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bonpocalypse · 9 months

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can you please tell me your headcanons for the nationalities of the twst boys pretty pretty please 🥺 also any other headcanons you have!!!

I love love love nationality headcanons, they're so fun to think of!! A reminder that these are my headcanons, I'm not here to start arguments. If anything does come across as offensive/innapropriate please let me know! I'll gladly fix it :)

For the most part, I based the Twst Character's nationalities off of where their stories take place (I'm not all that skilled in headcanons, apologies!!)

Alright, going in dorm order here:

Heartslabyul

Riddle Rosehearts: Icelandic/Britsh

I have him as Icelandic purely because of LeafSheep's "Begin at the Beginning," the King Said!! Nordic Heartslabyul has my heart. and ofc since Heartslabyul is based on Alice in Wonderland, he's half-British in my headcanons

Ace Trappola: British

Alice in Wonderland :)

I don't have much to say about Ace, I kinda don't think about him all that much

Deuce Spade: Irish

In coming up with nationality headcanons, I wanted to explore more areas in the British Isles for the Heartslabyul students and eventually decided on Deuce being Irish! I had more reasonings but its 5 am and I cannot think for the love of me.

Cater Diamond: American with English/German heritage

I see myself in Cater. He's one of my highest kins, so he's 100% from West Coast USA. It also makes a lot of sense he'd be American looking at how similar some nations in the Twisted Wonderland universe are to nations in our own world! Pyroxene is really similar to the United States from what I've researched, and Cater's valley accent in the English version of the game really hits the mark :)

As for his heritage, he's English because of Alice in Wonderland and German because I feel it fits him very well

Trey Clover: British

I don't think about Trey often enough sorry :(((

I love him though he's so silly

Savanaclaw

Leona Kingscholar: Kenyan

The Lion King takes place in the Kenya area, and so I put him there!

Jack Howl: American with Kenyan/French heritage

Another Pyroxien!

Kenyan because Savanaclaw was based on the Lion King and that's set in Kenya

French because I have a sneaking suspicion Jack is based on the wolves from Beauty and the Beast

Ruggie: South African

Ruggie was hard to find a headcanon for, but I eventually just took someone else's headcanon that said he is South African

Octavinelle

Azul Ashengrotto: Italian/French/Danish

All come from where the Little Mermaid is set in both the movie form and the Hans Christian Andersen form. The movie itself was set in the Mediterranean Sea, and I headcanon Azul's family to be from around the Nice, France area of the Mediterranean

Danish comes into play from the original source material for The Little Mermaid and the fact that the Coral Sea in Twst gets cold. Also to note, the Coral Sea on the map of Twisted Wonderland is close to the coast of the Queendom of Roses, which is pretty far north!

Jade and Floyd Leech: Danish

Putting these two together because twins

Pretty much the same reasonings as Azul, the book's settings and the Coral Sea :)

Scarabia

Kalim Al-Asim: Saudi Arabian

I'm going to be so honest, I don't think about Scarabia like... at all. So for Kalim, I'm going straight out of where Aladdin is supposed to be set

That also came as a problem, because the movie has a habit of mashing Middle Eastern cultures together. Though I did find that the movie takes place in the Arabian Desert which narrows where Aladdin was filmed to a myriad of countries, one of which is Saudi Arabia

I decided to go with Saudi Arabia since a majority of the desert does reside within that country.

Jamil Viper: Saudi Arabian/South Asian

Same thing as for my headcanons with Kalim, and I got the South Asian headcanon from a mutual on TikTok

Pomefiore

Vil Schoenheit: American with German heritage

Hollywood star here, folks!

German heritage because of Snow White's setting :)

Epel Felmier: Finnish

Ok for this headcanon I went off of the Harveston event

(hey future Bon edit here when its not 5 am and running off of no sleep)

Rook Hunt: Australian

This headcanon is for shits and giggles

It's a running joke between me and my friend that Rook is not French and is faking the accent to sound more "beautiful"

I don't know why we chose Australia specifically but it came to fruition

He can't speak proper French he's literally calling Vil the King of Fish

Ignihyde

Idia and Ortho Shroud: Greek

Hercules is set in Greece!

Diasomnia

Malleus Draconia: French

For Diasomnia I went off of movie settings once again, and Sleeping Beauty is heavily implied to be set in France!

I really feel like I should explain more but that's really most of my headcanons for them, where their movies are set

Silver: French

Silver is tough to pin down since we don't know if he's even originally from the Briar Valley, but I went with French as well

Sebek Zigvolt: French/German

(Bon please please please come back to this)

Lilia Vanrouge: French

I actually have so many nationality headcanons on this dude its not even funny

I imagine him as French, Romanian, and Dutch

And for funnies:

Royal Sword (and Rollo) (excluding the dwarves)

Neige LeBlanche: American with German/Finnish Heritage

Che'nya: British/Russian

Rollo Flamm: French

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franzeraphym · 10 months

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Let's see who the most common kin is :) (top 3 kins will make it to the next round)

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scarvi-tealdisc · 4 months

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So, I've been pretty invested in an AU where Drayton is a Hisuian Zorua shared by an anon at @cheemken's blog. I've seen fanart of Drayton with a Hisuian Zorua so I latched onto that and started this writing project. I've got a vague plot, a hope and a prayer so hopefully this would be an enjoyable read!

Series: Pokemon

Characters: Drayton (Hisuian Zorua)

Chapter 1

It had no welcome for the stinging bits of ice that pelted its fur, though that was the norm in Alabaster Icelands. It trudged on through the heavy snow, whimpering with each step that put pressure on its injured leg.

Eventually, the frozen downpour became so harsh that it bruised skin beneath thick fur. It deviated off the path, taking refuge in a small cave some fifty meters off the path. The ground underneath was cold but dry, so it curled up into the smallest ball possible in a meager attempt to warm up.

A blizzard soon rolled through, its howling winds whipping the sharp pieces mixed with snow into its shelter. It burrowed further back, the rock scraping against its small body until the wind couldn’t touch it.

The raging snowstorm drowned out its soft, pitiful whimpers. It wished to see its littermates. It yearned for the gentle nip of its parent whenever it got a little too rowdy. It wanted to curl up with its pack, the littlest ones at the center, surrounded by safety and warmth.

It weakly lifted its head and cried.

It cried out for littermates that have long gone missing, for a pack scattered by human invasion, for a parent who bled crimson amidst the pristine snow.

It cried until it could cry no more, head drooped in exhausted defeat. From the pain permeating from its injured leg, it knows that it can’t survive long within this harsh, frozen landscape. Hunger gnawed at its stomach, having not eaten anything since it ran from the humans.

The baser part of its instincts screamed at it to get up, to keep moving, to keep on living for its kin. Though like the roaring winds outside, exhaustion drowned out everything else. Even if it wanted to, it knew deep down that it wasn’t possible. The only attacks it knew were to scratch and bite. It never got the chance to properly learn from its parent, and now it never will.

Shivers wracked through its small frame due the frigid temperatures and its fear, present and ever growing. An uncertain future loomed over it, even if it could think of a future. It was highly likely that it wouldn’t survive through the week, either from a worsening wound, getting picked off by larger predators or humans deciding that its existence was not tolerated.

Briefly, the wisps on its head waxed and waned from resentment, burning white hot in its stomach. What did it do to deserve this fate? It lived peacefully with its pack within a territory far from human settlement. The elder Zoroark have taught it and its littermates of how dangerous human could be, to instill a sense of wariness that could be the difference between life and death.

It was safer to hide than to fight, they were told.

They hid but the humans came to them anyway, braving the harsh cold they were forced to live in with stronger creatures at their beck and call. What could they have done at such an onslaught but to flee?

