#they eep in the weirdest ways

[piowasthere]

day 11 - Naptime

they get like 5 min of break, there ain't no time to set up a bEd

i am so bad with this catching up thing one day i'll even out and i'll be happy. tho sucha day is not guaranteed.

[aevyk-ing]

I’ve finished Maya and the Three and whoa, that was great! Now that I’ve let it sit, I can talk about what I liked and what I’d have done differently. Overall, it’s a good series with a really interesting story, great storybuilding and... I guess the characters where okay. Let’s go (SPOILERS):

First of all, I have to say I didn’t like The Book of Life. It reminded me of The Corpse Bride, I found the characters boring and the design differences between female and male characters are too jarring. As I’ve said before, Maya has a good story, way better than The Book. There’s some pacing issues here and there but don’t distract much. And the world is incredible. Each one of the lands is beautiful and they have a lot of detail and work put on them. My main issue...

Character design. This gif summarizes it: male characters are mostly big, hulky, with grotesque features if they’re gods. And the female characters are tiny, thin, with big eyes and thick lips. 

Maya felt the weirdest for me because... sorry for this, but she looks like a Bratz doll. Also, she’s supposed to be the daughter of this big, muscled man with small eyes and broad nose. But nope, she still looks a lot like a woman that is not her real mother AND has exactly the same body shape as her when she was younger. That doesn’t make any sense. What are you afraid of? Give us female characters with broad shoulders, small eyes and big noses! BTW, I also didn’t like her character much. I get she’s a teenager, but something was off with her.

Zatz doesn’t look like his father either, but his design is so cool I can forgive that. He’s also a great character. I really wanted to see how they told his love story with Maya and they really needed one episode more for just the two of them spending time together, because they had like two interactions, then kissed, then are lovey-dovey during the battle (which reminded me a lot of Eep and Guy). 

Rico was good. Always love a good wizard story, even more if they’re struggling with their powers, and the Peasant Magic was such an interesting idea. I get he had to be the comedic relief but sometimes he, and other male characters, seemed dumbed down to make the female look smarter. Anyway, there’s also a lot of kids and babies designs that looked straight out of TOA but at least they spent more time making them different enough.

Chimi was... okay. She had a lot of potential, but they only let her make animal noises and made both Rico and Pichu fell in love with her. Speaking of...

...yet another underused character. He’s one of the lots and lots of characters who are big, strong and dumb. Like everyone else, he has a good backstory, but he gets killed too soon and doesn’t apport much to the rest of the story. And I get he was a Barbarian, but why did he have to talk like that? 

I liked the rulers of the other kingdoms and the gods had interesting designs, still with that big problem of the gods being animal-like and almost monsters and the goddesses looking like normal humans.

The final battle was great. I already knew Zatz was going to die, but Maya’s sacrifice was a surprise. Lots of great scenes here. I love the idea of Maya and Zatz getting another chance in life and love in The Book. Didn’t like the Queen having twins out of nowhere and then Chimi and Rico having four kids in a couple of years after the events (aren’t they supposed to be teenagers?). The Sun and Moon thing is neat, maybe I’m used to that kind of legends. If only they had spent more time on Maya and Zatz’s relationship, it would have been even better. 

Anyway, a good series, should have watched them sooner.

[ptergwen]

18. Lifting-off-the-ground hug with peter please? 🥺🥺

eep 🥺

today will go down in history as one of the worst you’ve ever had. maybe you’re being dramatic, but it’s definitely up there.

you started off your day with three tests and a quiz, one of which you weren’t ready for at all because you forgot it existed. then, a volleyball smacked you right in the head during gym. extremely embarrassing, yeah. it was even worse because mj wasn’t in class to tease you about it. she went to the nurse for cramps.

your already shitty day got even shittier when you had to sit by yourself at lunch. mj went home early, ned hung out in the computer lab, betty was doing something for one of her planning committees, and peter was on a mission. you missed and worried about him so much, constantly and on top of everything else. it has to be pretty serious for tony to pull him out of school... again.

flash invited himself to eat at the opposite end of your table. it wasn’t very comforting. it actually made you feel way worse, shrinking into your hoodie and awkwardly chewing on carrots while flash rambled about whatever the hell he rambles about.

today fucking sucked, and you felt the biggest rush of relief once you got home. you’d practically melted into the couch as you searched for a show to watch. you didn’t get too far before your mind drifted off to peter. he usually has a lunch break around now, so you shoot him a few texts. they don’t get answers.

you’re all alone and feeling stupid after the day’s events, and having peter tell you it’s gonna be okay would fix all of it. only, he’s not here. he’s far away. he’s busy.

tears flood your eyes, a few escaping despite your efforts to fight them off. there’s a couple of knocks at your door just as they’re starting to really fall. you pause the tv, quickly wiping under your eyes with your sleeves and heading to the door. the big reveal when you open it is peter. he smiles softly at you, arms open and looking like the most comfortable place on earth.

“i heard someone could use a hug,” peter explains his presence. no questions asked, you literally throw yourself at him and just hope he’ll catch you. he does, he always does. you wrap your legs around his waist, arms around his neck, chin on his shoulder as you burst into tears again. peter hold you up by your waist and presses a long kiss to the side of your head. his strong arms make you feel so safe.

“everything okay, baby? i missed you,” he murmurs and hugs you tighter against him. “i missed you more, pete,” you whimper out, now burying your whole face in his shoulder. peter frowns at you, his lips on your hair to disguise it. “is everything okay?” he asks you again. this time sounds more urgent. “now it is, yeah. just had a really bad day. school stuff.” your voice is muffled, tears beginning to slow down.

peter nods and carefully sets you down. he shuts the door for you, then winds his arms back around your waist. “you wanna talk about it? or, we can skip all that. i know it sucks.” exhaling, you pull back from him to see his face and put your hands on his shoulders. “yeah, let’s skip it. i wanna hear about the mission, anyway. how’d it go?” peter perks up at the mention, a small smile crossing his features.

“it was good. not a lot going on, which is good. mr. stark let me go early.” that must be why he wasn’t replying before. he was on his way home. you return the smile and rub circles on him with your fingers. “yeah? ‘m happy you didn’t get hurt or anything. happy you’re back.” he drops his hands to your hips and gives you a squeeze. “me too.” the two of you are quiet in each other’s embrace, just enjoying being together.

then, a realization pops into your head.

“how’d you know i needed a hug? did you have a tingle?” you joke, peter chuckling even though he hates that joke more than anything. “actually no. it was the weirdest thing. flash dmed me and said you seemed upset about something.” nodding along, you start to understand. “oh yeah. he sat with me at lunch and i was being angsty.” there’s a beat of silence. “flash dmed you?” “you sat with flash?” peter deadpans.

today wasn’t just bad, it was insane.

[thewritewolf]

Four Times (And the Lucky One) Chapter 1: Understandable

Hello and welcome to this short, five chapter story about Adrien, where the universe tries its best to test the extent of his patience! I'll be updating this story once a week, so sit back and enjoy this little adventure.

Although it doesn’t bear a lot of symblance to the original source, this story was inspired by this comic by @sweetsweetsweetie! The concept of Adrien sneakily trying to get Marinette on a date really got my imagination running. I thought to myself: Why is he being so stealthy about this? What could have happened to make this his go-to idea? A long talk with my beta later, and the outline for this story was born!

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5

Enjoy!

Read on Ao3

Adrien’s heart pounded in his chest as he vaulted over buildings in his haste to check on Marinette. Normally, he’d just accept that the Ladybug cure would have fixed anything that was wrong, but these last few months of frequent visits to her balcony as Chat Noir…

...Well, they’d helped him see her in a different light. A light where he got worried about her safety even when there was no logical reason to be besides her home being kind of close to an akuma battle. He was conflicted over it since his feelings for Ladybug certainly hadn’t gone away in the meantime, leaving him torn between two amazing women.

But that was a problem for later. For now, he just wanted to make sure that Marinette was alright.

He landed on a building across the street from Marinette’s home and took a moment to catch his breath in the shade of a rooftop umbrella. He snuck glances through her bedroom windows, trying to see if she was there. The akuma battle had been a tough one, and had even required that he recharge in the middle of the fight. Come to think of it, while he hadn’t used his cataclysm towards the end, Ladybug had definitely used her lucky charm. She should be transforming back any minute now. Hopefully she was alright.

