That crazy 10 song meme
Man, this meme was really hard. How can people write flash fic on a regular basis?! I am truly boggled by the process. I need more than a three minute song to think.
Here are the meme "rules":
Rules:
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.
I just double-checked; I have a total of 1323 songs on my I-Tunes. Genres include everything from classical, big band, jazz, pop rock, punk, and weird shit like Billy Crystal's You Look Marvelous. I would have totally written a Yumichika vignette for that.
Okay, I admit I cheated a bit. "No lingering afterwards" was kind of hard to follow with so many typos. I did clean up spelling, grammar, and a few phrases because it's only fair to the reader. I don't like reading crappy fic and so I try my best not to post crappy fic.
Still, I did write this all in one sitting. I started sometime after midnight and ended at 2:15 a.m. Yey for me. Posting will take more time though, since I'm going to fix the formatting, the lj-cuts and whatnot...
A writer's aside: why I got the compunction to kill off one of my favorite characters to such a cheery, upbeat Lisa Loeb song is beyond me. I have no idea I could even hint at slash in one vignette. Worst, well... just read the last one: oh, my brain is so filthy. Really, I am amazed at my own nuttiness. Perhaps it's all the Coke Light I drank today. Maybe living with my eldest sister under the same roof again is slowly driving me unhinged.
Er, you have been warned. Character deaths. Possible OOC's all around.
wicked_liz, this is dedicated to you. Cherish those that are passable. Ignore the rest. Belated happy birthday, sweetie!
1) ブルーハーツより愛をこめて - The Blue Hearts
Can someone by kind enough to translate the title of this song for me?
“What the hell is this, anyway?” Rukia hollered, her hands covering her ears.
“It’s the Blue Hearts, come on!” Ichigo yelled back. “It’s not even one of their fast songs. They’re like The Clash of the country! Give them some respect. I came to listen to them, not to any other newer bands. They’re classic punk.”
Rukia was even more puzzled by his explanation than enlightened by it. She ignored the crowds, the noise, the stench of beer, and the roar of the crowd. No, being at this concert was not a good thing, but at least when she glanced up at him, Ichigo was wearing his normal, happy scowl. The orange-haired young man beside her actually looked relaxed.
Ichigo slipped his hand in hers, casually. He said to himself he wasn’t doing this out of affection. It was merely to make sure she wouldn't be squashed; the drunks behind him who were slam dancing to such a slow song.
Days off from hunting Hollows were the best thing in the world. Too bad he had to bribe Urahara with two weeks’ allowance to agree to patrolling the town tonight.
2. Garage Day’s Night - Betallica
Renji was grunting. He was tired. Damn it, Chad was getting better at this.
“Chad, you’re doing this all wrong,” Renji grunted, as another shot of power swooshed by, almost gutting him in half.
“I don’t see what’s wrong,” Chad mumbled as he fired off another elegant shot, almost winging Renji’s snake monkey thing. “I’m winning.”
Renji noticed, belatedly, that his furry red coat was on fire. “What the fuck!” Renji screamed. “Time out! Time out!”
“There’s no time out in war,” Chad mumbled again. He grinned at the sight of Renji dancing around, trying to beat the flames off his shoulders, tactical defense and all dignity forgotten.
Chad chortled as Renji tried kidou. The conflagration only got bigger.
“I feel all right,” Chad mumbled the words to the last song he heard this morning, a cover tune that warbled in from Tessai’s room.
Chad never had the urge to sing before. It was a wonderful sensation.
3. Kissing a Fool - George Michael
“Captain, you will always bring me with you, right?” her voice was soft and confiding. “You will never leave me behind.”
The answer was in the affirmative, as always.
She sighed, content to hear his voice. She always secretly thought he smelled of freshly baked cookies and sunshine. The touch of his coat was warm, even the slightest glance of his obi against her hand as she trailed him exuded comfort.
She loved her taichou will all her kind heart.
“Captain,” she said aloud once more, “When will you take my to your home like you promised? You said there were scroll paintings you wanted me to see, the earliest samples of your calligraphy…”
Toushirou turned away from the hospital bed, disguised at the display he saw there. Anger tore up his mind.
“What’s wrong?” a voice asked him as he began to slink away from the Fourth Division.
He didn’t even bother to turn around to see who was asking. He knew who it was, and he knew that she didn’t even need to ask - she only did so out of professional courtesy for all her patients.
“Momo is hearing voices again.” His own was cold as he walked away.
4. Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag - James Brown
“Check this out, Ulquiorra,” Grimmjow said as he flexed his newly regenerated arm. “Makes you envious, doesn’t it?”
