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All the friggin time

Ever picture something so vividly in your head and then think 'how do I write that though'?

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It's actually Ruffnut, but I respect your opinion

unpopular opinion

Dagur is the hottest character in the whole httyd franchise

He is just so attractive with his craziness and his beard

look at the little pookiebear, wouldn't you forgive him for anything he does

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“who do you think you’re impressing with this stuff?”

“everyone. you wouldn’t understand.”

after adjusting his tie, pacifica looks up from dipper’s neck, her blue eyes meeting his brown ones. it’s the very first time she sees him without that lame pine tree cap on, so naturally, her eyes aim a little higher.

upon inspecting the brunette’s tufts of hair, she thinks to herself, he definitely doesn’t shower much, trying her best to not react too visibly to the accumulation of sweat. who knows, making him feel more awkward will just make things worse—after all, that suit must be stuffy enough as it is.

so, she remains indifferent as she continues inspecting his hair. despite a lack of showering, she thinks, he’s lucky to have fluffly hair… for a nerd, i guess.

before she backs off completely, walking back into the party to the ‘problem room’, pacifica notices something about dipper’s forehead. a blemish, perhaps? or maybe, a hint of acne.

acne makes sense for him, trying very hard to roll her eyes at the thought, obviously not the type to spare time for proper skin care, geez.

for all she knew, pacifica soon came to the conclusion that from all that sweat… the pores on his forehead being clogged thanks to his brown hair and that hat of his, she wouldn’t worry much about giving away some facial cleanser, mosturiser, and a trip to pick up some ointment (since she never needed any).

yet, before she could start on a list—first, she needed to know how bad it was.

pushing his hair back, dipper feels his whole body go stiff in a flash. what the heck was she doing?

“i don’t have time to give you a total makeover, but the least i can do is advise you on better personal hygiene.”

pacifica answers, which meant that dipper was definitely thinking out loud.

stupid! now that, he whines in thought, but refrains from physically face-palming himself.

when pacifica fully pushes dipper’s hair back, his forehead now bare to her, she observes it, her face remaining indifferent as she focuses on what lies before her. it’s… a big dipper?

behind that poker face of hers, she’s laughing inside; trying desperately to not let the corners of her lips twinge up and succumb to her amusement.

clearly embarrassed, dipper’s face flushes red, but finds himself staying still as he feels frozen under pacifica’s gaze. his doe-brown eyes are only glued to her diamond-hued irises, then glances a bit down to her glossed lips, awaiting the inevitable mean-girl cackle.

“so that’s why people call you dipper.” pacifica points out softly, showing the smallest hint of a grin on her face.

only, it isn’t malicious—dipper notes to himself. amused, yes, but not in a cruel, insulting way.

feeling awkward enough as it is, dipper breaks away from pacifica’s touch, backing himself away and heading towards the door; laughing inorganically.

“yeah, it’s just a dumb birthmark, started going by dipper so no one could tease me about that anymore, heh,” he tries to explain in a single breath, pulling out the third journal to avoid being further burned in her gaze, “anywaysweshouldgoaheadandfindtheroomwheretheghostwaslastspottedright?”

“i don’t think it’s dumb.”

the confession slips pass pacifica’s lips almost instantly, unable to stop the words from spewing out.

now, they’re both pink in the face, both in disbelief of the blonde’s admission.

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Ways I Show a Character Is Falling Apart While Pretending to Be a Perfectionist

Some characters don’t collapse in a blaze of glory. No, they disintegrate politely, with color-coded planners and a frozen smile that says, "Everything’s fine, Susan, stop asking."

They cling even harder to routines. Morning jog, 5 a.m. journaling, bullet-journaling their dog’s bowel movements. Because if they just keep checking boxes, they can pretend nothing’s crumbling underneath.

They hyperfixate on weird tiny details. The report can be on fire, but by god, they will die on the hill of choosing the right font. ("If I find the perfect serif, maybe my life will stop feeling like it's slipping through my fingers!")

