inmyriadbits (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
inmyriadbits) wrote2010-03-30 05:00 pm
inmyriadbits) wrote2010-03-30 05:00 pm
Entry tags:
warning: contains higher than usual amounts of country
Meme yoinked from this lovely Middleman fic:
The iPod Challenge: Put your MP3 player on shuffle and write a flashfic (I refuse to call these drabbles; I am a term purist!) about each of the first ten songs to come up. The catch? You only have the duration of the song to write it in.
I haven't really looked at these since I wrote them at 5am, so hopefully they're not terrible. I also cheated on the rules for a few of them (you will likely be able to tell which, because they are significantly longer).
Also, I have no idea where the serial killer one came from. I kept trying to figure out who the character was, but I don't think she's anybody I've met before. Whoops, accidental original!fic?
1. "Danny Boy" by Rufus Wainwright
Olivia's hair fell over her shoulder as she leaned forward. Peter watched as her face passed behind the goldfish bowl, distorting the familiar features. Her eyes followed the darting fish trailing their elegant fins. Without looking, she said "I wonder if they know?"
"Know what?"
"What I know. What's coming." Olivia pushed the bowl away off the edge of the table to shatter on the floor, the fish writhing in the unfriendly air and glass shards.
Peter looked at her in shock, and saw her face distorted as if it still lay separated from him by a world of glass and water.
He woke with a start, and said nothing about his dream the next day, when Olivia smiled stiffly and wished him good morning.
2. "The Guns of Love Disastrous" by The Smashing Pumpkins
Nate stood in the planetarium and remembered standing under the stars in Iraq. It was a night without any bombings, clear as crystal. The crystal silence shattered with Brad's voice (not his steps, of course; Nate never heard him coming -- swift, silent, deadly).
"Perseus." He pointed. "The Greeks had real warriors, sir."
Nate was silent. Then he pointed at the line of stars in Orion, a belt that had carried the weight of a weapon, distant cousin of the guns hooked to Brad's body and to his. "Sometimes," he said, "they died for pointless reasons too."
3. "Underwater Silence" by Audiovent
She screamed as the water fell into the room, feeling her throat tear and strain. It was coming in fast, way too fast. She tried not to panic, her eyes running over the walls and corners of the room again, again -- useless, again.
She didn't want to die.
The woman walked onto the glass ceiling and looked down. Rising levels carried her up, swirling and pressing her into the slick surface under the woman's heels. She pounded with her fists on unforgiving glass, until there was no room left, no air at all. One last breath, and then she was under. Her lungs burned, but she couldn't, she could not breathe water. She would not die like this. She braced herself in the upper corner and struck the glass with all her might, even as the black spots swam into her vision.
All she felt was the breath, rushing out of her with the strength of her own impact.
But then she was swirling down, the water receding in one enormous rush to leave her gasping on the floor. The woman waved mockingly through the glass, eyes bright with insanity, and strode from view. She just lay there, panting and limp and unspeakably grateful for air.
Then she saw it, at the corner of the glass: a crack. No, two cracks. She began working to catch her breath, and fought back a smile.
Next time would be different.
4. "Mendocino County Line" by Willie Nelson
On their date, John took her out to dinner and dancing. Mary loved dancing; she was good at it from all the martial arts training, and yet it was the farthest thing from monsters in her mind.
He said "I want to show you something," and drove them up to the scenic overlook. The moon was rising, and it was almost full, but Mary wasn't thinking about werewolves, especially not with John leaning over to kiss her for the first time.
5. "Woman King" by Iron & Wine
Once Parker decided she wanted to be free, she knew that all running away would get her was a bullet in her back.
She had Jarod on the outside, she worked from within. Luck was with them (maybe for the first time), and to her surprise, it worked.
The last day, she pushed past the doors and into the sunlight. Jarod was there, waiting to drive her wherever she wanted to go.
6. "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes" by The Platters
He spent the evening smoking pipe after pipe and considering the problem before him. Smoke wreathed up and around him, filling the room and making eddies in the draughts leaking at the window edges. All things considered, Watson made a valiant effort to ignore Holmes' intent contemplation from across the sitting room.
All three hours of it.
