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crossover_chickDoc and Dan are still having funtimes in the junk shop (though there was a little awkward for a moment), Alice got to get out and about because of a new Cheshire in the Nexus, I've been reading Sugar Wiki, Linkara was quite funny, and the latest Girl Genius page got posted early on the LJ mirror -- and it is HILARIOUS.
Shock and awe, all -- I'M IN A GOOD MOOD.
-D: *deadpan* Shall we rejoice or run screaming in terror?-
Go ahead and rejoice, it's shortly before my bedtime anyway. ;)
-MF: . . . Is the sugar wiki responsible for all your plotbunnies turning into chocolate Easter bunnies?-
Could be -- that a problem? I know it's not exactly healthy for canines. . . .
-DW: We're anthromorphics -- we should be all right.-
-HD: And if not, more for the rest of us!-
*giggle*
In that spirit, I have a funny, perhaps somewhat heartwarming Victor/Alice fic to share. I've been looking forward to putting this one up:
9. Dash – You Ran Into A Doorknob?
“I don’t want to take a bath!”
“You never mind once you’re in the tub!” Victor tried again to grab his son as he chased him down the hall. “Chester, stop running from me!”
Chester darted away, shaking his head wildly. “No bath! I don’t want to!”
Victor sighed, leaning against the wall for a quick breather. One thing he had learned about children – they were very, very fast when they wanted to be. He couldn’t count the number of times he’d taken his eyes off Chester or Lucy for just a second, only to look back and discover they’d apparently teleported to another location entirely. He had no idea how they did it – he certainly couldn’t recall doing it himself as a child. Then again, if he remembered the complaints of his nannies correctly, he must have. Perhaps it was an ability you lost at puberty. Victor would have given his right hand to have it back now.
Chester was at the end of the hall, eying his father and poised to run again. Victor gave the little boy his most severe frown (which wasn’t that severe, admittedly – Alice was much better at that sort of thing). “Chester Emmett Van Dort, you come over here right now,” he said, pointing at his feet.
Chester shook his head. “No bath,” he said firmly.
Victor groaned. Why were young children so belligerent? “Chester. . . .”
“Daddy. . . .”
Victor shook his head. “I’m going to catch you,” he said, wondering if an appeal to logic would help. “I have every time before.”
Chester just stared defiantly at him. Victor scowled and started jogging down the hall. Chester attempted to flee, but Victor lunged forward –
Just as the door in front of him opened. “OW!”
“Victor?” Alice’s face appeared around the other side, looking horrified. “Oh, damn! Victor, I’m so sorry!”
Victor sat back on the floor, holding a hand over the injured part of his face. “Ow,” he repeated, wincing. That had hurt more than he’d expected it to.
“Daddy!” Chester ran up to him, looking worried. “You all right?”
“I think the doorknob caught me in the eye,” Victor admitted.
“Let me see,” Alice said, kneeling down and gently pulling his hand away. She examined the injury, making a “tch-tch” sound. “Ouch. Well, you’re going to have a very impressive black eye.”
“Wonderful,” Victor mumbled.
“I’m sorry!” Chester wailed, eyes watery. “It’s all my fault! I’m sorry!”
Victor looked at Chester in shock. The expression on his son’s face was a disturbingly familiar one. Images from his own childhood flashed through his mind – thoughts about how he could never do anything right, how everything was always his fault. . .and what that had led up to when he was 19. . . . “No,” he said gently, reaching out and gathering Chester into his arms. “This isn’t your fault. This was an accident.”
“But--”
“No buts,” Victor said, hugging him. “You couldn’t have known Mum would open the door.”
Chester sniffled a little. “I still feel bad.”
“I know,” Victor said sympathetically. “I know all about that. But it’s not your fault, Chester. You can trust me on that.”
Chester sniffled again, then hugged him back. “Okay. I love you, Daddy.”
Victor kissed his forehead. “I love you too. Now will you go take your bath?”
“Yes,” Chester said immediately, nodding.
Victor sighed. “Good.”
Alice offered him a hand up as Chester got out of his lap. “You go to the kitchen,” she told him, patting his back. “I’ll be in shortly to see what I can do about that bruise.”
“What about Lucy?”
“She’s napping at the moment. Let’s hope it stays that way.” Leaning in, she added in a whisper, “That was nice, what you told Chester.”
Victor sighed. “I know all too well what self-loathing does to a person. I’m not letting my son go through that. Ever.”
Alice smiled and kissed him. “You’re a wonderful father, you know that?” She looked down at their son, waiting patiently. “Come on, Chester, let’s get you cleaned up.”
“All right, Mummy.” They walked hand in hand down to the loo.