“Why should it?” Ulquiorra was bored. “I always had all my limbs. I don’t go and lose them in stupid fights and reckless displays of machismo.”
Grimmjow was pissed.
Grimmjow was a louse and a braggart, the Espada thought. Why did he have to listen to this idle chatter any more? Surely Aizen-sama needed him to fulfill an important mission. Perhaps he should check on that Gin again.
“Come here, bitch,” he snarled. Grimmjow’s knuckles were about to turn as blue as Ulquoirra got up and was about to leave the room.
“Why should I?” Ulquiorra queried.
“Because if you don’t, I’ll really do all the nasty things I want to do to your little charge,” he threatened. “It’s either you or her.”
Aizen-sama told him that he must protect Orihime at all costs.
Ulquiorra rolled his eyes upwards and closed the door warily.
Anything for Orihime, he thought.
5. Soap o Pera - Itchyworms
“Oh, it’s our most loyal customer!” Urahara cooed from behind his paper fan. “Jinta, you better not give away all our inventory again.”
Jinta grunted. His face was red.
Ururu giggled. Tessai’s eyebrows barely wiggled as the door swung open and three figures loomed large as shadows in the fading afternoon light.
It wasn’t just Yuzu. She wasn’t carrying her basket and she was blushing horribly. Karin was in tow with a scowl on her face to rival her older brother’s. With them, pushing them to the cashier was a strange, unfamiliar man in a loud purple floral shirt and red paisley pants.
Jinta froze. The man looked oddly familiar. A little bit like Miss Kuchiki’s orange-haired boyfriend but not quite.
Ururu giggled again.
Before Jinta could run out the back door, terror and recognition dawning on his features, Isshin grabbed the boy by the collar and gave him a giant bear hug.
“So this is the young man who’s been feeding us with such an embarrassment of riches!” boomed Isshin. “I want you to pick out the best of your shop’s produce for us! Then you will just have to join us for dinner and taste Yuzu’s heavenly cooking!”
Jinta could hardly breathe from the meaty arms still suffocating him.
“This is just a thank you, boy, for the past few months of free food!” Isshin boomed. “It’s the least I can do for you. Remember, it will be years before I think of letting you date my daughter.”
“This week’s things come out from your pocket allowance as usual, Jinta,” Urahara smiled at Yuzu, as he shut his fan with a resounding click.
Jinta didn’t know if he wanted to laugh or cry.
6. Let It All Go - Workshy
Byakuya was sitting on her favorite boulder in the garden. Her garden. The garden that was made over for her private quarters especially to her liking. He only visited it now on special occasions but it was still maintained exactly the same way as it was fifty years ago, by her favorite gardener. Her garden was full of perfectly matched stones and occasionally graced with the odd bonsai or two, some of them gifts from Ukitake.
He waited.
The air was full of fragrance.
Suddenly, she was there. It was so easy to summon up the memory of Hisana’s voice here.
“You have let yourself go,” she said, her voice full of reproach.
“I’m sorry,” he replied. “I have been careless.”
“I wish I could be with you tonight,” she whispered.
“It isn’t possible, my love,” Byakuya said to the midnight air. “I am just happy to remember you on our anniversary. Your spirit is with me.”
“My spirit was always willing to stay,” she said. “It was only my flesh that was weak.”
“I will tolerate no self-blame tonight,” he said. “Let us just sit here and remember better times.”
The air was full of fragrance. It was the sweet perfume of old goodbyes.
7. Fools Like Me - Lisa Loeb
“Time to go, Orihime,” Ishida said. His voice was urgent.
Her eyes were brimming over with unspent tears. “No!” she said, anguished. “I should be able to heal him. I should be able to heal him!”
Ishida never thought he would feel this intense remorse over the dead body of a Shinigami. Perhaps his stay in Hueco Mundo had changed him too much. “Ichigo’s dead, Orihime,” he said, trying to be patient. “He’s been dead for days… no, he’s been dead since we went to Soul Society. He died for Rukia, you know.”
“I know,” she said.
Strange, Ishida thought. Orihime was hiccupping. It was the most endearing sound he had ever heard, and if he could he would grab her now and kiss her, but to do so in the presence of a dead friend was just crass.
Besides, they didn’t have time.
“Why did he have to die to save her again?” Orihime wailed, her voice full of heart-breaking innocence. “It didn’t change a thing.”
Ishida thought: perhaps it was to give us a chance. He wanted to give us a chance to escape, a chance to live again.
Would it be kinder not to answer if it was not the reply she wanted to hear yet? No. Ishida always trusted in the truth.
“It was what he wanted to do,” Ishida answered. “Ichigo would not have done anything different if given the same choice twice.”
