasures every time he can make that precious god laugh and smile.

Heck, even Virgil warms up to Patton and actually becomes VERY protective of the spring god. Patton sees through to his anxious softie center and enjoys talking to Virgil who is a very good listener. Meanwhile Virgil finds Patton’s sunny disposition refreshing and his warm presence calming. Patton will often keep Virgil company, but can’t always bring himself to follow when he has to ride across the River Styx. The memories and voices coming off the water just make him too sad.

Virgil ends up playing wingman for Logan. He tells Logan how Patton’s been a bit down in the dumps and recommends Logan cheer him up with a present. “That is an excellent idea Virgil, but what? What could possibly be good enough for that sweet honeysuckle?” “Well you’ve spied on him enough times- and don’t try to deny it boss- what does he like?” 

Sufficed to say, Patton LOVES his surprise underworld garden that Logan had worker rigorously on creating for him. He knows it couldn’t have been easy. Of course, being the god of the dead, Logan cannot maintain the garden and Patton is more than happy to have free creative reign over it. He giddily catches Logan in a big hug, and is pleased when a blushing Logan returns the heartfelt embrace, pressing a tender kiss to Patton’s forehead. Then he takes a blushing Patton’s hands in his.

”Patton, my honeysuckle, sunshine of my heart...I cannot contain it any longer. For so long you’ve been the object of my affection, but over the course of our time together down here, although the circumstances had been less than idea, my love for you has only deepened. Would you perhaps...although I am not worthy of you...would you consider marrying me, and ruling the Underworld by my side?” By now Patton is blushing like crazy and in tears because, although he’d been mad at Logan for getting him stuck down there at first, he realizes that he’s come to deeply love the dark god too. Logan worries that he’s crossed a line but then Patton beams and looks up at him with tears in his eyes. “Oh Lo-lo, my brilliant beautiful lobelia blossom, I-” BAM!

Cue a properly pissed off Roman crashing down to the Underworld. He’s also got Deceit/Zeus with him by the ear. “AHA! So THIS is where you’ve been keeping my precious boy!” “Deceit, you told him!?” “He got it out of me. Sorry, not Sorry. I may be the ruler of the gods, but Roman is quite -ow- convincing when angry.”

Roman rushes over to Patton and they embrace, because although it was nice having time to himself Patton did miss his beloved father. After Roman fusses over Patton-“Are you alright? Are you hurt? have you been eating properly?” “yes, yes, i’m fine father. I promise!”- Roman unleashes verbal hell on, well, the god of hell. He reprimands Logan for kidnapping his son, but Patton quickly comes to Logan’s defense saying that it wasn’t his fault and the whole thing had been an accident, not a kidnapping. When he hears the whole story Roman does calm down a bit, and is admittedly happy to see Patton so happily in love as well. (he may be a helicopter parent, but the god of the harvest is quite the romantic at heart and loves seeing Patton so happy. Even if he doesn’t think the doom and gloom Logan is good enough for his precious little sunflower) 

But upon finding out about the pomegranate sees he practically begs Logan to release him so that Patton can come back to the land of the living with him. (besides, he does still need him to help with the seasons and crops) Logan apologizes, saying it’s impossible and there’s nothing he can do. He just doesn’t have that kind of power. Then all three hear Deceit clear his throat.

“Ahem. God of gods speaking, and if you’re all done blubbering, i may have a solution.” So he tells them that there may be a loophole he can work around. He’ll give Logan his blessing to marry Patton, who will also be allowed to go back upworld with Roman, but on the condition that Patton spends part of the year co-ruling the Underworld. He tells them that for the number of pomegranate seeds that Patton ate, he’ll be obligated to spend a month with Logan. “Well darling, how many seeds did you eat?” They all look at Patton expectantly. Technically Patton only at 3 seeds, but heckitty heck, he really wants more time with Logan than three months. And frankly, he enjoyed the idea of getting some time away from Roman too, bless him but he cannot face so much nagging again! 

He lies and says six. Only six seeds. Because it’s not like anyone was there to see him or could know. Weeeell maybe the all seeing god of gods, but Deceit just winks and smirks at Patton, pressing a finger in secrecy to his lips behind Logan and Roman’s backs. So it’s agreed that Patton will spend the summer and spring half of the year in the Living world with Roman and the fall and winter half ruling the Underworld with Logan.

Before he goes back up with Roman though, Patton and Logan are wed. It’s Logan’s first and only time back to Olympus (he forgot how bright and noisy it was up there!) and all the greek gods and goddesses bear witness to their union. Even Virgil is granted a short vacation to be the witness of honor for his two favorite immortals. As it turns out the months apart end up being good for Roman as well as Patton. He gets a lot more work done now that he isn’t constantly fretting (actively anyways) over Patton or keeping him out of trouble or from wandering. 

When they consummate their marriage for the first time, hoooboi! Logan’s so bashful but respectful (never having been with any other being before, mortal or immortal) and Patton thinks its adorably sweet. Having been topside, well, lets just say Patton snuck off every now and then when he could to “frolic” with a few naiads and mortals he found sweet or lovely. So he ends up being a thorough teacher to Logan. Turns out they’re quite compatible in more ways than one ;)

Patton ends up being a fantastic co-king of the underworld. Heck, he’s even incorporated the new job into his aesthetic (he always wears a crown of flowers and bird skulls in the Underworld) and, as it turns out, can be even scarier than Logan! Only when some foolish soul makes him mad or gets on his bad side. So none do. And with the souls being more behaved it takes the pressure off of Virgil and Logan a LOT. But for the most part Patton remains a sweet, kind and benevolent co-ruler to the dead souls, and balances out Logan’s stricter judgements quite well. Logan now has a bit more breather time to read and play with Cerberus since he’s not the only one in charge of the whole Underworld anymore. And he and Patton LOVE spending time together in Patton’s dark yet flourishing underworld garden! 

Patton is always so happy to go back to the Living world with Roman when winter’s over. Of course he hates leaving Logan and misses him. Logan doesn’t do a very good job of hiding his sadness and tears, but understands. He does get a bit clingy their last nights though. (he becomes a kissy snuggly fiend)  Virgil always promises Patton that he’ll take care of Logan while he’s gone. But Patton is a child of the earth and he does tend to miss the sunshine and his father. So he get’s back to work with a newfound exuberance, making the flowers grow, spending time with Roman and frolicking about the world. He always does his best to bring back a new scroll or star map for Logan, who treasures every gift and is slowly building a library for himself.

Sufficed to say, the decades pass by, Logan and Patton attentively fulfill their godly duties, and remain happily and devotedly in love with one another.

Tag List: @altruistic-skittles @thekeytohappiness-is-you @canadian-crofters@icecoldparadise @the-pastel-peach @justisaisfine @bluebloodstains@purpleshipper @patchworkofstars @axyzel @hissesssss @beautifully-terribly@pink-and-purple-flowers @jynxlovesluck @thatsanswitch @6tick6tock6@hanramz-the-fander @azlinne @helplesscreator @thestoryofme13 @bibbidi-bobbity-booyah @accidental-sanders @moonstone-fox @smokeyrutilequartz@phlying-squirrel @madly-handsome @puns-and-patton @notveryglittery@eequalsmcscared @safesandersides @lizziepopanime @anxiously-unsatisfied-world @ab-artist @unikornavenger  @queer-human-being  @grey-lysander @asofterfan  @fangirltothefullest @tinkslittlebelle @allsortsofgeekery @fuck-my-life-i-want-food @ironwoman359

#KDsWriting #Persophone&Hades AU #logicality #sanders sides #sanders sides au #Logan sanders #patton sanders #roman sanders #virgil sanders #deceit sanders #persephone #Hades #sanders sides fandom #famders #greek gods au

[mentallydatingahotcelebrity]

I Couldn’t Think of A Title But This is a Rant About Ragnarok

I was trying not write write another long-winded spiel about Thor: Ragnarok. There are just SO MANY FLAWS with the film that I find it hard to touch on one specific subject without thinking about 3 other subtopics that relate to the discussion.

Buuuuuuuut. . .

I had to crack my knuckles and pull up my keyboard once more because I keep seeing people go on this “If only Ragnarok had gone such-and-suchly” route. And the way it should have gone, according to many, is still not how it should have gone (even if these ideas are better than how it did go).

First of all, when people say Ragnarok should’ve been “different” they usually shell out some form of this:

1. Thor learns Odin is a despicable asshole

2. Thor discovers Asgard’s terrible past in colonization and decimation of other nations and becomes ashamed of his realm

3. Thor unites with Loki to combat what’s wrong with Asgard’s political views, etc.

NO

NO NO NO

PLEASE, CAN WE CEASE WITH THIS COLONIZATION BUSINESS?!?!?!

I know it’s important--I’m not trying to say it isn’t--but for this film it is a FICTION created by an idiot who didn’t bother to invest time in the source material.

Thor already knew that Odin had conquered realms. That his grandfather had conquered realms. This isn’t news to him whatsoever. We LITERALLY got a prologue in the very first film featuring him and Odin and Loki discussing conquering. AND THEN ANOTHER in The Dark World.

Thor knew that bad things had happened, that all of Asgard wasn’t holy, pure, and good. That Odin was flawed. He REALIZED THIS at the end of his first film and in the middle of his second film.

OR HAVE YOU ALL FORGOTTEN THIS SCENE:

"If and when he [Malekith] comes, his men will fall on ten thousand Asgardian blades." "And how many of our men will fall on theirs?" "As many as are needed! We will fight! To the last Asgardian breath, to the last drop of Asgardian blood."