They say "I'm just really busy!" like it’s a badge of honor, when it’s actually a giant red flag made out of calendar invites and suppressed emotions.

They can't finish anything anymore. They start 14 different projects, convinced each new thing will "finally get them back on track"…and end up ghosting every single one like a bad Tinder date.

Their compliments to others are laced with self-hate. "You’re so talented, I could never pull that off" they say, smiling while beating themselves bloody on the inside.

They apologize. For everything. Late by two minutes? "I’m so sorry." Sent an email? "Sorry if that’s annoying!" Existing? "Sorry for breathing the same air!"

They're "fine." Always "fine." It's said with the same energy as someone duct-taping a broken chair and inviting you to sit on it.

They self-medicate with "productive" coping. Organizing their spice rack at midnight? Totally normal. Redesigning their resume for no reason while crying into a box of crackers? Absolutely fine. Nothing to see here.

They get defensive about the dumbest things. “Of course I’m okay! Look at my to-do list!” (Sure, babe. Tell that to your bloodshot eyes and the way you just called your boss "Mom" on Zoom.)

Their version of self-care is making another list titled “How to Fix Myself” and then immediately feeling guilty for needing it.

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20 Dialogue Prompts to Spark Your Next Scene

Whether you’re writing fanfiction, crafting your original story, or just daydreaming about your favorite characters, dialogue can be the heartbeat of a scene. These prompts are filled with tension, yearning, angst, and banter—perfect for bringing your characters to life or spiraling into a new obsession.

Use them as inspiration for drabbles, moodboards, roleplays, or that one WIP you keep rewriting at 2 a.m.

1. “You promised you’d never leave. So why does this feel like goodbye?”

2. “Don’t look at me like that. Like I matter.”

3. “You were never supposed to mean this much.”

4. “Well, if we’re both going to hell, we might as well hold hands on the way down.”

5. “Do you ever think about what we could’ve been?”

6. “This is the part where you’re supposed to kiss me, you idiot.”

7. “You lied to protect me. But it still hurts.”

8. “Can you just… stay? You don’t have to talk. Just—stay.”

9. “I hate how good you look in my clothes.”

10. “I brought snacks, bad decisions, and zero self-control.”

11. “You’re bleeding.” “It’s not my blood.”

12. “Tell me to stop, and I will.”

13. “Oh my god, we’re not actually enemies. You know that, right?”

14. “I don’t need a hero. I need you.”

15. “If we die, I’m blaming you.”

16. “Stop pretending you don’t care. You always cared.”

17. “I think I started falling for you the moment you insulted me.”

18. “You make it really hard to hate you, you know that?”

19. “We’re not just friends. Don’t lie to yourself.”

20. “Say it again.” “Say what?” “That you love me.”

Check out a full collection of articles explaining everything about writing from having an idea to publishing your book and even after. FIND HERE

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somewhere along the way, Percy being "dumb" to Annabeth's "smart" has become a genuine part of their dynamic where in the original series it was more like: Percy's impertinent and could be slow on the uptake because he's not a walking encyclopedia of greek myth in the way Annabeth is and she teasingly calls him "Seaweed Brain" in a way that's supposed to be light-hearted and affectionate but she doesn't actually think he's dumb

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Writer's Block

You’re staring at the page. The cursor blinks like it’s taunting you. You want to write—hell, you even know what you want to write about—but it’s like your brain’s frozen. That, my friend, is the all-too-familiar little bitch known as writer’s block.

So, how do you fight it?

Here’s what’s helped me, and maybe it'll help you too.

1. Write anything, even if it’s trash

Seriously. Open a doc and let yourself write the worst possible version of what you’re trying to say. No pressure. No editing. You can always clean it up later. A messy first draft is better than no draft.

2. Change your scenery

Sometimes your brain just needs a different view. Go outside. Sit at a café. Write on your phone instead of your laptop. A small change can trick your brain into feeling inspired again.

