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Accommodation/tea house in Manaslu circuit trek

Manaslu is the eighth highest mountain in the world as it lies in the northern Nepal, 65 km east of Annapurna. Only 8000 tourist visit the manaslu region in a year. It is still one of the unexplored region being one of the most beautiful, popular, dangerous trek in Nepal. Now a days the tourism in manaslu area is rising because of the overcrowded route of Everest and Annapurna circuit trek.

We have organized many manaslu circuit trek previously so one of the major question the travelers asks is about the accommodation teahouses and food in the route.

In this blog we want to give you the basic design of the community food culture and facilities in manaslu circuit trek.

Teahouses of manaslu circuit trek

When you're trekking in the Manaslu Circuit, the teahouses and lodges change as you go higher. Down in places like Soti-Khola and Maccha-Khola, they're more modern, with Wi-Fi, phone networks, and places to charge your devices, hot showers. They also offer a variety of food at reasonable prices.

But as you climb higher, things get more basic. The lodges become small wooden houses with simple rooms. There might still be Wi-Fi, but you'll likely have to pay for it. And because there's no electricity up there, everything runs on solar power. That means if the weather's bad, you might not have power for days.

That's why it's really important to bring along a power bank and any other gear you need when you're trekking in the Himalayas, like on the Manaslu Circuit.DestinationNumber of GuesthousesMaccha Khola6 Jagat10Deng5Namrung5Shyala15Samagaun20Samdo7Dharamsala15Dharapani20

Rooms and dining in Manaslu circuit trek

If you want a luxury trek in Manaslu with hot showers and room with attach bathroom then you need to book very fast because in average we can find on 3-4 rooms with attach bathroom. Bathroom in Manaslu circuit is available is sharing basis. The rooms will be neat and clean with 2 beds and small table. A blanket and a pillow is served for each people, in peak season you cannot get extra blanket. There is a central dining hall with a heating system which helps to keep everyone in the room warm and safe. Trekkers only use the room during the sleep, trekkers spend most of the time in the dining halls where they can fill warm and safe and enjoy communication with the locals or other group of trekkers.DestinationPopular GuesthousesServicesMaccha Khola

Tsum Valley Guest House

Larkey Guest House

Everest Guest House

Hilltop Guest House

- Hot shower (free with Himalayan Masters)

- Single, double, and triple rooms

- Wi-Fi (extra charge)

- Toilet and bathroom attached to rooms

- Heating facility in shared living room

- Cozy rooms with blankets and soft mattressesJagat

Jagat Guest House

Himalayan Tourist Guest House

Manaslu Santi Guest House

Rubii Nala Guest House

- Hot shower (extra charge)

- Few rooms with attached toilet

- Wi-Fi (extra charge)

- Heating services

- Online booking not availableDeng

Windy Valley Guest House

Sangrila Cottage

New Manaslu Guest House.

- Hot shower and Wi-Fi (extra charge)

- Single rooms with attached toilet

- Heating only available in common roomNamrung

Namrung Thakali Guest House

Namrung Guest House

Nubri Four Season Resort

- Hot shower and Wi-Fi (extra charge)

- Charging in common dining room - Electricity and heating services availableLo

Majestic Manaslu, Tashi Dalek Guest House

Namaste Guest House,

Lama Guest House

- Similar services as previous destinations

- Higher chance of attached toilet and single roomsDharamsala

Jambala guest house

Larkey guest house

- Lesser chance of Wi-Fi facilities, hot showers, charging and hot water services. If available need to pay charge.

- Not enough tea houses, in peak seasons only early booking available.

- No facility of single room.

Types of Food in Manaslu circuit trek

The Manaslu Circuit Trail, once a camping trekking route, now offers a delightful culinary adventure amidst its stunning landscapes. In the past, adventurers carried their own food from the capital with the help of porters. But now, trekkers can enjoy a variety of cuisines at famous stop points like Machha Khola, Jagat, Deng, and Namrung.

These low-altitude stopovers boast wonderful restaurants with professional chefs. Here, travelers can relish Nepalese, Tibetan, Indian, and Continental cuisines. From hearty dal bhat to tasty Tibetan bread with honey, the options are aplenty.

As the trek ascends to higher altitudes, culinary options may become limited, but the hospitality remains warm. Places like Lho Gaun, Samagaun, Samdo, and Dharmashala might not have fancy restaurants, but locals serve delicious local dishes. Think steaming bowls of thukpa, fragrant curries with rice, and other flavorful delights.

While trekking in the Manaslu Circuit presents challenges, the culinary journey is an unforgettable part of the experience. So, pack your appetite along with your gear, and get ready to savor the diverse flavors of the Himalayas on this epic adventure.Meal TypeFood OptionsBreakfast

Tibetan bread with honey, jam, or peanut butter

Breakfast set with Chapati sandwich or toast, boiled egg/omelette, hash brown potato, and a hot drink

Porridge, muesli, or cornflakes with fruits or milk

Indian paratha with potato or egg

Various types of pancakes with honey or peanut butter

Eggs (boiled, fried, vegetable, poached, garlic omelet)

Lunch/Dinner

Thukpa & Thenduk (vegetable/non-veg noodle soup)

Curry and rice with different curries

Pasta with tomato sauce, vegetables, or egg

Spring rolls (vegetable, tuna, egg, cheese)

Pizza with various toppings

Macaroni (veg/non-veg/egg)

Spaghetti (plain/veg/tuna)

Chowmein and MoMo (various kinds)

Noodles of all kinds

Potato dishes (finger chips, mashed potato, fried potato, chips chilly)

Snacks (popcorn, pakora, pork fried, pork chilly, mushroom chilly, etc.)

Indian Papad (various kinds)

Other Food Items

Hot drinks (black/milk/Tibetan tea, ginger with honey, hot chocolate, hot lemon, mint tea, ginger tea, black coffee)

Desserts (rice/chocolate/custard pudding, apple/pumpkin pie, apple fritter)

Salads (green/potato/Russian/fruit/Nepali)

Soft drinks (canned juice, Red Bull, Coke, Fanta, Sprite)

Alcoholic drinks (beer, international brand drinks, local raksi, vodka, whiskey, rum)

Drinking water in Manaslu circuit trek

During the Manaslu Circuit Trek, staying hydrated is crucial, especially at higher altitudes where the risk of altitude sickness is higher. Drinking around 3 liters of water daily helps maintain hydration levels and supports overall well-being. Lukewarm water is recommended over cold water, as it's easier for the body to absorb.

While trekking, water sources are limited, but you can purchase bottled water at tea houses along the route. However, relying solely on bottled water can be costly, with each bottle typically priced at over $1. For trekkers on a budget or those seeking to reduce plastic waste, carrying a reusable water bottle is a more sustainable option. Refilling your bottle from available water sources along the trail, such as streams or taps, can save money and reduce environmental impact.

Ensuring access to safe drinking water is essential for a successful trek. Trekkers should also consider water purification methods, such as using water purification tablets or filters, to safeguard against waterborne illnesses. By prioritizing hydration and adopting sustainable practices, trekkers can enjoy a safe and environmentally responsible journey through the breathtaking landscapes of the Manaslu Circuit.

Conclusion

While the trek presents challenges, including limited facilities and changing landscapes, preparation is key. Pre-booking accommodations, staying hydrated with safe drinking water, and packing essential gear like power banks are essential for a successful journey.

Ultimately, the Manaslu Circuit Trek promises an unforgettable adventure, where every step unveils new wonders and every meal brings a taste of the Himalayan culture. So, lace up your boots, pack your appetite, and embark on a journey of discovery in the heart of Nepal's majestic mountains

FAQ

Is it necessary to pre-book accommodation?

Yes, it's a good idea to book your place to stay before your trek, especially during busy times like spring and autumn. It can get crowded, and some places might fill up quickly, especially at higher elevations.

How much does accommodation cost along the Manaslu Circuit trek?

The price varies depending on where you stay and the time of year. At lower altitudes, it's usually around $3 to $5 per night. As you go higher, it can be between $7 to $10. In the off-season, prices might be lower.

Are sleeping bags and blankets provided?

Tea houses usually give you a mattress, pillow, and blanket, but they don't provide sleeping bags. It can get pretty cold, so it's a good idea to bring your sleeping bag for extra warmth.

Can I charge my electronic devices?

Yes, many tea houses have charging options. Some rooms have charging ports, but not all. If not, you can charge your devices in common areas like the dining room. Just be careful not to lose your things, and some places might charge a small fee for charging.

Can people in the Manaslu hotels speak English?

Yes, some staff at Manaslu hotels can speak English, but not everyone may be fluent. The staff are very friendly and helpful, and they'll assist you with whatever you need. Additionally, because Manaslu is a restricted region, you'll always have a licensed guide with you who can help with communication.

#manaslu circuit trek #accommodation in manaslu circuit trek

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dansiere · 4 years

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LITTLE CHARACTER THINGS

Just a fun little character game. Fill in the below categories with 3-5 things that your character can be identified by. Repost & tag away !

TAGGED BY: @reantte & @chaoswilled, who both like to see me suffer. TAGGING: it’s a wonderful meme thus I encourage you all to go ahead & steal it [just tag me when you do]; @handspoken / @balletshoes, @huntershowl, @kissafist, @spiraledheart, @mettatoniic, @inhumanistic, @breselin & @carvedbones get a tag nonetheless.

EMOTIONS / FEELINGS:

001. Nostalgic; struck by an all-consuming kind of grief.

002. Passionate, severely dedicated.

003. Compassionate; loving & caring fiercely.

004. Insecure; self-depreciation is her greatest vice.

005. Courageous, recklessly so.

GREETINGS:

001. a small wave, brisk & efficient.

002. a handshake, maybe; usually of the awkward kind.

003. a petite nod, occasionally; whenever she is busy or otherwise occupied.

004. greeting someone by saying their name or an enthusiastic “hello / good-morning / good day” etc.

COLOURS:

001. pastel pink, any shade of pink & even red really, but its pastel version holds the greatest value.

002. peach; perhaps even shades of orange.

003. (pastel) blue; several shades thereof. Turquoise & a tint of green.

004. ivory; see her skin, the base colour of sheer fabric.

005. grey & variations thereof.

SCENTS:

001. freshly washed laundry.

002. the ocean; the scent of the sea.

003. lush forests; a Spring breeze, bit of an earthly hue.

004. flowers; anything rose-y, really.

005. polished steel.

CLOTHING:

001. as a servant / Homeworld: typical leotard & sheer skirt + ballet slippers kept in white, black & shades of grey (while serving White Diamond), later frilly, multi-coloured dress with sheer fabric wrapped around her hip & a pink underskirt, ballet slippers & juvenile, “rosebud” shaped hair (while serving Pink Diamond).

002. during the rebellion / War for Earth: major change in attire; tight grey sheer top + blue vest underneath combo, peach coloured shorts & orange-tinted boots; sleeveless. Wild, unkempt hair resembling her earlier “rosebud” cut but far more dishevelled; sabre in hand.

003. post-war: hair a tad more ‘tame’, same tight shirt & shorts combo but a shift in colour with sheer sleeves + overthrow worn across the shoulders. Legwarmers paired with ballet slippers, heart-shaped cleavage.

004. post Rose’s death: same shirt with slight variations; star on her chest, sleeves again gone. Colour shifted to bright turquoise with sheer skirt & pastel coloured shorts worn underneath (reaching down to her knees), low cut socks + ballet slippers, very, VERY neatly kept hair with not a single strand out of place. Later, she dons a swift alteration thereof; the star on her chest is more strikingly depicted, sheer skirt replaced by a ribbon / bow tied around her hip; yellow shorts instead of pink. Hair a tad more unkempt.

