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thezMORE FIC? MORE FIC. I didn't get anything done yesterday, partly because I was being depressed and taking extra sadness naps but ALSO because later I was exercising and kind of overdid it and pulled maybe every muscle in my leg, and I guess THAT is kind of rad, in theory if not in execution! And then I rewarded myself with
SAFFRON PISTACHIO ICE CREAM
from Nuts About Ice Cream. The owner made me sample it before I bought some because apparently people often buy it because they love pistachios and freak out when it tastes like saffron, but that is like buying a mansion because you like the carpets and then freaking out because the house is too big! WHY WOULD ANYONE DO THAT? I assured him that such people are silly, and that I was in it for the saffron, and he praised my good sense and my love of saffron, both of which are very good qualities to have I feel.
And today I cleared out all six of my outstanding Kingdom tags and then filled one ofimpersona's fic prompts! Why fuss over a pair of legs? I played a little fast and loose with the prompt; when I read it the first thing that popped into my head was Val and his ALEX MANLY ALEX envy, no lie, so I just went with that. Ari's there too.
I'm still getting the hang of Val. Usually before I write a character I do some major obsessing and read, like, EVERY STORY they appear in, but I was on a typing spree so that didn't happen this time, so I guess this is "Z's current estimation of Val".
Val watched the other hunters clambering about on the roof of the Fortress. He stood in the shade of a tree, safe from the harshest of the sun's rays, and wondered if he ought to go wait inside. He wanted to help, and yet he didn't. Dusty and Alex were on the roof itself, the sound of their hammers ringing across the neighborhood. There might have been room up there, but he had the uneasy feeling that he didn't quite fit anyway. Alice was cheerfully and determinedly holding the ladder while Tasha climbed up and down, bringing up tools and shingles and scolding the boys when they got too close to the edge. Jane was periodically scurrying back and forth with a tray of water and lemonade. There wasn't anything else that needed doing, no one that needed overseeing -- the most helpful thing would probably be to go home, but he was Alex's ride.
His body was tense as his mind pondered which direction to take when a voice from above made him jump. "You're not going to freak out if Alex takes his shirt off are you?"
Val looked up to see Ari sitting in the tree, leaning against the trunk while one leg dangled off the branch. His mind was a whirl of shock and defensive answers and curious implications. What does he mean, freak out? Was he asking permission on Alex's behalf? No, that was too weird. Was he implying that Val had some kind of crush on Alex and wanted to see him shirtless? Most of all (and most likely of all), how did Ari know about that jagged string of explicatives that shot through his brain every time Alex demonstrated just how built he was?
He made a mental note to start investigating any surrounding foliage before assuming he was alone, and answered the question with another question. "What do you mean, 'am I going to freak out?' And why are you in a tree? Again?"
"Well," said Ari, as casually as if he were explaining why the sky is blue, "Whenever Alex takes his shirt off or lifts something really heavy or gets a compliment on his body, your jaw becomes very rigid and you get a tic right here." He pointed to his temple. "And the effect seems to have become more pronounced with time. Currently Dusty's shirt is off and since Alex has a habit of imitating Dusty and since it's a hot day it's inevitable that his shirt will be coming off soon as well. So I guess 'freak out' was a poor choice of words but I just wanted to warn you that he's going to be shirtless soon in case you wanted to go inside or something."
He paused, and added, "I'm in the tree because it's cool up here and I got bored sitting around inside." Then he leaned back and looked at Val expectantly.
Val worked very hard to keep his face blank while he processed everything Ari had just said. To have what he thought was a very private and well-hidden insecurity laid out before him was bad enough, but the source just made it so much worse. Either his feelings were far more obvious to everyone than he'd realized, or Ari was much more observant than he realized, and he wasn't sure which option was more troubling.
Well, okay, option one was worse because it involved a lot more people. It had to be option two, right? Some kind of idiot savant thing? He dug his hand into his pocket and felt the reassuring smooth plastic of his cell phone.