3. Idea dump

Forget structure. Forget plot. Just go full chaos mode. Rant about your characters, the scene, or how much writing sucks today. That little brain dump might lead you to a breakthrough.

4. Read something short and good

A poem. A Tumblr post. A flash fiction piece. Sometimes reading a spark of good writing reminds your brain how fun words can be.

5. Accept the block, but don’t leave it there

Writer’s block is normal. It doesn’t mean you’re broken. It just means your brain’s buffering. Rest, hydrate, and be gentle with yourself. Then try again.

---

Writing is weird. Some days it flows like magic, and other days it’s like dragging your soul through the trenches. But if you’re stuck, don't give up on it— the words will come back.

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I found photos of those Pallas Cat kittens born this year and bye I'm deceased

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Hookfang being so careful with everyone other than Snotlout is so important. He’s a beast of a dragon, he literally goes into fights blazing without a plan. He respects strength first.

Most humans are delicate little things that he has to handle with the kiddy gloves on. He’s cautious with the twins, gentle with Hiccup, respectful with Astrid, careful with Fishlegs.

Snotlout however is his viking and he’s a good one. Made of tougher stuff or whatever. He can handle a little roughhousing. He can handle Hookfang catching fire every once in a while, he can handle being scooped and thrown and shaken, he can handle a chomp or two. More than “handle” honestly, he likes it, because he’s the same genre of feral-for-action.

We know Snotlout does, but the fact Hookfang also sees them as equals (despite all their fighting) is very dear to me

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I can fix her

Ik she's crazy but 😭

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I know we were all disappointed in the design of the light fury and wanted something much more fiersome and dangerous as a mate for Toothless rather than the soft-edged version of a night fury we got

But I do HAVE to appreciate the way she was treated

She is quite possibly the most dangerous and mysterious dragon that's been encountered in the franchise

Little to absolutely nothing is known about her, she's incredibly wild, and they don't even give her a name

Even in rtte and riders&defenders Hiccup and the gang will name wild dragons allll the time (shout out Smidvarg)

Meanwhile she is never named at all

The mysteriousness and caution surrounding her tho is typically reserved for masculine characters in most media, with the dark, brooding, murderous love interest getting all the love and attention

Whereas she totally fits that bill here with Toothless being the UWU little baby we know he is

What we lost in visuals we definitely gained in character development

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I made the first page so long ago but hey, I finished.

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why has everyone just decided to disregard everything that makes percy interesting?

we are always begging for a main character who is given a life outside of being a main character and then we were given percy jackson, a demigod in the summer, saving the world and looking good doing it, but is also just a kid.

he skateboards and collects them, he listens to punk rock and alternative rock (are they the same thing or is punk rock a sub-genre?) but doesn't dress 'alt' (like thalia) and has anger issues and has been kicked out of multiple schools for said anger issues, some of them being (court-ordered) military schools.

he also has problems with authorities who abuse their power (gabe, the gods, the nypd etc.) and will not hesitate to call you out on your bullshit no matter how powerful and important and feared you are.

but he has morals and doesn't do things without reason. he has a level of maturity and integrity that isn't even present in most adults. he is really smart and gets better grades than annabeth, and is the most considerate person you will ever meet. he is humble and never tries to be the center of attention.

he's not the most optimistic person in the entire world, but he tries to find reasons to be happy in really crappy situations (when they were traversing Tartarus and he was so happy that annabeth was with him that he started smiling).

he is always grateful for everything he has and tries to show genuine interest in all the things that interest his loved ones, even if they bore him to death (like annabeth with her architecture).

and we completely erase that for some reason to make him nothing but 'annabeth chases' boyfriend,' and, well he is her boyfriend, and he's very proud of that fact, but he is his own person as well.

people get really mad when we erase all of annabeth's character to make her nothing more than percy jacksons' girlfriend but we do it to percy all the time.

