Setting Goals

We all can set goals.  I've set more goals than a hunter sets traps.  But just because you've made a goal does not mean that you will automatically make it.  They hang over our heads like Eeyore's cloud, flustering and worrying us.  Eternal shame will be our life if we don't make them.

So how can we save ourselves from this pit of despair we willingly threw ourselves into?

Set Definable Goals

(I can hear everyone groan.)

If your goal is to get outside more, that can be kind of elusive.  At the end of the year, how will you be able to know if you met that goal?  Getting outside can be achieved by going to check the mailbox or opening the front door to let the cat out, right?  Or were you thinking more along the lines of going to a social event every month or going on a couple hikes?  With an elusive goal, at the end of the day, you can think "eh, I walked to the car on my way to work, I'm good."

But changing your goal to something clearly set, like walk up the driveway and back every day is easier to remember, easier to strive towards, easier to actually achieve.  And if you get into the habit of walking up the driveway every evening, you'll find yourself getting into the habit, and then even dragging it out...maybe you'll stop to talk with a neighbor, or pull those few weeds between the cracks of the steps to the porch.  Maybe you'll realize the weather is beautiful, and sit out on the lawn or walk down the road.

If you give yourself a simple, easy goal, it's harder to forget and ignore it.

Set a Lower Paper Goal

Last year, I set a goal to read 50 books.  That's what I told my friends I wanted to meet, it's what I wrote down in my bullet journal.  I was fairly certain I could reach that goal, even if life threw a few curveballs.

This may sound a bit stupid, but just keep reading, okay?

Set a Higher Actual Goal

My paper goal was 50 books.  But actually, I was going to push myself to 70.  That was my real goal.  And when I reached 80 by the end of November, I decided to push myself to 100.

This year, I did NaNoWriMo.  My goal was to write 50K of my new book.  That's what NaNo is about, right??  But actually my goal was to reach 100K.  I knew I could do 50K.  I do 50K all the time.  But I was going to push myself and try something harder.

The actual goal may never get announced to the outside world (okay, maybe just to a close friend or two).  But it's always in the back of your mind, whenever you look at your paper goals.  If you reach your paper goal, you can be excited.  You can cross that one off the list.  But you still push yourself on towards the higher goal.

Little Steps

This kind of goes with setting definable goals.  Publishing my Novel isn't just achieved by one single act.  It's comprised of lots of little tiny things, all scattered and completed throughout the year.  You write the book.  Cross that off.  Edit it.  Cross that off.  Research agents, editors, publishing houses.  Pitch it.  Sign a book deal.  Or maybe you upload to a self-publishing platform.  Do the formatting.  Check the proof copy.  Set the release date.

Instead of making a Publish goal, maybe lay out the steps and see how far you can get.  Make a goal to at least get all the way to pitching your novel, and make that the paper goal.

Relax

If you don't reach your goals for good, honest reasons, you have no reason to be ashamed or to feel bad.  If you lost a close friend or family member, and stopped running for a month, that's okay.  If you needed to save money and couldn't go to the conference or vacation trip, that's okay.  If you were so busy with your own writing that you couldn't read all the books, that's okay.  That is real life, that is putting the most important things first.  You should be proud of yourself for what you did in the time you had.

If you didn't make your goals because you binge-watched a TV series or scrolled through Tumblr instead of reading or writing or running, than you should feel guilty.

Never Give Up

If you got sick and stopped running for two weeks, than perhaps you may not reach your goal of running that marathon.  But you can always get back into running and be happy with running a half-marathon instead.  Or just run a different marathon next month.

Get as close to reaching your goal as you possibly can.  Don't just throw in the towel when it looks like you might not make it.  You never know - you may actually reach it in the end if you just keep pushing towards it!

Learn

Setting and reaching goals is good for us.  We need to learn self-control, perseverance, hard work.  Yes, the world will not end if we don't reach our goal of reading 30 books.  But if we learn to say no to YouTube temptations, we will be all the better for it.

In the Real World, sometimes there are deadlines that must be met.  Taxes have to be filed on time.  Work quotas have to be reached by the expected date.  Our jobs, our paychecks, our well-being, may depend on this.  And if you've learned how to turn off your phone, throw your shoulders back, and get stuff done, you are already ahead of the game.

