100 Drabbles of 2011 #71-80
71) girl, puppy, and ice cream picture
Time Period: Summer after the creation of Ferdinand
Notes: I wasn't sure what to do for this one for a bit. Then I remembered a cartoon I saw in one of my old educational kid's magazines about a butterfly stepping in a puddle of strawberry ice cream, realized I had a particularly large butterfly to play around with, and. . . The cone is technically an anachronism, but I think I'm allowed a few of those in a steampunk multiverse tale. :p
Victor sat back on the bench, smiling. The sun was shining, the air was warm, and he had chocolate ice cream – life was good. Especially since he had something new to try – the vendor had been very enthusiastic about this new ‘waffle cone.’ Victor had to admit, it looked tasty. He happily started licking away.
Only to have a large black proboscis slip into his cone and start sucking. “Ferdy!” Victor jerked the cone away. “No! People food! Bad!”
Ferdinand’s antennae wilted. “Oh, fine,” Victor sighed, dropping the cone and rising to get another. “The things I do for you. . . .”
72) stairs to a beach picture
Time Period: Newlywed Victor & Alice Notes: I didn't want to do another "visiting the beach" story, as I feel like I've done a lot of those, so I decided to focus on the stairs portion. Victor's clumsiness chooses the worst moments to wake up.
This was one of those things that could only happen to him, Victor mused as he lay at the base of the stairs. One moment, he was happily preparing to head downstairs for tea, the next toppling head over heels because he wasn’t paying attention to where the first step was. At least we have a nice soft carpet here.
“Victor!” Alice knelt by him. “Are you all right? Can you get up?”
Victor tried, wincing as he did. “I feel like one big bruise – but I’ll be all right. I’ve taken worse falls.”
“Not on my watch, you don’t.”
73) desert picture
Time Period: Far future, post-Alice's death
Notes: Sorry, folks, but this picture inspired the depressing. The nightmare Victor references is one where he's trapped in the dark while nasty voices tell him he's worthless -- I suppose the desert is SLIGHTLY better, but not by much. Oddly enough, I believe Secundus is my only verse where Victor outlives Alice -- usually, he dies first. The survivor always takes it rather hard. :(
The desert stretches all around him, the ground baked hard by the burning sun above. There are no signs of life, nothing to indicate any other presence here. Just endless sand. He tries walking in various directions, but no matter where he goes, he sees no sign of civilization. He’s completely alone.
He wakes in a cold sweat – it wasn’t exactly like his most common nightmare, but it was close enough. He turns to seek solace from Alice.
Only to find an empty space beside him. He touches it, eyes filling up.
If only he could wake from this nightmare.
74) oriental food picture
Time Period: Probably Victor and Alice's engagement period, between the last chapter of "Secundus" and the epilogue
Notes: This one's directly influenced by "Alice: Madness Returns." Wilton Radcliffe is the Liddell family solicitor in that game -- we meet him in Chapter 3, and he really is a great collector of Eastern art and artifacts. Encountering him in London leads to the Mysterious East section of the game. I don't know if the game one was known for serving Eastern cuisine to guests, though.
Walking into Wilton Radcliffe’s sitting room was like suddenly finding oneself in another country – one that was a strange mix of England, China, and Japan. There were ancient scrolls mounted on the walls, depicting scenes of mountains and meadows. Delicate porcelain vases shared shelves with statues of lucky cats. A folding screen painted with dragons rested in the corner. There was even a katana above the fireplace. “Your family solicitor is rather obsessed with the East, isn’t he?” Victor murmured.
“Worse obsessions to have,” Alice shrugged. “I just hope he serves English food this time. His cook cannot manage sushi.”
75) leaping shark picture
Time Period: Anytime after Victor and Alice's marriage
Notes: This one was inspired by "When Curiosity Met Insanity," a webcomic about the Disney Alice & Hatter. Hatter once got a personality writeup that mentioned his darker madness as like being a shark lurking in the oceans of his mind. The idea hit me that the same could be said of a truly pissed off (particularly post-Touchedness) Victor. He's a sweet and gentle guy, but you do not go after his loved ones. This is part 1 of 2, the second being "59) underwater tiger picture" (which comes first in the current set-up, but they can be read in either order).
Most people wouldn’t call Victor Van Dort a threatening human being. Just the opposite, in fact. Victor was well known to be shy, quiet, and unassuming. Not the sort to strike terror into anyone’s heart.
As a result, some people thought that it was perfectly acceptable to harass the Van Dorts. Victor usually ignored any annoyances to his person, long used to such things. The instant anyone turned on his wife, however – one person described as like seeing a vicious shark suddenly burst from a seemingly calm ocean.
