It's snowing!

[Tom]

Greetings, everyone, from lovely Buffalo, New York, where a full-on snowstorm has been blowing in since Saturday. We now have at least four inches of the stuff, and visibility is way low.

So naturally I've had snow on the brain recently, and I just wanted take some time to ask everyone a few questions about snow. Like a fun little quiz. Each question answered "yes" is worth one point. Whoever gets the highest score wins, and I'll write a flash-fic involving snow for the winner. So, here goes:

1. Does it snow where you live?

2. Is it snowing yet in your region?

3. Do you like the snow?

4. Do any of your stories have a winter setting that includes snow?

5. Is snow important to the plot of any of your stories?

6. Have you ever used the term "snow-white" in any of your writing?

7. Have you ever gone snowmobiling?

8. Have you ever gone skiing?

9. Have you ever snowboarded?

10. Have you ever sledded?

11. Do you like watching/reading movies/TV shows/books that involve snow and winter?

12. Have you seen Disney's "Frozen"?

13. Have you read Hans Christian Anderson's Snow Queen?

Bonus question:

14. Do you know what lake-effect snow is?

I hope you enjoy taking the Snow Quiz (man, what an original name). Let it snow!

PS: I you have any, could you give some recommendations for books, movies, etc, with winter themes? Thanks!

 

[Caged Maiden]

1. Does it snow where you live? yes.

2. Is it snowing yet in your region? yes, last night in fact.

3. Do you like the snow? sure, the best part is watching my kids enjoy it.

4. Do any of your stories have a winter setting that includes snow? oh yes. One of my favorite scenes is an argument in the snow.

5. Is snow important to the plot of any of your stories? I would have to say it is in that one novel in particular, because so much of the story is devoted to the hard road, covering their tracks, tracking someone else, and generally not being able to replenish supplies on the road when they've escaped after an ambush.

6. Have you ever used the term "snow-white" in any of your writing? I've written about 3m words... my guess is "probably". It sounds like something I would do. My first book I ever wrote opens with a line about snow:
"Old Mother Frost was surely asleep. It had been weeks since she had risen from her bed to shake snow upon the people of River Bend."

7. Have you ever gone snowmobiling? no

8. Have you ever gone skiing? yes

9. Have you ever snowboarded? no

10. Have you ever sledded? OMG who hasn't? Best. Fun. Ever.

11. Do you like watching/reading movies/TV shows/books that involve snow and winter? I do enjoy winter movies, especially ones about Christmas humor. Elf has to be one of my favorites.

12. Have you seen Disney's "Frozen"? no

13. Have you read Hans Christian Anderson's Snow Queen? no

Bonus question:

14. Do you know what lake-effect snow is? OMG, I'm from Racine, Wisconsin. Bet your butt I do. Northern Wisconsin doesn't get as much snow as we did in the south, because up there, it was too cold to snow. Lucky, lucky us, huh? Now, I live in Columbus, Ohio. It'll be fun to return (after seven years in Albuquerque) to a place with real winters.

I hope you enjoy taking the Snow Quiz (man, what an original name). Let it snow!

PS: I you have any, could you give some recommendations for books, movies, etc, with winter themes? Thanks!
The Iron Tower - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia the Iron Tower trilogy open with a long, terrible winter. However, if you are upset by books that resemble LOTR, this series is not for you. I enjoyed it thoroughly, though. Also, my story in the Iron Pen Anthology takes place during a terrible winter that might precede the end of all things: Amazon.com: Iron Pen Anthology: Volume 1 eBook: Kassan Warrad, Anita Howitt, Michael Poretski, Robert MacAnthony, Tim Goff, Philip Overby, Brian W. Foster, John Wong, Martin Spernau, Antonio del Drago: Kindle Store

 

[SeverinR]

1. Does it snow where you live? yes.

2. Is it snowing yet in your region? yes

3. Do you like the snow? use too, until I shoveled it, drove in it, crashed in it.

4. Do any of your stories have a winter setting that includes snow? no. Spring, summer and fall.

5. Is snow important to the plot of any of your stories? no

6. Have you ever used the term "snow-white" in any of your writing? no

7. Have you ever gone snowmobiling? no

8. Have you ever gone skiing? yes. 1st time skiing, accidently did a jump. Snow on a rock, and pushed to avoid it, found myself in the air. Landed perfectly, then relaized what I did and lost control of skis. 2nd time skiing, binding didn't release, end of the tumble, friend asked if I was ok, I said let me check, as I took hold of my foot and push it out from my arm pit. (shoe laces side in the pit) and twisted it back into place. Stood up, "I think I'm ok." [Foot and pit was on the same side, not a cross over]