-- Odin and Thor, Thor: The Dark World

If you watch closely, (unfortunately I have no pictures) Thor stares at Odin with a look that is one of dismay and disappointment as his father walks away. In that moment Thor understands how much Odin is blinded by prejudices, and illusions of things that will not work anymore; that are archaic in their mode and frail in their means. As frail as the old man he suddenly understands his father has become. And then suddenly, Thor--faithful, dog-loyal Thor, who respected Odin so highly and sought in the first film to “make you proud, father”, understands that he can no longer make his father proud and do what he knows is the true right thing to do. It’s subtle, almost entirely beneath the surface-- Expressed through only a single facial movement and an air of disappointed shame which is quickly segued into the cutscenes of Thor following through on his own plan and recruiting Loki, who he now understands is right--at least about Odin’s failures as king.

THIS IS CINEMATIC POETRY AT ITS FINEST.

Thor goes to Odin to petition him to let him find a safe way to end Malekith’s plan, only to discover that Odin is narrow-minded, obtuse; refusing to alter his views or even really LISTEN to Thor. Thor is awakened to the realization that this isn’t what a good king does-- and I think that’s why he turns down the throne at the end when Loki-guised-as-Odin offers it to him.

Thor’s seen Odin for who he really is, what he became. He does not want to be that, so he goes off--Hoping to see more of the realms and to gain a better understanding of them.

“There are Nine Realms. The future king of Asgard must focus on more than one.”

-- Lady Sif

We don’t need some big moment (a waste of footage) where Thor confronts Odin about these errors. We don’t need Thor to say “We colonized and this is bad and I’m going to change it and be a better king” because that’s extra and doesn’t add to the character or the fictional sci/fi-fantasy universe he lives in. It’s literally just a waste and pandering to a bunch of ridiculous themes in our own universe that we really shouldn’t be impressing into Thor’s.

No, I’m going to mention something that in the hype of Ragnarok everyone seems to have misplaced:

THERE WAS A KING BEFORE ODIN.

HIS NAME WAS BOR

AND HE’S THE ONE WHO BUILT ASGARD.

I am so mentally exhausted with all of this “Odin built Asgard on the backs of slaves and brutally colonized scores of planets in the Nine! HE IS EVIL, EVIL! BAAAAAD!!!!!”

NO!

shhh ShhHHH SHHHH!

STOP IT.

It’s farcical lies. All of it. Just kill that ideology now.

Odin did not build Asgard. Like Thor, he inherited it. Premade. Already golden.

Because King Bor did all of that.

The only reason we’re thinking anything else is because we had a clown in a pineapple onesie fuck with the Order of Things and Not Pay Attention to Past Source Material. Taika literally ran over the fact that there was a monarch before Odin, that Odin isn’t creator of Asgard. Hell, did he even read the origin myths for Asgard!?!?!?

It goes:

Ymir the giant. From him came Buri, from Buri came Bor and from Bor came three sons: Odin, Vili, and Ve (in what birth order we know not).

King Bor built Asgard; built it up as the highest realm (highest as in = most glorious of them all), and THEN went out realm-conquering or whatever. Mostly he just stopped the giants from killing a lot of people and stopped other races from killing one another--however he also got into a fight with Vanaheim, which makes me think that Odin and Frigga were an alliance through marriage (given that Frigga is Vanir).

I really would like to know where the slaves came from, Taika. I really would.

Because:

Vanaheim was equal to Asgard (though the two realms did have a lot of quarrels, they never took one another as slaves, at least in the mythos).

Nornheim only has the 3 Norn sisters living in it protecting the Well of Urd.

Niffelheim is cold and dark and icy and barren; the realm before Helheim.

Helheim is the land of the dead and those who go there (usually) are never to return.

Jotunheim is the land of Frost Giants; and while Odin might have subdued them to keep them from destroying other realms like how the Allies stopped Hitler from destroying other countries), he certainly DIDN’T make them his slaves.

Muspelheim (as we saw) is full of fire-demons and Sutur to rule them.

Midgard was left entirely to its own devices after a few decades of visiting, we can plainly see. Not to mention that Asgardians seem to consider them “weak” and “puny” so they wouldn’t be used as slaves, since the composition of Asgardian matter is probably substantially different compared to Midgardian matter (especially given how Thor and Loki could just rip through Midgardian objects like paper in Avengers: Assemble).

Alfheim is the realm of the Light Elves and ain’t none of them gonna be taken as slaves. They practice M A G I C for crying out loud!

Svartalfheim is the only one that I could maybe probably see as being slave-material, but they got this insane idea to wipe out all of the light in all of the Realms so Bor Odin’s dad if you forgot had to destroy them.

Not for any reason to do with superiority, BUT BECAUSE THEY WERE TRYING TO DESTROY ALL THE REALMS!!!

If you notice a pattern here:

Someone tries to meddle in the affairs of the realms to a harmful extent. Asgard heaves a great heaping sigh and steps in, defeats the threat, and retires to their golden city.

NOWHERE IS THERE COLONIZATION AND INVASION.

The Dark Elves LITERALLY tried to make the light go away.

The Frost Giants LITERALLY tried to wipe out all of Midgard.

Bor (then Odin with the Jotuns) stepped in to protect other realms. Either realms that were weak or realms that simply weren’t aware of the problem (because why cause a panic when you can just deal with the problem? *looking at you, Dark Elves*).

To sum up:

I’ve done the research and nowhere do I see slaves.

Thanks, Taika.

I mean, yes, I’m sure there were slaves somewhere in the Nine Realms, I’m sure it happened. But I think that with all of these realms, with thousands of planets in each realm, and so many of them being “advanced” that the idea of slavery would be mentally slow to them. And of the few planets that were in that number that used slaves, Asgard would certainly not be counted.

Because why the actual solitary hell do we have to have every single fucking universe in fiction be slave-holding? God, that really makes Americans sound like butthurt assholes. I know it’s supposed to be some sort of allegorical symbolism and warnings to not let that stuff happen again and other epicness, but if they really wanted to do that

WE HAD BLOODY SAKAAR TO PUSH THAT MESSAGE.

THERE WAS EVEN AN EGOTISTICAL AMERICAN ACTOR PLAYING THE LEADER OF THAT PLANET.

AND TAIKA MISSED THIS.

Of course he couldn’t make Sakaar unique, no. (What, are you dull? The man has zero imagination!) Waititi had to go and poison Asgardian history with slavery and colonization yada, yada, yada *vomits*. Because he has no imagination and no idea how to write fantasy worlds. Which is clearly defined in his total lack of understanding and ability to embrace the fictional world of Thor.

Waititi couldn’t ever allow himself to really get a good grasp on the universe of Nine Realms, so he made it into a farce. He couldn’t put faith in fantasy so he destroyed it with a blowtorch and kitschy 70s/80s sets that were really garbage bins in disguise. Because he can find a foothold in bad comedy more readily than he can catch on to high-fantasy.

We already know that Asgard has problems. We didn’t need Taika to make that more obvious. It would’ve been nice that instead of saying “oh, heey, lookie, more problems than you thought initially!” he brought SOMETHING NEW to the scene.

Something with substance.

Colonization is nice and all, and a strong allegorical message, surely, but Asgard was doing just fine being bad without that idiotical and unnecessary leap. Thor was feeling like shit about Odin’s kingly choices In The Past without needing to “discover” what he already knew lmao this underworld side of the realm.

It was dramatic enough that Hela is really the first-born in line for the throne. We didn’t need any of that realm-conquering/executioner horseshit to fog up the fishtank.

In all honesty I would’ve loved to learn that Loki was Hela’s son with Laufey but was unsatisfactory so she tried to sacrifice him for more power over killing things but Odin came in, put a stop to the Power Couple of Death and Destruction and saved his grandson, thus giving more validation to the line “your birthright was to die!”

Anyway, I’m out. Most likely to go puke because I’m so very ill and then come back and cringe at this insanely plot-holey post.

#Loki #Thor #Hela #Odin #Frigga #Bor #Norse Mythology #Marvel Mythology #gifs #Odin and Asgard #Meta #Gagnarok #colonization #slavery in Asgard #Nine Realms #Realm Conquering #taika waititi the bad director #yes i tagged the bastard #grins like loki

[roxashighwind]

Mighty Deeds | Darcy Lewis/Mjolnir

Relationship: Darcy Lewis/Mjolnir

Characters: Darcy Lewis ; Mjolnir (Marvel) ; Jane Foster (Marvel) ; Sif (Marvel)

Additional Tags: Human Mjolnir (Marvel) ; Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence ; Fix-It ; Canon Divergence - Thor: Ragnarok (2017) ; Thor: Ragnarok (2017) Spoilers

Words: 4362

Summary:

When Mjolnir is destroyed (in Norway, she finds out later), Darcy isn’t even sure what’s going on. She’s in the lab with Jane (nowhere near Norway) and her vision goes weird. She doesn’t really have any other words for it, and she looks up from her laptop, frantically trying to spot Jane.

- Set in a world where Mjolnir can take an Asgardian shape, and has been involved with Darcy Lewis since the first Thor film. A fix-it of sorts for Mjolnir being destroyed, and also an answer for "Where's Sif?"

{also on ao3}

When Mjolnir is destroyed (in Norway, she finds out later), Darcy isn’t even sure what’s going on. She’s in the lab with Jane (nowhere near Norway) and her vision goes weird. She doesn’t really have any other words for it, and she looks up from her laptop, frantically trying to spot Jane.

“Darcy, do you have the -” Jane stops short as she turns away from one of her and Erik’s homemade devices. “D… Are you okay? Why are you crying?”