A shadow passed over his hiding spot. As if summoned by his concern, Ladybug herself landed on Marinette’s balcony. Adrien frowned - were Ladybug and Marinette friends? Did Ladybug think Marinette was in danger? As he watched, there was a brief flash of red and Marinette was pacing her room, followed by a floating red and black creature.

His eyes flew open and he let out an involuntary ‘eep!’ before making a beeline for his home. All his energy was focused solely on getting him there. It was only once he rolled into his room through his window that he allowed himself to begin to process what he had just seen. Almost immediately, he became a panicked wreck. So much so, that it took him a few minutes to even realize that he’d been pacing his room as Chat Noir ever since he got back.

“Claws in.”

Plagg yawned and stretched before plastering a wicked grin on his face. “Well, well, well. Looks like loverboy has finally figured out who his dear sweet love is.” He watched Adrien pace before adding, “Sit down, kid! You’re going to drive me crazy.”

Adrien did as he was told and absently fidgeted with his ring. “This isn’t good, Plagg…”

“What?” The kwami scoffed. “I thought you’d be thrilled about this! You finally know who ladybug is - it’s like a dream come true for you!”

“She’ll be so mad when she finds out!”

“Oh like Ladybug hasn’t been mad at Chat Noir before.”

“Marinette doesn’t get mad at Adrien though!”

“...I guess?”

“Besides,” he said with growing dread. “I had a chance with Ladybug, you know? I figured maybe I could get her to fall for me eventually. We spend a lot of time together, we have great chemistry, we’re both heroes…”

“Yes,” Plagg drawled, “I am aware of this.”

“But Marinette…” Adrien stared off into the distance, ignoring Plagg. “I barely had a chance with Ladybug. But Marinette is totally out of my league.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me-”

“Plagg. Ladybug is one thing, but brave, selfless, kind, beautiful, student council president, helps everyone she meets, Ladybug-without-the-spots MARINETTE? How can I hope to be cool enough for her?” Adrien leaned back in his chair and whined, “Chat Noir isn’t cool enough for her!”

His eyes widened and he sprung out of his chair. "Wait... oh no, Plagg! Ladybug said she likes another boy, remember? What am I gonna do?!”

There was a long silence and eventually Adrien risked looking over at Plagg, who was staring at him in stunned disbelief.

"It's you.”

Adrien frowned. “No, she’s made it clear she doesn’t have feelings for Chat Noir-”

Plagg waved a paw irritably. “No, no. You. Adrien Agreste. She is crushing on you. Big time, kiddo.”

“No,” he said, crossing his arms, “She made it very clear that she isn’t. She’s even said as much.”

"Kid, she has photos of your face taped to her WALLS.”

"She likes my father’s label!"

"And I can’t believe you bought that the first time, let alone all the other times!" Plagg rolled his eyes. “Listen - trust me on this, pigtails has a big ol’ crush on you and the only one who doesn’t know it is you.”

Adrien was about to protest, but everything began to click into place. The stuttering that had gotten better during their friendship. The photos of him scattered throughout her room. The time she confessed that she loved him when she thought he was a statue. He’d brushed it all aside because she always assured him that she didn’t have feelings for him, but if he disregarded that… the evidence was clear.

Stunned, he collapsed into his desk chair, slack jawed. “She… loves me.” He lurched to a sitting up position. “I need to tell her that I’m Chat Noir.”

“I mean, yeah, probably.”

“But I can’t just tell her.”

Plagg gave a tired sigh. “Why not, kid?”

“Because she might get mad at me for finding out, but she can’t be mad if she finds out on her own too!”

“That… doesn’t make sense.”

“It makes plenty of sense! I just need to get her alone so only she gets the hints. I can’t give Alya clues too.”

“What about taking her on a date?” Plagg suggested half-heartedly. “Plenty of time alone there.”

“That’s perfect! This will be easier than I thought.”

“Maybe.”

“What do you mean ‘maybe’?”

“Well… you have been awfully insistent that you two are just friends. It might be tough to get her to think otherwise now.”

Adrien ran a hand through his hair and bit down on the rising panic. He could do this. He was Chat Noir, superhero and famous romantic. How hard could asking out one girl be?

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

The next day, Adrien waited outside the school for Marinette. He wanted to be sure there were as few eavesdroppers around as possible. While there was the matter of secrecy, it was more the romance of it that Adrien was after. If he allowed himself to hope, then this first date would be the start of a long and loving relationship. It had to be absolutely perfect and that meant getting the perfect opportunity to ask her out. Even if he had practical matters to worry about when they were actually on that date, like delicately and subtly destroying their secret identities.

While he was lost in his thoughts, he very nearly missed Marinette leaving the school. Nino and Alya had already left together, which meant that Adrien had a golden moment where neither of their friends would be hovering over them. He could speak from his heart without being afraid of looking foolish.

“Hey, Marinette!” He called out to her as he rushed over to her. “I need to ask you-”

She turned around and his tongue stopped functioning. He became lost in her piercing blue eyes and he belatedly wondered how he had ever managed to talk to her before. Was she always this pretty? Had he just been too blinded by Ladybug to notice? Either way, his train of thought crashed and burned.

Her eyes became concerned. “H-hey, Adrien! Cool meeting you here.” She winced. “Not that I, uh, didn’t expect to see you here. At school, I mean. It’s just, uh, you- you usually leave. Pretty quick. Once school is done. So… y-yeah. Wh-what did you want?”

How could one person be so endearingly precious?

“I, uh… um, that is, you-”

Her face became clouded with concern “...Are you okay, Adrien?”

“Y-yes.” He took a deep breath. “I just wanted to ask-”

A roar interrupted him and he scanned the horizon. Screams were heard soon after and he narrowed his eyes. No doubt there was an akuma out there, but he had something important to do first. He turned back towards Marinette…

...Or, more appropriately, where Marinette had just been. No doubt, his dutiful lady was already on her way to the akuma. Better not keep her waiting. He ducked behind a bush. As his transformation washed over him, he kicked himself. It was so close, too!

Hopefully next time would be easier.

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

There was something definitely wrong with her kitty.

The fight was taking longer than it should, mostly because Chat Noir seemed distracted. That wasn’t anything too noteworthy. They were human beings, after all, with civilian lives and all that came with it. Sometimes they would have an off day, and that was nothing to get too worked up about. Both of them had plenty of those kinds of days

But the sudden lack of flirting from her partner? That was worrying. Even in life-or-death situations Chat Noir took the time to lay it on thick as he tried to woo her. There had been a few compliments from him, so she knew he hadn’t been replaced in some weird akuma scheme, but something definitely felt off-kilter.

The weirdest thing of all was the shyness, though. It wasn’t much - just a little tremor in his words, the way a blush would creep out from under his mask if their eyes made contact in the heat of the fight. It wasn’t something she was used to from her bold kitty. He was almost acting like she did out of the mask.

When the fight ended and the Ladybug cure had been released, she eschewed the usual fist bump in favor of pressing her hand to his forehead. He jumped at the unexpected contact.

“M-my lady?”

“No fever,” she mumbled. “So you probably aren’t sick.” She put her hands on her hips and watched him carefully, noticing the way his fingers twitched at his side and he could only steal glances at her. “What’s up, kitty? You usually aren’t this… skittish.”

He gave his most charming smile and she could see the nervousness dropping away from him like a cloak. “Sorry. I guess I’ve just had… things on my mind. Civilian things. You don’t need to worry about me, m’lady.”

The way he put emphasis on civilian made her curious, but she knew she couldn’t prod any further. If he wanted to talk about it, maybe she’d find out when he visited Marinette soon. For one reason or another, he was more open about his feelings then - at least, the feelings that weren’t his affection for Ladybug, which he always wore on his sleeve.

“If you’re sure…” She offered her fist, which he gladly bumped. “I’ll see you later, chaton. Take care of yourself.” Her yoyo flew out and soon she was flying above the city once again. She risked a glance behind her, expecting to see Chat Noir’s back as he made his way home, or wherever it was that he went.

To her surprise, he stood in the same spot and watched her leave.

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

Adrien landed in his room and called off his transformation.

“Well. That could’ve gone better,” Plagg commented drily.

“I’ll say. But I’m not worried. It just means I’ll have to try again - and next time, it will work.”