"Today on the case, Watson," Holmes began, apropos of nothing. Watson's startled jump and immediate attention to his words was, Holmes had to admit, most gratifying. "Our client asked quite an impertinent question regarding your character."
Watson shrugged and glanced away. "It was not so unreasonable of him. He does not know me from Adam, and you must admit that it was a matter of a most sensitive and personal nature. Your assurance sufficed, in any case. "
"'How do you know you can trust him,'" Holmes repeated. Watson hid the flinch much better this time, he observed. He steepled his fingers and slumped further into the chair. "I do believe, Watson, that it is the stupidest question I have ever been asked." That earned him another glance.
"Your theories have been wrong before, Holmes," Watson said.
"This is not a theory, Watson, it is a constant," Holmes replied. "It need not be proven true, for it is true nonetheless." He smiled. "There are, however, mountains of evidence available, should the need arise. I will have you know that I am an unimpeachable witness."
Then Holmes sat back in his chair, and employed all his skills at observation to watch his friend smile.
7. "Business Time" by Flight of the Conchords
It was a Wednesday, and everything was just right.
Well, okay. They were maybe covered in Precambrian slime, and it maybe was all Connor's fault, but still. Abby was laughing, and that was good enough for him.
8. "Are You Lonesome Tonight?" by Elvis Presley
Sam Donovan slammed the hotel room door behind him, and let the familiar deafening silence wash over him. He was grateful for it, after the noises of the airport and traffic. Sam collapsed on the bed and stared at the ceiling.
He did not turn on the TV, and he certainly didn't think about strawberry cake until he fell asleep.
9. "Coin-Operated Boy" by The Dresden Dolls
"Custom sex robots, really?" Wendy perked up.
"Don't even think about getting yourself a boy-bot, little miss wacky tobaccy," Ida said witheringly.
"Is that an option?" Wendy asked the Middleman with wide hopeful eyes, ignoring Ida's scorn.
"Certainly not, Dubbie!" MM exclaimed. That sure was an interesting blush, though.
10. "Devil's Great-Grandson" by Don Walser
Vin picked himself out of the dust and glared at Chris, who was laughing. "Want me to show you how it's done?" he asked, and strode past Vin toward the stallion.
Vin wasn't sure if he should feel more sorry for Chris, or for the horse.
The iPod Challenge: Put your MP3 player on shuffle and write a flashfic (I refuse to call these drabbles; I am a term purist!) about each of the first ten songs to come up. The catch? You only have the duration of the song to write it in.
I haven't really looked at these since I wrote them at 5am, so hopefully they're not terrible. I also cheated on the rules for a few of them (you will likely be able to tell which, because they are significantly longer).
Also, I have no idea where the serial killer one came from. I kept trying to figure out who the character was, but I don't think she's anybody I've met before. Whoops, accidental original!fic?
1. "Danny Boy" by Rufus Wainwright
Olivia's hair fell over her shoulder as she leaned forward. Peter watched as her face passed behind the goldfish bowl, distorting the familiar features. Her eyes followed the darting fish trailing their elegant fins. Without looking, she said "I wonder if they know?"
"Know what?"
"What I know. What's coming." Olivia pushed the bowl away off the edge of the table to shatter on the floor, the fish writhing in the unfriendly air and glass shards.
Peter looked at her in shock, and saw her face distorted as if it still lay separated from him by a world of glass and water.
He woke with a start, and said nothing about his dream the next day, when Olivia smiled stiffly and wished him good morning.
2. "The Guns of Love Disastrous" by The Smashing Pumpkins
Nate stood in the planetarium and remembered standing under the stars in Iraq. It was a night without any bombings, clear as crystal. The crystal silence shattered with Brad's voice (not his steps, of course; Nate never heard him coming -- swift, silent, deadly).
"Perseus." He pointed. "The Greeks had real warriors, sir."
Nate was silent. Then he pointed at the line of stars in Orion, a belt that had carried the weight of a weapon, distant cousin of the guns hooked to Brad's body and to his. "Sometimes," he said, "they died for pointless reasons too."
3. "Underwater Silence" by Audiovent
She screamed as the water fell into the room, feeling her throat tear and strain. It was coming in fast, way too fast. She tried not to panic, her eyes running over the walls and corners of the room again, again -- useless, again.