005. post “CYM” / Future: wears a denim-esque jacket with a star on her back. Long, high cut trousers revealing her shins in addition to pink ballet slippers. Wears a turquoise, shoulderless top underneath the jacket with a heart-shaped cleavage. Hair resembles her war-haircut; more dishevelled, rebellious.

OBJECTS:

001. various swords & sabres neatly cared for & stored either in her gemstone or room. She has amassed quite the collection of ancient & legendary weapons over the centuries, ranging from simple marine sabres & battle axes to Excalibur (which she, at some point, pulled out of the stone).

002. her gemweapon, aka lances & variations / modifications thereof.

003. a mobile phone she got shortly before “CYM”; one of the few items she does not store in her gemstone.

004. dried roses at the back of a journal; one she wrote & sketched in back before the war. Hidden deep within her gemstone.

005. an array of other, different items stored in her gemstone (first-aid items, car keys, tools, various instruments, telephone numbers, various weapons such as shotguns, etc).

VICES / BAD HABITS:

001. Inferiority Complex / Low-Self Esteem. Pearl automatically deems herself inferior to others or simply not good enough, falling victim to hysteria whenever failing to succeed on her first try. -- this usually triggers sentiments of extreme self-decrepitation or emotional fits. Additionally, these feelings of deeply seated insecurity & self-hatred turn her bitter / petty & coerce her to crave validation in any shape or form. She can come across as a know-it-all, as condescending or arrogant given how she will continuously bring up her achievements, knowledge & countless justifications as to why (e.g) she did what she did or why sth. did not work to counter these ever-looming feelings of utter worthlessness.

002. Obsessive / Borderline Neurosis. A vice that goes hand in hand with 001; Pearl is obsessed with the past (may it be in the shape of mistakes or ‘happy memories’), symmetry, cleanliness & people per se; especially Rose has always been a sore topic in that matter. In fact, her obsession went as far as to turn into a serious neurosis / the unquenchable urge to hyperfixate on something & mercilessly obsess over it in turn. Without something to obsess over, Pearl breaks apart. While she loves fiercely, this kind of behaviour is prone to “smother” those in her care. May it be through overprotectiveness or overly critical / a “mother knows best” kind of demeanour.

003. Terrible Coping Mechanisms / Living in Denial. Pearl is guilty of “trauma compartmentalizing”; she represses her traumatizing experiences & memories in a self-destructive way. As demonstrated in “A Single Pale Rose”, her mind is structured in layers; the deeper “in” you go, the more she unravels & falls apart; on the surface, she tries to keep it all together but is well-aware of the mess waiting on the brink. -- Pearl additionally keeps amassing problems / trauma rather than facing any of them.

004. Stuck in the Past / Unable to Let Go; Probably a given one that does not require further explaining given what I already detailed further above. -- ever one to fondly remember the War & the role she had in it, she cannot let go of what once was. This is especially true whenever the casualties of war (guilt complex) or Rose Quartz are concerned; the latter coerced her to live the greatest half of her life (post Steven’s birth) trapped in a perpetual state of grieving & yearning for all she has lost.

005. Liar / secretive. Pearl has been prone to lie & twist her words ever since she was given to Pink Diamond 8000 years ago. What started as an attempt to protect Pink from the Diamond Authority soon turned second nature. While she usually lies out of a good reason, partially due to having been “forbidden” to talk about certain matters, lack of social skills + her compassion & eager will to spare e.g. Steven from harsh truths or to protect herself, it is a terrible vice she cannot shake.

BODY LANGUAGE:

001. gestures quite a lot; may it be with her hands or expressions. Usually underlines her points by sweeping arm or hand movements; prone to “put her whole body into it”.

002. Arms wrapped around her body, predominately her waist. Usually a sign of discomfort or tension that she simply cannot brush aside. Often paired with her glare wandering aside / avoiding eye contact.

003. Broad stance / legs apart as opposed to her feet usually positioned in First Position. Radiates rare moments of confidence, often paired with her hands either on her hips or wrapped around her lance / sword. She usually places said weapon on her shoulder or sprawled across it.

004. Head held up high (e.g.: confident / disapproving) or head kept low (e.g.: insecurity / doubt); a gesture often affecting her entire stance - spine straightened & shoulders squared whenever poised, posture hunched whenever insecure.

005. balled fists out of anger / arm lifted & body positioned in front of someone she ought to defend.

AESTHETICS:

001. The Art of Slowly Falling Apart. “everything is perfectly fine”: a cursed phrase on the tip of your tongue; repeated endlessly. The paradoxical sentiment of deeming onself above all else. -- above the past, the pain, your former life -- & failing to realize that you are anything but, that control has long slipped from your grasp; that threads hold your broken self together, that you are so close to falling apart & yet play pretend.

002. All-Consuming Love. ever devoted, passionate / obsessively loving with all your heart. The yearning, mutual & unconditional dedication to something beautiful but fragile. You live in a fantasy alongside her / the kind you dreamt about ever since you freed yourself from Homeworld’s shackles. -- it is the kind of love that demands & demands & demands all you willingly give.

003. Dance. a part of your very identity, even the part of the past you ought to loathe; a fact that leaves you aching. It is embedded in your very code. A love for beauteous choreographies even integrated into melee combat; pristine, elegant, flawless; dancing to the mellow melody of some piano piece playing in the background.

004. the Ocean. may it be the aesthetic of giving oneself to the depths or wuthering emotions crashing down threatening to smite you into pieces / but also its power, the very effect the scent of salt & the sound of cascades have on you. -- something you ought to oppose but can’t.

005. the Battlefield / Revolution. swords clutched in aching hands; breathing heavily. The thrill of battle, the dirt under your nails; ever listening to the beating of a drum at the back of your head. You are Fire, Passion incarnate: cutting the cord, shattering those that wronged you, overcoming opposition & the conditioned voice inside your head, fighting against all odds / one step away from a cracked gemstone. Breaking the chains, literally.

SONGS / PIECES:

001. Running up that Hill -- Kate Bush.

002. Both Sides Now -- Joni Mitchell.

003. Eight -- Sleeping At Last.

004. Romeo -- Until the Ribbon Breaks.

005. My Boy Builds Coffins / Blinding / Over the Love -- Florence & the Machine.

Bonus: Cut the Cord -- Shinedown; not her style but boy does this give me Renegade Pearl vibes.

#[[ I am cheating in the music section I know I know #but I just have so many songs I relate to Pearl #hence why I did not list any pieces #even if I could write down a million gah. But yeah I got carried away again as per usual. Mobile users pls forgive me. ]]#vii. 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗮 𝗽𝗶𝗲𝗰𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗮 𝗴𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝘄𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗲.

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cerullos · 5 years

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disneyland 🔥

i’ve never been, this is what we were talking about! i’ve watched a truly ridiculous number of youtube videos about land vs. world discourse, ride povs, IP discourse etc. i’ve literally been on theme park discourse forums where heated arguments about the enchanted tiki room go down on the daily so i can assure you i’ve seen every hot take known to man on this topic, i just…have never actually been so i don’t think it’s fair for me to say!

i’m very protective of wdw because it’s the resort i grew up with and it’s where i’ve worked, and i’m attached to aspects of wdw disneyland doesn’t really have any mirrors for, like……no country bears. no epcot. no pandora. they murdered their peoplemover which is sick enough all on its own! if i were to work there, i do think there would be a huge adjustment period. like…there isn’t even a utilidor there, which is literally just no fun at all.

anyway i love to know nothing and form opinions anyway, so i lied, i will do this! and you’re going to regret having asked once i’m done.

good things, probably:

better fantasmic (tentatively – it used to be peter pan which easily tops wdw fantasmic’s uncomfortably racist pocahontas, but it’s apparently switched to pirates now so i’m withholding judgment)

paint the night…wdw won’t get a nighttime parade until the 50th which is awful, and even before it had nothing it had MSEP which is old enough to be my mother. i would literally give anything to see paint the night, it’s 99% of the reason i want to go.

remember dreams come true (which isn’t even running right now, but once pixar fest finally bites the dust it should be again) is a wishes ripoff with parks music and tributes in place of movies which is incredibly woke and i think happily ever after is mediocre so…the nighttime shows in general seem incredible and wdw is lacking in that department right now…rivers of light tanks, galactic spectacular is hideous, happily is overrated and soulless etc.

cars land is dlr’s pandora, like no one wanted it but i’m positive it’s excellent and i hate test track so i can’t wait to ride radiator springs racers and confirm that TT has lost all relevance forever

classic rides like mr. toad’s and snow white’s scary adventure are intact which is very deeply cool. their pirates is obviously better and they have blue bayou which is even cooler

they get a broadway-caliber show (i think it’s frozen right now, which is extra points) and we were supposed to be getting that on wdw main street but they lowkey canceled those plans even though they were announced with concept art at d23…thanks

i just get the sense that since land is precious with dlr, they keep their attractions in better condition and really try to utilize what space they do have to the best of their ability. like you never hear california passholders complaining that dlr has let its parks rot the way wdw has condemned, like, future world in epcot. wdw has virtually endless property and they waste and abuse it liberally….like you have no idea. backstage is a nightmare

no hall of presidents so thats lit

also holiday overlays! because they get more locals whereas wdw is the world’s biggest tourist trap so we have to guarantee guests can experience the “classic” ride untouched at all times of the year…so the only ride overlays i’ve ever experienced are, like, jingle cruise…….

i know this is hard to really parse but when people say you can Feel The History at disneyland and it’s just more quaint and personal and charming and there are more vintage touches preserved out of respect for the park’s roots i really FEEL that and it excites me!

bad things, probably:

tiny baby…no epcot. no dak, no boardwalk, no poly/grand flo/(contemporary can eat my ass so i don’t really care). no value resorts so this wouldn’t be relevant to me as a potential local or CM but like…that sucks as a guest lmao. just less effectively insulated from the outside world in general which i’m aware is a plus for some people, ymmv. i just think this would be my biggest concern as a CM, like would it all get “older” quicker because of the comparitive lack of things to do? but then again, for locals to keep coming back day after day, they must be very good at keeping things fresh, so this is what i’d like to see for myself!

no country bears, no figment, they literally destroyed their people mover and its mangled corpse is just sitting on top of tomorrowland. no flight of passage, no everest? what am i supposed to do, ride the matterhorn like some kind of freak…also they’re building their galaxy’s edge in disneyland which is SO broke, i’m sorry i know y’all have no room but that’s so thematically incoherent. or…It’s Bad Show™ if we’re disney talking.

again, i haven’t been but i get the feeling california adventure is a fairly weak park thematically in the same sense that hollywood studio is a weak park at this point in its history, which makes sense since CA is frankensteined together from bits of studios. if we’re doing this i also think pixar pier is a lame concept and i’m personally disappointed i’ll never get to see that area of the park as it was before. and this is more damning for dlr because if you dont like studios right now you have plenty more to do. cali adventure is dlr’s….only other park. and no, the influx of marvel is not getting me more excited for it if anything…less

haunted mansion in new england is cooler than southern plantation style haunted mansion, so wdw’s is better by default although it’s cool that their stretch room is actually an elevator even if it is for space reasons

the animatronics on their splash mountain (which are repurposed) are ugly uncanny valley bullshit and give me nightmares

no illuminations oh my goddddddddd……..pitiful. we go on…tapestry of nations…how does california sleep at night (like a baby because apparently fireworks are restricted to fridays and weekends)

again, no utilidor…i just have to assume their backstage is bizarre, it probably looks like backstage dhs with 8000 trailers which, again, is broke

no river country to snoop on….no discovery island…where’s The Lore? pretty shameful if you ask me and no the time that girl died in america sings doesnt count as Lore its just sad

this is all pointless anyway because i know without needing to go that tokyo disneysea is the best park and it could eat wdw and disneyland alive any day

#asks #sorry but you did ask!#Anonymous

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tysonrunningfox · 6 years

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Mending Bridges

So this is so late that it’s early because I needed to add the whole giant scene that’s most of it because I was missing some fuse/feret/smitelout/smingrid/arvid development as I read through. So it’s like 8000 words. I’m not even going to apologize.