9. Have you ever snowboarded? no

10. Have you ever sledded? yes

11. Do you like watching/reading movies/TV shows/books that involve snow and winter? not my favorite but some do.

12. Have you seen Disney's "Frozen"? No.

13. Have you read Hans Christian Anderson's Snow Queen? no

Bonus question:

14. Do you know what lake-effect snow is? yes. Lived in New York state for a while. Drove in a lake effect white out, if the faint glow of semi tail lights had disappeared I would have been dead. If I stopped, the semi that was behind me when last I could see would run into me.


Do you want to build a snowman? It doens't have to be a snow man.

 

[Sheilawisz]

1- Does it snow where you live? Sadly, it does not snow in my city even though the nearby forest in the mountains can receive snowfall sometimes.

2- Is it snowing yet in your region? Not yet, it has been a unusually warm November so far. Even the higher elevations remain snow free, but I am expecting a cold snap any moment.

3- Do you like the snow? I love it, and living where I live, I miss it deeply.

4- Do any of your stories have a winter setting that includes snow? Oh, yes! My Joan of England trilogy involves the Violet Star weapon and the Snowball Earth new world order, and my characters are often seen ice skating, skiing or playing with the snow =)

5- Is snow important to the plot of any of your stories? Indeed, Joan of England again.

6- Have you ever used the term "snow-white" in any of your writing? Yes, in some descriptions.

7- Have you ever gone snowmobiling? No

8- Have you ever gone skiing? Yes

9- Have you ever snowboarded? No

10- Have you ever sledded? No

11- Do you like watching/reading movies/TV shows/books that involve snow and winter? Yes, it's my favorite setting.

12- Have you seen Disney's "Frozen"? Yes, I am a rabid fanatic of Frozen and recently I have finished writing a novella-length fanfiction about it.

13- Have you read Hans Christian Anderson's Snow Queen? Not yet.

14- Do you know what lake-effect snow is? I heard about it in Discovery Channel one day, and now I am reading more at the Wikipedia.

 

[Sheilawisz]

I'll just leave this here...

[video=youtube_share;ssVnSg2jwUw]http://youtu.be/ssVnSg2jwUw[/video]

I hope you like it! =)

 

[Svrtnsse]

1. Does it snow where you live?
No

2. Is it snowing yet in your region?
No. It almost never does.

3. Do you like the snow?
Yes

4. Do any of your stories have a winter setting that includes snow?
Yes

5. Is snow important to the plot of any of your stories?
No - not yet.

6. Have you ever used the term "snow-white" in any of your writing?
Not that I can recall

7. Have you ever gone snowmobiling?
No

8. Have you ever gone skiing?
Yes

9. Have you ever snowboarded?
No

10. Have you ever sledded?
No

11. Do you like watching/reading movies/TV shows/books that involve snow and winter?
Yes

12. Have you seen Disney's "Frozen"?
Yes

13. Have you read Hans Christian Anderson's Snow Queen?
No

Bonus question:

14. Do you know what lake-effect snow is?
No

 

[Jabrosky]

I don't think I've ever lived in a part of the world where winter snowfall was an annual given. I've moved around more than most people in my life, but most of these places had climates that were either Mediterranean (California), humid subtropical (Hong Kong), or equatorial (Singapore and Indonesia). The only place I've lived with a climate I would call temperate was Plano, TX, and even then I only remember one year which received any snow at all. I built a snowman that year, but it was a disappointingly puny and discolored specimen.

Not that I feel cheated out of it. At least most of the trees kept their leaves in Singapore and Hong Kong.

 

[Tom]

Hey, I just wanted to say thanks to everyone who's posted so far! I've decided that the cut-off for the quiz is Wednesday at noon, just so I can keep it reasonable. I'm brainstorming ideas for the flash-fic right now!