"Okay, well, thanks for the tip," he said, looking straight ahead at the door to the kitchen, "But I think you're mistaken. That sort of thing doesn't bother me at all. I was going to go inside anyway, though, so... I'm going to go do that, now."
With that, he stalked towards the porch, up the steps, into the kitchen, and hit Loni on his speed dial.
Ari waved after him, then waved to Alex on the roof when he saw Alex waving at him. Just as predicted, Alex put down his hammer, peeled off his shirt, and dropped it over the side of the roof and onto the lawn below.
SAFFRON PISTACHIO ICE CREAM
from Nuts About Ice Cream. The owner made me sample it before I bought some because apparently people often buy it because they love pistachios and freak out when it tastes like saffron, but that is like buying a mansion because you like the carpets and then freaking out because the house is too big! WHY WOULD ANYONE DO THAT? I assured him that such people are silly, and that I was in it for the saffron, and he praised my good sense and my love of saffron, both of which are very good qualities to have I feel.
And today I cleared out all six of my outstanding Kingdom tags and then filled one of
impersona's fic prompts! Why fuss over a pair of legs? I played a little fast and loose with the prompt; when I read it the first thing that popped into my head was Val and his ALEX MANLY ALEX envy, no lie, so I just went with that. Ari's there too.I'm still getting the hang of Val. Usually before I write a character I do some major obsessing and read, like, EVERY STORY they appear in, but I was on a typing spree so that didn't happen this time, so I guess this is "Z's current estimation of Val".
Val watched the other hunters clambering about on the roof of the Fortress. He stood in the shade of a tree, safe from the harshest of the sun's rays, and wondered if he ought to go wait inside. He wanted to help, and yet he didn't. Dusty and Alex were on the roof itself, the sound of their hammers ringing across the neighborhood. There might have been room up there, but he had the uneasy feeling that he didn't quite fit anyway. Alice was cheerfully and determinedly holding the ladder while Tasha climbed up and down, bringing up tools and shingles and scolding the boys when they got too close to the edge. Jane was periodically scurrying back and forth with a tray of water and lemonade. There wasn't anything else that needed doing, no one that needed overseeing -- the most helpful thing would probably be to go home, but he was Alex's ride.
His body was tense as his mind pondered which direction to take when a voice from above made him jump. "You're not going to freak out if Alex takes his shirt off are you?"
Val looked up to see Ari sitting in the tree, leaning against the trunk while one leg dangled off the branch. His mind was a whirl of shock and defensive answers and curious implications. What does he mean, freak out? Was he asking permission on Alex's behalf? No, that was too weird. Was he implying that Val had some kind of crush on Alex and wanted to see him shirtless? Most of all (and most likely of all), how did Ari know about that jagged string of explicatives that shot through his brain every time Alex demonstrated just how built he was?
He made a mental note to start investigating any surrounding foliage before assuming he was alone, and answered the question with another question. "What do you mean, 'am I going to freak out?' And why are you in a tree? Again?"
"Well," said Ari, as casually as if he were explaining why the sky is blue, "Whenever Alex takes his shirt off or lifts something really heavy or gets a compliment on his body, your jaw becomes very rigid and you get a tic right here." He pointed to his temple. "And the effect seems to have become more pronounced with time. Currently Dusty's shirt is off and since Alex has a habit of imitating Dusty and since it's a hot day it's inevitable that his shirt will be coming off soon as well. So I guess 'freak out' was a poor choice of words but I just wanted to warn you that he's going to be shirtless soon in case you wanted to go inside or something."
He paused, and added, "I'm in the tree because it's cool up here and I got bored sitting around inside." Then he leaned back and looked at Val expectantly.
Val worked very hard to keep his face blank while he processed everything Ari had just said. To have what he thought was a very private and well-hidden insecurity laid out before him was bad enough, but the source just made it so much worse. Either his feelings were far more obvious to everyone than he'd realized, or Ari was much more observant than he realized, and he wasn't sure which option was more troubling.
