100 Drabbles of 2012 #31-40
31) clouds
Time Period: Pre-"Secundus," Alice's childhood
Notes: Thought this place needed more Lewis and adorable ickle!Alice, so I wrote this. It's kind of bittersweet in view of what happens to Lewis, but I still think it's cute.
“That one looks like a bunny!”
Lewis peered at the cloud. “Oh, yes!” he said after a moment. “I’m sorry, I didn’t realize the ears went backwards instead of up. I guess it’s an angry bunny.”
“Or a scared one,” Alice nodded. She pointed to another glob of white vapor floating in the sky. “And I think that one looks like a pony.”
“Hmm, yes – does being a cloud creature mean it’s automatically a pegasus?”
“You’re the scientist. You tell me.”
Lewis laughed. “Alice, can I just keep you here?”
“Sorry – Mum and Dad won’t really sell me to whoever asks.”
32) lake
Time Period: Pre-"Secundus", Hill Valley era
Notes: I originally wrote this on the date of Claudia Wells's (and thus Jennifer Parker's in my verse) birthday! So here's another fluffy/funny drabble focused around Marty and Jennifer's relationship and the quirks their Victorian versions have to deal with. I had to use this prompt because in Part I, Marty and Jennifer were planning a trip up to the lake. At least these versions actually got there. . .
“Wow,” Jennifer breathed. “It’s – it’s beautiful up here.”
“I know,” Marty said, looking out over the smooth surface of the lake. “Look at the way the sunset’s reflected in the water. It’s like you’re getting two for the price of one.”
Jennifer leaned her head against his shoulder. “I’m really glad you brought me here.”
“Me too,” Marty said, resting his head against hers. “Just you and me.”
A cough got his attention. He looked up to see Mr. Parker sitting a short distance away. “And your dad,” he corrected, sighing.
Jennifer giggled. “Sorry, Marty, but he insisted on chaperoning.”
33) charcoal
Time Period: Post-"Secundus," Alice's pregnancy with Chester
Notes: I dunno -- I was in an "Alice and Victor having kids" mood, I read the TV Tropes article on wacky cravings, remembered something about some pregnant women liking charcoal (forget why), and this came out. The mustard thing is yet another callout to that 25 Foods prompt of the same name I've mentioned before. (Man, I got a lot of mileage out of that story. . .)
“Do you know what my aunt Susan told me the other day?”
“No, what?”
“That some pregnant women like to eat charcoal.”
“. . .Charcoal? Really?”
“Yes.”
“. . .Why?”
“She couldn’t tell me – she’d never gotten that craving. A friend of hers did.”
“Charcoal. Isn’t that dangerous?”
“You would think so. . .personally, I’m starting to believe that the moment you get pregnant, you are required to go insane.”
“You’re not acting particularly mad.”
“Probably because I’ve already gone insane. Thanks to eight years in Rutledge, I’m immune.”
“I see. Certainly puts your love of mustard to shame, though.”
“Hey, there’s nothing wrong with mustard.”
34) smoothie
Time Period: Post-"Secundus," a little while after 16) popsicle
Notes: And it turns out my little "Victor invents frozen treats" thing is a trilogy! This is a follow up to "74) woman's lips holding an ice cube" and "16) popsicle," which had Alice sucking on ice cubes to keep cool in the summer and Victor realizing they would be much tastier if you made them out of juice. And now he further improves upon his treat! Unfortunately, he misses out on a real money-making opportunity. Poor guy.
“Okay, I hear there’s a new twist on the whole ‘fruit juice and ice cubes’ thing?”
“There is!” Victor proudly presented Marty with what looked like a cup of colored slush. “If you crush the ice cubes, you get something like a drink! It’s much nicer than the ice cubes themselves – less chance of developing painful cold spots in your mouth.”
Marty took a sip. It was nice – cool and refreshing. “You ought to find a way to mass produce this,” he commented. “You’d probably make a fortune.”