Most people didn’t try to upset Alice Van Dort a second time.
76) woman under parasol picture
Time Period: Victor and Alice's engagement period, between the last chapter of "Secundus" and the epilogue
Notes: This was just a stroke of inspiration. I dunno where the busybody came from, but hell, I'll run with it. (And lady, if you want obscene, you want the "hysteria" prompt.)
“Ugh. How obscene.”
Victor and Alice looked over in surprise at the woman passing them. “I beg your pardon?” Alice asked.
“The two of you! So close together under that umbrella of yours! It’s improper!” the woman snapped.
“Is it?” Victor said. “W-we’re just trying to keep out of the rain--”
“The rain? What about the preservation of that young lady’s dignity?”
“I have dignity? I never guessed,” Alice said cheekily.
“She’s my fiancee,” Victor added. “We’re allowed liberties.”
“I still say it’s obscene.”
“Well, no one asked your opinion,” Alice said, stretching to kiss Victor’s cheek. “So shove off.”
77) feet in flip-flops picture
Time Period: Future, summer vacation with preteen kids
Notes: And the third in the series of "family feet" prompts, which also includes "17) barefoot" and "69) feet and heart in the sand picture." This was inspired by me seeing this other foot-related prompts and deciding to take the foot comparisons to their logical conclusion. Please excuse the anachronistic use of "genetics," but this is a world of Mad Science.
They sat on the steps in front of the pavilion, enjoying a snack before the crowds arrived at the beach. For some reason, Victor found his eyes straying down to everyone’s feet. Chester, like him, had tiny feet for his height. Lorina, on the other hand, definitely had Alice feet, which were just a little too big for her frame. And Vincent – well, Vincent had somehow ended up with the only normal pair in the bunch. How, Victor had no idea.
“Something wrong, Dad?” Vincent asked, noticing his father’s gaze.
Victor smiled. “No, Vincent. Just pondering the mysteries of genetics.”
78) grandstand picture
Time Period: Summer after "Secundus" -- likely Marty performing during an end-of-season party
Notes: Another one I struggled with! I really had no idea what to do until someone else's drabble (I can't recall whose) clued me into the fact it was a grandstand for a band, not just a patriotic park gazebo. Back when I wrote "29) concert," I'd wanted to do something about Victor marveling over Marty's ability to perform in front of a crowd, but couldn't fit it in. So hey, here's another shot at that! And yes, Marty's little concert was inspired by Part I's "Johnny B. Goode" scene.
Victor stared at Marty as the teenager performed for the crowd. He seemed completely at home on the grandstand, strumming his guitar and singing in a loud, clear voice. The audience cheered him on, waving their hands to the beat and jumping up and down. The teen drank it in, putting more and more flourishes into his work. It was like the louder the crowd roared, the better he did.
The show finally ended after he kicked over his amplifier. He grinned at Victor. “What do you think?”
Victor shook his head. “Amazing,” he said. “I could never do it.”
79) porch swing picture
Time Period: Far future, in the era of grandkids
Notes: I wasn't sure what to do with this one, as the Van Dorts don't have a porch swing at their house. Fortunately for me, the idea that maybe one of Victor's kids would, eventually, gave me an idea. The two boys seen and girl mentioned are Vincent and Mabel's kids -- I originally had Victor visiting Chester's house, but then I realized I hadn't really shown his middle child's kids.
Victor sat on the porch swing, enjoying the evening air. It felt good to rock and watch the shadows lengthen. No cares, no worries, not even any mad ideas. Just him and a swing. “Grandpa?”
And some grandchildren, apparently. Victor smiled. “Hello Henry, hello Augustus. Where’s your sister?”
“Virginia’s inside with Mummy,” Henry said, climbing up onto the seat next to Victor. “Can you tell us a story, please?”
“What about?”
“Tell us about when you first came to Secundus,” Augustus said eagerly.
Victor grinned. “Oh, that story. Well then – once upon a time, I came across a flying train. . . .”
80) egg frying on sidewalk picture
Time Period: Future, young and silly kids
Notes: This one was born out of pure silly. I've read about kids playing catch with eggs in a book, so that was an inspiration. (And yes, they're getting a lecture afterwards about wasting good eggs.)
The last thing Victor expected to see when he went out his front door was his three children apparently playing catch with eggs. Chester, Vincent, and Lorina were tossing an egg to each other very quickly, as if it was burning hot. Shells and yolks on the ground indicated what had happened in previous rounds. “Children?”
The three looked up as Lorina caught the egg. “Oh, hello Dad,” Chester said.
“What are you doing?”
“Egg race,” Vincent said. “Whoever drops the most loses. I’m winning,” he added with a grin.
