100 Drabbles of 2011 #61-70
61) rising thermometer picture
Time Period: Pregnant Alice, pre-"Secundus 2"
Notes: This one was inspired by a meme thread Victor participated in. The theme of the meme was "your character got pregnant," and to my surprise an Alice had commented in as preggers. So I made Victor the daddy and we had a nice little thread. Alice here is pregnant with Chester -- he's born November 5th, so Alice will be spending the entire summer pregnant. Poor girl. (Although that's nothing compared to what'll happen over in Hill Valley. . .)
Ugh. Being pregnant in summer is horrible.
Alice glared at the expanding dome of her belly. It was a hot day, and the mix of hormones in her body made her feel even hotter. “Do you have a fireplace in there?” she demanded of her waistline.
Victor appeared in the doorway. “C-can I get you anything?” he asked softly.
Alice shot him an irritable look. “You’re a biologist. Figure out how to get this baby out of me before the heat gets worse.”
“I d-don’t think I c-can get you to l-lay eggs now.”
“Eh – they’d probably cook today anyway.”
62) road to a desert city picture
Time Period: Between the final chapter and epilogue of "Secundus" (shortly before the wedding) Notes: An Alice-centric drabble! Since it deals with her getting engaged to Victor, I thought it could slip by. Dr. McGee, her psychiatrist, is named for American McGee, creator of this version of Alice. (I sure as hell wasn't naming the guy Bumby.)
“You’re getting married?”
Alice nodded. “On July seventh. After Victor proposed, we really didn’t want to wait.”
Dr. McGee smiled. “Congratulations, Alice.”
“Thank you.” Alice looked at her engagement ring. “I’ve come a long way, haven’t I?” she added. “At the beginning of the year, I could barely bring myself to say ‘I love you.’ Now I’m getting married.”
“It certainly is a radical shift,” Dr. McGee agreed. “But I hardly think it’s a bad change. I’d say you’re much more psychologically healthy these days.”
Alice nodded, grinning. “It’s been a long, lonely road – but I’ve finally reached my destination.”
63) ice cream truck picture
Time Period: The children explosion (aka far enough into the future that everyone has fairly young kids)
Notes: I decide to do something featuring more than just Victor and Alice's kids, and I end up doing a dialogue-only fic. XD Anyway, Victor's playing babysitter while the others deal with some emergency (don't ask me what). The kids speaking are (in order) Marlene & Douglas (Marty & Jennifer's twins), Jules (Doc & Clara's oldest son), Lorina (Victor & Alice's daughter), & Charlotte (Emily & Richard's daughter, adopted). There's also Chester and Vincent, of course, along with Doc's other two sons, Verne & Isaac, and Victoria's son & daughter, Jonathan and Mabel. Quite the group, no?
“Hello, sir, what’ll it be? Quite the group you have there!”
“Yes, we’re having a bit of a day out while--”
“Douglas poked me!”
“Did not!”
“I want chocolate!”
“I want vanilla!”
“I want butterscotch swirl!”
“Butterscotch?”
“It’s good, Lorina!”
“Everyone be quiet for a moment! Do forgive me, it’s just most of our group is busy with a matter of great importance. I was the only one who could be spared to watch the children. . . .”
“I know how it is. Would the brave babysitter like his ice cream on the house?”
“You are the best person in the world.”
64) horse in the sand picture
Time Period: Anytime, really, most likely in "Secundus"
Notes: I wanted to do a bit more with Victor at his job. Unfortunately, the picture here suggested feeling awkward to me, so he gets to deal with a bad customer. Luckily Doc is willing to stick up for him. (Also luckily, the word count did not allow for my original idea of the customer pulling out a death ray. . . .)
“Incompetent! Imbecile! It cannot be that much!”
“Sir, I assure you, I’ve c-checked the prices t-three times,” Victor stuttered. He hated customers like these. They always made him feel completely out of his element. Like a horse stranded on the beach, or a fish flopping on the pavement. “It really--”
“Thoughtless fool! I should--”
“If you’re going to continue yelling abuse at my staff, you can leave,” Doc cut in from nowhere. “That is the correct price. Pay.”
The customer grumbled, but eventually paid and left. Doc patted Victor’s shoulder. “Want a cup of tea?” he asked understandingly.
“Yes, please.”
65) measuring the bathing suit picture
Time Period: Victor & Alice's honeymoon
Notes: I wasn't sure WHAT I wanted to do with that picture -- I only knew it would be a comedy piece. Eventually, this resulted. The cannon crabs are another shoutout to "Alice: Madness Returns" -- they're an enemy you fight in the "Deluded Depths."
“You want to measure my what?”
“Bathing costume, miss,” the man said. “This is a family beach, you know. We can’t have the children getting any naughty ideas.”
