Life + Writing Update + Happy New Year!!

Why, hullo, friends! How is it already 2021?? It feels like just yesterday it was August. I took yet another unintentional hiatus, and I feel like I owe you guys an update on where I’m at right now with writing and such! I’m pretty sure 2020 was a crazy year for all of us.

Life

• I started grad school in August! I’m currently getting my Master’s degree in English. Grad school wasn’t a journey that I was planning on taking, but God very clearly pointed me in that direction. It’s been a huge adjustment, especially since my undergraduate degree isn’t in English and I’m at a different university, but it’s been an exciting new challenge.
• I haven’t really considered myself an athletic person, but about two years ago, I started rock climbing, and now… well, I’m a little obsessed. I love both the physical and mental challenge of it, and it’s just a ton of fun. Don’t be surprised if some random post or short story comes up that has something to do with rock climbing. 😀
• As for reading, most of the reading I’ve done this year has been for school, with two major exceptions: Agatha Christie mysteries and Brandon Sanderson’s books. I read my first Agatha Christie book as part of a summer book club, and I absolutely loved it. Since then, I’ve read two more, and I have several others saved on my Kindle. I’ve read pretty much every Brandon Sanderson book I could get my hands on this year, and if you’re a fantasy fan, you should definitely check his books out! If you’ve already read his books, tell me which is your favorite in the comments!

Writing

• Over the past several months, I’ve made quite a bit of progress on Forcefield (IDIA #3). At this point, I’m about halfway done! My goal is to finish the book and publish it sometime in 2021, hopefully in the summer. So far, it’s shaping up well, and I’m really excited about how it’s going!
• I started a new project for Nanowrimo, which unfortunately I did not complete, but so far it’s been a lot of fun to write. Basically, I’m taking one of my short stories, The Villain and the Hero, and turning it into a full-length novel. I love the characters in it, and it’s turning into more of a mystery-slash-heist-slash-superhero book, with a little romance thrown in. Currently, it’s on the back burner until I finish Forcefield, but I’m excited to get back to work on it soon.
• Due to grad school, I’ve been writing a lot more academic papers, but last spring, I wrote a thesis about writing blind characters in fiction. I loved working on that project, and it’s something I’ve been looking into publishing academically. At the moment, that process is certainly slow, but I also wrote two short stories featuring blind characters as a part of that thesis. I’m looking into publishing those in creative journals–which, again, is slow going–but depending on how that search goes, I may share those here on my blog. They were so much fun to write, and I absolutely want to share them with you at some point… it just might be a while!
• Overall, I’ve been a little burned out on writing due to the huge increase in writing from grad school (and becoming an English major), which is part of the reason my blogging dropped off during the semester… but that was also due to poor planning on my part. My plan for this year/semester is to put out a blog post every Monday, but at least once a month.

Overall, this has been a crazy year, and not nearly as productive as I wish it had been, but we’ve made it through! I hope you are all doing well, and that we can all look back and find some good in 2020. Don’t forget to drop down in the comments and say hi! Happy New Year, friends!

Have you read any Agatha Christie or Brandon Sanderson books? What are your favorite books you’ve read this year? What’s something good that happened for you in 2020?

Short Story: The Villain And The Hero

Hullo, friends! Unlike some of the short stories I’ve posted recently, The Villain and the Hero is firmly planted in my usual genre: superhero. I had a lot of fun writing this one, and it was nice to get back to writing with superheroes after a little break for other projects. Enjoy!

I’m in love with a boy, and unfortunately, he hates my guts. I know that if he got to know me, he would begin to like me, I just know it! But there’s not much chance for small talk when he’s blasting fire in my direction.

I stand firm as fire blazes towards me, and I throw up a forcefield with one hand. It’s virtually invisible, but I can see the air shimmering slightly in front of me as I hold my hand over my head. With my other hand, I stuff the rest of the money from my latest robbery into the inside pocket of my long black trench coat. Torch’s fire hits my forcefield, reflecting off and shooting straight in the air. I hear him yell in frustration, and I drop my hand, letting the forcefield dissolve. I reach up and scratch around the black mask on my face. Paired with the dark wig, it hides my identity, but I can’t wait to take it off. Talk about itchy.