Her hands go to her face, laptop balanced precariously on her knees, and oh. Oh her face is really wet. “Oh.” Smart.

Jane grabs the box of tissue from the table nearest Darcy as she hurries over. “Hey. Hey. What’s going on? I’m the only one that’s supposed to be spontaneously crying in the lab.” She yanks out a few tissues, crumples them a little, and starts dabs at Darcy’s face.

“Thanks. I…” She takes the wad of tissues from Jane when she gets too close to poking her in the eye. “I don’t know. Everything just got really weird looking and then you told me I was crying.”

She frowns and awkwardly pats at Darcy’s shoulder. “Well that’s not weird at all.”

“You’re telling me! I’m not even sad.” Her words get caught in her throat and oh. Maybe she is sad. “That’s… weird.”

“So you are sad?”

Darcy shrugs, but the more she thinks about it the more it feels like something is really wrong. Her chest hurts, and her head is starting to hurt, and her eyes won’t stop leaking. “I think so? I think I read something online about this kind of thing.” She types one handed, and pulls up a blog post that someone had made.

“‘Randomly assigned to mourn someone,’” reads Jane. “I mean. I don’t think that’s true but stranger things have happened to us.” She grabs a few more tissues for Darcy, takes away the soaked ones and drops them into the trash.

“It feels like part of me is missing?” She’s not sure, and she keeps prodding at that ‘wrong’ feeling in her chest. “Like… like when Pop Pop died last year?” It’s the closest comparison she can make to the feeling that’s starting to really weigh on her, though it feels like she’s still in that denial ‘it hasn’t hit me yet’ stage from when she’d first gotten the call about Pop Pop.

Jane’s frown deepens, and she pulls up her rolly chair. She sits on it, and turns Darcy toward her, scooting forward until their knees are touching. “Hey. Whatever’s going on… We’ll figure it out.”

Darcy nods, and suddenly she’s sobbing. Well, that’s unfortunate. She manages to close her laptop and set it aside before it can slide off her lap and hit the floor, and then Jane is gathering her up into a tight hold as she falls apart.

--

Sif shows up nearly a week later, while Darcy sleeps off her latest round of crying.

“Lady Jane. I am sorry for showing up unannounced.” She looks harried, hair a mess (shorter than the last time Jane had seen her) and a frown creasing her brow. “Is the Lady Darcy here?”

Jane steps to the side to let the Asgardian in before Sif can push her way past. “She’s sleeping. What’s up?” She closes the door and follows Sif as she moves toward the hall to Darcy’s room.

The Asgardian stops and takes a deep breath. “Something happened.”

“I got that already.”

“The Allfather is dead. Mjolnir is destroyed. I have no contact with Asgard, nor any of the Warriors Three.” The words fall from her mouth in a rush. She pulls a pack from her shoulder and moves toward the living room table.

“Um… Oh my god, what?” Jane’s heart sinks. She didn’t like Odin, but he was Thor’s father and she can’t imagine how terrible he must feel. “Run that by me one more time?”

Sif drops the pack onto the living room table. It makes a lot of noise and she sighs before taking a seat on the couch. “The Allfather has died. We should have expected it. After Frigga... It was only a matter of time.” She starts to open the pack, releasing its drawstring and stretching the opening until it eventually lays flat on the table.

There are chunks of metal and a handle and it’s with dawning horror that Jane realizes that she’s looking at Mjolnir, shattered, on her coffee table. “Oh. My. God.”

“She can be repaired.” Sif touches the handle. “I think.”

It takes Jane almost a minute before she can say anything. She tears her eyes away from the table and looks at Sif. “And the rest of it? You can’t communicate with Asgard? Not even Heimdall?”

She nods. “That is right. Whatever is going on… There is nothing I can do to help my realm. I suspect that Loki is involved, but… I cannot prove it if I cannot contact anyone. And so I am here.” She takes a shaky breath. “It seems only right to bring her here,” she says with a nod to the shattered hammer.

“Jane?” Darcy’s voice is small. She sounds exhausted, and like she’s about to start crying again. It had been coming in waves since she started. “I heard… Sif!”

Sif pushes herself up from the couch and turns toward the mouth of the hallway, where Darcy is standing looking uncertain. In a few long strides she’s got Darcy wrapped in a tight hug. “Lady Darcy. I’m so sorry.”

The firm hold, the fact that it’s Sif that’s doing it, has her crying again. Her arms rest loosely around Sif, unable to hold tightly. She wants to sleep again, just for a break from the overwhelming sorrow that weighs on her like a bunch of blankets in winter.

Jane lets them hug, lets Darcy cry, and turns her attention to the pieces of hammer. What had caused the damage? The myths, and fights that Jane had seen with her own eyes, lead her to believe that the hammer was indestructible. Evidence in front of her contradicts that, obviously, and Jane wants to cover the chunks of metal to not have to look at them anymore.

Instead, she picks up a two pieces, each with a smooth side that would be one of the hammer’s faces if it was in one piece. “This has to suck for you,” she murmurs to the pieces. She turns them over in her hands, trying to find the way they slot together.

It takes nearly a minute to find the perfect way that the two pieces sit together. She makes a soft triumphant sound, pleased, and then frowns. How are they going to stay together? Something inside her jumps, as though reaching out to the pieces of Mjolnir in her hands. For a moment, Jane thinks that her vision goes red, but that’s silly.

“...Jane…”

“Lady Jane…” Sif echoes Darcy.

Jane looks up, startled at the voices so close. “Hmm? Oh… I was just…”

Darcy slides to her knees next to the table. She reaches for the handle and cradles it careful to her chest. “Myuh-myuh.”

Sif’s short sword is in her hand, and Jane’s not sure where she was hiding it when she came in. “Lady Jane. Are you well?”

She blinks up at Sif, then looks down at the pieces of hammer in her hands. Or… well, there is certainly a piece of hammer in her hands. There is no noticeable seam, and Jane nearly drops it. She’d been holding two pieces just a bit ago, hadn’t she? “I’m fine, Sif.”

“You got all glowy and red.” Her fingers stroke the handle absently. “Pretty weird.”

Jane looks between the metal in her hand, Darcy, and Sif, and chews on the inside of her cheek. “I… Weird, yeah.”

“Lady Jane,” repeats Sif. “Are you still affected by the aether?” She’s wary, sword still in hand but less aggressively held.

“I don’t… I don’t know?” But she does know, doesn’t she? Jane sets the piece of hammer with the rest and scrubs her hands against her thighs. “I mean…”

“She is,” Darcy replies, and she’s cradling the handle to her chest. “It doesn’t do anything very often, but sometimes when she’s really focused she moves things.”

“I do?” This is the first time Jane’s heard about it.

“Yeah, and that guy who tried to touch you on the train last week? You zapped him but really low-key.” Darcy shrugs, unbothered. “Thought you knew.”

“It’s not like it was when it… possessed me or whatever,” she assures Sif. “I don’t lose time or anything.”

Sif finally puts her sword down, but keeps it within easy reach. “I shall trust that you know yourself,” she says, and lets herself sink to the floor next to Jane. “Can you do it again?” she asks, gesturing to the pieces of Mjolnir on the table.

Jane sucks her lip into her mouth for a moment. “I think so.” She looks at the pile of metal chunks, then at Sif, then Darcy, and back to the table. “Help me find pieces that go together?”

Darcy is the first to pull more pieces from the pile, and compared to the others she has the best lucky at getting pieces to fit together quickly. She hands her snugged together pieces to Jane, and with a swirl of red energy the pieces fuse together. She and Sif trade off handing pieces to Jane, and Jane ends up with a lap full of hammer in a surprisingly short amount of time.

She has three pieces in her lap, and Darcy holds the last - the handle - protectively to her chest for a few long moments before slowly offering it to Jane.

“Do you need help holding her?” Darcy asks, scooting closer to Jane.

“Yeah.” She hands the largest chunk to Darcy, one almost complete half of the hammer. “Sif?” she offers one of the other pieces to the Asgardian, and shifts around to let her get close. “Okay. Hold everything steady.”

Jane positions the handle with one hand, fitting her other piece in against the handle and Darcy’s bit. “Okay. Okay.” She takes a deep breath as Sif pushes the remaining piece against the rest, and concentrates hard as she breathes out.

There’s a bright red flash, followed by a blue-white one, and a startled scream.

“Myuh-myuh!”

“Thank you, Lady Jane.” The voice rumbles through the apartment. A dark skinned woman, clad in a simple shift dress of pale blue, shimmery fabric, sits in Darcy’s lap; she smiles at Jane. “Being whole again… I owe you a debt.”

Darcy has her face buried against the woman’s shoulder, arms tight around her. “I missed you,” she murmurs like a mantra.

Jane shrugs. “I didn’t even know I could help until it happened,” she replies.

“Mjolnir.” Sif bows her head in greeting, and looks up again with a pleased - if watery - smile. “It is good to see you again.”

“Thank you for finding me, and bringing me here.” Mjolnir reaches out a hand, and smiles when Sif grabs it. She gives a gentle tug, pulling Sif to her for a tight embrace. “I did not think… Thank you.”

Awkwardly, Jane stands and makes to move in the direction of the kitchen. “Can I, um. Can I get anyone anything to drink? I’ve got water on tap, some questionably old soda in the fridge, booze...” She eyes the line of liquor bottles on the kitchen counter; she could really use a drink.

“Water please,” mumbles Darcy, face still smashed against Mjolnir’s shoulder.

“I would not be opposed to a glass of ‘booze.’” Sif separates herself from Mjolnir and takes a seat on the couch. She rubs her hands on her knees. “The recent days have been rough.”

