Feeling a Bit Wobbly
Feb. 5th, 2010 11:37 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
crossover_chickHad a bad time sleeping last night. Woke up at 4:20 AM for pretty much no reason, then kept waking up after that. *grumble* I really hate my brain sometimes.
Anyway, haven't done much today besides chill out, do some muse biographies for![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
8docs_n_1victor (I want to have them up by the 8th, so they can wish the Claras a happy birthday in their own journal -- and that reminds me, I missed poor Victoria's (Emily Watson's -- January 14th, in case you're wondering). Damn), and read the screencap playthrough of American McGee's Alice. It's very interesting -- and pointing out some stuff I didn't notice before. Like how the flames have faces. And the levers in the early Fortress of Doors puzzle just vanish after you're done using them.
To keep this entry from being totally pointless, I figured I'd share with you this draft of that Corpse Bride story I mentioned. I might put it up on FF.net eventually, but let's see what you guys think first:
Down The Rabbit Hole
“Pardon me, Mr. Mayhew, but have you see Victor about?”
Mayhew looked up from his pipe, doing his best to stifle another coughing fit. Standing by his side was Miss Elizabeth Austen, Victor’s latest governess. The young woman was wringing her hands, looking both worried and rather annoyed. “He’s run off again, has he?” Mayhew said, once his throat was clear.
“Yes – I swear, nine times out of ten, you can leave him somewhere, and he’ll be in the exact same spot when you come back, no matter how long you’ve been gone. But that tenth time. . . .” Elizabeth shook her head. “I hope he hasn’t gone off chasing more butterflies. The mistress complains so much when he does that.” In a softer voice, she added, “Of course, the mistress complains about everything.”
Mayhew chuckled a little. “It’s just how she is,” he said, with the air of someone who had worked long for Mr. and Mrs. Van Dort and not quit in a huff. “She’s not happy unless she’s complaining about something.”
“So I gathered from my predecessor.” Elizabeth straightened her bonnet. “But you haven’t seen Victor?”
“No, ma’am, I–”
Mayhew was cut off by another coughing fit. Elizabeth frowned at him as he slapped himself on the chest. “You really ought to stop smoking that awful pipe,” she informed him. “That cough will be the death of you someday.”
Mayhew knew she was probably right. But his addiction to the joys of tobacco was too great for him to even seriously contemplate quitting. “I’m all right,” he told her, once he had his breath back. “I’ve lasted this long, haven’t I?”
Elizabeth’s reply was cut off by loud yapping. Both she and Mayhew looked to the right to see Scraps rushing up to them, barking like mad. “Well, hello there Scraps,” Mayhew said, reaching down to give the dog a friendly pat. He didn’t care much what Mrs. Van Dort said about “that horrid beast,” he liked the little puppy. Not only because he liked dogs in general, but because he knew how much Victor loved the dog. That poor boy needed all the friends he could get. “Where’s your master then?”
Scraps barked at him, sounding oddly fretful. Mayhew frowned a little. “What’s wrong?”
“Has something happened to Victor?” Elizabeth added, starting to look a bit frightened.
Scraps barked again, and turned and ran back the way he’d come. He paused halfway away and barked again. “I think he means for us to follow him,” Mayhew said, coughing briefly.
“Oh, dear, I hope he isn’t hurt,” Elizabeth said, hitching up her skirts so she could hurry after the little dog. Mayhew walked beside her, puffing at his pipe. “The poor thing, he looks so small and fragile. . .oh, and the mistress would be livid. . . .”
“I’m sure he’s fine,” Mayhew said, but privately, he was worried too. All he could think about was that incident back when Victor was six, when the poor boy had been stranded in this very field for a hour with a sprained ankle. Well, at least this time I’m fairly certain Scraps was able to get our attention a lot earlier, he thought, biting down on the stem of his pipe. Still, I really do hope it isn’t as bad as that.
Scraps led them over to a little hill near the edge of the field, where there were a number of rabbit burrows. One of them was a bit larger than the others – why, no one was quite sure. And in that very hole was –
“Help! Somebody! I’m stuck!”
Mayhew couldn’t help himself – he burst out laughing. Victor was caught halfway in the hole, with his hindquarters sticking out. The boy was wriggling madly, unsuccessfully trying to work himself loose. Elizabeth had to clap her hands over her mouth to stifle her own giggles. “Oh, Victor. . . .”
