Mutterings and Abstractions

December 6

Sun, 06 Dec 2009 19:46:16 GMT

Yeah, there are few who remember S:AAB, but I consider it one of the best TV series I've ever seen. *raises glass*

Fandom: Space: Above and Beyond
Prompt: candy cane

He didn’t know what Christmas was. Nobody had ever taught him about it, and Tanks sure didn’t have holidays.

December meant cold, and shorter days, and finding shelter from the wind and rain. But Cooper couldn’t miss the lights appearing in windows, or the bright colors. Something was coming, even if he couldn’t count the days until it arrived.

The soup kitchen did hold a special dinner one night, though. Cooper walked out with a full stomach for the first time in months, and the striped candy they’d given him tasted cool and sweet.

He wondered how often Christmas came.

My Cup Overflows

Sun, 06 Dec 2009 04:35:41 GMT

This one is for mingsmommy and smacky30, who are both darlings. Happy holidays, ladies.

Fandom: Criminal Minds (even though I don't actually watch it)
Prompt: candles

Normally he avoided churches; too much guilt, too much time passed. But it was Gaudete Sunday, and for once David had something to rejoice in.

The interior of the little church was familiar; dim, quiet, smelling of incense and hot wax. It seemed empty, and he slipped into one of the side chapels, looking up to the patient, loving face above the flickering candles.

The coin slipped into the box with scarcely a clink. The wick flared to life, and he set it in its socket, and sighed, the precious image of Emily hovering before him.

“Thank you,” he whispered.

Nutcracker

Sat, 05 Dec 2009 19:09:19 GMT

Last year cincoflex and I had a really great idea. Due to NaNoWriMo and other considerations, it didn't get finished until now. I'm going to be boastful and say...I think it was worth the wait. *grin* It is always a privilege and a pleasure to write with such a talented, warm-hearted author, who very generously let me have my own way in almost every point in this story. And she made the banner, which I consider to be one of her best. Thank you, love.

Nutcracker is Iron Man, rated G, and available at her site or mine.

Just a Little Fruity

Sat, 05 Dec 2009 00:08:29 GMT

I do realize that, in canon, Mrs. Robbins' first name is Judy (if memory serves). But cincoflex named her long ago and gave her far more of a personality than the show ever did, so I'm going with her version.

Fandom: CSI, Doc/wife
Prompt: fruitcake

Simone found her husband in the kitchen dicing glacé cherries, and paused to admire his sturdy form before speaking. “Breaking your New Year’s resolution at last? The children won’t let you live it down.”

He looked up, eyes twinkling. “On the contrary, my dear.” He popped one morsel in her mouth as she joined him.

She savored the sweetness, but still frowned. “Al, I know this is an Advent tradition in your family, but there’s no such thing as vegan fruitcake.”

He chuckled, waving the paring knife at the paper on the counter. “You can find anything on the Internet.”

December 3

Fri, 04 Dec 2009 03:38:08 GMT

This one was inspired by a post at BLDGBLOG.

Fandom: Castle
Prompt: Christmas lights

“It’s Advent already, Detective. No tree yet?”

Beckett looked up from her report, exasperated. “Not in the office, and no.”

Castle collapsed in the other chair. “When Alexis was little,” he mused, “she thought the forest was invading New York when the Christmas trees appeared.”

Amused despite herself, Beckett raised a brow. “Was she scared?”

Castle smiled, reminiscing. “A little. I told her people wrapped ‘em in lights to tame them, and decorated ‘em to make them happy. It worked until she pulled it all off and pushed the tree onto the balcony yelling “Go free!”

She had to laugh.

December 2

Thu, 03 Dec 2009 01:23:19 GMT

I take it back about the cuts; Advent calendars are about what's behind the doors, after all.

Fandom: Iron Man
Prompt: choir practice

Ms. Potts frowned prettily at her laptop. “The next four Sundays?”

Happy shifted. “Is it a problem?”

