4 Feb 2024, 12:49
Questions and distractions
15 November 2023
Sigrid was restless. In the courtyard, her old hiking boots, navy green with red shoelaces, peeking out from the black drapes of her school uniform, tapped rhythmically against the cobbled ground, and her fists coiled into a fist, then released, again and again. She was angry, and she was bored.
It is, in consideration, quite hard to be bored in a place like Hogwarts, where nothing seems to sit still. Even for a student like her, immersed in magic from a young age, Hogwarts had seemed like a dream come true, with more corridors to explore than she could ever have time for, and more food to eat than she could ever stomach.
But she was bored. There were classes yesterday, classes last week, classes tomorrow, classes forever, and they were boring. Well, kind of. They were better than the classes she had taken at that Muggle primary school back in Thetford, with smells and bangs and all sorts of interesting things. But they were still classes, and she still had to sit silent and listen, which is decidedly too much to ask for someone like her.
She was trying, she really was. Hogwarts was meant to be a fresh start, for a new, better behaved, Sigrid. It seemed like it had been too much to hope for. This is, conclusively, why she was angry. Why wasn't Hogwarts different? Was she doomed, forever, to be the naughty one, the stupid one, the one certain to fail?
She needed a distraction.
Sigrid was restless. In the courtyard, her old hiking boots, navy green with red shoelaces, peeking out from the black drapes of her school uniform, tapped rhythmically against the cobbled ground, and her fists coiled into a fist, then released, again and again. She was angry, and she was bored.
It is, in consideration, quite hard to be bored in a place like Hogwarts, where nothing seems to sit still. Even for a student like her, immersed in magic from a young age, Hogwarts had seemed like a dream come true, with more corridors to explore than she could ever have time for, and more food to eat than she could ever stomach.
But she was bored. There were classes yesterday, classes last week, classes tomorrow, classes forever, and they were boring. Well, kind of. They were better than the classes she had taken at that Muggle primary school back in Thetford, with smells and bangs and all sorts of interesting things. But they were still classes, and she still had to sit silent and listen, which is decidedly too much to ask for someone like her.
She was trying, she really was. Hogwarts was meant to be a fresh start, for a new, better behaved, Sigrid. It seemed like it had been too much to hope for. This is, conclusively, why she was angry. Why wasn't Hogwarts different? Was she doomed, forever, to be the naughty one, the stupid one, the one certain to fail?
She needed a distraction.
5 Feb 2024, 05:25
Questions and distractions
———u l y s s e s —d r a k e . ——
date. [ 11/15/23 ]—— word count. [ 250 ] ——————
Instead, he absent-mindedly spun his wand against his fingertips up on one of the trees within the courtyard while he enjoyed the silence of this particular moment before out of nowhere a yellow jack seemed to appear in haste right in front of the boy who usually was pretty good with balance ended up slamming the ten feet onto the mossy and spongey grass with a loud thud that might've gotten the attention of some of the others meandering about.
" BOLLOCKS! " The Slytherin yelled into the grass as he slammed his fists into the mound he landed in before pushing himself up, double-checking to make sure nothing was broken or that he wasn't stained to badly.
Apparently, this was just how things went when you were Ulysses Drake.
mentions. @sigrid johnsonnotes. hope you don't mind if i barged in!
5 Feb 2024, 08:29
Questions and distractions
@Ulysses Drake
(Of course not!)
Sigrid's emotions had, like clothes in a washing machine, tumbled around in her stomach quite uncomfortably for some time, the unbearable fury and unquiet agitation, and that small feeling of worry she couldn't quite shake, until it all became too much. That dark storm that was her mind thundered with vexation, ready to storm away, ready to - and then came the shout.
'BOLLOCKS!'
It was loud, and accompanied by a dull thud of a fist slamming to the ground, a sudden break in the courtyard's silent stillness. Did Sigrid flinch? No, she smiled. Like a hungry dog coming across a pile of sausages, her boredom had come across something interesting. Something worth my time.