“Miss Austen?” Victor suddenly went still. “Er – c-could you – could you p-please--”
“Don’t worry, Victor,” Mayhew said, finally managing to calm himself. “I’ll get you out.” He knelt by the boy’s side and dug out the edge of the hole a little more before gripping Victor firmly by the waist. A quick tug, and Victor popped free. He was smeared with dirt and grass, but otherwise no worse for wear. Scraps licked his face as Victor took a few deep breaths. “All right, my boy?” Mayhew asked, pausing a moment to cough.
“Y-yes,” Victor said, turning pink under the dirt. “Thank you, Mayhew.”
“Goodness, Victor, whatever possessed you to invade a rabbit hole?” Elizabeth said, taking out her handkerchief and wiping off his face.
Victor lowered his eyes, looking quite embarrassed. “I – I was t-trying to reach Wonderland.”
Mayhew and Elizabeth stared for a moment. “You were what?” Mayhew repeated, rather puzzled.
“I was r-reading my new book, and – and the w-world sounded so lovely, that I. . . .” Victor looked up again briefly. “I saw this r-rabbit hole, and I thought, m-maybe, since it’s s-so much bigger t-than the others. . . .”
Elizabeth sighed and shook her head. “I should have never left you alone with that book,” she said. “I should have known your imagination would try to run away with you. Oh, you’ve ruined your new clothes.” She tried in vain to rub the mud off Victor’s sleeves. “Your mother is going to be very cross with you.”
“I know, M-Miss Austen,” Victor said, looking miserable. “I’m s-sorry for c-causing trouble.”
“I’m just glad you weren’t hurt.” Elizabeth helped him to his feet. “Come on, let’s go home and get you cleaned up.”
Mayhew gently tousled Victor’s hair. “You should be glad you didn’t get to Wonderland,” he said teasingly. “The Queen of Hearts might have ordered your head cut off.”
“I wasn’t planning on g-going to play croquet with her,” Victor protested. “I thought I would spend some time at the tea party, with the H-Hatter and the March Hare. I think I’d enjoy it better than Alice did – I’m u-used to insults from the other boys.” In a softer voice, he added, “I did see a bunch of funny colors for a moment.”
“I rather think that might have been from lack of air,” was Elizabeth’s opinion. “You really must be more careful, Victor.”
Scraps suddenly started barking again, drawing everyone’s attention. “What is it, boy?” Victor said, brushing his hair out of his eyes.
Scraps looked at him, then stared at a nearby fence. Everyone looked to see a grey cat perched upon one of the posts. It was a rather mangy-looking thing – thin enough to see its ribs, with fur so short it was barely there. It also had an unusually large head and paws. It tilted its head and meowed at them, showing yellowed teeth. “It’s just an old cat, Scraps,” Victor said, smirking a little. “I don’t think it’s even worth the bother to--”
Victor stopped, eyes widening. “What – Mayhew, Miss Austen, did you see that?”
“See what?” Elizabeth replied, looking from the cat to Victor in confusion.
“The cat – it – Mayhew?”
Mayhew felt decidedly peculiar. He shook his head once, firmly. “It’s just some stray,” he said firmly, turning away. “We’d better be off before it decides to follow us and your mother has a fit.”
Victor nodded, frowning as he followed them back to the stump where he’d left his book. “But I thought I saw. . . .” He started, then let the sentence trail off before shaking his head. “No. That’s silly.”
They collected the book and returned to the carriage without incident. Mayhew helped Victor and Elizabeth inside, then took the driver’s seat to take them back to the house. He coughed for a bit, then looked back toward the field and the fence. The cat had left – a fact that made Mayhew very glad. That cat had unnerved him quite a bit just now. Made him start wondering about things that couldn’t be possible. And whether Victor really had been so foolish as to try and pop down a rabbit hole. Because, just for a moment –
He could have sworn he’d seen that cat grin.
The End
-TTV: *tilts head thoughtfully* I see what you mean about sort of a crossover.-
Yeah. The idea actually comes from a line I threw into "The Solicitor's Ward," where Victor mentions that he once got stuck in a rabbit hole trying to reach Wonderland. I think I had him as six in the mention, but when I looked up the publishing dates, he'd have to be about ten, so. . . Hopefully he's not coming off as too immature for his age. The reference to "funny colors" refers to the psychedelic portals you use to travel through levels in American McGee's Alice. Victor's governess's name is also an injoke -- it's a reference to the book I'm currently reading, "Pride & Prejudice & Zombies." Elizabeth is from Elizabeth Bennett, Austen from Jane Austen. The incident when Victor was six was actually mentioned before, in one ofdeadgirlsliekme's backstory memes. As you might imagine, it had a nasty effect on him.
-TTV: *winces*-
*patpats*
So, any great and profound thoughts?
