100 Drabbles of 2011 #1-10
1) dust
Time Period: Within "Secundus 2"
Notes: I wanted to do some more stories from the "Secundus 2" era, so I decided to do one featuring Victor's impressions of Hill Valley. It really isn't much of a town when it's in Part III mode, you gotta admit. Initially there was a comment about the people being rougher around the edges than Victor was used to, but a)I found it didn't fit with the rest of the architecture-themed stuff, and b) . . .Victor's friends with MAD SCIENTISTS.
Hill Valley wasn’t much to look at, at least not compared to the cities and towns Victor knew in England. The shops were small and constructed rather haphazardly. The main road was just a dusty stretch of earth. The most impressive building was the clock tower, and even that paled in comparison to some of the edifices Victor had seen in Secundus. The town was mostly empty space, to be honest. Even tiny Burtonsville, his hometown, had been bigger and better built.
But this was the place Doc and Marty called home. And that made it all right with Victor.
2) festival
Time Period: Within "Secundus 2" Notes: BTTF-based fic! "Secundus 2" contains a few elements from Part III of the original trilogy, so naturally I was going to use the town festival. I've been trying to write something featuring Jennifer and Clara for a while now -- here they at least make appearances. I'd initially planned for this to have dialogue, but I couldn't wrestle it down to 100 words with characters talking.
The Hill Valley Town Festival was proof that this tiny town knew how to throw a good party. Richard was taking a turn at the shooting gallery, startling everyone by using his index finger gun. Christopher was nearby, commenting on how to improve the gallery’s mechanical innards. Victoria and Emily were admiring some quilts on display. Marty, Jennifer, Doc, and Clara were all out on the dance floor, bounding around to the band’s bouncy music. And Victor and Alice were camped out by the food tables, enjoying the strawberry pie. It was a fantastic night –
Until Buford Tannen showed up.
3) driftwood
Time Period: Future, with kids
Notes: Inspired by my parents and myself finding interesting things at the beach, and by a log on the bike path near our house that resembled a dragon. (Sadly, it's disappeared.) I just thought it was a cute scene.
“Daddy, look what I found!”
Victor looked up to see his daughter thrusting a piece of wood at him. “Er--”
“It’s a dragon!” Lorina said, turning it. “See?”
Victor studied it. From the side, it did have a rather reptilian shape. “Oh! Yes, there’s the head, and the horns, and the tail. . . .”
Lorina nodded eagerly. “Can I take it home?”
Victor smiled. “Of course you can.”
Lorina grinned and put the “dragon” down by his chair before rushing back to the water’s edge. Victor watched her go, chuckling.
He wondered how many pieces of wood they’d end up bringing home.
4) float
Time Period: Anytime
Notes: This one was inspired by my other hotly-anticipated game of the month of writing (back when A:MR was released) -- "Back To The Future: The Game" Episode 5, by Telltale. The game mini-series features a young Doc Brown, and this is one of the things he invents while Marty and the older Doc are mucking around in space and time. I liked a certain part where Marty had to grab hold of the static accumulator and ended up "flying" with it briefly, so I ran with it.
“Um, Doc?”
“Yes, Victor?”
“I found this odd object in the old parts bin. It’s a cannister, with a tube wrapped around it that glows blue. . . .”
“Oh, my old Static Accumulator! That was actually one of my earliest inventions. A prototypical version of the magnetic system I use for levitation in the train.”
“I, er, guessed that.”
“Pardon?”
“I was w-wondering what it did, so I f-fiddled around until I found out how to charge it back up. . .I hope you don’t mind.”
“Not at all, Victor! Go ahead!”
“Oh, good. So – ah – can you get me off the ceiling?”
5) ice
Time Period: Post-climax of "Secundus," pre-wedding
Notes: This was actually inspired by the ice world, Tundraful, of "Alice: Madness Returns," but I figured using the underground ice world, Icy Reception, of "American McGee's Alice" made more sense for Wonderland Park. It's bigger on the inside, but it's not THAT big. The ice slides are from A:MR, though. This was another one where I had to cut out some dialogue to get it to the proper length.
What Victor loved the most about Wonderland Park was how it kept surprising him. No matter how well he thought he knew the place, there was always something new to discover. Like now – all he’d wanted today was to find a place to escape the heat before he melted.
And he’d certainly found one. He gazed up at the clear ice arching over his head. These gorgeously cold caves had been right underneath his feet, and he’d even never known.
