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#older atreus x reader
malleux · 5 months
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freedom. | quest for tyr [IV]
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young adult!atreus x reader
-> synopsis: The only times you had ever experienced adventure was through your books. It was hard to live an exciting life while trapped in Alfheim.
You know you're meant for something greater than wasting away underground.
[loosely based on the events of Gow: Ragnarok]
-> chapter warnings: all chapters contain spoilers, cursing, anxiety, fighting, fight scene not accurate to canon, blood
-> a/n: sorry for the much, much shorter update. this is literally half of what I normally write, but the "quest for tyr" section of the story is over and it's time for "old friends". please enjoy!
You were sick of it. 
Atreus and Kratos, very obviously, had a strained relationship at the moment. It was typical of every parent-child duo to butt heads at times, but couldn't they have done it in private? 
You nor Mimir wanted to hear constant bickering. Atreus wouldn't listen and Kratos wouldn't hear him out. In your opinion, who cares? 
The deeper into the mine you got, the more your eye twitched in annoyance as they argued. It was typical for a parent and their kid to disagree— Hel, you and your father argued often— but this extent was maddening. 
Did you hear that, brothers? I don't think we're alone." Even Mimir had butt in a few times to make them stop, deciding to comment on the weird noises he heard that Kratos and Atreus were definitely speaking over. 
"Ears open. Eyes up." Kratos responded. 
"It came from over here. There's a passage leading out." 
Atreus headed to the other side of the room where the entrance to a small crawl-space was embedded in the wall. You made a face, once more despising the confined space as you watched Atreus crouch down and shuffle inside. 
"Atreus. Do my words irritate you?" 
"It's fine. I get it." Atreus's tone was obviously annoyed. 
"Brothers— wait, is that light up ahead there?" Mimir cut his own sentence off. 
You came out of the crawl-space into another very open area. Laying a hand on your spear, you looked around. Stalactites hung dangerously low from the ceiling, building up from years and years of existence. Across the room was a door, a large lock across the front of it. 
"The door is barred." You commented. "There has to be a reason." 
"You don't lock a door like that to secure spare bedclothes." Mimir agreed. 
Atreus pulled out his bow and aimed it at a lower corner of the door frame, yelling out his spell and releasing the arrow into the weak spot. It cracked, the old wood beginning to crumble around it. He did the same with the next corner, and the next, until the door was loose enough to open. 
Kratos followed after him, walking up to the large latch and grabbing it, readying himself to heave the wood up and unlock the door. 
As he was doing so, however, a loud yell rang across the cavern. You didn't recognize its words, but the thought was quickly pushed away as two large beings jumped down from another entrance in the room. You wanted to kick yourself for not seeing it and securing it earlier. 
They raised their weapons and ran forward, one choosing to clash with Kratos as the other went straight for you. You didn't have time to summon a shield with the enemy's speed, instead choosing to use the pole of your spear to counter his swing instead. 
"Mimir!" You called, "What the Hel are these things?" 
"Einherjar, lass!" He yelled back, as if you were just expected to know what those were. "Be careful, they can use the Bifrost and could get a brutal hit on ya!" 
You heeded Mimir's words just in time as the Einherjar's staff began to glow a bright purple. He swung it towards you again and you dodged, rolling out of the way and standing up behind him. You stabbed the spearhead into his back. The Einherjar yelled out in pain, thrashing to get un-pierced, but the damage was done. 
"Skjálfa!" 
Turquoise light emitted from the tip of the spearhead and illuminated the inside of the Einherjar, its power sending shocks through his body. He slumped to the ground. 
Atreus and Kratos took on the second Einherjar, Atreus continuing his strategy of staying in the background for long-distance shots while Kratos used his little fire-blade-chain-things. The fight didn't last long-- obviously a god, a demigod, and a half-elf were no match for the Einherjar-- and you were able to take a moment to catch your breath. 
Between the constant magic use and the fact that you were just out of practice from not using your spear in so long, this journey was definitely starting to wear on you. You were beginning to think you had asthma-- did they make a healing spell for that? 
"Clearly they don't want us in there. This has to be it." Atreus, ever the energetic one, was ready to push forward. 
You held a hand up, chest still slightly heaving. "Let's-- can we talk about this? What are we going to do if it is? Just unleash a god of war into the Realms?"
"N-no!" Atreus glanced at his father. You knew Kratos wasn't a big fan of Atreus's plan anyways, so you figured your words might have made Atreus anxious about another argument. "I'm hoping we can talk to him. Explain what's going on with Fimbulwinter and everything. Maybe he can help."
"Help with... the end of the world?"
"Yes, exactly." Atreus reached forward and took your wrist into his grasp. His fingers were rough and calloused, no doubt from years of using his bow. They were warm as well, heating up your entire body. Or, maybe that was the exhaustion from all the exercise. "Let's go."
Kratos approached the large wooden door and inspected it. Obviously, it wasn't able to be opened through normal means. Instead, he dug his blades into the wood and turned around, pulling at the chains over his back. He yelled out in effort and eventually, the door flew off its hinges and splintered across the room. You covered your face to protect it from the wood debris and dust that flew up around you all. By the time you could open your eyes to look around, Atreus was already running towards the entryway.
"Tyr!" 
Inside the smaller room sat a man. A very dirty, very sad man. HIs head hung low, eyes trained on the dirt floor even as Atreus knelt before him. Kratos was not far behind. You chose to stay a bit further back, still holding your spear just in case. Not that you would want to fight a god, but you would if that's what it came down to. 
The man shook his head. "What trickery is this, Odin...?" When he looked up, you felt your heart lurch. His eyes were a glowing white, piercing through the dust and darkness of the room and burning through everything he looked at. Bifrost eyes-- similar to Mimir's. "What game do you play with me now?"
"We're not with Odin." Atreus began, "We're the good guys."
Kratos stalked behind Tyr, just as vigilant as you were, and snatched the thick noose that was tied around Tyr's neck. He sliced it easily, but Tyr made no motions to move. He still sat-- hunched over, face turned to the ground. 
"This is the god of war?" Kratos questioned.
"Those blades..." Tyr eyed the blades in Kratos's hands-- the metal still glowing with heat. "I know you. Godkiller... Have you come for me now?"
God-huh?
You had questions. 
The only time Tyr made any major movements came next, after Kratos sheathed his blades and stepped towards him. He held his hand out, offering help, but Tyr frantically scooted away from him. "Stay away!"
Just how scary was Kratos?
"Brother, let me try." Kratos lifted up Mimir's head to the now-hyperventilating god. "Tyr-- Tyr! Look, you know me, don't you?"
"You-- you killed Mimir!"
"No, no, no, no--"
"We brought him right back!" Atreus butted in.
"Stay away from me, you monsters!" 
Tyr jumped up, pushing his way away from Kratos, Mimir, and Atreus. He rushed past you, attempting to escape, but not before you stood in front of him. You had put your spear away, realizing that having your weapon drawn would only scare him more. 
"Tyr, we're not here to hurt you--" 
"And you kidnapped the half-elf! What more can you do?" Tyr cried out, going around you and running through a different tunnel. He smashed through the wooden planks blocking it, more debris flying everywhere. 
"Kidnapped--"
"We need him!" Atreus yelled, ignoring Kratos's calls to wait and chasing after Tyr. 
Before you both could follow, several more Einherjar jumped down. They must have sensed your presences-- or heard Tyr yelling. You drew your weapons and quickly defeated them, following after Atreus through the tunnel. 
Many Einherjar stopped you along the way and you were only guided by the echos of Atreus's voice as he pled for Tyr to listen. Eventually, you were able to back the god into a corner. Tyr was still begging to be let go-- to be shown mercy, as if he was expecting Odin himself to rain hellfire upon the mines. 
Atreus threw his hands up as you and Kratos approached, as if asking 'What now'?
"This is my father, and this is Y/N. We help people." Atreus tried once more. 
"I don't belong out here. Please. It's worse when he's angry."
Kratos suddenly grabbed Tyr off of the floor with superhuman strength, pinning him to the wall. "Are you not a soldier? Are you not a leader of men? Answer me! Master yourself. My son brought us here to this place for you. Look at him."
Tyr's gaze flickered to Atreus, who was trying to subtly use puppy-dog eyes. You bit back a laugh. 
"You...? Why? You don't know me."
"We know of your past endeavors." You shrugged, "You did good. You helped the Giants. We're just... returning the favor."
"We...?"
"We are leaving. Are you coming with us?" Kratos waited for Tyr to nod before releasing him back to the ground. 
Tyr took a breath and stood, finally reaching his full height. You craned your neck up to look at him, and then made eye contact with Atreus. You raised your eyebrows to convey "I'm surprised this worked".  He returned the sentiment. The look didn't last long as Atreus fumbled around for a second, unhooking a spear from his back and holding it out to Tyr. 
"Here. Your statue in the lake had a spear, so I figured you might want a--"
"Walking stick? Oh, a kind thought, but no thank you." 
Another look was shared-- this time, confusion. 
Tyr crouched down to Atreus's height, laying one hand on his shoulder. "I ran earlier because I don't always know what's real. Sometimes, there's a... uh..."
"There's no shame in that, brother. We live in strange times." Mimir tried to comfort. 
"Everyone hears him talk?"
Kratos ignored it. "We must return home."
He began leading your little group further, probably feeling a wind or something that could lead to an exit. It was a bit awkward-- having a new giant god join the group, but it was still comfortable. Tyr was still wary, but nobody could blame him. 
"Are there names by which I should call you?" He broke the silence. 
"I'm Atreus. You already know Mimir. That's my father, Kratos, and then there's Y/N." Atreus looked at you and smiled reassuringly. "You're not the newbie anymore, Y/N."
You huffed out a laugh. "Considering I've only been here a few days, I still think I'm new."
"A few days? Had I not known any better, I would assume you were apart of the family."
You knew Tyr didn't mean anything by it, but the wording still stung. It was a reminder that you really weren't apart of any family. "Uh, no. What-- um, what all do you know?" 
You were nervous to ask, considering you never even went into detail when explaining everything over dinner those days ago. 
"I know that there was a half-elf being housed in Alfheim for many years. There wasn't much word once the fighting began, but goodness did you cause a ruckus when you left. Dark elf soldiers being dispatched left and right to find you and bring you home."
"They--they're looking for me?" 
"Why wouldn't they? You're not supposed to exist."
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grievedeeply · 1 year
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In that case, could I request a Kratos with a daughter!reader where it's her first time hunting and she gets hurt by the deer/bear or whatever creature she's hunting ?
the rite of passage.
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pairing: kratos x child!reader ( familial )
summary: it is a rite of passage in your family to learn to hunt. your father intends on teaching you.
notes : i picture the reader at about 11, and you're older than atreus by at least a few years. i think he's about 7 in this :) i haven't written for kratos before so i'm a bit worried about this but i hope you enjoy it anyway LOL.
it was necessary to learn how to hunt. for your survival, for your family's survival, as well. it was something you had to know how to do, and your father intended on teaching you.
your mother had volunteered to do it herself, but he insisted on her staying behind with your brother, atreus.
he had been growing up too quickly. even you saw that. you didn't remember much about the day he was born, but you remembered the smile on her face as she looked down at him. you remembered the first time she had placed him on your lap. you looked down at him, confused. then, you smiled.
you were protecting him by doing this. you wanted to keep him safe, though you knew that was something that was far from possible. he would have to learn the world the hard way, as everyone else does.
you pulled on your boots, grabbed your bow from where it hung upon the wall, and stepped out into the sun. your bow was still slightly too big for you. your mother had made it in preparation for this day— and she was working on one for atreus, as well. she said it was better to make it early than to make it too late. you could only nod in agreement.
your father, kratos, followed you and shut the door behind him. "are you ready?" his voice echoed around you, and you looked over your shoulder up at him with a small smile on your lips.
he was always busy, out doing something that seemed more important than you or your brother. you tried to reason that he was doing everything he did for you, but you would be lying if you said the lack of his presence wasn't saddening. it was still your formative years, you told yourself, there was still time. no matter how much you reassured yourself, there was a part of you that knew he would always find something to do outside of the stave. whether that be hunting, or gathering materials— it didn't matter.
he would always be gone.
he led you through the trees, your boots covered in mud and grass as you followed after him. you could only imagine your mothers displeasure at the sight, but you pushed it out of your mind to focus on the task at hand.
"what are we hunting?" you questioned, clutching your bow tightly in one hand. you didn't even know how to shoot it. you wondered why he didn't tell you to shoot at a tree or something— to at least give you a warm up. he remained silent, his steps much heavier than yours ever would be. you imagined every animal hearing him from miles away. how did he ever get anything done out here?
you let out a sigh from underneath your breath. you knew he heard it. he always did.
you turned your attention upwards, towards the leaves on the trees and the clouds in the sky. it felt as though they understood you better than anyone else ever would. you spared a glance at your father, who continued leading you through the woods. he walked at a leisurely pace for him, but it took a bit of effort for your smaller legs to keep up.
"deer." he said, splitting the calmness of the air with his monotonous sounding tone. "we hunt deer." he told you, stopping in his tracks. "what do you see?" he asked you, his eyes meeting yours. you looked around, shrugging your shoulders. "a lot of trees..?" you questioned.
"think."
you pursed your lips, taking another look at your surroundings. there was nothing that stood out too much to you, at least not at first. all you could see was trees. you could hear the birds calling in the distance. you wished you were one of them.
your eyes landed on an uneven patch of leaves, and you could see the dryness of the grass underneath them. "there," you pointed with your free hand, "tracks?" you spoke, sounding more like a question than a statement.
"correct." your father responded. he gestured for you to follow him with a quick movement of his head, and he led you over to where the tracks visibly began. "you will track it." he told you, no hesitation evident in his voice.
"me?"
he nodded.
you turned your head back to the tracks after prying your eyes off of him. what was he thinking? you didn't know what you were doing. you resisted the urge to groan, at the idea. you crouched down to get a better look, noticing that the pattern of the leaves being ruffled up from movement continued for at least another few feet.
"this way," you said to him, "i guess." you muttered to yourself. you didn't know what you were supposed to get out of doing this. there was no way you would find a deer like this. you didn't even know how to find it once you lost its tracks.
your father followed behind you, steps lighter than yours were. how was he doing that? with his size and stature, you could only assume that he was horribly loud while hunting. how was he making himself so quiet on his feet? you had so many questions. none that he would answer right now. you knew him too well.
you zoned out for a moment, though you continued to follow the path the deer had made through the bushes. what were you doing out here? how was his teaching method actually teaching you anything? it seemed like you were the one teaching yourself. you pursed your lips, and stepped into a clearing.
you lost it.
you turned on your heel, throwing your arms up in frustration. "i lost it—!" your sentence was cut off by the heavy pressure of an animal on top of you. you could feel the horns of it— whatever it was— piercing through the skin of your abdomen. it trampled over you, it's hoofs clearly trying to find a way to escape from the situation. your father rushed towards you, sliding on his knees to reach you quicker.
the deer ran off, startled by his arrival. your bow had been snapped in half by the sheer force of the animal, and you could feel tears welling up in your eyes. what would your mother say? would she be disappointed in you? you put your hand on your stomach, lifting it up after a moment only to be met with the sight of blood.
you cringed, suddenly feeling nauseous at the sight. "y/n." your father's voice rang out in your ears, and you could barely keep your eyes open enough to look at him.
he had suffered far worse out here, right? you thought to yourself. why was this such a big deal to you? why were you bleeding so much? how did you let yourself get so started by the thing?
"stay awake." he told you, his hands replacing yours. they were bigger than your entire abdomen, almost. he applied pressure to it, trying to stop the bleeding. it couldn't have been that bad, right?
"okay," you said to him, voice breathless as you forced yourself to watch him. were you losing consciousness from this?
why couldn't you see him anymore?
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you opened your eyes, and the sight of a wood ceiling filled your vision. you smelt something— something sweet. your mother's cooking. a weak smile formed on your lips, and you tried to push yourself up with the palms of your hands. you were in your parents shared bedroom, not your own. you glanced down at your abdomen, and the events from before flashed through your mind?
how long had it been since that happened?
"you are awake." your father's voice came from the doorway, and he sounded relieved. you nodded, "barely."
"good." he replied, taking a few large steps towards you. his hands came to rest on your shoulders, gently pushing your back against the sheets again. "lie down." was all he said, and you couldn't bring yourself to argue with him.
"how are you feeling?" he asked you, tone clearly hesitant to keep the conversation going for some reason. did he not know what else to say. "i'm fine. hurts a little, still." you shrugged your shoulders with pursed lips.
"good. that's.. good." he cleared his throat, lifting his hands from your shoulders. he hadn't realized he was still holding onto you. it grounded him. you were alive.
seeing you laying there like that.. it reminded him of a past he wished to leave far behind. he couldn't bear a loss like that again. not you. he promised himself he wouldn't let you get injured again. not from an animal, certainly not from any person or god.
