#starting another slightly longer thing. that is only SOMEWHAT vignettes

[ehlnofay]

wrote 3330 words today... I am the most prolific author of our age

[a-robin-among-thorns]

Too Old For Your Age

Part 2: By Torchlight

Original inspiration post, Part 1

I can’t really call these drabbles anymore since I’ve started playing with an overarching theme and they appear to keep getting longer. Either way, my sincere apologies that this took so long. Life, school and good ole fashioned writes block, you know the song and dance. That said, part 3 WILL be much sooner I promise.

One last thing, Chise is 19 in this story. I put that in context clues in the first part but felt it might be best to state that out right.

Word Count: 3,537

Dinner proceeded without much grandeur, although it felt ever so slightly different sitting right next to Elias.

Feeling somewhat guilty watching Ruth placed alone at the start of dinner, Chise had almost contemplated returning her chair to its original side. That was until a sharp ‘Don’t even think about it.’ flashed through her mind followed by an almost imperceptible smirk from her familiar.

It was supper like any other, vegetable stew, lemon and garlic chicken breast, baked potatoes and all with a generous serving of bread, butter, and honey, but it had been peppered by little pats on her shoulders or fingers occasionally curled around an unoccupied hand. She even found herself settling her palm on his forearm absentmindedly. Until she realized what she was doing and suddenly became very invested in buttering her bread.

‘You keep that up and you’ll end up with an entire stick of butter on there.’

She sighed and resolutely tore a buttered end between her teeth.

Ruth snorted around shoving half of a potato down his gullet. ‘Why is this making you upset? It’s not as if you don’t hold hands and such with him constantly nowadays.’

‘I’m not upset!’ She felt so strangely defensive and she couldn’t fathom why. ‘It’s just…that’s usually, because he started it or he’s upset and I want to make him feel better. Just doing it without a reason... feels greedy.’

‘Why? Elias does it all the time to you just because, and I know you don’t mind. Why do you think he would?’

...that’s different.

 Ruth disguised an eye roll with a glance to the counter. ‘If you say so.’

 Once supper was finished, Chise helped Silver clear the table and was about to make her way for her evening bath when she came across the party favor bags on the counter. Should she try and come up with something else to do this night? Or would that be too stifling?

‘As shocking as it might sound he does enjoy doing things with you.’ Chise shot Ruth a glare who answered with a scoff.

 She let out a small sigh, grabbed her bag and made way for her room.

 As her hair dried from her bath, she emptied the contents of the little party favor onto her bed for a better look. The crayons were nowhere to be seen, likely given a more permanent home by Silky. Two Little plastic dinosaurs came from the bag. They were cute, but Chise couldn’t think of anything to do with them. Lastly was the paper book, upon closer inspection; a comic book. It was rather small, apparently, a sample size specifically to be given out at parties. On its cover was a boy in a red and black striped jumper and a black furred animal, both wore mischievous grins.

 ‘Dennis the Menace and Gnasher...’ She read.

 Her mind briefly flashed to a night years ago where once again she had been unable to sleep thanks to an intrusive imp taking residence on her futon. Unaware of her plight, her cousin lay on his belly, a sheet pulled over his head while he read his manga by a flashlight.

Well...he does likes to read before bed anyway.

 Her slippers quickly rapped down the stairs before briefly pausing in the foyer adjoining the kitchen and living room. She could hear Silver Lady still rummaging lightly in the kitchen before she slipped in.

“Silver,” Chise called lightly gaining the brownie’s attention, “I was wondering...do we have a torchlight anywhere?”

Silver cupped her chin between her thumb and forefinger in brief thought before putting down the bowl she had been washing and moving toward the counter. With a light hum, she opened a drawer and pulled out a short cylinder, handing it to Chise delicately. It was certainly an old torch, bearing slightly tarnished silver casing and a large convex bulb. Yet Chise always found any ‘modern’ technology housed in the old manor to be amusing and charming.

Chise smiled fondly and hugged the torch to her chest. “Thanks, Silver, I’ll take good care of it.” Silver nodded and returned to her work.

Steeling herself with a quick breath, Chise entered the living room where Elias had retired for the evening in his lounge chair. He was the very picture of a scholarly gentleman, One elbow propped with a lazy grace against the chair arm and his muzzle was buried in a book with a title she couldn’t read. And here she was in her pajamas with a comic book.

She suddenly felt very foolish and tried to retreat when he gazed upward at the soft footfalls of his apprentice. Crap. Caught. He cocked his head curiously, waiting for her to speak.

She sighed. No turning back now. “Elias? Are you doing anything important?”

“Not particularly, why?”

“Well...I was wondering if you’d like to try another childhood activity with me?” She was grateful that both of her hands were filled preventing her far too frequent fidgeting. “It’s not hard and since you usually read before bed I thought you might like it. But you don’t have to if you’d rather not.”

He marked his page and closed the book with a light thump, giving her his full attention. “Of course I’d like to. What are we doing?”

“Um...I thought we could read this comic together before we go to bed.”

“That sounds nice.” He uncrossed his long legs and started for the couch when Chise interjected.

“Actually! I was...um thinking...we could read in your room? There was one other part to this...” she felt a warm hand on her shoulder.

“Of course we can. Just let me have a few minutes to change to nightwear.”

He strode up the stairs, leaving Chise in the living room. She could mentally feel Ruth chastising her for being needlessly awkward but chose to ignore it. She followed into his room shortly where Elias sat in his dark blue pajamas on the edge of the bed waiting for her. His dressed down state had a calming effect on her nerves and she smiled a bit more confidently.

“Could you stand for a moment?” He complied.

Grabbing the heavy comforter, she began tugging the blankets, moving to tuck them on the headboard. After the ends of the blankets were successfully curled around the top and bottom of the bed, she took one of Elias’ large pillows and propped the bottom end of the blankets against it. Lastly, she took her own tiny pillow to prop a small opening on the side of the bed. Comic and torch in hand, Chise wiggled into the little doorway she had made that was just big enough for her to crawl through. Settling herself against the headboard, she saw Elias peeking through the entrance looking uncertain but amused. Grinning, she patted the mattress in invitation.