Alice glared at him. “I doubt my bathing costume being an inch too short will cause irreparable damage to anyone’s child.”
“Yes, is this really necessary?” Victor added.
“Of course it is! You let someone out in too short a bathing costume, and the next thing you know, there’s some Touched with his cannon crabs overrunning the beach!”
Victor stared for a moment, stunned. “And they put you in the asylum, Alice?”
66) tire swing picture
Time Period: Summer post-"Secundus"
Notes: I just really wanted to do a fic with Alice on a swing for some reason. XD
Victor gave Alice another push, grinning as she soared away from him again with a laugh. “I don’t think I’ve ever gotten this high on a swing before!” she called back to him as her body briefly defied gravity.
“I knew these long arms were good for something!” Victor replied as she returned to him, narrowly avoiding the seat catching him in the middle.
“Oh, quite!” Up she went again. “I’m glad we decided not to try the motorized swing. I much prefer having you here to push me.”
“I’ll always be here to give you a lift,” Victor smiled.
67) people rowing picture
Time Period: Summer after "Secundus" (either on their honeymoon or not long after they get back from it)
Notes: This one is based on the history of the real Alice Liddell -- as you may or may not know, the original Wonderland story was made up by Charles Dodgson to entertain Alice and her two sisters on a boat ride. The Reverend Duckworth mentioned was another friend in attendance that day. I know that putting in Charles Dodgson confuses things a little, since Lewis Carroll is an actual person here, but I couldn't resist the reference.
“I feel like I’m back in my childhood.”
“Do you?” Victor said, pausing in his rowing for a moment.
Alice nodded. “We used to go on boat trips like these a lot when I was small,” she said. “My parents and I. Sometimes Reverend Duckworth or Mr. Dodgson would join us.” She smiled. “I remember spending a lot of happy afternoons on the river, babbling on to everyone about Wonderland Park.” Her expression turned melancholy. “I wish they were with us today.”
“So do I,” Victor said. “Then again, perhaps they are. In spirit.”
“Perhaps – but I’d still prefer corporeal.”
68) lobster dinner picture
Time Period: Anytime after Victor and Alice's marriage (probably before they have kids though)
Notes: This is just a random bit of funny involving Victor and his usual distaste for seafood. Though, admittedly, I've always seen it as more regular fish he hates, rather than shellfish. And besides, who could turn down some good lobster? For refresher purposes, Flint is Flint Lockwood, creator and owner of "The Roofless" restaurant.
“Hey, folks!” Flint greeted them cheerfully. “What’ll it be today?”
“I’m thinking the roast chicken breast myself,” Alice said. “Victor?”
“I’m not sure. . . .” Victor skimmed the menu, then looked up. “You know what? I think I’ll try the lobster.”
Flint looked at him, surprised. “You? Ordering seafood?” He grinned playfully. “You sure you’re Victor Van Dort?”
“It’s really only fish I try to avoid, not all seafood,” Victor said with a laugh. “And I haven’t had lobster in years.”
“Okay then – one lobster, coming up! You are still having chocolate cake afterward, right?”
“Oh yes – that’s something I’ll never alter.”
69) feet and heart in the sand picture
Time Period: Near Victor & Alice's first anniversary (lounging by one of the safer pools in the Vale of Tears if there's sand)
Notes: Second in the series that began with "17) barefoot." This one was inspired by actually being able to see Alice's feet in her new game -- there's a level underwater, and the dress she wears leaves her legs and feet bare. They do look a little bigger than one might expect.
Alice stood next to Victor and compared her feet to his. “It still amazes me how small your feet are,” she said, digging into the sand with her toes. “Even after a year of seeing them at bedtime.”
“I’ve been living with them my whole life, and even I’m not quite used to their size,” Victor laughed. “They do look rather silly, don’t they?”
“I don’t know – they are small, but they’re you.” She looked between their feet again. “Mine look absolutely huge by comparison.”
Victor put an arm around her. “I like your feet. They’re just perfect. Like you.”
70) blowing bubbles picture
Time Period: When Victor & Alice's kids are still small
Notes: I initially thought this was a picture of a lady blowing on a dandelion -- I had to revise my ideas once I saw it was actually bubbles. I have no idea if this was really a popular activity in Victorian times, but allow me my possible anachronism. And yes, Victor IS getting an idea for a bubble-fly. I have no idea how it would work, but hey, he's the mad scientist. . .
Victor grinned as he watched his children run around, chasing after the bubbles he’d blown. As they drifted away on the breeze or popped, he dipped his wand back in the solution and blew a fresh set. It was rather neat, watching the thin film of liquid stream out, turning from a mere multicolored puddle into something delicate and floating. It reminded him of his precious butterflies. Simple green caterpillars becoming flying works of art. Butterflies even floated – actually, if he tried, he probably could –
He shook his head. He’d work on that later. Now was the time for family.