Shared WIP Tag - Writing Goals

Hello everyone and welcome to the official announcement for the first 2019 round of the Shared WIP Tag!!!

This time around, we're going to be focusing the tag on writing goals - for the year, for all time, or just for Camp NaNo!!  Knowing the nature of the tag, it might also depend on what path everyone takes the questions in the end.

We'll begin drafting questions in March, and put the posts up in April, so anyone taking part in Camp NaNo won't have to worry about their blog during that time and can focus on Camp.

If you're new to the Shared WIP Tag, check out the page on my blog.  Basically, though, all the participants work together in a shared Google Doc to decide what questions will be asked.  Once that's all decided, everyone goes off to draft their answers, and then post their answers on the same day (as much as possible, due to life and time zones).

To join in, shoot me a message via the "Contact Me" button on the side of my blog.  If you already have my email, then just email me.  :)

(Also, can we agree that Shared WIP Tag seems to be the official title now?)

2019 Winter Games

As most of y'all are aware, I'm a runner (at least, I'm a person who runs).  And in my running circles, there's this guy nicknamed The Rabid Squirrel.  He puts on a bunch of crazy races throughout the year, and in order to run, you have to fail a sanity exam.  Yup.  The first time you ever run one of his races, you are given a nickname, which is then your forever running name for his events.  (If anyone is interested, my nickname is Tolkien Ghost Bees.)

 

And, once a year, he puts on The Winter Games.  Basically a crazy version of the Winter Olympics.  And this year, my brother and I participated.  My brother was on Team Norway, and I was on Team Palau (yes, that's a real place, look it up, lol).

Norway was hosting the games this year.

 

Basically, how this works, is all the events are split into three places - The Olympic Village, The Slopes, and The Track.  The teams (countries) are split into rotations, so there are always three teams at each place.  At noon we take a break for lunch and play Yukigassen, and then continue the rotations.  After everyone is done, the Hockey Championships are played.  Then comes the figure dancing, and then awards are given.  Sounds confusing, right?  YUP.

The Opening Ceremony

The torch is handed back and forth to a representative from each country, and they bring in their flag bearer.  Once all the flags are in, the games are open!

 

Norway lights the torch.
(Kids and fire and flags and wind...nothing could go wrong here!)

Canada representatives coming in.

Palau flag bearer.

Norway presents The Rabid Squirrel himself with a gift for putting on the games.

 

The Slopes

Alpine Running

Basically run downhill as fast as you can and weave between the flags.  Simple, right?  Yeah, try zipping around those at top speed on a steep hill with lots of roots.  But it was fun.

Lots of zigging and sagging and tripping.

Even kids got to compete for their teams (countries).

 

Bobsled and Luger

Sleds with wheels going downhill.  Oh, and you can't steer them.  And they like to go backwards or shoot off the road.  Also, don't fall off because that hurts.  And getting your thumb rolled over hurts to.  Oh - and don't get hit by a car.

Basically you start at the top of the hill, the timer shouts GO, and you push off and continue to push to get the sled to go as fast as you can.  Once you cross the line, the timer stops, and that time is recorded.  Now you can no longer push and must coast to a stop, trying to get as far as you can.  One the sled stops, stretch your hand (or foot, if you ended up backwards) as far as you can.  That's where your length is recorded.

Palau Captain...no steering available.

Greenland trying to achieve speed.

Watch out for the neighbors!

 

Snowballs

So there are no pictures to be found anywhere, since apparently everyone was 100% confused.  So read the instructions for yourself.
 

The Track

Ski Jump

Fairly self explanatory.  Get a running start, run up the ramp, and try to jump as far as you can.  Wherever your heel lands, that's where the length is recorded.  Just don't face or knee plant after impact.



It's harder than it looks...

My brother showing me how he jumped to win the gold medal.

 

Iditarod

Pulling a sled with weights a certain difference, being timed as to how long it takes you.  Women pull 100 lbs, men 140, young children either an empty sled or else a weight or two.  Basically trying to make everything even.

 

Ice Chucking

Stand at line, chuck ice as far as you can.  Don't hit the cars lining the road.