Maybe I should try the quiz.

1. Does it snow where you live? Yes, definitely.

2. Is it snowing yet in your region? Hell yes. Major snowstorm starting right now, supposed to end Wednesday. It's projected to dump 2 feet of snow.

3. Do you like the snow? Yes. Love it.

4. Do any of your stories have a winter setting that includes snow? Yes, at the moment it's Legends of Fire and Snow, the mythos for my northern culture. Oh yeah, and Dark Purposes, which is set in a pseudo-Scandinavian country.

5. Is snow important to the plot in any of your stories? No, not yet.

6. Have you ever used the term "snow-white" in any of your writing? No, though I do compare one character's appearance and personality to ice a lot.

7. Have you ever gone snowmobiling? Yes.

8. Have you ever gone skiing? Yes, only once--cross-country skiing in the Adirondacks. I fell down a lot.

9. Have you ever snowboarded? No. I want to.

10. Have you ever sledded? Yes!

11. Do you like watching/reading movies/TV shows/books that involve snow and winter? Yes, but only in summer, when I know winter is still a long way off.

12. Have you seen Disney's Frozen? Yes. One of Disney's best movies ever.

13. Have you read Hans Christian Anderson's Snow Queen? Yes, but only once.

Bonus question:

14. Do you know what lake effect snow is? Yes. In Buffalo, it's hard not to.

I recommend The Winter Prince, to any fans of Arthurian fantasy out there, and Breadcrumbs, a middle-grade fantasy based on The Snow Queen (yes, it's middle-grade, but the way it's written anyone can enjoy it). I also enjoyed Dreamwork's film Rise of the Guardians.

Have fun, guys, and keep warm!

PS: Jabrosky, man, I feel bad for you. You've never experienced a true winter wonderland! Or shoveling off the drive! Or having to scrape the ice off the car! Or the snowplows taking out your mailbox year after year!

 

[ThinkerX]

1. Does it snow where you live? Yes. waist deep snow five+ months out of the year

2. Is it snowing yet in your region? had a couple flurries over the past few weeks, but it didn't stick. This is strange. Abnormally high temperatures as a lingering effect of the tail end of a tropical storm.

3. Do you like the snow? Meh

4. Do any of your stories have a winter setting that includes snow? Yes

5. Is snow important to the plot of any of your stories? Yes

6. Have you ever used the term "snow-white" in any of your writing? Maybe?

7. Have you ever gone snowmobiling? Oh yes. Lots of snowmobile time in my youth.

8. Have you ever gone skiing? Yes - miles and miles through the forest.

9. Have you ever snowboarded? after my time

10. Have you ever sledded? Yes

11. Do you like watching/reading movies/TV shows/books that involve snow and winter? Yes

12. Have you seen Disney's "Frozen"? Nope. But I think I will sometime.

13. Have you read Hans Christian Anderson's Snow Queen? Don't believe so,

Bonus question:

14. Do you know what lake-effect snow is? If 'lake-effect' means 'white-out', only to well. I have to drive in the dang things much of the winter.

 

[cupiscent]

I would do the quiz, but my answer for basically all the questions is "no". I was born and raised in the tropics of Australia, and even though I've since moved south (where we get actual seasons other than "wet" and the trees lose their leaves) I have been snowed on a grand total of twice in my entire life, and I have never walked on snow or ice (...that wasn't in an indoor rink). And I like it that way. I whine all winter, and live for temperatures 30C and above. Partly because of this, I don't write snowy settings. (First novel: rainforest. Second novel: Mediterranean port-city. Current WIP: Desert.)

 

[Khama]

1. Does it snow where you live?: Yep! Can snow from October all the way into March/April!

2. Is it snowing yet in your region?" Been snowing for at-least 2 weeks or so!

3. Do you like the snow?" Yeah, its chill. Unless I have to shovel then I hate it.

4. Do any of your stories have a winter setting that includes snow?: Indeed.

5. Is snow important to the plot of any of your stories?: Potentially? Difficult to say of how important.

6. Have you ever used the term "snow-white" in any of your writing?: Nope.

7. Have you ever gone snowmobiling?: Yus. Was a little kid when I last went.

8. Have you ever gone skiing?: Nope. Not something I find fun.

9. Have you ever snowboarded?: Nope. Same with the above. Not a winter sports/activities kind of person.

10. Have you ever sledded?: Of course! Got a massive hill near my house which is absolutely amazing. Especially when you get ice, too. The speed is awesome.