Tumblr | AO3

Ingrid doesn’t cry when Gobber sees her hand. She unwraps the bandage herself and holds it out, more annoyed than anything, and like I expected, he declares it clean and healing. I give Gobber a ride to the chief’s house but come back afterwards, feeling like I need to check on her because bringing Gobber in was my idea in the first place and after this morning, I’m not really sure what might set her off. When I get back, she’s asleep in the chair in front of the fire where she’s slept every night since getting home and I cross the room, thinking about taking her boots off for her but well…that’s the kind of thing she might react badly to, isn’t it?

I build up the fire and look at Arvid’s cracked opened door down the hallway. He’s snoring but he’s here and I can leave and go get some actual rest but I feel bad.

Arvid doesn’t know the truth. Dad doesn’t even know the truth and what if she gets upset again? What if it’s as bad as earlier or the other day?

I sit down at the table and rest my head on my hands, trying and failing not to think too hard about it. It’s Ingrid. She was never affected by anything, let alone a week later.

And I can’t help think about all of us, about how it was safe enough off island for the chief to be gone for months at a time and nothing like this ever happened to him. And yeah, he had a night fury but…it’s Ingrid. Ingrid who never lost a fight, Ingrid who was strong and with someone and had a dragon too. What if it’s not just the dragons leaving Berk, what if the whole world is changing? What if I’ve been looking at one tiny part of a whole big problem?

Or what if it was just random?

That’s almost worse, because well…I’ve always dreamed of leaving, in some way. Not often, not for forever, but there’s a whole world I’ve never seen out there and never before now has that fact felt threatening. It makes me think about Fuse, going to neighboring islands for supplies and just…being a fixture there even though it could be dangerous. And Fuse isn’t someone I’ve ever felt I had to protect, maybe from my own idiocy, but neither was Ingrid.

If this can happen to Ingrid, it feels like it can happen to anyone anytime and that’s terrifying.

If the dragons are sick, does that mean people are turning on each other everywhere? When there’s no monster in the woods does something have to replace it?

And that makes me want to go out there and fight it, it makes me want to push back. And that’s scary too because well…when Arvid fought me, I fought back. That was the last time I made a decision like this, really maybe the only time because yes, I’m a Viking, my childhood was skirmishes and bloody noses and hiding torn clothes from Mom but none of those people actually wanted to hurt me in any real way. Arvid did, for a while, because like me he thought that if I hurt he might hurt a little less, but even then he was my brother. He’s tough but—

Well, he’d never cut off half my hand.

For the first time, going out there, beyond the extension of Berk’s reach feels truly dangerous. Flying out there with a bunch of bombs like I know what I’m going to find when I haven’t been to the dragon island in months feels dangerous. Like it could fail. Like someone could get hurt.

The door opens and Dad walks in, pausing when he sees me. I nod at him and look back at the table, thoughts jumbled but still very much there and very much depressing.

“Are you staying here?” He asks and I almost don’t look up, because it seems more likely that I’m finally snapping and imagining things. “Arvid said he was taking a shift.”

“He is.” I look around, trying to find something to focus on other than him and the weight of the stretching silence. “I’m just…here.”

“Do you not trust him?” Dad asks me like he actually wants to hear an answer and I shake my head.

“I trust him fine. There are what? Three dragons in the barn, Bang’s…” I gesture to him where he’s snoring gently in front of the fire. “Nothing’s going to happen to her, I know that.”

“You look tired.” He looks at his old chair like he’s thinking about sitting down but I don’t hold my breath.

“You care?”

“Odin,” he looks old and sad and I miss him like it should be impossible to miss someone right in front of you. I miss him calming me down and building me up and being there, steady the way the chief isn’t, the way the chief could never be. “Of course I care.”

“Of course.” I mimic, tone hollow, and he sits down, the chair dragging loud across the floor. Ingrid shifts in her sleep, curling further into the pile of blankets on top of her and I’m not sure where to look. Dad’s looking at me like he used to when I was doing something he didn’t understand. Something that wasn’t part of him or Mom or the part of the chief he accepted as necessary.

“It’s been good having you here. It almost feels normal again.” He doesn’t sound like he’s lying and I hate that I know what his lies sound like. That my definition of normal is shattered while other people’s still exist.

But I can’t help but hear that maybe in some way, I’m still a part of his normal.

“Normal but without Mom.” It comes out at the same time as I’m thinking it and I remind myself of Arvid earlier, poking old wounds just to check that the conflict is dead.

“Maybe it was always without her.” He’s the sad kind of resigned that I can’t get to. He and Arvid and even Ingrid can let things go, they can give up without falling apart. They don’t drive themselves insane for months, pecking at the same problem even if they know they can’t get anywhere.

“That’s not true,” I shake my head and look up at him, feeling my placid mask start to slip. I want to talk to him, I want this to feel final the way that everything else is starting to and I want it to be somewhere else when it does. “She was here every day. If anyone was half-hearted about it, I’d have to put that on Rolf.”

“You’re not wrong about that,” Dad rolls his eyes, “now that he’s heard a council seat might be empty soon, he’ll barely talk to me, let alone in public.”

“I’ll keep him in line,” I mime punching my palm, “the council pretty much follows me around all the time and asks me to make their decisions for them so…”

“The chief thinks you’re doing a good job.” Dad passes on the compliment like a package he didn’t necessarily want to deliver but got roped into it and it makes me feel strange because I shouldn’t care but I do. “He told me. You’re about the only thing he can talk about without me wanting to throttle him.”

“I’m the new ‘how’s the weather’?” I weigh that for a second before shrugging, “that’s kind of a compliment, I guess.”

“Do you want to talk about it?”

“About the weather?” I think of Fuse as I say it and that makes this even weirder because he doesn’t know and he always knew everything about me.

“About whatever has you sitting in the dark and staring into space.”

“You aren’t really someone I talk to about stuff like that anymore.” I don’t say it to hurt anyone but his face falls.

“And that’s my fault.”

“I haven’t been the most exemplary son this year either.” I look at my hands, “if, you know, for the record, you still think of me that way after—”

“Of course I do.”

“Of course.” I repeat, nodding to myself and trying to count all the things I should have known but didn’t over the years. “If…can it be a secret?”

“That’s not what I like to hear.”

“I mean—it’s Ingrid’s secret.” I bite my lip, betrayal foreign and acrid in my throat, “and if you keep a secret like that from Mom it’s not like it’s in the way of your marriage or anything, right? Ha, that’s not funny. None of this is funny. I—I’m sorry.”

“No, I’m glad to know you aren’t quite as grown up as you were pretending to be.” He looks at me with some of that old, confused fondness I never quite understood. “And if it’s Ingrid’s secret, she should tell me herself.”

“She’s not going to.” I sigh and rub my eyes with my knuckles, pressing until my vision goes fuzzy like out of the snow some perfect clarity as to what I should do will appear. But that’s never how it works, it’s all just…binary decisions that don’t line up with right and wrong or smart and dumb and somehow, I’m supposed to know better. “It’s just…it’s something that could hurt her, and I’m worried it’s something that could hurt someone else and—and it’s…if we’re going to help her, she needs us to know even if she doesn’t know that.”

“I can’t tell you what to do.”

I snort, “a year ago, that would have been pretty much my favorite phrase in the whole world. I—growing up sucks.”

He laughs and shrugs like he doesn’t have anything to say and I missed that. I missed his patience, the way he’d wait until I wound myself down before trying to get through to me instead of winding myself up until I end up dizzy but somewhere in the vicinity of the right answer. I wonder if Mom misses it too.

“I—she’s lying.” I start, pausing and waiting for a reaction.

“Ingrid’s lying about something?”

“About how she got hurt. It wasn’t an accident. She and Spitleaf got attacked by some obviously sadistic and horrible excuses for human beings and she…didn’t win, which, I don’t even want to think about who she was fighting.”

“She knew it was dangerous when she left, we’ve always told her how dangerous it is.”

“But she’s lying about it, Dad, she’s lying about it and crying and—she told Spitleaf to give her space and she—when she saw her earlier, she hid and I stepped in front of her and for a second I swear she saw someone else and…Spitleaf had to leave her? To save the dragon she had to leave and come back and…” I trail off, and swallow, “she’s not ok. It’s more than her hand, she’s not ok and no one knows why except me.”

“It’s not going to get better overnight.” He’s pale and his hair is grayer than it was at Snoggletog and I steel myself reflexively before he continues. “It was years before I didn’t see Drago Bludvist in crowds, before I really accepted that he was dead—”

“At least he was dead! At least you knew that! The people who did that to Ingrid are still out there and no one’s going to do anything about it unless they know which—”

“Is this about helping your sister or is it about getting revenge?”

“Both!” I cross my arms and sit back, “I don’t know. It’s not revenge if they deserve it.”

“That’s not how revenge works. It’s revenge if it’s about yourself.”

“Maybe it is,” it sounds selfish and I hate how he makes me admit that to myself. “Maybe I’m supposed to be chief or something, I’m sure working enough for it, but—but I’m still not making anything better. I’m not protecting anyone, I—Ingrid isn’t the first or last person to go out there and now they’re all my people too.”

“It was always dangerous.”

“Yeah, but I never saw it like this.” I look over at Ingrid again and think about her flying away, excited if weighed down by her stupid little brother tagging along. “I could have been with them. I was but I left, and if I’d been there, I could have done something. She wouldn’t have been left behind, I—It’s my fault. Oh my gods, it’s my fault.” I sag down in the chair, “if I’d been there—”

“You have no way of knowing what would have happened if you’d been there.”

“Not this—”

“You can’t blame yourself for everything.”

“You say that,” I shake my head and look at her, “you say that, but it always comes back to me.”

“Well, Eret,” he says my name like it’s significant, like he’s claiming me again like he did when I was born and I think about Gobber telling me about my mopey third like it had something to do with my Dad. And maybe it does, but maybe moping is just another word for thinking about the dark angles, the sad angles, the regrettable things I can’t change but should still recognize. “You can’t choose your family, and you happen to have one that always ends up at the center of everything.”

“I’m not sure about that either,” I blink, more earnestly, calmly tired than I’ve felt since Ingrid came home, “I think I’ve spent about a year choosing my dad.”

He doesn’t say anything and I clear my throat.

“You, just to be clear.”

“I missed you,” he points at the door, “and I hope you keep coming around, but right now, you should go sleep in your own bed and stop thinking about chasing anyone down.”

“I thought you couldn’t tell me what to do.” I yawn and stretch my arms over my head.

“I’m your dad, let me pretend.”

00000

When Fuse asks me to help her build some bombs, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t show up early on purpose. I’d be lying even more if I said I wasn’t disappointed when she’s already sitting between Aurelia and Smitelout in her shed, all three of them loading jars and shells and muttering to each other. I was hoping we could have a few minutes without everyone needing something from me, but she’s happy to see me anyway, smiling briefly over her shoulder before turning back to whatever she’s doing.

