riverviewlogs | The Yule Log

The Yule Log

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!

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[The woman sounded terrible and Ragnar's expression made it obvious that he thought as much.]

You are right. At least the child has a father. [Though Ragnar suspected that the abandonment of her mother combined with her powers might lead to some trouble for his son down the line. It was Ivar's choice, he would live with the consequences, not Ragnar.]

This new part of the world... it wouldn't happen to be called Frankia, would it? Paris?

[Ivar was definitely going to eventually get in over his head, especially since Letha had already returned to Riverview without Ivar knowing about it. Everything regarding the two of them and their child was going to explode like a nuclear bomb.

A much more pleasant topic is talking about Bjorn and all that he's accomplished.]

Farther than that. A place called the Moors that stretches all the way to a new sea.

A new sea? [Ragnar's eyes glint with pride.]

Good. [He can barely get the word out he's so pleased.] Good for him.

I'm sure I'm very proud of all of you. [He leaned back to drain his drink before reaching over to ruffle Ivar's hair before giving it a pat.]

[No matter how many barriers and walls Ivar put up around himself, the one who could knock them all down with only a few words was his father. It was what Ivar had spent years waiting for, to be acknowledged as being just as good as his brothers.

All Reangar had to do was say he was proud of Ivar and his son would practically melt like ice being thawed out on the inside. It showed in his eyes and in the way his voice chokes as he tries to get the words out.]

I'm--I'm glad. That you don't think less of me. You once told me I had a strength, not in spite of my legs, but because of them. I've always remembered that.

[The stray and, honestly, dangerous thought crossed his mind noting how easy it would be to 'motivate' the young man into doing what he wanted. Not manipulate. He wasn't manipulating anyone, especially not his own children, but if there was something they absolutely should do, that he absolutely required, the motivation was there. He hated himself a little bit for thinking about it, but it was better to consider these things than to be oblivious.]

What can I say except that I am obviously both wise and never wrong. [He smirked.]

[If Ivar had been less impartial when it came to Ragnar, less desperate for his father's love, he might have wondered that himself. Ivar's desire for acknowledgement and love from Ragnar did make him susceptible to just about whatever he said. While he'd never precisely used that to be cruel, he clearly had used it when planning his ultimate revenge on King Ecbert and King Aelle. Ivar had never even considered it.]

You were wrong. Just once. [He taps Ragnar on the side of the head.] You thought I wasn't going to survive. Guess that was proved wrong well enough.

So, if it weren't for you, I would have had a perfect record?

[Of course, he was teasing.]

Rollo and Lagertha must have been beside themselves in either celebration or jealousy. They'd been waiting for such a day for years.

Let me show you something. Several months ago, memories from our minds were shown on our devices for everyone to look at. Don't ask me how it worked, I have no idea. But mine were...perhaps it would be easier just to show you.

[He pulls out a phone, flipping back through old videos, messages, and other things until he comes to one from months ago. He starts it and passes the phone over to Ragnar. The first one is a bit of typical Viking carnage, though Ragnar might recognize the silhouette of the figure walking among the sleeping Vikings and slitting their throats. What it really shows off is just how Ivar's able to fight, something that Ragnar has probably wondered a time or two. It's the second memory, though, that Ivar really wants Ragnar to see. While it might be a bit shocking to see himself two decades older, careworn and scarred, it's what Ragnar says to Ivar, himself a year younger, that's important. It was for this reason Ivar would always love his father, no matter what else might occur.]

[Ragnar wasn't sure what he was expecting, but he took the phone again, squinting a little as he watched. He didn't recognize the first figure in the dark, but the one crawling, it had to be Ivar. At first, he wasn't sure why he was showing him this, but then some of the sleepers began to wake up and Ivar's speed and skill was, indeed, impressive.

The second memory though. He didn't recognize himself until he rolled over. He looked... so old. More than that, he looked worn out. Useless. What great battle could he hope to die in now?] I don't want to see this. [He pushed the phone back into Ivar's hands and pushed himself up onto his feet, only wavering a little bit as the drink caught up to his sense of balance.] More ale?

[He didn't wait for Ivar to say yes or no, he just went. Once over by the spread of drinks and food, he finally felt like he could breathe again. He ran a hand over his head, taking a few deep breaths, and then filled up his own cup and another with ale, going back over to Ivar and handing off the extra cup.]

I want to hear more about this place. The things they have here, do you know how to use them all now?

[Ivar wasn’t sure what had just happened. Maybe if he'd been more sober, he might have put it together, but right now, his wits were dulled. For Ivar, the way his father had looked towards the end of his life was normal. Seeing him right now in his prime was unusual. He hadn’t even thought about how much of a shock it would be for Ragnar to see himself two decades older.

Whatever confusion he was experiencing disappeared when he was handed a mug of ale. He took a drink before answering.]

Most everything I'm familiar with now. I honestly think the strangest things were the things in the kitchen like the microwave and fridge. Such a different way to prepare food. Oh, and if you haven’t already, you must watch a movie. They’re magnificent. And also addicting to watch.

Not tomorrow... but this week, you will walk me through them all. [It's more of a demand and less of a request. He'd been given a brief walkthrough but, aside from the refrigerator, he'd forgotten what everything else was.]

They? What are they? How do you watch a movie? Will you show me them as well?

Fine. Just remember not to stick any metal in the microwave. That's the small thing with lots of buttons on it. It reheats cold food. [He'd done that and had a grand time, but it probably wasn't something to be repeated. He also adds on.] And nothing living either.

They're like-- [He thinks of a way to describe it. Really, he had to be shown one to fully comprehend what he was seeing.] --a play put on that you can watch over and over again on devices like the phones. Or big ones that take up a whole wall.

No metal, nothing li- Ivar... [He tilted his head, giving Ivar a very judgemental look.] Why would you cook anything alive? [He frowned slightly and smacked the back of his head lightly.]

Hm. I would like to try a movie. [He was basically imagining something like watching Floki and Helga telling a story of the gods.]

I didn't cook anything alive! That's just what I was told when I first asked about the machine. Why would I do that to a poor defenseless animal?

[Had they been talking about Christians, it would have been a different story. But Ivar liked animals a lot more than he liked people most of the time. They'd never judged him for what he lacked.

He mock scowled at being smacked. At least the topic of movies was a good one.]

I'll have to think up a good one. [Something that wouldn't require too much explaining. Hmmm, maybe a Western?] Just remember if anything comes towards the screen, it can't actually come out and attack you.

[There may have been an incident of Ivar screaming and trying to move out of the way when a car appeared on the screen when he watched his first movie.]

I don't know, Ivar. It is a very strange thing to mention. [Yeah, he wasn't going to stop teasing him about this.

He was puzzled about the warning regarding movies, still imagining it more like a radio except where you could see the person who was telling the story. He had nothing else to compare it to except very vivid and skilled storytellers.] Alright... I... will remember that.

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The Yule Log

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