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relationship goal to make a wooden figure of your beloved wife <3

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Organizing your Drafts

If you write any way like me, you make a lot of drafts. In the past, I’ve given the advice “always finish your drafts” because getting to the ending is the best way to reveal what’s working and what isn’t in a manuscript. I stick by that advice, even if I don’t personally follow it (cue gasps).

I’ve talked before about how I can’t move on if I don’t think something’s working—well that applies to my drafts as well. I restart the beginning over and over again until it clicks, and then I can move on to the middle which I do over and over again until it clicks, and sometimes that means adjusting the beginning again, etc. etc. I come out with a lot of drafts.

So recently I decided I needed a better way to organize, because sometimes I want to go back and look at old scenes I’ve written or take entire chunks of past drafts to use in my newest one, and it quickly becomes really difficult to tell where something is, what changes I made and why, and what prompted each new draft.

To do this, I made an excel sheet with these columns:

The second thing I changed was going from a numerical system to an alphabetical one. By that, I mean that my first draft was draft A—it followed the first outline I made, Outline A. The second draft I wrote still followed that outline, but it just cleaned it up a bit, so it became A2. Then I decided that something wasn’t working, and moved onto draft B. Right now, I just finished H3 and have started on I.

This way, you can track your largest changes into ‘eras’ of a project. I can see on my planning when I decided to make that big change, how many drafts it lasted, and where the project evolved further into something else.

If you’re a chaotic drafter, I’d recommend finding some sense of the chaos and organizing your drafts in a way that makes sense to you. It cuts down on a lot of time searching for stuff, and I think it’s a really insightful way to learn about your own process and what works or doesn’t work for you to take into future projects.

If you already have a system, please share! I’m curious how other writers go about this.

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Don't Mess Up Your Character Introduction

Your characters only get one introduction, and from that very first moment, readers will form their opinions and impressions of that character. Once they have, it’s incredibly hard to change their minds, so you have to make sure that you make the right first impression.

In my last novel (currently querying right now!) I had a beta reader come back to me to say that he really didn’t like my female protagonist. However, in his notes on the actual manuscript, there were several parts he highlighted because he was very sympathetic to her—so why didn’t those parts sway him? It was because they came too little, too late. He’d already formed his thoughts on the protagonist as a person.

I heard recently that Finding Nemo’s flashback that the movie opens with was initially later in the film to explain why Marlin was such an overprotective parent, but test audiences really hated him, and by then, all the tragedy in the world wouldn’t convince them otherwise. Instead, Disney moved the flashback to the beginning so that we started the movie sympathetic to him, and were able to overlook or understand his more annoying/frustrating traits.

I’m saying that right out of the gate, if we’re meant to root for them, you need to show us why. If we’re meant to hate them, you also need to show us why. Don’t hold onto your cards, don’t keep secrets too late, because once we form an opinion on someone, it’s difficult to change.

When that opinion does need to change (such as when you’re pulling off a villain redemption arc), it typically takes the entire story and genuine character growth to do.

See my post here on why we root for a character.

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Part Four of the fanfic thing I'm writing between the facets of my busy life.

The race around the island went exactly how Minden assumed it would, with Snotlout and Hookfang pulling ahead easily, the two of them so familiar with each other that they moved seamlessly. She and Brightwing did well for their first full speed flight, but it was pretty obvious that she wasn't at all ready for their journey or any sudden maneuvering.

When she and her dragon landed in front of the stables, Snotlout was already dismounted and leaning on Hookfang with a cocky smirk on his face that Minden wanted to knock right off.

Or kiss right off.

Her steps stuttered at the sudden intrusive thought, the memory of the time years back when she had done exactly that making her blush lightly. Of course, back then, it hadn't really been something she planned, the moment had simply called for an expression of her gratitude that went beyond words. And, well, maybe his no nonsense, blunt manner of speaking honestly had sparked the first real attraction for the male species that she had ever felt in her life.

She recalled that he hadn't reacted, not that she had given him any time to process, but she wondered what a real kiss from his sassy mouth would be like if she had lingered a little longer and let him catch up...