“Planning on being less of a stuttering mess next time around?”

Adrien shot Plagg a dirty look, but instead of being chastised the kwami simply cackled. “Yes, I will be. It’s just… been a lot to take in. I’ll be better next time. You can count on it.”

“What makes you think it will work any better?”

“I’ll have it planned out! With how my schedule is, I won’t have another opportunity for a while, so that means I have plenty of time to figure out my next move and set up the ideal scene. There’s no way anything can get in the way this time!”

While Adrien struck a pose and stared off into the horizon, full of hope and energy, Plagg rolled his eyes behind him. That boy’s romantic notions were gonna bite him in the butt really quickly.

[glass-expanse]

21 Questions tag game

Answer 21 questions, tag 21 people (eep).

Tagged by @coffeeman777

Name: Redacted. On the internet I go by Geata, or Rayne Holmes.

Nicknames: I really only have shortened versions of my real name. Pretty boring.

Gender: Female.

Star Sign: Uh, Cancer? I think? I dunno I was always more obsessed with MBTI when I was younger. I'm an INFP. ;)

Current time: 6:55 AM EST

Song stuck in head: My alarm. I woke up ten minutes ago. It's a bunch of arpeggio'ed chords.

Last movie I watched: I don't re-- oh. I rewatched the Princess Bride a couple of weeks ago.

Last thing I Googled:

Probably one of these. I don't know how to check which one was actually the last one. Clearly a lovely mix of food, random questions related to Tumblr posts, and current news.

Other blogs: I actually do have one that I used for like one post ever. It was supposed to be devoted to a WIP from last year but all it has is a low-res piece of art. @the-spinning-top

Do I get asks: A grand total of one. Totally down for more though! Seriously go for it.

Reason behind my URL: I like looking out the window and daydreaming.

Following: 65

Average sleep: Okay so... I love sleep and think it's important. I strive to get 9 hours every single night and most nights I do. Last night though... I couldn't get to sleep for two hours. It was ridiculous. So I got like 7 hours of sleep last night instead.

Lucky number: In my experience, there's no such thing as luck. I will say though that I like the number 24 because of all the ways you can add up to it.

Currently wearing: A light blue plaid button up shirt and a pair of bootcut jeans. I wear stuff like this quite literally 24/7. I actually do not own any pajamas at all.

Dream job: I don't really know. See, there's all sorts of things that go into a dream job... Profitability, demand, skill. My plan is to go into a trade like plumbing or HVAC or possibly welding but that takes a lot of time to get to. If I didn't have to worry about money and getting a college degree to qualify, it'd be awesome to teach history at a college. I don't think I'm quite good enough of a teacher to teach literature though, unfortunately. Being a comic book creator would be really awesome too and I've entertained notions similar to that for like 4 years. Comics are cool. So is filmmaking. I'm a creative person, and I plan on a job that will keep me financially and mentally stable. All that said, my current job as a trail guide is one that I love to death. I'm also really excited about (hopefully) being on summer camp staff (waiting on an email back from the program director now... Ee!)

Dream trip: I'm not a person who likes to travel. I don't harbor dreams to go west for vacation or anything like that. I just wanna live outta the back of my truck in a nice wooded lot with a stream moving through it and keep some animals and have a garden, all worked into the permaculture of the forest. So I'd rather live somewhere awesome than visit somewhere people say they enjoy.

Favorite food: Okay so food, like sleep, is something I love. I can't really pick a favorite food. I really like sea food and pasta and ice cream? The weirdest food I ever ate was crocodile meat fried in cornmeal. Very tasty.

Favorite song: Probably The Mandelorian theme song! I love that one. I don't like lyrical songs and most songs I don't remember the names of or whatever, but I've listened to the Mandelorian enough that it's distinctions make it easy to remember and also really enjoyable!

Instruments: I have played piano for ten years and I fiddle around on the guitar every so often.

Tagging: (Let's see if I can find 21 people heh heh) @prettypianoprincess @woogwoo-wren @howgreatthou4rt @everythingbeautifulsfiction @loubuttons @artimies6 @timetopanik @starrtoon @ketsycola @stealingmyplaceinthesun @friendly-spoodermin @hopelessmusing @hobbitsetal @mothnem @orion98 @ anyone else who sees this and is interested? I obviously don't know enough people to tag but whatever. No sweat to participate if you're not interested. ;)

[on-the-brighter-side-au]

What's the weirdest situation you've been in? Well.....I have had someone fall out of nowhere and land on me

Authors note: this is from the title meme I couldn't help myself and had to make it Thank you for the title idea @ace-spiritwell! Your the best!

✖✖✖✖✖✖✖✖✖✖✖✖✖✖✖✖✖✖✖✖✖✖✖✖✖✖✖✖✖✖✖✖✖✖✖✖✖✖✖✖✖✖✖✖✖✖✖✖

Thomas and his friend decided that they wanted to make a video together and what better game to play then Twister truth or dare

"okay Thomas right foot red!" "Okay! I got- EEP! I don't got this!" Thomas sqeaked as he fell but luckily Quill caught him before he hit the floor face first

Whenever they played this game everytime it was Thomas's turn they had to go easy on him or he could hurt himself because of his own clumsiness but that's a story for another time

"hey Thomas! what does your paper say?" Joan asked eagerly

You see one of the papers had like last time another note that had a consequence if you got it though this time it was let everyone else choose what style of clothes they want you to wear

Now not all of Thomas's friends wanted him to get that paper but all of Thomas's friends totally did want him to get that paper

"oh! It's a Truth!"

Thomas's friends were a little disappointed but that quickly went away as Thomas read the paper

"What's the weirdest situation you've been in?" Thomas stopped and thought for a moment "Well.....I have had someone fall out of nowhere and land on me"

And before anyone could ask anything Thomas had already started talking

"Storytime!" Thomas giggled for a moment before going back to talking

"okay I can't remember exactly when but one day I was doing my own thing I had just woken up and I started making my coffee but it was taking fooooreverrrrrr!" Thomas exaggerating the last part in a deep made everyone laugh "so I decided to go to the living and see what show I could watch for when my coffee was done and I was half way through the living room when suddenly ka-boom!" Thomas raised his arms in the air letting his sweater sleeves fall over his hands "my friend Rose fell from the ceiling and landed right on top of me! It hurt but I know he didn't do it on purpose whew that was long okay! Terrence's turn!"

Before Terrence could go Joan interrupted

"Thomas who's Rose?"

Thomas's face brighted even more and he started bouncing a little

"Rose is my friend from another universe! It's always nice to be able to hang out with him! He's a great friend!"

Everyone smiled and laughed as Thomas was known for his expressive imagination but not Joan and Tylan they both looked at eachother with questioning looks they knew Thomas was serious due to the fact that whenever Thomas talked about any of his friends his eye pupils expanded

But before they could pull Thomas aside and ask him to give a proper explanation Terrence had already made his move and read his paper which said 'make someone laugh in 30 seconds' and immediately had Thomas laughing with only a few pokes and funny faces

They knew there would would be no chance to talk to Thomas until after their done recording

So for now all they could do was push the question aside for now and focus on the game which was easy when Thomas is around

[mottlemoth]

Writers Ask Game #13 and/or #50?

13. How do you deal with Writer’s Block?

I don’t tend to use the phrase Writer’s Block - just because it can make writing difficulties seem a bit mysterious and inescapable and causeless. If I’m having problems, there’s a bunch of Usual Explanations that I check for. I do it by asking myself, gently and quietly, what’s the matter? - and then listening to what comes back.

“I’m sick, hormonal or stressed by work.” (i.e., external causes) - I try to relax. Easier said than done. I’m likely to watch Sherlock on repeat under a blanket then be asleep at 8pm, so it will be tomorrow faster and I can draw a line beneath a bad day.

