Day 6!
Title: Closed Book
Fandom: Blake's 7
Rating: G
Word Count: 250
Summary: Avon generally finds people easy to read ...
On the whole, Avon found people depressingly easy to read.
Everyone was always so boring. You could work out what they would do and then they did it. People always thought they were so far above animals but Avon disagreed. Humans were as predictable as rats running around in a maze.
At the same time, it was rather useful having them like that. It meant that most of the time, he didn’t have to worry. He could just get on with things, safe in the knowledge that the idiots all around him would do exactly what he had predicted.
It’s why, when he is in a mellow mood, he might admit to actually liking some of his fellow crewmates.
Particularly Vila. Vila appeared an open book to people that didn’t know him. A cowardly, idiotic thief who just wanted what he could get out of life. That’s the face he showed to the world and it was the face that most people just accepted. And there was truth to it - as there should be, the best lies always contain some truth.
But there’s more to Vila than that. Both entertainingly and interestingly so. There’s a cleverness, a slyness that Avon liked. Vila wasn’t exactly manipulative … most of the time anyway. Avon actually rather liked that. It was quite different and certainly entertaining,
Not that he was ever going to tell Vila that, of course. Or anybody.
Avon preferred to think of himself as a closed book in that respect.
Title: How To Solve a Problem
Fandom: Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Rating: G
Word Count: 141
Summary: Giles has always felt you can solve problems with books.
Giles had once felt that you could solve every problem with the right book.
A childish belief, of course and one that had really persisted far longer than it ought to have done. There were a lot of problems that could be solved that way, of course. A lot of issues that people wouldn’t find nearly so difficult to cope with if they’d read a few books, thought a little more. And the Watchers Council had always supported the idea that things could all be solved if you read and researched enough. Perhaps it was only natural that he’d felt this way.
Perhaps if you lived in a world that ran purely on logic and not on emotion, books might always be the always solution.
Of course, the problem was that there was no such thing as a world without emotions.
Title: Record
Fandom: Death Note
Rating: G
Word Count: 154
Summary: Raito likes looking at the Notebook
Sometimes, Raito likes to flick back through the Death Note and look at what he has achieved.
It’s a strange thing - some sort of Shinigami magic, no doubt - but the book never seems to get any thicker or thinner. Yet all of the pages are still there and there are always new ones to write on. He can turn slowly back to the beginning, see the neat columns of names he has written. Criminals he has killed. Enemies he has defeated. If he keeps turning the pages, he can find himself right back at the beginning; the first clumsy, uncertain names. The first days before he realised his glorious purpose. Sometimes there are a few things that make him grown - the uncertainty at first and they angry scrawl of the name “Lind L Taylor.” He doesn’t ever tear out any used pages though.
It’s good to have a record of God’s judgement after all.
Title: An Awkward Proposal
Fandom: Harry Potter
Rating: G
Pairing: Ron Weasley/Hermione Granger
Word Count: 307
Summary: Ron wasn't exactly comfortable with asking Hermione to marry him ...
“I can’t,” Ron said.
He’d turned that interesting shade of green that he always did when he was nervous and the hands that were holding the book were shaking. Harry resisted the urge to snatch it from his hands and smack him around the head with it.
“Ron, you’ve been her friend for years. And you’ve been going out with her for quite a lot of those years. It’ll be fine.”
“You ask her!”
“You want me to ask your girlfriend to marry you?”
“Yeah!” Ron said, looking more cheerful already. “That’d be good, thanks!”
This time, Harry did grab the book and smack Ron around the head with it. As Ron yelped and complained, the door opened and Hermione came in. She didn’t look particularly surprised to see Harry there, nor to see that Ron was looking indignant.
“Hello Harry. Are you here for tea? Is Ginny joining you?”
“No,” Harry said. “I was just dropping by. Ron’s bought you a book.”
He handed her the new, revised edition of Hogwarts: A History that he was holding and shoved Ron forwards before leaving the room as Hermione gave an excited squeak and began flipping through the pages. It wasn’t quite the romantic proposal Ron had planned before he’d got cold feet about the whole matter but the ring was still carefully tucked inside the book and in a moment, Hermione would find it and that was all that mattered. Harry knew she’d say yes without a second thought. She’d been telling Harry that she was going to propose to Ron herself soon because it was obvious he was never getting round to it himself which was why Harry had given him a small push. Hermione would know of course. She always knew.
He heard a squeal from the living room and grinned.
