Her Fingers Are Hesitantly Pressed Against The Door. She Swims Through All The Possible Reasons Of Inviting

Her fingers are hesitantly pressed against the door. She swims through all the possible reasons of inviting her this late to his office. Sigh. Resign. Knock.

The familiar scent of paper and salt always managed to soothe Riza's nerves which were tense for multiple reasons. However, she wanted her unrest hidden, so she ignored the bookshelf covering the entire right wall and the crates and chests to her left. Her focus was in front of her instead, where two black boots rested on the messy desk, a chin rested on one arm. The captain's brow was furrowed toward the window, contradicting his relaxed manner. After a blink his eye jumped to hers and Riza almost drowned. She didn't have to hide anything, he knew.

"Good evening, sir."

His boots made a thud as their soles hit the floorboards.

"Evening, Hawkeye."

His coat, draped over his chair, and his shirt, unbuttoned to the unprofessional level, were enough for her to see that there was no emergency in sight.

"Sorry for disturbing you this late. I just wanted to talk, seeing how lately you..."

...have been avoiding me.

She knew how the sentence ended. Maybe that's why he didn't finish it. That, or he didn't want to confirm his doubts.

"I don't mind, sir. Talking to you has always been a pleasure."

Until you kissed me.

"Ditto."

They had this strange staring contest for a couple of breaths.

Ah, kisses. They have this power to turn details to unforgettable and make one aware of just how quickly things can get out of hand. But that didn't stop her from wondering just how much of a mess would the next kiss make. Kissed by the most terrifying man of the Amestrian seas. A thing to put in her resume.

It was strange how in the course of these few weeks she managed to become a member of the Hawk's crew, make her way through the ranks and gain the trust of the infamous Roy Mustang. Not only did she have his trust, but he had hers and that was probably the strangest thing that has happened.

"Let us proceed to the deck. I planned our conversation to be held there."

What am I doing?

He stood up and then opened the door for her.

I was a soldier

He closed the door behind her.

A soldier loyal to his Excellency

They made their way through the hall.

Maybe I still am

He opened the door.

Whatever I might be, he's a-

On the deck, not in the centre, but slightly closer to their left. There has been set a table for two. Candles, silky tablecloth and roses. There was Breda, playing the accordion at an acceptable proximity.

Riza stared at the sight for a moment, then turned to see how Captain's mysterious smirk turned into a mischievous grin. He held out his hand.

"Shall we?"

"Uhm, sir?"

"I truly hope you didn't regret coming with me when... I did that. I'll leave you alone and even let you go back to Amestris, if you desire so. But if not, please, dance with me tonight."

It took a moment of hesitation. A moment of that firm no, telling her the consequences of her actions. A moment and then she gave him her hand.

I'll become your accomplice

Roy's grin somehow widened and it seemed he wanted to show her all the jigs that he knew. His quick feet knew seemed to know every dance and even make up some of their own. Step by step and Riza did as well.

"You're a quick learner."

She saw an opportunity.

"Let's see how you fare."

She pulled him into the Amestrian waltz, the one that only the higher layers of society could dance with the exception of her, a bodyguard able to learn it at the Bradley estate. She took the lead while he was fumbling around on his feet, eye wide. She lead him through the waltz's changing pace, that barely matched Breda's efforts. Roy marvelled her skill and then noticed her smug smile. With the movement of a thief, he switched them so that now he was in the leading position.

"I think I got the hang of it."

The steps that he made were certainly elegant and connected, but lacked the elements that made the waltz. He simply couldn't replicate her fast steps.

He raised his soft smile to her and she let out a laugh.

"We should dance more often."

