riverviewlogs | Monthly log post!

Entry tags:

Monthly log post!

who: Ivar and you!
what: Open prompts + some closed ones
when: Throughout November
where: All over the city, outside the walls
warnings: None currently

A. The Proudest Father

Despite his best attempts, Ivar often found he couldn't spend nearly as much time with Winter as he wanted to. It was hard balancing a job, a social life, and being a parent. But he always managed to squeeze in a few hours here and there for his daughter. Ivar absolutely adored his little girl. She was the only one in Riverview who had completely gotten past his defenses, worming her way into his heart.

So he set aside a full day at least once a week to devote himself to spending time with Winter. She had finally grown out of her more fragile state, losing that smallness that being born premature had caused. She'd started to grow, showing a great interest in the world around her. Now she was able to support her head and look up. She'd started softly babbling, though these occasions were still far and few in between, for she remained a very quiet baby.

Ivar was often found on the weekends taking the little mite out to explore the city. Sometimes, he was in a park, softly telling her stories of the gods from his homeland. Or maybe he was out at a store, giving serious thought as to which toy he should buy that she was liking best. He often bragged to just about anyone who was near how wonderful she was. Although Ivar's taste in Winter's outfits could be somewhat...questionable, it was clear he was deeply in love with his little baby girl.

B. Perimeter Guarding

Ivar enjoyed his job immensely. It helped get out the worst of his aggression, always a good thing when his thoughts tended to range close to homicide. He took shifts at random times thanks to having a baby to watch over, so he could be found at almost any time of the day.

He could often be found in a number of spots. Sometimes, he was by the fence, patrolling against any monsters that might make it through. Other times, he hanging around the building, looking for anyone to spar with. And always, whenever there was paperwork due, he was found cajoling and acting his most charming, trying to get other people to do it for him with the excuse that he couldn't possibly do it since he couldn't even read.

C. Horse on fire + Chariot = Awesomeness

After many patient months of trial and error with Skinfaxi, Ivar had finally gotten the Ponyta to accept a harness, reins, and a bridle without burning them into ash. Things had to go much slower with the fire horse Pokemon than with a regular horse, but Ivar merely kept the end goal in sight. Skinfaxi trusted him, so he gradually built the horse's tolerance and strength levels up as he got bigger.

Now full-grown, with long legs, a broad chest, and a thick neck, today was the day he was finally ready to put his pet to the test. He'd taken him to the stables, releasing him from the Pokeball in a flash of light. Gathering up the equipment, he'd hooked up the harness to the chariot. After a few practice laps around the arena, it was time for the final step.

He took Skinfaxi out onto the main street. He started off slow, taking the horse at a slow trot. Things seemed to be going well, so Ivar cautiously took the horse a little faster. Emboldened by his progress, he let the fire horse have his head, taking him up to a canter. Skinfaxi took off like a shot, flames licking across his body and the harness without burning any of it. Cackling like a madman and looking like a scene from Ragnarok, a Viking galloping around in a chariot on fire.

Try not to get run over, people. You'll kill his buzz if you do.

D. Closed To Marco - Sleep Cute

So there were definite perks to living with one's crush. Being able to casually pop in for random, totally-not-a-date moments were definitely one of them. Ivar had suggested that they could watch a movie together, looking casual on the outside while internally feeling like he might combust. Marco agreed and the Viking wondered if he was going to faint from relief.

He'd brought some beers and popcorn over to Marco's room, and really, there was no better excuse to be able to lean in close while lying on his bed, watching an old black-and-white film on a very large TV. Ivar was perfectly content to just let their fingers occasionally touch as they both reached for popcorn. But he'd miscalculated on one key factor. Winter had kept him up most of the night before with some tummy trouble that couldn't be soothed until almost dawn. So the combination of a warm bed plus some food was making him very sleepy.

Pretty soon, Ivar's eyes had fallen shut, and Marco would find Ivar snuggled up pretty well next to him, fast asleep. At least he made a pretty picture while he dreamed.

E. Closed To Thor - Come On Donkey

When he'd asked Thor if he wanted to go hunting something large with sharp teeth, the god had seemed all too willing. Time for some good old-fashioned family bonding time, Norse style. Things had gone according to plan at first when they traveled outside the walls. It wasn't too long before they found something with many sharp teeth. Actually, it seemed to have several mouths filled with sharp teeth, plus more limbs than seemed to be the normal and several eyes where they shouldn't have been, but that was all the better for trying to kill it.

The battle was wonderful, going back and forth. The trouble came when the beast swiped at Ivar with one of its many paws. He'd managed to scoot out of the way by sliding out of his wheelchair, but the creature had followed through on its attack by crunching the chair to pieces with its large bulk. Ivar didn't even really think anything of it until the monster lay in a dead heap.

He crawled over to where his now destroyed chair lay. He prodded it in hopes of salvaging it, but the thing had been busted into about eight different pieces. There was no way it was going to work again.

Ivar frowned, looking over to his uncle with a resigned expression on his face. "This could present a problem." Crawling all the way back to the city was not going to be a pleasant experience.