“I’m scared.” - I get this very often. I re-read my favourite bits of feedback, or I post something new, while reminding myself I’m safe and sound in fanfiction now. Loving feedback and support is never far away. If I’m very scared, I’ll reach for beta readers. <3

“I’m sad because I got negative feedback.” / “Because I think I got negative feedback.” - This can lie dormant for days before I figure it out, and it’s a nightmare. To soothe it, I turn to close friends on Tumblr, knowing that their reassurance will put my ghosts to rest in a way that my own self-care just can’t. Telling someone there’s a wound is a big step towards healing it. I’ve never been able to nurse myself alone through negative feedback - never. An application of friend is always necessary. <3

“I think I’ve seen Something Wrong.” - This has taken some time for me to be able to hear, but there’s a quiet off-note that sometimes sounds in my mind when I’m writing, stalling progress. It means there is Something Wrong with a recent scene. It usually indicates the presence of an intense character reaction that wrote itself out of nowhere, and it’s causing too much divergence from my general plan. My characters constantly keep me on my toes, weaving and shifting and surprising me - but a big and angsty unplanned divergence is a problem, and my subconscious usually flags it up to me through the signal of stalled progress. Mycroft started having a religious breakdown halfway through Excultus (yep, really!) and it was too much for the narrative to hold. I got a ‘something wrong’ ping for days before I let myself take a step back and look for a break in the weave. (I can tell I’ve pinpointed the problem when, as I contemplate fixing it, the emotional response I get is relief rather than distress.) Usually the Something Wrong is unplanned angst or anger of some kind. To solve this block I’ll stop and edit, get things back onto the rails, and I always feel much better for it.

“But you promised…” - This happens often, too. I ask a lot of myself. I’ll often work through tough scenes or intensive writing sessions by imagining some small reward. A day writing in a cafe, a new notebook, a new box of tea. If I do the work and then don’t get myself the reward, something in me is very quick to get upset. A broken promise of self-care is a fast track to no more writing. The remedy is a very decadent application of self-love. Ultimately, we’re all just tall children. Something in me is happy when I hand over money in a shop, and the nice lady gives me a bag full of bubblebath or crisps or colourful socks in return. Whatever my small inner writer wanted. A little voice says, “Mmhm, mine…” and crumples the bag happily. And writing usually begins again very soon after. (I overlook “But you promised…” at my peril.)

This is a long answer. (Eep.) 

But Writer’s Block is a bit of an umbrella term for me. Breaking it down into actual feelings has always helped. Otherwise, it becomes a mysterious fate that befalls us randomly, can’t be helped, can’t be fought, and must be merely endured by lamenting on a couch for days. 

And I usually want to get back to writing too much. 

50. Weirdest story idea you’ve ever had?

I don’t know if it’s weird, but every time I watch Les Miserables, I just know there is a workable Mystrade AU in it somewhere. 

It would be so bloody depressing, though! I don’t know if I’d have the strength. 

Maybe some day, if I want to depress myself. xD

Thank you for asking, lovely Owlie! I hope that was interesting!

Writing Question Game. See the list here. <3

[marauders70s]

For the character ask: Hermione Granger?

@lyracassiopeiamalfoy thank you for your lovely ask!!

NOTP I HATEEEEEEEEEEE Hermione/Pansy. Like Pansy is the girl who actively bullied Hermione all her years in school?? And mocked her mercilessly, “shrieked with laughter” at Hermione’s buck teeth, called her slurs behind her back?? I can’t stand it. 

BROTP I love Harry and Hermione as siblings. I was never a Harmione shipper because (a) it would have been too cliche, and (b) they have too much in common (muggle born/raised) to be so easily paired off. They also wouldn’t do well in a couple because Harry is too absent minded and oblivious and Hermione is so bright and intellectual and curious. (kinda like how ron and hermione aren’t suited well...)

OTP My tiny ship that I captain is and always will be Fredmione. I have literally written a post about it previously about why I love it so very, very much.

Second choice pairing I actually am in the minority of leftover shippers who really love Dramione. Draco always bullied Hermione in much the same way as Pansy, the difference being that he actually liked her (still a terrible excuse) but Pansy actually hated her (jealousy, spite). I think their relationship would start tentatively after Malfoy Manor. After being the only 8th years with Neville, and McGonagall giving them a faculty suite of rooms just for the special 8th years that drew too much attention and annoying gawking from the younger students. The interhouse unity and solidarity between the 8th years made them all begrudgingly respect one another. And with being in all the same classes suddenly outside of electives, Hermione began to realize that Draco wasn’t just made a prefect because he was bragging and good at quidditch, but because he really was astonishingly smart. 

Fluffy pairing I love fluffy Romione fan art and fics. I won’t deny Ron and Hermione have known each other all their lives and are adorable. I just personally (relating a lot to Hermione) don’t feel like her personality would do well with someone like Ron. But I love the headcanons of Hermione figuring out Ron is dyslexic and Ron learning to make tea just right and when it doesn’t touch any of their underlying issues, Romione is a sweet fluff ship.

Angsty pairing Oh boy I don’t love Dramione without some good old fashioned angst. I want the mudblood scar and the dark mark marred by self harm scars twined arm in arm. I want her horrified glance at Draco’s hidden sectum sempra scars, and his lingering fear over the heart slash Dolohov had given her (certainly fatal had it not been silent). I want her fighting with Harry and Ron, and Draco fighting with his family. I want them back to back against the world, and still unsure of each other, trying to be strong in the broken places and fearing they are weak.

Favorite poly ship eek poly ships are hard to swing (pun intended) because I feel like there’s always the third wheel. I HATE twincest so even though I love Fredmione, I would never put George or Ron in the mix. I do lean heavily into an all girl trio like if the girls of gold/silver trios wanted a super intimate girls night just for play/fun and not long lasting, that fic could be pretty hot (like teaching each other tricks) eep i’m showing my pink/purple/blue pride 0u0

Weirdest ship Hermione and Lavender? Like??? No? 

Send me a character ask!

[astraldragons]

Part 3: Cruel to Be Kind

Part 1  Part 2 

Warnings: Vore mention and Niles being his usual teasing self.

A rather undignified shriek escapes your lips as you crash through the underbrush, narrowly avoiding the plodding footsteps of the enormous creature chasing you. Although the monster is huge and clumsy, and not particularly fast for something its height, the sheer size difference between the two of you alone is making the creature very difficult to outrun.