Sigrid turned to find the sound. It was a boy, pulling himself up from the grass, and looking over himself as if to discern the damages. He looked... vaguely familiar. She couldn't place a name, but his features, dark and well-balanced, almost regal, she could've sworn she'd seen them before. Perhaps another First Year, a classmate she'd never noticed (not surprising, given her total inattentiveness) but he was so much taller than any other First Year, and she couldn't help but doubt herself. Either way, a spectacle was a spectacle, no matter who it entailed.
She stepped point, consciously poised, masking the curious excitement alive within her.
'Ouch,' she sympathised. 'You alright? There are some real thickheads around here, you can't escape them.' She paused for a moment, watching the yellow jacket of the culprit fly away, its owner no doubt fleeing his crime scene, or perhaps too occupied to even notice his achievement. 'I can't wait 'til I'm in the older years. I'll torment the annoying kids like hell.'
Sigrid realised the strength of her words a moment too late. 'Well, just to keep them in check and all,' she added hastily.
(Of course not!)
Sigrid's emotions had, like clothes in a washing machine, tumbled around in her stomach quite uncomfortably for some time, the unbearable fury and unquiet agitation, and that small feeling of worry she couldn't quite shake, until it all became too much. That dark storm that was her mind thundered with vexation, ready to storm away, ready to - and then came the shout.
'BOLLOCKS!'
It was loud, and accompanied by a dull thud of a fist slamming to the ground, a sudden break in the courtyard's silent stillness. Did Sigrid flinch? No, she smiled. Like a hungry dog coming across a pile of sausages, her boredom had come across something interesting. Something worth my time.
Sigrid turned to find the sound. It was a boy, pulling himself up from the grass, and looking over himself as if to discern the damages. He looked... vaguely familiar. She couldn't place a name, but his features, dark and well-balanced, almost regal, she could've sworn she'd seen them before. Perhaps another First Year, a classmate she'd never noticed (not surprising, given her total inattentiveness) but he was so much taller than any other First Year, and she couldn't help but doubt herself. Either way, a spectacle was a spectacle, no matter who it entailed.
She stepped point, consciously poised, masking the curious excitement alive within her.
'Ouch,' she sympathised. 'You alright? There are some real thickheads around here, you can't escape them.' She paused for a moment, watching the yellow jacket of the culprit fly away, its owner no doubt fleeing his crime scene, or perhaps too occupied to even notice his achievement. 'I can't wait 'til I'm in the older years. I'll torment the annoying kids like hell.'
Sigrid realised the strength of her words a moment too late. 'Well, just to keep them in check and all,' she added hastily.
12 Feb 2024, 07:15
Questions and distractions
———u l y s s e s —d r a k e . ——
date. [ 11/15/23 ]—— word count. [ 279 ] ——————
The choice words that escaped the stranger’s mouth at first didn’t register with the young child until the words clicked exactly into place. “ Huh. ” A devious smile formed unwaveringly on Ulysses’ lips as he took a step closer to the other to finally give the shorter girl a good look, she must’ve been a first year as well.
“ Yes, of course. To keep them in check. ” She had looked fairly plain without any features that jumped out in a striking way. There was something just below the surface of the other that Ulysses was picking up on but he couldn’t quite put his finger on it yet.
“ I’m Ulysses Drake, by the way First Year Slytherin, I don’t think we’ve met, at least I don’t think. ” With a hand extended, Ulysses glanced down at the other and could feel it in his gut that he was meeting something akin to a kindred spirit in the sense that perhaps she too was a monster disguised in human flesh. He wouldn’t say much more yet, but his curiosity was certainly piqued.
mentions. @sigrid johnsonnotes. n/a
16 Feb 2024, 05:26
Questions and distractions
@Ulysses Drake
There began to grow in Sigrid a pleasant sort of satisfaction as time marched on. Perhaps, just perhaps, this anger within her was misplaced. If she considered it all, was it really that bad, being destined for trouble? Was it not more enjoyable, more strangely gratifying, to act as she wanted to act, and think as she wanted to think, no matter what those pesky adults might think? No harm, no foul, the saying went, and was she not harming nobody, by mucking about as she wished?
