(original alignment chart created by @bedupolker)

"Finnish polka" - Ivar the Boneless x Reader

SUMMARY: After helping one of the northern Jarls, the Lothbrok brothers attend a celebratory feast. There, they're faced with a tradition of warriors catching flower crowns that belong to young women. How surprised Ivar is when you almost shove your crown into his hands.

WORDCOUNT: ~ 2.1k

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Ivar is tired.

Of course he's glad that Jarl Thorstein came out victorious. And that his brothers are fine. Still, he feels weary as the adrenaline leaves his body. His legs start to ache. Ivar downs the rest of his mead in hopes it makes him a little more deaf to his mood.

The upbeat, bright music fills his mind like an obsessive thought. His heart beats to the rhythm tapped by the feet of dancing women. They spin, jump and run around with flower crowns sitting atop their heads. How the wreaths remain immovable, he can't quite say.

Ivar is also angry.

As the local tradition entails, when the song ends, all the dancing young maidens will throw their flower crowns to the crowd. Whoever catches it, is believed to be the girl's lover chosen by the gods. However, whether the couple indulges and trusts gods' judgement is a different story. But if the wreath falls to the floor, the girl is said to remain unmarried for the next five years.

Ivar knows the chance of him somehow catching one of those is near zero. He's sitting quite far from the dancers. Even if he did catch it, he's disillusioned about the imminent dissatisfaction of the flower crown's ownert. Not only is he disabled in a way that almost entirely excludes him from fighting but he's also infamous for his ruthless nature and vengeful heart. Hardly a man who invokes desire. Still, some naive piece of him remains hopeful that maybe he's wrong. Maybe he can be terrible and loved all the same.

He shakes those weak delusions away from himself before they sour his mood further.

His piercing eyes have been following one of the dancers for the better part of the song when he catches himself. Her movements look effortless even when the musicians pick up the tempo. Clearly, she's done this dance one too many times to have any doubts about what she's doing. Joy beams from her in a way that makes her appear almost shining. The wreath on the top of her head is mostly green with white and red flowers. It makes Ivar think of the woods surrounding Kattegat; it makes him think of home.

Ivar leans toward Oddleif, one of the Jarl's men, who's sitting next to him.

"Who is she?"

Oddleif looks at Ivar out of the corner of his eye. He scoffs, takes a large sip of his drink and only then decides to answer:

"If you're thinking of catching her flower crown, don't." His blond braids dance slightly as he shakes his head. There's a hint of laughter hiding in the back of Oddleif's throat. "Half of the surviving army wants it."

"I have no care for flowers," Ivar lies through his teeth. "They have no use. They wilt and die and soon no one remembers them. I am simply curious about her."

"Her father is the blacksmith. You might have seen him in the battle, swinging that damned sledgehammer." Ivar silently nods. He remembers that man - tall as a pine tree and wider than a stable. The blacksmith invokes respect even when he's not decimating enemies like a troll equipped with a tree trunk. "He said once that he'll let any man marry his daughter but only if he can lift an anvil. Tried it once myself. Not that I had any success as you can imagine." Oddleif laughs bitterly and continues drinking. His eyes are glued to the dancers but Ivar knows that right now, the two of them are admiring the very same girl with a flower crown like a forest.

The melody continues to quicken. Despite being out of breath, you don't want it to end. Your feet ache but they do not falter nor do they stumble. It seems that their muscles know the dance better than your mind. There are a dozen girls dancing with you but you do not see them. Not really. They appear worlds away from you and the song of bagpipes and strings.

And then appears he.

A slouched, dark figure flies before your eyes as you're doing another pirouette. The man simply sits there, in the corner, but his presence is overwhelming. Or so you think. He does nothing and yet he tears his way into your microcosm of quick footwork, turns and lively polka.

You recognize him. Of course you do. Many whispers, equally frightened and amazed, have spoken of him. You have believed in all of them until the moment you met his gaze for that split second. Right then, somewhere between blinks and breaths, you renounce every gossip you've ever heard about him. A voice in the back of your head, a trickster or an oracle, nags at you to learn the truth yourself.