"what's wrong?" your voice took him out of his thoughts. "nothing is wrong." he replied without missing a beat. what was he thinking about? you wondered. the look on his face.. you couldn't help but to wonder.
"i am glad you are okay." he told you.
"me, too."
"we will resume our hunt once you are fully recovered."
"are you gonna teach me anything this time?"
you could've swore you almost saw him roll his eyes at your words, "i was teaching you."
"right."
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raven-loop · 1 year
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heeey, can I request a one shot of Baldur x fem reader?, where the reader is the daughter of kratos or related to him.
• One Day •
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Pairing: Baldur X Female!Reader
Summary: Being the daughter of Kratos and older sister of Atreus, you find yourself questioning some of your actions. Someone helps you take your mind off it a bit.
Deep in the Wildwoods, it was safe and serene. Just like your mother intended it to be. To keep you and your little brother safe. From what? Everything.
Being the daughter of Kratos and the older sister of Atreus was never easy. Still, you adored your family. As distant as your father was, or as impatient - at times - as your brother could be, they were all you had.
Since you were old enough, your father trusted that you could take care of yourself when alone. And now he was off somewhere helping Atreus learn to hunt. Atreus wanted you to accompany them, but your father said, "No. He must learn himself." It was a cold thing of your father to say, but that's what your father always was: cold.
"Your mind." A hand grabbed your face in a somewhat gentle grip, "It's clouded..." Bright, icy eyes met your own, "But with what?"
You sighed, the cold air could be seen leaving you mouth. It hit the face of the man you were staring at, but of course he didn't mind it. He didn't feel it. "Nothing," Your hand caressed the side of his face, "It's just that... If my father-"
"Your father can't control you." Baldur's grip tightened without his knowledge. Only when your face twisted slightly did he realise and let go. "I won't let your father keep you from me."
It had been some time since you and Baldur first met. He almost killed you, until he realised it wasn't you he was looking for. He then said, "You're weak. I'll spare you whatever bit of a life you still have to live." Only the gods know how you two managed to get together after that.
Though, somehow, you both managed to find topics to talk about. You both had... Issues with your parents, in a way. Baldur had it much worse with his mother. As you both grew closer, he told you about his curse. How it ruined his life. And how he wanted to rid himself of it. He was angry, so very angry, yet somehow, you calmed him. Your very presence made him forget, if only for a moment, that he was cursed. And when he realised that, he never wanted to let you go.
Baldur and Kratos fought before. You know that. And yet, you still chose him. A god. An Aesir. It worried you that your father wouldn't want to know you as his daughter if he knew who you were with. Who you were going against his back to see.
Baldur could sense your worry, he's grown to know when you became too quiet, it meant you were thinking a bit too much. Right now he didn't have many words that would bring you comfort, so he just tightened his arms around your waist, pulling you so your back was right against his chest.
You smiled to yourself. He was trying his best for you, and it made your heart flutter in ways no one else was ever able to. And that's when you remember why you chose him. Why you did all of this to be with him. His head rested on your shoulder, his breath tickling you as you both stared out into the snowy lands.
"You didn't lie when you said you knew beautiful places in Midgard," You murmured. The area you two were resting at overviewed the snowy landscape below, and further ahead you could see the Lake of Nine. The man behind you hummed, "Did you doubt my words?" There was a teasing tone in his voice.
You laughed slightly, "Doubt you? I'd never think about it." He tilted his head so that his next words blew directly into your ear, "Good." You shuddered at his cold breath, making him release an amused sound.
Soon the lands grew colder, and the sun lowered with each passing moment. Baldur knew what that meant: You had to leave. Sighing, you gently pried yourself away from Baldur's grip as much as it hurt you to. You heard him groan in disapproval, but he didn't stop you. And soon he got up as well.
It was silent before his raspy voice broke it, "Travel the realms with me." Surprised, you were at loss for words, turning your head to look up at him again. You swallowed, "Baldur, you know we can't-" "I can protect you." His hand found yours, fingers intertwining, "I can show you so much more than what this land has to offer."
It became silent again as you both stared deeply into each others eyes. You squeezed his hand gently, mindlessly tracing the tattoo on it, "One day, my love. One day."
He chuckled, and you felt your heart skip a beat. "Trust me, my dear. I will be waiting for that day."
AN: First fic out! I hope you enjoyed it <3 Don't be shy to criticise me, I would love feedback on how I write (please be kind about it tho). I kinda made it into a forbidden romance so I hope that's what you wanted! Also it's a bit short so sorry about that :')
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soft-for-them · 1 year
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Hidden away - Týr x plus size reader
Summary: Whilst searching for a suitable breakfast you happen to come across the old god of war and justice hidden away.
Comments and reblogs are much appreciated and help more people read my works.
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A/N: This gif does not match with the story but there isn't many God of War Ragnarök gifs out there (understandable because the game just came out) and for some reason I don't like using still images. ALSO I haven't finished the game (someone has already spoiled it for me which is annoying) so don't spoil even more for me or anyone else thank you. I'm already thinking of a part two if people want it.
“Sindri!” you grumble as you finally come out your cocoon that is you little bedroom.
You’ve hastily put on a blue overdress, the same one you were wearing all day yesterday, with a fresh long sleeved underdress on of course. The big golden broaches that hold up the straps of the dress, one made by each of your brothers (you were adopted well after they were born but they still insist you are apart of their family) with the Huldra symbol moulded into each of the shiny metal rounds are the only clean part of your outfit, your dress covered in powdered paint and glue now dried clear.
Need to say you really need to give your dress a good scrub.
Bare feet hit the shallow steps that were really made only for your brother’s short stature lead down to the open planed ground floor, your bones clicking as you smooth down your clothes over your curves, not bothering to do your hair quite yet.
“Sindri!” you call again this time a bit louder as you head to the kitchen area.
The last you saw of your bother he had quickly popped into your bedroom, which is also your workroom where you paint your murals. He had excuse himself for he was going to go help young Atreus and his father. He said something about Tyr and Brok but really half of it went in one ear and out the other for you were painting and not paying attention to your non blue brother.
You lazily look around for some food to eat whilst also seeing who’s around, Sindri did say he’d be back with Brok, Atreus and Kronos but the tree house is awfully quiet without the bickering of your dwarven brothers along with the clinking of metal tools.
For a moment you stop and look around, you debate calling out again but you don’t.
Instead you find an apple to eat, a bruised one but an apple all the same. You don’t want to be cooking, it’s too early and you’re not the best at it (seem it runs in the family), so you take a big bite out the red and yellow fruit frowning at the chalky texture.
“Where are the porridge oats?” you wonder out loud as you rummage around for the food.
Porridge may not be the first or second thing you’d want to eat in the morning for its awfully bland on its own (and you still want to do as little as possible because you’re tired and in need to finish your painting) but you search for it anyway.
Mediocre apple half eaten you wonder over to the doors leading to what you assume is a pantry, well you thought it was.
You see this isn’t your home, well it is now that the end of times is coming but you didn’t live here before fimblewinter.
Before you lived out in a remote cabin in the middle of the woods living off the land and painting your artwork in peace. Now you cramped in your brother’s spare room for he insisted you move in with him when a group of raiders attacked you home.
“Brok?” you call out. Brok always shouts at you back, he’s your older brother and he loves you but he finds you and your shouting annoying. Sindri would say that you’re just as bad as each other with all the shouting and swearing, two peas in a pod but Brok insists you aren't.
You hear no shouting of your blue brother so you push open the door of what you think is a pantry the thing only open just a bit enough to squish you plush body through. It takes another budge from your shoulder to push the door inwards more, the something that once blocked the door moving away.
Either you’ve become very strong or whatever was blocking the door walked itself backwards.
“What the?” you whisper to yourself as you peak down around the door not see a random box or a weapon that Brok has left around, no, you see a big foot.
Eyes gone wide you slowly look up to see a man, a giant man, a man you have never seen in your entire life before waking up from his make sift bed in the small storage room.
Long dark hair drapes over his face that’s very sleepy looking, his glowing eyes barley open with little bits of sleepy in the corners as he peers up to you.
You want to act on instinct, grab the nearest blunt heavy object and throw it at him followed by running away but his eyes pool with confusion like a animal who has encountered a lost human in the middle of the woods only to run away themselves.
You assume you’ve just woke him up by barging in, his foot obviously being the object you though you moved to open the door just a bit.
You hope you haven’t hurt him in anyway.
“Who are you?” you ask in a stern but quiet voice, not wanting to scare away the giant man who now sits up from his slump.
“I could ask the same thing.” his voice makes you shiver, a warmth travels up your neck.
“I live here thank you very much.”
Already your eyes look the man up and down, his height sitting up taller than your brothers at full height, he must be a giant or part giant you think. The only part giant you’ve met is Atreus and well, Thor as well but you do not like to talk about that.
“Are you a giant?” you ask as you step a bit closer, your body now over the door frame, you now fully into the small room.
“Giant, do you mean Jötnar?” his voice, though laced with a sleepy croak one has when you’ve just awoken, sounds almost playful but also wise.
“I’m sorry, Jötnar, I’ve been around Brok and Sindri too long to remember the proper names for everything-“ you’re babbling but you do so to justify you slip up of calling him a giant, “I’m a human but technically I’m a Midgardian, I do not mean any offence.”
“I don’t take any-“ he talks with his hands, he moves them in a certain motion urging you to give him your name.
“(Y/n). Sister of Brok and Sindri.”
Holding out your hand and despite him sitting down he easily returns the greeting. His large hand wraps around your forearm, his digits squishing your soft skin lightly, his touch light as a feather like he doesn’t want to hurt anyone. You wrap your own hand around his forearm, your own fingers aching as they stretch around the wide width of his arm.
He goes to part from your greeting but you grip on his arm pulling on it like you intend to pull him up off the floor. You know you can’t, you’re not that strong, but it’s a kind gesture to say 'here, I can help you up' to the tall man.
When you were little and smaller than your brothers you’d try pulling them up despite not being able too, they’d get up just fine but they were always thankful for the so called ‘help’. Maybe it’s a childish thing to do, especially to a stranger, but the part Jötnar man looks so tired, so in himself like he doesn’t know who he is.
He pulls himself up just fine, your hand still lingering on his arm. He does not mind, he actually likes the feeling.
“Sister?” he asks.
“Adopted.” You say back with a smile.
“Ah. I see.” He looks down at you with his glowing eyes, not a bad emotion crossing his eyes as he looks at you, “I’m Tyr by the way.”
You mind runs wild.
Atreus and Kronos succeeded in freeing him!
“Well Tyr, would you like some breakfast-“ you raise you other hand that still hold the half eaten apple, “- I was looking for something more substantial to eat than this apple.”
“I would be grateful for one, I-I haven’t had a good breakfast in quite a while.”
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whaleofatjme1920 · 1 year
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Yo, can i request atreus x reader like platonic when atreus left for his journey at the end of the game so he finds a giant (thats the reader) and they continue the journey together?
The Journey is Better Together
[GN!Reader]
[Warnings: Like, none?]
[AN: sure can!! Sorry these are all taking so long I’m just,,,, very busy.]
Reblogs are appreciated!
He knew he would find another giant he just didn’t expect it to happen this fast. You don’t look entirely human. Parts of you are carved from the earth herself. You move through her various forms so elegantly.
But you speak the ancient language. Loki can only speak it somewhat, not to your fluidity, but he wants to learn from you.
It’s not really a question what you two will do going forward. He meets you by the waters as he journeys further and further from the only place he knows as home and you two decide it’s rough being alone.
You want to find your people too.
There’s so much the two of you learn from each other. For instance, Loki will make you some foods that don’t exist where you originally come from. They’re from an land called Greece, and his father, was from a city-state called Sparta.
You teach him various other art forms, masonry, things Angrboda had just begun to help him understand.
From the way he speaks of her? He’s in love! And you think she’s a perfect match for him.
You’re just a little older than him, maybe a year or so, and he’s already leaning on you like an older sibling.
The two of you hang around campfires and tell stories to each other.
He talks a lot about his father, sometimes his mother, and even more so Angrboda.
He tells you about his other family, his family he chose, Brok and Sindri. Freya. Mimir. The ones who matter most to him. Other people he met during his time figuring out who Loki was.
There’s a lot of bittersweet feelings you have towards learning all of these things, as a part of you missed the world you came from, but another knew you wouldn’t be who you are without journeying far.
The both of you cannot wait to find more giants. The journey will be better together.
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Adult!Atreus Dating HC’s
Pairing: Adult!Atreus x Jötunn!GN!reader
Fandom: God Of War | God Of War: Ragnarok
Requested: ✔️
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-Meeting Atreus HC’s-
When Atreus first saw you he literally had a double take, sure Angrboda was the first Giant he had met, but you were the first Giant he had seen. 
With Atreus being approximately 5’6 and you being about 9’4 he was about waist height for you when you guys first met. 
Once he decided he needed to travel to find the rest of the Giants, you were quick to offer to join him, it was only fair he had someone to accompany him, plus you were a giant so it’s not like you didn’t want to help him find other people like you. 
And this was beside the fact you had grown a liking to him, maybe a bit more than just a liking but you refused to admit it 
-Relationship HC’s- 
Atreus confessed first, it was probably at some cool event somewhere around the world where you found yourself staying. 
The older you guys got the more he realized how much he cared about you, whether you guys were traveling and something happened on the road or you guys had settled for a few days in a community. 
He started noticing more and more how people were infatuated with you, how he was infatuated with you. 
The relationship started slow, holding hands, sleeping next to each other, and the like. Don’t get me wrong, you guys were really close before but actually being established with each other that way was nice. 
You had watched him grow into a strong young man, and he watched you grow in turn. Still towering over him with that smug grin on your face.
Atreus is the little spoon, I mean come on that's kinda obvious.
Will 100% tell you to get behind him in a fight, wanting to make absolutely sure you’re okay. 
Loves how knowledgeable you are about things, plants, wildlife, and also the way you absorb knowledge like a sponge, remembering things people told you like they were standing there telling them to you again now. 
All in all, he’s a very loving partner, worships you like the most beautiful being in all the realms, and is constantly being reminded every day how lucky he is to have you on this journey with him, seeing things never imaginable. 
He also hopes to one day settle down with you, preferably back in Jotunnheim surrounded by more giants, while being able to visit his father and see his friends throughout the realms.
-
this was criminally short, I apologize.
I hope to be getting a few more requests that have been sitting in my inbox a bit posted because I have nothing to do today, so keep an eye out!
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takusan-no-ai · 1 year
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Forbidden Love
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PAIRING: Odin x Female Reader (Romantic) (Angst)
SUMMARY: Odin, disguised as Týr, is introduced to Kratos’ eldest child, (Y/N), and falls in love with her.
“When will those idiots get here?” Odin pondered. He had been waiting here for hours, tied by a noose, and disguised as his own son, Týr. “How long does it take to kill a few Einherjar?”–Odin laughed mid sentence–“I thought Kratos was supposed to be the god of War.”
A loud boom silenced Odin. Three mumbled voices spoke amongst each other as the door was opened. “Time to become Týr,” Odin thought. Kratos, Mimir, and Atreus finally were face to face with who they believed to be Týr.
Why wouldn’t they believe they rescued Týr? Odin acted the part; he knows how sadistic he is, so he knew how to play a helpless victim to Odin’s tyranny. “I can’t show off my powers, or else they might figure me out.” He decided to play as a pacifist, to avoid being spotted in his lie.
“Where are you taking me? Odin has eyes everywhere…where could you possibly hide?” Tyr asked. Odin really needed to know all of their secrets. The more steps he was ahead of his enemy, the better.
“We’re living in the realm between realms temporarily,” Atreus said. Kratos made a grumble. “Sorry, we probably shouldn’t talk about it out here, with Odin’s henchmen around and all,” Atreus corrected himself.
“Of course,” Tyr responded.
After escaping his “prison” they fled for Yggdrasil and made it to Sindri and Brok’s house, hidden away in the world tree. After becoming acquainted with Brok and Sindri, Odin made his way to the broom closet. Out of his arms came Muninn.
“Muninn, I need you to be as quiet as possible and stay here. That way I can travel back and forth, understand?” He whispered. Muninn nodded and hid in a small corner. Odin heard Atreus calling for him and left the broom closet, back in character as Týr.
“Hey, Týr, this is my older sister, (Y/N).” Atreus was eager to introduce his sister to him. She waved with a simper on her face. Odin waved back, taken aback by her ethereal beauty. She wore the clothes of a spartan woman, despite the lack of battle gear. “She’s a great fighter, but not as good as me.” (Y/N) pinched her younger brother’s cheek for that comment.
Odin couldn’t believe that he hadn’t known of her existence. Just how did Kratos manage to hide her so well? And why? He didn’t put in this much effort for Atreus, even after the incident with Baldur and the two fools. Was there something about her that Odin could use? He had to know. The possibilities made him mad.