“Then you tie the top off with the oil slicked cord…triple knot…” she demonstrates, bandaged fingers knotting quickly and when she wipes her forehead she leaves a deep blue streak along her eyebrow.

I pause in the doorway, staring for a minute and trying to decide how this isn’t weird even though I feel weird about it. Only Aurelia knows about me and Fuse, I guess, Smitelout’s just guessing. Well, Fuse knows, and I’m not even sure what she knows. She knows we went on half a date until everyone interrupted us and I haven’t seen her since, because between the chief keeps still assigning me things and watching Ingrid, I’ve been a bit busy.

“Are you going to help?” Smitelout huffs, struggling with a second attempt to tie the knot that Fuse got easily the first time. “Your girlfriend needs someone else to boss around.”

“You don’t have to help,” Fuse is measured like whatever she’s touching is extremely explosive and like Smitelout calling her my girlfriend doesn’t make her heart jump, “Arvid should be here soon to help you pack some of these into bundles…” She puffs a lock of hair out of her face and ties another careful knot in the twine before pushing the jar away from her.

Then she smiles at me again and my face heats up.

“Hi.” Why did I say that? She knows I’m here, I don’t need to say hi for no reason.

Aurelia rolls her eyes at me and this is so much harder when other people are around. Especially people who have so much vested interest in making fun of me. All I need is for Ingrid to show up and they can go around in a circle pointing out the goofiest things about me until Fuse decides that letting me use the ‘date’ word was a mistake.

“Hey,” she points at the tall shelf on the wall of her shed behind her. “Can you hand me that green jar?”

“Oh? Yeah, sure.” I should probably use the stool she has leaning against the back corner but it’s easier to jump, grabbing the jar and turning to give it to her. She frowns at me.

“This is a stabilizer,” she takes it, her fingers brushing against mine and making me feel even redder than I already did. “Which is lucky because if it hadn’t been, you would have just blown the roof off.”

“Nice going, Twerp.” Smitelout snorts, tying a knot so messy even I know it’s wrong and pushing her jar away from herself.

“Nothing happened,” Fuse gives Smitelout an almost dirty look and opens the green jar. I’m still standing behind her and it’s a view I’m not used to, the pale back of her neck under her tied up hair and the tense line of her shoulders. She’s focused, because she doesn’t have time to say anything else, muttering under her breath as she counts spoonfuls of bright yellow powder.

“That reeks,” Smitelout comments, ever useful, and Fuse’s shoulders tense up further.

I don’t think I’ve ever seen her stressed but it strikes me that this is what it would look like. I look around at the dozens of mostly assembled bombs strewn across her work space and feel bad that I haven’t been helping more. I know I’m busy but I didn’t intend to put this all on her. At least Aurelia seems competent, working without instruction and stacking another sealed jar against the wall.

“Maybe if you didn’t have to comment so much, you’d be keeping up,” Aurelia gestures at her pile of completed jars and Smitelout frowns.

“It’s not my fault you skinny fingered twerps tie faster knots than me.”

“…ten, eleven…” Fuse counts louder, like their bickering made her lose her place, and her hair smells like smoke and I don’t know why I’m still standing here right behind her. It’s probably creepy. I feel kind of creepy. Maybe I only feel creepy because I want to touch her and while I don’t think she’d say no, Aurelia and Smitelout are here and that makes it different.

Aurelia looks over her shoulder like she can hear my internal panic and raises an eyebrow. I shrug. She shakes her head like she’s embarrassed for me and Fuse sets down her spoon, pulling a spool of coated string towards her and measuring it around a couple of fingers, the twine digging into the bandage around her middle finger and leaving a gray smear across the clean fabric.

“What else do we need to get done today?” Smitelout leans back in her chair, kicking her feet up on the workbench. “Believe it or not, I actually have plans elsewhere so…”

“Leave whenever,” Aurelia reaches for another jar and starts filling it, “I bet we figure it out without you.”

Her animosity towards Smitelout seems a little more cutting than anyone else’s and I know at some level, it’s more about someone infringing on the original group than it is on the inevitable personality conflict at hand.

“Hey, I’m here to help—” Smitelout insists.

“So. Help.” Fuse halfway snaps, unraveling the twine from her hand and starting again. My hands kind of hover in front of me, still debating on touching her, and Aureila gives me one more unimpressed look that pushes me over that awkward edge. I take a step forward and put my hands on her shoulders and she relaxes slightly, rolling her head from side to side and spooling the twine a little faster.

She’s cool to the touch, which seems strange because of how warm touching her makes me feel, and I tentatively rub the knotted muscle at the base of her neck with my thumb. She relaxes even further and snips off the twine, pulling the loaded jars into a circle and wrapping it around all of them to tie it off. Aurelia finishes the one that she’s working on and Fuse sets it in the middle, tightening the twine around the outside to hold everything in place.

“What can I do?” I lean forward to look down at her face over the top of her head and she blushes slightly, shrugging under my hands.

“You’re good there, but Smitelout, if you could start taking the finished shells outside and sorting them by size?”

“Can’t Eret do that?” Smitelout whines, “it’s not really skilled labor.”

“Eret’s busy,” Fuse sighs, leaning back into my hands slightly. I rub the back of her neck a little more firmly and she hums, a content little sound that I can feel in her shoulders.

“Sheesh, get a room,” Smitelout stands up and pushes past me and Fuse’s head bumps back into my chest.

“Sorry,” I take a step back but my hands feel like they’re glued to her shoulders. And she’s not shrugging me off, so I start rubbing again, working outwards along the stiff muscle between her shoulder and neck.

“Why are you sorry?” She goes back to working, braiding some twine into a thicker cable. “My neck’s been killing me.”

“Because he’s an idiot.” Aurelia stands up and looks down the hill, “isn’t Arvid supposed to be here by now?”

“I told him to come at the same time as Eret,” she threads the thicker cable through slits in the leather on top of the jars.

“I was early,” I admit and Fuse pauses.

“Oh, that makes sense, I thought we’d have more done by the time you got here.”

“Still, Arvid’s not usually late,” Aurelia wipes her hands off on her skirt. “I’m just going to check down the hill.” And then she leaves and Fuse and I are almost alone. Almost because Smitelout is outside, sorting bombs and of course she has to make some comment about how lazy Aurelia is as she walks by. But aside from that, we’re alone.

“You don’t have to keep doing that,” she looks over at my hand on her shoulder, “Smitelout isn’t interrupting me every few seconds, I’m not that tense anymore.”

“Oh, I don’t mind.” I stop anyway, because maybe it’s weird and now it definitely feels weird. Maybe she thinks it’s weird. “Unless you mind. Then I mind.”

“I don’t mind,” she grins, “like I said, my neck was killing me. Sit,” she pulls Aurelia’s stool back out with her foot, “I need steady hands for this part anyway.”

She leans down, threading the cable through the last lid and tying it off with a tight knot. There’s a smudge of something blue on her chin and her teeth dig into her lower lip as she tucks the knot carefully into the tight groove between two of the jars. A piece of hair slips out from behind her ear and she puffs it out of her face, adjusting one more thing and sitting up to wipe her hands on her knees.

“What’s this for?” I point at whatever she just finished and she smiles a smaller version of the smile she saves for when something very large is on fire.

“I’m going to tar coat it and mount it to the baffle charge, it should heat the shell more evenly and cause a hotter, more front facing blast.” She tucks her hair back behind her ear and leaves a sooty streak across her cheek. And she’s still smiling that half-crazy smile and we’re the most alone that we’ve been since the night Ingrid came back.

“Cool.”

“I wish we had time to test it first, but it’d take another month to get this many supplies again, so I think at this point we’re better off just going for it,” she picks up a writing stick on the counter and makes a couple notes on a wrinkled piece of paper. “Maybe even amp up the charge in the main shell, that couldn’t hurt anything.” She laughs to herself, “or it could hurt a lot. It is an island, after all.”

“Remind me not to piss you off,” I laugh and she narrows her eyes, still smiling. Joking with me in a way that makes my skin feel too tight because it can’t be real. Out of everything that’s happened this last year, somehow Fuse looking at me like that is the most unbelievable. Also, the best. Not that it’s competing with a bunch of sunshine and dragon kisses, but still.

“Was that ever the plan?” She stands and offers me her hand.

“Oh yeah,” I let her help me up and wiggle my other hand at her, “I was just going to lull you into a false sense of security with my magic fingers and then just…piss you off. I hadn’t worked out how yet.”

“Magic fingers?” She raises a half-singed eyebrow and her cheeks flush slightly. “That’s bold.”

“Are you minimizing my shoulder rubbing skills?” I step closer and it’s the first time this has felt easy. Hel, it’s the first time I’ve managed to joke with her since realizing that looking at her made my heart beat in my throat.

“Not exactly,” she turns redder and coughs and she’s still holding my hand from helping me up and it makes me want to pull her in closer.

“Are you two going to fucking help me?” Smitelout sticks her head through the doorway. “Or are you just going to stand in the dark and hold hands.”

I almost blurt out that I’m going to stand in the dark and hold hands but Fuse drops mine, cheeks still pink as she peeks around me to look at the piles outside.

“Is everything sorted?”

“Go see for yourself.”

Fuse doesn’t get a step closer to the door before Aurelia reappears, dodging around Smitelout and nearly running into me.

“We’ve got to get everything back inside. Now.” She starts shoving things across the workbench to make room. One of the jars smacks the wall a little too hard and starts smoking and Fuse steps between her and the bench.

“What’s going on?”

“Arvid’s coming.” Aurelia is out of breath like she just sprinted up the hill, “and Ingrid is with him.”

“What?” I look at Fuse but she’s already looking at me, like she’s waiting for my reaction.

“Ingrid’s coming,” Aurelia repeats, dodging past Smitelout to grab an armful of loaded shells and carrying them inside.

“Did you have to mess up my piles?” Smitelout whines, “really?”

“What do you want to do?” Fuse asks me and of course the split-second decision in on me, again, and I knew I should have picked the stand in the dark and hold hands option.

“Fuck, we have to hide everything.” I follow Aurelia outside and start grabbing shells, handing them to Fuse over my shoulder while Smitelout continues to complain about her piles. “Ingrid can’t know, she’s got enough going on without thinking about dragons.”

“So I literally sorted all of that for no reason?” Smitelout, against all reasonable odds, starts helping, handing larger shells off to Aurelia, who stashes them under Fuse’s workbench.

“Yes,” Fuse and Aurelia snap in unison and we’re just cramming the baffle into the shed when Arvid’s head crests the hill. He’s walking backwards in front of Ingrid, trying to block her view and maybe some of that old ability to reach each other’s minds is back because as soon as we shove the door shut, he turns around.

“You’re late,” Aurelia says, too loud and out of breath, walking up to hug him and whisper something in the direction of his ear. He shrugs and looks frustrated.

“He was being suspicious,” Ingrid tucks her bandaged hand in the pocket of a jacket I think is Dad’s and steps up closer to Fuse’s shed. “Outhouse?”

“Workshop,” Fuse lunges to shut the door tighter when it tries to creak open under the weight of the baffle rocking against it.

“Can I see?” Ingrid reaches for the handle and I step in front of her.

“Nope,” I shake my head and look at Fuse for an idea, “I…spilled something. Because I’m so clumsy.”

“Yeah,” Fuse nods, “and it may or may not explode.”

“So better safe than sorry,” I clear my throat, “which is my idea because that’s a sentence a Thorston has never said.” I punch her in the arm because it feels casual but it must be harder than I intended because she rubs the spot, elbowing the door shut one last time and stepping away from it.