“On something that can only be sold in the summer? I doubt it.”
35) salt
Time Period: Post-"Secundus"
Notes: Alice and Victor in the kitchen! You'd think this would have popped up sooner, but no. I got inspired by remembering how some recipes say to add a "dash of salt" -- what is that, exactly? I suspect definitions vary (so don't necessarily go by Aunt Susan's advice!). Victor's comment about the last time he tried cooking refers to a minor headcanon I once mentioned in charloft -- when he was nine, he tried to make chicken soup for himself, but burned his hand and had to get first aid from their cook.
“Add a dash of salt. . .er – how much is a dash?”
“Aunt Susan said it was one shake of the shaker.”
“Oh.” Victor picked up the salt and shook it once over their soup. “And then let simmer.”
“Which means keeping it right below a boil,” Alice said, adjusting the heat.
“Ah. You know quite a lot about cooking.”
“Not really. I just know a few simple meals.”
“You still know more than me. The last time I tried to make soup, I burned myself.”
“Well, just keep your hands off the burners and you’ll automatically do better this time.
36) climb
Time Period: Pre-climax of "Secundus" (Victor & Alice dating)
Notes: More about Victor's incredible climbing skills! And Alice being protective. She ends up giving him self-defense lessons in a different non-"100 Drabbles of Summer" drabble. The mention of hauling herself up ledges is a reference to something you have to do every so often in "American McGee's Alice."
It absolutely astonished her how good Victor was at climbing. Alice had always considered herself pretty decent at it – at least, at being able to grab ledges and haul herself up quickly. But Victor – Victor was something else. He always seemed to find some sort of handhold even on the smoothest walls, and he climbed with amazing speed. The man was practically part spider.
Alice was glad of it, though. Secundus was full of dangerous beasts looking for a chance to rampage. Until he learned some proper self defense skills, climbing was the best way for him to stay alive.
37) air conditioning
Time Period: Post-"Secundus 2" young children era
Notes: Wondering why a Christmas-themed drabble is in here? When I wrote this, I'd just finished watching the TV adaptation of Hogfather. (Very good, BTW. Go watch it.) I decided children in Secundus might come up with some interesting ideas for Santa, and this resulted. The speakers are supposed to be (in order of first appearance): Lorina, Jules, Charlotte (Emily and Richard's adopted daughter, who is probably too old to believe in Santa but is humoring the younger kids), Marty, and Victor.
“So how can Father Christmas deliver all those presents all in one night?”
“Papa said that his sleigh might be a time machine, like our train. He can do multiple houses at the same moment like that.”
“I’ve always wondered how he handles hot places. He lives at the North Pole, right? Going anywhere tropical must make him feel faint!”
“Some sort of cooling system?”
“Ooh! Maybe he has something like the device Mr. Carroll built to regulate Wonderland Park’s weather! Only he always keeps the area around him cold!”
“. . .Are our children saying Santa’s a Touched?”
“It would explain a lot. . . .”
38) arts and crafts
Time Period: Post-"Secundus 2" young children era
Notes: Just some adorable kid-centered fluff. I was actually going to use Lorina for this, but then I realized I actually hadn't done much with Chester for a while. So he got substituted in.
Victor didn’t really think much of it when Chester brought in a bundle of short sticks from the backyard. Nor did he pay much attention when his eldest got his hands on some wire and a cotton puffball. He did, however, find it a little strange to see his son raiding the scraps bag for pieces of colorful cloth. “What are you up to?”
“You’ll see!” Chester wandered off with his prizes, leaving behind a very curious father.
Three hours later, said curiosity was satisfied as Victor was presented with the most adorable sculpture of a butterfly he’d ever seen.
39) grill
Time Period: Pre-"Secundus," Hill Valley era
Notes: I knew I wanted to do this prompt about "father grilling daughter's potential date," but I was undecided about who should be the players. Eventually, I settled on Father Parker grilling Marty early in his relationship with Jennifer. Jennifer's dad actually rather likes Marty -- he just feels a bit protective of his little girl. He loosens up eventually (though as you can see above, not enough to let them go on dates alone).