Not too long ago, you had been separated from the Heroes in the confusion of an attack- because of course the stupid Emblians would stage an unfair ambush at night in the woods- and now you were very much alone with a bloodthirsty monster trying to get its grubby, meaty fingers on you. Okay, well, I lived in this world longer than expected. I was pretty sure I was gonna die within the first few days, but I made it to week two, at least… You yelp in alarm as the creature makes a klutzy attempt at snatching you up, just barely managing to jump to the side in time. As you rush from the cover of the trees into a more barren clearing, you quickly chance a glance down at the ancient artifact tightly clutched in your hand. I’ve never tried this while running before, but I don’t really have any other options here…! Adjusting the Breidablik in your hands as you continue to run for your life, you swallow anxiously. Please let this work- please summon someone who can take this thing out-! You quickly point the artifact up to face the sky, nearly tripping over a knotted vine on the ground in the process. To your immense relief, Breidablik begins to glow before quickly shooting off a ball of glorious light into the air- silver, this time. Unfortunately, you don’t have time to sit and watch the process. You continue to run, praying that your action has potentially just saved your life. If not, well… It’d be the last summon you would ever make. Also unfortunately, the monster is gaining on you. A shriek escapes your lips as it makes another wild grab at your small form, but you barely manage to dodge, eliciting a howl of frustration from the nasty creature. If this thing tries again… I don’t think I’ll be able to dodge it again. With the creature this close, it’s like running near the epicenter of an earthquake: hard as hell and extremely terrifying. It’s slowing you down, enough so that you’re now in extreme danger of being within the beast’s range. It makes another attempt to grab at you. Your pounding heart suddenly lurches to a sickening halt. No. No. NO- A hideous roar booms through the air like a thunderclap, and a small gust of wind brushes against your back, indicating that the creature had just barely missed. A sudden, massive tremor rattles the ground, finally knocking you off your feet and sending you tumbling forward. You immediately try to scramble to your feet in a panic, looking fearfully towards the monster. But it’s no longer chasing you. Instead, it rests face-down on the ground, multiple arrow shafts sticking up from its mountainous back. You give it an incredulous look, panting heavily as you try to regain your breath. As an afterthought, you scoot backwards. The thing could still be alive, for all you knew. And then a flicker of motion in the distance, beyond the creature, catches your attention. A man comes into view, carrying a bow in one hand and resting the other hand on his hip. He appears to be looking the monster over, his nose slightly wrinkled with disdain at the sight of the dead creature. You simply gape up at the giant of an archer looming in the distance. You’re completely out of breath- and somewhat unsure of how this new Hero will react to you- so you don’t immediately speak up. Instead, you decide to look him over. His tan boots are a bit pointed at the ends, and said boots appear to go up to the man’s knees before flaring out. A long cloak gently sways and swishes around his legs as he idly surveys the creature and tugs his arrows free from its back. Although it’s a bit hard to see from this angle, you can vaguely make out a scarlet sheath strapped around his waist on his back- for the arrows, you assume. Overall, his body is… rather finely muscled, you note with a trace of embarrassment. His sleeves are skintight, proudly showing off the lean musculature of his biceps and forearms. His pale blue shirt is form-fitting as well, displaying the man’s natural, graceful curves. His face is turned away from you, but you can mostly make out the man’s chiseled jaw line. His shock of white hair covers his forehead, and partially covers his eyes- well, eye. His right eye appears to be covered up with an eyepatch. In conclusion, you muse, this is a very attractive man and he certainly knows it, from the way he confidently swings his hips as he walks, the way his lips tilt up in a hint of an arrogant smirk- “Heh. Enjoying the view, short stuff?” You squeak in surprise as the man starts sauntering over towards you, the smirk on his face growing. In no time, his boots are resting on either side of you, looming far, far above like a skyscraper. His arms are casually crossed, a rather smug look on his face. You have to lean back uncomfortably to look up at him, feeling a frown tugging at your own lips. A bit arrogant, isn’t he…? “...Ah- um. Th. Thank you? For saving me?” You stammer out uncertainly. He kneels down (finally) before letting out a sultry purr. “Oh, no need to thank me.~ You're just lucky I showed up before that nasty Faceless could catch you…” And then he taps a finger to his chin. “Ah, but now you’re stuck with me… what a shame.” You take a few hesitant steps back as you peer up at his face, suddenly getting an uneasy feeling in your gut. He’s planning something, and from the look he’s giving me, I doubt it’s anything good… Before you can back away any further, however, he grins and leans forward, placing his hand behind you and blocking your path. “Going somewhere?” You hesitate, stammering in confusion and alarm. “I- Um- Yes? Yes. I need to get back to the Order of Heroes-” “Mmhmhm… Order of Heroes, huh? Must be a long walk from here, unless this ‘order’ of yours enjoys setting up camp in creepy forests.” You pause again before nodding uncertainly. “It’s… Yeah. I got lost after an ambush, and after that monster came after me. That, uh… Faceless, you called it?” The man nods, humming a bit. “Yeah, a Faceless. Those nasty things are from my world. Buuut anyways, it’s probably not a smart move to go through the forest all by your lonesome, hmm? What say I be your… escort?” Before you can respond, his hand shifts and easily scoops you up as the man gets to his feet. You suddenly find yourself to be rather disoriented, sprawled out in the palm of this stranger’s hand and looking at his face upside-down. “Sayyy, I never caught your name, now did I?” He hums, glancing around at the surrounding forest. You blink, bewildered at being so suddenly picked up and then spoken to like nothing had just happened, before grunting and shifting to sit upright. “I’m Sam. I’m, ah- Kind of the resident summoner of the Order of Heroes.” “The name’s Niles. Former outlaw, current disgrace. Pleasure to meet’cha.~” You squint a little at that. ...Was that self-deprecating humor? Before you can think about it any further, Niles lifts you up a little closer to his face, his seemingly-ever-present smirk growing a tad bigger. “So you summoned me, huh?” You blink before hesitantly nodding. “Yeah, I, uh. I'm sorry about the sudden summon. I was kind of trying to avoid that Faceless, and I was desperate, and-” He holds up his free hand to silence you before shrugging. “Nah, it’s alright. Hardly the weirdest thing I've ever dealt with.” Then he taps a finger to his chin, a coy look on his face. “Although, aren't you a bit small for a summoner? I'm going to be honest here… you seem more the right size for a little snack than anything else…~” Your heart starts hammering in your chest, and a quivering stutter escapes your lips. “U-Um. What.” “Oh, yooouuu heard me. Heh, I wonder if you even taste like a snack, too~?” You quickly shake your head, your cheeks tinting a deep shade of red. “No. No, I don't. Please don’t-” Your frantic rambling is cut off as Niles suddenly leans forward, quickly swiping his tongue up the length of your body. A flustered, extremely panicked noise escapes your lips as you cough and try to wipe the saliva off of your summoner robes, simultaneously watching Niles with a mortified look on your face. The giant archer pauses, a mischievous gleam in his eye, as he slowly licks his lips. “Mmm… not bad, not baaad! A little sweet, a little salty… hm.~ But I really can't judge based on one tiny little taste, now can I?” Oh no. Ohhhh no no no. “No-! No, don’t- EEP!” Your protests are cut off once more as the man leans forward once more, taking his sweet time in running his tongue up your body. You actually get lifted off of his palm, just a little, before he finally pulls away and lets you drop back into his hand. As he licks his lips once more, humming to himself rather provocatively, you sputter and try to clean yourself off. Your face is horribly warm- you can tell that it must be cherry-red at this point- and you try to do your best to hide it. Niles grins down at you, using the index finger of his free hand to gently poke at your side. “Awww, is someone embarrassed~?” He coos. “Sorry about that… I just can't help myself around such a tasty little thing.” An irate, flustered noise escapes your lips as you try to shove his prodding finger away. “Don't-! Don't…” You pause before stammering anxiously. “Please don't eat me, I-I… I have to… The others… I-” He blinks before chuckling amusedly. “Ohhh, don't worry, short stuff… I’m not gonna eat you, tasty as you are. You just need to lighten up a little, you fussy little thing.~” You stare at him in disbelief. “You’re… you're not?” Niles grins deviously. “Heh, nah. I’ll escort you back to your precious Order or wherever. You diiiid summon me, after all. I’m just keeping you on your toes; the world is quite a dangerous place, especially for such a teeny little thing like you.” As he begins to walk into the forest, you hesitantly sit back down, an anxious frown on your face. I can't really tell if he's on my side or not, but… at least he's not trying to eat me, I suppose… You pause before glaring at the Breidablik in your hand. Fortunately enough, you’d managed to keep a grip on it in all the chaos.

I swear, you do this on purpose.

[5evahbeyou]

The Big Four:And the missing gem (Book 1)

 Chapter 4: The damsel in distress vs. suitors

Hiccup’s POV:

I woke up to the sound of screaming and shouting,well of course obviously the boys are making a ruckus.I did my daily routine and went out of my room.My clothes were obviously the one that I always use.The boys were running from the end of the hall to the other.I looked at my neighbor, Phil.”Hey Hiccup.””Hey Phil,what is going on here?””Nothing really,someone just shouted then it became a chain reaction.” Phil explained, I nodded and we both left the room,I saw Punzie chatting with her dorm mate.Punzie saw me and quickly said goodbye to her new friend.

“Hey Hiccup, how was your sleep?””It was great,despite Toothless catching my hair on fire last night.It was great.”I said sarcastically,Punzie giggled.Phil decided to stay for while,he was waiting for Charlotte,his childhood friend.Me and Punize,decided to head on our first lesson.”What’s our first lesson again?” “According to our schedule,it’s weaponry.””Nice!”I replied,we walked to the weaponry room behind the dining hall.

I saw Merida and Astrid chatting,I decided to go and say Hi.”Hi Astrid,Hi Merida.””Oh hey Hic.””Ey.”Merida said, raising her hand as a greeting. “Oh yeah,Punzie this is Merida and Astrid.Astrid and Merida,this is Punzie.””Hi!It’s nice to meet you.I love your hair!”Punzie said, as she shook Merida’s hand.”E-Erm,nice te meet ya too.”Merida replied,her cheeks forming a blush.I went beside Astrid kissed her forehead.”Hi,how was your sleep?””I wouldn’t say I had sleep.Stormfly was snoring so loud.But Merida, invited me to sleep in her room.Merida looked at me and smiled,”Don’ mention it.”She said, she then continued to talk to Rapunzel, they were getting along so well.That Merida laughed so hard.