 

Plunder

A game of teamwork.  There are six objectives, and you must choose a teammate to do each objective.  The timer starts and everyone runs out into the woods.  They complete the objective, and run back.  Once everyone is finished and back at the start, the timer ends.

The Objectives

I was given the task of Pillaging...

Don't be fooled...this fishy weights about 50 lbs!

Plunder Map

 

Olympic Village

Nice Hockey

 

Basically, a hockey game, played against the other two teams with you on your rotation.  The winners of the three rotations compete in the finals for gold, silver, and bronze.  Two people from a team play at a time, switching how however they like.  Try to score as many goals as you can in 10 minutes.

Norway vs. Great Britian

Palau vs. Peru

 

 

Hockey Sticks

 

Place three pucks on the four X's in the four corners of the rink.  Try to shoot as many into the goal as you can.  (No pictures...nice hockey was far more exciting!)

 

Curling

 

Play against a member of the opposing team.  Slide or push the "stones" onto the circles and knock out your opponent.

For some reason I could never find someone to play against??  So I never actually got to do it...

 

 

Hot Chocolate

 

Basically throwing marshmallows into a cup from different distances.  (And for some reason no one got any pictures of this as well???)  The further the distance the higher the points per one you get in.

 

Big Marshmallows

 

Same as above, only using HUGE marshmallow pillows and throwing them off the porch into a box down below.

 

YUKIGASSEN

 

Essentially Capture the Flag crossed with Dodgeball.  A game is 4 minutes long, with four teams playing at a time.  They place their country flag in a spot and try to keep other teams from stealing it.  If you get hit with a ball, you're out.  If you manage to capture an opposing flag, you must run with it to the middle of the course and get it to the tree with the Russian flag on it (the winning team from last year).  After every team has played 4 rounds, the four teams with the most points compete in the championship.

 

 

Finals

 

Once all the teams have done their rotations, everyone heads back to the Olypmic Village for the Hockey Championship.  Greenland won, followed by Norway, and Palau came in bronze.

 

Then the Ice Dancing and Bad Figure Dancing was held.

 

 

All in all, everyone had a really good time.  Only had to call 911 ONCE - when someone let one of the dogs out.  He took off, running through a crowd of people and tripping Susan.  She fell and dislocated her knee.  But otherwise was unhurt.

A car did get hit with a chunk of ice while Great Britian was ice chucking.  There were also some mixups about timing and how exactly a few things were to be completed.  But all in all, everyone had a great time.

 

Forging the Fellowship

Julia over at Lit Aflame created this tag, which sounds kinda neat!  (Okay, I lied...I actually stressed over these questions and stared at my bookshelf and flipped open books and panicked and then just grabbed some random characters and said this is my fellowship and we're all going to die.)(So thanks Julia, thanks a lot for that.)

 

The Rules

 

Include the tag banner in your post

Link back to the creator of the tag

Thank and link back to the person who tagged you

Forge your Fellowship Out of book characters by answering the given questions!

Tag three bloggers to pass the ring to.

The Questions

[The Ring Bearer]: If you could choose, which of the four races would you be: Elf, Dwarf, Human, or Hobbit?

Umm...honestly, I'd love to live in Rohan. (so um...human??)  All those horses (and more horses)!!!  Edoras has always been a favorite place in the books and movies.  So maybe I'd be a gal from Rohan who travels a lot, maybe has friends among the rangers and visits Rivendell?  :)

[Gandalf the Grey]: A wise/powerful elder/mentor character.

Prof. Hamilton!  Like...who doesn't want him as a mentor??

[Aragorn]: A character with good survival skills.

Leith, hands down.  Have you seen some of the stunts he pulls??  Like riding into the dessert alone...yeah, this guy is a survivor.  (Plus I just want him in my little Fellowship, okay??)

[Boromir]: A character who makes mistakes, but has a good heart.

Parvin, from the Out of Time Trilogy.  Yeah, she makes mistakes, but she's trying.  She may not always have the right idea, but we all know she's got a good heart.

[Gimli]: A stubborn character.

Enna.  Love her, but she's feisty and thick-headed and opinionated and good ol' Finn just puts up with her and they're adorable.

[Legolas]: A character who is talented.

Ahhhhh does wrestling gators, failing at Feechiesings, and causing panic at a play count???  Then I'm going with Dobro Turtlebane, the best part of the entire Wilderking Trilogy.

