[Knight] Hvergelmir Knight of the Cosmos || Laney Sutton

[Shazari]

In the beginning
There was the cold and the night
Prophets and angels gave us the fire and the light
Man was triumphant
Armed with the faith and the will
That even the darkest ages couldn't kill

Too many kingdoms
Too many flags on the field
So many battles, so many wounds to be healed
Time is relentless
Only true love perseveres
It's been a long time and now I'm with you
After two thousand years

 

[Shazari]

Name: Landscape Sutton

Nickname: Laney, Elaine

Age: 25 (as of 3/15/17)

Birthday: March 15

Sign: Pisces

Gemstone: Aquamarine

Blood Type: AB

Fav. Food: Anything with peanut butter on it. Vegetables dipped in peanut butter, gummi bears dipped in peanut butter, fluffernutters, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. She really likes peanut butter. (Note: smooth, not chunky. Chunky peanut butter is the devil's work.)

Hated Food: Bubblegum. She has never learned to blow a bubble, and she gets perturbed by the constant urge to swallow something after she's been chewing it. She also chews gum like a cow with cud.

School: None — although once a student at the ill-fated Barren Pines College, following her year-long coma, Laney declined to return to school. She has never completed her high school diploma.

* * * *
Achievements



Met:









Have You Met Hvergelmir?:

 

[Shazari]

This is our moment
Here at the crossroads of time
We hope our children carry our dreams down the line
They are the vintage
What kind of life will they live?
Is this a curse or a blessing that we give?

 

[Shazari]

Hobbies:

Bearing Gifts — I saw this Human Centipede t-shirt and I thought of you — I just had to get it for you! This necklace just really seemed like your kind of thing. That ringtone was just so you! Laney loves giving gifts, and usually starts her shopping for birthday and Christmas gifts months in advance. She keeps a small moleskine with her where, among other things, she jots down any gift ideas that come to her, so she can follow up on them later. Not all of her gifts are always spot-on to what the recipient might want, but what she lacks in accuracy she makes up for thanks to the law of averages: if she gives enough gifts, some are bound to hit the mark eventually. (Except perhaps for the Human Centipede t-shirt. Lord knows what she was thinking.)

They say the neon lights are bright on Broadway — Laney is a tremendous musical theatre buff. From DVDs to mp3s to local theatre shows to trips to New York City, if she can manage it, she’ll be there and she’ll get ahold of the merchandise. Laney is a somewhat annoying repository of showtunes and their lyrics, and rather melodramatically tends to feel that lyrics can serve as deeply appropriate commentary on serious situations. She has season sponsorships to Destiny City’s local theatre companies, and attempts to see every show at least twice. (This eats up most of her finances, and as a result she has a rather limited wardrobe for her age.) Although she’s never said as much, and has never auditioned for a show, her quietly nurtured dream is to perform onstage.

Gotta find my corner of the sky — Following her year-long coma, Laney has begun to come to terms with her dissatisfaction with her old life and her strained relationship with her parents, whose distantness and unsupportive behavior she finds increasingly intolerable. Her way of rebelling -- and of acknowledging the fact that she's never felt a real sense of self, or of her own wants in life -- is by becoming decidedly unambitious and a disappointment to her family. She's refused to return to school and finish her high school degree, and instead spends her time searching for something to believe in, something to make her own and feel fulfilled by. [A/N: Becoming a knight (if she does) will not fill this hole; it's not a momentary, short-term hobby.] Some of Laney's time is spent job-hunting, searching for jobs she can manage to get and hold onto and not want to back out of. The rest is often spent loafing around the city or wandering aimlessly -- while she puts forth a very positive, upbeat demeanor, she's a perpetually dissatisfied individual with a wanderlust born out of a need to keep trying something new until she finds what she's looking for -- whatever that is. She doesn't know what she's looking for, but she does know she can't stand to keep going on not finding it.

Virtues:

Focused — More than a bit neurotic about disappointing her loved ones, Laney takes devotion to near-fanatical extents. When she's given a task, she will defeat that task if she has to rip out her own hair and strangle the task with it. She's not easily distracted, and can sit in one place reading or do the same repetitive task for hours. (She can also, of course, become lost for an afternoon reading TVTropes.) She is not a half-hearted human being -- the only time she appears to be half-hearted about something is when, as noted below, she's being passive-aggressively avoidant.

Affectionate — Apparently perpetually affection-starved, once Laney is classified as a friend of yours, she loves you. She obsesses over learning your interests and giving the perfect gifts. She will want to hug you every time she sees you. She will remember your birthday and pay you lots of attention.

Open-minded — Both a tolerant and curious person by nature, Laney is not just any kind of friend, but in particular, a very accepting one. Everyone is welcome at her table who wants to be there; she loves you, warts and all. The only sort of person she doesn’t like is a person who doesn’t like her: getting a negative reaction from a new acquaintance often causes her to shut down quickly. Otherwise, she’s a curious person, interested in broadening her horizons, and is inclined to think the best of the things that interest people she cares about. If you’re into categorizing hermit crab shells, then it must be a pretty neat thing to do! As a result, she is capable of bravery where new experiences are concerned. Bolstered by the presence of a friend, she’s not easily daunted by things.

Flaws:

Cannot Cope, Going to Mordor -- When things go Laney's way, she's on cloud nine. But when they don't, she prepares with hysterical anguish to quit the internet forever. She doesn't handle her problems in the mature, responsible way of an adult -- she hides from them, gives people the silent treatment, and sobs into her pillow and eats Ben & Jerry's. Bolstered by the support of a friend, as noted before, she may be dauntless; but cut by the words of an enemy, she is quick to falter, frequently lapsing into passive-aggressive, broody silence or hysterical sobs (in either case, immaturely). She struggles frequently with feelings of anxiety and bitterness, and can’t seem to find a functional outlet for them.

We're Friends, Right? Right? Let's Always Be Together! -- Clingy, clingy, clingy. Laney is dependent, and smothering, and please don't ever leave her! This kind of neediness is definitely not the attractive, charming kind -- it's the kind that's oppressive and tiring to be the focus of, and can get in the way particularly if you're trying to get Laney to split up with you for any reason. She has some very bad social skills, and chief among these, she has absolutely no concept of personal space. If she says she loves your hair, then it's guaranteed that she is already touching your hair. She also has a tendency to run at the mouth, often offering Too Much Information, and though often she can tell when this is happening, sometimes she doesn’t know how to stop herself mid-sentence or wrap up a thought quickly. She can see the train leaving the station, but she can’t usually stop it.