Alice tugged his arm, saying something about ice slides. Grinning, Victor followed his beloved. Always something new to discover indeed.
6) part time job
Time Period: Post-climax of "Secundus," pre-wedding
Notes: This one took a while to properly wrestle down -- too much description made it too long, while the dialogue-only version was actually too short. Finally I got it to work. This comes along after Victor goes Creative -- the house is an early wedding present from Alice's aunt and uncle.
“Doc, no. You shouldn’t p-pay me for so little work,” Victor protested. “Especially n-not after I essentially a-abandoned this place. I’m sorry about that, by the way, I just--”
“Got a house courtesy of your fiancee’s aunt and uncle and were eager to set up a proper biological lab,” Doc finished for him. “Victor, it’s fine. I understand what you’re feeling. I’m a Touched too, remember? I know this place couldn’t provide the materials you need.” He pressed the money into Victor’s hand. “Part time is fine by me. You’ll always have a place here.”
Victor smiled, relieved. “Thanks, Doc.”
7) sunburn
Time Period: Victor & Alice's honeymoon
Notes: Comedy piece! With how pale Victor is, you know he'd burn like crazy if he didn't take proper precautions. (I've done at least one ficlet with this theme before, in fact.) This also contains the most awkward shoutout of my writing career -- it's pretty obvious I wrote this BEFORE I played "Alice: Madness Returns!"
“Look at how pink you are!”
“I know. Oh, I should have spent more time under the umbrella. . . .”
“I saw you putting on sunscreen, Victor. Twice!”
“That’s probably the only reason I’m not a deep red. Burtonsville isn’t known for strong sun even on the brightest days, and my being so pale can’t help matters.”
“No, I’m sure it can’t. Not to worry, though – I packed something that should help.”
“‘Dr. Bumby’s Healing Lotion?’”
“I’ve used it – it works like a charm for sunburn. And other things. Now take off your shirt.”
“But, Alice, I’m not sunburned beneath my – ooooh.”
8) ocean
Time Period: Victor & Alice's honeymoon
Notes: I wanted to do a prompt featuring bathing machines -- those little huts on wheels people used to change for the beach back in the Victorian age -- at some point during this challenge. Their existence just amuses me. Took a bit to get this drabble into shape, though -- the second and third paragraphs gave me trouble.
Victor exited the bathing machine gratefully. He had to admit, he didn’t like the things very much. He understood their use in preventing inappropriate public displays, but they were always so cramped and hot. It could give one a bad attack of claustrophobia.
Well, he was out now, and had the whole ocean to frolic in. He dove into the water, relishing the coolness of the salty waves. Oh, this was so nice. . .especially when Alice joined him with a mischievous grin. . . .
Fortunately, hiding behind the bathing machine was sufficient to conceal their rather enthusiastic kissing from the public view.
9) wander
Time Period: Anytime
Notes: Just something to break up all the Victor/Alice drabbles -- I like writing them, but change is good. This one was a pain to get down to 100 words, though. I wasn't aware I could be so verbose about Victor getting lost.
Victor was certain he was lost now. The trees surrounding him all looked identical. I should have been more careful when following that snapdragonfly, he thought, sighing.
Of course, this wasn’t the first time he’d gotten lost in Wonderland Park. Or even the second. He was far too prone to distraction when he was here. Why must you make so many fascinating insects, Lewis? he mentally chuckled.
Well, at least he knew what to do. He climbed up a nearby tree, then scanned the horizon until he spotted the entrance. Now, to get over there without getting distracted yet again. . . .
10) rain
Time Period: Anytime
Notes: One of my favorite creatures from the animated Disney movie of Alice was the "umbrella vulture." They just looked so cute, frolicking in that stream. I decided to go ahead and introduce them to this universe, since we could use more silly things. (And hey, I'm allowed to mix-and-match in a multiverse, aren't I?) Victor's confusion over the rain comes from it being established in Chapter 4 of "Secundus" that it's almost always sunny in the park due to a localized weather system.
“Oh!”
Victor slammed his sketchbook shut as the first drops of rain began to fall. I thought it wasn’t supposed to rain in this park! he thought as he held his book to his chest, protecting it. Perhaps Lewis is tinkering with–
Something landed on his shoulder. Victor looked over to see a creature that resembled a cloaked vulture. “Oh! Er--”
The bird gave a squawk, then puffed out its body. Victor suddenly found himself under an umbrella canopy of waterproof feathers. He sighed in relief. “Thank you,” he said gratefully. “I’ll bring you a treat next time I come.”