He struggled to maneuver his head through the entrance and almost succeeded before his horn caught on the comforter. The fort came down with a rush of air as Chise yelped. She could hear Elias shaking his head free as she pulled the blankets off. Once untangled, he glanced up at Chise sheepishly, muttering an apology.

“No, its fine, this was a silly idea anyway.” She said with a chuckle.

Elias took one of the blankets in hand, peering thoughtfully.

Nettles in the shadow...False holly in a ring...

The blanket in his hand snaked upward before unraveling and melting into a dome encasing the entire bed. The only light came from Elias’ ember eyes, which gazed at Chise expectantly.

“How is this?”

She smiled, fondly remembering this a similar barrier that had shielded her from storms. “Perfect, we probably should have started with this.”

She clicked the torch on, bathing the two of them in a gentle yellow light. Elias propped his remaining pillow against the headboard before sitting cross-legged against it. He glanced at Chise and patted his thigh. Chise couldn’t help but scoff at his forward yet somehow polite invitation. After she had crawled into his lap, Elias snuggly wrapped his arms around Chise’s waist sneaking in a quick nuzzle to her cheek. Chise liked to fancy herself used to his affection, yet it could still put a nervous flutter in her belly from time to time.

“So what are we reading?” From her seat in his lap, Chise could feel Elias’ every word rumble through her body.

Still gripping the torch in her left hand, Chise arranged the comic book across her knees. Elias dipped his head against her shoulder for a closer vantage. His eye bobbed like a red firefly in his dark socket, first down at the open book then back to Chise.

“I’ve seen this strip before, although I’ve never actually read it.”

“Really?” He nodded lightly so as not to jostle her shoulder.

“It’s been around for over half a century and appears in the newspaper occasionally. Oddly enough, a strip of the same name came out in America around the same time.”

“Huh, how funny.” She wondered to herself how much he knew of America. She had only vague knowledge of the new world but would like to visit if given the chance.

“I hear comics in Japan are laid out a bit differently.” He stated curiously.

She thought for a moment. “They are, most of them are in black and white. And the panels go left to right instead of right to left.”

“Why is that?”

Chise couldn’t help but grin at the unfiltered interest in his voice. Despite the unhappy memories of her homeland, she did still foster a fondness for her culture and enjoyed sharing little bits of it with Elias. Ever eager to learn he always seemed receptive to her little vignettes. He’d even expressed interest in learning Japanese. They had agreed that it would be a venture better suited for winter when they would have a bit more time on their hands while the garden slept.

“Because Japanese is written vertically from right to left. Unlike English which is written horizontally from left to right. So it makes sense that the panels are laid out in the same direction the sentences are read.”

“Ah, and the color?”

“Well, they’re usually written by only one person and the come out pretty often. Black and white makes it quicker to do and less expensive.” She had seen a few American comics in libraries and was awestruck by the expanse of color.

“Did you ever read them as a child?”

“Once or twice. I liked Doraemon.” Although she was a tad uncomfortable with how closely she resembled the bumbling boy Nobita.

“Let’s buy a copy next time we’re out then.”

She shifted a bit to fit more comfortably against Elias, who fully settled his large head against her shoulder, and began to read the thin book out loud. Despite her best efforts, reading English was something Chise still struggled with from time to time. But she had found reading out loud with Elias occasionally to be handy practice for not only for reading but her pronunciation as well. Tonight she put a little extra effort in making the words on the page lively through dramatic flourish and character voices. The comic was colorful with expressive silly art. Its humor was a bit on the crude boyish side, but she found herself smiling at the troublemaking antics. Elias even uttered a chuckle at the ornery boy sawing a table in half because he was bored.

About five minutes in, a very large, and obvious in hindsight, a flaw in the plan presented itself. The book was a collection of short strips, reminding her somewhat of 4-koma manga, and was, overall, about ten pages long. Even with both of the sample comics from both her and Elias’ bags, the pages had been read from cover to cover and it wasn’t even ten o’clock yet. She placed the thin pages on her lap in defeat.

“That was...really short. Sorry, I should have waited till I had a longer one.”

“Don’t be sorry.” He paused in thought for a moment. “May I make a suggestion?”

“Of course.”

He withdrew his right hand, with very noticeable reluctance, and traced a rectangle in the air with his forefinger. He stuck his hand through the shape he had made and quickly retracted bringing a tan book in tow. Chise took it in her hands as he lowered it to her lap. On the cover were illustrations in green ink of a man and woman in Victorian garb surrounded by three children in nightgowns and a large dog wearing a floppy bonnet sitting between them. On the left of the title stood a man in a long coat and hat sneering down at the children. On the right, a girl with feathers in her hair held a hatchet. Resting on the title with his arms draped over it lazily, a boy with an almost fae-like disposition in his features smiled at the scene below.

“Peter and Wendy by J.M. Barrie.” Chise read with intrigue.

Elias’ chin bobbed slightly against her shoulder as he resettled his arm around her waist. “You might also know it as ‘Peter Pan’. It is my understanding that this story was first a stage play later transcribed into a novel.”

“There’s a film based on it too. I think I saw a bit of it once in a daycare.” She turned the book over, feeling the slightly cracked spine and edges against the pads of her fingers.

“Is this an original copy?”

“Yes, I received it as payment from a colleague in London about a century ago, when it was still new. Silver likes to have up and coming literature on the living room shelves when the chance arrives.”

Ah, so those were Silver’s collection. Chise had thought it a little odd that Elias had taken to collecting poetry and fiction for decoration in the main room. Although she often found him leafing through the pages when there were no matters or orders pressing on their necks. He may not have started the collection but he appeared to appreciate it.

“Have you read it before?”