Victor watched them go, then turned and headed for the kitchen, wincing as he gently touched his eye. Only me. . .The others are never going to let me hear the end of this one. Maybe I can make up a story involving the Jabberspawn. . . .
-TTV: *eyes me* Rejoice?-
This doesn't count, I wrote it long before today! Anyway, this story is interesting -- it didn't start out as a prompt-story at all. I conceived of the basic idea (Victor accidentally running into a doorknob because he happened to be low to the ground at the time) as a MUSE story. The plot of that one was a little darker -- Rift!Victor would have been walking around with a black eye, and when his visiting parents asked him about it, said it was from running into a doorknob. William and Nell wouldn't believe him and eventually would have come to the conclusion that Alice was hitting him. This would have led to a major kerfuffle that I would have had to break up, then demanded the real explanation from Rift!Victor, because how the hell do you run into a doorknob at 6'3"?
Cue Dee and Clockwork appearing on the scene to apologize -- turns out Rift!Victor was playing tag with Dee, and when he lunged for her one time, Clockwork accidentally opened a door into his face.
-RPD: *wince* I'm glad you didn't write that version -- I can only imagine the guilt attacks Dee and Clockwork would have.-
Yeah, not to mention the angst Alice would get over being called an abuser. I toyed around with writing that version down, but never got around to it. Then, while I was searching for a story to go with the prompt above, "Dash," I had the idea to use Victor accidentally getting whapped in the face while chasing one of his own kids. The idea of Chester trying to avoid his bath probably came from "Calvin And Hobbes" -- I'm pretty sure that's what I was thinking of at the time. And so it all came together.
This is set in the years between Lucille being born and Lorina being born -- Chester's about 3 or so. The idea of kids teleporting is something I've heard from parents. Apparently we're all fast little buggers when we're younger. :p Since this is "Solicitor's Ward"-verse, the incident when he was 19 was his transformation into and battle with the King of Hearts. The King fed off of Victor's self-loathing at first, you see.
-TTV: *already knows he's going to get hugged again by HatterDoc and accepts it with good grace*-
The ending bit was just something I thought was funny. Poor Victor, nobody's going to believe his made-up story. The title I had to yank out of my ass -- I just couldn't think up anything else, so I went with what the Wonderlandians are probably going to be asking once Victor admits the truth. It's my only punctuated title of the lot (mostly because it would look weird without the ?)
Okay, to keep up my good mood, I think I'll go listen to "Ever Ever After." Anything to do with "Enchanted" always makes me squee.
Shock and awe, all -- I'M IN A GOOD MOOD.
-D: *deadpan* Shall we rejoice or run screaming in terror?-
Go ahead and rejoice, it's shortly before my bedtime anyway. ;)
-MF: . . . Is the sugar wiki responsible for all your plotbunnies turning into chocolate Easter bunnies?-
Could be -- that a problem? I know it's not exactly healthy for canines. . . .
-DW: We're anthromorphics -- we should be all right.-
-HD: And if not, more for the rest of us!-
*giggle*
In that spirit, I have a funny, perhaps somewhat heartwarming Victor/Alice fic to share. I've been looking forward to putting this one up:
9. Dash – You Ran Into A Doorknob?
“I don’t want to take a bath!”
“You never mind once you’re in the tub!” Victor tried again to grab his son as he chased him down the hall. “Chester, stop running from me!”
Chester darted away, shaking his head wildly. “No bath! I don’t want to!”
Victor sighed, leaning against the wall for a quick breather. One thing he had learned about children – they were very, very fast when they wanted to be. He couldn’t count the number of times he’d taken his eyes off Chester or Lucy for just a second, only to look back and discover they’d apparently teleported to another location entirely. He had no idea how they did it – he certainly couldn’t recall doing it himself as a child. Then again, if he remembered the complaints of his nannies correctly, he must have. Perhaps it was an ability you lost at puberty. Victor would have given his right hand to have it back now.
Chester was at the end of the hall, eying his father and poised to run again. Victor gave the little boy his most severe frown (which wasn’t that severe, admittedly – Alice was much better at that sort of thing). “Chester Emmett Van Dort, you come over here right now,” he said, pointing at his feet.
Chester shook his head. “No bath,” he said firmly.
Victor groaned. Why were young children so belligerent? “Chester. . . .”
“Daddy. . . .”
Victor shook his head. “I’m going to catch you,” he said, wondering if an appeal to logic would help. “I have every time before.”
Chester just stared defiantly at him. Victor scowled and started jogging down the hall. Chester attempted to flee, but Victor lunged forward –
Just as the door in front of him opened. “OW!”