F. Closed To Bucky - Gun Control

Since experiencing the ex-assassin's memories, Ivar had quite a bit to mull on. It was the tying off point for a lot of what he'd experienced with his friend over the past seven months. The vague answers he gave, the repeated warnings to stay away (which Ivar had naturally ignored), even that bizarre period of time where he'd been a different version of himself all started to fall into place. He now had a clearer line of where Bucky had been and who he had become.

Perhaps he was right. Maybe he should stay away from him, for Winter's sake if not his own. He knew in a fair fight Bucky could easy kill him. But Vikings held no fear about death. Valhalla was where he was destined to go, but not a moment before he was ready. So, rather than do the smart thing as he was warranted to do, Ivar did exactly what he wanted to instead.

He went sniffing around for Bucky in one of the hideouts he had around the city. The art of tracking down someone who didn't want to be found was a lost art to most modern people. It required patience, a lot of skill, and a little bit of luck. Ivar thought he'd found the right one when he stumbled across the right building that had blankets bunched into a makeshift bed and more than the usual amount of trash around. He looked for Bucky, knowing he was probably already being watched. "Are you around?"

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Threatening to be dropped just gets Ivar to instinctively cling harder. It's not as funny to him when he's fallen less than three feet before and broken bones in his legs from it. There was a reason he no longer attempted to walk at all. The fact he's gone this long in Riverview without shattering his tibia or fibula is a small miracle.

"I have some pride left, you know. I don't like accepting help from anyone." The amount of times his brothers or mother had tried to help him and been brushed off with angry, gruff words were too numerous to be counted.

Thor doesn't know how delicate Ivar truly is, but he's still confident in his ability not to drop him, even after a fake out. Which is why he tends to get into so many accidents.

"I thought vikings sought the help of Thor. To give them strength in times of need, right?" He raises a brow at Ivar. It's hard to look at him over his shoulder.

As they set off, Ivar relaxes a little bit more. It's always just a matter of getting over his stubborn and foolish pride in order to allow someone to help him. If he did this more often, he might not get in trouble so often, but Ivar has never been comfortable relying on others. Having to do it so much during his early years had left him with a fierce desire for independence.

"Right," He says, drawing the word's vowel sound out longer than necessary. His uncle has a point. "There's also that saying that the gods help those who help themselves."

"Perhaps they do." Thor muses. "But they are more patient than I. I have no interest in dawdling through the forest while you do everything you can to protect your pride."

It's harsh, but Thor doesn't mince words. "Accept help where you can, life is hard enough without it."

Ivar's tempted to thump Thor on the shoulder again, but that's a good way to end up getting dumped on the ground. Besides, it's like trying to punch a blonde brick wall.

His words come quietly. "I have a hard time seeing help when it's offered. Too often, it looks like pity to me." Even admitting that much is hard for the prideful Viking. He's so used to trying to do everything on his own that to humble himself enough to accept help is one of the hardest things he can do.

"Do you think people will not pity you just as much if they watch you try to crawl all the way back home?"

Thor certainly understands where he's coming from. He can only imagine how it would bother him, to need assistance with every day duties. How he would react if something he relied on was destroyed and he needed help.

He can understand where he's coming from, but he can't understand how it truly feels to live it, so all he can do is offer his perspective.

"At least then I'd be doing it under my own power." Somehow, that's better than the alternative in Ivar's mind.

Something that Loki said a while back weighs in on Ivar's mind. He's a touch hesitant to bring up the subject with Thor, but it'll eat away at him if he doesn't. "You don't--" He pauses. "--You don't pity me, do you? That's not why you let me stay around, is it?" He knows his uncle is kind. If he did pity Ivar, he'd never outright tell him. Better to let Ivar stay and think he actually wants him then to let him know otherwise.

"I'm going to drop you." Thor says, gruffly.

"Everyone feels pity for someone, one time or another. You have to guard yourself well, otherwise." He's not going to lie to Ivar or placate him, he respects him more than that, which warrants a mention. "I don't let you stay around. I keep your company because I respect you, fool."

Thor pauses.

"Most of the time, anyway."

Ivar listens carefully. He's always preferred it when people speak candidly to him instead of trying to spare his feelings. He may not like the truth, but then, whoever does? The words are enough to calm the storm of doubts that always rage inside Ivar's mind.

"I should know better than to listen to Loki, but--" Ivar just stops abruptly. Thor's right. He is a fool. The silvertongued liar always sounded so very convincing when he wanted to. It had been enough to plant seeds of doubt into Ivar's mind.

Well then, that changes everything. Thor's shoulders stiffen and, though Ivar can't see it, his brows furrow.

"What did Loki tell you?"

Ivar's all too happy to inform Thor of what his brother has been up to. He's still mentally kicking himself for allowing Loki to get under his skin in such a way.

"He insinuated a lot of things. That I seek out your company because I am weak and need comfort. Then he suggested that you only keep me around out of some misplaced sentiment since there's not much I can offer you."

He'd hit home on the things Ivar feared. That what he desired made him weak and lesser than he should have been. It irked the proud Viking.