“I’ve skimmed the pages but not thoroughly. There are many like it in the living room, but I had heard it was undignified for grown humans to indulge in stories for children.”

She often had to remind herself that despite the confidence in which he went about his actions, Elias was very worried about how he appeared to others. Much like she was. “Did that bother you, being seen as undignified I mean?”

He was silent for a moment, as he often was when he searched for words to give meaning to the uncertainty floating in his chest.

“I suppose it did at the time. I was- what did you call it? Self-conscious about how I was viewed. I didn’t want to give anyone any more reason to stare at me than they already did. But over time I came to realize that people with preformed opinions would think what they would regardless of what I did, so I might as well do as I pleased.”

Chise considered this. She had dealt with preformed opinions as long as she could remember but her approach had always been to be as subservient as possible in hope that she would at least be tolerated. The idea that she didn’t owe some kind of apology for taking up space or causing trouble was still one she was unused to. That she could live in and act in any such way simply because she wanted to.

“That said,” She was pulled out of her brief contemplation by Elias readjusting his position against the pillow “this is one indulgence hadn’t considered revisiting in quite some time. I’m rather eager to find out what it holds.”

Smiling, Chise leaned her cheek against the row of sharp teeth lining Elias’ jaw. Elias’ appreciative hum rumbled through her back and shoulders as he returned the gesture.

“Let’s find out then.”

They decided it would be best to trade off reading, Chise taking the job as narrator and any female characters while Elias took the rest. Chise had a little trouble with the slightly outdated English diction, but Elias was patient in explaining anything unclear to her. Before long they were engrossed in the tale of the boy who refused to grow up.

Chise enjoyed the quaint attitude the book had toward its outlandish whimsy. She laughed a bit at the scene of Wendy recovering from a bullet while a house was built around her, saying it reminded her of her long rest before meeting Titania and Oberon. Elias mentioned the several cases where the book’s depiction of magic to be intriguing particularly the gold pixie dust. He said that might explain why he had heard tell of aerials insisting to human children that they could fly if they just grasped a bit of the light they left as they flew.

They hadn’t planned on finishing the novella in its entirety that night, yet at some time near three in the morning, Chise closed the book without needing to mark it. She rubbed her eyes with her palm a taking a long yawn. She muttered pardon me around her droopy eyes before noticing the Elias had stiffened in his crisscross position, no longer resting his head on her shoulder but staring out at nothing.

“Elias, is something wrong? Did you like the story?”

“Nothing is...wrong and I liked it...except maybe the ending?” The question in his tone seemed aimed at himself rather than anyone listening.

Chise shifted, setting aside the torch and book so she could hold his hand as she settled against his chest. His free hand found her shoulder, rubbing it absently as he stretched out into a more comfortable position that they could fall asleep in. Chise felt the pent-up tension in his frame ease just a bit.

“What didn’t you like?”

“When Wendy and the lost boys returned to London but Peter chose to stay in Neverland, I felt uneasy. And then again when he returned years later and felt betrayed that Wendy had grown and married even though he had been given every chance to stay with her. It felt...familiar but in an uncomfortable way.”

Chise drew another yawn trying to fight the fluttering in her eyes.

“I don’t know if there’s a specific name for that feeling, empathy? Nostalgia maybe?” She shrugged “but I think you saw a bit of yourself in Peter and what he ended up doing felt scary because it felt like something you have done or might do?” What a shameful teacher she was! Elias was being open and honest while she couldn’t keep her eyes open!

He hummed. “That might be it.” He said flatly.

He was very scared to admit it, but in addition to what he had confessed to Chise, there had been one scene in particular that sent ice down his spine. When Peter had flown ahead to London, trying to bar the window and prevent Wendy from leaving Elias had thought of how he had almost lost the love of his bride through no fault but his own. He had very nearly been the boy flying at the window sill, watching in hurt and betrayal as his Wendy formed a life without him.

He gripped her shoulder a bit tighter.

“In some ways you are a bit like Peter, unstuck in time I mean.” Her blinks we’re getting much longer as she continued. “But Peter refused to grow up, even when given the chance. You really don’t give yourself enough credit sometimes.” She was rambling a bit, her words considerably less guarded in her half asleep state. “Anytime you do something wrong you always admit it and I’ve seen you grow from it. Even this, I mean yeah we’re technically indulging in childhood but not because we don’t want to grow up. But because growing up too soon took childhood from us and kept us from growing properly.” Elias noticed that Chise was including herself in this observation and wondered at it. Perhaps it was simple drowsiness. But perhaps not.

Chise rested her cheek against his chest, “We’re not in Neverland anymore.” Her weight went slack against him as her eyes sealed shut like a flower closing its bloom.

Elias quietly watched her shoulders rise and fall as light snores whistled through her loosely parted lips. He wasn’t sure he understood everything she had meant, or if Chise had even understood while sleep was setting in her, but felt comforted by her easy assurance. If she thought he was different from Peter Pan, he would believe her. He had learned that her intuition was right far more often than it was wrong.

He released the spell holding the quilted dome overhead and it floated on top of them before wrapping them up in warmth. Something caught his eye on the right of the bed and he shifted carefully to grasp it.

Elias was very quiet, except for the occasional chuckle, so as not to wake his Chise while he thumbed through the comic one more time before bed.

[seenashwrite]

The Nail: May 2017

I see lots of weekly/bi-weekly/monthly fic recommendation lists going around, and I think this is absolutely wonderful exposure for writers from their peers and those who may not write, but sure do enjoy reading. 

A great thing about the lists I've seen is their focus on certain categories of fic - very ideal for readers to sort what they'd like to read; thing is, I haven't personally seen one that focuses solely on the quality of the writing.

You know - Character dimension. Writing with clever readers in mind. Crazy crisp dialogue. Incredibly tight plotting. Big emotion.

So what’s the scoop on The Nail?  

Since there's lots of opportunity to get on the aforementioned types of lists, The Nail's not gonna focus on those. You can find more detail on what that means HERE.