After a few more minutes,our professor entered the room.”Good morning class.I am professor Mulan and I will be handling your weaponry subject.”She was petite,average height and has a medium cut hair.”So for today,I will be teaching you how to make a sword.I would like you guys to go to your designated places and don’t forget to take notes.”She said and went on to begin the lesson.It took almost 3 hours, just to have the right sword.”And finally,you sharp it again, so that it could cut into anything.A sharp sword will cut the right thing.”She said, the sword was glinting as the sunlight comes to the room.We let out some Oh and Ah. 

“So, who who’d like to try it?” Merida and Astrid got out their hand.They looked at each other and laughed.”Okay, then how about-” “Astrid Ma’am.” Astrid said, Merida gave her a thumbs up.”Okay Astrid, I want you to cut this mannequin into half.Any direction would do.”Professor Mulan said,Astrid then took a deep breath and cut the mannequin into half starting from the right.Her eyes were sparkling so much, it just means she loves the sword.”Aww nice!” Merida shouted everyone clapped along Astrid sitting again.”So before I dismiss you, next week,we’ll be making your own sword.Also, please don’t be late.You may go now.” Professor Mulan said,we then left the room.Me and Merida were talking while Astrid and Punzie seemed to be in a deep conversation.

“How was your sleep,princess?” I asked teasingly,Merida rolled her eyes,”Well it was great.I went out and roam around the place.” She said, smirking at me.”You,what?” “I saw a place where a blooming tree was.It reminds me of my place, so I sat down for a moment.”You weren’t caught?”I asked, toning down my voice.”Well duh,I’m an expert in hiding ya know.And after that, Jack came out of the bushes-”“Wait,wait.You mean Jack?Why was he there?” “Well, at first I was shock.He wante’ te apologize from his mistakes.”She said,I nodded slowly,”Hey Hiccup,I’ll be going to talk to Ruffnut and Tuffnut. Meet you later in the dining hall.””Sure.”She then left running.

Me and merida conversed for a while until it’s finally time for recess.Me and Punzie went to our table while Merida went to hers.She quickly got people greeting her,even the higher year.”Well somebody is popular.”Punzie said, she let out a giggle as she took some of her favorite Cookies.

Merida’s POV:

I sat down from my houses table,greetings from left to right.The weirdest thing though,is I don’t even know who these people are.So I sat down, in front of Eep, who was now eating a lot of meat.”Hi Eep,how was your first subject?”I asked,she nodded gulping the food first before she replied,”It was good.Professor Gobber was teaching us about dragons.””Tha’s  cool te hear.”I said and got me some sandwiches. Astrid then came back. She smiled at me and went to sat beside me.”So our next class is Cryptozoology, professor Gobber is the one handling it.”I nodded, I did my happy dance because finally.I get to know a dragon in my life.”I really thought dragons weren’ real though.””I know right.”Eep said, as she nods in agreement.”I’m so envious of yer place Astrid.”I said as I finished my 5th sandwich.

“Well don’t be too envious, it isn’t always riding and fun.We still get a little trouble.”She said and laughed,We quickly took off to the next subject.It was in the big meadow near our dormitory.I saw only Hiccup walking towards us.”I guess we have the same subjects again.”He said and smiled at Astrid,Astrid let out a chuckle and gave Hiccup a kiss on the cheeks.I began to feel strange bubbling stuff,Did I ate something bad? I quickly shrugged it off and went beside Hiccup.”Hello children,welcome to Cryptozoology.I’m professor Gobber and I’ll be teaching you all sorts of mystical creatures.”He said, as his hook swayed from left to right.

“Gobber is from Berk too Mer, but he’s a scott just like you.”Hiccup said,”No wonder he looked like someone I knew.”I replied, I quickly gave a wave from Gobber,”Your majesty-”“Ehm, please don’ bow.”I said stopping him midway,He nodded and quickly explained what we’re going to do.”So as you all know,dragons are just mythical creatures we only hear or read from books.But today,I shall show you the dragons we have here in berk.”He then whistled, 6 dragons then went flying down from us.My mouth agape from them dragons.”They’re beautiful.” I muttered, Hiccup chuckled,I was just really looking at the dragons so hard that Gobber was already snapping his fingers in front of me.

“Erm princess,are you with us?” “Oh,U-Uhm sorry.I was fascinated.” I murmured,my cheeks were becoming red from the embarrassment.”So here are the dragons that we have for today,A Night Fury,Hideous Zippleback,Monstrous Nightmare,Gronckle, and a Deadly Nadder.So 5 of these are owned by Hiccup’s friends.”Gobber said, I looked at them all,forming different sizes and color.Astrid’s dragon was trying to get a pat from her.”Hey Hiccup,we’re late aren’t we?” Two twins said,I looked at them and smiled,”Well hello princess.”Tuffnut said,”Hello,how do you do.””I’m fine,now that I’ve seen you.”He said, Ruffnut punched him in the guts,I laughed to the both of them.”Sorry about my brother.He’s been influence by Snotlout.””It’ fine,at least ye save me from him.”I said laughing.

“Well today I need a volunteer to try and hold one of them.” Everyone then looked away,they didn’t want to be called,wee lamb, I thought.I quickly raised my hand and went in front.”Are you sure about this Merida?” Hiccup asked,”I’ll be fine.”“Well okay then,princess.You have to guess what to do with them.You go first with the Deadly Nadder.” He said, Stormfly then went to me,sniffing me.I took a deep breath and reached for her head.It was looking at my hand, her head going side to side.”Hi Stormfly,I’m yer owners friend.Ye look lovely ain’ ye.”I said, slowly moving to her.The grass was brushing my legs, ticking me at the making.Finally Stormfly accepted my hand,I finally touched its head.”Way to go princess!”Gobber said,I let out a lot of air.Hiccup went up to me, terrified of my expression.”M-Merida,are you alright?” I looked at him for a moment then went squealing with glee.”That was awesome!” I said, jumping up and down.Hiccup looked at me and laughed,”You’re one tough princess.” He said.

I gave him a punch on the arm,”Ain’ I a charmer.”I said letting out a giggle.Gobber then called out the others and finally the Night Fury and Scauldron was left.”This Night Fury right here, belongs to Hiccup.He tamed this fella way back when he was a wee bit short.”Gobber explained, the others laughed and so was I.I saw my suitors, Macintosh,Macguffin, and Dingwall running at my direction.”Princess look out!” Macintosh shouted and let out his sword,I was about to stop him when the Night Fury tackled Macintosh to the ground.”Toothless no!” Hiccup shouted. I looked around to find something to distract Hiccup’s dragon.I saw Stormfly playing on the grass.I looked at the grass and quickly got some, running towards Macintosh.The Night Fury’s eyes squinted,as if he wanted to kill the man.

I got in front of the Night Fury and got out my hand.”Easy, there.Easy.”I said,”Toothless don’t!She’s a friend.”Hiccup said, coming beside me to keep toothless calm.”I quickly took out my other hand.Toothless saw it and his eyes turned big like a puppy.I motioned my hand from left to right,toothless following the grass from my hand.’Well aren’ ye a sweetie.”I said and rubbed the grass at his body.He quickly got down from his back as I rub his stomach.”Das a nice dragon,ain’ ye?” I asked,Toothless then rubbed himself to me.I let out a laugh.”Toothless,down.”Hiccup said, Toothless then sat, looking at me.”H-How did you know it liked grass?” Hiccup asked, I gestured my head to Stormfly, who was having fun on the grass.”Well done princess! You did great.Excellent on the observation.”Gobber said and patted my back,everyone screamed, I looked back to see the Scauldron running for a student.”H-Help!” He shouted,I quickly got in front of the Scaudlron,”Easy,now.Easy.”I said, but the Scauldron made a roaring sound, it opened its mouth, as water was about to hit me.’Merida look out!”Astrid shouted,I quickly jumped from the left.I got Macintosh’s sword.

“Does it like swords?”“No!”“Then, take a run from it!”I shouted to the other students. But the Scauldron quickly ran to the guy he was aiming for.”Do you have anything on you?!”Hiccup shouted as he rode Toothless,shielding the poor child.”I only have this flower I got from my mom!” He shouted and revealed a purple flower.I quickly ran to the guy and took the flower,”Over here ya big dragon!”I shouted, as I wave the flower to its face.It looked at me and left the student with Hiccup.Hiccup grabbed the boy and place him aside.”I stopped at my track then,let out my empty hand first.”Easy, now.Ya don’ want to hurt anyone’ aren’ ye?”I said,the scauldron motioned its head from left to right, as my hand moved.

