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31_days2011-01-19 06:32 pm
seta-suzume.livejournal.com) wrote in 31_days2011-01-19 06:32 pm
[Jan. 19] [Crossover] I Don't Know What to Write Today (Now There's a Familiar Story)
Title: I Don't Know What to Write Today (Now There's a Familiar Story)
Day/Theme: Jan. 19, 2011 "The dusty corners of my brain"
Series: Crossover? Including references to ideas and/or characters from: Suikoden III, Fullmetal Alchemist, Ace Attorney, Black Butler
Character/Pairing: the author: Suzume, Sasarai, Kimblee, etc.
Rating: PG
Author's comment: Uh, this is a bit meta and silly. I decided to have a little fun with a common (and current) predicament of mine. Please pardon all the crack. Or, uh, if you like it, enjoy it?
"Hmm, there's gotta be something worthwhile left in here," Suzume muttered, staring pathetically at the empty header for her story for 31_days' theme for January nineteenth. For some reason things hadn't been working out too well there for her this month. It wasn't the themes and it certainly wasn't coming back to such a volume of writing too soon since she hadn't participated there since that past September. Her best guess of late was the inner turmoil brought on by troubles with changing her medication, but her January "day writing" had been going slowly since even before that.
"There has to be something I'd like to write about." She tapped one finger rapidly on the wooden countertop beside the computer mouse. There were only so many times one could refresh one's friends page hoping that something would pop up and inspire one before it just got ridiculous.
And, of course, the last two days, Suzume felt sorry to admit, she had sort of just phoned it in (the length of the eighteenth's story about Shirley was probably a good indicator of her level of dedication to that topic at that moment), so she had something to make up for. Unless she could dredge up a particularly inspired topic or situation, the usual suspects were just not going to cut it.
Of course...it was always good to check. Suzume glanced over her shoulder at the empty living room, populating it haphazardly with the most salient contents of her imagination, which she could only describe as a rather low-key mad tea party. There were only two "party-goers" who could be counted on, although Suzume knew there was always a seat reserved for here. The two men pointedly avoided her wheedling glance. Harmonia's own Bishop Sasarai focused on adding a copious amount of sugar to his porcelain cup, while the infamous Solf J. Kimblee paged through the household's most recent copy of "The New Yorker."
Suzume's grin intensified. Sasarai's eyes darted up momentarily, but he was able to catch himself before he met her gaze and committed himself to something he didn't really want to do. He'd had enough of that in his life as it was, without letting this troublesome girl rope him into anymore fanfics he would live to regret (he usually regretted them, albeit somewhat mildly).
Apparently, today there would be no volunteers ("They better be saving up their time and talents for something great," Suzume thought, slightly peeved). So she was on her own. As usual (although in September she'd made out pretty well after wheedling a list of character and fandom suggestions out of her sister, which explains the sudden appearance of Durarara!! for more than one of those stories).
Well, there was always that list she had just scribbled down the other day of her favorite sorts of AUs to write... Then it was all just a matter of what unwittingvictims participants she chose to play...
"Good morning, young master."
Machi opened his eyes slowly, looking up into the familiar face of his butler. This was how his every morning had begun since entering into a contract with the mysterious Crimson Alchemist. He followed orders perfectly, but he had made it no secret that he had his own agenda and when his contract with Machi was complete that he planned on collecting on it.
"What," Kimblee inquired pointedly, "Is that?"
"Uh............" Suzume felt her face beginning to flush, "A very self-indulgent crossover?" she ventured. "Wh-when did you decide you cared what I was writing about today?"
"I know when you're bringing me into things. Can you really blame me for wanting to investigate?" His tone was positively jovial, as was his smile, but Suzume knew a veiled threat when she heard one, so she discarded that topic (at least for now) and promised to try something else instead (though that didn't do anything to change her belief that he secretly liked it).
Sasarai wasn't sure she felt comfortable attending Tinto's Independence Day festivities in this dress, but it had been specially picked out for her by Lilly Pendragon herself, and because Lilly had invited her, she couldn't imagine it would go well if she showed up in one of her own plain gowns or some of her official robes.
Lilly's tastes were just so much more...flamboyant than her own. And then there was the matter of the shoes that she had sent with it. They did fit- Lilly had clearly done her homework in that regard- but the heels posed their own problem. The bishop had never worn anything like them before. She doubted her father would've approved of her wearing anything half as high and hadn't the slightest idea how she would walk, let alone dance, while wearing them.
"Genderbending me again?" Sasarai sighed. "Didn't you already write an entire series of those? ...Didn't you write some really awkward sexual tension into that series?" He fretted, picking at the hem of his sleeve as he recalled that, actually, there had been more than just tension in several of those stories.