Some chose to fight. Others unwillingly so, like its parent who fell in an attempt to protect it. The opportunity given so tragically allowed it to run, run, run.

Its resentment faded as quickly as it flared. Whimpers once again filled the small space. Cold, hurt, exhausted, hungry–it could do nothing to ease any of it. Truly, the only fate left for them was a slow, painful end.

Yellow eyes slowly slid shut. Exhaustion had finally claimed it. Perhaps if it was lucky, it’d fall into a deep, deep slumber where it no longer experienced anything bad. Maybe it could dream of being with its parent, safe in its arms.

As it succumbed to its fatigue, it remained unaware of the blizzard’s sudden end due to the giant vortex that formed above the cave it took shelter in. Energy befitting that of the gods surged from the rift and–

—

Ever so slowly, it opened its eyes.

Slow blinks sharpened its vision until it saw… greenery. Even as exhausted as it was, it quickly scrambled to its feet, whimpering from the stab of pain that radiated due to the sudden movement. While its senses were dulled, it went into high alert, head slowly turning to take in its surroundings.

This… where was this place? Throughout its short life, it only knew of the vast, white landscape of the Alabaster Icelands. The elder Zoroark had shared tales of human settlements being amidst greener pastures but it seemed like an impossibility to its young mind. A place where it was green and not white? Where it was warm and not cold?

The unfamiliar area struck fear within it. All kinds of scents wafted around it, and it flinched from every snap and crackle that came from the foliage. It did not know where it was, only that being exposed like this made it an easy prey for predators.

It should get up, see if there was a burrow or cave somewhere where it could hide until it felt a little calmer. Standing on wobbly feet, it was only able to take a few pain filled steps before–

“Oh? Now what's this?”

Ice filled its veins at the sound. It was the unfamiliar tongue of humans. Flight instincts kicked in and it ran. Or at least it tried to. Its legs buckled beneath its exhaustion, a soft whine slipping out from the pain.

The wisps on its head briefly flared as it thought of its resentment, at the injustice of it all but it faded, shackled by the whims of its battered body.

“Oh no, it looks like this little one is hurt…”

Through closed lids, a shadow casted over its form, the human having caught up to it. It didn't recognise the tone, a stark difference from the raging bellows dipped in fury when humans slayed its kin. If it could delude itself into believing, it sounded almost… gentle.

No, that couldn't be right. Humans are never kind to its kind.

In its momentary distracted state, the human had closed the distance even further. When hands started to cage its sides, instincts kicked in alongside the surge of cold fear. Using up the last dredges of its energy, it turned to bury small teeth into flesh, where it tasted warm iron from drawn blood.

The human hissed in pain, the fleshy cage loosening just enough for it to wiggle free. Still, its freedom was short-lived, having no strength left to even run afterwards.

To think its last act was a foolish one. It showed hostile desperation and it will be met in turn by justified retaliation. Such was the nature of humans towards its kin.

“Yowch. Guess that was pretty stupid of me to do.”

As a dark shadow loomed over its battered body, it curled up into the tightest ball it could, incapable of putting up a fight anymore. Shaking and whimpering, it hoped the human could at least grant it the slightest bit of mercy by giving it a swift, painless end.

A heavy pressure settled on its back. A strong shove will break its spine, so it braced itself for the inevitable.

Instead of feeling crushed bones, the oddest sensation occurred instead. At the crown of its head, it felt… gentle brushes. Through the unpracticed motions of a too smooth surface, it remembered the times where its parent groomed it.

“Shh… that's it. I'm not going to hurt you.”

Unbelievably, it felt… comforted. It could not understand the human's words but the tone somehow soothed it. In its mind’s eye, it recalled times within the den where its parent groomed it after spending time outside. Those were the moments where it felt safe, comforted, loved.

Tears sprung to its eyes, eventually spilling over to dot the ground. It once again cried for everything that it lost, sorrow aching deeply within its soul.

Humans were the cause behind it and yet, it was this human that gave it a feeling of comfort with their strange gentleness. Perhaps this was simply a trick to lower its guard and strike when the opportunity arose but by this point, it truly couldn't care anymore.

Eventually its cries tapered off when it succumbed to exhaustion once more. It remained still as the human properly picked it up, secured within gentle arms.

Life for it will take a turn that it would never see coming but for now, it slept on.

#Pokemon #Pokemon Scarlet and Violet #Pokemon Drayton #Elite Four Drayton #Hisuian Zorua #Hisuian Zorua Drayton AU #Hana writes stuff #I'll see where the hyperfixation takes me haha

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westeroswisdom · 2 months

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Previously we featured a post about Nikolaj Coster-Waldau having a leading role in the upcoming historical series King and Conqueror.

Now comes news that Nikolaj won't be the only Game of Thrones alum in that series about William of Normandy's big move in 1066.

CBS Studios and the BBC’s period drama series “King & Conqueror” has revealed additional cast members, including “The Crown’s” Luther Ford and “Game of Thrones” actor Joseph Mawle, as it begins production in Iceland. [ ... ] They join the previously announced James Norton as Harold, Earl of Wessex; Nikolaj Coster-Waldau as William, Duke of Normandy; Emily Beecham as Edith Swan-neck, Harold of Wessex’s wife; and Clémence Poésy as Matilda, William of Normandy’s wife. [ ... ] Mawle, who also has a role in “The Rings of Power,” will play Fitzosbern, William’s protector since he was a boy and the closest thing he has to a friend. A grounded and straightforward soldier who has stood beside William his whole life. 

Joseph Mawle portrayed Benjen Stark who disappeared during Season 1 but returned in later seasons to come to the rescue of kin.

Benjen Stark and Jaime Lannister may have rubbed elbows when King Robert Baratheon visited Winterfell with his large entourage. But I can't recall, offhand, any interactions between the two.

This is not the first time that two GoT alums will appear together in another series. For example: Kristian Nairn (Hodor) and Joel Fry (Hizdahr zo Loraq) both appeared in Our Flag Means Death.

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caracello · 10 months

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i'm updating my kinlist rn just for funsies (mostly just shuffling them around + adding ones i forgor) and mmy like. big kins list is making me laugh. 2 icelanders 1 dead girl 2 girls who got really into sports 3 robots and the most normalest guy in the world. who's also dead.

#harold is kinda a dead wife. like i wasn't married or dating anyone but like if you think about it.#.txt #insane how much bh is me btw because like i rarely think about them but when i do it's like ohhh god.#ohhh my goodddddddddddd that happened to me. Holy Moly.#idk if vega should be on the big guys list tbh but i like him there. so he csn stay 🤍.

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artsyaech · 14 days

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•welcome aboard the spaceship•

updated intro post!

hello, my (main) names are:

aech

froggie

kandi

ocean

a full list of my names can be found here!

my pronouns are (in order of my most to least preferred):

xae/xaer/xaers/xaerself (or xaerselves, both works)

ix/ix/ix/ixself

it/its/its/itself

quoi/quoir/quoirs/quoirself

ae/aer/aers/aerself

gneep/gnarp/gneeps/gnarpself

my icelandic pronouns are:

hán/hán/háni/háns

það/það/því/þess

ský/ský/skýi/skýs

i use way more pronouns, please ask me about them! do not use they/them for me

i am a white icelander with dyed hair (it changes colors pretty much every month, as of writing, it is pink and green). i have scottish ancestry.

i am neurodivergent (autism, adhd, professionally diagnosed. non-definite self-diagnosis of dyspraxia and alexithymia) and mentally ill (anxiety, recovering depression, gender dysphoria, professionally diagnosed)

i am 16 years old

my current special interests / hyperfixations: my chemical romance, pride flags and queer things in general (i’ve had that special interest going strong since 2018) and alternative subcultures (including j-fashion)

i am alterhuman. i am an alien (otherkin), and a red-eyed tree frog and white-nosed coatimundi therian. i am otherhearted and fictionkin as well!

i am a MOGAI blog, i make pride flags when i feel like it.

flag requests: open!

themed names / pronouns requests: open!

tags:

#aech reblogs (my reblogs)

#aech rambles (me yapping)

#aech’s terms (my flags and coined terms) (if you just want to see my coined terms, i recommend checking out

#aech’s asks (my asks)

#aech rants (me ranting. usually no venting involved)

#aech helps with neos (themed pronoun requests)

#aech helps with names (themed name requests)

#aech’s favs (my favorite posts)

i try to tag whether or not a post has an image ID, but i often forget (i’m trying)

my sideblogs:

@artsystims stimboards, with image descriptions!

