#Lord of Muspelheim

[karolynerocha-art]

Lord of Muspelheim

Commission for @WolfiexLuna (On FA) Thank you :3 Commissions Open!

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[chantsdemarins]

Last Christmas on Midgard... (Loki X Reader)

Dear lord. This was supposed to be my wholesome addition to @lokisgoodgirl “Winter Warmers” collection. It quickly became an angst-filled mini-epic! I guess I just can’t do fluff and happy endings! It was originally conceived as a “remix” to the classic Wham! song “Last Christmas”. I followed the video for a lot of inspiration, but things got out of hand. Included are the screenshots from the original Wham! video throughout! Loki is played by Andrew Ridgeley and Thor is of course George Michael.  😵

I hope someone out there enjoys it! If so, please reblog and comment. Your comments are the world to me!!

Smut level: 🔥🔥🔥

Summary: You are surprised to find your prayers answered, it's just not the right brother. Or is it?

It had been Thor’s lust and immaturity, perhaps.

Beyond your ideas of what was possible, he came to you one day as you were finishing your duties. It took all your strength to believe it. The daughter of a clan chieftain who shouldn’t have been praying to Norse gods. Yet he heard you.

Christianity had taken root in most of your village, except you couldn’t help to ask any raven you saw to send a prayer up to Thor. Find him in Asgard. The god you loved the most. The god that had stolen your heart. In the depths of your reverence, you laid flowers next to the Yew tree for the Norn’s blessings. You asked Freya to help Thor know your pleas.

In your wildest dreams, you never honestly expected him to come down to you in a thunderous snowstorm…

You never expected him to hear you.

You never expected him to fall in love with you.

You never expected him to offer Idunn’s apple.

You never expected him to disappear.

One thousand years is a long time to wait…

Pommes du Luc Ski Chalet, 1986

Saas-Fee, Switzerland

“Being stuck on Midgard is lame,” Loki mused while twirling his fingers around the red ribbon of a present before laying it back under the admittedly impressive, haphazardly assembled Midgard Christmas tree Volstagg had dragged in from the mountainside. His earnest attempt to make the best of their wanting situation.

 “There could be worse things, brother, like being stranded on Muspelheim with Surtur using one of us as kindling,” Thor laughed, pouring his brother another stein of grog.

 Loki clasped the drink dismissively and took a large swig. He stalked his lithe body across the large A-frame house to look out the window. It was snowing, yet again.

 Thor joined Loki near the window, his large paws slapping his back, causing him to spit up some of his drink in a thin spray. He looked keenly at his brother, his blue-green eyes matching the icy weather conditions.

 “At least you aren’t blaming me this time. You know we are both stranded here until father lets us come back. It’s equally both of our faults….”

 “It’s mostly your fault Thor of course, but I take some of the blame-otherwise the fun I had participating would be for naught,” Loki winked and smirked simultaneously.

 Wanting to change the subject to pursue the delight of his thoughts, Thor continued. “Moreso, you realize that neither of us knows how to ski,” he said looking out at the snow-covered mountainside.

 “It’s rather ironic, don’t you think? We battle elves and other rather rare life forms with various life-ending capacities, yet we don’t know how to balance on these Midgardian twigs,” Thor philosophically pointed to the lavish display of skis lined up beneath the windowpane.

 “At least I know how to surf,” Loki said with a self-assured laugh.  

 Thor wrinkled his forehead.

 “No, you don’t, brother. I’ll wager 17,000 leagues of Vanir Andara.”

 Just then, Fandrall woke from his nap to interject a brief sentiment.

  “He’s lying. Thor. Let me tell the tale of Brazil once I’m sober enough to drag up the past without passing out from laughter.”

 With this admission, Loki promptly threw his scarf at him, which he swatted away and quickly put around his neck. He relished the smell of cedar, smoke, and bergamot that danced around Loki’s being and clung to all his clothes.

“Smells like you,” he said, sniffing it yet again.

“Breathe deep, for this is the only way you shall receive the totality of my essence,” Loki gestured and bowed, perhaps slightly mocking the Allfather.

 “Sure,” Fandrall laughed before wrapping the scarf tighter and closing his eyes again, drifting back into his drunken slumber.

 Thor caught the faint whiff of his brother’s innuendo toward Fandrall. Never knowing exactly how to process Loki’s rakish gestures, he cleared his mind and returned to his assessment of their situation.

 The truth was they had angered their father. They had angered Heimdall. Frigga was also none too pleased. The Bifrost was temporarily closed. There was no way off Midgard for the time being. They were both given a simple enough task, and both princes failed. Much worse, they had endangered the lives of the other court warriors. It was a rare event when both princes got in trouble simultaneously. They had been careless with a missive, and it had fallen into the wrong hands setting back years of diplomacy. Now they were stuck and without seiðr until they could answer their father’s rather cryptic riddle.

 “Find the heart of the mountain and melt the ice that has grown around it.”

“Allfather’s riddle is lame, too,” Loki croaked out loud, thinking about it for a moment.

 Thor, mainly the more immature and loyal one, agreed with his brother.

 “Yeah, it is rather dumb. Why must we solve a riddle? Can’t father just punish us in some other, more sensible way? I was never good at riddles,” Thor was growing more pained by the moment.

 “Well, brother, you are always in luck while I am around, for as you are most likely keenly aware, I am a master at riddles and will soon have this one solved,” Loki boasted.

 Thor rolled his eyes. Loki continued, plans emerging in his head.

 “But I ask, why rush back? We have this bleak yet relatively well-appointed human cabin. It’s almost Midgard’s “Christmas”, as Vollstag has helped us make merry with this tree,” he pointed at the dry-looking pine in the corner.

 “Perhaps, I should head into Saas-Fee and see who I can wrangle up. Maybe we should have a little faire la fête, as the Midgardians do this time of year?”

Thor looked intently at Loki, his skepticism not well hidden. 

“To lighten the mood?” Loki said, twirling around, letting his boots spin him along the smooth wood floor.

 Still no response from his brother. 

“Right, you’d think Ragnarök happened by how everyone is acting,” Loki mused, looking at the cacophony of drunken warriors laid out in piles, sunken into bean bag chairs, and wrapped in throw rugs. Reassuring himself of the grandeur of his new plan, he prattled on.

 “We just made a mistake, and it will be fixed soon. Until then, we celebrate!”

 With that statement, Loki opened the heavy door and braced himself in the snow. He turned around briefly to see his brother shaking his head before closing the door.

 “Stop. Wait. Don’t go,” Thor sardonically mumbled.

The path to town was covered in thick snow, and Loki was ill-dressed for the trek. He looked down at his shiny black Comme des Garcons boots with disdain. The leather was already buckling—the travails of Midgardian geography, so much damn snow.

 “Ugh. Another pair ruined,” he sputtered as he pursued the barely visible path.

 By the time he reached the only tavern in town, he was thoroughly soaked all over, not just his boots. Entering the dark building, Loki noticed the patron’s chatter came to a brief lull. He was used to making an appearance, so he was not bothered. He sat in a rather fancy booth and took off nearly all his clothes, causing more of a stir with the celebratory gawking patrons. His sweater, ski pants, and socks came off until he was wearing nothing more than his plaid shirt and tight jeans. He moved his hands through his inky wet locks, gently pulling out the wet knots, slightly frustrated.

 “Why didn’t I just wear a hat,” he mumbled, looking at his reflection in the glass-framed vintage absinthe poster in his booth.

 He looked around the Midgard tavern, stealing glances with the onlookers. Unfortunately, none of the people were attractive to Loki. They were almost as boring as his fellow warriors napping back at the lodge. Except for one possibility, Loki had scouted out early upon his arrival.   

You had been drinking yourself into a stupor all afternoon. You hated the holidays. Especially Christmas.

 In your dizzying consumption, you didn’t notice the calamitous man god enter and immediately disrobe in the furthest back booth. How could you? After five drinks in, you could barely make eye contact with the overly nice Swiss wait staff to procure you yet another cocktail.

 “Un autre verre,” you spoke, again and again, barely audible to anyone other than trained tacticians of alcohol and imbibed patrons.

 Loki thought someone with that kind of appetite for drinking before dinner must be a rather fun person, and likely she had some friends to bring along, who were equally as raucous.

 Drink in hand, Loki made his way toward you.

 Scooting in, he slid between you and the other partaker on the next bar stool. His thin yet muscled frame, a paper gliding into an envelope. His smile arriving before his words, he put his slightly damp handsomeness to good use.

 “What do you say? Can I get you another round of whatever you are having? Whisky sour, is it?” Loki inspected her glass, briefly picking it up and swirling the brown liquid in the dim tavern light. Correcting his immediate rejection of the smell with another wide smile.

 Slightly aghast at his sheer audacity, you batted his hand away. A pause before speaking hung in the air as you collected your sprawling thoughts on this man.

 “Look, buddy, this isn’t 1977. A woman can sit at a bar and have her drink and not be bothered,” you coldly replied, pulling your glass closer to your person, making a skittering sound across the bar. Loki was slightly perturbed but not yet daunted.

 He liked you, a challenge.

 On Asgard and practically any other realm, including Midgard-women (and most men) usually fell prey to his charm eventually. Although feeling the sting of your unkind words, perhaps he was misguided in thinking that you were, well…fun?

 Taking a moment for himself, too, he thought carefully about what to do next.

 Lost in thought, he drummed his long fingers along the bar to the songs from the old jukebox. You were likely what they called “feminist” on Earth he decided. Or maybe worse, you were scorned? Loki began to conjure all kinds of less tantalizing possibilities. He could still depart from your range and go to any other starry-eyed woman on the premise. Yet, he felt he must proceed.

 You continued drinking while he was thinking, eventually gesturing to the wait staff to refill your glass again. You turned slightly to avoid this man and return to your thoughts, which were enough for you, and only you, thank you very much.

 Languidly you pulled out a pack of cigarettes procured in Paris last Spring. What a treat from your usual hand-rolled. They were long, like your legs, and you liked how they delicately framed your face as you smoked them. Lighting one up, you took a long drag, inhaling, luxuriating. Smoke billowing, obscuring, creating a pillow of silence around you.

 You hoped he would get the hint.

 After some time and about three Fleetwood Mac songs later, Loki was done pretending he was listening to the music. It was decided he would go another route to entice your interest. You could be a bad girl deep down, and a little frisky yet direct wordplay might just turn your attitude around. He needed to let you know just what he wanted. Leaning in again, Loki made his second attempt.

 “My little pet, you are delightful. So full of energy. Let me invite you to a little soiree up the mountain. My brother and I are looking for beautiful women like you to accompany us.”

This was the last straw. You promptly turned your body and looked at Loki with a coy smile, concealing the boiling vitriol behind your sugary pink lip gloss. You blew a thick cloud of smoke directly in his face.

 “You minx!” he yelled a little too dramatically as you reached over and left the wait staff money for your tab.

 Pulling your puffer jacket on and zipping up quickly, you knew you better exit the scene before this man could stop you with another word or by the reach of his long limbs. You were out the tavern door and peeling towards your chalet down the street.

 Yet, of course, he followed you.

 Leaving all his winter gear behind, Loki ran through the puffy soufflé of snow in just his flannel. His still-wet hair immediately froze into charcoal icicles. It was very illogical, and Loki chastised himself internally as he ran.

 Why bother with this woman? Clearly, she was not interested in his company. Likely 20 other women (and some men) in the tavern would have certainly been a “YES” and not required such theatrics. He yelled at you. You kept walking faster, slightly jogging now. Maybe it was time to try his modest charm. He switched gears yet again.

 “By the Norns, why are you running? I’m sorry, my lady, if I have offended you,” Loki choked out as he tried to keep pace with you, finally catching up, arms flapping.

 You stopped. You replayed what you thought you had just heard.

 “By the Norns.”

 It echoed in your head as if you’d suddenly been transplanted into a canyon. A lightning bolt struck you dead in your tracks. You could barely turn to look this stranger in the eye.

 “Who are you?” was the only thing that came out of your mouth. Your eyes narrowed as if squinting would reveal something of this man’s heritage and identity.

 “Who am I?” He repeated in shallow breaths. Loki was slightly put off. He hadn’t thought this far in advance, was he to tell the woman his real name? You tried to speak again.

 “The only time I’ve heard that spoken in the last thousand years was from a Viking.”

 He couldn’t be.

It just couldn’t be.

 Although looking at him and adjusting your gaze in the singular light of the streetlamp, your mind slowly made a match. He did look familiar, but it was so so long ago.

 “Who are you? I should be asking, perhaps,” Loki mused, now wide-eyed. His attention laser-focused on you. The mention of a “thousand years” perked his interest in you even more.

He didn’t expect to find anyone other than your typical Midgardian bores tucked away in these mountains. You were different, not just because you rebuked him. He sought you out. It wasn’t just your negative attitude that attracted him.

 You stood near him, looking at every detail. His light eyes, his dark hair. His almost perfect triangle nose. The last time you saw him was from a distance when he arrived to fetch his brother and take him back to Asgard.

 Your lover god. Thor. In the woods of Norvegr.

 Loki looked closer at your jacket. It appeared like any old puffer ski jacket, except for the diamond and crystal broach you wore on the lapel. You had worn that broach every day for the last thousand years. Almost without thought, you fastened it to your clothing every day since Thor gave it to you.

 “Mother’s broach,” Loki thought to himself as he looked up from your lapel and into your searching eyes. His face stone, unmoving. Shock rolled through him.

 At this moment, he was confident playing all his cards was not what the occasion called for.

 You instinctively placed your hand on it protectively when you caught him looking at it. Time stilled. Tears formed in the corners of your eyes. Emotions long gone came thundering back like your lost god, but his brother was now before you.

 Not Thor.

Not the man you had given your maidenhood to all those years ago.

Not the man who told you that you would be queen someday.

Not the man who gave you Indunn’s apple.

Not the man who made you immortal.

 The wind picked up, blowing your hair, and a new wave of snow began falling on you both. You wondered what alchemical spell had brought this day to you after so long. No contact. Nothing. You had given up.

 Thor had disappeared. Wearing the broach had become routine, although it was barely connected to the past. If the concept of the past even existed in your eternal life.

Loki cut the silence, as he was keen to do. He wanted his following words to you to be the most careful yet.

 “Dear woman, I don’t mean to bother you. I intended to invite you to a party, that is all. Now I see I’ve caused you harm. I must ask, though, do we know one another?”

 He concealed what he suspected deep within his being just in case you might be able to read his mind or his auric field. You also could not tell him the truth. You knew that much.

If this was indeed Loki, the god of chaos, brother of Thor, he could use your words against you or worse. You were living on borrowed time from Asgard after all.

 You spoke again, each word tenderly cloaked.

 “We do not know one another, but I am also not entirely like the people here in this village, as it seems you might have noticed.”

 “I did notice,” Loki spoke back with a sanguine hush, a purposeful caution edging on something more.

 “That is why your mention of the Norse gods took me aback, I have some familiarity with them, but it was long ago.” That was all you would ever say you decided. That was enough. If he was clever at all, he could draw his own conclusions.

 “How long ago did you have familiarity with them? If you don’t mind, just a few more questions.”