This boy, Ulysses, seemed not to care. Sigrid couldn’t help but admire his calm, almost smooth appearance, with a smile sharp enough to cut. He has a beautiful name, Sigrid thought aimlessly, my name doesn’t have much to it, in comparison. She’d always liked her first name, being quite unusual and strong, but it sometimes felt like every other person had her last name. Either way, an introduction was in order.
‘Sigrid Johnson,’ she replied. ‘First Year too, in Hufflepuff. I don’t think so, no. I thought you looked familiar, but I couldn’t place the face.’
In the mention of her Hufflepuff membership, she felt quite strange, knowing the house’s trademark qualities of kindness and selflessness. Though she had never felt restricted or bound in any way by these characteristics, Sigrid admired them, saw their value, and sought to live by them. She thought of her past acts, and wondered if it could be seen as an act of betrayal.
No matter, she assured herself. There’s little point pondering over things like that.
‘Well, Ulysses,' she said, devoting her attention to her new acquaintance as a way of distraction from her thoughts. ‘We’ve got one thing in common, at least, so I’ve gotta say, do these Hogwarts professors annoy you just as much? They just creep under my skin, I’ll admit, and they don’t like me that much either.’
Sigrid cut herself off, and pursed her lips tightly. Had she said too much? Was this unhidden blasphemy crossing the line? Most students would gasp in shock if she said anything of the like, unable to comprehend such disrespect.
There began to grow in Sigrid a pleasant sort of satisfaction as time marched on. Perhaps, just perhaps, this anger within her was misplaced. If she considered it all, was it really that bad, being destined for trouble? Was it not more enjoyable, more strangely gratifying, to act as she wanted to act, and think as she wanted to think, no matter what those pesky adults might think? No harm, no foul, the saying went, and was she not harming nobody, by mucking about as she wished?
This boy, Ulysses, seemed not to care. Sigrid couldn’t help but admire his calm, almost smooth appearance, with a smile sharp enough to cut. He has a beautiful name, Sigrid thought aimlessly, my name doesn’t have much to it, in comparison. She’d always liked her first name, being quite unusual and strong, but it sometimes felt like every other person had her last name. Either way, an introduction was in order.
‘Sigrid Johnson,’ she replied. ‘First Year too, in Hufflepuff. I don’t think so, no. I thought you looked familiar, but I couldn’t place the face.’
In the mention of her Hufflepuff membership, she felt quite strange, knowing the house’s trademark qualities of kindness and selflessness. Though she had never felt restricted or bound in any way by these characteristics, Sigrid admired them, saw their value, and sought to live by them. She thought of her past acts, and wondered if it could be seen as an act of betrayal.
No matter, she assured herself. There’s little point pondering over things like that.
‘Well, Ulysses,' she said, devoting her attention to her new acquaintance as a way of distraction from her thoughts. ‘We’ve got one thing in common, at least, so I’ve gotta say, do these Hogwarts professors annoy you just as much? They just creep under my skin, I’ll admit, and they don’t like me that much either.’
Sigrid cut herself off, and pursed her lips tightly. Had she said too much? Was this unhidden blasphemy crossing the line? Most students would gasp in shock if she said anything of the like, unable to comprehend such disrespect.
21 Feb 2024, 05:38
Questions and distractions
———u l y s s e s —d r a k e . ——
date. [ 11/15/23 ]—— word count. [ 366 ] ——————
With a genuine nod, Ulysses mouthed the name Sigrid and noticed how unnatural it felt on his lips. His own name forced the tongue to move and slide its way through as a snake – deceptive and cunning in nature, but her name forced the lips to do most of the work. It probably meant she was a force; a true bulwark in stance and thought. If he wanted to crack her open to expose the core, it wouldn’t be as easy as some of the other students in this forsaken school.
“ Huh Sigrid, sounds like you’re liking what you see? ” He teased, a silly grin on his adolescent face as he kept his eyes locked on to Sigrid’s in a way that two predators would see who would back off first. It would be Uly, but there was a thrill of the hunt that he felt when meeting someone who had this energy to them that was more than just surface level niceties. “ Kidding but, could you imagine if someone actually spoke like that. How cringe. ” With a laugh, Ulysses gestured back to where he was at the tree next to where he had fallen.