Enabler -- Of course it’s a great idea, Laney thinks all your ideas are great ideas! Laney is rather easily swayed, aside from which, she’s generally of the opinion that loving someone means supporting them nigh-unconditionally. However far-fetched someone’s ideas or however uncouth their interests, Laney will try to be encouraging, even if she feels it’s a terrible thing to try to do. You should definitely try it, no doubt. You have to try — it’s better to go down shadowboxing than be Casey At the Bat, isn’t it? Of course it is. She’s the sort of person who won’t stop a friend or a stranger from burning their own eyebrows off. She would rather enable someone else’s bad or foolish behavior than speak out in dissent and risk disappointing them by being perceived as ‘too contrary.’ (Her own contrariness is, instead, deeply passive-aggressive: she’ll immaturely disappear or avoid things she doesn’t want to do, or fall stonily silent in conversations she doesn’t want to have, rather than say she doesn’t want to take part.)  

[Shazari]

Sometimes I wonder
Why are we so blind to fate?
Without compassion, there can be no end to hate
No end to sorrow
Caused by the same endless fears
Why can't we learn from all we've been through
After two thousand years?

 

[Shazari]

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION

Eyes: Wide, almond-shaped eyes, with bright golden irises. Prone to staring.

Hair: Near-white, in a low-saturation frost tone, Laney’s hair is loosely curly and apt to tighter curls at the tips. It currently hangs near to waist-length. In her civilian life, she wears the top half pulled up and clipped behind her head, with the bottom half left loose. Her face is framed by a pair of shorter twists of hair that have been pulled free of her hairdo. As a knight, her hair is elaborately upswept, piled lightly into twists at the top of her head. It’s loosed to one side in the front, providing some sense of long, sideswept bangs to the left side of her face.

Face: Pink-peach toned skin, heart-shaped face, round nose, high cheekbones, medium-full lips. Her face is rather average, but not unattractive — just not ravishingly beautiful in any particular way.

Clothes: Laney favors hipster fashion in the style of Amy Pond — baggy, oversized shirts, miniskirts and leggings or hose. She wears comfortable, sturdy shoes for walking, usually high-top Doc Marten’s boots, and likes light jackets and scarves.  

[Shazari]

There will be miracles
After the last war is won
Science and poetry rule in the new world to come
Prophets and angels
Gave us the power to see
What an amazing future there will be

 

[Shazari]

Knight Title: Hvergelmir Squire of the Cosmos

Challenge: "Not all those who wander are lost.”

Uniform:
{Hvergelmir Page}
{Hvergelmir Page - Oathsworn}
{Squire
Dress -- A simple white dress, fitted, falling to the floor and pooling around Hvergelmir's ankles. With about a foot of extra fabric at the hem than is necessary, her dress is rather combat-impractical, and usually has to be bunched up and carried if she's planning on moving about at all, much less running. The bottom three feet of the dress bleed from white gradually into a star-spangled medium blue, as though fading down into the night sky and a thousand faint stars. The dress is sleeveless, and bordered at the top with molded gold detailing and filigree. At the center of the gold detailing on her dress is a round gold disc, with the Cosmos star symbol etched at its center.
Shoes -- Although not often visible due to the hem-length of her dress, Hvergelmir wears starry dark blue flats with gold detailing.
Accessories -- Hvergelmir wears a few gold bracelets on each arm, and a worked golden clasp at the back of her head that keeps her hair piled atop her head, but otherwise sports no additional adornments.

Weapon --

Page: A simple but not unattractive distaff of gold-painted wood, wound about with soft, unspun wool. The wool seems to have a crystalline sparkle to it.
Spell - N/A.

Squire: A distaff and spindle of gold-painted wood, connected by wool in the process of being wound into thread.
Spell - Hvergelmir spins out thread from her distaff onto her spindle; light sparks up from the thread of her weapon and begins to cover her, illuminating her like a small, bright star. This is useful as a defense mechanism -- looking directly at her becomes nearly impossible, and can cause temporary blindness if you try to keep doing it for more than a few moments. The effect lasts for up to 45 seconds total per battle, or as long as Hvergelmir can maintain focus, keep spinning her thread, and channel her magic. The easiest way stop the spell is to disrupt Hvergelmir from spinning her thread.

Knight: The most beautiful distaff in the world? An ornate carved distaff and spindle, made of gold-painted wood, with the wool now nearly fully spun onto the spindle in tidy thread.
Spell - Hvergelmir spins out thread from her distaff onto her spindle; light sparks up from the thread of her weapon and begins to cover her, illuminating her like a small, bright star, capable of projecting a single, bright beacon of light into the air. This is useful as a defense mechanism -- looking directly at her becomes nearly impossible, and can cause temporary blindness if you try to keep doing it for more than a few moments -- and at this stage, the light is focused and powerful enough to shine a beacon high into the air that serves as a useful distress signal to nearby/non-powered-up allies. The effect lasts for up to 45 seconds total per battle, or as long as Hvergelmir can maintain focus, keep spinning her thread, and channel her magic. The easiest way stop the spell is to disrupt Hvergelmir from spinning her thread.

Summons Creature: A pantheon named Eikthyrnir -- Hvergelmir's summons appears to be a standard-sized caribou with midnight blue fur flecked with white like stars, crowned with golden antlers.
Summons Ability: Hvergelmir's summons cannot attack or defend, but has the ability to grant a single teleportation per battle. Unlike Negaversers, this ability is limited -- the most distance she can travel is about from one end of the city to the other: 15 miles or less. Her summons can carry the weight equivalent of Hvergelmir plus one other fully grown person/two small children.


Stardust Cloak (personal item):
- Fully recharges over a 48-hour period
- Holds 30 minutes of charge
- Activated when worn by concentrating on the item
- After 5 minutes, minor cuts/scrapes/bruises are healed
- After 10 minutes, moderate cuts/sprains are healed
- After 15 minutes, major lacerations (if they have not already caused death!) will have begun to scab over, broken bones not set properly will slowly have set themselves (but will still be broken)
- After 30 minutes, recovery time from major injuries will be reduced by about 1 week, and magic will be recharged by up to 50%.