Torch stalks toward me, his anger and frustration clearly evident. Unlike my dark mask, his black one with flame details makes him look even more attractive. Then again, I’ve always liked guys with brown hair. “Give yourself up, Mirror!” he yells.

Okay, let’s be honest here for a second. I could easily win this fight. It’s as simple as throwing a bubble forcefield around him and making it shrink. Easy peasy, no more Torch. That’s the dumb part about having a crush on your superhero. You tend to go easy on them, even if you’d be better off getting rid of them.

Then again, I’m just stealing from overly rich corporations to pay off student loans, and killing someone wouldn’t help with that anyway.

I put my hands in the air slowly, in a show of surrender, eyeing the distance between the two of us. “You win, Torch. Take me to jail.” The air shivers ever so slightly between us, and I grin. “Or you could take me to dinner instead.”

Torch looks at me suspiciously and rolls his eyes, but he walks towards me. After two steps, he smacks into my invisible forcefield. He yelps and steps back, rubbing his head and glaring at me.

I shake with laughter, letting out a snort on accident. Dang it, Alexis. Play it cool. I try my hardest to smother my laughter, but the glare on his face makes it really hard. Why does he have to be so cute when he’s annoyed? “Sorry, Torch!”

“That’s cold, you know!” he yells back, although I swear he’s hiding a smile. My smile fades when he calls me cold, though.

I throw a disk forcefield on the ground in front of me and step onto it. The other forcefield dissolves automatically. Only being able to make one forcefield is one of my weaknesses that no one has figured out. Not yet, at least. I crouch down and salute Torch, winking. “Until next time, hot stuff.”

At my command, the forcefield raises slightly off the ground and takes off over the nearest building. The wind blows through my hair—at least, the hair on the wig—and I breathe deeply. The air smells of car exhaust and pollution. For a second, I miss the fresh country air from my childhood, but I shove down those memories. This is my home now, and I need to love every part of it. It’s not like the time I spent in the country was any better. Living with my mom was a nightmare.

I lower my forcefield, dodging in between buildings and down alleyways. I come to a stop and dissolve my forcefield, landing on the ground. No one’s around, so I ditch my costume and hide it in the usual spot. I let my long blond hair down and slip on my favorite sweatshirt. Back to my normal college student self.

It doesn’t take me long to make it back to school, and I unlock the door of my apartment. Some kind of Latin music fills the air, probably coming from the kitchen, while I can hear Riley yelling at a basketball game in the living room. I can’t even hear the door close behind me as I walk in.

Lucia does, though. She pokes her head out of the kitchen. “Alexis, amiga! You’re just in time for dinner. Everything’s almost ready.”

I sniff, inhaling the scent of Mexican spices. “Yum! I can’t wait.” I kick off my shoes by the door. “Have the neighbors complained about the noise yet?”

An unintelligible shriek of triumph rises for the living room, and Lucia winces. “Not yet, but I would not be surprised.”

She slips back into the kitchen, singing in Spanish along with the music. I cross into the living room to find Riley flopping back onto the couch, still in her running clothes. She glances up at me and then turns her focus back to her game. “How was your shopping trip?” she asks, reaching for a bag of chips.

I grab the chips before she can get them. “I didn’t get to do any shopping. Mirror and Torch were fighting right by the mall.” At her glare, I set the chips back down, just farther away from her. “Lucia says dinner is almost ready.”

A few minutes later, Lucia calls us into the kitchen. She always makes the most amazing food, and Saturday nights are sacred “Roommate Dinners” for the three of us. After dinner, we all hang out in the living room together, watching a show or talking about our lives. Tonight, we gather all of the junk food in our apartment and sprawl out in the living room. The fight with Torch is still lingering in my mind, and I glance at my two roommates. I love these girls, but if they ever found out about my secret identity, they would go crazy. At least I’m just a supervillain who steals, not one who kills people. I mean, I’ve hurt a few people, but I’ve never killed anyone. I’ve met some villains who are much worse than me.

We’re halfway through our show when Lucia gasps. “Oh my gosh!” Riley and I both turn to look at her in surprise, and she turns her phone around to show us. “Mira!”

A breaking news alert lights up her screen, with a picture of Torch, mid-fight with a supervillain that I immediately recognize. My stomach sinks. Riley snatches the remote and changes the channel to a news channel that’s covering the fight. The voiceover crackles with panic, sending a shiver down my spine.