What The Nail isn't about is perfection. It isn't about Pulitzer-level contenders. It's about seeing focus and effort radiate out of the screen.

Though I focus on Supernatural, it doesn't matter what fandom or if it is a completely original work; how "known" or "unknown" the author may be; poetry, series, long, short  - quality is quality. If an author nailed it, they [and others] should know it.

And here's the thing: I'm not going to be the only one making the call - YOU are the main curators. The aim is to kick out a round-up on/near the top of every month, filled with what you think is the best of the lot. The link to every post will be archived at the main page for The Nail linked above.

How to get it to me?

Dear Nash IS THE PREFERENCE [link to fic + your comment for why you’ve nominated]

Tag me when you re-blog it, noting you’ve tagged me specifically for “The Nail” consideration

If you forgot to add a comment in your re-blog on why you want it considered for “The Nail”, send it via message

UPDATE 12/2017: Go here to get the scoop on what “The Nail” is looking for, then over here to submit your nomination. I won’t take ‘em by tagging me or PMs or Asks, purely for organization sake!

Why are you being asked to comment on why you loved it? 

Other than serving to encourage the author, you and your recommendation are *also* going to be noted in The Nail, because awesome readers deserve some props, too.  Think of it as a virtual book jacket with featured quotes from an author's peers.

Keep scrolling for some fics I've reviewed during my time here - they contain a variety of subject matter and all feature a common thread: Quality.

(And you can always find my original reviews of these & others by searching for the hashtag - Nash Gives [Feed]back)

For your reblogging convenience, here’s The Nail Master Post of Editions!

* All from the world of “Supernatural unless otherwise noted - untitled works use the first few words as substitute - listed in no particular order *

SHORTER [1,500-ish & below, such as gif-inspired, drabbles & whatnots]

@idreamofhazel - SAM WAS, FOR ALL INTENTS AND PURPOSES [...]

A light vignette on how what others see - and perhaps how we see ourselves - is not all there is to the story of a person.

@lipstickandwhiskey - CONVALLARIA

Did you hear the one about the artist who walked into a flower shop and met a former jailbird angel? Haven’t?  No worries, it’s all explained in this lovely tale.

@castielhasthetardis - DIFFERENCES

A slightly serious with touches of sweetness story with nicely done characterizations.

@impala-dreamer - I WANNA HOLD YOUR HAND

An incredibly well-constructed drabble that [for this reviewer] still hasn't been beat in terms of telling a fleshed-out story in such a short space while keeping an even tone throughout.

@leatherwhiskeycoffeeplaid - THE ONE WITH THE GIRL FROM POUGHKEEPSIE

If you've ever wondered why "Poughkeepsie" was the stop-everything-and-go signal for the Winchester brothers, look no further. [**unable to tag, if someone would kindly let them know**]

@hamartiamacguffin - TOLD YA

Laughter guaranteed in this top-shelf, perfectly written, gut-busting tale of an encounter with a most formidable foe.

@bringmesomepie56 - I STEPPED INTO THE ROOM [...]

A vignette on comfort that shows restraint in dialogue and descriptors without losing tone, and emphasizes a balance in both characters' needs being met.

@whispersandwhiskerburn - OFFICER, LOOK [...]

Very smile-inducing, funny and witty tale of the trials of helping Dean talk his way out of a jam.

@zepppie  - NO PLACE LIKE HOME... UNTIL NOW

An engaging & grin-worthy little tale with a unique setting - if you need a touch of levity in your day, this should do the trick nicely.

@chaos-and-the-calm67 - FIRST TIME

Great little quickie-fic with a sassy protagonist and a sexy interaction over a game of pool.

@demondean-for-kingofhell - ITCH

A short, tightly-written, humorous tale. No more will be revealed so as not to ruin the plot, other than this: Dean's got an itch to scratch.

@itsnotsammy - ANGELS ARE REAL [...]

Quick burst of a tale that takes on the perspective of a person making the leap from innocence of a sort to full-blown knowledge.

@impala-dreamer - WHAT NOW

A limited dialogue vignette taking on the perspective of a person whose life has been saved by the Winchesters, with nice detailed touches that paint the picture of her experience.

@calaphrass - SAM EATS BLACKBERRIES [...]

Tightly-written piece that has an allegorical bend & looks at how we can make substitutions, replace the bad with the good, though it never erases the pull of the past.

@just-another-busy-fangirl - MILK

A graveyard shift at the Gas-n-Sip gets a lot more interesting for a bored clerk when a black Impala pulls up out front. Get ready to laugh.  

@fanforfanatic - WATCH FOREVER

An introspective, yet not weighed-down, vignette on what Dean sees when he stops and takes in his life.

@amanda-teaches - THE RADIO

A humorous tale involving what is possibly Dean’s #1 pet peeve.

 @blackcaptainrogers - HEROES

A story with a perspective twist not typically seen, highlighting the blend of trepidation with strength that is felt when confronted with needed sacrifice, and a nice touch of closure at the end.

@lipstickandwhiskey - MR. CHERRY PIE [PT.2]

A well-paced, short-and-sweet story with a thoughtful, reminiscent Dean who considers what might have been - and then, just maybe, what still could be.

.

MID-WAY [around 1,500 - 2,000-ish]

@storyofawinchester - FLOATING

Lovely, considerate, dark and introspective short story written with a poetic feel that has resolution without going sappy.

@fanforfanatic - WE'LL BUILD A TREEHOUSE

Suggests what life might be like should the Winchesters “retire” to dip into an average life and resists the pull into the saccharine in favor of mixing sweet with sour, and is all the better for it.

@roxy-davenport - HARD HABIT TO BREAK 

Do you like a touch of angst with your Dean Winchester? With some love and a splash of naughty, too?  Search no further.

@fanforfanatic - THE ORANGE THING

Easy read of a story that’s guaranteed to make you chuckle, all about an everyday activity gone rogue.

.

