Winter Bingo: Card Four, Column One
Ink Blots
Prompt: lines
Time Period: Post-"Secundus," pre-wedding
Notes: Just a quick and dirty shortfic about Victor's drawing skills. It's got to be really hard to draw in ink when you don't make pencil sketches first. Victor's probably gotten very good at hiding mistakes.
“I’ve always admired how well you draw with a pen.”
Victor looked up to see Alice leaning over him. “It’s really nothing special,” he said modestly. “Your pencil drawings are some of the best I’ve ever seen.”
“Yes, but there’s a reason I draw in pencil,” Alice replied. “It’s so I can erase if I should make a mistake. And my lines are never as clean and crisp as yours because of it. How do you manage to draw as well as you do when you go straight from imagining to ink?”
“Lots of practice,” Victor said, dipping his quill into the inkwell again and continuing with his sketch. “And knowing how to disguise my mistakes.”
“You make mistakes?”
“Let me put it this way – that cloud in the corner didn’t start as a cloud.”
I Thought I’d Lost You
Prompt: icy roads
Time Period: Post-"Secundus" in winter
Notes: Slightly dark fic this time around – the first thing that came to mind was a carriage accident. (You may remember I wanted to do this with a prompt on one of the other cards, but refrained – this prompt, however, was practically screaming at me to do it.) I got the feeling they were coming back from a long trip somewhere (maybe something to do with Victor's entomology studies?), and then – crash! The title comes from the end credits song from the movie Bolt– what can I say, it fit. (And yes, they're rescued shortly after the fic ends.)
“Ow. . .”
Victor sat up weakly, putting a hand to his head. It came back tinged with red. “Oh damn,” he mumbled, wincing and wiping it off in the snow. “That’s not good.”
He looked around carefully. The carriage was tipped over on the side of the road, baggage scattered around it. One suitcase had burst open and had spilled its contents all along the small slope. One horse was standing nearby, sporting a cut on its flank – the other was nowhere to be seen. Maybe it broke loose after we hit that icy patch? Victor thought, slowly getting to his feet. So much for Dr. Carter’s non-slip wheels–
And then he saw her. Lying still in a snowbank not far away.
The blood froze in Victor’s veins. No. Oh no no no no, he thought, ignoring the wound in his head as he desperately scrambled over the drifts to her. I can’t – she can’t be – Oh God, don’t do this to me. You know what’ll happen if she dies, especially like this–
Her eyes opened as he leaned over her. “Argh. . .I thought these – Victor!”
She sat up and grabbed his head. “Damn it, you’re bleeding! What happened?”
“I think you know as much as I do,” Victor said, smiling in relief as he felt her over for injuries. She didn’t seem to have any broken bones, thank God. “The road was icy, the carriage went out of control–” He pointed back at the overturned vehicle. “And now, here we are.”
“Ugh, you’d think – stop poking me, I’m just bruised,” Alice told him, frowning. “The snow must have cushioned my fall. It’s your head that I’m worried about. I know forehead wounds bleed like the dickens without being serious, but still. . .follow my finger, let’s make sure your brains aren’t scrambled any further.”
“I think it’s just a cut,” Victor said, though he did as she asked. “We should have bandages somewhere in our baggage. And hopefully we can use the horse to get back to civilization.” He abruptly hugged her tightly. “I’m just glad you’re all right. When I saw you lying there. . . .”
Alice hugged him back, then kissed his (non-bloody) temple. “Victor, it would take a lot more than a carriage accident to separate me from you.”
Pyrophobia
Prompt: by the fire
Time Period: Post-"Secundus" in winter
Notes: A sort-of-silly, sort-of-serious piece dealing with the troubles one might have when you're worried about setting off one of your mate's phobias. This started out as a dialogue-only piece, but I thought it worked better with description and suchlike. The "cat knocking over a lamp started the fire" is from "American McGee's Alice" (and this Alice isn't A:MR compliant, so it is what actually happened), as is her Jackbomb. (Which has always confused me a bit, to be honest – why would someone who suffered through a horrific house fire have a FLAMETHROWER weapon?)