Anyway, haven't done much today besides chill out, do some muse biographies for
8docs_n_1victor (I want to have them up by the 8th, so they can wish the Claras a happy birthday in their own journal -- and that reminds me, I missed poor Victoria's (Emily Watson's -- January 14th, in case you're wondering). Damn), and read the screencap playthrough of American McGee's Alice. It's very interesting -- and pointing out some stuff I didn't notice before. Like how the flames have faces. And the levers in the early Fortress of Doors puzzle just vanish after you're done using them.To keep this entry from being totally pointless, I figured I'd share with you this draft of that Corpse Bride story I mentioned. I might put it up on FF.net eventually, but let's see what you guys think first:
“Pardon me, Mr. Mayhew, but have you see Victor about?”
Mayhew looked up from his pipe, doing his best to stifle another coughing fit. Standing by his side was Miss Elizabeth Austen, Victor’s latest governess. The young woman was wringing her hands, looking both worried and rather annoyed. “He’s run off again, has he?” Mayhew said, once his throat was clear.
“Yes – I swear, nine times out of ten, you can leave him somewhere, and he’ll be in the exact same spot when you come back, no matter how long you’ve been gone. But that tenth time. . . .” Elizabeth shook her head. “I hope he hasn’t gone off chasing more butterflies. The mistress complains so much when he does that.” In a softer voice, she added, “Of course, the mistress complains about everything.”
Mayhew chuckled a little. “It’s just how she is,” he said, with the air of someone who had worked long for Mr. and Mrs. Van Dort and not quit in a huff. “She’s not happy unless she’s complaining about something.”
“So I gathered from my predecessor.” Elizabeth straightened her bonnet. “But you haven’t seen Victor?”
“No, ma’am, I–”
Mayhew was cut off by another coughing fit. Elizabeth frowned at him as he slapped himself on the chest. “You really ought to stop smoking that awful pipe,” she informed him. “That cough will be the death of you someday.”
Mayhew knew she was probably right. But his addiction to the joys of tobacco was too great for him to even seriously contemplate quitting. “I’m all right,” he told her, once he had his breath back. “I’ve lasted this long, haven’t I?”
Elizabeth’s reply was cut off by loud yapping. Both she and Mayhew looked to the right to see Scraps rushing up to them, barking like mad. “Well, hello there Scraps,” Mayhew said, reaching down to give the dog a friendly pat. He didn’t care much what Mrs. Van Dort said about “that horrid beast,” he liked the little puppy. Not only because he liked dogs in general, but because he knew how much Victor loved the dog. That poor boy needed all the friends he could get. “Where’s your master then?”
Scraps barked at him, sounding oddly fretful. Mayhew frowned a little. “What’s wrong?”
“Has something happened to Victor?” Elizabeth added, starting to look a bit frightened.
Scraps barked again, and turned and ran back the way he’d come. He paused halfway away and barked again. “I think he means for us to follow him,” Mayhew said, coughing briefly.
“Oh, dear, I hope he isn’t hurt,” Elizabeth said, hitching up her skirts so she could hurry after the little dog. Mayhew walked beside her, puffing at his pipe. “The poor thing, he looks so small and fragile. . .oh, and the mistress would be livid. . . .”
“I’m sure he’s fine,” Mayhew said, but privately, he was worried too. All he could think about was that incident back when Victor was six, when the poor boy had been stranded in this very field for a hour with a sprained ankle. Well, at least this time I’m fairly certain Scraps was able to get our attention a lot earlier, he thought, biting down on the stem of his pipe. Still, I really do hope it isn’t as bad as that.
Scraps led them over to a little hill near the edge of the field, where there were a number of rabbit burrows. One of them was a bit larger than the others – why, no one was quite sure. And in that very hole was –
“Help! Somebody! I’m stuck!”
Mayhew couldn’t help himself – he burst out laughing. Victor was caught halfway in the hole, with his hindquarters sticking out. The boy was wriggling madly, unsuccessfully trying to work himself loose. Elizabeth had to clap her hands over her mouth to stifle her own giggles. “Oh, Victor. . . .”
“Miss Austen?” Victor suddenly went still. “Er – c-could you – could you p-please--”
“Don’t worry, Victor,” Mayhew said, finally managing to calm himself. “I’ll get you out.” He knelt by the boy’s side and dug out the edge of the hole a little more before gripping Victor firmly by the waist. A quick tug, and Victor popped free. He was smeared with dirt and grass, but otherwise no worse for wear. Scraps licked his face as Victor took a few deep breaths. “All right, my boy?” Mayhew asked, pausing a moment to cough.
“Y-yes,” Victor said, turning pink under the dirt. “Thank you, Mayhew.”