When the lively, fast melody comes to a stop, you find yourself shaken awake from the thoughts about Ivar the Boneless. The end of the song seems somewhat abrupt to you as you've been letting your fantasy run wild without paying much attention to what's going on around you. Dancing the last part purely by the memory of your muscles. The moment musicians stop playing, a small crowd begins to form in front of you. Men of different class, age and ancestry reach out their hands. Each one of them is more determined than the other to catch your wreath. They start to yell something but considering that the inside of the long hall is awfully loud anyway, you can't make out any words. Reading their lips, you can only tell when they're exclaiming different variations of your name.

They're only pushing towards you, shoving each other away. You keep taking steps backwards but the distance you create with each step is quickly shortened with the men calling out to you. You knew there would be many of them in front of you but never assumed that many. Instead of somewhat flattering, the siege is terrifying and imposing.

Looking for help or advice, just something that will ease your tension, you silently look around the long hall. Your gaze falls on the same slouched, dark figure. Strange peacefulness washes over you when his eyes meet yours.

The dim candlelight seems to bend around Ivar, making his corner appear darker than anywhere else in the long hall. He's simply sitting there. Maybe he's not interested? But the way he's staring at you shows nothing if not burning curiosity. The sons of Ragnar aren't know for their patience. No, they're said to take whatever they want the moment their desire sparks. Despite that, the youngest of them, and arguably the most famous, appears to be waiting. But for what exactly?

The fresh pine needles prick your skin. You furrow your eyebrows. Your gaze falls to the wreath and then comes back to Ivar. Could it be...?

It isn't much of a throw, really. You toss the flower crown towards him without looking anywhere else but into Ivar's eyes. Without as much as blinking, he catches the wreath with ease as though he has been prepared for that. Low murmurs hit your ears but quickly the sounds of disappointment fall silent as it's made clear who caught your wreath. Despite their initial determination, the men who had been reaching out to you suddenly disperse like fog does in the early morning. They knew better than to get under the skin of a Lothbrok. Especially that one.

"I believe this belongs to you."

Ivar is holding up the wreath. Despite his words, he makes no effort to offer it back to you. His eyes are bright and glistening, the corner of his mouth is tugged ever-so-slightly upwards. He appears amused.

At first, it was nice to finally sit down after dancing for what seemed to be hours on end. But now, when you're facing the consequences of your spur-of-the-moment decision, the tension sets in once more. This time, however, it doesn't feel threatening. In turn, the nervousness is somewhat welcome like the jittery state before a surprise is revealed.

"If I wanted to keep it, I wouldn't have thrown it," you answer in a light tone.

"And why should I keep it?"

The blue eyes study you for a moment. It's a strange feeling - you can't help but think that the longer you are in Ivar's presence, talking or not, he's reading your mind and soul. He stares at you in a way that tells you he already holds all the answers but wants you to confirm them.

"It's said to bring good luck." You shrug your shoulders. "Until the wreath wilts and dies, Freya and Freyr will look after you."

Ivar looks at the flower crown again. Only now, when he's holding it, does he realize that for a flower crown, there aren't many flowers. A few sandworts and poppies, yes, but the wreath is made mostly of evergreen plants. It might take weeks until the crown wilts.

The microcosm seems closed again. Now it's not you and the bagpipes but you and him. It's strange and it's new but it's not threatening. It's not the kind of presence a man of his infamy should have. Or perhaps you've simply fallen for his honey trap.

"Why did you throw it to me?" Ivar tries to make the question seem unimportant, just curiosity brought to light. But he can't quite convince himself that he doesn't care. There's a hint of something vulnerable and genuine when the words roll off his tongue. It's easy to miss like a dandelion clock carried away by a gust of wind.

You wish you knew the answer yourself.

"I don't know really," you say honestly. "Perhaps it was one of the gods that threw the flower crown for me." You make a pause. Ivar's face is unreadable. "Or perhaps I have no interest in urgent, desperate men."

Ivar chuckles. A deep shadow is covering part of his face, making him appear kind of sinister. For a moment, you question whether he's laughing with you or at you.

"And what exactly makes you think I'm not urgent or desperate?" he continues. You notice his smile is growing wider. That glint of amusement in his blue eyes has changed in mischief. "What if I'm worse than all of them? You surely know who I am."

"Of course I do, Ivar the Boneless," you drone the words. In a barely noticeable fashion, he clenches his jaw when you say his name. It makes him feel a strange, burning sensation in his stomach but Ivar is left unsure whether he likes it or detests. "The whispers of your ruthless character are unending."