“And I thought Arvid was acting weird,” Ingrid frowns.

“If he was acting so weird, why did you want to go with him?”

“Because he told me no,” she shrugs. Smitelout barks out a laugh and Ingrid looks at her like she’s the craziest of all of us. “What are you guys doing, really?”

“Nothing.” I lie, badly. Aurelia glares at me and I shrug, urging her to come up with something better.

“That’s convincing.”

“We’re having…a double date,” Aurelia gets out, grabbing Arvid’s hand like that sells it. Ingrid narrows her eyes at me and I loop my arm over Fuse’s shoulders, pulling her into my side. She fits there better than I remember and I hope she doesn’t mind, because it’s going to be hard to let her go.

“Isn’t that weird?” Ingrid looks between Arvid and me and I shrug, my arm sliding down to Fuse’s mid-back. That lines my hand up with her waist, which makes her feel even closer, and she doesn’t shove me off.

“Why would it be weird?” Aurelia bumps her shoulder against Arvid’s side, smile stiff and unmoving on her face.

“It just seems like there’s a lot of…siblings for a double date.”

“That makes it better,” I nod, “sibling bonding and a date. Two dragons, one stone. I’m a busy guy.”

Arvid laughs he expected everyone else to, but he’s the only one, and he cuts it off as quickly as possible. Ingrid crosses her arms, looking between us like she’s not buying this in the slightest.

“Why’s Smitelout here?”

“They invited me,” Smitelout shrugs, “well, actually my date cancelled—I mean, I totally had a date. That I ditched. I did the ditching.”

“To hang out with my little brothers on their double date?” Ingrid raises an eyebrow and Smitelout scoffs.

“Yeah. Keep up.”

“What was the plan for this double date?” Ingrid looks at me and Fuse in particular and I lean my head against hers.

“A…bonfire.” Fuse bounces slightly when she thinks of it, and it’s adorable, and I almost forget that this is a lie for a second because that sounds like fun. It’s definitely nowhere near dark and it’s not cold either, but still. And it’s a distraction, and it sounds like something that we might actually do. You know, if Arvid and I were even on the kind of speaking terms where we’d ever consider a double date.

Fuck, if Arvid and I having nothing to talk about is what messes this up I’m going to have to attempt to kick his ass again. I give him a stony, don’t-blow-this-for-us look and he looks down at his feet like if he’s not willing to have my back, he’s at least not going to get in my way.

“Which is why we needed stuff from the workshop, to start it,” Aurelia explains, “but then Eret was clumsy and spilled it and now we’re here.”

“Guilty.” I nod.

“I’ve got flints though,” Fuse pulls some out of her pocket and her knuckles glance across my hip as she tosses them in the air so they spark and then catches them. And she’s cool and she has to show it now and I can’t believe she likes me. And our last date was a mess that I didn’t even mean to be a date and our second date is now a lie and both my sisters are here and I can just feel that I’m messing this all up.

“The clumsiness is redeemable.” Aurelia squeezes Arvid’s hand and tugs him, “the firepit is over here, right?”

“Yep,” Fuse leans against me a little harder for a second before pulling away and walking a little too fast, like she only does towards fire. Ingrid falls into step next to me and elbows me in the arm, always too hard.

“I was just trying to get out of the house, if Arvid had just told me this was a date I wouldn’t have followed him.” She looks genuinely apologetic and I can’t help my eyes flicking to the hand still tucked in her pocket. I sigh.

“Well, since Smitelout already crashed, we might as well back the title back from date to a more generic group activity.” I scratch the back of my head and she looks at me for a second with narrowed eyes.

“You couldn’t put on a not wrinkled shirt for a date?” She tugs at my sleeve with her good hand and I bat it away.

“You know what? No, you’re uninvited if this is a game of tease Eret in his unnatural habitat.” I glance up at Fuse to see if she heard any of that but she’s helping Aurelia stack a pyramid of kindling into the center of a well-used fire circle, rimmed by flat rocks.

“You don’t let me have any fun,” she sits down on one of the three logs around the fire pit and Smitelout freezes.

“I was going to sit there,” she points at Ingrid who rolls her eyes and scoots over from the center of the log.

“I bet there’s still room given it’s about ten feet long.”

“Fine,” Smitelout huffs and sits down hard enough to rock the log slightly, “just don’t make me sit next to any of those twerps, I don’t want to catch the lame.”

“I’m not,” Ingrid looks at her good hand, nibbling on her nail and watching Fuse strike her flint next to a handful of dried grass and push it under the kindling when it catches. I move towards one of the other logs but Arvid is doing the same and he freezes, pointing at it.

“Do you want—”

“I’m fine with either—”

“You can have this one, it’s fine,” he backs off and I almost wish he’d fight me for it. Or act like he knows me, at all. Like we could be on the same side here too, when we’re both hiding the same thing from the same person.

“Thanks,” I sit down instead of arguing about it and Fuse feeds the fire a couple of dry logs before sitting next to me. Close next to me, close enough that the length of her thigh is pressed against mine and there’s not really room for my shoulder until I wrap my arm around her, hand on the log beside her other hip.

Aurelia sits between Arvid and Ingrid, holding his hand but looking purposefully at me like I’m supposed to start talking. I don’t know why she’s putting it on me, I don’t know how to be on a date, let alone a double date. I can barely hear myself think when Fuse shifts and her shoulder presses into my chest and reminds me how close she is and her hair is still pulled back so I can see her face better than usual. And she smells like wood smoke and girl and my whole side is starting to feel too warm and I don’t think I have anything to say that wouldn’t be mortally embarrassing, especially with the way Ingrid is looking between me and Arvid.

“Are they going to talk or do people not do that on dates anymore?” Ingrid jokes with Smitelout and her eyes widen.

“Normally I can’t get them to shut up,” she coughs out, too loud, and Ingrid raises an eyebrow.

“Maybe we don’t have anything to talk about,” Arvid mumbles, glancing up at me like it’s meant to be an insult and that makes me want to laugh. Even more so when Aurelia elbows him and he sighs. “I’m just saying, it’s not like Thorston and I ever had anything in common.”

“We had dragon training together for eight years.” Fuse reminds him. “Didn’t you call me your sworn enemy or something?”

“That was dumb kid stuff.” Arvid shrugs and looks at Aurelia for help.

“Yeah, I guess you moved on to a new sworn enemy,” Fuse laughs like it’s a joke and sets her hand on my knee and I don’t know how she says stuff like that or touches me so easily or how I’m not on fire being so close to her for this long.

“Thinly veiled threats are not a normal date activity, guys,” Ingrid shakes her head and leans forward, chin on her good hand.

“It’s not a threat,” Aurelia sighs and shakes her head at Arvid in a way that manages to be fond and irritated all at once. “I think they’re bonding.”

“Yeah, it wasn’t all bad,” Fuse shrugs, drumming her fingers on my knee, “I perfected my stink bomb recipe years earlier than I would have otherwise.”

“You should name it after me,” Arvid suggests and Fuse cocks her head. “You know, for my pain and suffering.”

“It never hurt you,” she shrugs, “but I’ll think about it.”

It’s petty, but I don’t like that I’m on a fake date and Fuse is looking at Arvid instead of me. After trying to get a couple hours alone in the mead hall and then this, I don’t think group dates are my thing. I think I’d rather have her full attention, my eyes flick to her hand on my knee and I remember what that might imply and my heart jumps in my chest.

“That’s not fair,” I say and she turns her head to frown at me. And again, if all of these people weren’t here, I could kiss her, and it’s worse that they’re my family. Well, except Smitelout. Second cousins or whatever doesn’t count. “I want an explosive named after me.”

“I’ll name one of the new ones after you.” She offers, wrinkling her nose. And I don’t think it’s normal to get the impulse to kiss someone’s nose, but I want to kiss hers and I’m never consenting to another double date again, even a fake one. “Not a stinkbomb, that’s not a comparison I’d like to make.”

“You haven’t smelled his socks,” Aurelia interrupts and Ingrid laughs.

“I said no commentary.” I point between the two of them, “especially because it’s not fair because no one is picking on Arvid.”

“Thorston picked on me.” He points out, actually managing eye contact and Aurelia nods in agreement.

“When you were nine.” I adjust my seat slightly and Fuse doesn’t seem to mind when my hand rests against her hip. If anything she leans closer to me, the knot of her hair pressing into my shoulder.

“I hold a grudge.” He shrugs and it’s half a joke and I half want to laugh at it but I still feel like that’s going to pull me into another brawl I don’t want to have.

“It’s like watching a yak learn to fly,” Ingrid rolls her eyes and looks at Smitelout for back up. It makes sense that somehow they ended up paired up here, because they’re both older and everyone else is coupled off, but it still doesn’t make sense to look at. Maybe it’s because I can’t believe that Fuse is choosing to be this close to me or because seeing Arvid look so normal with Aurelia still doesn’t make sense. “I was never this stupid, right? Someone would have told me?”

“I did,” Smitelout inflates slightly, “still do. Because you are.”

“Oh my gods,” Ingrid rolls her eyes, “I almost forgot who I was talking to for a second.”

“Fire’s getting low,” Fuse uses my knee to stand up and I’m instantly cold without her under my arm. She grabs a log off of the stack behind Arvid and tosses it on the fire, wiping away some ash that lands on her arm and leaving a gray streak on the back of her hand. Her sleeves are pushed up and she’s not wearing her vest and I realize she’s been leaving it off a lot lately. Like she’s actually making that effort to occasionally not be around explosives.

And that just makes me think of being alone in the forge with her and my face heats up. I lean forward to try and blame it on the fire but it feels different when she sits back down next to me, I’m too aware of her hipbone against mine and I jump when she puts her hand on my back.

“Sorry,” she tries to pull it off and I shake my head.

“No, it’s fine, I’m just jumpy.”

“Why?” She looks self-conscious, briefly, eyebrows furrowed, and I hate it.

“Because three of my siblings are here and I don’t think group dates are my thing,” I blurt out and Arvid meets my eyes across the fire. He nods in agreement and Aurelia looks slightly miffed at me.

“I thought it would be fun,” she lies better than the rest of us seem to be able to, “I won’t suggest it again.”

Meaning, next time she’ll just let me bumble through the lie alone. She doesn’t know what a bad idea that is, last time that happened I spilled the secret to Smitelout.

“Plus it’s not a group date,” Smitelout holds her hands out to Ingrid like she’s trying to pacify her, “not that—”

“Yeah, I know we’re not on a date,” Ingrid shakes her head, “you don’t have to clarify that.”

Fuse’s hand starts moving on my back, not really rubbing, just sort of tracing the line of my spine and it makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up. It feels better than it probably should, relaxing in a way that’s going to make me say something else stupid.

“I was just going to say that twerp commentary is more fun than a random bonfire when it’s not even dark yet,” Smitelout tosses a chip of wood into the fire and Fuse tenses like she doesn’t want anyone else feeding her fire. It’s cute that she’s possessive of the fire. It’s weird that she’s still feeling my back, because I don’t see how it could still be interesting to her, but I guess I didn’t get bored rubbing her shoulders. Not that it’s the same thing, because glancing sideways at her profile and the way her sharp blue eyes are taking in the interaction, I’m hit with another wave of disbelief that she likes me, of all people.

“Yeah, kind of a weird choice of activity, guys,” Ingrid agrees, just for the sake of teasing me, I’m sure, “maybe Smitelout shouldn’t have ditched her date.”

“I’m playing hard to get,” Smitelout looks at Ingrid like she’s stupid.

