Game Night

After several stressful weeks of work and school, everyone in Dragon City was more than exhilarated it was Game Night. It wasn't your average Game Night with board games, charades or puzzles like years back.

For at least those who made up the NGR and their families, everyone leaped onto the Dragon Speedway or in their hover vehicles and descend to the Berk District and went to the much bigger and far advanced Anquetil's Community Center for quite a rousing never the same extraordinary family game night.

A mix of traditional and innovative pastimes that were both part mystic and part technology await all who came. Furthermore, all of them were 100% fun and everyone, although they got competitive, were never bad sports. Moreover everyone always just remembered it was not whether you won or lost it was about having fun with your friends and family.

Furthermore, at least Game Night in Dragon City was a far better cry then the old Thawfest games had been on Berk in their first lives. Though honestly Snotlout still tended to be a bit of a bragger and domineering. Even being reborn hadn't encouraged him to lose some of his less than desirable traits.

Though everyone was wondering what tonight's games would be and whose family would take home the trophy this month. As usual, when they arrived there were brilliant brightness, rousing music, and every family had their own individual flags that they had devised themselves to represent themselves on Family Game Night.

Of course, the whole Haddock clan's team flag was the symbol of the Night Fury and they're wearing their team colors of red and black when they showed up for Game Night. All the families dogs were dressed in their own matching t-shirts.

Snotlout's team was called Team Raven with a symbol of ravens and their colors were red, green and blue after the extra colors of his wife and children.

The Twins Team was called Terror Twins and their symbols were the Zippleback and green and yellow and of course it was made up of both Ruff and Tuff family and again everyone dragon-dogs had matching shirts on with their names and symbol on the back.

The Anquetils called themselves Sister Stones Team and their colors match their sister's stones that aided them in the uses of their powers.

After they finally came the Riders adopted siblings.

First was Team Fire and Brimstone which was the Anderson Family with Brimstone and Bloodfire's family and the color of their names was their team color and their names were their symbol.

Then the combined families of the Milun, Luka, and Sarryck all formed one team called MLS and their colors were a mix of green, red, and purple in a tie-dye pattern.

Creel and Gala's family Team Name was Chaotic Sisters with a picture of Chaos and Havoc in dragon form as their symbol and their colors being yellowish green.

The other teams were the Team Soul made up Soul Riders and their kids. Team Icefire that Dagur's family which did include both Hel's brothers and his sister Heather's family.

Two unexpected families joining them were Brundi and her parents who made up Team Peace Maker named after her mother peace-lover nature even if the irony of her father's last name was Treacherous.

And of course, the Wings family who on Game Night could be seen in their true forms. Therefore Kara was in her Valkyrie form, Azrael as himself. Seeing Angela and Gabriel as their true form was a little different.

Angela's true form looked like a Valkyrie wearing armor that got painted a spirited shade of hot pink and lavender and her brother looked more like a traditional angel in robes of the exquisite midnight blue silk.

Everyone arrived at 7:00 sharp and after having time to mingle and serve snacks they got ready for the first game. Though Game Night was held at the Community Center the MC wasn't any member of Anquetil's family. The MC for Game Night of Dragon City was Frigga because Odin had to be Master of Ceremonies for Game Night in Asgard which was held for all the Asgardians on the same night.

Game Night in Asgard is VASTLY different from the kind of games played in Midgard even with the mix of the Realms and advancement in technology. Because at least in Midgard there was no real element of danger or possibly of dying and needing to be reborn.

Not that things had gotten quite that intense in Asgard for several centuries since the Age of Transformation and Enlightenment. On the other hand, people did tend to get carried away during Game Night. Which honestly was more appropriately named "Challenge Night" Challenges because these were not kid or family friendly games but much more like what was written in the second Valkyrie book which a few extra twists.

Furthermore well that writer must have been able to tap into some of the Old Ways and Days of Asgard and Valhalla when she wrote her books; that was all the people of Asgard was gonna say on the subject.

Frigga loved being able to look like her true self on Game Night. She possessed abundant waist-length strawberry blond tresses that gave prominence to both her almond-shaped bluish-green eyes, as well as her alabaster skin, really makes her stand out in a crowd.

She was wearing her favorite outfit. It consisted of a golden headdress piece with earrings, necklace, and bracelets made of silver. Her dress was an emerald green gown with light green trim at the bottom with three roses embroidered into the skirt, one snow white, one starlight silver and the last one was a unique shade of green.

Smiling widely she welcomed them all to tonight's Dragon City Family Game Night.

"As you know we like to make these games both fun, but also a bit about self-discovery, and learning important skills as well as making sure you all have fun with your families. So, in the end, there is no winning or losing.

So our first game for tonight is gonna be very fun for your children while the adults get ready for the next activity. The children get to play "Three Musketeers" and the adults will help me set up for the next game.

Everyone go get your costumes and swords from the next room and I'll leave Angela and Gabriel to make sure you fight with honor and there are no accidents. Enjoy and remember it's all for one and one for all!"

All the children quickly hurried to get changed into the colorful musketeer costumes and grab a matching sword. Once they were all in character and their stances were corrected they watched as the celestial warrior twins opened the game by going "engarde".