Stardust Ribbons (distributable item):
- Not rechargable (one-time use only)
- Holds 30-45 minutes of charge
- Activated when worn by concentrating on the item
- After 5 minutes, minor cuts/scrapes/bruises are healed, sprains are numbed, blood flow stops from moderate cuts
- After 30-45 minutes, moderate cuts/sprains are healed
- After use, ribbons become just pretty trinkets and cannot be used again.
- Since it takes her some time to make them, Hvergelmir has a limit of making 2 - 3 per month, and no "hoarding/carryover" on her part so she cannot give out a bunch of these all at once in big battles -- if she doesn't give out 2 - 3 in a given month, it will just be assumed that she didn't make as many that month.  

[Shazari]

And in the evening
After the fire and the light
One thing is certain: nothing can hold back the night
Time is relentless
And as the past disappears
We're on the verge of all things new


We are two thousand years

 

[Shazari]

Wonder: Hvergelmir, "the Roaring Cauldron."

In the beginning, before the world of men and gods existed, the wellspring Hvergelmir, deep in the frozen wastes of Niflheim, gave rise to eleven rivers known as the Élivágar. Over a long period of time, water of the Élivágar ran across Niflheim and poured into the northern part of Ginnungagap. The water froze, forming vast sheets of ice in the void. Hot air from Muspell melted some of the ice, creating a zone of meltwater amid the ice and snow. Here life began, and the first living thing was a frost giant.

Wonder Description: ={IC description}

Welcome to Hvergelmir -- the Roaring Cauldron, the Eternal Well, the Pool of Stars -- the Point of No Return -- be welcome, and rest. You have reached the last gas station.

The journey a traveler must make to the lonely center of the galaxy, to Zero Star Sagittarius, Cosmos Castle and the Galaxy Cauldron, is a long and lonely one, attempted by few. Hvergelmir's wonder exists along the route toward Cosmos Castle -- on a small, lonely island floating in space, suspended in a narrow spatial causeway between two stars where gravity is more relatively stable and travelers commonly pass.

The Temple of Hvergelmir is a place of refuge and of reflection, and it does indeed represent a rest stop of sorts, an interstellar waystation. For many, it's the last place they can make berth before the last, untenanted leg of their long journey to the Cauldron; certainly there are few who travel that way who'd choose to pass it by. The Temple represents a point of no return, beyond which the trip is too long to successfully make there and back without resting here to refuel before continuing on.

Energy is this island's chief export. A giant pool sits at the center of the island, ringed by towering Doric columns -- it's filled with a liquid (or so it appears) that may or may not be water, burbling softly with life, dark and deep enough to reflect the night sky above it so perfectly that the fabric of space itself seems to be rippling and swelling with the movement. The nature of the pool itself remains a mystery -- though some Cosmos knights have theorized that the island sits on some great ley line of the universe, the well that churns there representing a pooling of the faint vestiges of energy thrown off into the galaxy by the distant Galaxy Cauldron itself. It's from this theory that the moniker "the Roaring Cauldron" originates.

Whatever its origin, waters from the well prove to be some sort of universal fuel source -- though a limited one that loses its potency when the well runs low. Ships of all kinds seem to be able to run on it. Plants thrive on it; even humans and animals can subsist on it for a short while. A narrow aqueduct carved into the island floor allows water from the well to run steadily from the pool within the Temple out past the protective barrier that closes off most of the island, down to the long pier that opens onto empty space. Although visitors can't enter the Temple or the area beyond it when the Knight of Hvergelmir isn't in residence, the pier -- and thus the precious fuel that runs directly to it -- are always available to a weary traveler.

Past Life Name: Nephthys

Past Life Overview:
The life of the Knight of Hvergelmir known as Nephthys, prior to becoming invested as a Knight of the Cosmos, remains a secret which Nephthys kept only to herself. She was always vague on the point. After becoming a knight, however, she showed no reluctance to allow herself to become well-known.

As with most Cosmos knights, Nephthys was well-traveled; she visited new planets and star systems with regularity, extending benificence on behalf of Sailor Cosmos and attempting to negotiate alliances -- or at least polite diplomatic relations -- with new senshi. When shining starseeds passed on from this life to the next, she served her part as a shepherd and ferryman, seeing them safely onward toward their return to the Galaxy Cauldron. With little to do at her own outpost much of the time save tend the garden (where she grew her own food) and provide pleasant company (and sometimes directions) for weary (or lost) travelers, she was able to spend most of her time (as many Cosmos knights did) engaged in travel.

Indeed, those familiar with Nephthys might, with a great deal of accuracy, have accused her of a prodigious wanderlust. As was common among the much-feted knights of Cosmos, she never lacked for wealth; her ready willingness to spend much of that wealth at any place she stayed tended to make her a popular figure on her travels, at least among businessfolk. She showed no reluctance to meet or socialize with nearly anyone -- and was as likely to book passage to a new star on a stellar cruiser as she was to travel in the company of space pirates. If it was arguable that her friendly, generous manner was a form of glad-handing meant to buy tolerance for a fickle, self-involved nature, still her sociable and cheerful demeanor did not lack for sincerity. She was a caring person, and capable of being a loving friend to those companions of hers who were understanding of her inconsistency and her inability to stay in one place for long -- but Nephthys had a yen to travel, to feel free and unburdened, and she rebelled against being tied down. Interpersonal commitments were the surest way to make her run from those she might have grown attached to.*

None of this badly suited the life of a knight of the Cosmos. She was peaceable and friendly, content to have been given a posting that asked little of her martially, and allied her with no homeland for which she might be pledged to go to war. Diplomacy was ever her preference.

A great one for correspondence, Nephthys kept in close touch with what friends she managed to keep, utlizing the communication system of signet rings to contact others from her remote Wonder in the vast deep of space. Her time spent at her Wonder served not as a sentence, most times, but as a reprieve -- a quiet retreat from relationships and responsibilities where she could unwind and psychologically detoxify, rejuvenating her spirits before she returned to a pleasant but taxing life of travel.