11. Do you like watching/reading movies/TV shows/books that involve snow and winter?: Depends on how well they accurately show it. If its done poorly then not so much, but if done in a realistic manner then yes.

12. Have you seen Disney's "Frozen"?: Yep. Pretty good movie.

13. Have you read Hans Christian Anderson's Snow Queen?: Nope. Not a clue what this is.

Bonus question:

14. Do you know what lake-effect snow is?: Quite certain I do, may be wrong.

 

[Ruby]

1. Does it snow where you live? Yes.

2. Is it snowing yet in your region?

No - thank goodness! When it snows in the UK, the whole country grinds to a standstill. They shut all the schools and offices, and transport can't run.

3. Do you like the snow? No - although snow scenes are nice to look at.

4. Do any of your stories have a winter setting that includes snow? No - not yet, but thanks for the suggestion!

5. Is snow important to the plot of any of your stories? Not yet!

6. Have you ever used the term "snow-white" in any of your writing? Possibly.

7. Have you ever gone snowmobiling? No.

8. Have you ever gone skiing? No.

9. Have you ever snowboarded? No. I know a PE teacher who broke her coccyx snowboarding.

10. Have you ever sledded? No.

11. Do you like watching/reading movies/TV shows/books that involve snow and winter? Yes.

12. Have you seen Disney's "Frozen"?

Yes, a few weeks ago. I found it disappointing after all the hype. How did that princess manage to put her gloves on? I might watch it again to see if I like it better a second time. The theme song was annoying!

13. Have you read Hans Christian Anderson's Snow Queen?

Yes, I love it! I couldn't see how Frozen is based on it at all, except for the fact that there's snow and ice in both stories. Best bit of the Snow Queen: a fragment of an evil mirror enters Kay's eye and makes him see everything that's beautiful as ugly. If it reaches his heart he will die.

Bonus question:

14. Do you know what lake-effect snow is? No.

I hope you enjoy taking the Snow Quiz (man, what an original name). Let it snow!

Yes, thanks for posting it. It's been fun! It's reminded me that I need to move somewhere warm soon!

PS: I you have any, could you give some recommendations for books, movies, etc, with winter themes? Thanks!

You should read The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C S Lewis. There's lots of snow in that! The Lord of the Rings. The Grinch. White Christmas. A Winter's Tale.(song). The Little Match Girl.

 

[Chessie]

Given that I'm from Alaska the land of snow and ice, I had to participate

1. Does it snow where you live? Absolutely. And when it snows its inches upon inches in one day alone and can build up to feet over the course of several days. And we're talking waist high snow too.

2. Is it snowing yet in your region? All of our snow has melted. We're having an unusual warm spell this November.

3. Do you like the snow? I LOVE snow. The only thing that sucks is scraping it off my car when I'm in a rush. I use a broom for this task because it works the best.

4. Do any of your stories have a winter setting that includes snow? Oh, yes. Winters are long and brutal in my stories, just like in real life. Write what you know, right?

5. Is snow important to the plot of any of your stories? It adds to the tension of the story since a majority of it happens outside and no one wants to be outside when its snowing.

6. Have you ever used the term "snow-white" in any of your writing? No.

7. Have you ever gone snowmobiling? Its not my thing. I'm a tiny person and those are big machines. So no.

8. Have you ever gone skiing? Yes! I love cross-country, its very relaxing. But downhill skiing scares the crap out of me. Not good with heights.

9. Have you ever snowboarded? No. Too afraid. My winter sport is snowshoeing through the woods on a quiet day vs getting my adrenaline on down a mountain.

10. Have you ever sledded? Yes. Its super fun!

11. Do you like watching/reading movies/TV shows/books that involve snow and winter? Yes. I'm partial to mountain type environments for obvious reasons.

12. Have you seen Disney's "Frozen"? No. Sorry but I opted out when I read the movie's premise.

13. Have you read Hans Christian Anderson's Snow Queen? Yes and I love it. One of the best fantasy tales ever.

Bonus question:

14. Do you know what lake-effect snow is? I've never heard of that term. But when I googled it I was reminded of our winter roads covered by sheets of ice.