“I hope to become great friends with you. If my family trusts you then so do I,” she stated. Odin smiled and shook (Y/N)’s hand.
“This is going to be easy,” he thought.
As Odin spent his time there, he began to notice a strange difference between (Y/N) and her family. She was kinder, softer, calmer, even more delicate than Atreus and Kratos. Odin could tell she wasn’t a daughter of Faye, or else she would’ve been much stronger as half a Jötunn. “Excuse me, Lady (Y/N), but, and I mean this in the nicest way possible, how exactly are you related to Kratos?” Tyr asked.
She chortled in response. “It’s okay, I get that a lot.” She sat down next to him, holding a lyre in her hand. “I’m not sure if I should go into too much detail, since it is a personal family matter. The summary is, I have a different mother, a mortal one.”–she teared up at the memories–“She’s dead…along with my sister. I’m only partially a goddess, so I’m not very strong. To add to that, I take after my mother’s personality.” She moved to wipe away her tears, but Odin beat her to it.
“It’s been so long since I’ve met someone so genuine. I’m sorry for resurfacing such traumatic memories,” Tyr apologized. A part of Odin really meant what he said. But an even larger part of Odin saw how easy it would be to control someone as trusting as (Y/N).
Days went by of Odin and (Y/N) bonding. They cooked together, did chores together, and Odin even comforted (Y/N) when Atreus disappeared for some days. He hadn’t realized that he was starting to care for the woman’s life. Her kindness, compliments, and soft touch lured him in. Before Odin knew it, he was already playing favorites with (Y/N).
He almost felt bad about how he purposefully started the fight between Kratos and Atreus so that the boy would come running to Asgard. But he needed to protect Asgard. Odin couldn’t die yet, not without knowing where he’d go.
“I don’t know what to do Týr. I know that Atreus shouldn’t trust Odin, but I want to trust that whatever my brother is doing, that it will be for the good of all of us. I just hate that all of this is because of that All-Father,” (Y/N) confided to Odin. A pain struck his heart at her words. Why didn’t he like her speaking the truth? He’s not a good man and he knows it. He knows she couldn’t ever love him, and yet, that feeling haunted him.
“I’m…unsure of how to help as well.” Odin really didn’t know what to do for her. He couldn’t reveal his identity to (Y/N); did she even like him back? Would she refuse to love him if he told her the truth? Would he die by the hands of Kratos immediately? He knew the answer to that last question.
Odin would lock himself away in the broom closet, regretting all his decisions in life. He hated how his heart longed for his enemies daughter. There were so many reasons she wouldn’t love him back, and he hated that he wouldn’t be able to change a single one of them.
“Maybe I should just go back to that damn tree again,” Odin pondered. He really couldn’t be with you. “…unless. I could…just take her to Asgard after Ragnarök. Maybe even offer to marry her in exchange for ending the war, like I did with Frigg.” Odin got lost in thought, not even hearing Muninn’s reluctancy to the idea.
“She’d definitely love me if she got to know me.”
“Týr? Are you up? I was wondering if you wanted to make dinner together?” (Y/N) asked from the other side of the door.
“I’d love to.” Odin left the broom closet, wrapping his hand around (Y/N)’s.
- Fin
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queer-irritator · 1 year
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A New Neighbor | Kratos x GN! Reader | Chapter 2
Content Warnings: Mention of alcohol
Word Count: 1,199
Chapter 1, Chapter 3
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(Reader’s POV)
You could start to see a fence as you were walking up a hill, it was Atreus’ home. Atreus started to slow down, stopping just outside the gate. 
He turned to you and gave you a warning, “So, my dad can be kind of… intimidating, but he’s really not as scary as he acts.” 
You nodded at the boy, “Okay, I’ll keep that in mind.” 
Atreus gave you a nervous smile and then opened the gate, he held the door open for you as you walked in. You could see the small cabin, a pile of wood on the side of the house. It looked cozy. You followed Atreus to the front door, he held up a finger to you as to say ‘Wait here’. He exhaled and opened the door and took a step in. You heard a booming voice,
“Where have you been? I told you to always be home before the sun sets.”
Atreus spoke up, “I know, I’m sorry… But I was looking for deer and…” He stuck his head out the door and motioned for you to come inside. 
“I met our neighbor..!” 
You took a small step inside the cabin. It seemed even smaller on the inside. Kratos stood up from where he was sitting and pulled Atreus to the side.
“First you run off, and then you bring a stranger into our home? What were you thinking?” He had a hand on Atreus’ shoulder, shaking him slightly with his last words, like he was literally trying to shake some sense into him. 
“I know, but- Please… trust me.” Atreus looked into his fathers eyes, silently pleading with him. 
“They’re really nice. And they brought us food!” He turned his head toward you.
Kratos’ head also turned toward you as he stood up straighter.Atreus was right, he was intimidating. “But he’s really not as scary as he acts.” Atreus’ words echoed in your head.
You spoke up, “Hello, my name is (y/n). I live just east of here-“ 
Your words were cut off by the giant of a man, “I have seen no other houses around here.”
“I use a spell to keep my home concealed, I just moved in two winters ago.” You explained. 
The man grunted in response.
“Oye, brother, let me get a look at our guest!” A familiar voice filled your ears. It couldn’t be…
Kratos walked over to a table and lifted a severed head and held it out so it could see you. 
It was him… “Mimir?” you questioned. Your eyes started to well up, it was your childhood friend. You never thought you would see him again. 
“(Y/n)! Boy, its bloody great to see you!” Mimir exclaimed.
“I…,” you set down the basket, “Can I hug you?? Why are you just a head?” 
“Aye, toss me over brother.” Mimir instructed Kratos. Kratos complied and tossed the head to you.
You, luckily, caught Mimir and held him up in front of you. “What in hel happened to you?”
“I was saved, believe it or not. By that big brute over there and the little lad… It was Odin, he-“
You were already rolling your eyes, “I told you not to associate with him.” You cut him off. 
“Aye…” Mimir replied sadly.
You held his head to your chest and gave him the best hug you could manage to give a severed head. 
“What path of life are you walking?” You questioned him.
Last time you had seen Mimir, you were both young adults. Mimir was hel-bent on impressing Odin, heading in with the wrong crowd, truly evil people. You gave him many lectures and warnings, but he assured you he would be careful, that he wouldn’t become like Odin. That was right before…
Your thoughts were cut off by Mimir’s vocie, “Hopefully one of redemption.”
You held his head back up so you could look at him fully. You saw sadness and regret in his eyes. 
“Good.” You stated, “I’m glad to hear it.”
“So… you know Mimir?” Atreus spoke up, incredibly confused. 
“Yes, he is an old friend.” You answered his question, looking at the boy you could tell he wasn’t any less confused. 
“We grew up in the same town,” you further explained, setting Mimir on the table. “Mimir was a few years older than me, but we became close friends quite young.”
“Some good times we had!” Mimir chimed in. “Actually… I should be more surprised to see you! If I’m not mistaken, you’re a mortal, aye?” 
“Yes, but- “Your words were cut short by a growl coming from Atreus’ stomach. 
“Sorry!” Atreus apologized, his face turned a light shade of pink as he placed a hand over his stomach. 
“No, don’t apologize.” You hadn’t realized how long you’ve been standing around catching up with Mimir. “Please, come eat!” You motioned for Atreus and Kratos to join you at some seating and began to unwrap what was in your basket. 
Atreus happily walked over to you and and sat down to your left. Kratos made his way towards you, keeping his eyes on you as he sat down with a grunt across from you. Your heart rate increased as his amber eyes made contact with yours. You broke eye contact with him and began unpacking the basket, you didn’t realize how truly large the man was earlier, or how handsome he was… 
“So, I brought some dried deer meat,” you started to explain as you laid out all the food on a cloth, your hands shaking slightly, something Mimir made a mental note of. 
You continued, “There’s some flavored with peppers and herbs, and some flavored with dried blueberries and thyme.” 
Atreus had wide eyes, patiently waiting for you to finish taking out the food before he could dive in.
“There’s also some fruit, bread, cheese, and uhm, some wine, made with strawberries and blueberries.” You took out a bottle and set it down in between yourself and Kratos. 
You shifted your gaze to Kratos and he was still staring at you, not saying a word.
  “I only brought the wine when Atreus had mentioned you, by the way. I would never give a child alcohol.” You over-explained. The last thing you wanted was for this man to think you would get his child drunk.
Kratos grunted, then he decided to speak up, “I will get cups.” He stood up and walked over to a cabinet to get two cups.
“This looks so good!” Atreus praised your generosity as he tore off a piece of bread and grabbed a piece of dried meat.
“I do miss your cooking.” Mimir chimed in. “Too bad it wouldn’t do me any good now!” he joked. 
His humor made you smile, “You can still taste, can’t you?” you questioned, tearing off a bite-sized piece of dried meat and fed it to Mimir. At the same time Kratos returned to his seat and set down a cup in front of you and one in front of himself.
“Oh, it’s as delicious as ever, (y/n)!” Mimir was delighted to just have a little taste.
“Thank you.” Kratos spoke, he reached out to get some food and began to eat.
“Oh, you’re welcome.” You smiled at him and then at Mimir.
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malleux · 6 months
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freedom. | quest for tyr [III]
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[main page] | [t.o.c] | [spellbook] | [ << | >> ]
young adult!atreus x reader
-> synopsis: The only times you had ever experienced adventure was through your books. It was hard to live an exciting life while trapped in Alfheim.
You know you're meant for something greater than wasting away underground.
[loosely based on the events of Gow: Ragnarok]
-> chapter warnings: all chapters contain spoilers, cursing, anxiety, vomit mention, fighting, fight scene not accurate to canon, blood, injuries, trauma mention
The day before was nothing compared to the pain you were in today. 
Just opening your eyes was a task that seemed to take all of your energy, and your body was so stiff that the smallest movements hurt. Breathing, speaking, literally anything seemed impossible as you slowly sat up the next morning. 
Atreus was by your side the second he heard you curse under your breath, gently helping you up and handing you a plate of whatever leftovers were scavengable from the night before. You ate slowly, listening to him, Kratos, and Mimir formulate a plan for the day. 
"Earlier, I saw a mine down below, and Mimir saw tracks to another train we could take down there. Hopefully it'll be just as safe as the last one," Atreus smiled at you reassuringly during his last sentence, remembering how much you hated them.
You pursed your lips and side-eyed him. You were appreciative of the gesture, really, but heights just really weren't your thing and an old contraption that had your death written all over it didn't help.
You didn't take long to get back to traveling. You didn't feel like holding the trio back from anything they wanted to get done just because you were a little hurt. You could grin and bear it. 
The pain was almost worth it as you saw more pretty views on the mountain top. 
"Father..." Atreus interrupted the peaceful silence. "What if a war with Odin isn't just Tyr's to fight? What if it's ours too?" 
"War is not the only way." Kratos responded. 
"But we're gods. Better gods. We're trying to stop Ragnarok, to help people, and what if the only way to do that is war?" 
"Atreus." 
"I'm just not sure we should immediately jump to that conclusion." You said a bit nervously, "My home was— and still is— torn apart by war. It's not something you really want, especially when you've experienced it."
"Wh— I thought you were on my side!" Atreus whined, turning to you as he continued to walk backwards. 
"I'm on your side with stopping Ragnarok." You shrugged, "I just really, really want to look for any way that doesn't involve war. It's not fun." 
Atreus continued to argue with you as you came upon the rest of the train tracks, but you knew it wasn't a serious thing. He had a playful glint in his eyes— one he had often when he decided to mess around with people. 
You watched in almost awe as Kratos lifted the train and realigned it on the tracks. It amazed you how he barely broke a sweat— he must have been an incredibly strong god. 
Atreus was the first in. Then Kratos and Mimir. 
They looked at you expectantly and you shuffled your feet, looking to find a solid way up into the creaky, wooden cart. You really, really didn't want to go in. 
A hand appeared in front of your face. 
"Here," Atreus helped hoist you up, keeping you steady as the train car squeaked once more under the added weight. He remembered your apprehension and patted your shoulder. "We'll be fine. We don't have much farther to go now." 
"The Kraken hatchling gave you a stone." Kratos pointed out as the train began moving. His voice was a good distraction from your incessant urge to look out the window and scare yourself even more. 
"The Kraken...? Oh, Dinner. Yeah, it's covered in algae. I was thinking we could show it to Brok and Sindri when we got back. Here." Atreus tossed it to his father, who pocketed the stone. "Okay, we came looking for Tyr because we don't trust Odin, right? If you think about it, war could— uh oh—"
The train became shakier and shakier, it's noisy wheels creaking even louder. You stand up in a panic, frantically looking over at your companions, but they look just as confused. 
A creature— a Grim, you recalled— grabbed onto the window ledge closest to Kratos, trying to scratch its way inside. Kratos quickly punched it and sent it flying, but there wasn't much time until another Grim appeared in its place. 
You swallowed your nerves and raised your spear, using the butt of it to knock out a Grim from the window on the other side. 
"Skjalfa!" You cried, sending them out just as quickly as they were coming in. You wanted nothing more than to use your favorite little fire spell, but with a wooden train like this you knew you'd probably set it on fire too. 
"Atreus, look for a brake to stop the train!" Mimir called out, "Should be a lever of some sort!"
"I found it— but it's stuck!" 
"Try harder!" You shook out your hand as you hit a Grim that had actually made it through the window. You grabbed it and threw it back out, hitting two others that threatened to enter and sending them all back. 
"I'm trying! But— it's—" 
The lever broke in two. The handle flew out of the window you were guarding. 
You all could only stare at each other for a moment before the train began to fall— the one thing you prayed to the Nords wouldn't happen. 
"Shit." Atreus grabbed your arm and pulled you between him and Kratos, presumably to shield your fall or protect you from the rest of the Grim. "Shitshitshitshitshit—"
"Ow!" You yelped as you hit the ground. 
Kratos was up before you could even fathom what was going on. He pried at the opening at the top of the train, climbing out and yelling out a rough "Get up!" before taking out his axe and disappearing from your sight. 
He reached back down once he returned, grabbing both you and Atreus and setting you down on top of the cart. You were definitely put down more gently than Atreus, but you wouldn't point that out. 
"I can't believe we surv— are you serious?" Atreus was frustrated now, more Grim coming from seemingly out of nowhere to attack you. 
You whipped around to survey your surroundings, choosing to stay further away from the heat of the fight. The headless troll that laid to your right told you what Kratos had done earlier, and you silently thanked him for making things easier. 
You pointed your spear at Grim that tried to tag-team Kratos or Atreus, choosing to save your magic energy and use some Dark Elf skills. An energy beam shot out from the tip of your spear, slicing the unsuspecting Grim in two. 
This continued for only a few moments longer, then you finally could drop your weapon. You still held onto it tightly, though, still on guard. You jumped down to rejoin everyone. 
"That was crazy." Atreus breathed out. 
"You said it, little brother." 
"That was awful." You shuddered. "I hate heights. I also now hate trains. I knew something was going to happen." 
"You jinxed us, then!" Atreus teased, "You can't sit there and think bad thoughts and then expect good things to come. You gotta look on the bright side." 
"I didn't jinx shit." You mumbled, watching as Kratos looked around for where to go next. "I was looking on the bright side. I felt like I was going to pass out, and if I was unconscious at least I wouldn't feel it when I died." 
"That's— that is not what I meant. Just, come on, I think Father found something." 
It was a small crawl space, which all things considered could be either better or worse than falling off of the side of a mountain on a train. 
Atreus went first, then you, followed by Kratos. You noticed he always took up the back— probably to protect you both from whatever may sneak up behind. Smart. 
"Quite the mouth you had back there, lad." Mimir broke the silence. 
"It's just a word." Atreus rolled his eyes. "I've heard way worse from Br-"
"The word does not matter. You lost control." Kratos reprimanded. His voice was always stern, but this held an even harsher tone. 
"We were falling. Through the air." Atreus defended, "I thought we were gonna die." He gestured to you, "She says it all the time!"
"She was not raised the same way you were. What is acceptable for her is different from you. Is that truly what you wish your last words to be?"
You were glad that was Kratos's view, because the second Atreus brought you into it your heart seized. You did not want to get scolded by Kratos. 
"No." Atreus gave up arguing. You thought that was a wise choice. 
"In moments of crisis, panic does nothing. Harness it. Let it serve you." 
You let his words sink in as you came across another area, this time finally in the open. You kind of wanted to laugh— Kratos wasn't even talking to you, and yet you held onto his words more than you'd ever held onto your own father's. Kratos had a lot of wisdom, but Atreus wouldn't heed it. 
You figured it just be a father-child thing for you and Atreus to never listen. 
"What is this?" You looked around the area in a bit of awe, taking in the wooden structures and water wheels around you. 
