10 songs, 10 short fics
Okay, since I'm bored, trying to make myself write, and need a distraction, here's a meme that I saw going around a week or so ago:
1. Pick a character, pairing, or fandom you like
2. Turn on your music player and put it on random/shuffle.
3. Write a drabble related to each song that plays. You only have the time frame of the song to finish the drabble; you start when the song starts and stop when it's over. No lingering afterwards!
4. Do ten of these, then post them.
Fandoms: Well, I don't know if some of these count as fandoms. :D There's Legend of Zelda [of course], as well as two of my original stories in here. Yeah, um. I was planning to be a bit more diverse, but... yeah. I used the music on my sister's computer for this; I may do this again later using my computer's music, since it's different and all.
These are arranged by the fandom, just to help keep things straight.
Legend of Zelda
Song: Within Temptation - Hand of Sorrow
Character: Traitor!Link
“Why aren’t we moving?”
“You have your orders,” I snarl, turning to glare back at my men. “If you insist on fighting, go find one of the other generals. I will not advance until the time is right.”
They keep complaining, but I shut it all out. There, in the middle of the field, I see them. Princess Zelda in her gleaming armor and Ganon in his black cape, facing each other. Even from this far away, her fatigue is clear.
I scowl and turn my attention towards the wall of men on the army’s side. There! He’s little more than a flash of white clothing as he charges out from wherever he was hiding towards the stalemate to stand by the princess.
I hear Ganon’s loud, triumphant laughter, and then I see him turn to face where I stand on the hill.
I draw my sword, holding it high in the air. Dark Link moves to stand in front of the princess. It feels like the world itself is holding its breath.
I savor the moment -- and then I whirl around and slam my blade into the nearest soldier.
My only regret is that I can’t see Ganon’s face.
Song: A Perfect Circle - Passive
Characters: ALttP!Link, Dark Link
I lean against the wall of the pyramid and pull out one of the Silver Arrows. They’re unlike anything I’ve ever seen before, but... at the same time, I think I have seen these somewhere.
Dark doesn’t say anything when I say that. He’s staring out across the Dark World with a strange look on his face. He seems annoyed, but he seems sad, too.
“Dark, I --”
“Not another word,” he snaps.
“Dark...”
He glances over at me and then away again.
What’s the matter? “Please say something.” Anything.
“Don’t ask me about those arrows,” he says, rubbing his face with one sleeve. “I’m not talking about it.”
I nod. I won’t press him.
He nods back. “Then let’s go make Ganon pay.” His voice is so laced with venom and desire for vengeance that it scares me; I suddenly find myself thankful that he’s on my side.
Song: Duran Duran - Come Undone
Character: Future!Link
I wake up in the middle of the night. The room is empty, again, but I can feel weight against my chest and side. I think he’s asleep -- he’s breathing slow -- but it’s hard to tell since I still can’t see him.
I still can’t believe he’s here. I keep waiting to wake up and find him dead. Can shadows not die...? True, how do you destroy a shadow if that which casts it still exists? That... is that why he’s so protective of me? Because my life is his?
I can’t believe I even thought that. I know that isn’t it. I just don’t know how to react to that. He loves me. It’s hard to wrap my head around that. He’s followed me through time just so he can stay with me...
I love him, too, but is it like a brother... or a lover? I don’t know.
Song: t.A.T.u. - Clowns (Can You See Me Now?)
Character: Future!Dark
Another night, another bunch of idiots who think Ganon is a god.
I don’t see it. If he was so mighty, why isn’t he still alive? Pfft. Stupid mortals. The weak need something to cling desperately to so they can pretend they’re strong, and since they’re weak, they can’t cling to themselves.
I keep walking circles around the lot of them, trying to decide which one of them to take out first. Finally, I make my choice and reach out, stepping out of the shadows just enough to slash open his throat; I want to just take his head off, but then that takes some of the fun away.