@aechshoard my identityhoarding blog

@aechs-kin-blog my otherkin-focused blog

(i have way more, ask for more if you want to)

DNI, BYF, blacklist and more under cut (to be added)

[PT: DNI, BYF, blacklist and more under cut]

#intro post #about me

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legend-collection · 10 months

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Norns

The Norns are deities in Norse mythology responsible for shaping the course of human destinies.

In the Völuspá, the three primary Norns Urðr (Wyrd), Verðandi, and Skuld draw water from their sacred well to nourish the tree at the center of the cosmos and prevent it from rot. These three Norns are described as powerful maiden giantesses (Jotuns) whose arrival from Jötunheimr ended the golden age of the gods. The Norns are also described as maidens of Mögþrasir in the Vafþrúðnismál.

Beside the three Norns tending Yggdrasill, pre-Christian Scandinavians attested to Norns who visit a newborn child in order to determine the person's future. These Norns could be malevolent or benevolent: the former causing tragic events in the world while the latter were kind and protective.

There are a number of surviving Old Norse sources that relate to the norns. The most important sources are the Prose Edda and the Poetic Edda. The latter contains pagan poetry where the norns are frequently referred to, while the former contains, in addition to pagan poetry, retellings, descriptions and commentaries by the 12th and 13th century Icelandic chieftain and scholar Snorri Sturluson.

A skaldic reference to the norns appears in Hvini's poem in Ynglingatal 24 found in Ynglingasaga 47, where King Halfdan is put to rest by his men at Borró. This reference brings in the phrase "norna dómr" which means "judgment of the nornir". In most cases, when the norns pass judgment, it means death to those who have been judged - in this case, Halfdan. Along with being associated with being bringers of death, Bek-Pedersen suggests that this phrase brings in a quasi-legal aspect to the nature of the norns. This legal association is employed quite frequently within skaldic and eddic sources. This phrase can also be seen as a threat, as death is the final and inevitable decision that the norns can make with regard to human life. Ok til Þings Þriðja jǫfri Hvedðrungs mær ór heimi bauð pás Halfdan, sás Holtum bjó, norna dóms of notit hafði. Ok buðlung á Borrói sigrhafendr síðan fólu. And to a meeting Hveðrungr's maid called the third king from the world, at the time when Halfdan, he who lived at Holt, had embraced the judgment of the nornir; and at Borró the victorious men later did hide the king.

The Poetic Edda is valuable in representing older material in poetry from which Snorri tapped information in the Prose Edda. Like Gylfaginning, the Poetic Edda mentions the existence of many lesser norns beside the three main norns. Moreover, it also agrees with Gylfaginning by telling that they were of several races and that the dwarven norns were the daughters of Dvalin. It also suggests that the three main norns were giantesses (female Jotuns).

Fáfnismál contains a discussion between the hero Sigurd and the dragon Fafnir who is dying from a mortal wound from Sigurd. The hero asks Fafnir of many things, among them the nature of the norns. Fafnir explains that they are many and from several races: Sigurðr kvað: 12. "Segðu mér, Fáfnir, alls þik fróðan kveða ok vel margt vita, hverjar ro þær nornir, er nauðgönglar ro ok kjósa mæðr frá mögum." - Fáfnir kvað: 13. "Sundrbornar mjök segi ek nornir vera, eigu-t þær ætt saman; sumar eru áskunngar, sumar alfkunngar, sumar dætr Dvalins." Sigurth spake: 12. "Tell me then, Fafnir, for wise thou art famed, And much thou knowest now: Who are the Norns who are helpful in need, And the babe from the mother bring?" - Fafnir spake: 13. "Of many births the Norns must be, Nor one in race they were; Some to gods, others to elves are kin, And Dvalin's daughters some."

It appears from Völuspá and Vafþrúðnismál that the three main norns were not originally goddesses but giants (Jotuns), and that their arrival ended the early days of bliss for the gods, but that they come for the good of humankind.

Völuspá relates that three giants of huge might are reported to have arrived to the gods from Jotunheim: 8. Tefldu í túni, teitir váru, var þeim vettergis vant ór gulli, uns þrjár kvámu þursa meyjar ámáttkar mjök ór Jötunheimum. 8. In their dwellings at peace they played at tables, Of gold no lack did the gods then know,-- Till thither came up giant-maids three, Huge of might, out of Jotunheim.

Vafþrúðnismál probably refers to the norns when it talks of maiden giants who arrive to protect the people of earth as protective spirits (hamingjas): 49. "Þríar þjóðár falla þorp yfir meyja Mögþrasis; hamingjur einar þær er í heimi eru, þó þær með jötnum alask." 49. O’er people’s dwellings three descend of Mögthrasir’s maidens, the sole Hamingiur who are in the world, although with Jötuns nurtured.

The Völuspá contains the names of the three main Norns referring to them as maidens like Vafþrúðnismál probably does: 20. Þaðan koma meyjar margs vitandi þrjár ór þeim sæ, er und þolli stendr; Urð hétu eina, aðra Verðandi, - skáru á skíði, - Skuld ina þriðju; þær lög lögðu, þær líf kuru alda börnum, örlög seggja. 20. Thence come the maidens mighty in wisdom, Three from the dwelling down 'neath the tree; Urth is one named, Verthandi the next,-- On the wood they scored,-- and Skuld the third. Laws they made there, and life allotted To the sons of men, and set their fates.

The norns visited each newly born child to allot his or her future, and in Helgakviða Hundingsbana I, the hero Helgi Hundingsbane has just been born and norns arrive at the homestead: 2. Nótt varð í bæ, nornir kómu, þær er öðlingi aldr of skópu; þann báðu fylki frægstan verða ok buðlunga beztan þykkja. - 3. Sneru þær af afli örlögþáttu, þá er borgir braut í Bráluni; þær of greiddu gullin símu ok und mánasal miðjan festu. - 4. Þær austr ok vestr enda fálu, þar átti lofðungr land á milli; brá nift Nera á norðrvega einni festi, ey bað hon halda. 2. 'Twas night in the dwelling, and Norns there came, Who shaped the life of the lofty one; They bade him most famed of fighters all And best of princes ever to be. - 3. Mightily wove they the web of fate, While Bralund's towns were trembling all; And there the golden threads they wove, And in the moon's hall fast they made them. - 4. East and west the ends they hid, In the middle the hero should have his land; And Neri's kinswoman northward cast A chain, and bade it firm ever to be.

In Helgakviða Hundingsbana II, Helgi Hundingsbane blames the norns for the fact that he had to kill Sigrún's father Högni and brother Bragi in order to wed her: 26 "Er-at þér at öllu, alvitr, gefit, - þó kveð ek nökkvi nornir valda -: fellu í morgun at Frekasteini Bragi ok Högni, varð ek bani þeira. "Maid, not fair is all thy fortune, The Norris I blame that this should be; This morn there fell at Frekastein Bragi and Hogni beneath my hand.