“Victor?” Alice’s face appeared around the other side, looking horrified. “Oh, damn! Victor, I’m so sorry!”
Victor sat back on the floor, holding a hand over the injured part of his face. “Ow,” he repeated, wincing. That had hurt more than he’d expected it to.
“Daddy!” Chester ran up to him, looking worried. “You all right?”
“I think the doorknob caught me in the eye,” Victor admitted.
“Let me see,” Alice said, kneeling down and gently pulling his hand away. She examined the injury, making a “tch-tch” sound. “Ouch. Well, you’re going to have a very impressive black eye.”
“Wonderful,” Victor mumbled.
“I’m sorry!” Chester wailed, eyes watery. “It’s all my fault! I’m sorry!”
Victor looked at Chester in shock. The expression on his son’s face was a disturbingly familiar one. Images from his own childhood flashed through his mind – thoughts about how he could never do anything right, how everything was always his fault. . .and what that had led up to when he was 19. . . . “No,” he said gently, reaching out and gathering Chester into his arms. “This isn’t your fault. This was an accident.”
“But--”
“No buts,” Victor said, hugging him. “You couldn’t have known Mum would open the door.”
Chester sniffled a little. “I still feel bad.”
“I know,” Victor said sympathetically. “I know all about that. But it’s not your fault, Chester. You can trust me on that.”
Chester sniffled again, then hugged him back. “Okay. I love you, Daddy.”
Victor kissed his forehead. “I love you too. Now will you go take your bath?”
“Yes,” Chester said immediately, nodding.
Victor sighed. “Good.”
Alice offered him a hand up as Chester got out of his lap. “You go to the kitchen,” she told him, patting his back. “I’ll be in shortly to see what I can do about that bruise.”
“What about Lucy?”
“She’s napping at the moment. Let’s hope it stays that way.” Leaning in, she added in a whisper, “That was nice, what you told Chester.”
Victor sighed. “I know all too well what self-loathing does to a person. I’m not letting my son go through that. Ever.”
Alice smiled and kissed him. “You’re a wonderful father, you know that?” She looked down at their son, waiting patiently. “Come on, Chester, let’s get you cleaned up.”
“All right, Mummy.” They walked hand in hand down to the loo.
Victor watched them go, then turned and headed for the kitchen, wincing as he gently touched his eye. Only me. . .The others are never going to let me hear the end of this one. Maybe I can make up a story involving the Jabberspawn. . . .
-TTV: *eyes me* Rejoice?-
This doesn't count, I wrote it long before today! Anyway, this story is interesting -- it didn't start out as a prompt-story at all. I conceived of the basic idea (Victor accidentally running into a doorknob because he happened to be low to the ground at the time) as a MUSE story. The plot of that one was a little darker -- Rift!Victor would have been walking around with a black eye, and when his visiting parents asked him about it, said it was from running into a doorknob. William and Nell wouldn't believe him and eventually would have come to the conclusion that Alice was hitting him. This would have led to a major kerfuffle that I would have had to break up, then demanded the real explanation from Rift!Victor, because how the hell do you run into a doorknob at 6'3"?
Cue Dee and Clockwork appearing on the scene to apologize -- turns out Rift!Victor was playing tag with Dee, and when he lunged for her one time, Clockwork accidentally opened a door into his face.
-RPD: *wince* I'm glad you didn't write that version -- I can only imagine the guilt attacks Dee and Clockwork would have.-
Yeah, not to mention the angst Alice would get over being called an abuser. I toyed around with writing that version down, but never got around to it. Then, while I was searching for a story to go with the prompt above, "Dash," I had the idea to use Victor accidentally getting whapped in the face while chasing one of his own kids. The idea of Chester trying to avoid his bath probably came from "Calvin And Hobbes" -- I'm pretty sure that's what I was thinking of at the time. And so it all came together.
This is set in the years between Lucille being born and Lorina being born -- Chester's about 3 or so. The idea of kids teleporting is something I've heard from parents. Apparently we're all fast little buggers when we're younger. :p Since this is "Solicitor's Ward"-verse, the incident when he was 19 was his transformation into and battle with the King of Hearts. The King fed off of Victor's self-loathing at first, you see.
-TTV: *already knows he's going to get hugged again by HatterDoc and accepts it with good grace*-
The ending bit was just something I thought was funny. Poor Victor, nobody's going to believe his made-up story. The title I had to yank out of my ass -- I just couldn't think up anything else, so I went with what the Wonderlandians are probably going to be asking once Victor admits the truth. It's my only punctuated title of the lot (mostly because it would look weird without the ?)
Okay, to keep up my good mood, I think I'll go listen to "Ever Ever After." Anything to do with "Enchanted" always makes me squee.