And if I’m going to kill all of Ganon’s followers -- and I am, Pigman; mark my words -- I’m going to enjoy myself.
Terceira -- swords and sorcery style fantasy story
Song: Shoji Meguro - Master of Tartarus
Characters: Rin, Cael, Cygnus
Reality doubles over and folds, and I think it even tears, and finally I can see straight. The walls of the keep are still intact, so... we must have won. Right? I don’t hear goblins. Then again, I don’t hear anything.
I sit up and look around. The dust is still settling, but the fighting seems to be over now. The soldiers are standing around, staring at the massive golem. I thought that was sealed away?
We don’t have the strength to seal it away, not after breaking it free, Cael’s voice echoes. Three days, perhaps even a week, and then maybe. Worry not, though; I’ve commanded it to wait for further orders. It will not move.
Neither will I; I can’t even stand up.
“Rin!” Cygnus yells, running up from somewhere behind me and throwing his arms around me. “I knew you were alive! I told them I could still taste you! Are you all right?”
I sigh and lean back against him. “I don’t think I want to do that again.”
Song: Jason "Shyboy" Arnold of Hyonogaja - Shall Never Surrender
Characters: Cygnus, Signal
Cygnus laughs as the riders crest the hill. Signal sighs and rubs his temples, muttering a quick prayer for strength. They’re outnumbered here. The two of them against at least a dozen people.
“Signal,” Cygnus sing-songs, dancing over to him. “They smell like Order.”
Order? Is that it? Are these men connected to the Temple of Rhiya? The Temple won’t give up, will they? He grits his teeth and grips his mace. Why do he and his brother have to die? None of this is their fault! It isn’t like they wanted to be tainted by Chaos...
Cygnus throws his arms in the air and whirls around, his eyes wide. He’s dancing to the rhythm of the hoofbeats; magic crackles in his outstretched hands. “I don’t want to die... I want to dance!”
Signal hears the riders yelling from the other side of the wall as the air starts singing with magic.
“Come, Chaos!” Cygnus yells, his voice deep and serious. “I command you! Come forth!”
The riders aren’t ready for the sudden wave of energy. They’re panicking, Signal notes just before his armor tightens against his skin and hardens, and the pain washes away every thought except the urge to kill.
Song: 30 Seconds to Mars - Oblivion
Characters: Rin, Kier, Fieroni
“This used to be a village?” Kier jumps onto a low stone wall for a better look around. “There’s nothing here.”
Rin forces himself to stare at the horizon, because when he closes his eyes, he sees flames dancing and soldiers rushing forward. Even so, he still hears the screams piercing that cold night sky. He didn’t realize coming back would still hurt this much.
“Yeah,” he finally manages to say. “This was Shanta.”
She looks around again and then steps back to the grass. “What happened?”
“Tyxa happened,” Fieroni says, abruptly; it’s the first thing he’s said all day. “The Oath of Immolation.”
“Immolation...?” Kier shakes her head. “But why would one of the Oaths destroy a tiny village?”
Rin reaches back and grasps Cael’s hilt, feeling the same tinge of icy fear that he felt that night. “Tyxa wanted to kill my father and me. It half succeeded. That’s why I have to find the man with that sword and stop him.”
For a few moments, no one says anything. Fieroni finally breaks the silence. “We should keep moving. The very ground here is restless; it would be too dangerous to camp here.”
Devil Canyon Detectives -- urban fantasy; a city in a reality pocket has more than just humans in it
Song: 30 Seconds to Mars - Edge of the Earth
Characters: Travis, Jen
“It all looks so fragile from up here,” Travis says, stepping a little closer to the edge of the roof. Inwardly, he kicks himself for being so afraid; he has wings now, strange as that is, so why is he afraid of heights?
“It is,” is her only reply.
He looks over at her; Jen’s standing on the ledge, staring out at the city sprawling below them. She looks fragile herself, he wants to say, small and alone. But he doesn’t.