She’d probably forgive him.
Title: Predictable
Fandom: The Hunger Games (Movieverse)
Rating: PG
Pairing: Haymitch/Effie
Word Count: 437
Summary: Effie's arrivals and departures are near always the same. Small movie spoilers.
It always happens like this.
Effie arrives in a swirl of bright colour, bags and enthusiasm. She hurls her arms around Haymitch and kisses him with disgusting enthusiasm while Peeta and I snigger behind our hands. Haymitch tolerates it for a bit, then starts spluttering and Effie lets him go and comes to greet us.
“You’re so thin, Katniss! Peeta, you should be feeding her up! Honestly!”
We both nod and promise to do better even though as she says this every time, we’re not too worried about it. Effie comes into our house to give us the presents she’s bought - she’s always bought presents - and to check that we’re keeping the place tidy. It usually passes muster (although sometimes only just about if I’ve left my boots out!) and then she catches us up with all the gossip. She’s got the knack of telling you stuff lightly so it doesn’t sting, even when it’s people I know about.
Haymitch has a knack too. The minute he sees that it’s bothering me, he sweeps Effie out, insisting he’s got something “special” for her at his house. Sometimes, I go and have a bit of time on my own after that. Sometimes, I stay with Peeta and he holds me. If it’s a good day, we talk about it. If it’s a bad day, we just sit in silence for a while.
Effie comes back later, all smiles. She insists on eating with us for the first night. We talk a bit and usually end up watching something ridiculous and Haymitch complains and Effie tells him he has no soul. They’re usually holding hands though and they always go off together afterwards.
“It’s sweet,” Peeta tells me. “I like it.”
“It’s nauseating,” I tell him firmly. “It will all end in tears.”
I always say that. Technically, I’m always at least partly right. Effie and Haymitch can only be around each other for so long. It’s all lovey-dovey at first, then they begin sniping. At one point, she stuck around after it got that far and it used to turn into fights that sometimes that could get pretty ugly. Haymitch and Effie don’t exactly have a problem yelling at people.
It never gets that far now. When they get to the sniping stage, Effie leaves in a flurry of hugs, tears and promises to come back soon.
“Bloody woman,” Haymitch grumbles after she’s gone. “Don’t know why she keeps coming back.”
Peeta and I both roll our eyes at him and don’t bother to say a word. They’re both so predictable.
I kind of like it like that.
Title: Dorian Gray in the Kitchen
Fandom: Sarah Jane Adventures/Confessions of Dorian Gray
Rating: G
Word Count: 306
Summary: Clyde and Rani thought they'd seen it all. They hadn't.
He sat in Sarah Jane’s kitchen, looking although too handsome for it, clearly not belonging there - and drinking a mug of tea. From one of Luke’s favourite mugs; the one with some mathematical joke that nobody except him actually got.
“Is he really Dorian Gray?” Rani whispered and Sarah Jane nodded her head.
“Who’s Dorian Gray?” Sky asked, her voice maybe a little too loud. Dorian Gray raised an eyebrow and turned his back, politely pretending he couldn’t hear them.
“Clyde, why don’t you tell Sky?” Rani said, giving him a nudge. Clyde gave her a withering look.
“He’s immortal. Sold his soul and it ended up in a portrait so it goes all old and stuff while he stays young and handsome forever.”
He looked super-smug and Rani couldn’t help raising her eyebrow at him. Clyde paused for a moment, then gave a slightly sheepish shrug.
“It was in a film.”
Rani grinned, feeling that order had been restored. Sky didn’t look like she understood any better so Sarah Jane quickly stepped in.
“Only he’s real. The book by Oscar Wilde was based on fact, not invention. Oscar Wilde wrote about him after meeting him. We’ve met before - ”
“And delightful it was too,” Dorian called, his tone ever so slightly wicked. Sarah Jane flushed ever so slightly and pretended that she couldn’t hear him. Clyde and Rani grinned at each other.
“Anyway, he needs our help,” Sarah Jane said. “That’s why he’s here. So I think we should get our thinking caps on. Dorian, be nice.”
“Me? I am always terribly nice,” Dorian said, offering up a charming smile. “I was terribly nice last time, wasn’t I? Anyway, it’s so kind of you to offer me help. I’m quite good at dealing with some things … but I have to say, aliens are just a little beyond my level of expertise … ”
Rani and Clyde looked at each other. Both of them suspected it was going to be a very interesting day …
Fandom: Blake's 7
Rating: G
Word Count: 250
Summary: Avon generally finds people easy to read ...