“…no one knows what Glacier is doing in the city, but so far, she’s been giving Torch quite the beating…”

I tune out the voice on the TV, focusing on the footage. Even from the view of a helicopter, I can tell he’s tired. “Oh, he’s got this,” Riley says, popping a chip in her mouth. “She must be a nobody. I’ve never heard of her before.”

On the TV, Glacier shoots a blast of ice out of her hands, and Torch barely manages to dodge it. Glacier smirks up at the helicopter, and I feel like she’s staring into my soul with her icy gaze. Lucia winces. “I hope he’ll be alright.”

Riley switches the channel back to our show, but my hands are shaking now. What if something really bad happens to Torch? At least when I fight him, I go easy on him. He’s not going to be able to walk away from this fight. Glacier would never take it easy on him.

Before I can think about it, I’m standing up and heading to the front door. Lucia looks up from her phone. “Where are you going?”

I unlock the door. “I’m just going for a walk. I’ll see if the laundry room is open.”

She nods. “Just stay away from downtown. That’s where the fight is happening.”

I nod and smile. “Don’t worry, I’m not going that way at all.”

As soon as I get out of view of our apartment, that’s the exact direction I go. I run to my hiding spot and retrieve my costume, changing as quickly as I can. This is one of the many reasons I chose a trench coat for my costume, instead of some skintight outfit. It’s so much easier to put on. A forcefield materializes underneath my feet, and I zoom off in the direction of the fight.

The closer I get to downtown, the more unsure I feel of myself. What am I even going to do? Fight Glacier? I’m pretty sure I can fight her, yeah—I’ve improved a lot since the last time I fought her—but as soon as I defeat her, Torch is going to turn on me.

But I also can’t let her hurt him… or kill him.

Ugh, feelings are dumb.

I know I’m getting close to the fight because I start feeling blasts of heat and cold. I lower myself behind a building. I’m even more nervous now, but mostly because I feel more cold than heat in the air. I duck around a few corners and finally come across the fight. I immediately cringe. I’ve fought Torch enough times that I can tell he’s exhausted. His fire blasts are weak, barely reaching to Glacier.

Glacier is smirking at him, clearly toying with him. Her skin shimmers, coated in a frosty layer, and her long, dark blue dress sparkles with ice, too, glittering like stars set against a backdrop of night. Her dark hair, streaked with gray, sparkles with a layer of ice too. She looks like a queen, and I shudder at the sight of her. I could have ended up ruthless and cold, just like her.

I step out of the shadows, the wind from Glacier’s next blast of ice whipping my trench coat around my legs. Torch shoots a blast of fire at Glacier’s ice blast, melting it just before it could hit him. He’s almost done, and Glacier can tell. She starts to stalk towards him, just like he did when he was fighting me earlier.

Then she catches sight of me.

A smile slithers across her face, something sinister lurking behind it. “Hello, dear,” she calls out, her voice deeper from the cold air. “Don’t worry about this. I’m finishing the job you’ve never been able to handle.”

Torch glances in my direction just as I glance at him. Anger flashes across his face, but then it fades to nothing. He’s losing hope.

I’m in the middle right now, off to the side, not committed to either one of them. I look over at Glacier. “You’re a monster,” I whisper, my voice carrying on the breeze.

She shrugs and steps closer, towards me instead of Torch this time. “It took you long enough to figure that out.” With a quick flick of her wrist, she sends icicles shooting in my direction.

I know she expects me to put up a forcefield to block the icicles, but I don’t. I react instantly, swirling my hands in the air and then pushing towards her. A bubble forcefield surrounds her as I jump to the side. I feel the impact from one of the icicles, and cold spreads through my shoulder.

Glacier laughs and starts to walk toward me, but she runs into the forcefield. She reaches out and puts her hands on it, her smile fading as she realizes she’s completely trapped. I look at her, and she stares back at me, horror growing on her face. I hold up my hand, and she backs up, hitting the back of the bubble. “No!” she shrieks.

I slowly begin to close my hand into a fist, and bubble shrinks around her, and she panics, trying to make herself as small as possible. The bubble tightens more. I find myself shaking in anger as I glare at her. Out of nowhere, someone’s hand grabs the one I’m holding up. I turn to find Torch, his hand grasping mine.