“So... how much longer do you think things are going to stay like this?” Travis feels it; the world is in an uneasy balance, one that could shift drastically any second now.
She looks at him and sighs, and for a moment, despite her form and her gleaming battlearmor, she’s the confused human instead the proud Daemon. “It won’t be long, Travis. It never is.”
And he wonders how many more times the peaceful city can handle falling into chaos.
Song: Groove Coverage - Poison
Characters: Travis, Jen
He barely even registers the shield falling down around them or the screams of the devils as holy bullets tear through them. He’s too busy moving, moving, moving --
-- and then she’s here and he’s here and her arms are around him, her claws stabbing at his back while he tries to pull her even closer than she already is. She tastes like blood; most of it isn’t hers.
“Don’t ever do that again,” he breathes between rough kisses, savoring the taste of her skin.
She laughs, but he hears the fatigue and the pain she tries to hide. “I don’t make promises I can’t keep.”
He snarls and wraps his wings around the both of them before pressing his forehead against hers. “Then don’t do that without me.”
“I won’t.”
Song: Depeche Mode - Enjoy the Silence
Characters: Anne, Aleic
Anne shifts on the bed as he closes the window. “Are you back already?”
He just nods. He knows that the others needed his help, but that doesn’t keep Aleic from feeling guilty. He needs to be here, in this room.
“You aren’t hurt, are you?” she asks, starting to stand up.
“No, no! I’m fine!” he says quickly, moving over to the side of the bed. “Don’t get up. You should rest.”
She laughs softly. “That’s all anyone can say. I’m getting a bit tired of being stuck in a bed.”
He sighs. “You just gave birth.”
“Almost two days ago,” she counters. “I understand you’re all worried about me, Aleic, but if something was going to go wrong, wouldn’t we know by now?” She reaches up and cups one of his cheeks with her hand. “I’m okay; I promise.”
Aleic sits down next to her, glancing over at the tiny baby -- his daughter -- sleeping in her crib. Anne has a point, but... if anything happened to either of them... “I understand.”
1. Pick a character, pairing, or fandom you like
2. Turn on your music player and put it on random/shuffle.
3. Write a drabble related to each song that plays. You only have the time frame of the song to finish the drabble; you start when the song starts and stop when it's over. No lingering afterwards!
4. Do ten of these, then post them.
Fandoms: Well, I don't know if some of these count as fandoms. :D There's Legend of Zelda [of course], as well as two of my original stories in here. Yeah, um. I was planning to be a bit more diverse, but... yeah. I used the music on my sister's computer for this; I may do this again later using my computer's music, since it's different and all.
These are arranged by the fandom, just to help keep things straight.
Legend of Zelda
Song: Within Temptation - Hand of Sorrow
Character: Traitor!Link
“Why aren’t we moving?”
“You have your orders,” I snarl, turning to glare back at my men. “If you insist on fighting, go find one of the other generals. I will not advance until the time is right.”
They keep complaining, but I shut it all out. There, in the middle of the field, I see them. Princess Zelda in her gleaming armor and Ganon in his black cape, facing each other. Even from this far away, her fatigue is clear.
I scowl and turn my attention towards the wall of men on the army’s side. There! He’s little more than a flash of white clothing as he charges out from wherever he was hiding towards the stalemate to stand by the princess.
I hear Ganon’s loud, triumphant laughter, and then I see him turn to face where I stand on the hill.
I draw my sword, holding it high in the air. Dark Link moves to stand in front of the princess. It feels like the world itself is holding its breath.
I savor the moment -- and then I whirl around and slam my blade into the nearest soldier.
My only regret is that I can’t see Ganon’s face.
Song: A Perfect Circle - Passive
Characters: ALttP!Link, Dark Link
I lean against the wall of the pyramid and pull out one of the Silver Arrows. They’re unlike anything I’ve ever seen before, but... at the same time, I think I have seen these somewhere.