 Loki was surprising himself in this conversation. In another instance, he might had you up against the wall of the corner drug store, one of his knives curled to your neck, forcing a confession. But he did not have his magic, and in this vulnerable state, he defaulted to using his silver tongue instead of his silver blade.

 “I do mind, and I am done answering your questions. I am going to retire to my home, um, sir, I didn’t get your name.”

 “Loki. My name is Loki.”

 There it was.

Memory is a fragmented thing after so many years. If your life had ended when it should have, perhaps at 35, you might not have the darkness in your heart. Darkness prompted moving from village to village when your family and friends died, and you didn’t.

 A darkness that you tried to enliven with dalliances into different religions, each with its unique unsatisfactory conclusion. The darkness you tried to quell with lovers and with liquor.

 Eventually, you only thought of Thor every hundred years or so. Every hundred years you let yourself still wonder.

Would the gods be back?

Would your god-king return?

Every hundred year you sent silent prayers to Odin’s raven, even if they were with half your heart.

 Stilling the shiver pulsating through you, you pulled your arms close to your body.

They were back. Both brothers. Both gods. Broken through the veil of the Christian god and here back on Midgard.

 You could not ask about his brother waiting around at the chalet for him to return. You could not step forward or backward. You could not speak Thor’s name.

 Loki noticed your hesitation and fright, his annoyance and curiosity changing into concern. He was now sure you would not be heading back to the party with him.

 He wondered how much time he had. Were Thor and the rest decorating and waiting for him to return with a crowd? What about the riddle he tasked himself to solve with his superior intellect so they could go home…

 His attention had wandered intimately, and completely to this stranger. These earlier concerns seemed so very far away now. Whoever you were, you were hiding your identity, and without his powers or magic, he wouldn’t know who you were unless you told him.

 He knew you were beautiful, and the more licentious part of his being wondered if maybe the right thing to do would be to return to your place with you.  

 Would you soften if he confessed what he knew of the Vikings too? Were you a kind of Midgardian planet-bound Valkyrie? Unable to leave the gravity of this banal realm?

 These thoughts ran wild in his mind as he carefully considered if he should let you go.

 

You knew he didn’t want you to leave.

 It seemed that the Norns were overriding all the time you usually spent avoiding contact with others. This was a moment to either tell Loki everything or simply be quiet, reveling in your answered prayers, which were somehow heard once again. They had been heard once before by Odin’s ravens, after all, it shouldn’t be so shocking to finally have it happen again.

 But instead of bringing you back to Thor, they brought you, his brother. Loki.

 Were the Norns asking you to be twice a concubine to the gods?

 This time you were not a naïve village girl.

This time your earnest reverence had been tempered with knowing both passion, love, and disappointment. You knew how life on Earth worked by now and this time your prayers were answered, it was going to go a different way.

 Taking in the visage of Loki’s crestfallen and reserved demeanor, you spoke gently. The Norns were playing with your frozen heart.

 He was in fact very handsome. More handsome in some ways than your Thor. You could tell Loki’s whole existence was based on rearranging reality, stirring the pot. He wasn’t one for morals or any Midgardian principles of peace the many religions of the populace extolled. You liked that.

 You hadn’t felt this kind of madness, this kind of power, in so long. The more you stared at Loki, the more the feeling grew. This power you once felt in your Viking village. The reason you prayed to Thor. You cherished the Norse gods still as much as you had tried to forget about them.

 Could you take this man before you home? This god of mischief, could you take him into your body as you had his brother so easily?  Not any ordinary woman could change her heart like this, lean into the plaid shirt wearing destiny before her. You were not ordinary.

 Finally, you spoke. “I live nearby. It might be nice to talk about the old days for a while. Since you seem to also know about them. Only If you promise not to ask why I know about the old days in 1986.”

 Loki looked flummoxed. You had taken the words from him—a rare thing for a human to do.

You had asked him over first; he was not in need of seducing you.

 You both walked quickly in the bracing air, watching one another with growing interest. Loki could not shake his need to know just who you were, although his other need to bed you seemed to be taking precedence over getting to the truth. When you arrived to the chalet, you turned the lights on briefly to find matches so you could light candles. You flicked the lights back off quickly when the flames held your tiny house with enough light to see his face and his tall thin frame. You knew he must be freezing.

 To warm things up you turned on the old space heater and rubbed your hands together. Loki was shaking. Resisting the urge to coil your body next to his, evoking the ancient snake rituals you could only vaguely recall, you only let your hand rest on his for a few seconds too long as you handed him a blanket.

 “No Christmas decorations for you then?” Loki laughed as he surveyed the bare, dimly lit front room. His usual bravado was not on full display in this unfamiliar situation.

 “I don’t celebrate Christmas,” you said flatly, nervously.

 “That explains your cheerful disposition then,” Loki jested.

 You laughed. An earnest laugh. You were remiss about what to do next. Offer him another drink? You were quite drunk still. In fact, you wondered if in your drunken state you were imagining all this. A cruel trick.

 As the heater kicked in, off came more clothes. Leaving only your black turtleneck and corduroys remaining. Next, you unraveled your hair from its braid, placing your barrettes on the side table, it was relaxing, it felt like the home you knew so long ago. Although another drink would be nice. You both needed your nerves settled.

 So, whisky from the cabinet was poured into diminutive glasses. Loki started talking about how interesting it was to meet someone who knew of the Norns. His voice sounded like ocean waves coming and going. It was hard to find his exact words in the swell. The low rumble of each sentence felt controlled by the moon or something even more mysterious.

 It was intoxicating. Thor did not have this effect on you, you remembered as much.

 The anti-hero, it seemed, had more verve.

 Not to be too taken by Loki, you remembered bad boys could be easy to let go of. They were often the first ones to leave anyway. Thor wasn’t a bad boy-he was summoned back to Asgard.

 This Loki would likely go on his own even before coffee.

 The night wore on and eventually you were sitting wrapped in blankets, holding your whisky, talking in what seemed endless cantos. Your voice joined his ocean huskiness until a sweet murmur flowed. You didn’t realize how much you needed to discuss the old world with someone who knew it as you did. Somehow, you’d won the favor of the Allfather once again. You were two drunk strangers nested in the protection of Yggdrasil’s branches. Time had moved and yet not moved at all.

 You said his name, “Loki,” and placed your hands on his legs, fingers finding their way under the coarse wool. It was now or never, you supposed, as the sun began to rim the outline of the mountains—nearly dawn.

 You were not going to hang on to this god. No tears. No wailing.

 You were going to let him go so you better hurry up having him.

 Loki was seemingly at your service. Besotted, he let you take the lead.

 Your hands removed the blankets from his body, his skin now warm and growing warmer with your nimble hands finding buttons, clasps, and pulling sleeves off his body. You used your teeth, nearly nipping his skin, causing a quick inhalation of air from Loki as he helped you remove his clothes.

 He leaned into your body, his head in the crook of your neck, turning his face upward, his blue-green princely eyes taking you in. He finally remarked how truly beautiful you were, kissing you deeply, tongue folding into your mouth, hands holding the back of your head.

 “This evening sure took a detour.” He laughed, slightly self-consciously, in whispers.

 “I don’t think this is a detour Loki, I knew what I was doing inviting you over.”

 “But you nearly poured your drink on my head earlier, and you blew smoke in my face,” he continued laughing in between kissing your neck.

 “If those were your real pick-up lines, then I’m sorry,” you smiled pulling back from him slightly. His naked form was gorgeous to behold. When Loki noticed your eyes drinking in every inch of him, he laughed even more.

 “Hardly fair, I’m naked, and you still have your clothes on.”

 You shrugged your shoulders and smiled.

 “I think we need to fix this,” Loki spoke softly as he took off your shirt.

 Naked, after some awkward adjustments, including a bra clasp that was apparently broken, Loki’s hands were once again on you, worshipping your body.

 The long fingers that earlier in the evening were swatted away when they grabbed your drink at the tavern were now not nearly deep enough inside you. You felt his cock on your stomach. He was impossibly hard, but you were begging for more—one more finger inside you.

 Loki could read your mind and crept down the length of your body until his mouth found your wet folds. His fingers and his mouth moved in tandem. You arched your back, spreading your legs in a reverent gesture. You thought briefly of the prayers you had sent to Odin’s ravens to have Thor back, the god you loved. How immature you were even at your age. You hadn’t consciously considered. Perhaps Thor had not been your destined lover all along.

The raven had flown your message to another god.

 Loki. Loki.Loki.

 You called his name aloud as he sunk his cock inside you. Your hands held on to him with all your life. The lewd noises from his cock slamming inside your welcoming body flushed your cheeks. It had been a while. You forgot what being fucked shamelessly sounded like.

 “Open your eyes, dove. I want you to feel this and see it. I want you to look down.” Loki growled into your neck.

 You barely dared to glance-but you lifted your body and looked at the god between your legs.

 His cock was the most glorious sight. Your cheeks deepened their color as you brought your eyes back to his. His breathing was unsteady.

 “You are so beautiful. I wanted you to see how beautiful your pussy looks with my cock inside it,” his words barely audible. He was picturesque. His cock was stunning. His body. His finely hewn muscles. His large hands were holding on to you for dear life. His thighs were holding you hostage.

 “Come for me my dove, come for me, whoever you are,” Loki said as he skillfully slammed his body deeper and deeper into your core.

 Your immortal strength had rarely been tested with any human lovers. This seemed an apt moment to try it out with Loki. You were never able to do so with Thor.

 Suddenly you flipped him over. The shock of being flung startled him as you pinned his hands down to the floor and rode him harder. Harder. Unable to hold you, unable to do anything but be rode, Loki’s orgasm arrived unexpectedly. His growl became a scream, and he finally wrestled his hands from yours.

 Grabbing your hips, he bounced you up and down on his cock with all his strength, your body almost unable to stay upright, only his massive cock holding you in place. You felt him come inside you, and as he slowed his movements, you found your release too. You were finally closing your eyes. Savoring. You both lay still, perhaps shocked at the perfection that just occurred.

 Dawn soon flooded the room, and the rising sun dwarfed the candlelight. Loki was on the verge of falling asleep. His naked, well rode body was strewn akimbo on the floor. Swaths of light colored his alabaster skin a light citrine. He was magnificent.

 “It’s morning, Loki. You must go,” you said after the tiniest inner debate on the merits of exchanging phone numbers or whatever you did in 1986. One thousand years ago, things were a little more severe. Queen, wife-something permanent. Something forever. Not so today.

“You’re kicking me out?” Loki opened his eyes and turned his body to face yours, hands running up and down your body as you attempted to cover it with a blanket.

 “I thought maybe we could stay in touch?” Loki said awkwardly.

 “Or have breakfast? This seems incredibly too short of an encounter,” he lingered on your neck, peppering kisses again.

 “Really?” you said, keeping your cool.

 “What about that big party you and your brother are throwing? I am sure there will be many women there once you return their glances. Even when I was rejecting you, don’t think I didn’t see them all staring at you,” you admitted.

 Loki sat up. He was confused. Even after passionately fucking this woman, he was still not willing to divulge who he was, and he could tell she was also not readily going to confess anything further.

 “The party was a dumb idea,” Loki now felt sheepish.

 “When my brother and I get together and cause trouble sometimes I like to make it worse.”

 “The old gasoline on the fire thing, huh?” you replied.

 “Yeah, something like that.”

 “Is that what this was to you Loki? More trouble?”

 Loki paused. Now even more unsure.

 “No, it wasn’t. It was real. I wanted to spend the night with you. I didn’t want to bring you back to our chalet, to the party,” Loki mused. Pressure building in his chest. Nerves or something else.

He had said too much to you already.

 He jumped up, dressing quickly not looking further at you. You were also hurriedly putting something on, just enough to see him to the door where you hoped he was heading. As much as this might be something, for all the pain being in love with one god caused, being in love with another was an equally bad prospect. You knew this. You were sticking to your guns. No more gods.

 Realizing there was a long walk ahead for him and he was still woefully underdressed he sighed in defeat. Maybe he could just stay for coffee?

 Then suddenly something happened. In the blink of an eye, Loki was wearing the jacket he left at the tavern. Your jaw dropped open.

 “What,” you yelled, walking towards him feeling his chest, pulling at the fur-lined hood in disbelief.

 “How?” you rubbed your eyes and blinked again, yes he was in fact wearing his coat now.

 “Oh no,” Loki looked at you with embarrassment and with some nascent excitement.

 “I think you owe me an explanation! How did you just make your coat appear?”

 Knowing he was a god was one thing, but you honestly didn’t expect him to reveal himself in such a pedestrian kind of way. Where was the big fanfare? Weren’t Loki and Thor warriors with powers beyond the comprehension of mere mortals?

 “I, I..well, I didn’t have this um ability earlier,” he quixotically spoke.

 You were now in a bad spot. Was he going to say more? Would you have to now confess everything just because he magicked his coat from the pub?

It occurred to Loki at about the same time, that his seiðr had come back, he had obviously solved his father’s riddle. Loki stared at you.

You.

You were the riddle.

Your heart was frozen. He had melted it. How could Odin have known? He felt his own heart beating in his chest, if there had also been ice on it, it was a soggy mess. What had he done?

He needed to get back to Thor. No doubt the Bifrost would be pummeling from the sky at any minute. They needed to go home.

 Knowing full well this lame magic was possible because he was a god you tried to put him at ease without revealing anything further.

 “I’ll just chalk that up to me being still a little drunk Loki,” you laughed, trying to make him feel relieved. He smiled and a knowing look graced his face.

“Thank you for understanding, and not asking too many questions.”

 “I could say the same thing about you mister,” you tried to be casual. 

 “Well then thank you for the beautiful evening,” Loki leaned down and kissed your forehead.     

Feeling confused yet again, he was thankful to you for so many things.

 “Wait Loki, I want you to have something,” you ran over to your own coat hanging on your wooden rocking chair. You carefully unpinned the broach. Holding it in your clasped hand, you fought back tears of a thousand years held in your heart. You couldn’t stop them. They cascaded down your face as you handed Loki the broach. Immediately Loki backed away from you.

 “I can’t take this y/n. Obviously, this must mean something to you. Why would you give this to me?” Loki held your shoulders as you held your hand out to him. He was full of questions. He knew this broach was his mother’s. He still didn’t know why this woman he just made love to had it. It occurred to him that she was some Asgardian exile. Maybe she was a friend of his mother’s from long ago? He could not take it from her, he knew that much. He refused.

 “You must take it Loki,” you raised your voice slightly.

 “It was never mine to keep, none of this was.”

 “What do you mean? None of this?”

 You took his large hand in yours and placed the broach, folding his long fingers around it.

 “Go.”

 Stupefied, Loki did as you asked.

 “I do hope our paths cross again my lady, there are so many things left unsaid,” he bowed slightly and hesitantly left. As the door closed you fell in a heap against it.

 With his seiðr restored Loki immediately returned to the chalet to find his friends packed and ready to leave. Obviously, they had their powers back as well. Thor stood unceremoniously in his blue jeans, hands on his hips.

 “I see that you were in no hurry to return to us Loki, we’ve been waiting since near dawn.”

 Loki scoffed, “I see you are unthankful, for it was me that solved father’s riddle.”

 Thor narrowed his eyes. “Brother, do tell us how you did it.”

 “A woman.”

 “If that is not the most unoriginal thing I have ever heard!” Thor was really laughing now.