“Don’t kill her,” he rasps, his voice weak. “You’re not like her. Don’t become her.”

I look at him in shock and then look back at Glacier. Fear covers her face as she sobs into her own skirt, curled up in the fetal position inside the forcefield. It’s barely big enough to fit her now. Horror floods my body, and I let my hand drop. The forcefield dissolves, but Glacier stays on the ground, still sobbing in terror.

Torch helps me to my feet, and cops descend on Glacier. He holds my arms, looking over me. “Are you okay?” he asks, looking at my face. I stare at him, surprised to see concern in his eyes.

“I’m fine.” I lean against a wall nearby, looking over at the icicle lodged in my shoulder.

Torch puts a hand on my arm and inspects the icicle in my shoulder. “Why would you do that?” he asks, searching my face as if he would find answers there. Ambulance sirens echo in the distance.

I look back at him and give him a weak smile. “You’re just trying to do your job. I knew she wouldn’t leave you alive.” I stare off as the police put power-eliminating cuffs on Glacier and push her in the back of a cop car. Relief and sadness tug at opposite sides of my heart. A whisper slips out of my lips, stolen away by the wind.

“I’m sorry, Mom.”

9 Tips And Tricks For College Students

Hullo, friends! So today’s post is a little different. This past semester, I finished my first year of college, and it was certainly a new experience. 🙂 So I thought I would share some of the little tricks I learned in my first year at college. Keep in mind that all colleges and their surrounding towns are different, so you may  not be able to do some of these, but I hope you’re able to find something to help you out. And if you’re not in college, share this with someone you know who is (or bookmark it for future use 😉 ).

1. Be creative when it comes to food. It is really, really easy to get bored of the same old cafeteria food. If your cafeteria has a salad bar, try using some of the items on there to mix up other meals. Tired of hamburgers? Add some bacon bits and shredded cheese. Bring some salsa from an outside restaurant, or bring your own salad dressing or sauce. Buy Go-gurts and put them in the freezer to have your own froyo (seriously, it is the best)! Building off of that…
2. More expensive restaurants may equal more meals. Spending twelve dollars on a meal at a more expensive restaurant may not seem like a good idea at first, but take into account how many meals you can get out of that twelve dollars. To-go boxes are amazing, guys! The food is usually more expensive (not to mention better quality) at some Italian restaurants, but they usually also give you bread of some kind and a side salad as part of your meal, which can easily fill you up. And if they have big portion sizes… well, I’ve gotten four meals out of one twelve dollar meal.
3. Get a library card. By this I mean a card for a public library, not the school library. A lot of public libraries not only have awesome reading books, they have movies, too. All you need is a library card, and you can get free movies! They’ll usually have a shorter rental period than books, but they’re definitely cheaper than Redbox.
4. Pay with cash. Lots of studies have shown that people who pay with cash tend to spend less. This is sooo true. It’s easier to spend money with a card, because it’s harder to hand over a twenty dollar bill to a cashier than to just swipe a plastic card. Plus, this is better for your finances in the long run.
5. Save your change. I actually learned about this from my Business teacher, and it builds off the previous tip. At the end of the day, empty out your change from your wallet or your pockets and put it in a jar or container of some kind. You can actually save up a lot of money this way! Change tends to build up without you realizing it, plus this can relieve some of the weight in your wallet or purse.
6. Ask about student discounts. This is mostly at restaurants, but student discounts are really helpful! Just by showing your ID you can get anywhere from 10-20% off your usual price. This is easy to forget about, but try and ask when you’re shopping or going out to eat. You might be surprised at the places that do student discounts! (You can also try Googling, but keep in mind each location is different).
7. Get up early to do your laundry. Very, very few college students will get up at seven to do their laundry on the weekends. Take advantage of the empty laundry room and get your laundry done early. Better to get up early than to wait hours for a dryer! (And also, this is just courtesy, but move your laundry right after it finishes!)
8. Go for a run or a walk. I actually did a whole speech last semester about the benefits of exercise, and one thing I was surprised to learn was that exercise can actually help your creativity a lot. So if you’re stuck on something, try getting some exercise or just going for a walk. It can also help improve your focus!
9. And last but not least… talk to people. I know, sometimes us introverts like to avoid social interaction, but there are times you want to hang out with people… and you can’t do that if you don’t have friends to hang out with. 🙂 In college, you even have a few basic questions you can ask the people who sit next to you in class, like “what’s your major?” and “where are you from?”. Don’t rely on other people to start the conversation. Put down your phone before class and start up a conversation with the people around you, sit with someone who’s sitting by themselves in the cafeteria, or just compliment someone who’s wearing a shirt with your favorite superhero on it.