“Goodness, Victor, whatever possessed you to invade a rabbit hole?” Elizabeth said, taking out her handkerchief and wiping off his face.
Victor lowered his eyes, looking quite embarrassed. “I – I was t-trying to reach Wonderland.”
Mayhew and Elizabeth stared for a moment. “You were what?” Mayhew repeated, rather puzzled.
“I was r-reading my new book, and – and the w-world sounded so lovely, that I. . . .” Victor looked up again briefly. “I saw this r-rabbit hole, and I thought, m-maybe, since it’s s-so much bigger t-than the others. . . .”
Elizabeth sighed and shook her head. “I should have never left you alone with that book,” she said. “I should have known your imagination would try to run away with you. Oh, you’ve ruined your new clothes.” She tried in vain to rub the mud off Victor’s sleeves. “Your mother is going to be very cross with you.”
“I know, M-Miss Austen,” Victor said, looking miserable. “I’m s-sorry for c-causing trouble.”
“I’m just glad you weren’t hurt.” Elizabeth helped him to his feet. “Come on, let’s go home and get you cleaned up.”
Mayhew gently tousled Victor’s hair. “You should be glad you didn’t get to Wonderland,” he said teasingly. “The Queen of Hearts might have ordered your head cut off.”
“I wasn’t planning on g-going to play croquet with her,” Victor protested. “I thought I would spend some time at the tea party, with the H-Hatter and the March Hare. I think I’d enjoy it better than Alice did – I’m u-used to insults from the other boys.” In a softer voice, he added, “I did see a bunch of funny colors for a moment.”
“I rather think that might have been from lack of air,” was Elizabeth’s opinion. “You really must be more careful, Victor.”
Scraps suddenly started barking again, drawing everyone’s attention. “What is it, boy?” Victor said, brushing his hair out of his eyes.
Scraps looked at him, then stared at a nearby fence. Everyone looked to see a grey cat perched upon one of the posts. It was a rather mangy-looking thing – thin enough to see its ribs, with fur so short it was barely there. It also had an unusually large head and paws. It tilted its head and meowed at them, showing yellowed teeth. “It’s just an old cat, Scraps,” Victor said, smirking a little. “I don’t think it’s even worth the bother to--”
Victor stopped, eyes widening. “What – Mayhew, Miss Austen, did you see that?”
“See what?” Elizabeth replied, looking from the cat to Victor in confusion.
“The cat – it – Mayhew?”
Mayhew felt decidedly peculiar. He shook his head once, firmly. “It’s just some stray,” he said firmly, turning away. “We’d better be off before it decides to follow us and your mother has a fit.”
Victor nodded, frowning as he followed them back to the stump where he’d left his book. “But I thought I saw. . . .” He started, then let the sentence trail off before shaking his head. “No. That’s silly.”
They collected the book and returned to the carriage without incident. Mayhew helped Victor and Elizabeth inside, then took the driver’s seat to take them back to the house. He coughed for a bit, then looked back toward the field and the fence. The cat had left – a fact that made Mayhew very glad. That cat had unnerved him quite a bit just now. Made him start wondering about things that couldn’t be possible. And whether Victor really had been so foolish as to try and pop down a rabbit hole. Because, just for a moment –
He could have sworn he’d seen that cat grin.
The End
-TTV: *tilts head thoughtfully* I see what you mean about sort of a crossover.-
Yeah. The idea actually comes from a line I threw into "The Solicitor's Ward," where Victor mentions that he once got stuck in a rabbit hole trying to reach Wonderland. I think I had him as six in the mention, but when I looked up the publishing dates, he'd have to be about ten, so. . . Hopefully he's not coming off as too immature for his age. The reference to "funny colors" refers to the psychedelic portals you use to travel through levels in American McGee's Alice. Victor's governess's name is also an injoke -- it's a reference to the book I'm currently reading, "Pride & Prejudice & Zombies." Elizabeth is from Elizabeth Bennett, Austen from Jane Austen. The incident when Victor was six was actually mentioned before, in one of
deadgirlsliekme's backstory memes. As you might imagine, it had a nasty effect on him.-TTV: *winces*-
*patpats*
So, any great and profound thoughts?
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2010-02-06 02:50 pm (UTC)Though the end makes it seem more like Victor saw the cat grin and Mayhew didn't. I dunno. May be the way I'm reading it. :/
no subject
Date: 2010-02-07 04:10 am (UTC)Hmmm. . . That's sorta/kinda the intended effect. Mayhew DID see Cheshire grin, but he immediately disbelieves his eyes. It's still a work in progress.