Angela and Gabriel showed them basics of swordsmanship and even threw in some lines from the book they acting out and then once everyone got the idea everyone started to join in the fun as they all were fencing around the gym.

Angela and Gabriel were still in the mix among the young musketeers but also using their special powers to make sure no-one got hurt or took things too seriously. That this just remained a fun game and everyone just had a good time playing make-believe and enjoyed the game.

After a half, an hour of playing the game they announced it was over. Angela collected the swords while Gabriel ushered the kids back to the backstage area to get out of their costumes and get ready for the next activity.

When they return to the gym they saw all their parents and grandparents were spread out among different props and sets along with their dogs. The children were led to the stage to have a good view of overlooking the room.

"Now as you know and might remember your history of the Age of Transformation and Enlightenment and what that was about. Here we are gonna play a game of how to transform ourselves further and learn about ourselves a little more," Frigga explained to the young children as to what the next 'game' of Game Night was.

She gestured to all the adults all doing a million different things among the sets and props and then she turned to back to the children. "Now study all you see carefully and pick one person to imitate. Someone who totally different from you and then become that person.

We will then guess who you've become and we shall see what we can learn from each of you from your transformations and your own personal observations of who you saw. Oldest to youngest. So, Breena, you start."

Breena walked forward on the stage and carefully surveyed the room trying to think who should she transform into? Who was the least like her and what would be the hardest transformation for some to see?

She then picked the perfect person. She bent her head down low and started to act like she was picking things up and kept her posture slouched. One by one the other kids tried to guess who she was portraying but no-one could guess who she was portraying.

At least not until her cousin Edyis finally got. "I finally got it! You are doing Leontes Caxel who was playing a janitor for this game. Someone no-one gonna pay attention too. They're just the invisible people everyone walks by but they see all even if no-one sees them!"

"Correct. I was wondering if I was doing it right. Considering no one got it sooner," Breena blushed as red as her clothes and looked at the beautiful goddess who smiled.

"Actually you got the point of the game straight away. I asked you to truly transform yourself. You made yourself unrecognizable and contained all your normal energy. That was a very amazing transformation.

Now let's continue with this little game? Edyis I believe you are next up to become transformed?"

After that very unique take on the game of charades was a game for parents and children to work on together. They had a very low tightrope and the point of this was to help build belief, trust, and confidence.

So the point was to help the children learn to walk the tightrope successfully which wasn't an easy task to accomplish. Even when they tried to help them with the advice close their eyes and picture themselves balanced.

Still, they kept up at it till everyone managed to get all their kids across the tightrope successfully. Which was a huge step forward for many in their relationships both with their kids and their marriages.

At this point it was 8:30 and everyone took a break to rest and enjoy some refreshments and play with their dogs. This was turning into one of their most usual game nights as again game night was never typical and the games were never just games.

Frigga was very busy with some help from Kara's family set up tables with candles for the next game which was gonna be in a word unusual. This was game all about concentration, willpower, energy, and focus.

After pairing everyone off in groups at different tables she said was time for Tic-Tack-Candle. It was true many of them had been gifted with many special gifts but like anything in life whether you had powers or not you need to be able to focus your energy to perform any task.

"These are special candles. They only will light by a person channeling their energy and willing them to burst into flame. So we are gonna play tic-tack-toe with them in a sense.

As a group, you must be in tune and all focus your energy to lit the candle. So we shall play a few rounds as a group and then see if we can play individual games. So let's get started, shall we?"

For the first few tries trying to focus their all their energy and will the flames to burst into flame didn't go well. But after at least 15 minutes everyone started to get the hang of both the technique and the game and soon the game was really underway.

They played this game for 45 minutes before they moved onto a very intense game that was really gonna make them break a sweat as this game was now hosted by Kara and Azrael. It was a version of Simon Says called "Kara and Azrael Says"

But when they said something it was to perform complex exercise or warrior skills that everyone had to copy. Anyone who failed to copy was out of the game. Kara would do one round than her husband and so on and so forth.

It really was good cardio and really tested their endurance and stamina as well as speed, strength, and agility. One by one everyone was eliminated even their own twins failed at one point to copy their parents' movements and they're laughed out the game.

The last two standing, in the end, was Hiccup and Brundi. They eyed each other both wanting to win and impress their families. Kara and Azrael were whispering what to do to test both of them.

"Kara and Azrael say do this!" and they both performed a karate kick together and looked at the last two standing daring them to prove themselves. People thought for sure Hiccup mess this one up given it was his left leg he had to do this with. But to their surprise, Brundi botched it leaving Hiccup the victor in the game.

By now it was 9:30 and it was time for the last game of the night. Which was simply an obstacle course of all tonight's actives and putting them into play a bit of a quest.

Which one by one everyone did quite well in passing the unique quest that had been designed just for them and with that tonight Dragon City Game Night had come to an end.

As everyone gave each other hugs, kisses and congratulated them on a job well done and seeing them at work or school they couldn't help but feel they all had not only learned more about themselves tonight but also become stronger people and closer families by the end of this Game Night!