Dark doesn’t say anything when I say that. He’s staring out across the Dark World with a strange look on his face. He seems annoyed, but he seems sad, too.
“Dark, I --”
“Not another word,” he snaps.
“Dark...”
He glances over at me and then away again.
What’s the matter? “Please say something.” Anything.
“Don’t ask me about those arrows,” he says, rubbing his face with one sleeve. “I’m not talking about it.”
I nod. I won’t press him.
He nods back. “Then let’s go make Ganon pay.” His voice is so laced with venom and desire for vengeance that it scares me; I suddenly find myself thankful that he’s on my side.
Song: Duran Duran - Come Undone
Character: Future!Link
I wake up in the middle of the night. The room is empty, again, but I can feel weight against my chest and side. I think he’s asleep -- he’s breathing slow -- but it’s hard to tell since I still can’t see him.
I still can’t believe he’s here. I keep waiting to wake up and find him dead. Can shadows not die...? True, how do you destroy a shadow if that which casts it still exists? That... is that why he’s so protective of me? Because my life is his?
I can’t believe I even thought that. I know that isn’t it. I just don’t know how to react to that. He loves me. It’s hard to wrap my head around that. He’s followed me through time just so he can stay with me...
I love him, too, but is it like a brother... or a lover? I don’t know.
Song: t.A.T.u. - Clowns (Can You See Me Now?)
Character: Future!Dark
Another night, another bunch of idiots who think Ganon is a god.
I don’t see it. If he was so mighty, why isn’t he still alive? Pfft. Stupid mortals. The weak need something to cling desperately to so they can pretend they’re strong, and since they’re weak, they can’t cling to themselves.
I keep walking circles around the lot of them, trying to decide which one of them to take out first. Finally, I make my choice and reach out, stepping out of the shadows just enough to slash open his throat; I want to just take his head off, but then that takes some of the fun away.
And if I’m going to kill all of Ganon’s followers -- and I am, Pigman; mark my words -- I’m going to enjoy myself.
Terceira -- swords and sorcery style fantasy story
Song: Shoji Meguro - Master of Tartarus
Characters: Rin, Cael, Cygnus
Reality doubles over and folds, and I think it even tears, and finally I can see straight. The walls of the keep are still intact, so... we must have won. Right? I don’t hear goblins. Then again, I don’t hear anything.
I sit up and look around. The dust is still settling, but the fighting seems to be over now. The soldiers are standing around, staring at the massive golem. I thought that was sealed away?
We don’t have the strength to seal it away, not after breaking it free, Cael’s voice echoes. Three days, perhaps even a week, and then maybe. Worry not, though; I’ve commanded it to wait for further orders. It will not move.
Neither will I; I can’t even stand up.
“Rin!” Cygnus yells, running up from somewhere behind me and throwing his arms around me. “I knew you were alive! I told them I could still taste you! Are you all right?”
I sigh and lean back against him. “I don’t think I want to do that again.”
Song: Jason "Shyboy" Arnold of Hyonogaja - Shall Never Surrender
Characters: Cygnus, Signal
Cygnus laughs as the riders crest the hill. Signal sighs and rubs his temples, muttering a quick prayer for strength. They’re outnumbered here. The two of them against at least a dozen people.
“Signal,” Cygnus sing-songs, dancing over to him. “They smell like Order.”
Order? Is that it? Are these men connected to the Temple of Rhiya? The Temple won’t give up, will they? He grits his teeth and grips his mace. Why do he and his brother have to die? None of this is their fault! It isn’t like they wanted to be tainted by Chaos...
Cygnus throws his arms in the air and whirls around, his eyes wide. He’s dancing to the rhythm of the hoofbeats; magic crackles in his outstretched hands. “I don’t want to die... I want to dance!”
Signal hears the riders yelling from the other side of the wall as the air starts singing with magic.
“Come, Chaos!” Cygnus yells, his voice deep and serious. “I command you! Come forth!”