 “Let me guess your gracious powers as a lover solved the riddle.”

 “Something like that,” Loki offered, fiddling with the broach in his pocket.

 “Here. You should give this back to mother,” Loki pulled the diamond broach out of his pocket all the way and placed it in Thor’s shocked hand.

He inspected it, his face growing pale. It couldn’t be. You.

Loki could swear he heard the faint crackle of thunder in the air.

 With his voice raised at least ten octaves, Thor yelled at Loki.

 “Brother where in all the nine realms did you GET THIS!”

#winter warmers collection #loki x reader #loki collab #writers supporting writers #loki fandom #loki laufeyson #loki fluff and smut #loki fluff #loki fanfiction #loki odinson #tom hiddleston #loki #mcu #thor #loki fanfic

[notthesomefather]

Niflheim

A realm of mist and potential. The habitable region where Niflheim and Muspelheim meet is called the Ginnungagap.

Muspelheim

Musphelheim is a realm of flames. The ruler of this realm is named Surtr, and he is the one destined to kill Freyr at Ragnarok.

Asgard

The home of the Aesir (including: Odin, Thor, and eventually many members of the Vanir). Asgard is protected by a mighty wall, and the creation of that wall has a fairly interesting myth associated with it.

Midgard

Where humans live; Earth (sometimes called Middle-Earth). The gods have been known to visit Earth and occasionally intervene with human affairs both on large and small scales.

Jotunheim

A realm of nature and home to powerful beings of ice and earth, the Jotuns. Some Aesir occasionally visit Jotunheim for adventures and mischief (commonly Thor and Loki).

Vanaheim

Original home to the Vanir (including Njord, Freyr, and Freyja). Vanaheim and Asgard initially began as enemies, but through a messy series of hostage trades and murders, a truce was eventually reached. The Vanir and Aesir successfully cohabitate and have intermarried on a few occasions.

Alfheim

Little is known about Alfheim, other than that it is home to the "light-elves" (or "fairies"). It is commonly thought to be a beautiful, ethereal realm which holds the Vanir god Freyr as its Lord.

Svartalfheim

Home to the "dark-elves" (or "dwarves"). Loki and Freyja are known to have visited this realm seeking the famous craftsmanship of the dwarves. Freyja sought a gorgeous necklace and Loki sought to offer gifts to the other gods (through this process, Thor's hammer Mjolnir was made).

Helheim

The realm that is home to those who pass away in ways other than battle (many people view dying of certain illnesses constitutes as a metaphorical battle, and would thus grant the individual entry to the other afterlife option: residence in Odin's hall Valhalla. This view is valid to me, with the caveat that I don't view Helheim as a lesser realm, or a realm where exclusively "dishonorable" folks reside). Loki and Angrboda's daughter Hel rules over this realm.

#heathen #asatru #the nine realms #norse mythology #norse pagan #norse #boards #virtual altar

[very-original-writer]

An urban fantasy version of the nine realms from Norse Mythology but they’re all different "genres"

Nidavellir, the dwarves, live in steampunk cities with lamps and torches everywhere because it's always dark

Jotunheim, the giants, live in huge fortresses and castles, like the medieval castles in Western Europe

Alfheim, the elves, live in Ghibli-esque (Castle in the Sky) cities, with a heavy reliance on nature and animals

Midgard, the humans, live in more modern towns, like we have today

Muspelheim, fire, also a fantasy sort of setting, but like the dark lord's fortresses, obsidian and fire and all that stuff

Helheim, one of the afterlives, appears post-apocalyptic, ruined and decaying cities in a destroyed landscape, but the inhabitants still flourish

Nilfheim, frost, are sci-fi underground cities with a heavy reliance on fast transportation and bright lights

Vanaheim+Asgard, the warriors’ afterlives Really big, flashy capitals with towers and palaces

#urban fantasy #norse mythology #writing ideas #writing #fantasy genre

[kinnoth]

the eternal fire is the very life of the realm of muspelheim, the fount from which all the firefolk spring, bearing shards of its embers for hearts and and its light for souls. the demon lord surtur is not the king of muspelheim, only her greatest child and her greatest champion, formed for the purpose of the fire's protection, an arm to fight for it and a body to shield it.

see, the fire is not like the winter casket of jotunheim, a sacred object; nor is it like the bydtree saplings of the elves, a reproductive measure. it is the only reason there is a realm of fire -- it is the realm. it is muspelheim.

but the eternal flame is also a fire that burns forever -- cleanly, without soot or smoke, and without need for fueling or tending.

so naturally, the aesir steal it.

the war on muspelheim is not so much a war as it is a robbery. the great hand of asgard descended upon muspelheim and took what it wanted without regard.

the creatures of muspelheim fought their attackers with all that they had: claws that could not pierce aesir skin; teeth that broke upon their swords. they would try to burn aesir camps as they slept, but from the ashes of their tents and bedrolls, their gleaming bodies always rose: whole, unalloyed, golden.

even surtur, the greatest of them, fell to his knees before their king's heavy pike.

and so on asgard, every household has a wick that burns with the eternal flame. it powers their hearths, their cooking fires, their lamps. it powers their forges, their engines, their great machines of war.

with the fire, they too are eternal.

#internal thor tag #tl;dr every single person who has ever gone to war against asgard was justified #anyway: the asgardian empire my favourite character

[mi5014tomberry]

Character Design Avenues

Now that I have a vague theme of the parade figured out, I have to think about the different directions that I could take the idea. Do I want it to be set in Nordic times? Do I want it to be about Surtr (Lord of the realm of fire Muspelheim) or a different God/Jotunn? Do I want it to be a parody of the whole idea? Or do I want to lean into the folklore/creature aesthetic? With all these ideas in mind I planned out in brief a few of the different directions that I could take with this brief.

Out of all of the ideas, the one which stands out the most to me is the modern day Nordic convention as I think there is a lot of scope to make something fun. When I was playing around this idea, I thought that both the character design and their costumes would all be really fun to design. I always like exaggeration in character design and trying to push the limits to create its stupidest version in the form of caricature. I want to make something stupid but it also needs to be an appealing design and this made me recall something I had seen recently.

The image above is a character from a game I used to play a lot called Reinhardt and the image below it is a skin (alternative character design) that was recently released. It looks simultaneously great and awful because there is an element of Maximalism in the design which adds a certain charm to the skin. I think it could have a lot of scope for me to learn because firstly, I want to have fun playing around designing the nerdy characters of all shapes and sizes at this conventions and secondly, this costume design adds another layer of depth to the character because I have to design a costume which looks both cheap and tacky but also aesthetically pleasing. I know that I can have a lot of fun with this concept which is why it is currently the frontrunner for this brief. I do also understand that it has its limitations in that it won't be quite as fantastical as the other ideas and it may prove to be more complex but I know I will have more fun working on this so the results should be better.

This moodboard showcases the kind of costume I had in mind for the bad cosplay theme. I realised through doing this that most of the time, these results come from a lack of care/laziness and a general lack of energy when wearing these costumes. Their demeanour is relaxed and some of them even play into the ridiculousness of their outfits. One issue which I might face if I go down this avenue is that some of these costumes are really very minimal and making these characters look interesting would really mean pushing the limits of the design of the people and then finding a way to put them into costume. I need to play around with lots of different shapes and sizes which would go against the characters/gods they are dressed as to see how those kind of results turn out.

Here are a few examples of dynamic caricatures all of which have their own features that are exaggerated to give a hint at who they each are as individuals. I don't yet know how I could combine the two themes (caricature and bad cosplay) could work mesh into one whole to create some visually interesting designs but I'm sure it will be fun figuring it out. I also need to keep in mind how this all translates to Maya and if that could limit how far I push these characters.

[puckwritesstuff]

👀

👀 - A piece of lore you’ve been waiting for an excuse to share

Volstagg is half-Dwarf! Possibly Iwaldi's son, I haven't actually made up my mind on that.

Honestly, there's been a lot of world building that I've been doing in the background surrounding the Nine Realms and how they actually function as a political unit and what they are like and how they interact with each other. Sigyn mentioned some of the political goings on in the chapter where she got yeeted into the "What If Loki Was Adopted By Heimdall?" universe, and how she's dismantling Odin and Bor's empire, but I do have ideas for how the peoples of these places exist and what they do. I mentioned that there were many Dwarves of Nidavellir in diaspora, Alfheim is the realm of both the Light Elves as well as great stone trolls, Vanaheim's feifs were given to the Seven Lords by Bor after the war between the Aesir and Vanir. I haven't really explored Niflheim or Muspelheim, but if I have a reason to, I will.

That is an invitation to ask me things so that I have a reason to lol

Thank you for the ask!

#meta #ask #volstagg #the nine realms #sigyn #Love Duty and Glorious Purpose fic

[korgbelmont]

Part 1

Tyr Odinson, the Norse God of War has been tasked with caring for the Jotnar Wolf, Fenrir Lokison. But in that time, Tyr has grown to care for the Wolf, and as the days pass, the threat of Ragnarok looms more and more.

Written in the Present Tense

Warnings: Threats of death

Word Count: 1338

Notes: Title made on cooltext.com

ASGARD

Watching as the sun rises, Tyr looks across as Fenrir watches it with him. He rests a hand on the Wolf's black fur, stroking with his thumb. Hearing the sound of footsteps behind him, he gets to his feet and bows as Freya approaches him.

Tyr - Freya. Good morning.

Freya - If only it were a good morning.

Tyr - I don't follow.

A portal opens and Loki steps through with Angrboda, both going over to Fenrir, both seeming to be relieved.

Tyr - What is going on?

Freya - Odin. There have been whispers.

Tyr looks over at Fenrir as he rests his head against Angrboda's hand and she leans her head against him. Freya gives Tyr's back a light rub.

Tyr - Where is Odin? I would speak with him.

Freya - I'll take you to him. We'll let them have their family time.

Tyr - Thank you.

After the short trip to the main hall, Tyr and Freya are stopped at the door by Heimdall.

Heimdall - Lord of War. My lady.

Tyr - Let us pass, Heimdall.

Heimdall - You should be with the mutt.

Freya - Heimdall, you will allow us to pass.

Heimdall looks between the two gods and scoffs with a smug smirk.

Heimdall - Fine. Only so I can watch this.

He pushes the door open and Tyr steps in with Freya. They find Odin sat on his throne speaking with Thor and Baldr.

Tyr - Is it true?

Odin - Tyr. I am busy. Whatever it is can wait.

Freya - Only you could say that murder can wait.

Baldr - What?

Freya - Rumours have been going around about you wanting to kill Fenrir.

Odin sighs, standing and using his spear as if it were a walking stick. He uses it to push Thor out of the way and Tyr sees the look on his brother's face.

Odin - How can you have heard about these whispers? On your little island.

Freya - That doesn't sound like you're denying it.

Odin scoffs as he looks at Freya.

Odin - Of course it was you.

Tyr - You made a vow to let Fenrir live.

Odin - Until Ragnarok. Something which is meant to be drawing ever closer. And I have decided that I don't want to be killed. I will not let Asgard fall.

Tyr - We have to accept our fates.

Odin - Our fate is to die! What kind of life is that?

Tyr - A life worth living. But you chose to let yourself be consumed by paranoia.

Odin - Removing the wolf will ensure we are all safe.

Freya - This is madness.

Baldr - Father--

Odin - SILENCE!

Odin fixes his eye on Tyr.

Odin - Leave. Return to the wolf. When the time comes, you will be summoned. As will that thing.

Tyr steps closer, his expression unfazed.

Tyr - He has a name.

Odin - I don't care to learn it. Leave.

Tyr - With pleasure.

Tyr and Freya take their leave and Tyr looks over his shoulder at Thor, who has remained silent the whole time.

That evening, Tyr watches the water as Fenrir sleeps. Angrboda, Freya, and Loki sit around a fire with the two Jotnar now up to speed.

Angrboda - If he kills Fenrir, then what's to say he'll stop there.

Loki - Any word on Jormungandr?

Freya - I had Ratatoskr go check on him. Odin has become so deadset on preventing Ragnarok, chances are he could set it in motion. Fate always finds a way.

A strike of lightning hits the ground, drawing Tyr around as Thor lands.

Tyr - Brother.

Thor - It's not just Fenrir he wants dead.

Freya draws her sword.

Freya - Is that why you're here?

Thor turns to Freya and the others.

Thor - No.

He drops Mjolnir to the ground and keeps his hands up.

Thor - He wants me to go to Muspelheim. Kill Surtr before he can become what he is supposed to.

Tyr - Why tell us?

Thor - Because you're right. There may be ways to prevent Ragnarok, but killing innocents isn't worth it.

Loki - Says the man who tried to kill my son in the first place.

Thor - The events of that day have never sat well with me.

Tyr - Can I trust you to watch over Fenrir for a few hours, brother?

Thor nods and Tyr heads to his boat.

Angrboda - Where are you going?

Tyr - To speak with Mimir. I need to consult him with something.

As the Aesir sleep, Tyr sails into a cave near Odin's home and runs it onto the shore before jumping out. Lighting a torch, he delves further into the cave where he finds the head of Mimir in his prison.

Mimir - It's good to see you, Tyr.

Tyr - And you, Mimir.

Mimir - So what brings you here? How can I help?

Tyr - How much do you know about Odin's plan to kill Fenrir?

Mimir looks away for a moment, his expression on of regret.

Mimir - Odin's been set on it from the day he captured the pup. I was never sure if he'd go through with it. But I guess he's crossed that line.

Tyr - Not yet. But he's planning to go through with it. I can't let him.

Mimir - Ah, you've always been a good lad. Your hearts always in the right place. If you want my advice, there's only one way to ensure Fen's safety.

Tyr - I know. I just wanted to get your thought on it.

Mimir - It's not an easy choice, but it's right one. Best for all.

Tyr - Thank you, Mimir. You've always been a good friend.

Mimir - As have you. And I wish you luck.

With a ship prepared, Tyr packs some supplies before throwing them onto the ship. Angrboda and Loki embrace their son and Angrboda places a light kiss on his fur.

Angrboda - I love you.

Fenrir whimpers, pressing his head against his mother.

Loki - You will be safe with him.

While the family say their goodbyes, Thor and Tyr give each other's shoulder a squeeze.

Thor - I wish you the best out there. Hopefully we'll meet again one day.

Tyr - And let us hope that day isn't Ragnarok. Perhaps this may save you as well. Without any blood spilled.

The two chuckle before embracing each other for what could be the final time. When they part, Thor hands him a pendant.

Thor - At least with this, I am with you in a way.

Tyr - Thank you.

Freya - As we're giving gifts...

Freya unstraps one of her swords and hands it to him.

Freya - It has had some Vanir magic embued.

Tyr - My thanks, Lady Freya.

She wraps him in a hug that he returns. After a few moments, they part and Tyr boards his ship. He looks across at each of them, nodding before using an oar to push out. Loki opens up a portal and the ship sails through.

MIDGARD

With the world open to him, Tyr lowers the sails taking his place by the steering oar. Fenrir rests his head on the God's lap and Tyr strokes him as they begin their journey.

Tyr - Let's see where the wind takes us...

ASGARD

Sif lays a kiss on Thor's forehead.

Sif - You did the right thing.

Thor - I hope so.

