100 Drabbles of 2012 #61-70
61) a busy beach at night, in a city, with fireworks overhead
Time Period: Post-"Secundus 2"
Notes: A sequel of a sorts to a "Winter Bingo" fic – the family's on the same vacation as they are in "12. holiday – Off By The Sea." Dunno why there are fireworks, but hey – fireworks! It's basically just some fun family fluff.
Fireworks sailed into the night sky and exploded, sending out multicolored sparks of light all around. “Look at that one, Mum!” Chester cried, pointing.
“I see it,” Alice laughed. “They’re rather hard to miss.”
“They’re so pretty!” Lorina declared, as another firework burst into a brilliant pinwheel. “Look at all the colors!”
“Not as pretty as some of Daddy’s butterflies, though,” Vincent said.
Victor blushed. “Oh Vincent, you don’t need to flatter your father,” he said, patting his younger son’s head. “I know the fireworks are better.”
“Oh Victor.” Alice kissed his cheek. “Be quiet and take the praise, silly.”
62) children playing in water from a fountain
Time Period: Post-"Secundus 2"
Notes: I wanted to start writing a bit about the kids from the other main couples in the Secundus-verse, so here's a short about Emily and Richard's adopted daughter, Charlotte. Or, well, who will become their adopted daughter at the time of this drabble.
“Come on, Charlotte! We’ve got to take you back now!”
Charlotte turned reluctantly toward Mrs. Dodgson. “Aww, but we’re having so much fun!”
“I know, but the orphanage wants you back by five o’clock,” Mrs. Dodgson said apologetically, holding out one skeletal hand. “The fountain will still be there tomorrow.”
Charlotte sighed. “Okay. . . .” She took Mrs. Dodgson’s hand. “Did they say anything about the paperwork yet?” she added hopefully.
“Not yet – but Violet seems to think we’ve got a very good chance,” Mrs. Dodgson said, smiling.
Charlotte smiled back. “Good. I want to be able to start calling you Mum.”
63) intense sunlight coming through a palm tree's fronds
Time Period: Post-"Secundus 2" before the twins are born
Notes: I wasn't sure what to do with this one, until I came up with the idea of interpreting it more generally as intense light in someone's face. I'm sure Victor would have preferred I not give him appendicitis at some point in his life to do this, but. . . I'm not entirely sure when this occurs, but I know the only kid he'd have is Chester. Probably Aunt Susan's taking care of the baby while his wife visits him in hospital.
The light was – bright. Painfully so. Victor squeezed his eyes shut with a groan. That was not what you wanted to wake up to after surgery.
“Bloody nurse, I told her that lamp was right in your face. . . .” Victor felt the light move away. “How are you, Victor?”
Victor managed to focus on the concerned faces of his wife and closest friends. “I’ve b-been better,” he murmured. “E-everything go all right?”
“Yeah, they got your appendix out fine,” Marty assured him.
“You’re going to make a full recovery,” Alice added, stroking his forehead.
“Good.” Victor sighed. “Glad that’s over with.”
64) a sweaty man looking at a broken/off fan
Time Period: Summer post-"Secundus"
Notes: This one's slightly risque, so be warned! It's also inspired by the trio of hot days we had when I first wrote this – ugh, it was smothering.
“Oooh. . . .”
Alice looked up as Victor collapsed next to her on the bed. “I thought you were going to do some work in your lab?”
Victor shook his head slowly. “It’s too hot,” he mumbled. “And far, far too humid. The only way I could do any work in the conservatory would be if I tried experimenting naked.”
Alice couldn’t help the grin that spread over her face as she pictured that. “Weeelll, we could always do our own little experiments. . . .”
“Really? Do you really think either of us has the energy?”
Alice considered the temperature and lowered her head. “No.”
65) a cat licking a snowcone, with a tongue colored by the cone
Time Period: Post-"Secundus 2," little kids era
Notes: Who wants more Ferdinand? This seemed like a nice, silly prompt to feature him. You could consider it a sort of sequel to one of last year's prompts, 71) girl, puppy, and ice cream picture. Looks like Victor's finally learned to say no.
“Daddy! Ferdy’s trying to steal my ice cream!”
“Ferdinand,” Victor said sternly.
The butterfly’s feelers drooped as Lorina curled protectively around her treat. “Don’t pull that with me,” Victor continued. “You get plenty of sugar water. You don’t need to steal the children’s ice cream on top of that.”
“I’ve always been amazed by that creature’s ability to pout,” Alice said, watching Ferdinand’s feelers droop even lower. “You wouldn’t think you could get such expressions out of something without a real mouth.”