LONGER [2,000-ish & beyond]

@butiaintgonnaloveem - IT'S A DYING INDUSTRY [PT.2]

Well-written and well-researched story with an inventive plot, touches of humor amongst the creepy - so it nails the Supernatural vibe - and spot-on characterization.

@seljepw - PRACTICAL ANIMISM

Well-crafted story, from structure to plot to verbiage, all about the Impala's early life with the Winchesters - and all from Baby's perspective.

@fanforfanatic - TAKE ME HOME

A palate cleanser from sappy and shmoopy that’s well-written and abundantly realistic for anyone who’s ever been in a long-term relationship that should work on paper but just won’t in reality.

@butiaintgonnaloveem - THAT SPECIAL SOMEONE

A what-may-have-happened tale, set during Sam's time at Stanford, with a solidly fleshed-out protagonist and plot, tied up with a spot-on ending.

.

DEEP DIVES * Series that are just kicking into gear, but are off to a hell of a world-building start *

@carryonmycobaltangel - BEGINNING AGAIN

A post-apocalyptic tale - "It was never like this. A time where humanity forcefully became a part of a game where the only options were dying a bloody death while on the run, or turning into one of them."

@idreamofhazel - THE BOYKING

An alternative universe -  "Sam became Azazel’s Boyking. Dean couldn’t stop it and now he lives in uncomfortable tolerance of Sam, struggling to understand why this happened."

.

OTHER FANDOMS

@buckykingofmemes [ Mod: @hellenhighwater ] - CLOSET SOFTIE: OR, HOW BUCKY BARNES NEARLY RUINED HIS TOUGH-GUY REP

A precision-crafted, hilarious delight that starts with missing trail mix and goes on to view a handful of situations through the eyes of one very confused Clint Barton.

.

ORIGINAL WORK

@hamartiamacguffin - A GENTLE, TIRED SIGH

A short, melancholic, somewhat poetic tale that is an excellent example of putting just enough plot information out there so the ending can unfurl gracefully.

Happy reading!

[PS: I have several more in my “To Review” folder - just ‘cause you’re not on the list for May doesn’t mean you won’t be soon!]

[pagerunner-j]

With everything that’s been going on I admit I’m too worn down to trust myself with a final revision on this, let alone a title, so the fic below is not on AO3 yet. It’ll get there. Eventually. In the meantime, though, I wanted to write and share something, so have a Critical Role vignette.

In brief, it’s early in Keyleth and Vax’s relationship, and Keyleth has just come to Percy with a question about it...

--

Percy was alone in his workshop when Keyleth found him for what he’d later refer to as That Conversation. And his solitude was a mercy, really, because when she greeted him, fumbled through the half-hearted beginnings of polite conversation, then blurted out, “I need to ask you some advice. About…sex,” he made the most undignified sound imaginable, and almost dropped a hammer on his foot.

It had been an uneventful evening up until that point. Percy had been catching up on some weapon repairs and minor improvements: nothing glamorous, just odd jobs and necessities. He hadn’t prepared for company, and in fact had thought the door was locked for safety’s sake. Still, here was Keyleth, looking like she’d been preparing for sleep before restlessly wandering off. Her circlet was absent, her hair was loose, and, to Percy’s horror, her feet were bare. He tried to shoo her back from the metal shavings all around him even as he asked at an unfortunately high pitch, “What?”

“I know, I know, that came out of nowhere. I’m sorry. But I…I’ve had a lot on my mind. And I wanted to talk to someone. Because…there’s Vax. And I’m not sure how to go about this, and…”

Percy took in her anxious expression and a deep breath all at once. This was happening. This of all conversations was suddenly happening. He rubbed one hand over his face. “All right. Let’s…slow down. I’m going to finish what I was doing before something explodes, and you can sit there, on that bench, and then when I’m done we’ll talk about whatever exactly is troubling you. Does that sound good?”

“Yes.” She nodded perhaps a bit too quickly. “Okay.”

“Right.” Percy looked at her a moment longer, then turned sharply to his worktable to square away his equipment. By the time he was done and had shrugged off his protective leathers, leaving him in an admittedly sweaty shirt and with soot probably smudged every which way, Keyleth was seated, and had moved on to worrying at her hair and tracing patterns across the dusty floor with one big toe. Percy brushed his hands clean on a nearby cloth and sat beside her. For a second both of them just thought.

Finally he said, “I’m sorry if I was abrupt just then, but you took me rather aback, and I have to ask…”

“Why I asked you?”

“Well, that and other things.”

Keyleth nodded and let both hands fall into her lap. “I guess I’ll start over. So. You know Vax and I have kind of started a relationship. Thing. Obviously.”

“Yes, that was a bit noticeable.”

“And we’ve kissed, and that was nice, and we’ve cuddled, and that was nice, and there’ve been a few other things—“

“I’m willing to take your word on that without exhaustive detail.”

“But I’ve never done this before.” Her expression turned both concerned and annoyed. “I mean, I know how it works, I’m not stupid. It’s not considered shameful among the Ashari to discuss our bodies, we’re taught how to be responsible and respectful, I know my cantrips, but it’s just…complicated, when it’s new. And I want to figure out how to make it good more than only knowing the basics. You know?”

Percy wasn’t sure whether to nod in understanding or feel more alarmed at what his part in this conversation was expected to be. He settled for saying, “Um, yes?”

“But I had no idea who to ask.” She shook her head. “I mean, I can’t talk to Vex, not about her brother. She’ll just pretend to vomit. Or actually vomit.”

“Either seem likely.”

“And I’d be fine with asking Pike”—which she said casually enough that Percy had an unusually vivid moment of contemplating their cleric’s sex life, which he made himself stop immediately—“but she’s not here. So I started thinking maybe I should talk to one of the boys instead, to get your perspective? But…that leaves me with Grog. Or Scanlan.”

Percy said faintly, “Dear gods, don’t start with Scanlan.”

“Or there’s you.” She gave him a faintly wistful smile. “And I trust you.”