"The Jarnsmida Pitmines, lass." Mimir answered joyfully, as if he was reminiscing on something. Probably some memories that he has in that infinite brain of his. 
"Look on the ground. Tracks." Atreus pointed out, "They must lead into the mines." 
"And what exactly is in these mines?" You stood beside him, eyeing Kratos once more as he studied the area. It seemed like every place you went to had some gods-awful puzzle just to make it through and it made your brain hurt. 
"Hopefully Tyr." He smiled at you, and you pursed your lips into a half-smile in return. Your adrenaline was wearing off and the impact from the train crash made your injuries from the Dreki feel brand new again. 
You took a deep breath, only being able to inhale so deeply, and nodded. "Hopefully. I just want him to be here and us not just find another clue and be on a wild goose chase." 
"This is a super prominent mine, I'm pretty sure. If he's anywhere in Svartalfheim, he's gotta be here." 
Atreus's words did little to comfort you, but you couldn't say much as Kratos summoned him to help with a mechanism to open the mine. 
You reached into your pocket and toyed with a piece of paper— the one Sindri gave to you before you left. You didn't have time to read the rest of the spells he had written down for you, so you pulled it out to scan over it. 
You already knew the three first ones, even if you hadn't gotten to use most of them yet: 'Logi: fire. Sverð: sword. Verja: defend.'
Turning the paper over, you saw three more spells written down in neat handwriting— characteristic of Sindri. 
'Iss: ice. Kanna: search. Ausa: water.' 
You hummed. One of these spells was not like the other. Every one of them seemed self-explanatory, except for Kanna. What could it mean to search? Would it help you find something? 
Folding the paper back in your pocket, you took a deep breath and closed your eyes. You felt like you'd have to have an idea of what you were trying to search for, so you sent your intentions to something simple. 
You'd ask for it to find anything with magic in it. 
"Kanna."
You waited for a second. You waited for something— a feeling, a voice, a tug, anything. Assuming nothing had changed or you'd done the spell wrong, you opened your eyes only to gasp out loud. 
Everything around you was covered in a very, very translucent light blue. You looked around— the weapons on Kratos's back glowed a bright blue, much more opaque and noticeable than the blue that spanned the rest of the terrain. Your own spear emitted the same light, as did the palms of your hands where you felt the burn when you did your fire spell. 
Atreus's bow was blue, and so was Mimir's head. Small rocks that blocked entrances glowed as well— rocks that you or Atreus could easily use Skjálfa to destroy.
Ah. Kanna did work.
And from the way Kratos, Mimir, nor Atreus said anything about the sudden shift in color from the original terrain, you could assume you were the only one seeing it. 
You whispered the spell under your breath again and slowly, the blue hue faded from your vision. The mines were restored to their normal, dull brown color. 
'Kanna.' 
Your intention this time included living things— bugs, monsters, whatever. 
The blue crept back into your vision like a rapid flood, but this time the brights were different. You could see Kratos and Atreus shining brightly as they worked together. Mimir's blue flickered a bit, but it made sense. Was the decapitated cursed head really alive? 
You could see little glowing dots shining through rocks like x-rays, showing you where all the little bugs hid underneath. 
More brights caught your eye as they moved towards Kratos and Atreus. 
"Guys, watch out!" You called, "Logi!" 
Fire erupted from below the feet of the monsters. You were able to see them easily with how they shined against the rest of the area. 
You were aware of many more, but this was starting to hurt your eyes. You turned off the spell and rubbed your eyes. They felt sore— sunken in deep and dryer than usual. You'd definitely have to use this sparingly, or risk a massive headache.
Kratos and Atreus quickly took out the few Wretches that threatened them and as soon as it began, it was over. 
The three of you— plus Mimir, but you really couldn't figure out if he counted as a full person or not— stood in front of a crane, watching water flow through it. A large wooden box blocked your path to the next ledge of land. Your hands were on your hips and nobody spoke, trying to find something to help you get across. 
"Looks like the water powers the crane that's keeping the cargo up." Atreus pointed out. 
"Think freezing it could stop the water?" Mimir suggested. 
You quickly held out your hand, aiming it near the end of the crane where the water flowed out. "Iss!"
Ice crystallized in the middle of the flow, encompassing part of the crane in cold fractals. The water built up on the other side of the crane and began to pour out of one of the sides, effectively stopping the flow from hitting the water wheel that was beneath it. The cargo box lowered and you made your way across.
"When did you learn that trick?" Atreus asked as you continued to push forward, coming across the next stupid little platform of puzzles. 
You shrugged. "Just got a little help from some people." 
"Atreus, Y/n, come."
You headed towards Kratos, who assumed a squatting position near the next contraption you came across. Atreus automatically stepped into his hands and was hoisted up onto the wood, and then it was your turn. You assumed he wanted you to do the same, so you quickly followed and hoisted yourself the rest of the way up. 
You explored the area for a minute, Atreus straying away from you for a second before he spoke up. "Father, there's a gate up here heading towards the entrance to the mine. If you can get up here, we'll need your help lifting it." 
"If..." Kratos mumbled under his breath.
"Oh come on, you can jump that! Your knees aren't that bad."
"Atreus." Kratos warned. He used his axe to freeze a water flow that was causing a platform to move unstably and jumped across. 
"I hope you can make that jump!" Atreus joked again and you elbowed him in the side. "Hey!"
"Give the man a break." You laughed. 
Kratos soon joined you both and you headed towards the entrance of the mine. It was covered in debris and a gate that seemed quite heavy. Atreus was right about needing Kratos's help. 
"I sure hope Tyr is here..." He mumbled. 
"Atreus, we seek information." Kratos reminded him. Atreus rolled his eyes. 
"I know. Stop acting like I'm trying to start a war."
"Yet you do not say otherwise--"
"Brothers, maybe we can lay this to rest a bit, eh?"
You were thankful for Mimir's interjection. It was always awkward to be in a a group with two people arguing, but it felt a bit more powerful between Kratos and Atreus. They were both very prominent, strong presences and you knew enough about them already to know that neither of them were likely to back down should the conversation get more heated. 
Kratos was right-- you didn't want to start a war. Atreus had told you numerous times that war wasn't his intention, but once more Kratos seemed right to you. He wasn't denouncing it very hard. He may be against the idea of a war, but he wasn't taking many precautions to truly prevent it.
You continued on in silence, helping out if needed but mostly staying in the back. This wasn't your journey— you were just lucky enough to be allowed to tag along. You did what you were asked, including helping Atreus push back a cart that blocked the way to the mine, finally revealing the rest of the entrance and—
"Sindri?" 
The dwarf waved awkwardly, as if he hadn't just appeared out of nowhere for the second time in Svartalfheim. "Got something else for you." He waited until you all were near to continue. "Since you're currently lacking a light source--sorry-- and have no way of seeing exactly what untold horrors lurk in the dark, these will help."
"Thanks for making me feel better." You mumbled under your breath. Sindri gave you an apologetic look before pulling out three... things. 
"Okay, back to your exploring now. Off with you."
"Thanks Sindri," Atreus commented, "What, uh, do you mean by untold horrors?"
You were wondering the same thing, but Sindri gave no answer. You all put away the light sources that he had given you and turned back to where the dwarf stood, but he was nowhere to be found. 
"How does he do that?" You tilted your head. 
"No idea." Atreus sighed, but then turned to you and grinned. "Let's get going. It looks like the actual entrance to the mine is blocked, but there's gotta be another away."
"This way." Kratos began moving. 
"Nice. Not a dead end. Let's see where this goes."
You jumped down from a ledge into a deep pit-like area. A few Wretches came from the shadows, but you all were able to quickly cut them down. They were nothing more than a nuisance now-- this weird lizard things were so annoying. 
Atreus used his bow's sonic vibrations to break a few rocks to reveal a crawlspace. You internally cringed at the tight quarters. After being locked up your whole life, you didn't necessarily want to be trapped again in something even smaller. Nevertheless, you followed after Atreus with Kratos once again taking up the back. 
"It certainly smells like we're headed into a mine." Mimir piped up. 
"I think I can hear the water too."
"Slow down, Atreus. Take care. Be ready."
If Kratos had a bad feeling, then you did too. Especially once you heard the loud, gurgling roar of a monster when you crawled out of the space. The area you were in now was rather open and spacious, save for the pillar in the middle, the numerous Wretches that seemed to swarm around your feet, and the giant... creature across the room that grew angrier by the second. 
"What the Hel that?" You grabbed your spear and held it across your front. 
"It's called a Bergsra." Mimir answered, his voice echoing through the cavern as Kratos took out a few Wretches. 
"Its like the Grim if Thor decided to procreate with them." You huffed, kicking a Wretch that decided to bite your ankle. "Ugly and huge."
The Bergsra did not like your analogy and yelled out loud enough to shake the cavern walls. You watched as Kratos landed his first hit against it, and decided to join in on the fun. You ran towards it while Kratos distracted it, but you must have severely pissed it off when you called it an offspring of Thor. The Bergsra turned toward you and knocked its head back, lurching a giant green blob out of its mouth in your direction. 
"Verja!" You quickly yelled out. Defend. 
Light emitted from your non-dominant arm-- the one that wasn't holding your spear-- and you instinctually held it up as the blob came closer. It didn't hit you, instead exploding across the large bronze shield you had managed to conjure. 
You looked at your arm in surprise. In hindsight, Verja was a lot more self-explanatory than you'd expected. Especially considering the spell next to it-- Sverð-- was literally sword. 
Another green blob was coming your way. Kratos had been knocked back for a second and Atreus was attacking from long distance, so the Bergsra's attention was once more turned towards you. In a split decision, you rushed towards the creature and it's blob, using your shield to hit the poison back at it. It hit the Bergsra in the face and it roared out in pain, clawing at its face. 
Kratos was back up and threw his blades towards the Bergsra's back. They latched on and he propelled himself forward, kicking it down and landing on top of it. Using his bare hands, Kratos grabbed the head of the monster and twisted. It came off in a loud, gruesome snap and you had to look away from the scene just to keep your breakfast. 
The Wretches stopped attacking as the Bergsra was killed and crawled back into the little nooks and crannies that they came from. And it was over. 
"Ugh, the smell these things leave behind is so gross." Atreus groaned.
"A small consequence for disturbing their home." Kratos replied. You tilted your head at how he almost  humanized them. 
"...Let's keep moving."
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the-desolated-quill · 5 years
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The Quill Seal Of Approval Awards - The Best of 2018
Hello and welcome, dear reader, to the greatest, most important awards ceremony in the history of entertainment. The Quill Seal Of Approval Awards. The award of recognition that everyone on Earth covets even though they don’t know it. For the Quill Seal Of Approval is a most esteemed prize for hard work and artistry. Better than the Golden Globes, more prestigious than the BAFTAs and guaranteed to be more diverse than the Academy Awards. You know your film, novel, TV show or video game has achieved legendary status when some random nobody on the internet says it’s the best in some obscure top 10 list that’s read by only a couple of people. That’s the true sign of success.
First, a few parish notices. Obviously this is my subjective opinion, so if you disagree with my choices, that’s fine. Go make your own list. (also remember that my opinion is 100% objective, scientific, factual and literal truth and anyone who disagrees is clearly a philistine and a dummy and a poopy-head whose mum smells of elderberries). Also please bear in mind that I haven’t been able to experience everything 2018 has to offer for one reason or another. In other words, please don’t be upset that A Star Is Born isn’t on this list. I’m sure it’s as amazing as everyone says it is. I just never got around to watching it.
Okay. Let us begin.
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Inside No. 9 - Series 4
BBC2′s Inside No. 9, written by the League of Gentlemen’s Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith, is an anthology series that’s often sadly overlooked, but it’s really worth a watch if you’re into shows like Black Mirror and The Twilight Zone, and this series in particular has been fantastic. We’ve had an episode written entirely in iambic pentameter, an episode whose chronology runs backwards, a live episode that really plays around with the format, episodes containing tragic and biting satire, and one especially twisted episode that brings out a side of Steve Pemberton we’ve never seen before. Series 4 has been a real treat from start to finish, with each episode beautifully written and expertly performed. Inside No. 9 deserves to share the same pedestal as Black Mirror, no question.
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Black Panther
I’m sure everyone knows about my less than flattering views on the Marvel Cinematic Universe by now, which is what made Black Panther such a breath of fresh air for me. Stripping away all the convoluted crap, Black Panther has often been compared to The Dark Knight, and for good reason. Like The Dark Knight, this movie uses the superhero genre to tackle real social and political issues. In Black Panther’s case, exploring just what it means to be black in the modern world. Boasting an impressive cast of black actors, strong female characters, an engaging and complex antagonist, fantastic special effects and truly excellent direction from Ryan Coogler, Black Panther represents a new benchmark for Marvel, the superhero genre and the film industry in general. It proves how important and how lucrative diversity and representation in media can be, and it unintentionally shows how flawed the Marvel business model has become. The reason behind Black Panther’s success is simple. It’s because it’s bloody brilliant. And the reason it’s bloody brilliant is because Coogler was allowed to realise his own creative vision without Kevin Feige and Mickey Mouse breathing down his neck. Perhaps they should take note of that in future.
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Deadpool 2
Of course Deadpool 2 is going to be on this list. Are you really surprised?
The Merc with the Mouth goes from strength to strength in the rare instance where the sequel is actually as good as, if not better than, the original. The first Deadpool was a great origin story for the character, but Deadpool 2 felt like an adventure ripped straight from the comics themselves. Crass, ultra violent and hysterically funny, Deadpool 2 is the crowning jewel of the X-Men franchise. Fan favourites such as Negasonic Teenage Warhead and Colossus return as well as new characters such as Domino, played by the exceptional Zazie Beetz, Cable, played by the astounding Josh Brolin, and Firefist, played by Julian Dennison who deserves all the success in the world because good God this kid can act!
But of course the star of the film is Deadpool himself with Ryan Reynolds once again proving beyond a shadow of a doubt that he understands this character back to front. Not only is he hysterically funny, capturing the character’s irreverent tone perfectly, he also absolutely nails the tragic underpinnings of Deadpool that make him such a wonderful character. In between the f-bombs and gore are moments of real drama and emotional pathos as the film tackles themes such as loss, discrimination, abuse and suicidal depression. All this whilst taking the piss out of 2017′s Logan. 
Oh yeah, and it also features the first openly LGBT superheroes in cinematic history. Fuck you Disney! NegaYukio and Poololosus for the win! LOL! No, but seriously, now that you have the rights to X-Men back, if you try and censor Deadpool in any way, shape or form, I will kick your arse.
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God Of War (2018)
“BOY!”
Yes Kratos is back, having successfully destroyed the world of Greek mythology and now has his eyes on the Norse Gods. And he has a son now. What could possibly go wrong?
Seriously though, this new God Of War is simply exquisite. While I have long admired the God Of War franchise for its interpretation and adaptation of Greek mythology, the previous games in the series have never exactly been the most sophisticated when it comes to storytelling (and the less said about the casual sexism, the better. Yes Sony, I promise I understand the thematic reasons behind playing a minigame that allows you to have sex with Aphrodite in God Of War 3, but it still doesn’t change the fact that it’s sexist as shit). God Of War 2018 changes all that with an intelligent and engaging story that allows us understand and connect with Kratos at a more personal level than we’ve ever done before. Taking place years after God Of War 3, Kratos is older, wiser and trying to raise his son Atreus in the hopes that he won’t make the same mistakes Kratos did in his past. Not only is the story amazing, continuing the franchise’s themes of vengeance and the strained relationships between parents and their children, the gameplay is also a ton of fun with many memorable moments and boss fights.
And as an added bonus, we get two strong female characters that aren’t treated like discardable sex objects. That was nice of them.
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Incredibles 2
The long awaited sequel to The Incredibles finally arrived in 2018 and it did not disappoint. Incredibles 2 was everything I could have wanted and more. Continuing on from the events of the first movie, we see Elastigirl take the spotlight as she fights the Screenslaver whilst trying to persuade the worlds’ governments to lift the ban on superheroes. Meanwhile Mr. Incredible takes a back seat as he tries to reconnect with his kids Violet, Dash and Jack-Jack and prove he can be a good, supportive dad. 
Continuing to draw inspiration from Fantastic Four, X-Men and Watchmen, Incredibles 2 is... well... incredible. Expanding the world he created, Brad Bird tells a smart, funny and compelling story that stands head and shoulders above the majority of superhero movie fodder we get nowadays. Elastigirl flourishes in the lead role this time around and the kids get a lot more development, the Screenslaver is a great villain that compliments the themes of the franchise wonderfully, and we get to see a whole bunch of new characters such as Voyd and the Deavor siblings as well as the return of old favourites like Frozone and Edna Mode. 
Honestly, the baby alone is worth the price of admission. Hopefully we won’t have to wait another fourteen years for Incredibles 3.