Sorry, it ends here. I can't be bothered to correct the mistakes right now so forgive me for that. Hope you enjoyed it. Thank @tomochingus for this beautiful art.

god they’re so in love

Unfortunately everybody forgets the shoe

ling yao, possibly the buffest 15 year old in history, crossed a gigantic harsh desert and went to a country he’s never been to before, searching for something that could turn him immortal so he could become the supreme emperor of his own country, then ended up getting lost in the capital city and nearly collapsed from starvation on the street, got arrested for being an illegal alien and went to jail, didn’t hesitate to ask a horrifying empty suit of armor with a cleaver to help him break out, started breaking into buildings through windows literally just because “it seemed appropriate for a criminal”, tried to assassinate the leader of the military, willingly accepted the personification of a deadly sin into his body, became best bros with him, tried to assassinate the leader of the military AGAIN, and eventually became the emperor like he planned

ling yao is a chaotic piece of shit and i would die for him any day

Absolutely stunning

@working-cells @unlikelyzipperpursewinner there you go, you two! Hope you like it🤗. Oh, and @lunchtimerushin since this is your art 😉. I apologize for any grammatical errors in advance!

Ae3803 felt her breath betraying her. The consequences of getting lost were probably more infuriating than being lost could've ever been. Always late and running. Her thoughts became more hazy with each breath.

Just a little... more. Turn the corner here and... there? There, I'm sure.

She did as planned, then missed the warning about the freshly mopped floor.

Mostly... Oh, I know where I am! There's a flight of stairs to the right! I can make that jump and descend faster!

She didn't. The slippery floor didn't allow her to turn right or stop herself, causing her to fall off the stairs...

Crap!

...and pin someone to the ground.

Oh my gosh! I hit something!

As she was lying there, head pressed against someone's chest and a leg between theirs, her thoughts managed to catch up with her short breaths.

Oh my gosh! I'm an idiot! Why Ae3803? Why do you always mess things up? Aaaargh, now not only do I have to deal with this pain in my arm and my recipient, but face this poor person and-

If she could finish the thought, the last word would be "apologize", but she couldn't because she raised her head to see the unfortunate individual.

It was him.

White blood cell!

His dark gaze wandered across the ceiling, analysing the latest twist of fate. The white hair revealed both of his eyes. He quickly collected himself and winced once he looked into her eyes.

"I, I'm... Red blood cell, I", he stammered.

They both seemed to have the same idea of increasing the distance between them. As Red propped herself on her arms, White tried to stand up. His hand accidentally brushed her thigh as he was unaware of it's presence. It made their position all the more compromising. Ae3803 blushed and started to look as red as her hair. She kept looking at the neutrophil underneath her. His eyes widened as U1146 wanted to say something, but ended up only blinking at her. His hand didn't move. No words came forth.

They just stood frozen in that moment.

Ae3803 felt her mind running at the speed of light and creating an incoherent thought pattern that would take a lifetime to decipher. Even though she stopped running her breaths remained shallow. U1146 wasn't saying anything and she looked for meaning in his eyes. She tried to find a line of thoughts to follow, an idea to express. In vain she looked for the smallest, the slightest rational thought.

Because it didn't help. Because she could only think of how beautiful his eyes were. How wonderful it was to be able to look at them for such a long time. How great it felt to blame this weird timeline they got swept into for overstepping boundaries. Why? Why did he-

Red flinched and her eyes stopped focusing at him. She looked at her hand to confirm her doubts.

It is wet! Oh, it smells like... tea?

The tea seemed to treat whatever virus befell her and she got up, unable to avoid contact with his legs and hand. Since she couldn't become any redder, she closed her eyes in embarrassment. White just laid there, unwilling to repeat the same mistake.

In that moment she wanted to run away. As far and as fast as she could. But she couldn't.

I should have said something. I should at least say something now. Come on, say something, before he does!

What was I thinking?

What if somebody saw us?

What if...?

"U-uhm, White blood cell? Are, are you alright?"

He slowly stood up. His hair returned to it's rightful place and the visible eye focused at the cup of tea.

"I'm fine, don't, ehm worry about me", a blink and a gulp, "Are you hurt anywhere?"

He didn't look at her to check. As if by order, or maybe a reprimand, he kept kneeling next to the tea. He looked more like an erythrocyte with each passing second.

"I'm fine! Great, really, I, I didn't get hurt anywhere!"

"That's... uhm, that's great! I'm glad you didn't get hurt'...uhm, I, you just be more careful next time."

"Y-yeah, I will."

"Somebody c-could get hurt if this happens again..."

"I know, my bad! Please, forgive me, please."

"It's alright, but it would be... I just wanted to warn you."

