Worst gift ever? I was engaged to a man who was lovely in many ways, but had the worst taste in jewelry. He bought what he thought was a sweet gift - a locally made silver pendant of my astrological sign. What I got was 2 half-skeletal naked women knelt facing each other, about the size of an American silver dollar. That was the year I proposed to him with a hand-made silver and turquoise ring, that he lost at work less than 2 weeks later. :( (no, we didn't marry....)
Oh, well, points for trying? My husband doesn’t buy me jewelry for this reason...
#30: What is some of the best writing advice you’ve read or received? Why does it work for you?
The best advice I ever got was to write for myself and not worry over what the readers might or might not want. In the end the story is mine to tell - changing it to suit a few vocal wishlisters will only compromise the integrity of the tale and I’ll end up resentful of feeling “forced” to alter it.
Sometimes readers get mad about that...the second best piece of advice I’ve gotten is “let them”.
PROMPT TIME. Loki. Dialogue “No knives for you! Remember what happened last time?” anndddd...... go! :)
Yes! THANK YOU!!! This was a lot of fun!
Game Night
Loki speared a piece of cheese on the end of his knife. “What is the Midgardian game they have chosen for tonight?”
Brunnhilde put down her bottle of beer. “Hey, idiot. No knives for you! Remember what happened last time?”
“No, I do not.” He did. In his defense, the game had been infuriating.
“You threw the game board across the room, then used it as a dart board, Loki.” She was pointing at him accusingly, but it was easy to see she was trying not to laugh.
“I may recall something of the sort, now that you mention it.” The tip of the blade grazed his tongue as he pulled the cheese off it with his teeth. “I was not going to pay Rogers four hundred dollars for rent after I had just freed myself from imprisonment.”
“No one could pay anyone anything after your whirling blade tornado shredded all the money. So come on, give it up.” She held out a hand.
With a dramatic sigh, Loki handed over his knife. “Happy now?”
“And the ones in your boots.”
He pulled the two small daggers out of their hidden sheaths and placed them on the table. Brunnhilde cocked her head with a raised eyebrow. Loki reached behind his ankles to take out two more.
“All the ones in your boots.”
“And how will I defend myself if Stark or Rogers takes offense with me?”
“I'll take offense with you and I am much scarier than they are. Give ‘em up.”
Loki tapped the toe of his boot on the ground in a quick pattern. A pommel snapped out of the heel. He added the flat, flexible blade to the pile.
Brunnhilde circled around him. “Arms.”
He flicked his wrists, two lovely daggers with bright blue grips slipping into his palms. He tossed them onto the table and offered the Valkyrie an innocent smile.
She studied him. “You've got more. I can tell.”
Loki laughed and reached into his tunic. A serrated, ugly blade clanged against the rest.
“Did you get the one at the back of his neck?” Thor asked as he entered the room, holding four huge glass steins, full to the brim. Brunnhilde snagged one immediately.
Scowling at his brother, Loki pulled the kukri out of the back of his collar.
And a dirk from the sheath concealed on his thigh.
And the other thigh.
“There, are you satisfied?” Loki stared at them and they just stared back, expectant.
Grumbling, he took out the long thin rapier-esque blade lining his belt.
“Are we trying to avoid another Ticket to Ride fiasco? Hey, Reindeer Games.” Stark's voice came from the air. “How about the one you're wearing like a murderous tramp stamp?”
Loki huffed. He stuck a hand down the back of his pants and came up with a small triangular dagger.
Bucky had been watching, amused, from his seat on the couch. “Don’t forget the switchblade I gave you.”
“I like these foldable knives,” Loki said as he slid his hand in his pocket. “Brilliant idea, to fold them. And look at this one!” He couldn’t help but flourish his newest butterfly knife with a confident spin before he put it down too.
“Okay, who gave him a butterfly knife,” Tony groused as he finally joined them in the living room. “That just seems like a terrible idea.”
“He’s good with it.” Bucky shrugged.
“I’ll just bet he is.” Tony glared at them both and then at the heap of steel on his coffee table. “Is that all of them?”
“Yes,” said Loki.
There was a collective snort around the room and a few mutters of “Bullshit!”
Steve finished making himself a plate of snacks, adding more chips to a precarious stack. “This isn’t going to be like Pictionary, is it?”
“Yeah, what was your word again?” Bruce shifted his glasses, balancing his plate of vegetables on a knee. “Drawing a stick figure and then stabbing it repeatedly is not how you show ‘mailman.’ And neither is holding a knife at Bucky’s genitals!”
“No one was guessing correctly! You all understood Roger’s drawing immediately.” Loki crossed his arms over his chest with a pout.
“Being able to draw better than a god is my greatest achievement,” Steve drawled.
“Well, don’t worry, Rock of Ages. I think you’ll like tonight’s game better. If you’ll get this stockpile of terrifying weaponry off our game space.” Tony pointed needlessly.
Loki didn’t think that Tony meant for him to just sweep them onto the floor. But that’s what he did.
It made a satisfying clang-clatter-clang.
Shaking his head after the noise died down, Tony laid a black box down on the table. “Cards Against Humanity.”
“I like the ‘against humanity’ part,” Loki said, intrigued. “The box is taped shut, I have got a knife here-” A slim elegant blade appeared in his hand.
1) is there a story you’re holding off on writing for some reason? There was one I wanted to write a few years ago, and sometimes I pull it out and poke at it, but i don't think I'd ever post it. It's a Loki story, kind of a Norway AU, lots of historical details, where the gods interact with their worshippers, with a bit of MCU mixed in. Loki is investigating why the Norse armies are getting their asses kicked and along the way he meets Ellisif and takes her as his servant. He's kind of an asshole sometimes, though, and their relationship isn't always healthy behavior. That's the parts I don't know about posting but I can't find a way around them. I really like the world and the plot, though, but I don't think I can do it justice.
9) what, if anything, do you do for inspiration? I takes it as I can get it. Sometimes it's a photo, or a snippet of a song. My favorite is when I'm playing around with another writer and tossing ideas back and forth, even if that doesn't end up as a story, it's great for getting the gears loosened and the pump primed.*
16) are there any characters who haunt you? Characters? Not really, but stories do sometimes. Ones that complain that I didn’t tell them properly or that I missed parts or rushed through for some reason. Fistful of Loki, The Black Wolf, both of those suffer from cutting scenes I was too afraid to write and endings that are just tacked on.
23) any obscure life experiences that you feel have helped your writing? Um… I don’t think so? If any of my characters ever knits or spins yarn, the descriptions will be spot on and detailed 😂 but other than that...