Thor shakes his head as best he can at his angle. He can believe that Loki fed Ivar that kind of nonsense, though he's not really sure why he would. He supposes the fact that they're semi-revered once more in this place leads to that ugly jealousy that rears its head in Loki from time to time.

He's beyond knowing what to do about that, other than brushing it off.

"I wouldn't think too much about it, Loki knows what words cut the deepest but he doesn't speak for me. You should know that." He tries to glance up at Ivar. "What brought that about? He didn't just slip it into casual conversation did he?"

It comforts Ivar a little to know that Loki's words were exactly that: just words designed to hurt him and not the truth. He leans his head to the side, trying to see the expression on Thor's face, just so he can know it's the truth. This is an awkward way to have a conversation with anyone.

"We were speaking of you. It didn't take long for him to start up with saying I must be weak if I were to seek you out." He was going to find a way to do something to Loki. Oh, yes he was. Granted, he was a god, so the most Ivar could probably do was annoy him, but that would be enough.

Thor hums contemplatively when Ivar explains. Colour him surprised, he's sort of resigned himself to this by now. Loki was never overly fond of the way Thor welcomed people into his life, but he wasn't just possessive of Thor but possessive of people they mutually knew. Loki would always let go, but not without burning bridges first.

"You should probably know that whatever he says in that regard has less to do with how he feels about you and more to do with how he feels about me."

"Reminds me of my brother Sigurd and I." The brothers had a complicated relationship, fighting like cats and dogs most of the time. It stemmed all the way back to their early childhood, when Aslaug had basically ignored Sigurd in favor of Ivar as soon as he was born. As if that had at all been Ivar's fault that had happened. Their resentment had lasted through the years. It had reached such a fever pitch that Ivar had actually tried to kill his older brother a few times. But he'd never succeeded.

"Have you two always been like this?" Whatever happened among mortals seemed to be the same among the gods, only more dramatic. Considering how old Loki and Thor were, it seems like there would be a lot of pent-up emotions there.

Thor chuckles when Ivar relates it back to his brother. He doesn't want to say that he doubts it's quite the same, because he knows better than to be dismissive. It's nice to believe he and Loki simply quarrel like brothers, as he imagines Ivar does with Sigurd, he has no idea.

"No." He says, softly. "We were very close. He was always at my side and we did everything together. Asgard knew we were trouble, he was the brains and I was the brawn." Thor chuckles, but his heart aches for the old days. He misses being ignorant to everything around them, knowing Loki was his brother and that they would rule together.

"He tricked me into doing a lot of stupid things, and I hit him for making me do a lot of stupid things."

They're getting close to the city now, Ivar can tell, and Thor shows no signs of tiring. Much as he was reluctant at first, he could get used to traveling this way. "You know, I can't believe I'm saying this, but it might do you two some good to sit down and talk things out with a third person." That's right, Thor, your psychotic nephew just suggested you two need therapy. Wonders never do cease.

"Three of my brothers and I were all born within four years of each other. It meant having them constantly around when I was growing up. I miss them." He sounds awful sad for a moment. Considering he'd had them around almost his entire life, to be without them now for as long as he had been, it was a depressing thought.

"I'm not sure there's anyone here qualified enough to take on our problems." He struggles to imagine someone being able to make sense of over a thousand years of Asgardian drama.

"Besides, do you think Loki would deign to it? Talking to someone about his problems?" Thor chuckles under his breath, he knows Loki would object. Thor notes the sadness in Ivar's tone, and he does consider how lucky he is to have Loki here, regardless of how fleeting their time here may be.

"At least you have your uncles, dysfunctional as they may be."

Ivar will admit that taking on the problems of a pair of gods would be a daunting task. He's certainly not the one that's going to volunteer for that. He does have a suggestion for getting Loki to listen. "Maybe if you tied him to a chair and dragged him somewhere."

"Yes. I appear to be stuck with you two as long as I'm here." Ignore his words, Thor. His tone is affectionate as he thumps Thor like he's a steed and that's what counts when it comes to dealing with Ivar.

"If you thump me like that again, you won't have to worry about being stuck with me." Thor says, coolly. They're walking in through the city walls now, they aren't far out from the center of town.

"Is there somewhere I can take you to get a new wheelchair?"

"It's a sign of affection, my noble steed." Alright, so that was probably going to definitely get him dropped, but they were close enough to the city now that Ivar wouldn't mind crawling the rest of the way back.

"There's a place in the shopping district that has some." It was the first place Ivar had been taken to when he'd arrived in the city.

"It will be a sign of your undoing." Thor threatens, but it's empty.

"Then we will find you a new one, put you in it and you will stop throwing tantrums. Correct?"

"Yes, let's do that." He adds on as they get to the store. "But I do not throw tantrums," Ivar says huffily. Of course he does, but he likes to think he's grown up a little since he was eight years old.

Honestly, though, this has been one of the better outings he can recall having in the past few months. Sometimes, he's so thankful to have family in the Quarantine.

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Monthly log post!

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mind if we wind this one up?

Si si!