I hope you enjoy taking the Snow Quiz (man, what an original name). Let it snow!

PS: I you have any, could you give some recommendations for books, movies, etc, with winter themes? Thanks!
*Hmm...there's a really awesome Steamunk series "Flash Gold" set in the Yukon that's really fun to read, also Jack London's "White Fang" and "Call Of The Wild" some of the best books ever.

 

[chrispenycate]

1. Does it snow where you live? You know, I don't know yet? It didn't last year, during the period they laughingly called 'winter', but everyone agrees that was a special case. Previous to that I was in Switzerland where, despite it being considerably south of here, it did.

2. Is it snowing yet in your region? No. I don't think it's even down to frost, yet.

3. Do you like the snow? It was part of life. Had its upsides and its down. I love the sound — or perhaps the pervasive silence is a better term — of it.

4. Do any of your stories have a winter setting that includes snow? Several.

5. Is snow important to the plot of any of your stories? When it is it tends to be mountain snow, sometimes cutting communications, sometimes wandering off as an avalanche. Write what you know.

6. Have you ever used the term "snow-white" in any of your writing? Seems unlikely, unless I was referring to the character, in which case she'd get a capital "S".

7. Have you ever gone snowmobiling? No

8. Have you ever gone skiing? Frequently. I am spectacularly bad at it, and get people laughing at me on the pistes. I also overheat (energy inefficiency) and frequently have my anorak flapping besde me like Dracula's cloak.

9. Have you ever snowboarded? Not really. That's for my nephews and grandniece.

10. Have you ever sledded? Is this dog sledge, walking with snowshoes or ski de fond towing a sledge full of provisions, downhill or bob? I've tried them all, but can't be considered experienced in any.

11. Do you like watching/reading movies/TV shows/books that involve snow and winter? Sometimes.

12. Have you seen Disney's "Frozen"? No.

13. Have you read Hans Christian Anderson's Snow Queen? Yes

Bonus question:

14. Do you know what lake-effect snow is? I do now, though I had never met the term before, though I knew the phenomenon.

I'm afraid I'm rather too SF for book selections - plenty of Kim Stanley Robinson 'Fifty degrees below' (urban snow) (or 'Antarctica) or Baxter's 'Northlands' trilogy, but not much Megan Lindholm 'The Reindeer People'.

 

[Tom]

Well guys, the storm has hit. We got a foot overnight and it's still snowing. Most of Western New York is shut down, and there's a travel ban in Buffalo. My classes are canceled for the day. It's a region-wide snow day!

You know, it's weird--it seems like our winters here have been getting colder and snowier again. When I was a kid, we had TONS of snow, sometimes up to the garage roof, and then suddenly about five or six years ago we stopped getting a lot of snow, and our winters were really warm. Everybody joked about it, saying that we couldn't use the great Western New York saying anymore ("There are three seasons in Western New York: Almost Winter, Winter, Still Winter, and Road Construction").

And then last winter, the cold hit again! We got the first real blizzard we've had since the late 90's. And now it looks like this winter's gonna be just like the last. Cool.

 

[SeverinR]

3-5 inches of snow yesterday, 9 degrees this morning.
Breaking the record for coldest Nov.18 in recorded history for Dayton Ohio.

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

1. Does it snow where you live?

Yes. Earliest ever was October, and we have funny-looking trees as a result of the damage. Latest ever was May after returning from a vacation in Florida.

2. Is it snowing yet in your region?

Tiny flakes and a dusting so far.

3. Do you like the snow?

Loved it when I had lots of time to ski. Not big on it lately, but my daughters love it!

4. Do any of your stories have a winter setting that includes snow?

Huh… they do, but I lean toward the tropical.

5. Is snow important to the plot of any of your stories?

Barbarians ski in their spare time. I mean, if there's a norse god of skiing…

6. Have you ever used the term "snow-white" in any of your writing?

No. "Gringo" is the closest I've gotten to that.

7. Have you ever gone snowmobiling?

Yeah! Borrowed my uncle's for a full season and jumped it a few feet off the ground. Killed the suspension. That was the only year he let me borrow it.