Like Snorri Sturluson stated in Gylfaginning, people's fate depended on the benevolence or the malevolence of particular norns. In Reginsmál, the water dwelling dwarf Andvari blames his plight on an evil norn, presumably one of the daughters of Dvalin: 2. "Andvari ek heiti, Óinn hét minn faðir, margan hef ek fors of farit; aumlig norn skóp oss í árdaga, at ek skylda í vatni vaða." 2. "Andvari am I, and Oin my father, In many a fall have I fared; An evil Norn in olden days Doomed me In waters to dwell."

Sigurðarkviða hin skamma

Another instance of Norns being blamed for an undesirable situation appears in Sigurðarkviða hin skamma, where the valkyrie Brynhild blames malevolent norns for her long yearning for the embrace of Sigurd: 7. Orð mæltak nú, iðrumk eftir þess: kván er hans Guðrún, en ek Gunnars; ljótar nornir skópu oss langa þrá." 7. "The word I have spoken; soon shall I rue it, His wife is Guthrun, and Gunnar's am I; Ill Norns set for me long desire."

Brynhild's solution was to have Gunnarr and his brothers, the lords of the Burgundians, kill Sigurd and afterwards to commit suicide in order to join Sigurd in the afterlife. Her brother Atli (Attila the Hun) avenged her death by killing the lords of the Burgundians, but since he was married to their sister Guðrún, Atli would soon be killed by her. In Guðrúnarkviða II, the Norns actively enter the series of events by informing Atli in a dream that his wife would kill him. The description of the dream begins with this stanza: "Svá mik nýliga nornir vekja," - vílsinnis spá vildi, at ek réða, - "hugða ek þik, Guðrún Gjúka dóttir, læblöndnum hjör leggja mik í gögnum." 39. "Now from sleep the Norns have waked me With visions of terror,-- To thee will I tell them; Methought thou, Guthrun, Gjuki's daughter, With poisoned blade didst pierce my body."

After having killed both her husband Atli and their sons, Guðrún blames the Norns for her misfortunes, as in Guðrúnarhvöt, where Guðrún talks of trying to escaping the wrath of the norns by trying to kill herself: 13. Gekk ek til strandar, gröm vark nornum, vilda ek hrinda stríð grið þeira; hófu mik, né drekkðu, hávar bárur, því ek land of sték, at lifa skyldak. 13. "To the sea I went, my heart full sore For the Norns, whose wrath I would now escape; But the lofty billows bore me undrowned, Till to land I came, so I longer must live.

Guðrúnarhvöt deals with how Guðrún incited her sons to avenge the cruel death of their sister Svanhild. In Hamðismál, her sons' expedition to the Gothic king Ermanaric to exact vengeance is fateful. Knowing that he is about to die at the hands of the Goths, her son Sörli talks of the cruelty of the norns: 29. "Ekki hygg ek okkr vera ulfa dæmi, at vit mynim sjalfir of sakask sem grey norna, þá er gráðug eru í auðn of alin. - 30. Vel höfum vit vegit, stöndum á val Gotna, ofan eggmóðum, sem ernir á kvisti; góðs höfum tírar fengit, þótt skylim nú eða í gær deyja; kveld lifir maðr ekki eftir kvið norna." - 31. Þar fell Sörli at salar gafli, enn Hamðir hné at húsbaki. 29. "In fashion of wolves it befits us not Amongst ourselves to strive, Like the hounds of the Norns, that nourished were In greed mid wastes so grim. - 30. "We have greatly fought, o'er the Goths do we stand By our blades laid low, like eagles on branches; Great our fame though we die today or tomorrow; None outlives the night when the Norris have spoken." - 31. Then Sorli beside the gable sank, And Hamther fell at the back of the house.

Since the norns were beings of ultimate power who were working in the dark, it should be no surprise that they could be referred to in charms, as they are by Sigrdrífa in Sigrdrífumál: 17. Á gleri ok á gulli ok á gumna heillum, í víni ok í virtri ok vilisessi, á Gugnis oddi ok á Grana brjósti, á nornar nagli ok á nefi uglu. 17. On glass and on gold, and on goodly charms, In wine and in beer, and on well-loved seats, On Gungnir's point, and on Grani's breast, On the nails of Norns, and the night-owl's beak.

In the part of Snorri Sturluson's Prose Edda which is called Gylfaginning, Gylfi, the king of Sweden, has arrived at Valhalla calling himself Gangleri. There, he receives an education in Norse mythology from what is Odin in the shape of three men. They explain to Gylfi that there are three main norns, but also many others of various races, æsir, elves and dwarves: A hall stands there, fair, under the ash by the well, and out of that hall come three maids, who are called thus: Urdr, Verdandi, Skuld; these maids determine the period of men's lives: we call them Norns; but there are many norns: those who come to each child that is born, to appoint his life; these are of the race of the gods, but the second are of the Elf-people, and the third are of the kindred of the dwarves, as it is said here: Most sundered in birth I say the Norns are; They claim no common kin: Some are of Æsir-kin, some are of Elf-kind, Some are Dvalinn's daughters. Then said Gangleri: "If the Norns determine the weirds of men, then they apportion exceeding unevenly, seeing that some have a pleasant and luxurious life, but others have little worldly goods or fame; some have long life, others short." Hárr said: "Good norns and of honorable race appoint good life; but those men that suffer evil fortunes are governed by evil norns."

The three main norns take water out of the well of Urd and water Yggdrasil: It is further said that these Norns who dwell by the Well of Urdr take water of the well every day, and with it that clay which lies about the well, and sprinkle it over the Ash, to the end that its limbs shall not wither nor rot; for that water is so holy that all things which come there into the well become as white as the film which lies within the egg-shell,--as is here said: I know an Ash standing called Yggdrasill, A high tree sprinkled with snow-white clay; Thence come the dews in the dale that fall-- It stands ever green above Urdr's Well. That dew which falls from it onto the earth is called by men honey-dew, and thereon are bees nourished. Two fowls are fed in Urdr's Well: they are called Swans, and from those fowls has come the race of birds which is so called."

Snorri furthermore informs the reader that the youngest norn, Skuld, is in effect also a valkyrie, taking part in the selection of warriors from the slain: These are called Valkyrs: them Odin sends to every battle; they determine men's feyness and award victory. Gudr and Róta and the youngest Norn, she who is called Skuld, ride ever to take the slain and decide fights.

Some of the legendary sagas also contain references to the norns. The Hervarar saga contains a poem named Hlöðskviða, where the Gothic king Angantýr defeats a Hunnish invasion led by his Hunnish half-brother Hlöðr. Knowing that his sister, the shieldmaiden Hervör, is one of the casualties, Angantýr looks at his dead brother and laments the cruelty of the norns: 32. Bölvat er okkr, bróðir, bani em ek þinn orðinn; þat mun æ uppi; illr er dómr norna." "We are cursed, kinsman, your killer am I! It will never be forgotten; the Norns' doom is evil."

In younger legendary sagas, such as Norna-Gests þáttr and Hrólfs saga kraka, the norns appear to have been synonymous with völvas (witches, female shamans). In Norna-Gests þáttr, where they arrive at the birth of the hero to shape his destiny, the norns are not described as weaving the web of fate, instead Norna appears to be interchangeable and possibly a synonym of vala (völva).

One of the last legendary sagas to be written down, the Hrólfs saga kraka talks of the norns simply as evil witches. When the evil half-elven princess Skuld assembles her army to attack Hrólfr Kraki, it contains in addition to undead warriors, elves and norns.

This romantic representation of the norns depicts one of them (Verdandi according to the runes below) with wings, contrary to folklore.

The belief in the norns as bringers of both gain and loss would last beyond Christianization, as testifies the runic inscription N 351 M from the Borgund stave church: Þórir carved these runes on the eve of Olaus-mass, when he travelled past here. The norns did both good and evil, great toil ... they created for me.