However, all that aside, the present moment didn't feel right for such a thing at all. Besides, she had no proof he felt even close to similar! He had sure moved on quickly after that kiss back then...straight into strategizing like nothing at all had happened!

"Alright, you win fair and square, Snotlout," she held up her hands in defeat before reaching back to readjust her wind blown ponytail.

"Duh!"

She gave him a less than enthusiastic stare before rolling her eyes and undoing her hair. The chestnut brown waves hung down to her shoulderblades, and she sighed at the feeling and rubbed at her scalp to let her hair relax from the constant updo.

Snotlout's cocky smirk had faded, she noticed, and had been replaced by an expression of interest.

"You know, if you want to leave it down, I can add some braids."

Minden blinked at him, surprised by the offer. Somehow, the idea of Snotlout knowing how to braid hair seemed not so outlandish even if it didn't fit that macho personality of his. She had heard Tuffnut mention sewing techniques to him once, and Snotlout had answered without any sign of insult, so she assumed he had more skills than he let on.

"You know how to braid?" She blurted out, "I wouldn't have guessed that."

Snotlout just shrugged. "I'm a viking. It's kind of a thing with us."

"Oh, like raiding and pillaging?" Minden teased.

"Yeah, exactly!" Snotlout laughed and stood up straight to remove Hookfang's saddle for the first time since they left Berk. Hookfang sighed happily and shook his massive body to shift all his compressed scales. "You and Girl Hoo-, uh, Brightwing, go catch up, I know you're dying to."

Minden didn't know it was even possible for a dragon to look sheepish, but Hookfang sure did. But he didn't linger, and Minden watched as the two dragons twirled around in the sky above them for a while before taking off towards the direction they had gone to find Brightwing earlier.

"It wouldn't be a very good start to our mission if Brightwing starts a nest of eggs..." She mused, sounding a bit unsure about letting the dragons fly off alone like this.

Snotlout cleared his throat and turned to go into the stables. Minden looked across the island to where Brightwing and Hookfang had disappeared for a moment longer before following after him.

"Kind of a mess in here," she commented. Clearly, the stable doors had been left open for a while because there was no dust collected anywhere, but everything was strewn about the place. The winds off the cliffs blowing through the massive doors had kept the dust at bay but sent everything else rolling and tumbling around the large space.

"Yeah..." Snotlout sounded none too happy about it as he stood with his hands on his hips, surveying the disarray. "I'm gonna have words with Gustav and his flunkies. They're responsible for keeping the Edge up."

Minden stood a barrel upright and shoved it against the back wall and gave Snotlout a smile.

"Well, they're doing pretty well with their new camp," she said with a shrug, "Don't worry, we can have this place cleaned up in no time."

Snotlout wanted to continue being annoyed, and he did manage to keep the grumpy look on his face for the most part, but he couldn't stop the small smile that lifted one corner of his lips. He tried to hide his momentary weakness by throwing his hands up and dramatically growling.

"Ugh, fine! I just want Hookfang to have a place to sleep tonight."

Minden just shook her head in amusement and rolled up the sleeves of her dark green shirt to get to work.

------------

Minden had been right. It took them less than an hour to put everything back where it belonged and the floor cleared of the dirt and leaf litter the wind had brought in. While Minden checked around the outer walls for any damage or holes, Snotlout got to work on cleaning out the cogs of the door mechanism.

"I didn't find any holes," Minden reported as she completed her circle of the building. "You guys did a good job covering this place in Gronckle Iron like this. I did notice some dents in several places...catapults, I'm guessing?"

"Oh yeah," Snotlout affirmed as he tested the door to see if it would close and open smoothly. It closed, but then it remained stuck, and he sighed. "We took cover in here several times between Dagur, Ryker, Viggo, Krogan..."

His second attempt at opening the door resulted in it rising so rapidly that it made both of them jump and shriek in alarm. Which, subsequently, sent Minden into laughter.

"Oh, I definitely missed that very distinct scream of yours, Snotlout!" She giggled, nudging him with her elbow.