Jane nods. “Mjolnir? Do you…?” She trails off, relatively certain that she’d never seen the Asgardian consume anything.

The hammer-woman shakes her head. “Thank you, but I am well.”

“Myuh-Myuh doesn’t really need to eat or drink unless she wants to,” adds Darcy.

She continues into the kitchen, busying herself with trying to find the higher proof alcohol she’d stashed away when she and Thor broke up; if she can find it, she can give it to Sif instead of the Midgardian booze that did nothing for her.

Mjolnir looks up at Sif. “Odin is -”

“Dead. I know,” Sif interrupts. “Whatever destroyed your form has also cut any communications with Asgard.”

Mjolnir’s shoulders slump. “That does not bode well.” She rubs a hand over her face before linking fingers with Darcy. She sighs. “Hela shattered me, and she seemed quite intent on taking up the throne with Odin passed.”

“Who’s Hela?” Darcy squeezes Mjolnir’s fingers between her own.

Jane stands from her crouched search of the cabinet next to the fridge so quickly that her head knocks against the edge of the counter. “Did you say Hela? Like Hel? The ruler of of the land of Asgard’s dead?”

“You’ve heard of her?” Mjolnir asks. “She is Odin’s first born, and wielded me before Thor was born.”

Jane makes a face. “Uh… That’s not what Erik and I read in the mythology books we could find, but… I mean, they’re not perfect reflections of Asgard. Obviously.”

Sif clenches her hands, fingers digging into the fabric of her pants. “Odin had a child before Thor? What other things were we not told?”

“The Valkyrior were sent to fight Hela back, after Odin banished her for being too bloodthirsty. It was only his life that kept her from being able to escape her imprisonment. If she’s made it to Asgard… The horrors she could unleash…” She swallows hard and leans more heavily on Darcy. “Hela wants to rule the universe, and she has the violent ambition to do it.”

“That’s…”

“Terrifying,” Darcy finishes for Jane. “So Thor’s got another sibling that wants to rule over a bunch of people? That sucks for him.”

“But explains why I cannot contact the Warriors Three,” sighs Sif. “I only hope that they are surviving.”

Mjolnir tips her head slightly to one side. “Have you attempted calling for Heimdall directly, Lady Sif?”

She nods, and forces herself to stretch her fingers. “He did not respond.”

Jane turns her attention back to the cabinet she where was sure she’d stashed the harder alcohol. Her chest hurts, and her head hurts from where she hit it, and all Jane wants to do is get smashed and pretend that she didn’t somehow magically repair her best friend’s hammer girlfriend. The others’ conversation fades into the background as she crouches to hunt through the cabinet.

It’s dusty, and she takes out a surprising number of pot lids that she is relatively certain she didn’t have the pots to match. With a triumphant noise, her fingers close around the neck of a dark glass bottle. “Yes!” She pulls it, and two more just like it, from the very back of the cabinet. Careful not to hit her head again, she stands with her prizes and sets them on the counter.

“-back. Ragnarok is likely to come to pass, and I do not think it wise to return only to lose your life.”

Jane blinks. “Who’s losing their life?” What had she missed? She pulls down glasses from their cupboard, but keeps looking over at the living room.

Mjolnir pulls one of Darcy’s hands up to her mouth, gently kissing her knuckles. “I am advising Sif that she should not ask Heimdall to return her to Asgard if he is able. Thor and I defeated Surtur, but I fear that the end of Asgard shall still come to pass, and I would prefer it if as few people lose their lives as possible.”

“Oh.” Jane pours from the dark glass bottle, filling a plastic cup with a Ninja Turtle on it nearly to the top. She takes a sip, and nearly gags; the burn is far worse than she remembers, and she muffles her coughing into the crook of her elbow.

“I am a sworn protector of -” Sif begins, only to be interrupted by Mjolnir.

“You were exiled.”

“By Loki!” she exclaims in return. “That hardly counts.”

“Loki exiled you?”

Darcy’s soft question cuts through Sif’s frustration. She sighs, and explains, “He stole the throne from Odin via trickery and deceit, and cast me out so that I would be unable to expose him.”

“How did you know?” Mjolnir asks the question, genuine confusion in her voice.

“Odin died on Midgard. Thor has been taking care of the nine realms for quite a while. Only Loki has the gall to pull off such a plan, and while I had suspected that it was the trickster and not the Allfather that cast me out, my suspicions were only confirmed with the Allfather’s passing.”

Jane carries two cups of the strong alcohol into the living room. She holds them out to Sif and Mjolnir. “Thor left this. I know you didn’t… but everyone needs a drink sometimes.”

Darcy pouts a little as Mjolnir separates their hands to take the glass. “That’s not healthy thinking, Jane,” she reprimands, though there’s no heat to it.

She rolls her eyes and heads back to the kitchen. “And yet, I’m going to have something to drink anyway.” She runs cold water through the tap until it nearly freezes her wrist, and fills a cup for Darcy. Before returning to the living room she snags a hard cider from the fridge for herself. “And I’m not drinking anything hard, even though I want to.”

“Proud of you,” Darcy murmurs, a touch sarcastic but mostly once again muffled against the back of Mjolnir’s shoulder.

She settles on the couch next to Sif after setting the water on the table next to Darcy. “What I’m getting from all of this is that bad things are happening and there’s nothing that we can do to stop it. Is that right?” She twists the cap off the cider and takes a swallow. “Well that sucks.”

“Unfortunately, that does seem to be the case,” Mjolnir says with a sigh. “I do not think that even the lingering aether in your body would allow you to send us back to Asgard.”

Sif’s fingers slacken on her cup, and it falls to the floor, splashing deep amber liquid on the carpet.

“Oh shit.” Darcy nudges Mjolnir and points to the roll of paper towels on the far end of the coffee table. She looks back at Sif, about to ask something  but she stops. Frowning, she nudges Mjolnir again as the woman leans forward with the paper towels. “Uhh… Sif?”

Jane slides off the couch, taking the paper towels from Mjolnir to begin mopping up the spilled liquor as best she can. She looks at Sif at Darcy’s unsure question. “Um… Her eyes aren’t normally that color, are they?”

Mjolnir heaves an annoyed sigh, not liking the way Sif’s eyes have gone Heimdall’s bright gold. “Heimdall is showing her what he is seeing on Asgard. I doubt it is good.”

“He can do that?” Jane and Darcy ask in unison.

“It is not a power he uses often.” She waits for Sif’s eyes to return to her usual hazel before asking, “What did you see?”

She gasps, and leans forward until she’s practically got her head between her knees. “Hela has raised an army of slain warriors. She seeks to rule Asgard and destroy anyone in her path. Heimdall is protecting those he can. I do not… He says that I am to stay safe on Midgard, that I am more needed here.” Her voice shakes, and when Jane looks closer she can see she’s crying.

It’s scary, because in the time that she’s known Sif - which admittedly isn’t a long time if compiled into consecutive in-person minutes - she had never seen her this distressed. “Sif…”

“Than stay on Midgard we shall. If Heimdall, the All-Seeing, has told you that you are needed here,” starts Mjolnir.

Sif groans. “For a weapon, you are very content to stay away from the fighting.”

“Hammers are not just tools of destruction, Lady Sif.” Mjolnir’s voice is hard, cold, and lightning sparks along her hairline. “While I could conceivably make my way back to Thor’s hand, the time and energy it would take to get so far across the cosmos is not worth it. If Heimdall has said that you are more useful here, than Midgard is where we shall remain, to be as useful as we are able.”

“‘So far across the cosmos...’” Darcy echoes. “What does that mean? Are the realms or whatever so spread out that it would take you ages to get anywhere without the rainbow bridge?”

The lightning dissipates as all eyes turn toward her. “Thor is not on Asgard. He is not in any of the nine realms.”

“You know where he is?” Jane asks, still attempting to get the liquor out of her carpet.

“Not by name, but by distance, yes.” Mjolnir looks at Sif. “We should offer our assistance to the Man of Iron and his team.”

“Anthony Stark…” Sif begins, but stops herself and finally moves to help Jane clean up the mess she’d made.

Darcy frowns. “Tony’s not that bad to work with, is he?”

“Thor is not entirely fond of him,” Mjolnir answers for Sif. “He is not a bad man, he is just… somewhat difficult. Yet I do believe that we should offer our assistance in any way he may need, as an authority in the protection of this realm.”

Sif sighs, and slowly nods as she presses a wad of paper towels against the carpet. “You are wise, Mjolnir. I just wish that I could do something for my people.”

Darcy wiggles out from under Mjolnir, presses a kiss to her shoulder in the process. She scrambles around the couch and down the hallway, and the others watch her go. She returns quickly, phone in her hands. “I knew I had Tony’s number!”

Jane stares at Darcy as though she’s grown a second head. “When’d you get that?”

“A lady never reveals her sources.”

“Darcy.”

She rolls her eyes. “Maria gave it to me in case anything ever happened, okay? It updates in my phone on its own. Which seems really sketchy, but…” Darcy trails off with a shrug, and folds herself down onto the floor next to Mjolnir. “Who wants to call him?”

Mjolnir and Sif exchange looks, and Jane has to admit that she shares their unease about actually going through with it. “Right now?”

“Now’s as good a time as any!” She leans into Mjolnir’s space, rubbing the side of her face against the woman’s shoulder. “I’m doing it.” After a quick swipe of her thumb, Darcy puts her phone to her ear and waits.

“Is that AC/DC?” Jane asks with a frown.

“Custom sound thing, yeah.” Darcy holds up a hand a moment later. “Hey Tony! This is Darc- Oh yeah, caller ID is cool, isn’t it. I know you’ve probably got like meetings or something going on but I’ve got two Asgardians here that want to meet with you.”

