[Fic] wherein Liz is bored and willing to write on command

[edenfalling]

I am bored and attempting to stay awake. I am also, alas, out of inspiration for all my WIPs. So am I asking for prompts!

Give me a character or ship PLUS a scenario | setting | mood | line of dialogue, and I will try to write you a three sentence ficlet.

ETA: Prompts are closed! Thank you to everyone who contributed. :-)

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1. lost in translation: 50 words, Dave/Jade, lost in translation. For missgvc (Tumblr link; AO3 version)

2. picnic at 20,000 feet: 125 words, Rose/Sollux, on a plane. For bramblemouth (Tumblr link; AO3 version)

3. Poor Communication: 250 words, Miles Vorkosigan & the Faceless Old Woman Who Lives in Your House, "He would have told her if she'd asked." For sablin27 (Tumblr link; AO3 version)

4. A Likely Story: 275 words, Ayakawa Yukiko being amused at the antics of Naruto and Sasuke (who are temporarily allied because they're conspiring together about something). For wistfulmemory (Tumblr link; AO3 version)

5. High Wire: 425 words, Natasha Romanova (Avengers) & Parker (Leverage) - "That is not happening." For sablin27 (Tumblr link; AO3 version)

6. Inconvenient Truths: 200 words, Arthur Pendragon & Susan Pevensie, diplomatic immunity. For rthstewart (Tumblr link; AO3 version)

7. The Taste of Madeleines: 350 words, Luna Lovegood, Wrackspurts and brain farts. For rthstewart (Tumblr link; AO3 version)

8. Perchance To Dream: 350 words, Ariadne & Arthur, favorite books. For hungrytiger11 (Tumblr link; AO3 version)

9. Going Native: 150 words, Giles, no eating or drinking in the library. For rthstewart (Tumblr link; AO3 version)

10. The Test of Good Manners: 425 words, Amanda and Sarek, a moment of perfect understanding. For rosaxx50 (Tumblr link; AO3 version)

11. This Is Not an After-Action Review: 375 words, Natasha Romanova & Parker, Stark's reaction to their awesomeness. Tiny sequel to High Wire. For wistfulmemory (Tumblr link; AO3 version)

12. Rattle the Cage: 800 words, Gaila/Natasha Romanoff (Trek/MCU), undercover. For geiszlerandgaila (Tumblr link; AO3 version)

13. Small Favors: 450 words, Ayakawa Yukiko, Kakashi, and fireworks that aren't the typical festival fireworks. For wistfulmemory (Tumblr link; AO3 version)

14. Hnaflbaflwhiflsnifltafl: 275 words, Edmund Pevensie & Lord Vetinari, comparing the intricacies of governing/spying in Narnia and Ankh Morpork. For priscipixie (Tumblr link; AO3 version)

Comments

[rthstewart.livejournal.com]

Harry Potter, Luna Lovegood, Wackspurts and brain farts

[Fic] "The Taste of Madeleines" -- Harry Potter

[edenfalling]

"Luna, have you seen the-- er-- the-- you know, the-- oh, Merlin kiss a toad, I know there's a word and I know that I know it, and why can't I dig it out of my brain?"

Luna looked up from her eggs and toast to see her flatmate gesticulating in the air above her head, as if grasping for a flyaway thought.

"Your hiring packet is on the sofa underneath the green pillow with the embroidered purple potato," she said. "I keep telling you, if you used my mother's special Wrackspurt-repellent shampoo you wouldn't have these problems."

"Thanks, Luna, you're a lifesaver," Ginny said as she dug out the large envelope the Holyhead Harpies had sent the day before. "And I keep telling you, if you'd give me the recipe so I can brew a version with a different, quieter scent, I'd be happy to switch. But I'm not going to walk around smelling of peppermint all day long."

Luna caught a hank of her own hair between her fingers, twisted it and raised it to her face. She breathed in and remembered her mother's smile when she'd brewed the first batch of shampoo, and the gentle pressure of her fingers over Luna's scalp when she was still too young to be trusted alone in the slippery porcelain bathtub. She'd always carried peppermints in her pockets. Luna had stolen her dresses after she died and slept with them under her pillow, one by one, day by day, until they lost their scent.

She tucked her hair behind her ear.

"I think I'd like to smell of flowers," Luna said. "Or maybe rain. But not yet."

"Yeah, I hear you. Don't let me push you into letting go before you're ready," Ginny said as she tucked her envelope into her satchel. "Besides, it's okay if I blank out now and then. I have you to remember for me." She Apparated out with a crack of displaced air, stirring irregular currents all through the flat.

Luna breathed in the faint scent of Ginny's own strawberry shampoo, and smiled.

-----

It occurs to me after the fact that you may have meant Harry Potter the character rather than Harry Potter the fandom. If that's the case, I'm sorry!

Also we're back to completely ignoring any structural constraints. Drat and botheration.

Re: [Fic] "The Taste of Madeleines" -- Harry Potter

[sablin27.livejournal.com]

"I think I'd like to smell of flowers," Luna said. "Or maybe rain. But not yet."

This is lovely Luna characterisation.

Re: [Fic] "The Taste of Madeleines" -- Harry Potter

[edenfalling]

Thank you. I am fond of Luna, though she's tricky to get right.

Re: [Fic] "The Taste of Madeleines" -- Harry Potter

[rthstewart.livejournal.com]

No! that is EXACTLY WHAT I MEANT. Oh, Luna's characterizing of rain and flowers and remembering her mother is just lovely. And that it is all in the shampoo that repels the wrackspurts. I love your Luna characterization so much. This is charming and just makes me grin after a grim day. (I might have mentioned. World suz)

Re: [Fic] "The Taste of Madeleines" -- Harry Potter

[edenfalling]

Phew, I'm glad I didn't misread.

Luna is always tricky for me to write, because I'm never sure how much of her weirdness is genuine belief in these fantastical creatures and conspiracy theories, and how much of that is an idiosyncratic coping mechanism for seeing her mother die horribly in front of her at a very young age, and then doing her best to keep her father happy-ish and relatively stable. I mean, either way she's come out as a fairly optimistic person, and I'm so glad she found friends over the course of the series. I like to write her and Ginny living together for a year or three after they leave Hogwarts, because they both could use a good friend close at hand.

These ficlets are an interesting exercise to write, because I just plunge in with no idea where I'm going. The shampoo and the scents and memories kind of happened out of nowhere, though I hope I was able to blend them in with a bit of revision after the first draft.

(Also, I hope tomorrow goes better for you!)

Re: [Fic] "The Taste of Madeleines" -- Harry Potter

[wistfulmemory.livejournal.com]

So wistful and touching. I think it's wonderful how Luna has found a way to remember her mother and how Ginny understands and isn't attempting to make Luna change who she is.

Re: [Fic] "The Taste of Madeleines" -- Harry Potter

[edenfalling]

Thank you! I think Ginny understands about complicated memories -- she certainly has a fair number of her own, by the end of the series. And Luna's relationship with her parents (both living and dead) fascinates me, so I liked this chance to explore that a little.