“Isn’t that self-defeating when you’re also playing hard to want?” Ingrid snorts at her own joke and Smitelout tosses her braid over her shoulder.

“You know, your axe is in pretty rough shape, I might not have time to get it fixed before Thawfest this year…” Smitelout sighs like this is deeply tragic for her and I tense when Ingrid glances down at her bad hand. I know she said it’s just Smitelout but still. No one gets to mention it.

I can tell Arvid agrees with the sentiment from the way he gently disentangles his hand from Aurelia’s and glances at me.

“Right. Thawfest,” Ingrid deflates as she pulls her hand out of her pocket, “it might just be your year, Lout.”

“Yeah, no, I don’t want to win like a loser,” Smitelout scoffs, “I don’t care if you borrow the twerp’s axe, it’s not a win if you don’t lose, fair and square.”

Ingrid stares at her for a second before nodding, “it’s almost like you’ve been hiding an honorable streak this whole time.”

“Don’t tell my dad,” Smitelout snorts and looks around at the rest of us and our collective expression that she just grew a second head. “What? Thorston’s the one with something on her face.”

“Not again,” Fuse mutters, taking her hand from my back and wiping her cheek. It just leaves a new black streak on top of the old one and I don’t think before reaching up and wiping at it with my thumb. That just smears it around and I laugh.

“And I just made it worse.”

“Really?” She looks embarrassed and that’s another reason to punch Smitelout.

“Here,” I take my black smeared thumb and wipe it on my cheek, “now we match.”

“We should go see if my shed blew up or not,” she almost deadpans, color rising high in her cheeks, “I think I know how to clean up what you spilled.”

And of course she’s brilliant, that’s a way out of this disaster of a fake group date. Maybe we can even hide the bombs better while we’re at it.

“Yeah, sure,” I stand up and offer her my hand, “my clumsiness in the first place. Yak butter fingers, am I right?” I show the hand she’s not holding to the group like they’ll take it as an explanation.

“Oh shit,” Fuse curses under her breath and drops my hand and I’m sure I said something wrong until she waves up the hill. “Hi dad, what are you doing?”

“I heard teenage merriment and thought the firepit must be haunted,” Tuffnut walks up to the firepit and puts his hands on his hips, “because there’s no way that my lifelong dream of my daughter having friends over is finally coming true.”

“Dad,” Fuse flushes up to her hairline, crossing her arms, “Darren has friends over all the time.”

“Which makes it less of an occasion,” Tuffnut looks at me in particular and it hits me, specifically, for the first time that he’s her father. Before I guess I haven’t thought about it except in the context of avoiding repeating the Aurelia situation, but now I’m just picturing every angry father figure I’ve ever seen glaring at Arvid. “And a part time Acting Chief in attendance, this is quite the high brow chill sesh.”

“Oh my gods, Dad, don’t say that.” Fuse hides her face in her hands, “I’ll be in later, alright?”

“Now I just feel like you’re trying to get rid of me,” Tuffnut—or is it Mr. Thorston? Am I suddenly supposed to call him Mr. Thorston because I’m hoping to kiss his daughter again sometime soon? Oh Gods, I shouldn’t think that now—sits down between Ingrid and Smitelout and claps Ingrid on the shoulder. “I haven’t seen you since you got back, glad we get this chance to hang.”

“I am trying to get rid of you,” Fuse looks at me apologetically and I’m as disappointed as she must have been when Gobber interrupted us the other night.

“No, I think we want to chill with your dad,” Smitelout laughs and Ingrid nods along.

“I don’t remember the last time we hanged. Hung?” Ingrid looks at Tuffnut and cocks her head. “What is the past tense of to hang?”

“Who cares?” Tuffnut shrugs and Fuse’s nostrils flare, cutely, and that’s another thought I shouldn’t have when her dad is here. “I’m a cool dad, grammar is lame.”

“Dad, why’d you come out here?”

“Dinner’s almost ready.”

“Ok, let’s go inside then,” she gives me one last sad look and walks behind her dad to grab his arm and tug. He falls backwards off of the log and Ingrid shoves his feet to the side, laughing. “I’ll see you,” she says to me in particular and I wave, trying not to look as miffed as I feel about it. She looks disappointed enough for the both of us.

“Well, this has been lame,” Smitelout stands up next, rubbing her hands together, “I better go get to salvaging that axe. Assuming you’re still ready to pay for it.”

“Like I said, I think I lucked into chief money,” Ingrid stands up and loops her good arm through mine, “but take your time. I don’t want you questioning your craftsmanship when I still kick your ass. Come on, Fuse will still be there tomorrow. I’m hungry too,” Ingrid starts dragging me back down the hill towards the old Hofferson house and I’m surprised when Arvid and Aurelia follow.

“Remind me to never have friends over,” Aurelia shudders, “it’s bad enough when my dad tries to be cool to get Eret to like him.”

Arvid falls into step beside me and watches me look back at the Thorston house twice before it’s out of view.

“Do you think he wants to beat me up?” I ask him, because he’s the authority on this that I’ve wanted this whole time. He’s silent for a second and I think he’s not going to answer but then he shrugs.

“Probably.”

“Great.”

#eret iii #festerverse #eret sr #fuse thorston #ingrid hofferson #arvid hofferson #aurelia haddock #smitelout jorgenson #feret #cooldadtuffnut #fuse the sinnamon roll #because oh my god he's a child fuse #a small child

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godsbelovedkid · 3 years

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A Buyers Agents List of 5 Mission Critical Items to Check before Buying a Condo

Don't let your new condo cost you money, at least not in your first 5 years of ownership. Here are the 5 most costly mistakes you can make when buying a condo. Culled from the author's 7 years of selling condos in the Boston area. Written by Jeff Persons, Accredited Buyers Agent, RE/MAX Destiny, Boston MA

Here is my list of musts!

Watch out for noise transference.

Some condos get a lot of noise transference, especially the old townhouses built from 1850 to 1900. The noise may come from side to side or from up and down. Once I had condo owners living above me who moved their furniture around in the middle of the night. I bought them some furniture pads, left them by their door and that fixed the problem. You will be living with other people in the same house. My own noise was bothering the nice lady downstairs so I agreed to use headphones after 8:30 PM so she could sleep.

As much as you can, try to visit the condo at different times of the day or night. Go with your Buyers Agent so you can get him to be quiet long enough to detect noise. Noise can also come from old windows. Visit during rush hour in the rain and you will know how bad the road noise can be. Visit the block at various times of the day and night so you can spot annoyance factors like teenagers hanging out on the same corner every night right outside your bedroom window.

Find out whatever you can about the other owners

It's a bummer to buy into an association only to find out that there are long standing disputes about condo issues among the owners. It changes the whole feeling of your new home. Insist on a conversation with at least 2 trustees of the condo association.

Get a Home Inspection

Always, always, always!

Get a Lawyer

Especially with condos. You need someone to read the master deed and the 3 inch stack of addenda to make sure you are protected from anything in the fine print. Your real estate lawyer who is hopefully well versed with condos can also go over the budget and give you a heads up if she sees a shortfall coming.

Don't Overpay

Here is where you can enlist the help of your Buyers agent in establishing what fair market value for the property really is. It takes about 20 to 30 minutes and will tell you what the going rate is for the property. Much like a real estate appraiser and using basic math from a few different angles in order to get some metrics you can hang your hat on. Make sure your Buyers agent shows you all the sold units he used in his calculations, not just the sold units that justify the asking price.

"You don't make money in real estate when you sell,

You make it when you buy"

Don't forget the minutes to the condominium meetings!

Here is one thing that many condo buyers miss because no one has a vested interest in getting these documents to the buyer. Get the latest meeting minutes from the condo association meetings.

Once something is assessed the sellers must disclose, but sellers will try to hide the minutes from you.

Getting the minutes is mission critical because they reveal what the association is talking about repairing in the future. In the minutes you may discover that they are talking about a new roof, elevator, pilings replacement, heating systems, brick repointing, common area updates etc. etc.

I've been selling Boston condos since 2002 and I have yet to see an owner, property management company or listing agents who will volunteer the minutes to you or your buyers agent. If fact the opposite is true. I've run into smoke screens and flat out lies regarding the minutes. No we don't have them, no we can't find them, one excuse after another. I've had to make as many as 8 phone calls to several different people over a period of weeks before I grudgingly got handed the minutes.

The minutes can be a deal breaker because they may outline an expensive course of action for the building association down the road. Like spending money.

I learned this one up close and personal before I got into real estate. I bought a beautiful 1 bedroom condo on the 3rd floor overlooking the Commonwealth Avenue Mall. It was a dream come true but I bought it without the benefit of a Buyers agent or a look at the condominium meeting minutes. If I had I would have known that 6 months later I was going to get a bill for $8000 for the new roof and 1 year later another bill for $16

,000 for the new elevator. The seller knew but he didn't legally have to tell me because the repairs hadn't been officially assessed. If I had known I still may have bought the property but I would have at least known what I was getting into.

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nicegoodgolden-blog · 7 years

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All the One Direction asks :) xx

Oh my gosh. Im about to bore everyone e to sleep. (Tagging you, @petalsharry, because you sent me in a few too!) Here we gooooo…

What Makes You Beautiful: Name three things you love about yourself.My kids(they’re part of me)…honestly, that’s it…

Gotta Be You: Talk about your crush!Crush…hmm…so besides hubs, I’m gonna go with my man Niall Horan this time. WHAT A BABE…amiright?!

One Thing: What’s one thing your dream girl/boy HAS to have?A good heart

More Than This: What’s the bravest thing you ever did?Given birth…lol, I really don’t know…

Up All Night: Talk about the craziest night of your life.Probably the night in 11th grade when I got so drunk and started throwing up so hard that I lost my shoe somehow & partied with one shoe on for the rest of the night.

I Wish: What’s your biggest dream?I’d love to be a singer

Tell Me A Lie: What was your most recent lie?I told my son that if he ate his dinner he’d get a surprise…I am not above bribery.

Taken: Talk about your last relationship.I’ve only had one relationship really…and I married him, God help him

I Want: Name three things you want in lifeGood music forever, for people to love one another, for my children to grow up happy

Everything About You: Who’s your biggest celebrity crush?Harry Styles, for this question lol

Same Mistakes: What’s your most common mistake?I stay up too late

Save You Tonight: Which three things would you save if there was a fire?Things? Computer bc it has so many important photos on it, my kids old baby blankets, clothes for my kids

Stole My Heart: Have you ever fallen for someone you shouldn’t have fallen for?Boy, have I…

Stand Up: What’s your favourite sport?Basketball

Moments: Talk about something good that recently happened to you.I got to go grocery shopping all by myself without the hubs or kids & it was so relaxing

Another World: Which fictional world would you want to live in if you could?I just wanna go to Hogwarts

Na Na Na: What’s one thing you can never say no to?Fried chicken

I Should Have Kissed You: Is there something you regret?Im about to sound so cliche…but no. I really do t regret a thing. Everything I’ve done had gotten me where I am, and I like where I am

Live While We’re Young: Talk about a childhood memory.My fav is probably spending so much time with my Nana when I was younger

Kiss You: Tell the story of your first kiss.I was 15/16, I finally convinced my older crush (who liked me too) to come to the party my friend & I had while her parents were out of town…we ended up sitting on the front porch talking about life until like 6am…I walked him out to his truck as he left & he leaned in and it just kind of happened. It was both terrible & wonderful at the same time

Little Things: Name five things you find attractive in others.Intelligence, a good heart, sense of humor, musical talent is always nice, good hair

C'Mon, C'Mon: What’s your dream destination for a good vacation?Ireland

Last First Kiss: Do you want to get married? If so, talk about your dream wedding.I am…my wedding was my dream wedding lol

Heart Attack: Are you jealous?Nah

Rock Me: List your ten favourite bands.Bands? One Direction, Jonas Brothers, Kings of Leon, Rolling Stones, Nirvana, The Beatles, Fleetwood Mac, N'Sync, Backstreet Boys, The Eagles

Change My Mind: Are you good at making final decisions or do you easily change your mind?I really don’t know…I’m really indecisive at first, but once I actually make a decision, I’m stuck with it

I Would: Name three guilty pleasures of yours.I hide some of my kids candy that they get from their grandmas house & eat it myself, I hide honeybuns so that I’ll have a stash when my husband thinks he’s eaten them all, sometimes I act like I have a bad headache so that my husband will pick up dinner on his way home from work so I don’t have to cook…in conclusion, I’m a fatass

Over Again: Talk about your first love.First love…idk if it was love…maybe it was. He was my first kiss. A wonderful guy that “got away.” He actually live a few houses down from me with his gf, lol. Damn tiny towns.