"Shut up, Minden..." Snotlout muttered, smacking the cog that had been responsible for the jumpscare. Apparently, it just needed a little tough love because it started working perfectly after that.

The dragons returned at the perfect time, looking happy but tired, and neither human commented on why that might be. Both of them entered the stables and inspected the state of it before they flew off again towards the sea below.

"Fish." Snotlout said simply as he watched them skim the water below.

Minden watched them for a few moment before she yawned and looked up at the sky. It was about mid afternoon now, and she still had to get her own hut cleaned and organized before she felt settled in. Not that she wanted to settle in for long...she wanted to get out there and find her mother.

"I'm going to clean my hut," she announced, waving over her shoulder as she walked towards the suspended bridge leading away from the stables.

"Yeah, I should do that, too. Thor knows the new crew hasn't done it." Snotlout muttered as he followed behind her.

Minden just ignored his mumbling and split off from him when they reached his place first, heading over to Astrid's old hut to get started.

------------

They spent the better part of the afternoon cleaning out their spaces and unpacking what they would need, stopping and reconvening only once for a lunch break before going their separate ways again. Snotlout and Hookfang headed out to the forest to collect a load of firewood to refill the nearly empty old stockpile and Minden took Brightwing to the other camp across the island to ask for sleeping pelts and to acquire some yak chops for dinner.

Minden appreciated that she wasn't being watched like a hawk by her traveling companion. He obviously trusted her abilities with Brightwing well enough after the easy bond she had made with the dragon.

She returned to the Old Edge (as Gustav called it) and collected the remaining few pieces of firewood to start cooking the yak chops, finding the makeshift kitchen in the clubhouse. She was a decent cook, but not the best when compared to all the Wingmaidens...not the worst, though! She had the chops nearly done when she heard the whoosh of Hookfang's wings flapping to slow his descent onto the platform. The landing sounded heavy, and Minden peeked outside to find Hookfang dumping a large pile of wood in the kindling bin.

"Whoa!" Snotlout whipped around, nose twitching as he sniffed the air. He seemed to indentify the scent, and Minden swore he would start drooling any second from the look on his face. "I hope you made enough of those!"

Minden giggled and gestured for him to follow her inside while Hookfang went straight for the stables to share the pile of fish they had brought back that afternoon with Brightwing.

The two of them sat in easy silence, neither of them really feeling the need to break it. Minden plated up the chops and set them on the table between them, and they tucked in. She noted, and was pleased by the fact, that Snotlout seemed to have picked up some mild table manners since she'd first met him on that stormy night they'd found him in the ocean and brought him back to their island...she cringed at the memory of his appalling behavior back then.

"Well, when did you become halfway polite?" She asked, breaking their silence with her teasing.

Snotlout stopped mid-chew and gave her a sheepish sort of look.

"I'm not a heathen. Geez." He said, with his mouth full...which kind of offset his words a bit.

Minden laughed at the contrast and shook her head.

"You sure acted like one when I met you." She reminded him, gesturing vaguely at him. "You're not pouring half your drink down yourself, and you're even chewing with your mouth closed."

He rolled his eyes and swallowed before speaking again.

"Yeah, well, I told you I've learned a lot since then." He told her, reaching for a second yak chop.

"I see that." Minden assured him, "I just wonder why."

He didn't answer her, just got back to eating and left her to her wondering. Eventually, she gave up waiting for him to respond and went back to her own plate, pondering what had made him change his behavior.

There were no leftovers between them, so cleaning up after dinner was quick and simple. Minden scrubbed the dishes clean, and Snotlout put them back where they belonged; soon, they were heading to their respective huts, Minden yawning widely as she looked up at the stars.

"It's gonna rain tonight," Snotlout commented out of nowhere, and Minden gave him a skeptical look.

"There's hardly a cloud in the sky," she pointed out, "The stars are perfectly visible."