* (Nephthys was very much polyamorous; while her lovers were not always likewise, she could not have offered monogamy in a relationship, and would have been miserable in the attempt. She was also, for the record, panromantic and, in the majority {although not exclusively}, homosexual. As character connections go, she would never have been anyone's girlfriend, but might easily have had flings or FWB relationships with any number of characters.)

 

[Shazari]

Stories

[B 1] Freeze Tag - Hvergelmir, Aquarius [fin]
Laney's world shifts on its axis; Hvergelmir Page awakens.

[R 1] A Whole New World - Hvergelmir, Aquarius [fin]
Reflecting on new circumstances -- Aquarius takes Hvergelmir to visit Aquarius Outpost, shows her her translation project, and gives her a Surrounding Passport.

[S 1] A Life Less Ordinary [fin]
Struggling with fear. Laney reflects on her new life as a superhero.

[B 2] Things Worse Than Monsters - Hvergelmir, Buddingtonite [fin]
Hvergelmir's first encounter with a Negaverser. Buddingtonite saves Hvergelmir from a youma, and things deteriorate from there.

[S 2] Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil [fin]
Struggling with compassion. Having met her apparent enemy, Laney reflects on the nature of conflict.

[B 3] The Bigger Picture - Hvergelmir, Schörl [fin]
Hvergelmir meets another Negaverse officer -- learns about the Negaverse and why they're fighting a war, and gets a taste of what it feels like to have your starseed ripped out.

[B 4] Above Your Weight Class - Hvergelmir, Camelot, Labyrinthite [fin]
Hvergelmir proves she'd be better off in a world where her biggest responsibility was saving cats from trees, and meets a new enemy and a new dad ally.

[R 2] I Have You Now - Hvergelmir, Zirconia [fin]
Hvergelmir meets someone she suspects has more information to offer than most -- her first encounter with a guardian cat.

[S 3+4] The Lonely Oasis [fin]
Hvergelmir learns how to travel to her Wonder and discovers her signet ring. (2.3k words)

[R 3] The Fairer Folk - Laney, Gemma [fin]
Two dreamy scatterbrains meet in a shared mission to discover fairies in one of Destiny City's parks. (No fairies are discovered.)

[R 4] Okay, But Seriously, Space? - Hvergelmir, Zippeite [fin]
Two uninformed idiots attempt to be mutually slightly less uninformed. Zippeite wants to know about space, and Hvergelmir wants to talk to any Negaverser who's not trying to take her head off.

[R 5] Olympus Reborn (ORP) [fin]
Knight ORP on Mars. The existing knights are transported to Olympus, on Mars, where they meet the Code and learn things they hadn't known about their history and their mission. Hvergelmir clings to Camelot's cloak and meets Babylon.

[R 6] This Is Not a Drill! - Hvergelmir, Sarras * [fin]
Hvergelmir meets another page of the Cosmos, equally delightfully dressed, and they put on an impromptu youma-killing show for a live audience.
* 2nd youma battle, counts as a Regular instead of a Battle.

[S 5+6+7] Ring the Bells That Still Can Ring [fin]
Struggling with her choices, Hvergelmir revisits her wonder to search for answers. She finds a hidden piece of the Code, discovers an old oath taken by her past self, and reflects on her place as a knight. (3.1k words)

[R 7] there came a sound in heaven - Hvergelmir, Avalon [fin]
Hvergelmir meets General Avalon and tells her about the history of the Order-Negaverse war, trying to convince her to turn away from the Negaverse. Hoping to prove she's not the Negaverse's enemy once and for all, she swears an oath on her life never to take up arms against a Negaverse officer while they're just trying to protect the Earth.

[R 8] Can You Hear Me, Major Tom? - Hvergelmir, Babylon [fin]
Hvergelmir learns signet ring messaging, uses it like an IM window. She gets better acquainted with Babylon Knight and asks him for some emotional support.

[B 5] A Corrupted-Summers Night Dream - Hvergelmir, Ate [fin]
Hvergelmir has her first encounter with a corrupted senshi, and finds that Negaverse officers don't necessarily care about her oath.

[R 21] Safe and Sound - Hvergelmir, Camelot
After her run-in with Sailor Ate, Hvergelmir messages Camelot for help. And two corgis.

[R 9] Paddle Faster, I Hear Banjos! [fin]
Laney goes on a whitewater rafting trip with a bunch of other knights to try and make some new friends.

[R 10] Wanderlust - Hvergelmir, Bischofite [fin]
Hvergelmir casts out a line, and immediately seems to catch a very unexpected big fish -- or is caught by one, who's looking to purify.

[S 8]And the sign said, The words of the prophets are written on the subway walls [fin]
Struggling with sleep. Laney has a nightmare, foreshadowing things she doesn't understand.

[R 11] Horror Vacui - Laney, Kent [fin]
Tara goes missing, and her brother Kent comes ringing for Laney's help. Laney does her best not to sound crazy while outing Tara as a senshi.

[R 12] Order Boot Camp - Self Aid and Buddy Care [fin]
Laney goes to a group meetup to learn how to tie a tourniquet so the person's arm doesn't have to be amputated later.

[R 13] Second Star to the Right - Hvergelmir, Zippeite [fin]
Hvergelmir keeps her promise to take Zippeite to space.

[R 22] And Straight On Till Morning - Hvergelmir, Zippeite [fin]
Hvergelmir and Zippeite at the well.

[R 14] Opera Ghost - Hvergelmir, Schreibersite [fin]
Hvergelmir meets a phantom of the opera, whom she befriends.

[R 15] Across the Aisle - Hvergelmir, Persephone [fin]
Hvergelmir meets a corrupted senshi who wants exactly what she wants -- to talk on friendly terms.

[R 16] Forbearance - Hvergelmir, Thetis
Hvergelmir meets a guardian cat who also believes that a duty to act when necessary also creates a responsibility not to act when necessary.

[R 17] Sympathy for the Wayward - Hvergelmir, Iris, *********> [fin]
Hvergelmir meets a guardian cat and a princess senshi she knew in a prior life, and immediately makes a big request on Bischofite's behalf.

[R 18] Bridging the Gap - Hvergelmir, Acanthite
Hvergelmir meets a corrupted senshi who has questions she wants answered.