“Well.” A little flicker of feeling, fond and also wistful in an odd sort of way, went through him. “That’s dreadfully misguided of you, but I suppose I should be flattered.”

Keyleth nudged his shoulder with her own, making a pfft sort of noise, then sighed. “So. That’s why I’m here. Asking for advice. Because I figured you’d know, and…” She stopped short. “Um. I mean. You do know, right? Because you’ve never actually talked about sex much, and I figured you were just being stuffy like usual, but I might be assuming—oh, gods, don’t tell me I assumed…”

Percy knew, just knew, that he was turning bright red. “No. That is, yes, I’ve had sex, and no, you didn’t wrongly assume.” He cast his own gaze skyward. “And Pelor above, I was not prepared to be having this conversation.”

“So was it with women, or men, or…?”

Percy made another strangled sound. “Let’s set that aside and go on with saying I’m familiar with your general scenario, all right?”

“All right.” She paused. Percy waited her out, watching her work her way to an even more tentative question. “So would you say there’s anything I should do that he might…like?”

He opened his mouth, shut it again. Of course there were thoughts flitting around his head—bits of memories and ideas trying to get his attention—but none of those were the point just now. “Keyleth, I think perhaps that’s…not the first step.”

She sounded frustrated. “I need somewhere to start.”

“But that ought to be with you.” He turned on the bench to face her better, reaching for words as he did. He didn’t intend to say as much, but what experience he’d had didn’t exactly lend itself as a model. The best he could do was work with the evidence at hand, and the consideration he knew Keyleth deserved. “Listen. I can’t speak for Vax’s preferences, which is another point I’ll be getting to, but I know he’s aware you’re new to this, and that he doesn’t mean to pressure you. And”—his voice went slightly wry—“no matter how much shit Vax and I may give each other, I can trust without reservation that in this, he’ll be kind.”

“I know that. I just…I don’t want to be some fragile, wilting flower.” She grimaced and kicked at a stray casing, sending it pinging off across the floor. “I want to impress him.”

Remembering the awed look he’d seen on Vax’s face many a time when watching Keyleth, Percy said quietly, “I assure you, you already do.”

“Really?”

“Most definitely.”

“So you mean…”

“Just be you, Keyleth.” He meant to stop there, but a few more things slipped out, no matter how he knew both of them could be about compliments. “Fierce, gentle, unsure, powerful, however you’re feeling. He knows those things about you. He loves you for them. I have to give him credit for that, because he’s right to.”

She blushed and hunched her shoulders around her ears. After a minute of thought, though, she relaxed somewhat. She hooked her hair back over one ear, twisted her lips, then blew out a long breath. “So you’re basically saying just show up, wing it, and hope for the best?”

“Well, not just that. I think it’s more important to talk to Vax than talk to me. If you’re trying to figure out some sort of…of sexy surprises, you can get to that when you’re more familiar with each other.” He paused. “Why are you smirking at me?”

She grinned wider. “Sexy surprises,” she repeated, exaggerating his tone. Percy groaned.

“You asked,” he protested, a little despairing, and she laughed. Oddly, it helped. “Also a valid point.” He gestured her way with one hand. “Don’t make the mistake of taking any of this too seriously.”

“The whole thing is pretty absurd, isn’t it?”

“Sex? Yes.” He hitched one shoulder. “But it’s not without its appeal.”

“That’s how you’re summing it up.”

“You did say I was insufferably stuffy.”

“Not insufferably,” she retorted, but Percy nudged her this time. Keyleth responded by leaning over and kissing him on the cheek. Percy tilted a look at her.

“What was that for?”

“For helping,” she said simply.

“Well. Thank you. Although I’m not sure I gave you anything sufficiently specific.”

“You gave me enough,” she said, and got up, brushing her dress straight. Percy looked at her there in the firelight and pondered a few things in silence until she interrupted him with, “Besides, I did get some suggestions from other people. Like a couple scented oils that might be useful…”

Percy’s thoughts ground to a halt and provided him a too-vivid image instead. “Um.”

“And Synala told me a long time ago that practicing with cucumbers can help”—she gestured a little too closely to her lips for Percy’s comfort—“although I don’t know if it’s the season around here for those?”

“Keyleth,” he said, strained. She laughed again, giving him a broad wink she was clearly trying to copy from Vex.

“And here I didn’t even get as far as creative uses for grasping vines,” she said, before he started waving his hands and saying, “Enough. Enough. I didn’t need to know about that part. Out.”

She was still laughing when she ducked outside his door, leaving Percy alone and a little bit shellshocked. “What just…” he murmured, before trailing off into a chuckle of his own. All he could really think in that moment was, Absurdities, indeed…

After a while, he got up and went back to his work.

And although the room may have gone dimmer for Keyleth’s absence, at least the thought of her parting smile lingered for a while.

[attract-mode-collective]

Review: A Day with Sid, Ed, & CD-i

Longtime readers may be less than surprised to learn that I have a deep fondness for infomercials designed to sell game hardware, be they arcade machines or computers and consoles. Why? Well, they’re the perfect combination of the two things I loved most growing up, that being video games and late night television, both of which were at their absolute apex around the early 90s (IMHO).

The one I watched and loved the most was a 30 minute long piece of paid programming dedicated to the Phillips CD-i, which attempted to usher CD-ROM based entertainment into living rooms during the 16-bit era of gaming and ultimately failed, with much of its infamy due to the rather poor utilization of Nintendo IP that Phillips had access to (due to them being there to pick up the pieces of the SNES CD project, when Nintendo and Sony had a falling out).

Alas, I have yet to find an acceptable, let alone complete copy on YouTube. I should know; I regularly check and see if one has been finally uploaded. The bits and pieces that are currently present is the infomercial split into three parts (it was shared at a time in which uploads could not be longer than ten minutes), and even then, a sizable chunk of the beginning portion is missing. Though during a regular check, I came across the existence of a second informercial that I had no idea existed!