“So. You like my daughter.”
“Yes sir. Very much. May I see her, please?”
“Your father writes science fiction stories, doesn’t he?”
“He recently got a book published, Mr. Parker. People have said he might be the next Jules Verne.”
“Hmm. How about you, what do you want to do for a living?”
“I’m hoping to be a musician.”
“A musician? Do you really think that’ll bring in enough money to support Jennifer?”
“Dad!” Jennifer protested, feeling her face going red. “Stop scaring him! He’s here to talk to me for an hour, not drag me off to the chapel!”
40) lifeguard
Time Period: Pre-"Secundus
Notes: This one was inspired by an answer to a Charloft prompt by Alice, where she shared some childhood drawings and talked about her old friend Gryphon, who died fighting the Jabberwock. Too late, I realized I'd already described this as a fictional event happening in her mind when she was saving herself from madness (much like in her home canon of "American McGee's Alice"), as will be shown in "67) four children around a campfire." Then I thought, well, the people who made the games are always going on about how real events affect Alice's Wonderland -- the same can hold true here. Especially since I'd already established both a real Jabberwock for Christopher to fight (at a later date) and the mental one Alice went up against before leaving Rutledge. And so this story was born. I deliberately made this death different from the one in the game to distinguish real-Gryphon from fantasy-Gryphon.
Gryphon had no idea how he made it back down to the ground. He collapsed the moment his feet touched the earth. Blood ran in rivulets down his tawny coat, and his feathers were blackened and singed. Instinctively, he knew this was it – he wouldn’t survive long enough for anyone to find him and bring help.
But he’d done it. He looked up at the sky, watching the equally tattered and bruised form of the Jabberwock fly off. He’d successfully defended his home. None of his friends would ever have to fear the monster again.
That was worth dying for.
Time Period: Pre-"Secundus," Alice's childhood
Notes: Thought this place needed more Lewis and adorable ickle!Alice, so I wrote this. It's kind of bittersweet in view of what happens to Lewis, but I still think it's cute.
“That one looks like a bunny!”
Lewis peered at the cloud. “Oh, yes!” he said after a moment. “I’m sorry, I didn’t realize the ears went backwards instead of up. I guess it’s an angry bunny.”
“Or a scared one,” Alice nodded. She pointed to another glob of white vapor floating in the sky. “And I think that one looks like a pony.”
“Hmm, yes – does being a cloud creature mean it’s automatically a pegasus?”
“You’re the scientist. You tell me.”
Lewis laughed. “Alice, can I just keep you here?”
“Sorry – Mum and Dad won’t really sell me to whoever asks.”
32) lake
Time Period: Pre-"Secundus", Hill Valley era
Notes: I originally wrote this on the date of Claudia Wells's (and thus Jennifer Parker's in my verse) birthday! So here's another fluffy/funny drabble focused around Marty and Jennifer's relationship and the quirks their Victorian versions have to deal with. I had to use this prompt because in Part I, Marty and Jennifer were planning a trip up to the lake. At least these versions actually got there. . .
“Wow,” Jennifer breathed. “It’s – it’s beautiful up here.”
“I know,” Marty said, looking out over the smooth surface of the lake. “Look at the way the sunset’s reflected in the water. It’s like you’re getting two for the price of one.”
Jennifer leaned her head against his shoulder. “I’m really glad you brought me here.”
“Me too,” Marty said, resting his head against hers. “Just you and me.”
A cough got his attention. He looked up to see Mr. Parker sitting a short distance away. “And your dad,” he corrected, sighing.
Jennifer giggled. “Sorry, Marty, but he insisted on chaperoning.”