Back For You: Talk about your best friend.I miss her.

They Don’t Know About Us: Share a secret!I hate my husbands mustache

Summer Love: Talk about a summer memory.I spent a week in a beach house with my bff when I was 16/17…a good fuckin week, man

She’s Not Afraid: What’s your favourite horror film?Probably The Strangers……..“because you were home”

Loved You First: Are you a possessive person?Not too bad

Nobody Compares: Who’s your idol?No idol…but I really admire Harry Styles, wonderful human being

Still The One: What’s one thing you can’t seem to get over?RICHONNE ON TWD LIEK BITH I WAITED 5EVER FOR THAT TO HAPPEN AND IT FINALLY DID AND ILL NEVER GET OVER IT

Best Song Ever: List your ten favourite songs.Hallelujah - Jeff Buckley, Wild Horses - The Rolling Stones, all of MITAM (counts as the rest of the 10) lmao

Story Of My Life: List five things you can’t live without.Air, food, water, blood, food

Diana: What would you name your children?I’m not gonna give out my kids’ names…but if I ever have anymore, I love the names: Blythe Opal, Heslin James, Thea Rose, & Noah Silas

Midnight Memories: Talk about a dream you recently had.Last night I dreamt that Harry Styles was never a real person & he was a figment of our imaginations 🙃

You & I: Talk about your OTP.OTP within the fandom: Sophiam, I just loved them…I do love Chiam too, but Sophiam was just…wowOutside the fandom: Jack Dawson & Rose DeWitt Bukater…don’t make me elaborate because id be here typing for 8000 years

Don’t Forget Where You Belong: Where do you feel home?Anywhere that I get a certain vibe

Strong: What are your three best qualities?Um, motherhood is my best quality…my kids make me who I am. I don’t know about the other two, really…I mean, I can drink a 2liter of Dr. Pepper in one sitting & polish off a box of honeybuns in less than 24hrs…do those count?

Happily: Name three things that make you happy.My family, good music, people being nice

Right Now: Do you miss someone at the moment?Nah

Little Black Dress: How would you describe your style?Hobo-chic

Through The Dark: What helps you when you’re feeling down?My kids & music

Something Great: Where do you see yourself in ten years?Mommin’ it tf up

Little White Lies: Talk about your #1 sexual fantasy.Any sex that doesn’t involve trying to hurry before the kids bust through the door 💀

Better Than Words: Do you read fanfiction? If so, what’s your favourite fanfiction?Not a lot

Why Don’t We Go There?: Which big cities have you been to?Vegas, Houston, NOLA

Does He Know?: Would you be up for a threesome?No thanks

Alive: What’s one thing you’d never tell your “real life” friends?I really don’t know lol

Half A Heart: What’s your favourite lovestory? ( Book, film, etc. )Titanic

Steal My Girl: Did you ever steal anything?Once even I was 4 I stole Reese’s cups from the store & my mom made me go back in & apologize

Ready To Run: If you could have one super power, which would you choose?I’d fly

Where Do Broken Hearts Go?: Talk about the best concert you ever attented.Jonas Bros WYLMITE Tour. 4th row. Nick pointed & winked at me. I haven’t been the same since.

18: Do you wish you were younger or older?I’m good where I am

Girl Almighty: What makes you sexy?Lmao nuthin

Fool’s Gold: Do you fall for people quickly?I used to, yeah. I’m still quick to be infatuated though. I get attached to things/people easily

Night Changes: What’s one thing you don’t ever want to change?Good question…

No Control: Can you control your temper ?Most of the time

Fireproof: What scares you?Nothing, I’m fearless…kidding. Everything.

Spaces: Did you ever let someone go for good?Yes

Stockholm Syndrome: Name five kinks of yours.All I know is I like my hair pulled & my ass grabbed tight. Hollaaaaa

Clouds: What’s your star sign? Does your personality match it?I’m an Aquarius…is that the same as a star sign? Lmao idk

Change Your Ticket: What would you do with a million dollars?A lot of cool shit

Illusion: Do you believe in higher powers?I believe in God

Once In A Lifetime: What’s three things you want to do before you die?Meet Harry StylesHug Harry StylesMeet Harry Styles

Act My Age: Do you consider yourself mature?Sometimes…old soul, young heart

Just Can’t Let Her Go: Name five turn ons.Just be nice lmao & like good music

Phewwww…thanks babes xx

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shohanurrahmanx · 5 years

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Five Cool Things to See While Teaching English in China

Teaching English in China

Five Cool Things to See While Teaching English in China

Click here for more info about teaching English in China

China; the name itself invokes visions of a far-off land full of ancient wonders, rich culture and spiritual mysticism. It has an extensive written history with written records dating back about 4,000 years and is considered one of the four great ancient civilizations of the world.

While China is a popular tourist destination, there is an even better way to explore its historical architecture and vibrant culture; by teaching English in China. China has the highest demand for English teachers in the world right now, more than any other country and is hands down the easiest place in the world to land a job teaching English. China is also a huge country both in terms of population and physical size and as such, makes it a great place to travel on your weekends and holidays off from 9 to 5. Without further ado, the 5 coolest things to see while teaching English in China.

5. West Lake

Located in beautiful Hangzhou in Eastern China, West lake is a sight to behold. Spread out over an area of about 6.5 square kilometers, West Lake is a serene and beautiful spot that is famous for its scenery and is a setting for many traditional Chinese romantic legends. A great getaway for the ex-pat teaching English in one of the (many) more populated and bustling cities in China, West Lake offers a chance to relax and recuperate from the rat race of city life. There are many great activities to participate in including viewing koi fish at the flower pond, visiting the Leifeng pagoda and the mysterious “Three Pools Mirroring the Moon” section that produces an optical illusion making it seem as if one is surrounded by multiple moons.

4. Giant Pandas in Chengdu

Few animals are as closely related to China as that of the giant panda, and no experience teaching English there is complete without a visit to a panda reserve. Giant pandas are gentle and placid creatures that spend the majority of their lives eating and sleeping, a feat most of us can envy immensely. They live in bamboo forests (bamboo being their main food source) and even without the pandas, the forests themselves are a magnificent sight to behold. There are four main panda reserves in Chengdu and you would do well to visit any one of them. They all do great work, and it’s thanks to their efforts that giant pandas were taken off the endangered species list in 2016 (they are now on the “vulnerable” list). So take a break from teaching your students English and see what other wildlife China has to offer! There are many different kinds of tours and activities involving Pandas, some involving simply viewing the creatures and even more immersive ones that last days where you can track wild pandas in their natural habitats.

3. Li River

Flowing 83 kilometers from Guilin to Yangshuo in Southern China, the Li River has been named one of the “top ten watery wonders” by National geographic. The scenery is picturesque and stunning with the view consisting mainly of wild Karst mountains. Like West Lake, it’s a perfect spot to escape the hustle and bustle of teaching English in a Chinese city. One of the most popular ways to explore the scenery is by river cruise, an activity that attracts millions of tourists every year. These cruises are about 4 to 5 hours and are extremely relaxed affairs with buffets and minibars, and some of the fancier boats even boasting air conditioning and TV screens. The more adventurous can take a bamboo rafting tour that takes place much closer to the water offering a more authentic (albeit less luxurious) nature experience.

2. The Terracotta Army

The terracotta army is a collection of clay sculptures that were made with the purpose of protecting Emperor Qin Shi Huang in the afterlife. The figures date back to the 3rd century BCE and are located in Xi’an, the excavation site which has since been turned into a museum. It is estimated that the terracotta army contains over 8000 soldiers, 130 chariots and 670 horses, the majority which is still buried in the pits nearby to the main excavation site. There are also other non-military figures buried to accompany the Emperor into the afterlife including strongmen, acrobats, and musicians. The figures are life-sized and vary immensely from one another in many ways including uniforms, hairstyles, and even faces. The terracotta army is unlike anything in the world and makes a great (even a little spooky!) little break from teaching English in China on a weekend or holiday.

1. The Great Wall of China

Unsurprisingly, the world-famous great wall tops the list of coolest things to see while teaching English in China. Spanning approximately 20,900 kilometers, the great wall was begun in the third century BC as a means of protection from barbarian nomads in the North. One of the factors that makes it so amazing is the fact that it was built before modern machinery and thusly, built entirely by hand out of brick, stone, sand, and soil. Millions of the workers building the wall died in the process and were buried under it lending it the nickname “The Longest Cemetery on Earth.” The most famous section of the wall is called Badaling and is also the busiest. For a less touristy experience, one can visit the wilder sections like Jiankou or Simatai. There are many activities one can do on the great wall like hiking, camping or even riding a roller coaster!

Five Cool Things to See While Teaching English in China

Click here for more info about teaching English in China

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davidrsmithlove · 7 years

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Wake Up Your Sleeping Beauty Content!

How to Get Value from Your Low-Performing Content

Remember the fairy tale Sleeping Beauty? Placed under a curse by an evil fairy (I hate when that happens!), a princess falls into perpetual slumber, from which she can be awakened only by the kiss of a prince.

If you regularly produce content for your website, inevitably you’ll have some Sleeping Beauties of your own.

What is Sleeping Beauty content? It’s any content that you know is really good:

It’s unique: Whatever its topic, you’ve brought new light or a new angle on it.

It’s aligned: It matches up well with both your target audience and your brand promise.

It’s highly useful: Users get something out of it, and they’re likely to remember it.

But for whatever reason, it hasn’t taken off.

Despite your best efforts, it lies sleeping in the woods, and no one sees it (except maybe adorable Disney animals, who are unlikely to become customers). It doesn’t get the views, shares, or links you know it deserves.

That content needs a Handsome Prince to wake it up.

I’m going to show you how to do that, but first let’s deal with an important issue.

Viral Content or Bust?

From hundreds of hours of analyzing content on a great many sites, I know that there are a lot of Sleeping Beauties out there. I get sad when I see content that is exceptional and deserves to be seen that has only a handful of views, shares, or engagement.

Perhaps the bigger tragedy though is that most content marketers just sigh and move on. They do nothing further with those SB’s (as I’ll call Sleeping Beauties from here forward).

Either they figure the piece wasn’t as good as they thought it was, or they’ve forgotten about it and already moved on to the next project. It didn’t go viral, so it was a failure. Oh well.

There are at least two false assumptions in that thinking:

That virality happens mostly by chance, and you get only one shot at it. If the content roulette wheel didn’t hit your number this time, you’re out of luck.