"But you're not afraid?" he asks with both disbelief and suspicion. A girl with a flower crown doesn't necessarily strike him as fearless in any way. Or this whole strange situation is a little too good, too dream-like, for him to accept it at face-value.

Ivar's smile falters when your face takes on a confident, maybe even arrogant, expression. He's taken aback.

"I'm a woman of the North," you say while leaning towards him on the table. The distance between your faces shortnes. "The only person I fear is my own reflection."

The sudden closeness makes Ivar inhale sharply. The strong smell of pine needles fills his nostrils. For a moment, his imagination runs wild but it's not his fault - he has no grasp on it:

How those big eyes glistened in the semi-dark of the long hall as you were staring at him. Your smirk, somewhat challenging and beckoning him to push on. Then, the smell of conifer that shakes all senses awake. His fantasy leaves the northern snows and travelles to forests, to him brushing pine needles from your hair and your naked, flushes skin smelling of evergreen trees.

But quickly his shaken awake, to his utmost displeasure, by you:

"Well, if you don't want it, I suppose I should take it back, no?"

Your hand unsurely reaches out for the wreath in Ivar's hand. He's quick to pull his arm back.

"It's bad luck to take back gifts," he states plainly. In an act of nonchalance, Ivar is playing with the wreath, spinning it around his finger. "I should like to keep it."

Sometimes you come back to the night you've met the infamous Viking, when you're rendered sleepless while he's calmly breathing next to you, getting the rest he desperately needs. How funny all of it seems - that a flower crown in bloodied, merciless hands could lead to having a genuine crown on your head. Maybe you were right, after all, and it really was the hand of one of the gods that threw the wreath for you.

rules: tag (9) people you want to know better and or catch up with, then answer these questions below!

tagged by @katstwistedmind (Thank you for tagging me! ❤)

four ships:

(Oh god, me who never remember what I ship unless I see 'em at that very moment... ok I'll try. I don't know ship names though so...)

Shepard/Thane Krios. (Mass Effect) (yes I enjoy pain clearly. Also still pissed female shep can't romance Tali. I had to say it. Guess that's a bonus one)

Varric Tethras/Hawke. (Dragon Age)

Female V / Panam (Cyberpunk 2077) (... still fuming...)

Rook/Oddleif (Banner Saga)

(I feel like these became kinda basic but at least I managed to remember 4!!!)

last song:

It Snows In Hell - Lordi (more like current song lol but still. It goes so hard!)

currently reading:

The Travelling Cat Chronicles by Hiro Arikawa (been very good so far. Need to get back to reading it though 😅 I failed to keep at it.)

craving:

love, affection, emotional and financial stability, good health, peace and quiet, (hope you don't mind but I am stealing those cause holy hell same!), for my back to chill tf out, more energy, at the moment - something warm to eat... hungry.

tagging: @snatcherwes @vy2gumi @companionwolf @stephaniebasque @itzdare @brieserker @bimyheel @sleept0ken

(only if you want to!)

(Sorry I don't know who else to tag 😔)