Sif - But we'll have to keep this closed between those who know. Once the Allfather learns that Tyr and Fenrir have left, there's no telling what could happen.

Thor - We'll do what we can to keep him safe.

Unaware to both of them, Heimdall has been listening with his ear against the door from the other side. He backs away with a smug smile.

Heimdall - The Allfather is going to love this.

#korgfics #short stories

[1-imaginary-girl]

A Mischievous Love Story - Part 1

Loki x Reader, Thor x Reader (platonic)

Summary: The reader and Loki were madly in love until you found out that he died. Deciding to follow Thor on his adventures, you soon find out the truth about what happened to your boyfriend. This series is a re-telling of Thor: Ragnarök with the reader inserted into the story. Reader uses she/her pronouns.

Warnings: Violence.

Word Count: 2972

Prologue Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8

A/N: Here’s the first official part to this series! Ahhhh I’m so excited! As you know, Loki does not appear yet BUT before you get mad, it’s only for this part I promise. For now, I hope you’ll enjoy some action packed Thor x reader (PLATONIC).

Leave a comment if you want to be added to the tag list for any new parts.

Thor has been talking to a skeleton which also happened to be trapped in here with you for God knows how long. The fire in this place is starting to make you crave your water. Thor turns to you and asks, “How much longer do you think we’ll be here?”

You glare at him and are about to rattle off a snarky remark about this being his brilliant plan when you both begin to hear gears turning. Suddenly the bottom of the cage disappears and you scream as you and Thor are dropped until your chains yank you back up, dangling you a few feet above the rocky floor. The sudden pull back from the chains, although it saved you from hitting the floor, gave you quite the headache and almost gave you whiplash.

Your bodies are sideways and while your chains quickly untangled themselves, Thor is left slowly spinning as his chains unravel. Your eyes meet and you shoot him a glare, obviously not happy about being dropped from a great height. He flashes you a hopeful grin that says trust me.

You once again open your mouth but are cut off by the sound of deep chuckling emerging from the darkness. You and Thor glance at each other before turning your heads to see none other than Surtur, the god of this fiery planet. The god sits on a throne made of volcanic rock. His form takes the shape of a charred demonic skeleton. Thor had told you about him before you arrived on the planet and he appears to be even more intimidating in person.

According to Thor, Surtur is the god of fire, war and destruction, lord of the Fire Demons and ruler of Muspelheim. His main mission in life: to destroy Asgard. So naturally Thor thought you should go to him for answers about Asgard’s potential doom. But looking at him now, his eighteen-foot-tall body composed of fire with spiked horns protruding from his skull, you’re now convinced this was the worst plan ever.

“Thor, son of Odin,” the demon says, his voice booming throughout the cave. At this point, you’re used to being overlooked next to the almighty god of thunder. Though this is one of the few times you’re glad.

“Surtur. Son of…a bitch you’re still alive!” You roll your eyes at Thor’s casual tone. As if he had just bumped into this guy at a grocery store for the first time in years. “I thought my father killed you, like, half a million years ago.”

“I cannot die,” the god speaks. “Not until I fulfill my destiny and lay waste to your home.” You roll your eyes. Great, just great.

“You know,” Thor begins. “It’s funny you should mention that because I’ve been having these terrible dreams of late. Asgard in flames, falling to ruins, and you, Surtur, are at the center of all of them.”

You eye Surtur to see what affect this information has on him. He did just find out that his one wish might finally come true. But this guy doesn’t even blink. Wait, can he blink?

“Then you have seen Ragnarök, the fall of Asgard. The great prophecy--”

“Hang on.” The scary demon god is interrupted by Thor who has slowly turned to face the other direction due to his chains. “Hang on.” The chains are turning very slowly and the loud squeak they make is painfully awkward as it hangs in the empty air. “I’ll be back around shortly.” Thor wiggles to try to get them to turn quicker. “I really feel like we were connecting there.”

You would laugh if you weren’t incredibly intimidated by the situation. You also don’t want to draw the attention of the big guy who seems to have eyes only for Thor.

Thor finally faces Surtur once more and says, “Okay, so, Ragnarök. Tell me about that. Walk me through it.”

Surtur continues, trying to ignore what just happened. “My time has come. When my crown is reunited with the Eternal Flame, I shall be restored to my full might.” You do not like the sound of this guy getting any mightier. “I will tower over the mountains and bury my sword deep in Asgard’s--”

“Oh, hang on. Give it a second.” You turn your head to see that Thor has once again gotten himself turned around. He seems to be moving even slower than before. “I swear I’m not even moving, it’s just doing this on its own.” You want to facepalm at your friend’s seeming nonchalance about all of this. He is about to get himself killed if he doesn’t shut up.

“I’m really sorry,” he says, still not fully around. Surtur sighs and you almost feel for the dude. This was his big moment, he probably practiced this speech of his in the mirror, and Thor keeps stepping on his toes.

“Okay, let me get this straight” Thor says, finally back to facing Surtur. “You’re going to put your crown into the Eternal Flame, and then you’ll suddenly grow as big as a house--”

“A mountain,” Surtur and you say at the same time, though he screams it in defense while you just want to be done talking, despite Thor’s plan.

“The Eternal Flame that Odin keeps locked away on Asgard?” It does seem like an impossible feat. Until the fire god grins and says—

“Odin is not on Asgard.” Thor’s expression drops and so does yours. “And your absence has left the throne defenseless.”

You turn to look at Thor but he is too shocked to move, though he does his best to hide it. The last time Thor had spoken to his father was after…after Loki’s death. Ever since Thor has been kept busy and you assumed a few years was nothing to worry about with gods like them. Though Odin’s absence would explain not only Thor’s visions, but the disarray evident throughout the nine realms. With that said, if Odin wasn’t on Asgard, where could he be?

Thor quickly changes the subject as to not give away your concern about this new information. “Okay, so where is it? This crown?”

“This is my crown,” the god says, tapping the horned spikes sitting atop his fiery skull. “The source of my power.”

“Oh, that’s a crown? I thought it was a big eyebrow.” Despite the tension, Thor manages to elicit a laugh from you which is quickly extinguished as Surtur’s scowling face looks at me.

“It’s a crown,” he tells you.

“Anyway, it sounds like all I have to do to stop Ragnarök is rip that thing off your head.” Though Thor’s plan makes sense, it does not deter the giant. In fact, it makes him laugh.

Surtur stands from his throne and approaches the both of you, dragging his sword along the ground as he talks. “But Ragarok has already begun! You cannot stop it.” The sound of his metal sword scrapping the ground unnerves you and you begin to squirm in your chains as the god approaches. But once again, the god’s eyes are locked on Thor. “I am Asgard’s doom, and so are you. All will suffer, all will burn.”

Surtur has reached Thor. He reaches out and grabs the chain above Thor so that the two are now face to face.

“Oh that’s intense,” says Thor. “To be honest, seeing you grow really big and set fire to a planet would be quite the spectacle. But it looks like I’m going to have to go with option B where I bust out of these chains, knock that tiara off your head, and stash it away in Asgard’s vault.”

Again, Thor’s plan sounds reasonable, but Surtur’s confidence makes you doubt that this will work. You cannot stop it. You want to chalk his confidence up to ego, but something about this situation makes you not too sure.

Surtur laughs again, sending chills down your spine. “You cannot stop Ragnarok, even with your mortal.” Great, now you’re acknowledged. And you’re pretty sure he meant that as an insult. “Why fight it?”

Behind his back, you see Thor opening his hand as a sign for Mjolnir to appear. “Because that’s what heroes do.”

There’s an awkward pause where you assume Thor was expecting to find Mjolnir in his hand but it remains empty. He becomes annoyed and you smirk at his frustration, finding the situation humorous in a way. 

“Wait, sorry. I didn’t time that right.” There’s a pause where you can hear a pounding sound coming from the right. Apparently Surtur notices it too, because he turns his head just when Thor says, “And, now!”

Suddenly, Mjolnir bursts through the wall and soars through the air towards its owner. Thor breaks free from his chains, grabs his hammer and flies away from you and Surtur.

“You have made a grave mistake, Odinson.”

Thor readjusts himself before saying, “I make grave mistakes all the time.” While Thor has Surtur distracted, he throws Mjolnir at your chains, smashing them and causing you to drop to the ground where you catch yourself. Surtur looks down at you and while you smirk, he laughs.

“Do you think I fear your mortal?” he asks as he returns his attention to Thor. You hate that he keeps calling you that but you have a bigger plan than correcting him. You pull out a water bottle which you stashed in your back pocket knowing this planet is all dried up and that you would have to improvise with your powers. You manipulate the liquid to float up towards the top of Surtur’s head.

“I wouldn’t underestimate mortals,” Thor says as he then makes a point to look above Surtur’s head. Surtur lets out a confused grunt before looking up himself. Just then, you release your hold on the water, causing it to douse the fire giant. He cries out in pain as the fires that littered his body were momentarily settled.

And the fight began. A swarm of fire demons were now visible on the walls of the cave. You unsheathe your blade which was resting on your back – they didn’t care much to search your person before chaining you up – and prepare yourself to face the demons.

Your blade was made from pure ice made specifically to withstand powerful blows. While normally, a thin blade of ice like this might shatter, your blade is sharper and stronger than the average weapon. Tony helped you develop it; as he learned more about your powers, he was able to harness the power into a weapon. 

You run up to Thor and you face each other, back-to-back. “How’s the plan coming along?”

“Swimmingly, thanks for asking.”

Just then the first fire demons charge at you. Thor hammers away at some while you slice through others. In a battle between fire and ice, ice always wins.

“Jump!” Thor shouts, and having practiced this, you jump onto a nearby rock before Thor slams Mjolnir onto the ground, sending a wave of fire demons onto their backs.

Surtur now seems to have recovered from your water attack but before he could seek his revenge on you, Thor throws Mjolnir at his face, regaining his attention and sending the two of them into an epic battle. Meanwhile, you do your best to hold off the fire demons from reaching Thor. Of all the planets you had visited, this had to be your least favourite purely because you were out of your element.

Literally.

Without any nearby water sources, your powers were dampened significantly but you were still strong enough in combat to hold the demons off, having been trained both by SHIELD and Natasha Romanoff herself.

One of them managed to scratch your arm which not only left a mark but seared the skin around it. You hissed in pain but kept fighting. You receive a few more hits but you continue to push the hoard away from Thor.

Behind you, Thor manages to bring Surtur to his knees. The thunder god launches himself high into the air and summons a powerful lightning bolt before descending hard onto Surtur. With all of his power, Thor lops off Surtur’s head.

Without his head, Surtur’s body slumps to the floor and collapses into a pile of crispy bones. Thor attaches the skull that once belonged to the fiery god to his back and then calls out, “Y/N!”

You turn and your eyes widen at the defeated demon before running to Thor’s side. With your backs against each other, you notice the Fire Demons seemed to have doubled in size, filling the cave with their bodies. You both knew you were outnumbered and then Thor raises Mjolnir above his head and calls out, “Heimdall. I know it’s been a while, but I could use a fast exit.”

You both wait for something to happen but nothing does. The demons approach you. “Uh, Thor?” you nervously call out.

Thor stands there stumped and looks to the ceiling. “…Heimdall?”

You let out a curse as a fire demon attacks you and you shove your sword through its chest before pushing it off to the side. It managed to land another scratch against your back and you grunt through the pain. “So much for your all-seeing friend,” you say.

Even after your many years through space, you have yet to be introduced to Heimdall. Maybe because you and Thor haven’t returned to Asgard since…you know. Which means you haven’t even since the golden palace, let alone this Heimdall character. Your absence has left the throne defenseless. Surtur’s words still ring in your ears.

Thor huffs. “I swear he’s not normally like this,” he says as he swings at a row of fire demons.

You hear a loud sound coming from one of the walls and you take a glance only to be met with the face of a fire dragon. A dragon that has just broken free from its chains.

“THOR!” you yell and he turns to see the new threat. And you thought you were outnumbered before.

“Hold on!” he yells and wraps an arm around your waist before using Mjolnir to propel you into the air. You quickly grasp at his arm to do as he says. It isn’t the first time you’ve experienced one of these fun flying trips, but you’ve gotta say, this time was your least favourite as you crash through the roof of the cave.

Thor receives most of the blow but your body was still assaulted with rocks. You land ungracefully on the surface as you both fall over onto the rocky terrain.

“So what brilliant plan have you come up with to get us out of this one?” you ask as you roll onto your back before Thor offers you a hand to get back on your feet.

“Working on it,” he says before putting out a fire on his cape. He once again holds up Mjolnir towards the sky, hoping for some sort of result. Nothing.

“Heimdall, come on,” Thor whines as you hold your head in your hands.

“Well, we’re screwed.” Just as you finish speaking, the ground begins to shake. You and Thor both back up as you feel the ground begin to give way around you. You shoot Thor a worried look before the dragon you had seen in the cave bursts from the ground. It lets out a roar before rushing towards you and picking up Thor by its teeth.

“Thor!” you cry out, trying to search around you for anything to help your friend but you come up empty.

The dragon shakes Thor back and forth and opens its jaws to let out a tremendous roar when Thor shoves Mjolnir into its mouth and lets go. The dragon crashes to the ground with Thor landing on his feet beside him.

Thor points at the dragon and says, “Stay.”

“Well that’s one way to do it,” you say. You look uneasily as the dragon begins to thrash around, trying to escape the hammer pinning its jaw to the ground. “That won’t hold it for long.”

Thor looks hopelessly up at the sky and yells, “Heimdall! I’m running short on options.”

With no reply from Heimdall, Thor and you once again find yourselves becoming surrounded by fire demons as they creep out of sinkholes in the ground. You look at Thor and nod. He tightens his arm around you once more and you hold on tight to him before he calls for Mjolnir and takes off across the fiery planet. Behind you, the dragon lets out a nasty screech.

The wind assaults your body as Thor flies at top speed. Unfortunately, it still isn’t fast enough to lose the dragon as you can see it catching up to you. The fire demons toss flaming rocks at you from below, with some of them landing blows to either Thor or yourself but Thor is undeterred.

The dragon begins to open its jaws to swallow you. “Thor?” you yell, a nervous tremble in your voice. Thor quickly glances back and you can see his face turn nervous before regaining his determination. He presses against the wind, desperately trying to gain more speed. The dragon’s teeth are at your heels and you yell, “Thor!” Your eyes widen in fear but the god doesn’t look back. His grip on you tightens.

Suddenly you and Thor are engulfed in a stream of rainbow, the sight blinding you. “What the--” you struggle to understand what’s happening when you see Thor’s lips slide into a small grin. It hits you. You’re entering the Bi-Frost. You bury your head in Thor’s chest, desperate to hang on as you know what happens if one gets lost in the magical portal.

The scene around you begins to fade and just like that, you’re gone.

* * * * *

Tag List: @riribaex​ @80strashbag​

#loki x reader #loki x you #loki x y/n #loki x reader series #loki x you series #loki x y/n series #loki #loki imagine #loki series #loki marvel #marvel loki #loki fanfiction #marvel #mcu #marvel fanfiction #thor x reader (platonic)

[fanficfreekmcu]

Stubborn Pride in Triplicate (73)

ᚳᚻᚫᛈᛏᛖᚱ ᛚᛁᛋᛏ, ᛋᚢᛗᛗᚫᚱᚣ, & ᚹᚫᚱᚾᛁᚾᚷᛋ

The next morning, Finna sat at the end of the banquet table and ate breakfast while speaking to her sisters and brothers.