“It’s amazing, isn’t it?” Victor agreed, then frowned. “Vincent, don’t offer him your ice cream, it’ll only encourage him.”
66) an inflatable pool with yellow ducks and fake 'blood', with the sign 'blood bath'
Time Period: Pre-"Secundus"
Notes: I always knew that I wanted this one to be about Alice being violent. I mean, the "blood bath" part demands it. But would you believe it took me ages to realize the threat should be killer ducks? (Maybe it took reading about evil chickens on a sporking community to get my brain in gear. . .)
Ducks. . .should never. . .in a million years. . .have teeth!
Alice breathed heavily as she faced down against the final monstrosity. It regarded her with a beady, bloodshot eye, snapping its fanged bill. Metallic, serrated feathers and long talons on its webbed feet finished off the image of a duck gone very, very wrong. It quacked loudly and charged at her.
Alice was ready, however, and drove her Vorpal Blade deep into the creature’s head. It convulsed for a moment, then collapsed. She sighed and looked at the street, drenched with blood. “I don’t envy whoever has to clean this up.”
67) four children around a campfire
Time Period: Post-"Secundus 2," little kids era
Notes: I just had to do Alice telling a story to her family for this one. What she's describing is the opening cutscene to the second Jabberwock boss fight in "American McGee's Alice." (Which, in this universe, was inspired by a real Gryphon taking on a real Jabberwock. . .)
“And then, the Jabberwock knocked the Gryphon out of the sky with one sweep of his mighty claws!”
The children and Victor gasped. Alice reveled in the looks on their faces. “Was Gryphon okay?” Lorina whispered.
Alice shook her head sadly. “He smashed into a rock on the island. I ran to help him, but there was nothing I could do. So it was up to me to defeat the Jabberwock.”
“You should write a book, Alice,” Victor murmured. “You’re so good at this.”
Alice smiled. “Maybe one day.” She returned to the story. “‘How typical, how foolish you were. . . .’”
68) a large sand dune with a single line of tracks crossing it
Time Period: Somewhere in "Secundus 2"
Notes: Originally I was going to stick Doc and Marty out in the desert for some reason, but I couldn't think of any. So instead I went with how far away the McFly homestead is from Hill Valley proper in the 1880s. Marty's comment about "fourteen miles" is taken from the BTTF III novelization – it's actually a little longer than that, because Seamus had to take canon!Marty over to those train tracks.
“I have to say – your house seems rather isolated from the rest of Hill Valley.”
“A lot of people’s are,” Marty replied, shrugging. “It’s because we’re mostly farmers – we need the space to grow stuff.”
“Yes, but – after living in Burtonsville’s village square and in Secundus. . .I suppose I’m too used to houses being crowded together. Looking out across the desert like this. . . .”
“Yeah, I guess it can get a little lonely,” Marty agreed. “But if you really need civilization, you can always follow the train tracks. It’s just a fourteen mile hike.”
“I’ll deal with the isolation, thank you.”
69) a tent set up in a forest, by a stream
Time Period: Post-"Secundus," Christopher and Victoria's honeymoon
Notes: I wanted to do a bit more with the other happy couples in Secundus, so have a bit of Victoria and Christopher camping fluff. I figured that if there was any couple in that universe who'd go camping, it would be those two.
Christopher finished setting up the tent. “There! What do you think, milady?”
“It looks wonderful,” Victoria said. Her eyes went from the tent to the trees all around them, then to the burbling stream a few strides away. “It all looks wonderful. I’ve never been camping before. Mother and Father would have never approved of going to the country without a proper house involved.”
“Seems a shame,” Christopher said, putting his arm around her. “I’ll do my best to make sure you have nothing but positive memories of camping after this.”
Victoria smiled at him. “I think you’ve already succeeded.”
70) a city street at dusk, with open-air cafes
Time Period: Post-"Secundus 2," children dating/getting married era
Notes: I really wanted to use this for somebody's date, and it ended up being Chester and Allison's first! I thought it was a cute, romantic moment. And yes, Chester does get a lot of playful flack for being a near-clone of his father in looks and falling for a girl named "Allison."
“What are you going to have?”
“Oh, probably a salad to start, then maybe the chicken. . .you?”
“I like the description they have of the duck. I’ll probably try that.”
Allison nodded, then smiled at her date. “This was a wonderful idea, Chester. Sitting outside, enjoying the fresh air. . . .”
“I thought you’d like it,” Chester grinned. “I almost took you to The Roofless instead, but I’m glad I didn’t.”
“Oh? Why did you change your mind?”
“Well. . .my parents’ first date was there, and. . .I get enough teasing from my siblings about having a crush on a girl named Allison.”