It takes Jane a surprising amount of restraint to keep from face palming. “Darcy,” she reprimands softly, but she’s already talking again.

“Uh, yeah. Okay.” She listens in silence for a few moments. “I mean, I’ve got access to Hill’s - No, we don’t need - Hey, let me talk! We can get there on our own, just. Let us stay in the tower or something.” She brightens. “I’ll let you know when we get in. And if you’re really so upset about me having your personal number, talk to Maria! Okay bye!”

“He was displeased by your call?” asks Sif.

“A little, but mostly because I interrupted a meeting and he didn’t know that there were any Asgardians here at the moment. I feel a little bad about interrupting, but the meeting was with Pepper - who totally says hi, Jane - so it wasn’t anything super major. Or at least he wasn’t completely upset about the interruption.”

Jane smiles; Pepper Potts is nice, and it’s really good to see Darcy back to her normal self after the last week. “I take it we’re going to New York?”

Darcy nods and nudges Mjolnir. “Yup!” She pops the ‘p’ and smiles. “Now I just have to text Maria and Sharon and see which of them can actually get us to New York. Otherwise I’m gonna have to dip into savings to get us flights.”

Mjolnir frowns. “I do not have Midgardian documents of identification.”

“Mjolnir.” Sif rests a hand on Mjolnir’s leg. “You can retake your hammer form.”

She shifts, but does not pull away from Sif’s touch. “I… would prefer to remain in this shape for a while.”

Darcy nudges her again. “I mean, I would too if I had been in pieces for a while.” She links her fingers with Mjolnir’s again, and taps out a text message with her other hand.

The others make noises of agreement, and Jane pushes herself up from the floor. “Anyone hungry?” she asks, leaning back down to scoop up the liquor soaked paper towels. “We’ll probably be waiting a while, and I know Asgardians need to eat.”

As Jane carries the mess to the kitchen trash, Sif manages a small smile. “Thank you, Lady Jane. I do believe a small feast is in order, to celebrate the returning of Mjolnir to one piece. It would be a pleasant distraction as we await word from Lady Maria or Lady Sharon.” A soft flush colors her cheeks as she says Sharon’s name.

Jan grabs the stack of takeout menus they keep on the counter near the fridge. “Then let’s pick dinner.” She smiles to the others and spreads the menus out on the coffee table.

Darcy sets her phone within reach and curls herself more firmly into Mjolnir’s side as the debate over food begins. She shares a smile with Jane before launching into a detailed explanation of the merits of one pizza place over another.

{if you like what i do here, consider buying me a coffee, and thank you so much for reading!}

#darcy lewis #mjolnir #lady sif #jane foster #darcy lewis/mjolnir #marvel #mcu #thor: ragnarok #my fanfictions

[imadeletingmysocials]

My scores for E3, because apparently now i’m a dumb 4channer who thinks this /v/ meme shit matters, like it’s not gonna affect sales or anything it’s pointless as all hell [this is lenghy, but hear me out ok]

EA: 

4/10 - people will probably play the games regardless of how shitty this presentation was but... It felt pretty insulting. 

Battlefield V is probably gonna make a lot of money regardless cuz people like war games and it seems pretty well done, the more footage they have shown seemed better than their weird advertizement that made world war 2 seem very wacky, which honestly regardless if you’re a sexist neckbeard or not, seemed like a poor advertizement move. 

TinyBuild:

No one watched this lol and it was just 1 GAME and a fun cute musical that made people who aren’t strong enough to musicals die, 6/10 because it made nerds die and their song is catchy, i dont really care about their 1 game.

Microsoft:

 9/10 - I'm giving this much of a high score because I would play practically almost all of these games showcased (they’ll probably be available on PC which I’m biased for cuz I have a gaming PC), no kidding, I pretty much liked everything I saw and it was fairly straight to the point. Many gamers don’t appreciate the finer details of each game and think they’re generic but that’s just fanboys who haven’t played a single game outside of their favorites. 

Also my cousin uses those Xbox One netflix rip offs that gives you games so i’m happy for him. The presentation had a lot of diamonds in the rough games that will I will probably appreciate more over time (they might even become cult classics like Metro or Dying Light) than any of other games at other e3s. As for the stuff I won’t be playing: It’s mostly harmless so eh.

There was an abundance of trailers! It was like one after the other, pure goodness, it seems as if they left out all of the Sports games to EA to present and the only thing they showed that might not be anyone’s cup of tea was “Forza”, but honestly? I appreciate it, it seems like a good racing game even if I’m not one to buy racing games.... But the more you think about the number of good games presented, the less you’ll think about that, I mean they showed DEVIL MAY CRY 5!!! 

...The Funko Pop game made me scream though.

Bethesda: 

8.5/10  I cannot deny that these are games I will want to play regardless if they’re good or not. Sad to see nerds not enjoy the opportunity to meet ANDREW W.K. but I’m glad all of the divisions they own are making sequels to stuff I already like, so pretty much Bethesda played it safe.

Devolver Digital:

 8/10 It’s like that one b-movie film your college students made and you had a laugh with creating.

Square Enix: 

5/10 seriously, 30 minues of just trailers? Most of which we saw?? I guess it could be worse but who uses E3 screentime for mostly MMORPG deals! The new stuff was too vague to be excited about too.

Ubisoft: 

7/10 - I liked it when they made funny quirky things and their games are probably gonna be okay like usual, Ubisoft has dedicated fans that like their collectathon games they release every year, and it’s usually that one game you play when you’re bored and got nothing else, it’s okay. 

Gamers hate fun and dancing and all that stuff but I kind of find stuff like that exciting, while nerds who never went outside and who are sensitive as all hell to any representation of fun find it “cringey”. A panda dabbed, and that settles it, Ubisoft was the only E3 Brave enough to dab this year. 

PC Game Conference (it was fairly long):

I know none of you watch this one cuz y’all fake as hell but listen... Fuck you LOL, these are the type of games people actually play over 400 hours and really get people’s money. Like these are games built to last that might be on the best-selling Steam front page for MONTHS, like how Frostpunk was comfirmed last year during this conference, PC Gaming has been known for sleeper hits that nobody knows about (because the attention goes to cinematic experiences on consoles most of the time) but suddently everyone’s playing it. 

PC gaming has always been an alternative lifestyle and seeing as many people didn’t watch this one, that just proves the point that it still relatively alternative. Maybe it’s because everyone sounds dumb as fuck when saying “PC GAMER MASTER RACE” and acting like an elitist. 

The PC Gaming conference is always more of a talk show than a regular E3 which is why I respect it every year, fuck the hyperactive gamers that just wanna see flashy trailers, this one’s more SOPHISTICATED!! It feels a lot more human and less artificial. Either way, lot’s of what you might’ve expected: Simulators and Survival games you’ll probably spend 3 years playing until they make a better minecraft clone. 

Gamers like to act as if they’re tired of Battle Royale (already? It’s a new fad it still is here to stay for a little more) but the numbers and success of it doesn’t lie that it isn’t a fad that proves itself to be highly tempting to try out for developers. Go cry to valve that they didn’t release Half-Life 3 cuz you haven’t played any other FPS game without even researching that Valve pretty much fired all of it’s developers and you’re just being annoying.

I feel as if I need to comment what I saw at this e3 cuz nobody watched, they made a mod I liked from skyrim into a fully-ass game, they’re rebooting Star Control which not a single gamer today knows of, the HP Lovecraft open world detective game also seems very good. YAKUZA IS COMING TO PC!!!!!!!!! Killing Floor 2 stuff, Road Redemption stuff, SHARK RPG, cute indie games, Jeff Goldblum was there, Wall-E with a gun in VR which seems to have promissing good vr design by Insomiac games (yes the spyro people), 2 games about Taxi driving... Like sure I think it’s a good format for story telling but.

A cell-shaded art game, star citizen is still being made, and it’s gone to the point nobody really wants it anymore even if it’s... Still being made you know? So most guys are wrong that it was gonna be canceled. After that was the technical graphic card stuff which gamers don’t have enough capability to understand, stuff like 9k laptops that SELL a lot mind you. Rich people love that technical stuff. 

A space defense sim game, Don’t Starve Sequel, Just Cause 4 detailed explanation of the engine, Overkill’s The Walking Dead gameplay which has been in development hell for years now now has a release date, I discovered Clementine’s voice actor is white... Go figure, a literal pixelated roguelike (not what you think it is, it’s Noita), 

Theme Hospital REBOOT!!!! YES!!!!!!!!! And the doctors were cute. Probably one of the funniest games presented... Followed by REALM ROYALE HAHAHAHAHAHAHA. That harvest moon clone with a cute art style is still being made: Ooblets, no release date sadly. Anno is still going, cyanide and happiness still exists? and they’re making a battle royale? lol okay. How was Hitman 2 not announced during Square Enix?? Anyways it’s here at the end, the trailer was amazing and it’s coming out this year. 

I don’t have that much strong feelings because it’s just a normal conference and not a special one you know? But I’ll give it a 8/10 or 7/10 im not sure cuz I seem to like most games and I found Frankie cute.

Sony: 

Yo usually Sony makes like a huuuuuuuge thing about their conferences (like this year they didn’t even showcase indie games) but this year they started from a church for the sake of immersion?? It reminded me a little of their first E3s during the 90s, and it almost felt like a indie gathering for musicians, I swear to god, Sony is borderline experimental trying to balance out their E3 across stages. Jeb played the banjo and people just ACCEPTED it... AND THEN someone played some JAPANESE FLUTE? aRT. It might come off as a bit arrogant for some tho.