Despite the beginning being cut off here as well, enough of the set-up is present for the following half-hour to make sense. Basically, we have a pair of twin brothers in the same line of business, more or less: assisting those with technical difficulties.

Ed is a repair person who specializes in VCRs, game systems, and personal computers. Consumer tech that the informercial portrays as being less than consumer friendly, to the point that they’re practically consumer hostile. As such, Ed’s characterization reflects this stance; he’s slow, lazy, and aloof. Which is pretty much all the justification that Sid needs to swoop in and hijack Ed’s clientele, to then perform his role of CD-i salesperson.

Sid believes that he’s not so much stealing them but is instead “steering them in the right direction” and even describes himself as a “Robin Hood for the information age”. The dude loves his job, cuz he loves the CD-i! All of which is illustrated via three vignettes that the informercial presents. The first is Little Timmy and the Wrong Button and it depicts an early 90s mom and her young early 90s son, at the computer… dad’s computer to be exact. The scene opens with mom trying to get a game running by inserting a long string of DOS commands. When she has to step away from the computer, to refer to some manual that’s high atop the book shelf, her child disobeys the commandment of not touching the keyboard, which results in him completely erasing the hard drive.

Believe it or not, for the younger folks reading this, such a scene was somewhat common in television and film at the time: kids were portrayed as being dumb, unable to grasp technology. Crazy, I know! Anyhow, the point of this scene is to demonstrate that computers are super fragile and needlessly complicated, so mom makes a call to Ed, though Sid shows up instead (mom actually calls an office, where Ed’s boss is, who relays jobs to his repairman in the field via CB radio, which Sid snoops in on… kinda messed up, I know). As he barges inside the house, Sid states “So, you hit a pot hole in the information super highway, huh?”

Mom points towards the computer but Sid makes his way straight towards the TV and hooks up a later model of the CD-i, the one that resembles a game console, so I know it came after the other informercial, cuz that one featured the version of the hardware that looks like a VCR. Anyhow, Sid immediately starts doing his pitch, which is how the CD-i does everything a computer can, but instead of a tiny monitor on a desk, you can enjoy everything on your big ass living room TV and on the comfort of your couch.

And what’s the first piece of software to demonstrate the power of CD-i, to not only impress the young man in the skit but everyone watching at home? Why, an edutainment title called Crayon Factory. Seriously. Sid (presumably) gets the idea after noticing the young scribbling all over the walls of the house with crayons, though he’s a bit too old for such behavior. And thus we have my fave little touch of the informercial; when the kid inserts the disc, Sid adjusts it so its properly resting on the spool. Not sure why I like that so much…

But yeah, it’s hardly the first taste for the viewing audience at home that I would have chosen. Yet Crayon Factory is exciting enough for Sid to steal the controller (and a rather cheap looking one at that; on the long list of problems with the CD-i is the rather chintzy input devices) from the boy and play the game himself. While playing, Sid continues on with the hard sell, by noting “CD-i has everything you get with a CD-ROM… except the problems!” Which means zero loading time (not according to footage I’ve seen on YouTube) and no complicated equipment (speaking as a Mac guy, I will agree that PCs are hard to figure out, sorry). He also runs down all the other things that the machine can play, like music CDs (this is the early 90s and compact discs were still relatively new) and movies (with Four Weddings And A Funeral mentioned, the first instance of several) plus actual video games!

The first legit gameplay we see is of Chaos Control, a rather subpar on-rails shooter that heavily relies upon full motion video. But instead of the enemies being sprites that are super imposed on top, which is usually the case, here they’re part of the pre-rendered backdrop. So when you shoot something, it becomes obscured by a puff of smoke, and a really crappy looking one at that. It’s also worth noting that Chaos Control was released on other platforms, and I see the Japanese Sega Saturn version a lot when looking for imports on eBay. There are TONS of copies out there for sale and no one’s buying.

Mom is less than impressed, cuz she’s a woman, and women don’t play video games, according to the informercial. Though she’s also worried about how her husband will react to the loss of the computer (which is referred to as to simply “the CD-ROM”; I think it has less to do with a female being unfamiliar with tech yet again, and more with how no one on staff was fluent period). Which is why Sid bring up Palm Springs Golf, cuz all dads love golf, right? Though CD-is are for mothers as well, which is why Sid introduces her to Kathy Smith Personal Trainer, a work out video disc that has an aerobics instructor with an eye patch. Just figured I’d mention that.

After Four Weddings And A Funeral’s name is dropped for the second time (btw, not once does the informercial ever show a clip, we never even see what the packaging looks like), several other games are mentioned. Nothing manages to pique mom’s interest, until she finds out that there’s a CD-i version of Jeopardy, which is what allows mother and child to bond over technology, and in a way that simply is impossible via CD-ROM or any other old-fashioned piece of tech! As Sid exits the house, after successfully extolling the virtues of the CD-i yet again, he comes across Ed who is only now arriving (his tardiness is largely due to the nap he took on the way). Sid notes “not to make excuses for him, but Ed was born twenty minutes after me and has been late ever since.” Sick burn Sid, sick burn.

Afterwards is the first commercial break within the commercial programming, which is consistent with the format of the medium. This is the first opportunity for the viewing audience to purchase their own machine, for just 8 payments of $62.50? That’s $500. Plus $19.95 for shipping and handling (also, please allow 6 to 8 weeks for delivery). The selection of software and entertainment available is detailed, including yet another mention of Four Weddings And A Funeral (we are told there are plenty of movies for the platform, but we only ever hear about one specifically, with the key word here being “hear”). I seem to recall the Turbo Duo’s hefty price tag being justified with a slew of quality pack in titles, and the CD-i is no slouch in comparison… of the six discs included there’s Chaos Control (yawn), Space Ace (okay, that’s slightly better), Compton’s Encyclopedia (okay, before there was Wikipedia there were encyclopedias, so I can see Compton’s actually being a legit enticing piece of software at the time), and a Beatles cover record.

