The Yule Log

[ragnarsson]

who: The Norse and everyone else in the city!
what: The Norse celebrate Yule. Gods help everyone.
when: December 22nd, Winter Solstice
where: Somewhere outside
warnings: Alcohol, drugs, animal sacrifice, blood play, rough foreplay, sex. Will update if necessary.



The Yule celebration has gotten underway on the Winter Solstice and it promises to be a most interesting night. The Norse have gone all out with this affair to make sure it's going to be a success. First thing to be spotted is a bonfire, so big that you might want to be careful not to trip around it, because you'll fall right in. There's plenty of room for dancing too, if you feel like grooving to a beat that's a little more unusual than most.

The Yule celebration shares a lot of similarities with Christmas, so it's a good time for gift giving. There's little shoes on a table, mimicking the tradition where Odin would leave presents for good children by putting them in their shoes. Claim one as your own and maybe a friend will leave a gift inside one for you. Watch it though. Any grinches will be fed to the Yule Cat.

There's a table set up to the right of the bonfire with food, mostly of the hearty kind that the Norse seem to prefer, and of course, lots of alcohol. Please remember not to get into any drinking contests with the gods. They will observe no responsibility for what happens afterward.

There are also mushrooms for consumption, provided by everyone's favorite psychotic Viking, Ivar The Boneless. These ones are directly from his home world, which means they come with a variety of side effects. They have the ability to make a person hallucinate quite a bit. But they can also make people much more horny than usual. Lastly, there's the effect that hits some people in making them extremely violent. Sometimes one effect hits, sometimes more than one. In any case, anyone who consumes some is assured to have an...interesting time.

On a lighter note, there's mistletoe scattered around, hung from the trees and tent beams. Fun fact: the Vikings were the first one to use it for the tradition of kissing. Of course, they also believed it was a plant that was powerful enough to kill a god, so the kissing was ostensibly for protection.

At the height of the night, there will be an animal sacrifice done. A goat is slaughtered and the blood from it is gathered into a couple of bowls. If you'd really like to go all out like a Viking, paint your face in the still-warm blood, or drink a little bit of it. Otherwise, enjoy freshly seared chunks of goat as it bastes over the bonfire.

Have fun, drink, fight, and remember to make your ancestors proud!

Comments

[wiccant]

( loki already told him ivar was here, so he had time to brace himself for coming face-to-face with a famous viking. totally didn't brace him for letting ivar mark him and realize it after though.

and then there's the fact ivar already knows him, says they lived together for months, but he can't remember it. and he's high as shit, panicking a little over not being able to remember before remembering that he. hadn't been able to remember already. )

I'm sorry. I did go away and come back again. ( without memory, obviously. and he definitely feels bad for it, especially now. who forgets meeting ivar the boneless. shit how does he even-- ) It's great to meet you again. I--I know of you.

( but he probably knew that already shoot. )

[ragnarsson]

[It's a bit disappointing to have Billy not remember him, but Ivar's used to it by now after experiencing it with both Jon and Damian. Just got to rebuild the friendship they once had. He wonders if this one has the little blue minion pet that keeps shouting 'Demiurge!' all the time.]

Always good to have a fan here. And here Loki was trying to get under my skin telling me hardly anyone would remember me in the future. [He pauses and then clarifies.] Not that one. [Who currently looks like she is cornering yet another hapless soul under the mistletoe.] The other one who is more annoying.

[wiccant]

( eyes turn to follow the younger (currently) female loki, before he's shifting back to look to ivar, smile on his lips. )

Don't worry about Loki--I'm pretty sure he says stuff just to say it. ( he's not that familiar with the more annoying one, but. he's talked to him enough times to get an idea of the way he works. . ish. it's difficult with lokis, at least; who lie, build up personas, build lie upon lie upon lie and work with it until they make it. )

There are plenty of people who remember you. Stories written about you that will get passed on until. . whenever they stop passing around books and e-books.

[ragnarsson]

[It's what every Viking wants to hear: that he's going to be remembered after his death.]

Now there's a good gift to be told at Yule. To be known in stories is to have a form of immortality that is comparable with that of the gods.

[For if one stops telling tales of the gods, part of them dies, and they diminish until they are no more.]

But what is an e-book?

[wiccant]

I’ll show you. ( weight shifted down onto both knees, billy raises a hand and out of wispy blue magic appears his phone in the center of his palm. it takes him a moment to pull up this e-reader, opening it to the sagas of ragnar lodbrok before he’s moving to hand it over to ivar. )

They’re books--just digitalized and stored on computers, phones, e-readers. . ( since. ivar’s been here months and months, he probably knows what those are, right? )

[ragnarsson]

[Ivar's been working hard at trying to read. His skills are rudimentary at best, but he can recognize his father's name. Names are easy, he doesn't need much context for those. He runs his fingers over the phone, leaving rust-colored marks. He's definitely much more impressed than he would be sober.]