Nerds hated it and thought it was bizzare, which is why it means it’s good. HAPPY PRIDE MONTH BITCHES. Anyways could have been a little more fast-paced... But then again when it was fast-paced it was just like: Huh? What was that? I’m a big Resident Evil Fangirl, RE2 was my childhood but ignoring that for a sec: finally, Death Stranding gameplay, remins me of shadow of the colossus but post-apocalpytic, survival horrorish and abstract sci-fi.

 Kind of feels more Metal Gear than MGSV did already Cuz Norman Reedus sounds like snake a lot more than the 24 hours guy, and because from what I’ve seen in the footage, someone acts like Otacon to “Sam”. I think most now can figure out the plotpoints of this game with what has been established. I might be a bit sad at the fact that this will be a PS4 exclusive just like Metal Gear Solid 4, which I still haven’t played fully because it’s PS3 exclusive and I only have a gaming PC. 

Also this E3 was surprisingly entirely SINGLE PLAYER, I sorta don’t believe in the “single player doesn’t exist” myth honestly, especially now. I’m not sure if that makes Sony’s E3 better or worse, maybe it needed more variation, like I’ve commented, usually they have an indie showcase which this year did not. There were few games shown but for what it was worth, it’s still interesting... But yeah just 5 games? No Spyro? (easy picking), nothing extra? I can understand why many people felt this E3 was upsetting.

8/10.

Nintendo

Here it is, the most overhyped developer of all of E3, the source of “Nintendo wins E3 by doing nothing” memes because Nintendo fans really don’t care about anything except Nintendo and then act surprised when they only care about Nintendo when they try to be a little more open-minded (and fail) even if other E3s probably make more games built to last in comparisson, cuz we gay people only care about NINTENDO YOU KNOW? Shade asside... 

I was pleasantly surprised this E3, it wasn’t just a series of okay at best releases, a strong 9/10. 

tHAT WAS WHAT I WROTE IN PREPRATION....

BUT THEN???? IT WAS JUST THAT??? NO PRIME 4 NO ANYTHING LIKE JUST 3 GAMES BASICALLY? (maybe there was 5 games but eh) I mean smash is good.. It’s pretty much just an update of the last smash, every character is REALLY FUCKING GOOD BUT.... JUST THAT? jeez.. Like, the only stuff I wanted from it was Mario Party and Smash... Okay maybe that 1 Mecha game. Also I guess fornite is now on Switch but I can play that anywhere else really.

I guess a 7/10 is all I can give to just Smash, if there was a little more I’d give it a 9/10 for sure but... ehh Just Smash? jeez, fuck... i MEAN I kind of get it, Nintendo doesn’t do “e3″ normally, they usually do 1 big game at E3 and then wait a couple of months to do that little seasonal announcement thing they do across the year, ugh.. Okay. Yeah I guess i shouldn’t have expected much. Still isn’t it weird that Miyamoto was in Ubisoft’s E3 but not this one??? what!

Anyways

#e3 #i'll post that image at the end individually #long post #Sony #Nintendo #Bethesda #Microsoft

[kitanoko]

Todomomo Fairy Au~

this just came outta nowhere….enjoy ;) Its almost like a fic so….prepare urselves if you click ‘keep reading’ below. 

PART TWO IS HERE

- Momo is a fairy cursed to be immortal because she refused to complete a deed for the Fairy Queen. In the beginning, Momo did not care much but throughout the next few centuries, Momo is forced to watch her close ones die and yet she’s still there; all alone. 

-She begs for the Queen’s forgiveness and finally, the Queen tells her that the only way to break the curse is to find someone, anyone, who would truly fall in love with her and vice versa.

-Momo decides that the only solution is to go out into the mortal realm to increase her chances of  meeting this ‘person’; it most definitely would not be another fairy. 

-Her life is bleak and boring; living in solitude is one of the worst fears for a fairy. 

-Unfortunately, Momo’s rare power to create anything desired is abused by greedy men. Her beauty is astonishing as well, pristine red dress the colour of autumn leaves, wings, golden like rays of the sun, as delicate and as gilded as a butterflies’. 

-She is tricked one after the other into befriending, even treading towards romantic territory, with many who wants her for themselves and she gradually accepts her fate and loses confidence.

-Rumors transform into myths and Momo becomes a legend; a fascination that everyone begins to hunt. Everyone wants her power and wants her blessing and Momo is stricken with grief.

-A quiet night, Momo rests upon her hidden lair deep inside a forest far-off from civilization, and along with the billows of the wind, she awakens from footsteps outside the cave she calls home and she immediately creates a sword. She waits, and several men comes crashing in, spears and torches in hand, and shouts “GRAB THE WITCH GRAB THE WITCH”. 

-Momo does not panic and utilizes her power to defend herself; she is quite a swordswoman and she had no problem holding her own, though she is most definitely outnumbered.

-She cries for them to let her go, wings and arms tied behind her, but they capture her as they snicker. They drag her out into the forest, under the night sky, stars covered by clouds and one pulls up his arm, about to strike her unconscious. She closes her eyes preparing for impact but all of a sudden a young man, not younger than 20, calls for them to stop.

-That’s how she first meets the prince of the kingdom, Todoroki Shouto.

-The men has no idea that he is the prince and puts up a fight though Todo, quite literally, makes the grown men cry as he overpowers them with his fire and ice magic which is exactly the moment when the men found out they were fighting royalty.

-Todo unties her, the latter distracted enough to not make something sharp to free herself, and they introduce themselves. Momo notices that the prince is very aloof, his eyes were vengeful and she wonders what he is after.

-Momo thanks him but doesn’t answer most of his questions and she flies back into her cave. He promises not to tell anyone that she’s in the forest though after tonight, she has to find a new home again.

-”I’ll stay outside and keep a look out in case the men return. but. I do doubt it, they’re not that idiotic to go against someone from the royal family.” “No, please, I’ll be fine on my own.”

-Todo nods but Momo finds out later that he’s been sleeping beside the horse he travels with, a few metres away from the opening of the cave and so she wakes him up and invites him inside.

-For the next few days, which gradually turn into weeks and months, Momo and Todo become great allies and friends. In the beginning, Momo was very wary of him and his intentions because of her past experiences. 

-Todo also acted cold to her at first but opens up one night when he told her that he is actually planning a coup d’etat against his own father, King Endeavor, who apparently locked his wife away in the dungeons. Momo lets him use her power after that night, knowing that he is nothing like the pigs that had lied to her.

-Momo never asks but she had always wanted to inquire about his scar which Todo tries to hide with his fire-like hair.

-She grows fond of him and they enjoy simple things like chatting around bonfires and debating whether the mortal realm and the fairy realm is similar. Todo likes to teach Momo how to ride his horse (all black, very majestic and Momo is absolutely horrified at first but the horse loves her) and Momo loves to teach Todo all about nature (she rambles on about how trees and flowers live symbiotically etc. and Todo isn’t actually listening but just watching her smile). 

-Todo touched Momo’s wings once and she kept telling him “its ticklish!” but he didn’t stop and so they had a tickle fight in the meadows which ended up Todo landing right on top of her and they stop instantly, face red like the poppies beside them. 

-Momo props her chin on her palms and watches him nap that afternoon and she knows she fell for him for quite some time now but establishes that he is too busy with his family affairs to worry about romance. So she shuts up about it and promises herself to never ever tell him. At least until the overthrowing of his kingdom is over. Which she would help with of course.

-When the coup actually rolls out, Momo sees that Todo’s friends were all there to help, willing to sacrifice their lives. Momo is envious; how nice to have someone care about you so damn much that they’d give up their life for the other? Absolutely ridiculous, she thinks.

-But when the King faces off with Todo, she’s right beside him. She had not one clue how powerful King Endeavor is until now and she sees Todo battered but still trying to stand after being kicked right in the guts and she just….couldn’t stand it anymore.

-Momo runs in front of him just as Endeavor’s about to slash his own son with his blade and Todo screams.

- Momo feels the pain hit every nerve right after she creates a mace to knock Endeavor halfway across the room and touches the gash on her shoulder. There’s a lot of blood. Which in a way, is new to a fairy.

-”Yaoyorozu, no, don’t, please, stay with me–” Todo gets up and wraps an arm around her and she returns a smile.

-”Don’t give…me that face…you’re the prince…” She coughs and her wings are lifeless, “I’m immortal remember?” 