"I'm really sorry. I will get you a new cup of tea."

U1146 raised his gaze above the cup and used her box as the next object of his interest.

"You don't have to, I'm just glad that your box is intact."

"Yeah, me too!"

The conversation died and Ae3803 seized this opportunity to pick up her box and approached him. At that second, his eyes were cast upon her again. Despite being different, the gaze summoned every ounce of her will to stay calm. She wasn't sure how it appeared on the outside or how red she was now. U1146 was better than her in hiding embarrassment that now manifested itself in his rosy cheeks and rigid movement.

He scratched the back of his head.

"I will get the tea myself, thank you."

He rushed off in the direction opposite of her route. She tried to look at his eyes once he ran past her, but only saw strands of white hair.

"S-see you"

She looked at his back as he ran.

Look at me. Just once. Like that time.

He didn't.

Photographs found their place in an album. A certain cell that had seen everything smiled as he looked at them.

"Nice. Very nice."

Thanks for reading! Tell me if I should do one from WBC's POV

clumsy clumsy smh (asks under readmore!)

Keep reading

Rations for various RPG Races

[[ Source. Original creator: wats6831. Additional information and images linked under each one. ]]

Universal:

Homemade artisan herb bread, home grown and dried apples and prunes, uncured beef sausage, munster cheese. Made a small bag from cheesecloth and tied it closed.

Discussion thread here.

Dwarf:

Garlic chicken livers, smoked and peppered cheese, spiced pork sausages, hard tack, dried vegetables, dried wild mushrooms.

Discussion thread here.

Elf:

Top left to right: Evereskan Honey Comb, Elven Travel Bread (Amaretto Liquer Cake with custom swirls), Lurien Spring Cheese (goat cheese with garlic, salt, spices and shallots), Delimbyr Vale Smoked Silverfin (Salmon), Honey Spiced Lichen (Kale Chips), and Silverwood Pine Nuts.

Discussion thread here.

Halfling:

From upper left: “Honeytack” Hard tack honey cakes, beef sausage, pork sausage mini links, mini whole wheat toast, cranberry cheddar cheese mini wedge, mini pickles, pumpkin and sunflower seeds, lower right is my homemade “travel cake” muesli with raisins, golden prunes, honey, eggs and cream.

Discussion thread here.

Half-Orc:

Wrapped in cheesecloth and tied in burlap package. Forest strider drumsticks, molasses sweet wheat bread “black strap”, aged Munster, hard boiled eggs, mixed wild nuts.

Discussion thread here.

Orc:

Orcs aren’t known for their great cuisine. Orcs prefer foods that are readily available (whatever can be had by raiding), and portable with little preparation, though they have a few racial delicacies. Toughs strips of lean meat, bones scavenged from recent kills, and dark coarse bread make up the bulk of common orc rations.Fire roasted rothe femur (marrow is a rare treat) [beef femur], Strips of dried meat (of unknown origin) [homemade goose jerky], foraged nuts, only edible by orcs….nut cracker tusks [brazil nuts], coarse black bread, made with whatever grains can be pillaged [black sesame bread], Pungent peppers [Habanero peppers stuffed with smoked fish and olives].

More images here. Discussion thread here.

Gnome:

Pan fried Delimbyr smelt, spiced goat cheese (paprika crusted hand pressed Fontina), Gnome shortbread (savory pistachio), glass travel jar filled with Secomber Red (wine), hard boiled quail eggs packed in rolled oats (to keep safe), dried figs from Calimshan, and Southwood smoked goat sausage (blood sausage).

More images here. Discussion thread here.

Lizardfolk:

Lizardfolk are known to be omnivores, forage for a surprising variety of foods found within the confines of their marshy environs, in this case the Lizard Marsh near Daggerford. Fresh caught boiled Delimbyr Crayfish on wild chives, coastal carrageen moss entrapping estuary brine shrimp (irish moss, dried brine shrimp), Brackish-Berries (blackberries), Blackened Dart-Frog legs (frog legs) on spring sprouts (clover sprouts), roasted bog bugs on a stick!

More images here. Discussion thread here.