33) charcoal
Time Period: Post-"Secundus," Alice's pregnancy with Chester
Notes: I dunno -- I was in an "Alice and Victor having kids" mood, I read the TV Tropes article on wacky cravings, remembered something about some pregnant women liking charcoal (forget why), and this came out. The mustard thing is yet another callout to that 25 Foods prompt of the same name I've mentioned before. (Man, I got a lot of mileage out of that story. . .)
“Do you know what my aunt Susan told me the other day?”
“No, what?”
“That some pregnant women like to eat charcoal.”
“. . .Charcoal? Really?”
“Yes.”
“. . .Why?”
“She couldn’t tell me – she’d never gotten that craving. A friend of hers did.”
“Charcoal. Isn’t that dangerous?”
“You would think so. . .personally, I’m starting to believe that the moment you get pregnant, you are required to go insane.”
“You’re not acting particularly mad.”
“Probably because I’ve already gone insane. Thanks to eight years in Rutledge, I’m immune.”
“I see. Certainly puts your love of mustard to shame, though.”
“Hey, there’s nothing wrong with mustard.”
34) smoothie
Time Period: Post-"Secundus," a little while after 16) popsicle
Notes: And it turns out my little "Victor invents frozen treats" thing is a trilogy! This is a follow up to "74) woman's lips holding an ice cube" and "16) popsicle," which had Alice sucking on ice cubes to keep cool in the summer and Victor realizing they would be much tastier if you made them out of juice. And now he further improves upon his treat! Unfortunately, he misses out on a real money-making opportunity. Poor guy.
“Okay, I hear there’s a new twist on the whole ‘fruit juice and ice cubes’ thing?”
“There is!” Victor proudly presented Marty with what looked like a cup of colored slush. “If you crush the ice cubes, you get something like a drink! It’s much nicer than the ice cubes themselves – less chance of developing painful cold spots in your mouth.”
Marty took a sip. It was nice – cool and refreshing. “You ought to find a way to mass produce this,” he commented. “You’d probably make a fortune.”
“On something that can only be sold in the summer? I doubt it.”
35) salt
Time Period: Post-"Secundus"
Notes: Alice and Victor in the kitchen! You'd think this would have popped up sooner, but no. I got inspired by remembering how some recipes say to add a "dash of salt" -- what is that, exactly? I suspect definitions vary (so don't necessarily go by Aunt Susan's advice!). Victor's comment about the last time he tried cooking refers to a minor headcanon I once mentioned in charloft -- when he was nine, he tried to make chicken soup for himself, but burned his hand and had to get first aid from their cook.
“Add a dash of salt. . .er – how much is a dash?”
“Aunt Susan said it was one shake of the shaker.”
“Oh.” Victor picked up the salt and shook it once over their soup. “And then let simmer.”
“Which means keeping it right below a boil,” Alice said, adjusting the heat.
“Ah. You know quite a lot about cooking.”
“Not really. I just know a few simple meals.”
“You still know more than me. The last time I tried to make soup, I burned myself.”
“Well, just keep your hands off the burners and you’ll automatically do better this time.
36) climb
Time Period: Pre-climax of "Secundus" (Victor & Alice dating)
Notes: More about Victor's incredible climbing skills! And Alice being protective. She ends up giving him self-defense lessons in a different non-"100 Drabbles of Summer" drabble. The mention of hauling herself up ledges is a reference to something you have to do every so often in "American McGee's Alice."
It absolutely astonished her how good Victor was at climbing. Alice had always considered herself pretty decent at it – at least, at being able to grab ledges and haul herself up quickly. But Victor – Victor was something else. He always seemed to find some sort of handhold even on the smoothest walls, and he climbed with amazing speed. The man was practically part spider.
Alice was glad of it, though. Secundus was full of dangerous beasts looking for a chance to rampage. Until he learned some proper self defense skills, climbing was the best way for him to stay alive.