Time Period: Pregnant Alice, pre-"Secundus 2"
Notes: This one was inspired by a meme thread Victor participated in. The theme of the meme was "your character got pregnant," and to my surprise an Alice had commented in as preggers. So I made Victor the daddy and we had a nice little thread. Alice here is pregnant with Chester -- he's born November 5th, so Alice will be spending the entire summer pregnant. Poor girl. (Although that's nothing compared to what'll happen over in Hill Valley. . .)
Ugh. Being pregnant in summer is horrible.
Alice glared at the expanding dome of her belly. It was a hot day, and the mix of hormones in her body made her feel even hotter. “Do you have a fireplace in there?” she demanded of her waistline.
Victor appeared in the doorway. “C-can I get you anything?” he asked softly.
Alice shot him an irritable look. “You’re a biologist. Figure out how to get this baby out of me before the heat gets worse.”
“I d-don’t think I c-can get you to l-lay eggs now.”
“Eh – they’d probably cook today anyway.”
62) road to a desert city picture
Time Period: Between the final chapter and epilogue of "Secundus" (shortly before the wedding) Notes: An Alice-centric drabble! Since it deals with her getting engaged to Victor, I thought it could slip by. Dr. McGee, her psychiatrist, is named for American McGee, creator of this version of Alice. (I sure as hell wasn't naming the guy Bumby.)
“You’re getting married?”
Alice nodded. “On July seventh. After Victor proposed, we really didn’t want to wait.”
Dr. McGee smiled. “Congratulations, Alice.”
“Thank you.” Alice looked at her engagement ring. “I’ve come a long way, haven’t I?” she added. “At the beginning of the year, I could barely bring myself to say ‘I love you.’ Now I’m getting married.”
“It certainly is a radical shift,” Dr. McGee agreed. “But I hardly think it’s a bad change. I’d say you’re much more psychologically healthy these days.”
Alice nodded, grinning. “It’s been a long, lonely road – but I’ve finally reached my destination.”
63) ice cream truck picture
Time Period: The children explosion (aka far enough into the future that everyone has fairly young kids)
Notes: I decide to do something featuring more than just Victor and Alice's kids, and I end up doing a dialogue-only fic. XD Anyway, Victor's playing babysitter while the others deal with some emergency (don't ask me what). The kids speaking are (in order) Marlene & Douglas (Marty & Jennifer's twins), Jules (Doc & Clara's oldest son), Lorina (Victor & Alice's daughter), & Charlotte (Emily & Richard's daughter, adopted). There's also Chester and Vincent, of course, along with Doc's other two sons, Verne & Isaac, and Victoria's son & daughter, Jonathan and Mabel. Quite the group, no?
“Hello, sir, what’ll it be? Quite the group you have there!”
“Yes, we’re having a bit of a day out while--”
“Douglas poked me!”
“Did not!”
“I want chocolate!”
“I want vanilla!”
“I want butterscotch swirl!”
“Butterscotch?”
“It’s good, Lorina!”
“Everyone be quiet for a moment! Do forgive me, it’s just most of our group is busy with a matter of great importance. I was the only one who could be spared to watch the children. . . .”
“I know how it is. Would the brave babysitter like his ice cream on the house?”
“You are the best person in the world.”
64) horse in the sand picture
Time Period: Anytime, really, most likely in "Secundus"
Notes: I wanted to do a bit more with Victor at his job. Unfortunately, the picture here suggested feeling awkward to me, so he gets to deal with a bad customer. Luckily Doc is willing to stick up for him. (Also luckily, the word count did not allow for my original idea of the customer pulling out a death ray. . . .)
“Incompetent! Imbecile! It cannot be that much!”
“Sir, I assure you, I’ve c-checked the prices t-three times,” Victor stuttered. He hated customers like these. They always made him feel completely out of his element. Like a horse stranded on the beach, or a fish flopping on the pavement. “It really--”
“Thoughtless fool! I should--”
“If you’re going to continue yelling abuse at my staff, you can leave,” Doc cut in from nowhere. “That is the correct price. Pay.”
The customer grumbled, but eventually paid and left. Doc patted Victor’s shoulder. “Want a cup of tea?” he asked understandingly.
“Yes, please.”
65) measuring the bathing suit picture
Time Period: Victor & Alice's honeymoon
Notes: I wasn't sure WHAT I wanted to do with that picture -- I only knew it would be a comedy piece. Eventually, this resulted. The cannon crabs are another shoutout to "Alice: Madness Returns" -- they're an enemy you fight in the "Deluded Depths."
“You want to measure my what?”
“Bathing costume, miss,” the man said. “This is a family beach, you know. We can’t have the children getting any naughty ideas.”
Alice glared at him. “I doubt my bathing costume being an inch too short will cause irreparable damage to anyone’s child.”