“My Queen,” the Keeper of the Records knelt at her side. “May we begin itemizing your coronation gifts?”

She nodded before wiping her fingers onto a napkin. “Please.”

Thor and Jane arrived and took their seats as he looked toward her. “I cannot believe you are awake and functioning after last night’s festivities.”

“She hasn’t slept yet,” Fandral informed him. “I’m expecting her to fall asleep on Hliðskjálf as soon as her bum touches it!”

“That’s my Finna!” Ragnar raised his glass to her.

“Some things are more important than sleep,” she nodded as everyone shared a laugh.

“From Eitri of Nidavellir, the Tarnhelm,” the Keeper presented her.

“I thought it a fable,” her eyes widened as she took it from him.

“Well? Try it!” Elin goaded her.

She slowly placed the helmet onto her head before she disappeared entirely.

“Are they sure it’s wise to give her such toys?” Hogun smirked.

“Ooh! Fun!” her laughter echoed throughout the hall.

Sif walked into the hall and looked around. “Where’s… Ah!” she jumped as she felt a swat to her backside.

Everyone laughed at her expense as Finna appeared behind her. “I like this one!” she handed the helmet back to the Keeper. He nodded while making notes on a golden tablet.

She hugged and kissed Sif on the cheek as they walked to the table.

“Glad I could entertain The Queen this morning,” she rolled her eyes.

“From Freyja, the Brisingmen,” the Keeper presented her with a necklace.

“The Fire Necklace?” Thor cocked his eyebrow.

“It’s beautiful,” Finna ran her fingers across it. “Please invite her for tea at her earliest convenience.”

“The Keeper nodded.

“My Queen,” an attendant bowed in front of her. “Freyr of Alfheim is here to present his gift to you.”

She nodded her head before turning to Thor and widening her eyes. He only smiled in return.

“My Queen,” the ruler of the Light Elves, twin brother to Freyja, and fellow Van, bowed to her.

“My Lord,” she nodded to him.

“A gift for your coronation, may I present Fragarach,” he placed a sword across her lap.

She gasped as she took the weapon from him. “The Sword of Air,” she whispered. “I am honored.”

Volstagg raised his eyebrows and turned to Leif.

“Vanirian. No armor can stop it.”

“It grants its wielder command over the powers of wind,” Freyr smiled.

Finna met his eyes as he nodded. She lifted the sword and grinned as the winds picked up, nearly blowing the banquet food right off the table.

“She is having too much fun!” Sif laughed.

“Thank you,” Finna handed the sword to The Keeper.

Freyr bowed before taking his leave.

“From Ullr of Ydalir, Ichaival,” the Keeper buzzed around, not stopping a moment.

“That, I’ve seen in action!” Thor pointed to the bow. “For every one arrow you shoot, it releases ten!”

“Why do you get all the good stuff?” Fandral pouted.

“I can share,” she smirked.

“Right,” everyone sang.

“My Queen, Surtur of Muspelheim is here to present a gift.”

Her eyes immediately shot to Thor. “Is it normal for the Fire Demons to request an audience?”

“No,” he answered plainly as everyone rose to their feet.

“My Queen,” he bowed at her feet. “Congratulations on your coronation. As a token of my great joy in your rule, may I present you with Melrakki,” he held his hand out, moving her gaze to the outdoors.

Finna watched him for a moment before walking out to the balcony to see a magnificent white dragon sitting in the courtyard of Valaskjálf. Her eyes widened as the scaly creature bowed to her. “I can hear her thoughts,” she mumbled.

“When word reached us of your ascension to the throne, Melrakki offered herself as a gift. She believes she can serve you well,” Surtur offered.

“I am honored,” she nodded down at the dragon. “Thank you.”

He bowed to her before taking his leave, everyone in the room allowing an audible sigh to leave their chest.

“Wow,” Thor spoke slowly as he looked down at the amazing creature.

“She’s quite intelligent,” Finna smiled. “And funny.”

“Are you sure Asgard is ready for a Royal Dragon?” Balder asked from beside her.

“She’s here whether Asgard is ready or not,” she turned on her heel. “Please show Melrakki to Fensalir and let her choose one of the banquet halls to call home.”

“My Queen,” one of the attendants bowed as The Keeper kept diligent notes.

“My Queen,” another attendant bowed. “Gullveig of Vanaheim…”

She broke into a huge grin as she ran up and threw her arms around her. “Gullveig! How are you?”

“So proud to see you on the throne of Asgard!” she laughed.

“Thank you, my friend!”

“I come bearing a gift,” she presented her with an item of clothing. “It is the Falcon Cloak. It transforms whomever wields it into a falcon and bestows the gift of flight.”

“That is amazing! Thank you!”

“Vanaheim believes in our queen. Do not hesitate to use me in any way you need.”

She nodded silently. “I’m humbled and honored.”

She kissed her forehead before taking her leave.

Odin appeared as if from nowhere and looked around. “Good morning, everyone! I trust you all slept well?” he chuckled.

Finna glanced over at Thor, who suddenly stiffened up and stood at his full height.

“Some of us have yet to slumber,” Volstagg raised his glass.

Finna flicked her fingers out, freezing everyone in the hall except Thor and Odin. Loki smirked arrogantly as he turned into his normal form and glared down at her. “You just couldn’t help yourself, could you?”

Thor stood there, staring as his mind tried desperately to take in this new information. “You’re still not dead?”

“Wow,” he laughed. “It’s great to see you too, brother.”

He turned his gaze to Finna. “And you knew?” he shook his head. “You had to have known.”

“I had my suspicions,” she explained. “I knew he was an imposter…”

“We’ve lost our connection,” Loki sighed painfully. “Nothing between us has been the same since our annulment.”

“That was completely your doing, you know,” Thor snipped.

“I do know,” he locked eyes with him. “I’d like to make amends.”

“Excuse me?” he laughed incredulously. “No.”

“And just why not?”

“She thought you dead!” he angered. “The first time was bad enough, but this time… she put herself through hell, Loki,” he slowly locked eyes with her.

“That’s why I need to be here, to help her heal.”

“She is mine now; I will attend to her emotional needs.”

“I deserve to see my wife and son!”

“My son!” his voice echoed throughout the hall.

Loki turned away and set his jaw as Finna watched quietly.

“She will never love you again,” he nodded before spinning on his heel and walking off.

“Well…” Finna cleared her throat. “There you have it.”

“He speaks for you now?”

“No, but it was quite entertaining. He speaks from a place of pride, though. I belong to no man.”

His eyes misted over. “And where does that leave me?”

“I’m not sure… Svartalfheim maybe?” she knew what she said had cut him right through to the core, but she had to do it. He had to realize just how deeply he had hurt her.

She waved her hand, forcing him back into Odin’s form before once again flicking her fingers and unfreezing everyone.

“Where’s Thor?” Jane looked around.

“Oh… he’s checking on the children,” she smiled.

#fanficfreek #fanficfreekmcu #Marvel AU #MCU fic #mcu series #thor fic #loki fic #thor smut #loki smut #thor series #loki series #thor and loki #odinson bros #vanaheim #Dyrfinna

[darkpetal16]

Can’t wait until Overlord gets posted!!! I’ve only ever found one fanfic of it I’ve liked and it’s a HP crossover

:)

Character Sheet

Name: Momonga

Title: The Strongest Magic Caster with the Appearance of a Skeleton

Level: 100

Race: Heteromorphic Race; Undead

Job: One of the Almighty 42 Supreme Beings; Ruler of the Great Tomb of Nazarick

Residence: Great Tomb of Nazarick; Room in level 9

Alignment: Extreme Evil; Sense of Justice - 500

Racial Level: Skeletal Mage lvl 15; Elder Lich lvl 10; Overlord lvl 5

Job level: Necromancer lvl 10; Ruler of Death lvl 10; Eclipse lvl 5

Creator: N/A

Personality: Cautious, loyal, avid collector.

.

Name: Lumière

Title: High Priestess of Light

Level: 100

Race: Heteromorphic Race; Angel

Job: One of the Almighty 42 Supreme Beings; Lady of Light

Residence: Great Tomb of Nazarick; The Hidden Tower

Alignment: Extreme Good; Sense of Justice 500

Racial Level: Angel lvl 15; Archangel lvl 10; Seraph Empyrean lvl 5

Job level: Light Priestess lvl 10; High Priestess lvl 10

Creator: N/A

Personality: Demure, loyal, romantic,

.

Name: Albedo

Title: Warm and Caring Devil of Pure White

Level: 100

Race: Heteromorphic Race; Succubus

Job: Great Tomb of Nazarick Overseer

Residence: Throne Hall; and a room in level 9

Alignment: Extreme Evil; Sense of Justice - 500

Racial Level: Imp lvl 10

Job level: Guardian lvl 10; Blackguard lvl 5; Unholy Knight lvl 10; Shield Lord lvl 10

Creator: Tabula Smaragdina

Personality: Loyal, yandere, extremist

.

Name: Jack

Title: The Smiling Ripper

Level: 100

Race: Heteromorphic Race; Undead

Job: Great Tomb of Nazarick Head Researcher

Residence: The Hidden Tower; and a room in level 9

Alignment: Extreme Evil; Sense of Justice - 500

Racial Level: Skeletal Mage lvl 15; Elder Lich lvl 10;

Job level: Necromancer lvl 10; Researcher lvl 10; Assassin lvl 10; Master Assassin lvl 5

Creator: Lucille

Personality: Loyal, yandere, cruel

.

Name: Aura Bella Fiora

Title: Renowned Trainer with an Indomitable Will

Level: 100

Race: Human Race; Dark Elf

Job: Great Tomb of Nazarick 6th Floor Guardian

Residence: 6th Floor Giant Tree

Alignment: Neutral ~ Evil; Sense of Justice - 100

Racial Level: N/A

Job level: Ranger lvl 5; Beast Tamer lvl 5; Shooter lvl 5; Sniper lvl 5; High Tamer lvl 10

.

Name: Mare Bello Fiora

Title: Unreliable Envoy of Nature

Level: 100

Race: Human Race; Dark Elf

Job: Great Tomb of Nazarick 6th Floor Guardian

Residence: 6th Floor Giant Tree

Alignment: Neutral ~ Evil; Sense of Justice - 100

Racial Level: N/A

Job level: Druid lvl 10; High Druid lvl 10; Nature’s Herald lvl 10; Disciple of Disaster lvl 5; Forest Mage lvl 10

.

Name: Cocytus

Title: Ruler of Glaciers

Level: 100

Race: Heteromorphic Race; Vermin Lord

Job: Great Tomb of Nazarick 6th Floor Guardian

Residence: 6th Floor Snowball Earth

Alignment: Neutral; Sense of Justice 50

Racial Level: Insect Fighter lvl 10; Vermin Lord lvl 10

Job level: Sword Saint lvl 10; Asura lvl 5; Knight of Niflheim lvl 5

.

Name: Demiurge

Title: Creator of the Blazing Inferno

Level: 100

Race: Heteromorphic Race; Arch-Devil

Job: Great Tomb of Nazarick 7th Floor Guardian

Residence: 7th Floor Blazing Shrine

Alignment: Extreme Evil; Sense of Justice - 500

Racial Level: Imp lvl 10; Archdevil lvl 5

Job level: Chaos lvl 10; Prince of Darkness lvl 10; Shapeshifter lvl 10

.

Name: Shalltear Bloodfallen

Title: The Bloody Valkyrie

Level: 100

Race: Heteromorphic Race; True Vampire

Job: Great Tomb of Nazarick 1st ~ 3rd Floor Guardian

Residence: 2nd Floor Burial Chambers

Alignment: Great ~ Extreme Evil; Sense of Justice - 450

Racial Level: Vampire lvl 10; True Vampire lvl 10

Job level: Valkyrie / Lance lvl 5; Cursed Knight lvl 5; Cleric lvl 10

.

Name: Pandora’s Actor

Title: Ever Changing Man Without A Face

Level: 100

Race: Heteromorphic Race; Doppelgänger

Job: Great Tomb of Nazarick Treasury Zone Guardian

Residence: Treasury Zone Manager Office

Alignment: Neutral; Sense of Justice - 50

Racial Level: Doppelgänger lvl 15; Greater Doppelgänger lvl 10

Job level: Expert lvl 10; Craftsman lvl 10; Lord of the Castle lvl 15

.

Name: Cheshire

Title: Cackling with Madness

Level: 100

Race: Heteromorphic Race; Fairy

Job: Hidden Tower Guardian

Residence: Hidden Tower

Alignment: Neutral; Sense of Justice - 100

Racial Level: Fairy lvl 15; Trickster lvl 10

Job level: Illusionist lvl 15; Shapeshifter lvl 10; Stalker lvl 10

.

Name: Victim

Title: Sacrificial Fetus

Level: 35

Race: Heteromorphic Race; Angel

Job: Great Tomb of Nazarick 8th Floor Guardian

Residence: 8th Floor Tree of Life (Sephiroth)

Alignment: Neutral; Sense of Justice 1

Racial Level: Angel lvl 10; Archangel lvl 10

Job level: Patriot lvl 1; Saint lvl 4; Martyr lvl 1

.

A Sneak Peek

In the year 2138 AD there was a term: DMMO-RPG. That word was an acronym for “Dive Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game”. It was a revolutionary new way to play games that used virtual reality and nano-technology. Among the myriad DMMO-RPGs that thronged the market, one of them stood head and shoulders above the others: YGGDRASIL.

That game had been painstakingly developed and released twelve years ago, in 2126.

Compared to other DMMO-RPGs of the time, YGGDRASIL’s selling point was player freedom; it had over two thousand basic and advanced job classes.

Every class had a maximum of fifteen levels, and so in order to reach the overall level cap of one hundred, one would need to take at least seven different classes. However, players could take as many classes as they wanted as long as they met each class’s prerequisites. A player could even take a hundred classes at level one each. As such, in that system, it was exceedingly difficult to make identical characters unless one was deliberately trying to do so.

One could use various creator tools (sold separately) to fully customize one’s armor, weaponry, flavor text, appearance, and other cosmetic settings. A vast playing field awaited its players. There were nine worlds in total: Asgard, Alfheim, Vanaheim, Nidavellir, Midgard, Jotunheim, Niflheim, Helheim, and Muspelheim.

In essence, YGGDRASIL boasted a massive world, numerous classes, and freely customizable appearances.

It was inevitable that it would skyrocket in popularity and infinite the muses of millions of creative players.

Of course… that was all in the past now.

.

A gigantic table carved of gleaming black stone sat in the center of a luxurious room, surrounded by forty two chairs. Of all of those chairs, only three were occupied.

One of the seated attendees was clothed in a magnificent black academic robe edged in violet and gold. The collar was excessively gaudy, but it still melded well with the overall design. The person’s head was exposed, revealing a bare skill. Points of dark red lights glowed in its large eye sockets. Behind that skull pulsed a halo of black radiance.

Further down the table was a being that was not human either, merely a mass of black, sticky substance. Its tar-like surface roiled and writhed continuously, never staying in shape for more than second.