Three women carved on the right panel of Franks Casket, an Anglo-Saxon whalebone chest from the eighth century, have been identified by some scholars as being three norns.

Pic by burnggirl on deviantart

#norns #norse #nordic country

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aro-iceland · 4 months

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not really a drawing request but id love to know more about your ocs??? from what you’ve posted they look amazing??

Thank you VERY much!!! i forgot how much i love to talk about them

(sorry for the old art or picrews, i am too excited to not talk about them and simultaneously not patient enough to redraw them)

All picrew links: Kit + Kevín + Lilly Annalise Piper + Cecily Mikael + Claire Princeton

here's a general overview of everything that exists:

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part 1: em groups

you should at least be vaguely familiar with my em. every single au and whatever hetalia character i feel like grabbing for that day goes in there. interesting little tidbit that somehow hasn't come up so far is that in more human AUs of mine he's part irish! ~20% of icelandic males and 60% of females actually have irish/keltic ancestry!!! ireland being his mom hc is going WILD in me. he's also very magic because that headcanon singlehandedly started the ice obsession in me. how well in tune he is with it and how exactly it looks like depends on the au . i also make him closer friends with swe and fin because i can👍

(excerpt from my em content dedicated whatsapp group with just my (non-hetalia) best friend and me: )

le is there a lot because i love him so so much. incredibly phoenix coded man

there's also monaco, gwendolyn or gwenny to me. she's a permanent resident because i support women's rights (slaying) and wrongs (gambling addictions)

a notable not fully formed character is faroe islands! petra sometimes, emma other times. i genuinely don't know where those names come from. i heard the faroe islands and iceland being referred to as "kind of like twins" and as each othere's "best friends" *somewhere* and i am VERY normal about that too. oh SO normal

part 2: mikael's world

a fusion of 2 groups put into one world, connected by one flimsy tie. it's mostly analogous to real life but no homophobia👍

Group A: Pentagon

Mikael started out as a swedish micronation oc but we don't talk about that. he has a chicken called omelette because of inside jokes during... my wattpad era... shudders. i project onto him a lot and lots of his design is just wish fullfillment. while i love my ocs suffering and angst, because i put so much of myself in him, ultimately, his story is one of healing. major point of difference between us though is that his parents abandoned him and mine... didn't.do.that. 💀👍

Claire and Piper both actually started out as minecraft skins i made for fun!! and then i made them kith:3

Cecily and Kit were added becaue i felt like something was missing to complete the friendgroup!

Group B: menace club

Kevín and Lilly are my ACNL and ACNH side accounts...... and Annalise was some pretty trans woman i drew one day there's nothing much to this

Part 3: D&D

so.. confession: i haven't actually played d&d yet! but my friends love it a lot, i love a couple ttrpg podcasts so.. yeah i have a couple concepts!

The Leighlar Pilayden, or blueberry bitchfuck as i like to call him, Half Elf sorcerer who was abandoned as a babg and raised in a cult which, in a world with multiple deities, somehow ended up believing in the *one* that doesn't exist! he's a sorcerer but they all think his powers a blessing from their god

MY BABY MY SOBBING WET CAT SON! PRINCETON INTEKONA!!!

TIEFLING BARD I might get to play as him soon... negative strength, the only reason he has such a high charisma stat is because everyone pitties him... he accidentally ended up in a criminal gang... he plays the pan flute and bagpipes... pathetic baby

Part 4: Miscellaneous

All the Characters that are alone in their worlds!

(^aesthetic wise but he definitely kins larry)

Brian is the brain cell a friend and i are sharing and also the last one we have. he's a SOO overworked office worker. he has to handle EVERYTHING he's so exhausted please give him a break. he recently got a boyfriend. good for my him

Recently re-named Ailbhe used to be Avery and is a genderless, fully white skinned(as in colour not the skin colour we associate with the word. imagine porcelaine!) and neon yellow haired fallen angel/ex-demi-god!! not much lore but... lots of potential!!

Firenze is... idk he just happened in one history lesson in 2018 and now he's here. bunny boy with lots of responsibilities around the palace!!!

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and ... phew. i THINK that's it? mostly? oh my god. if. there's anyone you wanna know more about... tell ME

#how in the actual fresh hell do i tag this?#trick question #i won't tag this!#except for this #of course

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axyer · 1 year

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Fandoms: Chonny's Charming Chaos Compendium, Animator Vs. Animation, Hollow Knight, Rain World, Ultimate Chicken Horse, FNaF, Undertale, Centaurworld, Spore, Dungeons & Dragons, Pokémon

DNI if you're a fan/interact with the fandom of the sad tie stick figure gets tormented by the black stick figure with red tendrils coming out of their back. Just puttin' it out there so you can block me or I can block you first. No hard feelings.

DNI if you ship characters with abusive dynamics. Representation for my years of horror is not a cute quirky yaoi ship dynamic for you.

And finally, putting this out there because of a specific someone, if you're here to scroll through my account to make fun of me/instigate me, then please just… don't. I don't want to fight you. I fear for one of you in particular, and I know I wasn't much better but me also being bad doesn't make you any less bad. If you are here because you want fresh cringe, then I can assure you that you don't have to do that. We could probably be friends. I like to talk a lot, but I'm a good listener who likes to encourage and motivate people on their ideas. I could probably help you get out of that mindset, too. We don't have to fight. Maybe you just need the change in perspective I had.

If you're one of the many, many otherkin/otherkin-adjacent/"weird stuff" I followed, my accounts for those will be under this cut. I hope to form a community with you all. :)

"Weird Stuff" Blog (SFW Vore/Tickling, etc.) - DM

Kin Blog - @thehearteccentric

Extended About Me…

Góðan daginn! I'm AXYER, but nicknames are very welcome! And if we're really close, you can call me Axon. ;)

I'm a long-legged plant-winged floating-crowned scarf-wearing stick figure that humbly spawned in the Void and now wishes to spread my stories and my love to the world. You'd think you could get a lot done with fifteen limbs total, but even beings of eternal nothingness can't get much done when it comes to motivation.

I love psychology, I know things I can't share because of mob mentality, that's how cool and intelligent I am. I also consider myself to be an at least remarkably good writer. I like taking confidence in things I know I'm good with, baby steps into developing self-love is better than putting yourself down so internet strangers don't think you like yourself enough that it's invalid.

I also love zoology, astronomy, biomes, ethnic features, modern Iceland/Icelandic culture (yes I'm a dirty American), winter/night aesthetics, trains, and a few more my busy brain can't afford me to think of right now. My main interests in psychology are trauma responses and my main interest in writing is character-writing and worldbuilding.

I find that getting immersed in a good story is very healthy for the soul, just as long as you don't wade too deep that you can't pull yourself out. My dreams are to bring my silly, self-indulgent stories to the world and help people get lost in them, too, even if for only a little bit. Nothing brings me more joy than the idea of helping people get lost somewhere they feel safe, if not thrilled from the drama rather than poisoned.

If you're interested in any of my stories, I'd be happy to share a bit about them.

The primary ones would be:

-Pillow Club, a very self-indulgent AU where fictional characters from all sorts of worlds beyond the perceivable multiverse live inside of modern rural Iceland, with a lot of supernatural worldbuilding but ultimately restricted to urban fantasy. The main cast lives within the Pillow Club, a big, apartment complex-esque building where characters live for free at the cost of stricter living conditions, run by a certain well-known rabbit serial killer man with a lot of secrets. It's intended to have similar stakes to a more exaggerated, supernatural slice-of-life version of reality; there's no overarching goal, characters go about things as they do and conflicts and goals change as life happens. The main protagonists are all from niche to semi-niche stories, namely my AUs of the such.