[Peregrin Took]: A character who at first seems useless, but ends up surprising you.

The first character that came to mind is actually from Sarah Rodecker's story The Herbalist's War, but I don't want to drop any spoilers and get into trouble...

[Meriadoc Brandybuck]: A character who is small/not very strong, but has great courage.

Brandi, from The Blades of Acktar.  She may be just a little girl, but she's brave and courageous (and maybe a tad bit reckless). 

[Samwise Gamgee]: A character who is extremely loyal and doesn’t give up.

Um, the first character that jumped to mind was Cullen from The Silver Branch.  He's a little fellow, but very loyal.  Maybe a tiny bit foolish.  But still fiercely brave.

 

I tag...

 

Someone who knows at least two of these characters...

Someone who might consider wrestling a gator...if it's a baby one

Someone who would gladly live at Rohan

January Wrap-Up

So far, 2019 is wet.  Very wet.  And kinda cold.  I've had a few people tell me that this is the most rain we've ever received in our neck of NC in a looooooong time.  (And we got snow, too.  So yay for that, I guess.)

I spent most of January chilling (relaxing...and freezing).  I read a bunch of books.  I wrote a few little short stories.  Worked with the horses around the house (since all the trails are closed because of the rain).

Also went on a tiny trip to Gatlinburg, TN with my family.  That was nice.  We didn't ski, since Sister 1 is having back problems and wouldn't have been able to hit the slopes with us.  So we went ice skating and did other things.

I did do a lot of ice skating this month.  There's a local rink we go to on Fridays, and we also went skating while in Gatlinburg.  (Also had to go for the Winter Games...I'm on Team Palau and my brother is on Norway.  The official Games are in February, but the ice skating section was earlier, to work with everyone's schedules.)  Sister 2 is able to cruise around by herself without even going near the rail, and Sister 3 will let go of the rail for a few steps at a time.  Meanwhile Sister 1, Brother, and myself are all sailing around, attempting spins and fun stuff like that.  :)

And also went to a hockey game with family and friends.  That was pretty fun.  (And went ice skating before it, lol)

In case you haven't noticed, I've also been updating the look of my blog.  Honestly, I felt like it was a little too dark?  And I just wanted something a little brighter and more cheery.  Also, purple is my favorite color.

Favorite Read of January

Defy, by Tricia Mingerink.  Definitely.  I cried again while reading it.  But it's just sooooo good.  But since it's a re-read, does that count?

If so, my favorite new read of January might just have to be the first part of History of the Reformation Volume I, by Jean-Henri Merle d'Aubigné.  I actually didn't expect to like it so much.  I was planning to only read a chapter a day, sort of on the side.  And the author started with a "pardon me for talking about Geneva so much, and about what happens before Calvin came to it" and I was like oh boy, this is gonna be boring...

Well, let me tell you...it wasn't.  And not only was it really interesting, now I'm looking into writing a historical fiction (maybe historical fantasy, since that's getting popular?) about Geneva and the fight for freedom there.  Cause yeah...it was pretty cool.  Political intrigue, torture, fights, heroes...and I'm reading a lot more a day than I thought I would.

(Or does that one not count either, since I haven't actually finished the entire thing?  I'm now on the second part in the book??)

Favorite Movie of January

At least I have a solid answer for this one!  Hands down, Black Lightning.  Though technically we started watching it in 2018 (so maybe not a solid answer).  It's one of the movies we watched while staying up waiting for the new year to roll around.  It's in Russian, but I believe you can also get a version with English subtitles from Amazon?  But it's such a super cute movie with some very good lessons.  It's kind of a superhero movie?  But really, it's amazing.

 

Daily Bible Reading Plan

 

Going strong!  Haven't gotten behind, and thankfully have gotten somewhat of a schedule down.

 

The Inevitable Photo Dump

Ice storm.

Tree down on the fence after the ice storm.

Working all 3 at once-ride Pepper and lead Spirit and Bree.

Taking the tram in Gatlinburg up to the mountain.

Winter Games - representing Team Palau.

"Story Research"

 

 

How was your January?  It's been pretty cold here in the South, but not as bad as the Midwest, so I hear...so for all my friends who have the negative temperatures, I'm so, so sorry.