“Victor, this is ridiculous. Light the fire already.”
“I – I’m fine, I just – the blankets are enough–” Victor stammered, huddling deeper under the covers.
“I know damn well the blankets aren’t enough,” Alice cut him off, scowling. “I can feel you shivering. And don’t go on about how warm I am. I can’t be that good a human hot water bottle.”
“I’m fine, really! I just – I don’t want to make you uncomfortable. You’ve told me how your p-parents. . . .”
Alice sighed. “Yes, I know. And I know how I am about being near fireplaces. But that fire was caused by a cat knocking over a lamp. Our lamps are out, and far away from the fireplace at any rate, and we don’t have a cat to knock them over. Besides, I’m cold too. I think I’ll be able to bear it.”
“You’re – you’re sure?”
That got him a full-on glare. “Victor, if you don’t get up and light the damn thing, I will. Come on, you’ve seen me using Jackbombs! I’m not that terrified of fire!”
Victor knew that she had a point. But the nasty look she’d sent him was making him feel sulky. He turned away. “. . .I was just trying to be sensitive of your feelings.”
He felt Alice’s hand on his shoulder. “I know, Victor, and I thank you. But there’s really no need to treat me like a china doll. Or for either of us to freeze.” She squeezed his shoulder lightly. “So get off your hinders and light a damn fire.”
Despite himself, Victor couldn’t hold back a smirk as he got up. “I love you too.”
Pretty Girls Make Me Nervous
Prompt: young
Time Period: Post-"Secundus 2," teenage children era
Notes: I just wanted to do a silly piece about Victor and his oldest. The title's taken from a Prozzak song, "Pretty Girls," that I've always found amusing and quite Victorish. (I'd link you to an excellent Corpse Bride fanvid, but the creator made it private. :( ) I thought it fit.
Victor had decided long ago that Chester was his mother’s child. Sure, he had inherited practically all of his looks from Victor, but in personality, he was pure Alice. He was confident, brave, oftentimes a bit sarcastic, and sometimes a bit tactless. Everything about him seemed to be the opposite of what Victor had been like at his age.
Which is why Victor couldn’t understand why Alice insisted Chester was more like him than he thought. He’d seen his oldest child in action many times – Chester was a Liddell through and through in everything but looks. When you wanted someone who acted like a Van Dort, you went to Vincent. What was Alice seeing that he wasn’t?
And then, one day, Victor happened to be around when Allison Laidlaw came by for a friendly visit. Which meant he was around to see how his eldest reacted. Chester had spent most of the call either paler or pinker than usual, stammering over his words, and bumping into things whenever he moved, nearly breaking a vase.
Oh – that’s what Alice had meant when she’d said Chester really was a young Victor.
Big Eater, Big Problem?
Prompt: feast
Time Period: Anytime in "Secundus"
Notes: I knew I wanted to do something about Victor's big eater tendencies here, but it took a while to get this into the proper form. Just showing off that everyone is still baffled as to how a skinny guy like Victor can pack away so much food. And a little of how it does have consequences (Doc can afford the extra food, but it's still not something he planned on).
Doc hadn’t thought that taking on another assistant would be a problem. After all, he could always use more help in the shop, and Victor seemed like a good kid. And for the most part, he’d been proven right. Victor was eager to learn, willing to please, and fascinated by science. And once you got past his shyness, he was also a fairly good conversationalist. All in all, he was a welcome addition to the household.
Unfortunately, he’d also proven himself to be a bit of a bottomless pit when it came to food.
Doc was frankly baffled by it. Victor was skinny as a rail – almost literally, in fact. How could he possibly eat so much? Where did it go? The kid wasn’t that active, was he? (Well, actually, he did do a lot of running around. . .but no, that couldn’t account for all of it.) It was a mystery – and an expensive one to boot.
Still, he reasoned, the increase in food costs was probably worth the extra company and pair of hands. If faced with a choice between having Victor or a full fridge, Doc would always pick Victor.
His stomach growled loudly.