She shook her head quickly. “No, no. I can get Lars to cover, he’s always looking for extra time, and you’re off starting on the twenty-third when Mr. Stark leaves for Cancún.” She looked up. “Do you mind my asking why? I know it’s none of my business--“

He smiled shyly. “I don’t mind. I sing in my church choir, you know. It’s Advent services.”

“Oh!” Her face lit. “I’ll have to come listen. If that’s okay.”

Happy grinned, touched. “I’d be honored.”

And why not?

Wed, 02 Dec 2009 20:23:08 GMT

Did you know you can purchase a boxed arc reactor replica? Just as if Pepper gave it to you...

December 1

Wed, 02 Dec 2009 04:23:35 GMT

cincoflex and I decided to take up an idea that's been going around, and do an Advent calendar of drabbles for the season. Or, to be more precise, two calendars. Whether we will be able to keep it up for twenty-four days, in the teeth of real life, holidays, and whatever else, remains to be seen!

She's putting together a prompt table. I personally am choosing to do any fandom that takes my very fickle fancy. Given the shortness of such, I won't put them behind a cut unless there are spoilers (which is highly unlikely).

So, December 1:

Fandom: CSI/GSR
Prompt: cinnamon

It had been tricky, finding everything he wanted in the local markets, but Grissom was resourceful, and he hadn’t even had to order from overseas this time. His mother’s recipes were all memorized, and he was looking forward to celebrating the season in a new way.

The door opened, and Sara--pink-cheeked with cold--paused on the threshold of their little Paris apartment. He saw her eyes widen as she sniffed the sweet smells of cinnamon and ginger. “What’s the occasion?” she asked, smiling, eyes fixed on the cookies cooling on racks.

Grissom smiled back. “Christmas is coming, sweetheart.”

Spare Me

Mon, 30 Nov 2009 05:08:28 GMT

A quick, extreeeeemly fluffy post-ep for Lover's Lanes. Spare Me is rated US for Unabashedly Sentimental, you have been warned!

Many thanks to cincoflex for a last-minute beta, and her patience! *grin* She did the banner, of course!

It begins...

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 15:41:01 GMT

...insert evil laugh here. Green Laurel is Iron Man, Tony/Pepper, and rated PG-13, though the latter may change later. Heaps of abject thanks to cincoflex for putting up with this thing for over a year now, encouraging, poking, rereading, admonishing, and generally being the wonderful enthusiastic person that she is! Many thanks also to laura27md for last-minute reassurance and a parallax view. Please note, I did not always take their excellent advice!

cincoflex also did the perfect banner, of course! :D

Weird Science

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 03:08:59 GMT

That's an hour and a half I'll never get back. That was awful.

Ice

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 05:59:43 GMT

Just a quick bit of silliness, unbeta'd. Think of it as a mirror piece to Crack, in a way. Ice is Iron Man and rated G.

"I still do not understand the purpose of this effort," Jarvis said.

Tony looked down at the frozen lake far below, restraining a satisfied nod. "I told you. Equipment check for long-range targeting and cold-weather conditions." The snowy vista of hills and valley glittered in the bright sun, but the temperature outside his metal shell was far below freezing. There was no one for more than three hundred kilometers, he estimated. Perfect.

"There are many official weapons ranges much closer to home, sir. Why was it necessary to go to someplace so far and isolated?"

Tony tilted down and rocketed towards that snow-dusted surface, which gleamed black where the snow did not cover it. "Most of those places are military, Jarvis. I don't feel like giving them any more data about Iron Man's capabilities than they already have." And he was pretty sure that the U.S. government would be keeping a surreptitious eye on the private places as well, at least if he tried to use them. Pepper would no doubt call it petty, but he refused to make it easy for them.

"I'm sure you're aware that United States satellites do orbit over the upper reaches of Canada, sir."