Well, okay, option one was worse because it involved a lot more people. It had to be option two, right? Some kind of idiot savant thing? He dug his hand into his pocket and felt the reassuring smooth plastic of his cell phone.
"Okay, well, thanks for the tip," he said, looking straight ahead at the door to the kitchen, "But I think you're mistaken. That sort of thing doesn't bother me at all. I was going to go inside anyway, though, so... I'm going to go do that, now."
With that, he stalked towards the porch, up the steps, into the kitchen, and hit Loni on his speed dial.
Ari waved after him, then waved to Alex on the roof when he saw Alex waving at him. Just as predicted, Alex put down his hammer, peeled off his shirt, and dropped it over the side of the roof and onto the lawn below.
(no subject)
Date: 2011-03-19 08:43 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2011-03-20 12:55 am (UTC)COMMENCE THE THOROUGH WORSHIPING OF Z
Was he asking permission on Alex's behalf? No, that was too weird. On re-reading the story, I thought it was awesome that this ended up being the case XD
Actually in the second read I was surprised at how short this piece actually is, cause it felt like much more than the wordcount suggests. It has to be because it is so streamlined and to-the-point. "Z's current estimation of Val" is accurate enough for a Sage though; I can't think of anything I would have done different! My drop-dead FAVORITE part was in the beginning when Val mentioned wanting to help, but was already sure that he didn't fit in ;_; It sang absolutely true to character.
Ariiiiiiiiiiiii you are the best bro a guy could have, man. I hope ONE of my characters learns how to really embrace Ari's bro-ness. Rae would think Ari is awesome.
(no subject)
Date: 2011-03-20 01:43 am (UTC)HA HA WHOOPS. That was not meant to be the case but I am dumb and did not realize that the waving could be interpreted that way. BUT LET'S PRETEND MAYBE THIS IS WHAT HAPPENED NOW!
My drop-dead FAVORITE part was in the beginning when Val mentioned wanting to help, but was already sure that he didn't fit in ;_;
NOW THIS I DID ON PURPOSE. I'm glad you liked that part, as I was really happy with it myself. Val is a great character! I've realized recently that there's a lot more vulnerability there than I originally thought.
Rae would think Ari is awesome.
Maybe they can play Mario Kart together. C:
(no subject)
Date: 2011-03-20 04:17 am (UTC)HA HA WHOOPS. That was not meant to be the case but I am dumb and did not realize that the waving could be interpreted that way. BUT LET'S PRETEND MAYBE THIS IS WHAT HAPPENED NOW!
WUPS NOW YOUR STORY ISN'T AWESOME ANYMORE.
LOL no there is no dumbness involved, you are Le Magnifique Artiste and just I came away with the story with a different idea :D
(no subject)
Date: 2011-03-19 03:25 pm (UTC)I love the set-up - it's so naturally, normally, logically the Fortress and her denizens. I love Ari's logic and Val's response to a bit of body envy.
... I love how you pegged the idea of Alex copying Dusty because HE SO TOTALLY DOES. He also copies Deon sometimes but that's the less-attractive option, amirite?
You are the bestest.
And your ice cream wisdom is to be admired.
(no subject)
Date: 2011-03-20 01:48 am (UTC)I love setting things in the Fortress because there's always someone to cram into whatever role you might require. So convenient. :D
DUSTY AND ALEX ARE SO MACHO. Since you said that Alex copies Dusty's speech and since he so looks up to him I figured he might take other cues from Dusty as well. Thank you, Alex! This story could not have happened without you!
(no subject)
Date: 2011-03-20 04:21 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2011-03-21 06:46 am (UTC)BTW I found the predecessors to the scientists in Metalocalypse (two characters from Breondon Small's earlier project, Home Movies).
(no subject)
Date: 2011-03-21 03:17 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2011-03-23 03:55 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2011-03-24 12:44 pm (UTC)