8. Have you ever gone skiing?

For years, and twice I stayed in Utah skiing six days straight until the mountains closed. I had some great experiences including jumping across a river. It was a case of going off-trail (Snowbird - they allow this!), but I realized I was heading to a river. I thought, f--- that, I ain't walking back up. Of course I had to make a stupid Super Mario pose in the air, so my ski tip hit the river bank. My skis, poles and self landed in five different places, but all on the same side of the river and none in. My fall was like someone suddenly tilted the world 90˚ toward my face, so in fact I threw my poles to block the ground like a boxer blocks a barrage of punches.

9. Have you ever snowboarded?

Once. I said to my brother (after falling so much we were soaked and cold), "We've been skiing for twelve years and we're really good at it. Why the hell do we want to go back to the beginner slopes and fall a lot?" He also only boarded that one time.

10. Have you ever sledded?

There used to be a hayfield behind my 2.5 acre lot, and it's all downhill from the northwest corner of the yard to the southeast corner of the field. Growing up, I got some good runs in without having to leave home.

11. Do you like watching/reading movies/TV shows/books that involve snow and winter?

"Winter is coming." WHEN?!?!?

12. Have you seen Disney's "Frozen"?

Don't make me break out into song!


Screw 13 & 14, I'm gonna give you bonus inspired by my answers to 11 & 12:

art by Fernando Mendonça

 

[Tom]

The Snow Quiz

Okay, the quiz is officially closed. I want to thank everyone who participated. This was really fun, and a good way to keep boredom at bay (I've been snowed in since Monday night).

Here are the winners:

1st place: Legendary Sidekick (11 points)

2nd place: Caged Maiden (10)

3rd place: Three-way tie between ThinkerX, Khama, and Chesterama! (9)

Unfortunately, I'm not done with the flash-fic yet, but it should be up before midnight. Have a great day, everyone!

 

[Tom]

Wow. This piece didn't want to be a flash-fic, so it's more of a short story now. I'm going to split it in half to make it less cumbersome.

The North Wind (I)
Dedicated to Legendary Sidekick​

The fresh snow on the mountain slopes sparkles in the dawn light as I cruise high above. On the lower land where the foothills drop into rich plains, the thaw is coming, snowmelt rushing to meet the brooks, and the brooks the river, and the river the sea. But winter still reigns here in the high places, and I with it.

I am the spirit of cold eternal, of chill and frost and ice. North Wind is my name, my only name. I had another once, but that time is long past.

I have no body, no presence outside the the whirling snow that dances on my breeze. When winter is driven from the southern lands I retreat to the frozen tundra to bide my time. To wait until the leaves turn and the elk bugle in the mountains and geese fly in south-bound flocks. Every year I wait, and every year I return.

As I crest a rise in a mountain's spur, I look down on the tiny valley tucked in its shadow. A village lies in that valley, and on an impulse I swoop down to it, the rush of my passing echoing against the mountainside. Above, the sky is a cloudless blue.

Once I reach the village I race along its streets, laughing when I hear the shouts of dismay as my wind slams shut doors, tears at cloaks and dresses, and spooks a horse pulling a sledge laden with firewood. People don't like me. I know this, but I don't care. Their lives are nothing compared to mine--so short and fleeting, like snowflakes that melt in a matter of seconds.

I settle above the chieftain's longhouse and play with the smoke drifting up from the hole in the roof, forcing it back down with a gust of wind. Ashes join snowflakes to swirl in the air, and I listen in glee to the chorus of coughing and curses from inside the longhouse. Ah, this is what it is to be the North Wind. Eternally young, always full of mischief and joy. There is no sadness in me. The burden of mortality that stoops the humans' shoulders will never fall on mine. I will never die; I am formed from crystals of ice and frosty air, not flesh. Even if I melt I will always rise again once the seasons change.

A warm breeze buffers against my cold wind, and I take note of the brown slush in the village streets, the snowdrops' first tiny green shoots poking up from the softening snow, and the birdsongs that are once again starting to fill the air. Reluctantly I turn to face the mountains. Spring has reached this village, and it's time for me to go.