-Get Angry, an AU of the story referenced in the very beginning of this post in the DNI; another urban fantasy slice-of-life that takes place in Nottingham, England in a world where instead of humans, there's extremely compassionate, cat-like stick figures with a significantly happier world but an underdeveloped legal system. It mainly centres around Gillian, an eccentric, sort of a bit insane aspiring physician and psychologist and his younger brother Mike, a sarcastic yet shy and creative, significantly more normal stick who has a not nearly as normal life, both due to circumstance and his ability to perceive the supernatural. Gillian's inability to remain sane and Mike's affiliation with the supernatural are the main driving points of the story, and if you know the story this is from then you can probably figure out with the driving conflict is.

-Untitled Chonny Jash AU (yes that's the actual AU name), a Chonny's Charming Chaos Compendium AU in-which Cameron (Whole), a severely tormented child, spontaneously has two bizarre animal-like creatures split off for him after becoming emancipated at only (roughly) thirteen. The two ids, Heart, an angelic, purple id with a boisterous and friendly disposition, and Mind, a robotic, shark-like blue id with a much more reserved, awkward, and stoic (yet well-meaning) personality come to be Cameron's only joy in life, and he raises the two the best he can (which thankfully, they age extremely fast) and they're one happy family, until Cameron loses his humanity and becomes an id as well. Heart and Mind not only face hurt from Cameron's family, but soon, Cameron himself; now Soul.

In-case you can't tell, I have a knack for extreme canon-divergence. It's just how I roll.

As for DNI? Well, DNIs aren't exactly… known for their effectiveness. All I'll say is if you're a com-shipper, I'm blocking you, you're mean and you make me extremely uncomfortable and I don't want to fight you. I do also tend to block for whatever reason, if you simply make me uncomfortable I'll block you.

I'm also a Heart fictionkin! I'm not comfortable with other Heart fictionkins (or any type of Heart identifier, really), so I apologise.

Anyway, I am EXTREMELY tired! So long, and thanks for stopping by to read! I'm sure we can get along even if we don't agree on much, I'm not the type who likes to argue. And if you don't want to be friends, that's fine too. It's just nice seeing ya stop by. :)

DISCLAIMER: If you end up identifying as anyone from the comic in my DNI I mentioned and/or Heart (Heart fictionkins/synpath/fictionhearted are on thin ice but anything else continue reading), even if it's for a reason you can't control I'm very sorry but I will most likely cut off contact with you for my own personal well-being. Please don't fight me on this, or make a big deal out of and get your friends to have at me or what have you. I'm setting this boundary now, and I want anyone and everyone to respect it even if you don't like it. There is only one exception to this and I promise you are not of the exception. Please don't try to convince me otherwise, I'm saying it right here and I need you to understand I will not be able to handle it. Thank you.

@nkgrimmie kys

Tags…

(I can't guarantee there's content for all of these yet)

#axyer psychology moment - I talk about psychology.

#untitled chonny jash au - I talk about Chonny Jash AU (that also belongs to nkgrimmie) where Heart and Mind are sort of aliens who love to argue for fun and also Soul sucks.

#reprise - I talk about a Tally Hall/Miracle Musical AU starring simultaneously the most unhinged and morally stable Simon that exists, though you might wanna question the definition of "ethical".

#get angry - I talk about my AU, that also also belongs to nkgrimmie, of a forbidden stick figure comic that we don't talk about around here anymore. Basically, cat-like friendly happy stick figure people who for some reason have legal torture.

#unfortunate destiny - I talk about my Ultimate Chicken Horse-Happy Tree Friends AU that has no right to be as developed as it is. Ultimate Axolotl's basically Sarah Lynn who challenges Satan for validation.

#pillow club - I talk about my extremely multifandom crossover AU that takes place in the middle of nowhere in Iceland. Do you like tired depressed scrawny men? Do you like characters from completely different universe having relationships you'd never thought of but now you're curious about? Do you like a lengthy plot-line following complex trauma arcs? Do you like extreme canon-divergence? Do you like robot dilfs? Then stay tuned.

#nightmares beyond - I talk about my rewritten FNaF AU where I go from William Afton apologist to "he's better as an attention-seeking narcissist".

#at dusk - I talk about my other FNaF AU where William is instead two separate characters, one who's a pure little serow and one where he's angry at everything for existing.

#heart in places heart does not belong in - A CCCC AU where Heart is in different video game universes. It gets deep.

#important - Anything that's important.

#axyer eats a canvas - Art.

#axyer stories - I tell stories.

#axyer rant - I rant about something. Be prepared, I am an extremely passionate person and am usually wrong about at least one thing; please correct me. But politely.

#happy hour - Happy little enjoyable things. :)

#*unfurls scroll* hmmhm yes - I figured I needed a reblog tag, so here it is!

#cool people things - Reblogs/interactions/whatever with my homies.

#extremely cool people things - Reblogs/interactions/whatever with a ROACH.

#the blues and greens - Favourite posts.

#embracing this harmony - All-time favourite posts.

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boghermit · 5 months

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I love reading Orin's dialogue. She uses so many kennings. Skull-meat. Slaughter kin. Rock-rotten. Bone-killer. Gutspill. She would do numbers in medieval Iceland.

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if-you-fan-a-fire · 2 years

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"'Civilian Turned Soldier,' Says Kin," Toronto Star. October 2, 1942. Page 14. ---- SGT. JOHN CARROLL, EXTREME LEFT, AND SIR JOHN DILL, RIGHT --- "I think they should all get medals." declared Edward Carroll, Columbine Ave., when he was informed today that his brother, Sergt. John M. Carroll of the Royal Regiment, had been mentioned in dispatches in connection with the great raid on the French port of Dieppe." "John is a perfect example of acivilian made into a fine soldier." his brother said. "Before the war, John had absolutely no interest in military matters, but within two weeks of the declaration of war he was in the army. He said he just had to get in and help get rid of that guy Hitler.' He went into the first recruiting office he came to and it happened to be that of the Royals." Announcements following the Dieppe raid listed Sergt. Carroll as "dangerously wounded." Letters received by his mother, Mrs. Margaret Carroll of Kitchener, said he had been wounded by gunshot to the abdomen and the left thigh in the storming of the beaches.

"John left home at the age of 18 to join a carnival that came to town," Edward told The Star. "He was always adventurous, but very quiet about his accomplishments. He never mentioned his part in the raid except to say that he was wounded. This news will be welcome to his mother." Sergt. Carroll joined up in September, 1939. and went to England before his regiment to take a special course in trench mortar operation. Later he went to Iceland as an instructor.

#toronto #dieppe #dieppe raid #world war ii #canada during world war 2 #royal canadian regiment #military enlistment #volunteer soldier #canadian soldiers #seriously wounded #mentioned in dispatches #war propaganda

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ren-c-leyn · 2 years

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The Shackles of Time Chapter 11 - The First Quest Part 5

Hello again! :D We’re continuing our exploration of the tunnels in this chapter.

Trigger warnings for this one are pretty similar to the previous chapter: More giant spiders, violence, death, a bit of gore. Nothing overly descriptive, but please tread with caution if these sorts of things bother you.

The word count for this chapter ended up being roughly 3,300.

If this isn’t the chapter you were looking for, or you want to know where the next chapter is hiding, look no further! Here’s a link to the chapter masterlist for you.

And with that, happy reading~!

Arlen bit back another sigh. They hadn’t even been in a real fight, yet, and he was already covered in scratches, scrapes, and fresh bruises that were slowly turning his silver skin various shades of blue and purple. Cherrenth was radiating annoyance and anger, scales raised ever-so-slightly and gaze stubbornly locked forward. He hadn’t said anything in awhile. No one had said anything in awhile, but Arlen could sense a shift in Merle’s mood.