I’m sure there are many more tips and tricks out there, but this is a pretty good start! Do you have any college or school related tips? Have you used any of these before? Do you want to see more college-related posts like this one? Comment below with your thoughts!

Blaze Takes Over: The Life Of A Superhero

Hi, peoples! It’s Blaze here. So for some odd reason, C.B. agreed that I could kidnap her blog for the last week of the Fan Creations Contest. Speaking of which, there are only three days left to submit your creations! You can also go check out some of the awesome fanart you guys have submitted, including some very nice portraits of myself.

So I was trying to figure out what to do with the blog now that I’ve taken it over, and since C.B. said I couldn’t post a snippet from Lightporter (something about spoilers and editing and blah blah blah), I decided to look around for some suggestions, and Hazel West suggested that I talk about the life of a superhero, something that I’m definitely an expert on.

I guess this post is going to be introspective, which I am usually not. So I’ll just dive right in.

One of the top concerns for superheroes is this: who knows that we have powers? For myself, none of my family knows that I have powers, and the people who do know that I have powers don’t know my true identity. To put it more simply, my two identities, superhero and normal, are completely separate. Except for Data, that is. She is the only person in the world who knows who I am when I’m not Blaze.

And since that’s quite uncomfortable territory to talk about, I’m going to move on now.

I have it easier than most superheroes. My power is easier to hide, considering I can turn invisible or make illusions of myself doing other things. Teleportation is also handy for getting out of tight spots, although I have to be careful not to use any of my powers when I’m not acting as Blaze. The nice thing about having my personas completely separated is that it’s easier to just… become a different person when I put my mask on. Don’t get me wrong, I’m still me. I’m just a more outgoing and heroic version of me, and I’m more willing to do things I wouldn’t normally do. I feel like this is true for a lot of superheroes, and supervillains, to an extent.

Being a superhero has given me opportunities to do a lot of cool things. I mean, come on, I have teleportation. I’ve traveled all over the world, eaten so many different foods, and made friends in tons of countries (and a few enemies, thanks to some unfortunate accidents). I’ve actually learned bits and pieces of a few different languages as well.

But the best part about being a superhero is working with other superheroes and saving people. That’s the whole point, right? If I don’t use my powers for good, then what’s the purpose of them? Other than going out to buy food whenever I feel like it, that is. Saving people is what being a superhero is truly about.

I feel like that’s enough musing for now. I’m going to try and keep control of the blog for as long as I can, so comment down below and let me know what you think I should post about! Did you like this post? Got any questions to ask me about the superhero life?

Blaze out! 😎

Writing About Writing: How To Be A Writer Without Being A Hermit

If you’re like me, sometimes you realize that you spend more time with a notebook and pencil or a computer than your own family and friends. And while it’s important to write, and to pursue your dreams and passions, you shouldn’t shut yourself off from the real world. (No quotation marks there, people. I’m being sort of serious.) So here are a few tips to help you not become a writing hermit.

Tip #1: Include family and friends in the writing and editing process.

Ask your siblings what they think of your latest plot idea. Read some of your work out loud to your friends (and let them squeal with you over your awesome love interest or your wonderfully witty dialogue). Have your parents help you with editing and proofreading. Let people read your story! It’s no fun to do it alone, anyway. Why not let your friends and family help you out?

Tip #2: Find real-life wriing buddies.

Yes, you may have over a hundred followers on social media. But nothing beats a real life friend you can write with. Not only do you not have to worry about being in different time zones, you can also meet at a bookstore! Or a coffee shop! Or go on a writing retreat into the mountains!

Tip #3: Step away from your story.

This is NOT procrastination. Well, it could be. But I will promise you that it’s much, much more important to build a relationship with those closest to you than it is to sit in front of a computer writing (or doing something else like procrastination, if you’re stuck on your story). If you’re not writing anyway, why not go on a walk with your family? Or maybe make cookies and talk with your family while you eat them. Or *gasp* help your mom clean the house!