Time Period: Post-"Secundus 2"
Notes: A sequel of a sorts to a "Winter Bingo" fic – the family's on the same vacation as they are in "12. holiday – Off By The Sea." Dunno why there are fireworks, but hey – fireworks! It's basically just some fun family fluff.
Fireworks sailed into the night sky and exploded, sending out multicolored sparks of light all around. “Look at that one, Mum!” Chester cried, pointing.
“I see it,” Alice laughed. “They’re rather hard to miss.”
“They’re so pretty!” Lorina declared, as another firework burst into a brilliant pinwheel. “Look at all the colors!”
“Not as pretty as some of Daddy’s butterflies, though,” Vincent said.
Victor blushed. “Oh Vincent, you don’t need to flatter your father,” he said, patting his younger son’s head. “I know the fireworks are better.”
“Oh Victor.” Alice kissed his cheek. “Be quiet and take the praise, silly.”
62) children playing in water from a fountain
Time Period: Post-"Secundus 2"
Notes: I wanted to start writing a bit about the kids from the other main couples in the Secundus-verse, so here's a short about Emily and Richard's adopted daughter, Charlotte. Or, well, who will become their adopted daughter at the time of this drabble.
“Come on, Charlotte! We’ve got to take you back now!”
Charlotte turned reluctantly toward Mrs. Dodgson. “Aww, but we’re having so much fun!”
“I know, but the orphanage wants you back by five o’clock,” Mrs. Dodgson said apologetically, holding out one skeletal hand. “The fountain will still be there tomorrow.”
Charlotte sighed. “Okay. . . .” She took Mrs. Dodgson’s hand. “Did they say anything about the paperwork yet?” she added hopefully.
“Not yet – but Violet seems to think we’ve got a very good chance,” Mrs. Dodgson said, smiling.
Charlotte smiled back. “Good. I want to be able to start calling you Mum.”
63) intense sunlight coming through a palm tree's fronds
Time Period: Post-"Secundus 2" before the twins are born
Notes: I wasn't sure what to do with this one, until I came up with the idea of interpreting it more generally as intense light in someone's face. I'm sure Victor would have preferred I not give him appendicitis at some point in his life to do this, but. . . I'm not entirely sure when this occurs, but I know the only kid he'd have is Chester. Probably Aunt Susan's taking care of the baby while his wife visits him in hospital.
The light was – bright. Painfully so. Victor squeezed his eyes shut with a groan. That was not what you wanted to wake up to after surgery.
“Bloody nurse, I told her that lamp was right in your face. . . .” Victor felt the light move away. “How are you, Victor?”
Victor managed to focus on the concerned faces of his wife and closest friends. “I’ve b-been better,” he murmured. “E-everything go all right?”
“Yeah, they got your appendix out fine,” Marty assured him.
“You’re going to make a full recovery,” Alice added, stroking his forehead.
“Good.” Victor sighed. “Glad that’s over with.”
64) a sweaty man looking at a broken/off fan
Time Period: Summer post-"Secundus"
Notes: This one's slightly risque, so be warned! It's also inspired by the trio of hot days we had when I first wrote this – ugh, it was smothering.
“Oooh. . . .”
Alice looked up as Victor collapsed next to her on the bed. “I thought you were going to do some work in your lab?”
Victor shook his head slowly. “It’s too hot,” he mumbled. “And far, far too humid. The only way I could do any work in the conservatory would be if I tried experimenting naked.”
Alice couldn’t help the grin that spread over her face as she pictured that. “Weeelll, we could always do our own little experiments. . . .”
“Really? Do you really think either of us has the energy?”
Alice considered the temperature and lowered her head. “No.”
65) a cat licking a snowcone, with a tongue colored by the cone
Time Period: Post-"Secundus 2," little kids era
Notes: Who wants more Ferdinand? This seemed like a nice, silly prompt to feature him. You could consider it a sort of sequel to one of last year's prompts, 71) girl, puppy, and ice cream picture. Looks like Victor's finally learned to say no.
“Daddy! Ferdy’s trying to steal my ice cream!”
“Ferdinand,” Victor said sternly.
The butterfly’s feelers drooped as Lorina curled protectively around her treat. “Don’t pull that with me,” Victor continued. “You get plenty of sugar water. You don’t need to steal the children’s ice cream on top of that.”
“I’ve always been amazed by that creature’s ability to pout,” Alice said, watching Ferdinand’s feelers droop even lower. “You wouldn’t think you could get such expressions out of something without a real mouth.”