[R 19] Drip Into Cauldron Roar - Hvergelmir, Titanlåvenite [fin]
Hvergelmir meets and befriends a gigantic Negaverse soldier with a very unusual sense of honor.

[PAST 1] That's a LOT of coin! - Hvergelmir, Iris [fin]
Nephthys meets Princess Iris, and learns a few things about the Iridian Bazaar.

[B 6] The Demon in Me - Hvergelmir, Gehenna, Titanlåvenite [fin]
Hvergelmir happens upon a Mars squire who's lost control of his powers, and unexpectedly gets in a fight over a dying Negaverser -- then calls on one of her new Negaverse contacts for help in the aftermath.

[R 20] There Is A Light And It Never Goes Out - Hvergelmir, Babylon, Cosmos [fin]
Hvergelmir takes a dying Babylon to the Well, then calls for last-minute intervention from Princess Cosmos herself.

[R 23] The Thing with Feathers - Hvergelmir, Bischofite [fin]
Hvergelmir makes the final arrangements with Bischofite for his upcoming purification.

=== SUBMITTED FOR UPGRADE TO SQUIRE 6/25/2014 ===
===UPGRADED TO SQUIRE 7/10/14, eligible for knight 10/10/14===

[S 1] Swords to Ploughshares [fin]
Hvergelmir reasons that there's more magic in the universe than just what fights and kills, and unlocks a little more of it for herself. Upgrade to Squire.

[B 1] Level 7: Archives - Mistral ORP [fin]
A group of knights are taken to Mistral on Mercury to search for long-lost parts of an ancient device.

[R 1] Level 0: Lobby - Mistral ORP [fin]
A group of shellshocked knights deliver their prizes to Mistral at the end of a long journey.

[R 2] Empty Chairs at Empty Tables - large cast [fin]
Looking to get drunk in like-minded company, Hvergelmir accompanies a group of knights from the Tragedy at Mistral over to the nearby city of Babylon, to share a drink in honor of the fallen.

[R ?] Monsters Among Men - Hvergelmir, Wolframite [ongoing]
Hvergelmir meets Wolframite, the collared dissident of the Negaverse.

[R 3] BlackWatch ORP - Ferry Point 3 [fin]
Hvergelmir attempts to stick her head in on a mass senshi/knight meeting in hopes Aquarius will be there.

[R4] BlackWatch ORP - Found or Fail? [fin]
Senshi, knights, and cats meet on the Moon to vote on the founding of a new group of like-minded individuals working for a common goal.

[R 5] When the Waters Rise and the Currents Take You - Hvergelmir, Aquarius [fin]
Hvergelmir finds that her long-lost best friend has been making a hermit of herself in her Surrounding outpost all along, and tries to convince her to come home.

[B 2] A Hundred Thousand Storms - large cast [fin]
'If not now, then when?' I was asking myself, over and over again -- make it right, get free, get rid of the junk -- but it don't always happen that way. Bischofite's purification attempt is a failure in more ways than one.

[R ?] Bury the Past, Reach for the Light - Hvergelmir, Ida [fin]
Calendar Girl, who is lost to the world, stay alive. The aftermath of Bischofite's purification attempt.

[R 6] Thou With Dark Eyelids - Hvergelmir, Avalon [fin]
Hvergelmir finds a lost Avalon on a bench, after her strange purification.

[R 13] Available Late - Hvergelmir, Titanlåvenite [fin]
Hvergelmir gets a late-night delivery from a new friend.

[R 7] Wild Times - Hvergelmir, Chariklo [fin]
Hvergelmir meets a member of a faction she's never heard of -- a type of Chaos called the Dark Mirror Court.

[R 8] Part of Your World - Laney, Kent [fin]
Laney and Kent swap secrets.

[R 9] Testimonial - Hvergelmir, Kairatos [fin]
Hvergelmir recruits Kairatos to be her Post-Purification Spokesperson.

[R 14] Another Hole to Dig My Soul In - Hvergelmir, Bischofite [fin]
The storms of ruthless dispensation have struck my flowery garland numb; I live in lonely desolation and wonder when my end will come.

[PAST 2] Dry Flavor - Hvergelmir, Iris [ongoing]
Hvergelmir samples fine Iridian cuisine, and learns a bit more about the asteroid's mysterious senshi.

[B 3] The Exodus of the Wasp - large cast [fin]
A purification goes unexpectedly public.

[R 12] You need someone older and wiser - Laney, Gemma [fin]
A young girl she met in a park turns to Laney for major life advice.

[R ?] Sorry, I Can't Hear You Over My Scoffing - Hvergelmir, Megrez [ongoing]
Hvergelmir meets a young senshi not exactly of like mind.

[R ?] The Wells at the Roots - Hvergelmir, Mimisbrunnr [ongoing]
A friend from Mistral seeks out Hvergelmir to accompany her on her first visit to her Wonder.

[R 11] Flagrant Violation of Slumber Party Promises - Hvergelmir, Zirconia [fin]
Zia abandons her promise not to bother Aquarius's Cosmos knight friend out of mutual concern for the missing Zodiac senshi.

[R 10] Blood for the Blood God - ORP [fin]
Castor and Pollux slaughter a warehouse of low-rank Negaverse agents and display their handiwork as a message to their Order allies that they intend to make the war against the Negaverse a brutal one. Hvergelmir is among those objecting.

[R ?] I Need to Know that You're Okay - Hvergelmir, Kairatos, Titanlåvenite [ongoing]
Following Blood for the Blood God, Kairatos and Hvergelmir go track down Negaversers that Kairatos wants to check on -- starting with a hulking giant from a biker bar.

[R 15] The Blackbird - Hvergelmir, Kairatos, Bischofite [fin]
Following Blood for the Blood God, Kairatos and Hvergelmir go track down Negaversers that Kairatos wants to check on -- this time, a surly half-youma vagrant.

[B 5] Keep Your Eyes on the Stars - Hvergelmir, Astrophyllite [fin]
Hvergelmir meets a young lieutenant who's none too invested in the prospect of being one of the bad guys.

[R ?] Shines Like Sugar on Your Lips - Hvergelmir, Bischofite [ongoing]
(Immediately following Another Hole to Dig My Soul In.) And you like to stand in the line of fire just to show you can shoot straight from your hip --

[R ?] How Many Stars - Hvergelmir, Titanlåvenite [ongoing]
(Immediately following Available Late.) How many stars have to shine before we find our way?