The riders aren’t ready for the sudden wave of energy. They’re panicking, Signal notes just before his armor tightens against his skin and hardens, and the pain washes away every thought except the urge to kill.
Song: 30 Seconds to Mars - Oblivion
Characters: Rin, Kier, Fieroni
“This used to be a village?” Kier jumps onto a low stone wall for a better look around. “There’s nothing here.”
Rin forces himself to stare at the horizon, because when he closes his eyes, he sees flames dancing and soldiers rushing forward. Even so, he still hears the screams piercing that cold night sky. He didn’t realize coming back would still hurt this much.
“Yeah,” he finally manages to say. “This was Shanta.”
She looks around again and then steps back to the grass. “What happened?”
“Tyxa happened,” Fieroni says, abruptly; it’s the first thing he’s said all day. “The Oath of Immolation.”
“Immolation...?” Kier shakes her head. “But why would one of the Oaths destroy a tiny village?”
Rin reaches back and grasps Cael’s hilt, feeling the same tinge of icy fear that he felt that night. “Tyxa wanted to kill my father and me. It half succeeded. That’s why I have to find the man with that sword and stop him.”
For a few moments, no one says anything. Fieroni finally breaks the silence. “We should keep moving. The very ground here is restless; it would be too dangerous to camp here.”
Devil Canyon Detectives -- urban fantasy; a city in a reality pocket has more than just humans in it
Song: 30 Seconds to Mars - Edge of the Earth
Characters: Travis, Jen
“It all looks so fragile from up here,” Travis says, stepping a little closer to the edge of the roof. Inwardly, he kicks himself for being so afraid; he has wings now, strange as that is, so why is he afraid of heights?
“It is,” is her only reply.
He looks over at her; Jen’s standing on the ledge, staring out at the city sprawling below them. She looks fragile herself, he wants to say, small and alone. But he doesn’t.
“So... how much longer do you think things are going to stay like this?” Travis feels it; the world is in an uneasy balance, one that could shift drastically any second now.
She looks at him and sighs, and for a moment, despite her form and her gleaming battlearmor, she’s the confused human instead the proud Daemon. “It won’t be long, Travis. It never is.”
And he wonders how many more times the peaceful city can handle falling into chaos.
Song: Groove Coverage - Poison
Characters: Travis, Jen
He barely even registers the shield falling down around them or the screams of the devils as holy bullets tear through them. He’s too busy moving, moving, moving --
-- and then she’s here and he’s here and her arms are around him, her claws stabbing at his back while he tries to pull her even closer than she already is. She tastes like blood; most of it isn’t hers.
“Don’t ever do that again,” he breathes between rough kisses, savoring the taste of her skin.
She laughs, but he hears the fatigue and the pain she tries to hide. “I don’t make promises I can’t keep.”
He snarls and wraps his wings around the both of them before pressing his forehead against hers. “Then don’t do that without me.”
“I won’t.”
Song: Depeche Mode - Enjoy the Silence
Characters: Anne, Aleic
Anne shifts on the bed as he closes the window. “Are you back already?”
He just nods. He knows that the others needed his help, but that doesn’t keep Aleic from feeling guilty. He needs to be here, in this room.
“You aren’t hurt, are you?” she asks, starting to stand up.
“No, no! I’m fine!” he says quickly, moving over to the side of the bed. “Don’t get up. You should rest.”
She laughs softly. “That’s all anyone can say. I’m getting a bit tired of being stuck in a bed.”
He sighs. “You just gave birth.”
“Almost two days ago,” she counters. “I understand you’re all worried about me, Aleic, but if something was going to go wrong, wouldn’t we know by now?” She reaches up and cups one of his cheeks with her hand. “I’m okay; I promise.”
Aleic sits down next to her, glancing over at the tiny baby -- his daughter -- sleeping in her crib. Anne has a point, but... if anything happened to either of them... “I understand.”