“It’s amazing, isn’t it?” Victor agreed, then frowned. “Vincent, don’t offer him your ice cream, it’ll only encourage him.”
66) an inflatable pool with yellow ducks and fake 'blood', with the sign 'blood bath'
Time Period: Pre-"Secundus"
Notes: I always knew that I wanted this one to be about Alice being violent. I mean, the "blood bath" part demands it. But would you believe it took me ages to realize the threat should be killer ducks? (Maybe it took reading about evil chickens on a sporking community to get my brain in gear. . .)
Ducks. . .should never. . .in a million years. . .have teeth!
Alice breathed heavily as she faced down against the final monstrosity. It regarded her with a beady, bloodshot eye, snapping its fanged bill. Metallic, serrated feathers and long talons on its webbed feet finished off the image of a duck gone very, very wrong. It quacked loudly and charged at her.
Alice was ready, however, and drove her Vorpal Blade deep into the creature’s head. It convulsed for a moment, then collapsed. She sighed and looked at the street, drenched with blood. “I don’t envy whoever has to clean this up.”
67) four children around a campfire
Time Period: Post-"Secundus 2," little kids era
Notes: I just had to do Alice telling a story to her family for this one. What she's describing is the opening cutscene to the second Jabberwock boss fight in "American McGee's Alice." (Which, in this universe, was inspired by a real Gryphon taking on a real Jabberwock. . .)
“And then, the Jabberwock knocked the Gryphon out of the sky with one sweep of his mighty claws!”
The children and Victor gasped. Alice reveled in the looks on their faces. “Was Gryphon okay?” Lorina whispered.
Alice shook her head sadly. “He smashed into a rock on the island. I ran to help him, but there was nothing I could do. So it was up to me to defeat the Jabberwock.”
“You should write a book, Alice,” Victor murmured. “You’re so good at this.”
Alice smiled. “Maybe one day.” She returned to the story. “‘How typical, how foolish you were. . . .’”
68) a large sand dune with a single line of tracks crossing it
Time Period: Somewhere in "Secundus 2"
Notes: Originally I was going to stick Doc and Marty out in the desert for some reason, but I couldn't think of any. So instead I went with how far away the McFly homestead is from Hill Valley proper in the 1880s. Marty's comment about "fourteen miles" is taken from the BTTF III novelization – it's actually a little longer than that, because Seamus had to take canon!Marty over to those train tracks.
“I have to say – your house seems rather isolated from the rest of Hill Valley.”
“A lot of people’s are,” Marty replied, shrugging. “It’s because we’re mostly farmers – we need the space to grow stuff.”
“Yes, but – after living in Burtonsville’s village square and in Secundus. . .I suppose I’m too used to houses being crowded together. Looking out across the desert like this. . . .”
“Yeah, I guess it can get a little lonely,” Marty agreed. “But if you really need civilization, you can always follow the train tracks. It’s just a fourteen mile hike.”
“I’ll deal with the isolation, thank you.”
69) a tent set up in a forest, by a stream
Time Period: Post-"Secundus," Christopher and Victoria's honeymoon
Notes: I wanted to do a bit more with the other happy couples in Secundus, so have a bit of Victoria and Christopher camping fluff. I figured that if there was any couple in that universe who'd go camping, it would be those two.
Christopher finished setting up the tent. “There! What do you think, milady?”
“It looks wonderful,” Victoria said. Her eyes went from the tent to the trees all around them, then to the burbling stream a few strides away. “It all looks wonderful. I’ve never been camping before. Mother and Father would have never approved of going to the country without a proper house involved.”
“Seems a shame,” Christopher said, putting his arm around her. “I’ll do my best to make sure you have nothing but positive memories of camping after this.”
Victoria smiled at him. “I think you’ve already succeeded.”
70) a city street at dusk, with open-air cafes
Time Period: Post-"Secundus 2," children dating/getting married era
Notes: I really wanted to use this for somebody's date, and it ended up being Chester and Allison's first! I thought it was a cute, romantic moment. And yes, Chester does get a lot of playful flack for being a near-clone of his father in looks and falling for a girl named "Allison."
“What are you going to have?”
“Oh, probably a salad to start, then maybe the chicken. . .you?”
“I like the description they have of the duck. I’ll probably try that.”
Allison nodded, then smiled at her date. “This was a wonderful idea, Chester. Sitting outside, enjoying the fresh air. . . .”
“I thought you’d like it,” Chester grinned. “I almost took you to The Roofless instead, but I’m glad I didn’t.”
“Oh? Why did you change your mind?”
“Well. . .my parents’ first date was there, and. . .I get enough teasing from my siblings about having a crush on a girl named Allison.”