fanfic prod

[veronica_rich]

You know those songs whose lyrics seem to get people's ideas going across fandoms? Such as "Bad Romance" by Gaga? Everybody knows a pairing in their fandom that would qualify. I think another may be part of "Everything You Want" by Vertical Horizon:

He's everything you want, he's everything you need
He's everything inside of you that you wish you could be
He says all the right things at exactly the right time
But he means nothing to you, and you don't know why

I am everything you want, I am everything you need
I am everything inside of you that you wish you could be
I say all the right things at exactly the right time
But I mean nothing to you, and I don't know why

Here's an exercise, if you want it: Write a tiny, short little thing from your chosen fandom in the comments, that relate some way to those lyrics. I'm not talking about song-fic (lord, how I hate song-fic); I mean, when you hear that part of the song or read those lines, do you get an idea of characters or situation in your chosen movie, show, or books for which you like to write fanfic?

Here's mine, in "Red Dwarf"-
******
Lister rarely hated anyone; it just wasn't in him normally. Ex-girlfriends, guys who had colluded with ex-girlfriends to make them exes, that smeghead Hollister, the JMC recruiter ... he had quite a high tolerance for human foible, maybe because he saw so many weaknesses in himself. He didn't know why.

But, by Jove, he actively, white-hot hated Rimmer right now. It was going to take a while for this to die down. The anger had actually settled behind his eyes and bloomed into a headache, still burning two hours after the cowardly fuck had abandoned them all to a murderous enemy and stolen the only escape pod. And for what? He's already dead! Lister chanted in his head over and over. He can't die; he can't even be destroyed. That bee now's like Fort Knox, I mean, Jesus!

Remembering Ace's offer of sticking around to mess with the engines - and more, from the way he'd eyed Lister - the Scouser struggled to remember why he'd turned down either. He hadn't been drinking that heavily when he decided to stick around with Rimmer here, had he? A lot of days, it seemed like it.

Ace had been a diamond tossed into the rough aboard Red Dwarf, and Rimmer ... well, he was more like a piece of fool's gold in the smegging Himalayas, and Lister was getting mighty tired of climbing. But he doggedly kept his eye out for the summit, for some stupid, mysterious reason.

Comments

[janamelie.livejournal.com]

I'm afraid I'm not getting any inspiration right now, but I like your ficlet. I love the vibe between Lister and Ace in "DJ". :)

If I think of a different song which inspires me I'll post something here, if that's OK.

[veronica-rich.livejournal.com]

Someone once wrote a story where Lister had a dream he was dropped into basically an Aces Convention, with thousands of variations on a theme, and he was searching through the crowd for HIS Rimmer. It was a fun story in the reactions he got as he wended through the crowd, descriptions of all the Rimmers, etc.

[hippediva.livejournal.com]

It was sticky hot and they both were sweating like desperate housewives having hot flashes. He was so close he could see the pearls beading up and rolling from under the plastic arms of his ever-present shades. Hijo de puta! Even his sweat smelled like jasmine and cordite. He turned, reaching for the kashkalnikov, that slow smile caressing his lips, parted over tv-perfect small white teeth. The smile turned into a grin. "You owe me for this. Again."

El was tapping his fingers against the butt of whatever weapon of choice he had cradled in his arms, like a guitar, like a lover. Sands' grin softened. "Rumba or tango?" The nervous tapping stopped, replaced by a soft curse, then a bark of a laugh, reluctant and sharp.

And Sands wondered idly if it was possible to roll one's sockets.

[veronica-rich.livejournal.com]

Our favorite sociopath (or maybe psychopath)! Nice one.

[hippediva.livejournal.com]

*giggle*. Thanks and thank you for the opportunity to air him out. He and El were both starting to smell like moldy enchiladas!

I meant to tell you that I absolutely love the mountain-climbing metaphor you used. It was wonderfully put and had just tht edge of funny to it (along with the Sisyphus thing) that was delicious.

[veronica-rich.livejournal.com]

Oh, thanks - you know, once in a while I come up with a turn of phrase or even a story that sounds pretty good and I think Why can't you do that in a longer format, and more often, and sell it? But it has not materialized, alas. *G*

[smtfhw.livejournal.com]

Oh, yes! I've missed your writing!!!

[hippediva.livejournal.com]

*blush*

Oh thank you. They bang on my brain every now and then but it was nice to have a little forum to give them a bit of an airing. Like a turn in the pram around the park. LOL!

[smtfhw.livejournal.com]

Like a turn in the pram around the park.

And that's a truly alarming image!

[kronette.livejournal.com]

Interesting. I like this little ficlet; it gets the point across. I've recently heard "Stay" by Rihanna and am trying to figure out if it's viddable because I love it THAT MUCH. Funnily enough, it would involve Ace also (in a way). Let's hope both parts can be posted in comments.

It's not much of a life you're living
It's not just something you take, it's given
Round and around and around and around we go
Not really sure how to feel about it
Something in the way you move
Makes me feel like I can't live without you
It takes me all the way
I want you to stay
Oohh the reason I hold on
Oohh cause I need this hole gone
Funny you're the broken one but I'm the only one who needed saving
Cause when you never see the light it's hard to know which one of us is caving

(set in SMAC)

The crazy thing about his first speech to the newly hologramed Rimmer all those years ago was that he honestly meant it: being dead wasn't the hindrance it used to be. Rimmer was as much alive now as he'd been before he died – moreso, now that he had the hard light drive.

Hell, Rimmer had managed to fall in love while still a soft light hologram, something Lister had thought impossible. Rimmer just wasn't loveable – yet the quiet misery he exuded after returning from the holoship said more than words ever could.

He'd watched Rimmer change over the years with a sort of fatherly pride. He supposed it was fatherly, anyway. He wasn't one to know what a father's pride should feel like, or know what a son's pride at his father's praise would feel like. But he supposed it was close to the heart-warming swell that filled his chest whenever Rimmer did something right.

As he hugged Rimmer one last time before he was off to be the next Ace Rimmer, the ache in his chest felt near to bursting. When the ache didn't go away for days, he had Kryten run some scans, but they came back negative. It wasn't until his dream that Rimmer returned that he realized his terrible mistake. That ache wasn't pride; it was love.

=-=-=-=

(years later, set in BTE)

Rimmer opened his eyes but didn't turn around right away. He knew Lister wouldn't be coming back from his dream girl. There was no way that Lister would give up the chance to be with Kochanski again.

He sat up and gazed sorrowfully at the cause of his heartache and his strength, wondering if he'd ever get the chance to tell the last human alive that he gave up being Ace for love.

[veronica-rich.livejournal.com]

I particularly like the incorporation of BTE. Considering book canon establishes that, yes, Lister COULD waste away in virtual reality with Kochanski, at least earlier in life, it's significant that he chooses not to in BTE. You can argue he's mature enough to know the real thing would be better, but ... I also say he's trying to have his cake and eat it too, i.e. being with Rimmer while also trying to add back in someone else he wants (or thinks he should want).

And "the cause of his heartache and his strength" is very concise. You should do these more often, trying to say a lot in a small space; it's well done.

[kronette.livejournal.com]

I essentially gave up on Rimmer's part. I have three other paragraphs I didn't include :) I don't do concise. Drabbles nearly kill me, so I don't do them anymore. Hell, most of my stories started off small (like Static) and ended up multi-parters. Most of my stories are about 28 Word pages long. That seems to be what my brain considers a "completed" story.