![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
edenfallingRandom things of interest:
1. Yuletide nominations are closed. Presumably the nominated fandoms will now be winnowed and/or corrected, and sometime soonish signups will open. I did not nominate any new fandoms, but I did renominate a few from previous years, and I expanded the character lists while I was at it. So that is my tiny little contribution.
-----
2. My current health insurance plan will cease to exist at the end of the year. Fortunately, my company has two new plans to offer. I am yet not sure which to choose, especially because it appears, based on the monthly premium figures vs. the deductions from my paychecks, that I have been getting a $23-per-week discount on my current plan (which I nonetheless cannot afford on my own), and I have to call the office to figure out how and why that is happening, and whether it will happen again for whatever new plan I choose.
-----
3. I wrote 250 words of "Secrets" ch. 14 tonight. Ginny and Daphne are meant to be arranging a truce, complete (perhaps) with grudging half-complete apologies on both sides. Getting them to be civil to each other is like pulling teeth. And yet, it is thematically important, and I laid this damn plot thread all the way back in chapters 2 and 3, so here I am, with my metaphorical pliers. *resolve face* I am going to finish this story if it kills me.
-----
4. Tangentially to point 3, I hate all my current WIPs. Distract me, people! Give me a fandom and a prompt, and I will write a ficlet for you. First five comments (on either LJ or Dreamwidth) get fics.
A) As Love from Lies, or Truth from Art -- 600 words, Chronicles of Narnia, for![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
silverblade219.
B) A Certain Point of View -- 550 words, Harry Potter, foralchymie.
C) Health Insurance -- 675 words, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, foryggidee.
D) Compatibility -- 1,500 words, Naruto, forlynati_1.
E) Sons and Daughters -- 150 words, Naruto, fortheodosia21.
F) Some Work of Noble Note -- 850 words, Star Trek: AOS, forvalles_uf.
1. Yuletide nominations are closed. Presumably the nominated fandoms will now be winnowed and/or corrected, and sometime soonish signups will open. I did not nominate any new fandoms, but I did renominate a few from previous years, and I expanded the character lists while I was at it. So that is my tiny little contribution.
-----
2. My current health insurance plan will cease to exist at the end of the year. Fortunately, my company has two new plans to offer. I am yet not sure which to choose, especially because it appears, based on the monthly premium figures vs. the deductions from my paychecks, that I have been getting a $23-per-week discount on my current plan (which I nonetheless cannot afford on my own), and I have to call the office to figure out how and why that is happening, and whether it will happen again for whatever new plan I choose.
-----
3. I wrote 250 words of "Secrets" ch. 14 tonight. Ginny and Daphne are meant to be arranging a truce, complete (perhaps) with grudging half-complete apologies on both sides. Getting them to be civil to each other is like pulling teeth. And yet, it is thematically important, and I laid this damn plot thread all the way back in chapters 2 and 3, so here I am, with my metaphorical pliers. *resolve face* I am going to finish this story if it kills me.
-----
4. Tangentially to point 3, I hate all my current WIPs. Distract me, people! Give me a fandom and a prompt, and I will write a ficlet for you. First five comments (on either LJ or Dreamwidth) get fics.
A) As Love from Lies, or Truth from Art -- 600 words, Chronicles of Narnia, for
silverblade219.B) A Certain Point of View -- 550 words, Harry Potter, for
alchymie.C) Health Insurance -- 675 words, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, for
yggidee.D) Compatibility -- 1,500 words, Naruto, for
lynati_1.E) Sons and Daughters -- 150 words, Naruto, for
theodosia21.F) Some Work of Noble Note -- 850 words, Star Trek: AOS, for
valles_uf.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
Oh, right. I'm a moron.
Date: 2009-10-21 02:55 pm (UTC)...Perhaps something lighthearted from Buffy? Xander being great?
Re: Oh, right. I'm a moron.
Date: 2009-10-21 05:37 pm (UTC)Health Insurance
Date: 2009-10-22 04:29 am (UTC)---------------------------------------------
Health Insurance
---------------------------------------------
Buffy hung up the kitchen phone with an ominous click and pinned Xander with a glare. "You said there wasn't a problem. Dawn and Vi are in the hospital. With one broken arm, one sprained ankle, and lots of gashes just dripping with Chaos demon slime. Demon slime, Xander! How is this not a problem?"
Xander eyed his friend warily. Scowl on face, hands on hips, weight dangerously forward on the balls of her feet... oh yeah, not good. She was going to snap pretty soon -- like maybe right now, actually -- if she didn't remember how to relax and have a life around her Slaying.