At the very end was a person who at a glance could pass as human, if not for the pointed ears and wings at their back. That person wore magnificent priestess robes of silver and blue. Its halo at the back of its head illuminated its long curly white-blonde hair.

The first attendant at the table was an Overlord, the highest-ranked of an undead magic-caster. The second was an Elder Black Ooze, which boasted the most powerful corrosive ability of the slime families. The last was a Seraph Empyrean, the highest-ranked of an angel-raced healer.

One might encounter those monsters in the most difficult of dungeons in YGGDRASIL. Overlords could use powerful curses or spells of the highest tiers of magic; Elder Black Oozes were dreaded for their ability to degrade weapons and armor; and Seraph Empyreans were universally despised when found near bosses.

However, they were not game monsters, but players.

In YGGDRASIL, players could choose their character races from three broad groups: humanoid, demihuman, and heteromorphic.

Humanoids were the basic player type and comprised humans, dwarves, wood elves, and the like. Demihumans tended to be ugly, but possessed superior attributes to humanoids. Examples of demihumans were goblins, beastmen, ogres, and so on. Finally, heteromorphic races had monstrous abilities, but despite their stats being generally higher than those of other races, they also possessed various drawbacks. There were around seven hundred playable races in total, including the advanced versions of those races. Naturally, the Overlord, Seraph Empyrean, and Elder Black Ooze were among the high-tier heteromorphic races that were playable.

The Overlord—who was speaking at the moment—did not move his mouth. That was because even the most advanced DMMO-RPGs of the time still could not overcome the technological hurdle of properly modelling the changes on a character’s face in response to emotions and speech.

He spoke in a jovial tone, “It’s really been a while, Herohero. Although this is the last day of YGGDRASIL, we didn’t expect you to show up.”

The slime wobbled. “Indeed it has, Momonga.” The slime nodded in the direction of the Overlord, then at the angel who nodded back in return. “Lumière.”

“How has work been for you?” asked the angel.

The slime sighed, letting loose a small tirade of complaints. Momonga and Lumière listened patiently as their friend vented.

After about ten minutes, the torrent of words that flowed from Herohero dwindled to a trickle.

“...I’m sorry for making you listen to my whining. I can’t complain much IRL.”

“It’s really no worries,” assured Momonga. “We’re happy you were able to come by at all.”

“Ah. It was so nice to see you both after so long. I was afraid to find no one here.” Herohero’s tentacles waved at both of them. “But it is getting late… How long will you two be on?”

“Until we’re automatically logged out once the servers shut down,” answered Lumière.

“Since it’s still a ways off, we might get more visitors like you,” added Momonga.

“Ah. I hope so. I see you both have taken good care of this place.”

Momonga and Lumière did not respond, neither of them wanting to show the surge of mixed emotions Herohero’s words caused.

There were a few more parting words, but eventually, Herohero left and it was only the two remaining members once again. Momonga sighed again and Lumière spared him a glance. Their expressions could not be relayed through their avatars so she sent him a frowny face instead.

The quiet disappointment was understandable. Their guild, Ainz Ooal Gown, had slowly died out over the years as more and more members left the game. In the past two years only Momonga and Lumière regularly logged on. They had sent emails out to the other members of the guild asking for them to join them on the final day, but unfortunately only Herohero responded.

“I’m going back to the tower,” said Lumière. “Meet up later?”

“Yeah. I’ll talk to you in a bit.”

Lumière left after that point, teleporting to the Hidden Tower at the 10th floor of the Great Tomb of Nazarick.

The Great Underground Tomb of Nazarick had once been a six floor dungeon, but it had been dramatically altered after Ainz Ooal Gown took control of it. Currently, it was a ten floor dungeon, and each floor had its own unique theme. The First to Third Floors were modelled after a tomb. The Fourth Floor was an underground lake. The Fifth Floor was a frozen glacier. The Sixth Floor was a rainforest. The Seventh Floor was a sea of magma. The Eighth Floor was a wasteland. And the Ninth and Tenth Floors were the realm of the gods—in other words, the home base of Ainz Ooal Gown, which had ranked among the top ten of YGGDRASIL’s thousands of guilds. In the Tenth Floor there were a few hidden areas, although only one was regularly used—The Hidden Tower.

The entrance was hidden in the Throne Room. It was a tower built by Lumière, Blue Planet, and Amanomahitotsu as a hidden level. Not that it mattered since the only raid that came close to it was stopped in the Throne Room.

The tower had five levels, the first three dedicated as testing areas for Nazarick’s lead Researcher, Jack. The fourth floor was a luxurious library with a big fireplace, and lots of comfy spots to lounge in. At the top of the floor was Lumière’s room.

Upon entering the tower Lumière stopped before the Tower Guardian, Cheshire.

In a game like YGGDRASIL, guilds enjoyed several benefits if they possessed a guild base of castle tier or higher. The NPCs that the Great Underground Tomb of Nazarick could field were undead monsters. These automatically spawning NPCs—or “pop monsters”—had a maximum level of thirty. Even if they were destroyed, after a while they would respawn on their own, at no cost to the guild. However, players could not customize the AI and appearances of these “pop” NPCs. They were hardly useful in deterring intruders, who were universally players.

There was also another type of NPC; the ones designed from the ground up to their makers’ satisfaction. If a guild possessed a castle-grade guild base, the owning guild would be allowed nine hundred levels to be distributed between any number of NPCs they wanted.

Because the highest level in YGGDRASIL was one hundred, by those stipulations, a guild could make seven level one hundred NPCs and four level fifty NPCs, or any combination thereof.

When designing an original NPC, one could customize weaponry and other equipment in addition to clothing and appearances. As a result, one could create NPCs that were far stronger than the automatic spawns and place them in key locations. Of course, not every NPC had to be designed for battle. A certain guild which called themselves the “Kitty Kingdom” fielded no NPCs other than cats or cat-related creatures.

It was a nice guild to visit.

Cheshire was one of those specially crafted NPCs. It was a shapeshifting fairy created by Lumière. Its default form was that of a dark cat with stripes and an eerie smile that showed several rows of sharp teeth. It was heavily inspired by the Cheshire Cat from Alice in Wonderland, albeit with a more malicious mindset. It was designed to use “illusions” to trick players when entering such as changing what they see on screen to something else, or swapping what keys did what and so on.

Cheshire always floated down to whoever entered the tower. Its default setting would be to greet whoever came. It had a special message tailored for all the Supreme Beings.

“Welcome back, Mistress!” greeted Cheshire. As Lumière was its creator, she designed it to greet her as mistress, or my dearest lady. She gave the same order to her other creation, Jack.

Jack was stationed at the first floor of the tower. He was near some desks in the lab designed to look like a mad scientist laboratory. Lumière made up his character, leaning into an assassin-lich trope. She almost went with the skeletal appearance, but Bukubukuchagama talked her out of it. Bukubukuchagama bemoaned how there were already plenty of other “scary” monsters in the guild. She tried to bribe Lumière to make Jack a genderswap like her Dark Elves, but Lumière resisted. She compromised as a bishie. Or at least as much of a bishie as an undead could get.

Not that anyone could see it since Jack wore a mask.

That way he could appear as a “scary” monster to befit the evil lab, but in actuality, he was a pretty boy underneath which satisfied Bukubukuchagama. A happy Bukubukuchagama meant free visual novels for Lumière which in turn made for a happy Lumière.

Win-win all around.

Lumière brushed past both of her creations, stepping in to the laboratory and looking around.

Well, it is the last day, she thought as she glanced over at her creations.

“Come with me,” she ordered both of them.

Neither responded, both simply stepping closer to her. Er, well, Jack stepped forward while Cheshire hovered closer. She guided them up the tower to her favorite spot in Nazarick; the cozy little library.

With a wave of her hand she turned the fire place on and took a seat on the lush, red couch in front of it. She let out a slow sigh as she stared at the flickering flames.

[23:55:48]

She hadn’t even realized so much time had passed, she had zoned out watching the flames dance. That had been happening with greater frequency the past couple of weeks. Lumière’s body in reality wasn’t in good condition. It was a struggle to even get out of bed, her lungs slowly filling with fluid each day. She’d need another draining surgery in a month.

Her fatigue caused her mind to drift away, not quite falling asleep but close to.

What will I do when they shut the game down?

It was a question that had occurred to her several times, but she never found an answer. It wasn’t that YGGDRASIL was the only game she ever played--Civilizaiton CXI and Warhammer were nice ways to pass time, but YGGDRASIL was special to her. Ainz Ooal Gown was a place she finally had proper friends.

[23:59:58, 59—]

Lumière closed her eyes. What a shame.

[0:00:00...1,2,3]

?

Lumière knew something was immediately wrong when the first breath she took was not one hampered. She reflexively breathed deeper and found that it did not incite a fit of coughing. Her eyes shot open and she abruptly stood up from her seat.

Even the movement came with ease.

What in the?

[0:00:38]

Lumière twisted her body one way to another, breathing in the scents of--

Scents?! YGGDRASIL couldn’t mimic smells.

But lo and behold Lumière could distinctly smell the fire. It had a odd woodsy scent to it, as if it were scented logs burning inside. Lumière had never gone camping before, nor had she experienced fire first hand in her life. She marveled over the odd smell it emitted, sniffing delicately at it.

I quite like this smell, she thought.

“My dearest lady?”

Lumière twitched in surprise, looking over at Jack. The NPC had approached Lumière, a hand placed over his chest where his heart would have been had he not been undead. Jack, like all of Nazarick’s NPCS, had two default outfits: battle and casual. The battle would originally have only been triggered during a raid, so he currently wore his casual.

Lumière had been pretty huge into Sherlock and anime at the time of his design, so he was heavily inspired by an anime version of Jack the Ripper.

He had a black ulster coat with the collar flipped up. Underneath was a white button up shirt, and black and red suit vest. He had the classic dark white gloves, and black slacks to complete the look.

Oh, and of course the famous top hat. Could never, ever, forget the top hat for someone inspired by Jack the Ripper.

Lumière opened her mouth to say something but rapidly closed it. She placed a hand over her chest, breathing.

I can breathe easy. I have a sense of smell and touch. Is it--did I die?

Isekais were rather popular. Given her sickly body it wouldn’t have been too much of a stretch to say she passed away and had no memory of it.

The end result was still the same: she was in her avatar’s body. A body strengthened by a hundred levels and not plagued by illness or frailty. A smile curled her lips and she said, “Jack, how are you today?”

A question that an NPC could never answer unless specifically programmed for. Lumière had never given such line to Jack which meant that if he answered--

“Lovely now that I can gaze upon you,” he answered, stepping closer.

A surge of embarrassed adrenaline shot through Lumière at his intensely warm tone. Ah, wait--

She had almost forgotten how she programmed Jack’s personality. Leaning into the guild’s theme of “monsters” and “evil” she pushed on with his serial killer design. Cruel, sadistic, obsessive, and dangerously smart. She went all out, using a character design sheet Tabula put together. Lumière wasn’t as inventive or imaginative in the edgy department so she asked Ulbert to help. Ulbert had already made a pretty evil demon, Demiurge, and was delighted to try his hand at an evil undead serial killer.

At the end of the design she, as giggling joke with Peroroncino she added that he was a yandere for her.

Ahahahaha… I’m sure it’ll be okay.

「Message from Momonga」 Lumière?

Uwa! Momonga’s here?

「Message to Momonga」 Momonga! You came here too?

「Message from Momonga」 Came here… you’re really in the game, too?

「Message to Momonga」 It looks like it. I can breathe without trouble.

「Message from Momonga」 Ah. I’m happy for you. I’m going to conduct some tests to make sure I can cast more spells. Do you want to meet up in the arena?

「Message from Momonga」 Yeah, I’ll meet you there.

“Cheshire,” Lumière said, raising her hands up. “Come here.”

The fairy disguised as a monster cat floated over with a wide smiles. “Yes, Mistress?”

She reached out and the monstrous feline leaned into her palm. She felt his fur, his warmth, and beneath it all a heartbeat.

Jack responded with an answer on his own, Cheshire is warm and has a heartbeat, I can move freely… I’m here. This is real. They’re real.

Lumière smiled shyly, taking Cheshire into her arms. He was fluffy and warm. “We’re going to the arena to meet with Momonga.”

“As you wish, my lady,” demurred Jack while Cheshire flicked his tail.

#overlord

[thebibliomancer]

Essential Avengers: Avengers #256: This Power UNLEASHED!

June, 1985

... INTO THE SAVAGE LAND!

Oh, we’ve dropped the Mighty from the title again.

Hm. With She-Hulk swiped by the Fantastic Four, Scarlet Witch off being governmented at, and Captain Marvel kidnapped into space, we’re back down to having the One Woman on the team.

Granted, that One Woman is Wasp and she’s great but I feel like we had something really great for a while and its back to ye olde gender ratios.

Ah well.

So the Avengers have had a time lately.

A jerk called Maelstrom tried to eat the Eternals when they all turned into a giant brain. Then he tried to eat the Earth’s spin. There was this whole invasion from Muspelheim. The West Coast Avengers formed and took down Graviton by drugging him. Vision tried to take over the world thinking it was a good idea when it was a really bad one. And most importantly, Hercules’ cool god outfit got trashed and he’s had to wear army fatigues.

Thankfully, this long national specifically fashion related nightmare is at an end.

Olympus heeds the call!

Apollo has many shortcomings but he knows from style. Look at that ensemble.

And have you seen what he wears in Final Fantasy Legends II or Saga II? Pure class.

Hm, again.

I thought that “This Power Unleashed!” sounded familiar as a title so I looked it up and YUP! Its already been used! Back in Avengers #29!

Tsk tsk.

Check the wiki, Marvel of 1985.

Anyway, yeah, Hercules sent a plea to Olympus for good threads so Zeus sent Apollo (because Hermes was busy) with an outfit hand crafted by Hephaestus.

I guess Hephaestus knows how to weave. Good on him.

Sweet dunk, Apollo.

Hercules introduces Jarvis to his half-brother Apollo. The guy is a bit blown away meeting another god (good ol’ Jarvis, buttles multiple gods but is always impressed to meet more) but he still tries to do his job and offers to tend to Apollo’s horses.

Hercules: “Ah, friend Jarvis! This is my half-brother Apollo, called Phoebus by some!”

Jarvis: “Apollo? The Apollo?! Good lord!”

Apollo: “Indeed. And you would be one of Hercules’ allies?”

Jarvis: “N-no, sir... I am the butler here at Avengers Mansion! If there is anything I can do to make your stay a pleasant one, just ask! Sh-shall I tend to your horses?”

Apollo: “No, you’d best stay clear of them. They’re meat-eaters, you know!”

Jarvis: “Meat -- ?! Good heavens!”

Ah, I love interactions like this. Good times, good times.

Meanwhile, in the training room below, Black Knight trains against the swordfighting robot that the Avengers have in their training room, for the purposes of training against a robot with a sword.

Look, it happens more often than you’d think, in comics. Best to be prepared.

This particular robot has the off-switch on the chin.

Which, if you think about some of the places off-switches are in some fictions... Well, it could have been worse. Chin off-switch. Sure!

Black Knight is apparently rusty, as he’s unsatisfied with having to disarm the swordfighting robot before pushing its chin button. I didn’t get this at first since when did he have time to rest on his laurels and get rusty?