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Marvel’s Spider-Man
Marvel’s Spider-Man is an amazing game. But of course you knew that already. It’s made by Insomniac Games, the same guys behind Ratchet & Clank. Of course it was going to be brilliant.
Simply put, this game does for Spider-Man what the Arkham games did for Batman. Not only is it a great game with brilliant combat and fun web swinging mechanics, it also has a great story worthy of the wall crawler. Unlike the movies, which seem to continuously yank Peter Parker back into high school with each new reboot as those the poor bastard were attached to the fucker on a bungee rope, this Spidey has been fighting crime for eight years. With great power comes many responsibilities as we see him struggle to juggle crime fighting, his new job as a scientist, his commitments to helping Aunt May at the F.E.A.S.T shelter and trying to win his ex Mary Jane Watson back after a six month split. It’s a brilliant story featuring many classic villains such as Shocker and Electro as well as lesser known villains like Screwball and the criminally underrated Mister Negative who finally gets to be the central antagonist in a Spider-Man adaptation. It’s fun to play, engaging, dramatic and really emotional at points. I cried real tears at the end. What a punch to the gut that was.
OOOOOH! And we might be getting to play as Miles Morales in the sequel! I sure hope so! :D
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The Grinch
At this point I imagine many of you are scratching your heads. 
“Really Quill? The Grinch? Illumination’s The Grinch? This deserves the Quill Seal Of Approval? Are you sure?” Yes dear reader, I’m absolutely sure. Just hear me out.
It’s true that the majority of Dr Seuss adaptations are shit. While the live action version of the Grinch starring Jim Carrey has a cult following and is fondly remembered by some, it’s still pretty crap, and even Illumination themselves screwed up royally with their adaptation of The Lorax. But this new Grinch is truly excellent. For starters, the animation is gorgeous. This is clearly the format that works best for Seuss movies. Benedict Cumberbatch does a really good job voicing the character, giving him depth and complexity beyond just being a big old meanie. The film also has something no other Seuss film has ever had before. Subtlety. Illumination have clearly learned their lesson after The Lorax. They’re no longer bashing you over the head with a moral message. They’re not trying to over-complicate a simple story by adding pointless sub-plot after pointless sub-plot. In fact the bits they do add actually feed into the main core of the narrative, as opposed to The Lorax, which just confused things. And while there are cute Minion-esque sidekicks like there are in a lot of Illumination films, The Grinch limits it to two (Max the dog and a reindeer named Fred), they’re both legitimately funny, serve an important narrative purpose and don’t distract from the more serious and emotional moments.
In all honesty, I was debating between giving the Quill Seal of Approval to The Grinch or to Bumblebee (the first legitimately good Transformers movie), but I decided to go with The Grinch because of how it handles the character and the story’s message. A lot of people scoffed at the idea of giving the Grinch a back story (and to the film’s credit they don’t force the issue or over-explain where the Grinch came from) but it’s honestly what makes this new adaptation of The Grinch so special to me. He’s gone from being a Scrooge-like monster to an anxiety filled misanthrope who associates Christmas with being alone. It may sound like a jarring change on paper, but in practice it honestly works so well and adds a whole new dimension to the Grinch. It’s treated with absolute care and sincerity and the film really earns its emotional moments, particularly at the end when we see the Grinch sit down to have Christmas dinner with the Whos.
If you haven’t already, I highly recommend you give this new Grinch a chance. You might be pleasantly surprised :)
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Doctor Who - Series 11
A woman?! In the TARDIS?! How absurd!
Jodie Whittaker made history as the first woman to play the Doctor and the new series doesn’t disappoint. Whittaker is predictably brilliant in the role, giving the character compassion, charm and wit. We also get a new bunch of companions (including the always brilliant Bradley Walsh as Graham) who all have some great moments in Series 11 and the relationships they form with each other is incredibly touching and fun to watch. But the writing, my God, the writing. Admittedly not every episode has been perfect, but it’s leagues above anything Moffat has given us during his disastrous reign. The majority of Series 11 has been well written and intelligent, tackling important and relevant social issues (something Doctor Who has always been doing and anyone who says otherwise is an idiot) and focusing on likeable and relatable characters rather than convoluted series arcs. We got to meet Rosa Parks, witness the partition of India, and ponder on the dangers of automation whilst the Doctor tries to save the world from bubble wrap. Oh, and the Daleks are scary again! I know! I couldn’t believe it either!
What makes this all the more remarkable is who the showrunner is. Chris Chibnall. A writer I’ve often criticised in the past for being derivative and shit, and yet somehow he’s managed to create some of the best Doctor Who I’ve seen in a long time. Not only has his writing improved dramatically since his Torchwood days, he’s also demonstrated a commitment to having diverse representation both in front of and behind the camera as well as in the scripts themselves. For the first time in what feels like an age, Doctor Who feels like Doctor Who again, and I’m ecstatically happy.
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Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse
How come we don’t see many animated superhero movies in the cinema? Considering the medium from which superheroes came from, you’d think it would be a no-brainer. Presumably it’s because Disney have got such a strangle hold on the animation market, but that’s hopefully going to change thanks to Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse (or, Sony’s Repentance for The Emoji Movie).
Let’s get the obvious out of the way. The animation is gorgeous. It’s pretty much an animated comic book and it stands out as one of the most unique looking animated films in recent memory. Spider-Verse is essentially a love letter to the legacy of Spider-Man as we see multiple different versions of Spidey, including Spider-Gwen, Spider-Ham and Nicholas Cage as Ghost Rider cosplaying as Spider-Man Noir, demonstrating not only the sheer variety of Spider-Men we’ve had over the years, but also exploring what connects them together. With all these different interpretations across many different universes, the idea of Spider-Man comes to the same thing. An ordinary person who experiences tragedy and becomes something greater. It’s hopeful and inspirational in a way Spider-Man films hasn’t been for a while now (Spider-Man: Homecoming sucked donkey balls. Period).
But let’s not forget that while the film explores the Spider-Verse, the main focus is Miles Morales who finally makes his cinematic debut. Not only is it a very faithful adaptation of Ultimate Spider-Man’s origin story, Miles himself is such a great central character for the modern age and arguably has more relevance to today than Peter Parker does. The characters are funny and relatable and the story is expertly crafted and impactful. But then what do you expect from the writers and directors of The Lego Movie? (if only Disney hadn’t interfered with Solo: A Star Wars Story. We could have had it all).
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Mowgli: Legend Of The Jungle
This one kind of snuck up on me toward the end of December, but I knew the moment I saw it I had to include it on this list.
Mowgli: Legend Of The Jungle is an adaptation of The Jungle Book with Andy Serkis making his directorial debut. Yes the same guy who did the motion capture for Gollum in Lord Of The Rings and Caesar in the rebooted Planet Of The Apes movies and who totes deserves an Oscar for Best Actor (fuck you Academy Awards!), and he brings this same motion capture technology to this film. Unlike Disney’s Jungle Book, which merely rehashes the original animated film whilst somehow stripping all the charm from it, Mowgli sticks closer to the original Rudyard Kipling book. This isn’t a cheery musical. This film is often dark and intense as we see Mowgli (played wonderfully by Rohan Chand) struggle to find his place in the world. He knows he doesn’t belong with the animals in the jungle, but he doesn’t really fit in with the world of man neither. It’s an emotional and dramatic character piece brought to life by great writing, great acting and stunning special effects. 
Andy Serkis has expressed a desire to do an adaptation of George Orwell’s Animal Farm, and after watching this movie, I would love to see that. If you haven’t already, go watch Mowgli: Legend Of The Jungle. It’s available to stream on Netflix and it’s truly amazing.
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And that’s it for 2018. Congratulations to the winners of this year’s Quill Seal Of Approval Awards. Unfortunately we’re on a limited budget here on The Desolated Quill, so I can’t offer any sort of trophy or medal or anything. What I can do though is write the words ‘I’m an awesome cookie’ on a post-it note and stick it on your forehead. Will that do?
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kitty-chan33 · 6 years
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From another world: Prolog
Older!Atreus x Modern!Reader
(A/n okay this is my first series that I have ever written, I like to thank @9imagine-warlock9 for helping me making this, this person is wonderful helping me making it )
-Third person point of view-
It's the cold early spring afternoon at the northern side of Norway, miles and miles away from any towns and,or, city, a group of ten scientists are hiking to see the northern lights before the night came arose, so they split in two groups, one to see how its effect on ground level while the other see on air level, and you as the reader, is in the air group
“ UGH!! I swear to god Mark, I will shove what left of snow in your pants “  
“ Hey it's just a song Dave “
Dave looks back and see Mark with a sly smirk on his face, and Dave give off a death glare as he about to say something, be been cut off from (Y/N), the only female in the group of five
“ Hey guys, as much as you like to bicker like old married couple, please do that when we set up camp “ (Y/N) said with her nice mom voice, and it make a peace between the two
“ Yes mommmm-m “ both Mark and Dave said at the same time then shut up when they see a side death glare from (Y/N)
Lukas look at the three Americans  researchers and laughs a little, “ You three are a strange trio my friends “
Mark laugh at the comment that the Norwegian said to them, “ Thanks for the compliments Lukas “
The five of then laughs at the humour, just to brighten the mood for the next four hours of walking when they made it to camp and began to set up for the day ( night? ), once the five of them finished setting up camp the sun about to set then quickly became night
Yuri, the group leader starting to get the fire going, while Mark and Dave getting the equipment ready, and Lukas and (y/n) taking photos and videos of the sky when it transaction form day to night
“ Marveles is in it?, we are one of the many aspects of life that we are so small compared to the known universe as we know it “ (y/n) said in awe as she recording the camera towards the sun as it sets
“ What do you mean? “ Lukas looked at (y/n) with his pale green eyes as it meet with her (E/C)
“ Well look “ She spreads her arms, “ There so many things that we as human find and discover as we progress, maybe there something out there that we yet to see, stories that is rewritten as we know the things that we always know to something different, something new “ she smile
“ Hey potato and pineapple, get over here, dinners ready and we going to eat it without you “ Yuri yell at the from camp as he holding a bowl of soup in his hand
“ Don't you dare eat all that food you fat ass!! “ one of the guys yell
When everyone got together to have their dinner for the night, they all tell jokes and stories from where they are from in the world and such, then they all soon went to their tents and went to sleep
Le time skip mah bros -
In the morning was cold, but at least they have some sort of sunlight to warm them as it peek from the horizon, (y/n) is the first to be woken up as they check on the machinery they have brought
“ This is odd… This not supposed to happen “ (y/n) said in confusion at the data that it showing
“ What is it? “ A male voice said in a Russian accent, as (y/n) turns around and see the team leader, Yuri
“ Oh, Yuri you scared me “ (y/n) looks at the screen “ The result show strange message from telegram one-B, it's not in link with the rest, possibly an animal knock it down or something “
As Yuri see the data as looks confused as well as he raised a brow up “ We should check it out, I'll wake up the rest, you'll do packing so we can fix the telegram “ as said as his blue eyes looks at (y/n) (e/c) as she nods in agreement as she went back to her tent and grab her equipment, while Yuri wakes the rest to the team “ Hey, wake up “
Mark woke up groggy “ What is it Yuri? “ he asked the Russian
“ (y/n) and I are going to fix one of the telegram, well be back in two hours, if we not return after thirty minutes after the two hours call in for help “ Yuri tell Mark, as he nodded as he quickly get ready
As (y/n) and Yuri left camp and began to their destination, while the two are in the forest part (y/n) notice a strange rock in the ground so she picked it up and place it in her front cought pocket
“ It should be here “ Your said as he took out the map and check as he looked up and see the atena “ There it is “
The two speed walked to it and began to fix it as the wind pick up, “ we need to hurry, I think a blizzard is about to approached “ Yuri said as they finished and quickly pack and leaves, as the wind grew harsher they both hold hands so they both won't get lost “ Yuri!! “ as (y/n) yelled they both let go as the wind gew strong that they been both knock out of their footing, “ (y/n)!! “ Yuit yelled at his friend, as he called her name it grew faint as (y/n) struggle to move she collapse as a bright light shine
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malleux · 10 months
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freedom. | prologue
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[main page] | [t.o.c] | [spellbook] | [ >> ]
young adult!atreus x reader
-> synopsis: The only times you had ever experienced adventure was through your books. It was hard to live an exciting life while trapped in Alfheim.
You know you're meant for something greater than wasting away underground.
[loosely based on the events of Gow: Ragnarok]
-> chapter warnings: all chapters may contain spoilers, slight violence, cursing
"Y/N, it's late."
A grumbly voice comes from outside your door. Dim red light illuminates your room— Twilight Stone that you had taken and set on your bedside table. The knob shakes and you quickly stash the book you were reading beneath your pillow, laying down.
Your father opens the door and raises an eyebrow at you. "Why are you not sleeping?"
"Just can't." You shrug from under the thin blankets.
"Does it have anything to do with those books we keep telling you to stay away from?" He crosses the room and sits on the side of your bed. You move your legs to make room.
"No, of course not." Your grip on the pillow tightens slightly, going unnoticed by your father. "I just stay up thinking."
He stayed silent— a cue for you to continue.
"It's just— I'm sure Alfheim is a great home. But not for me. I need to be out there, finding my place—"
"Y/N," Your father cut you off, "We've talked about this. You need to stay here, safe. Because—"
"Because I don't look like everyone else, it's okay. I get it." You rolled back, facing the rocky ceiling of the cavern you called a room.
You couldn't help but curse your circumstances at times. Your father, a Dark Elf, and your mother, a mortal. Your mother passed while having you, leaving your father to take you in and stay in Alfheim.
The Dark Elves already disliked you because you took after your mom, looking purely human despite having the same powers as them. They shunned you, and your father forced you underground to stay. Away from their prying eyes and judgement.
As if your situation couldn't have gotten any worse, once the Light Elves began to attack, the Dark Elves hid underground. The same underground that you used as your safe place. This meant that you had to further shrink yourself— away from them, staying inside your room all day instead of exploring the caverns and caves of Alfheim like you used to. They were all inhabited now.
"These books, Father, they talk about all the Nine Realms. Realms that would accept and love me. Shit, there's even books about different worlds entirely that I could try to go to— they're called Egypt, or— or Greece! Or Rome—"
"Enough! Y/N, there is a war going on here. I'm already swamped with protecting our land, so the least you can do is quit with this nonsense and just accept your fate. Groa's prophecies have proven that the safest place for you to be is here."
"That's bullshit-"
"Language."
"You mean I'm meant to spend my entire life trapped in this room? You'd think as my dad you'd want more for me and my life—"
“You have everything you could need right here.” Your father interrupted. “Food, shelter, protection. Hel, you even have the potential for a lovely husband. I bet a marriage would quell some negativity with the other Elves.”
“I don’t want a husband.” You huffed, “I want to get out of this Gods-forsaken room and live my life!”
"This conversation is over." Your father's wings flitted in frustration and he took a deep breath, pressing his lips into a tight line. "Goodnight."
He patted your leg and made his way out of your room, slamming the door and locking it extra loud just to drive the point home that you couldn't leave.
A few minutes pass and a smaller, quieter knock appears on your door. You wait a few minutes, biting back the wide grin that threatens to show across your face, before eventually throwing your blankets off and opening the door. Before you sat a stack of books— maybe four of five of them. You laughed slightly.
Fritjof.
Fritjof was your childhood friend— the “potential husband” your father continuously mentioned. He'd snuck around when the Elves first fled underground and eventually came across your room. From then on, he'd quietly visit and leave you books he'd collected. Nords knows how he gets them.
You were grateful. At least someone wanted you to cure your boredom.
You grabbed the books and locked your door back, shuffling through them to find your next read.
'The Art of Old Magic, no, Rare Fighting Spells, maybe later, Escape Magic— what?'
This book, Escape Magic, caught your attention.  You placed it on your bed and hid the others underneath a pile of cloths, where you kept the rest of your stash.
Content, you snuggled back into your bed and opened the new book, determined to finish it before your father returned in the morning.
———
You had undoubtedly finished the book before the morning, and yet the next day after your father had said his goodnight, you opened it again.
Sitting cross-legged on the floor, you opened the cover to the table of contents and looked for specific spells you had marked.
The first spell seemed easy enough— you thought, at least. The only magic you knew were basics taught to all Dark Elves, and some fighting spells. Your father insisted you knew how to protect yourself, should the Elves ever decide they were done housing you.
Squinting to read under the light of the Twilight Stone, you lifted your hand towards a chair in the corner of your room.
"Kippa."
The chair enveloped in a white light that connected to your hand. You cocked your head to the side, curious. You lifted your pointer finger, making the small rope of light that connected you and the chair move. In return, the chair lifted off the ground weightlessly.
Your eyes brightened— you did it!
Flicking your hand once more, you moved the chair to the other side of the room and set it down.
'Okay, one spell down. Now how do I get this chair off of me?'