Those are just a few ways to help you work on writing while not sitting hunched behind a computer all day. Thoughts on this list? Authors, do you have any ways you work on writing while still being social in real life? Comment below with your thoughts!

Beautiful People: Albany’s Childhood | Fantastic Friday

Hullo, everyone! I kind of… forgot about posting, didn’t I? Whoops. I was trying to figure out what I could do for a Fantastic Friday post this week, and I had pretty much decided to just wait and do the Monday post I was planning, but then this month’s Beautiful People link-up appeared in my inbox! So why not? I was originally planning to use Anvil for the next Beautiful People, but since this one is a childhood edition, I decided it would be better to use Albany, since Anvil’s would be… not happy. Well, let’s get on with the questions!

1. What are their first childhood memory? Albany has a lot of vague “first memories,” but the first one that’s actually clear is the first time she and Brooklyn communicated telepathically, which was when they were about three. That was the first time they realized they were doing it, at least. It was a very traumatic moment and consisted of lots confused baby talk in their heads.
2. What were their best and worst childhood experiences? Her best childhood experience was probably the time she spent with her dad and Denver at a playground for three hours. That’s one of her older memories, but a favorite one. Her worst childhood experience was probably the time she fell off a tall slide, off the side, or any other time when her curiosity got her into trouble.
3. What was their childhood home like? It was an averaged sized house, but it was an older house, so it had lots of fun nooks and crannies to hide in. It was certainly a happy place, and they were sad to leave it.
4. What’s something that scared them as child? Albany was absolutely terrified of heights when she was younger. Bugs and snakes she could handle, but put her up on a tall ladder and you would find out how loud she could scream–and how tight she could hold onto something.
5. Who did they look up to most? Her older Denver, for sure. To her, he was the most awesome person in the world, and she would follow him around everywhere she could. Until he got too cool to have his little sister hanging around him. But he got over that phase pretty quickly.
6. Favourite and least favourite childhood foods?  I’m not sure she had a least favorite food, but if she did, it would probably be broccoli or something like that. Her favorite food growing up was Mac and Cheese. Any kind, anywhere. Especially if it had breadcrumbs on top.
7. If they had their childhood again, would they change anything? Albany would probably say no. She loves they way her life is, and she wouldn’t want anything to change that. Plus, she had a really good childhood.
8. What kind of child were they? Curious? Wild? Quiet? Devious? Heh. Need this even be a question? She was the most curious child on the face of the planet–still is, in fact. She got into trouble quite a bit, and relied on Brooklyn to help her out.
9. What was their relationship to their parents and siblings like? Albany was close to her parents when she was little, and told them everything (still does, if she can), but she was always closer to Denver and Brooklyn. She and Brooklyn went everywhere together, since they were twins, not to mention they had their telepathic connection. And as I mentioned before, she adored Denver.
10. What did they want to be when they grew up, and what did they actually become? When Albany was little, she wanted to be a character in a book. Not kidding. Because don’t all bookworms want that at some point? (Don’t tell her, but she got her wish!) There were times when she wanted to be a princess or an elf, and sometimes she decided she wanted to be a spy or a president. Nothing normal, that’s for sure. As of yet, all she’s become is a superhero, so…

I hope you enjoyed getting to learn about Albany’s childhood! She’s an adorable character, and I can’t wait for all of you to read Twinepathy in its full and final form soon!

An Update On Writing And Life (Complete With Memes)

Hello, everyone! I realized that I hadn’t really done a post about writing in a while… so why not.

Lately, school has been horrendous. Especially physics…

Drivers’ ed has been pretty time consuming, too.

And no, I haven’t totaled our car. Or even gotten into an accident. Although I did kind of run over a curb and scrape up the bottom of the car… But never mind that. (Those two memes were made by yours truly, the rest aren’t.) But alas, homeschooling. Contrary to popular belief…

Exactly.

And not all of us sleep in until noon and stay in our pajamas and don’t do any schoolwork.

But besides loads of schoolwork, and co-op…

…there have also been chores…

…and taking care of the dog.

Not my dog. Oh, and music lessons.

Except I play the piano. Then writing.

Sometimes I get distracted by reading, though…

Or coming up with plot twists.

But basically…

That is the hardest part. The funniest part?

