Seek Under Stone (Finish-a-thon)

[persephone_kore]

Author: persephone_kore
Title: Seek Under Stone
Rating: PG?
Summary: Helga Hufflepuff, in her youth, seeks out the cave where Loki lies bound to learn from his longsuffering wife Sigyn.
Author's note: For the Finish-a-thon at multific.

Comments

[dreagoddess]

Ooooh. Love it!

[persephone_kore]

Thank you!

[kalquessa]

Okay, so my other thoughts

[persephone_kore]

I appreciate your thoughts in both areas. I'm sorry about taking so long to thank you!

Despite her relative obscurity, I actually had a stronger idea of Sigyn in my head for this story than Loki. Then he up and started talking. He probably asks Helga if she doesn't think he's the devil at some point. Actually, without the intervals of agony, Helga might be hearing more from him (as opposed to Sigyn) than she was really planning on.

You're probably right about the werewolf's role being structurally questionable. I did bring her in partly to up the jeopardy--it seemed like Helga shouldn't be going off in the mountains alone in winter without running into some trouble--and partly to help characterize Helga, and partly to slow her down. Actually, showing compassion and letting the werewolf slow her down was supposed to be part of why Helga spotted the cave for the first time, but I don't think I really conveyed that well. Perhaps if she had done something more interesting before the time she actually got in. I suspect this really should

[kerravonsen]

Given the choice, I'll take a lunatic devotee of mercy.

Oooooh!

Ah, this was atmospheric, mythic, woven well.

[persephone_kore]

Thank you so much.

...I'm afraid it might not, after all, be quite finished. But it was supposed to be at the time.

[kerravonsen]

Given kalquessa's comments above, I can understand why you would want to do more work on it; but it is still good. You just want to make it better.

[khilari]

I liked this! I thought the wolf was Vali at first, until it turned out to be a werewolf. And I wonder if there's some connection between helping a wolflike being and being allowed in, given the connection with Fenrir and Vali.

There's a real sense of mythic grandeur to Loki and Sigyn in this, it works well.

I sort of wonder what Loki put Sigyn through before his punishment?

[persephone_kore]

Thank you!

I had not actually considered Vali -- I think I was going more for the HP side of the crossover at that point, though I did try to go for a hazard that was at least semi-appropriate.

Helping her is supposed to have been part of finding the opening, though the connection is not well drawn. I have considered the possibility that in revision I should either find two more obstacles for Helga, or suggest that the werewolf does have something to do with Loki directly. It might hang together better that way. Maybe I should find a translation and say her name was 'Dream.'

There's a real sense of mythic grandeur to Loki and Sigyn in this, it works well.

Oh, good. That was one of the things that I really wanted to manage -- that from Helga's perspective they should be awe-inspiring.

I sort of wonder what Loki put Sigyn through before his punishment?Heh. Helga would prefer an at least theoretically monogamous husband, herself, for one thing. She's also been somewhat influenced by the efforts at Baldr/Christ and Loki/devil (or

[khilari]

I think Loki gets a bit of a bad rap for the infedelity considering all the other gods were sleeping around as well :) But it makes sense from a Christian viewpoint.

Maybe if the werewolf had something to do with her knife, since throwing it appears to open the way? You do make a connection to Fenrir, even if it's figurative rather than literal.

[persephone_kore]

Well, yes, of course they were. Helga wouldn't want to be married to any of the rest of them either. *g*

The Fenrir's Daughter crack, yes. This Helga is snippy when she's in a bad mood, isn't she?