You tried closing your fist— maybe to cut off the connection, but nothing worked. You flicked your wrist to the side, trying to shake it off, but the chair followed, slamming into the walls and ceiling. You cringed, and hoped nobody heard.
"Uh..." You quickly flipped through the book, "Létta?"
It was like a switch flipped, a suddenly the chair dropped to the ground, the light dissipating from it and your hand.
"Okay, next one." You mumbled. If the next spell worked, you'd be one step closer to getting out and exploring the world. Your heart raced with anxiety. "Hverfa."
Light once again danced across your vision and once it settled, you stood. You made your way across the room to a small mirror on your table. Just like you'd hoped— no reflection.
Looking down towards your hands and feet, you saw nothing but the floor beneath you.
It worked.
"Yfir-brag."
More light. E/c eyes stared back at you in the mirror. You were back.
Just in time, as well.
A soft knock echoed across your room, and you heard the lock jingle. You quickly hid everything, choosing to sit in front of your mirror and act like you were popping a pimple or just inspecting your face.
"Y/N?"
Your shoulders relaxed immediately at the sound of your best friend's voice. "Fritjof."
You stood up and gave the young Dark Elf a hug. He returned it, moving his head to the side slightly to avoid his horns knocking into your head.
"How have you been? I'm sorry it's been a while— King Svartáljǫfurr has been taking training super seriously."
You shrugged, "Same as always. Sick of this place. Have you gotten to read that book I recommended you?"
"Not yet." Fritjof sighed, "But listen to this, the Light Elves have learned to fully harness the Light of Alfheim. I know we're fighting against them and all, but isn't that cool? It just looks like they’re trying to make life easier for us.”
"Having some sympathy for the enemy, Fritjof?" You quirked an eyebrow, "Svartáljǫfurr would pin your wings to the wall if he heard that."
"That's why I'm telling you and not anyone else." He laughed, "Anyone else could tell on me. You—"
"I can't, I get it." You rolled your eyes and plopped onto your bed, hard enough to make the blankets and pillows shift a bit.
"Y/N, that's not what I meant." Fritjof walked closer to you, sitting next to you on the edge of the bed. Your eyes cut to the pillow, where Escape Magic's corner stuck out from under.
"It's okay, I understand what you did mean." You shrugged again, trying to shift your hand back towards the pillow.
“No, not at all.” Fritjof fiddled with his clawed hands for a moment, unaware of your movements. “Another thing. There’s actually something I’ve been meaning to tell you, Y/N. Since I’ve met you, I’ve just had this feeling—“
Not meaning to ignore him, you tried to catch the corner of the pillowcase and tugged, but couldn't. Cursing in your head, you realized that Fritjof was sitting on the pillow, unknowingly making you unable to hide it.
"—and I just can’t ignore it any longer. I— Y/N, what are you doing—" Said elf turned around and caught sight of your fingers wrapped around the cloth pillow case, then followed your gaze to the red corner of the book.
He grabbed it.
"Frit, give it back!" You jumped up, but Fritjof was quicker. He flew up above you, taking advantage of your lack of wings, and held the book in front of him.
"Escape Magic?" He inspected the pages, "Why would you need this? Are you trying to escape?"
"Shhhh!" You peered towards the door, praying that nobody heard. "Don't say such things out loud! You gave me this book anyways. It was in the stack."
"As if I look at the stuff I get you." Fritjof rolled his eyes. "I just grab things and go. Now I guess I should've checked."
"No, this is great!" You argued, "This is what I've been needing—"
"Y/N, this is the worst idea ever." Fritjof shook his head, "What if you get caught? You'll be killed. If not by the Light Elves, then by your father. You need to stay here— stay with me.”
"I've learned spells that will keep me safe! I just have to find a way to get to The Realm Between Realms, and then I'll be free to go wherever I want. And do whatever I want. Frit, you know that's my dream."
"Sometimes dreams need to stay in our sleep, Y/N." Fritjof looked at you worriedly, "You're here for your own safety. You know that. I can't let you just go out and kill yourself. You have no idea what the outside world is like."
"I would if I was allowed to!" You argued, "I'm leaving, whether you like it or not. I can't do this for the rest of my life."
"Then tell that to your father and Svartáljǫfurr. They need to know." Fritjof left your room, slamming it shut and taking your book with him. You knew you'd have to act fast.
Quickly, you grabbed a bag from under your bed and began to fill it with your things. A hair brush, a dagger, snacks that Fritjof had snuck to you and stored in your room. You took a look at the books in your inventory as well, deciding to grab a few spell ones.
Rare Fighting Spells, Summoning, Runes and How to Use Them, Basic Magic. Everything a young lady may need to brave the outdoors.
Lastly was the Dark Elf spear that sat in your closet, untouched. Your father had given it to you when training you, but you hadn't touched it since training stopped.
Securing the bag and spear on your back, you grabbed the knob. Locked.
Lucky for you, Dark Elf magic didn't require speaking any Nordic spells. You grabbed the spear and blasted the door open, suddenly hearing shouts as the explosion was heard.
"Shit." You whispered, "Hverfa."
You checked your hands and feet to make sure you were invisible. You were proud, but celebration had to come at another time. Slipping past the Dark Elf Warriors who were coming to find you, you headed into the heart of the underground city the Dark Elves lived in.
First phase of the plan, complete. What plan? You didn't know either.
Second phase: find a way to get to the Realm Between Realms.
You remembered your father telling you that connections between realms had been severed during the start of Fimbulwinter. There was a Mystic Gateway to the Realm Between Realms in the city, but it was impossible to open.
You searched around for it, and eventually a dim blue light across the main chasm of the cave caught your eye. Everything else in Alfheim was red for Dark Elves, so you knew this had to be something different. You began your trek.
The faint light was only a little brighter as you came upon a broken pile of rocks and debris— what used to be the gateway to the Realm Between Realms. A siren sounded in the background, and you knew it was for you. You had to act fast.
Desperately, you piled up the stones and pulled out a book, flipping through the pages and praying that something would help.
Nothing.
Another book— none.
"Please, help," You whispered, opening the third book. "Opna? Hníga?"
You tried every word for "open" that you knew in Norse, but nothing worked. You sat back on your heels. You couldn't stay invisible forever— who knew if this spell had a time limit?
Tears clouded your eyes as you thought about the prospect of being stuck in Alfheim forever, now with both sides of the Elves being against you.
“Please help.”
Suddenly, a warmth began to make its way across your face. You furrowed your brows and wiped a few stray tears from your cheeks, watching the stones of the door began to tremble and shake. They seemed to lift up by themselves, glowing brighter as they created an opening shrouded in white light. You stood up in awe, backing away when it began to slowly open.
"You said you heard it from this one? You sure?" A deep, gruffly voice resounded from the other side. "I don't see shit."
"Yes, I swear I did."
The portal dimmed a bit to reveal two very small men. They peeked in, and you took your chance, slipping past them and into the Realm Between Realms.
"Well, I suppose not, then." The skinnier man sighed and turned away as the blue man closed the gateway. "I could've sworn I heard someone calling out—"
"That was me!”
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malleux · 10 months
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freedom. | quest for tyr [II]
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young adult!atreus x reader
-> synopsis: The only times you had ever experienced adventure was through your books. It was hard to live an exciting life while trapped in Alfheim.
You know you're meant for something greater than wasting away underground.
[loosely based on the events of Gow: Ragnarok]
-> chapter warnings: all chapters may contain spoilers, cursing, anxiety, subtle verbal sexual harassment, vomit, fighting, fight scene not accurate to canon, blood, injuries, trauma mention
"That was absolutely too much to get into a city." You groaned, slumping back slightly on the boat.
"It is a necessary precaution." Kratos replied, "Being under Odin's rule comes with many dangers."
As if to top off his statement, a loud siren began to wail through the air. The few dwarves seen on the streets scrambled into hiding as the boat passed. You frowned, wondering how you'd possibly find anything if the dwarves were unwilling to help.
Atreus was the first off the boat as it docked, immediately heading to one of the small buildings and knocking on the door. "Hey! Could we talk to you for a sec—“
"We don't want any trouble. Please." The voice replied, trembling. Atreus walked back to you and Kratos. 
"They'll be no help, to be sure." Mimir sighed. "Best we find the tavern Sindri mentioned on our own. And hope they let us in."
"They're so scared," You noted, feeling sad. "Surely this isn't the best way to live— cowering in fear at every unknown thing?"
Atreus nodded, speaking to you in a quieter voice. "Don't worry. When we stop Ragnarok, they'll have no reason to be afraid anymore. They'll be better!"
As he spoke, you felt his hand rest against your back, rubbing a few comforting circles around. You looked up at him, but he was busy surveying the area.
You continued on, Atreus leaving your side to knock on more doors with no luck. You turned the corner and see a familiar face.
"Sindri!" You call, bounding over to him.
"Hello!" He smiled, "I'd return your surprise, but I did know you'd be here. I've got something for you."
Kratos made his way to where you all stood. "What is it, dwarf?"
"You know, I'm glad I came back here one more time before Ragnarok. If these cobblestones could talk..." He looked around, furrowing his eyebrows. "Then they'd have mouths. Filthy, disgusting mouths." He turned to Atreus, "Do you mind if I fiddle with your bow?" Then to you, "And your spear?"
You and Atreus nodded, handing Sindri your weapons. He began to try and un-string the bow, struggling quite a bit.
"Taking advantage of certain materials'— ow!— structural sensitivity to Sonic vibrations has been something— ugh!— I've been meaning to try for quite some time now." He handed Atreus back his bow and grabbed your spear, untying the spear-head and replacing it with a different rope, this time with a teal bead tied into it.
"Uh, thanks for finally trying it, I guess?" Atreus watched as Sindri waved his hand over the bow string and the bead, making them glow a strange teal color.
Sindri handed you back your weapons. "Atreus, take aim at that gate over there, but before you loose, say 'Skjálfa'."
Atreus did as the dwarf said, and the gate was destroyed. Unfortunately, a few Wretches were let loose as well.
Sindri stood back, away from the monsters. "Y/N, if you say the same as you throw your spear, it will produce sonic vibrations on impact."
You nodded, aiming it at one of the larger Wretches that nobody was fighting yet. "Skjálfa!"
It killed the Wretch in one shot, sending vibrations out slightly that hit a few Wretches near it.
You were impressed.
You ran to pick up the spear, swiping the tip around to create a beam of light that fried the Wretches near you. Kratos and Atreus killed the rest.
"Okay," You tried to catch your breath, "Durlin. Sindri, do you have any idea where the tavern is?"
Sindri scoffed. "Do I look like I've ever been in a filthy tavern? But through that sewer you just uncovered seems like the best bet."
You agreed, looking at the rune bead on your spear. You wondered how many other beads you could put on there for a more powerful weapon.
"Atreus, Y/N. Come." Kratos had already climbed through the sewer, waiting on us.
You both followed, eventually coming across a building slightly larger than the rest. Music came from the inside, contrasting greatly against the silence from the rest of the town. You looked at Atreus and he responded with a shrug, following his father and walking into the tavern.
"You think that's him?" The boy asked, walking up to the dwarf playing music. "Hello?"
"Watch yourselves." He responded, unfazed and still playing, "Apparently there are intruders about."
"Uh, yeah, that would probably be us."
"Eh, well, if you're planning on killing me, at least let me finish this song. That alarm was the perfect key."
"We're just looking for someone," Atreus explained, "Durlin."
The dwarf quit playing. "Head out the back way there and you'll see the safety office just across the river. Just don't go making trouble for the rest of us. And while you travel, perhaps you could clean up the head's mess while you're at it."
"You mean Mimir?" You were caught off guard from the dwarf's sudden icy tone.
"Yes Mimir, pretty lady. Or, you could pay the price and spend a little while hanging here—"
"She will not." Atreus seemed to be by your side in a second. "We need to leave."
The dwarf looked Atreus up and down, a disgusted sneer on his face as he decides to back down. "If you're looking for anything better, you know where I am."
Atreus rolled his eyes, placing a hand on the small of your back and all but pushing you towards the door. His eyes held something you couldn't quite place. "She'll pass."
The four of you (you kept forgetting Mimir was even there. He'd been too quiet, knowing the dwarves weren't too fond of him.) boarded the boat out back and followed the directions that the pushy dwarf gave.
Atreus, beside you, began pawing at his cheek. "You know what? My face is itchy. I think my beard's coming in."
You gave him a look, lifting an eyebrow. Kratos did the same, deciding to tease his son. "Is it?"
"Yeah, on my jawline." He craned his neck towards the both of you, trying to show it. There was definitely nothing there. "See? It's growing."
There was a beat of silence. "Is it?"
You held back a laugh.
"That's not just dirt?" Mimir joked.
"It's not dirt." Atreus rolled his eyes, exasperated.
"Y'know what? I believe you, Atreus." You snickered, glancing at Mimir, who only grinned. "Next thing you know you're gonna be big and hairy."
"Yeah. Like a bear— wait. That already happened, didn't it, lad? Perhaps all your hair waits until it's in bear form to come out." Mimir joined. Atreus had vaguely told you about the bear incident— only what he remembered.
"Very funny. Y/N, I really got my hopes up with the support at the beginning."
Soon, the boat docked at a long pier in front of the building. Atreus stopped Kratos from opening the door, begging to let him do the talking. Kratos begrudgingly agreed.
Stepping inside, you had to squint to see. No windows were opened, nor candles lit. Dust visibly floated through the air and you tried to keep your breaths shallow to avoid choking on it. In the back was a dwarf at a desk, his feet kicked up on the top, reading a book.
"Uh, we're looking for Durlin?" Atreus asked, unsure.
"You got an appointment?" The dwarf asked.
Atreus looked at his father, who simply gestured for Atreus to talk, and then to you. You tried to give him a reassuring smile, but it came out as more of a worried grimace.
"Uh, no?" Atreus turned back to the dwarf and walked towards him. "Has anyone ever had an appointment here?"
The dwarf slammed the book down on the desk and looked between the three of us with a strange grin, chuckling.
"Here to collect on something, pal? Think parading around with a severed head on your hip is gonna scare me into approving Estrid's accretion proposal, eh?" Durlin said with a smile. Your face twisted into confusion.
"We are looking for a prisoner of Odin." Kratos corrected.
"He's being kept in a mine somewhere." Atreus explained, "Some of our friends said you could help."
"Where did you get—" Durlin paused as Kratos turned his back, his smile somehow growing even wider as he eyes the axe upon Kratos' back. "You chop her head off with that, too?"
Kratos turns back, all but getting in Durlin's face. "She was my wife."
You watched the interaction, already having figured out how protective Kratos was over his deceased wife. You worried that this wouldn't end well, and you'd be forced to leave without the information you all needed.
Anxiety getting the best of you, you turned away and began looking around Durlin's place. More specifically, the bookcases lining some the walls.
Most of them were boring— legal work, accounting, money laundering, things you'd typically find in a place like this. But a small stack at the end of one of the shelves caught your eye.
Romance novels.
You'd only read one in your lifetime. You supposed the small archive where Fritjof borrowed your books from focused mainly on combat-related information and history, seeing as that was all that he dropped off.
It was a short poem in a series of many, titled Fjölsvinnsmál, about a boy and a girl who the Norns had destined to be together. The story of Mengloth and Svipdagr touched you— made you yearn for a love like theirs once day. For a love like Kratos and Faye's.
Yet, being trapped in your room for so long, you'd resigned to your dreams and accepted that you wouldn't get your destined true love— unless it was Fritjof, and you truly did not want it to be Fritjof.
You'd like to think the Norns blessed you with that chance now that you were free, but the odds didn't seem high considering the two you were with right now were actively trying to stop the end of the world. At this rate, you'd probably die before getting your first kiss.
Your fingers graced the spines of the books, reading titles you'd never heard before— some in languages you'd never seen. It was tempting to grab them, but you were positive Durlin was keeping an eye on you.
"Now then. Get out of my office."
The dwarf's words brought you back to reality and you whipped your head towards the men, worried that you had caused the issue.
"What part about 'get out of my office' do you not understand?"
Atreus took a few cautious steps back, pocketing something Durlin's weird octopus had thrown at him before heading back outside with his father. As they passed, you quickly snatched one of the books from the shelf and walked out with them, stuffing it into your bag before anyone noticed.
You all headed outside and Atreus unrolled a scroll that Durlin had given him. "Hey... this isn't a fine—"
"You should put that away," You stood beside him, pulling out your spear, "There's a lot of Grim around."
------
"Okay, as I was saying."
As soon as you had finished eliminating the Grim that occupied the area outside of Durlin's building, Atreus was back to reading the scroll. You heard it was just a list of fines the dwarf had issued to you, so you didn't understand why it was so intriguing.
"I think Durlin wrote down directions."
Oh.
"He gave us a map?" You questioned, coming behind the boy and looking over his shoulder.