"For now, sure," Snotlout shrugged, not bothered at all by her doubt, apparently. When they reached his hut a moment later, he glanced over his shoulder at her as he opened his doorway. "You'll see; my instincts are never wrong."

"Wanna bet?" Minden asked, feeling a bit cheeky. "My eyes are telling me there's not a cloud in the sky. Loser cooks breakfast."

"You're on." Snotlout shrugged and gave her a smirk, "I'll take an omelette, thanks."

Minden crossed her arms as he disappeared inside and shut the door behind him. She shook her head and looked back up at the sky, which was still clear and calm.

"I'll take an omelette with a healthy side of admitting you were wrong, Snotlout." She said out loud even if she was really only speaking to herself.

-------------------

Snotlout was just on the verge of sleep when the first few drops of rain began to patter on the roof, and he smiled up at the rafters above him, satisfied that he'd won the bet. Again, his instincts were right, and now he could rub it in Minden's face while she cooked breakfast in the morning.

He closed his eyes as the first small rumble of thunder sounded in the distance, knowing the incoming storm would make for the perfect sleep. Nothing was as soothing to fall asleep to quite like a storm.

But his peace was suddenly interrupted by loud and insistant knocking on the door of his hut along with a frantic voice calling out his name. It didn't take him hardly any time to scramble out of bed and drop down to the first level to lift the door open, revealing a drenched and shivering Minden standing in front of his hut, hugging herself and shifting nervously between her feet.

"I..." but she didn't get anything else out before a clap out loud thunder and a flash of lightning made her scream and she jumped a mile, flinging herself into him as she scrambled to get inside, nearly sending them both toppling over.

"Whoa! Hey!" Snotlout barked as he steadied them both, "Why are you running around in the rain, you idiot?"

Minden didn't answer right away. In fact, she didn't do much of anything aside from scramble further into the room, far from the still open door. Snotlout watched her for a moment, confused, then shrugged and pulled the door shut. With the barrier in place between her and incoming storm, Minden finally spoke up.

"I'm...I'm sorry, Snotlout, I'm just..." her voice sounded unsteady and small, which was very unlike her, making Snotlout cock his head slightly as concern began to overshadow his annoyance. Minden rubbed her hand up and down her opposite arm and stared down at the floor, probably blushing, although it was hard to tell in the ever shifting light from the fireplace. "I'm scared of storms...I always have been."

Snotlout fought the urge to roll his eyes and crossed his arms.

"And what am I supposed to do about it? I can't control the weather."

Minden laughed lightly and finally looked up, meeting his eyes with a pleading expression.

"Can I stay here?" She asked nervously, "With you?"

For a long few moments, they both just stared at eachother, neither one of them saying a word at the rain began to come down harder, pelting the wooden structure while the thunder grew louder and closer. Finally, Snotlout sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Fine! Whatever, but you better not snore!" He snapped, acting annoyed by the situation while his stomach actially fluttered anxiously. How many damn times had he told Astrid and Heather that they should come hang out here with him, only to be shot down again and again? Although, the circumstances were out of her fear and necessity, so it wasn't like that.

"I don't sn-" another clap of thunder cut her off, and she shrieked, jumping visibly before she sat on the floor and held her head between her forearms.

Without a second thought, acting on instinct, Snotlout dropped to one knee to check on her.

"Hey, Minden, it's okay!" He assured her, his bitter and annoyed tone was gone, replaced by a calm, soothing voice as he laid a hand on her shoulder. "You can stay. Of course you can."

Minden looked up, still tense, and nodded as she managed a very small smile. Snotlout hesitated for a moment, glancing up at the second floor and thinking about how much he was going to miss that really good sleep he'd been hoping for...

"Come on," he told her, standing up and offering her a hand to help her stand. "Move over here."

He led her closer to the fire to chase away the chill from the rain and get her dried off faster. Once she had settled into a cross-legged sit nearer to the fire, he went up the steps to grab two of the pelts he'd piled on his bed and came back down to sit next to her, draping one of the pelts over her shoulders.