"Hmm," Kimblee added his own vague noise of thoughtful from across the room. Suzume had signed up for the same challenge with him not long ago, but there hadn't been any sexual activity that he didn't basically approve of (it was just fantasy anyway- if she'd been seriously suggesting anything about his life, well, then things would've been different).
"It's just an idea," Suzume shrugged, "It's not like I haven't written even more words about you- I mean, several times over- as a guy. Actually," she admitted with a goofy giggle, "I think you make a pretty cute girl."
"I think if you like any character enough, you start to play with that kind of idea," Kimblee noted objectively.
Maybe there was some truth to that. Suzume smiled to think that Kimblee took the time to get to know her at least that well. "Fine, fine, I'll try something else."
Of course, starting and stopping this many times was making coming up with fresh ideas more and more difficult. Even if Suzume were to solicit for suggestions about what to write about, and even if she were to receive any responses to her query, the odds were low that anyone would suggest something she would really enjoy writing. How could she not know what she wanted to write herself and expect anyone else to read her mind?
She opened a new document and began to make a list of random AU or crack-ish ideas that she had considered or toyed with in the past that still held some appeal or potential to her:
1. FMA mafia AU (Bradley Family vs. Mustang Family with Ed, Al, & Winry caught in between) - see Night Watch for fma_fic_contest
2. Machi as Daryan's mail-order "bride" ("Honestly, I'd rather someone else wrote this for me," she thought.)
3. Next genderbent story about Kimblee?
4. Get back to work on FFXII cyberpunk fic about Dr. Cid & Venat? ("Ha ha ha...I will finish this someday. ...I, uh, I promise." The best she could do was hope.)
5. Didn't I start some Little Red Riding Hood sort of story about Yun?
("Why do all my idea lists turn into a string of questions?")
"Are you two enjoying this?" Suzume was not particularly pleased that the two men would be so unhelpful and then proceed to hang around as she struggled to come up with a half-decent story for the day.
"Basically," Sasarai admitted with surprising candor (he was probably still upset after remembering the portion of that genderbent series that involved Luca Blight).
"More or less," Kimblee agreed, leaning his arm across the back of her chair.
"Fine, that's it. Next round of No True Pair, I am going to torture both of you like there's no tomorrow," Suzume swore vengeance.
Although Sasarai shivered at the notion, Kimblee only laughed. What were the odds she would hold to her promise? And, in any case, he could handle anything- or anyone- she threw at him.
Suzume sighed, still stuck, still without a story, and filled in the date and theme into the empty header. Yeah...she was going to be stuck here a long time today.
Day/Theme: Jan. 19, 2011 "The dusty corners of my brain"
Series: Crossover? Including references to ideas and/or characters from: Suikoden III, Fullmetal Alchemist, Ace Attorney, Black Butler
Character/Pairing: the author: Suzume, Sasarai, Kimblee, etc.
Rating: PG
Author's comment: Uh, this is a bit meta and silly. I decided to have a little fun with a common (and current) predicament of mine. Please pardon all the crack. Or, uh, if you like it, enjoy it?
"Hmm, there's gotta be something worthwhile left in here," Suzume muttered, staring pathetically at the empty header for her story for 31_days' theme for January nineteenth. For some reason things hadn't been working out too well there for her this month. It wasn't the themes and it certainly wasn't coming back to such a volume of writing too soon since she hadn't participated there since that past September. Her best guess of late was the inner turmoil brought on by troubles with changing her medication, but her January "day writing" had been going slowly since even before that.
"There has to be something I'd like to write about." She tapped one finger rapidly on the wooden countertop beside the computer mouse. There were only so many times one could refresh one's friends page hoping that something would pop up and inspire one before it just got ridiculous.
And, of course, the last two days, Suzume felt sorry to admit, she had sort of just phoned it in (the length of the eighteenth's story about Shirley was probably a good indicator of her level of dedication to that topic at that moment), so she had something to make up for. Unless she could dredge up a particularly inspired topic or situation, the usual suspects were just not going to cut it.
Of course...it was always good to check. Suzume glanced over her shoulder at the empty living room, populating it haphazardly with the most salient contents of her imagination, which she could only describe as a rather low-key mad tea party. There were only two "party-goers" who could be counted on, although Suzume knew there was always a seat reserved for here. The two men pointedly avoided her wheedling glance. Harmonia's own Bishop Sasarai focused on adding a copious amount of sugar to his porcelain cup, while the infamous Solf J. Kimblee paged through the household's most recent copy of "The New Yorker."
Suzume's grin intensified. Sasarai's eyes darted up momentarily, but he was able to catch himself before he met her gaze and committed himself to something he didn't really want to do. He'd had enough of that in his life as it was, without letting this troublesome girl rope him into anymore fanfics he would live to regret (he usually regretted them, albeit somewhat mildly).