Atreus looked back at you with a smile and you were suddenly hyperaware of the close proximity between your faces. You moved away-- a little too quickly to be casual-- and instead focused on wiping your spear of dried Grim blood.
"Sort of..." Atreus continued, but not before giving you a look of concern. "It seems to lead to a mine beyond that mountain. Durlin helped us anyways..."
"Not everyone uses axes and arrows to fight." Mimir mused.
"Odin probably has a watchful eye over this realm." You concluded, "It would have been dangerous to help us out loud."
Kratos wasn't paying too much attention to the conversation, instead choosing to open a gate nearby to reveal a path to the mountain. Atreus went through first, then you, then Kratos. Along the path was a beaten up railroad-looking contraption-- something completely unsuitable for travel.
"This thing looks like it can take us up the mountain. Maybe we'll see a mine up there?"
"Nothing like a good ol' Dwarven train ride." Mimir laughed.
You, on the other hand, were not laughing. They could not be serious right now. The wood on the rails was rotten and the Svartalfheim steel was rusted-- and that was just the tracks. The train itself seemed even worse to you. You shuddered.
Kratos, Atreus, and Mimir boarded the train with ease, looking around the small train car. You still stood on the loading dock, eyes filled with worry. Your stomach seemed to lurch at even the thought of getting onto the train— who could say this was 100% safe? Or secured properly to the rails? You'd just gotten free, and death by falling train was not the way you wanted to end that.
Kratos's voice pulled your gaze from the rusted train tracks. "Come, we must go."
"R-right." You murmured. You took a deep breath and suppressed a shiver, taking a tentative step onto the metal floor before withdrawing. "Give me one second, this actually terrifies me." You admitted.
Atreus gave his father a look that you didn't notice before stepping off of the train and walking to you. He led you a little further from the two other men, lowering his voice to ask if you were okay.
"I mean, yeah, I-I guess." You shook out your hands, "I don't know why it's freaking me out so much. I just don't want anything bad to happen, it's obviously gone unused for so long."
Atreus pressed his lips into a slightly comforting smile, tentatively brushing his hand against your bicep before pressing it with a bit more confidence— a gesture of reassurance. "I think if Mimir hasn't said anything too cautious about it, it should be alright. But if anything goes wrong, I'll protect you."
You returned his smile, but the remaining anxiety prevented it from reaching your eyes. Despite Atreus's promises, it still scared you. "Promise?"
"Promise." Atreus held out his pinky and you tilted your head in confusion. "Wh- Have you never done this before? Here, give me your pinky— this is a pinky promise. It means that I promise you that I won't break our promise. It's like, an extra layer of dedication."
You laughed, looking at your locked pinkies. You'd never heard of a "pinky promise" before, but you liked it. The extra layer of dedication put your mind a bit more at ease as you convinced yourself to trust Atreus and his pinkies.
You took a deep breath and shook your head, steeling yourself for the rest of your journey. "Let's go."
———
For the first time in a little while, it was silent amongst the four of you.
You sat on the floor of the train, beside the stool Atreus was on, while Kratos and Mimir occupied the stool across from you. You slightly wished someone talked, though— to cover the nauseating squeak of the rails and crunch of the old wood train every time it made a move a little too risky for its old age.
"Heimdall. That's a name I don't miss hearing." Mimir mused, his gaze seemingly far off.
"Nobody said it until you did, just now—"
"Durlin!" The head interrupted Kratos, "He had it written all over his face. Or well, burned I should say. Right into his head."
"He burned that into Durlin's head?" Atreus asked.
You grimaced at the thought. It was quite your luck to have the conversation you wished for be even more nauseating than the train ride.
"Failed rebellions tend to warrant swift and enduring retribution."
"He's a captain of Odin?" Kratos questioned, turning his attention away from the outside the window.
"Aye, and the bearer of Gjallarhorn. A true believer, that one."
The train creaked to a stop, and the conversation stopped with it. Another train lied ahead, and Atreus seemed eager to get to it.
You, on the other hand, had your attention stolen. To your right, over the wooden guardrails, was Svartalfheim. Vast, beautiful Svartalfheim. The farthest you had ever seen was the across your room when you were on one side of it, and your imagination could only do so much when you'd read about such beautiful, sweeping landscapes that littered the Nine Realms.
You never thought you'd get to see mountains or rivers in real life. Yet there you were, traveling with three not-so strangers across an entirely different realm. Feeling a lump in your throat, you took in the view for another second and made yourself turn around towards the others.
You didn't have much time to cope with the fact that you were actually probably quite traumatized from being practically imprisoned for 19 years, seeing as though the moment you escaped you embarked on another adventure. Seeing Svartalfheim's view was a reminder of that, but you couldn't stay long. You would let it all hit you once the Realms were safe from Ragnarok— or whatever these three were doing.
"Y'know," Atreus chimed as you all began up the ramps to the second train, "Maybe finding Tyr is our best protection. Seemed like Odin really didn't want us to find him—"
"Wait," You interrupted, "Odin didn't want you to find him? You've already talked to Odin?"
You were apprehensive— all you'd ever heard about from the Elves was how powerful and ruthless Odin was in his rulings. Sure, you knew finding Tyr was probably against Odin, but hearing that Kratos and Atreus had already run into him seemed to put everything into perspective for you.
"Uh, yeah." Atreus shrugged, "Threatened us and everything. But what can you do?"
What can you do?
These people have to have a death wish.
"Once Tyr's free and can be god of war again, Odin won't even have time to worry about us." Atreus seemed to try and reassure you, seeing your less-than-pleased facial expression.
"If that is his war to fight, he may have it." Kratos agreed.
Kratos led the group up the mountain, eventually coming across a large clearing. You tilted your head, seeing a large lump lying in the water. The air smelled gross, like a decomposing fish or sewage. The closer you looked, the more you knew you were right. The smell was definitely decomposition, and the lump lying in the water was a dead Dreki.
"It's definitely dead." Atreus poked at the corpse, ignoring his father's warnings.
Suddenly, Kratos and Atreus yelled out at the same time as a second Dreki comes out from the water. You ready your spear, standing beside Kratos as he grabs his axe.
Almost immediately, the Dreki opens its tooth-filled mouth to shoot water at everyone. You all move out of the way, and Atreus begins firing his sonic arrows at the monster. He stays out of the way, choosing to wear it down from a distance to avoid its rapidly swinging tail.
Kratos runs for it head-on, his axe blade catching the Dreki's snout and ripping it slightly. Its scales are tough to break, acting like armor for the reptilian creature.
You choose to aim for the sides, in its blind spots. The Dreki's scales have to be moveable on its sides to allow it to move properly, and you stay a distance away until you spot the weak spots in it. Atreus takes a shot at the Dreki and it becomes stunned for a second, so you charge forward and dig your spear into its side.
The Dreki roars in pain and begins to thrash. You don't have time to listen to Atreus's warning before its tail makes contact with your body, flinging you across the clearing and into the boulders on the other side. Your breath is knocked out of you and it's difficult to open your eyes, but another roar tells you that the fight isn't over yet.
You reach for your spear, but it's nowhere to be found. Instead, you catch a glint of the metal pole still sticking out of the Dreki's side. The monster is still thrashing around, and you know there's no way you'd get it with your current state. Instead, you shake your head of the fog that threatens to turn your brain into mush at the moment and call out any spell you can think of.
"Skjálfa!"
Your spear, and the inside of the Dreki, glow a bright teal and within a second, the Dreki's stomach had burst open from the inside out. It lay in the water, dead, with blood permeating the pond. Your spear laid beside it, unharmed.
Kratos sheaths his axe and picks up your weapon, beginning to walk to you. Atreus beats him to it, kneeling on the grass next to you and putting a hand on your back.
You're throwing up.
Never in your life had you taken a hit like that— you'd never fought seriously before.
Your head swam and your vision had black around its edges, your head hurt. A sharp, piercing pain behind your eye. You knew your back was scraped from the rock, and undoubtedly bruised from the impact.
Atreus made you look into his eyes— focusing on something could help you regain clarity. And it did, his voice helped distract you from falling into the abyss of fainting, and you shakily lifted your hand to wipe your mouth.
At least there was no blood.
Bit by bit, you stood up. Your head and body still hurt incredibly bad, but you knew better than to let it affect you any more than it already had. You didn't want to be a burden to Kratos, Mimir, and Atreus after you swore you could keep up.
"I-" You paused to steel your shaky voice, "I'm okay. Just have never gotten hit like that. We can go."
"Are you sure?" Atreus asked, "It's starting to be evening, we can stop for the night now if you need to—“
"No—"
"Yes." Kratos interrupted, "We may rest for the night. But let us travel a bit further, in case there are more."
You could only nod, taking a few testy steps forward. Your legs felt like heavy led and you could barely raise them. Taking a breath, you followed. You'd get to rest soon.
After finding a safer spot to set up camp, Atreus wouldn't let you lift a finger to help, despite your protests that you were fine. Kratos and Mimir had set off to find something for dinner, leaving you and Atreus to set up the fire. Blankets and sleeping pads would just weigh everyone down, so you all chose to forego them during your travels.
For a typical traveler, the ground would do just fine. For you, on the other hand, nothing was acceptable except for a hospital bed.
When Atreus finished the campfire, he sat beside you. "How are you feeling?"
At first, you could only grunt. It took a lot of strength to make words come out of your mouth. "Like I just got bodied by Jörmungandr himself."
Atreus chuckled, "I'm sure. It doesn't get less painful as time goes on. It just gets easier to bare, and easier to get up and move on."
You only nodded, enjoying the warmth of the fire as night began to settle in. Kratos and Mimir should be back soon.
"Atreus." His hum of acknowledgement made you continue, "What is your goal with all of this? Finding Tyr and whatnot."
"Oh, well," Atreus took a moment, drawing in the dirt with a small stick he'd grabbed, "I'm not too sure. I know Ragnarok is coming, and I think I have something to do with stopping it. I've seen prophecies— ones that I'm in and ones where Tyr is fighting against Odin. I don't know what my fate is with the prophecy, but I know I can help with Tyr's. That's why I want to free him."
"You want to start a war?"
Atreus threw his head back and groaned, "You sound just like my dad! No, I don't want to start a war. But if that's what it comes to, then... I don't know."
Atreus turns to you, and despite the slight blurriness of your still-recovering vision, you see sincerity in his eyes, the warm fire reflecting against them.
"Y/N, I really don't know. I just have this feeling that this is the path I need to be on and what I need to do. Sindri and I— we've done so much research on all of this. Please, be the first person here to just trust me."
As much as his tirade didn't help you trust him, you believed that Atreus was doing something with pure intentions. For now, that was enough for you. You placed your hand on his own that sat on the ground. Atreus looked at it, then back at you, and smiled.
"Just don't get me killed," You joked.
"I wouldn't dream of it." Atreus shifted his hand to where his pinky linked with yours, and held it there. "I promised, remember?"
>>
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malleux · 10 months
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freedom. | table of contents.
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[main page] | [about you] | [spellbook]
Prologue
Surviving Fimbulwinter I
Quest for Tyr I
Quest for Tyr II
Quest for Tyr III
Quest for Tyr IV
Old Friends I
[more coming soon]
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malleux · 10 months
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freedom. | quest for tyr [I]
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[main page] | [t.o.c] | [spellbook] | [ << | >> ]
young adult!atreus x reader
-> synopsis: The only times you had ever experienced adventure was through your books. It was hard to live an exciting life while trapped in Alfheim.
You know you're meant for something greater than wasting away underground.
[loosely based on the events of Gow: Ragnarok]
-> chapter warnings: all chapters may contain spoilers, fighting, cursing, mimir torture
"C'mon, up, up, you've got a big day ahead of you!"
Sindri's voice, paired with the feeling of your blanket being ripped off of you, roused you from your slumber. You frowned and curled up into yourself, trying to preserve a little bit or warmth.
"Y/N, it's time to get up." Atreus's voice rang out this time, and his hand rested on your arm, giving it a small shake. "We've gotta get to Svartalfheim soon. Sindri made breakfast."
You peeled one eye open, coming face to face with a pair of blue eyes. Atreus smiled and patted your arm one last time before standing up and grabbing his own gear to get ready.
You yawned, stretching as you sat up.
"Sleep well?" Atreus asked, his back to you as he made sure his bow was in tact.
"Kind of, yeah." You laughed, "My first time sleeping somewhere new, my body isn't used to it yet."
Atreus nodded, opening the door of the bedroom for you both to head out. "Just wait until we have to sleep on the ground somewhere. That's where it gets really uncomfortable."
You internally groaned, "Sounds miserable."
"A small price to pay for an adventure!" Sindri chimed into your conversation as you made your way to the table. "There's bacon, eggs, and toast for a big breakfast today, at the request of the young lad."
In your peripheral, Atreus rubbed the back of his neck. "Just to make sure we're prepared for the journey." He laughed nervously.
Sindri nodded along, handing you a plate of food and a small pouch. "It's not much, but it's got your weapons, some snacks, and a resurrection stone." He pulled you down to his height and whispered, "Plus I wrote down a few spells I think you'd find beneficial. I noticed your books yesterday and couldn't help but assist."
You gave Sindri a genuine smile, "That's so kind of you. Thank you so much."
"Ah, it's nothin'." Sindri waved you off. "In return, just make sure you all get back safe and keep that boy in check."
"I can hear you!" Atreus called from the table, earning a small laugh from you and Sindri.
You thanked him again and sat at the table, the only open seat being beside Kratos. The man still intimidated you a lot, but you supposed you'd better start getting used to him. He huffed in acknowledgment as you sat beside him, but said nothing more.
Once breakfast was through, Kratos stood and made his way outside. You'd figured out by now that he expected you and Atreus to follow soon.
You looked at Atreus and he shrugged, gesturing to his unfinished meal. He was staying to finish it.
Instead of following Kratos out alone, you opened the satchel Sindri had given you and took out a folded piece of paper. Written inside were a list of spells— fighting, healing, a wide variety that would be useful on a journey.
'Logi: fire. Sverð: sword. Verja: defend.'
You tried to commit as many spells to memory as you could, but without practicing them you weren't sure how effective they'd be. You wouldn't have much time to do anything with them, as Atreus had finished eating and motioned for the both of you to head out and meet up with his father.
"Now, Mimir, you remember what we talked about? We'll just need the Bifrost and the head. Brok, do the touching."
"Ah, so this will be the part requiring my assistance?"
You quirked your eyebrow at the large contraption near Sindri. Kratos opened the Mystic Gateway and Brok took Mimir, placing the head in the contraption.
Atreus, who still stood beside you, spoke. "They're using Mimir's Bifrost eyes to let us travel between realms. This way, we don't have to wait for the Dwarves to do it every time. We can use the Yggdrasil Seeds to travel to Svartalfheim."
You only hummed, watching.
"So, do I control this thing, then?"
"Oh, no. No no no no no no no." Sindri responded to Mimir, "This is just to hold you in place while we shine this light into your eyes."
"Oh, Sindri, you sodding bastard!"
Mimir's cries fell upon deaf ears as the light shone in his face. Brok just laughed as Sindri repositioned the contraption to face the Gateway.
"Open your eyes. I'm really hoping to not have to use the eyelid clamps."
Mimir, still crying out, opened his eyes and took in the light. Sindri cheered and on his command, Mimir released the light into the Mystic Gateway. The dwarves then ran to the door, getting to work as Mimir continued to complain in the background.
"And— there. That should do it. No permanent damage." Sindri inspected the Gateway.
"I'll show you permanent damage, you wee fuck. Kratos, throw me at him! Horns first!"
"Aww, can't you take a joke, you old goat?" Brok was having the time of his life.
"That looked like it hurt." You whispered.
"Yeah, but Mimir can take it." Atreus shrugged, "I'm sure he's been through a lot worse. C'mon, father's ready to go."
Atreus started towards the Mystic Gateway, where Kratos had already retrieved Mimir and stood, waiting for the both of you. You quickly followed, not wanting to be a burden to them.
You followed the pair, and Sindri, through the branches of Yggdrasil until coming upon another Gateway, this time to Svartalfheim. Sindri bid his goodbyes, and left you to step through the light.
The first thing you noticed when stepping into the realm was how awful it smelled. Everything in the realm just seemed to be... off. The sun was slightly too bright, it was too hot, and the atmosphere smelled atrocious.
Though, hating the bright light could just be your Dark Elf side, because Atreus was basking in the sun. He enjoyed the warmth, stretching his arms out to take it in.
"It's a bit much." You chimed in.
"Maybe to you, but Midgard has been frozen for years now. I'm so glad to be away from the snow!" Atreus rushed ahead of you and Kratos. "Maybe we can use this boat."
He began to slice at the ropes, cutting the small boat away from its rack and ignoring Mimir's call for caution. The boat shifted a bit as Atreus freed it, but instead of moving the boat he fell back with a yell.