“. . .Children, have I told you lately that you’re all mad?”
Time Period: Summer after the creation of Ferdinand
Notes: I wasn't sure what to do for this one for a bit. Then I remembered a cartoon I saw in one of my old educational kid's magazines about a butterfly stepping in a puddle of strawberry ice cream, realized I had a particularly large butterfly to play around with, and. . . The cone is technically an anachronism, but I think I'm allowed a few of those in a steampunk multiverse tale. :p
Victor sat back on the bench, smiling. The sun was shining, the air was warm, and he had chocolate ice cream – life was good. Especially since he had something new to try – the vendor had been very enthusiastic about this new ‘waffle cone.’ Victor had to admit, it looked tasty. He happily started licking away.
Only to have a large black proboscis slip into his cone and start sucking. “Ferdy!” Victor jerked the cone away. “No! People food! Bad!”
Ferdinand’s antennae wilted. “Oh, fine,” Victor sighed, dropping the cone and rising to get another. “The things I do for you. . . .”
72) stairs to a beach picture
Time Period: Newlywed Victor & Alice Notes: I didn't want to do another "visiting the beach" story, as I feel like I've done a lot of those, so I decided to focus on the stairs portion. Victor's clumsiness chooses the worst moments to wake up.
This was one of those things that could only happen to him, Victor mused as he lay at the base of the stairs. One moment, he was happily preparing to head downstairs for tea, the next toppling head over heels because he wasn’t paying attention to where the first step was. At least we have a nice soft carpet here.
“Victor!” Alice knelt by him. “Are you all right? Can you get up?”
Victor tried, wincing as he did. “I feel like one big bruise – but I’ll be all right. I’ve taken worse falls.”
“Not on my watch, you don’t.”
73) desert picture
Time Period: Far future, post-Alice's death
Notes: Sorry, folks, but this picture inspired the depressing. The nightmare Victor references is one where he's trapped in the dark while nasty voices tell him he's worthless -- I suppose the desert is SLIGHTLY better, but not by much. Oddly enough, I believe Secundus is my only verse where Victor outlives Alice -- usually, he dies first. The survivor always takes it rather hard. :(
The desert stretches all around him, the ground baked hard by the burning sun above. There are no signs of life, nothing to indicate any other presence here. Just endless sand. He tries walking in various directions, but no matter where he goes, he sees no sign of civilization. He’s completely alone.
He wakes in a cold sweat – it wasn’t exactly like his most common nightmare, but it was close enough. He turns to seek solace from Alice.
Only to find an empty space beside him. He touches it, eyes filling up.
If only he could wake from this nightmare.
74) oriental food picture
Time Period: Probably Victor and Alice's engagement period, between the last chapter of "Secundus" and the epilogue
Notes: This one's directly influenced by "Alice: Madness Returns." Wilton Radcliffe is the Liddell family solicitor in that game -- we meet him in Chapter 3, and he really is a great collector of Eastern art and artifacts. Encountering him in London leads to the Mysterious East section of the game. I don't know if the game one was known for serving Eastern cuisine to guests, though.
Walking into Wilton Radcliffe’s sitting room was like suddenly finding oneself in another country – one that was a strange mix of England, China, and Japan. There were ancient scrolls mounted on the walls, depicting scenes of mountains and meadows. Delicate porcelain vases shared shelves with statues of lucky cats. A folding screen painted with dragons rested in the corner. There was even a katana above the fireplace. “Your family solicitor is rather obsessed with the East, isn’t he?” Victor murmured.
“Worse obsessions to have,” Alice shrugged. “I just hope he serves English food this time. His cook cannot manage sushi.”
75) leaping shark picture
Time Period: Anytime after Victor and Alice's marriage
Notes: This one was inspired by "When Curiosity Met Insanity," a webcomic about the Disney Alice & Hatter. Hatter once got a personality writeup that mentioned his darker madness as like being a shark lurking in the oceans of his mind. The idea hit me that the same could be said of a truly pissed off (particularly post-Touchedness) Victor. He's a sweet and gentle guy, but you do not go after his loved ones. This is part 1 of 2, the second being "59) underwater tiger picture" (which comes first in the current set-up, but they can be read in either order).
Most people wouldn’t call Victor Van Dort a threatening human being. Just the opposite, in fact. Victor was well known to be shy, quiet, and unassuming. Not the sort to strike terror into anyone’s heart.
As a result, some people thought that it was perfectly acceptable to harass the Van Dorts. Victor usually ignored any annoyances to his person, long used to such things. The instant anyone turned on his wife, however – one person described as like seeing a vicious shark suddenly burst from a seemingly calm ocean.
Most people didn’t try to upset Alice Van Dort a second time.