No Quincy could give a Shinigami a better epitaph.
8. London’s Burning - The Clash
The gate was about to give. The Eleventh Company knew what awaited them on the other side.
“Are you ready?” Ikkaku growled.
“More than you, dumb ass,” Kenpachi yelled.
“Come and get it, you unpretty ones!” Yumichika thrilled.
“Are you finally going to let me use all the forms of my shikai, Ken-chan?” Yachiru shrieked happily.
Throughout the front, the Eleventh Company gave voice to their battlecry.
The gate burst open.
The streets of Soul Society were once more awash in the blood and viscera of its finest Shinigami.
9. Half-Life - Duncan Sheik
“How is my most important patient feeling today?”
Unohana was bent over him sweetly, her eyes twinkling.
Ukitake wanted to jump out of bed, singing. But instead he found it difficult to even raise his head.
He just loved the way her hair swung over the bed onto his chest. It was almost worth being sick again and unable to oversee the training of the new recruits.
“Are you awake? Should I come back later? Perhaps you want breakfast now.” She was bustling slowly throughout the room. Soon she would disappear for the day, needing to care to all the other patients in this ward.
Her beauty took his breath away - he despised his own hackneyed way of thinking in clichés, but that’s how it felt. Her serenity always healed him. Almost.
It was time to seize the moment.
“Marry me,” Ukitake whispered, before he was set upon by another bout of violent coughing.
10. I Want You - Elvis Costello
Ichigo didn’t need to say anything. There were no sweet words to say and no pauses that would fill the heavy air with awkward silence.
The black in his eyes had not yet receded and perhaps it never will.
Rukia’s body was sprawled upon the ground. Ichigo - the part of Ichigo that still thought he was Ichigo -- couldn’t remember what had happened. But everybody seemed to be dead.
Those who were not dead had already fled.
He picked up Rukia’s body and cradled it in his arms. Slowly, with only the softest of caresses, he exposed her flesh and peeled away her sodden and bloodied clothes.
Her body was still warm.
Surely she would not fault him for doing this now.
Before the Winter War he had worried that they never had enough time together, everything seemed to tear them apart.
Now they had forever.
Ichigo had promised himself that he would go slowly - it would be his first time with a girl, and he always wanted that girl to be Rukia.
His fingers lovingly touched her lips.
Well, now they had all the time in the world.
Er, violent reactions can start now (including those about typos and grammar gaffs).
Here are the meme "rules":
Rules:
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.
I just double-checked; I have a total of 1323 songs on my I-Tunes. Genres include everything from classical, big band, jazz, pop rock, punk, and weird shit like Billy Crystal's You Look Marvelous. I would have totally written a Yumichika vignette for that.
Okay, I admit I cheated a bit. "No lingering afterwards" was kind of hard to follow with so many typos. I did clean up spelling, grammar, and a few phrases because it's only fair to the reader. I don't like reading crappy fic and so I try my best not to post crappy fic.
Still, I did write this all in one sitting. I started sometime after midnight and ended at 2:15 a.m. Yey for me. Posting will take more time though, since I'm going to fix the formatting, the lj-cuts and whatnot...
A writer's aside: why I got the compunction to kill off one of my favorite characters to such a cheery, upbeat Lisa Loeb song is beyond me. I have no idea I could even hint at slash in one vignette. Worst, well... just read the last one: oh, my brain is so filthy. Really, I am amazed at my own nuttiness. Perhaps it's all the Coke Light I drank today. Maybe living with my eldest sister under the same roof again is slowly driving me unhinged.
Er, you have been warned. Character deaths. Possible OOC's all around.
wicked_liz, this is dedicated to you. Cherish those that are passable. Ignore the rest. Belated happy birthday, sweetie!
1) ブルーハーツより愛をこめて - The Blue Hearts
Can someone by kind enough to translate the title of this song for me?
“What the hell is this, anyway?” Rukia hollered, her hands covering her ears.
“It’s the Blue Hearts, come on!” Ichigo yelled back. “It’s not even one of their fast songs. They’re like The Clash of the country! Give them some respect. I came to listen to them, not to any other newer bands. They’re classic punk.”
Rukia was even more puzzled by his explanation than enlightened by it. She ignored the crowds, the noise, the stench of beer, and the roar of the crowd. No, being at this concert was not a good thing, but at least when she glanced up at him, Ichigo was wearing his normal, happy scowl. The orange-haired young man beside her actually looked relaxed.
Ichigo slipped his hand in hers, casually. He said to himself he wasn’t doing this out of affection. It was merely to make sure she wouldn't be squashed; the drunks behind him who were slam dancing to such a slow song.