Jarvis was really disturbed by his choice of venues, Tony thought with amusement. It's probably the inefficiency that gets him. "Yes, well, that's your bailiwick. Is the SI satellite in place?"

"It is. Does Mr. Wyndham know what you intend?"

"I told him I'd be turning a few trees into firewood, and he told me to watch out for the wildlife and have a good time." Tony turned in the air, slowing his momentum, and prepared to alight on the lake's surface. The thousands of acres of wild land and the miles-long lake were owned by a very old friend who understood the occasional need for privacy, and Tony had no intention of doing any major damage. Reducing his repulsors to their lowest level, he settled delicately onto the ice.

"All right," he told his AI. "Begin the blocking broadcast, start recording, and give me a heat scan of the surrounding area."

There was a brief pause before Jarvis spoke again. "There are no large heat signatures within scanning range. The satellite is blocking any other signals and is recording this test. The feed is downloading directly into your home servers."

"Good. Dial it in close so we can get the details." Tony scanned the far shore of the lake, estimating distances. Upgrades to the repulsors had rendered their range higher than he could easily test at home, at least without attracting unwanted attention. Out in the wilderness, he would be able to see just what they could do.

That's about half a mile away. Good, let's see. Tony squinted slightly despite the helmet's polarization, and raised a hand, bringing the repulsor in the gauntlet's palm back up to readiness. Fifty percent to start with--

The blast shot out with a satisfying roar, almost reaching the shore before dissipating. Unfortunately Tony, having forgotten a very basic aspect of physics, missed it as the recoil shoved back. The slick surface offered no traction, and his feet flew out from under him, dumping him on his armored backside with an undignified clank.

His yelp rang in his ears. Flat on his back, Tony blinked at the sky arching above him, trying to process what had just happened; the suit had cushioned his fall, but it had still been startling. "Gah. Note to self, even muted repulsors have a kick."

Perhaps mercifully, Jarvis didn't reply. Tony sighed, glad that no one had noticed that particular bit of slapstick, and sat up. Bracing one hand on the ice, he pulled in his leg to prepare to stand.

As soon as he put pressure on it, his foot shot out from under him again, rocking him back onto his ass. Tony swore and tried again with the other foot, with the same result.

This is ridiculous. More glad than ever that no one was around to see, he rolled awkwardly over onto all fours, brought in a leg to try again--

And ended up sprawled on his belly.

Infuriated, Tony dug his fingers into the ice, splintering it into handgrips, but even with those he couldn't get enough purchase on the ice to stand. The surface wasn't completely slick, but it was far too smooth for his boots to gain traction. Even when he clawed out bracing spots for his feet, he still ended up slamming onto his stomach or backside, all his technology and power negated by frozen water.

Finally he sat still, panting and sweating, his ears still ringing with the last angry string of curses. An unencumbered human could no doubt stand with some effort, but the armor was just too stiff and heavy for him to gain enough balance. "This is a fucking farce."

"Indeed, sir," Jarvis said austerely. "You do appear to be attempting to channel all three Stooges at once."

"Give me a little credit," Tony grunted, wishing Jarvis had a physical presence at which he could direct a very rude gesture. "Chaplin at least."

He slumped a little, trying to ignore the ignominy of the whole situation, and thought. He couldn't power himself off the lake's surface because he couldn't get his feet under him; he could punch up into the air a few yards using his gauntlet repulsors, but the flight would lack control, and he wasn't sure whether the ice would hold if he slammed back down onto it unsupported. And while falling through into the water beneath probably wouldn't be immediately fatal, Tony still wanted to avoid it if at all possible.

So the problem is force. Think about it, genius.

He looked out over the wide expanse of ice and the snowy shore beyond, considered angles and vectors and objects in motion, and slowly began to smile.

One couldn't really crack one's knuckles in a powered glove, but Tony did the mental equivalent and settled back, letting his legs stretch out straight in front of him and bracing his hands carefully against the ice, heels down but palms at an angle. "Jarvis, I want you to power the suit inertia field down to sixty-five percent." He locked his joints and watched the tiny indicator in his HUD fall.

