100 Drabbles of 2011 #11-20
11) blue skies
Time Period: Post-climax of "Secundus," pre-marriage
Notes: It took me a bit to decide on this one, but finally I came up with something appropriate. Victor and Ferdinand make a nice pair, and I imagine he'd be pretty happy to take his first flight on his new riding butterfly. I threw in the Hiccup mention because, well, the guy designed the saddle for a dragon -- I think he has know-how Victor needs.
It’s a brilliantly sunny day when Victor takes Ferdinand out for his first ride. He hopes that it’s a good omen. He’s been dreaming about this day for months, as he experimented and tweaked –
Ferdinand runs his proboscis over his face, making Victor laugh. He checks his riding gear again – it was difficult making a saddle for a butterfly, but with hard work (and help from Hiccup Haddock), he managed it. Then he mounts, carefully avoiding the wings. “Up, Ferdinand,” he says, voice trembling.
Ferdinand flaps his wings, takes off – and just like that, the blue sky is his.
Yes.
12) lazy
Time Period: After "Secundus," post-marriage Notes: Just a cute thing that came to mind with the newlywed couple. We've all had days like this, right?
“You know, we should probably get up,” Alice said.
“Probably,” Victor agreed with a yawn.
“There’s things we ought to do.”
“There always are.”
“One certainly cannot spend the entire day in bed.”
“Of course not. That would be mad.”
There was a moment’s silence. “We don’t seem to be getting up.”
Victor glanced over at her – at those gorgeous green eyes, that silky dark hair, those sweet red lips. “I don’t think I have the proper motivation,” he confessed.
Alice smiled at him. “Neither do I,” she whispered, rolling over and pulling him close. “The bed’s much too comfortable.”
13) independence
Time Period: Post-"Secundus" summer (July 4th, to be exact)
Notes: I debated on whether to do this about Independence Day or Victor feeling more independent after leaving Burtonsville. The upcoming holiday convinced me to do it about the former. Mostly because I couldn't resist Alice's snark at the end. Those Brits. . .
"So, today is the day you celebrate as the day your country broke away from ours?"
"Right," Marty nodded. "Good old July Fourth."
"Doesn't it feel strange celebrating the date over here, though?" Victor asked.
"Well, a little," Marty admitted. "But Doc and I are proud to be Americans, and doing a little something kinda reminds me of home. Besides, it's not like we're parading through the streets in red, white, and blue and yelling how great America is."
Victor laughed. "True."
"Oh, you could do that if you wanted," Alice smirked. "We'd just say we didn't want you anyway."
14) mow
Time Period: Post-"Secundus," post-kids
Notes: Lorina gets her mad science on! Another story born from silly. I looked it up, and they did have lawnmowers back then -- not precisely like ours, granted, but "Secundus" allows for tweaking. :p
“What are you working on now, Lorina?”
“Self-cutting grass, Dad!”
“I beg your pardon?”
“Grass that cuts itself! No mowing required!”
“I see. What brought this on?”
“Chester suggested it to me! Well, actually, he asked if I couldn’t make grass that only grew to a certain height, but this sounded like a lot more fun.”
“Heh, I’m sure it is. Though – your brother did actually finish mowing the lawn, right?”
“I’m sure he did. We do have that new steam mower. Can it really be that hard?”
“He did just ask you to create shorter grass.”
“. . .Fair enough.”
15) wedding
Time Period: "Secundus" epilogue wedding day
Notes: I had to post this one today, because July 7th is the day I chose for Victor and Alice's wedding. I always knew I wanted them to wed in summer, and it just seemed like an appropriate date. I wrote this up in a notebook and STILL somehow managed to hit exactly 100. Go me.
Victor had always known Alice was beautiful. Her thin, graceful figure, long dark hair, soft pink lips, and especially her brilliant green eyes all added up to a lovely lady. No matter what dress she wore (or what condition it might end up in), she was always gorgeous.
But today, walking up the aisle with her uncle Charles, Alice was an absolute vision. Her wedding dress, with its brilliant white fabric embroidered with blue flowers and butterflies, fit her perfectly. Victor felt blessed to be able to see her like this.
It truly was the happiest day of his life.