Days off from hunting Hollows were the best thing in the world. Too bad he had to bribe Urahara with two weeks’ allowance to agree to patrolling the town tonight.
2. Garage Day’s Night - Betallica
Renji was grunting. He was tired. Damn it, Chad was getting better at this.
“Chad, you’re doing this all wrong,” Renji grunted, as another shot of power swooshed by, almost gutting him in half.
“I don’t see what’s wrong,” Chad mumbled as he fired off another elegant shot, almost winging Renji’s snake monkey thing. “I’m winning.”
Renji noticed, belatedly, that his furry red coat was on fire. “What the fuck!” Renji screamed. “Time out! Time out!”
“There’s no time out in war,” Chad mumbled again. He grinned at the sight of Renji dancing around, trying to beat the flames off his shoulders, tactical defense and all dignity forgotten.
Chad chortled as Renji tried kidou. The conflagration only got bigger.
“I feel all right,” Chad mumbled the words to the last song he heard this morning, a cover tune that warbled in from Tessai’s room.
Chad never had the urge to sing before. It was a wonderful sensation.
3. Kissing a Fool - George Michael
“Captain, you will always bring me with you, right?” her voice was soft and confiding. “You will never leave me behind.”
The answer was in the affirmative, as always.
She sighed, content to hear his voice. She always secretly thought he smelled of freshly baked cookies and sunshine. The touch of his coat was warm, even the slightest glance of his obi against her hand as she trailed him exuded comfort.
She loved her taichou will all her kind heart.
“Captain,” she said aloud once more, “When will you take my to your home like you promised? You said there were scroll paintings you wanted me to see, the earliest samples of your calligraphy…”
Toushirou turned away from the hospital bed, disguised at the display he saw there. Anger tore up his mind.
“What’s wrong?” a voice asked him as he began to slink away from the Fourth Division.
He didn’t even bother to turn around to see who was asking. He knew who it was, and he knew that she didn’t even need to ask - she only did so out of professional courtesy for all her patients.
“Momo is hearing voices again.” His own was cold as he walked away.
4. Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag - James Brown
“Check this out, Ulquiorra,” Grimmjow said as he flexed his newly regenerated arm. “Makes you envious, doesn’t it?”
“Why should it?” Ulquiorra was bored. “I always had all my limbs. I don’t go and lose them in stupid fights and reckless displays of machismo.”
Grimmjow was pissed.
Grimmjow was a louse and a braggart, the Espada thought. Why did he have to listen to this idle chatter any more? Surely Aizen-sama needed him to fulfill an important mission. Perhaps he should check on that Gin again.
“Come here, bitch,” he snarled. Grimmjow’s knuckles were about to turn as blue as Ulquoirra got up and was about to leave the room.
“Why should I?” Ulquiorra queried.
“Because if you don’t, I’ll really do all the nasty things I want to do to your little charge,” he threatened. “It’s either you or her.”
Aizen-sama told him that he must protect Orihime at all costs.
Ulquiorra rolled his eyes upwards and closed the door warily.
Anything for Orihime, he thought.
5. Soap o Pera - Itchyworms
“Oh, it’s our most loyal customer!” Urahara cooed from behind his paper fan. “Jinta, you better not give away all our inventory again.”
Jinta grunted. His face was red.
Ururu giggled. Tessai’s eyebrows barely wiggled as the door swung open and three figures loomed large as shadows in the fading afternoon light.
It wasn’t just Yuzu. She wasn’t carrying her basket and she was blushing horribly. Karin was in tow with a scowl on her face to rival her older brother’s. With them, pushing them to the cashier was a strange, unfamiliar man in a loud purple floral shirt and red paisley pants.
Jinta froze. The man looked oddly familiar. A little bit like Miss Kuchiki’s orange-haired boyfriend but not quite.
Ururu giggled again.
Before Jinta could run out the back door, terror and recognition dawning on his features, Isshin grabbed the boy by the collar and gave him a giant bear hug.
“So this is the young man who’s been feeding us with such an embarrassment of riches!” boomed Isshin. “I want you to pick out the best of your shop’s produce for us! Then you will just have to join us for dinner and taste Yuzu’s heavenly cooking!”
Jinta could hardly breathe from the meaty arms still suffocating him.
“This is just a thank you, boy, for the past few months of free food!” Isshin boomed. “It’s the least I can do for you. Remember, it will be years before I think of letting you date my daughter.”
“This week’s things come out from your pocket allowance as usual, Jinta,” Urahara smiled at Yuzu, as he shut his fan with a resounding click.
Jinta didn’t know if he wanted to laugh or cry.