Well. . .99% of the time he’d pick Victor.
Prompt: lines
Time Period: Post-"Secundus," pre-wedding
Notes: Just a quick and dirty shortfic about Victor's drawing skills. It's got to be really hard to draw in ink when you don't make pencil sketches first. Victor's probably gotten very good at hiding mistakes.
“I’ve always admired how well you draw with a pen.”
Victor looked up to see Alice leaning over him. “It’s really nothing special,” he said modestly. “Your pencil drawings are some of the best I’ve ever seen.”
“Yes, but there’s a reason I draw in pencil,” Alice replied. “It’s so I can erase if I should make a mistake. And my lines are never as clean and crisp as yours because of it. How do you manage to draw as well as you do when you go straight from imagining to ink?”
“Lots of practice,” Victor said, dipping his quill into the inkwell again and continuing with his sketch. “And knowing how to disguise my mistakes.”
“You make mistakes?”
“Let me put it this way – that cloud in the corner didn’t start as a cloud.”
I Thought I’d Lost You
Prompt: icy roads
Time Period: Post-"Secundus" in winter
Notes: Slightly dark fic this time around – the first thing that came to mind was a carriage accident. (You may remember I wanted to do this with a prompt on one of the other cards, but refrained – this prompt, however, was practically screaming at me to do it.) I got the feeling they were coming back from a long trip somewhere (maybe something to do with Victor's entomology studies?), and then – crash! The title comes from the end credits song from the movie Bolt– what can I say, it fit. (And yes, they're rescued shortly after the fic ends.)
“Ow. . .”
Victor sat up weakly, putting a hand to his head. It came back tinged with red. “Oh damn,” he mumbled, wincing and wiping it off in the snow. “That’s not good.”
He looked around carefully. The carriage was tipped over on the side of the road, baggage scattered around it. One suitcase had burst open and had spilled its contents all along the small slope. One horse was standing nearby, sporting a cut on its flank – the other was nowhere to be seen. Maybe it broke loose after we hit that icy patch? Victor thought, slowly getting to his feet. So much for Dr. Carter’s non-slip wheels–
And then he saw her. Lying still in a snowbank not far away.
The blood froze in Victor’s veins. No. Oh no no no no, he thought, ignoring the wound in his head as he desperately scrambled over the drifts to her. I can’t – she can’t be – Oh God, don’t do this to me. You know what’ll happen if she dies, especially like this–
Her eyes opened as he leaned over her. “Argh. . .I thought these – Victor!”
She sat up and grabbed his head. “Damn it, you’re bleeding! What happened?”
“I think you know as much as I do,” Victor said, smiling in relief as he felt her over for injuries. She didn’t seem to have any broken bones, thank God. “The road was icy, the carriage went out of control–” He pointed back at the overturned vehicle. “And now, here we are.”
“Ugh, you’d think – stop poking me, I’m just bruised,” Alice told him, frowning. “The snow must have cushioned my fall. It’s your head that I’m worried about. I know forehead wounds bleed like the dickens without being serious, but still. . .follow my finger, let’s make sure your brains aren’t scrambled any further.”
“I think it’s just a cut,” Victor said, though he did as she asked. “We should have bandages somewhere in our baggage. And hopefully we can use the horse to get back to civilization.” He abruptly hugged her tightly. “I’m just glad you’re all right. When I saw you lying there. . . .”
Alice hugged him back, then kissed his (non-bloody) temple. “Victor, it would take a lot more than a carriage accident to separate me from you.”
Pyrophobia
Prompt: by the fire
Time Period: Post-"Secundus" in winter
Notes: A sort-of-silly, sort-of-serious piece dealing with the troubles one might have when you're worried about setting off one of your mate's phobias. This started out as a dialogue-only piece, but I thought it worked better with description and suchlike. The "cat knocking over a lamp started the fire" is from "American McGee's Alice" (and this Alice isn't A:MR compliant, so it is what actually happened), as is her Jackbomb. (Which has always confused me a bit, to be honest – why would someone who suffered through a horrific house fire have a FLAMETHROWER weapon?)