16) umbrella
Time Period: Post-climax of "Secundus," pre-wedding
Notes: I've got "Alice: Madness Returns" on the brain, so I had to do a fic referencing it. Alice does have an umbrella that can be used to block enemy shots in the new game. However, its use is limited by the fact that a) it takes a moment to open and b) can only be used in focused mode. This annoys me. It is indeed pretty to look at, though.
Victor was truly impressed at how versatile Alice’s favorite umbrella could be. It seemed to have so many uses. On sunny days, one could use it to provide shade and comfort. On rainy days, it gave one some protection from the wet weather. On dull days, one could admire the elegant lacy pattern of the canopy’s fabric.
And on those days where someone’s experiment had run amok and was spitting out nasty chunks of metal and grease everywhere, it made a nifty shield against projectiles.
Oh yes – after that incident, Victor decided he wanted an umbrella a lot like Alice’s.
17) barefoot
Time Period: Post-climax of "Secundus," pre-wedding
Notes: First part of a three-part linked series. The first two were supposed to be one story, but I discovered I hit 100 words at a good point in particular chunk. Seeing another foot-related prompt inspired me to put the second half in its own drabble, and THEN I thought up a third for another foot-related prompt. Anyway, this was inspired by the fact that Victor really does have tiny feet. Why this is, I don't know (other than his creator is Tim Burton, who seems to like doing that). I've actually used this joke in a "30 Dances" fic about DG-Victor and Alice, Head Over Feet -- which I just now saw was for the prompt "barefoot!" XD
Alice stared down at Victor’s feet. “I thought tall people were supposed to have large feet,” she commented, tilting her head.
“So did I,” Victor agreed, also looking down at his improbably small feet. He wiggled his tiny toes. “My father had rather small feet too. It must be a Van Dort trait.”
“I suppose they fit with how skinny the rest of you is, but still. How do you stay balanced on those?”
Victor smirked at her. “You’re saying I actually do stay balanced?”
Alice poked him. “You’re not half as clumsy as you claim you are, you know.”
18) summer love
Time Period: Post-climax of "Secundus," pre-wedding
Notes: Just a quick thing talking about Victor and Alice's summer wedding. They really do get married abnormally quickly -- Victor proposes shortly after his 20th birthday on June 9th, and they get married on July 7th. Fortunately neither of them are into big, showy weddings.
Victor and Alice knew it was a surprise to their loved ones when they decided to get married less than a month after Victor proposed. Everyone had expected a short engagement period, but not one that short. Didn’t they need more time to plan, some asked? Or even to just enjoy being engaged?
Victor and Alice knew what they were doing, though. Yes, they’d have to rush through some things, and skip a few others – but that was an acceptable sacrifice. They were in love, and they wanted to spend the rest of their lives together.
Waiting wasn’t an option.
19) itch
Time Period: Between "Secundus" and "Secundus 2"
Notes: Just a quick study of how lucky one would be to have someone with Victor's long fingers around for situations like these. This originally ended slightly naughtier (with Victor blushing), but that went over the word count.
Victor paused in the doorway to the drawing room. Alice was standing inside, doing all sorts of odd gyrations. “What are you doing?”
Alice grimaced in his general direction. “There’s an itch on my back and I – just – can’t – reach–” Her hands scrabbled uselessly at the area between her shoulders. “Help?”
Victor went over and started scratching. “Over to your left a bit – more – little more – there we go.” Alice sighed in relief. “Thank you, Victor.”
“You’re very welcome,” Victor said, kissing her cheek.
Alice sighed again. “I’m so lucky to have married a man with such long, talented fingers.”
20) adventure
Time Period: Anytime
Notes: This one's simple -- just an acknowledgement that Secundus is a crazy place to live -- and that Victor loves it anyway. :)
You never knew what each new day might bring in Secundus. You might wake up to find the city covered in a thick layer of custard. Or you might walk down a street and discover a race of mushroom people tunneling up through the pavement. Or you might find your new neighbor died two years ago and needs help keeping track of loose limbs. You might even discover those muffins a stranger kindly offered you have caused you to grow cat ears and a tail. Life in Secundus was always an adventure.