Comments I Could Do Without

This idea for this post came to me during NaNo, and I very much enjoyed creating this post.  Hopefully y'all enjoy it as well!

"What's your book about?"
I'm sorry, my brain just died.

"Can I speak to the manager?"

I am the manager, fear me.

"Why is your car named The Falcon?"
I take it you've never seen Star Wars...

"How come your horses are so dirty?"

Because they roll in the mud and sleep a lot.  Lazy beasts.

"Is the electric fence on?"
Touch it and find out, because I'm not going to.

"Why is the check engine light on?"

Rule One: The Falcon lies.

"Is your car supposed to make that sound?"
Technically no, but the Falcon is very much the little TrailBlazer that cried wolf, hence Rule One.

"Do you want to go for a run tonight?"

Haha, do I look like I want to?

"How many miles are you planning to run tonight?"
I'm going to see how far I can get before I die - to the end of the parking lot and back to the car, basically.

"Are you really gonna wear that?"

No, I just showed up wearing this outfit to surprise you.  I'm heading back to change now...

"You signed up for a race.  Are you going to train?"
Um, nope.

"How are you running this race?  You haven't even been training?"

I run off adrenaline, sugar, and regret.

"Are you published yet?"
While you're at it, why don't you give me a nice paper cut and pour lemon juice on it?

"Why do you carry a gun?  What are you sacred of?"

Nothing.

"Can I gallop your horse?"
Spoken by someone who's never been on the back of a horse until I offered to lead them around on one of mine.

"Have you finished your book?"

"This is just a ravine!  Do you really go sledding here?"
Spoken by someone prior to spending six weeks in a full body cast.

"Why so many knives?"

 

"Did you forget your saddle or are you really planning to do this long and fast ride bareback?"
Um, looks like I am now.

"Did you remember to grab your lunch when you left home?"

There was lunch??

"Did you remember to grab your car keys before you locked the door?"
Ha, yes I did, they're in my...oh, no, they're not.

"Did you remember to grab your shoes before you left the house?"

Shoes are overrated.  Socks only is the new norm.

"What else did you forget?"

"Really?"

 

"Can you stop playing that same song over and over?"

Look, I gotta learn it somehow, and playing it until I can seems to work best.  From now on, I'll try just learning a new song in one go.

 

"You know Tolkien wrote another book after The Lord of the Rings?  The Sil...the Silma-something-or-other?"

*whips The Silmarillion out of my purse*  You mean this one?

 

"Do you ride English or Western?"

Um, neither...

 

"So what do you do with your horses?"

Feed them, mostly.

 

"Is this post over yet?"

Yes, it is.  You may continue on with your day now.

Voted Most Likely Tag, Part 2

Welcome to the second part of the Voted Most Likely Tag!  (Hope you enjoyed the first one...)

Rules

• Thank the blogger who tagged you
• Include this link: http://phoebeamorryce.wordpress.com/2018/10/15/voted-most-likely
• Use your own lovely Original Characters (OC’s); don’t use a friend’s characters or characters from your favorite fandom. They can be from any project, so long as you created them. For more fun, try to use as many different characters as possible.
• Tag at least five lovely bloggers to play along!

For something a little different, I'm referenced three of the quirkiest characters from three different book series.  They are:

Betrayal and Bravery

Tach the Minstrel, Ondore Windborne, Wisdom Ravencroft

Rauladin

Fitz, Berend nae Richimae, Ravenna Castrandottir

 Heritage of Kings

Cadren Finn Fëvere, Cade Tannerin Fëvere, Josharin "Joshi" Coderim Fëvere

(Please note that all these scenes are merely written for fun and are not in the books, lol.)

Most Likely to Cheat on a Test

"I wasn't cheating," Ravenna pushed her lips into a pout.  "It's not cheating if I figure it out on my own."

"But you didn't use the correct methods," her father pointed out, gesturing at the sheet of paper.  "I need to know you can actually do the math on your own.  Not figure out the answer by guessing my train of thoughts!"

"Your thoughts are harder to figure out than math.  You should be proud."

"And I am.  Couldn't be prouder.  But it's also my duty to teach you math, little daughter.  And this time, I want to see you prove your work."  Castran handed Ravenna a blank sheet of paper.  "Answer every question on this.  Then we'll see about going for a griffin ride before dark."