That there is only one chance for a piece of content to hit: when it is first published. If it falls flat then, game over.

Neither of those are true.

Virality sometimes happens by chance, but:

Most viral content went viral as result of planned, coordinated, targeted efforts. See for example the story of the Harlem Shake phenomenon.

A great many viral posts or campaigns went big at some point well after their initial publication. Overnight virality is actually rare.

Don't give up on great content that didn't go viral. Learn how to wake up your sleeping beauty posts!Click To Tweet

So viral (or just plain old popular) content can happen from careful planning and execution, and it can happen at virtually any time after initial publication (for at least as long as the content is relevant).

I’ll add a few more observations from my experience:

Viral or popular doesn’t have to be explosive. That is, it doesn’t have to happen in a compressed time period. Some SB content that awakens gets lots of views spread out over a long time.

Some content needs a “spark” that sets it off on the viral trajectory. For example, our first-ever viral post, The Great Knowledge Box Showdown, only took off after Search Engine Land Contributing Editor Greg Stirling wrote about it. That story led to writers in a number of major publications writing about, and linking to, our post.

Sometimes you can “goose” a piece of content into virality by your own promotion of it, through outreach to influencers and media people, or just from your own paid and/or organic social promotions getting before the right people.

Some SB content awakens as “work horse” content. It’s never going to win any races or show prizes, but it does good work for your site over time, bringing in it’s share of regular views and new audience.

My Own Sleeping Beauty Story

My post How Does Social Media Affect SEO? is my favorite example of my own SB content at work. It first published in January 2014. As you can see in the analytics graph below, the post had pretty slow traffic for the first year-and-a-half of its existence*. Then suddenly in August 2015, it took off and stayed at a much higher level. Yet another leap occurred in June 2016, and the post has performed at an even higher level ever since.

Why was this piece a Sleeping Beauty? How did I awaken it? Why did it have a second great awakening? I’ll get into all that below!

*Transparency note: I cut off a short portion of the left side of this graph because the post did have a three-day spike of 2500 views about a month after it published, but since those views did not result in any lasting effect, they would have simply skewed the perspective of this graph. Those views were nearly all attributed to “Direct/None” by Google Analytics, so I have no idea where they came from, and they obviously had no lasting effect on traffic.

How to Awaken Sleeping Content

You probably don’t have a Handsome Prince on staff, and even if you did, princes aren’t known for their content marketing skills.

So how do you wake up your Sleeping Beauty content?

Step 1: Identify your sleeper content

If you’ve been creating content for your site for a while, and you worked hard to make sure that content is as good as it can be, then chances are good you have some SB’s lying around. Before you can wake them up you have to find them.

Here’s how to identify your potential SB’s.

Page view drop off. In your analytics software, choose a reasonable time frame (perhaps the past year) and then sort your content by page views. You’ll probably see a certain number of posts with high numbers, and then at some point there’s a distinct drop off. Start with the content near the top of that drop-off point as your first Sleeping Beauty candidates.

These posts showed that they could draw some audience, but they never quite rose to the level of high performers. It may be that they deserved a bigger audience, but for any of a number of reasons (which I’ll get into below), they never reached it.

If your site publishes content on a variety of topical themes, it might be useful to do this exercise for each of those themes. See David Kutcher’s excellent guide to creating content groups in Google Analytics.

Check social shares. For a different perspective, do the same exercise with social metrics. Buzzsumo is a good tool for this. In the Buzzsumo search window, enter your site’s domain to get your content sorted by total social shares over the past year. Again look for the cluster of top performers, and then find the drop-off point where there’s a gap and then all the other content. Take note of the top posts below the drop-off.

No drop off? What if there is no discernible drop off point for either of the above metrics? For some sites, the number of page views and/or social shares may be evenly distributed across a wide range. For example, when I look at social shares for posts on Search Engine Land, there is a very steady decline from a high of over 8000 shares down to posts with a few hundred shares. There is no significant gap at any point in that range.

In such a case I would simply decide an arbitrary point at which to declare “below here, Sleeping Beauties lie.” You can’t really go wrong with this as the point of my tactics below is improving your content and its promotion, and that never hurts to do for any of your older content.

Use Paid Social Media to Test. If you know what you’re doing with paid social, it can be a great place to test out SB content to see if there might be an audience for it. On Facebook, for example, first post the older content you want to test to your brand’s page. Then use the Facebook Ad Manager to create an engagement ad with “existing content” (the organic post you created). Do this rather than just boosting the post from your page, as you get far more audience control and metrics from the Ad Manager. Test your ad with various audiences and see if it clicks with any of them (i.e., starts to get significant engagement). If it does, you’ve found a potential Sleeping Beauty to awaken.

Special case: Sweet spot content. In a joint study we covered here, Moz and Buzzsumo teamed up to analyze the types of content that got either links or shares, or more rarely, both. Content that earns both good links and significant social shares is rare and valuable. You’re doing well if some of your top performing content fits that description, but for our purposes here, take some time to look for sweet spot content in the second tier you’ve identified using the methods above. Because that’s SB content, the links and shares are probably not going to be huge, but any content that has even a little bit of both should get your first priority.

Step 2: Content Triage

Triage in medicine is a protocol used in emergency situations where many illnesses or injuries present themselves in a short time, overwhelming available treatment staff. The triage protocol helps staff to assess priorities for first treatment. It sounds maudlin, but the first task of triage is to identify the patients who are likely beyond saving. The thinking goes: when resources are limited, they have to be prioritiezed to those for whom they will do the most good.

Once you’ve identified your likely Sleeping Beauties, content that has done “ok” but should have performed better, determine a triage protocol for which posts get first attention (and which may not be worth saving after all).

The hard truth is that it’s possible some of your second-tier content needs to either die or be reincarnated. By rieincarnated I mean put to a different use, and I’ll cover some methods for that in the section on improving your content.

Triage: Content is not worth saving (at least in its current form) if it:

Is no longer relevant (i.e., it discusses a topic or method that is old news, or no longer applies, or is so outdated it can’t be updated)

Is no longer in your topical wheelhouse (i.e., it’s about a subject or product area that your company no longer has a stake in)

Has been covered better since (i.e., there is better content you’ve published more recently, and this post adds little or nothing)

The content is thin or poor quality (consider writing a new, better post, if you haven’t already)

Step Three: Make Content Improvements

Once your triage is completed and you’ve eliminated content not worth rescuing, you’re ready to get positive and figure out how to upgrade the content that’s left. Often just updating and improving older content is enough to make it perform better, especially for SEO.

How to improve your Sleeping Beauty content:

Update anything that has gone out of date.

Search to see if there are any more up-to-date resources wherever you’ve stated data or facts and linked to an outside source to back them up.

Find pop-culture or current events refrerences that are now old, and replace them with more current ones.

Update case studies with newer and/or better ones.

Check all your outbound links and make sure the sources still exist and are credible.

Add more depth.

Don’t just add text to have more words, but look for places where you could flesh out something that was too brief in the original, or where more detail might be helpful.

Add more examples and case studies.

Take advantage of the knowledge and expertise you or your company has gained since the post was first written.

Update the keyword optimization.

These older posts could be suffering SEO-wise either because they were not optimized for search at all, or optimized for the wrong keywords.

If the post has been getting some organic traffic over time, with a little research you may find that it is ranking well for some long tail keywords, or that it ranks just below the “money” for some higher volume queries (perhaps high on page two). Reoptimize the text of the post with these discoveries in mind.

Add or update images.

Chances are your company has improved or at least changed its graphical look-and-feel since the post was published. If so, bring the images into line with those standards.

Perhaps you’ve now hired or contracted with a better graphical artist. Put her or him to work improving the images for the old post. And if the post has no or too few images, think up some that could be added.

Enhance the appearance and readability.

Here at Stone Temple we’ve learned a lot over the years about writing for the web. Reading on the web, especially on smaller mobile devices as more and more people are, is a different experience from reading traditional printed material. Our older posts tended to be long blocks of text with little to break them up. Now we go for shorter paragraphs, and include subheadings and bullet points to break up the text and keep the reader’s interest. Click here for some good tips on writing for the web.

Add internal links to your best content (where relevant) and create links to this content from other pages on your site that make reference to what this page is about.

Step Four: Repromote and Repurpose (But Better This Time!)

If you’ve been growing as a digital marketer, then you probably know more about how to promote content than you did when your Sleeping Beauty content first published. In addition, the ways, methods, and platforms for promotion have certainly changed and improved over the years.

Practice evergreen re-sharing. In my experience the vast majority of content publishing sites only share their content on social media a few times, all when it first comes out. But we’ve proven that regularly resharing your evergreen content (content that remains relevant and useful) brings a lot of extra traffic that would be missed otherwise. See “Why Social Sharing Is Not a One-and-Done Activity.”

Do more outreach. If you do PR outreach to media and/or influencers for your major content, it may be worth trying another round of outreach for some of your improved Sleeping Beauties, especially if you’ve improved any of them significantly. You may find newer outreach prospects or publications, or reawaken interest from a writer or influencer who didn’t bite the first time around.

Do paid social promotion. Maybe you only started using paid social promotion (creating targeted ads for content on Facebook, Twitter, and other social media sites) since your Sleeping Beauty was first published. Or maybe you��ve become more skilled at it. Or maybe this is a good first opportunity to try it out! If you know how to use the targeting options, paid social can help you expose your oldies-but goodies to whole new audiences, and perhaps to more receptive ones than saw your original promotions.

Repurpose. Think of other ways you could use the content on other platforms.

Turn it into a slide deck and post it on Slideshare.

Write a summary post on LinkedIn Publisher or Medium with a ” learn more” link back to your original post.

Take individual sections of your content and turn them into their own posts elsewhere, whether on the places mentioned above, or as social media posts. Again, include a link back to the original to “learn more.”

Create a video based on the content and embed it in the original post.

Meanwhile, Back at My Own Sleeping Beauty Story…

So how did I turn my social media and SEO post from an 18-month sleeping beauty into a take-charge princess that is now one of the biggest traffic-drivers ever on our site?

You usually won’t have to use all of the techniques I outlined in this article, and I didn’t to awaken that post. Here is what I did do in this case:

In August 2015 I did a major update to the content. The original post was actually more about Matt Cutts’ comments on how hard it was to verify identity on the social web. By mid-2015 the topic of author authority in search was old hat, but there was a lot of controversy over whether or not social media directly affects search rankings. I realized that Matt’s comments were also about that, and so re-centered the post on that topic.

We also began more consistently sharing the post on a regular rotation on social media at that time.

In June 2016 I did another major overhaul to the content, rewriting large parts of it with more up-to-date information, and things I’d learned since the post was originally created. I also improved the formatting and images at this time.

That’s it! As you can see in the graph below, which shows only traffic from Google organic search, the biggest effect of these changes was in organic search. Compare it to the all-traffic graph earlier in this post, and you can see that each refresh of the content got Google to pay new attention to the post, and each time Google decided the post was now much more relevant and useful for some high-volume queries, for which it began to rank highly. For example, as of this writing my post is #1 on Google for “does social media affect google rankings” and has been there for a long time.

One More Thing…

Regularly practicing the methods above should almost certainly bring you rewards of increased traffic as well as better and bigger audiences for your brand. But despite your best efforts, some content, even content that survived your triage and has been improved and re-promoted, will just never become a major traffic attractor.

It’s hard to say why, but the important thing to focus on is that even that content can still have value. For example, it may be a piece that your salespeople can use to reinforce a point to a prospect, or it may serve as a good reference point to be linked to from your other content.

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