"Sir, what are you--" Jarvis began, but Tony had already triggered his hand repulsors.

The beams burst forth, vaporizing ice with clouds of steam, and Tony shot back with a jerk, sliding rapidly along the frozen surface. "Yes!"

He cut off the blasts and slowed to a rather bumpy stop, laughing at his own success. "Nice."

"Indeed," Jarvis said thoughtfully. "If you can reach the shore, you should have traction enough to stand."

"You got it." Tony cranked his head around as far as it would go, which wasn't very, and adjusted his seat on the ice until he was facing away from the shore. "This'll be--"

Fun.

And when was the last time he'd had fun?

It only took a moment to readjust so that he was pointing in the other direction. I wonder just how much I can steer with these things...

With a whoop, he was off.

The view from above was quite clear on the workshop's big screen; the little red and gold figure that was Iron Man scooted swiftly across the frozen lake, drawing huge wobbly figure eights and then rolling over to pinwheel around his own center, limbs waving and repulsors firing in staticky bursts. The speakers rang with his roller-coaster shouts and the maniacal giggle of pure enjoyment.

And Pepper Potts lay collapsed in the desk chair, tears rolling down her cheeks, breathless with helpless laughter.

End.

Somehow it feels unfair

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 03:17:23 GMT

Okay, I finally watched the CSI:Miami episode that is the start of the "trilogy" crossover. I finally gave up on the Miami trainwreck after last season--possibly before the end of the season, I can't remember--but I want to get the whole story of the trilogy even though I don't watch NY either.

CSI ain't known for its continuity. Miami threw out character continuity after the start of season 3. The conjunction of the two actually made me feel like two separate universes were crossing, but never mind... The shock was when Ray got off the chopper to meet Horatio and the latter not only remembered Catherine Willows but offered condolences regarding Warrick.

CSI itself can barely remember Warrick died. That was just bizarre.

Heat Wave

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 03:13:29 GMT

As a tie-in novel, Heat Wave (the Castle spin-off) is surprisingly good, with strong characterizations and a nice complicated mystery. There’s plenty of wit and twists, and while it’s short enough to make the cover price a bit outrageous, it’s fun and a very decent read.

As what it’s pretending to be, however, it fails utterly. The characters that are supposed to be inspired by the police folks are basically copies with the names changed. And the author offers almost no physical description of them at all. Nikki Heat is supposed to be young and sexy, but there’s nothing to tell the reader that. It’s a glaring omission for what’s supposed to be a debut novel.

It’s still fun and full of inside jokes, though, and I recommend it--though you might want to check your library rather than paying the full price.

Greensleeves

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 03:16:20 GMT

I don't think this book ever even went into paperback. Greensleeves, by Eloise Jarvis McGraw, and my copy is older than I am. It's a strange book to me; parts of it are very much of the time, and parts are not, and from what little I've seen the author's other books aren't very similar.

A young woman who's grown up all around the world tries to find her center and figure out her future, amidst self-doubt, two-ish suitors, and a minor mystery concerning a will. It's a fun story, rich, with vivid characters. And it's strange to my eyes, despite the fact that its attitude and era are not unknown to me. Shannon Lightley, red-headed and European in flavor, turns herself into a beehived, laconic waitress named Georgetta to figure out why an old woman left people strange bequests. Her self-doubt irritates me a little after a while...but I keep the book.

I'd recommend it, but I don't know where an interested party might get a copy. They all seem to start at just under $50. Huh.

sigh

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 03:56:21 GMT

Well, I got a cold that made me too tired to write, and then I discovered that my carefully hoarded bunny was nowhere near active enough to sustain the pressures of NaNo. So I am bowing out of it this year, and will turn my attention to cheering cincoflex on.

It's not a bad story, if I may be permitted the hubris; this is just not its time.