And Victor wouldn’t have it any other way.
Time Period: Post-climax of "Secundus," pre-marriage
Notes: It took me a bit to decide on this one, but finally I came up with something appropriate. Victor and Ferdinand make a nice pair, and I imagine he'd be pretty happy to take his first flight on his new riding butterfly. I threw in the Hiccup mention because, well, the guy designed the saddle for a dragon -- I think he has know-how Victor needs.
It’s a brilliantly sunny day when Victor takes Ferdinand out for his first ride. He hopes that it’s a good omen. He’s been dreaming about this day for months, as he experimented and tweaked –
Ferdinand runs his proboscis over his face, making Victor laugh. He checks his riding gear again – it was difficult making a saddle for a butterfly, but with hard work (and help from Hiccup Haddock), he managed it. Then he mounts, carefully avoiding the wings. “Up, Ferdinand,” he says, voice trembling.
Ferdinand flaps his wings, takes off – and just like that, the blue sky is his.
Yes.
12) lazy
Time Period: After "Secundus," post-marriage Notes: Just a cute thing that came to mind with the newlywed couple. We've all had days like this, right?
“You know, we should probably get up,” Alice said.
“Probably,” Victor agreed with a yawn.
“There’s things we ought to do.”
“There always are.”
“One certainly cannot spend the entire day in bed.”
“Of course not. That would be mad.”
There was a moment’s silence. “We don’t seem to be getting up.”
Victor glanced over at her – at those gorgeous green eyes, that silky dark hair, those sweet red lips. “I don’t think I have the proper motivation,” he confessed.
Alice smiled at him. “Neither do I,” she whispered, rolling over and pulling him close. “The bed’s much too comfortable.”
13) independence
Time Period: Post-"Secundus" summer (July 4th, to be exact)
Notes: I debated on whether to do this about Independence Day or Victor feeling more independent after leaving Burtonsville. The upcoming holiday convinced me to do it about the former. Mostly because I couldn't resist Alice's snark at the end. Those Brits. . .
"So, today is the day you celebrate as the day your country broke away from ours?"
"Right," Marty nodded. "Good old July Fourth."
"Doesn't it feel strange celebrating the date over here, though?" Victor asked.
"Well, a little," Marty admitted. "But Doc and I are proud to be Americans, and doing a little something kinda reminds me of home. Besides, it's not like we're parading through the streets in red, white, and blue and yelling how great America is."
Victor laughed. "True."
"Oh, you could do that if you wanted," Alice smirked. "We'd just say we didn't want you anyway."
14) mow
Time Period: Post-"Secundus," post-kids
Notes: Lorina gets her mad science on! Another story born from silly. I looked it up, and they did have lawnmowers back then -- not precisely like ours, granted, but "Secundus" allows for tweaking. :p
“What are you working on now, Lorina?”
“Self-cutting grass, Dad!”
“I beg your pardon?”
“Grass that cuts itself! No mowing required!”
“I see. What brought this on?”
“Chester suggested it to me! Well, actually, he asked if I couldn’t make grass that only grew to a certain height, but this sounded like a lot more fun.”
“Heh, I’m sure it is. Though – your brother did actually finish mowing the lawn, right?”
“I’m sure he did. We do have that new steam mower. Can it really be that hard?”
“He did just ask you to create shorter grass.”
“. . .Fair enough.”
15) wedding
Time Period: "Secundus" epilogue wedding day
Notes: I had to post this one today, because July 7th is the day I chose for Victor and Alice's wedding. I always knew I wanted them to wed in summer, and it just seemed like an appropriate date. I wrote this up in a notebook and STILL somehow managed to hit exactly 100. Go me.
Victor had always known Alice was beautiful. Her thin, graceful figure, long dark hair, soft pink lips, and especially her brilliant green eyes all added up to a lovely lady. No matter what dress she wore (or what condition it might end up in), she was always gorgeous.
But today, walking up the aisle with her uncle Charles, Alice was an absolute vision. Her wedding dress, with its brilliant white fabric embroidered with blue flowers and butterflies, fit her perfectly. Victor felt blessed to be able to see her like this.
It truly was the happiest day of his life.