Apparently, today there would be no volunteers ("They better be saving up their time and talents for something great," Suzume thought, slightly peeved). So she was on her own. As usual (although in September she'd made out pretty well after wheedling a list of character and fandom suggestions out of her sister, which explains the sudden appearance of Durarara!! for more than one of those stories).
Well, there was always that list she had just scribbled down the other day of her favorite sorts of AUs to write... Then it was all just a matter of what unwitting
"Good morning, young master."
Machi opened his eyes slowly, looking up into the familiar face of his butler. This was how his every morning had begun since entering into a contract with the mysterious Crimson Alchemist. He followed orders perfectly, but he had made it no secret that he had his own agenda and when his contract with Machi was complete that he planned on collecting on it.
"What," Kimblee inquired pointedly, "Is that?"
"Uh............" Suzume felt her face beginning to flush, "A very self-indulgent crossover?" she ventured. "Wh-when did you decide you cared what I was writing about today?"
"I know when you're bringing me into things. Can you really blame me for wanting to investigate?" His tone was positively jovial, as was his smile, but Suzume knew a veiled threat when she heard one, so she discarded that topic (at least for now) and promised to try something else instead (though that didn't do anything to change her belief that he secretly liked it).
Sasarai wasn't sure she felt comfortable attending Tinto's Independence Day festivities in this dress, but it had been specially picked out for her by Lilly Pendragon herself, and because Lilly had invited her, she couldn't imagine it would go well if she showed up in one of her own plain gowns or some of her official robes.
Lilly's tastes were just so much more...flamboyant than her own. And then there was the matter of the shoes that she had sent with it. They did fit- Lilly had clearly done her homework in that regard- but the heels posed their own problem. The bishop had never worn anything like them before. She doubted her father would've approved of her wearing anything half as high and hadn't the slightest idea how she would walk, let alone dance, while wearing them.
"Genderbending me again?" Sasarai sighed. "Didn't you already write an entire series of those? ...Didn't you write some really awkward sexual tension into that series?" He fretted, picking at the hem of his sleeve as he recalled that, actually, there had been more than just tension in several of those stories.
"Hmm," Kimblee added his own vague noise of thoughtful from across the room. Suzume had signed up for the same challenge with him not long ago, but there hadn't been any sexual activity that he didn't basically approve of (it was just fantasy anyway- if she'd been seriously suggesting anything about his life, well, then things would've been different).
"It's just an idea," Suzume shrugged, "It's not like I haven't written even more words about you- I mean, several times over- as a guy. Actually," she admitted with a goofy giggle, "I think you make a pretty cute girl."
"I think if you like any character enough, you start to play with that kind of idea," Kimblee noted objectively.
Maybe there was some truth to that. Suzume smiled to think that Kimblee took the time to get to know her at least that well. "Fine, fine, I'll try something else."
Of course, starting and stopping this many times was making coming up with fresh ideas more and more difficult. Even if Suzume were to solicit for suggestions about what to write about, and even if she were to receive any responses to her query, the odds were low that anyone would suggest something she would really enjoy writing. How could she not know what she wanted to write herself and expect anyone else to read her mind?
She opened a new document and began to make a list of random AU or crack-ish ideas that she had considered or toyed with in the past that still held some appeal or potential to her:
1. FMA mafia AU (Bradley Family vs. Mustang Family with Ed, Al, & Winry caught in between) - see Night Watch for fma_fic_contest
2. Machi as Daryan's mail-order "bride" ("Honestly, I'd rather someone else wrote this for me," she thought.)
3. Next genderbent story about Kimblee?
4. Get back to work on FFXII cyberpunk fic about Dr. Cid & Venat? ("Ha ha ha...I will finish this someday. ...I, uh, I promise." The best she could do was hope.)
5. Didn't I start some Little Red Riding Hood sort of story about Yun?
("Why do all my idea lists turn into a string of questions?")
"Are you two enjoying this?" Suzume was not particularly pleased that the two men would be so unhelpful and then proceed to hang around as she struggled to come up with a half-decent story for the day.
"Basically," Sasarai admitted with surprising candor (he was probably still upset after remembering the portion of that genderbent series that involved Luca Blight).
"More or less," Kimblee agreed, leaning his arm across the back of her chair.
"Fine, that's it. Next round of No True Pair, I am going to torture both of you like there's no tomorrow," Suzume swore vengeance.
Although Sasarai shivered at the notion, Kimblee only laughed. What were the odds she would hold to her promise? And, in any case, he could handle anything- or anyone- she threw at him.
Suzume sighed, still stuck, still without a story, and filled in the date and theme into the empty header. Yeah...she was going to be stuck here a long time today.