So, enough with the memes. For now. My current work in progress has been going pretty slow (hence the next to last meme) but I am currently just over ninety pages, which makes it the longest story I’ve ever written. You may have noticed that I adjusted my word count goal on the sidebar. That’s mostly because it is certainly not going to be 60,000 words. It’s around 25,ooo words right now (amazing for me!) and it’ll probably be around 30,000 words/100 pages when I finish.

I know I said enough with the memes, but this one (made by me from this song) pretty much sums everything up.

Hope you’ve enjoyed this and laughed along the way! 😀

Avengers’ Isle: The Sand In My Hair

Helloooo, readers! I apologize for this being so short and not posting last week, but if I had posted it then, all you would’ve had was the first sentence. 😀 Enjoy! See previous parts here.

Thor might have thought he was on Asgard if not for the sand in his hair. Thor had to admit that he liked his hair, and maybe even took a little pride in how it looked. Just like Volstagg and his beard. Sand in his hair was like food in Volstagg’s beard. Annoying, but inevitable on this island.

He sat up and rubbed his eyes before gazing around. He was surprised to notice that Captain Rogers was nowhere to be seen. Usually he was the first one up, but the captain seemed to have beaten him this morning.

Thor stretched and stood. The fire was nearly out, so he fed it with some wood he and Captain Rogers had gathered the night before. They would need to cook breakfast after the captain came back, hopefully with food. He paused. He hadn’t realized until now, but he hadn’t seen any animals or heard any birds since arriving at the island. Frowning, he switched directions and made his way over to the edge of the water. Some small pools had formed in hollow spaces a little ways down the beach, and he knelt over them. No sign of any fish. No life at all.

A shiver ran down his spine and he gazed up at the sky. Nothing. No birds. No fish. No creatures. No life.

He walked quickly back to the campfire, keeping an eye on it. Where had the captain gone? Now was not the time to disappear. He found himself pacing and forced himself to sit down and think this through. Not thinking was what had landed him powerless on Midgard originally. Good eventually came out of that, but at a price. He must think.

The fire began to dwindle again, so he decided to stay busy by finding some more wood. He headed over to the forest, but froze. A leg covered in familiar blue fabric stuck out of the underbrush.

Thor hurried over and easily uncovered the captain, uprooting a bush in the process. The captain lay on his face, and when Thor turned him over, he found a purplish bruise forming just above his temple.

The captain stirred in his arms and moaned. Thor shook him gently. “Are you all right?” he asked. The other man blinked, looking woozy. Then his eyes widened and he began to attempt to struggle. In his weakened state, it was easy for Thor to keep a grip on him. “What’s wrong?” Thor asked.

The captain gazed around frantically. “B-b… b…” he croaked hoarsely.

Thor’s forehead wrinkled in confusion. “B?” He thought. “Bilchsteim? Bifrost? Bruise?”

The captain slumped, a pained look crossing his face. “Bucky.”

Duh-duh-duhnnn…

A like gets you a trip to Asgard, a comment lets Thor and company be your tour guides.

The Results Of A Contest And A Poem

No, this isn’t about my Super-Duper Fan Fiction Crossover Challenge… although I must point out I still haven’t received any entries… But no, this is about a contest I entered. A poetry contest. The finalists were announced today… and I made it to the finals.

I made it to the finals.

What???

The irony. I wrote the poem for fun, with little editing, and… I don’t even like poetry that much…

Ah, well. Here’s a sonnet I wrote for English a while back. Hope you enjoy!

 

Like The Flowing Sea

The ocean waves flow like the prairie grass.

They softly whisper on the sandy beach,

Then crash onto the rocks with violent speech

As the sand slides back in an hourglass.

Seaweed, clam shells, and sea water drift past,

And the fingers of waves stretch and reach.

The water flows and seems to beseech

The bright bold sun to turn it to glass.

Without the constant ebb and flow of life

We would not be able to learn and grow.

The long, strong struggles test you and me;

We will grow stronger through all the strife.

And by the ocean’s movement we will know

That life is so much like the flowing sea.

 

I Love…

I love writing stories.

God is the best writer of stories.

I love creating characters.

God loved creating you.

I love the characters I create.

God loves you.

I love imagining new worlds and places.

God created this world and all its amazing places.

I love finding how a story ends.

God knows exactly how your story will end.