But he comments that “this ol’ body is still a little rusty when it comes to swordplay!” and I realize.

When he was back in time, he was in someone else’s body, an ancestor’s. Who had been training to be a knight for most of his life.

Dane’s original body was turned into a statue and then beat itself to death against Vision’s diamond hard abs. And then reconstituted into a meat body. But what that means is that all the practice Dane was getting in the past? Does not transfer over! He is lacking a bunch of muscle memory and some actual muscle.

Anyway, Wasp was spectating his workout in tiny form and compliments him on the workout and also his scientific expertise. Yup, he’s a science type. Finally, Starfox can go back to being the himbo.

The compliment to his science means a lot to Dane coming from Wasp. Because he thinks she’s still married to Dr. Pym!

Dane missed a hell of a lot with the Avengers when he was in the past times. And also, he never really hung out with them all that much. He was the Avenger that never was, along with Black Widow. But between me saying that and now, Black Widow at least got to be an Avenger on TV.

Y’know, when they went on David Letterman.

And Black Knight wants to change his never was too.

Wasp takes off to go prepare for the Avengers “clean up the mess Vision left” meeting but winds up having to share an elevator with Starfox because that’s a rule of drama.

Trying to avoid someone? You’re gonna get stuck in an elevator with them.

Starfox just straight up asks Wasp what he did to offend her.

Wasp: “It’s not so much what you’ve done, it’s what you can do!”

Starfox: “I beg your pardon?”

Wasp: “That ‘feelgood power’ of yours... none of us, except the Vision, knew you had it until you used it against Maelstrom’s stooge. It’s disturbing to discover that someone you thought you knew can control people’s minds!”

Starfox: “Jan, I cannot control minds. Yes, I can psionicly stimulate the brain’s pleasure centers... I’m sorry if that makes you uneasy. I never meant to conceal my power. It just never occurred to me to mention it, when I first joined the Avengers. However, I see nothing wrong in being able to overcome my enemies by making them feel good... In fact, I always thought it one of the more civilized ways of dealing with trouble.”

Wasp: “Well, put that way, yes! But...”

Starfox: “Jan, I use my special power only on enemies, never on friends... unless they want me to!”

Oh, you charmer.

See, the thing here is that Vision only recently demonstrated how close the power can be to mind control. And one of the people he used it on was Wasp.

Its an invisible, undetectable power that can influence people to do anything he suggests. And someone she has a lot more history with and trusts a whole lot more than a more recent acquaintance used it on her.

So you can’t really logic your way out of her feeling uneasy about it.

And its not something that's going to get resolved in one awkward elevator ride either because they reach their floor and Jan says they’ll have to pick up the discussion later.

Because something much more important came up.

NEW HERCULES OUTFIT!

Now instead of that sash thing, the skirt, and the boots that went all the way up, he’s got a man harness, some manties, a different belt, and some open toed footwear.

Fashion is subjective, of course. Janet van Wasp likes the design but she’s inflicted some fashion travesties on the world.

I personally don’t get the harness. Is it keeping his pecs from getting unruly?

So Apollo takes off after binding Herc’s pecs. I guess he has a full god schedule if he doesn’t want to hang around. Hopefully not full of some of the stuff his full god schedule is full of in stories. But if he wants to lounge sexfully on a rock on Olympus and play the lyre that’s fine. Or if he wants to fly into the Sun. That’s also fine and probably wouldn’t bother him.

But as Jarvis watches Apollo apollgo and thinking ‘wow I met a god! Other than the gods I’ve already met!’, a pair of people are watching Avengers Mansion and take pictures of the departing sun god with a camera with a telescopic lens.

And they’re not just watching Apollo. They don’t even recognize him and think that a guy in a chariot pulled by flying horses is more nuts than say Iron Man or Thor.

They also make note of Captain America arriving at the mansion. And one named Sid somehow knows the Avengers are having a meeting today so tells his compatriot that any move they make will have to wait until the Avengers are done.

Hm.

Curious and also more curious than the first curious.

Inside, Captain America calls the meeting to order as acting chairman. Captain Marvel is absent, MYSTERIOUSLY (she was kidnapped by aliens), but they do have quorum so they can take care of the urgent business of electing a new group leader so Cap doesn’t have to do it anymore.

Starfox: “That shouldn’t be a problem, Cap. The Wasp was chairwoman before the Vision manipulated her into giving up her post -- I move that she be allowed to serve the remainder of her interrupted term. It’s only fair.”

Hooray!

I don’t know if he’s just trying to make amends in his Starfoxy way or this is separate from the tension between them but Wasp is gonna be leader again!

Cap seconds the notion and that leaves Hercules.

He’s surprised that she led the Avengers at all (his time on the Avengers was, I believe, when Jan was deep into her flighty, frivolous stage. When she’d just come into a great deal of money) and that “a warrior as seasoned as Captain America should support her return is astounding.”

So, basically curious and wanting to see if there’s more to her than he sees, he also votes yes.

And since Black Knight is just a guest and not a member of the Avengers, that’s basically unanimous if Wasp wants the job.

She do.

She’s touched but she’s also still one of the best damn chairpeople they’ve had so she immediately gets into it.

They’re short-handed with Vision and Scarlet Witch resigning and with Captain Marvel not back yet. So she proposes Black Knight be added to the roster.

This isn’t a big deal that they need to discuss since its brushed right on by. But in fairness, he’s been found to be Avengers material in the past and its mostly circumstance that kept him away. And the most important qualification is that he actually wants to be on the team.

You can’t dismiss that. A lot of the time the Avengers have a hard time finding enough people who want to be there.

But speaking of people wanting to be there, Cap(tain America) wonders what the heck is keeping Captain Marvel so we can scene transition smoothly over to the Sanctuary II.

Stranded in another galaxy by some space dorks. Vexing.

And her powers have been on the fritz for hours since the jump to hyper-drive.

She finally manages to concentrate and will herself into her energy form. She goes through all the frequencies of light to make sure she can. And then goes into her light-image of her physical form, which is the hardest thing she can do.

Walking around as a hologram of herself. A perfect recreation of, uh, herself, except for having no shadow.

She has an opportunity to test it out rather quickly when Levan the space jerk comes in with food for her.

Since she’s a hologram and doesn’t want to reveal her powers are working again and since she’s pissed about being taken into space, Monica tells Levan to just put the food down and fuck off.

Levan: “Very well, I’ll go. But remember... space can be a lonely place without a few friends. Enjoy your breakfast.”

He meets Skunge outside and says that she’s TOTALLY going to come around while inside Monica thinks “I fooled him completely!”

So I don’t know that she will totally come around.

Back at Avengers Mansion, Wasp wraps up the rest of the pressing Avengers business she had to discuss, leaving an opening for Starfox to ask if there’s been any word from the government about Vision and Scarlet Witch’s debriefing.

Wasp forwards the question to Cap and he says he hasn’t heard a word, surprising him since he thought some of the blame would splash back onto the Avengers as a whole no matter how hard Vision tried to take all of it.

And he doesn’t think the government figured out that Vision took over the Soviet computer networks as well since if they had, they likely would have seized the Mansion to get access to the systems he used.

Cap also warns them that government debriefings can go on for weeks.

A BREEEEEEEE alarm interrupts Wasp as she’s about to close the meeting and the Avengers jump into a Quinjet to hightail it somewhere.

The people watching the Mansion decide now is the time to make some sort of move.

I’d guess they’re going to try to break into the mansion. Rude.

As the Avengers head towards the South Atlantic, Black Knight questions whether the Avengers usually get called on to investigate shipwrecks.

And having read all two-hundred and fifty-six plus annuals and et ceteras, no. No they don’t.

But this is a special request from SHIELD because the ship was carrying top secret cargo. Which is so top secret that they don’t tell the Avengers what it was even as they ask the Avengers to investigate the shipwreck for them.

Geez, fuck SHIELD.

Anyway, shipwreck.

Its a doozy.

Like many youth, I went through a shipwreck phase. I can’t rightly say why that’s such a common shared experience. But it is.

And based on my expertise, I can definitely say that the ship has been wrecked.

The Avengers land and rush out onto the rocky shoal and go HEY HOW CAN WE HELP THE SURVIVORS?

The agent in charge tells them, hey there’s only one and he’s in bad shape. Probably gonna die dramatically right after explaining what happened. Because genre conventions.

The one surviving sailor tells them they look like Avengers so he’ll tell them what happened.

The ship was heading out of the Gulf of Mexico and heading north as part of OPERATION: BIG STICK.

Such a top secret mission that even deckhands needed to have level-2 clearance.

And it was a secret mission to transport a big stick. The rare government operation that’s exactly what it says.

Then the big stick started to glow and then the whole ship started to glow and then it started ZOOMing south, sending sailors flying off the ship.

The survivor: “Most of the others were luckier’n me... they didn’t have to live through what came next!”

The ship starts zipping sideways towards a whirlpool out of which a giant hand pops out of and chops the ship.

A weird circumstance but that’s what comic universes are like sometimes.

Anyway, right after the sailor tells the Avengers that the giant whirlpool hand threw the ship like it was nothing, he up and dies because he ran out of exposition.

Like I said, genre convention.

Captain America: “As god is my witness, I swear that this man will be avenged!”

The Avengers get back in the Quinjet and nyoom south following an underwater path of destruction.

During the flight, Wasp has been badgering Washington trying to find information on OPERATION BIG STICK. The government is being unhelpful and all they’ll tell her is that OPERATION BIG STICK is related to “Terminus.”

Thankfully, Starfox and Cap recognize the name so they have SOME information.

Starfox: “Terminus?!? I’ve heard of a Terminus... but he is a legend among the stars... a loathsome scavenger of worlds!”

Cap knows less. He just remembers that Vision was complaining that the Fantastic Four were called in to deal with Terminus instead of the Avengers.

So, hey, I guess the Avengers get a crack at Terminus after all! After Vision left! He’d be upset if he still had that crystal in his head.

So the Avengers know that the Fantastic Four would have information on Terminus but Wasp is completely unable to reach them or access their data files.

Wasp: “It’s as if their Baxter Building headquarters had vanished off the face of the Earth!”

Editor’s note: “It has!”

Story of their lives!

The Avengers arrive in the Larsen Ice Shelf of the Antarctic Peninsula where the trail continues.

Wow. That’s a long trail. The story of this boat wreck started out the Gulf of Mexico and now we’re in Antarctica.

They stop their pursuit because the trail of destruction went right over a research station and one of the scientists is trapped under the wreckage. Hercules lifts some heavy girders so she can be pulled to shelter.

Always nice when the Avengers save lives.

Its one of my favorite things they do.

Off-screen, the Avengers rescued the rest of the research staff and then they quiz the first one they rescued about what happened.

Scientist: “I... I’m not sure -- it was all so sudden! I was checking the supply shed, when this big... something seemed to sweep over the base! It was almost an elemental force -- except that the destruction it caused was more deliberate. It was as if some giant found us in his path, and kicked the place apart in a fit of pique! Does that make any sense?”

Captain America: “Maybe.”

Hah.

I know its supposed to be Cap pondering but it reads as so noncommittal.

Starfox returns from scouting ahead and reports that Terminus’ tracks lead to some misty area beyond the mountains.

Hercules: “At least this monster will find nothing more to harm amid that desolate land!”

And then the scientists have to Well Actually Hercules.

I guess maybe Herc hasn’t ever been there.

There’s a big, famous spot in Marvel Antarctica.

You may have heard of it. Its come up at least once in this liveblog before.

THE SAVAGE LAND!

Heck, all those dinosaurs is actually why this research base is here. And if the fate of the last living dinosaurs on Earth aren’t a big enough incentive, you monster, there’s also a research team in the Savage Land right now!

Now humans are at stake!

Now do you care? You make me sick!

Anyway, the research team is hanging out with Ka-Zar and his sabretooth bud Zabu when all of a sudden there’s an earthquake which sets off a stampede.

A stampede caused by a guy who carries a BIG STICK.

Terminus: “PITIFUL WORMS! I AM YOUR MASTER... AND YOU ARE MIN TO DO WITH AS I CHOOSE! SUCH IS THE POWER... SUCH IS THE RIGHT OF TERMINUS!!”

Wow. He’s a big boy.

I’ll be honest. This is only my third time reading a comic with Terminus. The first one was JLA/Avengers and the Justice League tricked him into shooting himself in the face. The second was in that Alpha storyline in Spider-Man.That’s less of a funny statement.

And I just looked up Terminus on the wiki and apparently he’s bacteria that grows up to be a robot and then megazords into a bigger robot and he’s also pissed off at the Celestials.

Get in line, pal.

Follow @essential-avengers​ because I bring you the hottest hot takes like ‘wow Terminus is tall.’ Also like and reblog this post? Maybe? Consider it. The idea might grow on you. Grow as tall as Terminus.

#essential avengers #avengers #Terminus #OPERATION BIG STICK #the Wasp #Captain America #hercules #Black Knight #Starfox #Captain Marvel #Monica Rambeau #some space jerks #essential marvel liveblogging #i just read Terminus' history on marvel wiki and its truly wild and dumb

[worstloki]

Wait...ATLA AU with Waterbender!Loki, and FireNation!Asgard. Mayhaps the spirits are more relevant in this AU, so people especially blessed by non-main/non-elemental spirits (so anyone other than La, Tui, Agni, uhhh Guain and Shu are the earth kingdom ones I think, and The Autumn Lord or air) can have some manipulation of Qi, but it works differently and is very, very rare, depending on the power level of the spirit, a bending blessing can last 1 generation without renewing it through more bending blood, or like 20 generations but it skips a few. So you can have Non-bender (but actually water bender Loki), or Insert Cannon Spirt that can give him some shape shifting blessed and maybe still Water bender but figures that that out waay later Loki. This ask is a little bit of a mess, but just Water Tribe Loki (who’s stuffed full of ‘water Tribe’s are barbaric’ propaganda) Living in Fire Nation Asgard.

because Loki, like me, simply must be the center of the universe:

- Asgard is the fire nation, obviously, and Odin has 3 kids: the fire-bending lightning-bending prodigy daughter, the spare fire-bender who is good but not as good who will strive to do what his father asks because Father simply must be right (even if he’ll realize later and switch sides), the non-bender who is the dishonorable family disgrace who freaks out and makes a run from home when he realizes he can water bend and neither of his parents can and realizes he was adopted? stolen?? and is maybe the avatar and oh frick Odin’s razing the other nations trying to find the avatar and AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

- The “air nation” can be four temples/realms (svartalfheim, alfheim, vanaheim, muspelheim) which were wiped out on by the last Sozin’s comet, so the cycle moved on to the water nation (southern water tribe/jotunheim) (northern water tribe/nifleheim) and there ain’t no way he’s going there those people are barbaric monsters... aren’t they?

- he joins a Midgardian (earth-kingdom) circus road-trip that’s touring across the realms (yes, he juggles) that’s actually just the Avengers and maybe they’re all non-benders? maybe some of them are? None of them are too flashy but Loki’s trying to observe the mix of bending styles and pick up on bending techniques without making it too obvious that he’s not a non-bender

- cue Loki getting in touch with the Earth spirit and getting some neat blessing gifts with bending and now he can Earth bend too and suddenly BAM Thor attacks the circus and Loki water bends to defend his circus friends from his fire and they make eye contact and Loki is so scared/devastated at having to go up against Thor who is angry at Loki for leaving home and has been tasked to retrieve Loki - the water bending throws Thor off and in his confusion Loki freezes him to the ground and apologizes and runs for it.