And she was scowling harder. Right. Time for explanations, not mental babbling.
"Well, see, when we got to Cleveland I figured, Hellmouth plus Slayers equals fights, right?"
Buffy nodded impatiently.
"And fights equals injuries, no matter how good you guys -- you girls -- you... how good you are at kicking evil's ass, right?"
"Unfortunately," Buffy agreed. Her left foot was tapping. Bad sign.
Xander spoke faster. "So I thought, lots of injuries plus maybe strange magical problems and weird demon diseases -- don't look at me like that! I got syphilis and plague from a ghost; I know what I'm talking about! Anyway, I thought, there's some famous hospital in Cleveland, right, and we know hospitals have problems with demons and vampires, so I..." He swallowed and nearly reached Willow-babble speed.
"SoIgotusagroupdiscountattheClevelandClinicifweletthemresearchallmagicalproblemsandguardthebloodbank."
Buffy raised her eyebrows. "Try that again, with breathing?"
Xander shrugged, reaching up to tug nervously at the string of his eye-patch. "I kind of... found the old Council's health plan, and when I went in to see about reactivating it for us, I saw a stake in this administrator's desk and we kind of got to talking about vampires and Slayers and stuff and I got us a really cool group discount as long as we let them research any magical problems we run into and guard the blood bank so their security turnover won't be so ridiculous?"
"Xander! I can't believe you told--" Buffy started.
"They already knew!" he said.
She jerked her head dismissively. "Okay, whatever. I can't believe you're okay with turning people into lab rats! You know what happened with the Initiative!"
And there it was, the break he needed. Xander stepped forward, put one hand on Buffy's shoulder. She was so tense she was almost shaking with the effort it took to stay in control, to look strong, to be perfect.
"Buffy. Listen. They're not soldiers. They're doctors -- first, do no harm, you know? They want information about magic and demons so they can help people. Save people. Like you do."
Buffy turned aside, hands clenched into fists. "I-- you can't-- damn it, Xander."
"It will be fine. I swear." He let himself relax, let a cautious grin ease over his face. "And hey, if I'm wrong? You can land me in the emergency room, and get everyone to send cards saying 'I told you so.'"
"Xander."
His name in that tone, exasperation and grudging amusement, meant he'd won. And Buffy tilted her head, let herself lean on his shoulder, closed her eyes and just breathed for a moment. Xander pulled her in for a loose hug, blinking back an embarrassing attack of tears.
Score one for the forces of good against the forces of... well, not evil, obviously -- Buffy was trying to do what she thought was right, like she always did -- but she didn't realize that she didn't have to be General Buffy anymore. She'd forgotten it was okay to let other people be strong for her now and then.
"Right, enough sappiness for one night. Let's go see Dawn and her lovely new arm cast," Xander said, pushing on Buffy's shoulders to turn her around and head toward the garage. "I'll bet you ten bucks she needs new clothes, and there's a lot of paperwork waiting for your signature."
Buffy sighed. "Kill me now?" But her tone was flippant, not drained or serious, and Xander allowed himself a tiny victory dance as he followed her out to the car.
---------------
End of Story
Re: Health Insurance
Date: 2009-10-22 06:01 am (UTC)Their voices were really clear. I really like the idea behind the trade with the doctors too.
Re: Health Insurance
Date: 2009-10-22 06:18 am (UTC)...
Sometimes, I really wonder about my brain.
Re: Health Insurance
Date: 2009-10-22 06:36 am (UTC)Group discount.
Group discount!
Oh Xander, never stop being great.
Re: Health Insurance
Date: 2009-10-22 06:54 am (UTC)On that note, one thing I have always found odd about BtVS fanfic is the number of people who claim that Xander is their favorite character, and yet do everything they can to not write about Xander. Instead, they write about a generic badass he-man warrior type (optionally also a secret genius, ninja, assassin, etc.), who happens to share Xander's name, hair color, and general family background.
I like Xander for being a normal guy thrust into a crazy situation, who screws up a lot, who is a doofus, who is way too attached to in-group vs. out-group morality, who doesn't always think his actions through, and who can be a possessive jerk... but who will never give up, who always tries to do the right thing, who actually managed to put together a functional adult life for himself (and for Anya, for a while), and who cares so much for his friends that he will die for them and break himself to make them happy. And he does all this while remaining basically normal.
I think that is pretty damn awesome, you know? I mean, he saved the world by telling a story about a yellow crayon! Giving him superpowers kind of misses the point.