Fascinating. Books that will never crumble apart. [He grins again, a sharp, fierce one this time] Immortality is mine!

[wiccant]

( unless the apocalypse happens, technology dies, libraries burn. . but the likelihood of that is rather slim. history has been erased and changed, events altered, but that’s a lot to think about all at once. it doesn’t stop his brain from going there, though—lips pursed in thought for a moment in thought before he returns ivar’s grin with a much softer one of his own. )

Immortality is yours. ( he repeats, laughs a little. ) That Loki just likes to be rude.

[ragnarsson]

[This news will make him happy all night long and that's not even counting the high he's already on. Ivar dips his fingers into the bowl of still-warm blood, licking it again off his fingers.]

He like to try and bite anyone who draws near, rather like a serpent.

[wiccant]

( that's gross, ivar. but he's trying his best not to make a gross face in response to all the. blood licking. vikings gotta do viking things. )

Yeah, I can see that. He's--young, for a Loki? I mean older but. . young.

[ragnarsson]

[Ivar shrugs. Really, he's far too high to be contemplating the ages of immortal gods.]

I think age is all relative once you're more than a thousand years old. At which point we'll all be shadows and dust.

[wiccant]

I suppose Asgardians also age a lot differently. .

( he'll have to ask loki about that later, if he remembers. )

Are you enjoying the party?

[ragnarsson]

[Ivar nods, smiling brightly.]

I am. A lot. It's a nice piece of home to have here, and with all the Norse and gods present, this Jól has been extra special. Have you had any mushrooms yet?

[wiccant]

I'm seeing stars. ( contemplating the meaning of the universe. the meaning of years for asgardians, probably a few other things he shouldn't stop to think about, but is. )

So I'm pretty sure I've had enough.

[ragnarsson]

Sounds like it. I could see inside my hands earlier.

[So Ivar had probably had a few too many mushrooms if he was being honest. He reaches up and thumps Billy again on the shoulder.]

Be sure to have a good time tonight. If you remember more than half of what you did in the morning, you're doing something wrong.

[wiccant]

( looking down to his own, gloved and galaxy-covered hands. )

I really hope I don't start seeing inside my hands. I'm really going to freak out if I start seeing tendons and muscles. ( AND HE HOPES HE FORGETS IT TOMORROW. )

[ragnarsson]

I'm sure it won't be like that. [Beat.] You'll probably just see someone's face melt off.

[So helpful, Ivar. Such a good friend to the Viking fanboy.]

[wiccant]

That's seriously not helping! ( he's not panicking, ivar's panicking. it's definitely not billy. he's covering his eyes because he's tired, not because he's avoiding seeing faces melt off.

oh god this is why you're not supposed to do drugs. this is exactly why you're not supposed to do shrooms. how did he let this happen. this is worse than getting drunk. why is this his life. )

[ragnarsson]

[Ivar can't help but cackle an evil little laugh. What can he say? Sometimes, he just likes to mess with people. He tugs on Billy's sleeve.]

Come on and sit down. I think you've had enough Yule for now.

[wiccant]

( the tug immediately gets him down; it's not strong enough of a pull to knock him over, sure, but it's more than strong enough when he's not really sure what's keeping him up to begin with.

he's got his face in his hands but that's still seriously not helping when now his eyes are closed and everything's dancing even more and why the shit would you say that, ivar, you viking menace. this is what he should have expected. he's read plenty. )

I'm having a lot of regrets right now.

[ragnarsson]

[Ivar pats Billy on the head rather like a dog. It would be more demeaning if people didn't do this to him all the time, being consistently shorter than everyone else around him.]

Then you know you've had a good Yule.

[He wheels over to a nearby table and grabs a mug, fortunately full of water. He hands it to Billy.]

This should help.

[wiccant]

( it's fine, he's used to getting pat on the head like an animal. he's not even mildly offended. he even takes the mug and doesn't even check it's contents before he's tipping it back and drinking down half it's contents without pause. )

Thanks. ( he had to drop his hands away from his face to take the mug through and wow, now there's really stars everywhere. ) --mind if I stay here for a while?

[ragnarsson]

Yes. Sit and stay a while. Good idea.

[He reaches into a pouch he's had in his pocket and pulls out another mushroom, munching on it idly. He offers one to Billy. That's just what he needs to calm his nerves: more 'shrooms.]

[wiccant]

( the smarter idea would be to deny the shrooms, because he's had enough already. but the worse idea would be to accept it and billy is fairly good at making the worse decision when given a choice, so.

he's taking the mushroom from ivar with a quiet, murmured "thanks" and shoving it into his mouth. it's not like they taste good, so. )

[ragnarsson]

[The two of them sit there in silence, chewing on the mushrooms. Within fifteen minutes, they're kicking back, and everything is a haze of bright colors and objects moving all over the place. Ivar has only one thing to say.]

Best. Yule. Ever.