“Victor, this is ridiculous. Light the fire already.”
“I – I’m fine, I just – the blankets are enough–” Victor stammered, huddling deeper under the covers.
“I know damn well the blankets aren’t enough,” Alice cut him off, scowling. “I can feel you shivering. And don’t go on about how warm I am. I can’t be that good a human hot water bottle.”
“I’m fine, really! I just – I don’t want to make you uncomfortable. You’ve told me how your p-parents. . . .”
Alice sighed. “Yes, I know. And I know how I am about being near fireplaces. But that fire was caused by a cat knocking over a lamp. Our lamps are out, and far away from the fireplace at any rate, and we don’t have a cat to knock them over. Besides, I’m cold too. I think I’ll be able to bear it.”
“You’re – you’re sure?”
That got him a full-on glare. “Victor, if you don’t get up and light the damn thing, I will. Come on, you’ve seen me using Jackbombs! I’m not that terrified of fire!”
Victor knew that she had a point. But the nasty look she’d sent him was making him feel sulky. He turned away. “. . .I was just trying to be sensitive of your feelings.”
He felt Alice’s hand on his shoulder. “I know, Victor, and I thank you. But there’s really no need to treat me like a china doll. Or for either of us to freeze.” She squeezed his shoulder lightly. “So get off your hinders and light a damn fire.”
Despite himself, Victor couldn’t hold back a smirk as he got up. “I love you too.”
Pretty Girls Make Me Nervous
Prompt: young
Time Period: Post-"Secundus 2," teenage children era
Notes: I just wanted to do a silly piece about Victor and his oldest. The title's taken from a Prozzak song, "Pretty Girls," that I've always found amusing and quite Victorish. (I'd link you to an excellent Corpse Bride fanvid, but the creator made it private. :( ) I thought it fit.
Victor had decided long ago that Chester was his mother’s child. Sure, he had inherited practically all of his looks from Victor, but in personality, he was pure Alice. He was confident, brave, oftentimes a bit sarcastic, and sometimes a bit tactless. Everything about him seemed to be the opposite of what Victor had been like at his age.
Which is why Victor couldn’t understand why Alice insisted Chester was more like him than he thought. He’d seen his oldest child in action many times – Chester was a Liddell through and through in everything but looks. When you wanted someone who acted like a Van Dort, you went to Vincent. What was Alice seeing that he wasn’t?
And then, one day, Victor happened to be around when Allison Laidlaw came by for a friendly visit. Which meant he was around to see how his eldest reacted. Chester had spent most of the call either paler or pinker than usual, stammering over his words, and bumping into things whenever he moved, nearly breaking a vase.
Oh – that’s what Alice had meant when she’d said Chester really was a young Victor.
Big Eater, Big Problem?
Prompt: feast
Time Period: Anytime in "Secundus"
Notes: I knew I wanted to do something about Victor's big eater tendencies here, but it took a while to get this into the proper form. Just showing off that everyone is still baffled as to how a skinny guy like Victor can pack away so much food. And a little of how it does have consequences (Doc can afford the extra food, but it's still not something he planned on).
Doc hadn’t thought that taking on another assistant would be a problem. After all, he could always use more help in the shop, and Victor seemed like a good kid. And for the most part, he’d been proven right. Victor was eager to learn, willing to please, and fascinated by science. And once you got past his shyness, he was also a fairly good conversationalist. All in all, he was a welcome addition to the household.
Unfortunately, he’d also proven himself to be a bit of a bottomless pit when it came to food.
Doc was frankly baffled by it. Victor was skinny as a rail – almost literally, in fact. How could he possibly eat so much? Where did it go? The kid wasn’t that active, was he? (Well, actually, he did do a lot of running around. . .but no, that couldn’t account for all of it.) It was a mystery – and an expensive one to boot.
Still, he reasoned, the increase in food costs was probably worth the extra company and pair of hands. If faced with a choice between having Victor or a full fridge, Doc would always pick Victor.
His stomach growled loudly.
Well. . .99% of the time he’d pick Victor.