On the whole, Avon found people depressingly easy to read.
Everyone was always so boring. You could work out what they would do and then they did it. People always thought they were so far above animals but Avon disagreed. Humans were as predictable as rats running around in a maze.
At the same time, it was rather useful having them like that. It meant that most of the time, he didn’t have to worry. He could just get on with things, safe in the knowledge that the idiots all around him would do exactly what he had predicted.
It’s why, when he is in a mellow mood, he might admit to actually liking some of his fellow crewmates.
Particularly Vila. Vila appeared an open book to people that didn’t know him. A cowardly, idiotic thief who just wanted what he could get out of life. That’s the face he showed to the world and it was the face that most people just accepted. And there was truth to it - as there should be, the best lies always contain some truth.
But there’s more to Vila than that. Both entertainingly and interestingly so. There’s a cleverness, a slyness that Avon liked. Vila wasn’t exactly manipulative … most of the time anyway. Avon actually rather liked that. It was quite different and certainly entertaining,
Not that he was ever going to tell Vila that, of course. Or anybody.
Avon preferred to think of himself as a closed book in that respect.
Title: How To Solve a Problem
Fandom: Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Rating: G
Word Count: 141
Summary: Giles has always felt you can solve problems with books.
Giles had once felt that you could solve every problem with the right book.
A childish belief, of course and one that had really persisted far longer than it ought to have done. There were a lot of problems that could be solved that way, of course. A lot of issues that people wouldn’t find nearly so difficult to cope with if they’d read a few books, thought a little more. And the Watchers Council had always supported the idea that things could all be solved if you read and researched enough. Perhaps it was only natural that he’d felt this way.
Perhaps if you lived in a world that ran purely on logic and not on emotion, books might always be the always solution.
Of course, the problem was that there was no such thing as a world without emotions.
Title: Record
Fandom: Death Note
Rating: G
Word Count: 154
Summary: Raito likes looking at the Notebook
Sometimes, Raito likes to flick back through the Death Note and look at what he has achieved.
It’s a strange thing - some sort of Shinigami magic, no doubt - but the book never seems to get any thicker or thinner. Yet all of the pages are still there and there are always new ones to write on. He can turn slowly back to the beginning, see the neat columns of names he has written. Criminals he has killed. Enemies he has defeated. If he keeps turning the pages, he can find himself right back at the beginning; the first clumsy, uncertain names. The first days before he realised his glorious purpose. Sometimes there are a few things that make him grown - the uncertainty at first and they angry scrawl of the name “Lind L Taylor.” He doesn’t ever tear out any used pages though.
It’s good to have a record of God’s judgement after all.
Title: An Awkward Proposal
Fandom: Harry Potter
Rating: G
Pairing: Ron Weasley/Hermione Granger
Word Count: 307
Summary: Ron wasn't exactly comfortable with asking Hermione to marry him ...
“I can’t,” Ron said.
He’d turned that interesting shade of green that he always did when he was nervous and the hands that were holding the book were shaking. Harry resisted the urge to snatch it from his hands and smack him around the head with it.
“Ron, you’ve been her friend for years. And you’ve been going out with her for quite a lot of those years. It’ll be fine.”
“You ask her!”
“You want me to ask your girlfriend to marry you?”
“Yeah!” Ron said, looking more cheerful already. “That’d be good, thanks!”
This time, Harry did grab the book and smack Ron around the head with it. As Ron yelped and complained, the door opened and Hermione came in. She didn’t look particularly surprised to see Harry there, nor to see that Ron was looking indignant.
“Hello Harry. Are you here for tea? Is Ginny joining you?”
“No,” Harry said. “I was just dropping by. Ron’s bought you a book.”
He handed her the new, revised edition of Hogwarts: A History that he was holding and shoved Ron forwards before leaving the room as Hermione gave an excited squeak and began flipping through the pages. It wasn’t quite the romantic proposal Ron had planned before he’d got cold feet about the whole matter but the ring was still carefully tucked inside the book and in a moment, Hermione would find it and that was all that mattered. Harry knew she’d say yes without a second thought. She’d been telling Harry that she was going to propose to Ron herself soon because it was obvious he was never getting round to it himself which was why Harry had given him a small push. Hermione would know of course. She always knew.
He heard a squeal from the living room and grinned.