As I'm flying above the snow-covered pine trees that blanket the valley's sides, I turn back to look down on the village again. I once lived there, but that life's a story long ago finished.

And that's when I see her.

 

[Tom]

The North Wind (II)​

She's the lone figure standing, head bowed, in a clearing in the woods, facing a runestone that towers above her like a stormcloud. The hood of her cloak is up and her clothing is dyed dark, her whole demeanor shadowed with grief. Curiosity piqued, I dive to get a closer look. She doesn't notice as I swirl around her, invisible, but clutches her cloak tighter to her neck as my cold wind snatches at it. Strands of her hair, dark blonde mixed with white, blow around her face and then settle as I subside. At her feet and around the runestone's base, the first snowdrops are blooming.

My joy fades, replaced with a different feeling that is sharper, almost painful. I don't recognize it at first, I haven't felt it in so long.

Longing.

Something within me is calling to her, some small part of me that doesn't belong to the North Wind, that never has and never will. Slowly, I draw together all the delicate ice crystals that make up who I am, and form them into a body, trying hard to remember what I once looked like so she'll recognize me. So she'll know me.

When I'm done I call on the winds to form my voice, and when I speak they howl and whistle in eerie harmony.

"Liv."

She whirls at her name, eyes wide. When she sees me she brings up her hands to cover her mouth. I rearrange the crystals in my face to form a smile, and extend my arms to her with a gentle puff of wind.

"Aric? Brother?" she finally gasps, and draws closer to touch a hand to my face, a touch I can't feel. "You--you haven't aged a day! I thought--when no one found you--you were dead."

I remember. I was seventeen that day in the forest, hiking back to the village from a hunting trip just like the countless others I'd gone on before. Only on that trip, I never returned home. Instead I was chosen by the North Wind to be his new incarnation, and inherited from him everything I am now--my memories, my purpose, my power, my very personality.

I pull myself from memories and focus again on Liv, standing here with me. My little sister. I wonder what has happened, to etch those lines into her face and dull the light in her once-bright blue eyes.

"Liv," I ask, "how many years has it been? What's happened to send you into mourning?"

"Forty years." She pulls her cloak tighter around her body and sighs. "My husband died, Aric. It was a hard winter for all of us, but especially for him. He sickened and passed into the next life barely a fortnight ago."

If I had a heart, I would feel a stab of pain. But instead I feel nothing. "Oh, Liv, this is my fault. Everything. I left you so long ago, and now it's my winter that's taken your husband from you."

"Don't blame yourself," she tells me forcefully, and reaches out her hand. "He and I had a good, long life together. Our children are well and happy. I've lived a full life, brother. You've never had the chance to."

"Liv, stop--"

I'm too late. She plants her hand in the middle of my chest, eyes locked on mine, and her whole body starts to glow with an icy blue light. As the wind rises around us, wailing like a broken soul, I feel the warmth that I barely remember pour into me, overwhelming my icy spirit. Liv's face, full of love and determination, glints with thousands of translucent crystals of ice, even as my body forms, my bones filling out with muscles and flesh. Then it's over, and I'm real and solid, my body hitting the cold ground. I blink, and the first thing that I see is a snowdrop's delicate white blossoms.

I sit up and am struck with bitter despair. Liv has vanished. Only her clothes, lying in a heap, show that she once stood barely an arm's length away from me. Icy air runs along my body, raising gooseflesh on my skin. As I pull Liv's abandoned cloak around my own shoulders I stare at the snowdrops. They're so tiny, so frail-looking, yet they cling to life in the snow, as if they know that their trials will pass soon and spring will come to nurture them.

My hands tingle with cold, and I hold them up. Snowflakes cling to the backs of my hands, and as I watch them slowly melt, I feel a cool breeze gently brush against my cheek.

And then she's gone.

Spoiler: Irrelevant comment!

You know, this piece is so full of emotion and serious stuff, but right now all I feel is the need to satisfy an itch in the back of my brain that wants to see a picture of North Wind/Aric sprawled in a faceplant in the snowdrops. Why?

Feel free to pick this piece apart, if you want. Any constructive criticism is absolutely welcome.

And yeah, this is inspired by Frozen. The dialogue is also inspired by the scene between Steve Rogers and Peggy Carter in Captain America: Winter Soldier.