It had been subtle, at first, her shoulders remained just a touch too rigid after the fall. Then came the scanning. Her head constantly moving to and fro, as though she were looking for something. Gradually, her pace had begun to pick up. He was trying to understand what was on her mind. If something was lost, the logical thing would be to go back. If it was a threat, why was her spear not forward?

It clicked. Not immediately, at least not fully, but as soon as his mind touched on it it began to fall into place. Night. Night hadn’t come back after the fall. If she was only fifteen seconds ahead in these long, echoing tunnels, she should have heard it. No, she would have had to hear it. There was no way she couldn’t have.

Unless something happened.

Or she knows we’re hopeless and assumed it was fine.

Arlen sighed.

Aren’t you worried in the slightest, Cherrenth?

About you? Absolutely. About the shade-kin woman? No.

That’s rather cold of you.

Nothing cold about it, it’s logic. You and the icelander are out of your elements down here, clustered in the dark, bound to that single flame. The darkness is the shade-kin’s domain. Of the lot of you, I’d wager my breakfast she’d be the one to survive if things when wrong.

But she’s by herself, with no one to watch her back.

Cherrenth snorted.

Safer, in my experience thus far.

I apologized! My foot slipped.

Yes, yes, I know it slipped, I have the bruises and bits of gold and black hair under my scales to prove it.

Arlen sighed, running a hand across his forehead as he focused on the path ahead. Or as much of it as he could see through Merle. He blinked and then started. A pale figure emerged from the darkness, making Merle stop short as well. He nearly walked into her back, but barely managed to avoid colliding with her.

“Trouble?” Merle asked, anxiety and excitement clinging to her voice.

“Not anymore.”

Arlen raised his eyebrows at the cryptic statement.

See? She is doing better than we are.

Arlen was about to retort when the torch suddenly changed hands. He hadn’t even been able to follow the entire motion Night used to take it from Merle.

“I need to borrow this for a moment,” was the only explanation they got before the torch rounded the corner, taking the light with it.

All five of them stood, silent, stunned, and Arlen wondered if they were all feeling the same flicker of shock and mild betrayal that he did. Merle was the first of them to shake it off.

“Wait!”

Arlen followed quickly at her heels as she chased after Night. Behind him, he heard Glenn and Zephyr snickering to themselves as they followed him. They probably wouldn’t find it so funny if they had to dig out a new torch and light it in the dark. Ahead of him, he could hear Merle trying to get answers out of Night, but only getting silence in reply.

If it weren’t for the torch, he realized Night easily would have lost them in the darkness. She was moving far faster than it looked. He was jogging, bordering a run just to keep up with Merle, and she hadn’t been inside the ring of bright light since the torch was taken. Fifteen seconds wasn’t so long? Ha, might as well have been a lifetime with the way Night kept putting distance between them. Dear moons, how much more of the tunnels had she already seen? And what about them required a torch?

He turned the finally corner and nearly ran into Merle’s back again. In front of them was a small inferno. Arlen leaned around Merle for a better look at the chaos unfolding before him, lightly placing a hand on the center of her back so she knew he was there. His eyes went wide.

In front of him were roughly six dead giant spiders. Gaping wounds still oozed the last of their lifeblood while their webs burned around them. Night danced through the flames, using the torch to light more and more of the strands aflame as ash rained down around her. When it was all burning, she returned and quietly put the torch back into Merle’s hand.

“I thought you said you’d come back if you found trouble?”

Night shrugged.

“They hardly counted as trouble.”

Arlen watched as a dead spider about the size of a pony fell from the burning webs with a sickening thud and shuddered. If this wasn’t what she called trouble, he didn’t want to imagine what she did.

You won’t have to imagine it. You’re an adventurer now, remember? Cherrenth’s voice cut into he back of his mind.

Arlen turned his head to look at his familiar. The golden eyes stared back at him, the reflections of flames dancing in their depths.

You’ll meet the things she calls trouble, and maybe worse. Those stories you read, they talk of the glory, of the victories, but this, Cherrenth pointedly led Arlen’s gaze back to the spiders, to the ash that was beginning to smelt like burnt flesh, this is the reality. Dark tunnels, steep falls, and burning spiders. She knew, as did the icelander. He let the silence linger for a moment before pressing into Arlen’s mind once more. I do not fear for our companions, Arlen. I fear for us, and now we’re in too deep to turn back so easily.

Arlen watched the flames spread higher, caressing the stalactites on the ceiling. It was also beginning to branch down the tunnel, lighting the way to the path they’d be traveling down next.

Perhaps, but it is still better...

Than a slow death of rot and stagnation?

Yes.

We shall see, Arlen of the Broken Tower. We shall see.

How many more times would they have this conversation? He had thought it done after he was accepted into the guild, after they had fought Frostblade Wyndulin.Still, adventuring and sparring were two different thing. Theory and practice rarely match up perfectly. He understood that when he left the tower. He knew it wouldn’t be all taverns and glory. It would be long walks and cold nights sleeping outside. Foraging for food and longing for hot baths. He had done that. And now he could say he had gone through dark tunnels, fallen down steep paths, and watched a Shade-kin woman set fire to a bunch of spiders she had killed by herself.

Experience and progress. At least, that was how he was choosing to look at it.

He looked to his companions. Glenn and Zephyr had gotten oddly serious, for them at least, talking in hushed tones away from the group, occasionally glancing at the spiders, Night, or the tunnel up ahead. He couldn’t hear what they were saying, maybe trying to make a plan for if they had to intervene later. Merle was watching the last of the webs smolder, expression unreadable. Her body language reminded him a bit of pre-sparring, but without the cheerful spark of life. Ready, alert, but she was not skipping now. Her pale eyes roamed the walls.

“This isn’t the same as the tunnels we’ve been traveling.”

“There’s air coming from further down the tunnel,” Night said. “I believe it’s a natural cave.”

Merle hummed.

“Explains the spiders.”

“And why the fire didn’t steal all the air away.”

“You knew ahead of time?”

“I guessed,” Night answered.

Merle hummed again, eyeing their companion carefully.

“Care to scout ahead, if the way is clear? If there’s more to this cave system we’d better check it out too.”

Night gave a nod and then vanished. They waited for a few moments. Glenn watched the tunnels at their back. Zephyr, however, seemed much more interested in watching Merle and Arlen. He understood it was part of why their mentors had come, but it was unsettling to have those sharp grey eyes scrutinizing every little move. It was awkward, or, at least Arlen felt it was. So strange for this group to be so quiet. No jokes or conversation, just silent waiting.

Night returned.

“It is a natural cave, only one other chamber that I can see.”

“More spiders?”

“Near the top, close to an opening. Can’t reach them with melee weapons.”

“A shame,” Merle sighed.

Night nodded, fingers tracing the handle of her dagger, in what Arlen assumed was agreement. His eyes drifted back to the charred spiders.

“You said there was an opening?”

“High, near the ceiling. There may be a broken set of stairs that lead up to it, but it’s hard to tell through the webs.”

Merle nodded.

“A dead end, then. Back up and to the left tunnel?”

“Shouldn’t we kill the last of the spiders?” Arlen cut in. “The point is to make sure the tunnels are safe for Miss Bella, yes?”

“They won’t move from the webs,” Night commented, “not without being hungry or being pushed out by the larger spiders. So it will be safe... for now.”

The slight edge she put on for now sent chills down his spine.

“For now?” he pressed.

“They’ll eventually push out into the tunnels again to look for food and space.”

“How long would that take?” Merle asked.

“Long enough to fix the hole in the wall,” Night answered. “Assuming that our client doesn’t want to use the tunnels.”

Merle nodded.

“Then we can leave them if we need to.”