Small lizard-creatures jumped from behind the boat, darting from side to side and attacking Atreus as he tried to regain his footing. "Why are these things so fast?"
Kratos ran at the creatures with his axe, swinging at them as they attacked. It was difficult, though, as they would continue to jump out of the way before getting hit. Atreus was in the same boat, being unable to aim his arrow at them before they moved. He'd resorted to just hitting them with the bow itself.
You decided to take a different route, staying a respectable distance away from the monsters and raising your hand.
You concentrated on one of the monsters, and whispered, "Logi."
The creature burst into flames, crying out in its own weird, monster-ish way. Atreus looked at the monster, and back at you, your hand still slightly glowing with light. He laughed, before getting hit in the back of the head by a lizard and turning back to the fight.
You tried again on another one, this time only speaking the spell in your head. Success.
More creatures— Wretches, Mimir had called them a moment ago— came from cracks and crevices of the rocks around you, and you began to get overwhelmed. Burning them one by one, then by twos, and then threes, wasn't enough.
Eventually, in a last-ditch effort, you aimed your palms at the ground and imagined the power going to every Wretch in the area. "Logi!"
Wretch cries were heard once more, and then nothing. Just the smell of burning flesh permeating the already-smelly air.
"Y/N! How'd you do that? You killed them all in one shot!" Atreus bounded up to you, grinning. Kratos chose to put the boat in the water, not-so-subtly keeping an ear turned towards the both of you.
"I, uh, actually don't know." Your cheeks flushed a bit, embarrassed that you were getting praised for something you can't even control. "That was my first time using that spell. It was honestly exhausting."
"I'm sure it was, that was a lot of magic to kill all of those Wretches." Atreus patted your shoulder, leading you towards the boat. You both sat in the front, while Kratos began to row in the back.
You never realized how tiring magic was— or, rather, you'd just never used that much magic before. It really was a lot, with dozens of Wretches coming upon you. You were sure you could've handled it better, like with the magic from your spear that isn't physically taxing, but where was the fun in that?
Your hands were sore. They felt like they had been burned from the fire that they had summoned. Perhaps that was a side-effect you were unaware of?
Your head hurt, too, like there was too much pressure in your ears and behind your eyes, making your eyelids droop and your face feel heavy. Your body was exhausted, and you slumped forward slightly, only to jerk back up to stay awake.
Atreus, concerned, looked towards his father. Kratos kept his eyes on the river.
"Magic is a finicky thing." Kratos began, making you sit up and pay attention. "You never know what it is going to do or how it will affect you. I suggest training more before deciding to randomly use magic you've never done before. You could have gotten severely injured."
"Yes, sir." You felt slightly dejected, but understood where he was coming from. You didn't expect this guy to be some big softie when it came to mistakes, anyways.
Atreus turned towards the water. "It looks like we've got a ways before we might have to get out. Why don't you rest?"
"I'm fine," You reassured him, "I don't need to be asleep and caught off guard if something happens."
"But the water is so peaceful," Atreus argued, "Even I could take a nap right now."
"You never know." Kratos agreed with you, "Naps are for those with no goals in life. If you have time to nap, you must find something more productive to do."
"Now, I wouldn't go that far." You laughed, "I love a good nap, but now is definitely not the time. Not in a foreign realm where we don't know what could happen."
Kratos hummed, and Atreus fidgeted. It was obvious he had more to say.
"Isn't it cool how mom led a whole rebellion here and didn't tell us?" He finally let it out.
"The fact that it didn't go well might have curbed that notion." Mimir replied.
"Wait, what?" You were intrigued. You didn't remember reading about a rebellion in Svartalfheim in any of your books.
"My mom is a Giant," Atreus explained, "She, uh, passed a few years ago. She apparently did a lot before meeting father, and the Giants in Jötunheim called me Loki in their prophecies with her! So I'm half Giant, half God—"
"Atreus. There is such thing as giving too much information."
"You're a God?" You turned to Kratos, "Norse?"
"No. Not Norse."
That was the only information he would give, so you let it be, choosing to go back to Atreus. "That's really cool. I wish I could've gone and led a rebellion instead of being trapped for years." You half-joked.
"If you didn't talk about your past, what did you talk about?" Atreus pushed, "Were you just like, 'Woman, guard house. I will go catch fish in the river'?".
You laughed for a moment, and Atreus snuck a glance at you before smiling as well.
"No. Your mother was far better at fishing than I."
The conversation didn't continue, and eventually you all came across a mechanism blocking the channel. A large wheel was stuck in the water, and the only hole that could let the boat go through was at the top. Nowhere near where the boat could go through.
"I imagine if you could turn it, we should be able to get through." Mimir mused.
Kratos docked the boat and you all got out, searching for a way to move the wheel. Kratos went near the wheel while Atreus inspected a geyser nearby. You, on the other hand, stayed back to inspect the contraption as a whole.
"This smell is making my eyes burn..." Atreus grimaced as he followed his father up onto a platform.
Mimir hummed. "You know, it is a fair bit more potent than when I last visited, now that you mention it."
"I'm glad I'm not the only one." You said, "I thought I was just being sensitive."
"Looks like the path continues on the other side of this geyser." You met Kratos and Atreus at the water, listening to Atreus. "Heh. If we were in Midgard, that water would be frozen in a second."
Kratos froze the geyser using his axe, jumping up to another platform eye-level with the wheel. He took his blades and attached them to the wheel, yanking it towards him and making the opening face downwards into the water.
Nords, he was strong.
You followed the two back down, taking out a Wretch here and there, before boarding the boat again and going about your way.
Hopefully that would be the only obstacle.
[ >> ]
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malleux · 10 months
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freedom. | surviving fimbulwinter [I]
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[main page] | [t.o.c] | [spellbook] | [ << | >> ]
young adult!atreus x reader
-> synopsis: The only times you had ever experienced adventure was through your books. It was hard to live an exciting life while trapped in Alfheim.
You know you're meant for something greater than wasting away underground.
[loosely based on the events of Gow: Ragnarok]
-> chapter warnings: all chapters may contain spoilers, violence, sparring, cursing
You sat on the couch, pouting and pressing a chunk of ice against the side of your thigh. One of the dwarves— Sindri, you learned— paced back and forth in front of you.
"You better hope that doesn't get infected! None of us have any knowledge of healing, though we could make you a prosthetic should your leg rot off—" Sindri rambled.
"Ew, can we not?" You cringed at the thought, "It's already bad enough I literally got stabbed, I don't want to imagine any worse right now."
"Well, you shouldn't be sneakin' up on people!" The blue dwarf— Brok— huffed from his workbench.
"I said I was sorry! I forgot I was invisible."
"A likely excuse."
You threw a glare towards Brok, who definitely was choosing to clean off his knife in front of you on purpose. Sindri, on the other hand, had chosen to make his way back to the large cauldron beside the fireplace. He grabbed the ladle and stirred before stoking the fire.
"In any case, Kratos and Atreus should be back soon. They went out to collect supplies before they leave tomorrow, so once they're back we can all have a nice talk."
"Yeah, about how the Hel you appeared out of nowhere, and how you think it's acceptable to scare the Tatzelwurms out of us."
A few hours had passed, and you were still icing your leg. You'd just started a new book, Rare Fighting Spells, when the front door seemed to throw itself open. You jumped, watching as an incredibly muscular man walk through the door. Behind him was a boy, possibly close to your age. This must be the two Sindri was talking about.
They both eyed you, taking their things to Brok to mess with.
Sindri clapped his hands together, "Wonderful, everyone's here! It's time for dinner!"
———
To say dinner was awkward would be the understatement of the year.
You all ate silently— everyone sneaking glances at you while you tried to think of how to introduce yourself. Eventually, you coughed and sat up straight, putting down your spoon. Everyone else followed.
"I suppose I need to speak."
Brok huffed out a “You think?”, earning a side-eye and a kick under the table.
"My name is Y/N, and I just escaped from Alfheim. I don't know how I successfully got here, but Brok and Sindri found me. And then stabbed me—"
"You scared me!"
"—I did. But thank you guys for saving me." You tried to smile at them, but it was more of a grimace. "Any questions?"
"Lass, why were you in Alfheim in the first place? Don't you know there's a war going on?" The decapitated head asked with an accent way stronger than what you were expecting.
"I- uh, lived there?" You felt weird talking to it, "My father is a Dark Elf. My mother is mortal, but she died when I was born. Before the war, my father hid me underground, away from the other Elves. They hated me because I didn't look like them. Eventually, when the Elves began using the Light of Alfheim and all of the Dark Elves went underground, I was trapped even further and locked in my room.” You sighed, folding your hands on the table and gathering the courage to continue.
“Today, I decided I wanted to get out, so I learned a spell to make myself invisible and escaped. The Mystic Gateway was broken, and I tried for a while to fix it, but it wasn't working. That's when it started to fix itself, and Brok and Sindri opened it up from the other side. I snuck inside, and went to talk to them, but I forgot I was invisible, and— yeah. You get the rest."
The head hummed. You were sure if he could nod, he would. "I see. I'd heard a rumor once from Alfheim about a mixed breed, but you know those Elves. Squashed the rumor quick. They don't like anyone getting involved in their business. I suppose the rumors are true, then.”
You agreed, taking a sip of water from your cup. "I'm sorry to intrude, I just saw an escape and went for it."
"What's your plan now?" Sindri asked.
"I wanted to explore the realms, but I guess with the Gateways being broken I'll have to wait. Maybe I'll find a way to Midgard and build a life there—"
"You could come with us!"
"Atreus."
The boy who offered, Atreus, slumped down for a moment, only to perk back up quickly. "Father, c'mon. Y/N wants to see the world, we could use another helping hand, why not?"
"We do not need another helping hand." His father seemed to mock, "We are fine the way we are. How do you know she could even help?"
"I could spar with her? And you watch?" Atreus offered, looking at you for approval. You, on the other hand, were just confused.
People just fought for fun? You were always told it was solely for your survival. That's why your father never trained you as much as you asked. If you were to spar against this boy, you'd for sure lose. You secretly hoped his father would say no, but he huffed and stood from the table.
"Meet me outside."
You watched him leave the house with wide eyes, and once the door closed you turned back to Atreus. "Dude, what? Why would you do that?"
"Uh, because it would be cool if you came with us?" He quirked an eyebrow, seeing nothing wrong.
"I haven't fought in Hel knows how long. I'm going to embarrass myself—"
"Kratos doesn't expect perfection." Sindri tried to reassure you, "But if you show promise and try your hardest, I bet he'll be a lot more lenient than you think. Especially if Atreus is nagging him."
"I don't nag him!" Atreus argued, standing from the table. You followed.
"What do you call it? Wearing him down?" Brok cackled as Atreus led you outside where Kratos was waiting.
———
"Ready, go!"
Atreus ran at you first, swinging at you with the wooden part of his bow. You stepped back a few times before rolling to his side and landing your foot into his ribs. He stumbled and coughed for a second, but recovered quickly as he notched an arrow.
In return, you grabbed your spear that all Dark Elves use for combat and aimed it towards him. As Atreus shot his arrow, you retaliated by shooting a small energy beam out of the spear, burning his arrow in its path.
You hadn't used the spear in ages— since your father quit teaching you— so you felt a bit rusty. Nevertheless, you couldn't let that trip you up.
You didn't want to hurt him, so you charged at Atreus with the non-sharp side of the spear. Atreus used his bow to block, and you were left pushing against the wood in a battle of strength.
Atreus was stronger, eventually shoving against you and forcing you back. He notched three arrows at once, unleashing them as you sidestepped two of them. The third grazed your bicep, but you couldn't even feel it with the adrenaline in your veins.
Being part Dark Elf gave you a lot of agility, and even without wings it felt like you were flying at times. You hated to admit that you were enjoying fighting— it gave you a feeling of freedom you'd never had before.
You jumped back, away from your opponent, and cast your spear out in front of you. Red spots began to appear on the ground around Atreus, and one by one they began to detonate. Bright light surrounded the outside, blinding those who looked too hard. While Atreus was weak, you took the advantage.
Quickly, you charged again, sticking your spear between the wood and string of Atreus's bow and throwing them both to the side. Atreus barely recovered enough to block your fist, his forearm pushing it down before trying to retaliate with a hit of his own.
He landed the hit on your jaw, but you couldn't flinch. Not in the middle of a fight. You jumped back again, waiting for him to charge. He did, and you were able to initiate your plan.
You swept your leg out, taking his own out from under him. Atreus gasped and fell forward, knocking you down in the process. You yelped, the weight of the boy on your stab wound becoming incredibly painful.
"Alright, truce! Ouch—" You rubbed your leg as Atreus got up, holding his hand out for you. You took it and he helped you stand.
"Y/N," Atreus began, "That was so cool! Your powers are just like a Dark Elf's, you even have the spear—"
"Enough." Kratos silenced him, walking up to you and sizing you up. He towered over you and quite frankly, it was very intimidating. You were already shorter than Atreus, you didn't need to feel any smaller.
Kratos stayed quiet for a while, seemingly weighing his options and looking back and forth between you and his son. "We leave tomorrow morning. Decide whether you are coming or not." 
You and Atreus watched as he disappeared back into the house, before looking back at each other.
"Did you hear that? You can come!" Atreus grinned at you, "We'll have to pack you some supplies, and get a bed for you here— there aren't any extra rooms, but my bed is small so we could put another one in my room! That is— if you're okay with that, of course. Nords, this is great."
You couldn't help but smile at Atreus's enthusiasm. It had been a very long time since you'd been around someone so positive— since you and Fritjof were young.
The thought of Fritjof make your heart feel heavy, but you brushed it off and paid attention to Atreus. Because of him, you'd finally get to experience the Nine Realms. "I can't wait.”
By the time you and Atreus made it back inside, the dinner table was already cleaned and Sindri was walking by with a blanket in his arms.
"Ah, there you are." He approached you and held out the blanket for you to take. "We made you a bed, but you don't have your own room. Not yet anyways, but if you wanted one I'm sure we could do it. Anyways, you'll be staying with Atreus, and we'll pack you a bag for tomorrow with all your stuff and more. If there's anything else you need, give us a call."
You were stunned. Never before had some random strangers shown you so much kindness. It was enough to make your eyes water a bit. "Sindri, thank you." You held the blanket to your chest. "Honestly. That all means a lot. I should be alright, thanks to you all."
Sindri's eyes softened at you, "Of course."
You turned to Atreus, following his lead as he heads to his room. It's small, but enough to fit two one-person beds on opposite sides of the walls.
You sat on one of the beds, slightly bouncing on it to test its comfort. Acceptable.
Atreus, taking the other bed, set his weapon down beside it before laying down and staring up at the ceiling. It was quiet for a moment, and you began taking your shoes off to lay in the bed.
"Was it hard?"
You paused. "Was what hard?"
"Leaving." Atreus turned to his side, facing you. "Leaving your father and everything you'd ever known."
"Well, all I'd ever known was the same four walls of my room." You laughed dryly. "I left my father and one friend, but my father didn't seem to care for me too much and my friend had just betrayed me when I left."
"They did?" Atreus propped his head up, more interested in the conversation.
"Uh, yeah." You shrugged, getting under your own blankets and facing him. "Didn't approve of me wanting to leave. They all thought me hiding away was for my own good, but I'd been trapped there for 19 years. My entire life. I couldn't stay forever."
"19 years." Atreus mumbled, then said louder, "I'm older than you."
You couldn't help the grin that came across your face, and you rolled your eyes. "What, by like a month?"
"Nope," He popped the 'p', "I'm 20. Though father sometimes thinks I'm still 12."
"Dads, huh?" You joked, "I think they just want to protect us from how harsh the world is. No matter how much we disagree."
"You have no idea." Atreus agreed, "I love him, I just wish he'd let me do more. At least now I don't have to hide too much from him, since I convinced him to let us search for Tyr tomorrow."
"Tyr?" Your eyebrows furrowed, "Tyr's dead. I read about his entire story not too long ago.”
"I don't think so! I saw it in a prophecy— Tyr is leading an army against the Aesir during Ragnarok. Since Fimbulwinter is happening, that means Ragnarok will soon. There's no way he's dead if he's leading an army in the future." Atreus explained, "That's why we're going to find him. We're heading to a city in Svartalfheim tomorrow to talk to someone Brok and Sindri recommended. They said he might know where Tyr is."
You shook your head. "Wow. That is... a lot." You yawned, trying to hide it. You were still interested in the conversation, but today's events were wore you down.
"Isn't it? I'm excited." Atreus yawned as well, "The only way it'll come quicker is if we're asleep when time passes. Let's go to bed."
"Yeah. Goodnight, Atreus."
"Goodnight, Y/N-" Atreus began, but you were already knocked out. He smiled slightly to himself, secretly glad to finally have a companion his age join the group. All of the adult nonsense got tiring.
Taking one last glance as you slept, Atreus turned around in his own bed and fell asleep.
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