16) umbrella
Time Period: Post-climax of "Secundus," pre-wedding
Notes: I've got "Alice: Madness Returns" on the brain, so I had to do a fic referencing it. Alice does have an umbrella that can be used to block enemy shots in the new game. However, its use is limited by the fact that a) it takes a moment to open and b) can only be used in focused mode. This annoys me. It is indeed pretty to look at, though.
Victor was truly impressed at how versatile Alice’s favorite umbrella could be. It seemed to have so many uses. On sunny days, one could use it to provide shade and comfort. On rainy days, it gave one some protection from the wet weather. On dull days, one could admire the elegant lacy pattern of the canopy’s fabric.
And on those days where someone’s experiment had run amok and was spitting out nasty chunks of metal and grease everywhere, it made a nifty shield against projectiles.
Oh yes – after that incident, Victor decided he wanted an umbrella a lot like Alice’s.
17) barefoot
Time Period: Post-climax of "Secundus," pre-wedding
Notes: First part of a three-part linked series. The first two were supposed to be one story, but I discovered I hit 100 words at a good point in particular chunk. Seeing another foot-related prompt inspired me to put the second half in its own drabble, and THEN I thought up a third for another foot-related prompt. Anyway, this was inspired by the fact that Victor really does have tiny feet. Why this is, I don't know (other than his creator is Tim Burton, who seems to like doing that). I've actually used this joke in a "30 Dances" fic about DG-Victor and Alice, Head Over Feet -- which I just now saw was for the prompt "barefoot!" XD
Alice stared down at Victor’s feet. “I thought tall people were supposed to have large feet,” she commented, tilting her head.
“So did I,” Victor agreed, also looking down at his improbably small feet. He wiggled his tiny toes. “My father had rather small feet too. It must be a Van Dort trait.”
“I suppose they fit with how skinny the rest of you is, but still. How do you stay balanced on those?”
Victor smirked at her. “You’re saying I actually do stay balanced?”
Alice poked him. “You’re not half as clumsy as you claim you are, you know.”
18) summer love
Time Period: Post-climax of "Secundus," pre-wedding
Notes: Just a quick thing talking about Victor and Alice's summer wedding. They really do get married abnormally quickly -- Victor proposes shortly after his 20th birthday on June 9th, and they get married on July 7th. Fortunately neither of them are into big, showy weddings.
Victor and Alice knew it was a surprise to their loved ones when they decided to get married less than a month after Victor proposed. Everyone had expected a short engagement period, but not one that short. Didn’t they need more time to plan, some asked? Or even to just enjoy being engaged?
Victor and Alice knew what they were doing, though. Yes, they’d have to rush through some things, and skip a few others – but that was an acceptable sacrifice. They were in love, and they wanted to spend the rest of their lives together.
Waiting wasn’t an option.
19) itch
Time Period: Between "Secundus" and "Secundus 2"
Notes: Just a quick study of how lucky one would be to have someone with Victor's long fingers around for situations like these. This originally ended slightly naughtier (with Victor blushing), but that went over the word count.
Victor paused in the doorway to the drawing room. Alice was standing inside, doing all sorts of odd gyrations. “What are you doing?”
Alice grimaced in his general direction. “There’s an itch on my back and I – just – can’t – reach–” Her hands scrabbled uselessly at the area between her shoulders. “Help?”
Victor went over and started scratching. “Over to your left a bit – more – little more – there we go.” Alice sighed in relief. “Thank you, Victor.”
“You’re very welcome,” Victor said, kissing her cheek.
Alice sighed again. “I’m so lucky to have married a man with such long, talented fingers.”
20) adventure
Time Period: Anytime
Notes: This one's simple -- just an acknowledgement that Secundus is a crazy place to live -- and that Victor loves it anyway. :)
You never knew what each new day might bring in Secundus. You might wake up to find the city covered in a thick layer of custard. Or you might walk down a street and discover a race of mushroom people tunneling up through the pavement. Or you might find your new neighbor died two years ago and needs help keeping track of loose limbs. You might even discover those muffins a stranger kindly offered you have caused you to grow cat ears and a tail. Life in Secundus was always an adventure.
And Victor wouldn’t have it any other way.