“ Well, i’m not very good at school yet so, i’m probably not the best person to ask. I’m practically failing most of my classes so i’d imagine they probably don’t like me as much as I don’t like them either. ” Letting out a small chuckle as he jumped to grab onto the branch, struggling to pull himself up a few feet before his body settled and he reached down to help the other up too. “ C’mon, you get a better view of the Lake the further we go up. ”
mentions. @sigrid johnsonnotes. hi wanna do an accuracy/strength check challenge to see if they fall? could be a fun lil thing to do ~
26 Feb 2024, 11:33
Questions and distractions
@Ulysses Drake
(sounds good! I have no idea how we could go about it
)
Sigrid laughed cheerfully. Behind his friendly playfulness, she could catch in this Ulysses a slight recognition of the likeness between she and him, and felt a strange, but pleasant, satisfaction. She liked to imagine herself quite the social expert, and envisioned each friend she made a pendant to collect and store close to her heart. But no matter her Hufflepuff tendencies, this viewpoint was almost materialistic and impersonal, and admittedly, not true - she often forgot not everyone enjoyed her carefree and straightforward ways. It wasn't a problem, Sigrid didn't let it trouble her. To her, the world was all hers.
She had to say it though, she wouldn't expect it from a Slytherin. Not that she was prejudiced - but maybe she was. She didn't know many, apart from a grandfather she rarely met, but once, as a child, when she'd had a fight at school, and called her mate nasty names, her mother told her she's sure to be a Slytherin. As Sigrid scrabbled onto the tree to follow Ulysses, the rough bark of its trunk scratching against her well-worn knees accustomed to years of climbing. She still had to clutch gratefully Ulysses' outreached hand, her arms proving too short.
The feel of the boy's hand in hers seemed a reminder of her biases. 'That would be disgusting,' she concurred, pulling herself up to sit on the branch. 'If people talked like that. But I'll admit, I'd never imagine myself hanging out with a Slytherin. I thought you were all, um, enemies of the people or something like that.' She stopped. Then - 'Sorry. That was wrong to say.'
'But don't worry about all classes, I bet I'm failing more than you. I'm stupider than a pig on a stick, or whatever the saying is.' She swung her legs back and forth, like she had as a little kid. 'But where's the lake? What direction? I can't see it yet.'
(sounds good! I have no idea how we could go about it
)Sigrid laughed cheerfully. Behind his friendly playfulness, she could catch in this Ulysses a slight recognition of the likeness between she and him, and felt a strange, but pleasant, satisfaction. She liked to imagine herself quite the social expert, and envisioned each friend she made a pendant to collect and store close to her heart. But no matter her Hufflepuff tendencies, this viewpoint was almost materialistic and impersonal, and admittedly, not true - she often forgot not everyone enjoyed her carefree and straightforward ways. It wasn't a problem, Sigrid didn't let it trouble her. To her, the world was all hers.
She had to say it though, she wouldn't expect it from a Slytherin. Not that she was prejudiced - but maybe she was. She didn't know many, apart from a grandfather she rarely met, but once, as a child, when she'd had a fight at school, and called her mate nasty names, her mother told her she's sure to be a Slytherin. As Sigrid scrabbled onto the tree to follow Ulysses, the rough bark of its trunk scratching against her well-worn knees accustomed to years of climbing. She still had to clutch gratefully Ulysses' outreached hand, her arms proving too short.
The feel of the boy's hand in hers seemed a reminder of her biases. 'That would be disgusting,' she concurred, pulling herself up to sit on the branch. 'If people talked like that. But I'll admit, I'd never imagine myself hanging out with a Slytherin. I thought you were all, um, enemies of the people or something like that.' She stopped. Then - 'Sorry. That was wrong to say.'
'But don't worry about all classes, I bet I'm failing more than you. I'm stupider than a pig on a stick, or whatever the saying is.' She swung her legs back and forth, like she had as a little kid. 'But where's the lake? What direction? I can't see it yet.'