Time Period: Within "Secundus 2"
Notes: I wanted to do some more stories from the "Secundus 2" era, so I decided to do one featuring Victor's impressions of Hill Valley. It really isn't much of a town when it's in Part III mode, you gotta admit. Initially there was a comment about the people being rougher around the edges than Victor was used to, but a)I found it didn't fit with the rest of the architecture-themed stuff, and b) . . .Victor's friends with MAD SCIENTISTS.
Hill Valley wasn’t much to look at, at least not compared to the cities and towns Victor knew in England. The shops were small and constructed rather haphazardly. The main road was just a dusty stretch of earth. The most impressive building was the clock tower, and even that paled in comparison to some of the edifices Victor had seen in Secundus. The town was mostly empty space, to be honest. Even tiny Burtonsville, his hometown, had been bigger and better built.
But this was the place Doc and Marty called home. And that made it all right with Victor.
2) festival
Time Period: Within "Secundus 2" Notes: BTTF-based fic! "Secundus 2" contains a few elements from Part III of the original trilogy, so naturally I was going to use the town festival. I've been trying to write something featuring Jennifer and Clara for a while now -- here they at least make appearances. I'd initially planned for this to have dialogue, but I couldn't wrestle it down to 100 words with characters talking.
The Hill Valley Town Festival was proof that this tiny town knew how to throw a good party. Richard was taking a turn at the shooting gallery, startling everyone by using his index finger gun. Christopher was nearby, commenting on how to improve the gallery’s mechanical innards. Victoria and Emily were admiring some quilts on display. Marty, Jennifer, Doc, and Clara were all out on the dance floor, bounding around to the band’s bouncy music. And Victor and Alice were camped out by the food tables, enjoying the strawberry pie. It was a fantastic night –
Until Buford Tannen showed up.
3) driftwood
Time Period: Future, with kids
Notes: Inspired by my parents and myself finding interesting things at the beach, and by a log on the bike path near our house that resembled a dragon. (Sadly, it's disappeared.) I just thought it was a cute scene.
“Daddy, look what I found!”
Victor looked up to see his daughter thrusting a piece of wood at him. “Er--”
“It’s a dragon!” Lorina said, turning it. “See?”
Victor studied it. From the side, it did have a rather reptilian shape. “Oh! Yes, there’s the head, and the horns, and the tail. . . .”
Lorina nodded eagerly. “Can I take it home?”
Victor smiled. “Of course you can.”
Lorina grinned and put the “dragon” down by his chair before rushing back to the water’s edge. Victor watched her go, chuckling.
He wondered how many pieces of wood they’d end up bringing home.
4) float
Time Period: Anytime
Notes: This one was inspired by my other hotly-anticipated game of the month of writing (back when A:MR was released) -- "Back To The Future: The Game" Episode 5, by Telltale. The game mini-series features a young Doc Brown, and this is one of the things he invents while Marty and the older Doc are mucking around in space and time. I liked a certain part where Marty had to grab hold of the static accumulator and ended up "flying" with it briefly, so I ran with it.
“Um, Doc?”
“Yes, Victor?”
“I found this odd object in the old parts bin. It’s a cannister, with a tube wrapped around it that glows blue. . . .”
“Oh, my old Static Accumulator! That was actually one of my earliest inventions. A prototypical version of the magnetic system I use for levitation in the train.”
“I, er, guessed that.”
“Pardon?”
“I was w-wondering what it did, so I f-fiddled around until I found out how to charge it back up. . .I hope you don’t mind.”
“Not at all, Victor! Go ahead!”
“Oh, good. So – ah – can you get me off the ceiling?”
5) ice
Time Period: Post-climax of "Secundus," pre-wedding
Notes: This was actually inspired by the ice world, Tundraful, of "Alice: Madness Returns," but I figured using the underground ice world, Icy Reception, of "American McGee's Alice" made more sense for Wonderland Park. It's bigger on the inside, but it's not THAT big. The ice slides are from A:MR, though. This was another one where I had to cut out some dialogue to get it to the proper length.
What Victor loved the most about Wonderland Park was how it kept surprising him. No matter how well he thought he knew the place, there was always something new to discover. Like now – all he’d wanted today was to find a place to escape the heat before he melted.
And he’d certainly found one. He gazed up at the clear ice arching over his head. These gorgeously cold caves had been right underneath his feet, and he’d even never known.
Alice tugged his arm, saying something about ice slides. Grinning, Victor followed his beloved. Always something new to discover indeed.