She’d probably forgive him.
Title: Predictable
Fandom: The Hunger Games (Movieverse)
Rating: PG
Pairing: Haymitch/Effie
Word Count: 437
Summary: Effie's arrivals and departures are near always the same. Small movie spoilers.
It always happens like this.
Effie arrives in a swirl of bright colour, bags and enthusiasm. She hurls her arms around Haymitch and kisses him with disgusting enthusiasm while Peeta and I snigger behind our hands. Haymitch tolerates it for a bit, then starts spluttering and Effie lets him go and comes to greet us.
“You’re so thin, Katniss! Peeta, you should be feeding her up! Honestly!”
We both nod and promise to do better even though as she says this every time, we’re not too worried about it. Effie comes into our house to give us the presents she’s bought - she’s always bought presents - and to check that we’re keeping the place tidy. It usually passes muster (although sometimes only just about if I’ve left my boots out!) and then she catches us up with all the gossip. She’s got the knack of telling you stuff lightly so it doesn’t sting, even when it’s people I know about.
Haymitch has a knack too. The minute he sees that it’s bothering me, he sweeps Effie out, insisting he’s got something “special” for her at his house. Sometimes, I go and have a bit of time on my own after that. Sometimes, I stay with Peeta and he holds me. If it’s a good day, we talk about it. If it’s a bad day, we just sit in silence for a while.
Effie comes back later, all smiles. She insists on eating with us for the first night. We talk a bit and usually end up watching something ridiculous and Haymitch complains and Effie tells him he has no soul. They’re usually holding hands though and they always go off together afterwards.
“It’s sweet,” Peeta tells me. “I like it.”
“It’s nauseating,” I tell him firmly. “It will all end in tears.”
I always say that. Technically, I’m always at least partly right. Effie and Haymitch can only be around each other for so long. It’s all lovey-dovey at first, then they begin sniping. At one point, she stuck around after it got that far and it used to turn into fights that sometimes that could get pretty ugly. Haymitch and Effie don’t exactly have a problem yelling at people.
It never gets that far now. When they get to the sniping stage, Effie leaves in a flurry of hugs, tears and promises to come back soon.
“Bloody woman,” Haymitch grumbles after she’s gone. “Don’t know why she keeps coming back.”
Peeta and I both roll our eyes at him and don’t bother to say a word. They’re both so predictable.
I kind of like it like that.
Title: Dorian Gray in the Kitchen
Fandom: Sarah Jane Adventures/Confessions of Dorian Gray
Rating: G
Word Count: 306
Summary: Clyde and Rani thought they'd seen it all. They hadn't.
He sat in Sarah Jane’s kitchen, looking although too handsome for it, clearly not belonging there - and drinking a mug of tea. From one of Luke’s favourite mugs; the one with some mathematical joke that nobody except him actually got.
“Is he really Dorian Gray?” Rani whispered and Sarah Jane nodded her head.
“Who’s Dorian Gray?” Sky asked, her voice maybe a little too loud. Dorian Gray raised an eyebrow and turned his back, politely pretending he couldn’t hear them.
“Clyde, why don’t you tell Sky?” Rani said, giving him a nudge. Clyde gave her a withering look.
“He’s immortal. Sold his soul and it ended up in a portrait so it goes all old and stuff while he stays young and handsome forever.”
He looked super-smug and Rani couldn’t help raising her eyebrow at him. Clyde paused for a moment, then gave a slightly sheepish shrug.
“It was in a film.”
Rani grinned, feeling that order had been restored. Sky didn’t look like she understood any better so Sarah Jane quickly stepped in.
“Only he’s real. The book by Oscar Wilde was based on fact, not invention. Oscar Wilde wrote about him after meeting him. We’ve met before - ”
“And delightful it was too,” Dorian called, his tone ever so slightly wicked. Sarah Jane flushed ever so slightly and pretended that she couldn’t hear him. Clyde and Rani grinned at each other.
“Anyway, he needs our help,” Sarah Jane said. “That’s why he’s here. So I think we should get our thinking caps on. Dorian, be nice.”
“Me? I am always terribly nice,” Dorian said, offering up a charming smile. “I was terribly nice last time, wasn’t I? Anyway, it’s so kind of you to offer me help. I’m quite good at dealing with some things … but I have to say, aliens are just a little beyond my level of expertise … ”
Rani and Clyde looked at each other. Both of them suspected it was going to be a very interesting day …