-”No, you’re not, you’re not immortal anymore-” he says and she sees tears. He picks her up under her knees and shoulders, and Todo swears his legs are going to give in but for her sake, he needs to run and find Uraraka, the best medical mage there is. 

~~~to be continued~~~~

#todomomo #todoroki x yaoyorozu #todoroki shouto #yaoyorozu momo #boku no hero academia #bnha #my headcanons #my fanfic #fairy au

[bigkevhidalgo]

I’ve been working on this for a while... I need some test subjects... if you could read it... and let me know

There is nothing more terrifying than someone who has nothing to lose, but everything to gain.

This world keeps many secrets, as it has been around for longer than most of us know or care to know. There are few who know how truly old this world is, those terrifying beings whom have witnessed and done unspeakable acts, by and for both the ones above and the ones below. Beings so old that have been almost forgotten, weathered by time and folklore. These beings are the ones we refer to as legends, myths, fairy tales and sometimes mere rumors. These old beings constantly locked in battle between what we can only understand and label as good and evil. Sides and alliances forged and often broken by the acts of these beings. Often led by emotions or cold calculated moves today further their agenda so they may gain a foothold on this realm whose inhabitants have little knowledge of this constant struggle; mankind. Few know of it and even fewer battle along the side of these beings. These few warriors known as knights who possess great abilities to aid these beings. From the line of these warriors greater beings were forged to protect this middle realm and those connected to it, beings whose abilities were passed on throughout time, beings that are foretold and prophesied beings known as Guardians.

As she ran for her life she could feel them at her heels, growls and snarls filling the alleyways, only the moonlight guiding her way. She could feel her heart almost beating out of her chest, her legs starting to cramp and her arm gashed open by their claws; throbbing with immense pain every time she took a step, every time she took a breath her lungs screamed in pain as if someone had set the air a blaze. She had no clue how long she could run for, all she knew was that she had to keep that bundle safe, even if it meant giving her life to defend it.

She looked back again, she could see them close at her heels, hell hounds coming at her full charge. She could see their fangs and their misshapen faces dripping what she could only describe as mixture of puss and drool, she could smell their putrid scent, sulfur and rooting flesh, made it hard for her to take gulps of fresh air, she had to constantly control her gag reflex. She could feel the heat radiating from their snarls and growls. She had no choice she could not beat them on foot and she could not fight all of them at once, she had found out when they came crashing through her bedroom window. She had to make it to the river, the river would sweep her out to sea, the moon and the tide would protect her and her little bundle, problem was that she didn't know if she would make it to the river. A sharp pain shot up her leg, followed by a burning sensation, she dropped to her side shielding her little bundle, as she looked down and inspected her leg she realized she had been slashed on the side of her leg. She knew that surely they would die but not before sending a couple of them back to where they came from. With the little dexterity she had left she quickly scooted herself back and found the wall, she drew her short sword and with a few quick words the blade began to glow a pale blue light and water ran at the edge of it. As she looked up a hound was pouncing down on her, she slashed it across the face. It let out a horrid screech, as it tumbled to her side. She quickly dug her blade deep on its jugular and as she pulled out her glowing blade the hell hound began to melt away leaving a rancid scent and goop like substance behind. That quick event caused a hesitation from the rest of the pack, all barking and snarling at her they began to circle her, awaiting for her to drop her guard, to simply look away. She sat there with her back against the wall with her blade firmly held on her left hand, the little bundle tightly held with her right arm severely injured, she held the little bundle close to her chest, her left leg quickly drenching her pant leg in blood. She didn't break her gaze, intensely looking into all of their glowing eyes, waiting for them to attack her. She knew there was no chance of beating them. They would take and kill her child on the off chance it would produce a Guardian. She had witnessed her fellow knights lose their children to these monstrosities, she had watched as they ripped the children and her fellow Knights apart. They had slaughtered every single member of her clan, her husband away in a mission, she was glad he was safe from these creatures, he surely would have perished defending them until his last breath but perhaps together with her magic and his strength they could have defended their only child and some of her peers, her family, herself... for the first time in a long time she felt helpless and hopeless.

Her eyes quickly filled with tears and began running down her cheeks, she could feel a sea of emotions bubbling up, she tightened the grip on her blade but at that moment a child's cry interrupted her train of thought. The hounds began to impatiently hop around and howl in excitement. She took her eyes off of them and looked down at her little bundle, she knew it she had made a big mistake, a reflex without thought, she checked on her little bundle, this was the end, as she looked up she saw their fangs barreling towards her, inches away from her face. She raised her blade full knowing the futility of it but she would not surrender, she would not give them the satisfaction, she began chanting a spell. At that instance something bigger than the hounds, quickly closed that gap, slamming a few to the opposite wall with one ferocious move. In front of her stood a massive bear, towering over all of it surroundings, standing tall on its hind legs. She was paralyzed with fear and confusion, she didn't understand where this massive bear had come from and why it was defending her. The hell hounds stood back in shock, perhaps as confused as she was. She may have been young but she knew that bears were not common to the area.

-Consuelo?! Are you alright? Are you able to keep fighting?

She was also certain that animals did not speak, her mind was racing, her heart about to leap out of her chest, she began to think, she knew of many wonderful and magical things. She knew of a few shape shifters but none of them commanded the ability to perfectly transform and keep their talking capabilities, except for;

-Fauna? Fauna is that you?! Oh thank the heavens! Why? How?

-No time to explain we need to get you out of here and save your little cub, she's pretty special, big things coming your way little lamb.

Her heart stopped for a second, she once again looked down to that little bundle, her little daughter was important to the lustrous ones. This could only mean one thing, her little bundle, she would bare the guardians, she was responsible for the upbringing the greatest warriors known to the realms.

-Consuelo! Snap out of it! Run you nincompoop! Run!

-I can't! My leg!

-Oh come on! Do I have to do everything around here!? Climb on!!

With a couple more swipes Fauna took out a few of them out and made the rest of the hell hounds retreat for a few moments. Allowing Consuelo to climb on her back. Fauna let out a powerful roar, almost as if signaling someone, or something, then with a quick turn made her way out of the city. Few hounds took after them but their vicious sounds faded away, some with some yelps as if in pain, others sounded as if they were running the opposite way. It all began to fade into the night, few kept persistent and try to keep on their heels. Consuelo's head was clouded, the astonishing news had left her befuddled. She held her little bundle even closer, she knew she would have to become stronger, wiser, keener on the art of sorcery and uncover many secrets of the occult so she could aide the guardians in their journey, although she was getting ahead of herself, she knew she would have to survive past tonight. As she snapped back to reality by the radiating pain coming from her extremities she realized she was riding on a enormous horse, how long has been out of it? Fauna had transformed into gorgeous draft horse and was now galloping along towards the jungle, she could see it out in the distance, the way lit only by the full moon, it was a clear crisp night night, she listened to Fauna's hoofs click and clack as she sped off into the horizon, she realized she had no clue where Fauna was taking her, all she knew is that the howls from the hell hounds had grown faint as they had put some distance between them and the city and she was glad of it, except she could not shake a somber feeling within her, she knew something had been forgotten, then he quickly came to mind.

-Stop! We need to go back and find him! We need to warn him! We need to find Gregorio!

-Don't worry little lamb! Flora was instructed to find your dearie and bring him to the parley, seems like things just got grisly. We're not far, Flora picked the spot.... Lots of foliage to protect the herd and that little cub.

The parley? Flora? Protect the herd? Questions began filling her mind. Fauna had revealed that her daughter was important but how did they know she would be the one to bare the guardians. Had a prophecy been made? Is that why hell hounds had began to attack so many clans, is that why no one was spared? But who would give such an order? What prophet had predicted such things and why would anyone order such brutal acts against clans? Had every clan been hit in such a monstrous way or had the prophecy been so clear that no high ranking being questioned such atrocious acts.

-Listen up little lamb! I was instructed to bring in that little cub and you alive. All this fossil knows is that all of this is major since they enlisted both Flora and I to watch over and retrieve you, Gregorio and that cub, I know quite the surprise since I was just informed of this a few hours ago. They said that they would fill me in later.... Honestly I feel a little shaky on the little info they provided this old hen with, so we're both a little on the dark. Mother said she would explain later but you know how it goes, they feel the need to keep us in the dark and end up sending us to slaughter house... I guess is all for the best but it doesn't mean I like it. I'll stop and will keep my belly aching down for now, in the end we are all just barking at the dark.

-Your Mother will be there?!

-As far as I know mother hen is there and papa Kronos himself will even be there. Like I said little lamb, 'big things coming your way'!

Consuelo's head was swimming, the lustrous ones had ordered for their protection, meaning that something big was coming or was already happening. She never imagined that a simple knight as herself would be blessed with the task of rearing the child whom would bare the guardians. How could she? She was just a child herself, still training and learning the ways of the oath. That night was the first time she had ever seen real combat, how could she begin to teach when she was not done learning herself, fear and doubt began to creep in.

-Stop that little lamb! Fear and doubt never helped anyone!

Consuelo was caught off guard, how did Fauna know what she was feeling?

-Animal instinct little lamb! That's how.

-What?

-You were wondering how I knew what you were feeling? Right? Well animal instinct, I've been around for a while. Also I have the abilities of the entire animal kingdom to my disposal, so I guess I'm sorta of a big deal little lamb! Don't fret, just hold on tight to that little cub. We should be there soon.

Consuelo liked Fauna, she had heard of the epic tales of her many feats and her legendary abilities but had never gotten the opportunity to meet her. She knew that Fauna was one of the oldest living lustrous ones and was responsible for creating all the creatures in this realm and even some on the other realms. She knew she was a nurturing being but had a temper to match, so far she was glad to be in her care and on her side. She again looked down at her little bundle, she had yet to name her. She was a couple weeks old and nothing had been good enough for her, she was a quiet baby, she had gorgeous big brown eyes and jet black hair, she resembled her father, such a good baby. She hoped all had gone well and that Flora had found Gregorio and he was safe and sound, he was a lot more experienced and he would also play a tremendous role in the tutelage of the guardians.