- now the circus folks are all “um, dude??? the prince of the fire nation just attacked us and you didn’t tell us you could bend?? what’s up with that???” so he tells them he may or may not be Fire Nation Prince Loki and they all feel betrayed because “those colonialist jerks??” but Loki explains how he’s actually a water bender... and may also be an earth bender... and they’re all totally on-board with the avatar returning because it’s about time and the earth kingdom is on thin ice with them (ba sing se is Svartalfheim btw) and yes the reason we’re a mix of benders is because this circus is actually the white lotus the avengers and were touring the realms to low-key try finding the avatar who is supposed to be the saving grace and end of this war please

- now the circus folks are helping Loki meet all the other nation spirits (yes they venture into the terrifying Jotunheim and Nifleheim while searching for the spirit (”what do you mean you don’t know where the spirit is?? how’d you find the last ones??” “I only met one!! and it came to me!!” “well I guess we’re stuck searching everywhere in this frozen wasteland then”) and additionally he only gets to meet the spirit who grants him the bending after he accepts parts of himself and others (for example, the water bending was a result of him finally realizing that he didn’t stand a chance at the throne and it wasn’t until every shred of hope that Odin could one day be proud of him was gone that he was messing with the turtleduck pool and maybe saw the water spirit in the reflection and bent water) (the earth spirit comes to him when he accepts that there are people that will still be proud of him and he can move on with life because the circus folk like him for who he is and were excited when he successfully landed a bunch of throwing knives on targets and decided on that as an act he can do)

- The circus folk are also trying to teach Loki what little they know about bending btw since he’s admitted to copying and mixing their techniques together (he does all the bending in one style and yes it’s as chaotic for the opponent as that sounds because you can never tell what he’s going to bend) but there 100% has to be an episode where he steals the water-scroll  

- Thor chases them down and Loki can bend water now?? and he’s just trying to bring Loki back like Odin asked him too and then one time he catches up to them and Loki panics and bends Earth too and Thor realizes and stops fighting and tells Loki to just go. Thor goes back to the Fire Nation and argues with Odin and calls him out because Loki is the avatar?? he’s from the water tribe?? and he feels betrayed and does the Zuko-Ozai-Black-Sun-Speech-Without-The-Black-Sun about how neither Loki nor Thor need to prove themselves and he won’t tear this family apart any further (Frigga is in fact an absent mother here btw) and then Thor goes and chases Loki down over weeks and saves him (blue mask hero?? except... feathered-helmet hero??) from Fire Nation soldiers who got their hands on him and the circus folk are NOT happy to have him around (air bending comes to Loki when he finally forgives Thor for being an arrogant self-righteous meanie to him for years because Hela is attacking them now and this is so much worse and Thor gets his eye burnt by Hela and Bruce isn’t that good but he can water-bend and heal a bit so it’s not too bad and he takes a moment to breathe and goes for a walk and BAM air spirit) 

- they get attacked a few more times, loki tries getting over the trauma that is realizing the harm that the fire nation has done to all the other realms (and thor is learning this too by the way so when hela attacks you bet they try mentioning the damage and loss of culture the fire nation is resposible for even if she doesn’t care because she’s the heir she needs to be perfect because her two brothers weren’t and look what happened to them they were exiled and live with a blasphemous blend of peasants (and rich-kid-metal-bending-earth-nation-runaway-royalty tony (”WHAT?! SO THAT’S WHERE YOU GET THE MONEY?? I thought you were scamming people not selling cool metal toys and what are we doing that attracts all these royal snobs to us??”))

- Loki has a dream where the fire spirit tells him to keep searching and then one day Hela goes to burn Thor again and Loki just goes ahead and fire bends right back at her and hoo boy his fire isn’t blue but it sure is a lot and Thor does the “........YES!!!” thing and Hela gets stuck in a ring of fire while everyone else laughs and leaves and she can’t lose so watch as her “close friends” end up not being ty lee and mai but the valkyries (the kyoshi warriors are the Red Room Assassins in this AU and no it’s not a childhood torture house it’s just a mostly-women midgardian protection group (maybe Nat trained there so if the circus ever bumps into them she’ll know them? Jane should get to be one of them too even if she’s more into inventing... she and tony should Talk... maybe she and Pepper can beat him up and give him some Respect Women Juice the same way Sokka got his?)) 

- epic chase across the realms since Loki can bend all the elements now he just needs to figure out how the Avatar state works but until then the gaang is struggling to stay ahead of the Valkyries and get Loki trained up to take down Odin (Thor teaches Loki fire bending so that’s covered but no one else except Tony who is a metal-bending expert really learnt properly and Loki isn’t even a metal-bender)

- eventually Hela snaps from all the losses and as she becomes more unhinged Brun jumps sides and Hela kills off (or fires, if we’re staying PG) the rest of the Valkyries and now Brun is super guilty but she’s fighting to avenge them now 

- blah blah blah Sozin’s comet day and Loki goes up against Odin with the help of the Avengers (maybe Thor can take down Hela with the help of Brun and Nat?) etc. etc. 

- so anyways Loki takes Odin’s fire bending and that was the first time he’s entered the Avatar state and when everyone asks how it felt Loki goes “oh i’m not the avatar” 

- “you’re WHAT” “not it” “but you JUST went into the avatar state and everything” “yeah and kyoshi gives good head pats but I’m not it” “but-- you mastered ALL THE ELEMENTS?!” “yeah because I was gifted them by the spirits” “but you needed to renew the cycle after it was gone from the world for so long--” “nah I think the spirits just liked me and wanted me to have it” “they... just... like... you...??” “yeah” “so you actually ARE a non-bender Brother??” “oh yeah definitely I was, but not anymore :)” “so you ARE the avatar” 

- [twenty minutes later] “I just went into the avatar state and they just told me i’m not it” “...this happened while you were in the avatar state though???” *shrugs* “eh” “don’t SHRUG this off is there an actual avatar out there or no???” “maybe the real avatar was the friends we made along the way” “shouldn’t we go find them???” *cue everyone setting out on another grand quest to find the ~actual~ Avatar*

#ThisPostIsLongerThanMyLifeSpan #TPILTMLS #okay so Avatar!Loki AU but also not #just because #I hope you didn't expect a short response #I may have gone overboard #just a bit #just a small tad teensy weensy bit #now if only someone would write this #I love the idea of Loki being a water bender living in Fire Nation Asgard though #like... the drama #Loki would have a Thor-1-worthy breakdown upon finding out #he'd jump to conclusions and be right #and then when he actually meets another water bender it'll be BRUCE and he's NICE #loki's going to be getting whiplash #the entire show is going to be like Zuko ALone with the learning except Loki isn't alone

[veliseraptor]

unpopular opinion: while there were other narrative options, loki’s death in infinity war is a better option than him faking his death, because that would clash with his character arc and his relationship growth with thor, and honestly just be a really cheap move as much as i would absolutely love to see him alive

strongly agree | agree | neutral | disagree | strongly disagree

I was never interested in a version of the narrative where Loki actually faked his own death to, like, escape from a bad situation. I would’ve accepted a version where he was very close to dead and got better (we have precedent for that in universe), but my hope was always for a resurrection instead. 

which, I understand why they didn’t do that, but they totally could’ve.

there are a lot of things I find frustrating about Loki’s death as a narrative choice, and how it was subsequently handled, but if the choice was between “he dies” and “he fakes his death, again” with no greater purpose than to escape, and then doesn’t tell Thor on purpose, then yeah, I’d prefer the former because the latter doesn’t make sense at this point in his character arc and would just feel like a regression.

unless - and this is a big unless! - it was the case that it was part of a longer term gambit that came around eventually. Loki faking his death to work the long game against Thanos without Thanos knowing he was there - that’s potentially a very interesting story! but also not one the MCU was ever going to go in for. 

I would also be okay, though, with a version where Thor ends up picked up by the Guardians, going on his mission to Muspelheim, and later finds out that Loki survived by the skin of his teeth and they’re reunited. but that’s, again, a slightly different version than ‘faked his death.’

...and I guess I did start writing one where Loki was faking his death but with the intent to sneak Thor out afterwards when Thanos wasn’t looking and just didn’t quite get there in time, but that one is 100% alternate universe that, again, wouldn’t see in canon.

the bottom line here is that the important thing in that scene to me, as far as characterization goes, is that some aspect of Loki’s move on Thanos is genuine and not just done as a trick to get out of dodge. 

lord, though, I was hoping for a longer Loki-Thanos collaboration and a double-cross later on. and it does frustrate me that like...off the top of my head I can think of so many alternative routes for that scene to go. 

though to nitpick: I do feel like the “Loki faked his death repeatedly” as a joke in fandom thing is actually not really a thing, tbh. at the end of Thor it was pretty clearly a suicide attempt that he survived, imo, and in The Dark World that scene only really makes sense as filmed if Loki genuinely believed he was dying and then didn’t. (yes, I know he doesn’t contradict Thor when Thor accuses him of faking his death in Ragnarok, but lbr, would he anyway? and he probably doesn’t see a huge difference between ‘not informing Thor of his unintended survival’ and ‘intentionally faking his death’ anyway.) 

#unpopular opinions meme #loki's a goddamn mess #thor is my favorite puppy #infinity war negativity #anonymous #conversating

[redteabaron]

tyrion - the giant surtr

“...and you. A small man with a big shadow, snarling in the midst of it all.” - Moqorro 

“Oh I think Lord Tyrion is quite a large man. I think he is a giant come among us, at the end of the world.” - Aemon 

“He’s a bigger man than he seems, I think.” - Garlan Tyrell 

There’s a lot of quotes and references to Tyrion being a giant. In the books he’s got a voracious appetite for food, women, wine, and even ambition, although it is tempered for the time being due to his proximity to and love for his family. But he does have some need for recognition, glory, power - who doesn’t? He is one of the original underdogs of the books, commiserating with Jon over their shared station and telling Jon to accept it so people can’t hurt him with it. He’s among the many POV characters who wants love and respect, and is denied it for one reason or another. 

He’s shown to be a rather capable commander in war, and quite surprisingly brave when met with battle, despite any obstacles he naturally comes into contact with. 

But all the quotes and references to him being bigger than what he seemed to be really got me thinking. He’s more than a brain. On one hand this points to him having a lot of heart and drive. On the other, I like to examine the bits of mythos scattered in asoiaf and all the references GRRM likes to sneak in. 

In the books he’s set to meet Dany, ‘daughter of death’, ‘the mother of dragons’, ‘the dragon’s daughter’, etc what have you, and Dany represents a cataclysmic event of fire and brimstone (blood) focusing in on Westeros (IT). So...is he only a commander? An advisor as he was in the show? In the books he’s surely on the darker side of the gray morality scale, he’s a lot more obviously ambitious in his POV, has numerous revenge fantasies that may just be fantasies (or may not), and has a great appetite for all things. He is/will be Dany’s commander and advisor, but I don’t think he’ll take such a lightly placid role as he did in the show. The setup, imo, is a lot darker. He isn’t just a bystander, he is a major player in the Game. 

But he’s a Lannister, south of the Wall, how the f is he a giant? Just his great appetite? Nah. 

Surtr means ‘black’ or ‘swarthy’ in Old Norse, and while Tyrion carries traditional Lannister coloring and features, that isn’t all he carries. In the books he has mismatched eyes of green and black, and his hair had both blonde and black in it. Surtr is also believed to have originated from the south. 

In both the Poetic Edda and Prose Edda specifically Voluspa, Surtr, the jotunn goes to battle against the gods, locked in combat with Freyr (god of prosperity, fertility, peace, and sunshine whose book counterpart may be Aegon/Young Griff though I don’t believe Tyrion will be the one to kill him with his own hands, but may plan or suggest it and will help kickstart the dance of dragons that Dany will already be gearing up for once Aegon moves to claim the throne, esp if it’s ever revealed that Dany at this point in time has difficulty bearing children/is barren) with a great flaming sword and thereafter brings forth flames that burn the world. He guards the realm of Muspelheim (a fiery realm, home to fire giants), from which he will command Muspell’s sons in the war of Ragnarok and burn the world after defeating the gods. 

Tyrion may not wield Lightbringer or be the immediate choice of Surtr’s role (which Stannis could arguably and obviously fill; he’s black haired, tall as he’s a Baratheon, wields a flaming sword, is associated with flames and has Melisandre at his side but imo he’s a red herring for a greater engine of destruction), but if he is at Dany’s side he won’t need a red priestess or a flaming sword or a tall stature. He casts a very long shadow, and Dany has proven to be warlike, an instrument of destruction knowingly or not. Dany won’t be so easily turned to this or that direction, but as she proved with Daario, when it is something that appeals to her, she can be guided (in the way that all of his solutions were bloody and violent and she preferred those methods to peace which bored and annoyed her). Dany has power (dragons and armies) that Tyrion doesn’t, so they will likely work as one unit at least for a good chunk of time. In a way, Dany will be his flaming sword, and they will set the world on fire. 

The original book canon Tyrion casts a long shadow with a great appetite, and has proven he will fight, and not always with honor (killing his father who was unarmed), and will join forces with a woman hellbent on claiming the iron throne (yet the kingdom is splintered and the north will undoubtedly object again to a ruler that doesn’t care for the north). He will undoubtedly end up north somehow as his marriage to Sansa Stark (key to the North) will be a lure (because I’m pretty sure Harry is going to die during the tourney and Sansa will escape with Mya’s help, heading for Jon). His constant references to the Wall circle back there, not to mention he does resent (and lust for) Sansa for rejecting him (and will likely transfer that resentment to the north for not wanting him as lord if/when he comes to collect on that marriage). He’s not going to just talk and drink wine and fade into the background as he did in the show, or jokingly let things go anymore; as horrid as his family could be to him, Tyrion’s family did help ground him (specifically his niece and nephew and Jaime, as well as his desire to not totally disappoint his father/desire for acknowledgement that would never come). But when he killed his father, that was a sign of becoming unfettered. We’ll be seeing a much darker Tyrion who will have a lot more power on his side, and he won’t necessarily be fettered by family if Myrcella and Tommen die (I hesitate to bank on the Cersei and Jaime being enough). The north will see him come again, and not just for wine or Wintertown. 

“...and later I dreamt that maid again, slaying a savage giant in a castle made of snow.” - Ghost of High Heart 

I used to think this could only pertain to Littlefinger, but I wonder.

#anti tyrion lannister #anti-tyrion #asoiaf spec #is it really anti? #i have no idea #imma just tag it so ppl can ignore it #anti daenerys #playing fast and loose with norse mythology #nothing ever translates over directly word for word so eh

[ravenousnightwind]

Black

Fiery

Lord of Muspel

Largest of Flames

Fire down below

He's the flaming mountain

Volcano

There before the gods

He watched them grow

He's Surt

Magma

Lava

Flow

Heat

Power

Raging Inspiration

Surt

Brazen

He's Surt

King of Muspelheim

Surt!

#heathenry #rokkatru #paganism #norse paganism #polytheism #surtr #hymn #heathen hymns #modern hymn #pagan #pagan hymns