Impressed

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 03:09:57 GMT

Some months ago celli asked for commentfic, and I contributed. I'm reposting here because I haven't really touched my NaNo for three days due to a cold, and I'm feeling discombobulated. Yeah, that makes so much sense. *sigh*

“Mr. Stark. What the hell was that?”

His grin was somewhere between sheepish and panicked. “That? Oh, that. It just slipped out, Pepper, I swear--“

She stalked towards him where he--yes, he was actually cowering in his chair. Tony Stark, trillionaire, genius, magnate, and self-styled superhero, was scrunching down behind his desk in fear of his own personal assistant.

“Since when am I your girlfriend?” Pepper demanded, doing her best to loom over him. “I thought we discussed this already.”

“Yes, well, I thought you might have reconsidered--“

“What is it with you and press conferences, Tony? Do you disconnect your brain when you get behind the podium now?”

He was leaning back now as she bent forward, his eyes widening with alarm and that breath-stealing admiration. “Call it wishful thinking? I mean, I could retract it but that would only call more attention to it and you really don’t want that, but I’m not--“

It was really, really satisfying to cut off his babble this way, Pepper thought. The kiss didn’t stun him long, but when she lifted her head his dazed and blissful expression was priceless. She licked her lips, a little stunned herself, and smirked at him.

“Good thing for you I changed my mind.”

Respectable

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 14:45:03 GMT

I must admit, starting a story with the line "The ducks were late" affords a certain peculiar satisfaction.

3249 / 50000 words. 6% done!

Missing the point, perhaps

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 20:16:20 GMT

I just saw someone put a thermos bottle in the freezer. *blink*

And we're off...

Sun, 01 Nov 2009 21:26:01 GMT

...in a cloud of sour owl shit, as Grams would say. I think this is enough for today.

2064 / 50000 words. 4% done!

Speaking of squeaking at the TV--

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 19:46:20 GMT

--This morning, while trying to catch a weather forecast, I saw someone I've known for more or less thirty-one years in a TV commercial. XD Delight is only one of an array of emotions.

Now that was fun

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 02:56:01 GMT

In my sporadic filmquest, I just watched In Dreams. Which wasn't quite as bad as I expected, though it really suffered from poor editing in my opinion. But, since I was watching it because of Mr. Downey, I was very surprised to see Mr. Guilfoyle's name pop up in the opening credits--I squeaked at the TV.

He had pretty much the standard part--sort of Brass as he might have been someplace more rural than urban NJ, ten or fifteen years ago. Thin! I kept wishing they'd give him more screen time.

I also wondered what bits Mr. Downey ad-libbed. Betcha I got one spot-on. :P

In other news

Sat, 24 Oct 2009 03:40:50 GMT

I watched Friends and Lovers last night. Not a movie one can take at all seriously--most of the characters were annoying, stupid, or both--but even if it were I couldn't have, because every time Mr. Downey's character came on screen I started laughing hysterically. Before he had any dialogue, even.

Despite character similarities to Hugo Pool, he really reminded me far more of Val Kilmer in The Saint, of which I am very fond. The latter's a much better film, though.

On an unrelated note, it's such a waste to dream of waiting for a bus. Though the milkweed was fun.

Happy Halloween!

Fri, 23 Oct 2009 01:50:41 GMT

Well, a little early. A Halloween challenge was posted at tonypepper, and the bunny that jumped me had serious fangs. Parthian Shot is PG, slightly Tony/Pepper, and as creepy as I could make it. And it owes title, tagline, and banner to cincoflex! Thanks also to amonitrate for issuing the challenge.

Alternate possibilities

Sun, 18 Oct 2009 14:16:59 GMT

It amuses me deeply to reflect that somewhere today, in another entirely fictional branch of time, Warrick lives, Natalie Davis never existed, and Grissom and Sara are getting married.

I'm still pretty proud of that one. *grin*