Ravenna grinned.  "I'll see what I can do."

Most Likely to Say “Oops” After Setting Something on Fire

"Oops," Joshi muttered under his breath.  The flames grew higher, feasting on the pile of straw.  He narrowed his eyes, risking a quick glance at his eldest brother.  Finn stared at the flames, the corners of his mouth twitching.

"In my defense," Joshi started, but his other brother, Cade, slapped a hand over his mouth.

Finn spun on both of them, frantically gesturing with his hands as he tried to figure out what exactly to say.  Thankfully, Baldor didn't have to wait for the words to come.  "Are you out of your mind?" the old Dreman bellowed, his eyes practically blazing red.  "Who had the stupid idea to build a catapult??  Inside?!"

Joshi contemplated disappearing on the spot, but Cade had a good grip on his arm.  I got this, his glance seemed to say (at least, that's what Joshi hoped he was saying).

"And if building a catapult wasn't bad enough, you thought using a firebomb would be a perfect test shot?"

"Oops," Cade said.

Baldor was just getting warmed up.  Joshi wondered if they should have gone with Plan B - use Joshi himself as the test shot.

Most Likely to Open an Orphanage

She couldn't say no.  She just couldn't.  But as she led the little girl towards the West Band barracks, Wisdom's heart sank.  What would her Captain say to bringing an orphan into the barracks?  What would the other warriors say?  She looked at the little girl, barely five years old, and stirred up every bit of determination she had.  "Don't worry, it'll be okay."

Duren Blackburn stood in front of one of the sparring arenas, his sword tip stuck in the dirt, his hands resting on the hilt.  He barely blinked as Wisdom stopped in front of him and saluted.  "Captain?"

He turned, looking the little girl up and down, then raising an eyebrow in Wisdom's direction.

"She's an orphan," Wisdom started, sliding a protective hand around the girl's shoulders.  "Can we keep her at the barracks until I find a home for her?  I'll share my food with her, and she won't cause any trouble.  You won't even know she's here."

Duren shrugged, and she suspected that he might have smiled - if he was a smiling kind of person.  But that was the best she could get.  "Thank you, Captain!"

The little girl didn't cause any trouble, and Wisdom soon found a family willing to take her in.  But word must have gotten around...three days later two brothers and their little sister appeared at the front door of the West Band barracks, their clothes tattered and dirty, and hopeful looks on the sharp little faces.  "Our parents are dead," they explained.  "We don't have anywhere else to go."

Duren, sprawled across the floor of the dining hall, re-stringing his fiddle, only shrugged.

Wisdom found the siblings a new home as quickly as she could, over-thanking each and every fellow warrior for every little contribution - extra blankets, extra food.

Then a teenager came, his head thrown back in pride.  "I don't need any help," he announced, as Wisdom put down her broom and stepped outside the barracks to greet him.  "I've got a job."

"I'm glad for you."

"But my brothers and sisters don't have a home.  I don't have enough money yet, but I'm saving up, I really am!"

Wisdom, of course, believed him.  "We can keep them here."

She should have asked how many siblings he had, but she didn't think about it in time.

The two sisters were given the spare bunk in the woman's room, and Duren let the three boys sleep in his bed.  By the time their brother had saved up enough money for a place they could call their own, all the siblings could throw knives as good as any warrior.

Most Likely to Run off to the Circus

She took one look at the brightly-colored tent and knew she had at last found a place she could stay forever.  The music tugged at her soul, beckoning her closer; the laughter pulled a smile from her lips; everything about the circus brought merriment to her heart.  She never even heard what her brother said - she just took off running, dodging around people, nearly tripping over a tent peg, following the music until she found herself at the first ring.  A man dressed in bright colors bellowed something but she didn't listen to the words.  Her eyes followed the three dogs, walking on their hind legs around the ring.

"Ondore!  Come on!  We need to talk our seats!" Red was at her side now, pulling her away.  Her feet tripped on something, and her brother dragged her to the benches.  Caven was already seated and waiting, a bowl of food balanced in his lap, his sword propped up against his knee.

"I never want to leave this place!" Ondore declared, grabbing a handful of Caven's treat before he could stop her.  "I want to join the circus!"