[B ?] Vicious Cycle - Hvergelmir, Niflhel [ongoing]
Hvergelmir and Niflhel come across a youma in an unusual predicament while discussing Prince Castor's declaration of war.

[R ?] As Long-Lived as Mayflies - Hvergelmir, Zippeite [ongoing]
The journey home is never too long -- your heart arrives before the train.

[R ?] The Two Best Runners in the Whole World - Laney, Vanessa [ongoing]
Laney and Vanessa stay in shape and bond as friends, while Laney attempts not to die of exhaustion.

[R ?] The Rise of Man/The Decline of Rome - Hvergelmir, Thraen [ongoing]
Was natural and inevitable/Man is so levitable!
Instead of inquiring why Rome was destroyed/Instead of admiring man's filling of the void
We should rather be surprised
That God had man so tyrannized/That Rome remained so strong
So long!

[B 4] Only the Good Die Young - Hvergelmir, Cinnabar [fin]
Come out, Virginia, don't let me wait -- you Catholic girls start much too late -- but sooner or later it comes down to fate. I might as well be the one --

Dystopian Future Stories

[R 1] Check-Up - Hvergelmir, Camelot [fin]
Hvergelmir travels to the dungeon at Camelot to check on the captives there, and on the Royal Knight who keeps them.

[R 2] Here comes the bookmobile! - Hvergelmir, Babylon [fin]
Babylon and his daughter visit Hvergelmir bearing gifts, and Hvergelmir tries to entice Babylon into a diplomatic compromise with the Dark Mirror Court.

[R 3] After Care - Hvergelmir, Chariklo, Orah [fin]
Hvergelmir provides first aid for a pair of her friends who undertook a personal mission gone foul.

[R 4] Armistice - Hvergelmir, Chariklo [fin]
Diplomatic overtures between friends.

[R 5] Feeding Time! - Laney, *********> [fin]
A stubborn Mauvian comes to share the evening meal.

[B 1] It Doesn't Live Off Fame - Hvergelmir, Nærøyfjord [fin]
Knighthood lies above eternity; it doesn't live off fame, but rather deeds.

[R 6] Lost Caravan - Laney, Niflhel, Snowball [fin]
Azzo returns from the dead, as he has always been wont to do.

[R 7] Book Drive - Laney, Failyn, Sabina [ongoing]
Laney goes to Mintaka's refuge to pick up some more books for the camp from a Watcher who runs a bookshop.

[B 2] Oathkeeper - Hvergelmir, Labyrinthite [fin]
Till the last star falls.

[B 3] The Hunt Is On! - ORP [fin]
A mainstay mission goes south, and not everyone makes it home.

[R 8] Unspoken - Hvergelmir, Helicon [ongoing]
A boy Hvergelmir once knew comes back from years of wandering.

[R 9] Protect the Hospital - ORP [fin]
When rumors surface that the camp's location may have been leaked to the Negaverse, residents gather to discuss their evacuation plans.

[B 4] The Beginning of the End - ORP [fin]
The Negaverse attacks the Resistance's camp. The death of Hvergelmir Knight.

End Dystopian Future Stories

[S 2] Warp [fin]
Laney wakes from nightmares about her potential future, and escapes to her wonder to cool her heels.

[S 3] Weft [fin]
At her wonder, Hvergelmir works on a long-standing project to pass the time while she gets her thoughts in order.

[R] And the Moon If You But Asked - Hvergelmir, Mistral, etc.
Mistral completes her device.

[R] An Open Window - Hvergelmir, Zippeite, Lydia
Hvergelmir and Zippeite stop off on a shortcut.

Tapestry - Hvergelmir, Solo
Solo.

[R] One More Troubled Soul - Hvergelmir, Kerberos
Hvergelmir meets her murderer.

[R] Faeries in the Park - Hvergelmir, Prudence
Hvergelmir encounters a civilian with questions.

[R] The Shift in My Reality - Hvergelmir, Kairatos
Hvergelmir and Kairatos discuss their memories.

[R] Fast-Forward, Rewind, Unravel - Hvergelmir, Ida
Hvergelmir and Ida discuss their memories.

[R] Folded and Unfolded and Unfolding - Hvergelmir, Avalon
Hvergelmir and Avalon discuss reincarnation.

Hills to Climb - Hvergelmir, Solo
Upgrade to knight solo.

[R] The Hard Choices - Hvergelmir, Zia
Hvergelmir helps Zirconia with her pyrite quest.

[R] Last Leg - Hvergelmir, Zippeite, Lydia, Camelot
The purification of Zippeite.

Zone 3 - Hvergelmir, Avalon, etc.
The siege of Avalon.

[R] Asphodel Cosmopolitan - Hvergelmir, Kerberos
Hvergelmir meets a drunk Kerberos.

[R] What We Pretend to Be - Hvergelmir, Titanlåvenite
First kiss.

Masquerade - Hvergelmir, Kairatos, Cinnabar, etc.

Hvergelmir and Kairatos are kidnapped at the New Year's Ball on their big date.

[R] Spinning in My Head Like a Revolving Door - Hvergelmir, Glitnir
Hvergelmir goes on a patrol with Glitnir.

[R] There Are No Strings on Me - Hvergelmir, Zircon
Zircon interrogates Hvergelmir.

[R] Cosmic Intercession - Hvergelmir, Persephone
Persephone visits Hvergelmir in her cell.

[R] All God's Children - Hvergelmir, Astrophyllite
Astrophyllite visits Hvergelmir in her cell.

[R] Forswear Thy Foolish Ways - Hvergelmir, Kadyrelite
Kadyrelite visits Hvergelmir in her cell.

[R] Into Which Chambers of this Bedlam - Hvergelmir, Schörl
Schörl interrogates Hvergelmir.

[R] Tell Me a Story, Bright Eyes - Hvergelmir, Cinnabar
Cinnabar interrogates Hvergelmir.

[R] Sing Us One of the Songs of Zion - Hvergelmir, Buddingtonite, Jet
Buddingtonite and Jet interrogate Hvergelmir.