76) woman under parasol picture
Time Period: Victor and Alice's engagement period, between the last chapter of "Secundus" and the epilogue
Notes: This was just a stroke of inspiration. I dunno where the busybody came from, but hell, I'll run with it. (And lady, if you want obscene, you want the "hysteria" prompt.)
“Ugh. How obscene.”
Victor and Alice looked over in surprise at the woman passing them. “I beg your pardon?” Alice asked.
“The two of you! So close together under that umbrella of yours! It’s improper!” the woman snapped.
“Is it?” Victor said. “W-we’re just trying to keep out of the rain--”
“The rain? What about the preservation of that young lady’s dignity?”
“I have dignity? I never guessed,” Alice said cheekily.
“She’s my fiancee,” Victor added. “We’re allowed liberties.”
“I still say it’s obscene.”
“Well, no one asked your opinion,” Alice said, stretching to kiss Victor’s cheek. “So shove off.”
77) feet in flip-flops picture
Time Period: Future, summer vacation with preteen kids
Notes: And the third in the series of "family feet" prompts, which also includes "17) barefoot" and "69) feet and heart in the sand picture." This was inspired by me seeing this other foot-related prompts and deciding to take the foot comparisons to their logical conclusion. Please excuse the anachronistic use of "genetics," but this is a world of Mad Science.
They sat on the steps in front of the pavilion, enjoying a snack before the crowds arrived at the beach. For some reason, Victor found his eyes straying down to everyone’s feet. Chester, like him, had tiny feet for his height. Lorina, on the other hand, definitely had Alice feet, which were just a little too big for her frame. And Vincent – well, Vincent had somehow ended up with the only normal pair in the bunch. How, Victor had no idea.
“Something wrong, Dad?” Vincent asked, noticing his father’s gaze.
Victor smiled. “No, Vincent. Just pondering the mysteries of genetics.”
78) grandstand picture
Time Period: Summer after "Secundus" -- likely Marty performing during an end-of-season party
Notes: Another one I struggled with! I really had no idea what to do until someone else's drabble (I can't recall whose) clued me into the fact it was a grandstand for a band, not just a patriotic park gazebo. Back when I wrote "29) concert," I'd wanted to do something about Victor marveling over Marty's ability to perform in front of a crowd, but couldn't fit it in. So hey, here's another shot at that! And yes, Marty's little concert was inspired by Part I's "Johnny B. Goode" scene.
Victor stared at Marty as the teenager performed for the crowd. He seemed completely at home on the grandstand, strumming his guitar and singing in a loud, clear voice. The audience cheered him on, waving their hands to the beat and jumping up and down. The teen drank it in, putting more and more flourishes into his work. It was like the louder the crowd roared, the better he did.
The show finally ended after he kicked over his amplifier. He grinned at Victor. “What do you think?”
Victor shook his head. “Amazing,” he said. “I could never do it.”
79) porch swing picture
Time Period: Far future, in the era of grandkids
Notes: I wasn't sure what to do with this one, as the Van Dorts don't have a porch swing at their house. Fortunately for me, the idea that maybe one of Victor's kids would, eventually, gave me an idea. The two boys seen and girl mentioned are Vincent and Mabel's kids -- I originally had Victor visiting Chester's house, but then I realized I hadn't really shown his middle child's kids.
Victor sat on the porch swing, enjoying the evening air. It felt good to rock and watch the shadows lengthen. No cares, no worries, not even any mad ideas. Just him and a swing. “Grandpa?”
And some grandchildren, apparently. Victor smiled. “Hello Henry, hello Augustus. Where’s your sister?”
“Virginia’s inside with Mummy,” Henry said, climbing up onto the seat next to Victor. “Can you tell us a story, please?”
“What about?”
“Tell us about when you first came to Secundus,” Augustus said eagerly.
Victor grinned. “Oh, that story. Well then – once upon a time, I came across a flying train. . . .”
80) egg frying on sidewalk picture
Time Period: Future, young and silly kids
Notes: This one was born out of pure silly. I've read about kids playing catch with eggs in a book, so that was an inspiration. (And yes, they're getting a lecture afterwards about wasting good eggs.)
The last thing Victor expected to see when he went out his front door was his three children apparently playing catch with eggs. Chester, Vincent, and Lorina were tossing an egg to each other very quickly, as if it was burning hot. Shells and yolks on the ground indicated what had happened in previous rounds. “Children?”
The three looked up as Lorina caught the egg. “Oh, hello Dad,” Chester said.
“What are you doing?”
“Egg race,” Vincent said. “Whoever drops the most loses. I’m winning,” he added with a grin.
“. . .Children, have I told you lately that you’re all mad?”