Next is our second tale of truth and discovery, entitled Game Machine. The scene opens up in a living room inhabited by three totally radical teens. The kid any gamer could at home could totally relate to! One’s playing an unspecified game console, another’s just rocking on to some killer tunes via headphones. Unfortunately he gets a bit into the music and ends up knocking over the console, which breaks (which upon freezing of the frame reveals an answering machine instead of a SNES or Genesis). This pisses of the third kid, who had been chillin’ on the couch, eating pizza while on his back (I used to that a lot as a kid… okay, not really). It’s his house and the console is technically his father’s, so a call for help is made.

As before, Sid intercepts Ed’s communiqué from his boss. And as one might expect, video games take center stage in this segment; first up is a full motion driven adventure game called Burn:Cycle that’s about cyber espionage though the mid 90s lens (the best kind, of course). Which is where my other fave shot from the infomercial shows up, right after one of them bites it. I love it when actors are supposed to do something that should be natural, yet either due to poor acting skills or a clueless director (I want to believe in this case it’s the latter), it comes off as anything but... 

We then check in on Ed real quick, who is being proactive this time but unfortunately got the address wrong, so he instead shows up at some biker gang’s hideout. Back to Sid, who details the second game for the segment… and it’s Chaos Control for the second time?! Footage from Space Ace is shown after, which is odd, given the type of game that the CD-i was practically made for. Otherwise… we’re constantly told that there are 200 titles available, but the same ones that were showcased with the mom and the small boy are mentioned yet again, even the workout video.

This second segment is not as interesting as the first one, plus it’s not as long either. When the gamer dorks assume that dad has come home, they start panicking because the place is a mess, due to abundance of half eaten pizza slices all over the place (cuz, you know, teenagers). But it’s Ed, who got lost on the way; instead of the boys’ house, he encountered a biker gang. Though we get zero explanation as to what, if anything, had happened.

The ending is also fairly anticlimactic, and the whole thing’s a disappointment to be honest. After a repeat of the commercial break from before, we arrive at the third and final vignette, A VCR’s Last Meal. So you all know already what this one is going to be. As before, the scene opens up in a living room with a man and a woman, a couple sitting on the couch, watching a movie. Sid tells us that they’re movie buffs, though he also explains how their VCR has also developed “quite the appetite” for film as well, hence why they’re regular customers of Ed.

Not surprisingly, their tape (which we are told is Forest Gump, and not Four Weddings And A Funeral; talk about a missed opportunity to flex the CD-i version being superior over the VHS edition) is eaten up by their machine. A call is immediately made the guy has a slightly argumentative exchange on the phone, who states that because of their extended warranty, he wants Ed to give it another shot at fixing it. Ed gets the dispatch, but his hands are full, eating what appears to be two maybe even three slices of pizza at once... 

At this point, the infomercial’s negative characterization of Ed and all that he represents officially went over the line. Sid, whose very healthy lunch is an assortment of fruit and vegetable slices and is an additional dig at his brother, decides to steal yet another client from Ed. What a jerk.

The moment Sid arrives, he barges himself into the couple’s abode, replaces the VCR with a CD-i and considers the job done. The dude wonders what the f and our pitchman explains that he’s offering a new way to consume movies. Sid identifies just one title… any guesses which… and then goes onto to tout the CD-quality sound. The girlfriend or wife (not sure what the nature of their relationship really is) seems immediately sold, but the boyfriend or husband is not. So Sid fires up a movie, and just when we see a “Feature Presentation” graphic, he suggests play a video game instead? Great, so Four Weddings And A Funeral is seriously the ONLY movie for the platform, which they either don’t have the rights to show footage from or maybe it’s not even ready.

The game we see is Caesars World of Boxing. Sid initially hands the controller over to the man but then gives it to the woman instead. Cuz it’s funny you see. Because women don’t play video games you see. We briefly cut to Ed who is having engine troubles, and then it’s back to the woman playing the boxing game. And only her. Not sure if it’s a one player game only or if Sid simply doesn’t have a second controller. Can you plug more than one controller into the machine? I honestly don’t know! The woman is way into the game, mostly the violence, so Sid cuts her bloodlust off by popping in the CD-i version of Clue. It’s a video board game that has clips of all the characters, and because it’s not footage from the famous movie, I didn’t care and you probably won’t either.

The third video game used to convince a movie buff couple as to why they should dump their VCR for a CD-i is Burn:Cycle of all things. Afterwards, while Sid is applying the icing on the cake by pointing out how machine also plays games in addition to video games and nonexistent movies, Ed shows up looking pretty pissed. And for good reason; this bother has been stealing his customers for the past 24 minutes, or should I say stealing Ed of his livelihood. What we get is a shot in which Sid and Ed are facing each other, and since it’s the same actor playing both roles once again, it’s a bit of trick photography, but because their eye lines are not meeting the special effect is less than convincing. Anyhow, as Ed rambles on about how the couple is like family, the woman slips in a copy of Mad Dog McCree. Given how it’s an interactive movie, front and center, why wasn’t it brought up front and center to the film fanatics? Then again, playing a light gun with a standard controller is always lame, so maybe that’s why it barely gets any screen time.

In the middle of this, Sid notes that it’s quitting time for both him and his brother, so cut to them sitting on the couch, alongside the couple, with Ed enjoying some Mad Dog McCree himself! Am shocked it’s not all of them watching a movie, Four Weddings And A Funeral of course (we don’t see what they’re seeing, so it could have been possible). Sid’s voice over states “A minute of CD-i and years of rivalry just disappeared!” The last shot we see, before the infomercial ends with the third and final showing of the commercial, is of the van driving off. Before it said Sid’s CD-i Sales but there’s been some alterations, and now it states Sid & Ed’s CD-i Sales. Isn’t that cute. Am assuming this would last for maybe 4 more months, until Sid was forced to adopt Ed’s line of work. Or who knows, maybe the two would go onto drive around town and pitching Atari Jaguars?