Red laughed, perhaps shrugging off his sister's enthusiasm, but Caven narrowed his eyes.  Finally, he said, "I think you could make it.  You're odd enough."

"Is that a complement?"

"No," Red said, too quickly.  "Don't encourage her, Caven."

The man merely raised an eyebrow.  Ondore laughed aloud, clapping as the first entertainers stepped foot into the arena.  "I love it here!"

Most Likely to Survive a Zombie Apocalypse

"Berend, we need your assistance!" Raul's voice echoed through the forest.  "Hurry!"

Berend dropped the firewood and ran towards the direction of Raul's voice - towards the goat barns, as far as he could tell.  His knee twinged, refusing to bend, but he set his jaw and just pushed his good leg faster.  Raul wasn't one to cry out for help.

He broke into the little clearing to see Raul dragging the goats into the house, ignoring their screams.  Normally they would be excited about going inside, but now that it wasn't their idea, they didn't want to do it.

Sarador stood at the edge of the clearing, pacing along the broadest tree branch that served as the road towards the village, his sword drawn.  "They're coming this way, hurry!"

Berend slowed, then ran to Sarador's side.  Thankfully the gypsy didn't wait for him to figure out how to word his question.  "Undead ones are walking this way.  I've never seen anything like it."

That was the danger?  Undead?  Berend shook his head.  Perhaps he hadn't understood Sarador correctly.  He had only been speaking the Gypsy tongue for a few weeks now.

The first of the horrible creatures crashed into view, slipping and nearly falling off the branch, down to the murky water far, far below them.  Berend took one look at the pale flesh, the blank eyes, and decided he'd understood Sarador correctly.

"I can...I can fight them," he wasn't sure what word to use, but drawing his sword probably proved his point.  "Get Raul...get the door...house door."  He sprinted towards the undead, sword in hand.

Whatever these things were, they wouldn't get past him.

Most Likely to Fake Their Own Death

Jerrick hesitated for a good three minutes before knocking on his wife's door.  How was he ever going to explain this to Hilkiah?  She was a strong woman, but what would the sudden death of her brother do to her?

He knocked again, then pushed the door open.  "Honey?  It's me."

The Princess sat on the edge of her bed, a leg tucked underneath her.  Across from her sat a shaggy-haired man - the spitting image of the man Jerick had just seen lying dead on the road in front of the castle gate.

"Fitz!" Jerrick nearly fell over backwards.  "What are you doing here?"

Fitz only grinned - that old smile Jerrick had grown to hate.

"Something wrong?" Hilkiah raised an eyebrow.

"It was my idea," Fitz started, attempting to explain.  "But Berend helped.  Ravenna did the finishing touches."

Of course.  The most annoying Gypsy in existence and the stone-faced Kinsmen were perfect partners in crime to a man who liked to play every prank imaginable on his brother-in-law.  Not only did they give Fitz suggestions, but now they were helping him with his tricks!

"I was getting excited," Jerrick sniffed, trying to regain his composure.

Fitz grinned.  "Sorry to disappoint you."

Most Likely to Die and Haunt Friends

Raul threw up his hands, turning away from the floating blue person.  "Berend!"

The bodyguard appeared at the doorway in an instant, sword in hand.  He merely raised an eyebrow at seeing Ravenna's ghost, and looked to Raul for an explanation.

"I don't know why she's decided to come here," Raul gestured at the Gypsy, "but she's getting quite annoying, and I need you to ask her to leave."

"Oh, sure," Ravenna snorted, trying to seat herself on the edge of the desk and kicking it when her ghostly bare feet.  "Like I'm scared of Berend.  I'm already dead.  He can't kill me."

Berend took a step forward, accepting the challenge, and Ravenna pranced a safe distance away, jumping onto the bench by the fireplace.  "Let's not test my theory, shall we?  Now, Raul, as I was saying, I really think you aught to..."

Raul ran for the door, slamming it behind him.  Berend turned to Ravenna, his brow wrinkled.  "What happened to you?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Ravenna stuck her tongue out at him.  "While I've got you here, let me ask you a question..."

Berend turned and fled.

In turn, I tag...

Sarah

Gray

Christine

Nicole

Julia