Another thunderclap resulted in her going tense again and she scooted closer without seeming to think about it, her shoulder and upper arm pressed against his and the warmth of her body seeped through the pelts to reach his skin, making Snotlout miss his sleeping plans just a bit less.

"You're really that scared, huh?" He asked, sympathetically.

Minden nodded, wiggling a bit as she relaxed slightly.

"Yes...I've always been. My sisters used to sit up with me during storms on our island. We would talk and do our hair and just try to wait it out."

Snotlout studied her for a moment, trying to focus on making her feel better, not the way she looked beautiful in the firelight. A thought came to him, a comment he'd made earlier in the day.

"Hey, I did volunteer to braid your hair this morning," he offered again, "Would that help keep you distracted?"

Minden blinked at him in surprise, but slowly nodded as a small smile tilted her lips.

Snotlout shuffled around, sitting on his heels behind her and gently pulling her hair loose from underneath the pelt wrapped around her shoulders. It was still a little wet from her run over in the rain, but that just meant she would have longer lasting waves if she took the braids out in the morning. The chestnut layers were still soft in his hands, despite the dampness, and he took a few moments to indulge himself and run his fingers through it, removing the tangles before setting to work on the braids.

"What kind do you want? Just one big one? Do the sides and pull them back like a crown? Lots of small ones?"

"Whatever you think would look the best." Minden said, her voice unusually soft. "You're the Viking, not me."

Snotlout just chuckled as he considered the options, finally deciding on a chunky fishtail braid as the main focus, with two smaller braids on each side above her ears, all pulled back over the loose underlayer. He set to work, focusing on the process and trying to ignore how nice her hair smelled and how she seemed to melt with each tug at the sections of hair he portioned out. He heard her sigh at one point, which made him think maybe she had made peace with the storm outside.

But another loud boom of thunder made Minden jerk, resulting in a hard pull of her hair, and she dug her fingernails into his forearm with a sharp hiss of pain.

"Ow! Don't pull so hard!" She whined, tilting her head back to look up at him with a frown.

"I didn't!" Snotlout snapped back, only this time he did actually pull it, resulting in her tipping back further and squeaking in surprise.

This mindless retaliation had put them in a precarious situation, Snotlout suddenly realized as he stared down at her, his hand still holding her head back with that pull of the fishtail braid. He studied her dark blue eyes for a moment before his gaze flicked down to her lips, and the wild thought of kissing her like this entered his mind.

Should he? Would she mind? Would she smack him and accuse him of being a creep? Sure, she had been the one to kiss him all those years ago, but that had been a quick, sudden nothing of a kiss that ended quicker than he could even comprehend! Maybe it hadn't meant anything at all...she had never mentioned it since.

He felt his tongue dart across his lips instinctually, preparing for what his mind was pondering without his distinct permission, and he saw her eyes widen. The spell broke then, his small reservoir of good judgment called upon as he let his grip on her hair loosen, and he shifted around a bit to get some space between them before he really embarrassed himself!

"Just sit still," he muttered as he got to work, finishing up the large braid to get started on the smaller ones. "This is delicate work. If you keep jumping around like that, I might have to start all over!"

Minden didn't say a word, but he did feel her shoulders slump as she went silent and did her best not to move. Snotlout assumed she was relieved by his choice to keep his thoughts to himself and not listen to his instincts for once.

How was he supposed to know that her silence and stillness were merely results of her surprise...and disappointment?

The braids were finished fairly quickly, and Snotlout sat back to admire his handiwork, nodding in approval as she turned her head from side to side, shaking the braids that draped down over her underlayers.

"Thanks, Snotlout..." Minden commented lightly before she turned her head to smile at him over her shoulder. "I feel a bit better. Thanks for the distraction."

"Anytime." He dismissed her praise with a little smirk and a wave. "Now...uh, what?"

Minden just smiled, and he could have sworn her eyes were shining with affection, or maybe even something more...

"Your turn."

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PART ONE || PART TWO || PART THREE