“Why would we need to, Miss Merle?”

She looked Arlen in the eye.

“If they’re up high, and Zephyr is only observing, then the spider killing falls on you this time. I don’t know much about magic, so I’m not sure what your limits are or what you can do outside of the training grounds. If you think you can handle them all without wearing yourself out, then I don’t see a problem with clearing out the cave for Bella. If that’s too much, then we should move on.”

Arlen thought about it for a moment. His eyes kept flitting back to the dead spiders around the room.

You’re thinking too hard, again, Cherrenth cut into his debate. They’re not telling you to prove yourself. Be smart about...

“I can do it,” he said firmly. “I wouldn’t feel right leaving dangerous creatures in Miss Bella’s basement.”

Cherrenth sighed, dropping his head onto Arlen’s shoulder.

Or just make an impulsive choice to pick fights with giant spiders that are just minding their own business. That’s what I meant.

Arlen sighed at the sarcasm.

Our job is to make sure these tunnels are safe for Miss Bella, and you heard what Miss Night said. Arlen turned to her. “Miss Night, would you please lead the way for me?”

Cherrenth snorted as Night nodded, leveling Arlen with a cool stare the second she turned her back.

You forget yourself, mage, you are more bound to me than I to you. I see you. I see all of you, including the real voice that spurred you into action. The shade-kin goaded you, yes. The client’s concern touched you, yes. But not as deeply as the words cut into your fragile heart.

Arlen followed after Night, as though physically moving would put distance between himself and Cherrenth’s words. Merle walked behind him, torch in hand to light the way forward. Glenn and Zephyr were following behind her, no doubt. Walking as he tried to think of a reply, tried to keep his face as still and calm as Night’s. But no answer came to him, so he let the damning silence stretch on.

They do not judge you.

It is not their judgement that I fear, Arlen answered soberly.

The passage opened up again into a massive chamber. It was roughly round, though far from a perfect circle. The ceiling stretched beyond the dim, orange light of the torch. Another light called down from near the ceiling, cutting dully through the gloom. Strands of something shiny glinted in the natural light. Webs.

His eyes followed the strands into the darkness, squinting as he tried to make out the spiders. He could see better in the darkness than humans, yet he still needed some light. Everything seemed to be a dim haze of grays to him, all blurred together into dark shapes.

In the corner above the opening he could see a dark shape. A massive spider curled almost into a ball as it rested in it’s nest. Close to the opening was another. Smaller, but still bigger than the ones Night had killed. On the opposite side he thought he could make out three more. It was hard to tell if the furthest was a stone or a spider, but he thought it was a spider.

“I count five.”

“There’s ten that I see,” Night replied, looking right above their heads.

He didn’t want to know that. Still, Arlen took a deep breath, carefully pulling on his bond with Cherrenth. Cherrenth looked at him, staring for a brief moment before answering the call. They worked together, pulling on the natural flow of magic around them. Their eyes gained the tell-tale glow as the air shifted around Arlen.

“Miss Night, after I deal with the five near the entrance, would you be willing to guide me to the rest?”

“Yes.”

“Thank you.”

He let his consciousness slip away from reality for a moment, focusing solely on calling out to the magic. It came to him, faster and stronger here, away from the protective wards of the training yard and the ivory towers of his kin. Another reminder that this wasn’t theory or simple practice, this was battle. His skin tingled and he released the staff, letting it float to test his connection. Good, it was stable.

He and Cherrenth set to work, weaving the energy into a spell. The magic energy felt like it was pooling beneath his skin, swimming through his muscles. They’d need more power than usual to get it to reach the spiders. Simple, in theory, but Arlen wasn’t used to working with this much energy at once, and the natural flow of magic seemed torn between rushing into him and ripping its gift from him. He held his composure, forcing himself to focus on the task at hand. Soon, lightening licked at his skin, running impatiently up and down his arm, begging to be set free.

He pointed at the spider and unleashed it. The spider barely saw it coming. Blue lightening stretched across the room, thinning as it got further and further from its castor. Yet, it held enough strength to end the spider before it had even known it had begun. The body writhed and jolted before falling still and slowly tumbling out of the web. Its passing, however, did not go unnoticed. The vibrations rippled through the webs, bringing all of the spiders to attention.

The one at the top moved in the webs, hoping to steal dinner from its neighbor. As it neared the nearly vacated spot in the web, it met a very similar fate. The others began to grow agitated at the vibrations. Fangs dripped with venom and restless legs began to wander. Arlen lost sight of one of the three he had seen, but another emerged from the darkness. He tried not to think about the possibility of one sitting right above his head as he tracked his next target. Tried not to think about the other five he couldn’t see. Had to take this one step at a time. Stop over thinking it.

He took a deep breath and released the next bolt. The spider moved in a way he hadn’t predicted, though. The lightening lashed out at the webbing, setting it ablaze. The spiders fled, moving quickly and unpredictably. Partly to get away from the spreading flames, and partly because those flames were breaking the webs they were climbing on. Many starting using their silk to quickly descend, and Arlen didn’t pass up the opportunity to strike.

He managed to kill two more before they touched the ground, but he couldn’t get them all. One by one, as fire lit up the ceiling, the spiders landed. Merle passed the torch back to Zephyr before pushing herself in front of the party. The shield slid easily from her back and she raised the spear as she sunk into a defensive stance, ready to take the blows for them again. No matter how many times she got knocked into the dirt, she was always ready to take the blows again.

Arlen sucked in a sharp breath, searching for the spiders. In the limited light, he was having a hard time distinguishing them from rocks. He managed to get oen of the bigger ones, but the rest had gone still. His eyes darted back and forth, searching all of the jagged formations for signs of movement.

A cool hand grabbed his wrist, nearly scaring him into accidentally releasing his spell. Arlen’s gaze snapped to Night, but she wasn’t looking at him. Carefully, she guided his arm, pointing it to a specific spot in the gloom.

“There. Strike there.”

She spoke quietly but with a confidence that he couldn’t question. He released the spell. Blue lightening raced into the dark, illuminating the uneven floor of the cave for a brief flash before hitting a spider. The last thing he saw as the light of the magic died was its body being thrown back.

Arlen was too stunned to react for a moment, and Night took the opportunity to guide him to the next one.

“There.”

He followed her command. Again and again, she guided his hand and the spell almost always struck true. There were a few misses due to spiders scurrying at the last moment, but in the end, all ten were dead. Their webs burnt into nothingness.

“Nicely done,” Merle said, clapping Arlen on the shoulder. “No more spiders, here at least.”

“You think there’s more in the tunnels?” Arlen asked as he grabbed his staff, letting the magic flow ebb away.

“There’s always more,” Night answered, a slight bitterness in the words.

“It’s a possibility. There could be, that could have been the last of them, we’ll see when we go to explore the other two paths,” Merle said with a shrug.

“Left next, correct?” Night asked.

“That’s the plan,” Merle confirmed.

She gave a nod and slipped past Zephyr and Glenn, disappearing into the darkness. The mentors watched her go before looking back to Arlen and Merle.

“You know,” Zephyr began, “aside from the falling on your faces part, this is going pretty well.”

“Better than our first quest, at least.”

“To be fair, that was kind of our own fault.”

“Riya wasn’t helping.”

“She was laughing too hard to help, darling.”

Merle chuckled and Arlen couldn’t help but join in. He was sure they were going to hear all about this one when they got back to the guild. But underneath the laughter, there was a slight tremble. He tightened his grip on his staff to hide it.

Too much, Arlen, Cherrenth warned.

It’ll be okay. Miss Merle and Miss Night are here, we shouldn’t need to push much harder.

We can’t push any further.

It’ll be okay.

For your sake, I hope so. You’d be terribly dull dead.

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