“Ye just wan’ this flower aye?” I said, as I took out my my other hand that was holding the flower.The scaudron roared at me,”Nah, you don’ need te get mad.Here, is yurs now.”I said as I slowly gave it.The scauldron smelled the flower before taking it from my hand.After he ate it,my hand was still in front of its face.”Now, yer good aren’ ye?”I asked,slowly moving to it.The scauldron looked at me,sniffing my hand before slowly taking my its head to my hand.”I chuckled, I finally took care of the Scauldron.Gobber looked at me by suprise,same as Hiccup who got off from Toothless.”There,ye go!”I said, and rubbed its chin.”Marvelous work princess!You got him to like you!”“It’s a he?”Yes, it is.Now that it likes you and imprinted itself to you.He is now your dragon.”Das-excuse me wha’? I said, looking at Gobber confused.

“If the dragon imprinted to you, then you are now his owner.”Hiccup added, coming near at me.I slowly patted the Scauldron his looking at me like a puppy.”But where he goin’ te sleep?” I asked,”Don’t worry, after I tell the head, he can make some renovations in your room.”Gobber said and smiled at me,”Well pal, you finally got yourself a person.”Gobber said and patted him.”What name would you like to give it?” Gobber asked,the students finally came running at us,murmuring and whispering to one another.”I’ll call him, Kryton.” I said, the scauldron roared and nuzzled itself to me.”He likes the name.”Hiccup said and smiled, his smile was contagious that I didn’t even saw myself staring at him for a while.”Well, that’s all for today class.Dismissed, Oh and remember! next week we’ll have you trying on to ride a dragon!’Gobber said,everybody left except me and Hiccup,Astrid needed to go somewhere again.”You were amazing back there!”Hiccup exclamed, I blushed on how he praised me.

“Nah, it was nothin’.”“Why didn’t you run away like the others?I mean, you haven’t really known any dragon in your life, right?” He asked, Toothless coming at us.Toothless began to wag its tail as Kryton and him played.I chuckled,seeing them play was nice.”True,I didn’ get any dragon.But I’m really fascinated to creatures ye see.”I said,He sat down, patting the grass beside him.”Well, in Scotland,there are legends,legends that are lessons to all.There are also mystical happenin’ around mah place.Witches,whil-o-wisp and many more.I read them on some books that me mother gave me.It was the only book that I read,I was just really into it.”I said,I was looking at the sky explaining everything,I looked at Hiccup who was startled, he was looking at me,scanning my face.”T-That’s nice.W-Well we should head to our next class.”I nodded and followed,Gobber got Kryton and Toothless to turn back to our rooms.

Wew! That’s done! 

Continuation of this chapter will be post tomorrow,it’s already midnight here.Have a great day lads/laddies! 

Book 1:

CH: 1-2-3(1)-3(2)

[emerysmerkin]

The Holiday: Chapter 8

Nothing but Sea

"Woooo! Look at that!"

The sweat dripping down her back, the sunburn, and the ache in her muscles is completely worth it. Amy takes a seat almost at the peak of the mountain, the highest point her and Ash could climb. It was a difficult climb up, and Ash kept up well. She was surprisingly proud of him, other people who have tried to climb with her before gave in before they reached the top and this mountain was hard to conquer. From the peak, they could see the nesting kel fly in, feeding breakfast to her babies.

"Is this the first time you have been on a summit without much land around you?" Ash drops his pack and drinks some water before passing it to Amy.

"Yeah, there is a mountain in Baelden that has its back to the ocean but the majority of its view is land." She takes a long drink, even on the summit it’s as hot as the nine hells. It makes absolutely no sense. Amy looks again over the water and touches Ash's hand, "It's never ending. I could get lost out there and no one would ever know what happened to me"

"You are one of the few who have been out there.” He turns his hand over and squeezes hers "Only the Nether Isles lie beyond this point as far as we know. Was this climb worth it?"

She chills at the mention of the Nether Isles, her memory bringing up images she still sees in her nightmares. Amy pushes them down and focusses on this moment instead, "Absolutely worth it, look at it out there. What about you?"

"Yes, I got lizard meat and hide, to see kel, and I always enjoy this climb. I have never been to the summit before."

"Good. What do you want to do now?"

"Eat, are you hungry?" He lets go and starts to rummage through his pack.

Oh gods, no. She doesn't want to eat the lizard again. "I'm good. You go ahead."

He shrugs at her. "Do you have altitude sickness?"

He sounds genuinely concerned, it'd normally make her feel guilty for worrying him but there's no way she can have those spices again. She needs to change the subject before she has to admit she doesn't want to eat his food, "No. What about when we climb back down? I'd like to go to a beach."

"If you wish, there is one on the west side of the island that people visit the least except some of the people from the small villages around the island. What would you like to do there? Spear fishing? I did not bring a spear. I am sorry." He looks a little bit guilty again, as if it's his responsibility to think of every outcome.

"I would just like to go there. The beaches here are supposedly all sand. It's not something I've experienced before"

After rummaging for what feels like an age he pulls out a biscuit and starts munching. "Really? Do you not have any sandy beaches in Baelden?"

"Probably, but SpringPine is completely landlocked."

"Let us go then." It comes out mumbled because Ash is holding the biscuit in his mouth and he grabs her hand. "Sandy beaches are my favourite."

She squeezes before lifting the hand to her mouth and giving it a small kiss on the knuckles. She lets go and stands up, brushing the dust off her rear. Amy looks at her lover, who’s eyes are fixated on her arse. He's been looking at it a lot recently and Amy finds it quite flattering. "Ready to go?"

He looks away, slightly startled. "Yes"

Ash swallows the last of the biscuit and picks his pack back up. She gives him another kiss and starts setting up ready to climb back down. They should be able to get to the beach in good time.

Amy sits on the grass at the edge on the beach and starts to take off her boots. In her books, people on sandy beaches always take their shoes off, it must be something special. Ash does the same, the stories must be true. That’s good, they're usually full of shit and she makes an ass about herself. Once her shoes are off, she braces herself for getting on the sand and wonders how it’ll feel between her toes. Some books say it's nice, others say it's awful. Maybe it depends on the person. She should wait to see what Ash does. He takes a step on the sand and starts strolling towards the sea, the only things Amy can hear are the waves echoing around the low cliffs and the sound of distant birds.

She takes her first step onto the golden sand. Gods, it's hot and she sinks a little. It is one of the weirdest feelings she'd ever had. It's like she can feel every grain, but they move as one. Like viscus fluid, but completely solid at the same time. The heat isn't unbearable, it's less hot than the bare rock on the mountain. She follows Ash slowly. She can see his footprints in the sand, she looks back and hers are there as well, beside his. It's like walking through snow, but feels completely different.

Ash stops to pick up a flat circular rock, Amy has no idea why. She thinks it’s maybe some sort of beach ritual, but if Ash expects her to do the same he’ll tell her. Anyway, she's having a hard time figuring out how to walk properly, she feels like she's doing some sort of weird strut. She stops to look at the bottom of her foot, it's covered in little grains of different colours and size. They are kind of like snowflakes. She wonders how all these colours combine to make gold. Her drow stops at the water and throws the stone out, Amy watches mesmerised as it bounces of the top of the water as if it was stone. Kye used to do that on the lake near her home, she could never get the knack. Her brother used to laugh at her for it, she can throw almost anything and hit any target but she can't skim stones. It's in the wrist apparently. Maybe now she throws shurikens she can manage it, but she doesn't want to try.

He moves away from the waves and drops his boots and starts getting undressed. "Do you wish to swim?"

"Yes." she bites her lip, the last time she swam in the ocean she almost drowned. "Yes. I'm going to swim in the sea. Alone. It'll be fine."