She didn't want to die.
The woman walked onto the glass ceiling and looked down. Rising levels carried her up, swirling and pressing her into the slick surface under the woman's heels. She pounded with her fists on unforgiving glass, until there was no room left, no air at all. One last breath, and then she was under. Her lungs burned, but she couldn't, she could not breathe water. She would not die like this. She braced herself in the upper corner and struck the glass with all her might, even as the black spots swam into her vision.
All she felt was the breath, rushing out of her with the strength of her own impact.
But then she was swirling down, the water receding in one enormous rush to leave her gasping on the floor. The woman waved mockingly through the glass, eyes bright with insanity, and strode from view. She just lay there, panting and limp and unspeakably grateful for air.
Then she saw it, at the corner of the glass: a crack. No, two cracks. She began working to catch her breath, and fought back a smile.
Next time would be different.
4. "Mendocino County Line" by Willie Nelson
On their date, John took her out to dinner and dancing. Mary loved dancing; she was good at it from all the martial arts training, and yet it was the farthest thing from monsters in her mind.
He said "I want to show you something," and drove them up to the scenic overlook. The moon was rising, and it was almost full, but Mary wasn't thinking about werewolves, especially not with John leaning over to kiss her for the first time.
5. "Woman King" by Iron & Wine
Once Parker decided she wanted to be free, she knew that all running away would get her was a bullet in her back.
She had Jarod on the outside, she worked from within. Luck was with them (maybe for the first time), and to her surprise, it worked.
The last day, she pushed past the doors and into the sunlight. Jarod was there, waiting to drive her wherever she wanted to go.
6. "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes" by The Platters
He spent the evening smoking pipe after pipe and considering the problem before him. Smoke wreathed up and around him, filling the room and making eddies in the draughts leaking at the window edges. All things considered, Watson made a valiant effort to ignore Holmes' intent contemplation from across the sitting room.
All three hours of it.
"Today on the case, Watson," Holmes began, apropos of nothing. Watson's startled jump and immediate attention to his words was, Holmes had to admit, most gratifying. "Our client asked quite an impertinent question regarding your character."
Watson shrugged and glanced away. "It was not so unreasonable of him. He does not know me from Adam, and you must admit that it was a matter of a most sensitive and personal nature. Your assurance sufficed, in any case. "
"'How do you know you can trust him,'" Holmes repeated. Watson hid the flinch much better this time, he observed. He steepled his fingers and slumped further into the chair. "I do believe, Watson, that it is the stupidest question I have ever been asked." That earned him another glance.
"Your theories have been wrong before, Holmes," Watson said.
"This is not a theory, Watson, it is a constant," Holmes replied. "It need not be proven true, for it is true nonetheless." He smiled. "There are, however, mountains of evidence available, should the need arise. I will have you know that I am an unimpeachable witness."
Then Holmes sat back in his chair, and employed all his skills at observation to watch his friend smile.
7. "Business Time" by Flight of the Conchords
It was a Wednesday, and everything was just right.
Well, okay. They were maybe covered in Precambrian slime, and it maybe was all Connor's fault, but still. Abby was laughing, and that was good enough for him.
8. "Are You Lonesome Tonight?" by Elvis Presley
Sam Donovan slammed the hotel room door behind him, and let the familiar deafening silence wash over him. He was grateful for it, after the noises of the airport and traffic. Sam collapsed on the bed and stared at the ceiling.
He did not turn on the TV, and he certainly didn't think about strawberry cake until he fell asleep.
9. "Coin-Operated Boy" by The Dresden Dolls
"Custom sex robots, really?" Wendy perked up.
"Don't even think about getting yourself a boy-bot, little miss wacky tobaccy," Ida said witheringly.
"Is that an option?" Wendy asked the Middleman with wide hopeful eyes, ignoring Ida's scorn.
"Certainly not, Dubbie!" MM exclaimed. That sure was an interesting blush, though.
10. "Devil's Great-Grandson" by Don Walser
Vin picked himself out of the dust and glared at Chris, who was laughing. "Want me to show you how it's done?" he asked, and strode past Vin toward the stallion.
Vin wasn't sure if he should feel more sorry for Chris, or for the horse.