[R] Waning Usefulness - Hvergelmir, Captives, etc.
Things are getting worse for the captives.

And the Moon's Riding High - Hvergelmir, Solo
Hvergelmir is interrogated again.

Desperate Rescue - Hvergelmir, Kerberos, Titanlåvenite, Kairatos, Cinnabar
Kerberos and Titan stage a rescue operation.

[R] I Can Hear You Dreaming - Laney, Orah
Orah visits Laney in the hospital.

[R] Curse Those Young Suburban Villains - Laney, Finn
Finn visits Laney in the hospital.

That Doesn't Mean We Let the Roses Go - Laney, Solo
Laney leaves home.

[R] With Rows of Windows Facing the Sea - Laney, Kent, Tara
Laney finds a place to crash, and un unexpected reunion.

[R] Unhinged - Hvergelmir, Labyrinthite
Hvergelmir encounters an enemy from her future.

[R] All Things That Grow and Are Not Barren - Hvergelmir, Zirconia, Chariklo
Hvergelmir, Chariklo, and Zirconia learn more about Dark Mirror Senshi starseeds.

Destruction Reigns - Hvergelmir, Camelot, etc.
Hvergelmir runs to Camelot's aid.

In a Haystack - Hvergelmir, Solo
Hvergelmir searches for her summons.

[R] You're My Cherry Blossom - Hvergelmir, Kerberos
Hvergelmir witnesses Kerberos sober.

With Golden Antlers Weeping - Hvergelmir, Solo
Hvergelmir gets closer to finding her summons.

[R] Growing Up Goes Slow - Hvergelmir, Ida
Orah gives Laney birthday gifts.

Starjumper - Hvergelmir, Solo
Hvergelmir finds her summons.

[R] Thirty-Two Points, Non-Typical - Hvergelmir, Umber
Hvergelmir meets a new lieutenant.

[R] One of Us - Hvergelmir, Hyperborea
Hvergelmir meets a very young Cosmos page.

[R] Yours Is a Face I Know - Hvergelmir, Persephone
Hvergelmir meets Persephone, now in the Dark Mirror Court.

[R] May Pray and Therefore Serve - Hvergelmir, Titanlåvenite
Titan returns from his searching in the Rift.

[R] Somebody Save My Life Tonight - Hvergelmir, Megiddo, Colchis, Camlann, Glitnir, Megrez, Castor, Ploutonion, Andronicus

Hvergelmir and others come to Megiddo's aid after she's nearly killed.

[R] Of Pretty Colors - Hvergelmir, Pharos
Hvergelmir meets a knight of Chronos.

[R] Cherish Life - Hvergelmir, Megrez

Megrez makes an apology.

Interference - Hvergelmir, Buddingtonite, Sarras
Hvergelmir stops Sarras from killing Buddingtonite.

[R] Have You Passed Through This Night?
- Hvergelmir, Astrophyllite, Castor, Aludra, Camlann
Astrophyllite's purification.

[R] Avenue of the Stars - Hvergelmir, Aegir
Hvergelmir meets Aegir, a fellow lover of the arts.

[R] The Next Generation - Laney, Finn
Laney and Finn fret over the state of the knighthood.