6) part time job
Time Period: Post-climax of "Secundus," pre-wedding
Notes: This one took a while to properly wrestle down -- too much description made it too long, while the dialogue-only version was actually too short. Finally I got it to work. This comes along after Victor goes Creative -- the house is an early wedding present from Alice's aunt and uncle.
“Doc, no. You shouldn’t p-pay me for so little work,” Victor protested. “Especially n-not after I essentially a-abandoned this place. I’m sorry about that, by the way, I just--”
“Got a house courtesy of your fiancee’s aunt and uncle and were eager to set up a proper biological lab,” Doc finished for him. “Victor, it’s fine. I understand what you’re feeling. I’m a Touched too, remember? I know this place couldn’t provide the materials you need.” He pressed the money into Victor’s hand. “Part time is fine by me. You’ll always have a place here.”
Victor smiled, relieved. “Thanks, Doc.”
7) sunburn
Time Period: Victor & Alice's honeymoon
Notes: Comedy piece! With how pale Victor is, you know he'd burn like crazy if he didn't take proper precautions. (I've done at least one ficlet with this theme before, in fact.) This also contains the most awkward shoutout of my writing career -- it's pretty obvious I wrote this BEFORE I played "Alice: Madness Returns!"
“Look at how pink you are!”
“I know. Oh, I should have spent more time under the umbrella. . . .”
“I saw you putting on sunscreen, Victor. Twice!”
“That’s probably the only reason I’m not a deep red. Burtonsville isn’t known for strong sun even on the brightest days, and my being so pale can’t help matters.”
“No, I’m sure it can’t. Not to worry, though – I packed something that should help.”
“‘Dr. Bumby’s Healing Lotion?’”
“I’ve used it – it works like a charm for sunburn. And other things. Now take off your shirt.”
“But, Alice, I’m not sunburned beneath my – ooooh.”
8) ocean
Time Period: Victor & Alice's honeymoon
Notes: I wanted to do a prompt featuring bathing machines -- those little huts on wheels people used to change for the beach back in the Victorian age -- at some point during this challenge. Their existence just amuses me. Took a bit to get this drabble into shape, though -- the second and third paragraphs gave me trouble.
Victor exited the bathing machine gratefully. He had to admit, he didn’t like the things very much. He understood their use in preventing inappropriate public displays, but they were always so cramped and hot. It could give one a bad attack of claustrophobia.
Well, he was out now, and had the whole ocean to frolic in. He dove into the water, relishing the coolness of the salty waves. Oh, this was so nice. . .especially when Alice joined him with a mischievous grin. . . .
Fortunately, hiding behind the bathing machine was sufficient to conceal their rather enthusiastic kissing from the public view.
9) wander
Time Period: Anytime
Notes: Just something to break up all the Victor/Alice drabbles -- I like writing them, but change is good. This one was a pain to get down to 100 words, though. I wasn't aware I could be so verbose about Victor getting lost.
Victor was certain he was lost now. The trees surrounding him all looked identical. I should have been more careful when following that snapdragonfly, he thought, sighing.
Of course, this wasn’t the first time he’d gotten lost in Wonderland Park. Or even the second. He was far too prone to distraction when he was here. Why must you make so many fascinating insects, Lewis? he mentally chuckled.
Well, at least he knew what to do. He climbed up a nearby tree, then scanned the horizon until he spotted the entrance. Now, to get over there without getting distracted yet again. . . .
10) rain
Time Period: Anytime
Notes: One of my favorite creatures from the animated Disney movie of Alice was the "umbrella vulture." They just looked so cute, frolicking in that stream. I decided to go ahead and introduce them to this universe, since we could use more silly things. (And hey, I'm allowed to mix-and-match in a multiverse, aren't I?) Victor's confusion over the rain comes from it being established in Chapter 4 of "Secundus" that it's almost always sunny in the park due to a localized weather system.
“Oh!”
Victor slammed his sketchbook shut as the first drops of rain began to fall. I thought it wasn’t supposed to rain in this park! he thought as he held his book to his chest, protecting it. Perhaps Lewis is tinkering with–
Something landed on his shoulder. Victor looked over to see a creature that resembled a cloaked vulture. “Oh! Er--”
The bird gave a squawk, then puffed out its body. Victor suddenly found himself under an umbrella canopy of waterproof feathers. He sighed in relief. “Thank you,” he said gratefully. “I’ll bring you a treat next time I come.”