The banner saga characters

#THE BANNER SAGA CHARACTERS OFFLINE#

#THE BANNER SAGA CHARACTERS FREE#

It’s a bit of a shame that we never get to see any female Varl. The Banner Saga impresses with its nuanced characters overall and with several really cool women in particular. In a twist the main antagonist of the game is revealed to be female and out for revenge after the murder of her child. One of the greatest heroes of the Varl is revealed to have attacked the Dredge leader known as Bellower while she was giving birth. Yrsa is treacherous and if the player tries to trust her he or she will be punished for it…Īs the player progresses through the story it becomes clear that the Dredge are not the mindless killing machines that they’ve been made out to be. Lubin is portrayed as a spoiled child and it’s clear that Yrsa might very well be the one telling him what to do. She has seen the future and shows Rook what must be done to defeat the Dredge.įinally there’s Yrsa, a witch and right hand of prince Ludin. Halfway through the game the group is joined by Juno one of the most powerful seers in this world. She reasons that realizing this is perhaps what truly makes her a strong woman. However Oddleif declines stating that in this world more people will join their cause if the group is led by a man. Rook would actually prefer Oddleif to lead the caravan and tells her this on more than one occasion. Oddleif and the player have several conversations during the course of the game. She inspires other women in Rooks caravan and teaches them to become expert archers like herself. The chieftain of Skogr married her to bask in her father’s fame, yet she quickly ends up being the person really in charge of the place from behind the scenes. She hints that she was given a mans name because her father a well-known warrior really wanted a son. Oddleif is perhaps the most interesting character in the entire game. It is an interesting choice by the designers and one that I have a hard time faulting the game for. If the player goes against her wishes he or she will lose out on an achievement called “Innocent”. However Alette is very adamant that she doesn’t want to kill people. As such her portrayal is very much based on how the player wants her to evolve as a character. The player can choose to have Rook be an overprotective father or he/she can choose to let Alette grow and become a formidable warrior who in the end saves the day. Their relationship is something the player can very much influence by the choices he or she makes. The game centres around Rook and Alette, a father and a daughter. Those women you see in war are only there because the men who protested are now lying beneath a pile of loose stones and soil, feathered with hand-made arrows.” In fact, it is fair to say they were never accepted. The description of the Archer unit (all archers are female) is quite telling: “Women were not accepted for a long time when it came to joining in battle. The world is one that is least as sexist as our own, yet the desperation of the situation forces old prejudices to be challenged. When the Dredge invade, the humans and varl have to band together and flee their villages in search of a way to combat the oncoming horde. In this world humans live alongside horned giants known as Varl and are forced to fight as a mysterious race of stone creatures known as the Dredge attack their homes. The Banner Saga is a story based turn-based tactical game set in a fantasy world very much inspired by Norse mythology. (Note: this analysis contains major plot spoilers) But first a little bit about the game in general… I want to address the way this game portrays women. Bioware veterans and has a wonderful art-style reminicent of classic Disney films, but that’s not why I want to write about this particular game. The one thing that sets this one of the rpg video games apart from similar role playing games is that the best things in the game can be obtained by playing and not paying.Īfter launching this best online RPG games for Android, the game developers later added other features like real-time multiplayer, a town portal, and a fourth world.The Banner Saga was one of the first major Kickstarter successes a few years back.

#THE BANNER SAGA CHARACTERS FREE#

Other than that, the game is free to play. Its tap-to-move control makes it more like a vintage point-and-click Action RPG game and is better than thumbsticks any day.Įternium action RPG games come with in-app purchases and are all up to the player whether he wants to buy additional stuff or not.

#THE BANNER SAGA CHARACTERS OFFLINE#

To help the users during the offline period, the one of the top action rpg games lets the user download the content which can help them in offline mode. The RPG game is quite easy to play with its controls like “tap to move” and “swipe to cast,” the game is a perfect breeze. Eternium, one of the top new rpg games, can be compared to the great classics and is one of the best free games for Android.

Lauga's Godstone 💫

I played The Banner Saga trilogy for the first time earlier this year; here's some fanart I finally got around to finishing.

10 things I think every time I play Banner Saga:

1.      This game should be called “the game that makes me regret every choice I make”

2.      Oh damn archers are good in this game

3.      OH GOD I’VE LOST TWO ARCHERS AND I’VE RANKED UP NOBODY ELSE

4.      Oh look, that guy I levelled up perma-died…great.

5.      Oddleif is the greatest character and all my decisions constantly put her in a position of peril

6.      Why level up Alette when I have Rook and Oddleif?

7.      The final boss made me regret all my decisions especially not levelling up Arlette for the next game

8.      When the game asks me if I want to continue battling when all I have left is Rook and Iver who are almost dead… HAHA nope.

9.      I regret not punching Ludin at every single opportunity available

10.   When you watch the ending in tears and half of those tears are because you realise that you got two more games in this series to survive through.

Oddleif of The Banner Saga

“You know me. I want everyone to live. Maybe even not hate each other!”

Oh, hey, Oddleif. Did you manage to get through the day without your dominant sense of heroism getting you horribly killed? Good.

Banner Saga - Oddleif by sandara

The Banner Saga: Oddleif - Created by Sandara

I can’t believe Oddleif is a Horse GirlTM

Daily Gamer Drawing Challenge, Day Seven: The Banner Saga

Oddleif, The Skystriker.

1920x1080

Finally playing The Banner Saga 3 and starting off all like

Have you played the banner saga?? no??? you should!

I love Oddleif uvu