The jungle grew larger as they came closer, it completely blacked out the sky, she could only guess it was was for coverage since there would be such important beings there. Soon they were joined by Knights at horseback, perhaps that's whom Fauna had signaled in the city, she recognized a couple of them, they were escorting them, protecting them. They all wore different armor and garments, she recognized symbols and shields from different clans from around the province but for the most part, a majority of them were foreign to her more than likely other clans from parts unknown to her. She felt extremely small, an overwhelming sensation of inadequacy came down on her, there was so much she didn't know, so much she still had to learn. She gazed around at all of the different Knights that were escorting her and Fauna, she could could count fifteen of them, all carrying different style weapons, some had light armor some wore heavier pieces, one thing was indistinguishable; they were all ready for combat.

One of them came close to her and Fauna, Consuelo tensed up, she didn't know what her fellow knight wanted, the knight wore a tribal mask and very little attire, she was lean and held a long spear with a small pouch to her left side, she lifted her mask and behind it was a beautiful set of eyes that glowed as bright as the moon, her complexion was dark, she was beautiful, she spoke up.

-Hi I'm Ayana, I'm a mender, I could patch that leg and arm as soon as we get to the parley.

-It's very nice to meet you I'm Consuelo and I would truly appreciate that. I had forgotten about my wounds with all that is going on but now that you remind me, they are excruciatingly painful at the moment.

-I have something for that

Anaya began digging through her pouch and after a few moments came up with a small root.

-Chew on that, it'll make the pain go away but trust me when I say this, it tastes awful!

Consuelo took the root from her and hesitated to put it near her mouth

-Don't worry it will work and the flavor only lasts for the first couple minutes. It's completely safe, I studied different medicinal uses for plants under Flora. You wouldn't believe the benefits some plants hold.

Consuelo placed the small root on her mouth and bit down, it was dry but as soon as her saliva made contact it turned into a sap like texture and Anaya was not lying when she said it tasted awful. It was a combination of grass clippings with rancid meat, the more she chewed on it the worse it got but she noticed her pain began to fade and soon the flavor was gone as well.

-You don't want to chew it for any longer, you should spit it out, it numbs out your pain by blocking your nervous system also it numbs your taste buds so the flavor is there, you just can't taste it but trust me the after taste is ten times worse but it will do for now until we get you patched up.

Consuelo nodded as her fellow knight went back to her previous held spot on the line. She wondered where all these Knights had come from and who had summoned them. She also wondered who or what they were protecting them from asides from the hounds. The jungle grew larger in the horizon, until soon enough they made their way into it and it soon covered the moon. A couple torches were lit and soon the path was revealed, seemed as if someone had already come through and cleared a path that was until she noticed that the path was opening up as they walked. Consuelo looked back in awe as the path was closing behind them, leaving no trace of a path ever being there. Was the jungle aware of their presence? How was this happening, she had never witnessed anything like it before, was it sorcery by the lustrous or her fellow Knights?

-This is why Flora picked this spot little lamb, coverage for the herd, lots of greens and lots of hiding spots for my eagle eyes.

Consuelo looked around, she could barely see the sky and she began to notice the reflecting glimmering eyes of critters hiding in the foliage and she looked to their feet she noticed scorpions lining the path, almost as if they were escorting the whole party. They had taken great precautions to keep this meeting safe, she knew that there could not be a safer place than where she was, but she couldn't shake the uneasy feeling, she still had no clue why the precautions were being taken, there was a small army of Knights and the lustrous ones were also here.

They finally came up to a cave, an oddly placed cave that seemed as if someone had placed it in the middle of the jungle, vegetation was particularly thick around it, there were more Knights surrounding the entrance and some were on the top keeping watch, they were accompanied by animals; that Consuelo could only guess Fauna had assigned to keep watch along with the Knights, there were large jaguars, panthers and snakes that were fairly common to the region but not often seen together or even at all. As they walked pass them, they seemed to bow as Fauna walked by, they knew who she was, even in her current form and they honored and recognized her still. She couldn't believe her eyes, the tranquility these animals were exhibiting, if she wasn't witnessing it with her own eyes she would have never believed it herself. As they walked inside the cave and past what seemed to be the largest Knights she had ever laid her eyes on, both towering in stature over her and accompanied by two of the largest panthers in history, she instinctively clutched her little bundle tighter to her body. They went deeper into the cave, it was well lit, she couldn't tell where the source of light was coming from, her curiosity went away, as they walked a little deeper into the cave and she could hear Gregorio's voice, he seemed to be calmly speaking to someone. Her heart began to pound, her Gregorio was alive and she was about to be reunited with him, she felt relieved and her excitement grew. As they went deeper and came around a bend she saw him. There he stood, his face heavily outline by what she could only imagine was worry, but suddenly lit up as he saw Consuelo and their child. He stopped mid sentence and ran to them, he wrapped his arms around them both. Held them there in a long embrace only interrupted by him kissing Consuelo and their little bundle.

He stood there gazing at them, with the biggest smile and tear filled eyes, tears of what one could only imagine would be joy. Gregorio was a handsome man, he was tall with a very athletic build, his thick jet black hair matched by his facial hair. He sported a mustache with a pointy beard that only accented his strong jaw line. His eyes were a deep rich brown, strong features that matched his tanned skin. His pearly white smile could light up the darkest of rooms and his soft tone voice could calm the wildest of animals.

He wore his knight attire, wasn't much he simply bandaged his hands and forearms, same with his feet and shins, and wore light clothing with little to no armor. He specialized in spears and long range attacks, he carried a long shield that he had configured and rigged so he would be able to wear on his back, it covered from his shoulders down to his legs, he was proud of it, he claimed it had saved his life multiple times, he felt the need to justify it since most had nicknamed him Tortugá since the way he used and wore the shield, it reminded people of a turtle shell, and there were a few times he had used it as such.

He finally spoke

-I'm so glad both of you are safe, I was worried sick, this whole night has been... I'm just glad you're safe love, I'm glad both of you are safe.

He motioned towards the little bundle as if asking permission to hold her. Consuelo embraced him once again and slowly and carefully handed the sleeping baby to him. As she did she noticed whom he had been speaking with. It was a thin petite woman, she reminded Consuelo of a pixie, her stature may have been small but her presence commanded the room, she noticed the deep green eyes, it reminded Consuelo of emeralds, her long wild red hair seemed to have never met a brush, she could see small twigs, leaves and smaller flowers adorning her hair, yet those wild unkept red curls seem to fit her perfectly. Her porcelain like skin glowed from the light coming from the cave. Consuelo was in shock, she had never seen Flora in her human form, she had no idea she even had one. She wore a smile on her face, then her expression suddenly turned to joy and excitement.

-Fauna!!!!

-Flora!!!

Someone raced past her slightly bumping her on the shoulder. As she looked up she saw another woman embracing Flora, she was a bit perplexed, she hadn't noticed any woman that looked like her enter the cave with them, she then quickly realized it was Fauna's human form. They laughed and spoke in a different tongue she could not understand. She had heard of Fauna's human form but she had never imagined she would ever get to witness it.

She towered over Flora, her complexion a lot darker than Flora's, her build was muscular, she wore her hair in long jet black dreadlocks, almost down to the back of her knees, her body was marked by scars all over, seemed to be ranging from bite marks to even burn marks, although they did not seem out of place, they seemed to almost compliment her physical build, her eyes were dark, completely black like two onyx stones, accompanied by a little wild animalistic feel behind them, her smile was big and lined by pearly bright teeth, almost seemed like a hyena's smile. They were both gorgeous beings, she was in awe by them, she couldn't take her eyes away from them, they complimented each other very well.

-They have not seen each other in ages

Her trance was interrupted by a soft voice that came directly behind her, she turned around and was greeted by a big smile in a soft tan face on a beautiful woman she had never seen before. She stood not much taller than herself, long wavy jet black hair, it went past her knees, almost covering her body, if she hadn't been standing so close to her, Consuelo may have thought it was a robe. She had delicate features, big brown eyes in which she could see a diamond like spark, her hair held back by a crown of what seemed to be made of roots, vines and various flowers arranged around a beautiful gem that sat at the center of it... it almost looked like a sapphire, but some green and brown swirled in it, she soon realized that the gem was earth. It was stunningly beautiful, Consuelo could not take her eyes off of it.

-It was a gift from father, it's beautiful isn't it?

Consuelo felt her face turn hot, she was blushing and could not speak. She felt like there was a frog in her throat, she was hot and began to perspire.

-Please sweet child don't be embarrassed

-Terra please, it's the first time she's ever seen or even been around "The Lustrous Ones" specially Gaia! The mother of all living things in this realm! Mother Nature herself! Along with her daughters Flora and Fauna! This poor girl will surely have a heart attack, and we both know Grim certainly does not like bringing poor souls back, we can say he doesn't like wasting time. Like father like son you know?

A handsome older gentleman approached Consuelo, she was entranced by him. He elegantly wore his peppered gray hair parted to the side, with a nicely groomed beard and mustache to match. He wore clean pressed pants, a vest, and clean white shirt with his sleeves rolled up, in a pair of polished white shoes. A long chain hung from his side pocket, one could only assume it connected to a pocket watch. He was a dapper, very well put together man. His gaze caught hers, his eyes looked almost gray and clouded, she was entranced. With a gorgeous smile, he leaned forward and extended his hand.

-A pleasure to meet you, young Consuelo, my you're gorgeous in this time, I'm Kronos, or as you and your mates may know me; Father Time, you've met Terra, Flora and Fauna... and over there is Grim.

He motioned to a unlit corner of the cave. In the corner stood a slender almost sickly looking man, he was the opposite of Kronos. He wore all black, his attire consisted of slacks, a dress shirt, and a vest along with a matching tie. His whole outfit was wrinkled and unkept, almost as if he'd worn it to bed. His tie was loosened around his pale thin neck, almost looked like a noose. His hair was messy and greasy looking, covering half of his face, which seemed to be freshly shaven except for a small patch of hair on his bottom lip. He wore no foot wear, his feet were long and dirty, covered in what looked like tar, dirt and what seemed to be dried blood. He propped himself up with a long scythe. Consuelo felt uneasy and cold looking at him, then she realized, Grim was death, the Grim Reaper himself, her train of thought was interrupted by Kronos.

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