6. Let It All Go - Workshy
Byakuya was sitting on her favorite boulder in the garden. Her garden. The garden that was made over for her private quarters especially to her liking. He only visited it now on special occasions but it was still maintained exactly the same way as it was fifty years ago, by her favorite gardener. Her garden was full of perfectly matched stones and occasionally graced with the odd bonsai or two, some of them gifts from Ukitake.
He waited.
The air was full of fragrance.
Suddenly, she was there. It was so easy to summon up the memory of Hisana’s voice here.
“You have let yourself go,” she said, her voice full of reproach.
“I’m sorry,” he replied. “I have been careless.”
“I wish I could be with you tonight,” she whispered.
“It isn’t possible, my love,” Byakuya said to the midnight air. “I am just happy to remember you on our anniversary. Your spirit is with me.”
“My spirit was always willing to stay,” she said. “It was only my flesh that was weak.”
“I will tolerate no self-blame tonight,” he said. “Let us just sit here and remember better times.”
The air was full of fragrance. It was the sweet perfume of old goodbyes.
7. Fools Like Me - Lisa Loeb
“Time to go, Orihime,” Ishida said. His voice was urgent.
Her eyes were brimming over with unspent tears. “No!” she said, anguished. “I should be able to heal him. I should be able to heal him!”
Ishida never thought he would feel this intense remorse over the dead body of a Shinigami. Perhaps his stay in Hueco Mundo had changed him too much. “Ichigo’s dead, Orihime,” he said, trying to be patient. “He’s been dead for days… no, he’s been dead since we went to Soul Society. He died for Rukia, you know.”
“I know,” she said.
Strange, Ishida thought. Orihime was hiccupping. It was the most endearing sound he had ever heard, and if he could he would grab her now and kiss her, but to do so in the presence of a dead friend was just crass.
Besides, they didn’t have time.
“Why did he have to die to save her again?” Orihime wailed, her voice full of heart-breaking innocence. “It didn’t change a thing.”
Ishida thought: perhaps it was to give us a chance. He wanted to give us a chance to escape, a chance to live again.
Would it be kinder not to answer if it was not the reply she wanted to hear yet? No. Ishida always trusted in the truth.
“It was what he wanted to do,” Ishida answered. “Ichigo would not have done anything different if given the same choice twice.”
No Quincy could give a Shinigami a better epitaph.
8. London’s Burning - The Clash
The gate was about to give. The Eleventh Company knew what awaited them on the other side.
“Are you ready?” Ikkaku growled.
“More than you, dumb ass,” Kenpachi yelled.
“Come and get it, you unpretty ones!” Yumichika thrilled.
“Are you finally going to let me use all the forms of my shikai, Ken-chan?” Yachiru shrieked happily.
Throughout the front, the Eleventh Company gave voice to their battlecry.
The gate burst open.
The streets of Soul Society were once more awash in the blood and viscera of its finest Shinigami.
9. Half-Life - Duncan Sheik
“How is my most important patient feeling today?”
Unohana was bent over him sweetly, her eyes twinkling.
Ukitake wanted to jump out of bed, singing. But instead he found it difficult to even raise his head.
He just loved the way her hair swung over the bed onto his chest. It was almost worth being sick again and unable to oversee the training of the new recruits.
“Are you awake? Should I come back later? Perhaps you want breakfast now.” She was bustling slowly throughout the room. Soon she would disappear for the day, needing to care to all the other patients in this ward.
Her beauty took his breath away - he despised his own hackneyed way of thinking in clichés, but that’s how it felt. Her serenity always healed him. Almost.
It was time to seize the moment.
“Marry me,” Ukitake whispered, before he was set upon by another bout of violent coughing.
10. I Want You - Elvis Costello
Ichigo didn’t need to say anything. There were no sweet words to say and no pauses that would fill the heavy air with awkward silence.
The black in his eyes had not yet receded and perhaps it never will.
Rukia’s body was sprawled upon the ground. Ichigo - the part of Ichigo that still thought he was Ichigo -- couldn’t remember what had happened. But everybody seemed to be dead.
Those who were not dead had already fled.
He picked up Rukia’s body and cradled it in his arms. Slowly, with only the softest of caresses, he exposed her flesh and peeled away her sodden and bloodied clothes.
Her body was still warm.
Surely she would not fault him for doing this now.
Before the Winter War he had worried that they never had enough time together, everything seemed to tear them apart.
Now they had forever.
Ichigo had promised himself that he would go slowly - it would be his first time with a girl, and he always wanted that girl to be Rukia.
His fingers lovingly touched her lips.
Well, now they had all the time in the world.
Er, violent reactions can start now (including those about typos and grammar gaffs).