She drops her boots next to Ash's and quickly removes her clothes. She stands in the waves, the warm water lapping at her feet, and makes a little eep noise when the sand pulls out from under her feet. She wasn't expecting the ground to be pulled away, her books never said anything about that. He just wades in until the water is up to his waist, unconcerned, and starts swimming. She moves a little further in, thinking to follow him but when the sand gets pulled from under her again Amy sits down. The water comes up to her elbows, and it's nice on her burnt skin. It may take a while, but Amy is resolved that she will swim at some point. Ash is a few meters in front of her diving beneath the waves and disappearing completely. There is an overwhelming sense of panic at the thought of him drowning but Amy knows she’s being irrational. He's spent his life on the ocean, like a duck to water. Even though she knows she’s being foolish, Amy still breathes out a sigh of relief when he comes back to the surface with something large and spikey in his hand. She wants to see what it is, but that involves going deeper in the water. Amy strengthens her resolve and pushes forward.

She swims over to her lover, compensating for the waves. She feels much better in the water than the unstable sand. She should have just jumped right in like she does fresh water. It is no different. If there was a bad current, Ash wouldn't let her go in.

She touches his shoulder, mentally remarking how strange it is to be the same height as him "What is it?"

"A conch, though it looks chipped and won't make a sound." He says, one hand treading water and Amy can see his feet kicking gently below the waves.

Amy is quite happy treading water with him, the waves aren't high and the water is amazing on her skin. "How does a dead shell make a noise? Can you find one to show me?"

She wonders whether she should dive under to have a look as well. It’s a brief thought that there is only one answer to. She dives under before Ash can reply.

The ocean floor is covered in shells and little plants. It's so colourful and pretty, she can see Ash's legs swimming in front of her. Unable to resist, she pulls down on one of his legs before swimming off. There are fish darting all over the place as she swims away. She loves being in the water. Something catches Ash's attention on the seafloor and she watches him pass her as he dives down to it. Amy is still astounded how clear the water is, in the lake near her childhood home you can barely see in front of your face. Her lungs begin to burn and she returns to the surface. She takes a breath and heads back under, hoping to see what Ash has seen. Everything on the floor catches her attention, she doesn't know how he can pick things out in the mess. She goes deeper to have a closer look. There are little fish darting in and out of holes in the rocks. Bigger fish are swimming around the various colourful plants. They don't seem to be bothered by her presence, completely ignoring her unless she gets too close. She sees one fish that is bright blue, she follows it for a little while. There's so much more life down there than she thought.

She's so busy watching the fish, and replacing air, that she's completely lost sight of Ash. She returns to the surface, hoping to spot him again. There’s a moment of panic before she sees him sat on the beach. He's holding another one of those conches, it's white with light orange stripes and covered in spikes, the thing makes her think of the head of a mace. He puts it to his lips, Amy thinks he's about to take a drink, except you can't drink sea water. A noise, like a horn emanates from the shell; it makes her think of home, of when her father goes out hunting or a knight has returned from some quest or another. The noise makes her homesick. She returns to her lover, she'd like to see how he made that sound and she wants a cuddle.

"You found a working one? Is it alive?" The sand gets pulled out from under her again. She doesn't like being on such unsteady ground. None of her books said it tried to trip you. At least it behaves when it's away from the water.

"No. The creature that made this shell has long since perished, though I had to eject a crab that had made its home here." He’s inspecting the shell closely, digging out little reservoirs of sand caught in the crevices.

She sits next to him and puts her head on his arm, "how did you make the noise? It sounds like home, like my parents or siblings have come home from a time away. It's the noise that would be made if I ever return."

"Like any horn." he passes it to her then starts pulling her wet hair off her shoulder. “Just blow."

"Really? Where?" she holds the smaller end of the conch close to her mouth, shivering at the feel of Ash’s warm fingers brushing her cool skin, "Here?"

"Yes."

She blows, making the forlorn noise before passing it back with a smile. "I'm a trumpeteer! Concheteer? Maybe we should outfit our announcers with them instead of trumpets. It will become the new fashion in no time"

Ash takes it back off her, now all of her hair is away from her front. "Best return it to the ocean. It will become a shelter for a crab."

"Like the one you evicted? You evil man. I'll take it back if you want. There're funny fish in holes I want to see, they're super long.” Amy puts her hand in front of her chest to roughly show how long it was. “One came out to look at me when I swam past earlier."

He raises an eyebrow at her, you'd think he was used to her by now. "You can keep it if you truly want. You wanted to see a working one so I got you it, though apparently Melora does not approve of such things." Ash puts the conch down and starts picking up pebbles and feeling them in his hand.

"She doesn't approve of taking things from the ocean? Even though it's empty? What about food? Your goddess is strange." Ash laughs and Amy frowns. She thinks that gods in general are strange, they always have odd rules that no one can give a good reason for.

He continues sorting his pebbles, making a pile of flat ones and discarding the others. "Not taking things, taking things you do not need. Though, I do not think she will be particularly bothered by one shell. We should camp here. I forgot my harpoon, I will need to make one. Unless you would like to eat the lizard again?"

"Gods no. You can keep the lizard and all its spice, I don't think my mouth can handle it again. I can always eat the maid’s food we still haven't touched. I will keep the conch though. Thank you." Amy kisses him lightly for the gift, a memento of her first trip to a real beach.

He gets to his feet, flat stones in hand, and sand falls from him” I will go and collect driftwood for a fire."

"Ash, why is the fire green?" If it was anybody else, she'd be worried that they were being bothered by her continuous questions. Ash didn't seem to care, explaining every fish and coral he knew to her with patience. It's so easy to speak to him, if he's getting irritated with her barrage of questions he tells her. He also stopped her from getting too close to those long fish she saw earlier. Apparently, they'd take a chunk out of her hand, so that was nice of him. There are also some poisonous creatures down there that she needed to stay away from. He prepared the fire and the food while she went in and out of the water, trying to stay out his way. She only came back to ask about something she'd seen. Eventually, she got really wrinkly and decided to take a long break.

He's poking the fire, keeping air going to it, Amy uses the heat to dry her hair off. "I have heard old sailors call it 'Melora's wrath for burning her wood' I have also heard scholars say it is the salts that have soaked into the wood. The lizard stew has almost warmed up. There is still enough for two if you change your mind. Otherwise it will be going to the crabs."

She should eat some of the food he made for her, its rude not to. Her mouth is going to hate her, "Ok. I'll try the lizard again."

While he hands her a bowl, a slight smile playing on his face. She thinks he's probably looking forward to seeing her suffer again. Amy thinks over what he said about the wood. She has no idea how much Ash believes in the ocean goddess. Sometimes he can be contradictory about it, but she supposes she's the same way about the spirits "Why do you think it burns green?"

He shrugs, pouring his own stew out. "Salts makes more sense, wood does not come from the ocean."

Amy nods, that was her conclusion as well. She tastes a small spoonful of the food, it doesn't burn as much as before. "You don't believe what people say about Melora, but you follow her teachings. Is that right?"

Ash nods, while his mouth is full, Amy's scolding is beginning to work. "She teaches to respect the ocean and be wary of it. The idiot perishes upon the ocean, whereas the cunning hunter eats. The sea is merciless but ultimately free."

Amy nods again while swallowing another mouthful, it makes sense. It falls in with everything she knows about him. "So she makes no demands on you except respecting the ocean?"

"Yes, though it is also common sense."

She shrugs in reply, all areas of the world are dangerous and require a certain level of respect in her opinion, "I guess. I've already almost drowned once, I'd rather it didn't happen again." Amy takes another mouthful, it really is nice now it's not setting her pallet alight, "The food is edible"

Ash looks like he's trying his best not to laugh, mouth full of stew. She hopes he chokes. He finally gets around to swallowing, to her disappointment. "It has been soaking in the mint for the whole trip down the mountain. It will be less harsh on your palette." As soon as he finishes speaking he takes another spoonful, he must be really hungry or enjoying it. Ash rarely eats so quickly.

She follows suit, this is definitely better than before. "Thank you for making it cooler for me. I know you'd rather it was still hot. I appreciate it. Oh, we're sleeping here! I get to tick sand snuggles off the list!"

"Where else would we sleep? By my guess, it is high tide at the moment so we will not wash away in the night." His bowl is now empty, places it the one side and shuffles closer to her. He better not be thinking of stealing her bowl or he'll get rapped on the knuckles with her spoon.

She relaxes her grip on her bowl when he puts an arm around her, and smiles up at him "Yay, food and beach snuggles. What more could a girl ask for?"

Amy lays her head on Ash’s arm, and the she eats while the waves lap the shore. Later, they watch the fire’s reflection on the water in each other’s embrace.