“Yes, is this really necessary?” Victor added.
“Of course it is! You let someone out in too short a bathing costume, and the next thing you know, there’s some Touched with his cannon crabs overrunning the beach!”
Victor stared for a moment, stunned. “And they put you in the asylum, Alice?”
66) tire swing picture
Time Period: Summer post-"Secundus"
Notes: I just really wanted to do a fic with Alice on a swing for some reason. XD
Victor gave Alice another push, grinning as she soared away from him again with a laugh. “I don’t think I’ve ever gotten this high on a swing before!” she called back to him as her body briefly defied gravity.
“I knew these long arms were good for something!” Victor replied as she returned to him, narrowly avoiding the seat catching him in the middle.
“Oh, quite!” Up she went again. “I’m glad we decided not to try the motorized swing. I much prefer having you here to push me.”
“I’ll always be here to give you a lift,” Victor smiled.
67) people rowing picture
Time Period: Summer after "Secundus" (either on their honeymoon or not long after they get back from it)
Notes: This one is based on the history of the real Alice Liddell -- as you may or may not know, the original Wonderland story was made up by Charles Dodgson to entertain Alice and her two sisters on a boat ride. The Reverend Duckworth mentioned was another friend in attendance that day. I know that putting in Charles Dodgson confuses things a little, since Lewis Carroll is an actual person here, but I couldn't resist the reference.
“I feel like I’m back in my childhood.”
“Do you?” Victor said, pausing in his rowing for a moment.
Alice nodded. “We used to go on boat trips like these a lot when I was small,” she said. “My parents and I. Sometimes Reverend Duckworth or Mr. Dodgson would join us.” She smiled. “I remember spending a lot of happy afternoons on the river, babbling on to everyone about Wonderland Park.” Her expression turned melancholy. “I wish they were with us today.”
“So do I,” Victor said. “Then again, perhaps they are. In spirit.”
“Perhaps – but I’d still prefer corporeal.”
68) lobster dinner picture
Time Period: Anytime after Victor and Alice's marriage (probably before they have kids though)
Notes: This is just a random bit of funny involving Victor and his usual distaste for seafood. Though, admittedly, I've always seen it as more regular fish he hates, rather than shellfish. And besides, who could turn down some good lobster? For refresher purposes, Flint is Flint Lockwood, creator and owner of "The Roofless" restaurant.
“Hey, folks!” Flint greeted them cheerfully. “What’ll it be today?”
“I’m thinking the roast chicken breast myself,” Alice said. “Victor?”
“I’m not sure. . . .” Victor skimmed the menu, then looked up. “You know what? I think I’ll try the lobster.”
Flint looked at him, surprised. “You? Ordering seafood?” He grinned playfully. “You sure you’re Victor Van Dort?”
“It’s really only fish I try to avoid, not all seafood,” Victor said with a laugh. “And I haven’t had lobster in years.”
“Okay then – one lobster, coming up! You are still having chocolate cake afterward, right?”
“Oh yes – that’s something I’ll never alter.”
69) feet and heart in the sand picture
Time Period: Near Victor & Alice's first anniversary (lounging by one of the safer pools in the Vale of Tears if there's sand)
Notes: Second in the series that began with "17) barefoot." This one was inspired by actually being able to see Alice's feet in her new game -- there's a level underwater, and the dress she wears leaves her legs and feet bare. They do look a little bigger than one might expect.
Alice stood next to Victor and compared her feet to his. “It still amazes me how small your feet are,” she said, digging into the sand with her toes. “Even after a year of seeing them at bedtime.”
“I’ve been living with them my whole life, and even I’m not quite used to their size,” Victor laughed. “They do look rather silly, don’t they?”
“I don’t know – they are small, but they’re you.” She looked between their feet again. “Mine look absolutely huge by comparison.”
Victor put an arm around her. “I like your feet. They’re just perfect. Like you.”
70) blowing bubbles picture
Time Period: When Victor & Alice's kids are still small
Notes: I initially thought this was a picture of a lady blowing on a dandelion -- I had to revise my ideas once I saw it was actually bubbles. I have no idea if this was really a popular activity in Victorian times, but allow me my possible anachronism. And yes, Victor IS getting an idea for a bubble-fly. I have no idea how it would work, but hey, he's the mad scientist. . .
Victor grinned as he watched his children run around, chasing after the bubbles he’d blown. As they drifted away on the breeze or popped, he dipped his wand back in the solution and blew a fresh set. It was rather neat, watching the thin film of liquid stream out, turning from a mere multicolored puddle into something delicate and floating. It reminded him of his precious butterflies. Simple green caterpillars becoming flying works of art. Butterflies even floated – actually, if he tried, he probably could –
He shook his head. He’d work on that later. Now was the time for family.