37) air conditioning
Time Period: Post-"Secundus 2" young children era
Notes: Wondering why a Christmas-themed drabble is in here? When I wrote this, I'd just finished watching the TV adaptation of Hogfather. (Very good, BTW. Go watch it.) I decided children in Secundus might come up with some interesting ideas for Santa, and this resulted. The speakers are supposed to be (in order of first appearance): Lorina, Jules, Charlotte (Emily and Richard's adopted daughter, who is probably too old to believe in Santa but is humoring the younger kids), Marty, and Victor.
“So how can Father Christmas deliver all those presents all in one night?”
“Papa said that his sleigh might be a time machine, like our train. He can do multiple houses at the same moment like that.”
“I’ve always wondered how he handles hot places. He lives at the North Pole, right? Going anywhere tropical must make him feel faint!”
“Some sort of cooling system?”
“Ooh! Maybe he has something like the device Mr. Carroll built to regulate Wonderland Park’s weather! Only he always keeps the area around him cold!”
“. . .Are our children saying Santa’s a Touched?”
“It would explain a lot. . . .”
38) arts and crafts
Time Period: Post-"Secundus 2" young children era
Notes: Just some adorable kid-centered fluff. I was actually going to use Lorina for this, but then I realized I actually hadn't done much with Chester for a while. So he got substituted in.
Victor didn’t really think much of it when Chester brought in a bundle of short sticks from the backyard. Nor did he pay much attention when his eldest got his hands on some wire and a cotton puffball. He did, however, find it a little strange to see his son raiding the scraps bag for pieces of colorful cloth. “What are you up to?”
“You’ll see!” Chester wandered off with his prizes, leaving behind a very curious father.
Three hours later, said curiosity was satisfied as Victor was presented with the most adorable sculpture of a butterfly he’d ever seen.
39) grill
Time Period: Pre-"Secundus," Hill Valley era
Notes: I knew I wanted to do this prompt about "father grilling daughter's potential date," but I was undecided about who should be the players. Eventually, I settled on Father Parker grilling Marty early in his relationship with Jennifer. Jennifer's dad actually rather likes Marty -- he just feels a bit protective of his little girl. He loosens up eventually (though as you can see above, not enough to let them go on dates alone).
“So. You like my daughter.”
“Yes sir. Very much. May I see her, please?”
“Your father writes science fiction stories, doesn’t he?”
“He recently got a book published, Mr. Parker. People have said he might be the next Jules Verne.”
“Hmm. How about you, what do you want to do for a living?”
“I’m hoping to be a musician.”
“A musician? Do you really think that’ll bring in enough money to support Jennifer?”
“Dad!” Jennifer protested, feeling her face going red. “Stop scaring him! He’s here to talk to me for an hour, not drag me off to the chapel!”
40) lifeguard
Time Period: Pre-"Secundus
Notes: This one was inspired by an answer to a Charloft prompt by Alice, where she shared some childhood drawings and talked about her old friend Gryphon, who died fighting the Jabberwock. Too late, I realized I'd already described this as a fictional event happening in her mind when she was saving herself from madness (much like in her home canon of "American McGee's Alice"), as will be shown in "67) four children around a campfire." Then I thought, well, the people who made the games are always going on about how real events affect Alice's Wonderland -- the same can hold true here. Especially since I'd already established both a real Jabberwock for Christopher to fight (at a later date) and the mental one Alice went up against before leaving Rutledge. And so this story was born. I deliberately made this death different from the one in the game to distinguish real-Gryphon from fantasy-Gryphon.
Gryphon had no idea how he made it back down to the ground. He collapsed the moment his feet touched the earth. Blood ran in rivulets down his tawny coat, and his feathers were blackened and singed. Instinctively, he knew this was it – he wouldn’t survive long enough for anyone to find him and bring help.
But he’d done it. He looked up at the sky, watching the equally tattered and bruised form of the Jabberwock fly off. He’d successfully defended his home. None of his friends would ever have to fear the monster again.
That was worth dying for.