[R] Spinning in My Head Like a Revolving Door - Hvergelmir, Glitnir

[R] With Rows of Windows Facing the Sea - Laney, Kent, Tara

[R] You're My Cherry Blossom - Hvergelmir, Kerberos

[R] Yours Is a Face I Know - Hvergelmir, Persephone

[R] May Pray Therefore and Serve - Hvergelmir, Titanlavenite

[R] Of Pretty Colors - Hvergelmir, Pharos

[R] Cherish Life - Hvergelmir, Megrez

[R] Avenue of the Stars - Hvergelmir, Aegir

[R] Unhinged - Hvergelmir, Labyrinthite

[R] You Are the Salt of the Earth - Hvergelmir, Falias

[R] There's a Usefulness to the Dead - Laney, Slade

[R] Refuge - Hvergelmir, Ida

[R] Spring Fling - Laney, Many

Saving Hugbell: Immortals - Hvergelmir, Many

[R] Starlight Ideals - Hvergelmir, Cybele

[R] Born in the River - Hvergelmir, Teide

[R] For the Real Bona Fide - Hvergelmir, Thraen

Traitre - Hvergelmir, Hyperborea, Persephone

[R] To Ride the Winds… - Hvergelmir, Chariklo, Zirconia

And Of Your Own Free Will - Hvergelmir, Many

[R] Aftermath - Hvergelmir, Hyperborea

Clash of Titans - Hvergelmir, Gehenna, Cinnabar

[R] To Tread Beyond Consequence - Hvergelmir, Umber

[R] Fairy Lights - Hvergelmir, Mont Blanc

[R] And We're Starting at the End - Hvergelmir, Kerberos, Cosmos

[R] Waiting for Stars to Align - Hvergelmir, Teide, Valhalla

[R] Image of Lady Cosmos - Hvergelmir, Verona

[R] You Can Find the Others If You Are Brave - Hvergelmir, Alkaid

[R] Silver Bells and Cockle Shells - Hvergelmir, Ida

[R] Tell Me Truly - Hvergelmir, Mont Blanc

[R] My Brother's Keeper - Hvergelmir, Erythrite

[R] Girl on Fire - Hvergelmir, Asmodeus

[R] Friend of a Friend - Hvergelmir, Mont Blanc, Thrymr

[R] Hold Me Down - Hvergelmir, Labyrinthite

[R] Signed with Bone Dust - Hvergelmir, Scholomance

[R] Flicker Flicker Dying Star - Hvergelmir, Amphitrite

[R] Destiny and Fate Will Forge On - Hvergelmir, Castor

[R] Sparkle and Shine - Hvergelmir, Alphard

[R] Shade and Shine - Hvergelmir, Ashanite

[R] Sins of Future Past - Hvergelmir, Hyperborea

[R] Technology's Bounty - Hvergelmir, Many

[R] A Tomb to Ingenuity - Hvergelmir, Scholomance

[R] Knight Knights, December 2015 - Hvergelmir, Many

Black as Midnight, Black as Pitch - Hvergelmir, Solo 

[R] The Calling - Hvergelmir, Many

[R] The Deal - Hvergelmir, Many

[R] The Open Portal - Hvergelmir, Many

[R] Mistletoe in Bloom - Hvergelmir, Falias

[R] By the Code - Hvergelmir, Many

[R] Poster Number Six - Hvergelmir, Elvira

[R] Adoration Not by Myrrh - Hvergelmir, Titan

[R] Gone Ida Gone - Hvergelmir, Gehenna

[R] I'm Dreaming of a Starry Christmas - Hvergelmir, Hyperborea

[R] What Doesn't Kill Us - Hvergelmir, Alkaid

[R] Into the Light - Hvergelmir, Mjolnir

A Violation of Terms - Hvergelmir, Alkaid, Gehenna, Ida

[R] Subscendent - Hvergelmir, Labyrinthite

[R] What Happens After - Laney, Orah 

[R] Signet Upgrade Time! - Hvergelmir, Many

Blighted Garden - Hvergelmir, Quartz, Many

[R] Counting Stars - Hvergelmir, Valhalla, Titan

[R] Reflecting on the Past - Hvergelmir, Mjolnir

[R] Poi s'ascose nel foco che gli affina - Hvergelmir, Scholomance

[R] Of Next Year's Words Awaiting - Hvergelmir, Thraen

[R] The Lady in White - Hvergelmir, Chrysotile

[R] Vial Memories - Hvergelmir, Labyrinthite

[R] Porpoise in the Mirror - Hvergelmir, Hydra

[R] She Depends on You - Hvergelmir, Chauvet

[R] Seeking Counsel and Guidance - Hvergelmir, Harmonia

[R] Mistaken Identity - Hvergelmir, Gravina

[R] Hammurd - Laney, Isaiah

[R] Synthesis - Hvergelmir, Caedus

[R] Seeking Answers - Hvergelmir, Tanais

[R] New Years Kisses - Laney, Orah 

 

[Shazari]

UPGRADE SOLO - Swords to Ploughshares

Some nights, no one came to North End Park. Hvergelmir sat with her citronella candles and her book du jour and her Aquafina and she counted the hours by the tolling of the clocktower echoing from far-off City Hall. She was left alone with her thoughts, then, which was the worst company of all: her doubts, her fears, her exhaustion. Her boredom.

The week had been long, this time -- and she felt trapped, somehow, in the middle of it, like she was standing on a shoal and could just see the shore, distantly out of reach. Like all she did was shuffle things and people from one place to another, trying her best to be a functioning cog in a machine she didn't understand. When no one came around, she didn't know what to do with herself.

I should take my own advice, she thought idly, toying with a strand of her hair. I told Bischofite he had to decide what he wanted to become -- but I have no idea what I'm picturing on the other side of my own door. Is this all I'm really doing? Sitting here, waiting for enlightenment to just drop out of the sky, waiting to make myself useful to the universe once the universe comes forward and asks me?

She kept fiddling with the loose strand of hair, twisting it between her fingers. The Code had shown her something, once -- something personal, something just for her. There'd been an oath written on a page in a book, and she'd gotten some use out of that, crafting her own oath -- but just now, one of the phrases drifted through her mind again, as though she'd called it there on purpose. Tradition is the enemy of progress and of free thought. Doctrine is the tool of oppression.

Something about that was still nagging at her. What had the old oath meant? Why had Nephthys -- why had she -- thought it was important enough to swear to it? Who had Laney been the last time she'd walked the world, and what had her former self been so sure of that she'd put her name and her honor to it?

What did she know at all about her past self?

Not much. Nephthys lived on an island at the far edge of the universe's booniest boondocks, and in Hvergelmir's memories, she'd had few visitors. She kept a small island with a small temple and a small garden. She had a distaff and a spinning wheel and a loom. She was a weaver. I -- I was a weaver. That was me, once.

It was no more than a moment's work to summon her distaff to hand; she was used to calling for it by now. Hvergelmir kept it secreted away in the little subspace pocket, where it didn't take up one of her hands -- more convenient that way, since it made such a poor weapon. She'd never found any real use for it, in the end.

Still, there it was, a long, golden staff spun with wool, just as she'd left it last time. Every time. Waiting with no real purpose for the wait.

Hvergelmir had always wondered why the universe had chosen to give her a distaff for a weapon. She'd seen it as a symbol, at the time, of a place in the world for someone who built, rather than broke. But she'd ignored the essential elephant in the room:

It wasn't just a symbol. It was an actual, literal distaff.

Why hadn't she ever tried making thread?

The wool came free in her hands more easily than she would've expected. It felt soft and natural between her fingers -- and she took her time with it, fiddling to see what seemed right, finally pulling the long wool tuft into a twist, then twisting again. The vague specter of thread began to come together in her hands, solidifying into a sturdy line the longer she worked.

It wasn't just that, though -- the thread moved through her fingers a little faster than it should've. Stranger still, it glowed. She didn't just imagine that: the thread grew brighter in her hands, then all at once, it took on a life of its own. It fell loose from her fingers, chasing its way down to the ground in a long, bright line -- then pooling along the ground, before finally forming into a sizable mass at the end and glowing to a bright crest. Hvergelmir squinted her eyes, looking away -- and when she looked back, the whole of her distaff had changed. It was larger now, more substantial -- crowned with gold antlers circling its broad funnel -- and where it trailed a glimmering thread, it wound down to a delicate gold spindle suspended at the other end.

Could it always do this? she thought -- but before she could ponder the changes in her distaff any further, the light picked up over her again. This time it wasn't her weapon that changed.

She looked different. Her dress seemed to have gained another few unhappy feet of fabric, but it was cut for movement now, which meant she could actually see her own shoes and potentially run a few feet in a straight line without tripping over herself. But beyond that, she felt different, too -- like her senses had all gotten more powerful than they were before. Far-off auras seemed clearer and easier to discern. Her distaff seemed lighter, and she could move more quickly, react to things . . .

Stronger like Babylon. Faster like Gehenna.

Her Wonder had just given her more power. A Squire's power.

Maybe I should have tried making thread sooner, Hvergelmir mused wryly -- but then, maybe that was it. Maybe she really should've.

We live in a world where magic exists, she thought. It can't only exist for war. There must be other types of magic in the world, other uses it could be put to.

I'm a weaver.

Okay.

I'm going to make some damned string.