Drow:

From top left: Menzoberranzan black truffle rothe cheese (Black Knight Tilsit), Donigarten Moss Snails (Escargot in shallot butter sauce), Blind cave fish caviar in mushroom caps (Lumpfish caviar), faerzress infused duck egg imported from the surface Realms (Century egg), Black velvet ear fungus (Auricularia Black Fungus Mushroom).

More images here. Discussion thread here.

Writing horses in your WIP

We see them all the time - horses in fiction. And there is so much to learn about them that it can be a little overwhelming! But I work with horses a lot so I thought I’d be able to help some of you guys out by going through the basics you’ll need for writing. (by the way, I only ride English style. If somebody wants to do something similar for Western riding, by all means, fire away.)

Horses and ponies - whats the difference?

It’s the height. Horses and ponies are measured in hands - 1 hand = approx 4 inches. A pony is anything below 14.2hh,(hands), a horse is anything taller. Any pony smaller than 14hh would really only be suitable for children. A stockier 14.2hh could hold teens or small adults, but most teens and adults would probably ride horses. 16hh would be an average size.

Stallions, mares and geldings.

A Mare is a female horse. They can be quite moody sometimes - which they show by being uncooperative and putting their ears back. A Stallion is a male horse that has not been castrated. They can be very, very strong willed, and are typically not suitable for the novice rider. A gelding is a male horse that has been gelded/castrated, They often have a more relaxed, placid nature. A colt is a young male, and a filly is a young female. 

Breaking

Training a horse under saddle is called ‘Breaking.’ A horse is typically broken around ¾ years of age, once it has finished growing. Breaking correctly is a long and patient process - not something that your character can do in a few minutes.

Gaits

Horses have four gaits. Walk, trot, canter, and gallop - in that order of ascending speed. Nobody trots away from danger. if your characters are fleeing, they are in a flat out gallop.

The tack

For describing scenes - you’ll really only need to talk about the reins and the bit. Pressure on the reins (held by the rider) should slow the horse down. The horse feels this pressure acting through the bit. 

All you really need to worry about for the saddle are the stirrups, and the girth. The girth is holding the saddle on, and the feet go into the stirrups.

Learning to ride

Is difficult! Your character won’t be a pro withing a couple of days. Its hard on your legs, and learning to balance can be tricky too. Somebody who is very comfortable in the saddle is relaxed and secure, and able to deal with however the horse acts. The rising trot, when the rider goes ‘up and down’ in sync with the horses movement in the trot, can be particularly difficult.

Ability

The average gallop is around 45km/h. So, bear i mind that a horse cannot outrun a car or anything like that. Jumping ability varies - a heavier horse will struggle over a 90cm hedge, but a quality animal could easily pop 1.60m (but only with a good rider.)  If your character gallops the horse on hard ground, it could easily go lame - they aren’t invincible! 

Feeding

Horses don’t eat the same way as dogs or cats. They are grazers - meaning they need to eat little, and often. Your character giving them a Handel of oats once a day is really not going to keep them alive. They need forage - grass or hay - and a lot of it.

Portraying atmospheres

Showing how the horse is feeling can be a really great tool for expressing the ‘mood’ of a scene. 

Relaxed - A relaxed horse will have its ears back lazily, but not pinned against its head. It will likely doze off and close its eyes, maybe while resting a hind leg.

Alert - Horses are super smart animals, and many say that they have a sixth sense that lets them know when something is coming. An alert horse stands up straight, and has its ears pricked forward.

Upset - If something bad is happening, the horse won’t be in  good mood. It might pin its ears flat back against its skull, and bare its teeth. It will flick its tail irritably, and a horse will kick out or bite at something if its unhappy.

Horses as friends

Horses are deeply empathetic animals. They are herd animals too, and can form deep connections with their people. A horse who is fond of a person may whinny when they see them, and nuzzle their face and neck. A real trust can form between horse and rider. To show this as your story progresses, the horse will become pleased to be with the character, and the character’s nerves aboard the horse will begin to fade.

—–

If you have any more specific questions, feel free to message me. All of this is very basic, and I am more than happy to help some fellow writers. 

Happy writing, Aoife - @writingguardian